WoW! I always love TJR books, but if you are a fan of tennis- this is a must read! love the evolution of Carrie, and she felt like a real human, which is not always easy to do with an athlete.

Finally, a TJR book that is *almost* as engrossing as Evelyn.

As always, character development is top notch. Carrie was a hard character to like, but I found myself rooting for her just the same. I loved the supporting cast, but would have loved to see some chapters from the POV of Carrie’s opponents.

I really appreciate the way all the Carrie/tennis heavy content was broken up by the articles and transcripts from the sportscasters.

Solid 4/5 stars

Having read all of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books, I believe that this is one of her finest novels. The plot was gripping and the characters were very believable. I rooted for Carrie the whole time and was so. impressed by the realistic portrayal of the sport of tennis. I highly recommend this book. I also enjoy how there are always "Easter eggs" in her stories - references to characters in her previous books.

Carrie Soto is Back is a great sports story with an unforgettable main character. I recommended it to all known tennis fans.

TJR excels at writing fictional characters that feel so realistic it's almost jarring. All of her books are a masterclass in characterization and it was exactly that with Carrie Soto. I know nothing about tennis at all but this book had me SO invested in it. Carrie was a fascinating character and I felt like this book had a more satisfying ending than other TJR books I've read. I found there was a moment in the middle where I thought the story was dragging a bit and I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but it quickly picked up and took a turn. Also the audiobook, as per usual for TJR, was fantastic with a full cast and parts that sounded like an actual sports broadcast which was SO cool!!

I never knew I was interested in tennis until reading this book. I was so invested in Carrie’s story. 5 stars!

“My older self knows that you must stop-in the middle of the chods-to take in the world around you. To breathe in deeply, smell the sunscreen and the rubber of the ball, let the breeze blow across your neck, feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. In this respect, I love the way the world has aged me.”

Carrie Soto was born to the legend tennis player called "The Jaguar." Carrie’s father ends up coaching Carrie to play and compete in competitive tennis. All Carrie wants is to be the best tennis player of all time. When Nicki Chan threatens Carrie's most Grand slams titles, Carrie decides at the age of 37 to come out of retirement to defend her record. However, not many people think carrie does not have it in her due to her age.

I am a huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid and have been since 2019 when I got Daisy Jones and The six in my Book of the Month box.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has an amazing talent of taking a character and telling a story from they were a child up until the present. She strips the characters raw and show all their faults, insecurities, great qualities, etc. Carrie Soto is no exception.

Let's be honest, Carrie lives up to her nickname: “The Battle-Axe" due to how cold and brutal she is on and off the tennis courts. As other characters disdain her, us as the reader totally get why people do not like her, yet I could not stand her at times. I loved that we got the upper hand of knowing her thought process and the insecurities she was facing in those moments.

As Carrie comes out of retirement, I really loved the change we start to see from Carrie and the relationship she builds with her father. This time around, you really see the love and the special bond that forms between Carrie and her father, Javier.

Carrie shows that nothing can stop her and she will do anything to prove herself even if no one believes she would be able to play great at the age of 37 and when no one wants to train with her.

Then, there is Bowe Huntley that decides he will train with Carrie even at his age of 39. These two both teach one another things about tennis and push one another to their limits.

I really could not put this down because I needed and wanted to see what would happen to carrie and how she would react.

This is an addictive, fast paced book that sucks you right in just like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, and Malibu Rising does.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a thrilling and captivating novel that will keep readers engaged from the very first page. Reid's writing style is unique and engaging, and she has a true talent for creating characters that readers will fall in love with.

What I loved most about this book was the depth of the characters. Reid has a true talent for creating characters that feel real and authentic, and she manages to make even the most flawed individuals sympathetic and relatable. Carrie Soto is one such character. Despite being an unlikeable character you still feel for her.

In addition, the pacing of the novel is excellent. The story moves along at just the right speed, keeping readers engaged without ever feeling rushed.

Overall, I would highly recommend Carrie Soto is Back to anyone looking for a well-written, engaging novel with complex characters and a compelling story. And if you love tennis like me then you will absolutely love this book. Highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending an ARC in return for an honest review.

I have zero interest in tennis. Like none, zilch, nada.

I did not like Carrie Soto in the past books.

I loved this book anyways!

Taylor Jenkins Reid could write the phone book and I would read it.

The plot and character relationship is superb.

Book Review:
I finished reading Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid last week. It was my first buddy read and while I think they both liked it more than I did, I still give it four stars.

If you're looking for a book with a bad-ass woman who goes after her dream, despite being "too old" in her late 30s, this is for you. The first part of the book has way too much tennis (and I like tennis!) but the second half provides more insight into why Carrie is obsessed with winning, why she has a hard time loving anyone except her father, and the ending surprised me in a good way.

