As usual, Taylor Jenkins Reid writes a novel that somehow manages to hit so many emotions! Carrie Soto is an aging tennis champion trying to make a comeback to ensure her records aren't broken. She is mending her relationship with her father and again alienating opponents in the locker room and in the media.

In this novel, I was so impressed with Reid's knowledge of tennis. That information somehow really added to the story and created more depth. Carrie's troubled relationships with everyone in her life also seemed very realistic for someone in the spotlight like she was. And the little bits of insight from the sports commentators in the book were a great touch and really dove into women, aging, attitude, and how it intersects with sports. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and cannot wait to see what Taylor Jenkins Reid comes out with next!

First reading through it, I enjoyed the book. After further reflection once I finished the book, however, I realized that no matter how much I enjoyed the material, I don’t believe it’s right for TJR to profit off writing main character POCs.

I usually love Taylor Jenkins Reid's characters and the story she weaves around them. Unfortunately, this is not the case with Carrie Sote Is Back. Carrie is a retired , former Grand Slam tennis star whose record is threatened by an up and coming young player. At 37, Carrie wants to get back into the game, and works hard with her former coach who happens to be her beloved father. The premise is promising, but I could not garner any interest in the characters. They were bland and the story was a bit predictable. The plot lacked the depth of Reid's previous works.

"People act like you can never forget your own name, but if you're not paying attention, you can veer so incredibly far away from everything you know about yourself to the point where you stop recognizing what they call you."

Six years after retirement, Carrie Soto Is Back. After dominating the tennis world and earning the title of best in the game, Soto retired with 20 slam titles. After she watches her record be broken by Nikki Chan in the US Open, she knows it's time to come back and reclaim her status.
Now at thirty-seven, Soto is training and playing in a body that is nothing like it was before. Her and her trainer/dad, Javier, are determined to go through all 4 events to win more slams...and everyone is watching.

This book is stunning. Reid has a beautiful way of writing about human experience that has you questioning if these people are truly fictional. We were given a character that is not traditionally likeable, but I loved her flaws and all. From the beginning, we know that Carrie's true passion is winning in tennis, and she owns her wins with nothing but pride, and unashamed superiority. Her ego and lethality on the court earned her the title of "battle axe" and even so far as to be called a bitch several times throughout the book.
Some men's childhoods are permitted to last forever, but women are so often reminded that there is work to be done."

What I love most about Soto is that her unlikable status doesn't phase her. We know who she is right from the start, as does everyone. But she's a powerhouse and thrilling to see her accomplishments (even though this is fictional, you still get extremely invested). The harder the game gets for her, we have to see her coming to terms with losing, and deciding what this is all for.

There is a touch of romance in this book, and while I love Bowe, the best relationship in this book is not doubt that between Carrie and Javier. Reid understands what happens when a child pushes themselves to be the prodigy their parent projects them to be. Carrie's identity and happiness was contingent on her wins, and it strained all relationships in her life. Javi's pure love and pride in his daughter kept him right by her side, ready to help her accomplish exactly what she wanted, but also to undo the walls she built around herself. These two made me weep. So much beauty and heartbreak, and I loved every single word.

This is a very character driven book. Carrie, Javier, Bowe, Gwen, and even Nikki, will capture your heart. Soto is a strong, almost always abrasive, and determined woman; but you have no choice but to love and cheer for her through it all. Bowe is exactly the kind of supporting man you'd pick for a character like Soto. He is support, and kindness, and patience.

I will 100% admit that this is intensely tennis focused, but even if you know nothing about the sport (like myself) or don't even care about sports, this is worth a read. There is so much heart in every training, every game, every win, and every loss. It goes beyond tennis.

This story is for people who have been told they are "too much" or "too loud" or "too proud". TJR fans will no doubt love this, and of course we get our character easter eggs. Helloooo Nina Riva, and good bye Mick Riva!!! I cannot wait for this book to be out in the world, you will no doubt cheer, smile, and sob your way through this.

Thank you so much Netgalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

↠ 5 stars

Breath-taking! I didn’t think Taylor Jenkins Reid could do any better and then she takes you by surprise — much like Carrie…

The main character is everything I love and more in an MC! Carrie Soto has drive, determination, and pure will power to be the best tennis player the game has every seen. In short, she kicks ass (and yes she takes names too). But this book is about soooooo much more than a badass tennis player setting world records… it deals with family, mental toughness, grief, acceptance, and the importance of relationships.

