Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. I'll admit, I didn't love Malibu Rising as much as her previous books, but with Carrie Soto is Back so is TJR. The first half of the novel set in the '60s-'80s details Carrie's rise to being the best tennis player in the world and the second half, set in the mid-'90s details Carrie's attempt to make a comeback before a younger player can claim that title. You do not have to be a tennis player or fan to appreciate the story - the dynamics between father/daughter, the rivalry between older and younger stars, the need for someone to confront their future when they need to leave behind their life's work whether they want to or not. Highly recommend this one.

NOTE: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

loved loved loved this strong narrative on carrie soto. full of typical incredible taylor jenkins reid storytelling and strong characters.

This was a fun quick read and I read it during Wimbledon - very apropos! I enjoyed getting to know Carrie and I absolutely loved Javier and their relationship!! There’s a LOT of tennis in this book! I am not a huge tennis fan but I did enjoy learning some behind-the-scenes parts. It keeps you turning pages to find out what’s next! Great summer read! ❤️📚🎾👟

"Every match you play, you are one match closer to becoming the greatest tennis player the world has ever seen. You were not born that person. You were born to become that person."

“We live in a world where exceptional women have to sit around waiting for mediocre men.”

“For decades, my talent and drive were utterly devastating to those who stood in my wake. If each person is blessed with an individual gift, determination is mine.”

“I am afraid of losing. I am afraid of how it will look to the world. I’m afraid of this match being the last match my father ever sees me play. I am afraid of ending this all on a loss. I am afraid of so much.”

Carrie Soto Is Back hit me right in the feels, and these are just a few of my favorite quotes. While I've loved all of TJR's leading ladies - Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones, and Nina Riva - I have to say that I think Carrie now holds second place in my heart, and I never would have expected that!

If you've read Malibu Rising, you may remember Carrie from her brief appearance there, but if not, know this: 1.) She is the best tennis player in the world. 2.) She won 20 Grand Slam titles during her career (a record) before retiring. 3.) Now, six years post-retirement, her record is tied and being threatened by up-and-coming tennis star, Nicki Chan.

True to Carrie's nature, there is no way she's going to take this lying down, but can the now-37-year-old get back into fighting shape in time to compete with a new crew of tennis stars, and defend her record? Well, hold onto your seats because the fierce, driven, unrelenting, unfiltered, incomparable CARRIE SOTO IS BACK!

Chock full of tennis matches, fundamentals, and strategy, I didn't anticipate loving a book about a sport I've never really been interested in, but in her masterful way, TJR made this book about so much more than sports. From family drama, coach-athlete relationships, father-daughter relationships, and complicated romantic relationships, to how the media and sports world look at and depict aging and the vastly different standards female athletes are held to versus male athletes, this novel had me flying through the pages and riding an emotional rollercoaster. From laughing one paragraph to crying in another; from thoroughly disliking Carrie at points to rooting for her and wanting to give her a hug as she evolved and grew, Taylor pulled at my heartstrings (as she always, always does), had me reading WAY past my bedtime, and left me utterly blown away.

Stop what you're doing right now and give this one a pre-order, a hold request at the library, or simply mark in your calendar that Carrie Soto Is Back is hitting shelves Aug. 30. Trust me, you do not want to miss this one!! Thank you so, so much to @tjenkinsreid @ballantinebooks and @netgalley for my complimentary galley of this incredible book! Taylor, I cannot wait to see what you throw our way next!

P.S. - I didn't know that this is the second week of Wimbledon, but that makes this review even more timely! Happy Wimbledon, and best of luck to all the amazing competitors!

This book was just incredible. I felt every moment as if it were real and was deeply invested in Carrie with all her imperfections. This is, of course, a story about tennis, and I experienced each game as if I were watching it live. but it is also a beautiful father-daughter story and a romance that managed to steal my heart from the sidelines. This story was as much about Carrie as it was about the people who loved her and stuck with her. I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat. I will be reading this book again and, if it ever becomes a movie (and it should), I will be first in line to watch it. The cherry on top for me: Taylor Jenkins Reid brought to life a hispanic character that actually speaks Spanish and does it so well that I was able to read seamlessly from English to Spanish without it ever feeling awkward. The nicknames, the specifically Argentinean dialogue made Carrie and her dad, Javier, more real, with no cheap or condescending stereotypes. The extra cherry on top: the way Bowe won over Carrie's heart. No spoilers, but it was perfect for this Latina reader.

