Oh I loved this! TJR is my favorite and this did not disappoint! I read it in just a few hours. Carrie Soto was in Malibu Rising but this is a stand alone—although everyone should read Malibu Rising!

I loved reading the about Carrie and see her evolve throughout her life. I absolutely adored the ending and how it softened her a touch. While I’m not a huge fan of tennis, if anyone could make that happen it’s TJR. Well written and plotted characters. Another summer stunner!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for providing this book for my honest review. I will start out by saying I absolutely love Taylor Jenkins Reid. She could write the phone book and I would buy it. That being said, this was not my favorite of hers, but it’s honestly because of the sports element. I fully agree this story needed to be told and it was written in a beautiful and powerful way. I love Carrie and how strong and determined she is. I love the relationship she has with her dad and fellow tennis players. The emotional aspects of this story scream Taylor Jenkins Reid. She can write emotional connections like no other. The only thing that prevented this from being another 5 star read for me was how much of the story was focused on tennis rather than the emotional connections. I would also have also enjoyed a little more of the 80’s/90’s atmosphere. I didn’t feel like I was fully brought back to that time period. If you love tennis or stories about sports then this will easily be a 5 star read. It is written well and I love the second chance element in the story. I highly recommend anyone who loves Taylor Jenkins Reid and anyone who enjoys stories about sports to pick this up. I am so excited to read whatever Taylor Jenkins Reid writes next. I am certain I will love it. Thank you again to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for providing this book for my honest review.

5 STARS for CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, out wherever books are sold August 30th, 2022.

Taylor Jenkins Reid strikes again! When I first saw this was her newest book focused on a tennis star, I was a little nervous. I don't know anything about tennis and wasn't sure how engaged I would be in the story. Wow, was I wrong! This book pulled me out of a reading slump. Reid's writing is engaging and addicting that keeps you turning the page. Not to mention, I love the little universe of Reid's novel characters -- a few make an appearance on this book.

Yet again, I am excited to see what Taylor Jenkins Reid comes up with next.

I look forward to sharing this title with our audience and will keep it as a potential contender for our monthly book club. Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

I love TJRs writing style. I can’t get enough and I’ve been loving her complex characters. I am filled with so much emotion throughout the whole book (in a good way) I can’t get enough! I loved this one just as much as her others! Well done

Man, TJR can write a potboiler. This book was exciting from beginning to end. Carrie Soto, the title character is a real piece of work. Like Nina from Malibu Rising, and all of her other heroines, Carrie is flawed, troubled, and definitely not a angel, but she is someone you can root for. I predict this book will be on many beaches this summer. Thanks to Netgalley for the privilege of reading this book early.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again! Whether or not you like tennis or sports in general this was an interesting, fast paced story that sucks you right in.

Carrie Soto grew up knowing one thing: she was meant to be the best tennis player the world had ever seen. When she finally retires she has achieved her goal and holds the record for the most Grand Slam titles. Six years later she makes a huge decision to come out of retirement for an attempt at one more Grand Slam. Despite the odds being against her, Carrie is determined to prove that she still is the best tennis player.

This was a wonderful read and I'm sad it's over so soon. I enjoyed following along as Carrie grew up in the world of tennis. Despite not really knowing a lot about tennis I did not feel like I was missing anything. I could hear the sound of the tennis balls being volleyed back and forth. I could hear the grunts of the players. I felt like I was in the stands cheering. Watching Carrie's character grow and develop over the book was probably the highlight for me. No spoilers here but I feel like the ending was satisfying without being a cliche sports story. Highly recommend!

Crying, sobbing forever.
Carrie Soto is back and TJR is BACK!! She does it again!
Wow does TJR know how to write amazing female characters. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a tennis match in my entire life but I couldn’t wait to read the next chapter of Carrie’s matches. They all had me on the edge of my seat.

I’m in tears thinking about the relationship with her father, what a special story running throughout. Ugh, it just all makes my heart sing with joy and ache in pain knowing the journey they went on together and Carrie went on alone.
To see her growth throughout the book, her frustrations, her triumphs, and everything in between was so amazing. This could very well be my favorite TJR book to date!!!

ps - my favorite part of reading her books are the little Easter egg characters throughout :) it makes reading all of them so much more fun!
I can’t wait to see what TJR does next, just like I couldn’t wait to see what Carrie Soto did next!

Thank you SO much for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it more than lived up to the expectations. (Am I a tennis fan now?!?!)

Carrie Soto is Back [out on 8/30/2022]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Daisy, Evelyn, Nina — time to add Carrie as our next favorite protagonist in the TJR universe. I’m not sure if it’s bc I read this on the beach with my bffs or because I’ve been anticipating this one since it was announced, but everything about reading it was.. SO so good!

If you read “Malibu Rising,” Carrie Soto doesn’t need an introduction, but to recap: she is the best tennis player in the world. She won the most Slam titles of any athlete (20!!) before retiring. 6 years later, newer tennis star Nicki Chan is fast on Carrie’s heels to beat her Slam record… so 37-year old Carrie un-retires to reclaim her title. She is back!!

This book is full of a lot of *you guessed it * tennis matches, tennis strategy, and tennis terminology, but per usual TJR, it’s so much more than that. It’s a deep dive into a complex father/daughter, player/coach relationship. It’s about how women athletes are seen differently than male athletes, especially back in the 70s/80s/90s. Most of all - it’s about a competitive woman who learns what it means to succeed and be happy both on & off the court. It’s magic!!

I am usually a stoic reader, and I don’t know how TJR does it, but I always find myself getting mushy and teary-eyed near the end of her books (Not me tearing up on the plane home as I was finishing this 🥹!) I think Carrie may take my second-favorite spot underneath Evelyn (but may have to reread Daisy soon since it’s been years so it’s a fair fight!).

