She had done it, folks@ This, by far, is my favorite TJR book to date. 5 stars!! If you have read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising then you MUST pickup Carrie Soto is Back.

Carrie Soto is the greatest female tennis player of all time, until her record of winning 20 slams is threatened. Carrie decides to come out of retirement at the age of 37 to defend her title. She fights her way back and surprises almost everyone. Even at 37 Carrie has a lot to learn about herself, and the sport of tennis. This book has it all; the highest highs and the lowest lows. Go out and get a copy when it is released 08/30/22, you will not be dissapointed!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for an honest review - all thoughts are my own. I last saw Carrie in Malibu Rising and I am glad to see her get her own story. I love all the tennis in this book as I am an avid fan and player. Loved this book and Carries world.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of “Carrie Soto is Back.” I really love the voice and style of books by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Since I have read Malibu Rising, I was inclined to not like Carrie due to her role in that book, however I must say within the first few chapters my opinion of her did a 180° turn. I loved the relationship between Carrie and her dad Javi. His unconditional love for his daughter while being her coach reminded me of my own dad. I also loved how Carrie was unapologetic for expressing her opinions without sugarcoating them. She went against the notion that women have to speak eloquently while in public and believed that we don’t have to smile to make someone else feel better. I thought the media transcripts also worked well. Having played tennis for enjoyment since I was a teen and having watched a lot of the majors over the years, I was easily able to connect with the plot and Carrie. I would love to see her come up in a future book!

I'm embarrassed to admit this is my first TJR read. I think I was worried with all they hype that I would end up being disappointed. Fortunately, this was fantastic read and you can now count me as a TJR fan!

Carrie Soto Is Back is written in such a fast pace that you are carried to the end without realizing that the book will actually have an ending. Loved the pacing, loved the timeline, and loved the honest way that a parent/child relationship is portrayed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

I’m a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan. Her stories and characters epitomize all that is California Cool. Carrie Soto Is Back is a tennis lover’s dream. The first part of the book is heavy on the game of tennis and all that goes in to the making of a superstar. Carrie is on a quest to be the greatest champion ever and then she stages a comeback after retiring. Carrie is a great character and the book is entertaining, but I didn’t enjoy her as much as Evelyn or Daisy (my all-time favorite TJR character). It’s a fun summer read and as always, I’ll be eagerly awaiting to see what TJR writes next.

3.5 stars rounded up…

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow! I could not put this book down! I legitimately could not care less about sports but I do love me a good sports movie, and apparently a sports novel. TJR has made me look at tennis in a whole new way. I honestly never knew or considered that there was strategy involved in the game. This was just such a great comeback story, but even more than that a great story about love—all the forms of love. There was not a single major character in this book that I didn’t love. If it isn’t made into a movie, it will be a damn shame. I loved all the 80s and 90s references, and especially the nod to Daisy Jones and the Six. I think that one is still my favorite in this universe TJR has created, but I am feeling a strong pull to re-read it to be sure. Overall, this was the perfect summer read! It comes out at the end of the month, so be sure pre-order it! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity.

Taylor Jenkins Reid really is something else. She's never written a bad book (IMO) - even the one I didn't LOVE was still a four-star read... and I'm even thinking of rereading via audio to see if my opinion changes!

This book was fascinating. I wasn't totally excited from reading the premise - a tennis player? Not interested really. I completely forgot that she was a very small side character in another book of TJR's too. It took me a long time before I realized all of the Mick Riva connections between her newer stories. He sucks but what a fun tie-in between everything. Her historical fiction books have been so lovely lately!

Carrie Soto is a badass tennis pro. She's broken all the records and had a great career until she slowed down and retired after some bad matches and a downward spiral (ability-wise). She and her father are sitting at the tennis match when Nikki Chan, the newest phenom, breaks Carrie's record (I had to double check this because none of the tennis information stuck in my brain)... and Carrie promptly unretires to win it back. She's 37 years old and has been retired for 5+ years but feels like she needs to get it back.