Carrie has loved tennis her whole life, so much so that it literally became her life. After she “retires” and a younger competitor top’s Carrie’s record, Carrie realizes she’s not ready to be done with her favorite sport just yet. As someone who knows very little about tennis, I was counting on TJR to find a way to hold my attention---and she did! The book is a fast read and definitely hard to put down. I figured it would probably be good, I just didn’t realize HOW GOOD. 😊

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has written another fantastic novel about a strong, but flawed woman. I don't know anything about tennis and am not interested in it at all but I still loved this book. It is so well written and compelling - you feel like you are at the tennis matches. I love the mentions of characters in other books like Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones & the Six and I'm wondering which minor character in this book will get their story told next. I highly recommend this book. Thanksto NetGalley for the digital ARC.

One of my favorite things about TJR is that her books are wholly original and often contain callbacks to previous books. I know very little about the sport of tennis but this book held my interest. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance ecopy

I was not really sure what to expect with this book and this really is a hard one to rate. I really enjoyed the relationship between the father and daughter, however really would have liked to know more about their backstory and Carrie's childhood. I think it would have been helpful to really know more about how she became what she was. I felt that there was a lot of dialogue in spanish that really needed some type of clarification if you do not speak spanish. I could follow this, however it will really irritate quite a few people. I wish the pacing would have been a little different. There was a lot of gameplay that began to feel repetitive. I understood that Carrie was detached, however this became repetitive as well. I have to say I really enjoyed the ending on this one. I definitely would like to read more from this author. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Carrie Soto is a driver, competitive, passionate player whose only dream is to be the best. Everything else in her life takes a back seat to her pursuit of greatness. I found this novel so entertaining and as a tennis fan, really enjoyed the matches and technical aspects incorporated. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author I’ll always read, and this book was creative and loads of fun. While not as heart-wrenching as Evelyn Hugo, it still incorporates the importance of family and support systems and really packs a punch. I’ll be curious to see what non-tennis fans think, but I thoroughly enjoyed the training, competition, and character development throughout.

This might be Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best yet. Carrie Soto Is Back is utterly captivating. I am not a fan of tennis, yet found myself on the edge of my seat during every match description. I was completely transported and enthralled.

TJR got me with this one! I've been keeping up with her other books and enjoying them, but something always kept me from really loving them—this one comes the closest! There was so much heart in this book, and I loved Carrie's relationship with her dad so much. Reid has such a knack for creating realistic characters, and I always enjoy the subtle callbacks to her previous books. I also appreciated that Carrie is flawed and a little hard to like at times, yet it's still possible to feel for her and root for her on her journey. All of the tennis in the book was also highly entertaining and engaging.

If you haven’t heard, the book is a story of Carrie Soto, an older athlete on a come-back tour and her relationship with her father, her peers, her sport and herself.

Carrie Soto is my new favorite character. She’s tough, determined, plays hard, loves hard, family-oriented. I just love a good come-back story, especially a comeback about a woman who the industry labeled a bitch because she didn’t act the way a female athlete should act.

So, Carrie is a 5-star-character and I loved her more than I loved the book (because there is just so much, so much tennis.). Still, the book will be one of my favorites of this year. Carrie Soto had a small cameo in Malibu Rising as a tennis pro who had an affair with Malibu’s main character’s husband.

Thank you @netgallery and @ for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Random House for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I have become a TJR fan girl. This isn’t something new or innovative in the book world, but I truly love Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing and creativity in her story telling. I have a number of her backlist titles on my TBR and i’m excited to see how they compare, but I am a huge fan of the Women of the Decades universe. These are The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, Malibu Rising, and now Carrie Soto is Back.