This story fueled my inner child who had massive dreams of being an Olympic athlete one day (but was actually terrible at all sports). I was living through Carrie’s experiences. I was cheering her on every step of the way and cussing out all the reporters talking shit about her attitude just because she wasn’t a people-pleaser…

Honestly I don’t know what else to say except this is a MUST read for literally EVERYONE!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC!

I am a huge TJR fan and let me tell you this book did not disappoint. Honestly, when I first heard about this book I was like.. tennis? But I was instantly hooked. I don’t know much about tennis and this made me wanna go pick up a racket. It was so refreshing to have a main character that not everyone loves. Sticks up for her self and is SO dedicated to something she loves. The heartwarming relationship between Carrie and her father was so incredible to read. Also Carries relationship with fellow tennis players and the health competition between her and Chan. I loved how they hated but also enjoyed how much they disliked/ loved playing each other. Not all stories have the picture perfect endings and this book is exactly that. But the ending is great in a different sense? I would definitely recommend this book and just about anything else that Taylor Jenkin Reid writes.

TJR does it again! I completely ate up Carrie Soto. While I don't know a lot about tennis, I felt as though I was immersed in a whole new world, full of action, drama, and the like. Carrie is definitely that bitch and reading her comeback story was just amazing. I loved her relationship with her father, her determination to really push through and prove herself even though she was out of the sport for a while, and I though TJR did a great job on the sports scenes. Even though the tennis jargon was heavy, I never felt like I was falling behind because I didn't know the terminology. But read this gosh darn book. It was amazing.

This is definitely a book about tennis...

This is not the best TJR book I've ever read but it's not a terrible book by any means. As usual, the author manages to hook you into the character's story and it is often times exhilarating to follow Carrie's career, game by game. However, my issues with this book lie that it is filled with nothing but tennis. There is barely any romance, no plot (other than tennis), no diving into side characters' stories, and no satisfying ending (it literally ends in a cliffhanger). That said, there were some good moments and it was interesting to watch Carrie grow, but I just felt like I needed a little something more than just Carrie and tennis.

Carrie is probably one of my favorite of TJR’s characters, a brash and unapologetic woman going after what she wants. It was wonderful to read her emotional arc through the book, and I also always love the small nods to TJR’s previous books in her works.

A hard hitting, tell them like it is character makes this a solid four stars. Carrie Soto is a take charge, get out of my way and move woman! You either love or hate her. This was a fast pace story of win or lose. I love Carrie Soto!

Thank you NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid. Though she is out of my usual reading genre, I always look for her books and enjoy them. Reid can bring out emotions in me that I don’t like to expose. She is a dowsing rod for tears.
Carrie Soto Is Back is not like any other Reid story. The romance in the story takes a back seat to tennis competitions and the father daughter relationship. Unfortunately, so much of the book was tennis, that I was bored most of the time. Every match, play, point made in a career was put out on the pages. As someone who does not regularly enjoy sports, this was really disappointing.
The father/ daughter and coach/ student relationships were the only real emotion in the book. But they weren’t everything. I didn’t feel all in for any of it. They were way overshadowed by Soto’s competitiveness and drive.
I wanted to love this book. I read the whole book, hoping it would get better, but it never did. It won’t stop me from loving Reid though.

This book will definitely be in my top 10 for the year! How does TJR continue to bring us such rich and diverse stories that grab our heartstrings and make us feel so deeply? How can she take a competitive and unlikable character and make us root for her, grieve for her, hope for her? How can she make a book almost seem like a memoir about a tennis champ’s comeback and make us understand and appreciate the game? How can she continue to captivate us so that we find ourselves at 2am finishing it because it is the final heated match and we NEED to know who wins? Well that last one was just me!

I did grow up in the tennis world so this book was a nostalgic walk down memory lane watching the fierce, real life competition of Chrissy Evert, Billie Jean King, and Martina Navratilova. I played competitively in local tournaments so I do understand the game. Just know that in TJR’s capable and skilled hands, the rules and nuances of tennis are so perfectly and subtly executed that even someone who has never picked up a racket or watched Wimbledon will understand.

