I am not and never have been an athlete. So, I have no idea of the dedication it takes to make it to the top. The hard work, the ability to bear pain and criticism, it’s all beyond me. So kudos to TJR for making me understand that determination.
Carrie Soto was a great tennis player in her day. She retired when her knee gave out. Now, five years later, at the age of 37, having had ACL surgery, she decides to mount a comeback. The reason? Her record of winning slams is on the line. I liked that Carrie wasn’t a likable character. Known as The Battle Axe (when she wasn’t being called an even unkinder name), her nickname was well deserved.
I can’t say I loved this or not until the end. Maybe you need to love tennis to truly love the first half of the book. Or love the idea of being that competitive. But I loved the relationship that develops between Nikki and Carrie. The scene in the bar when they share a drink is perfect. The idea that they needed each other to fight against. “Either way, one of us is the catalyst for the other reaching their greatest height yet.”
While I would say that this book is best suited for those that love sports oriented books (I can’t wait for my husband, the tennis player, to read it), TJR does her normal excellent job in creating realistic characters and relationships. The book worked best for me when it focused on those relationships and not all the game details. Let’s face it, anyone could have seen how the first three slams were going to play out.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House -Ballantine for an advance copy of this book.

TJR does it over and over again. She puts out a page turner I just can’t put down. I don’t know a lot about tennis so at times I got a little confused. But overall a great read!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. Carrie Soto is Back is a fantastic book that I could not wait to read but didn't want it to end. Awesome book! You will not be disappointed.

“I have always known there is no mountain you cannot climb, one step at a time.”

TJR HAS DONE IT AGAIN 🫶🥲🤩 is anyone surprised? Hopefully not!! Because she is queen 👑 I have so so much I could say about this book but I’ll try to keep it within instagram’s limits.

We return to the “Mick Riva universe” with Carrie Soto Is Back but this time it’s the 90s! Carrie is known to the tennis world as “the Battle-Axe”, she crushed every record, was indisputably the best player and wasn’t coy about her skill. She’s now 37, retired, and the up-and-coming Nicki Chan just tied her grand slams record so she decides to do the impossible and make a comeback. AND IT WAS SO GOOD!! Carrie isn’t an easily lovable character but man does she grow on you. I adored her story, her character arc, and especially her relationship with her dad/coach Javier. Like with every other TJR book you can SO clearly picture everything that’s going on and she makes you forget you’re reading. Bowe, Nicki, Javier, Gwen - these characters are all so incredible and they’re not even the “main” attraction here.

No shock here it gets 5⭐️s from me, I loved it! I devoured 75% of this book in one sitting. There’s mixed media, Easter eggs aplenty, top-tier writing, and yes lots of tennis. It tackles sexism (especially in sports), grief, perfectionism, and I highlighted too many quotes to count. TJR is only getting better.

Thank you to @netgalley and Ballantine books for this eARC of one of my most anticipated ‘22 reads. It’s out 8/30 so preorder your copy now!

Another great read by Taylor Jenkins Reid! I didn't know what to expect with this one but was pleasantly surprised. What an interesting story! Overall 4/5 stars!

"Do not let what anyone says about you determine how you feel about yourself."

Carrie Soto is a warrior, a queen, and a freakin' bada**. I see a lot of reviews talking about how she is "an unlikeable character you love to root for," but I didn't feel she was unlikeable as much as she was misunderstood. Enneagram 8's everywhere can rejoice as we've (myself included) finally found a character in a book who is relatable to us in that we are often seen as cold, standoffish, unfriendly, and tenacious but we do have feelings, we have fears, and we want to "love and be loved." Carrie Soto doesn't let anyone stand in the way of her goals- what's wrong with that?

This book isn't about tennis, it's about TENNIS. It's not a light mention here and there or a subplot TENNIS IS THE STORY. Just know that going into it. I went into this book not giving a flip about tennis... Now? I could probably play at Wimbledon (*wink*). Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way of building her characters and her worlds so wholly that you feel immersed in that timeline. I could practically smell the grass court, feel the roughness of the tennis ball, and hear the pop of the ball hitting the racket. It's like I' am on tour with Carrie for the hours I spend reading and I get so lost in the world that I forget everything around me (sorry, kids).

The relationships Carrie does have or forms along the way are so sweet. I loved the father/daughter relationship throughout the book, which is not seen often in stories. Javier was such a great father and coach. I felt so much for him throughout the book. When Carrie spoke of the way her father had a scent of English leather it made me tear up thinking of how my dad also has a specific scent that I relate to him. Their bond was so special.

Bowe. what a guy. I loved his journey throughout 1995 and the bond he and Carrie and he an Javier formed. Gwen was such a sweet friend to Carrie and I actually liked Nicki and Carrie's love/hate relationship. Two dominating women, both going after what they want unapologetically- that's fierce.

This was such a great wrap up to this world that TJR has created with Evelyn, Daisy, Nina, and Carrie. It is something to be said that ALL of these books were 4.5 or 5 stars for me. You just can't get much better writing than this.

