Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

43 reviews

hmatt's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I have been having a time with 3.75 ratings, recently. 

This is not my favourite nor my least-favouring TJK! It's a solid read and reliably intersects with the rest of the literary universe. I always appreciate this author's deep-dives into specific subcultures/topics, and this is no exception when it comes to the tennis industry of yore, especially with how it may have intersected with sexism and racism. The father-daughter relationship is particularly well-written and interesting and, as per usual, I could really take-or-leave the romantic relationship that's tacked on. I loved that the Spanish isn't translated, I don't think it needs to be.
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rachlincs's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

In my opinion this is one of the weaker books by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story is dull and predictable. The motivations of the characters are either explored poorly or really are as vapid as they seem.  There were so many issues and topics that those book could have explored in some complexity - ageism, sexism, xenophobia, pride, parental loss etc - but instead it felt like it just ticked them off with a shallow acknowledgement that was so unsatisfying. 
The book also really fails Bowe - the character gets so little depth, there's a wasted opportunity to explore the parallel paths of Bowe with the lead character.
It was impossible to believe the romance, there was no chemistry between them.


Ultimately it's an easy read or listen.  You won't be any the worse for reading it, but don't expect any impact on your life.  In the future this will be the book on your shelf that you can't quite remember whether it's read or not. 
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itsheyfay's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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eib_21's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bgirl_jazz's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Started off really strong, but felt like it faded for a while in the middle. I think there was some lost focus trying to give enough attention to side characters, but solid writing overall.
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bookboxbabe's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

carrie soto is annoying
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wormgirl's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.0

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kassidyreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition

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emotional 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

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chrisljm's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As someone who knows nothing about tennis, seeing the events of the tournaments play out was riveting. Carrie is a tough personality to love but I can’t help but hope she accomplishes all that she strives for. What makes this tough is it’s also difficult not to root for her main opponent Nicki Chan. Both characters have such compelling reasons to fight for their legacy, and still the end results are so satisfying. 

However, I did wish TJR gave more depth to Carrie and her tennis career prior to her comeback, in a more showing and less telling way, but even so, I was able to feel her strength and determination with the sport, as well as the love between her and her father. 
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