Yes, Taylor Jenkins Reid is a great storyteller, the World(s) they create are so realistic, the characters complex, the setting intriguing...but this wasn't for me. After being blown away with Daisy Jones & The Six' unique style of storytelling, nothing Reid writes quite compares and with this one in particular I just didn't connect to the topics or characters. Still, the style of writing is gorgeous and I would fully encourage people to read this, because of the immersive world-building the author nails every time.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for an early copy of this novel.

I cannot believe Taylor Jenkins Reid made me like Tennis.

I never really understood the thrill or the excitement over Wimbledon, and why people would flock to watch two people hitting a ball for a good hour or so. But I get it now. This novel was fiercely gripping, funny, and heart breaking. In just under 400 pages, TJR made tennis hot.

We follow Carrie Soto, who, if you're an avid reader of TJR's work, you will recognise from Malibu Rising. She was the rude, husband stealing, tennis star that we saw breaking down on Nina Riva's front lawn. But this is her side of the story, and so much more. We learn about Nina's true love, tennis, and follow her career from its infancy to its end, and finally it's resurrection.

I love an 'unlikable' character, and Taylor Jenkins Reid is masterful when building these incredible women in her books. I really enjoyed this book and will be not so patiently waiting for Taylor to drop her next.

Do I like tennis? Not particularly, but in loving TJR I will read anything she writes and it turns out, I really enjoyed Carrie Soto despite all the tennis chat.
Carrie makes a small appearance in Malibu Rising as isn't the most endearing of characters, but I couldn't help but like her whilst reading her life story and about her come back in the tennis world.
I liked her passion, her relationship with her father and her determination.
Loved the audio read by a full cast and would definitely recommend that as a way of reading this book.

An eagerly anticipated novel that packs a punch and how! Taylor Jenkins Reid knocks it out of the park with this wholly original novel and stellar, confident writing. This is Reid’s world and we’re just living in it. Only she could have a reader gasping when a character hits tennis ball and ramps up tension with each stroke. So much stake. So much heart too! It’s a classic story, a tennis player reclaiming her title, but along the way discovers a lot about herself and grows as a person as she realises what’s truly important. I did find it hard to get into this at first. Carrie reads so confident that she can come across as arrogant but then I realised if this was a man it wouldn’t have been a problem. And she has her soft spots, and she does get called out on her BS. A truly, spectacular novel. I enjoy those who get to enjoy this novel for the first time.

Five reasons you need to read Carrie Soto Is Back:

-the tennis matches feel so real and it’s like reliving Wimbledon all over again- strawberries make the best reading snack
-the Malibu Rising/Daisy Jones cross over
-the slow burn romance
-the beautiful and heartwarming father/daughter story line
-if you need that push in life to not give up on your dreams

This is quite tennis heavy but even if you’re not the worlds biggest tennis fan you will get caught up in the drive and emotion if this book. Carrie is so ambitious and a great protagonist that you really root for.
Now where is my tennis racket…

Thank you @hutchheinemann for my gifted copy.

I adore every book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Carrie Soto is no exception. You can hear the thunk of the tennis ball, taste the strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, and feel the hot sun beating down on the court. I loved how Carrie was bolshy in such an unapologetic way, a truly refreshing character to follow. I'll just be eagerly awaiting the next book from this author, ready to devour it as soon as she's written it!

Easily 5 stars!

TJR is long becoming an auto-buy author for me! I love how each novel is different and follows a different character, but has similarities and common links to the last. I didn’t like this as much as previous novels (Evelyn Hugo is a tough act to follow!) but this was a perfect summer read and I couldn’t put it down!

Just a few chapters in I started to write off Carrie Soto is Back. While I could appreciate it was an extremely well-written book, it was too focused on tennis for me. The dialogue was all about tennis and most scenes took place on the tennis court. It was a 3-star read for me.

Then a whole new layer of the book opened up for me. Carrie Soto is one of the best female protagonists I’ve ever come across. Most other characters in the book hate her. She is labelled The Battle Axe and later on The Bitch. Why? Because she is everything people dislike in a woman (and love in a man). She is confident in her ability as a tennis player. She is not afraid to take up space. She is ambitions and will work hard to achieve. She is not afraid to speak her mind and will not pander to fake tears and pretence that her wins are down to luck; she knows she is the best tennis player and is not afraid to say it. Carrie Soto is Back swiftly became a 4-star read.

By the end of this book I uncovered so many other layers to a story that is as simple as a tennis comeback: ageism, racism, sexism. Carrie is a true inspiration when it comes to not letting people define you and unapologetic about who you are. This is also a book full of emotion and the tears just kept coming by the end.

The hype is truly warranted.

This took me ages to finish for several reasons. Some are the book's fault, some aren't.
I adored TJR's Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This one felt like a completely different author. Evelyn Hugo was a fascinating character to base a book around. Carrie Soto? Not so much.
As I got into this book, I was enjoying it. As other reviewers have said, this book is full of tennis. I am a huge tennis fan, often having it on the TV while I read. As it is such a huge player (pun intended) in the story, the explanations of the scoring and rules felt a little tedious for a fan like me, but ultimately necessary for other readers.
Aside from the tennis talk, I couldn't tell you much about the rest of the plot. I get it, the tennis is huge in the book, as it should be. But it completely overshadows everything.
I will definitely read TJR's next book. I look forward to seeing which previous character she uses next.

I loved Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo so was exicted to receive this but I just couldnt get in to it and had ti stop reading

Taylor Jenkins Reid did it again! I can't help but fall in love with all of her characters. Carrie Soto might be my favourite in the TJR universe.. I loved how unapologetic she is. She knows she is the best and she won't let anyone get in her way. I don't want to spoil her character but AHHHH. I saw myself so much in her.

