Scan barcode
norebax's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Body shaming
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
4.75
Title: Carrie Soto Is Back
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: August 30, 2022
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Addictive β’ Riveting β’ Immersive
π 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.
π 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.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ mixed media fans
β’ TJR devotees
β’ Tennis enthusiasts
π F A V O U R I T E β’ 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."
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.75
Pub Date: August 30, 2022
T H R E E β’ W O R D S
Addictive β’ Riveting β’ Immersive
π 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.
π 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.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ mixed media fans
β’ TJR devotees
β’ Tennis enthusiasts
π F A V O U R I T E β’ 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."
Content Warnings
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
simply_fran's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism
frantically's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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
I spent the first two hours of this constantly wanting to dnf it but I'm so glad I stuck through!
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)
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)
Content Warnings
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 athletesbella_cavicchi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Taylor Jenkins Reid writes such compelling, fast-paced books -- I was both shocked and not shocked at all at how quickly I flew through this. Its "readability" is aided in part by what I think is a stronger second half, where the story seems to find its footing and Carrie is less an archetype and more a nuanced character (her relationship with her dad, especially, is beautifully developed). That said, I think the book's biggest pitfall is also one that's hard to avoid given the subject: making each match something new and something "alive."
All said, I will gladly continue to grab whatever Reid writes next, because again: compulsively, addictively readable!
All said, I will gladly continue to grab whatever Reid writes next, because again: compulsively, addictively readable!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Sexism
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Cursing
kdailyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Cancer, Cursing, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Vomit, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, and Alcohol
genny's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.25
Huh, I'm surprised by how much I ended up liking this. Nothing about this was surprising - around 20% in, I wrote down my predictions for the plot in my reading journal, and I was pretty spot on. This was my note: "After coming out of retirement, Carrie is going to get win after win (after a grueling re-training montage and some early losses, maybe) and then realize it was all for nothing and that winning doesn't equate to happiness. Maybe her dad dies." Oof. π It's like a classic feel-good sports movie, y'know. I got the audiobook and kind of zoned out during the tennis matches, but those were always pretty quick, and as a whole it made for a nice listen. I know nothing about tennis though, so I can't speak on the accuracy (based on others' reviews, it was not accurate, lol).
Overly competitive people irk me to no end, so you can imagine how incredibly annoying Carrie was to me at first, even though it made sense due to her upbringing. Of course she became more likeable as she learned to acknowledge her faults and I found myself rooting for her eventually. I especially enjoyed her banter with Nicki Chan (the best character, hello?!). This was much more entertaining than Malibu Rising, though at this point I don't think anything can live up to Daisy Jones for me.
I loved the ending! What a fun last line.
Overly competitive people irk me to no end, so you can imagine how incredibly annoying Carrie was to me at first, even though it made sense due to her upbringing. Of course she became more likeable as she learned to acknowledge her faults and I found myself rooting for her eventually. I especially enjoyed her banter with Nicki Chan (the best character, hello?!). This was much more entertaining than Malibu Rising, though at this point I don't think anything can live up to Daisy Jones for me.
I loved the ending! What a fun last line.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Grief, Body shaming, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcoholism
kimveach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Taylor Jenkins Reid continues to surprise and enchant me. I will read anything written by her. This latest book, Carrie Soto is Back, is all about tennis. I'm not generally drawn to books about athletes or sports, but I couldn't put this down. I'll probably watch more tennis in the future, which is not something I could have imagined.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, Cursing, Racism, Alcoholism, Medical content, Grief, Infidelity, and Medical trauma
theespressoedition's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While I can't say this is my favorite book by Taylor Jenkins Reid, it did land itself at the same level (or possibly above) Malibu Rising for me! It was filled with all of the family emotion, great quotes, strong characters, and depth that I wanted - without the intense levels of drama that I've found in her previous novels. Very enjoyable.
I'm really glad that I chose to listen to the audiobook. Similar to Daisy Jones & The Six, it had a full cast of narrators that made the story even more immersive. I felt like I was living in it rather than just reading about it. I proceeded to listen to the entire story in one day, which made me have some strange tennis dreamsβ¦
Speaking of tennis, if you're a lover of the sport and you have a lot of knowledge about it, you'll really enjoy this book. When it came to my personal experience, I felt like a lot of the most intense moments were lost on me because I don't have a clue how the game works. However, despite my lack of insight, I still enjoyed the tennis-centered scenes and the emotions that came from the different characters allowed me to understand what was happening - possibly almost as much as someone who actually gets the terms.
The serious lack of romance was super surprising to me. This is something that was fundamental in almost every other TJR book I've read so far. In Carrie Soto, there was very little focus on that. It existed, but never in graphic ways and it certainly wasn't a primary plot point. Carrie's relationship with her father was defiitely the top theme for the majority of the book. That, and her rivalries.
It was interesting to see how Carrie changed throughout the book. I wouldn't necessarily say there was grand character development or growth, but she did become different people throughout each part of the story and I found a lot of what she went through to be very relatable. I enjoyed "seeing inside her mind" so to speak.
I definitely recommend this one! You don't need to read Malibu Rising to understand it, but I enjoyed the little nods to parts of that story (along with the mention of reading a Daisy Jones & The Six biography at one point). Having all four of the latest TJR books set in the same world is really fun!
I'm really glad that I chose to listen to the audiobook. Similar to Daisy Jones & The Six, it had a full cast of narrators that made the story even more immersive. I felt like I was living in it rather than just reading about it. I proceeded to listen to the entire story in one day, which made me have some strange tennis dreamsβ¦
Speaking of tennis, if you're a lover of the sport and you have a lot of knowledge about it, you'll really enjoy this book. When it came to my personal experience, I felt like a lot of the most intense moments were lost on me because I don't have a clue how the game works. However, despite my lack of insight, I still enjoyed the tennis-centered scenes and the emotions that came from the different characters allowed me to understand what was happening - possibly almost as much as someone who actually gets the terms.
The serious lack of romance was super surprising to me. This is something that was fundamental in almost every other TJR book I've read so far. In Carrie Soto, there was very little focus on that. It existed, but never in graphic ways and it certainly wasn't a primary plot point. Carrie's relationship with her father was defiitely the top theme for the majority of the book. That, and her rivalries.
It was interesting to see how Carrie changed throughout the book. I wouldn't necessarily say there was grand character development or growth, but she did become different people throughout each part of the story and I found a lot of what she went through to be very relatable. I enjoyed "seeing inside her mind" so to speak.
I definitely recommend this one! You don't need to read Malibu Rising to understand it, but I enjoyed the little nods to parts of that story (along with the mention of reading a Daisy Jones & The Six biography at one point). Having all four of the latest TJR books set in the same world is really fun!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity and Misogyny
More...