Taylor Jenkins Reid never missed. Let me repeat that- SHE. NEVER. MISSES. Virtually every one of her books have been ones that I pick up and cannot set aside until I’ve turned the last page. Reid is a master at writing complicated, messy female characters and I absolutely love her for it.

Carrie Soto is Back is the newest installment in what I like to call the “Taylor Jenkins Reid Literary Universe” which is essentially the immersive, interconnected world of historical fiction that Reid has created, and I loved every second of it. Carrie Soto is a wonderfully complex main character- she’s blunt, she’s competitive, she’s arrogant, she’s cutthroat- and I loved her from start to finish.

The book itself is gripping and fast-paced, and in true Taylor Jenkins Reid fashion, emotional. Carrie’s rivalry with Nicki Chan was one of my favorite elements of the story. The pair are truly mirrors of each other, both revolutionaries in their own right, and I loved the way Carrie came to respect Nicki’s ability, while they still both let the competitive spirit between them run strong. I was surprised at how much I loved the relationship between Carrie and Bowe. I’m always a sucker for a romantic subplot, but I knew as soon as I met Carrie’s character, that if she was paired romantically with someone it had to be done right, and Reid does it RIGHT. Bowe is always honest with Carrie, but also respects her immensely and never tries to change who she is. The best part about this book is Carrie’s development as a character through her changing perception of tennis and what it means to win or lose, or through her learning to build connections with other people.

I know this is a highly anticipated book for a lot of people, and I firmly believe that it delivers on that hype. Carrie Soto is Back transports the reader to an immersive and entertaining historical world with a strong-willed and stubborn main character you can’t help but love.

This book is going to be absolutely everywhere because Reid is so popular, but there's a good reason for that. If you read last summer's Malibu Rising, the character of Carrie Soto will be passingly familiar. But this is her story. We meet her as a retired tennis player, past her prime as another woman is about to tie her grand slam record. The book follows Carrie as she makes the decision to come out of retirement to try and win the record back. It's a compelling read that focuses on the cost of greatness, the double standard that gets employed for women, and what it means to find yourself as an adult. I loved it.

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You might be familiar with Carrie Soto if you’ve read Malibu rising before 🌊🏄🏾‍♀️ (eff you Mick Riva!). She is a leading force in the tennis world 🎾and this is her story. We follow Carrie from her childhood being coached by her tennis loving father, The Jaguar🐆, through her professional highs and lows, and her retirement….and wait her return from retirement?

@tjenkinsreid is a master at creating a story that absorbs you. As with all of her previous novels📚, this book brings her characters to life in a way that not many can do. I adored and despised Carrie and her take no bullsh*t attitude. She is a character that you can’t help loving to hate. This story focuses on determination, love, and family and weaves these topics together seamlessly. The book is very heavily sports driven which did have me glossing over certain parts, but all in all this was a great read.

Thank you so much @randomhouse and @netgalley for one of my most anticipated reads this year.

I do not play tennis. I do not watch tennis. But I could not put down this book about tennis star Carrie Soto. Carrie could have easily been a one-dimensional bitch, but the writer gave her nuance and humor that make you root for her all the way to the end.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new novel, Carrie Soto Is Back doesn’t release until the end of August, but it’s already received a TON of love. Pretty much every review I’ve read has been a positive one, and all of the ratings have been four stars and above. Most have been five stars, actually; and rightfully so. I also loved this book, but I didn’t love, love, LOVE it. I didn’t get the full five star feels at the end, you know? I’m not entirely sure why. Perhaps there was just a little too much tennis talk for my liking. I’m not very familiar with the sport, so my eyes glazed over a lot. However, I did love the intensity TJR used in describing the tennis matches. It felt like I was right there in the stands, perched on the edge of my seat, and cheering Carrie on. Even though Carrie isn’t the most likable character out there, I still respected the heck out of her, and rooted for her from start to finish. Talk about drive and determination! This woman lives and breathes it! You can’t help but admire her strength, grit, and perseverance. What I loved most about this story is Carrie’s relationship with her dad. My dad and I have always been very close, so I especially love reading about father/daughter relationships in novels. Their bond truly warmed my heart. Overall, this is a solid read and deserves every single bit of praise that it’s already been receiving. If you’re a fan of the author, I can almost guarantee that you’ll enjoy her latest. Carrie’s story is one that you don’t want to miss. 4.5/5 stars for Carrie Soto Is Back! Grab a copy on August 30th!

