Having read and loved two other books by Taylor Reid Jenkins, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising, I was super excited to read an early copy of this book. It is a fantastic read. Every time I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to reading it. There is a lot of tennis in the book as it's about a retired tennis player who decides to play again and prove she is still the greatest. Since I enjoy the game of tennis I loved that aspect of it. Reading about the tennis matches, I felt like I was right there in the stands. But, I don't think readers have to be into the sport to enjoy the book. The book also explores a father-daughter relationship which was touching.

This book is pure magic! There is not one single criticism that I could give it because it is phenomenal!! As someone who played sports for many years, this book spoke to my competitive side and left me feeling like I wanted to get back out there and get better at one of the sports I loved when I was younger. This book reminded me of ESPNs 30 for 30 shows. Like the show it told an incredible story, pull at your heartstrings, and exposed you to something new. This book is gold and I would recommend it to everyone and their dog!

Well TJR has done it again! Carrie Soto Is Back is the story of tennis star Carrie Soto and her return to the game after retirement. Coming from someone who knows nothing about tennis, I was completely captivated. I could not put this book down! The way TJR writes relationships is magical. I loved Carrie's relationship with her father, with Bowe, with the other players and with the game of tennis. I found myself mad at Carrie, cheering for her, having empathy for her and loving her all at the same time. This is another wonderful book to add to your Taylor Jenkins Reid collection.

Another great one from TJR! I really enjoyed Carrie's story of redemption and acceptance, and the actual plot line of her return to tennis was such a page turner. I think TJR has painted a brilliant portrait of what it is like to be a woman facing scrutiny and criticism from the public -- and how society expects women to behave.

Taylor Jenkins Reid hit this one out of the court! I absolutely loved Carrie and her story. Carrie Soto is the best tennis player in the world. At the age of 37 she decides to come out of retirement and to be coached by her father once again to reclaim her record. I felt like I was at her matches and caught myself on the edge of my seat rooting her on. Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors. I love how her books have subtle ties to previous books. I do not love tennis but still found myself rooting for tennis legend Carrie Soto.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this novel on the price of success and what it takes for a woman to be a champion in her chosen field.

Success as a pro athlete, or in any occupation, means working hard, practicing and training everday sometimes through pain both emotional and physical. Sacrificing in thousands of ways things that only occur to a person later when success doesn't mean that much any more, if that happens, and building up an iron shield around oneself when those sacrifices seem become real. For a woman it is even worse because everyone feels free to comment. She's not a good champion she doesn't smile enough, she's too manly, her feet are big, she doesn't look like a champion. The media hates that you won't play the game, dress pretty and be at their beck and call, like other champions. I am sure that as bestselling author, Taylor Jenkins Reid gets this all the time. Your books are literary enough, you can't write male characters blah blah blah. I hope she treats the haters like the lead character of her book does. Carrie Soto is Back is a novel about tennis, family ambition, drive, and trying hard to do something right.

Carrie Soto is a legend. Winner of the most Grand Slams in tennis, holder of numerous world records, trained by her father from an early age to be the best at tennis, until he couldn't help her anymore and moved on. Soto retired on top, and planned to leave it at that. Until six years later Carrie Soto is in the crowd as a young player starts to break her records. And she wants back in. At the age of thirty- seven Carrie again enlists her father to get her ready for one final season, where her challenges are not only other players, but her body, an angry media, and having to train with the one man who once broke her heart, but who has as much to prove as she does.

A novel about tennis, family, life, success, wanting more, never settling and dealing with demons, both internal and external. The book is well written with with a fascinating character in Carrie, one that is a little tough to root for in the beginning, but is fully written and seems so true and honest. The supporting cast are all good, and the story is well plotted and stays on course. There is a lot of tennis, something I really had no interest in, but at the end appreciated the work involved and found I had actually learned some things. The writing is of course very good, with a lot of different tricks, and ways of telling the story that is very entertaining.

