Thanks to Random House, Taylor Jenkins-Reid and NetGalley for the ARC of Carrie Soto is Back.

She's only gone and done it again. Another AMAZING book from Taylor Jenkins Reid - a book that is so immersive, that you will not only fall in love with the complex character of Carrie Soto, but you will find yourself genuinely forgetting that Carrie isn't real. It reads like reality, it feels like reality, but this powerful story pulls you in. I laughed and genuinely cried. Loved it.

It's worth saying this book is about tennis, so whilst it helps to have a minor knowledge or interest in the sport (at least perhaps of the scoring system) it's definitely not essential.

Finally. I fully respect the fact that Taylor manages to get her character reading one of her other titles in an almost seamless way. Perfection! :)

Will be recommending this title far and wide.

I have no knowledge of Tennis. So Taylor did a fantastic job of introducing me as a reader to the world of this Sport. from how Carrie's Father teaches her as a young child to the top tournaments.

I found myself to be highly immersed in Carrie's life.

I loved the little easter eggs mentioning other characters from previous books.

Taylor Jenkins Reid could write literally anything and I would absolutely love it and this was no exception.
Carrie Soto Is Back is one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and it did not disappoint. I went into this book with insane expectations and I was so scared that I wouldn't love it as much as I love Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and Malibu Rising, but Carrie Soto was so amazing that I couldn't help but fall in love with this story.
One of the main reasons why I was scared to start this book was because I know absolutely nothing about tennis and this book heavily focuses on tennis, but after reading this book, I still know nothing about tennis but I now really want to try to play it.
Carrie Soto was such an icon. She never let other people tear her down and she was such an inspiration. I loved how determined she was to be the best and how she set herself a goal and was determined to always reach her goals. Carrie was definitely on the same level as Evelyn, Daisy and Nina, all of whom are badass female main characters and I just adored them all.
I love how Taylor Jenkins Reid adds small hints and mentions of her other books within her writing and I just love that so much.
I don't even know how to describe the perfection that is this book. After reading this I tried to rank my favourite Taylor books but they are all my favourites and I just can't rank them at all.
I laughed, I cried and every time I read one of Carrie's tennis matches, I stopped breathing because of how much I wanted her to win every match. I can't wait to reread this already, but I might wait for my preorder to turn up before I reread it, but whilst I am waiting for that, I can definitely see myself reading Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and Malibu Rising soon.

I loved every moment in this book! I have always enjoyed watching tennis but this felt like a behind the scenes look into the tennis world. To be honest I forgot that this was fiction and not a biography a couple of times.

Carrie is very similar to Evelyn Hugo in that she isn’t a likeable person but you can’t help but want her to succeed. The fear of failure is something I related to a lot and TJR did such a fantastic job portraying this.

Even if you’ve never watched a tennis match you will love Carrie Soto is Back!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

"My heart hurts when you hurt because you are my heart."

Carrie Soto is Back gave me everything - tears, laughter, a character I wanted to get behind. While tough on the outside, Carrie Soto really develops into a well-rounded character throughout the novel, thanks to the geniusness that I think is Taylor Jenkins Reid. She has once again captured her readers in a way that is very hard to explain.

Carrie is a retired tennis player in 1994, watching her career grand slam record get broken by Nicki Chan. At the age of 37, she decides to come out of retirement to try and reclaim her record, but learns so much about herself in the process.

Lots of egos in this one, and it's definitely a book about sports (tennis, specifically), but I think that is part of what kept me hooked. The feelings involved in sports - how the participants can get so wrapped up in the action, that they can miss everything going on around them.

I also seemed to have skipped a couple of steps - I have read Daisy Jones and the Six, but have not yet read Evelyn Hugo or Malibu Rising. Seems I need to go back and read those too to be able to pick up on even more of Reid's genius.

A couple more quotes:
- "'Go out there...' He looks me directly in the eye with an intensity I have not seen in years, maybe even since I was a kid. ' And show them the the Bitch, the Battle Axe - whatever they want to call you - it doesn't matter. They cannot stop you. Carrie Soto is back."