Carrie Soto is by far the best character Taylor Jenkins Reid has ever written and that is saying a LOT. I held off on reading this book because I never want to be out of TJR books to read but I'm so glad I finally gave in and absolutely flew through it.

So wonderful- touching, interesting, beautiful character study. Love meeting the real Carrie after seeing her in Malibu Rising.

Let’s get something out of the way first: this is an incredibly biased review. Now, it is my blog, and all of my reviews are biased, but this one to a greater extent than some of the others. Here is the cold, hard truth: I probably would not have liked this book as Taylor Jenkins Reid had chosen a different sport. I am not a sports person. However, I am actually a tennis player, so she managed to write about the one sport I genuinely have interest in.

But even without that, I still completely loved Carrie Soto is Back. It was one of my top books of 2022. Carrie is definitely an unlikable character, but in a way that I really understood. It was easy to see how her pride and her attempt to defend herself against the harshness of the world had settled into a prickly exterior. She put up so many defenses to avoid getting hurt that she was unable to form friendships with anyone other than her father.

Although the marketing plot point is that Carrie is trying to win back her titles, the real story is the character development Carrie goes through. Even Carrie thinks that all that is going to happen is she is going to get back in shape and become the top of the game again. She doesn’t know that to get close, she is going to have to go on a personal journey. And let me tell you, it is a big one. She literally has so much to learn and to make up for.

I also really loved reading a book about an “older” character. Granted, Carrie isn’t actually that old, she is a mere 37 years old. And although she has a lot to learn over the course of the book, she also has a lot of wisdom about tennis and how the game is played. She is able to slow down and be thoughtful about the moves she makes. I liked getting to see how it played into her approach to tennis.

Carrie Soto is Back is genuinely a page-turner, and I truly had such a good time reading it. Carrie is my favorite TJR character so far, and it was such a delight to read her journey.

This was an amazing and completely engaging. I was invested from the very first chapter. The characters were complex. The plot was original. I don’t even like tennis but loved this story. The characters stole my heart.

I didn't think I would like a book about tennis but Reid has proved me wrong! I enjoyed this title a lot. My readers take issue with texts that aren't own voices, so I will buy this but not heavily recommend it.

I have greatly enjoyed many of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books so I assumed that Carrie Soto is Back would be the same. I've heard such great reviews. However, I hate to say it, but this book was not for me. I'm not going to doubt the greatness of TJR, but I just could not get into this one. I found Carrie absolutely impossible to stand. I'm not sure how more people in her life didn't tell her to slow her role. She bothered me so much!

After the halfway point I did start to like it just a little better because they were showing Carrie as more of an actual human with flaws.

I really don't know what more to say. I liked the style of the book with the different timelines and the TV, newspaper, etc. stories being shared. I just absolutely couldn't handle Carrie and the way she treated people.

TJR does it again! Carrie Soto is Back is a great book. It made me want to go out and learn how to play tennis.

Another great story from TJR! As a TJR fan, I loved getting to know more about Carrie Soto. As always, the author does an amazing job with character development. Through the storytelling, Carrie Soto moves from a distant "it" girl we don't know much about, to a layered, dynamic, and flawed main character who we end up rooting for. Can't wait for the next TJR read!

Another great read by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I was a little worried because I am not a huge tennis fan, but I was sucked right into Carrie's world and became fully invested in her life. I loved the slow building love story and the father daughter relationship.

After winning all the tennis title Carrie retires with an injury. But, when her title is in jeopardy she decides that she is going to hit the court again and defend what she believes is hers. There is so much more than tennis here, and following Carrie on and off the court was my favorite part.

I haven't read all of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books (yet) but I've thoroughly enjoyed every one I've read to date, including this one. So often I see people dismiss the thought of reading books that on the surface seem to be about a subject that they aren't interested in - in this instance that would be sports, specifically tennis. Luckily I learned long ago that often books that seem to be focused on a subject I'm not interested in are about so much more than just that subject matter. Lonesome Dove isn't just a Western. Friday Night Lights (the book, the movie, and the TV show) is about so much more than football. In the same way, Carrie Soto's tennis career is just a vehicle for telling a much bigger story and tackling broader subjects. Inspiring, heart-breaking, infuriating, frustrating, compelling, satisfying - so much happening in this book and I enjoyed it all - despite being only marginally interested in tennis. Pick it up and you might learn a little about tennis, but you'll also learn about love, ambition, the choices we make and the consequences that follow.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for providing a copy for an unbiased review.