Here’s the thing: Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors and Evelyn Hugo is one of my top 5 books, so I had some high expectations when going into Carrie Soto Is Back. Let me just say: this book exceeded all of my expectations.

This book follows Carrie Soto, who after being labeled one of the best tennis players in the world in the 80s decided to come out of retirement years later to defend her title. This book follows Carrie’s rise in the tennis world, her retirement, and then finally her training and defending her title as the player with the most Grand Slams.

What I liked: Carrie’s character development was one of the best that I have read in a long time. When I first started the book I absolutely could not stand her. Her need in her younger years to become the best became who she was to the point that it was all she was. Carrie’s growth as an adult was beautiful to read as she comes to term with everything around. The writing in this book was exceptional and the side characters really aided in us to see Carrie’s impact on the world around her. Carrie is a character that no matter how much she makes you want to yell at her, you cannot help but cheer her on.

To keep in mind: I truly could not find anything I did not like in this book. The time splits were the perfect amount and helped you gain an understanding of why Carrie needed to come out of retirement. The ending scene was fantastic provided perfect closure to Carrie’s story.

Rating: Just go read the book as soon as it comes out August 30. This book is definitely one of my favorites by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Game…set…match! Having never played tennis this amazing read made me feel like I was Carrie Soto, dealing with a full range of emotions that gifted athletes must experience. It brought the world of tennis alive to me and brought to my mind’s forefront exactly how much takes place in an athlete’s mind as they prepare and play the game. I feel as though I watched Carrie grow up in the pages of this book. The relationship with her dad, Javier, made me both laugh and cry, and the tribute at the US Open brought tears to my eyes. His notebook was such a symbol of his love and faith in Carrie. And her relationship with Bowe was so heartfelt.
Taylor Jenkins Reid has the amazingly rare ability to make the reader feel such strong emotions by the way she uses words. She doesn’t tell the reader things as much as she shows the reader through the characters words and actions. She makes her characters living breathing beings that become part of your family and linger in the corners of your mind for a long time. With each incredible book my appreciation of her unbelievable skills as an author continues to grow.
Many many thanks and much admiration to the amazingly gifted Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for affording me the absolute pleasure of having the opportunity to read an arc of Carrie Soto is Back. I can guarantee this will show up in movie theaters soon. Don’t miss this unforgettable read.

Loved this book. This author is fast becoming one of my favorites. A fascinating look into the world of tennis.

Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong. Carrie is a difficult protagonist to like but TJR makes you find it in your heart to understand and root for her. Brava.

This was a true delight of a read. I'm already sad it's over and that I don't get to spend more time with Carrie Soto. As a big fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books and tennis, I was pre-disposed to enjoy this but I can also wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a swiftly paced book and a complicated main character who nonetheless is someone you will root for. Perfect for a beach read! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book and the involvement of a character from her last book. No, you do not need to read it first (Malibu Rising). This is the story about a professional tennis player on her climb to number one, her retirement, and coming out of retirement at age 37. Since Carrie's father's first language is spanish, it helps to understand spanish, there's a lot of spanish comments from her father in the book without the english translation. You can deduce what he is saying but I liked knowing exactly what was being said. I also liked all the detailed tennis talk since I play. Coaching strategies for beating her opponents is very prevalent in this story. Reading about the hubris, type A personalities, and perseverance of sport professionals and their attitude towards winning is unmatched. I liked the behind the scenes viewpoint into the thoughts and feelings of sports professionals who are both loved and hated by the public at the same time. A lot of this story is about the effect this has on Carrie.

I'm a latecomer to the Taylor Jenkins Reid train, but honestly, I get it, y'all. Her writing is just deeply compelling in a "sit down to start a new book, look up and somehow hours have passed and you finished it without noticing" kind of way. I gobbled up her last few books this way, and happily dove in for more with Carrie Soto Is Back.