Why, why, why would I ever underestimate the power of Taylor Jenkins Reid? The woman is a force to be reckoned with and she proves it time after time again with her books…

And I’ll admit. I was skeptic. Before I read this book I thought I hated tennis. Because sports in general to me is stupid. And the last thing I wanted to read was a book about a retired tennis star coming out of retirement to avenge her championship record….but god it was just so…..GOOD. And page turning, and emotional, and intense, and I freaking fell in love with Carrie Soto; and I kinda want to go watch a game of tennis now. Never thought I'd write that sentence, much less in a book review!🎾

I received this book from netgalley for an honest review. I truely came to love this book although I'm not at all a fan of tennis or sports in general. The characters sucked me in and the story flowed really well. I also loved how nods to other books were added to this one. I would revcomend this book to all of my friends!

Carrie Soto is a character you might remember if you read Malibu Rising and I really liked her growth in the story and how she realized that she didn’t need to be perfect and the best but she just has to be herself who is great and start to enjoy her wins and the game that she loves. Carrie comes back from retirement to defend her record of 20 grand slam titles which is one away from being shattered by new player Nicki Chan. She and her father who is her coach start training again to just play the championship games to just win one so that she can stay on top. I love how the story follows Carrie from her childhood and how her father instilled in her that she was going to be the greatest tennis player and in her mind that was interpreted as the best in the world and not the greatest that she could be herself not comparing to someone else and how she is so hard on herself and expects perfection. There is some romance but that is not the main focus of the story but does add to it. Just a really great read and even though I don’t know anything about tennis I really enjoyed reading about the game and how it is played.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

4.5 stars (spoilers) - I really loved this book and all its characters!! It was such a joy to read and to see Carrie grow. The ending was slightly predictable but didn’t take away from the fun of reading through it. Only TJR could take an otherwise unlikeable character and turn her into such a darling. I just wish she’d have given a little more to Bowe by the end! I also would have liked to see more about how her lack of social skills affected her career and legacy, especially during a time before introversion and mental illness were so widely accepted. Can’t wait to discuss this with my friends and family once released, and to see blips of these characters in future TJR books!

Taylor Jenkins Reid is back doing what she does best; Making fake characters so real you keep googling them and expecting results. Only she would get me to read a sports book. From the beginning, I was rooting for Carrie even though she was very unlikeable. She was selfish and incredibly rude. Then she starts working with Bowe and we see that hard exterior start to melt away. I began to root for her because I liked her. I’m so proud of who she became and the character development we see in her and Bowe. Such a perfect and full circle ending that just felt so right. What a beautiful addition to the Taylor Jenkins Reid multiverse.

I have no words. This book is amazing. That is all.


Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure if I would like Carrie Soto, as her small character role in Malibu Rising was so cold & bitter. However, Taylor Jenkins Reid wows us again with her lovable character and story development. I am not a big tennis fan, but I really enjoyed this and could not put it down. I really loved this book!

Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an advance review copy!

I am the biggest Taylor Jenkins Reid stan. Sign me up for every book she writes. I am just happy to be reading about this beautiful interconnected universe, where Mick Riva makes an appearance. As with all her books, TJR builds beautifully vivid worlds with complex and deep characters that even when I am frustrated with I can help but root for.

I don't follow tennis but found myself on the edge of my seat speed reading to find out how Carrie would play in her comeback tour at all the grand slams. If you've loved her other books you won't be disappointed. It's a good one.

I will be the first to admit that Malibu Rising fell flat for me and subsequently, I was hesitant to go into Carrie Soto. WOW WAS I WRONG Dare I say that Carrie is my favorite heroine TJR has ever come up with?! I loved this story so so much. For starters, the amount of research that had to have gone into this novel as it pertains to tennis is probably up there in the hundreds of hours category, I mean...it was so thorough. Second, I could not for the life of me get enough interaction between Carrie and Javier--their parent/child dynamic was so incredibly authentic and beautiful it absolutely melted me. Third, all other personal relationships with Carrie (Carrie and Bowe, Carrie and Gwen, Carrie and Nicki) allowed us to catch glimpses of her humanity and provided the best full picture for her I could have ever asked for. I found myself genuinely rooting for her to succeed at her comeback, despite this being fiction and me having exactly zero knowledge of tennis. I loved the exploration of a double standard for men and women, I loved the transcripts from the news, I loved the Easter eggs, I loved it. This may very well be Taylor Jenkins Reid's best work yet, and I am honored that I was able to read it early.

If you are a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, you will enjoy the story about a tennis superstar trying to make a comeback. In my opinion, it is not her best book-but it still a good story written with great style!

