Confession... I didn't read Malibu rising OR Daisy Jones. I enjoyed Evelyn Hugo but must've been in a weird headspace because I didn't understand the hype. But I have serious book FOMO and had to request this when I saw that it was available.

I'm not a tennis fan. I've watched one match in my life and it was because the boy I had a crush on wanted to watch. This book got me INVESTED in the sport and Carrie. Every single thing about it was perfection.

Carrie Soto is a badass female and you can't help but to fall in love with her. Reid did an amazing job of showing us how sports ability does not directly correlate to being a fan favorite or celebrity status. I really love Reid's ability to give us a glimpse into celebrity lives.

The relationship between Carrier and Javier was the highlight of the book for me. I liked seeing now they navigated the relationship between coach/player and father/daughter

The love! Wow the love between Carrie and Bowe was a slow burn but had me screaming! I love the whole reformed bad boy falling in love and showing why Carrie acted the way that she did.

Now I'm stoked because I know the next couple of books I'm reading next!

As the mom of a former athlete, I get it now.. I see the pressure we placed on you; that coaches placed on you and that you placed on yourself. I see it; and I am so sorry.

Many will see this as chick lit, a great summer read, a continuation of a story. It is all that but it is more the insight to an athlete's mind that sometimes they cannot even explain.

I will say that Javier did have my new absolute favorite quote.... "I will be perfectly nice to his face, you know that....but it is my God given right to complain about him behind his back.".

Oh I loved this book! My favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid yet. I don’t even like or care about tennis at all and I was completely swept up in Carrie’s great tennis journey. Beyond that, the father/daughter relationship had me riveted and in tears more than once. Loved loved loved!

Carrie Soto is Back
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Pub Date: August 30, 2022
Ballentine
* historical fiction *Fiction
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked “the Battle-Axe” anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all, Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season. In this riveting and unforgettable novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells her most vulnerable, emotional story yet. This novel talks about the cost of greatness. I think this book will appeal to many types of readers even if you don't have a love of tennis. I highly recommend it. Readers who enjoy Katherine Center, Elin Hilderbrand, and Jodi Picoult will enjoy this book.
4 stars

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC!*
Taylor Jenkins Reid really accomplished something here, because she got me to care about a book that is almost entirely play-by-play of tennis practice or games. And I do not care about tennis! Because it is written in first-person, we get Carrie Soto's inner monologue through her initial career run and then as she mounts a comeback to defend her title. Wanting to see how it would ultimately play out kept me reading until 4 AM, the tension was real. Reid is so skilled at creating main characters who are flawed but making us root for them. The quick little tie-in to Malibu Rising was fun, but it's truly just a mention, you don't need to have read it for this. No spoilers, but I keep reading books unwittingly that have the dad storyline that appears here and I can't handle it anymore lol. But I really enjoyed both of the main male characters here too, and how persistently they cared for Carrie even as she fought against it. I overall enjoyed the read, but this won't be one I revisit because I still don't care about tennis.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Carrie Soto. I fell in love with Reid’s writing with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I’m tracking to read everything she has written by the end of this summer. I didn’t really know what this book was about when I requested it. It’s about tennis and not just any tennis but the highest level of competition there is. While I know the basics about tennis and dreamed of being Chris Everett when I was a kid this book brought you into so much of what goes on to become a number 1 tennis player. As has become what Reid is known for she us teaching us and giving us a story all at the same time. I will continue to read anything that Taylor Jenkins Reid writes. I look forward to the next one!!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley & Random House for the advanced e-Galley. I'll read anything Taylor Jenkins Reid writes (shout out Emerson College) and I was so excited to receive a copy of Carrie Soto Is Back. I found Carrie Soto incredibly fast-paced and I walked away wanting to watch and learn how to play tennis. The first quarter of the book is spent setting up the main plot and I was a little worried that it would rush through all the matches and Carrie's life, but once we got into her main challenge I settled in with the character and her mission. I really enjoyed the Easter eggs to previous TJR novels and will be recommending Carrie as the perfect early fall book.

This is Taylor Jenkins Reid best book yet! I loved every flawed, cranky moment of Carrie Soto. She had ambition and talent and was not afraid of it and completely unapologetic about it. Exactly how it should be for every woman who has an ambition and goal.
What makes this doubly brilliant is I love tennis, both playing and watching. I felt every point and the authors ability to put us right in the center of the action was stupendous. She has this wonderful talent for creating characters that are real, with annoying traits and heartbreaking vulnerability. Her dialogue is sharp and accurate and depicts everything we need to know and understand about the character and plot.
Brilliant piece of fiction. Well Done Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I love everything Taylor Jenkins Reid writes, and Carrie Soto is Back is no exception. At first I was certain I was going to like the main character, Carrie, but I definitely did. And still do.
As usual with her writing, I'll be left thinking of the story and characters long after I read the story. Perfect for summer, perfect for tennis fans, perfect for TJR fans, I highly recommend this book!

