Thank you so much for allowing me to read this. I love this authors work and this was no exception. I loved watching Carries evolution in time. I felt so frustrated by her at times, her ego and her devotion to winning was inspiring but also her downfall. I loved watching her become who she was meant to be, develop real relationships and the ending was beautiful. I really was all in for Carrie by the end which was great because I hated her in the beginning. Such a wonderful and inspiring story. Loved every bit of it!

I'll start by saying that sports fiction is usually not my thing but you literally can't go wrong with a TJR book! From Malibu Rising, I was not a fan of Carrie Soto but I loved this book and learning more about who she was. My favorite part of a TJR book is that the characters seem like real people. There were times I almost found myself googling Carrie Soto to see pictures from the events in the book to only remember that it was fiction!

So I guess it took me until I got to the acknowledgments at the end of the book to realize this was not a memoir. 🤣 If anything, that is a testament to the author's ability to create a character that feels so true to life that at least one person out here fails to recognize fiction when they're reading it. I will say there are some parts that were a bit tedious around the tennis matches and yet I found myself staying fully focused in the story and that I believe is due to the mastery of building strong characters that you grow to care about. Plus I already have an affinity for characters that are on the unlikable side so the author had me at battle axe.

Carrie Soto is right up there with Daisy Jones, Nina Riva and Reid's other loud, unique characters. She lives and breathes, she makes poor decisions, and she is a firebrand. I know absolutely nothing about tennis (love, right?) but the author does a phenomenal job making sure any reader can understand what's going on in the fictitious games on the page, as well as in the imagined commentary around the imagined matches. Never once did it actually feel fictitious. I enjoyed Malibu Rising but for all its sprawling family-ness, I found this simpler story of a father and a daughter and a game they loved to be compelling and fascinating. Everything about the writing and the style and Carrie's speech is pitch perfect- down to the casual use of Spanish to emphasize feeling and connection. I really loved this, and I think any Taylor Jenkins Reid fans will as well. I'd still hand a new reader of hers Daisy Jones and the Six, but this is second in my estimation- and maybe a first choice for readers like me who are hitting that middle aged questioning of what it means to be a person, to have a legacy, and to maybe finally shed the past to embrace the present.

I absolutely loved the ending- and although there is some romance in this book, the real romance is between the father and daughter, the coach and the player, and the player with herself and her own legacy. Five stars!

I wound up listening to an ALC I received through Libro.fm, and I’m glad I did. It reminded me of Daisy Jones when I was listening because of the full cast. I also appreciated hearing the authentic accents and being able to truly hear the characters since it’s told in 1st person POV. Another stellar story from TJR. She’s an auto buy author for me.

Not my favorite TJR, but I still felt invested in the storyline. Carrie is a pretty unlikable character for the vast majority of the book and despite this being a book about a tennis star, I thought there was FAR too much commentary / narration on tennis matches, recaps and strategy (this took up about 80% of the book). I would have liked to see more focus on the father-daughter storyline and on Carrie’s romantic relationships or even friendships (really just anything to break up all the tennis talk).

If you’re a sports fan (and particularly a tennis fan), I’m sure you’ll love this one. If you don’t care much for sports, this may be a tough one for you.

One other thing that feels worth mentioning, there was A LOT of untranslated Spanish in the conversations between Carrie and her father. I found this a bit bothersome - partly because I felt like I was missing out on much of the dialogue and partly because this is a book written by a white woman who (to my knowledge) doesn’t even speak Spanish…

Thank you to NetGalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Carrie Soto is Back was my most anticipated read of the year, and it did not disappoint! TJR has me over here looking to sign up for tennis lessons now! But in all seriousness, Carrie Soto is that empowering with such a ‘don’t give up’ and ‘chase your dreams’ attitude that I came out of reading the book wanting to chase mine as well.

The character development was incredible. It is hard to find a book with such strong supporting characters. I really enjoyed the bond between Carrie and her dad. It was so sweet and competitive. I loved watching them get to spend so many important moments together.

There was a little bit of romance splashed in, an enemies to lovers type. It was fun to watch them hate each other, become friends, and then become lovers when they needed each other the most.

You know that there was a TJR cross over with Mick Riva, and those always make me laugh and roll my eyes simply because Mick Riva.

I am very much looking forward to rereading Carrie Soto is Back. One of my most anticipated reads of the year, and one of my favorite reads of the year. I will also be recommending that everyone reads it because it was that good!

This review will be posted to my Goodreads and Amazon accounts immediately and to my instagram account (@ginganinja333), and to my newly created bookstagram (@paulas.book.nook) upon publication on 8/30/2022.

There is a reason I love Taylor Jenkins Reid books...her characters! Carrie Soto is a professional tennis player who retired when she started to slip in her early 30's but another player is tying her record and she can't have it. So, back onto the courts she goes.

Told in first person along with TV commentators and newspaper articles, Carrie is not a very sympathetic character to begin with. She's very harsh and doesn't "play nice" just so people will like her. She is a very determined woman and athlete who has committed her life to a game that her Dad taught her from the time she could walk and who coached most of her professional life. Their relationship is a up close look at how love can be.

