Brilliant! Coming off of Malibu Rising, I was excited to see what Taylor brought us next, and she did not disappoint. I felt like I was in the stands, cheering for Carrie like I was there. So inspiring, and a must-read!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Carrie Soto Is Back is a great book about a sometimes not likeable character. Carrie is confident to the point of perfection, which is needed to be able to play and achieve greatness at the level required to win.

It is an amazing portrayal of the joy and heartbreak of sports. You get a glimpse behind the scenes and see what an athlete pours into her sport...the blood, sweat, heartbreak and sacrifice needed to meet and exceed goals.

We were first introduced to Carrie Soto in Tara Jenkin Reid's previous book Malibu Rising. Carrie was the heartless husband-stealing woman. I did not expect to be drawn in and care as much as I did for this character. Well, that is the beauty of TJR's ability to create such complex characters. You get to know the character, flaws and all and find yourself rooting for them every step of the way.

Carrie Soto comes out of retirement and returns to the tennis court with her Grand Slam wins record on the brink of being broken. She decides to make a comeback to defend her record. Her father, Javier joins her on this journey for a chance to be her coach once again. The book becomes more than the reclaiming of her title, it is also about reclaiming her relationship with her father.

TJR also touches upon the perceptions of women in sports (women nicknamed the beast, the battle axe or the bitch simply for their competitive drive) ..."It was okay to win as long as I acted surprised when I did and attributed it to Luck. I should never let on how much I wanted to win or worse, that I believed I deserved to win...the bulk of commentators wanted a woman whose eyes would tear with gratitude...".
Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this fantastic book!!

First of all thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Tara Jenkins Reid has kept me on the edge of my seat in all of her books that I have read and Carrie Soto is Back exceeded and smashed my expectations! Somehow TJR manages to make you love and hate a character all at the same time! Carrie Soto’s father is a world renowned tennis player who had to retire early due to injuries. When he teaches his daughter Carrie to play and realizes that she could potentially be the best tennis player in the world. I wasn’t sure I would enjoy all of the tennis on this story but TJR did an amazing job of keeping the story moving while teaching me a thing of two about tennis! 5 stars! My only regret is that I’m done with the story.

Taylor Jenkins Reid never disappoints. Her books will tug at your heart strings and leave you laughing, crying, contemplating, and entertained. Carrie Soto is Back is no exception. A riveting and memorable story of an athlete who gave it all to become the best tennis player in the world, finds herself coming out of retirement to defend her record, swallow her pride, and make herself vulnerable by training with a man who has his own stakes in the game. Raw, vulnerable, and exciting. A great read that left me breathless

Welp. I did not expect for that book to speak to my soul in ways I can’t even explain.

This book is an intimate character study of what it means to be the “greatest” at something. The pressure, the drive, the grind. It’s about being true to yourself. It’s about learning that change is okay. It’s about the deepest griefs and the brightest joys, and how they can co-exist. It’s about what happens when we tie our self worth to something we can’t control. It’s about winning, and losing, and being your best every day. It’s about relationships, especially that of father/daughter. And, yes, it’s about tennis. And it’s messy. And I LOVED it.

Listen, I love Daisy, Evelyn and Nina so much. When Malibu Rising came out, I declared it to be my favorite TJR to date. But, y’all. Carrie. Carrie is it. She’s it. I can’t.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing truly keeps getting better with each and every book - I highlighted SO much and will be going back to reference it.

I cannot wait for the world to meet Carrie on August 30. I’m just going to lay here with an epic book hangover for a while.

Wow, I absolutely loved this book! Definitely TJR’s best. The characters were vibrant and leapt off the page, and the tennis setting was so interesting and entertaining to me. I could not put this book down and will highly recommend it!

Having read and loved two other books by Taylor Reid Jenkins, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising, I was super excited to read an early copy of this book. It is a fantastic read. Every time I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to reading it. There is a lot of tennis in the book as it's about a retired tennis player who decides to play again and prove she is still the greatest. Since I enjoy the game of tennis I loved that aspect of it. Reading about the tennis matches, I felt like I was right there in the stands. But, I don't think readers have to be into the sport to enjoy the book. The book also explores a father-daughter relationship which was touching.

