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moanareads's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Bullying
chrisljm's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Addiction
Minor: Infidelity, Blood, Sexual content, Racism, and Bullying
honestrabbit's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, and Alcoholism
Minor: Drug abuse, Bullying, and Death of parent
samburkhouse's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexism
Minor: Racism and Bullying
grunbean's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
4.75
Another Taylor Jenkins-Reid book, another book that can’t be put down. I’d describe a lot of her work as ‘sleeper’ books’. I was unsure when I first started reading (partly because I know nothing about tennis), but once I hit the midpoint I couldn’t stop reading until it was done.
There is something so unique about how this author can bring so much to stories I wouldn’t have blinked twice at. A really good read - perfect for the summer!
There is something so unique about how this author can bring so much to stories I wouldn’t have blinked twice at. A really good read - perfect for the summer!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, and Sexism
david_slack110507's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
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
4.25
Back with Taylor Jenkins Reid books and this one was unsurprisingly another hit and incredibly well written. I will preface this by saying that I cannot say whether or not this is a good representation of a Latina character and the Latino community, but I do wish that for those that can give an accurate account of this aspect, that she has done this in a careful, well thought out and well-respected manner to the community and its culture.
I really liked this book even though it is based on a sport I never thought twice about: tennis. The way that Reid wrote the tennis matches and the tennis rules was extremely engaging even if I did forget some of the rules sometimes. The tennis aspect was kept as a constant focus and was well used as a means of facilitating the larger themes and developments of the story, something that reminiscing on Malibu Rising, cannot really be said as if my memory serves me right, the surfing aspect of the book became less critical as the book went on and the party started. I also really liked the return of news articles and interview/talk show transcripts which we last saw that type of documenting format in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which allowed for there to not only be breaks in the story but also see the larger world's view on the current events and state of tennis.
Something that I also found quite strong was the themes of the book and its characters. The discussion on the difficulties faced by women and people of colour in sports in the past such as when this book is set (E.g. the mid-1990s) and even now was remarkably interesting and is a very topical discussion now and in my opinion is dealt with very well. It expertly highlighted these issues as well as those affected by these issues and how they must hide their anger with this system to appear their absolute best for the public eye. The book has a very focused look on a few characters rather than having a wide stretching one allowing for the story to feel much more intimate as we only really focus on Carrie, Javier (A standout in this book to me due to how willing he was to train his daughter and not be jealous at her success and actually understand her better than she did herself - their relationship and father/daughter bond was probably the best-written part of this book), Bowe, Nicki, and Gwen.
Carrie has to be one of my favourite protagonists that I've read about in a long time, not only does she have the fiery attitude that many of TJR's female protagonists have but she also has incredible character development. She goes from being someone who must win every single game she plays even if it means coming off as an awful person to the public and those that she cares about to being someone who still wants to win but also recognises that losing is not the be all end all of the situations and that it is the journey and the game itself that is the most important part of it all. I also really liked how Carrie developed emotionally as well going from being perceived as cold and remorseless to being someone who gives genuine thanks and appreciation to those who help her and even respect to those she is facing off against.
I really liked this book even though it is based on a sport I never thought twice about: tennis. The way that Reid wrote the tennis matches and the tennis rules was extremely engaging even if I did forget some of the rules sometimes. The tennis aspect was kept as a constant focus and was well used as a means of facilitating the larger themes and developments of the story, something that reminiscing on Malibu Rising, cannot really be said as if my memory serves me right, the surfing aspect of the book became less critical as the book went on and the party started. I also really liked the return of news articles and interview/talk show transcripts which we last saw that type of documenting format in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which allowed for there to not only be breaks in the story but also see the larger world's view on the current events and state of tennis.
Something that I also found quite strong was the themes of the book and its characters. The discussion on the difficulties faced by women and people of colour in sports in the past such as when this book is set (E.g. the mid-1990s) and even now was remarkably interesting and is a very topical discussion now and in my opinion is dealt with very well. It expertly highlighted these issues as well as those affected by these issues and how they must hide their anger with this system to appear their absolute best for the public eye. The book has a very focused look on a few characters rather than having a wide stretching one allowing for the story to feel much more intimate as we only really focus on Carrie, Javier (A standout in this book to me due to how willing he was to train his daughter and not be jealous at her success and actually understand her better than she did herself - their relationship and father/daughter bond was probably the best-written part of this book), Bowe, Nicki, and Gwen.
