Reviews tagging 'Death'

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

62 reviews

evoorde's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective slow-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

2.5


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becoakes's review against another edition

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

4.75


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wildflowerleahg's review against another edition

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4.5

Only TJR could get me this anxious over a tennis match. Also, the first of her novels where i didn’t hate every man that was mentioned in this novel. 😅

Truly Carrie is a character you live to hate yet still root for every match. Great start to my reading year!

My current rankings:
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo 
Daisy Jones and the Six 
Carrie Soto is Back 
Malibu Rising

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lawbooks600's review against another edition

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emotional 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

Representation: Black, Asian and Latino/a characters
Score: Nine and a half points out of ten.

After reading and not enjoying Our Missing Hearts which sounded so promising but ultimately did not deliver, I was hoping this one would be better and when I discovered it hiding on the shelves of one of the two libraries I go to, I immediately picked it up and read it. When I finished it, it was so enjoyable that it made an outstanding impression on the author, and made me want to read more of her works. It starts with the main and titular character Carrie Soto, or Carrie for short, living with her father after her mother passed and from there she trained playing tennis with him (which is the point of the entire narrative.) Here's where the narrative shines: I rooted for Carrie as a character and I appreciate how well she's written given that she's so complex and even has development from being an unlikable character to a more humble one which I enjoyed reading. Is it me or does this story feel well executed since it has so many events and actions going on yet it never feels disjoined or forcibly crammed and manages a fast pace? I've heard there are some references to the author's other pieces of literature and I can't wait to read those (they sound promising.) Only a few pages in Carrie is at the top when she retires and stops playing for a few years until I get to the 1990s where she discovers another (British Asian) tennis player, Nicki Chan, is catching up to Carrie's prestige, because Carrie earned 20 awards but soon enough Nicki meets and overtakes that, so now it is Carrie's goal to return for one last time to attempt to beat Nicki at tennis which takes up the second half. The action was swift and snappy throughout but sometimes it can slow down (which is mostly great but that all depends on circumstances) to explore character dynamics and other issues like sexism. It all comes to a bittersweet head as Carrie does so well ever after her retirement but she accepts that her time is over (she even befriends Nicki) making a satisfying conclusion. Now that's the level I want to see for future reads. I know not all of them can reach that but I hope I will find some outstanding ones. 

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thekeyescollection's review

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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

5.0


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candournat's review

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

3.0


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laguerrelewis's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This is my first book by Jenkins-Reid, and what an introduction. She has a masterful understanding of character, and crafts a beautifully moving story about success, meaning, love, ambition, identity, and resilience. The tennis matches have been praised consistently, and for good reason—they thrill, and are understandable to the layman and enjoyable for the fans. Carrie Soto is a rollercoaster of emotion that had me grinning ear to ear as tears rolled down my cheeks. Bonus points for a romantic plotline straight out of an Austen novel. Great showing. 

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isabezza's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

I was rather disappointed by TJR despite my love of her writing style (TJR writes about fame, rivalry, and family so well!) However, the references to her other novels were less subtle and exciting than instances from other novels. Similarly the romance themes were clichĂ©. Whilst I particularly enjoyed the character development for Javier, Nicki, and Brandon, I could not empathise with Carrie, finding her mind style disagreeable. Sometimes I was inspired by her ruthless attitude and other times I was weary of it. Perhaps when I read Malibu Rising in the future I will learn more about Carrie Soto's characterisation and like her more. 

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sop17hie's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring 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

4.5


The Australian accents for the audiobook were so bad, I almost skipped over the Melb chapters. 

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hdoomk's review against another edition

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adventurous 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


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