Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Carrie Soto Is Back

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Carrie Soto Is Back, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

25 reviews

horizonous's review against another edition

Not only was I bored reading this, I also don't understand the set-up for the story. Maybe later on it gets more clear why Carrie Soto is so obsessed with being the BEST, but up until this point she just seems like a very one-dimensional character. A tennis machine with nothing going for her otherwise. All she does is train, train, train, complain to everyone around her that she HAS to be the best, that she DESERVES to be the best, because she puts in all this work. So much so she has to come out of retirement after seven years because a younger (equally hard-working) player will probably break her Grand Slam record very soon. On top of that Carrie is incredibly rude to EVERYONE.I do get a healthy amount of rivalry in sports is necessary, but this isn't it. I don't understand how people see Carrie Soto as a "strong woman". To me this has nothing to do with empowerment, feminism or being witty anymore, it's just arrogance and rudeness.
And then there's all of the tennis talk. I played tennis myself, I understand the game. I much rather watch it then read about minutely detailed training sessions or match rallys.

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oz2021's review

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hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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ekatayama's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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

4.5

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poati's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

2.0

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sir3nbl00d's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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samarakroeger's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

I think this book has a LOT of flaws (i.e., shoddy diversity representation handled poorly), but I am relieved to have read it in one sitting after really struggling through Malibu Rising (which I thought was a deeply disappointing read in need of some serious editing).

I think the first person narration was a much better choice for TJR here, and I think this book was better for only being tangentially connected to her previous 3 releases. Fewer characters and a more focused narrative were also smart choices on her part.

It was a bold move to write it from the perspective of such a deeply unlikeable character. Carrie Soto is such a whiny, insufferable bitch but I kinda grew to love her for it.

There were quite a few plot beats that were incredibly predictable if you’ve read her backlist (and I saw each one coming…) that I could have done without. How many books of hers include convenient car crash deaths of loved ones of the main character now? (it’s too many, that’s for sure — and the only book of hers I haven’t read is One True Loves).

I am glad to have actually read it — my expectations were on the ground after being continually more and more let down by an author I once thought was a new favorite. I only deigned to pick it up when my Libby hold finally came in, and it has renewed a small sense of hope in TJR after so many disappointments.

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quillcg's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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

4.5

Since I highly enjoyed Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising, I immediately ordered Carrie Soto Is Back once I saw it had been released.

Blurb:

Carrie Soto is a thirty-seven-year-old retired professional tennis player who used to be the best woman’s tennis player in the world. When another tennis champion, Nicki Chan, comes close to breaking one of her records, Carrie decides to come out of retirement to defend her title.

Review:

Carrie Soto Is Back is a tight, breezy novel that packs a lot of emotion and excitement into its pages. Unlike some of other Reid’s novels, which feature complex storylines and large casts of characters, Carrie Soto focuses entirely on the development of its protagonist and her relationships with a handful of people. This focus allows Reid to craft a brilliantly flawed, complex, and believable protagonist who we can root for, even when she makes mistakes and treats those around her poorly. Carrie’s character arc unfolds amid the exciting atmosphere of tennis tournaments. The focus and character work in this book make it my favorite so far of the Taylor Jenkins Reid books I have read.

Reid also does a spectacular job writing Carrie’s relationships with her father, Javier, and her sparring partner, Bowe Huntley. Javier and Bowe are flawed but lovable, and the dialogue and banter between Carrie and the other characters add to the book’s entertainment value. Writing realistic relationships between characters has always been Reid’s strength, and it shines through in this novel

Although the storyline does not contain any surprises, it is nonetheless an exciting and inspiring journey to see Carrie grow as a person and as a player. Reid also sprinkles in commentary about feminism, aging, sports, and celebrity culture that is (usually) not too on-the-nose.

My one gripe with the book was the awkwardness of the Spanish words, phrases, and sentences Carrie and her father exchange with each other. I’m all for sprinkling in non-English components into dialogue to characterize a bilingual interaction, but the Spanish here felt clunky and forced. I’m not bilingual, but it did not feel like an authentic fusion of the Spanish and English languages. The sentences were so basic that they felt like they were written by someone with only a few years of high school Spanish under their belt.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like Carrie Soto Is Back if:

· You have enjoyed any other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid

· You like a good underdog sports story

· You enjoy witty banter between flawed but lovable characters

· You like watching a main character learn and grow

You might not like Carrie Soto is Back if:

· You dislike Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing style

· You despise messy, flawed, and occasionally cruel main characters

A Similar Text:

Borg vs. McEnroe (2017). I chose a movie rather than a book for two reasons: one, Carrie Soto Is Back reads very much like a movie. Secondly, Borg vs. McEnroe has much in common with Carrie Soto—in fact, the Borg/McEnroe rivalry is referenced in Carrie Soto. Similarities between these texts include:

· Stories about tennis world champions

· Deeply flawed protagonists

· Discussions of sports and celebrity culture

· Depictions of characters who push their bodies to the limit for the sake of competition

Content Warnings

conspystery's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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

4.75

The title of this book really says it all, I think. Carrie Soto is back! And her journey to getting there is a super fun one. I liked this book a lot.

