Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Carrie Soto Is Back

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

143 reviews

wisteria22's review against another edition

inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“Carrie Soto is Back” is the best book I’ve read in ages and had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. Carrie Soto might be my all-time favorite female character and TJR managed to let her shine in all of her complicated facets. The novel is an inspiring portrayal of female ambition and even though I’ve never watched a single tennis match in my life, I fell in love with the sport through TJR’s words. Simply stunning. A phenomenal read.

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justmeandmybooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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lawbooks600's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Representation: Black, Asian and Latino/a characters
Score: Nine and a half points out of ten.

After reading and not enjoying Our Missing Hearts which sounded so promising but ultimately did not deliver, I was hoping this one would be better and when I discovered it hiding on the shelves of one of the two libraries I go to, I immediately picked it up and read it. When I finished it, it was so enjoyable that it made an outstanding impression on the author, and made me want to read more of her works. It starts with the main and titular character Carrie Soto, or Carrie for short, living with her father after her mother passed and from there she trained playing tennis with him (which is the point of the entire narrative.) Here's where the narrative shines: I rooted for Carrie as a character and I appreciate how well she's written given that she's so complex and even has development from being an unlikable character to a more humble one which I enjoyed reading. Is it me or does this story feel well executed since it has so many events and actions going on yet it never feels disjoined or forcibly crammed and manages a fast pace? I've heard there are some references to the author's other pieces of literature and I can't wait to read those (they sound promising.) Only a few pages in Carrie is at the top when she retires and stops playing for a few years until I get to the 1990s where she discovers another (British Asian) tennis player, Nicki Chan, is catching up to Carrie's prestige, because Carrie earned 20 awards but soon enough Nicki meets and overtakes that, so now it is Carrie's goal to return for one last time to attempt to beat Nicki at tennis which takes up the second half. The action was swift and snappy throughout but sometimes it can slow down (which is mostly great but that all depends on circumstances) to explore character dynamics and other issues like sexism. It all comes to a bittersweet head as Carrie does so well ever after her retirement but she accepts that her time is over (she even befriends Nicki) making a satisfying conclusion. Now that's the level I want to see for future reads. I know not all of them can reach that but I hope I will find some outstanding ones.

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