Having recently finished the previously published “Carrie Soto is Back” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I am happy to have had the chance for the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books!

I know little to nothing about tennis and hoped this book would help educate me, as well as entertain me. Carrie was written as a self-absorbed and flawed character, determined to succeed in her chosen sport, but her drive left little to nothing in what I quickly envisioned to be her tiny, yellow, tennis ball shaped-heart. I would have enjoyed reading about her comeback, if I had liked her more before her fall.
But then, toward the very end of this story, a little black notebook and the love of a father warmed my heart, and seemed to bring back "the joy of smashing a ball" that had been missing from Carrie’s heart during her career. I still don't know what all these tennis terms mean, but reading "Carrie Soto is Back" was at times a "perfectly executed" and entertaining story.

“I do not know how to play tennis without my full heart.”

This book brought back my love for all things tennis - watching a tournament losing track of time was just what I did once I started reading. Carrie Soto returns to tournament play after retiring six years prior to regain her position of the most Grand Slam wins when another player catches up to her. I loved everything about her competitive spirit, the relationship she has with her father / coach and Bowe, a romantic interest. Another strong driven woman who knows what she wants and goes after it.

I absolutely loved this book and I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to read this novel!! Before reading Carrie Soto I read TJR previous novel, Malibu Rising and the character of Carrie Soto was perceived as very egotistical and bratty. I think since I already had this character in my mind- the idea of reading a story devoted to this character I was on the fence about. However, of course, I was totally wrong! Carrie Soto is a brilliant come-back story that depicts how you aren't too old to follow your dreams. I look forward to more historical fiction novels by this author, since I 100% believe this is where TJR excels.

I have to start off by saying I am not usually a fan of sports books. However, I am a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid. So I gave this a chance. I am so glad I did. As always this author's books hook me in and I can't put them down. This was really good but not as good to me as Malibu Rising and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I did really enjoy the character Carrie. She is such a strong, fierce, competitive, and stubborn character. Even if sports books aren;t your thing, give this a chance.
*thank you to netgalley for an arc.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again with this fast-paced book. I am not a fan of tennis, but even if you know nothing about the sport or don't like sports at all, you should read this book. It is about overcoming our greatest obstacles, even if that obstacle is ourselves. I finished it in 1 sitting and you won't want to put it down until the last ball is served.

The fourth book in this universe, Carrie Soto Is Back, introduces the reader to a strong protagonist figuring out who she is and where she is headed. The book starts out as a tennis primer, with Carrie preparing for a comeback as the world’s best player. With the many tennis references, it seems the first half of the book is more about lessons and strategy than a story.

However, there is a shift about halfway through, and the plot becomes much more relationship oriented, and in my opinion, much more interesting. Whether Carrie is bantering with her father, a love interest, or an opponent, the dialogue is strong and the writing is compelling, leading to a satisfying and appropriate ending. Though I preferred Reid’s first book in the series, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I can also see why this installment is so popular.

I received a copy of the book through NetGalley and have written an objective review.

I heard from so many other influencers how wonderful this book was. Being about tennis and a comeback, I thought it would be a great story. I was not totally wowed by it--it was good but i didn't think it was fabulous. This was my first read from this author, but I will read other books she puts out. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher
for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you know nothing about tennis, and don't want to pick this book up because you think that's all it will be about... get yourself back on the court, pick up your racket and rally again. Taylor knows how to capture your attention no matter what the subject is, and that is because of her ability to write REAL characters. I absolutely adored the way she wrote Carrie. Everyone knows someone with Carrie like qualities. I will absolutely be praising this book every single summer when I see someone playing tennis. I loved it, and reading it made me feel like I was racing to win a game.

I enjoyed reading this book and learned more about tennis and the professional tour than I ever thought I would. I am always excited when I see a new Taylor Jenkins Reid book, so I couldn't wait to read this one. While it wasn't my favorite by the author, I did enjoy it.

Truly easy to see why TJR wanted to spend more time with this character - this is a satisfying indulgence of a read, and it's wonderful to see the movement through Carrie's life.

Listen, I love sports fiction. I am a huge fan of it, in fact, and I always love reading about sports I know less about, so I was very excited when I found out Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new book was a book about a tennis player, since I know next to nothing about it.
So, believe me when I tell you that this was too much about the sport, even for me. There was almost nothing aside from tennis matches and tennis rules, and it became very boring very quickly, because I could have watched a real match instead, if that’s what I wanted.
The worst part is that I actually liked Carrie as a main character, in spite of her being unlikeable. She was strong, she knew what she wanted, and yes, she may have been a bit rude, but in some cases you have to be, if you want to be taken seriously as a player.
I also liked her dad and their relationship, and I honesly wish the book had focussed more on that. The romance subplot was totally unnecessary and a waste of pages that could have been devoted to exploring her character and her dynamics with her dad a lot more.
The writing style was nice as usual, even if the book dragged a lot, seeing as there were entire chapters revolving around games, as I have told you. My favourite bits were the radio, newspaper and TV extracts. I am always down for some mixed medias in books.
Overall, this was the worst Taylor Jenkins Reid’s book out of the four I’ve read, and I am beginning to wonder if I should keep reading them. I have given The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo five stars, Daisy Jones & The Six four, Malibu Rising three and this one two. If the trend keeps going, I am bound to give her next release one, I don’t think I’m ready.
I don’t know if she will write anything else in this universe, but if she does I’ll have to pick it up. If it’s completely unrelated, I think I might skip it, to avoid the disaster.
Anyways, I honestly would not recommend reading Carrie Soto Is Back, unless you are specifically looking for a book about tennis. If you are not a fan of sports fiction or sports in general to begin with, this is going to be so tedious for you, so I’d recommend skipping it. If you are willing to endure endless tennis talk for the sake of TJR and universe continuity, I’ll say that at least this is going to be a quick read. If you find the audiobook, even better.

