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.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Wow! Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again - she has written about a subject I have zero interest in - in this case tennis- and made me lunge from the edge of my seat in joy or excitement or disappointment. Her amazing characters are so multi-dimensional and so wonderfully flawed. I love her books and this one will be a favorite. I totally recommend this story to readers who love a good cry and a great cathartic experience.

SYNOPSIS: A legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime.

🎾REVIEW: No surprise here, but TJR has 👏 done 👏 it 👏 again 👏! I loved every minute of this book! I will say I was absolutely RAISED on tennis, though - my parents played in college and I grew up having to watch every grand slam that came on tv, and I felt that definitely helped - because the tennis lingo is DEEP within this one - but even for someone who hasn’t been well-versed in the tennis world, who doesn’t love a good comeback story?!

You can’t help but root for Carrie and what she’s trying to accomplish. I loved the relationship with her father and all of the assisting characters they introduced throughout the book. It’s definitely a different style from TJR’s previous work, though; it had a totally different feel to it, but with her talent, I loved it just the same.

My one complaint is there was a LOT of Spanish sprinkles in the book that was necessary to the plot of the novel. I don’t know Spanish, as much as I wish I did. Full paragraphs where I would have no clue what was going on. I don’t want to google translate when I’m reading something. Other than that, I had a blast reading this book, and I think you will too.

🎾VERDICT: 4.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @netgalley and @ballantinecorp @randomhouse for the advanced copy of this one! It comes out on August 30!

Anything by Taylor is always well written. I was expecting....more about her relationship with Brandon and less about the actual game of Tennis. I felt that there were some times that it was just a tennis lesson and I was expecting more romance.

Loved this so much! I don’t know anything about tennis but this book was so unexpectedly and utterly relatable. After reading Malibu rising, never did I think Carrie De Soto would be a main character but here we are, and I’m here for it. Highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️CARRIE SOTO IS BACK by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book was incredible. I love TJR and this is my favorite one of hers to date. I did not expect to like it so much as it centers largely around tennis, but I loved it. The characters seem so lifelike. Several times I forgot that Carrie is just a fictional character and not a real life tennis star. There is also a little love story in this. Bowe is just the greatest and sweetest. Then there was the relationship between Carrie and her dad. I just didn’t want this book to end. It was a quick read and I didn’t want to put it down. Another thing that the author does that I love is tying this book in with others she has written. Carrie showed up in Malibu Rising and then there was a Daisy Jones and the Six reference.

I highly recommend reading this book. If a book can manage to make me cry, then it’s getting 5⭐️. It doesn’t happen a lot, but it’s a special book when it does. I was able to get an early copy of this one from Net Galley. It will officially release on 08/30/22.

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I loved this one! TJR writes her stories with so many details, it feels like you’re there in real life. Carrie is a force and kind of a bitch through the book, but she starts to soften and let her guard down with close friends and the audience by the end. My heart broke at one point for her, iykyk. I loved her relationship with Bowe. This is a great lesson on going after what you want and putting your mind to anything while appreciating what you have. Another amazing book by TJR!

In Malibu Rising Carrie Soto was the villain and I love that TJR humanized her and gave us her backstory. As someone who enjoys watching tennis I must preface this by saying that for people who don’t like the sport - I don’t see them enjoying this story.

The small amount of romance in this book didn’t really even happen until the 60% mark and the affair that made Carrie Soto memorable to us from Malibu Rising was a very brief chapter towards the beginning.

This was definitely different than her previous works, but I honestly loved this. I enjoyed reading about the matches, Carrie’s childhood/struggles with letting people in, her relationship with her dad, her unyielding ambition and determination, and the snippets from what the sportscasters were saying. I also enjoyed her dialogue with her competitors and the double standards women face in sports. I thought this book was really fun and I was surprised by the direction this book went in, but I was far from disappointed. This book made me laugh, smile, made my heart pound, and it made me cry. As always, TJR made me feel so much from her words.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Carrie Soto is a tennis legend. Now she is coming out of retirement to reclaim her record newcomer, Nicki Chan, took. But Carrie is older now, and she has the media against her and needs to train with a man she casually dated in the past.

