I cannot even begin to describe the emotional toll the end of this book took on me, in the absolute best way. Carrie Soto is a gem and I am so, so glad the bitch is back. 5/5, 10/10, would read again and again. Thank you so much to the publisher for the advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

And this is why when I see Taylor Jenkins Reid's name on a book, I automatically purchase. I LOVED everything about this story. I was rooting for Carrie, her father, & Bowe the entire time. I will admit, I am not a big fan of tennis, but this book may have changed that for me. Carrie was the #1 player in the world for years until she retired, about 5 years later when her all-time record was about to be lost, she decides to make a comeback. You will laugh, cry and smile throughout this novel. Bravo Taylor!

Did I drop everything to read this? Yes!! And it was completely worth it! I wanted to read this one without comparing it to other TJR novels. Sometimes the pressure is too high on authors and book characters to top a previous favorite, even though if you'd read this one first you might very much enjoy it still.

I truly enjoyed this book. I haven't finished a book this fast in a very long time. It's a book about tennis. There is a lot of tennis. Because Carrie's single-minded about tennis and winning. If you're not too familiar with tennis, you get caught up really fast. I haven't played or followed tennis in a long time but I was still incredibly into this story and walked away with a new found appreciation for tennis (also excited to realize the French open is currently happening).

But more importantly, I ended up rooting for Carrie and really loved her. TJR really has a way of tailoring the personalities of her books to her characters and events.
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books the eARC of this one!

This book has cemented why Taylor Jenkins Reid is an autobuy author for me. As soon as I saw this book available on NetGalley I leaped at the chance to read it and then made it my next read as soon as I finished my last book.

Carrie Soto is the best tennis player the world has ever seen. Thanks to an incredible coach in her father, Javier, she has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles for herself. And with that, she retires from the sport. That is, until six years later, she watches a new phenom, Nicki Chan breaks her record. So at 37, Carrie decides to come out of retirement to show once and for all that she is the greatest tennis player to ever live.

I know absolutely nothing about tennis, and I also don't speak an ounce of Spanish, two things that were plentiful in this book. But it didn't take me out of the story at all. Taylor Jenkins Reid did an incredible job of making this book compulsively readable, no matter if you knew tennis or not. Though if you understand even a little bit about the sport, I bet you'd enjoy this even more.

Carrie herself was a complicated character, not quite loveable but with enough humanity that you found yourself rooting for her anyway. The tennis world didn't quite love her, calling her a Battle Axe and Bitch - she wasn't quite the poster child they'd want to have. I related to Carrie in a lot of ways because I understand that sheer determination to win - though her will was on a whole other level. But what I especially loved about this book was the relationship between Carrie and her father. You don't see a lot of these relationships in stories and this one was such a beautiful example to watch.

Jenkins Reid also threw in a bit of a love story between Carrie and a former tennis star, Bowe Huntley and that just sweetened the book that much more. But I did love that that relationship never took center stage. This book was as much about someone being top of her game as it was about the love between father and daughter, with the romance angle being a distant third.

I couldn't put this book down and as soon as it's available, I'll be buying a copy to put on my forever shelves.

This book will be available on episode 42 of the Reading Through Life podcast, available June 8, 2022.

Carrie Soto Is Back was a most-anticipated release that I did not even know was coming out this year. The joy I felt when given the opportunity to re-immerse myself in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s world was insurmountable.

First and foremost, I absolutely loved Carrie Soto. We need more Carrie Sotos. We need more women—athletes, professionals, artists of every kind, and every woman regardless of their passions—to be like Carrie Soto. Carrie took up space and she demanded to be seen, acknowledged, and recognised for her talent, her prowess, and her ambition. I connected with her and I understood why Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote her the way that she did, and she herself tells us by providing transcripts where Gloria Jones is all but silenced as she tries to exalt Carrie for her comeback.

Carrie’s love for tennis is at the forefront of this novel and 98% of its content was exclusively about tennis. While I myself am unfamiliar with the sport, I was very intrigued. Some matches felt repetitive and dull, however, and I did not feel the intensity I expected TJR hoped the readers would. The lack of exposition outside of the game proved a little flat and redundant, but I still enjoyed the overall experience.

One thing that stood out amongst my least favourite parts of this reading experience was Carrie’s eventual relationship with Bowe, I personally did not find them compatible and was surprised considering: Carrie read as aromantic to me and I did not anticipate that she would have any sort of romantic partner. I noticed that she described almost every woman she played against and/or met as a variation of beautiful or stunning. To be honest, I actually really hoped that Carrie and Nicki would become the eventual “couple” as they shared much more chemistry—and I believe Carrie leaned more towards an attraction to women—to begin with. This was a little disappointing and it just led to a lacklustre conclusion.

