There's a whole lot of tennis in this one. Do you need to be a fan to enjoy it? Maybe. I don't follow tennis but I enjoyed this book. It's also about relationships and the drive to be the best at something, about making your mark. But there's still much more tennis! The writing flowed well and the story was well-paced. It's just WAY MORE tennis than I wanted.

Carrie Soto is Back is a stunner. Reid puts readers out on the court, experiencing the Adrenalin, the whack of the ball, and the roar of the crowds.
I read feverishly to see what would happen. I ,owed all the strategy, the competition, and the repartee between the characters.
Carrie brought back the love of competition, the internal struggle with herself, and in the end, absolution.
Brilliant writing!

“Carrie Soto is Back” the latest by Taylor Jenkins Reid is another must read by this talented author. Ried writes her books so well and convincing that you find yourself googling to see if anyone is real as they must be.

Carrie Soto was no different and may just be my favorite character written to this point. Once again a strong female lead but Carrie is a little more cold then past leading ladies by Reid. Carrie is retired from the game of tennis but as she sees her record taken she decides to reenter the competition with her dad as her coach. Carrie is strong and determined and will stop at nothing even if it means hurting people in her way to win. Carrie gets a bad reputation due to her fierceness and unfriendly personality but all that aside you can’t deny she is great at this game and deserves it all and what a journey it is to see if she can reclaim the record . I loved Carrie and her character and that ambition is unmatched.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is out August 30th , 2022 and I highly recommend picking up another smart read by Taylor Jenkin Reid. 🎾

#julesbookshelf #arc #carriesotoisback #taylorjenkinsreid #ballantinebooks #netgalley #booksofinstagram

Carrie Soto, legendary tennis champion and winner of twenty Grand Slam titles, retires from tennis as the best ever to play the sport. Six years later at the age of 37, and her record on the line, she stages a comeback. With her father and coach Javier by her side, will she be able to battle back and win another title?

Thank you so much to Penguin Randomhouse and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. As one of my (and so many others) most anticipated reads of this year I was so excited to receive a copy, and I’m thrilled to share my thoughts!

This book is . . . tennis, tennis and more TENNIS! 🎾🎾🎾🎾

The story starts when Carrie is young, and takes us through her “first act”, which although necessary, I found a bit slow. However, the excitement really picked up for me about a third of the way in when Carrie starts playing tournaments again. From that point on, I was hooked.

And there is so much I loved about this book. . . Carrie’s father and coach Javier, the love story, the sportscasters commentary, Carrie’s fierce opponents, and the many Spanish phrases (most of which I could interpret thanks to years of taking Spanish classes 🙌🏻).

This book is beautifully and captivatingly written, and if tennis is a language that you, like me, understand, it will keep you flipping through the pages. If you don’t understand tennis, you may be lost in a sea of sets, points, matches, and Slams. I’d recommend you pick this one up either way.

As usual with this Taylor Jenkins Reid, I absolutely loved this book. Very good; definitely recommend!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oh how I love the characters of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books!!!! Carrie is the best tennis player in the world! She retires and 6 years later she wants to make a comeback. Carrie starts training and honestly she is a somewhat unlikable character but you are invested in her story. Can she make a comeback after being retired for 6 years? You have to read the book to answer that question! I am not a sports person but I truly loved this book! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

at this point, i’m truly convinced that taylor jenkins reid has never written a bad book. funny enough, she’s also never written a book that hasn’t made me cry.

carrie soto is back follows carrie, a professional tennis player striving to reach the peak in her career. throughout the book, we see carrie deal with not only personal relationships, but the external relationships she has with both her competitors, and the public as a whole. we also see her come back from an injury, as she struggles with both her age and physical capabilities to reach the top of the tennis game once again.

like i said above, TJR has quite a way with crafting words in a manner that makes me sob. i loved this book dearly. i loved the relationship between carrie and her dad. i also loved the relationship between carrie and herself. seeing her grow individually as the book went on was such a joy.

thank you to both netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book. all thoughts and opinions are my own. 5/5 stars!

This is difficult for me to review. I liked the story but I didn’t like Carrie Soto. I didn’t care for her little cameo in Malibu Rising and I kind of wondered how I would feel about her in her own story.

I’ve seen a fair number of reviews calling her a bad ass female but I didn’t feel that way at all. Then by the time she started to redeem herself it was too late for me. If anyone in this story is a bad ass it’s Nicki Chan. She was more the star for me. As always it’s a well told story. My favorite still is Evelyn Hugo, now that’s a bad assed women.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a early copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Carrie Soto is a senior citizen in terms of professional tennis at the ripe age of 37, but when her Slam title record os threatened she decides it’s time to come out of retirement and defend her record. Many people think it’s a joke and she will never be able to do it, but her father and coach believes in her and agrees to get her ready for the competition…even those that are half her age. Can Carrie actually win after being out of the game? Will she be able to handle it if she loses? More importantly will she be able to learn to love herself and maybe even open herself up to someone else to be loved?

