Wow I am beyond words!
A story about Tennis? Never would I have thought that someone could make this so good!
Maybe this even takes the top spot of my favourite Taylor Jenkins Reid books

I was intrigued by this book and wanted to enjoy it but I found it hard going to be honest. It just wasn't for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

📚 r e v i e w 📚

Carrie Sotto is Back - Taylor Jenkins Reid.

You know its good when a book about tennis keeps me entertained - if you know me, that is all I need to say. For those that don’t - I physically could not care any less about tennis if I tried. Or any sport really. Tennis could cease to exist and it wouldn’t impact my life a jot. Similarly, tennis could become the answer to climate change and sorry folks, I still wouldnt care. So when I say this kept me entertained - you know that this is a damn good book.
It’s Taylor Jenkins Reid, so you already knoe you’re going to fall in love with these characters and you’re going to feel all their hurts, achievements and joys right in the solar plexus and this wasn’t any different.
For me, the first 150 pages or so were a little too tennisy but the second half had me in its grip and I didnt want it to let me go.
Loved the little references to Daisy Jones, the Rivas and Evelyn Hugo, loved Carrie, Javier and Bowe. Bravo TJR - you’ve done it again.
(I’m sure there is a tennis reference I could make here but alas I am too ignorant.)
Thank you to @netgalley for the early copy, now excuse me while I mentally prepare myself for Taylor Jenkins Reid’s event at Toppings in October. I may cry.

Another brilliant book by this author. A tennis pro, Carrie decides to make a return to Tennis grand slams after a career break. Likeable characters, plenty of dramas and a page turner. I also really liked the relationship between Carrie and her father and coach. Highly recommended.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has quickly become that author. You know the one. The one you can trust to tell a damn good story. Carrie Soto is Back is no exception. It is a damn good story. It focuses on Carrie Soto an one time tennis great who comes out of retirement to claim back her record which has been taken by young upstart Nikki Chen. Okay, so that is the surface story but it is about so much more than that. It is about survival, about family and about the ability to grow and change and I was hooked from page one. I cared far more about tennis than I ever have before.

I think that whilst Taylor Jenkins Reid can write a fabulous story I always felt that she peaked with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I liked Daisy Jones and the Six and I liked Malibu Rising but they never gave me the same gut-wrenching love that Evelyn Hugo did. However Taylor Jenkins Reid tugged me back in with Carrie Soto is Back and I think I know why. For me, Taylor Jenkins Reid shines so much more when she does the single perspective novel. I rooted for Carrie Soto because I traversed this journey with her. I wanted the win for her. I felt like I was on the court with her. I don't think there is a bigger complement for an author than to know that their book transported you into the novel.

I can say this for sure, with Carrie Soto is back, Taylor Jenkins Reid retained her title of being a fantastic novelist.

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid is available now.

For more information regarding Taylor Jenkins Reid please visit her Instagram account.

For more information regarding Random House UK (@randomhouse) please visit www.randomhousebooks.com.

This book is insanely good. I think it might be my favourite TJR. The characters are just sublime and the plot is so interesting and keeps you wanting more. You question whether the characters are actually real that’s how good it is. 5 stars from me!

Si pudiera darle más estrellas se las daría. TJR tiene el poder de crear a los personajes más fuertes que he leído nunca. Leyendas. Te gusten o no los deportes este libro te mantiene en vilo 300 páginas. La perseverancia,la fuerza,la ambición de Carrie es inigualable.
La escritura de TJR es magnífica. Tiene frases e insights muy importantes.
Este libro es la historia de una leyenda. Su creación su vuelo y su legado.
Cuando salga a la venta lo leeré de nuevo.

Un puntito negativo y que hay que revisar son las frases en español. Tienen algún que otro error.

Impresionante.

I have read four Taylor Jenkins Reid books before this one, and every single one blew me away. I have been highly anticipating Carrie Soto Is Back for that exact reason ever since I first heard about it, and the blurb sounded fantastic. I fully expected to find a new 5 star read and I admit my expectations might have been set a bit too high, because somehow I didn't love this story as much as I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad read and I'm still a huge fan of her writing, but there is also no denying that this is my least favorite TJR story I've read to this date. I'll try to explain why below.

