The book is technically very well written with all of the tennis elements. I know nothing about tennis but I felt immersed in the storyline. I felt like I was on the court with Carrie. These is such a tension in the pages during the matches that it feels real. TJR always does a great job setting up the time and place of the book. I did think the first part of the book with Carries back story needed something more. It felt more like a highlight reel, we were just told the facts and not fully brought into the story. It then made the second part of the book hard to get into, I think I needed something more to fully get behind Carries come back. The ending was really satisfying but I kept reading hoping something else would happen. The payoff in the end was nice but I think I need some more plot or character development throughout the story to feel fully invested in Carries story.

This is a story of a professional tennis player - Carrie Soto - who makes a comeback to protect her record. Another book about celebrity, how fascinating, but... where is the drama? Taylor Jenkins Reid did a great job for the opening and ending of this book but did she “unintentionally” forget about the middle part of this book? For readers who are not really into sports, are they able to finish this book? Is the plot of this book too "inside-the-box" compared to what Taylor Jenkins Reid has been done or the book you-know-who?

I don’t see how Carrie has improved during the practice, I just see it through the matches even though I think the practice part should be highlighted. And for Bowe Huntley, isn’t he too unnoticeable? I just started to care about him when I got to the last part of this book.

I don’t know much Spanish, but why didn’t my kindle show the translation? Isn’t there too much Spanish dialogue without translation?

I don’t dislike the main character nor the plot nor her writing style, but I’m mad, I’m mad because Taylor Jenkins Reid made a way-too-safe-choice. Or maybe the decision to write a book about sports was already her risky choice.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me the ARC.

I just finished this one and I really liked it. It gave a glimpse into the making of a Professional Tennis Player, something I knew nothing about, but found really entertaining. It felt almost like reading a thriller, I was flipping the pages quickly to see if Carrie would win or lose the match. I felt jittery and that on the edge of my seat feeling with tension on how things would work out.

I inhabited Carrie’s world. This is where Taylor Jenkins Reid really excels. She can take a rough around the edges character like Carrie Soto, who starts out abrasive, rude, and self-centered and make you really care for how she does. You will route for Carrie to do better. In 1994, Carrie has gotten back into tennis because she wants to defend her record she won years prior. Carrie does not know how to lose, and winning at tennis is the only way she can imagine one can be a winner. I think she also loves tennis because it seems so black or white. You are great if you win and a complete mess up if you lose.

The relationship between Carrie and her father is so endearing. He is her coach and biggest fan, but most importantly he is her biggest fan in life, he always loves and supports her through everything. He sees all Carrie’s flaws and knows she needs to broaden her life, but he has such a fine way of approaching this. When she is training for a tournament, he is all in. He helps her perfect her game in every way, yet he also makes it clear that he loves her just the same if she loses the match. She is perfect the way she is to him.

Carrie does have some maturing to do, and throughout the book she does start to change. She has been so competitive that she has never let anyone into her life. Another tennis player, a man Bowe Huntley also is trying to give it another try on the tennis circuit. Carrie needs him to practice her game with, but slowly starts to let him into her life and learn from someone else. She can finally see someone beyond just their tennis stats. Her biggest competitor, the one after her record, Nicki Chan, Carrie thinks she must hate, but Chan teaches Carrie how to play the game with real dignity. Nicki, also let’s Carrie know that others struggle with challenges, too and the titles and honors are not purely hers.

In the mid-90’s, there is tremendous pressure on women to be exceptional tennis players, but also play down their ambition. They must also play a role which includes being friendly and likeable, while also maintaining an outward look of ease, beauty, and perfection.

Yet, to win in real life often takes a lot more guts and you will have to give in and compromise. You do need to listen to other people and love them with their flaws and imperfections, too. The greatness there in doing this is the win can be a whole lot better.

Thank you NetGalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Ballentine for granting me this book. I am always happy to leave a review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has a knack for writing detailed and thoughtful characters. She’s incredibly skilled in describing the time period and setting so that you feel like you’re there. She hits every time. It’s no surprise that she did it again with Carrie Soto is Back.

