Scan barcode
ceedy's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
tense
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Sexism, and Vomit
loesm's review
emotional
relaxing
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
3.5
I have issues with Taylor Jenkins Reid as a writer. First off, her books are marked as literary, even though they are clearly not. To me, they read like chicklit, which is a perfectly good genre and one I enjoy, but they should not pretend to be something they're not. Also, her books - or the ones I know of - are about fame and perception, which is not my favourite and I actually think is some sort of cheat code for chicklit: it assumes the importance of the book and the credibility of the characters.
This is also one of the problems I have with this book: The characters are flat. Carrie doesn't rise much beyond her determination to be the best in tennis, the way the book is structured prevented me from becoming invested in his tennis, so he only serves as the persistent love interest and Javier is a male momagaer who compensates for his own injury by living vicariously through his daughter. That's about it. I also feel like Javier's death is conveniently exploited as a tear jerker, solely used for plot development, which feels like an incredible cheap shot and a complete incorrect portrayal of death, which doesn't serve the whiles of plot development.
I am also wondering whether this is an ode to the Williams sisters or it's a subject it avoids. I assume it's set before their reign not to interfere with their legacies, since it touches on the same subjects, such as women in tennis and people/women of colour in tennis.
This brings me to the romance, which feels a bit unbelievable. Yes, Carrie is a boss ass bitch with an admirable determination. But her focus on winning and fear of losing isn't particularly endearing. I loved her unlikability as a tennis player (she's there to win matches, not endear people to her, and why put energy into being likable that seeps from her focus on tennis?) but as a person, there was nothing which made me want to be her friend. That's a long way of saying why I didn't understand why Bowe would suffer the string of rejections. Likewise, Bowe simply felt like a safe choice, as his one defining quality was being attracted to her, suffering the rejections and doing acts of service (which is also not my love language, so maybe I'm the wrong audience).
This book also does not pass a reverse Bechtel-test, of the discussion of things other than tennis. Although this seems to be how you get to be a star athlete.
Nonetheless, it is very well written. I can never put a finger on the things that are good, but Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to write and keep me reading.
I also appreciated the feminism.
Discussion questions for my book club:
1) What attracts Bowe to Carrie?
2) What purpose does Javier's sickbed and death serve to the story?
3) What's your opinion on fame and perception of star athletes?
4) Did the ending surprise you? The end of the match and her career after.
5) What do we think of the homage to the William's sisters?
6) What genre is this book?
This is also one of the problems I have with this book: The characters are flat. Carrie doesn't rise much beyond her determination to be the best in tennis, the way the book is structured prevented me from becoming invested in his tennis, so he only serves as the persistent love interest and Javier is a male momagaer who compensates for his own injury by living vicariously through his daughter. That's about it.
I am also wondering whether this is an ode to the Williams sisters or it's a subject it avoids. I assume it's set before their reign not to interfere with their legacies, since it touches on the same subjects, such as women in tennis and people/women of colour in tennis.
This brings me to the romance, which feels a bit unbelievable. Yes, Carrie is a boss ass bitch with an admirable determination. But her focus on winning and fear of losing isn't particularly endearing. I loved her unlikability as a tennis player (she's there to win matches, not endear people to her, and why put energy into being likable that seeps from her focus on tennis?) but as a person, there was nothing which made me want to be her friend. That's a long way of saying why I didn't understand why Bowe would suffer the string of rejections. Likewise, Bowe simply felt like a safe choice, as his one defining quality was being attracted to her, suffering the rejections and doing acts of service (which is also not my love language, so maybe I'm the wrong audience).
This book also does not pass a reverse Bechtel-test, of the discussion of things other than tennis. Although this seems to be how you get to be a star athlete.
Nonetheless, it is very well written. I can never put a finger on the things that are good, but Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to write and keep me reading.
I also appreciated the feminism.
Discussion questions for my book club:
1) What attracts Bowe to Carrie?
2) What purpose does Javier's sickbed and death serve to the story?
3) What's your opinion on fame and perception of star athletes?
4) Did the ending surprise you? The end of the match and her career after.
5) What do we think of the homage to the William's sisters?
6) What genre is this book?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident
lilawsahar's review against another edition
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
4.0
She ruined the ending of Song of Achilles for me, so if you’re planning on reading it then read that one first.
Carrie is so inspiring. She inspires me to set goals and to work hard to fight for them even if it seems impossible. She is also very self assured and I wish I was like that.
I also love the bond between her father and her. She loves her father but she also thinks him to be nosy and imperfect. Just like any father daughter relationship (at least similar to mine).
i also enjoy the relationship between Chan and Carrie. I also like the slow burn of Bowe and Carries relationship especially since she wears the pants.
Carrie is so inspiring. She inspires me to set goals and to work hard to fight for them even if it seems impossible. She is also very self assured and I wish I was like that.
I also love the bond between her father and her. She loves her father but she also thinks him to be nosy and imperfect. Just like any father daughter relationship (at least similar to mine).
i also enjoy the relationship between Chan and Carrie. I also like the slow burn of Bowe and Carries relationship especially since she wears the pants.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
emsuiko's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
chrisomeara's review
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
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Injury/Injury detail
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: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
hannahbailey's review against another edition
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.
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
Graphic: Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
ewalkergrace's review
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
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Cursing, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Misogyny
katarina_sarmo's review
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
To say I love this book would be an understatement. After reading Daisy Jones and Malibu Rising, I thought Taylor Jenkins Reid could not possibly publish anything of the same standard again and yet here we are.
I fell in love with every single character and with tennis itself. The portrayal of media coverage of women in sport, father-daughter relationships, honour, and the immense cost of being the best is executed exquisitely.
You don’t need to love tennis to read this and you don’t need to be a world class athlete to understand the struggles that these characters face.
I will recommend this book to everyone I meet.
I fell in love with every single character and with tennis itself. The portrayal of media coverage of women in sport, father-daughter relationships, honour, and the immense cost of being the best is executed exquisitely.
You don’t need to love tennis to read this and you don’t need to be a world class athlete to understand the struggles that these characters face.
I will recommend this book to everyone I meet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Injury/Injury detail