This is definitely a book about tennis...

This is not the best TJR book I've ever read but it's not a terrible book by any means. As usual, the author manages to hook you into the character's story and it is often times exhilarating to follow Carrie's career, game by game. However, my issues with this book lie that it is filled with nothing but tennis. There is barely any romance, no plot (other than tennis), no diving into side characters' stories, and no satisfying ending (it literally ends in a cliffhanger). That said, there were some good moments and it was interesting to watch Carrie grow, but I just felt like I needed a little something more than just Carrie and tennis.

Carrie is probably one of my favorite of TJR’s characters, a brash and unapologetic woman going after what she wants. It was wonderful to read her emotional arc through the book, and I also always love the small nods to TJR’s previous books in her works.

A hard hitting, tell them like it is character makes this a solid four stars. Carrie Soto is a take charge, get out of my way and move woman! You either love or hate her. This was a fast pace story of win or lose. I love Carrie Soto!

Thank you NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid. Though she is out of my usual reading genre, I always look for her books and enjoy them. Reid can bring out emotions in me that I don’t like to expose. She is a dowsing rod for tears.
Carrie Soto Is Back is not like any other Reid story. The romance in the story takes a back seat to tennis competitions and the father daughter relationship. Unfortunately, so much of the book was tennis, that I was bored most of the time. Every match, play, point made in a career was put out on the pages. As someone who does not regularly enjoy sports, this was really disappointing.
The father/ daughter and coach/ student relationships were the only real emotion in the book. But they weren’t everything. I didn’t feel all in for any of it. They were way overshadowed by Soto’s competitiveness and drive.
I wanted to love this book. I read the whole book, hoping it would get better, but it never did. It won’t stop me from loving Reid though.

This book will definitely be in my top 10 for the year! How does TJR continue to bring us such rich and diverse stories that grab our heartstrings and make us feel so deeply? How can she take a competitive and unlikable character and make us root for her, grieve for her, hope for her? How can she make a book almost seem like a memoir about a tennis champ’s comeback and make us understand and appreciate the game? How can she continue to captivate us so that we find ourselves at 2am finishing it because it is the final heated match and we NEED to know who wins? Well that last one was just me!

I did grow up in the tennis world so this book was a nostalgic walk down memory lane watching the fierce, real life competition of Chrissy Evert, Billie Jean King, and Martina Navratilova. I played competitively in local tournaments so I do understand the game. Just know that in TJR’s capable and skilled hands, the rules and nuances of tennis are so perfectly and subtly executed that even someone who has never picked up a racket or watched Wimbledon will understand.

And this story is so much more! It is the making of a world champion and the toll that takes on her emotionally and physically. It is a sweet, inside glimpse of a father and daughter and the precious bond they share navigating the years of the tennis circuit. It is a love story for a woman who has dedicated her life to being the best, escaping her grief and denying herself the one thing we all long for; to love and be loved by another. This book was exciting, it broke me, and it made me whole again. It is a masterpiece!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC; it was my pleasure to read and review. This book will be available for purchase on August 30, 2022 and you can preorder now!

There is something about Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing that makes it nearly impossible for me to put it down whenever I pick it up. I loved DAISY JONES & THE SIX, I loved MALIBU RISING, and I knew that I would probably love CARRIE SOTO IS BACK. Which I did. I didn't remember that we had met Carrie Soto in MALIBU RISING, and once I realized who she was I had to go back and reread some parts to get a sense of who we were dealing with. I gotta say, Reid has made a deeply unlikable side character into someone I was fully rooting for in this new novel. I loved the exploration of sexism in sports, the portrayal of a need to succeed ahead of all else, and how Soto is still true to her perfectionist and abrasive self while becoming incredibly well rounded and vulnerable. I also loved her partnership and romance with Bowe, a McEnroe-esque character who is also trying to make the most of the end of his career while trying to keep his temper in check. There is just so much I loved about this book.

CARRIE SOTO IS BACK is another fantastic book by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It is sure to please those who love her already, and to ensnare others who haven't discovered her yet.

Seriously. TJR can literally do no wrong.

I don’t like tennis.
I don’t like *most* character driven novels.
Carrie isn’t all that like-able.
But, you know what? I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

TJR has a way of writing fiction that feels so incredibly real! She had me invested in this journey from the start. Much like Daisy and Evelyn, she writes flawed, confident, hardworking women that you can not help but to root for! This book is another reminder of the double standard of the expectations of what a woman “should be”.

🎾 Carrie. Bad ass, “battle axe”, determined, focused, strong, hard working. I loved being along for her journey of personal and professional growth.
🎾 Her Dad. Oh, my heart. I loved him. I loved their relationship.