Another enjoyable aspect of this is that characters in Taylor Jenkins Reid books tend to appear in other books. Sort of her own Marvel Extended Universe. I like the interconnectivity of that, and have always wondered why other authors haven't done more like that. Another great book by an author who works very hard on her craft and deserves all the praise that she receives. Reid's books are never the same and I am looking forward to her next novel.

This is hands down my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid book. I did not know that I was even interested in tennis and I had no curiosity at all about a minor character in Malibu Rising. But this book made me care. I loved getting that extra insight into a peripheral character (and would love for the author to continue this trend). The book really captured the father daughter relationship. It also captures the psyche of top athletes- and I really enjoyed that exploration. Carrie Soto is a flawed character- but she ends up being somehow relatable. I was rooting for her to make good choices. The ending was perfect, Highly recommend.

How does Taylor Jenkins Reid keep finding these wonderful characters in her imagination? Carrie Soto is Back is her newest book.

"Carrie Soto has been taught from a young age to play tennis at a high level. After turning pro, she won a record twenty majors before retiring She was known as the "Battle Axe" for her ruthless approach to competition. Five years after her retirement another player, Nicki Chan, ties her record of most majors. Carrie is angry about losing her legacy as the greatest ever and decides to come back and play, trying to add one more major championship and secure her spot in tennis history. Will her body answer the call? How important is it really?"

I could not put this book down. TJR is a master at fast-paced narrative and causing the reader to quickly become invested in her characters. Carrie is not a very likable character. There is no sportsmanship in her game - it's beat or be beaten. She is brash and caustic and not interested in any feelings. But that makes for a lonely life.
This book revolves around tennis, but it's not really about tennis. There are some great action sequences in the matches and great detail about what the top-ranked players are actually seeing. TJR looks at the price that must be paid for excellence. Carrie must navigate her comeback and discover what's really important.

The ending will surprise you - it's perfect for this story.

If you are a fan of TJR, put this book on your list. This is another great story from TJR. Going to be on a lot of "Best-of" lists this year.

I never thought I would love a book about a professional athlete so much. TJR books always hit me just right and this one did not disappoint. I loved rooting for Carrie so much and I loved seeing her character growth and how her attitude changes. I loved her father. I loved Bowe. And I loved Chan. I enjoyed how there were interviews and articles interspersed throughout the book. I did not listen to audio but I do think this would make an excellent audiobook!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I love everything of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s that I have read so far. She has a way of completely immersing you in the world and life of her characters without any unnecessarily long descriptions or background. You just jump in, but still very quickly get a sense of exactly who it is you’re reading about. Carrie as a character is unique for me, because I can’t really relate to her, and I didn’t necessarily like her or agree with her choices. Yet somehow I was still rooting for her. That’s stellar writing.

I don’t care about tennis, but you don’t have to. Kind of like Beartown and hockey. It’s very present, but it doesn’t have to be your thing. Also, I loved the little throwaway line about Carrie reading an unauthorized biography of Daisy Jones and the Six. Little meta nods and callbacks to other books are fun.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a bookseller’s dream. Her books can be so easily recommended as she explores common issues, usually topics of interest to woman and delivers strong stories with interesting characters and fresh perspectives. TJR’s newest offering, CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, will be introduced with all kinds of tennis lingo no doubt. Expect readers to trumpet TJR has aced her newest book, or something along the lines of another grand slam for TJR. CARRIE SOTO is a tennis story but then so much more. I was drawn in by Carrie’s relationship with her father, who was also her coach. I HAD to keep reading to see how Carrie’s competitive drive affected her relationships as she struggled, herself, to understand if she needed to win or feared a loss.. Sprinkled throughout the story are transcripts of television announcers and match commentary, always a fascinating alternative perspective. I can’t wait for the next TJR book!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy.

The more I sit with this book - the more I realized just how much I enjoyed it. In this novel, TJR gives us a badass female lead who plays by her own rules, and doesn't get caught up in what others think she should do or say. With that, I think there was also incredibly character development - but in a way that still felt true to a bold woman.