Read if you like:
- TENNIS
- Father/daughter bonds
- Strong, unapologetic, dominating female characters
- Ennegram 8s or ARE an ennegram 8
- Stories about athletes
- Comeback stories

I'll leave you with a one of my favorite and one of my most relatable quotes:

"After that match, a reported asked me on camera what advice I had for the opponents struggling to keep up with me. I said, "honestly? Get better at tennis."

"What is it with hugging? Why would anyone want to press themselves up against someone's body to say hello? A wave will do; a handshake is more than enough."

*Thank you to NetGalley, Ballentine Books, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date. This in no way affected my review and all opinions are my own.*

TJR does it again - this is a 5 star book for me ... and apparently now I'm a tennis fan?!

Carrie Soto is a character you love to hate - straight forward, rough around the edges and not liked by her tennis peers. And yet, you can't help but cheer for her through this book and be inspired by her growth. The relationship with her father is hard and yet beautiful at the same time.

The way TJR ended this book made me fall in love with it. If you are hesitating to pick up this book because you don't love tennis or know much about it (it's me) - don't! I loved this book so much!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this amazing book!

Carrie Soto is Back and so is my love for Taylor Jenkins Reid! I'm not going to lie...I was starting to wonder whether I was going to be frustrated by every new TJR book after my intense love for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo because I was probably in the minority not loving Daisy Jones & The Six or Malibu Rising. However, Carrie Soto is Back has proven me a believer to keep trying out her new stories for this one is one of the best books I've read this year.

Carrie Soto is a retired tennis player who during her career was at the top of her game and held the record for most Grand Slam wins. However, five years after her retirement another tennis star is threatening her record, so Carrie decides to come out of retirement for one last season to solidify her GOAT status. Set in the same world as Daisy Jones and Malibu Rising (the easter eggs were spot on), this story focuses on Carrie's determination to be the best and tracks her as she goes to each of the four Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) and attempts to win each of them. Along the way she has to learn to accept who she is and what really is motivating her.

I can't say enough about this book. It was the rare read that once I ended it I was ready to start it all over again because I didn't want to leave Carrie Soto's life.

Love Taylor Jenkins Reid so much!! This is just another great one. I loved the tennis setting as well. I found it so interesting to read about Carrie Soto. I cannot wait till this comes out

I can tell this book was researched, but the research was often misapplied, and a lot of the tennis jokes will go over people's heads. A historical fiction book should make the reader want to research the topic more because the book has made it interesting, not make them need to research the topic just to understand a bit of irrelevant text as was the case here. Carrie Soto is unlikeable the entire time. I didn't like that she's supposed to be this great feminist, but the entire reason she's coming out of retirement is to prevent another woman from breaking her record (and then she doesn't even win in the end). The conversations about marginalized communities fell flat as they felt shoved in. Speaking of conversations, large portions of the book were in Spanish, which I wouldn't mind if any kind of translation or general gist were also provided, but that wasn't present, leaving the reader in the dark.

We first met Carrie Soto in Malibu Rising, as the tennis star who has an affair with Nina's husband. I was really intrigued when I saw there was going to be a whole book about her!

Carrie Soto was a phenom. She retired from tennis at 31 after becoming the best in the world. But now a new tennis star is about to smash her record, and Carrie decides to un-retire and defend her record. But can she do it? She's now 37, and the world isn't sure.

I really enjoyed this book. I played tennis when I was young, so I understood the tennis references, and found it an interesting part of the story. Carrie grew on me over the course of the book--she's not a totally likeable character, but she does seem to grow up and realize that there is more to life than tennis.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
I was excited to get an advanced reader copy of Taylor Jenkins Reid's newest novel and it did not disappoint. Being a tennis fan, I found this book to be fast-paced, exciting, and easy to follow. Carrie Soto is a strong female character that is resilient in the face of pressure. The book flashes back to Carrie's childhood and tennis career, setting the stage for the final match. The father daughter relationship adds depth and shows Soto's humanness.

While I enjoyed some of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books more than this one, it was well written. I'm not a huge tennis fan so that part of the story didn't hold my interest. And I don't speak Spanish so it was hard understanding at times when words were not translated. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

At 37 years old, after a 5 year hiatus, tennis star Carrie Soto comes back and tries to win one more grand slam event. Can a fiercely competitive athlete like Carrie ever accept loss and be happy? Will she listen to her loving father and coach Javier, and her supportive hitting partner and love interest Bowe? Tennis fans will love this book, but the play-by-play accounts of her matches might not hold the interest of other readers. Also, Javier frequently uses Spanish, and not all of it is translated.

I really liked this book… 4.5 stars. It was a tiny bit hard to get into with all the tennis terms (I know nothing about tennis) but the author did a great job of explaining a lot. I loved the growth of the characters, the descriptions of the matches, and the commentary in between. The ending was perfect, tho I definitely wouldn’t have said no to another chapter. My only concern was the amount of Spanish in the book - I understood because my mother speaks to me in Spanish but I wondered if others would find it frustrating? Maybe not tho, it’s not that much… tho it’s nice to know what’s being said.