TJR is one of the reigning queens of 21st century fiction, her books are immaculately written and loaded with powerful meaning. The final book in her interlinked quartet of fictional female stars, we pick back up with Carrie Soto - the other woman to Nina Riva in Malibu Rising. We follow the greatest tennis player of all time as she makes one final bid to solidify her record and be remembered for ever.

Set in the world of competitive tennis, Carrie Soto is a retired top seeded tennis player whom embarks on a comeback to avenge her title as the best player in the world. You don’t have to have a love of tennis to enjoy this novel, it’s fascinating and page turning and I just loved it. As each book by this author is as different as the next, they are all so so good.
So at 37 Carrie has decided to come out of retirement. Her father has been her coach her entire life and once again they begin the preparation to make Carrie the Greatest of all time again and reclaim her crown.
But 6 years in retirement has seen a lot of changes to the game of tennis and Carries road to the top is a hard road. She has no room in her life for anything else, even love.
It’s a well documented insightful look at competitive tennis, never dull or boring and the backstory is just as interesting. I highly recommend this and her other books.

#CarrieSottoIsBack #NetGalley

I'd been waiting for this book pretty much as soon as it was announced. Taylor Jenkins Reid has never let me down and I had high hopes she wouldn't again.

I'm not going to go into the discussion of a white woman writing a Latino character, as it's something that has been discussed time and again and far more eloquently than I could. But, it wasn't something that sat well with me as a whole.

There's also a lot of Spanish in this book, which made it a little jarring to read as I would read it, head to translate what I've just seen, and then get back into the book. It's great to see another language included though, it just did take me out of the reading experience a little.

There's a lot of tennis in this book. It's about tennis more than Daisy Jones is about music and more than Malibu Rising is about surfing. If you're not a huge fan of tennis (like me), fear not, there's an explainer of the points system at the beginning which I found hugely helpful.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is BACK.

I devoured this in one sitting; I couldn't help myself. I'm not even a tennis fan and yet TJR made me feel like an expert, or at the very least an enthusiast. Catch me watching Wimbledon properly next year instead of just tuning into the finals!

Things I loved:
-How unapologeticaly badass Carrie Soto is as a character. I truly admire the way in which TJR breathes life into such bold and beautiful characters but manages to make them so different each time. Carrie is a product of everything around her, upbringing, early trauma, and a little bit of pushy parenting (I still love you, Javier). She is at times unlikeable and you understand why she's earned her 'battle-axe' nickname, but you really can't help but love her overall.
- The relationship between Carrie and her dad, Javier, is both complex and wonderful.
- Bowe Huntley has my heart.
- I love this little interconnected universe, and that I recognise specific TJR characters as if they were real life celebs.

What I didn't connect with:
- I didn't quite connect with Carrie the same way I did with Evelyn Hugo and I can't pinpoint why that is.
- The mixed media didn't grab me as much as it has in previous TJR books; I found some of the commentary a bit long-winded; but then I get bored easily at tennis commentary so maybe it's just that aspect of me. Again, super personal and everyone is different.

Great read, got hooked on TJR with Evelyn Hugo and this one didn’t disappoint.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

If I had given up on this book half way through (as I was tempted to) it would have definitely only got 3 stars. I really struggled with Carrie's character and I felt it was missing Reid's trademark inclusion of utterly compelling characters who are only there for a scene. However, by the end I realised the whole point of the book was the evolution of Carrie's character and it wouldn't worked if I'd liked her to begin with!! Loads to think about from a feminist perspective and the ending was prefect.

There’s just something about the way Taylor Jenkins Reid tells a story, I just love her writing! The writing, as always, is great. TJR is a great writer.

Carrie Soto is an interesting character, she was complex for me as I found she often isn’t a likeable person but I found myself wanting her to achieve her goals, find love and be happy! She needed more in her life than winning and I wanted her to find it.

I have really enjoyed this book. I'm not at all fan of tennis but I was sucked into its world from the very first page. It was really easy to follow and the characters were very loveable.

Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone & Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Carrie Soto Is Back

Back with another addictive book, full of drama and larger than life characters, Taylor Jenkins Reid has aced it (pun intended).

Carrie Soto has a reputation for being a bitch PLUS being the best tennis player ever seen and those reputations are ones she doesn't want to lose.

Six years after retiring, it looks like a new tennis star is about to win the most grand slams ever but Carrie isn't ready to lose her crown and she is determined that nothing will get her in way. Coming out of retirement, and back to tennis grand slams, she has a reputation to keep and she's not preparing to see someone else steal it from her.

This isn't just a book about tennis. This is a book about determination, not only pushing her body to the limit but also going against expectations of the media and society - she will not be pulled into the gossip that surrounds her, and she keeps her distance from the other players.

Carrie isn't always a likeable character but it's refreshing to see a character who knows her own worth, to have drive, passion and ambition. I don't particularly like watching sport, but I was really rooting for Carrie in this book, and I loved the way Taylor Jenkins Reid created a complex character who started off with nothing and worked her way to the top. She has complicated relationships with her father, her opponents and lovers but it is the push and pull of these other characters that shape Carrie.

Taylor Jenkins Reid writes punchy characters and addictive plots, and I'm hoping we don't have to wait too long for another book.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ebook review copy.

Story wise, this is very much not something I would normally be drawn to. A retired female athlete comes out of retirement to reclaim her title. And yet Taylor Jenkins Reid writes such compelling characters that I couldn’t put it down. I’ll auto buy anything by the author despite the fact that she doesn’t write in my genre because I’m always riveted