Overall I was very immersed in the story and anticipate I will read it again just for Carrie Soto. She is special and seeing myself in her made me want to see much more of her than what I got. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

THIS!!!! This is the book of the summer - or even the year. I’ve always loved the TJR universe, but Carrie really ties it together. You find yourself rooting for her despite her flaws - and definitely rooting for her and Bowe. I cried, I laughed. I smiled. This is my new favorite TJR!

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books never fail to make me cry. This was beautiful. Carrie Soto was a character I loved immediately—ambitious, a bit flawed, and relatable. My favorite things about this book were Carrie’s relationship with tennis, as well as with her father—I love strong familial relationships in books and Carrie’s journey really took me through all the emotions. The book ended pretty much exactly how I wanted it to. I do wish that the love interest’s character arc was maybe more interesting but that’s a minor thing since the romance isn’t the focus, otherwise just pretty sweet overall.

So thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early.

This was my most anticipated read of the year! Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my all time favorite authors and I love the way she writes historical fictions. And Carrie Soto Is Back did now disappoint!! I read over 60% in one day, I couldn’t put it down. I loved this type of story it was different then my normal reads but I really enjoyed it. Carrie Soto is a bad ass and I am obsessed with her! I loved how she didn’t care what anyone else thought. TJR’s writing and story telling is always absolutely amazing, this story specifically was incredible, the relationship between Carrie and her father and then later on Carrie and Bowe, I loved that Bowe was there for Carrie through everything. Seriously incredible! I already want to reread this book!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again by creating an in-depth look at another female character in a totally new industy--we have Evelyn in Hollywood and her story, Daisy Jones in her music industry, Nina Riva in surfing, and now we have Carolina (Carrie) in her newest book. I love how when reading her book I really feel like I am feeling the emotions of the character and I am right there in the issues she is dealing with. I love how she intermixes other media in her book and in this case--it is sports interviews. This is a book about intensity, competition, growing older, family, coming to terms with ones limitations and making sure that you spend time to really enjoy the path to success and how you define that success. Highly recommend.

TJR does it yet again! I absolutely devoured this book in only 4 days. Since I did not like Carrie’s character in Malibu Rising, I went in completely blind with this book, trusting TJR to do her magic and boy did she deliver!

While this book is tennis heavy, it’s written in a way that’s easy to follow and was discussed just the right amount for me. As someone who doesn’t know anything about tennis, I actually loved getting to learn about it. So much that I now want to follow tennis, just so I can continue living in the world the book has woven for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between Javier and Carrie as not only father and daughter but also as coach and mentee. Parents have such an everlasting impact on their children and can mold them in any which way, knowingly or unknowingly. I loved carrie’s determination and dedication to go after what she wanted, but I’m also glad her character evolved from being almost completely self-absorbed to becoming self-aware. Also, Bowie holds a special place in my heart.

My only critique is the amount of Spanish that was in the book without translation. It wasn’t the end of the world since I read it on my kindle but for someone who doesn’t speak Spanish, it will be challenging to translate sentences while reading a paper copy of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC e-book in exchange for an honest review.

When I first heard Carrie Soto would be the focus of TJR’s next book, I was disappointed because I wanted to hate Carrie Soto after her part in Malibu Rising (when really all along I should have hated that dodo Brandon). And that brings me to Carrie Soto is Back, which is likely the best book I will read this year. Carrie is a deeply flawed character, but I couldn’t help but cheer for her total domination on the court and desperately wanted her to find her happy despite all the cutting, mean remarks and lack of emotional awareness. I loved the relationship between Carrie and her father; the complexities of his taking on single parenthood AND being Carrie’s coach, because I saw a lot of my own dad in Javier. This book is a beautiful commentary on what it is to be a woman at the top of her game, who just doesn’t give a damn what anyone else thinks, but who also learns that it’s okay to change and to let people care for her, and to move through the seasons of life that we inevitably face. If this review isn’t terribly coherent, I apologize because I was writing it through my ugly cry face immediately after reading the last pages.

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid, but this book was a bit of a letdown for me. Carrie was not a likeable character for me. The tennis talk was too much and there was a lot of Spanish without translation. I found myself glossing over a lot of parts of the book mostly because I didn’t understand it (either tennis talk or Spanish). I didn’t want Carrie to succeed at her ego trip vanity tour and Bowe deserved better.

I did like the Daisy Jones and the Six mention! And the writing itself is generally enjoyable - TJR is talented, no doubt.

Anyone else want a book about Gwen? She was far more intriguing to me.