First, our protagonist herself: Carrie is driven and vicious, fiery and calculating, determined and stubborn, all these things and more almost to the point of catharsis. Her development over the course of the novel was enthralling, and I loved how it was reflected in her training and successes or failures in games, as well as her emotional state afterwards. Her voice is engaging and drives the narrative forward in a way that is distinctly Carrie Soto, as the writing underlines with its similar brusque, willful tone and syntax. There are a few moments where the diction becomes especially brutal, often in dialogue, and it is genuinely invigorating. The repeated comparisons to Achilles are my favorite example of the writing really unleashing Carrie’s sense of violence and grandeur, as they also connect her further to her upbringing with Javier as her coach and father at once.

The deviations from the typical “Battle Axe'' Carrie we see through the novel are all the more compelling in their contrast-- the full scale of her identity, from public figure to student to retiree and the way she perceives herself through all those lenses, is presented with a matter-of-fact sureness that suits her character perfectly. Carrie’s flaws are realistic and relatable; while her inability to accept defeat and the way she defines failure evoke a keen sense of irony every time they become relevant, the reader cheers Carrie on anyway, absorbed into her world through her voice. This protagonist and this writing work perfectly together, and complement the main cast-- Javier, Nikki, and Bowe most notably-- in a fresh, interesting manner.

Speaking of which, the supporting cast of this book is a departure from those of TJR’s other literary works, or at least I felt like it was. What I loved about Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was how sprawling the world felt, given life through a vibrant net of so many characters’ relationships with each other; this book’s scope felt narrower than that. The main cast is smaller and the supporting cast feels less relevant and detailed than those of TJR’s other works. Ultimately, I think that narrowing of scope works in favor of this book’s narrative. Carrie’s story wouldn’t have worked, I think, with that massive amount of detail afforded to all her competitors, because of her self-imposed solitary nature and how her character develops. I do have to say the main draw of TJR’s writing is, for me, mainly that web she weaves of the characters, and because this book’s web is a bit more tight-knit than I was expecting, I was a little disappointed at first. What this book does with its narrow focus on Carrie is interesting, and I enjoyed it-- but it wasn’t exactly what I anticipated from TJR, so that might be helpful to know before diving in. This book doesn’t sprawl as much.

I actually really enjoyed the events and pacing of the novel-- I didn’t know how engaged I would be with the plot going in, as I am not a tennis fan, but the structure of the novel around the different competitions, plus the backstory Carrie gives after her in medias res introduction, was just super fun to read. Some of the plot beats are a tad predictable, but in a satisfying put-it-together-yourself way rather than a get-to-the-point way. I liked how Carrie’s own inability to see past herself draws the reader’s attention to the foreshadowing she ignores-- I mentioned the sense of irony this book creates before, and it definitely works in tandem with the structure of the novel itself. This is a story that takes its audience along for the ride while also allowing them to predict its events; the merit of this book, and where it most highly succeeds, is in getting to its destination, absorbing the reader into the journey even if they have a decent idea of how it will end. It’s a treat to be entrenched alongside Carrie in her one-track-minded perception of the narrative, which is why the structure being centered around the competitions works so well: her priorities shape how the story itself is told, playing into her character while conveying its themes through irony at once.

Lastly, I would like to note that this book is, as others have noted, quite tennis-heavy. But even as someone who knows nothing about any sport, I found it compelling. The drama and intensity of the plot is easy to follow even for someone unfamiliar with tennis-- the book conveys everything the reader needs to know about tennis to understand the events of the novel and Carrie’s mindset in an easily comprehensible way, without ever overloading the audience with too much information. I imagine that in the more tennis-heavy sections of the story, especially the actual recounting of matches, there’s a lot of room for interpretation of Carrie’s character based off the actual logistics of how she’s playing-- which a scrutinizing tennis fan would likely pick up on. However, even as a layperson, the depth is definitely there and extremely satisfying to read.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is deliciously brutal except when it transcends into ephemeral, fleeting moments of self-realization, and the contrast is addictive. Carrie’s story is fun to follow. Her character is multifaceted and outspoken in a way that shines with the actual writing of the novel. It isn’t as entangled or written with the wide scope TJR’s other literary works take, but it’s intriguing on its own. I loved its insight into perfectionism and legacies and what defines a person. It was a really fun read.

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hanna's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-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

I spent the first two hours of this constantly wanting to dnf it but I'm so glad I stuck through!

Carrie Soto is an absolute bitch and I respect her so much for that. Her inner thoughts about winning & losing changed so beautifully over the course of the book and really spoke to me.

(Idk how tennis works tho) (made the whole thing a bit anti climatic at times)

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jackiepreston's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

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