- "Maybe it's a lie that you have to keep doing what you have always done. That you have to be able to draw a straight line from how you acted yesterday to how you'll act tomorrow. You don't have to be consistent. you can change, I think. Just because you want to."

- "I want to say to her, they can't make us go away just because they are done with us."

I’m not into tennis, yes I watch some of it when Wimbledons on but that’s about it.

This book, was brilliant, lots of tennis, amazing characters who strive to get to the top of their game. Never giving up but giving up other things to become the very best.

I loved the way it was written, it had transcripts as well, from the stands of the matches and I really enjoyed these. It had some Spanish in too, which to be honest, I just glanced over. I think I understood the basics of what they were saying, but might be nice to have some translation somewhere.

Another amazing read by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Wow TJR does it again! I love all of her books and this one has become one of my favourites of all time! I love how the world TJR is creating in books connects and we get little mentions of other characters.
As a tennis fan this was a super fun read, I learnt more about the sport and gained a new appreciation for it. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about tennis from a fiction side of things. I think lots of people will enjoy this!

I read this during the last week of Wimbledon and I have to say, it was a great time to do it. While I’m not the world’s biggest tennis fan, I enjoyed the parallels between real life and fiction.

Carrie Soto is the world’s greatest female tennis player, arguably the world’s greatest full stop. Even though she retired a decade before in a blaze of glory, she still holds the record for most grand slams. Until one day she doesn’t, as younger player Nicki Chan equals and sets her sights on bettering the total to become world number one, a legend in her own right.

She simply cannot let that happen, so Carrie gets back on the court and trains harder than she ever has in her life, in an effort to stave off the competition and retain her legend status. Along the way, she meets new friends and old, as well as people who really didn’t expect or want to see her again. In the same vein as McEnroe, Soto speaks her mind and suffers no fool gladly. SHe’s also kept herself apart from the other players on the circuit, hyper aware that she will probably play and beat them. They’re competition, not friends.

I’ve only read one other TJR book and that was Daisy Jones and the Six (link), which I sadly didn’t enjoy as much as I expected to given the hype around it. I enjoyed this a lot more - she’s a great character and while I can see why she’s not well-liked, she’s relatable and human enough to enjoy her story. I also really liked Nicki Chan as a character, who is fun and a bit mischievous while being absolutely stone cold determined. Hopefully she’ll have her own story too, as more references to the TJR world pop up across the novels. Carrie Soto is in Malibu Rising, for example, and I chuckled at the reference to her reading Daisy Jones in this story.

Although this does centre on tennis, and details the matches, I never felt like it was repetitive or boring as each one moves the story on. She plays on clay, grass and trains on sand and despite knowing not a huge amount about the sport, I could see the games and her training sessions. It would indeed make a good six part serial, especially as it flashes back to her early career and dovetails in with present day.

A must for TJR fans and great for a summer read, either near a tennis court or somewhere else.
Thanks to Random House for the DRC and Netgalley, as always. This is available to preorder now and to buy from 30th August.

Carrie Soto is Back - Taylor Jenkins Reid

ARC received with thanks to CornerStone & Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: General Fiction

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️

Review/What I Thought: When I finished this book I instantly thought I couldn’t fault it in anyway and I just wanted to go back to the beginning and read it all over again.

There is just something so compelling about the way Taylor Jenkins Reid & her storytelling. From the beginning I found myself hooked and wanting more. I read this book in the space of 24 hours and I think that tells you how much I enjoyed it!

This is a story about hope, relationships and sheer determination. I don’t follow Tennis and this did have a lot of Tennis in it as it follows Carrie Soto’s return back to the sport to defend her title. I didn’t care that it included so much of the sport as I found myself engrossed and rooting for Carrie.