I cannot believe I am typing these words, but I DNF'd this Taylor Jenkins Reid book.

I am a die-hard TJR fan. I am completely obsessed with every book she's ever written... ... ...except this one. Why? I'm not sure exactly. But I do know that it did NOT pull me in at all. AT. ALL. And, I have to say, when this book came out, it did not get a lot of hype outside of the fact that TJR had put out a new book, and that she was writing a Latina woman as a white woman...which is a no-no.

*sigh* I was so excited about a new Taylor Jenkins Reid book and I hate that I was so let down. Will I continue to read and praise her other books, OF COURSE! One book isn't going to put me off of one of the top writers of this generation.

This was a fantastic book! If you've read Malibu Rising by the same author then you already know who Carrie Soto is. But you won't really know her until reading this book. I found it so interesting even though I am not a fan of tennis. It is wonderfully written and lays bare all the flaws of a professional athlete. And that ending! Five stars.

As with all of Taylor's book, I was completely immersed in this world of pro tennis, ambition, and risk. Another glowing historical from Reid!

So far I've loved every Taylor Jenkins Reid book and loved it, so I had high hopes for Carrie Soto Is Back and I was not disappointed! I actually read this book in one day, because I just couldn't put it down. Besides Carrie telling her story I loved the articles and interviews we see throughout the story about the competitions and other athletes.

I honestly know nothing about tennis, but that didn't bug me while reading this book. I learned a lot along the way and was invested in all of these competitions! I probably wouldn't have been that invested in actual tennis honestly, haha. I think we also saw the double standards when it came to sports and men vs. women and how it's hard to overcome certain aspects in that world.

Okay, so let's talk about the story! I personally didn't like Carrie for quite awhile. I'm all for being proud of yourself and not letting anyone take away your worth, but she's a bit much. Her story kept me reading though and I'm glad I did. When she's 37 and wants back into the sport, you start to see a change. Competing is different and there are some players who are better and Carrie has to deal with this. I also like how we see her relationship with her father grow and how she slowly opens herself up to love and maybe new career possibilities.

Carrie Soto Is Back is a book that made me care about sports and that's not something I do! These characters felt real and I couldn't get enough. I also appreciated to the pop culture references from those years and even a mention of one of the author's previous books! I can't wait to see what the author does next!

My review will be published on https://thebookdutchesses.com on May 27th!

TJR could write the phonebook and it would be a story I would devour. I don't know how she does it. She creates these amazing women and gives them incredible stories we can't get enough of.

I really love Taylor Jenkins Reid and all of her backlist books, but this one was just not my favorite. I am very sports oriented and found myself getting bored with the constant tennis talking. I also did not care at all for the main character. She was horrible to everyone, mainly because she felt like she was the best at tennis and didn't have time for anyone that couldn't help her stay at the top, including her father. I kept wanting a more in depth relationship sooner in this novel. I am disappointed because I thought this would be a 5 star!

For about 2/3 of the book Carrie was so unlikable and unbearable to me, that it really interferes with enjoying the other components of the story. However, she does develop towards the end of the book. But before that she’s entitled, arrogant, & just annoying for really no reason other than wanting to be the best. She treats everyone like they’re below her, including her father. However, once she accepts that she won’t necessarily be the greatest, she transforms into a much more likable character.

First of all, this book is screaming for a Ryan Murphy miniseries: the music and costumes alone would be amazing. I enjoyed this more than I expected, especially because a good bit of it was describing in detail about 30 tennis matches. I likes that Carrie was unapologetic, and never really had a classic “redemption”, she was a badass and she didn’t need to be softened, as some authors would have tried to do. The audiobook read by a full cast was lots of fun.

Thank you to #netgalley and #TaylorJennkinsReid for my advanced readers copy! My thoughts and opinions are my own.

So, I had heard so much hype about this author, and when I saw this one pop up on netgalley I figured I would give it a shot. Sadly, I had to find the audio to help me get through this one. It's not that it was bad, but it was very tennis heavy. I'm not sure what i was expecting, but it was heavy on the tennis terminology. I was hoping for more background in her life and not just that she was a great tennis player. Her writing may not be for me, but that doesn't mean that it won't be for someone else. I will still give other of her books a try