WOW. This book is every bit as good as everyone is saying. I will honestly be shocked if there is another book that overtakes this as my favorite of the year. This book made me feel so many things and emotions. I love Carrie. I love Javier. I love Bowe. I even love Nicki Chan. I knew little to nothing about tennis before this, and you really don't need to at all to enjoy this book. Carrie is not the most "likeable" main character, but I absolutely adored her, and seeing her character develop throughout the book. I especially loved the father daughter relationship between Carrie and her dad that was highlighted throughout the story as well, it made me want to hug and call my dad immediately. Trust the hype and read this ASAP!! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book!!

Taylor Jenkins Reid always has a way of making me think every single one of her characters is a real person. I genuinely have to remind myself that her books are fictional. Also now I need to go watch every tennis match I can find because now apparently I like the sport of tennis.

Carrie is a different kind of character than we normally see. She is strong from the beginning, she does not get weak, she stays strong throughout the book. Carrie knows who she is, she knows her worth, she is not afraid to tell you either. She will never sugar coat it. She beat you at tennis? Then get better. End of story.

I love that Carrie's journey was about how she can be more than one thing. She can be this strong, passionate person, but she can also allow herself to breathe and be soft and vulnerable. She also doesn't have to change, this is growth. She also doesn't have to let just anyone get close and see that soft/vulnerable side of her. I like that her growth wasn't about becoming strong, because she already was, but letting other people see her and truly see her and know she doesn't have to back down for them. She is worthy of love the way she is.

I loved the relationship with her dad and how it developed throughout the book with the use of alternating time lines and seeing how Carrie and then Carrie/her dad were in the past and present. Carrie is a woman that will stick with me for a long time!

I’m having a hard time trying to figure out how to rate this book. Like TJR can do no wrong she’s been one of my favorite authors for years but this book felt different to me and not in a good way. The story was VERY good but I think just the emphasis on how much of a bitch Carrie Soto was really off putting to me and I ended up hating the character. Like a lot. I rolled my eyes continuously throughout the book. I don’t know what it’s like being a top person in sports so I couldn’t relate. Also, I think Nikki had EVERY right to act the way that she did because Carrie is a bitch and not THAT bitch. I get it she came for your title. But why the hell do we need to bring others down just because they took that title? Idk obviously the writing was amazing as always, I just didn’t enjoy the book as much I as have with her previous work. So I think it’s a 3.5 but I will round up for now. Still gonna sit on it.

Normally, I would not pick up a book in the sporty category but after devouring The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and loving it, I was intrigued to see how Taylor Jenkins Reid would write Carrie Soto, a relentless tennis champion. While I did enjoy this book, I think my expectations were a bit inflated. The fast paced action based scenes describing the tennis matches were surprisingly interesting and intense but I did not feel nearly as connected to the characters and their interactions as much as anticipated. For the main character, I did really like Carrie Soto’s fiery attitude and the determination through her journey but all the surrounding characters had me feeling a little bored, almost lowering the bar for Carrie’s greatness. I highly recommend this for any fan of previous TJR novels and of course, the sporty girlies. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the e-book!

Another fantastic read from Taylor Jenkins Reid, who is skilled at both evoking a specific time and place as well as delving into the inner psyche of her characters. A fast paced read I couldn't put down.

This is an incredible portrait of an athlete and of the demands made of their bodies, their time, and their personalities.. Carrie Soto is the best tennis player of all time, a caveat that always seems to be accompanied by the asterisk “for a woman.” Indeed, during her award winning career, she found that playing the tennis game was far easier than the games involved with being an ambitious woman. Although she is praised for her skills, she’s seen as calculated and cold – a “bitch.” She retired due to an injury with an amazing 20 grand slam wins and felt secure in her legacy. But a younger player is coming up on her record and Carrie just refuses to let her record be destroyed. With the help of her beloved father and ex-coach, she determines to come out of retirement and win more slams to put that rival in place. But Carrie is really struggling, at 37 she's an amazing player, but can she be number one? Because just who is Carrie Soto if she's not "the best?" Taylor Jenkins Reid does an amazing job of explaining how an athlete like Soto can be developed, and the tolls it can take upon them, particularly when the athlete is a woman. The timing seems particularly apt as the legendary Serena Williams retires, and although this character doesn't have Williams' warm persona, it adds another layer of fun to the read. This was a fun read, and you don't need to be a tennis expert to enjoy it.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group, the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read Carrie Soto is Back before I learned about how controversial this book became. My review is solely based on what I read and has nothing to do with the author!

This was a great TJR read, but it was not my favorite and was decently slow at times. I know nothing about tennis but I very much enjoyed the tennis competition plotline. I saw SOOOOO many 5-star reviews for this read and a very high Goodreads rating.