The funny thing to me about just how *good* this book is, is that it's like 75% tennis match play-by-play, and I know absolutely nothing about tennis (you hit a ball back and forth, Serena Williams is the best at it, that's the extent of my knowledge). Nor have I ever cared to learn more, until now. But that incredibly engaging quality in TJR's writing works even on the details of a sport I've never followed before - the matches described are just as exciting as any thriller's murderous chase.

Most of all, though, this book is about Carrie Soto herself. And Carrie Soto is a force to be reckoned with, a powerhouse of a character, compelling both on and off the court. She's right up there with Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones, and the whole Riva family - fascinating, flawed characters, simultaneously larger than life and fundamentally true to life. Carrie, in all her brash, messy glory, is a marvelous center to a book that is thinner on supporting characters than the previous books in this TJR expanded universe. Less of an ensemble, then, and less total *plot* in some ways, but the straightforward highs and lows of a sports story at its best is plenty of drama - and Carrie Soto is more than enough of a star to pull it off.

Hell yes, Carrie Soto is back!

I have no clue how TJR does it, but I have yet to read a book from her that I wasn’t completely engrossed in. Her historical fiction is pure magic, and this book somehow made me want to start playing tennis.

After a brief cameo in Malibu Rising, I knew I instantly wanted to read this book when it came out. Carrie’s backstory, and fight she had to go through to make it to the top is incredible. I wouldn’t say that she was a likable character for me, but I shed tears for her at the end of the book which was unexpected.

Here’s what you can expect from Carrie Soto Is Back:

• Family drama
• Lots of tennis
• Snippets of Daisy Jones, Evelyn Hugo, and a recap of the affair with Brandon from Malibu Rising
• Heart pounding moments in anticipation
• Strong female character
• Death of a loved one
• Sexism and misogyny
• Some Spanish speaking throughout the book
• On again, off again romance

I will definitely be adding this to my library once it is officially released!

**thank you so much to Random House, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest review**

Guess who’s back, back again. Carrie’s back, tell a friend…

But no seriously, consider cluing in all you bookish friends that CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s newest novel, is coming out August 30th!

Full disclosure, I was a little afraid this would be the first TJR book I didn’t like after reading the blurb description. I mean, I’m far from a sports fan, and then factor in that Carrie is not the most likable of character in her Malibu Rising appearance. Well….I was wrong! Do you hear me? I was SO wrong. As with every other TJR novel this is one you will not want to put down. Not only will it have you liking Carrie as a character, it will have you rooting for her as she attempts her professional tennis comeback to hold on to record.

Make sure to watch out for this book when it hits shelves at the end of the month!

Thank you to both Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for the chance to read an ARC copy!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way of writing that makes me forget these women are fiction. It happened with Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and now Carrie Soto. TJR does a fantastic job of describing the action on the court that it felt like I had watched Soto win Grand Slam after Grand Slam in the the mid-80s.

I've always loved the long-form features at the back of Sports Illustrated and Carrie Soto is Back completely feels like a book that started as one of an SI feature. It's a fantastic comeback story. I didn't read Malibu Rising so I was new to Carrie Soto and her reputation on and off the tennis court. If you aren't a sports fan or a gen x reader you might not find this book as immersive and nostalgic as I did.

Highly recommend.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

REVIEW - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 🌟

Every time that an author that I love writes a new book, I get nervous. Will it be as wonderful as the others? I fell in love with the works of Taylor Jenkins Reid when we were introduced to Evelyn Hugo. Since then, Daisy Jones and Nina Riva have become friends with whom we share a history. And now, here is Carrie Soto. Can she live up to the level of former TJR protagonists?

Synopsis: On the cusp of having her record for the most grand slams in tennis overturned, Carrie Soto decides to return to the game for one year to play four tournaments - and regain her prominence in the sport that has defined her life. If successful, not only would she regain her title for most wins, she would also be the oldest woman to win a grand slam title. Partnered with her father/coach, she embarks on the quest of her life and takes us all with her.

