Do not know anything or care anything about tennis and I loved this. Carrie Soto forever. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review,

It's like this book was written for me. As a current tennis player I was excited for this read when I heard it was about a tennis queens comeback. Being 43, my prime tennis days are unfortunately behind me, so I could relate strongly to how much harder it is to be at the top when your body doesn't want to do the things it used to and you're playing against people half your age. As I read it, yes there was a lot of tennis, but the story had so much more to give the reader and that's consistently what makes TJR books shine for me.

This book is about the high cost of being the best. The loneliness at the top. The comments, the critique, the judgement, and yeah, the little bit of jealousy of onlookers, commentators, and other players. The toll it takes on personal relationships when you give your absolute all to training and all your focus is on this one singular thing. It's also about the love between a father and his daughter, the pride, the constant teaching of a student from their mentor. It's about finding your joy, enjoying the moment, LIVING in the moment, because when it's over life was full of moments and if you don't stop to soak it in then what were you living for in the first place?

Was there a lot of tennis? Yes, actually there is and while I was reading it I wondered how much people who don't play tennis or don't have any interest in tennis would enjoy it. The tennis shots and descriptions aren't always accurate either, example: I would never hit a volley from the baseline, as a ball high enough to volley at that court position would be going out. Volley's are at the net or midcourt. However, that didn't phase me in the slightest because this book truly is about so much more than tennis. It's about women, relationships, and ultimately love. I loved it.

I don’t know anything about tennis, other than that my doggos love tennis balls, and I still absolutely LOVED this book.⁣
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TJR’s writing style is so unique it immediately draws you in and keeps you enraptured until the very last page. She creates these raw, real, flawed characters that you can’t help but dislike and love at the same time.⁣
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Carrie Soto is a superhuman when it comes to tennis. She lives and breathes it and it’s her sole purpose in life, that she does everything in her power to be the best and knows she’s the best and refuses to let people tear her down or doubt her. If they do, she comes back guns blazing. She is a blunt, spitfire and bada$$ and I absolutely LOVED her energy. ⁣
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I loved the father/daughter dynamic. Their closeness because of tennis, but also how much they adored each other. She father was her biggest supporter and was always looking out for her. ⁣
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It was also a sweet slow burn romance, with another male tennis player Bowe, who was man enough to respect her and appreciate her tenacity without being put off but her bluntness and her drive and ambition. He was also one of her greatest supporters. I loved that she always put herself and tennis first, but also wanted her to find someone and Bowe is her guy. ⁣
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This was SO GOOD! I adored Daisy Jones and Seven Husbands; and this is up there with both of those. ⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎾 Carrie Soto is Back 🎾⁣
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⁣Oh man. Oh man. ⁣
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⁣This book has me conflicted. On one hand, I LOVE TJR. On the other, I don’t love (or even know) anything about tennis. And this book was alllllllll about tennis. ⁣
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⁣I really enjoyed Carrie, but not until about 85% into the book. That’s when I really got committed because I was so bored by all the tennis matches and the detailed play by plays. ⁣
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⁣Carrie did have a rich, complicated character and I liked reading about her interactions with others. The Easter eggs in the book talking about Daisy Jones and Mick Riva were so well done and completely fun. I was swept into the story and found the writing was well done. ⁣
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⁣Sigh. I’m going to go with my original rating upon finishing and give it four stars… but it should probably be three. ⁣
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⁣Tennis lovers? You’re going to adore this book! Everyone else? Meh. It will probably end up your least favorite TJR. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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⁣Also- this book is considered a historical fiction y’all… but it all takes place in the 1980-1990s! GASP. I refuse to believe that is now considered historical fiction! 🤣🫣

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of Carrie Soto is back. It will be released everywhere on August 30, 2022. #Netgalley #CarrieSotoIsBack.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive an arc in exchange for my honest review- all thoughts and opinions are my own!


Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again! Reading Malibu rising beforehand, I did a side eye wondering why we would want to read about Carrie- I get it now, a thousand percent.

This book is about carrie, and her years wanting to prove to her father and herself - and the world- that she is THE best tennis player- because of this, there is …. More? Than I thought? There would be of tennis talk. I low key had to google some terms - ooops. But the heart of carrie and those around her, while not outwardly affectionate and obvious, was the backbone of the story. Loved it.

While it took me a bit longer to get invested in than Taylor Jenkins Reid’s other works, I thoroughly enjoyed Carrie Soto is Back. The beginning felt like it drug slightly, but that’s worldbuilding. Of course, by the end I was hanging on every word. I so admire how TJR can fully engross you in the story, making you feel as if you’re there, AND how she makes both pop-culture references and references to her other works that give you “aha!” moments. I truly loved this book!

Huge thank you to netgalley and librofm for an advanced readers and listeners copy of this highly anticipated release!

“Carrie Soto is Back,’ by TJR

I do not care at all about sports: including tennis. But apparently TJR can get me invested into various fictional tennis tournaments!

