Loved this expansion of the Taylor Jenkins Reid cinematic universe. Carrie Soto, a background character in Malibu Rising, is beautifully fleshed out in Carrie Soto is Back. Carrie’s battle through to tennis stardom and then the four Grand Slams as part of her comeback is gripping and her relationship with her dad is so touching. I was really rooting for her (in everything!) by the end.

I have absolutely loved all of Tara Jenkins Reid's previous books so I was so looking forward to reading this one.

We begin by meeting Carrie and her father in the 90's watching a tennis final. She is a retired tennis player and the new champion Nicki Chan is about to even her world record. We then go back in time to 1966 where we begin to find out when and why she started playing and her relationship with her father who was also her tennis coach. The book flips from before and after the comeback so we get a feel for each character and their back stories.

I warmed to Carrie as a character, I liked how strong she was and how unapologetic she is about being super good at something and better then most, but also how vulnerable she had to be in the sense of she had become coldhearted to men and how she had relationships with them after a heartbreak.

I love how TLR has a way of creating big strong celebrity characters that are also likeable, I really do get taken in to another world,

I also learnt so much about tennis which I found interesting especially as its something that I have never really understood, but feel next Wimbledon I will be watching.

Great book, loved the characters and emotions alongside the return of Carrie!

Never did I ever think I’d see the day when a book about tennis could have me hooked from the first instance. But, here we are.
I’ve been dubious about the hype around TJR for a while after loving her earlier work but not really enjoying her more recent books. I was finding the grind of Hollywood starlets draining and a lack of focus on the characters. Well, this has all been completely redeemed by Carrie. She’s so unlikeable that I don’t just like her, I love her. The relationship she has with her father, tennis, winning and Bowe is so complex and it’s been beautifully and brutally captured throughout the novel. I feel like we grow with Carrie and her emotions. Oh, and prepare to cry. A lot. An easy five star read for me.

Thank you @netgalley for the eARC of Carrie Soto is back. Available on 30th August 2022.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House UK, Cornerstone for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again. From start to finish this book engrossed me. I didn't want to put it down, but when I did, I struggled to pick it up again as I did not want it to be over. TJR has, once again, created such a loveable yet hateable character that you can't help but root for. As with her other books, Taylor Jenkins Reid captivates you into the world of the character just to rip your heart out once that emotional connection has been formed. With such appreciable character development, Carrie Soto's story is not one you want to miss, and as one of my highly anticipated releases this year, it definitely did not disappoint.

Just like the indomitable Carrie Soto, Taylor Jenkins Reid has been honing her game. All her books have been very readable, but this one I flew through in a single day - not quite at the speed of Nicki Chan’s service, but not far off.
I love TJR’s big-name women. They’re so charismatic, and I loved Soto and Chan. This book is destined to be another huge hit, and rightly so. This is probably one of my favourites; it’s certainly right up there with Evelyn.
Also, I love the way these characters touch the lives of Evelyn, Nina and Daisy!
And… Best. Ending. Ever.
Taylor Jenkins Reid is back, and she’s serving aces.
Five big ones.
🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾

Carrie Soto was the greatest tennis player during the 80's with 20 Grand Slam titles under her belt. But her career was cut short with a knee injury and after surgery was never the same player again. But the new kid on the block , Nicki Chan, is quickly going to take her title. With her father fully behind her Carrie comes out of retirement to try and prevent this happening
Carrie was called "the battle-axe"during her reign due to her uncompromising character, her ruthless behaviour and her arrogance towards her fellow players. This has not eased during her time away from the game but at 37 can she come back the player she was?
This was my first Taylor Jenkins Reid book but I really liked her style of writing. I'm not sure if I really warmed to Carrie but I enjoyed reading about her rise to stardom. This book is a must for any tennis lovers, gives the reader an insight to the cut and thrust and back biting of the circuit and season

I love any book by Taylor Jenkins Reid anyway but Carrie Soto Is Back is now probably my new personal favourite. This was such a delight to read on my morning commute to work and I was caught off guard when it ended sooner than I hoped it would.

