I was so excited to read this so when I recieved the ARC I was extatic. And I must say that this book did not disappoint. Carrie was such a strong female character that I loved reading about. I enjoyed also the tennis aspect of this book which I wasn't sure at first but it definitely wasn't boring. This book proved to me why Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors.

Absolutely brilliant. Yes Carrie Soto Is Back is about tennis, with enough detail to make it feel like you're really watching, and it's also about feminism and about chasing the impossible perfect and about love - as they say, nothing in tennis and all in life. Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again.

Carrie Soto dropped out of world tennis years ago after an injury destroyed her winning streak. She was brilliant but she was never loved, and now a young tennis player is chasing at her heels for the record of most Grand Slam wins. Maybe it's time for Carrie to come out of retirement.

Get ready for the biggest comeback of the century.

Carrie may not be a traditional heroine, particularly in this 70s-90s setting, and that's what makes this book even better. She's determined and unapologetic and perfectly flawed; it's testament to Jenkins Reid's craftsmanship that each of the characters here are equally believable and fallible. Her character development is beautiful, and it's a nice touch too that the world of her books subtly intertwine. Everything about this book is addictive - I cannot recommend it enough. Just brilliant.

It’s not often an author gets better and better with each book. Even my longtime favourite authors have written some duds. Not this one though! Please read all of her books not just this one! Always 5/5 and I’d give this 6 if I could!

We all love TJR and this is another book which explains why! TJR is incredible at writing gripping books with romance, friends, drama and comedy. Loved it!

I enjoyed the previous books of Taylor Jenkins Reid that I have read but I didn't like this one quite as much. It is a good read, but not as good as the others I'm afraid.

i will anything and everything Taylor Jenkins Reid writes , her celebrity universe is one of my favorite things ever created in books , this story focuses on carrie soto , whom we have last seen in malibu rising , however this is not a related story but a completely different own story of carrie and her journey as a female tennis player .
i would recommend this to anyone who loves tjr's writing, books with celebrities and a feminist novel .

I’ve always loved sport. Even though I don’t have an athletic bone in my body. It’s the competitiveness and resilience of the players but also the excitement around a match day. I’ve also always found individual sports a little harder to watch. It’s something about the responsibility or pressure all being on just one person. Which is why I was really excited to read Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Carrie Soto Is Back.

Carrie is a female athlete perhaps past her prime, brought back to the tennis court on the hunt for one last grand slam.

What I love about Jenkins Reid is her ability to build an entire universe in a novel. I totally bought into Carrie’s story, her need to be the best, her determination to be the best. It felt at times like I was reading a true story.

Perhaps that’s because the narrative by the media around Carrie’s “attitude” on the court felt all too familiar. The audacity of a woman to show anger or to bask in her success. With echos of the criticism and scrutiny we see players like the Williams sisters and Naomi Osaka subjected to, your outrage is so real that you almost forget that Carrie Soto is a fictional character.

I’ve read some reviews that describe the book as having too much tennis but I enjoyed that. I felt the detail included illustrates Carrie’s own obsession with the sport.

The book is also an interesting examination of the inevitable moment when someone new comes along ready to set new records and how to face up to that reality. I see Netflix have a new documentary coming out shortly called Break Point which looks at the Post-Serena, Post-Roger Eras. Sign me up.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this, sometimes when an author writes such a great book to start, you can feel disappointed with the next book. This didn’t happen, just as enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This novel was a fascinating look, not just at the tennis world, but at the dynamics between fathers and daughters. It’s also a novel of self- growth for Carrie, who makes some serious changes from where she was in the last book. I hadn’t been sure whether I liked Carrie before, but here I could understand her better and even gained a certain amount of respect for the character who shows real determination here. There’s a single mindedness in her that makes for a great sportsperson, nothing is going to get in the way of her succeeding and she’s willing to put in the hard yards to achieve her potential. She’s not a cosy and cute character, far from it. There are times when she treats people badly and is unsympathetic, but it made me think about the way our unconscious bias expects women to behave. If a man behaved like Carrie it wouldn’t seem worthy of comment, but women are expected to be soft, kind and nurturing, I loved Carrie’s drive and uncompromising attitude. Her relationship with her father was such a positive influence and it was wonderful to read about a loving father - daughter relationship. I felt I got a real insight into high level competition and how half of the battle is confidence in your ability. Sports psychology is a vastly growing area and it was interesting to see how it’s used. In light of Emma Radacanu’s meteoric rise to tennis royalty, I was also fascinated with how the media affects players particularly young women. This was a well-written book with psychological insight into how pursuing your talent to the top affects your life and mental health.

Infinite stars for Carrie Soto is Back, and hands down one of my favourite reads of 2022.

I am not a tennis person. If you forced me to name the more famous tennis-players I’d be able to rattle off a few, but I have never sat down to watch a tennis match in its entirety before in my life. Safe to say, I was a little bit apprehensive prior to reading this because I thought tennis references and terminology would go right over my head but I should have know never to bet against TJR as I felt like I had been watching Tennis for years by the time the last chapter rolled around.

Carrie Soto is exactly who she think she is and I could think of no higher praise. Unapologetically herself from the beginning to the end. An inspirational and strong tennis player but flawed - Javi (her father) affectionally calling her Achilles is nothing if not apt. While Carrie might not be the most likeable character (I mean she is referred to ‘the bitch’ multiple times after all), she’s an unbelievably sucky loser and if you looked up ‘emphatic’ in the dictionary, you would definitely not see Carrie’s picture next to it and yet, TJR somehow made me fall so deeply in love with her character. Cheering Carrie on when she experiences her highs, sympathising with her during her lows, yelling on her behalf when articles and pundits attempted to discredit her ambition and her work. I experienced every feeling whilst reading it and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Because as good as you are, you have never been able to make peace with failure”. Carrie’s personal growth just felt so complete, I can’t remember when I last felt so satisfied by a character arc. A big part of this was the development of her relationships both platonic and romantic - specifically with her father and Bowe although I enjoyed reading her relationship with Gwen (her agent) and Nicki Chan (her main rival) too. Carrie really had to open herself up (moreso with the latter than the former) and allow herself to be vulnerable.