The story centers around her comeback, with a good section at the beginning going through her early career pre-retirement, as she competes in all of the major Opens. It was fascinating and felt SO true to live when TJR included commentary and snippets from Tennis broadcasters or news articles about her return. Carrie had a reputation for being a bit of a bitch during her reign and people did not let her forget it. The "Battle-Axe" was back and taking no prisoners. Everyone judged her about something and doubted her ability to do it.

Carrie was an interesting character though - she was fierce as hell. She was also very closed off emotionally for a lot of reasons. She could be harsh and brutal, even to those she loved (like her father - who was also her coach). Sometimes I did think it was a little too much, like she needed more socialization at an early age to help her learn how to communicate with people (lol). She just didn't care and I kind of loved it. She started training with an old flame Bowe Huntley because he was the only one interested in working with her and/or not afraid of her. He's at the very end of his career and wanted to make one last splash/tournament run, and he believes training with Carrie is the way to do it. They could relate to each other in some ways and she had to get used to being a normal human around him. You can imagine what happens from there and I really loved how Bowe interacted with Carrie's dad.

I would say that my 4.5 star rating is mostly based on two factors. This didn't come away on fully equal footing to some of my favorites by her. It just didn't give me the vibes of an all-time favorite. Also, there's a LOOOOT of technical tennis stuff happening in this one. I appreciate that it was fully necessary to go through all of the vocab words, so to speak, to keep it authentic and TJR either knows a lot about tennis and/or did a ton of research... but it was a bit skimmable at times. Some matches I just breezed through to see the very end result. 

All in all, this was another major winner by TJR for me. There were quite a few predictable moments but not really in a bad way. It had all the feels too.

Here’s the thing: Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors and Evelyn Hugo is one of my top 5 books, so I had some high expectations when going into Carrie Soto Is Back. Let me just say: this book exceeded all of my expectations.

This book follows Carrie Soto, who after being labeled one of the best tennis players in the world in the 80s decided to come out of retirement years later to defend her title. This book follows Carrie’s rise in the tennis world, her retirement, and then finally her training and defending her title as the player with the most Grand Slams.

What I liked: Carrie’s character development was one of the best that I have read in a long time. When I first started the book I absolutely could not stand her. Her need in her younger years to become the best became who she was to the point that it was all she was. Carrie’s growth as an adult was beautiful to read as she comes to term with everything around. The writing in this book was exceptional and the side characters really aided in us to see Carrie’s impact on the world around her. Carrie is a character that no matter how much she makes you want to yell at her, you cannot help but cheer her on.

To keep in mind: I truly could not find anything I did not like in this book. The time splits were the perfect amount and helped you gain an understanding of why Carrie needed to come out of retirement. The ending scene was fantastic provided perfect closure to Carrie’s story.

Rating: Just go read the book as soon as it comes out August 30. This book is definitely one of my favorites by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Game…set…match! Having never played tennis this amazing read made me feel like I was Carrie Soto, dealing with a full range of emotions that gifted athletes must experience. It brought the world of tennis alive to me and brought to my mind’s forefront exactly how much takes place in an athlete’s mind as they prepare and play the game. I feel as though I watched Carrie grow up in the pages of this book. The relationship with her dad, Javier, made me both laugh and cry, and the tribute at the US Open brought tears to my eyes. His notebook was such a symbol of his love and faith in Carrie. And her relationship with Bowe was so heartfelt.
Taylor Jenkins Reid has the amazingly rare ability to make the reader feel such strong emotions by the way she uses words. She doesn’t tell the reader things as much as she shows the reader through the characters words and actions. She makes her characters living breathing beings that become part of your family and linger in the corners of your mind for a long time. With each incredible book my appreciation of her unbelievable skills as an author continues to grow.
Many many thanks and much admiration to the amazingly gifted Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for affording me the absolute pleasure of having the opportunity to read an arc of Carrie Soto is Back. I can guarantee this will show up in movie theaters soon. Don’t miss this unforgettable read.

Loved this book. This author is fast becoming one of my favorites. A fascinating look into the world of tennis.

Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong. Carrie is a difficult protagonist to like but TJR makes you find it in your heart to understand and root for her. Brava.

This was a true delight of a read. I'm already sad it's over and that I don't get to spend more time with Carrie Soto. As a big fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books and tennis, I was pre-disposed to enjoy this but I can also wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a swiftly paced book and a complicated main character who nonetheless is someone you will root for. Perfect for a beach read! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book and the involvement of a character from her last book. No, you do not need to read it first (Malibu Rising). This is the story about a professional tennis player on her climb to number one, her retirement, and coming out of retirement at age 37. Since Carrie's father's first language is spanish, it helps to understand spanish, there's a lot of spanish comments from her father in the book without the english translation. You can deduce what he is saying but I liked knowing exactly what was being said. I also liked all the detailed tennis talk since I play. Coaching strategies for beating her opponents is very prevalent in this story. Reading about the hubris, type A personalities, and perseverance of sport professionals and their attitude towards winning is unmatched. I liked the behind the scenes viewpoint into the thoughts and feelings of sports professionals who are both loved and hated by the public at the same time. A lot of this story is about the effect this has on Carrie.

I'm a latecomer to the Taylor Jenkins Reid train, but honestly, I get it, y'all. Her writing is just deeply compelling in a "sit down to start a new book, look up and somehow hours have passed and you finished it without noticing" kind of way. I gobbled up her last few books this way, and happily dove in for more with Carrie Soto Is Back.

The funny thing to me about just how *good* this book is, is that it's like 75% tennis match play-by-play, and I know absolutely nothing about tennis (you hit a ball back and forth, Serena Williams is the best at it, that's the extent of my knowledge). Nor have I ever cared to learn more, until now. But that incredibly engaging quality in TJR's writing works even on the details of a sport I've never followed before - the matches described are just as exciting as any thriller's murderous chase.

Most of all, though, this book is about Carrie Soto herself. And Carrie Soto is a force to be reckoned with, a powerhouse of a character, compelling both on and off the court. She's right up there with Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones, and the whole Riva family - fascinating, flawed characters, simultaneously larger than life and fundamentally true to life. Carrie, in all her brash, messy glory, is a marvelous center to a book that is thinner on supporting characters than the previous books in this TJR expanded universe. Less of an ensemble, then, and less total *plot* in some ways, but the straightforward highs and lows of a sports story at its best is plenty of drama - and Carrie Soto is more than enough of a star to pull it off.

Hell yes, Carrie Soto is back!

I have no clue how TJR does it, but I have yet to read a book from her that I wasn’t completely engrossed in. Her historical fiction is pure magic, and this book somehow made me want to start playing tennis.

After a brief cameo in Malibu Rising, I knew I instantly wanted to read this book when it came out. Carrie’s backstory, and fight she had to go through to make it to the top is incredible. I wouldn’t say that she was a likable character for me, but I shed tears for her at the end of the book which was unexpected.

Here’s what you can expect from Carrie Soto Is Back:

• Family drama
• Lots of tennis
• Snippets of Daisy Jones, Evelyn Hugo, and a recap of the affair with Brandon from Malibu Rising
• Heart pounding moments in anticipation
• Strong female character
• Death of a loved one
• Sexism and misogyny
• Some Spanish speaking throughout the book
• On again, off again romance

I will definitely be adding this to my library once it is officially released!

**thank you so much to Random House, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest review**

Guess who’s back, back again. Carrie’s back, tell a friend…

But no seriously, consider cluing in all you bookish friends that CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s newest novel, is coming out August 30th!

Full disclosure, I was a little afraid this would be the first TJR book I didn’t like after reading the blurb description. I mean, I’m far from a sports fan, and then factor in that Carrie is not the most likable of character in her Malibu Rising appearance. Well….I was wrong! Do you hear me? I was SO wrong. As with every other TJR novel this is one you will not want to put down. Not only will it have you liking Carrie as a character, it will have you rooting for her as she attempts her professional tennis comeback to hold on to record.

Make sure to watch out for this book when it hits shelves at the end of the month!