Taylor Jenkins Reid truly is a master at creating characters and worlds which feel completely real.
If you’re not a fan of tennis, you may not enjoy this quite as much as fans of the game. But as someone who follows tennis and watches Wimbledon, the French and US Opens every year, this felt like I was watching the matches but with the added bonus of knowing what goes into a match and life as a tennis player.
Carrie is someone who grows as the story develops and you can definitely emphasise with. But her relationship with her father is what made this book for me.
I also enjoyed seeing her open up to love and Bowe and how she went on to relate to and champion Nicki.
The ending was a nice change from what I expected but felt very true to what we’d read all along.
This is right up there with Evelyn Hugo (my favourite Taylor Jenkins Reid book) and I genuinely could not put this down, reading it within 24 hours.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A 2022 summer must-read, this is just so much fun! In Carrie, TJR has created a modern heroine who is sharp, competitive and driven - yes, she's flawed and has lessons to learn but that's all the fun of the journey. I like that this keeps female ambition centre stage (or should that be centre court?!) with a cute romance only on the sidelines: Carrie's important relationships are with her father, her agent and with her tennis nemesis and arch-rival. Page-turning, exciting, a little heartbreaking in places and just oh so satisfying - just the thing for switch-off reading that doesn't insult our intelligence.

Absolutely adored this book! Anything Taylor Jenkins Reid writes is just beautiful and feels so real. The character development and plot make it feel like I’m actually living through these icon periods. Was a bit skeptical to begin with that the focus would be on a sporting star, but it even made me fall in love with tennis

Carrie Soto is Back, Taylor Jenkins Reid 🎾 3.5/5

Carrie Soto is a tennis legend, known all over the world as “The Battleaxe”. Now 6 years after her retirement, Carrie Soto returns to the court to defend her records. Against all odds, can Carrie Soto win again?

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the master of reinvention. My fourth book by her and each one is so different and yet, so similar all her once. With her uncanny ability to transport her reader within, Carrie Soto is back is another masterclass is deeply enriched storytelling.
Whilst tennis is absolutely not my thing I enjoyed the back and forth of this one, grappling with greatness, misogyny and reputation, Carrie Soto makes for a formidable protagonist.
One for your summer reading list! Thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUk for my copy.

As I loved Malibu Rising I was really excited to read this book. I have to admit though that I was disappointed initially. There is a heavy emphasis on tennis and I felt the story was slow. As the book continued it did get better and I loved how the author explored the relationships Carrie had, especially with her father. The ending saved the book and although I enjoyed it, it wouldn't be my favourite.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again, another absolute knockout. TJR has an incredible way of writing complex characters and plot in such an easily readable way, I flew through this in two days. It's going to be the perfect summer read and I'm just sad I can't read it for the first time again!

I love tennis and Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books, so this has been a match made in heaven for me!

The prologue immediately had me hooked as we meet our leading lady Carrie Soto, as she is sat in the stands at the 1994 US Open, six years after her retirement, watching her 20 grand slam titles record be equalled by Nicki Chan. It leads her to make the monumental decision to come out of retirement to reclaim her record as the best player the world of tennis has ever seen.

I loved then being taken back in time and seeing Carrie’s tennis journey from when she was a child, beginning with her father coaching her, to how she progressed over the years with such ambition and a fierce reputation (often referred to in the sports media as ‘The Battle Axe”)! I loved seeing her career grow from strength to strength and seeing how far she was prepared to go to achieve her dreams, pushing her body to its extremes before her decision to retire.

We then pick up from where the prologue ended and get to see Carrie’s experiences during her one final year, with her father by her side as her coach once again, just like old times. I loved all of their interactions and it was cool when they were speaking in Spanish to each other. I was glad that Carrie swallowed her pride to train with Bowe Huntley too, who just like Carrie, was soon to be giving up the game he loved forever!

I really enjoyed seeing Carrie’s journey across the four grand slams in the 1995 tennis calendar. The descriptions were so beautifully detailed meaning I could really picture Carrie as she was training and playing in all of her matches on her quest to reclaim her title as the world’s greatest tennis player. There was so much heart and emotion in this book and Carrie’s competiveness, drive and ambition shone through!

I found reading this book to be a really immersive experience and I felt like I was learning about a real life tennis icon! I absolutely love how real Taylor Jenkins Reid’s characters always feel and how connected I am to them as I am reading. I really do forget they are fictional! Just like I felt after reading three of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s previous books (Daisy Jones and the Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising), I wanted to be able to look online to see what Carrie went on to do next! I loved the final chapter and thought it was a clever way to end the book!