First of all, I have to say that I still love the premise of the story. The retired tennis player coming back to defend her record, the inner workings of top level tennis playing and training... There is something ruthless about it all, and I think the author does a great job portraying the different emotions. I liked the structure of the plot; showing us more about how Carrie Soto became a tennis superstar before returning to the 'present' where she decides to return to defend her record. Taylor Jenkins Reid has always excelled at story crafting and it shows in the strength of the plot and structure.

As for the characters... I can't say that I liked Carrie Soto, but there is no doubt that she is fierce and simply fascinating. Bowe likewise makes for an intriguing character, and I liked how Carrie's father Javier fit into the story. Taylor Jenkins Reid is so good at creating flawed and realistic characters, and I definitely felt that magical touch with this cast. Not as strong as with some of her other titles maybe, but it was still very much there. The character growth was very well done as well, and I liked the dynamics between Carrie and Bowe and the respite it offered from all the tennis talk.

Now on to what didn't work for me. First up is a major personal pet peeve and something that might not bother most: the use of Spanish in the text. I have a degree in Spanish Philology and I have called Argentina my home for over a decade, so I was stoked when I discovered Carrie Soto has Argentinian blood and that the story was going to include Spanish. It usually only makes me love a story even more, but it backfired for me in Carrie Soto Is Back. I understand that I read the ARC and mistakes will (hopefully) be fixed in the final version, but the Spanish was BAD. And I'm not talking about simple spelling/grammar mistakes or using the wrong words, but also using expressions that an Argentinian would never use. It soon made me cringe ever time I had to suffer through another incorrect use of Spanish, and if I have to see the 'Bueno' expression one more time (something that is NOT used in Argentina, by the way), I think I'm going to scream. Also, I have to note that the use of Spanish might backfire for non-Spanish speakers as well; there is often no translation offered and the use goes a lot further than a simply word/phrase every now and then.

Another thing that bothered me considerably is the fact that tennis basically overpowers everything in the plot. There is so much talk about tennis ALL THE TIME, with technical terms, match play-by-plays and detailed descriptions of just about everything relating to tennis, and it kind of overshadowed the rest of the story for me. Sure, all these details show that Taylor Jenkins Reid did her research and that she knows what she's talking about. I'm sure tennis fans will love the story even more because of it, but if you are not a fan of the sport (like me) it can quickly turn into an overdose. I wish there would have been more focus on Carrie's personal life and maybe even on her connection with Bowe; as it is the dynamics felt off for me.

That said, Carrie Soto Is Back is by no means a bad read and her writing is just as strong as usual (except for the Spanish), but there was just something about this book that made it a bad match for me. This doesn't mean I don't still consider her one of my favorite authors though, and I will be ready for a rematch with one of her backlist titles some time soon. Just as I will still be looking forward to whatever she will write next...

When retired tennis champion Carrie Soto finds her grand slam record in danger of being broken - at the age of 37 - she embarks on the greatest of comebacks to defend her record. And what a journey she takes us on...

The world building is, as always with TJR, brilliantly well thought-out - with cross-overs into Daisy Jones and Malibu Rising making an appearance - and the characters are written perfectly.
Carrie's flaws and her journey to overcoming them is so endearing, especially as we watch her slowly learn how to lose, love and let go.
For me, though, it was the relationship she has with her father that cemented this as one of my favourite TJR novels. As her coach, mentor and biggest fan, he provides her with constant love, advice and support - even when she lives up to her nickname of 'The Bitch/Battle Axe' - in the hopes she not only achieves her career goals but also opens up her heart to potential happiness (Bowe, I'm looking your way👀). And it is so heart-warming to watch their relationship grow ever stronger as the story unfolds.

Add to that the fact that the tennis matches in this are genuinely one of the most engaging things I've read, and you've got quite the winner.
Absolutely loved it.

