Okay, let me introduce you to my new favorite read of 2022. I absolutely LOVED Carrie Soto is Back. I laughed, I cried, I dug out my old tennis skirts, and swiftly pulled a muscle because I’m still not an athlete.

Carrie Soto is back and she is officially my new favorite TJR character. She’s abrasive and stubborn and you can’t help but love her. She gave me a new appreciation for female athletes, especially those that paved the way for women today (although it’s evident we still have a very long way to go). Carrie stands up for herself and speaks her mind and I think one of my favorite quotes from the book sums her attitude up perfectly: “Why do I have to be nice when most of the men aren’t? Last year, Jeff Kerr called an umpire a ‘dogshit salad’ and he’s hawking underwear for Fruit of the Loom.”

The plot is very heavily focused on tennis, and rightfully so, considering Carrie Soto’s entire world revolves around the sport. I myself am a huge tennis fan, so I found reading about her training and matches exhilarating. Of course, TJR’s writing is phenomenal and it was almost as though I could smell the grass at Wimbledon and my heart was racing before every serve. I couldn’t get enough, but I expect some readers might find the sports-centered plot a bit much.

The characters in this book might be some of TJR’s best (at least in my opinion). I adored every single person and the father-daughter relationship made my heart melt. I was a bit apprehensive that this might be too much of a recap or crossover of Malibu Rising, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Nina Riva’s name is only mentioned once. I loved Malibu Rising, but I wanted Carrie’s story and by god I got it!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to be an early reader.

I was SO excited when I discovered a new book was coming from Taylor Jenkins Reid. Then, when I saw the title, I couldn't place Carrie Soto in my recollection for previous novels. It turns out that she was only a mention and a side character in "Malibu." But she becomes a full and memorable character quickly.

Carrie is a tennis phenom, thanks to her father Javier who was once a gifted tennis player himself but realizes his full potential as Carrie's coach after her mother dies young. They are a close father-daughter duo, but from the outside looking in, it's painful to see young Carrie singing for more of a connection to her mother and her softer side, denied by Javier. There is no shortage of love, but the end result is that Carrie hardens to most emotions that aren't about tennis and her drive to be the absolute best.

It is an entertaining read to go on this journey with Carrie. After the first third of the book, I felt a little dismay that so much of it was about tennis, but the second and third parts of the book develop her character fully and we are invested and immersed in her journey to the top....and beyond.

This book! I love TJR - and I can't believe I'm saying this - but I think this is my favorite of hers to date!! It is a story of courage, heart, gut, pushing yourself to your limit, finding what truly matters in life and who truly matter in life. The character portrayal was SO real and the plot SO captivating. It is tennis heavy - I know the sport but I wouldn't classify myself as an avid fan - but TJR tackles so much more than just the sport. I read it in a day because I had to know what happened and I still can't stop thinking about Carrie. If you're a fan of sports stories - Miracle. Remember the Titans, Bend it Like Beckham - you will love this.

Thank you NetGalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Random Publishing House for the eARC. I cannot wait to own a hard copy when it is released in August!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of Carrie Soto is back. This is my honest review.

This book was very hard to put down. I love watching tennis and I started getting anxious during Carrie’s matches! The characters were rich and the plot was beautifully written. Carrie is not the typical “likeable” main character, but I was rooting for her and became very invested in her fast. I also enjoyed the cameos to a couple of the author’s other novels. Five stars from me!

An early advanced reader by TJR!? Yes please! I dropped everything and tore through this in one sitting. The book follows Carrie Soto, from the 70s-90s, who we met in Malibu Rising. Carrie is a fierce tennis champion who is brought up with a love of the sport and the win. Her father is her coach and we follow the pair to her ascent. Along the way she is mostly seen by the media, men and the general public as someone to admire but not necessarily love. Is she feminine enough? Charming on the court? Does she court fans? No to all. Carrie retires and then (in the 90s) after a younger woman steals her winning streak she decides to attempt a comeback. Can she do it and what will she learn or lose along the way?

I am not a sports fan. At all. I don’t watch or play tennis. And there is A LOT of tennis in this book. But the pacing is great, the sheer love of game is there and it at times had me feeling like I did watching The Natural. Somehow TJR sucked me in and got me loving the journey and the game. She has a sure gift for sweeping you up in the story, and while at first you may be put off by Soto or even the amount of tennis you come to get her and root for her and the game itself..

