this was a SERVE. tennis pun ha. i have a whole list of these, guys.

carrie made a RACQUET (racquet. get it.) for being unapologetically the 'bitch' we all hated in malibu rising. a book about women being labelled a bitch for knowing how much she's worth. gave me evelyn hugo energy. this book had the opportunity to be an evelyn and celia story set in 90s tennis but it was a MISS. that was a TERRIBLE CALL on TJR's part.

nevertheless, just like carrie soto, this book is quickly climbing the ranks to be my favourite tjr book. so do whatever u can to get ur hands on this book, i don't care who you have to bribe/threaten/physically maim. (for legal reasons, this is a joke) (for illegal reasons, this is not).

thank you to netgalley and penguin random house for giving me a copy of what was my most anticipated 2022 read and what is now my favourite 2022 read.

I loved this book. The intensity of the character development for Carrie is like no other book I’ve ever read. She is complex – losing her mother at a young age and becoming the focus of her father’s days creates a woman whose only purpose in life is to become a winning machine.

Those readers who love tennis will thoroughly enjoy the book but rest assured there is way more to this book than tennis. In fact, one of the things I loved most about the book is the mutual respect between Carrie and her father Javier. This relationship is not only one of father and daughter but also one of coach and player. This team sacrifices any sort of normal life for the love of the game and the thrill of being the best.

Carrie is not a friendly person. Aside from her father, she has no one else in her life. She keeps to herself in the locker room, can dish out the trash talk with ferocity, and focuses on her opponent’s weaknesses. Dubbed “the battle-axe” by the media, she’s laser-focused on her goals and may no one get in her way.

Her decision to come out of retirement is solely based on maintaining her status as the greatest tennis player of all time. It’s been five years since an injury forced her retirement. At age 37, her body is not as resilient as it once was. Encouraged to have a training partner that will bring her back to the elite level, her father hires Bowe Huntley who Carrie had a relationship years ago. She needs convincing to let this man back in her life, but in the end, knows that this is a good move for her game. The relationship that Carrie and Bowe build over time has Carrie seeing life after tennis for the first time.

Carrie Soto is Back is an emotional, well-written book that explores the personalities behind competitive sports. Despite the brusque, rude nature of Carrie’s persona to the outside world, you cannot help but cheer this woman on. I loved Carrie’s personal development as the book progresses. You don’t need to be a fan of tennis to thoroughly enjoy this book.

Daisy Jones & the Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Malibu Rising… I wonder how I would feel to have the level of success that Taylor Jenkins Reid has reached, and the pressure she’d be under to keep writing books on the same level as those. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started Carrie Soto Is Back, but I gotta say… TJR did it again. This book is on par. I think you all will love it!

Carrie Soto is not an overly likeable MC. She’s tough, she’s brash, she doesn’t have a filter. Sometimes I cringed at what came out of her mouth. But that didn’t keep me from loving her. And rooting for her the whole way through… and I loved that it was written that I could!

I am not a sporty person. I know nothing about tennis (my husband and I played last summer with friends who actually knew how to play and our line all evening was “we haven’t done this since grade 10!”) But still I was invested in every match. It was not boring! I loved the commentary on the sexism in sports. Why did she receive the negative publicity for her behaviour that would be acceptable in male counterparts?

To add to the book’s charm was the cast of supporting characters. Javier, Bowe, Gwen, Nikki… I especially loved the sweet relationship between Carrie and her father. I maybe wanted even more of Bowe.

I read this over two days and stayed up into the night to finish. The sign of a great book! 👏

Thank you @penguinrandomca @netgalley for the e-arc. Carrie Soto is Back publishes August 30.

This is definitely a bit of a departure from the books we've seen from Taylor Jenkins Reid recently. Usually, she writes alternate history books about fake celebrities that give you tons of drama, but Carrie Soto is Back is about a record-breaking fictional tennis player who has a huge comeback.

I flew through the book because the chapters were short and the chapters where Carrie was playing tennis were incredibly fast-paced. I adored how Taylor Jenkins Reid handled the topics of perfectionism, ageism in sport, and the historical perceptions of women in sports in this book. I also really enjoyed reading about Carrie's relationship with her father and the romance she develops throughout the book.

My family was really into tennis when I was growing up so I could follow all the terminology but I think you might struggle if you're not familiar with the game. I did struggle a bit with the amount of Spanish dialogue in this book as a Canadian who has never learned it so beware.