Incredible story, perhaps my new favorite by this author. The writing is simply spectacular! I absolutely loved the Carrie Soto story, and her mission to come out of retirement to reclaim her titles record. Impossible to put down, impossible to root against her… all the stars for Carrie Soto!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has cemented her place on my (short) list of favorite authors. I love that minor characters recur in her novels, and in Carrie Soto, Ms. Jenkins Reid has taken a character from Malibu Rising and told her story in the most remarkable fashion.

Carrie Soto is Back tells the story of Carrie Soto, who in Malibu Rising is Nina Riva's tennis player soon-to-be ex-husband's mistress, revealing Carrie's vulnerabilities, hopes and dreams and in the process bringing the reader into the world of professional tennis. When Carrie determines to stage a comeback and to reclaim her title as the greatest player and Grand Slam record holder, no one believes that at 37 years old and 5 years away from the game she will have the slightest chance.

The growth in Carrie's character, from a pretty self-absorbed, laser-focused and unsympathetic pro athlete into a self-aware woman who loves all aspects of the game and has opened her heart to humanity is a fascinating thrill-ride. I loved the play by play of the tennis matches, and the commentary by sports reporters which was interspersed throughout. I read the book through in one sitting, putting it down only because I needed to sleep!

The only critique is that readers may want to have a Spanish dictionary handy, as Carrie's coach/father frequently speaks Spanish to her, and the translation is not clear within the English text (although it is fairly easy to get the gist of his statements). I am also fairly familiar with the game of tennis, and thus found the fame descriptions easy to follow--it may be more difficult for someone not familiar with the game though it will not be problematic if they understand wins and losses.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and Taylor Jenkins Reid for the opportunity to read an ARC of Carrie Soto Is Back. The opinions in this review are my own.

This book is such an enjoyable read. Truly a pleasure. I know virtually nothing about tennis but it didn’t matter. I think the set up and structure of the book is terrific and paces the story really well. The book also makes some subtle but strong points about being a woman and how women athletes are perceived. Carrie is a great character and while she may be seen as prickly and arrogant she’s simply focused and extremely talented. I was rooting for her all the way. The story’s outcome feels both unpredictable and inevitable. And the cover image is awesome!

I'm so sad....but I cannot bring myself to finish this. This book is so boring and WAY to descriptive about tennis. Also, why did TJR not include any descriptions of the Spanish used throughout the book? I speak Spanish so I could understand what was being said, but I would guess that other non-Spanish speaking readers might struggle with this. Carrie is also just a terrible human being and a completely one-dimensional character. Her dialogue and focus got so annoying. And finally, the dialogue throughout the book in general was just not good. Lack of contractions and completely unrealistic conversations. I'm so disappointed TJR!!!

Carrie Soto is back, and thus - the TJR-verse has expanded. Fans of TJR will love the nods to her previous works which she does (and has done) so masterfully.

Carrie Soto wants to come out of retirement to reclaim her title as the best in tennis. Knowing absolutely nothing about the sport myself, what I appreciated was the care and time taken to explain just enough where I didn’t feel lost, but not too much where I felt like I was reading a how-to manual. That being said - at the core of this book, as with ALL of TJR’s books - are the characters you fall in love with from the moment they’re introduced and the attention to detail she puts into crafting their relationships with one another (regardless of what book they’re in).

Carrie is a force to be reckoned with - and you can’t help but root for her. You want to see her succeed. You want to see her win. You want to see her get the guy. You want to see her have the comebeack she’s been boasting about. But will she?

Carrie Soto is my favorite of the women TJR has introduced us to. Unapologetic, competitive, and strong FMCs make it better for women in the wild.

I FINISHED THIS LAST NIGHT AND.. IT
WASN'T MY FAVORITE TJR. IT'S A LOT OF
TENNIS. BUT THE FATHER/DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP ASPECT WAS REALLY WELL FLESHED OUT AND I DEFINITELY HIGHLIGHTED A FEW LINES THAT PUNCHED ME IN THE GUT. ALSO ENJOY THIS WHOLE HOLLYWOOD UNIVERSE THAT TJR IS BUILDING. SOME OF THE CONVERSATION FELT VERY STILTED TO ME AND MAYBE THAT'S JUST BECAUSE I'M NOT USED TO A CHARACTER LIKE CARRIE. SOME OF THE LARGER THEMES ALSO FELT
RUSHED.

Another fabulous book from Taylor Jenkins Reid. So descriptive of life as a world class tennis athlete. I was completely sucked in. Carrie Soto was a minor character in Malibu Rising and I loved how she took that character and brought her to life.