TJR has become a must read author for me! I love all her books and this one is no exception! I could care less about tennis most of the time, but Reid makes it seem like the most intriguing thing in the world! Fantastic story and I highly recommend picking this one up!

Review will be posted on 8/25/22
Readers of Malibu Rising may remember Carrie Soto, an accomplished tennis player. This book dives into her life and her tennis career. It starts with Carrie as a child, living with her father, Javier, who also lives and breathes tennis. He used to have a successful tennis career, but is now coaching and instructing at clubs. He has big plans for Carrie and even as a child, she is determined to be the best. As the years go by, she finds much success (thanks to her commitment and determination) and Carrie and her father have always made the greatest team. Fast forward many years later, Carrie is a retired tennis player and holds the record for winning the most Grand Slams. But then comes along a much younger Nicki Chan who might very well break her record. Carrie decides to come out of retirement to defend her record, along with her father as her coach. Carrie has always been a fierce competitor, not to mention her difficult personality, so will people root for her comeback? And quite simply, at thirty-seven, can Carrie even do it? Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a phenomenal sports book, but even readers who don't enjoy tennis will be sucked in by this unputdownable novel.

I really liked Carrie Soto in Carrie Soto is Back. I know she can be brash, difficult, a sore loser, and brutally honest, but I liked that about her. I enjoyed her determination and resilience. Reid created such an interesting character and one that felt so real that I found myself trying to google Carrie. She has to be real, right? Maybe not, but Reid really brings it when it comes to character development. Carrie practically leaped off the page. As the years go by, she reconnects with fellow tennis player Bowe and I really enjoyed their relationship and watching it progress, especially as they started training together. Lastly, Carrie's relationship with her dad was a memorable one and truly tugged on my heartstrings. I adored his coaching and his perspective on things.

Reid must have done a ton of research regarding tennis or she must be an avid tennis player herself, because I felt like I was watching a tennis match when I was reading Carrie Soto is Back. It was so real, so immersive, that it made me want to dust off my old racket and get back out there. It's never too late, right? I don't know how she does it, but Reid took a sports book and made it so much more. So, you don't need to enjoy tennis or be a sports fan to appreciate Carrie's journey.

Carrie Soto is Back is one of my favorite books of the summer, as well as the year. At this point, I'll read anything Reid writes; she is one of the best writers of our time. So, are you a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid? Do you plan on reading Carrie Soto is Back? Are you a tennis fan? Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved Malibu Rising, so I was thrilled when I heard about Carrie Soto. I immediately wished for it and was lucky enough my wish was granted. Sadly, I wanted to love this book, but TJR didn't have to make Carrie a Latinx woman. I don't want to assume her background, but I believe she had this issue with Evelyn Hugo as well. This story was stunning, but Carrie could've been a white woman and it would've done just as well. It didn't sit right with me that this was about the BIPOC struggles, to an extent, and if you aren't one, you can't know their struggles. I wish I could've loved this, unfortunately, I can't.

I thought this book was incredible. TJR never fails to amaze me. She writes such in-depth characters in such a short amount of time. I feel all the emotions they feel tenfold. She is incredibly good at creating a whole new world with amazing characters in her books. She just knows how to connect with her readers. I am an athlete, so I resonate with the feeling of living up to your expected potential. The pressure to be the best, to never settle for less. I love how throughout this book Carrie learned how she did not have to be the best, that she was the best she could already be. Sometimes all that matters is how the people who love you perceive you. This was a 5 star read. Well done! I was kindly given an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

Carrie Soto is the most accomplished woman in tennis, having shattered every record to date. Now in retirement in 1994, Carrie watches as a new player, Nicki Chan, defeats her record. Determined to show that she is still the best, Carrie comes out of retirement to reclaim her record.

I read this as an audiobook and the narrator was terrific! The majority of the story is told from Carrie’s first-person perspective, with other voice actors adding perspectives as sports commentators and reading newspaper articles. I liked this style. It allowed the reader to see Carrie’s perspective, as well as see the way the world viewed Carrie.

Carrie is an incredibly competitive woman. The main plot of the story hinges on Carrie watching another woman come close to beating her record, and her feeling compelled to come out of retirement to keep her record as the best female tennis player in the world. At first, I was annoyed by Carrie’s single-minded determination to win, but as I got to know her, and watched her relationship with her father, I started to understand her. I love that Carrie is so unapologetic about her success, even as others expect her to act as though she happened on it by accident. I loved watching Carrie start to find joy in tennis the way she hadn’t when she first started to play and was solely focused on being the best.

At its heart, Carrie Soto is Back is a father-daughter story. Javier, Carrie’s father is responsible for her love of tennis and was her coach for many years. I loved watching the dynamic between the two of them as Carrie starts to play tennis, and when Carrie comes out of retirement, and the difference in how Javier coaches her both times. Watching their relationship brought me to tears at many points throughout the story.

I highly recommend this story to lovers of character-driven stories. Even if you are not a sports fan, there’s something here for you!