I've said if before and I will say it again, Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong.

Carrie Soto is Back follows tennis superstar Carrie Soto from childhood to her late 30's, as she learns from her father/coach how to be the best tennis player there is. After a historically successful career, she retires at age 32. When a rising star emerges five years later and threatens to surpass Carrie's records, Carrie steps out of retirement in order to retake her throne.

This book was one of the best books I've read this year. It is packed with adrenaline filled tennis matches, a slow-burn romance, a super wholesome father/daughter relationship, and so much tension. Carrie is definitely a hard headed character but she was so easy to like (as a reader) and I was rooting for her the whole time.

My only slight complaint is that there is a bit of Spanish used in conversation between Carrie and her father. While I was reading on my kindle and could translate it fairly easily, I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much in a print format not being able to know exactly what was being said.

All in all this was the perfect book for me. I blazed through it in less than two days and now I will surely be in a reading slump trying to find something comparable!

Thanks to Ballantine Books for the free book.
I inhaled this book in twenty-four hours. As someone who is not a tennis fan and knows nothing about the sport, I was worried that this book wouldn't work for me. But by the end, TJR had me tearing up over tennis matches - and that is a sign of a beautiful book. I fell hard for Carrie right away. I loved how she was a woman who went after what she wanted no matter what. The relationship between her and her father had so much heart in it, but it also wasn't easy and simple. I felt so many feelings during this book, and I'm sad I can't read it again for the first time. Carrie Soto will always have a special place in my reader's heart for the amazing character she is.

CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, and so is TJR with another 5 star read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my all time favorite authors.
If you remember Carrie from Malibu Rising, she seemed like an unlikable character. She's fierce, unapologetic, so confident that she's cocky, ambitious, and one of the best tennis players in the world. Don't let that deter you- Carrie is now one of my favorite badass female main characters! This was probably TJR's most emotional book for me. I sure hope someone snatches up the movie rights, bc this would be awesome on the big screen one day.
Dare I say... this is up there with Evelyn Hugo for me? I think Evelyn is still my #1 TJR, but Carrie has ABSOLUTELY snagged my #2 spot. I don't know much about tennis, but it didn't matter. There's a few Easter eggs about some other books in here, which I loved. I loved the relationship Carrie has with her father. I loved the subtle romance. I just loved it. So read it when it comes out in August, ok??

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.

OMG TJR has done it again. This was FANTASTIC. As good as Evelyn, and better than Daisy and Malibu.
I’m not even into tennis and I was on the edge of my seat reading about all the training and each match. I cheered for Carrie’s victories and felt the sting of her defeats. And the discussions around the emotions women are allowed to show and how they are allowed to BE in comparison to the men were just so spot on. Plus Carrie’s conversations with Nicki were so insightful.
The real heart of the novel is the relationship between Carrie and her dad. They go through so much together, and I absolutely cried at points.
This book is an absolute triumph and I highly recommend it.

TJR does it again! I absolutely adored this book. It definitely played into my love of competitive sports and provided a real-life glimpse into the psyche of a top-level athlete tennis player, who is embarking on an unlikely comeback attempt from retirement at the age of 37.

Carrie Soto was a completely well-drawn character - flawed yet completely likable with a competitive spirit that you can’t help but root for throughout the novel. The tension of the matches was almost palpable and I oftentimes found myself afraid to read a line ahead for fear of spoiling who won that particular match!

I also deeply loved the relationship between Carrie and Javier - her father / coach - and it gave me all the feels. 5 huge stars for this one!

5 stars !!!!!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this book! I’m so thankful to have gotten the chance to read this masterpiece.

This book is probably my favorite read of the year thus far. Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again and created a character full of flaws that you can’t help but love — I admire her stubbornness and her strength and growth as if it were my own. You don’t need to know anything about tennis to fall in love with this world and the journey Carrie takes, seeing it all unfold from the very beginning. I felt so connected to her character in a way I haven’t with a character before, in awe of her ability to speak her mind without concern, knowing and reminding everyone that she is in fact, the very best. However, at her core, she is devastatingly human. Her growth throughout the novel kept me so engaged with every word I was reading & had me so invested in every thought, step, & move she made. Taylor Jenkins Reid has created a character so full of life that you wish she was real so you could watch her greatness unfold in front of you.

I see in Carrie so many things I long to be, so many things I know other people may long to be as well, and I think that is what makes her such a breathtaking character — she is just the perfect demonstration of what it’s like to be human. To love and to lose, and to keep growing into yourself, feeling enough confidence in yourself that you’re able to keep going in the face of everything that is trying to hold you down.

