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A review by butterfliesonmybookshelf
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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've loved every TJR book I've read but I think this is my new favorite.
I love Carrie. I love that she is stubborn and unlikable. I love that she speaks her mind and doesn't care what anyone else thinks about it, especially the press. I love that she doesn't pretend that she's surprised that she won her games because she KNOWS that she earned every single win. I love that she is imperfect and almost unbearable to the other characters at times. I love that she was insecure about coming out of retirement and being one of the oldest players, but she worked hard and played anyway, even when everyone said she would make a fool of herself. I loved her character development. I love that on the outside she seems like she's made of steel, but we, the readers, know that she's going through it. There were so many moments when I wanted to reach into the book and hug her.
I enjoyed the subtle discussion of feminism and racism in this book. When a white male player acknowledged that he was a great player and could take any opponent, he was being confident, but when Carrie did it, a reporter called her a b*tch on live TV. I liked that TJR did not spoon-feed the commentary that she was trying to make, which made it feel even more powerful.
I loved Carrie's relationship with her father and that they spoke in Spanish at times because 1) that feels so genuinely them and 2) it gave me a chance to practice my Spanish. I can't say much more about her relationship with her father because I WILL cry.
I loved Carrie's relationship with Bowe, and the fact that their relationship didn't take away from Carrie's main focus: taking back her record of the most Slams ever won.
I've never cared about sports whatsoever but TJR somehow made me care about tennis. I even googled the rules of tennis, something I never would have done otherwise.
This book literally crushed me in the best way.
I love Carrie. I love that she is stubborn and unlikable. I love that she speaks her mind and doesn't care what anyone else thinks about it, especially the press. I love that she doesn't pretend that she's surprised that she won her games because she KNOWS that she earned every single win. I love that she is imperfect and almost unbearable to the other characters at times. I love that she was insecure about coming out of retirement and being one of the oldest players, but she worked hard and played anyway, even when everyone said she would make a fool of herself. I loved her character development. I love that on the outside she seems like she's made of steel, but we, the readers, know that she's going through it. There were so many moments when I wanted to reach into the book and hug her.
I enjoyed the subtle discussion of feminism and racism in this book. When a white male player acknowledged that he was a great player and could take any opponent, he was being confident, but when Carrie did it, a reporter called her a b*tch on live TV. I liked that TJR did not spoon-feed the commentary that she was trying to make, which made it feel even more powerful.
I loved Carrie's relationship with her father and that they spoke in Spanish at times because 1) that feels so genuinely them and 2) it gave me a chance to practice my Spanish. I can't say much more about her relationship with her father because I WILL cry.
I loved Carrie's relationship with Bowe, and the fact that their relationship didn't take away from Carrie's main focus: taking back her record of the most Slams ever won.
I've never cared about sports whatsoever but TJR somehow made me care about tennis. I even googled the rules of tennis, something I never would have done otherwise.
This book literally crushed me in the best way.