I thought Malibu Rising was only okay, so was worried this would fall into that as well. However, for someone that knows nothing of tennis, I was gripped by the story and the characters.

The writing feels like it was made to be interpreted, acted by someone, because it carries emotion, so I was reading and thinking wow, this must be amazing as an audiobook. At first I thought it was going to be boring cause of tennis match descriptions, but TJR can make boring things be fun - you feel immersed and you can visualize, you can hear the sounds of the court.

Carrie Soto is very interesting and intriguing to read. She's different from all the characters on TJR, she's direct, cold, determined to become the best no matter what. This competitive and obstinate way of hers is what keeps you dying to know what she's going to do and how she's going to behave next. Carrie doesn't have many friends, the media thinks she's a bit of a bitch, but she finds love in her father, who is precious.

The most interesting thing for me was not even the plot itself, but the messages and teachings it brings about trust, about doubting yourself, about internal battles, about how to be your best. The characters are very addictive to follow, very captivating.

The story is a bit predictable, but I loved it nonetheless.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Wow! Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again - she has written about a subject I have zero interest in - in this case tennis- and made me lunge from the edge of my seat in joy or excitement or disappointment. Her amazing characters are so multi-dimensional and so wonderfully flawed. I love her books and this one will be a favorite. I totally recommend this story to readers who love a good cry and a great cathartic experience.

SYNOPSIS: A legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime.

🎾REVIEW: No surprise here, but TJR has 👏 done 👏 it 👏 again 👏! I loved every minute of this book! I will say I was absolutely RAISED on tennis, though - my parents played in college and I grew up having to watch every grand slam that came on tv, and I felt that definitely helped - because the tennis lingo is DEEP within this one - but even for someone who hasn’t been well-versed in the tennis world, who doesn’t love a good comeback story?!

You can’t help but root for Carrie and what she’s trying to accomplish. I loved the relationship with her father and all of the assisting characters they introduced throughout the book. It’s definitely a different style from TJR’s previous work, though; it had a totally different feel to it, but with her talent, I loved it just the same.

My one complaint is there was a LOT of Spanish sprinkles in the book that was necessary to the plot of the novel. I don’t know Spanish, as much as I wish I did. Full paragraphs where I would have no clue what was going on. I don’t want to google translate when I’m reading something. Other than that, I had a blast reading this book, and I think you will too.

🎾VERDICT: 4.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @netgalley and @ballantinecorp @randomhouse for the advanced copy of this one! It comes out on August 30!

Anything by Taylor is always well written. I was expecting....more about her relationship with Brandon and less about the actual game of Tennis. I felt that there were some times that it was just a tennis lesson and I was expecting more romance.

Loved this so much! I don’t know anything about tennis but this book was so unexpectedly and utterly relatable. After reading Malibu rising, never did I think Carrie De Soto would be a main character but here we are, and I’m here for it. Highly recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️CARRIE SOTO IS BACK by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book was incredible. I love TJR and this is my favorite one of hers to date. I did not expect to like it so much as it centers largely around tennis, but I loved it. The characters seem so lifelike. Several times I forgot that Carrie is just a fictional character and not a real life tennis star. There is also a little love story in this. Bowe is just the greatest and sweetest. Then there was the relationship between Carrie and her dad. I just didn’t want this book to end. It was a quick read and I didn’t want to put it down. Another thing that the author does that I love is tying this book in with others she has written. Carrie showed up in Malibu Rising and then there was a Daisy Jones and the Six reference.

I highly recommend reading this book. If a book can manage to make me cry, then it’s getting 5⭐️. It doesn’t happen a lot, but it’s a special book when it does. I was able to get an early copy of this one from Net Galley. It will officially release on 08/30/22.

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I loved this one! TJR writes her stories with so many details, it feels like you’re there in real life. Carrie is a force and kind of a bitch through the book, but she starts to soften and let her guard down with close friends and the audience by the end. My heart broke at one point for her, iykyk. I loved her relationship with Bowe. This is a great lesson on going after what you want and putting your mind to anything while appreciating what you have. Another amazing book by TJR!