I’m sure the hype will be wild, but I definitely recommend getting your hands on this one when it comes out in August! 🎾💛 Already anxiously awaiting her next one!

Actual Rating: 4.75/5 (Characters 5/5 ** Plot 4/5 ** Writing 5/5 ** Vibes 5/5 **)

Carrie Soto is unlikeable in a way that few female characters are allowed to be, she is aggressive, competitive and abrasive, so of course I adored her. The novel excels at developing the characters, not only Carrie, but Javi, Bowe, and Nicki as well.

As someone with no knowledge of tennis beyond Wii Sports I often found myself zoning out during the tennis matches, particularly in the first section of the novel, but the overarching plot still kept me engaged and I devoured the novel quickly. Would definitely recommend picking up this book if you are a fan of TJR's past work.

This title was disappointing and lacked the TJR sparkle. It is sports commentary lacking plot and character growth. The character was impossible to like and I didn’t see much of a redemption within the story. Bowe was a nice character addition but they missed an opportunity for an enemies to lovers subplot. That would have been interesting. I also think Carrie should have been given a secret for readers to undercover. TJR usually has her readers uncovering something and this title missed that mark.

Y'alllllllllllll - I didn't want this to end. I could have read 500 more pages about Carrie Soto. I absolutely love anything & everything that @tjenkinsreid touches and this was no exception.

Some highlights (aka my favorite things about this book) -
💕 Huge sucker for a dad/daughter relationship & Javi was such a gem 😭
🎾 Slow burn love story 🥰
💕 Badass female protagonist - I think I loved Carrie almost more than all the other female protagonists TJR has written (minus Evelyn bc duh).
🎾 Tennis setting and y'all I knew nothing about tennis like zero knowledge, but I freaking LOVED this part of the book. It was explained and done so well.
💕 Carrie's personal growth 👏🏼
🎾 The topics/conversations around struggles that women face in a male dominated world, and how TJR shows just how strong and resilient woman can be.

I really could go on and on and on about this one! Of course there were some Malibu Rising & Daisy Jones references which was fun. I am giving this one FIVE glorious ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars! And honestly would probably give it more if I could because 😭😭😭

HUGE HUGE thank you to Ballentine, @penguinrandomhouse, and @netgalley for this #gifted copy!

OH! And I have always really liked this cover, but after reading this I think it is absolutely freaking PERFECTION 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me a early copy of Carrie Soto is back.
I love TJR so I was super excited to get the chance to read this one early. I am not a huge tennis fan so I wasn't sure how I was going to like this one but it turned out great. I will say there was a bit much of it and could of added more to the story besides just all TENNIS but its okay. Of course now I want go and play it for fun!
There was a lot of use of Spanish too which kinda had me thinking back to my high school days in Spanish and trying to remember what Javier (Carrie's dad) was all saying. So be ready for that!
Also I liked the relationship between Carrie and her father/coach. You could tell they were really close and that her dad was really rooting for her. The other characters that were in this book too with Carrie were great as well and did a good job being in the story which they also played a huge roll in the book. It was nice being able to read this one from start to finish with how it all started with Carrie's past and how she was today and how she wanted that comeback!

You may remember Carrie Soto as the other woman in Nina Riva's marriage in Malibu Rising. This is her own story, in her own words, and it blew me away. TJR has this way of making the most unlikeable characters (and trust me, Carrie Soto is nothing if not completely unlikeable) grow and change to the point where you start to root for them. I love sports but not tennis, and it wasn't TOO in-depth to be a turnoff. Does it help to like tennis? Sure, but it's definitely not a prerequisite.
In my opinion, this was her best yet. I really hope this trend continues of taking name-dropped characters in other novels and constructing a whole narrative for them, because I am for sure all in.
In short, I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again! This is an absolute delight of a novel. Carrie Soto was a minor character in Malibu Rising but here she is center stage and steals the show. I was a tennis player many years ago and loved reading all the tennis lingo and details about tournaments. I raced through this book and could not put it down. The book spans the length of Carrie's career, starting when she was a child and going through her "comeback" as one of the oldest players the sport has seen. I found myself rooting for Carrie even though at times she was a difficult person to love (as acknowledged by her). I was hopeful that the ending would be satisfying and it most definitely was without being too cheesy or out of line with the rest of the book. Overall this was a wonderful read and I can't wait for Reid's next book!

This author is an auto-buy from me.
This book is good, but it's very different from everything else she's written.
This is so focused on the sport of tennis. Not a criticism, just different.

This book is very well-written, and I loved it, though it was so different from all her others.

My one piece of feedback would be to include the english translation for Javier's dialogue.

This book is very good. This author can do no wrong.

Very much about tennis, but a huge fan of this author for life! There aren't a ton of characters, but those who are involved are developed well. Would like to see more romance, but overall really great read!

A TJR stan for life. I’ve read everything she’s published, and I’ve loved them all. I’m not going to rank this book, because I really think it’s vastly different from all her others. This book is very well-written, interesting, and great, but here’s what you should know going in:

It is VERY tennis-y. Like 100 percent of the time you’re reading about tennis. Plays. Strategy. Serves. Tournaments.

There are basically 2 characters. Carrie and her dad. There’s a love interest, and there’s someone in PR, but they’re not major characters.

There isn’t a ton of backstabbing, love affairs or extreme drama. There’s a racket, a dad, and a woman just trying her best at tennis.

I liked it a lot, but like I said – totally different than anything she’s published previously.

Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid (myself included!) will definitely enjoy this new novel. I am not a tennis fan, or really a sports fan in general, but I still found myself gripped by the descriptions of matches. Carrie is prickly and will no doubt be described by some as “unlikable,” but I found her fascinating.