Even at 37, Carrie is still learning about life, Tennis and love. I fell in love with her and all the people around her. It's not a long book but I read it in two days, couldn't put it down.

My only negative comment is that I don't read Spanish and it was used a lot on short conversations between Carrie and her Dad. I can pick put some words but I felt like I was missing something. I'm curious if translations will be in the final copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

As a tennis player myself, I was wildly invested in this story. Carrie Soto is a strong, determined woman but I loved seeing a softer side to her toward the end of the book as well. Can't wait to get this one into the hands of my customers!

She's done it again! Taylor Jenkins Reid has delivered another powerhouse story that is interesting as it is compelling. What did I even read before I discovered her amazing novels?!
Some may remember Carrie Soto as the "other woman" in Malibu Rising. You remember? The one Nina Riva's husband cheated with? Anyway, her story goes WAY beyond minor characterization in this novel. And, like me, you may even coming out of this loving her.
Carrie Soto was raised on the tennis courts. Her father, Javier, has lovingly coached her along the way. She is the greatest star of her generation. After tearing her ACL, she is forced to retire, even though she wasn't ready to give up tennis. She makes the decision at 37 to make a comeback. This is her story and it is awesome. It's not just about tennis but learning grace and being comfortable with who you are. I can't wait for another Taylor Jenkins Reid novel!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-arc.*

The genius of this book is the development of a flawed character through the granular detail of a game. I genuinely didn't know what would happen and was totally along for the ride. I just wanted to know what Carrie was thinking and how she was processing and what her plan was bounce by bounce and hit by hit. I am not a tennis fan. I'm not athletic, really. Even after reading I can't tell you what the point system is. But gosh I loved this story.

Loved it! 4.5 stars. Another great read from Taylor Jenkins Reid! I really liked the character of Carrie Soto - flawed, yet strong. And the love between Carrie and her father, Javier, is lovely. Wonderful story about competition and learning to accept yourself as your are. Is winning everything? The story flies by because of the various competitions.

"Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, Javier, as her coach. A former champion himself, Javier has trained her since the age of two.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked “the Battle-Axe” anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all, Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season."

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Taylor Jenkins Reid had become one of my favorite authors over the last few years. I can't wait for her new books to come out. I loved Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and liked, Nina Riva (who I didn't love as much). Carrie was a hard tough powerful woman who makes it really hard to like. She's got a hard veneer that she built in order to become "the best" in the 1980s tennis circuit. I did like the relationship between her and her father Javier, who loved her unconditionally. This one had a lot of technical tennis lingo which I'm not into so parts were a bit of a drag for me. Some may really enjoy the story of this strong woman and her comeback to defend her title, but for me it didn't measure up to other books by Ms. Reid.

When Carrie Soto retired from professional tennis, she was the best player in the world -- and had the record for the most Grand Slam titles. Six years into her retirement, Carrie is surprised to see that a rising star player, Nicki Chan, is nearing her record and then, at the 1994 US Open, ties it. This prompts Carrie to decide to come out of retirement to play a year of Grand Slam tournaments and try to reclaim her record. No one -- not other players, not the press, not the the fans -- believes she has much of a chance of succeeding. But her father, who was also her coach, agrees to work with her again, and they undertaking the grueling process of Carrie getting back in shape and trying to compete at the highest level against much younger and active players. As part of their training, Carrie reconnects with Bowe Huntley, another professional tennis player with whom she has a complicated history. Over one year, Carrie undertakes what seems like an impossible task -- but one she is determined to succeed in, no matter what the cost.

This was a riveting and thoughtful story about the nature of success, competing against yourself and others, and the balance between the professional and personal.

Highly recommended!

BIG thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read TJR's latest book! I'm not much of a tennis fan but this one had me on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering what might happen!

I love the personalities of all characters and how they blended and complimented each other, even if there were some harsh words spoken here and there. I love the evolution of Carrie starting from a young girl to an adult, fighting for what she believed in and learning new valuable lessons.

It's proof that no matter your age, you can still do what you love and that we never stop growing.

I even loved the references to other TJR books, and might find myself re-reading Malibu Rising to find the teaser to Carrie well before we knew she would have her own book.

Regardless if you enjoy tennis, but definitely if you love it, this book is one everyone will like!

This was my review right after finishing the book (at 2am):

"My first TJR book, and I’m not okay. My heart now resembles crushed ice. What now?"

Now that I've had a minute to sort through my emotions, here's my real review:

I love tennis, but I usually don't like books about tennis (or sports in general). I am convinced, however, that TJR could potentially trick me into reading an HVAC textbook -- something I have no desire to study.

Though the main character might not be everyone's cup of tea, I loved Carrie and her drive, discipline, and focus. Throughout the book, she had to work through some of her unlikeable traits and ideas, and that ""evolution" is what interested me the most.