Carrie Soto is talented, but hard to love. Javier Soto, on the other hand, is such a lovable character! Bo too. If you know you know.

This novel does a fantastic job depicting competitiveness, perfectionism, as well as grief. It was addicting and highly enjoyable!

Also note: the audiobook was full cast and beautifully done.

I liked the first third, enjoyed the second third, and LOVED the last third of this book. Carrie Soto was a hard character to like, but the more time I spent in her head the more I understood her. I felt like the first third of the book was a lot of telling instead of showing for the purpose of catching us up on Carrie’s life so far. There wasn’t a lot of action to get invested in at the beginning which left me feeling a bit detached. The last third of the book more than made up for the lack of action in the beginning though and reached a well written fever pitch by the end. You could almost feel the energy of the fictitious crowds while reading.

Throughout the whole book I adored her father, he was a direct foil to the awfulness of the father in Reid’s last book (Mick Riva), and I appreciated how Reid was able to write such polar opposite fathers in the two books. I also enjoyed the father’s relationship with the love interest, it felt so realistic and normal.

My husband is a tennis coach, so I understood most of the terminology, but it could be beneficial I think to brush up on tennis terms if you’re not familiar. I also kicked myself for taking five years of French instead of Spanish while reading this as there is a lot of Spanish dialogue throughout (that isn’t translated).

If you like books about complicated female characters, sports, father-daughter dynamics, or competitive athletes, I think this book is for you.

Was this as life changing as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo? No. Was this a really good book? yes.

I was really not in the mood to read a book about a tennis player, but I didn't want to waste the opportunity of receiving an advanced copy of a Taylor Jenkins Reid book. For the first half of the book, Carrie Soto is insufferable. I found myself rooting against her because she was so rude and cared about nothing in life more than winning tennis matches. The transformation of Carrie throughout the book was my favorite part. I think most of you will enjoy this book. I finished the book with a smile on my face.

See my thoughts in my wrap up here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtbMaN06N-0

When I first saw the premise of Carrie Soto, I was a little worried that I would be lost without being a tennis fan before reading. I have loved all the other books in the "Evelyn Hugo universe," so I was still excited to get an ARC. I'm sorry I ever doubted Taylor Jenkins read because the book flew and made tennis so interesting. I loved the structure of the book (different chapters were the different grand slams) and there was way more than enough plot built into the storyline to keep it moving along. I do think it definitely helps to have some interest in sports generally and this is very different than her past books. I think this was more comparable to Daisy Jones in style and voice than to Malibu Rising, but overall ended up loving it!

Thank you to Penguin Randomhouse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In the least shocking news ever: @tjenkinsreid has created another beautiful masterpiece of a book. 👏

Set on the tennis courts, this book comes out on August 30. 🎾

Thanks so much for the ARC @netgalley, and @randomhouse. I can’t wait for everyone to meet Carrie Soto. 💓

I devoured this book and was entranced by the story of Carrie Soto, a 37-year old tennis star who decides to come out of retirement when her record for grand slam titles is broken.

I really enjoyed this one !

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Libro.fm for my advanced copies of Carrie Soto is Back!

What I Enjoyed-

✨ The Audio- The audio for this book includes a full cast of characters. They all did a fantastic job of bringing this book to life. If I enjoy the audio I always recommend it- in this case I'd recommend it over physically reading. This book is very Tennis Heavy. I started reading Carrie Soto physically over a month ago and I found myself picking it up and putting it down multiple times.

✨ The Relationships- TJR writes relationships so well. I loved Carrie's relationship with her dad. I also loved how the storyline played out with Carrie's coopetitor Nicki Chan. I want to say more but I don't want to ruin any of the book.

✨ The Characters- Likeable or not, TJR makes me care about the characters she writes. There were also some crossovers (mentions) of characters from previous novels. One of them being Nina Riva. I loved Malibu Rising. I still think about that book!

✨ The End- TJR had me on the edge of my seat at the end. Will Carrie win and reclaim her title or won't she? You'll have to read and find out!

Why This Book Lost a Star-

I mentioned earlier that I found this book to be very Tennis heavy. I don't care about the sport . I wasn't all that interested in those portions of the book.

Overall- Recommend. This doesn't make it into my top 5 of TJR novels but is still solid. I look forward to picking up more by this author.

I’m not a tennis fan and this book is swimming in match descriptions but it didn’t even matter because I was so invested in the characters and the story.

Carrie Soto is back is about a champion Tennis player who wants nothing more than to be the very best. EVER. And she is, until she decides to retire and then her record is threatened by a current athlete and she decides to come back from retirement to prevent anyone from taking her title.

