Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of those authors that I don’t even need to read a blurb, I’m adding her newest book to the top of my pile as soon as it is announced. Carrie Soto is Back was a great addition to the “Hollywood” Land that exists in Taylor’s books. Carrie was mentioned briefly in Malibu Rising, and if you don’t blink, Daisy Jones is mentioned in this story. This book is very heavy with Tennis matches, but there is so much more to it too. Carrie has such character development from start to finish, and you can’t help but smile at the end.

This book was absolutely amazing. Honestly it’s probably my favorite TJR book so far. There was truly not a single thing I didn’t love about this book, and it’s no surprise I finished this in less than 24 hours because I was deeply hooked that I couldn’t put it down.

Carrie Soto is the fictional embodiment of my own internal monologue. She’s a tough, sarcastic bitch with a take-no-shit attitude and I love her for it. I loved that we got to see her entire career unfold before we really dove into her comeback - that gave me every single detail I could’ve wanted from this story. Not to mention I loved Carrie’s relationship with her Dad and her agent Gwen, but also her whatever-it-is with Bowe. It was just perfect. I also think I might be a tennis fan now? I don’t know. It’s possible. 😂🎾

I truly wish this book was longer because I wasn’t ready for it to be over. It was a real and raw and I just couldn’t get enough. A HUGE thank you goes out to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this book. Carrie Soto is Back drops August 30 and you NEED to put it on your TBRs!

This book was wonderful. The author really made feel as if I was the tennis star. I love the author's style of writing. Thank you net galley for letting me review this book in advance.

I so love the idea of characters crossing each other's paths in the different novels that Taylor Jenkins Reid writes and love how she uses each of her books to tell a character's full story. I immediately wanted to know Carrie Soto's full story after being introduced to her in Malibu Rising. There is a lot of tennis in this book but you don't need to be a tennis fan to appreciate the fierce and competitive nature of Carrie Soto or the suspense that the game of tennis naturally is when worthy opponents face each other. There is a lot to sort through when the main character sets her mind on a comeback years after she retires as a legend. Her inability to lose which made her the legend that she was for so long also kept her from relating to people. She has few friends, she's terrible at romantic relationships, and she's not even nice to her fans. Her father who is also her tennis coach is the only one she is close to but even that has its limitations. But you still can't help but cheer for her, especially when her final challenge is more about finding her true self and what she's made of than about the game of tennis. Lots of people can relate to an all or nothing way of living. So many characters to appreciate. My favorite line: "We live in a world where exceptional women are forced to wait around for mediocre men." Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for granting me an advance copy.

I always anxiously await a new book by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Her characters have such depth and are intriguing. I loved the characters and plot in Carrie Soto is Back and zipped right through the book. It would have made a difference in a positive way if I were a tennis enthusiast. Each match was described in detail, play by play, and to me was a little tedious. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Carrie Soto and look forward to reading Taylor Jenkins Reid's next book.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for providing a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Pub date: 8/30/22
Genre: fiction with sports, romance, and coming of age themes
In one sentence: Carrie Soto was the best player tennis had ever seen, but when a young Nicki Chan beats her record of major tournament wins, she comes out of retirement to reclaim her crown.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is at her best when she's writing complex women like Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones, and now Carrie Soto. The story starts with Carrie's journey to teen tennis star, her close relationship with her father and coach, and her singleminded desire to be the best - at any cost. In the hands of another author, this story could seem stereotypical, but Jenkins Reid makes Carrie's desires and frustrations feel completely real. I loved getting a front-row seat to this ambitious women's rise and subsequent comeback. Does her comeback succeed? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out.

I won't say much more plot-wise for fear of spoilers, but I'm sure TJR fans will love this one just as I did. Carrie Soto is the ultimate complex strong female protagonist. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Outstanding! Strong tennis knowledge and storyline with great character development. Love when there is love, laughter, family, loss, perseverance and unexpected ending. TJR did a fantastic job with this one and I would see this character returning in other stories!

Carrie Soto, Carrie Soto, CARRIE SOTO - this is the name of the tennis player everyone will soon be talking about! Okay, yes she is 100% fictional, I know this... but then why am I mourning the end of this book and character like she's a real player I'm sad not to see play anymore at the end of the season?