This book is pure magic! There is not one single criticism that I could give it because it is phenomenal!! As someone who played sports for many years, this book spoke to my competitive side and left me feeling like I wanted to get back out there and get better at one of the sports I loved when I was younger. This book reminded me of ESPNs 30 for 30 shows. Like the show it told an incredible story, pull at your heartstrings, and exposed you to something new. This book is gold and I would recommend it to everyone and their dog!

Well TJR has done it again! Carrie Soto Is Back is the story of tennis star Carrie Soto and her return to the game after retirement. Coming from someone who knows nothing about tennis, I was completely captivated. I could not put this book down! The way TJR writes relationships is magical. I loved Carrie's relationship with her father, with Bowe, with the other players and with the game of tennis. I found myself mad at Carrie, cheering for her, having empathy for her and loving her all at the same time. This is another wonderful book to add to your Taylor Jenkins Reid collection.

Another great one from TJR! I really enjoyed Carrie's story of redemption and acceptance, and the actual plot line of her return to tennis was such a page turner. I think TJR has painted a brilliant portrait of what it is like to be a woman facing scrutiny and criticism from the public -- and how society expects women to behave.

Taylor Jenkins Reid hit this one out of the court! I absolutely loved Carrie and her story. Carrie Soto is the best tennis player in the world. At the age of 37 she decides to come out of retirement and to be coached by her father once again to reclaim her record. I felt like I was at her matches and caught myself on the edge of my seat rooting her on. Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors. I love how her books have subtle ties to previous books. I do not love tennis but still found myself rooting for tennis legend Carrie Soto.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this novel on the price of success and what it takes for a woman to be a champion in her chosen field.

Success as a pro athlete, or in any occupation, means working hard, practicing and training everday sometimes through pain both emotional and physical. Sacrificing in thousands of ways things that only occur to a person later when success doesn't mean that much any more, if that happens, and building up an iron shield around oneself when those sacrifices seem become real. For a woman it is even worse because everyone feels free to comment. She's not a good champion she doesn't smile enough, she's too manly, her feet are big, she doesn't look like a champion. The media hates that you won't play the game, dress pretty and be at their beck and call, like other champions. I am sure that as bestselling author, Taylor Jenkins Reid gets this all the time. Your books are literary enough, you can't write male characters blah blah blah. I hope she treats the haters like the lead character of her book does. Carrie Soto is Back is a novel about tennis, family ambition, drive, and trying hard to do something right.

Carrie Soto is a legend. Winner of the most Grand Slams in tennis, holder of numerous world records, trained by her father from an early age to be the best at tennis, until he couldn't help her anymore and moved on. Soto retired on top, and planned to leave it at that. Until six years later Carrie Soto is in the crowd as a young player starts to break her records. And she wants back in. At the age of thirty- seven Carrie again enlists her father to get her ready for one final season, where her challenges are not only other players, but her body, an angry media, and having to train with the one man who once broke her heart, but who has as much to prove as she does.

A novel about tennis, family, life, success, wanting more, never settling and dealing with demons, both internal and external. The book is well written with with a fascinating character in Carrie, one that is a little tough to root for in the beginning, but is fully written and seems so true and honest. The supporting cast are all good, and the story is well plotted and stays on course. There is a lot of tennis, something I really had no interest in, but at the end appreciated the work involved and found I had actually learned some things. The writing is of course very good, with a lot of different tricks, and ways of telling the story that is very entertaining.

Another enjoyable aspect of this is that characters in Taylor Jenkins Reid books tend to appear in other books. Sort of her own Marvel Extended Universe. I like the interconnectivity of that, and have always wondered why other authors haven't done more like that. Another great book by an author who works very hard on her craft and deserves all the praise that she receives. Reid's books are never the same and I am looking forward to her next novel.

This is hands down my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid book. I did not know that I was even interested in tennis and I had no curiosity at all about a minor character in Malibu Rising. But this book made me care. I loved getting that extra insight into a peripheral character (and would love for the author to continue this trend). The book really captured the father daughter relationship. It also captures the psyche of top athletes- and I really enjoyed that exploration. Carrie Soto is a flawed character- but she ends up being somehow relatable. I was rooting for her to make good choices. The ending was perfect, Highly recommend.