Excited doesn’t even begin to cover my reaction to being approved to read the iconic Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest title, Carrie Soto Is Back.

When Carrie Soto retired from tennis, she was the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record, and claimed twenty Great Slam titles with her father as her coach. Six years later, she is in the audience about to watch British star Nikki Chan exceed her record. At 37 years old, Carrie decides to make a come back, and try and gain one more Grand Slam to reclaim her title.

An incredible story with another unashamedly strong female character, Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again.

Carrie is hard-working, confident, ambitious, strong and overflowing with self-belief. In other words, she is everything women ‘shouldn’t’ be. How many times are women expected to be humble, self-depreciating and quiet?

Because of her strong sense of character and dogged determination, Carrie is given unflattering nicknames by the media and finds it hard to form any meaningful relationships.

She does have a close bond with her coach father, and their relationship shapes her behaviour throughout her life.

Despite having what many would consider unlikable qualities, I became a Carrie supporter almost instantly. She is fighting the odds, fighting the media and fighting against an aging body to try and remind everyone that she is still the best in the world.

Despite being 37 years old, I often get the sense that we are watching Carrie grow up. She is finally starting to see what lies ahead beyond being a tennis player. She realises she needs to nuture her relationships to those closest to her, as you never know how long you have them for.

Drama, love, humour and tears abound in this exhilarating novel about female ambition and the cost of success. Iconic characters with an easy-to-read narrative, Taylor Jenkins Reid has cemented herself as one of the stars of contemporary fiction, and the top of my auto-buy list!

I don’t know how Taylor Jenkins Reid does it but every book I read by her is instantly a favorite - she just writes the most interesting and three dimensional characters & even if I don’t care about a topic before? Doesn’t matter, reading about Carries love for Tennis was really interesting and I kinda want to watch tennis now. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Before reading the book I was a bit nervous whether I would like Carrie or not because we already saw a few glimpses of her in Malibu Rising and she wasn’t the most charming character there. When you’re not in her head she seems a bit (okay, a lot) bitchy and mean but when you’re reading from her POV she’s actually just very driven and scared to get hurt and that she’s not more than an amazing tennis player. I really really liked Carrie and her character development and the relationship she had with the few persons in her life, especially with her father. I think because he’s also her coach I expected them to have more of a strained relationship but the father-daughter-dynamic was actually one of my favorite things to read about in the book. But I also really liked the bit of romance we got, especially because this so clearly wasn’t a romance book and the romance was just a subplot. The book is really about Carrie succeeding (or not?) and it had me on the edge of my seat during some matches and I was rooting for Carrie so much.
Really, I can’t recommend the book enough and can’t wait to get a copy for my shelf when it’s released in nearly a month now!

I always feel in such safe hands with Taylor Jenkins Reid's storytelling and have recommend her backlist titles - especially Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones, far and wide. I'm not interested in tennis or sport generally, so this didn't capture my interest in the way her previous titles have done. However, I'm sure TJR fans who have more appreciation for tennis and the sporting world, will enjoy this book .

I really enjoyed Carrie Solo is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I enjoyed her previous books Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones & The Six and this was just as amazing

This is a great story but maybe my expectations were too high after reading the authors previous novels. I enjoyed it and finished it but was not blown away like the others xx

Like the rest of the world I loved Evelyn Hugo & Daisy Jones os had high hopes for Carrie Soto but unfortunately it missed the spot for me, I found it far too full of tennis detail that bored me and the story was too predictable from the outset. I buddy- read it and we could both predict the next storyline aspects.
If i liked tennis more im sure I would have enjoyed it but it felt a bit too narrow for me, sorry.

Carrie Soto was the best tennis player in the world, setting world records with her skills. But she has been retired for several years now and a new tennis player, Nikki Chan is threatening to steal Carrie’s world record. Carrie Soto is not going to take that lying down, thank you very much. So now, Carrie Soto is back.

If I had to sum up this book in three words it might well be these; So.Much.Tennis.