This book is way tennis heavy. I’m not into tennis, but I still got into the book. I wasn’t really sure how I felt about it until the end. I think it’s one of those stories that you won’t truly appreciate until you the whole story fits together and you look back on it. I really did not like Carrie in the beginning, but like a real irritating yet endearing person, she grew on me.

“The whole stadium is going wild. But I cannot hear anything as clearly as the sound of my own voice, begging me: let this be enough.”

Carrie Soto is Back comes out 8/30.

This might be my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid I’ve read so far. I loved Evelyn and Daisy. Nina was great, but Carrie is such a bad-ass. I love her. I loved reading her point of view. I loved her growth and her strength. I loved her sassy attitude, and her opening up her heart as slow as it was. This was an amazing read, and I really didn’t think I was going to like it based on the tennis premise. I found myself ENTHRALLED by tennis by the end of the book. I know almost nothing about the game, and I was reading along and groaning and cheering right along with Carrie.

The characters in this book were so endearing. Of course there was Carrie who was fierce and amazing, but equally great was her father Javier and partner Bowe. I loved all of their dynamics, and I also loved the sprinkling of other side characters, all of who have their own issues and flaws. This book felt like a masterclass in character development.

This was Taylor Jenkins Reid’s masterpiece. It had all the elements of a great novel. The suspense of the tennis matches. Watching Carrie’s growth, not just physically but emotionally. Carrie’s relationship with her father, and her growing attachment to Bowe. Everything worked perfectly together to create a near perfect novel. Carrie Soto has made a home in my heart and my thoughts and will stay there for a very long time.

It seems a little silly and redundant to say this, since all of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books are great, but this book is FANTASTIC. You're just never sure when you open the new book of a beloved author, but I read this one faster than I've read any of her others. Carrie Soto is a polarizing character that Reid somehow makes you root for with all of your heart, even when she's being a tennis diva or a poor sport. She is closed off and of a singular mind (winning, specifically at tennis), but I was on her side from page one.

This is yet another fantastic book from Reid, solidifying her place among the best authors of today.

I loved this book SO much. TJR deep dives into the world of tennis at the highest competitive level. She creates tension by counting down to major tournaments as we travel along with Carrie, making a comeback after a several year break from the game. Can she reclaim her former status going against the younger players? The relationships between the main characters are as lovely as they are fraught.

While I am usually a big fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Carrie Soto is Back felt a bit one-sided for me. I do enjoy sports, though tennis is not my favorite. I picked this book up for the author alone.

Carrie Soto is an unlikeable person, fixated on being a champion tennis player. She surrounds herself with other not so likable characters as she tries to do the seemingly impossible and win in tennis even though she is 37 years old and past her prime.

That's it. That is the whole story.

I kept thinking there would be more than I read in the description, but no. Carrie Soto plays tennis.

My one sentence review: Read this book.

Carrie Soto (a minor mention in Malibu Rising) gets her time to shine in a novel about her tennis career and life. After retiring five years prior, Carrie decides to return to the sport to try to reclaim her title from Nicki Chan.

What I liked: Taylor Jenkins Reid excels at crafting what should be unlikeable characters that you end up rooting for. They act, talk, and feel like real humans with all our good and bad traits. Carrie Soto is no exception. She’s unapologetic about her desire to win and her talent, she’s a bit prickly and standoffish, and she’s blunt. If she were a man, she’d be called driven and ambitious, because she’s a woman, they call her a bitch.

I love the relationships throughout the book - they are messy and complicated but there is also love and respect. You can see the characters grow and open up to each other as the book progresses. Everything felt natural.

Despite taking tennis lessons for a summer in high school, I know next to nothing about the sport, that being said TJR gives you enough information to care about Carrie’s comeback without being overwhelming. I was crying at one point during Bowe’s match.

What didn’t work for me: Absolutely nothing.

There are transcripts and news articles throughout and the format reminded me a bit of Daisy Jones with someone looking back on their career.

Who should read it: Everyone. You enjoy competitive sporting events, complicated characters and want to root for someone that might not always be the “good” guy.

If you’ve loved TJR’s previous work, I think you’ll find Carrie a winner.

TJR does it again!! Love this story so much! If you enjoyed Daisy Jones, you will LOVE this one! Highly recommend!!!