I loved the development I saw in the character and it just added to the depth of the book and the plot itself. I loved the journey Carrie was on and adored her relationship with her father. There were so many beautiful moments in this. I also love a strong FMC and Carrie is absolutely that.

Taylor is now an autobuy author of mine and I will be reading all the work published so far!

An immersive story set in the tennis world. Just like all TKR great character combined with great plot, filled with tension, makes for addictive reading.
A basic understanding of tennis or lack of it may impact the reader's experience, perhaps.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

As a huge Taylor Jenkins Reid fan, I squealed when I got the chance to read Carrie Soto is Back. TJR is the queen of writing realistic, immersive and addictive writing that makes you have to check if the characters are real or not.

Synopsis: Carrie Soto was the best in woman's tennis- the best the world has ever seen. Shattering every record and claiming twenty Grand Slam titles, sacrificing everything to become the best tennis player, all with her father by her side.
In 1994 at US Open, Carrie's legacy was threatened when the beautiful British player, Nicki Chan, started to threaten her record of grand slams. Carrie makes the decision to come out of retirement and defend her record for one last time with her father, Javier, as her coach.

I adored this book, devouring each and every page. The plot was compelling, fast-paced and deeply immersive. I was moved by Carrie's relationship with her father and later characters and the sacrifices she makes. The book had me laughing and crying as all TJR books do. If you loved any of TJR's other works, you'd adore this one too!

Thanks so much to Random House UK and NetGalley for an advance copy of Carrie Soto is Back.

Just occasionally, I look forward to a book so much that I'm almost afraid to read it in case it lets me down. Taylor Jenkins Reid has been a favourite author of mine since Daisy Jones & the Six and Malibu Rising was one of my favourite books of last year. Carrie Soto had a cameo in that book, so I was excited to hear that TJR was going to write her story. I was even more excited to learn that it would be set in the world of tennis, which has fascinated me since I was a child.

I couldn't pace myself with this book and gobbled it all up in a couple of days. The plot was compelling and I enjoyed the nods to previous novels (although this works entirely as a standalone read). I was moved by the relationships that Carrie forms, particularly that with her father, and it was fascinating to delve deeper into her ambition and motivation.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of Carrie Soto is Back in exchange for an honest review.

Game, set and match, Taylor Jenkins Reid!

I did not think that I could love a book as much as I love Daisy Jones and the Six. But I now have a new favourite TJR book in Carrie Soto is Back. I was completely obsessed with the book and I did not want it to be over. I am a massive tennis fan and I couldn't get enough of this story. It had everything that I had hoped that it would and so much more. I loved the nods to Nina Riva and Daisy Jones as well.

Carrie Soto is a brat! That was my first thought of her and it stayed that way for most of the book. But, you cannot help but admire her and I warmed to her as the story went on. She wasn't liked on the WAT tour and she had the nickname of The Battle Axe throughout her career. Tennis is her life, she knows nothing else and wants nothing more than to be the best player that the world has ever seen. When she retires, she holds the record for the most grand slams of any player ever.

6 years later, 1994, and Carrie is sitting court side at the US Open with her father who was also her coach. English player, Nicki Chan has just equaled her record and she wants it back. She decides that she has to make a come back, and get her record back. She is now 37 and will be the oldest player to ever win a slam, if she can make it.

We get the story of Carrie's career from a young girl, through to her retirement, as well as her journey back to Grand Slams. With sports reports and newspaper articles, this book was incredibly well done.

I cannot praise this book more. It was a pleasure to read it.

Thank you so much to Random House UK for my advanced copy of this book to read. Easily all the stars and more

I was fully immersed in this book like I always am with any Taylor Jenkins Reid's books. I cannot explain just how much I enoyed this.

Her characters are alway so relatable and you want to support them and want their dreams and goals to come true. Even if they are somewhat unlikable but that what nakes them feel so real. Carrie is flawed, there is no question there. But you still root for her because as a reader you want to see how her decisions, good and bad, will play out. The relationship she had with her father was also an aspect that I felt was so real and relatable. Their dynamic was easy to understand and empathise with.