And this story is so much more! It is the making of a world champion and the toll that takes on her emotionally and physically. It is a sweet, inside glimpse of a father and daughter and the precious bond they share navigating the years of the tennis circuit. It is a love story for a woman who has dedicated her life to being the best, escaping her grief and denying herself the one thing we all long for; to love and be loved by another. This book was exciting, it broke me, and it made me whole again. It is a masterpiece!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC; it was my pleasure to read and review. This book will be available for purchase on August 30, 2022 and you can preorder now!

There is something about Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing that makes it nearly impossible for me to put it down whenever I pick it up. I loved DAISY JONES & THE SIX, I loved MALIBU RISING, and I knew that I would probably love CARRIE SOTO IS BACK. Which I did. I didn't remember that we had met Carrie Soto in MALIBU RISING, and once I realized who she was I had to go back and reread some parts to get a sense of who we were dealing with. I gotta say, Reid has made a deeply unlikable side character into someone I was fully rooting for in this new novel. I loved the exploration of sexism in sports, the portrayal of a need to succeed ahead of all else, and how Soto is still true to her perfectionist and abrasive self while becoming incredibly well rounded and vulnerable. I also loved her partnership and romance with Bowe, a McEnroe-esque character who is also trying to make the most of the end of his career while trying to keep his temper in check. There is just so much I loved about this book.

CARRIE SOTO IS BACK is another fantastic book by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It is sure to please those who love her already, and to ensnare others who haven't discovered her yet.

Seriously. TJR can literally do no wrong.

I don’t like tennis.
I don’t like *most* character driven novels.
Carrie isn’t all that like-able.
But, you know what? I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

TJR has a way of writing fiction that feels so incredibly real! She had me invested in this journey from the start. Much like Daisy and Evelyn, she writes flawed, confident, hardworking women that you can not help but to root for! This book is another reminder of the double standard of the expectations of what a woman “should be”.

🎾 Carrie. Bad ass, “battle axe”, determined, focused, strong, hard working. I loved being along for her journey of personal and professional growth.
🎾 Her Dad. Oh, my heart. I loved him. I loved their relationship.

I guarantee you will do a google search to make sure Carrie isn’t actually real. And then you’ll want to watch some tennis.

I enjoyed this installment of Taylor Jenkins Reid's much more than the previous, Malibu Rising. I really enjoyed having the insight of Carrie's father and I really did like Carrie. Despite the fact she was a bitch, I do feel like this actually portrays what people who have fame sometimes act. She showed us that she was human, having different emotions including the bad ones. I feel like too often authors shy away from writing a main character that is not 100% likeable and I really enjoy the Reid always includes flaws with her characters. As usual, the story telling is immaculate and just like with every other one of her novels, I felt like I was right there in the book.

Not my favorite of Reid’s books, but a darn good one nonetheless. A riveting read for fans of tennis especially, Carrie Soto is Back is more about finding strength within yourself/accepting you are more than what you do, rather than a love story (though there is love, and it’s a pleasure to watch it grow). Recommend

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a must-buy author for me, but this book had so much tennis information, it read more like a non-fiction than fiction book. I like learning about new things, but this felt like force-fed tennis information into what should have been a book about the relationship between Carrie and her father. I enjoyed the story as a whole, but I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they had a deep interest in tennis or learning about tennis. The audiobook was exceptionally done.

Wow, normally I don't care about tennis but this book made me care so much. Carrie's journey and character arc throughout this story is inspiring. TJR has the incredible ability to make complex characters that you can't help but fall in love with, and she has done it here again with Carrie and those that surround her, even her tennis rival, Nicki Chan.

I did not think she could top Evelyn, but with Carrie Taylor Jenkins Reid has done just that.

Carrie Soto is Back is masterful. Carrie’s sheer force of will is incredible. She’s rough and mean, driven by a ferocity to win. She plays hard, is driven by ego, but it’s well derserved.

The changes in her life in just one year …. It’s a beautiful journey.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC to read and review.

If you like tennis at all, this book is a lot of fun. Carrie is hard to like at first, but her matches had me on the edge of my seat. This book gives you all the feels of rooting for your favorite player to win. Overall this was a fun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.