I honestly cannot recommend Carrie Soto Is Back highly enough!

There is no question this will sell regardless… however this is nowhere near as strong as Daisy Jones and the six, nor Malibu Rising. For me, the character development s really lacking here and I felt all of the players in this one very one dimensional,
I stick with it though, the story itself was ok but predictable.
I really like this author normally, and hope this is just a rushed, hastily written novel and better to come in the future.

Once I started Carrie Soto is back…I could not put it down! It is an incredibly fast read with short, punchy sentences that mimic the tennis game it is often describing. Unlike Malibu Rising, the story is focused on the protagonist Carrie Soto and is told in first person narrative. It is all the stronger for it. The world sees Carrie Soto as a cold, unfeeling Battle Axe but she is anything but. She is driven and passionate and cares deeply for those close to her - she just finds it hard to show her emotions after years of being trained by her father to not show her opponent whether they are getting to her. I absolutely loved it!

Yet another triumph from Taylor Jenkins Reid.
I feel like I, myself, enjoyed this book as much as anyone who knows nothing whatsoever about tennis (and generally has little interest in the sports world) might, meaning it just fell short of a 5 star rating because it took me ages to get invested in the sport.
However, like any TJR read before, this excels in terms of writing, pacing and especially characters. I found myself immersed into the story in no time, and then was flying through it without a care in the world, wanting to devour the story. I think Carrie is for TJR what Emma was for Jane Austen - i.e.: the image of what many might view as an unlikeable character, yet that is what makes her so fascinating to follow. She is driven, she is ruthless, she is honest to a fault, and she cares little for the feelings of those around her. She is at the top of the world and, in many ways, it's only her own self that can take her down. I found her journey to be so addicting to follow, and I could not help but want to see that drive pay off (making me never want to see anyone humble or take her down a notch? that, in itself, is a triumph). I also found her character development from youth into a more self-assured yet vulnerable adulthood to be endearing in the most unexpected manner.
To make a long story short, we have no choice but to continue to stan ms. TJR, as she never misses.

As a tennis player myself, this book drew me in instantly. TJR's writing is like flowing down a river of sweet syrup - I'm flying forward through this book, and I'm locked into it completely! It's addictive. It provides the perfect escapism. I've been so glued to it, it's come everywhere with me.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my absolute favourite authors, and damn, she has done it again.

While ‘Carrie Soto is Back’ isn’t my favourite by Taylor Jenkins Reid (too hard to choose!), I still absolutely loved this book. It was so immensely powerful and as always, so well-written and amazingly paced.

I love sport, and I used to play tennis when I was younger, so this one has definitely been right up my speed. I love the fierce competitiveness, passion and ultimately, stubbornness of the main character. You need all of those to succeed in sport, especially after coming back after an injury (and here, also a retirement). It was very powerful to watch Carrie on her journey to prove something to the world (and ultimately, herself).

What I also loved about this title, were the little nods to the other titles by the author – especially both ‘Malibu Rising’ and ‘The Daisy Jones & The Six’, it interconnected the world between those stories, and I have enjoyed it a lot.

I was very excited to be able to request TJR new release! I am a huge fan of all the previous books & how TJR references characters from previous books in her new ones (& vice versa) We last saw Carrie in Malibu Rising, she was at the top of her game and had an affair with Nina Rivas husband…

Carrie Soto is a retired pro tennis player whose record is under threat by the talented Nicky Chan… Carries record is under threat so at 37 years old she comes out of retirement for one last season…

When she retired she was at the of her game, does she still have what it takes? Nicknamed the Battle Axe, Carrie is fierce, she is always focused and hasn’t time for niceties.

This book goes back to the late 70s and throughout the 80’s exploring Carries rise to fame and then we are in the present (90s) as she makes her come back.

Carrie herself grew on me and by the end, it wasn’t about winning or losing, it was about accepting who you are and when you are enough.

All previous books I have read have been hands down, 5 star reviews, this for me was just lacking something to keep me hooked. As with any TJR, it’s well written however I couldn’t really get into the tennis side of it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

Recommended for any TJR fans!