Seems a silly thing to say right? I mean tennis tournament is right there in the blurb …but for me, the balance in the book was really off due to the sheer amount of plot taken up with tennis matches (it’s all that really happens in terms of plot) and the fact that Carrie Soto is such an unlikeable character. If I loved tennis, I could handle Carrie’s vitriol and enjoy the book for the love of the game. Or, if Carrie was a character I could admire and root for, I could overlook and the tennis lingo.
But the two elements together, meant that reading this book felt like I was at one end of a tennis court and Carrie was at the other, pummelling me with her tennis balls.

So, that is main issue with the book. That and the ending and I can’t elaborate on that without giving spoilers.

What I did like about the book? The humour, often courtesy of Bowe. The fact that aside from Carrie, all of the other characters were very likeable. In fact, I would love to read a book about Nikki Chan’s life (off the tennis court obviously). I also thought the epistolary excerpts worked really well too.

I have loved everything else TJR has written. She is an auto-buy author for me so I will definitely be interested and excited for her next book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst I would say that I really enjoyed Malibu Rising, I absolutely loved Carrie Soto is Back. We all know that Taylor Jenkins Reid is a special kind of writer, and with Carrie Soto she’s woven her magic and then some - it’s something else.

Carrie Soto is Back is, unsurprisingly, the story of Carrie Soto the famed (or maybe better put infamous) tennis pro coming out of retirement to try and reclaim her Slam record. Carrie is in it for one final season and will be coached once more by her father, Javier Soto. She must also swallow her pride in order to train with Bowe Huntley, a man she once had a brief fling with.

This book is just pure magic, I think I felt just about every feeling going whilst reading it. I must admit I’m not the biggest tennis fan generally, but goodness me I had goosebumps reading about the matches in this book! The tension was just palpable and the way TJR wrote the matches, well you literally cannot look away.

I think what really made this book special though was it’s characters. There are 4 key characters in this story, Carrie, Javier, Bowe and Gwen, Carrie’s agent. Carrie isn’t a likeable character but then she’s not supposed to be, you can respect her and what she’s doing whilst not necessarily liking her. But goodness did I feel for her at times. Javier is just a dream, I loved him and the time we got to spend with him and Carrie together. Equally I loved his interactions with Bowe who was another great character and a brilliant balance to Carrie. Both Carrie and Bowe are driven in trying to achieve the same and yet are so different in outlook. I also thought Gwen was a brilliant key support to Carrie. These characters are written with such depth that they just leap off the page.

This book is exhilarating, it’s powerful and it’s very very special. Yet again TJR has given us a book where her characters feel so very real and where you get so immersed in their stories that you can’t bare to leave them when it ends. I loved it!

Yet another great read from Taylor Jenkins Reid. Carrie Soto is back is about a female tennis champion who at the age of 37 is making a comeback to see if she has still got what it takes after Nicki Chan has beaten her record and she wants it back. I’ve never really been into tennis and although this book was almost a little too tennis heavy for me it definitely made me understand the game more and there was enough of another storyline going on to keep me hooked.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We featured Carrie Soto is Back in our article '22 more books to look out for in 2022' on Caboodle, the rewards programme from National Book Tokens.

"Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story about the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting a comeback. By the time Carrie Soto retires, she is the best tennis player the world has ever seen. At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record."

I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK!

In my eyes, Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong. This is as imaginative and immersive as her other offerings, and one I felt like I couldn’t put down as TJR so cleverly weaves together complex emotions to create something visceral and beautiful.

I really loved that Carrie didn’t feel the need to change herself or bow to expectations and instead was a strong willed and uncompromising steadfast and talented woman, who is passionate and ruthless about her sport without feeling the need to be something she isn’t just to be liked. She is consistently ambitious and I loved that we just saw her fierce determination grow as the novel continued, and she just was who she was.

Exceptional storytelling that had me cheering from the sidelines and feeling Carrie’s struggle and relentless prowess to defend her honour. INCREDIBLE! Can’t wait to read it again