I was on my toes throughout the read because I needed to know what was going to happen with her tennis career but it was kind of easy to guess where it was going.

I enjoyed the relationship parts with her father as her coach and her closest family member. We got to see the ups and downs throughout the years and it felt very realistic.

I will continue to read TJR books but Seven Husbands and Malibu Rising are still my top two reads.

I'll be honest, I went into this not expecting to like it. I'm not a tennis player nor do I know anything about playing tennis. I wasn't sure how I would enjoy the book when this isn't an interest of mine, but it turns out that this is an excellent story of redemption. Carrie is known as being Queen B in the tennis world and she's perfectly fine with that. If I'm being honest, I probably would as well if I could play tennis or any other sport for that matter. You can play to win any sport without letting it go to your head, but I mean if you put in the work that it takes and you're good at it then I could see where that would give one a big head about it. Carrie isn't the first Queen B and she won't be the last in a sport competition. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of her comeback especially since this is the week of the U.S. Open and Serena Williams is retiring. This book just put a smile on my face that I wasn't expecting! This is exceptional on audio with the full cast and I appreciated it.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is exceptional. It grabbed me from the very beginning and never let go. I’m watching the US Open tennis tournament as I write this and thinking about the training regimen and life on the tour as described in the book The detail is incredible, from the match play by play, the crushing emotions of defeat, to the high of winning.. The writing and plotting are excellent. I highly recommend this book, 5 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Literally obsessed with this book. While I know nothing about the sport of tennis, I felt like I learned a ton reading about Carrie's career and training and enjoyed every second of it. I loved that the main character was at sometimes really unlikeable and hard to root for. She was bull headed and did what she wanted, not what other people wanted her to do.

I think I enjoyed this book even more than Malibu Rising and would LOVE for TJR to write more books set in the 90s!

I will start off that I do love TJR’s writing; however, this story fell flat for me for so many reasons. For starters, I felt the use of a Latina main character in this situation inappropriate. Her being Latina really didn’t have much to do with the story and many times I had to remind myself that this was written by a white author. I love diversity, but I did find this to be crossing the line.

Putting that aside, I felt there was no real story. It was just Carrie and her tennis. She did not change as a person and she was extremely difficult to root for. She was egotistic, self-centered, and only cared about her and being the best at tennis. You can strive for greatness but also be caring to others.

I was recommended this book by a friend and as I have never read any Taylor Jenkins Reid books decided that I needed to start now and I was so glad I did because I loved Carrie Soto and need to now devour the rest of the books within this mini universe

I am a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan, so I was beyond thrilled to be provided an advanced ecopy of her new book, Carrie Soto Is Back. (I still bought a hard copy. Haha.) I see a lot of reviews saying the readers loved Carrie Soto is back better than any of TJR's last three. I am going to be a slight outlier on that because Daisy Jones and The Six is still my favorite TJR novel. I would definitely put Carrie Soto Is Back next, though. My favorite part of the story is the relationship between Carrie and her father, two people who love each other so much, but don't always understand each other when it counts. Frankly, the most aggravating character in the novel for me was Carrie, herself. I just couldn't relate to how she saw the world or why she was so closed off to other people. In fact, I liked the personalities of all three other significant characters in the book, Bowe, Nicki Chan, and Carrie's dad much better than I did Carrie, but I think that was intentional because that is how the world felt about Carrie's character.

As a moderate sports fan, I can tell you a pet peeve of mine is a player or coach who tends to win often, but still seems miserable all the time, only focused on the next win. That is exactly how Carrie is portrayed. She lacked any visible grace or humility about her skill, which seems to be something society won't accept in women, though it is often forgiven in men. That said, I grew to love Carrie over the course of the novel and I think the story played out practically perfectly in reference to it being both realistic and satisfying all the way around.

Taylor Jenkins Reid doesn't seem to be able to miss these days as even her weakest recent novel, IMO, Malibu Rising, had me hooked on it. Carrie Soto is destined to be considered one of her best.

You just can’t go wrong with TJR. While this wasn’t my favorite by her, it was certainly an enthralling read. I actually did the audio and loved the narration. Each narrator was excellent and the news bits were perfectly executed.

This book is tennis, tennis, and more tennis. I like tennis well enough but don’t follow it on TV or know a whole lot about it. If you’re ambivalent about tennis I think you’ll still like this novel and if you love tennis, you really can’t miss this one.

I like that the novel discreetly addressed major issues in professional sports like sexism and racism. TJR has faced some heat in having an Argentinian protagonist but I thought she handled it tastefully and respectfully and didn’t let that narrative drive the story. The recurring theme of sexism was more the focus and I appreciated the strength and power and humanity of Carrie.