Carrie Soto, I adore every facet of your being! You are my best girl forever <3 Thank you for existing and showing the world that there are so many things we can be great at (and it’s okay to admit we’re great at them).

P.S: this book WILL have you wanting to learn about women’s tennis (I have looked at tickets for the US Open more than I care to admit) it’s just a part of the journey!!!! embrace it!!!!

Wow! Just wow! Taylor Jenkins Reid has an unparalleled ability to write captivating and incredible stories. I adore the TJR universe with all the Easter eggs of her past books. Carrie Soto Is Back, is like no other book I’ve ever had pleasure of reading. I laughed, I cried, I learned more about tennis than I ever have before. I’m not even a tennis aficionado and yet I wanted to get out of my seat and cheer these players on. I am in complete awe of Reid’s writing and feel so lucky have been granted this advanced arc from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine. When this book is release run to the bookstore to get a copy, you don’t want to miss the beauty of a Carrie Soto slice.

Carrie Soto, the greatest player in Women's Tennis in the 70's and 80's and then retires after a knee injury. She was coached by her dad, a tennis player and coach with his own fame. As they watch the new hot tennis player, Nicki Chan, play and will soon beat Carrie's record, Carrie makes a decision that she wants back in the game with her dad by her side coaching her. Taylor Jenkins Reid writes the best characters - unbelievable characters that can do what no one else can that also have so much to learn. Carrie, Javier (her father), Bowe (a friend from the top of men's tennis) and a variety of tennis competitors become so real, as if you were following the athletes in today's tennis. A rich, inspiring, and realistic look into very competitive sports that require not only intense training, practice and good coaching, but sports psychology that is really the key to winning any sport, or any game! This was a page turner that even non tennis fans will love! My thanks to NetGalley for the copy of the e-book. I was thrilled for the chance to read this one early!!!

Taylor Jenkins Reid is back with THE book of the summer. Watch out world, Carrie Soto is back!

Carrie is a retired tennis player with the top record of grand slam wins. That is, until Nikki Chan ties it right in front of Carrie's eyes. Never the person to back down from a challenge, Soto is ready to play the best tennis of her career. A challenge no woman has yet to conquer at her age. Sportscasters may have their doubts, tennis players may have their questions but watch out world: Carrie Soto is back and ready to win some championships.

This may be Reid's best book yet, as she shines the spotlight on Carrie. Readers may remember hearing Soto's name in Malibu Rising but they are not ready for the true superstar. Told throughout the year of Soto's return, Reid shines with tennis jargon, match playback and sportscaster commentary. As a player myself, I envisioned McEnroe and Fernandez broadcasting during the snippets here and there. This book was my everything and I know others will enjoy it as well.

Thank you Penguin Random House- Ballentine for my arc in exchange for my honest review. Carrie Soto is Back publishes August 30.

A huge thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy; it was truly an honor to read, as TJR is one of my very favorites.

Carrie Soto may be one of the fiercest tennis players of all time, but she is far from one of the most loved. Powerful, dedication, and focused, Carrie will take nothing less than “greatest of all time” as her title. Years after an injury driven-retirement, 37-year-old Carrie declares that it is time to defend her role as #1, as Nicki Chan, the younger, “new Carrie Soto” breaks her Grand Slam record. By her side is her father, coach, and former tennis icon himself, Javier Soto. The two are ready to sweat, bleed, and breathe tennis to get Carrie back on top. But they can’t do it alone. So in steps Bowe Huntley: injured tennis star, hothead, alcoholic, and former love interest of Carrie’s. Bowe takes his place across the court from her in hopes of helping her not only train her body, but also her stubborn mind, as she prepares her takedown.

Will we ever tire of the fictional world TJR has created? The detail she goes into to create these characters, their lives, and their passions is mesmerizing. I adore the nods to her other characters - Mick Riva, Nina, Daisy Jones, and Evelyn Hugo are all lightly featured in this story. The in-depth look at tennis is beautiful; you understand the drive Carrie has, the power she holds in the racket, the ferocity in which fuels her to win. She is such a beautifully developed character: harsh, brash, and almost wicked in the beginning, transforming into a lovable character you can’t help but be proud of. Javi and Bowe are such enjoyable oppositions to her, both on and off the tennis court. Taylor Jenkins Reid has us living and breathing these character and this dimension, so much so that you almost start to believe they actually could be real stars among us.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again, she has become one of my favorite authors. Carrie Soto is Back did not disappoint.

Tennis fans Carrie has risen to the occasion, in this book Carrie has lost loved ones, love and tennis matches. She holds the record for the most slams of any female tennis athlete, she comes out of retirement to defend her record. Will Carrie succeed? Will she find love? If you want the answer to these questions read this book.