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again folks! She is the absolute MASTER in creating characters that feel real and like they are a true part of your life! I was rooting for Carrie like she was my best friend throughout the entire book and it was pure magic! ✨

I don't know a whole lot about tennis, so I cannot comment on the accuracies of the tennis game specifics, but in my humble less than average tennis knowledge opinion, I thought TJR did a phenomenal job telling the incredible story of Carrie Soto with just the right amount of tennis talk to both be enjoyable, but still authentic to the game.

What else did I love:
🎾 Carrie is a tough as nails competitor who knows what she wants and won't stop until she gets it! And not to mention her comeback to tennis when she is 37!! As someone in that same age bracket, I found this so inspiring. It is never too late to start again or to start something new!
🎾 Carrie's relationship with her dad was so heart warming. I loved their closeness and the way he was hard on her, but at the time still so gentle. The ultimate girl dad and amazing coach! ❤️
🎾 Bowe!! Oh man I don't want to give anything away about him, but he was just the absolute perfect addition to this story.

This book truly got inside my heart and I honestly shed tears of joy, sadness and even frustration (for Carrie) while reading. 😭 Carrie Soto is Back will be out next month on August 30th!! You're going to need to get yourself a copy as soon as you possibly can!! I think everyone is going to love this latest TJR masterpiece!
I am beyond thankful to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced e-copy - it was 100% pure love with this one!! 💗

Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors, so I was excited to discover that she has a new book coming out! "Carrie Soto Is Back" centers around one woman as she seeks to become the undisputed champion of the tennis world. Carrie grows up with her widowed father, Javier, as he trains her to become a tennis great. Her whole life revolves around tennis, and she's unable to handle it when she doesn't win every time. This made her quite unlikable, but it did give me a good look into the psyche of a professional athlete.

I really enjoyed the sweet father/daughter relationship between Carrie and Javier. I also enjoyed the romance between Carrie and Bowe, although I wish we had seen more of it. Overall, this wasn't my favorite of Reid's books but it was fairly enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I think TJR has established that she can tell a pretty epic story. A lot of her books center around strong women, their lives, loves, and pitfalls. Carrie Soto is no exception to that rule. The tl;dr version of this review could easily be boiled down to: Are you interested in reading about someone’s tennis career or not?

Recommended for fans of:
📖 TJR's storytelling style
🎾 Tennis, sports strategy, & competition
🌱 Personal growth & self-acceptance

PLOT––
Carrie Soto isn’t just great at tennis; she’s the greatest of.all.time. And she has all the records to prove it. Trained by her father who is a former champion himself, Carrie blitzes through the tennis ranks capturing every title along the way. By the time she retires, Carrie is indisputably the best but also faces a lot of public backlash for her lack of humility and fiercely competitive playing style. Not that she cares.

But Carrie doesn’t get to enjoy her retirement long. Six years after, she finds herself watching the stunning Nicki Chan make a run for her Grand Slam record. Never one to be beaten, this prompts Carrie to come out of retirement for one more run at reclaiming her title under the tutelage of her father, just like the old days. It won’t be easy though with the media not forgetting or forgiving “The Battle Axe” persona she’s built, a distraction from her past, and Carrie’s own body slowing her down. But not of that has ever stopped her before.

CHARACTERS––
I personally wasn’t as much of a fan of Carrie as I was of Evelyn Hugo, for example. I have to commend TJR for creating complex, flawed characters though. Her characters feel real and multidimensional. Yes, Carrie can come across a bit cold, especially in the beginning of the book, but as with other TJR books you start to understand the characters more and more as the story progresses.

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW––
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I was hoping that the tennis aspect would be more of a backdrop than a focal point of the story. In Evelyn Hugo, for example, you get a good picture of Evelyn’s Hollywood movie career background. You learn about her rise to fame and things that happen throughout her career. Still, the focal point of the story was more centered around Evelyn’s personal life, her relationships, and the Hollywood starlet part was sort of seamlessly weaved into that.

Be forewarned that Carrie Soto is not this way. The first 25% of the book is almost all just her career leading up to retirement. Various competitions she attends, opponents her and her father strategize against to beat, the particulars of specific tennis plays, a glimpse into her attitude in the public spotlight… and that’s about it. We’re talking roughly 100 pages of tennis competitions that all start blending together and feeling pretty repetitive.

The next 75% picks up a fair amount. We start getting a lot more from the story, seeing Carrie’s support system, including her relationship with her father, a friendship and a budding romance. While there’s still a ton of tennis action, as is to be expected, there’s also a lot of heartfelt writing that I’ve come to expect from TJR. I found myself still wanting to skim some of the tennis play talk, but it does get a lot better.