This book really demonstrated the resilience and the determination Carrie had especially as a woman and a female tennis player in the 90s who wanted to prove herself and what she will do to achieve them but also how the people around her shaped her opinions and her outlook in her life.

This is absolutely brilliant. I could not read it fast enough. It full of drive and determination. Carrie Soto is a bitch, but she knows what she wants and she’ll stop at nothing to get it. I enjoy tennis, especially Wimbledon, but if you’re a tennis fan at all you’ll adore this book. Absolutely 10/10 from me!!!!!

CARRIE SOTO IS BACK

🥁 … a couple of hundred votes in yesterday’s stories for the next review to be CARRIE SOTO IS BACK// Taylor Jenkins Reid! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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It’s no secret, I LOVE TJR’s books, and her upcoming one is no exception. Taylor’s storytelling and making the reader so immersed into the story, is just fantastic. Carrie was a young tennis super star, holding so many records. Her father (and coach) always encouraged her to be the best version of herself- She is incredibly competitive, so when her record title is smashed by a newcomer several years into her retirement, she just has to make a comeback. But Carrie is now 37, her body isn’t what it once was- can she do it? At what cost? 🫣😬⁣
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I loved Carrie’s complicated character, as someone who has perfectionism tendencies I felt seen in some of these pages! This book is just full of ambition, determination and resilience - an inspirational story that feels so real, as well as a tender father/daughter story. I can’t wait for it to hit the shelves at the end of August so you can grab a copy 👀

Let me start this by saying that I’m a HUGE TJR fan. Evelyn Hugo is one of my all-time fave books, I adored Daisy and loved Malibu Rising.

So I squealed in delight when I was approved on here for Carrie Soto Is Back (those of you who read Malibu Rising might remember her as the home wrecking affair…?!).

Anyhoo, unfortunately this book just didn’t do it for me. I have learned a great deal about tennis, but Carrie is not a very likeable figure and the intensity of the story was just a bit too focused on the one thing without much letting up.

What TJR did so amazingly well with Daisy and Evelyn and even Nina was the back-and-forth and the different POVs. Here we get Carrie and Carrie alone. I’d have loved to have learned more about her dad or even about Bowe but we only get her perspective and it’s not always a nice one.

Anyhoo, I’m sure many of you might disagree but I just didn’t feel like this one lived up to its predecessors. Still, an entertaining and patriarchy-shattering read and a lovely father-daughter relationship, and for that I commend it.

Carrie Soto Is Back by TJR ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Carrie is widely regarded as the world’s best tennis player, the problem is that she’s been retired for years and there’s a new girl in town who’s close to matching her record number of Grand Slam wins!

As with Evelyn and Daisy, TJR once again effortlessly transports you into another world.
I really don’t know how she manages to get inside the minds of her characters with such insight and empathy, you completely felt Carrie’s drive and heartache as she’s strives to claw her way back with the help of her father/coach.

Free courtesy of Netgalley

Never read any of Taylor's books before but I absolutely loved this one.

The story is about a middle aged retired, successful tennis player, who's GrandSlam record is just about to be broken by a young star named Nicki Chan.

Carrie is known as the battle axe, and wasn't much liked by people when she played in the 80's as she was aloof and rude but she has decided to come out of retirement to play in the GrandSlams to retain her record, this means she must play some of the best female players around and all of them are much younger than she is. Can she make an impact on the sport again, with the help of her father, who is a well known and loved coach ?

The story follows Carrie's preparation and each of the four Slams she enters, watching how she changes throughout this process, can she learn to trust and fall in love with someone as well as tennis again ?

This book will be amazing for tennis fans, as it gives an insight to what the players must go through to stay on the circuit and show the pressure they put on themselves to win. I would recommend this book

I loved everything about this and have never wanted to play tennis more.
The pacing, the characters, the atmosphere - TJR knocked it out of the park again (wrong sport, same sentiment?)