Reviews with content warning for Grief - Carrie Soto Is Back

5⭐️ 2🌶️

Tennis
Professional Athlete
Loving the dream
Comeback
Older MC’s (mid-late 30’s)
Underdog
Unapologetic female elite athlete
Misogyny
Second chance Romance
Grumpy/sunshine
Biggest fan parent
Single father
Self discovery/rediscovery

Did I know anything about tennis before reading this book? Absolutely not.

Do I know anything after reading?….. maybe? I could probably watch it and not be bored now.

Did I love this book? Yes. Yesyesyes.

The structure was so interesting! TJR never fails to set books up to be structurally interesting in a way that enhances the story. Having the FMC’s POV broken up by sportscasters commentary about her game and competition was an awesome way to build tension and get the feel of the nature and stakes of the story.

I always love TJR’s Easter eggs for her other books. That they all live in this alternative universe together.

Carrie was an unapologetic, hard as nails, powerhouse of a character and I loved every second of balancing on the edge of her sarcasm and intensity while her inner monologue showed us exactly how insecure she is. It made her superhuman abilities more human.

The romance in the book was so interesting in how it was presented as iron sharpening iron. Both were so flawed and watching things develop was great. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Carrie’s relationship with her father was so beautiful and my favorite thing about the book. It was dynamic, full of ups and downs, heartbreaking. I was fully invested. The grief represented in the book was so well done. I found myself adoring her father which made the arc of the story so amazing.

This is a favorite. But TJR’s books always are for me.

Content Warnings

chrisomeara's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-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

After getting the swing of the tennis jargon early on, readers will breeze through this exciting exploration of the sport. “Soto” is a standout and may be my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid novel to date.

Content Warnings

hannahbailey's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

TJR has a way of drawing you in even when you're not convinced by the MC and their intentions. For the most part I was very engaged and enjoyed reading about each match. I love tennis, so I'm not sure I would've stuck around for any other sport, especially as I'm not a big fan of these 'I have to be the best at my sport otherwise I'm a failure' storylines. Why can't we have characters more like me; Jack of all trades, master of none LOL 🤠

That said, I did enjoy the character development, exploration of grief and insight into what it could feel like to make one thing your entire personality.

Content Warnings

ewalkergrace's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

5/5 gorgeous stars. my fave tjr book and my fave of the year so far :)))

Content Warnings

strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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

I loved this book! It is so heartwarming and I was rooting for Carrie the whole time even when she was unreasonable. I loved her relationship with her dad and how they had to work for a balance between father/daughter and coach/player. I lowkey wanna start playing tennis now.

Content Warnings

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