Another thing that may or may not affect you is the fact that Carrie’s father speaks in Spanish quite frequently. If you know Spanish or enough Spanish to get by, this may not be of concern to you at all. But just know that TJR does not translate this Spanish at all. If pausing your reading to google Spanish sentences doesn’t bother you, great! If that sounds like something that would take you out of the story or bother you, there’s your warning.

Overall, I think TJR tells a good story of perfection and self-acceptance. This isn’t one of my favorites of hers, but I think if you have interest in sports or competition you’ll find the first fourth of the book more palatable.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Anyone watching Wimbledon today?!

I was SO excited to get my hands on an early reader’s copy of @tjenkinsreid ‘s newest book *Carrie Soto Is Back* just before our trip to Europe this summer. I read it on one (very long) flight, and - as expected - l loved it… What Evelyn Hugo is to Hollywood, Daisy Jones is to rock & roll, and the Rivas are to surfing — Carrie Soto is to tennis. 🎾 And I don’t even really care about tennis, but TJR just KNOWS how to make a story, a character, a passion come alive in her books. Don’t get me wrong, I learned A LOT about tennis from this book - but more about the cost of pursuing s dream, the love between a father and a daughter, and the beauty of second chances - in sports, and in life.

Out at the end of August, *Carrie Soto Is Back* is a definite Grand Slam! 😉

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

#samandscoutreads #bookstagram #summerreading #carriesotoisback #netgalley #netgalleyreads

This book is so fast paced that it made me flip pages faster than a tennis ball serve. I absolutely adored this book set in 1995 women’s professional tennis.

Carrie Soto is a professional Hispanic tennis player who has retired at the peak of her career having set numerous tennis records. When her record is tied 5 years later she decides to train for a comeback.

I loved Carrie’s unapologetic nature of wanting to not only win but crush her opponents. She has the heart of an athlete and is motivated by winning. I don’t have a problem with that because this is what drives her to be the best the world has ever seen. However, it comes with some personal costs with emotional struggles in her personal life.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House, and especially Taylor Jenkins Reid for another outstanding exciting book. The opinions shared are truly my own.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Taylor Jenkins Reid has created another literary masterpiece that is so emotionally evocative that you’ll genuinely forget you’re consuming a work of fiction. Carrie Soto is Back follows the novel’s eponym who makes a comeback to the world of women’s tennis to defend her groundbreaking records against rising tennis star Nicki Chan. Right from the first chapter, you’re immediately drawn towards the palpable grit of Carrie Soto. Her assertive, take-no-prisoners approach to her tennis career, both before and during her comeback, is driven by a powerful undercurrent of determination unseen in Reid’s other celebrity protagonists. That is not to say Carrie doesn’t have her flaws; it’s in my opinion that the most beautiful thing about Reid’s protagonists is that they are successful despite and because of their deep personal flaws. It is this element of Reid’s characterizations that make these iconic characters feel real to us as readers. The writing style and format of the book set the intensity for the novel perfectly; the sports commentators/articles, the short and precise sentence structure, the repetitive nature of Carrie’s training, and the heavily detailed tennis play-by-plays were beautifully executed. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll try to be as vague as possible here, but I feel personally that the book’s conclusion worked perfectly in regards to Carrie’s growth as a person both on and off the court. The shift in Carrie’s approach to tennis during her comeback season led to a shift in her mindset on life, which was realistic and beautiful for someone at that point in their life, famous tennis player or not. I appreciated how there were discussions about the impact colorism and racism has on women tennis players who do not fit the beauty standard, and how intersectionality plays a part in the treatment of women tennis players. My only critique is that the book is occasionally anachronistic; characters would reference news organizations and tennis tournaments that did not exist until later in the future or only existed in the past. Although it’s a miniscule detail, it did prevent full immersion into the story for me at some points. However, this novel absolutely blew my mind with its all-consuming nature and intensity. The fact that Reid unironically made me, a non-sports person, care about the outcomes of fictitious tennis tournaments goes to show how amazing this book is on all levels.

CARRIE SOTO IS BACK and so is Taylor Jenkins Reid!

After Carrie Soto made an appearance in TJR's Malibu Rising, I was skeptical as to whether or not her character would win me over. Within a few pages of her book, however, I think I would have given my life for Carrie Soto.

