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A review by wordsofclover
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Carrie Soto is 37 years old, and is ready to return to the game of tennis she retired from several years earlier to take back her titles and record from new hotshot Nicki Chan. But Carrie 'The Battleaxe' Soto was known for being cold and ruthless in her game, and while the tennis world is excited she's back, there are many waiting to see her fail.
This was so so good. This book easily surpassed Malibu Rising for me in terms of enjoyment and reached my top tier of TJR fiction. She does what she does best in this book, creating a persona that feels so real, you want to look up Carrie Soto and watch those famous matches back, or go to a store and buy Javier Soto's book 'The Beautiful Fundamentals'.
I loved Carrie's character - she is cold in many ways because she is so serious about what she does. She knows what she wants, and how to get it - even if it means hurting the people around her to do it - which has happened in the past. She holds herself very closely, and is afraid to let anyone close enough to hurt her - especially if this is a romantic interest. But as Carrie's journey to another Grand Slam goes through a series of ups and downs, we see so much character growth as Carrie starts to really examine what is important for her and why winning is everything for her - and most importantly, what comes after this?
I'm not a massive tennis fan - though I genuinely think I might be now, and next time Wimbledon or the US Open is on, I will be a lot more likely to sit down and watch the matches. The matches were so exciting, and I loved the real time playback from Carrie as she was in the middle and the moment she knew she was going to win versus when she realised she was going to lose.
One of my favourite elements in this book is the father-daughter relationship between Carrie and her dad/coach Javier. I loved how much he loved her and supported her but the relationship wasn't without its difficulties especially when Jav said things Carrie wasn't prepared to hear - and the heartbreak that followed those moments when Carrie wasn't mature enough to work through them properly.
This book had me on the edge of my seat, making me feel like I was part of the crowd watching the US Open as Carrie and Nicki faced off against each other.
This was so so good. This book easily surpassed Malibu Rising for me in terms of enjoyment and reached my top tier of TJR fiction. She does what she does best in this book, creating a persona that feels so real, you want to look up Carrie Soto and watch those famous matches back, or go to a store and buy Javier Soto's book 'The Beautiful Fundamentals'.
I loved Carrie's character - she is cold in many ways because she is so serious about what she does. She knows what she wants, and how to get it - even if it means hurting the people around her to do it - which has happened in the past. She holds herself very closely, and is afraid to let anyone close enough to hurt her - especially if this is a romantic interest. But as Carrie's journey to another Grand Slam goes through a series of ups and downs, we see so much character growth as Carrie starts to really examine what is important for her and why winning is everything for her - and most importantly, what comes after this?
I'm not a massive tennis fan - though I genuinely think I might be now, and next time Wimbledon or the US Open is on, I will be a lot more likely to sit down and watch the matches. The matches were so exciting, and I loved the real time playback from Carrie as she was in the middle and the moment she knew she was going to win versus when she realised she was going to lose.
One of my favourite elements in this book is the father-daughter relationship between Carrie and her dad/coach Javier. I loved how much he loved her and supported her but the relationship wasn't without its difficulties especially when Jav said things Carrie wasn't prepared to hear - and the heartbreak that followed those moments when Carrie wasn't mature enough to work through them properly.
This book had me on the edge of my seat, making me feel like I was part of the crowd watching the US Open as Carrie and Nicki faced off against each other.