If you read Jenkin’s last novel, Malibu Rising, then you may remember Carrie as the woman Nina’s husband is leaving her for…Carrie is abrasive. She’s a say-it-like-it-is woman who isn’t on the court to make friends. She makes it clear she is there for one thing only: to win. She is interesting and endearing despite her harshness and shortcoming and I loved her character development. However, the real stand out in the story was her Father. OMG what a GEM. I adore him.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has again created a story that could live and breath off the pages. Everyone felt so real. I cried. I can’t remember the last time that I have encountered a Father/Daughter relationship this special and memorable or a story that had me so absorbed.

I’ll still be purchasing a copy for my shelves because this book is a favorite of the year for me. If you’re a fan of amazing writing, honest characters who will impact you, and a story you’ll remember long after you turn the last page (c’mon, you know you are) then get Carrie Soto is Back!

It still holds true, a book by Taylor Jenkins Reid never disappoints. Absolutely loved this book and didn't want to put it down!

Carrie Soto is Back is one of the best, most gripping books I’ve read this year. It immerses the reader into the cut throat world of tennis on the international stage while making you care deeply for a very flawed but relatable character. Carrie must be the very best there is to feel worthy … yet can’t see that to the people who love her, she already has that record set in their hearts. I enjoyed every minute of seeing the world through Carrie’s eyes!

thank you to Ballantine & netgalley for the eARC!

i’ve been excited for this book for ✨awhile✨ & for multiple reasons
1. we all know taylor jenkins reid. we all love taylor jenkins reid. we all cannot WAIT for anything she publishes
2. tennis is actually a sport i enjoy (& understand heheh) thanks to a short lived tennis phase in middle school
3. the carrie soto we met in malibu rising was not someone i thought i could root for & i was really excited for tjr to prove me wrong

tjr has this incredibly unique superpower of making her characters feel SO FREAKING LIFELIKE you’re practically convinced they’re real historical figures. i vividly remember sitting on the beach reading daisy jones & the six & googling to see if they were a real band. i have zero doubts the next time someone asks me who my favorite tennis player is (& no, no one has ever asked me that lol) i will most likely say “carrie ‘battle axe’ soto” with a completely straight face

unlike other sports fiction/romance i’ve read before, the sport does not take a back seat in this book. tennis is arguably the antagonist in this novel. it is the big bad that carrie is fighting against. but it is also the love interest—AND unlike those other sports books where the actual sports happened off page, here we are quite literally ON THE COURT with carrie. i was literally covering the bottom of the page so i wouldn’t see the score, i was on the edge of my seat match after match rooting for her!!

don’t even get me started ON THE LITTLE WINKS hidden throughout that reference some familiar names, i squealed OUT LOUD ALONE IN MY ROOM every time like AN ABSOLUTE NERD (we all know i’m a nerd, but like humor me okay)

& dammit i don’t think an acknowledgments section has ever made me absolutely ✨sob✨ but of course, tjr breaks yet another record

O h my god, this book! TJR does it again! I didn’t want it to end!!! Carrie Soto might be my favorite character in the Mick Riva universe (hopefully that’s not what we’re calling it)? This book made me laugh and cry!

Being a fan of tennis is a huge plus when it comes to this book. Normally I hate anything sports related but I could not put this down!!

Carrie... Carrie.. Carrie... !!! YES, I was chanting along with the crowds in my head. This was a fantastic story about a tennis player, Carrie Soto , making a comeback after retirement. Not a fan of sports books or tennis, I was hesitant to start BUT I had faith in one of my favs , Taylor Jenkins Reid to know that she would make it right.

There was so much greatness in this book, starting with the relationship between Carrie and her father, with the lack of any other relationships, to the coaching and motivation with the drive to win, the slow building romance with a fellow tennis player, and the eventual friendships which even when resisted still happened. I loved this book! And the fact that Reid did not get into too much detail during the actual tennis play, she put just enough action into this book to have me cheering, chanting and sometimes crying. I enjoyed the short clips of announcers describing the actions and POV from fans and players. Really fun!

Recommended for fans of stories with intense relationships , strong drive for winning and self reflection. Superb! I am going to gift the heck out of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Literary Fiction
384 Pages
Pub date: August 30, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my most anticipated book of the year! I think I sent numerous emails to the publisher to get this one, and I very luckily got approved on Netgalley!

Carrie Soto is one of the strongest, persistent, intimidating, obnoxious and beautiful characters I’ve read about. Her father Javier Soto was a famous tennis player and coached Carrie starting at the age of 6 years old. The relationship between Carrie and her father is one I will always remember. They were tough with each other, and even had moments of hate towards one another, but they were each other’s hearts.

This story is about Carrie’s comeback out of retirement. I don’t know much about tennis, but I am ready to go start playing now! The dedication and love these characters give to the game is heart warming. I’ve played many sports and I know this feeling of the beauty of a sport. It’s intense and you give your blood, sweat and tears.

TJR does it again in this wonderful book. I love how all her books read as true stories. You fall in love with all the characters, they are not perfect they are human. I highly recommend you read this amazing book when it comes out August 30. I also love how she puts little nods of her other titles in her books.