While Carrie might be the weakest of TJR’s big three (Evelyn, Daisy, and Malibu), I absolutely loved this book. Carrie is unlike any female character she’s written before. On the surface, she’s insensitive, determined, mean, and selfish. But throughout the book, you grow to love and respect her.

I think the setting and world building was the main character in Malibu and Daisy. But, like Evelyn, the female lead is the main character in Carrie Soto. This book is about Carrie. The 90s and the tennis world are secondary characters. But Carrie’s character is enough to keep you glued to the book; it was a thrill to watch her grow throughout the book.

I would likely give any TJR book five stars regardless, but this book deserves every star it gets!

This book is about tennis. It’s about lots more too, like grief and growth and love and the way we judge women athletes, but a huge amount of the book actually takes place on tennis courts. It’s fast-paced and action-packed in a way I didn’t expect. Based on its description, I probably wouldn’t have gravitated towards this book if it wasn’t by TJR, but I tore through it.

You may remember Carrie Soto from Malibu Rising — she’s the pro athlete Nina Riva’s husband cheats and leaves with. This is entirely its own book, though. Carrie is a determined tennis player, so much so that she comes out of retirement to try and defend her Grand Slam titles record against Nicki Chan. Carrie is a tough character to like at first, because even though she is so judged in the limelight, still she judges those around her very harshly. But then, almost without noticing, I warmed to her and rooted for her.

I noticed some similarities to Apples Never Fall by Liana Moriarty, which is also about tennis players coached by their father. This passing similarity faded for me early in the book, though it may be a great read-alike for those who enjoyed Apples Never Fall!

TJR has done it again! Carrie Soto is one of the world's best tennis players, who decides to come out of retirement after her records are about to be broken by another, younger tennis star. Carrie and her ultra competitive attitude will NOT let that happen, so she comes out of retirement and begins training with her coach/dad to reclaim her titles once again.

I love the way female athletes are portrayed in this book. Carrie is an unlikable character who comes off as mean and standoffish, something we never see with female athletes, who are told they must smile and thank luck instead of hard work. That being said, this book is TENNIS. All about tennis. It's about Carrie coming back into an old life and training to become her old self. That being said, there is no overall mystery or romance really, just Carrie and her relationship with the sport. Fans of TJR may not be used to this kind of writing but I felt as though it was easy to adjust to.

Carrie is an evolving character and I loved watching her grow and transform throughout the story. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!

Carrie Soto is back
Wonderful read. Everything I expect from this incredibly talented author. What a great storyteller. I read this book in one sitting and we didn’t have dinner that night! Excellent writing, perfect pacing.
I am amazed by how TJR writes real characters who are relatable while quite imperfect. I loved Carrie and would honestly love to hang out with her. She seems so real! Maybe it was the inclusion of the newspaper articles throughout but seeing that perspective added to the excitement of my reading. Her relationship with her immigrant father was so beautiful even as he and she both come to realize how he was part of some of her issues with others, especially when it came to romantic relationships. Her own personal growth as well as that of her love interest and father were so satisfying.
I’m not that into tennis but I appreciate the beauty of other sports and I have to say I learned quite a bit about this sport. This will enhance my next viewing of a Wimbledon game. I cannot believe how riveted I was to the details of a match in texts without any visuals. It shows what a talented writer TJR is. I’m not sure how she does it but I was glued to the page!
The ultimate message of this book in my opinion is to love what you do. Despite all the fame and fortune, Carrie’s best and most enjoyable match is the one she loses.
Thanks to the author, Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the review copy. I’ve been singing the praises of this book already well before publication date.