Carrie has to be one of my favourite protagonists that I've read about in a long time, not only does she have the fiery attitude that many of TJR's female protagonists have but she also has incredible character development. She goes from being someone who must win every single game she plays even if it means coming off as an awful person to the public and those that she cares about to being someone who still wants to win but also recognises that losing is not the be all end all of the situations and that it is the journey and the game itself that is the most important part of it all. I also really liked how Carrie developed emotionally as well going from being perceived as cold and remorseless to being someone who gives genuine thanks and appreciation to those who help her and even respect to those she is facing off against.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, and Misogyny
Moderate: Medical content, Cancer, Death of parent, Racism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Addiction, Bullying, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Infidelity
michelleub's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
It was great getting to know Carrie Soto and what drives her. After reading Malibu rising I did not really like Carrie. And after reading this book I am still not sure if I do. But I understand her motivitations. This book shows the complexity of humans and that even when they appear to be cold hearted and mean, the can be so much more and that they are still capable of having feelings. We tend to forget or ignore that when we dislike someone, but knowing why they act the way they do, it brings a new perspective. And I love the way Jenkins is able to portray her as this whole person and really let the reader belobe that she is a real person and the we truly know her inside and out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny and Bullying
aseel_reads's review
emotional
hopeful
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
I really loved carries character arc and I liked how no nonsense she was, very inspiring. I loved the tennis setting and the way the plot ended
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, and Death of parent
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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
4.5
Since I highly enjoyed Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising, I immediately ordered Carrie Soto Is Back once I saw it had been released.
Blurb:
Carrie Soto is a thirty-seven-year-old retired professional tennis player who used to be the best woman’s tennis player in the world. When another tennis champion, Nicki Chan, comes close to breaking one of her records, Carrie decides to come out of retirement to defend her title.
Review:
Carrie Soto Is Back is a tight, breezy novel that packs a lot of emotion and excitement into its pages. Unlike some of other Reid’s novels, which feature complex storylines and large casts of characters, Carrie Soto focuses entirely on the development of its protagonist and her relationships with a handful of people. This focus allows Reid to craft a brilliantly flawed, complex, and believable protagonist who we can root for, even when she makes mistakes and treats those around her poorly. Carrie’s character arc unfolds amid the exciting atmosphere of tennis tournaments. The focus and character work in this book make it my favorite so far of the Taylor Jenkins Reid books I have read.
Reid also does a spectacular job writing Carrie’s relationships with her father, Javier, and her sparring partner, Bowe Huntley. Javier and Bowe are flawed but lovable, and the dialogue and banter between Carrie and the other characters add to the book’s entertainment value. Writing realistic relationships between characters has always been Reid’s strength, and it shines through in this novel
Although the storyline does not contain any surprises, it is nonetheless an exciting and inspiring journey to see Carrie grow as a person and as a player. Reid also sprinkles in commentary about feminism, aging, sports, and celebrity culture that is (usually) not too on-the-nose.
My one gripe with the book was the awkwardness of the Spanish words, phrases, and sentences Carrie and her father exchange with each other. I’m all for sprinkling in non-English components into dialogue to characterize a bilingual interaction, but the Spanish here felt clunky and forced. I’m not bilingual, but it did not feel like an authentic fusion of the Spanish and English languages. The sentences were so basic that they felt like they were written by someone with only a few years of high school Spanish under their belt.
The Run-Down:
You will probably like Carrie Soto Is Back if:
· You have enjoyed any other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid
· You like a good underdog sports story
· You enjoy witty banter between flawed but lovable characters
· You like watching a main character learn and grow
You might not like Carrie Soto is Back if:
· You dislike Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing style
· You despise messy, flawed, and occasionally cruel main characters
A Similar Text:
Borg vs. McEnroe (2017). I chose a movie rather than a book for two reasons: one, Carrie Soto Is Back reads very much like a movie. Secondly, Borg vs. McEnroe has much in common with Carrie Soto—in fact, the Borg/McEnroe rivalry is referenced in Carrie Soto. Similarities between these texts include:
· Stories about tennis world champions
· Deeply flawed protagonists
· Discussions of sports and celebrity culture
· Depictions of characters who push their bodies to the limit for the sake of competition
Content Warnings
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
chaos_and_chapters's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Death of parent, Bullying, and Grief
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, and Toxic relationship