Another Taylor Jenkins Reid book that I enjoyed. As always, can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this advanced copy of Carrie Soto is Back. I LOVED IT! I have been a tennis fan in the past and I felt like I was there watching each of these matches. Carrie would be a difficult person to love if she were real, but somehow through the pages of the book you are cheering for her at every moment, every swing of the racket. I adored her relationship with her dad, reminded me of how my own dad felt about me. This book is un-put-down-able and I completely recommend it!

It may be Tennis, but its also a TJR book! So don't count it out!

Tennis. Ugh. I don't know about you, but I am uncoordinated, have an ass-ymetrical body....if you get my drift. I thought this book was going to not be my jam as I flipped through page after page of tennis I hadn't seen since middle school. As I considered this father/coach being so hard on his daughter who, putting it kindly, was significantly unpleasant and sometimes a straight B**ch, I was rubbed the wrong way! Why would I want to read about a pouty brat playing tennis? Oh....perhaps that's the point........TJR 40-Love Me

Im SO glad I kept reading. This story is for ANYONE who has ever had an extreme drive for any goal in their life. Carrie is perceived as cold and unyielding and standoffish. But what Carrie is? Is human, and driven, goal-oriented and determined! She has been raised to focus and BE a tennis champion and over the decades she scales the ladder to becoming the greatest Tennis player in history. Her opponents span the gamut from admiration to fearing her to hating her for her success. When she retires, there is a ripple of relief through the tennis community and new champions rise. But when Soto decides to defend her title at 37, following injury and recovery, the community is dubious. But Soto has prepared her whole life to fight for this goal.

Taylor Jenkins Reid again manages to create fiction that feels like total utter reality. I expected every time I put this book down to kick on the TV and hear Soto stats on the news! How she manages to make even characters who are unlikable, barely likeable? hard to like? Into something so strong and important and someone the reader cares so deeply for is absolute magic. And the easter eggs from her other titles were an absolute pleasure, so casually dropped but such a burst of color throughout a world constructed, already, to feel so palpable. A great read. Particularly strong for any striving athlete!

I was provided with an electronic copy of Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid in return for an honest review. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title. Game Set Match TJR

What a book! Applause to TJR on another outstanding story. It hits you in all the spots you want, so captivating, so much heart, I just loved it, couldn't put it down for the last half. Man, who would've thought Carrie Soto would be so incredible after Malibu but she is.

Carrie Soto is a genius book from a genius author. I had to read slowly as my friend who got an ARC of it as well wanted to read it together but had to take it slow due to her reading time constraints. If it wasn't for that, I'd have flown through this book as I was invested in Carrie and her story. It made me want to get out on the tennis courts myself and try to live parts of her story to see if the feelings I got from it would match real life.

Five grand slams for TJR's latest. Her absolute best since One True Loves (dare I say)?

Carrie Soto is a character I didn't know I wanted so badly to read. She's bold, unapologetic, and ambitious. It's so refreshing to read about a character whose career/ambition is her main relationship vs. a man.

I was definitely iffy about this one based on the summary (not too much of a tennis person), but it was absolutely fantastic. I'll be recommending to everyone.

Carrie Soto is back! I loved Malibu Rising, so when I got the opportunity to read this ARC (thanks NetGalley and publisher) I was so excited!!! I really enjoyed the book, even though I’m not a sports fan, this book is 99% tennis 🎾 and I must say that by the end of it I have learned a lot about how the sport works! 😆 in Malibu Rising we kind of have the idea that Carrie is “a villain”, someone who ends up messing around with Nina’s husband. I don’t blame her for it, now that I know her story and all of what she had to go through in her life I understand why Carrie is the way she is. Did I like her character? Absolutely not. But I liked the book so much because Taylor is such a great writer, I couldn’t stop reading it. SO GOOD. 4/5 stars and I’m so excited for this book to be published soon, I think people will love it!

Loved this book. Fell in love with Carrie (redeemed after Malibu) and all the characters. Great balance of finding oneself and finding your people, with the whip paced backdrop of the grand slam circuit. TJR just keeps getting better! Definitely recommend.

Well, she did it again. As always, this book was EVERYTHING. But this time, it was a different kind of everything. Like every other TJR book, the writing was superb, the characters were deep, and the emotions were high. The main difference for me was the sense of suspense created by the action sequences of the plot. So while this book felt like a TJR book, it still felt new and fresh and utterly different.