On another note, so far I have loved everything Taylor Jenkins Reid has written and I love how she ties characters in between books together. So nicely done.

TJR does it again! Wow. First of all - I’m blessed that NetGalley allowed me the privilege of receiving this ARC. The book gods had my back with this one! Secondly - this book encompasses everything I love about TJR; a strong female main character, a little bit of love, and a plot that makes you race to the last page.

I’m not going to lie - I’m not a huge fan of Carrie Soto, but I respect her. She’s brash with no filter. She’s confident and she doesn’t hide it. I hate that she is like that… but I also understand why she is that way. Honestly, you gotta respect someone who knows who the hell they are.

I love TJR’s casual mention of Daisy Jones & the Six, reminding us that all of these characters exist in the same universe (I love that universe). I would love to know TJR’s writing process - did she know Carrie was going to have her own book when she wrote Malibu Rising? I have so many questions!

Now that I’ve finished reading this book, I have to go make tennis my entire personality. BRB.

When Carrie Soto retired from tennis six years ago, she was the best player the world had ever seen, shattering every record imaginable. Now a hotshot new tennis star is threatening to break Carrie's legacy. At 37, Carrie attempts to come back for one more epic season to defend her title, even if defying all the odds means she has to train with a man from her past.

If you've read Malibu Rising, Carrie Soto is that tennis player, but you don't need to read Malibu Rising to enjoy the book. I love that Reid gives crossovers hinting at her other books in such a way that it's fun for fans, but doesn't preclude you from reading the book independently. 

I absolutely loved Carrie Soto is Back. I started it half an hour before my bedtime and literally did not put it down until I had finished it. Taylor Jenkins Reid shines with her brilliant writing and complex characters. You do, however, need to at least enjoy tennis, because much of the suspense comes from the actual tennis matches.

I discovered my love for Taylor Jenkins Reid's titles a bit later than everyone else, with the first book I read by her Malibu Rising. I was HOOKED after and quickly read Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo. I pretty much jumped out of my skin when I was approved for Carrie Soto Is Back.

The story follows professional tennis player Carrie Soto, once the best in the world, as she tries to make a comeback at the age of 37. I will say this upfront, Carrie is a very unlikeable character, however, being around the same age she is in the book, I can respect the determination and grit it takes to do what she does. Not that I've ever been a professional athlete, but even in my day-to-day trying to get back to working out, I can relate.

While I enjoyed the story and the triumphs and defeats, I didn't love it as much as her previous titles. I found it a bit slower than her previous one and had a harder time getting through it. And it's not because I don't love sports; I do. I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't love it as much; perhaps it's simply because I wasn't a fan of Carrie.

Having said all of that, it's still a fantastic book. It's a powerful story with a wonderful ending. And despite my feelings for Carrie, I was still cheering her on the whole book.

4/5 stars

Thank you Ballantine Books, Random House, and NetGallley for the gifted eARC!

CARRIE SOTO IS BACK is truly one of the best books I have read this year. Taylor Jenkins Reid has already stole our heart with her previous female leads; Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones, and Nina Riva. I was so excited to see more of Carrie after getting a small glimpse of her in MALIBU RISING. Soto is one of the most unapologetic and strong characters that I have ever read in a novel. Her voice and thoughts are so authentic and they spoke deep to my soul. This book in its entirety was a complete marvel. From the fast-paced matches, to the emotional depth weaved throughout--this is one I could not put down. Reid has truly established herself as such a powerhouse in the Women's Fiction genre. I am very much impatiently waiting to see what her brilliant mind will come up with next!

The talent of this author blows me away. Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones, The Riva siblings, she creates characters that feel so real. Carrie Soto was no exception. After Malibu Rising, I had no desire to ever hear the name Carrie Soto again but am so glad I did. I enjoyed Carrie’s book even more than Malibu Rising.

Carrie Soto, one of the greatest tennis players with a reputation of being a a bitch. Because a strong willed, determine to succeed female who cannot show emotion or be considered weak is automatically a bitch, right? Although, Carrie does not help herself, let me tell you. She definitely gives off vibes, makes selfish decisions and will do anything to succeed. But also, she is sensitive and emotional and has worked so hard to succeed you cannot help but cheer for her.

I am not a tennis fan but this book made me excited about each match.

My favorite parts of the books were the relationships:

-The father/coach daughter relationship was so well done and fraught with drama which seemed entirely realistic.

-Carrie’s relationship with former lover/current training partner Bowie was really interesting. Both trying to prove they still have what it takes. Both trying to explore the connection they have with eachother when they don’t make it easy.

-Carrie’s relationship with the other competitors including Nicki Chan was one of my favorite parts of the book.

No one does complex characters like her. And Carrie now has a special place in my heart!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest feedback.