Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Carrie Soto Is Back

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Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

114 reviews

withlivjones's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This book is essentially the plot of Cars 3 but with tennis, and I am so here for it. I love that Carrie is an unapologetic bitch (affectionate) but I also love that she mellows out somewhat throughout the book - something I wasn’t a huge fan of in Evelyn Hugo was that Evelyn was pretty much the same character from adolescence all the way into old age, with not much growth throughout her life. The supporting characters are great too - Nicki Chan especially is a fantastic foil, and her and Carrie’s Achilles-Hector dynamic is great to read.

The romance is very sweet and isn’t a distraction from the story, rather it adds good emotional depth to the characters, and I’d go so far to say that it’s my favourite pairing out of all of TJR’s books I’ve read so far (second to Evelyn and Celia, of course!) The tennis scenes are surprisingly gripping and not as repetitive as I’d feared they’d be, and the integration of news columns and interviews perfectly illustrate the double standards for ambitious women in sport - particularly women of colour. I’m in no position to judge the accuracy of the representation in this book, but it is definitely important that these kinds of stories are told. More please!

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meaghanslibrary's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

4.25

The book started out a bit slow for me, but boy does Taylor Jenkins Reid know how to write a good story.

Most authors cannot pull off switching writing styles within a book, like from narrative to interview transcripts, but Taylor Jenkins Reid is not like most authors.

I felt I was in each match as it happened and could fully picture this on the screen. It will definitely be a movie or tv show.

Also I loved how she incorporated Spanish throughout the book and often it wasn’t translated. I had to harken back to my language classes but once I understood the sentences it felt like a nice little secret knowing I understood another layer of the book. In that way it felt kind of like watching Stephen Spielberg’s west wide story.

Sure the book was a bit predictable, like that Bowe and Carrie would get together and Carrie wouldn’t win it all a La Rookie. As a reader it was very satisfying for the characters I invested in to have a happy ending. It was very sad when he did passed, I think the author handled that grief and feeling beautifully and realistically to the identities of the characters she created.

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indyjg's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-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

4.25

As someone who was introduced to tennis because of my Mum and has watched it for years, I knew I’d love this book. I’ve followed the careers of tennis players like Ash Barty and Serena Williams through the highs and lows and have the utmost respect for the Original Nine, so reading through the career of Carrie Soto, a woman who is wholly unapologetic for being herself, for her success and learning how to face failure along the way was a treat. So, this book gets 4.25 stars from me!

Carrie subverts the expectations that women should be ‘grateful’ for their success as though it was their price for winning. There is an overarching expectation in both real life and fiction that women in sports are expected to act a certain way, to be demure, kind, and appreciative of their success. To not do so, you’ll be ostracised, called a bitch, cold-hearted. When men display the same traits, they are lauded and applauded. They are seen as greats of the game. You see these double standards with Carrie. You see it with Tonya Harding. You see it when men, such as the former Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore, say female tennis players “ride on the coattails of the men.”

<blockquote>"The bulk of the commentators... They wanted a woman whose eyes would tear up with gratitude, as if she owed them her victory, as if she owed them everything she had."</blockquote>

Carrie’s hardest lesson is one that she learns in the twilight of an incredible career. That to lose is not to fail. She overcomes great challenges through sheer determination, which I deeply admire, but more importantly, she realises that perfection is a double-edged sword.

<blockquote>“Needing to win because we cannot bear to lose.”</blockquote>

As Voltaire said, perfection is the enemy of good, leaving out the possibilities for improvement. I quite enjoyed the ending, even if I did predict it. I haven’t read any other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but I’m sure I’ll pick up some of her other stuff soon!

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