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A review by ambershelf
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.0
When an up-and-coming tennis star Nicki Chan threatens to break her records at the 1994 US Open, 37-year-old Carrie Soto decides to come out of her retirement to defend her title — that means she has to win at least one Grand Slam after retiring for six years. Even though her body doesn't move as fast as it did, and no one is optimistic about her odds, Carrie teams up with her father, Javier, as her coach once again and trains for the hardest she has in her life. The once undefeated Carrie must now reinvent herself and face her biggest fear, losing.
I love this book. So much so that I finished it the day after I got the copy. Carrie is a complex character to like; she knows she's the best and makes no secret of it. Hence, she's considered an entitled b*tch and everyone hates her. Carrie's experience accurately reflects how society wants women to be the best but also graceful and humble and pretends to be surprised by their success.
I also resonate with Carrie's development from chasing numbers to pursuing something more meaningful. It reminds me of going from undergrad to grad school and adulting. When there are no more scores to track, some turn to other quantifiable amounts like a salary but are stuck in jobs they hate or quickly burn out. In comparison, it's so much harder to pursue something fun and meaningful and enjoy it without getting caught up in the rat race.
The relationship and camaraderie between Carrie and her father are also incredibly heartwarming. Javier is such a supportive and wise dad; I lowkey wish I could have that type of relationship with my own dad (but maybe not the swearing because my Confucious-educated brain will totally explode). I thought the ending was a bit rushed and could use another 30-50 pages to flush out Carrie's character development a bit more. Because of this, Evelyn Hugo remains my favorite TJR book, followed by Malibu Rising (I haven't read Daisy Jones yet).
On to the controversy, Carrie Soto is of Argentinian descent, and there is a lot of Spanish in the book, which makes TJR, a white woman, writing Latinx characters pretty problematic. It's also not the first time TJR has written a Latinx protagonist (see: Evelyn Hugo); it's hard to believe no one in her circle has voiced any concerns yet. I debated for a long time but ultimately got the book because I adore her writing.
There's certainly no consensus on if a white author can/can't write POC as their main character. But in Carrie Soto's case, her heritage doesn't add that much to the story, and she totally could've been a white woman. I was perplexed why TJR made this choice when there aren't any references to Latinx/South American/Argentinian culture except for the Spanish conversations. I still enjoy the book tremendously even though I've never played or watched tennis. But I definitely wish TJR had put more thought into writing the characters.
I love this book. So much so that I finished it the day after I got the copy. Carrie is a complex character to like; she knows she's the best and makes no secret of it. Hence, she's considered an entitled b*tch and everyone hates her. Carrie's experience accurately reflects how society wants women to be the best but also graceful and humble and pretends to be surprised by their success.
I also resonate with Carrie's development from chasing numbers to pursuing something more meaningful. It reminds me of going from undergrad to grad school and adulting. When there are no more scores to track, some turn to other quantifiable amounts like a salary but are stuck in jobs they hate or quickly burn out. In comparison, it's so much harder to pursue something fun and meaningful and enjoy it without getting caught up in the rat race.
The relationship and camaraderie between Carrie and her father are also incredibly heartwarming. Javier is such a supportive and wise dad; I lowkey wish I could have that type of relationship with my own dad (but maybe not the swearing because my Confucious-educated brain will totally explode). I thought the ending was a bit rushed and could use another 30-50 pages to flush out Carrie's character development a bit more. Because of this, Evelyn Hugo remains my favorite TJR book, followed by Malibu Rising (I haven't read Daisy Jones yet).
On to the controversy, Carrie Soto is of Argentinian descent, and there is a lot of Spanish in the book, which makes TJR, a white woman, writing Latinx characters pretty problematic. It's also not the first time TJR has written a Latinx protagonist (see: Evelyn Hugo); it's hard to believe no one in her circle has voiced any concerns yet. I debated for a long time but ultimately got the book because I adore her writing.
There's certainly no consensus on if a white author can/can't write POC as their main character. But in Carrie Soto's case, her heritage doesn't add that much to the story, and she totally could've been a white woman. I was perplexed why TJR made this choice when there aren't any references to Latinx/South American/Argentinian culture except for the Spanish conversations. I still enjoy the book tremendously even though I've never played or watched tennis. But I definitely wish TJR had put more thought into writing the characters.