I guarantee you will do a google search to make sure Carrie isn’t actually real. And then you’ll want to watch some tennis.

I enjoyed this installment of Taylor Jenkins Reid's much more than the previous, Malibu Rising. I really enjoyed having the insight of Carrie's father and I really did like Carrie. Despite the fact she was a bitch, I do feel like this actually portrays what people who have fame sometimes act. She showed us that she was human, having different emotions including the bad ones. I feel like too often authors shy away from writing a main character that is not 100% likeable and I really enjoy the Reid always includes flaws with her characters. As usual, the story telling is immaculate and just like with every other one of her novels, I felt like I was right there in the book.

Not my favorite of Reid’s books, but a darn good one nonetheless. A riveting read for fans of tennis especially, Carrie Soto is Back is more about finding strength within yourself/accepting you are more than what you do, rather than a love story (though there is love, and it’s a pleasure to watch it grow). Recommend

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a must-buy author for me, but this book had so much tennis information, it read more like a non-fiction than fiction book. I like learning about new things, but this felt like force-fed tennis information into what should have been a book about the relationship between Carrie and her father. I enjoyed the story as a whole, but I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they had a deep interest in tennis or learning about tennis. The audiobook was exceptionally done.

Wow, normally I don't care about tennis but this book made me care so much. Carrie's journey and character arc throughout this story is inspiring. TJR has the incredible ability to make complex characters that you can't help but fall in love with, and she has done it here again with Carrie and those that surround her, even her tennis rival, Nicki Chan.

I did not think she could top Evelyn, but with Carrie Taylor Jenkins Reid has done just that.

Carrie Soto is Back is masterful. Carrie’s sheer force of will is incredible. She’s rough and mean, driven by a ferocity to win. She plays hard, is driven by ego, but it’s well derserved.

The changes in her life in just one year …. It’s a beautiful journey.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC to read and review.

If you like tennis at all, this book is a lot of fun. Carrie is hard to like at first, but her matches had me on the edge of my seat. This book gives you all the feels of rooting for your favorite player to win. Overall this was a fun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for allowing me early access to Carrie Soto in exchange for my honest opinion. Carrie Soto Is Back is a thrilling novel that is full of heart. I did not want to put it down, and found myself thinking of the characters when I had to take breaks for adulting. Carrie, Javier, and Bowe so well developed and are now so dear to me. I rated this novel 4.5/5 stars. The lengthy descriptions of Carrie’s many matches were somewhat repetitive for me, and the ending was slightly rushed. Overall, I feel that TJR knocked this out of the park (or court), and left me wanting more.

I received a copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first TJR book and I unequivocally understand the hype. This book is one of the best books I have read all year, and easily will be one of my favorites of all time.

There was so much to love about this book, between the plot, the characters and their development, and just TJRs storytelling abilities in general.

To begin, I love how the timeline and plot is done in this book, with us beginning in her youth to see past events that led up to where she is today. It was well done and pushed the story along at a good pace and we still got enough detail from her childhood to understand who she is today. With the plot following different major events and opens, it flowed well and kept the reader excited and intrigued throughout. I also really enjoyed that there were the sportscaster clips woven into the storyline. Not only were we getting Carrie’s thoughts on things, but also the “world’s” view on what she was doing.

I also have to applaud how well the sport itself was written too. I am a big sports fan, and this story gave me the anxiety and excitement that I get watching or attending live sports events. I truly felt like I was there, experiencing Carrie playing at all these slams. Feeling the anticipation of will she or won’t she play well and win. It was amazingly written for sports junkies like me. As someone who played tennis as a teen, I LOVED all the description of the sport, going over rules and fundamentals for those who don’t know them, but done in a way that was well written into the story. Bravo for such great storytelling and plot development in this one!

When it comes to the characters, I am so in love with them. Carrie's relationship with her father is so beautiful, and I love that we get to go through their full history and rough patches. I think everyone wishes they could have a relationship like that with their own father.

Then we come to Bowe. I would like to protect him at all costs, he is a man who has grown and learned from his past and is a force of nature. I love Bowe and Carrie's relationship. They supported each other and made each other better people, both on the court and off. While this didn't have a huge love story, it was enough to give my heart some butterflies.

I also to touch on Carrie herself. She is not a fun loving personality that people are drawn to. Her nickname is The Battle Axe, and she’s called a bitch frequently throughout the story. She isn’t someone who is out there trying to win fans or be a bubbly person. She is strongwilled and focused, determined on winning and strategy. I love that Carrie is 100 percent herself and never apologizes for it. I think often women are made to feel like they have to be nice and friendly, and while she could be a bit harsh in interviews, I still think there is something to be said about her utter confidence. She never wanted to act surprised that she won because she KNEW she was better. I admire that in her character that she was confident and showed it. However, I love the growth we still see in her. She is still strong and confident and knows how good she is, but through this year back, remembers what's truly important. I think her character arc was so so well done without changing who she fundamentally was either.