I couldn’t get over how brilliantly TJR captured the essence of an underdog sports movie. There were sequences in the book that should have probably felt repetitive (she prepared for four different major tournaments) but instead, she somehow managed to capture on page the magic of those iconic movie montage preparation / practice scenes we associate with so many of the cult classic 80s and 90s sports films brilliantly (think Rocky or the Karate Kid). I absolutely loved it.

Like many of her previous novels TJR plays with the injustices of being a powerful woman living in a mans world. While Soto is not always likable, through her character TJR emphasizes the hypocrisy of being a self-assured female athlete vs a self-assured male athlete, really hitting home the fact that a cocky attitude is celebrated and accepted in men (Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronaldo) and detested in women (the Williams sisters). Men are confident and competitive while and women are just being bitches.

As always, the characters were superb. For people who may hesitate to pick this one up since it is sports centered this is your sign to run and pre-order…THE CHARACTERS MAKE IT FOR EVERYONE.
While Soto may be a cold, hard bitch, the supporting cast is her antithesis - soft and warm. They were lovable, multifaceted and slowly unfurled themselves to the reader. Not only was the cast diverse, but it was dynamic, and most importantly, the characters interactions with each other felt real. Yes, to me, this book would be nothing without Javier and Gwen and Nicky and Bowe… they were pure perfection.

While she may not be for everyone, personally, I loved Soto. Yes, she was cold. Yes, she was emotionally stunted. But as a former athlete myself, I connected with her and completely understood where she was coming from. I admired her tenacity, grit, and determination. She was authentic as hell, even when it worked to her disadvantage. And most importantly, she grew throughout the story, giving me hope.
Soto shows readers that is lonely as hell at the top, but it doesn’t have to be…

2 Stars

Honestly I don’t know if I would have continued to read this book if my arc hadn’t expired, the author’s previous novel Malibu Rising was also one I couldn’t finish. I believe I read about the first one or two chapters and was quite bored.

Carrie Soto is unlikeable.
Carrie Soto is the best tennis player of her time.
Carries Soto’s record is about to be broken.
Carrie Soto is back. 😍

From the moment I started this book I did not want to put it down.
I loved the character development, TJR has a way of painting such a vivid picture of her characters. I could see Carrie, I could hear her clipped voice and abrasive speech. I could feel her fathers gentleness and love as he walked the line between coach and father.
The supporting characters were so diverse and perfect in their own way. Not too many and they all played a role. They all served a purpose.
Carrie was beautifully flawed and unlikeable. And I was rooting for her the whole time.

I assume this will be made into a movie.
This book was written to be a movie.
I think as a society we should all collectively agree that all TJR books should be movies.

Carrie Soto Is Back is a must read by TJR! TJR has once again written an amazing book!

I have always enjoyed watching Tennis but this book had me so invested and I couldn’t set it down. I had to know who was going to win!!

The ending of the book is a bit of a cliff hanger and I need to know what happens!!

When I think a TJR read is my fav there is always one that’s even better. Taylor Jenkins Reid is my auto buy author. I had this book on pre order and then I was given the amazing gift of getting to read this book early by @netgalley.

I'll admit that I went into Carrie Soto is Back knowing absolutely nothing about tennis, and now I probably know way more than I ever cared to. It is incredibly tennis heavy, the first 80 pages especially so - at one point I described it as "like the most beautifully written wikipedia summary of a tennis career". That being said, if you can get through the first 80 pages, it is so incredibly worth it. Taylor Jenkins Reid has such an incredible way of making characters sneak up on you. It took me a while to warm up to Carrie Soto, but then suddenly I was holding my breath during her every game.

In Carrie Soto is Back Taylor Jenkins Reid paints a picture of what it means to achieve greatness, the sacrifices it takes to get there, and just how quickly it can all slip through your fingers. It is an intense glimpse into the world of women's sports, where the opponents on the court are not the only obstacles; the cutthroat media and court of public opinion are quick to judge female athlete's every move and diminish their every achievement. As always, Taylor Jenkins Reid packs quite a punch and I definitely had to reach for a tissue more than once.

All in all, Carrie Soto is Back is certainly a worthy addition to the MRCU (Mick Riva Extended Universe).

Taylor Jenkins Reid can not only get me to read a book about a sport… but also make me love that book. It’s freaking magic!?!

Anyway, no surprise here, I loved it. I loved how inanely flawed Carrie was as a human but how she totally owned who she was. I loved her dad, and Bowe, and Gwen (why do I feel like she’s the MC for TJRs next book?). I also loved the 90s vibes, it was just overall so fun.