I will say, this book is quite tennis heavy. I grew up playing tennis and attending the US Open every year. I have always loved watching Wimbledon and noshing on strawberries and cream. So, I didn’t mind how tennis heavy it was! I also heard from a few people who aren’t tennis fans that they didn’t mind either. I think the sport lends itself to the story as more than a metaphor.

In short, I really enjoyed this book. I felt very seen with Carrie’s journey and how strong she was, while discovering that it’s okay to be soft. As someone always struggling with perfectionism, I really got Carrie.

And just so you know, the acknowledgements of the book absolutely wrecked me.

What I Liked:

The Writing—As always, this is TJR’s real strong point and part of why I love her books. I know they will always keep me turning the page.

Carrie as a Character—Like I said, I really got Carrie. She may not be likeable to many but I really think that comes down to being not like women who aren’t afraid to speak their mind in the way that men do. People love when Tom Brady and Roger Federer are blunt and confident.

The Portrayal of Female Competition and Friendship—I loved the development of respect and understanding between Nicki Chan and Carrie. I loved how they were brutally honest with each other and found most of their interactions quite entertaining.

What Didn’t Work:

Expectation of Structure/Story—Sadly, I think TJR is always going to be up against herself since she has found such success. A lot of people will say this book is bad because it doesn’t compare the creativity or structure that Evelyn Hugo or Daisy Jones has. I agree, but I also hate that authors are always in this position because the story in Carrie Soto is so worthy of reading, especially for those of us who identify with the characters.

Character Authenticity: 5/5

Steam Rating: 0/5

Overall Rating: 4.75/5

Content Warnings:

loss of a parent, mentions of alcoholism

As a huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid I look forward to every new book of hers and Carrie Soto is back was another page turner. I read it during the first week of Wimbledon and I couldn’t have found a better fitting time to read. Carrie is a former tennis super star who is making her comeback, in her mid thirties. It’s suspense, mixed with love and close family ties. A page turner!

Carrie Soto Is Back
By Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor has done it again!! Carrie Soto Is Back was in my opinion a wonderful read. After reading Malibu Rising, I wasn’t so sure I was going to like it with how Carrie Soto is portrayed, & I have ever understood tennis, but I really enjoyed this story.

It is all about how Carrie Soto comes out of retirement from tennis to defend her titles.

I have to say that Taylor is one of my favorite authors, I have loved everything she has written so far and I can’t wait to read her next story!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy for my honest review.

My goodness what a spectacular book. Carrie Soto is not s typical likeable heroine and yet I loved her fiercely. I wanted the very best for her, she was a fully fleshed out, flawed human being, and that's not something you get often in a female protagonist. Pick this book up as soon as you're able.

Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best! No one has to try too hard to convince people to read the latest book by the author of Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. However, Cary Soto is back is sure to be the next big thing on BookTok and the best of lists.

Cary Soto is a retired tennis pro entering the game again to take back her record of number of Grand Slam wins. She is an underdog, but she has ambition and her father in her corner. If you love sports stories about grit and fighting to overcome, you will love Cary and everything she has to do to prove her worth in a sport that wants to spit out over 30 women (especially those are not blond and don’t smile enough). Reid writes a character with a lot of flaws, but we are still rooting for Cary at every match and even in love.

This book will make you laugh, cry, cheer, and maybe even pickup a tennis racket! Never sleep on Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Oh. My. Goodness. I honestly didn’t know I could like a book this much. I could not put it down! I was a little unsure because I thought an entire book about tennis might be boring. And then I was a little unsure because I thought it might be too predictable. But I was wrong! This book was everything. I laughed, I cried, I flipped pages late into the night! If you’re looking for a page turner, this one is for you. Thank you Netgalley for my free copy!

Another great summer book -- right in the middle of Wimbledon 2022! We follow Carrie Soto from when she first picks up a tennis racket through her winning career and finally her retirement. Her father is her tennis coach, and they develop a very close relationship as a result of it. Carrie is not the darling of the tennis world, but instead very driven to win at all costs. A great inside look at the tennis circuit, and another fantastic book by Taylor Jenkins Reid.