Overall, such an amazing book. I loved everything about it and have nothing negative to say whatsoever. I'm officially on the TJR train!

I will post a review to my Instagram linked below during the week before this is published.

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨ Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

~ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ~

To say I screamed -OUT LOUD- when I got this eARC is an understatement. TJR is an auto-buy author for me, as she is for many and as always, she truly exceeded every expectation. I grew up playing tennis my whole life and though never great at it, I adored reading about the aces, the types of courts, the finesse and talent while living vicariously through Carrie Soto on the court 🎾 I feel like a broken record, but I love TJR’s world and how thick and intertwined her web of characters is (hint: anyone remember Carrie’s name from Malibu Rising?)! In true TJR fashion, the characters in this novel are beyond complex, though Carrie Soto may be my favorite (and least favorite) of TJR’s mains. She’s absolutely flawed in a way that makes her relatable, affected by trauma in a way that closes her off, and ambitious in a way that makes her a “battle axe 🪓 “ aka “a b*tch”. Despite and because of all of these things, she has DEPTH. I adored this story from the first page, so much so that I think anyone could read it knowing nothing about tennis and still fall in love with the drama, competition, and story.

I know there are so many TJR fans out there so I’m curious - what’s your favorite book of hers?? I may share my ranking soon, but I have one or two more to read before then 🥰 So until then, know that this is near the top of my TJR list 🎉

Stay tuned because this masterpiece of a book comes out at the end of the month! 🗓 Publishing Date: August 30, 2022

🔎 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The queen does it again. Another book I could not put down and finished in a matter of 48 hours (would have been much sooner but work and sleep got in the way!)

After reading the synopsis I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did. I have never played tennis, or for that matter, even watched tennis, but TJR just has a way with her writing that sucks me in every time. I loved the father/daughter dynamic throughout the whole story. As well as Carries take no prisoners attitude.

I will forever read every word that Taylor Jenkins Reid puts on paper.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.8/5⭐️ (eARC)

This review is currently available on Goodreads (link attached) and will be available on my Instagram (@aleasbooknook) on August 18th at 7:30 am EST.

I am one of the people that would 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒋𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝑻𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝑱𝒆𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒅.

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid. She is one of my favorite authors.

However, I have conflicting feelings about this book. Carrie Soto is a force of nature, but she is stubborn, mean, and ungrateful until almost the very end of the book. She has tunnelvision and can't see past her goal of winning. She doesn't see the bigger picture, doesn't see how far she has come. She just cares about being the best by way of being the champion. Her turnaround in the last 15% was fantastic, but other than that she was just a very static character. I found her uninteresting until I started to see her evolve towards the end.

Furthermore, there was 𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐓 of tennis.

A lot. About 75% of this book is the describing of tennis matches. I get it, Carrie is a tennis player, but when I had to read more about how she played than how she blossomed as a person, I didn't like that. I don't like tennis. I think that speaks for itself and that's a "me problem," not a TJR problem. If you like or understand tennis, you will love this.

I loved the way Carrie matured at the end of the novel. I'd love to see where she goes after this novel and where her aspirations take her. That is what I liked the most. I want to see where Nicki Chan, her rival, goes as well. I found Nicki fascinating. I want more from that character.

This book reads like a movie. I think it may make a good movie someday. 🎾

I want to thank NetGalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Random House for giving me the opportunity to review this eARC.

“I don’t cry on the court. I don’t cry on the court. Maybe it's a lie that you have to keep doing what you have always done. That you have to be able to draw a straight line from how you acted yesterday to how you’ll act tomorrow. You don't have to be consistent. You can change. Just because you want to.”

This book. I am a huge fan of @tjenkinread and love all of her books, but Carrie Soto takes the cake. She is so unlikeable and misunderstood and somehow managed to become my favorite main character of the summer. I could not wait to see what happened to her. This book is for the sports lover, the perfectionist, the misunderstood, the romantic, the person that hates to explain themselves because those that love them should just know who they are, the worrier, the competitor, the deeply feeling without showing it, the warrior.

Truly this is a book you need to pre order immediately. I was on the edge of my seat and now love tennis, which I didn't think was possible

5 stars and one of my favorite books of the year

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the early copy

3.5 Javier is a great tennis player whose wife passes leaving him to raise their daughter Carrie to become the next great player. The father daughter relationship has its ups and downs. Carrie is one tough athlete that does not come by relationships easy. After a decade of of one night sands there are changes on and off the court.