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A review by hanhantap
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
challenging
emotional
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
4.5
I'll be honest, this is probably the TJR book I was the least interested in reading when it was first released. Not because of the titular Carrie Soto but because I couldn't stand the title and the cover. It's very arbitrary but it's true!
I was a hitter for my older brother when he played tennis in high school and needed to practice. It was good conditioning for me (a basketball player) and it gave me a competitive edge, considering my brother is three years older than me. I'm not sure if he ever really benefited from me volleying the ball with me but I loved spending time with him and even more so, beating him every once in a while.
Reading Carrie Soto Is Back brought me back to those hot summer days hitting the ball with my brother at the local middle school court. It brought up what I learned as an athlete myself, the ability to keep pushing even after everything has been stacked against my ability to succeed.
Carrie is painfully imperfect. But she is so real. She leaps off the page, chip on her shoulder and ready to fight for her title. Her character development is earned and honest. It's subtle; even by the end, I didn't know if she had learned anything at all! I loved seeing her lose and then crawl back up for a win.
Most of all, her relationship with her dad was fully realized. She knew that Javier, a master at tennis in his own right, messed her up as a child, pushing her to be a warrior. Watching them grow older together and learn how to navigate that relationship was also super realistic. The only thing that detracted from their scenes together was the Spanish. Maybe it's because I speak Spanish intermediately that I noticed it seemed a little, um, 101, especially in the earlier chapters. However, as a non-native speaker, I will leave that to native Spanish speakers to decide!
Ultimately, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was exciting and kept me guessing. TJR does it again!
4.5/5 ⭐
I was a hitter for my older brother when he played tennis in high school and needed to practice. It was good conditioning for me (a basketball player) and it gave me a competitive edge, considering my brother is three years older than me. I'm not sure if he ever really benefited from me volleying the ball with me but I loved spending time with him and even more so, beating him every once in a while.
Reading Carrie Soto Is Back brought me back to those hot summer days hitting the ball with my brother at the local middle school court. It brought up what I learned as an athlete myself, the ability to keep pushing even after everything has been stacked against my ability to succeed.
Carrie is painfully imperfect. But she is so real. She leaps off the page, chip on her shoulder and ready to fight for her title. Her character development is earned and honest. It's subtle; even by the end, I didn't know if she had learned anything at all! I loved seeing her lose and then crawl back up for a win.
Most of all, her relationship with her dad was fully realized. She knew that Javier, a master at tennis in his own right, messed her up as a child, pushing her to be a warrior. Watching them grow older together and learn how to navigate that relationship was also super realistic. The only thing that detracted from their scenes together was the Spanish. Maybe it's because I speak Spanish intermediately that I noticed it seemed a little, um, 101, especially in the earlier chapters. However, as a non-native speaker, I will leave that to native Spanish speakers to decide!
Ultimately, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was exciting and kept me guessing. TJR does it again!
4.5/5 ⭐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Xenophobia