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m4rtt4's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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've never been so invested in any sport as I was in tennis while reading this book! So intense. Through Carrie Soto I could see what I would have become as an athlete - the ever-so-greedy perfectionist that hates losing - but also I'm glad that my imposter syndrome reminds me to be humble. The book could have had some more scenes outside the tennis courts, as if Carrie didn't have a life outside them, but then again she probably didn't and the storyline perfectly reflects that. It's so weird but also cool af that Taylor Jenkins Reid always manages to create characters that feel so real, like any real-life celebrities and whatnot, while still being completely fictional.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Sexism
debosmitathereader's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Misogyny
aet_rebecca's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
madeleineg04's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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, Death of parent, and Grief
mynameisrebecca's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Racism
mandaraffe's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death of parent, Grief, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.5
I know absolutely nothing about tennis and I can say that I have never watched a full game of tennis in my life. Despite this, I really enjoyed this book.
Firstly, the pacing of the book was excellent. It could have been really easy for TJR to spend too much time on the matches and the rallies, but instead the key plays and moments were highlighted, but only a few pages maximum were spent on each game. This meant that the book flowed really well, and the timeline felt appropriate for the length of the book. More time was able to be focused on character growth this way, too, which was the primary focus of the book.
Carrie Soto was a complex character and I really like how TJR always writes intricate, interesting and multi-dimensional characters. At first, I didn’t particularly like Carrie but I really enjoyed her development and I was rooting for her at the end. I also loved Nicki Chan as a character and the dynamic between Carrie and Nicki.
The ending was exactly what I wanted from this book, and really highlighted the character growth. The last sentence was a bit mean, though (iykyk).
I have recently heard some commentary around TJR’s writing of Latina characters as a white person, which I respect and agree with. I don’t think that Latina heritage played enough of a role in this story, except for concerning Carrie’s father’s backstory, that she needed to be Latina, and TJR could have easily written her as another heritage to acknowledge and act on these criticisms.
Firstly, the pacing of the book was excellent. It could have been really easy for TJR to spend too much time on the matches and the rallies, but instead the key plays and moments were highlighted, but only a few pages maximum were spent on each game. This meant that the book flowed really well, and the timeline felt appropriate for the length of the book. More time was able to be focused on character growth this way, too, which was the primary focus of the book.
Carrie Soto was a complex character and I really like how TJR always writes intricate, interesting and multi-dimensional characters. At first, I didn’t particularly like Carrie but I really enjoyed her development and I was rooting for her at the end. I also loved Nicki Chan as a character and the dynamic between Carrie and Nicki.
The ending was exactly what I wanted from this book, and really highlighted the character growth. The last sentence was a bit mean, though (iykyk).
I have recently heard some commentary around TJR’s writing of Latina characters as a white person, which I respect and agree with. I don’t think that Latina heritage played enough of a role in this story, except for concerning Carrie’s father’s backstory, that she needed to be Latina, and TJR could have easily written her as another heritage to acknowledge and act on these criticisms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism
kdailyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Cancer, Cursing, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Vomit, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, and Alcohol
dudette's review against another edition
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Reid's novels are very enjoyable. Although not every one of them is a hit, I will anxiously wait for her next one.
"Carrie Soto Is Back" was not a hit for me. However, I can see how it will be for many readers who probably haven't read any autobiography from real tennis players. And that's really OK. Reid did read some of them and you can sense the inspiration and references. A similar actual autobiography that I would recommend and that presents real events and rivalries is "All In" by the awesome Billie Jean King.
The fact that Chan and Soto haven't played any match before their final is hard to believe. But, of course, it's all about the story. I feel this novel was too easy to write and therefore, written in a rush and predictable.
"Carrie Soto Is Back" was not a hit for me. However, I can see how it will be for many readers who probably haven't read any autobiography from real tennis players. And that's really OK. Reid did read some of them and you can sense the inspiration and references. A similar actual autobiography that I would recommend and that presents real events and rivalries is "All In" by the awesome Billie Jean King.
The fact that Chan and Soto haven't played any match before their final is hard to believe. But, of course, it's all about the story. I feel this novel was too easy to write and therefore, written in a rush and predictable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
jfield351's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
3.0
This book was good, locale and exciting but it just didn’t feel like something TJR would write. I loved the cameo of DJATS though! The death scene felt very flat, and very un-tjr to me. it wasn’t drawn out like the death in her other books. .
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, and Chronic illness
Minor: Bullying and Death of parent