I also found it a funny follow up to the last book I read, This Time Tomorrow, which also flashes back to the 90s and focuses on the father- daughter dynamic. I’d say the 90s references were more flushed out there but I really appreciated the daughter-dad bond and story in both.

I think this will be a great discussion book about how women are treated in the media, and in general in the working world, the push for excellence by parents, competitiveness, the price of excellence and more.

Other books I’d recommend if you liked this:
Trophy son
Andre Agassi’s memoir

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a great contemporary fiction that was really catchy and kept me entertained. I enjoyed this one!

I loved this “comeback” story of Carrie Soto from retirement into competitive tennis again. The matches, the training, the back and forth, the family relationships, the search for meaning in her life, and the realization that there is more to life than competitions and ratings…it all just blended together perfectly.

I really enjoyed Carrie’s internal and external struggles, and her ability to recognize and overcome her flaws and battles. The positive changes were inspiring.

Such a unique book with a great conclusion.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Ballantine Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 8/30/22.

First half of book: 2 stars (quite boring, unless you love tennis)
Second half of book: 4 stars

Taylor Jenkins Reid usually excels at writing interesting characters. Carrie Soto is not interesting. She is one dimensional and unlikeable. I wasn’t rooting for her. Until i was - but it took until over 3/4’s of the way through for me to care about her.

This book was mostly boring had too much tennis and took too long to have heart and character development.

Overall, this is my least favorite of this Jenkins Reid’s books and i would recommend reading with caution and only to her existing fans.

TJR does no wrong ever, but Malibu Rising was my least favorite out of her Hollywood Series so I was a little hesitant. But I love Carrie Soto (the book and the character), I think TJR does a great job of showing a person who is morally grey at times and makes you root for them and love them because the person is just so much more realistic. I will say the closer the series comes to the current era, TJR loses some of her great atmospheric writing but the characterization is still amazing. Only complaint is that the tennis talk feels a little much at times, but this book is obviously about a tennis player so that may be my own issue.

This book was a fun treat! I loved it! It was a good reset after I read a heavier book. It kept me flipping pages well past my bedtime!!

This book follows Carrie Soto on her comeback as a thriving tennis star in order to hold her record.

The characterization of Carrie and her father were the highlights for me. Also I could visualize this entire novel to be a film or movie. It is impressive how completely I was drawn into tennis matches. I'm not against tennis, but I'm not the biggest fan, but man oh man, I wish I could have watched this all in real life. It felt completely real to me.

The theme of perfectionism and winning over everything else truly resonated with me. I will be thinking about this novel for quite a long time.

Wow! Carrie Soto is Back is the next installment from Taylor Jenkins Reid and it doesn’t disappoint. I am a huge TJR fan and was very excited to read this book. It’s the kind of book that you can’t put down but don’t want it to end. I had to make myself pause so I wouldn’t finish it too quickly. What I love about her books are the characters - and that she mentions characters from previous books. You might remember Carrie from Malibu Rising as the home wrecker…
Carrie Soto was told from a young age that she will not only be great at tennis but the greatest tennis player of all time. Carrie took this to heart and dedicated her life to tennis. With her father as her coach, she gave up all other aspects of her life in order to become number one with the most slam wins upon retiring. But what happens when that record -her identity and self-worth-gets challenged. Carrie laces up her tennis shoes and mounts a comeback is what.
I know nothing about tennis but couldn’t stop reading. I was cheering for Carrie during every match and hoping that not only would her comeback be successful but that she would come to terms that winning tournaments is not going to bring her happiness. I want to thank Netgalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Ballantine Books for giving me an advanced copy for this honest review.

Phenomenal! Want to read this again for the first time. Carrie Soto is such a flawed character - but comes into her own by the end. It was a pleasure to read her journey back into sports, as well as follow along on her personal journey and realization that sports are not everything.

Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again. Strong, brave, vulnerable, fierce, complicated, flawed protagonist rising to the challenge of her chosen career? It could be Evelyn Hugo, it might be Daisy Jones, but it’s not. Carrie Soto is one of, if not the best TJR characters (although, can you really dislike any of her leading ladies?) possibly because she is brash and abrasive and tells it like it is (the way we all want to). Chronicling Carrie’s rise and return to the international tennis stage, Carrie Soto Is Back is a phenomenal read.
Retired tennis pro Carrie Soto and her dad Javier watch a tennis match when she decides she wants to come back and prove, once and for all, that she is the GOAT of tennis—even at the age of 37. The book quickly pivots to the beginning of her career, and readers go for a ride with cameos from previous books sprinkled in. Now, I don’t know anything about tennis—I didn’t know why it’s “game set match” until reading this book, but you don’t need to know anything about tennis to feel the meteoric rise of Carrie Soto and triumph with her. You won’t like her all the time, you might get frustrated with her, but you will root for her throughout the book.
With Carrie Soto Is Back, TJR delves into the human psyche—what makes us great, what makes us tick, what’s important in life, what it means to love, the complications of relationships; TJR shows us how men act and how women are supposed to, and she shows us the strength of will it takes to succeed in elite circles when everyone bets against you. Carrie Soto is a heroine for the ages.

Great characters and narrative drive. Carrie Soto is a female tennis player in a sport dominated by men. Whether or not you like tennis, Taylor Jenkins Reid will suck you in and cause you to care about Carrie, and the father-daughter relationship alone was worth the read. This is as story about ambition, identity, and love. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Harlequin Junkie Top Pick!

Carrie Soto is Back was Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best. A stunningly epic novel about a female tennis player who was a force of nature–on and off the court–it was filled with larger than life character dynamics, personal struggles, and women breaking down gender barriers in a male-dominated sport.

Taylor Jenkins Reid's storytelling is always on point. I know that no matter if I like all of the characters or the subject matter, it will be a fascinating novel with insightful observations and deep, genuine emotions. And with Carrie's story (which TJR began back in Malibu Rising with her connection to Nina Riva's husband Brandon Randall) there was so much more to her than the public knew. Fiercely private and insanely talented, Carrie was a combination of lost little girl and unapologetic athlete. Dubbed the "Battle Axe" for her court domination as well as her icy cool, unyielding persona, none of her fans or critics would have believed that she did have moments of doubt–or how lonely she felt at the top of her career.

I think Carrie's relationship with her beloved Papa, Javier, will be one of the reasons readers' hearts will soften towards her. Their bond was incredible and so very beautiful. They had their ups and downs over the years but they were quite the solid duo overall. I just adored how much Javier cared for his daughter and how he did the best job he could raising her on his own. They communicated through tennis, basically: his coaching Carrie and in turn, her hard work. What they achieved together was nothing short of amazing. But it was their personal relationship, how much they cherished each other that made me smile.

The other part I think readers will love is watching Carrie figure out who she was outside of tennis. *And* also who she was in her late thirties as an athlete. It was quite a difficult road for her. She was pretty much fearless on the court but her personal life was a different story. While there were plenty of times I shook my head at her ego or how she pushed someone away, seeing Carrie finally put in the effort in her personal life, not just on the court, was a wonderful thing.

I think that Taylor Jenkins Reid doesn’t get enough hype for the quality of her writing. Her stories are phenomenal and her sales show that, but the actual writing of this book is so engaging it made me look into a sport and event I had previously called large scale ping pong.

Carrie Soto is Back is my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid book since Evelyn Hugo. This book has so much heart, love and family. While there is a lot of tennis in the story it is the same way there is a lot of football in the show Friday Night Lights - it is used as a mechanism on which to serve the story of drive, heart, perseverance - a story of both familial, friendship and romantic love. Absolutely devoured the book in one sitting.

When I first read the synopsis of this book I was like ugh a book about tennis seems super boring. But it’s about so much more. The character development in this book is so good. I really loved it. I cried. I laughed. I cringed. Taylor Jenkins Reid can really write a mesmerizing story.

I love Taylor Jenkins’s Reid and was so happy to get a copy of her new book. This book felt both the same and different from her other books. I really liked that the main focus was the relationship between a father and daughter although I could see the ending coming from far away. I still thought it was an interesting exploration of being a women and getting older and I really liked it.

Carrie Soto is Back! I have read and loved all of Taylor Jenkins Reid, but worried that I would have to be a tennis fan to enjoy Carrie Soto. That is not the case at all-although the book is based on a pro tennis player, her relationship with her father is what the story revolves around. After setting the tennis world on fire, Carrie retires. Now, a new up and coming player is smashing all of Carrie's records, so she makes the decision to come back to defend her titles. With her father as her coach, she makes her way back into the tennis world!