Taylor Jenkins Reid is the bestselling author of popular novels The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & the Six, and Malibu Rising. These three books have caused Reid’s career to skyrocket, and expectations for her newest book, Carrie Soto is Back, were high.

All of these popular novels are stories about the lives of fictional celebrities. It’s incredible how Reid can bring these “celebrities” to life so well.

Carrie Soto is Back is the story of a famous tennis player who has dedicated her whole life to the sport. Carrie Soto has been training since she could walk, and she holds numerous records in the tennis world.

After Carrie retires, a new player threatens to take over her reputation as “the best tennis player in the world.” Carrie sees this and decides to come back out of retirement, with her father as her coach, in order to reclaim her title.

Half of the story is written about Carrie’s past and how she grew up with tennis, while the other half is written about her journey to reclaim her title. This novel was written incredibly well, and the dynamic characters truly help bring the story to life. 

Reid always excels at creating powerful heroines in her novels, and Carrie Soto is no different. Carrie is confident and inspiring, but not always likable. Her confidence sometimes makes her arrogant and rude to those around her.

Something that made this story so interesting was portraying Carrie almost as a villain in some parts. Despite Carrie’s flaws, she has such incredible qualities that make her so inspiring. This book was so captivating and impossible to put down. I found myself reading it whenever I had a single spare moment because I was so entranced by the storytelling.

This compelling and inspiring novel about never giving up on what you want is something I would recommend to absolutely anyone. Be sure to check out Reid’s other novels as well, you don’t want to miss them.