I'm not gonna lie -- the last couple of chapters shattered me. It has no been over 48 hours since I finished the book, and I'm still reeling.

BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: Carrie Soto is Back
AUTHOR: Taylor Jenkins Reid
FORMAT: Physical
GENRE: Historical Fiction
DID I CRY: Yes
PUB DATE: 8/30/22
RATING: 10/10
5 stars

Thank you so much penguinrandomhouse randomhouse prhaudio netgalley librofm for all of my #gifted advanced copies of CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, out 8/30!

MY THOUGHTS

I always get this feeling within the first 50 pages of a book where I know that it’s going to be one of my favorites of all time, and this book was one of those. I GENUINELY don’t know how TJR does it time after time.

Obviously TJR can write. We know this. Her books are so well written it is the equivalent of watching a movie in my head. This book made me feel that I’d not only grown up in the tennis world, but that I’d been playing competitive tennis my whole life. The subtle way that she explained every rule of tennis to aid the readers in following along for the entirety of the book was brilliant.

If you’ve read her other books, literally any of them, you know that she very heavily focuses on her characters and their personal growth over the course of the book. Carrie Soto is EASILY my absolute favorite character she’s ever written, and portrays my favorite character arc in ANY BOOK I’ve ever read. Yes, any book. The relationships between Carrie and the other characters were so well done, it’s impossible not to attach yourself to them while reading.

The plot was EXCITING. I found myself gripping the book DYING to turn the pages. I was so invested and truly savored every single word. The ending ripped my heart out of my chest, broke it in half and then pieced it back together again. It could not have been better.

It’s rare to say this, but there is absolutely NOTHING I would change about this book. It could not have been better. I don’t know what else I can say to convince you that you NEED this book in your life, but if there’s ever a time to trust me it’s now. this marks my final TJR and I can confidently say I saved the best for last.

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again! I loved this novel so much. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it being so centered around tennis since I haven’t played regularly since middle school and am not very into sports, but it really inspired me and made me want to get back on the court! I thought the plot was very compelling and pulled me in immediately. I really loved all the characters, especially Bowe and Nicki. I am eagerly awaiting TJR’s next book, but until then I plan to go back and finish the books of hers I haven’t gotten to. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4859771676

Taylor Jenkins Reid returns to writing with this novel. As someone who really enjoys her other book, I was hoping to love this one too. However I feel that it falls a bit flat. While I feel the concept is good and very interesting, it feels like we lose some plot for style. The author’s books always have a certain style that makes me either have difficulty reading or allow me to fly through. Carrie is complex but shows a bit of a stereotype of a woman of color. People have complained about that before however something about this book amplifies that. All around I do believe fans of this author will enjoy the book if they can push past some of the problems.

The first Taylor Jenkins Reid book I read was last year’s Malibu Rising. Overall, it was an entertaining book and I did appreciate what TJR was trying to accomplish with it, but unfortunately, I couldn’t stand most of the characters (it wouldn’t be a stretch to say I hated most of them), plus “the party” storyline (which I felt was written too OTT for my tastes) nearly derailed the entire story for me. Not surprisingly, given this experience, I was definitely more than a little wary going into TJR’s latest work, Carrie Soto is Back. We were first introduced to Carrie in Malibu Rising and while she was only in a few scenes in that book, her brash behavior and outsized attitude were enough to make her stand out (not necessarily in a good way, in my opinion). I certainly didn’t have the best impression of Carrie after that book, and for the first half of this one, I actually liked her even less (if that’s even possible). To me, Carrie was the epitome of the type of entitled, arrogant, self-absorbed character that never ceases to frustrate me — and yes, there were quite a few scenes where she was downright mean (and that’s putting it nicely). To be honest, throughout most of the first half, there were so many moments when I was tempted to just throw in the towel and call it a day (it also didn’t help that I’m not into sports at all, so all the tennis lingo and references went completely over my head) — what kept me going though was the writing, which flowed beautifully into a well-crafted, emotional story (with a satisfying ending).

I definitely was able to connect more with this story than TJR’s previous one (even though I know absolutely nothing about tennis or the elite world of professional sports). I think the reason for that is because, in this case, there wasn’t a huge, revolving door of annoying characters that detracted from the main story. Instead, we actually get to see Carrie grow and evolve in different areas — from her oftentimes fraught relationship with her father/coach, to her romance with Bowe Huntley, to her business relationship with her agent Gwen, and most importantly, her attitude toward her sport as a whole as well as her fellow competitors. These are the types of stories I enjoy the most: where the characters are well-developed, often flawed and far from perfect, even largely unlikable throughout most of the story, but they grow in subtle ways that are most meaningful when we as readers get to journey with them from the beginning of the story to the end.

This book made me excited to read TJR again, and while I look forward to her next book, I should probably also get cracking on her backlist works as well (almost all of which have been on my TBR for while already). Hopefully I’ll be able to get to at least one of her other books before the next new one comes out!

Received ARC from Ballantine Books via NetGalley.