In the beginning, I was frustrated at the rapid rate of progression. I wanted it to slow down, give more detail. I wanted to know Carrie better. She wasn’t a likable character and deserved her nickname - the “Battle Axe”. If time would just slow down, let me get more in her head, in her emotions, would I start to like her more? But when you get into the year of her return to tennis it all makes sense. You get to know the woman she has become. And by the end of the book, you feel you know and understand her. Unveiled slowly, you feel her grow.

I love the release date, as the US Open is a pivotal setting in the novel and the 2022 Open begins August 29, the day before publication day! I would pair this amazing read with a Honey Deuce, the official cocktail of the US Open. You don’t have to play tennis to love this novel. (But I do, and it makes me love it even more…)

Publication date is August 30, 2022

Note: Thank you to Taylor Jenkins Reid, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars for a TJR?! Who am I?

I want to first and foremost acknowledge that maybe I just wasn’t in a good reading headspace this week with some family member health issues - but even at that, this story just didn’t hook me like her others. Carrie was supremely unlikeable for the majority of the book, and I just… do not care about tennis. So really, while the writing was flawless, as we’ve all come to expect from TJR - there just wasn’t enough to keep me invested in any capacity.

I switched to the audio at 70% and ultimately, that grabbed me more and made it easier to finish. Even with that, I kept thinking - this narrator gives WAY more life and likability to Carrie than she’s written - so is that why I enjoyed it more? Who knows - but the full cast audio is fun.

After sitting with it for a bit, I realized I feel similarly about Carrie Soto as I did about Malibu Rising last summer. Just… detached. I love me some early backlist TJR and truly, Evelyn and Daisy were masterpieces. But this one just didn’t do it for me the same way, and I am supremely bummed. I know I’m the outlier, and I’m sure this book will be for many readers. But for me, it didn’t quite live up to the hype.

My thanks for netgalley, Libro.fm and the publisher for a chance to read multiple formats ahead of pub date!

As a huge tennis fan and player I was very excited Taylor Jenkins Reid new book was all about tennis. It's a page turner about a tennis player Carrie Soto who has twenty major titles to her name and a younger player is at the brink to break her record. Carrie decides to get back into the game even though she is 37. She eneters only the majors so she can get to 21. This may all sound familiar to tennis fans but it's more than just a book about tennis. It's about family relationships, goals that you want to reach and why you want to reach them, and respect that women have and sometimes not have for each other. There is also a love story too. I don't wantt to give much more away of the story. You'll have to read it for yourself and see whether she achieves her 21 titles and truly becomes the greatest tennis player in the world! This book will also be in everybody's book clubs so get your copy on preorder!! Thank you to #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for the read.

Wow. All I can say is Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again.
Carrie Soto Is Back is a compelling story surrounding a tennis legend coming out of retirement to defend her record which is currently being threatened by powerhouse player Nicki Chan. Going into this book, I knew next to nothing about what it was about but I could not have been more pleasantly surprised. Reid's ability to write fascinating plot lines with relatable, authentic, and perfectly flawed characters is unparalleled to any other author I've ever encountered. This is an instant new favorite for me and I can't recommend it more.

I literally screamed when I received an ARC approval for this book. My excitement was palpable. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022.

I absolutely LOVE the Mick Riva universe (especially the fact that he is always the least interesting thing about them). I’ve read them all and I have to say, Carrie is my favorite protagonist. She’s complex, gritty and absolutely ruthless. She is unlikeable yet you want her to succeed. She is phenomenal.

This book completely lived up to my expectations. It is the 83rd book I’ve read this year, and much like Carrie Soto herself, it is the very best.

After reading Malibu Rising, I immediately had to jump into Carrie Soto Is Back. Taylor Jenkins Reid does a phenomenal job of implementing crossover characters and it has me swooning at how all their lives are intertwined. The cameo Carrie had in Malibu Rising had me wanting to dive head first into her own story.