Carrie Soto Is Back follows tennis champion, Carrie Soto, and her attempt at a comeback. I was so looking forward to this book, and was very disappointed.
There’s not much of a plot here, the whole book is just about tennis. We get Carrie’s childhood, her rise to fame, and her retirement in the first 20 percent of the book. The entire rest of the book is Carrie practicing tennis, playing tennis, watching tennis, talking about tennis.
Carrie as a character was also not very likable at all. The whole reason she wants to come out of retirement is because another player is about to overcome Carrie’s record and she can’t stand the thought of someone being better than she is. She has some character development, but it happens so close to the end of the book, Carrie as a character seemed more of an afterthought to all the tennis.
I did like Javier, Carrie’s father. While he initially pushed Carrie into tennis, he was the one who tried to level out her ego a little bit.
I loved TJR’s Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising, and I will definitely read whatever she puts out next, this one just didn’t do it for me unfortunately.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Carrie Soto Is Back in exchange for my honest review.

An amazing and engaging read! I officially love everything written by TJR.
I wasn’t sure I would like this book because I’m not a tennis fan and I honestly don’t know anything about the sport. But, wow, this book is about so much more than tennis. I loved Carrie Soto and Javier Soto. The story was engaging, powerful, and inspiring. I hope we see these characters again.

WOW. I've been been a TJR fan since Maybe in Another Life, and it's getting harder and harder to pick a favorite. Carrie Soto is a tangential character from Malibu Rising, brought to "life" (as in, I wanted her to be real and began to believe she was real a la the feelings while reading Daisy Jones) and is a force to be reckoned with in her titular novel. As a child of the 80's who grew up watching the era of tennis portrayed in the book's timeline, I was immediately transported to the days of Graf and Evert and Navratilova giving way to Seles and Hingus and... (and the male stars of Bjorg and Becker and McEnroe rang true to the male characters of this novel as well). And I.loved.it. Every word. Every bit of nostalgia. Every match. Every complication. My heart rate went up in Carrie's matches, and I adored watching her growth off the court over "time," down to the very last page. Solid recommend to everyone!

<I>Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest opinion.</I>

🎾 Wow. I LOVED this. I'm not one to read a book with lots of sports stuff.... but I am one to read a book with a strong female lead. And that is Carrie. However, she's kind of a B-word and really unlikable. (Which made me love her even more).
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🎾 This book is about a tennis pro returning to the sport she loved to prove she's still the greatest in the world.... at age 37. It's about family, love, loss, determination, and so much more. I loved every second. I also loved the dynamic between Carrie and her dad. Major King Richard vibes.
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🎾 Read this. You won't be disappointed. Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

Another amazing showing from TJR- but, let's be honest, are we even surprised at this point? Carrie Soto may be my favourite of her characters yet- stubborn, blunt, obstinant, persistant to a fault and single-minded. You wouldn't think those things would make you root for a character so much, but here we are. While some of the details in this book are lost on me- a lot of the Spanish without translations and much of the tennis terms which to be honest I didn't care enough to Google- this was still a five star read for me.

Wow!!! This was page-turning, thrilling, heartbreaking, propulsive...

While I've been a TJR fan for years, when I learned about the focus on the tennis world of her new novel, I was skeptical. I knew absolutely nothing about tennis, but it didn't matter at all. Carrie is NOT a likable protagonist, but you can't help but root for her redemption and success throughout her comeback story. The structure of Carrie's background, then telling her story through the four grand slam competitions as she claws her way back to her world record we utterly captivating. I could not stop reading and had to find out what would happen next.

Five huge stars, and a favorite of the year for sure!

I loved this book. I'm not really one for sports stories but I gave this one a shot anyway. Carrie is a young tennis prodigy in the 80s, coached nearly from birth by her father Javier. After setting a world record, she retires, only to be lured out of retirement nearly a decade later by Nickie Chan threatening it. The story covers her rise to greatness, comeback, relationship with her father, the press, public, and other tennis players, and specifically, with her rival, Nickie Chan. It delves into the way we expect female athletes to behave and the way we treat them when they ignore those expectations.

Things I loved:
The relationship between Carrie and her father. The end of the book felt like a love letter between the two (not in a weird way).