Thank you to both Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for the chance to read an ARC copy!

Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way of writing that makes me forget these women are fiction. It happened with Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and now Carrie Soto. TJR does a fantastic job of describing the action on the court that it felt like I had watched Soto win Grand Slam after Grand Slam in the the mid-80s.

I've always loved the long-form features at the back of Sports Illustrated and Carrie Soto is Back completely feels like a book that started as one of an SI feature. It's a fantastic comeback story. I didn't read Malibu Rising so I was new to Carrie Soto and her reputation on and off the tennis court. If you aren't a sports fan or a gen x reader you might not find this book as immersive and nostalgic as I did.

Highly recommend.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

REVIEW - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 🌟

Every time that an author that I love writes a new book, I get nervous. Will it be as wonderful as the others? I fell in love with the works of Taylor Jenkins Reid when we were introduced to Evelyn Hugo. Since then, Daisy Jones and Nina Riva have become friends with whom we share a history. And now, here is Carrie Soto. Can she live up to the level of former TJR protagonists?

Synopsis: On the cusp of having her record for the most grand slams in tennis overturned, Carrie Soto decides to return to the game for one year to play four tournaments - and regain her prominence in the sport that has defined her life. If successful, not only would she regain her title for most wins, she would also be the oldest woman to win a grand slam title. Partnered with her father/coach, she embarks on the quest of her life and takes us all with her.

In the beginning, I was frustrated at the rapid rate of progression. I wanted it to slow down, give more detail. I wanted to know Carrie better. She wasn’t a likable character and deserved her nickname - the “Battle Axe”. If time would just slow down, let me get more in her head, in her emotions, would I start to like her more? But when you get into the year of her return to tennis it all makes sense. You get to know the woman she has become. And by the end of the book, you feel you know and understand her. Unveiled slowly, you feel her grow.

I love the release date, as the US Open is a pivotal setting in the novel and the 2022 Open begins August 29, the day before publication day! I would pair this amazing read with a Honey Deuce, the official cocktail of the US Open. You don’t have to play tennis to love this novel. (But I do, and it makes me love it even more…)

Publication date is August 30, 2022

Note: Thank you to Taylor Jenkins Reid, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars for a TJR?! Who am I?

I want to first and foremost acknowledge that maybe I just wasn’t in a good reading headspace this week with some family member health issues - but even at that, this story just didn’t hook me like her others. Carrie was supremely unlikeable for the majority of the book, and I just… do not care about tennis. So really, while the writing was flawless, as we’ve all come to expect from TJR - there just wasn’t enough to keep me invested in any capacity.

I switched to the audio at 70% and ultimately, that grabbed me more and made it easier to finish. Even with that, I kept thinking - this narrator gives WAY more life and likability to Carrie than she’s written - so is that why I enjoyed it more? Who knows - but the full cast audio is fun.

After sitting with it for a bit, I realized I feel similarly about Carrie Soto as I did about Malibu Rising last summer. Just… detached. I love me some early backlist TJR and truly, Evelyn and Daisy were masterpieces. But this one just didn’t do it for me the same way, and I am supremely bummed. I know I’m the outlier, and I’m sure this book will be for many readers. But for me, it didn’t quite live up to the hype.

My thanks for netgalley, Libro.fm and the publisher for a chance to read multiple formats ahead of pub date!

As a huge tennis fan and player I was very excited Taylor Jenkins Reid new book was all about tennis. It's a page turner about a tennis player Carrie Soto who has twenty major titles to her name and a younger player is at the brink to break her record. Carrie decides to get back into the game even though she is 37. She eneters only the majors so she can get to 21. This may all sound familiar to tennis fans but it's more than just a book about tennis. It's about family relationships, goals that you want to reach and why you want to reach them, and respect that women have and sometimes not have for each other. There is also a love story too. I don't wantt to give much more away of the story. You'll have to read it for yourself and see whether she achieves her 21 titles and truly becomes the greatest tennis player in the world! This book will also be in everybody's book clubs so get your copy on preorder!! Thank you to #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for the read.