Absolute highlight for me was Carries relationship with her father Javier. I could probably wax poetic for an age about how wonderfully complex and intricate their father-daughter relationship was, especially when you throw in the coach-student relationship they had too. I adored the exploration of their dynamic, which often had me emotional and wanting to call my own father straight way. Javier’s dedication to Carrie was everything. That’s not to say he did everything perfect when raising her (and let’s be honest who has) but my god did he try his hardest. A majority of the tears I shed was from reading their incredible relationship.

Also would be remiss if I didn’t mention I’m a romance girlie at heart so the slow-burn romance was unexpected but highly welcomed and added yet another wonderful layer to this already captivating story.

Carrie Soto is Back is a highly addictive, compelling and intense read, which will you have wanting to devour the story in one sitting. One thing about TJR is the story will include some well-thought out social commentary and this was no different. Topics such as misogyny, sexisms and inequality within the sport and the pressure that comes from the constant negative press and scrutiny were all discussed in a refreshing, considered manner.

I loved this book! Carrie was a complex, multi-layered character, not always likeable but by the end you were absolutely rooting for her. Her journey was a great ride to be on.

Sadly this didn't work for me.
While this had potential it just fell flat.
I found myself bored by a 3rd of the way through and saying didn't get back into it.
I think maybe if this was multiple POV it could have worked better. We could have seen another side of Carrie through the lens of those around her.
Instead I was left not being much of a fan of Carrie. She came across unlikeable and cold majority of the book and only really showing growth as a character close to the end.
I also found this was too Tennis heavy. While I understand a big part of this is Tennis I feel it could have been balance a little better.

Another gripping novel from this author. The cut throat attitude of Carrie as she battles for a title in the world of tennis was edge of your seat stuff. I equally enjoyed her back story and how she became the woman she is now. Her emotional journey is a huge one and I was satisfied with the ending.

This was so good! Taylor Jenkins Reid never disappoints, after reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this was just what I needed. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I wasn't sold on the idea of this one but TJR managed to serve up yet another winner (pun intended 😂)

Probably not my favourite of hers but a solid 4 star that made me shed a few tears.

Full review to come.

I don’t want to give away too much here so maybe I’ll do a more spoiler-filled review in September… but, in case you were in any doubt, TJR has done it again and I think this might be my new favourite of hers!

Carrie is a fabulous main character - she is flawed, yes, but I found her very easily loveable and incredibly gripping. The *growth* she experiences in this novel is so beautifully laid out and well done, and there was no point here where I wasn’t cheering for her (sometimes literally outloud 👀)

I loved our supporting cast too - from Carrie’s dad Javier (another character I didn’t stop rooting for the entire way through), to Bowe, to Gwen (who I would now LOVE to read a full novel dedicated to), to Nicki (who might be Carrie’s rival, but is so funny and smart that I won’t lie… I cheered a little for her too!)

There’s something very beautiful here in the way these people are drawn and interact and live, and I think it’s thanks to them that I struggled to hold myself to the buddy read schedule.

Also - the tennis! I’m a casual player and watcher, who sometimes forgets the rules, but TJR has captured the energy of the game so, so well. I hope we see a little resurgence in more people playing the game for fun (because it is - so, so fun) and the line walked here between making the sport accessible while still capturing the technicalities is beautifully done!

I’ll absolutely be rereading this as soon my preorder arrives, and I’m really hoping we get a TV series for this one soon too.

Thank you NetGalley and Taylor Jenkins Reid for allowing me to read and review this book.

I loved the idea of Carrie Soto Is Back and enjoyed her unapologetic, bold character. The story itself was thick with tennis terms which I feel may put off some readers.
The characters could be developed further in us knowing a bit more about their backgrounds, feeling, etc. as sometimes when finishing a chapter I was left wondering a few questions about the character; in which I didn’t really get answers to.

Overall a brilliant read and one which I will definitely recommend to friends and family; I feel it just missed the mark of my high expectations. After reading 7 Husbands I was hoping for huge things as I LOVED that book.

Hope to read more from TJR asap!

I absolutely adored this! Just when I thought TJR couldn't get any better.

I have never experienced the work of an author where a world and its characters can be so well evoked. I absolutely believe Daisy Jones is an enigmatic singer and that The Six impacted the lives of music lovers across the globe; I feel like Evelyn Hugo was a real, flesh-and-blood icon who I yearn to be like; and now, I believe Carrie Soto is one of the greatest tennis players of our time. No one has the same talent as TJR for bringing characters to life.

And I love that these woman are unapologetically dominating in their chosen passions, taking what's theirs and defying male and societal expectations of them. This book was thrilling, gripping, addictive, and an absolute breath of fresh air. I adored it and just want to read it again.

I loved this authors books of”… Evelyn Hugo” and “Daisy Jones” but this book and her last book, “Malibu Rising” have been a bit of a miss for me.

Another incredible novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid - and an unexpected one at that. When I read the synopsis, I'm not going to lie I wasn't convinced - I am not a huge lover of tennis, so a whole novel set in the tennis world...?! However, my fears were unfounded - I loved it. I could maybe have done with slightly less of the technical details but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the overall novel.

If you've read TJR's other novels you will definitely enjoy this - it is set in the same "world".

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review</i>