Carrie Soto is many things.
Focused.
Dedicated.
Brash.
Egotistical.
Unfriendly.
And one of the greatest women to ever play the game of tennis.

She set many records over her years as a pro tennis player, the most important being the record for the most Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open). Then one day, the newest tennis phenom, Nicki Chan, matched her record. Thus, sparking Carrie's quest for a comeback.

While part of this story follows Carrie's growth as a player under her father, Javier, training, the majority centers on her preparation to return to the sport and subsequent games to reclaim the record. As the story progressed, I understood why fans and commenters labeled her the Battle Axe or sometimes more bluntly, the Bitch. She is not humble. But what I struggled with more was her lack of sportsmanship. She only cares about her game and will do or say anything to appear better than her competition. And while I didn't care for Carrie most of the story, she was a fascinating character to read about. I also liked how this comeback exposed some of her vulnerability, which she hid for so long.

It has been a long time since I've watched tennis, but this brought back a lot of memories for when I did follow the game and the players way back in the 80s/90s. Carrie reminded me a bit of Steffi Graff and John McEnroe (minus the temper tantrums) with their cocksure style of play.

The best part of the story is Carrie's evolution as a player during her comeback, and how she opened herself up emotionally. While this story wouldn't be categorized as a romance, there is a love story. I liked that the author didn't push this element of the story, the slow burn fit with Carrie's temperament, and made the end result more special.

Time and time again, this author delivers female characters who are unapologetic in who they are. Like her or not, Carrie's story will win you over.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to NetGalley for an ARC of my MOST ANTICIPATED read of 2022!!! This book was amazing, but amazing doesn’t even do it justice. This is a one sit read, you will not want to put it down once you start! I wasn’t sure if TJR could get better than Evelyn and Daisy. But she did! All the characters were beautiful. Carrie’s relationship with herself, with tennis, with Javier, Gwen, Bowe, Nicki, and everyone else was perfection. I loved the nods to her other books. I have so many highlights that I made in this book and they’re all my favorite. This may just be my new favorite TJR book! TJR can do no wrong and I will read ANYTHING she writes! Thank you again for the ARC of Carrie Soto is Back!

Game. Set. Match. Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again and Carrie Soto might just be my favorite of her characters to date. With a knack for putting you in another time, this book transports you back to the 80s and 90s at the height of Carrie’s tennis career. She’s brutal- a bitch at the top of her game- and you can’t help but love her.

Carrie is coached by her father - definitely drawing inspiration from Serena Williams- and plays like McEnroe. She’s unstoppable, aggressive, the epitome of beautiful tennis, and plays better than the men. If she was a man, fans and commentators wouldn’t think twice about how she plays her game.

After retiring as a legend, holding the record for the most slams, she decides to stage a comeback years later once her record is threatened by the new great, Nikki Chan. But can she still prove she’s the greatest to ever do it?

This book is just one you want to savor- stretching it out as long as you can do it doesn’t end. I absolutely loved the relationship with her father and coach and the light touch of her relationships off the court so the focus was always on the tennis. The anticipation throughout the book had me on the edge of my seat rooting for Carrie as if I was watching her at match point on the screen - Reid makes her feel SO real. This one is not one to be missed and for me, is her best work (although different) since Evelyn Hugo.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another masterpiece by TJR. This one felt really different than any of her books in the past, but I was obsessed because I used to play tennis and love watching/playing with my Dad, so reading this book dedicated pretty much to tennis and the player/coach relationship between Carrie and her Dad felt nostalgic in a way.

TJR always has deeper messaging in her stories, and this one touched on so much. Specifically success and failure, and what that really means or how to measure it. Being “good enough” for yourself or even others. Caring about what others think of you and how what they see in you differs from who you really are. Embracing who you are and not changing that if people don’t like it.

Carrie is a badass bitch and I’m proud to say I relate to her. She’s strong and determined, but also so scared of failure that it can overwhelm her and how she views her own value and success. She loved fiercely, but rarely lets anyone close enough to see that side of her out of fear they’ll leave. She is so incredibly brave, while also feeling so incredibly weak at times. I love Carrie Soto. As Bowe said so beautifully: “You are perfect. Even in your imperfections.”

It's TJR’s world and I just want to live in it! Daisy, Evelyn, the Rivas, and now Carrie Soto - characters who come to life and make you forget they are fictional. I finished this in one sitting and then had to look up tennis matches on YouTube! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I need to go back and read her earlier titles because so far she has not disappointed.