The relationship between Carrie and Nickie. Neither one sacrificed any part of their strong personalities and fought tooth and nail to be the winner, but they still developed a special kind of relationship with each other.

Carrie's personality. I adore female characters who are not "likeable" and this book portrays that with such care and candor.

Things I didn't love:
Not much!

This was my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid yet, I'd recommend it to anyone. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I met this character in Malibu Rising, I have been praying that there would be a book starring Carrie and the author delivered. I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it, this author is phenomenal at creating characters that feel real with stories that just blow you away. You forget at times that Carrie isn’t real nor is her world because it feels authentic. There’s a fluidity to the author's writing that sucks you in from the first pages and makes you forget the word “fiction”. She has an incredible ability to tell stories that put you at the end of your seat and create sentences that just wrap around your heart.

Meeting Carrie I knew there was more to her story than just the “cold and robotic” tennis phenomenon that we were introduced to. There was a softness that the author brought to Carrie that was unexpected. She was ruthless in her pursuits and her domination was backed with an undeniable talent. As the reader, you find yourself completely invested in her comeback, fighting and struggling along with Carrie on this uphill climb.

There’s a lively excitement with this book. The vivid imagery makes you feel like the game is playing right in front of you. Your heart is racing as if you are on the edge of your seat watching a match live. I love an underdog and Carrie’s tenacity and determination makes it so you are completely invested in her journey. The author humanizes Carrie's character in a believable way and that is unique to her personality. It makes the personal wins extra sweet and her losses completely heartbreaking.

I knew going into this book I would enjoy it because of who wrote it, but this author blew me away with the book she created. It was imaginative, thrilling, and captivating from start to finish. You will not be disappointed when you start this book, only when it’s over and you sadly have to leave Carries world. A million thanks to Netgally and Ballantine Books for this ARC

The only thing that made me give this 4 stars instead of 5, was the fact that there were SO many Spanish words that I had no idea what they meant. It wasn’t the worst for me because I did read it on my kindle and could easily translate, but it was a lot of stopping for them. If I were reading a physical book or listening to the audio (which I plan to do because it’s read by a full cast and TJR’s audiobooks always hit it out of the park) I would have been super annoyed to have to stop and look them up. Still, fantastic book and Taylor Jenkins Reid remains my favorite author and she killed it again. I laughed and cried. I LOVE how all of her newest 4 books have connections to the others. Many thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

i loved this so so much. i was a little skeptical going in, both because tennis is not really my thing and also because as much as i love tjr, i don't think i will love anything the way i love dj&ts and i try to keep my hopes low so i don't end up disappointed. i started this book yesterday and read most of it in one sitting. it was the first time in a long time now that i've felt desperate to keep reading something, unable to put it down, and i'm so beyond grateful. this book was exactly what i wanted it to be. i love carrie with my whole heart, she was everything !!!

It is simply impossible to not love a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel. She is the best we have, truly.

I read Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo recently and was obsessed. So I wondered how such a stark switch would feel. I can confirm, subject is only but an accessory for TJR. Whether the roaring 20's or a tennis match, the things I love most about her novels is 1) the pace, 2) the readability and 3) the way all characters become so fully fleshed that they can't help but be loved.

I knew nothing about tennis but found myself enthralled. I hope there are many more TJR novels to look forward to.

I absolutely devoured this book!

I absolutely love anything written by TJR and this book was no different.

I love how she makes you fall in love with the characters and you are so invested in them that by the end of the book you have a book hangover. I am seriously sad this book is over.

I appreciated Carrie so much, everything she stood for I related to. I appreciated the relationship she had with her father and with Bowe. Absolutely beautiful.

Of course, I highly recommend!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. Carrie Soto is a boss. She is the best in tennis, retires, and fears losing her status as best. Who of us can’t relate to that? Fear of being replaced, or not being good enough. Her motivation and determination at getting back to her previous level is commendable. The lessons she learns along the way are relatable to not only tennis, but life in general.