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poati's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cancer
maddiebennet's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Sexism, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, and Cancer
Minor: Lesbophobia and Alcoholism
samarakroeger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think the first person narration was a much better choice for TJR here, and I think this book was better for only being tangentially connected to her previous 3 releases. Fewer characters and a more focused narrative were also smart choices on her part.
It was a bold move to write it from the perspective of such a deeply unlikeable character. Carrie Soto is such a whiny, insufferable bitch but I kinda grew to love her for it.
There were quite a few plot beats that were incredibly predictable if you’ve read her backlist (and I saw each one coming…) that I could have done without. How many books of hers include convenient car crash deaths of loved ones of the main character now? (it’s too many, that’s for sure — and the only book of hers I haven’t read is One True Loves).
I am glad to have actually read it — my expectations were on the ground after being continually more and more let down by an author I once thought was a new favorite. I only deigned to pick it up when my Libby hold finally came in, and it has renewed a small sense of hope in TJR after so many disappointments.
Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, and Death of parent
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, Sexism, and Body shaming
Minor: Cancer, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Infidelity
conspystery's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Death of parent, and Sexism
Minor: Alcoholism and Cancer
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: August 30, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Addictive • Riveting • Immersive
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular.
By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach.
But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan. At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked the 'Battle-Axe' anyway. Even if her body doesn't move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.
In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Taylor Jenkins Reid's Carrie Soto Is Back was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, and it did not disappoint. TJR has quickly become an auto-buy author for me simply because of her unique ability in writing nuanced and vivid characters. As someone who considers themselves to be a huge sports fan, I was equally intrigued knowing it would involve tennis.
Firstly, I could not put this book down! From the very first page I was fully invested and wanted to keep reading to see how everything would pan out. The characters are complex with multiple layers to each. While Carrie's character comes across as arrogant and entitled, as the story progresses details are reveled that allowed me to get to know and understand her better. The author's writing made me feel like I was sitting in the stands watching every move of the matches, and rooting for Carrie in her comeback. One of the little extras I love about her books, is how she'll gives little hints or snippets of characters from her other books (or maybe future books?), yet she keeps it minimal, so you can easily read the books independently of one another.
Secondly, I absolutely loved the father/daughter relationship portrayed in this book. It was messy and complicated, yet never once did I doubt the father's love for his daughter. I am so used to the mother/daughter relationship trope, that this one was a breathe of fresh air. In fact, the romance development was also very well written.
Thirdly, while the world of tennis takes up much of the narrative, in my opinion, you don't need to be knowledgeable about the game in order to appreciate the narrative, yet if you are a tennis player and/or fan of the sport you'll likely have an even greater appreciation for this story. I know I came away with a greater appreciation for game, and female athletes in general.
And lastly, the audiobook featuring a full cast was fantastic! There are little extras, including parts of it felt like a real live broadcast of the matches. And it allowed for a completely immersive reading experience, and I would highly recommend going that route.
Carrie Soto Is Back is completely different from any of her other books, yet it I loved it just as much. I wouldn't be surprised to see it turned into a movie or mini series at some point in the future. TJR manages to combine plot driven and character driven stories unlike anyone else. Her latest certainly solidifies her place on my author read-it all list, and I cannot wait to read whatever she publishes next.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• mixed media fans
• TJR devotees
• Tennis enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Grief is like a deep, dark hole. It calls like a siren: Come to me, lose yourself here. And you fight it and you fight it and you fight it, but when you finally succumb and jump down into it, you can't quite believe how deep it is. It feels as if this how you will live for the rest of your life, falling. Terrified and devastated, until you yourself die."
"What a gift it is, to be able to guide someone to a point and then let them finish it themselves. To give someone all the knowledge you have and then pray they use it right."
"I am no longer the greatest tennis player in the world. For the first time in my life, I can be...something else."
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content, Body shaming, Cursing, and Racism
Minor: Car accident, Alcohol, Addiction, Infidelity, Sexual content, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Cancer
frantically's review against another edition
- 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
Carrie Soto is an absolute bitch and I respect her so much for that. Her inner thoughts about winning & losing changed so beautifully over the course of the book and really spoke to me.
(Idk how tennis works tho) (made the whole thing a bit anti climatic at times)
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism, Medical content, and Cancer
Mental Illness is related to what I felt like were disordered eating habits portrayed by the athletesjackiepreston's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, and Misogyny
Minor: Car accident and Cancer
bethanyearle's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Cancer
amkarina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, and Cancer