Amazing!!! From the first word until the last, this book had it all!! This book opens with Carrie Soto in the stands watching her record of most tennis Grand Slams be broken. Carrie is in her late 30's and with her father by her side, she decides to come out of retirement to try and take her record back. Those 4 Grand Slams are The Australian Open, The French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. The book takes you from Carries early childhood and through these 4 tournaments to see if she can take her record back. Along the way she learns more about tennis, but also much more about her life and herself. You may find it hard to deal with Carrie at first, but by the end of the book you will be cheering Carrie on! There are also a lot of underlying themes in this book that TJR does an amazing job of dealing with. Loved, loved, loved this book!! 5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Ballantine Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Carrie Soto Is Back
Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.5 ⭐️

TJR serves up an absolute Ace! How do you do it? How did you make me love a book about tennis!? A sport I have no interest in, and know very little about, yet I was all in. I loved everything about it. Evelyn Hugo will always have my heart, but Carrie just became my #2 TJR bestie.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a master story teller. She fully immerses you into it and gives you these *chefs kiss* authentic characters that you legitimately want to google because you swear they have to be real. Seriously, she’s that good. This story was no different. It was powerful and so captivating. I wasn’t sure with the whole tennis theme, but it engaged me right away and kept me throughly in it’s grips. It had this amazing depth to it, so many emotions, and some of the best side characters.

I loved Carrie, “the Battle Axe”. Even though she’s kind of hard to love with her “be the best at all costs” mentality, I totally loved her. I think that anyone who has ever played a sport will absolutely relate to her. She was fierce, competitive, and her relationship with her father Javi gave me all the feels. I loved watching the progress of her life and her career from begging to end.

What I loved;
🎾 Strong female protagonist
🎾 Tennis (never thought I’d say that)
🎾 Father/daughter relationship
🎾 Comeback/redemption story

This was definitely high up on my list of my anticipated summer reads and it did NOT disappoint.

Carrie Soto Is Back publishes August 30, 2022 and it’s a absolute must read!!

I was so incredibly excited for the opportunity to be an early reader. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

While I am usually a Taylor Jenkins Reid fan, Carrie Soto is Back was not for me. I could not connect with Carrie at all. I tried to push through for the entire book because I do not like to leave my ARCs unfinished but it was completely difficult. I am currently on 65% and will return to it to finish it before the publication day but need some space from Carrie at the moment.

While Carrie is a strong female character, who really has a love for the sport of tennis, I felt that she was not growing as a person. Her attitude was not only cocky but arrogant. Perhaps this was to show that women can also behave this way in sports, which I completely agree with, but the way that Carrie came off was a little extra.

I know that I am in the ;minority with this book and mine is an unpopular opinion. I have heard many rave reviews about Carrie and hope that my rereading of this book will have the same affect for me.

This book reads exactly like a fast-paced tennis match. Deep balls, short balls, blistering aces, quick points, and extended rallies. I could not put it down, driven by a gripping sense of match-like momentum to see how Carrie's comeback would pan out. To me, she's still not a super likeable character, but she is absolutely one to be admired and respected, and watching her growth as a player and a person was gripping. I found myself tearing up and breaking out in chills and cheering as if I were on the sidelines at the U.S. Open. And as I do at the end of every TJR book, I marveled to myself, "How are these not REAL people?"

One of my favorites of Taylor's. A good story about a topic I knew very little about -- made this non-athlete care about tennis!

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my most anticipated new releases of the year, and I was thrilled to get an ARC! Happy to say it does not disappoint!

The novel focuses on Carrie, a legendary professional tennis player who sees her records being broken by a new tennis star and comes out of retirement at 37 to try to reclaim them. The book is very character driven and gives us a look at what it takes physically and mentally for Carrie to make her come back.
While the plot is focused heavily on tennis, this is also a story about fathers and daughters. Carrie has a beautiful relationship with her father and coach, Javier. Javier is Carrie's biggest fan, tennis guru, and visionary coach, but most importantly, he is her devoted and loving father. Their dynamic is really at the heart of this book.
TJR is a compelling storyteller and made me care deeply about an intense character whose entire focus is on tennis and winning, even though I know very little about the sport. We see Carrie navigate a feat that takes incredible physical and mental endurance. Her character grows and matures as she perseveres despite sexism in the sport, fame and press coverage, changes in her life, injuries, and aging. So I could not stop turning the pages on Carrie's gripping comeback story and rooting for her.
The fantastic world-building in every TJR book is on display here, too, and there are some fun crossover mentions. Carrie Soto herself was first mentioned in Malibu Rising. Excellent world-building, vivid characters, and a magnetic romance round out this memorable book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for the gifted ARC. I loved it!

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a brilliant book! I love how so many people will be able to relate to Carrie Soto. While her life revolves around tennis, I feel anyone can replace tennis with their own passion. It is also relatable with her relationship with her father after her mother's death. She was trying to connect with him and tennis became their thing. Let's be honest, I don't think this author can write anything wrong. She has a way of bringing the words on paper to life!