Carrie was a complex character and not one I overly connected with, however, I loved how TJR developed her. She overcame obstacles, wore a hard shell but had a soft heart inside, and we really got to see her insecurities and drive to overcome them.

Much of the novel reminded me of the recent movie King Richard with Will Smith about Venus and Serena Williams. If you enjoyed that movie, I also definitely recommend this book!

All in all, I really enjoyed this one and absolutely recommend the audio.

Thank you to Libro.fm, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the copy of this novel.

Loved everything about this, and also love that it was released during the US Open! How cool! I know TJR fans will eat this up. Love the entire universe she's built.

Taylor Jenkins Reid needs to write faster. That's all there is to it. I have been a mega-fan for years. Evelyn Hugo drew me in. Daisy Jones sent me raving (that audio version is next-level). Malibu Rising kept me there, but Carrie Soto re-instated me as a super fan.

In typical TJR fashion, her newest release lived up to the hype. I love that her recent stories have all been in the same universe, moving through the decades and even intertwined in a lot of ways. In Carrie Soto, we spend most of the time in the 90s, which is always a fun setting.

As with all of her books, you can tell TJR did a TON of research. I feel like I learned so much about tennis with Carrie as she was growing up and getting better and better at the sport. And yes, it was a lot of tennis but in the same way the Queens Gambit is a lot of chess. Tennis is Carrie’s life, so we get the good and the bad of her obsession with the sport. I liked that the matches are relayed in a way that gives such an adrenaline rush as you follow it point by point.

My favorite part of this book is that Taylor Jenkins Reid has taken one of the most unlikable characters from Malibu Rising and helped us understand her and eventually even root for her. And not just in her tennis matches. Carrie is so ruthless and cutthroat on the court and a lot of times that can bleed into her personal life and relationships. Pretty much all of her relationships are rocky, but she has a very dedicated and lovable father who sticks by her no matter what. Their interactions bring so much heart to the story.

I can’t wait to see what’s coming next from TJR!

Book Review: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Carrie Soto is back is a novel about a champion tennis player that comes out of retirement in her late 30’s to defend her title.

Carrie Soto is a character that appeared in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2021 novel Malibu Rising. In that book Carrie was a tennis champ and the “other woman” in the main character’s high profile marriage (and split) so this reader wasn’t that sympathetic to her. Now it’s several years later (1994) and Carrie is so burned by that experience that she is no longer doing relationships. She’s retired from tennis, running a successful foundation and has the best selling celebrity endorsed sneaker when it’s announced that another female player is about to break her record. But Carrie can’t handle it and has only one choice...so she pulls her coach/father out of retirement and they are training to reenter the world of women’s tennis with her at the ripe old age of 37.

Told in a mix of sport’s reporter’s transcripts, detailed accounts of Carrie’s matches and her first person POV of life outside the court the reader gets deep understanding of both the public and inner life of a champion. I never thought I’d be interested in sport’s fiction but Carrie’s journey is fascinating and it’s only through TJR’s skill that the reader is kept engrossed despite all the technical tennis terms. Carrie’s prickly nature, dry wit and inner drive made her even more real to me and I was rooting for her, her tennis partner Bowe (who is also staging his own comeback) and her father Javier as they all three try accomplish the impossible. I laughed a lot, cried a lot and basically went on a whole emotional journey with Carrie Soto.

I highly recommend this novel about what it means to be the best and how a champion can find joy and fulfillment in the moments outside of wins.

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TJR’s latest novel is a stunner. Carrie Soto, the greatest tennis player from the 80s mounts a comeback from retirement when Nick Chan ties her record for most Grand Slam wins. Carrie will be damned if someone takes what’s hers. The title of Best Tennis Athlete of All Time.

Carrie is refreshingly blunt, sharp on the floor and off, and unapologetically herself. The novel is a love story to tennis, an unbreakable love between father and daughter and maybe even a love prospect for the protagonist. The chapters are quick reads. The characters memorable.

I was enthralled from start to finish and I liked the ending as well.

As much as I enjoyed Daisy Jones and Six and then Evelyn Hugo, I didn’t think Malibu Rising was anything special. Carrie Soto is special and might be my favorite entry in this universe.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

TJR does it again, The wasy==y that Taylor Jenkins Reid crafts characters is unparalleled to me. These characters become real people with thoughts, fears, dreams, flaws. Carrie Soto is back is a story about expectation, defiance, achievement, and legacy. It's a powerful story that gripped me from the very first page. I especially loved Carrie's relationship with her father, Javier - as someone who's incredibly close with their dad- this made me cry.