How does Taylor Jenkins Reid keep finding these wonderful characters in her imagination? Carrie Soto is Back is her newest book.

"Carrie Soto has been taught from a young age to play tennis at a high level. After turning pro, she won a record twenty majors before retiring She was known as the "Battle Axe" for her ruthless approach to competition. Five years after her retirement another player, Nicki Chan, ties her record of most majors. Carrie is angry about losing her legacy as the greatest ever and decides to come back and play, trying to add one more major championship and secure her spot in tennis history. Will her body answer the call? How important is it really?"

I could not put this book down. TJR is a master at fast-paced narrative and causing the reader to quickly become invested in her characters. Carrie is not a very likable character. There is no sportsmanship in her game - it's beat or be beaten. She is brash and caustic and not interested in any feelings. But that makes for a lonely life.
This book revolves around tennis, but it's not really about tennis. There are some great action sequences in the matches and great detail about what the top-ranked players are actually seeing. TJR looks at the price that must be paid for excellence. Carrie must navigate her comeback and discover what's really important.

The ending will surprise you - it's perfect for this story.

If you are a fan of TJR, put this book on your list. This is another great story from TJR. Going to be on a lot of "Best-of" lists this year.

I never thought I would love a book about a professional athlete so much. TJR books always hit me just right and this one did not disappoint. I loved rooting for Carrie so much and I loved seeing her character growth and how her attitude changes. I loved her father. I loved Bowe. And I loved Chan. I enjoyed how there were interviews and articles interspersed throughout the book. I did not listen to audio but I do think this would make an excellent audiobook!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I love everything of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s that I have read so far. She has a way of completely immersing you in the world and life of her characters without any unnecessarily long descriptions or background. You just jump in, but still very quickly get a sense of exactly who it is you’re reading about. Carrie as a character is unique for me, because I can’t really relate to her, and I didn’t necessarily like her or agree with her choices. Yet somehow I was still rooting for her. That’s stellar writing.

I don’t care about tennis, but you don’t have to. Kind of like Beartown and hockey. It’s very present, but it doesn’t have to be your thing. Also, I loved the little throwaway line about Carrie reading an unauthorized biography of Daisy Jones and the Six. Little meta nods and callbacks to other books are fun.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a bookseller’s dream. Her books can be so easily recommended as she explores common issues, usually topics of interest to woman and delivers strong stories with interesting characters and fresh perspectives. TJR’s newest offering, CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, will be introduced with all kinds of tennis lingo no doubt. Expect readers to trumpet TJR has aced her newest book, or something along the lines of another grand slam for TJR. CARRIE SOTO is a tennis story but then so much more. I was drawn in by Carrie’s relationship with her father, who was also her coach. I HAD to keep reading to see how Carrie’s competitive drive affected her relationships as she struggled, herself, to understand if she needed to win or feared a loss.. Sprinkled throughout the story are transcripts of television announcers and match commentary, always a fascinating alternative perspective. I can’t wait for the next TJR book!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy.

The more I sit with this book - the more I realized just how much I enjoyed it. In this novel, TJR gives us a badass female lead who plays by her own rules, and doesn't get caught up in what others think she should do or say. With that, I think there was also incredibly character development - but in a way that still felt true to a bold woman.

I thought Malibu Rising was only okay, so was worried this would fall into that as well. However, for someone that knows nothing of tennis, I was gripped by the story and the characters.

The writing feels like it was made to be interpreted, acted by someone, because it carries emotion, so I was reading and thinking wow, this must be amazing as an audiobook. At first I thought it was going to be boring cause of tennis match descriptions, but TJR can make boring things be fun - you feel immersed and you can visualize, you can hear the sounds of the court.

Carrie Soto is very interesting and intriguing to read. She's different from all the characters on TJR, she's direct, cold, determined to become the best no matter what. This competitive and obstinate way of hers is what keeps you dying to know what she's going to do and how she's going to behave next. Carrie doesn't have many friends, the media thinks she's a bit of a bitch, but she finds love in her father, who is precious.

The most interesting thing for me was not even the plot itself, but the messages and teachings it brings about trust, about doubting yourself, about internal battles, about how to be your best. The characters are very addictive to follow, very captivating.

The story is a bit predictable, but I loved it nonetheless.