My only complain is: the netgalley app. Generally it will take me two days to devour a TJR book, and this one took me a whole month to read, because the formatting of this one on the netgalley app literally hurt my eyes. Unlike other ARCs, you’re unable to play around with the font/font size, so I found it very difficult to read. This is just me being a complainer 😂.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an early copy of this one for review! Carrie Soto is Back releases on August 30th (so I’m sure I’ll do a re-read when my preorder arrives).

TW: Death of a parent

Sitting in the stands watching Chan play Cortez in the finals of the 1994 US Open, Carrie Soto and her father determine that it is time for 37 year old Carrie to make a comeback to ensure she remains the world’s greatest female tennis player. Her father, Javier “the Jaguar” Soto will once again coach her. So begins the story of Carrie Soto and her efforts to break the tie for most slams won.

This story reads like sports fiction and is very heavy on the tennis jargon and play by play. The reader doesn’t have to know the game well to follow along as rules and such are provided but one does have to be prepared for a run down of almost every game.

The character of Carrie Soto is one who is unlikeable to the public with her brash confidence and daring taunts to other players. She doesn’t have a life outside of tennis until Bowe Huntley re-enters her life. Readers will remember him from Malibu Rising. In this story, we know that they had a quick affair early on and then went their separate ways. Now Carrie’s agent, Gwen, arranges for Bowe to practice with Carrie as both of them are entering the slams.

Javier was my favourite character with his unconditional love of Carrie. He was a former championship tennis player who started coaching tennis to raise money for his wife and newborn child when he was a new immigrant to America. Studying his players moves and keeping notes on other contenders, Javier coaches Carrie to success. He refers to Carrie as his Achilles.

There is a little bit of romance and a lot of tension to this story which I appreciated. I did lose a bit of steam with the run down of all the games around the half way mark but the second half is more condensed in regards to individual matches.

Overall, I am so happy to have been able to read an advanced copy of Carrie Soto is Back and know it will be a hit with readers everywhere. Thank you to @PenguinRandomCa and @netgalley for this ARC which publishes August 30, 2022.

I'm such a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan- I have been devouring her books since the very first one. "Carrie Soto is Back" brings back her signature writing style and engaging plot, but unfortunately this was my least favourite of her books to date.

After finishing this I took some time to reflect on why I didn't love this one, especially because I loved "Malibu Rising" so much. I've come to the conclusion that there were two reasons why this one didn't resonate with me in the same way that her previous books did. 1. I'm not a sports fan AT ALL and this book contained a LOT of tennis talk! I found myself skimming the more technical aspects of the tournaments, and since this book largely consists of tournaments, I found my mind wandering quite a bit. 2. Carrie Soto is not a character that I liked at all. I prefer it when I read books based around characters that I could root for. She was so cold that I had a hard time wanting her to win. In fact, sometimes I was rooting for her opponents. It wasn't until the very end that she even started to show some personality. I just can't imagine her being someone that I would admire in real life.

It's too bad since I love Taylor Jenkins Reid and her writing is, as always, on point. This one just wasn't for me. 3.5 stars out of 5.

Fluff My Dog's Fluffy Tail! 😳😯🤯😳😯

Wholy Cannoli! What in the freakin' insanity!? I'm absolutely, completely, whole-heartedly lost for words after savouring, devouring & digesting this incredible story! This book encompassed 3 of my favourite things: TJR the author, a bit of suspense & my love for tennis tournaments! As soon as I read the first chapter, I felt it in my bones it was gonna be a 5 star novel, & I was right. My utmost favourite book by TJR now. This has the exact right amount of what you want; some suspense, a character to root for (even if you don't like her), a sprinkle of love & one killer ending!

Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Carrie Soto is retired from tennis after an extremely successful career of being named the best tennis player in the world, due to immense sacrifices, determination, & thanks to her coach and father, Javier. Six years later, as Carrie watches her record being taken and smashed by an up-and-comer, Nicki. Carrie makes the decision to come out of retirement for one year to claim back what's hers. With the help of her Father and an old flame, Bowe, she'll face her toughest matches yet.

Glorious! I absolutely adored how Reid did this novel and with such well done research! It played out like a movie in my mind beautifully. Character development at its best & amazing messages along the way. This book was like a huge mug of the best coffee wrapped up with your favourite baked treats to devour. The best of it all. Yet again, she's cleared the net with this amazing novel & won. Game. Set. Match.

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC.
Release Date: August 30, 2022

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 5 / 5 Beach Waves! 🌊