The book begins in Carrie's childhood, and we get to know her as her father helps to shape her into a legendary tennis player. After winning 20 grand slams and setting a record as well as sitting as the number one player for a significant amount of time, Carrie retires in 1989 at 32 years old.

Cut to 1994. Five years have passed and Carrie's record has been tied. Making a risky decision, Carrie decides to come out of retirement for one last season, in an effort to regain her record. We follow Carrie as she gets her body back into playing condition with her father as her coach. This season is not the same as the others- Carrie is now 37 years old and will have to play the best tennis of her life. Can the Battle Axe take back her title?

I can't say enough good things about this book. A central theme in this novel is Carrie's relationship with her father and coach, Javier. After the catastrophe that was Mick Riva's parenting, the father-daughter relationship in this book was like peanut butter smoothing the cracks of my broken heart. I thought it was beautiful, I can't gush about this aspect enough.

The Carrie I was introduced to in Malibu Rising gave me a look at Carrie's reputation as "the bitch" from the outside, but in this book the layers are stripped away and I really got to know Carrie. I really really loved her, and I completely understand what Taylor Jenkins Reid meant when she said Carrie was her favorite character- she's mine now too. What an amazing book about growth, humility, opening your heart to love, and self acceptance.

Thanks so much to Random House Ballantine as well as NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. I can't wait for everyone else to come to love Carrie the way I have.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors and I’ll gladly read anything she writes, but unfortunately Carrie Soto is Back was not a favorite of mine. If you love tennis, this is the book for you, but as someone who knows absolutely nothing about the sport, I found myself bored at times. Carrie is also an unlikeable character. She is selfish and hurts people who are only trying to help her, which makes it hard to root for her.

I did like the different formats used throughout the book to break the chapters up, the transcripts and op-ed pieces about Carrie returning to the sport after retiring. TJR hit the nail on the head with how women are treated in sports and in general when they try to do something others deem impossible.

I just finished reading (and loved) Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Carrie is a total baddie in this book and I want to be her, lol. I resonated fairly deeply with the plot, as an aging woman, perhaps passed what most consider “young” and as a former college athlete. No one ever talks about the letdown of retiring or finishing from competitive sports. It’s almost the death of a dream, and of a love/hate relationship with the sport. The book itself was just a tad predictable, but the everything else was superb. Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I’m so glad I read Carrie Soto is Back!

I admit that I didn't love the tennis angle, it just isn't my thing, but I do enjoy a good TJR book and think that her fans would enjoy this. I don't think it is as good as Daisy Jones and The Six or Malibu Rising, but I am positive it was because I didn't like the tennis angle.

I'm not sure this will be the universal favorite of Reid's books but, like Carrie Soto, for who connect with it, it will resonate deeply. The writing is immediate and personal and moves at a clip not unlike a Grand Slam final.

Taylor Jenkins Reid proves once again why she is the master of characterization with her newest release, Carrie Soto is Back.

Female tennis legend Carrie Soto is 37 years old and has been retired for nearly five years. When her record is threatened by an up and coming player, Carrie decides to come out of retirement to defend her title as world’s best.

On the surface, Carrie Soto is Back sounds like a sports novel, which it is, but it’s also an exploration of what it’s like to be a female athlete on the world’s largest stage…and what it takes to win. Carrie has worked her entire life to be the best, she’s trained for years and has sacrificed friendships, romantic relationships, and even her public image in order to make it to the top (and stay on top). Carrie is ruthless at times, often outspoken about her opponents’ abilities or lack thereof, and has been dubbed “The Battle Axe” in the media.

As Carrie gets back into the swing of training, matches, and competition, it’s the relationships she has with her father/coach and herself that really shines in this novel. I was thoroughly entertained by Carrie’s determination, the descriptions of the tennis matches, and whether Carrie would achieve her goal of remaining number one.

I highly recommend this heartfelt novel and big thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted on Instagram @book_grams

Pub date: August 30

A rousing tale about a strong female athlete; I didn't expect upon first meeting Carrie Soto in Malibu Rising that she'd be such a compelling protagonist. I like how Reid structures the book by first detailing Carrie's road to tennis dominance and downfall to help pave the way for her thrilling comeback. Carrie's relationships with the various secondary characters are all interestingly explored, and I particularly liked how much her attitude toward Nicki transformed as she got to know her better. There is a strong emotional pull present from the very beginning enhanced by a plot development in the final third that makes the climactic match very rewarding to follow, and the ending of the book is immensely satisfying.