This was a sports book about tennis, but so SO much more. World renowned tennis star, Carrie Soto, finds herself six years retired on the sidelines watching her record about to be broken by up and coming tennis star, Nicki Chan. This immediately sends her into a comeback of the sport she loves and has given her entire life to with her father by side ready to coach her to victory. The ups and downs and strength and determination to get there gives Carrie this fierce edge. After all, they didn't call her "The Battle-Axe" or "The Bitch" for nothing. I absolutely loved the relationship with Carrie and her father, Javier. There were moments of sweet tender father/daughter love and also the tough love of being her coach. The side of romance with tennis star Bowe Huntley, who was making a comeback of his own was "chef's kiss". All the perfect elements of adrenaline pumping energy had me gripping the book to find out what happened next earned this a happy 5 stars from me.

Wow, what an incredible read! Carrie Soto is 37 years old, retired from tennis for the past 7 years, and stages a comeback because her record is broken by Nicki Chan, the current top woman's tennis star. I know nothing about tennis. I don't watch tennis. I have no interest in tennis. But I could NOT put this book down! Because when all is said and done, this is a book about inner strength and relationships. And its fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book set to be released at the end of August is fantastic! Set in the 1980s and 1990s, Carrie is a professional tennis player who comes out of retirement when one of her records is about to be broken. She simply cannot tolerate the thought of that. Her father, Javier, is her coach and their relationship is close, loving, stressful, all of it. It’s one of the best things about this book. Carrie is really not lovable. It seems like she doesn’t feel worthy of love. But I liked her so much. She is tough, strong, motivated and driven. This book is set around the game of tennis and the tennis world but Reid makes it accessible to everyone. I couldn’t wait to see how it ended and also, I didn’t want it to end. I was really lucky to get an advanced copy. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballentine. 5/5

4.5 / 5 stars.

I don't know how she did it, but Taylor Jenkins Reid made me care about tennis!?!

I'm just going to copy and paste my notes from when I was reading instead of trying to organize them.

cw/tw - content/trigger warnings:
alcohol (brief mentions)
alcoholism (side character, it's not talked about it a lot of detail)
body image issues
bullying (making fun of Carrie's body - specifically her broad shoulders)
car accident (parent hit by a car)
parental deaths
medical (cancer, heart issues, hospital, surgery)
misogyny - (Carrie's nickname by a male sports commentator involves the word Bitch. He's very misogynistic and tries to pin another woman tennis player against Carrie)
racism (it's two poc discussing how hard it is to be women of color in sports, not about specific racism in deep detail)

Representation:
Asian (side character)
Black (side character)
Immigrant (father was born in Buenos Aires)
Latinx (main character)
Lesbian (side character)

Mick Rivera Universe:
Celia St. James
Daisy Jones
Mick Rivera
Nina (Carrie is the woman Nina's husband leaves her for)
Spanish (it's spoken throughout the book in short phrases)

Carrie is cocky, kind of mean, and has a smart unapologetic mouth on her... yet is completely lovable. I was frustrated with her at times, but mostly I just wanted to hug her. Her relationship with her dad was equally as frustrating and lovable.

Seeing Carrie Soto grow up from a kid who wants to be the greatest tennis play of all time to becoming the undisputed greatest tennis player was fun! I honestly didn't know anything about tennis before reading this, but TJR explained everything in a way that it actually made sense to me. The death of a parent, the pressure of becoming the tennis god your other parent wants you to be, the endless strive for perfection, the physical demand of sports - it was all very interesting to unfold.

Mild spoiler - there's a character that's a lesbian. It was mentioned briefly and Carrie mentioned liking her, but I think it was in the sports and personality way instead of the romance way? Anyway, I was kind of bummed out that they didn't end up together despite someone else clearly being the better match. I want my sapphic agenda met, dang it! :p

I guess my only issue is that we, yet again, have a TJR book where a white woman is writing poc main characters. That's something that's been spoken about a lot (Bowties & Books did a really good video on it) I can't speak to how well this representation is portrayed, but I was a bit hesitant about the idea of pinning two of the only woc in the book against each other. As the book comes out I'd love to hear some more opinions on it.

I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. I knew a bit about tennis, but I never thought of the players perspective. Just so good.