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Welcome Home, Caroline Kline
A debut novel sparkling with wit and insight about a young woman whose reluctant return to her Jersey Shore hometown gives her the second chance she didn’t know she needed.
Caroline Kline isn't ready to strike out.
In New York City, newly single Caroline is stumbling her way through the recent implosion of her life. After a surprise breakup leaves her with no job, no apartment, and no backup plan, she’s unsure of what to do next. That is, until Caroline’s father, Leo, injures himself in a bad fall and asks her to move home to the Jersey Shore suburb she’d always been desperate to escape. But Leo doesn’t want his daughter to be his caretaker; he needs her to replace him as third baseman in his local men’s softball league. This isn’t just any season, Leo claims. This is the year they have a real shot at the World Series, the pride and joy of Glen Brook, New Jersey.
Caroline agrees to move home, concerned that Leo is hiding a more serious health condition than he’s willing to admit. As the first female player in a league full of old-school men, she’s up against more than a few challenges. And when a night gone wrong lands her in the path of her hometown crush—and first love—Caroline struggles to reconcile the life she thought she’d have with the life she might actually want.
Sharply observed and full of humor and heart, Welcome Home, Caroline Kline is a touching tribute to the many unconventional paths that victory, and recovery, can take.
Caroline Kline isn't ready to strike out.
In New York City, newly single Caroline is stumbling her way through the recent implosion of her life. After a surprise breakup leaves her with no job, no apartment, and no backup plan, she’s unsure of what to do next. That is, until Caroline’s father, Leo, injures himself in a bad fall and asks her to move home to the Jersey Shore suburb she’d always been desperate to escape. But Leo doesn’t want his daughter to be his caretaker; he needs her to replace him as third baseman in his local men’s softball league. This isn’t just any season, Leo claims. This is the year they have a real shot at the World Series, the pride and joy of Glen Brook, New Jersey.
Caroline agrees to move home, concerned that Leo is hiding a more serious health condition than he’s willing to admit. As the first female player in a league full of old-school men, she’s up against more than a few challenges. And when a night gone wrong lands her in the path of her hometown crush—and first love—Caroline struggles to reconcile the life she thought she’d have with the life she might actually want.
Sharply observed and full of humor and heart, Welcome Home, Caroline Kline is a touching tribute to the many unconventional paths that victory, and recovery, can take.
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 432 reviews
February 3, 2025
There aren’t enough books in the world about women having to come back to their childhood towns because, to be honest, everyone feels the defeat of it when we read them. And even if it ends up being more than fine, it's still something we try to avoid at all costs in real life.
So yeah, Caroline Kline feels like her world just stopped including her and she's alone, without a purpose for what’s to come, she's almost thirty and what can suck more than having to sleep in your childhood bedroom? Being annoying for no reason, that's what.
Aside from being a difficult story for people who don't know baseball or softball - I'm one of those people, btw -, there’s just too much useless information. Which baseball player did what twenty years ago, lovely memories turned into pages of explanation about why now that she's older she doesn't do sleepovers with her sister anymore, the hurt of being “dumped” by her crush in middle school analyzed hundreds of times in her head and then not even being mentioned to the guy in question.
I can deal with pages and pages of baseball games for the sick of the story, but the excessive crap must be cut.
One last criticism for the sick of it: girl, sexism sucks and all men should be punished just for being born, but did you really think that the guys from your dad’s baseball (or whatever it is) league would be gentlemen?
From what kind of fairytale did this thought come from?
↠ 2 stars
Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
So yeah, Caroline Kline feels like her world just stopped including her and she's alone, without a purpose for what’s to come, she's almost thirty and what can suck more than having to sleep in your childhood bedroom? Being annoying for no reason, that's what.
Aside from being a difficult story for people who don't know baseball or softball - I'm one of those people, btw -, there’s just too much useless information. Which baseball player did what twenty years ago, lovely memories turned into pages of explanation about why now that she's older she doesn't do sleepovers with her sister anymore, the hurt of being “dumped” by her crush in middle school analyzed hundreds of times in her head and then not even being mentioned to the guy in question.
I can deal with pages and pages of baseball games for the sick of the story, but the excessive crap must be cut.
One last criticism for the sick of it: girl, sexism sucks and all men should be punished just for being born, but did you really think that the guys from your dad’s baseball (or whatever it is) league would be gentlemen?
From what kind of fairytale did this thought come from?
↠ 2 stars
Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
July 16, 2024
**Many thanks to Shelf Awareness, Penguin - Putnam, and Courtney Preiss for an ARC of this book provided via NetGalley Now available as of 4.16!!**
"Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack
I don't care if I never get back" - Take Me Out To The Ballgame
Caroline Kline definitely cares if she never gets back to her New Jersey hometown...in fact, she'd prefer it that way. But after her ex blindsides her with a sudden breakup and all the plans she had made to start a life with him were in vain, she has no job, no direction...and in some respects, very little hope. She pursues random hookups to occupy her time, but feels a sort of emptiness that she just can't explain. All of that personal strife gets pushed to the back burner, however, when her elderly father Leo suffers a nasty fall...and Caroline must make the long journey back to her hometown to help support him.
What this also involves, however, is Caroline taking her father's place...on an all-male softball team. The team thinks they have a shot at the World Series this year, so her involvement is met with skepticism (to say the least) but she is determined to try to give it her all.
...Until one night, when a few too many drinks causes Caroline to end up getting in trouble with the law and she ends up at an AA class...and sees none other than her high school crush Crispin in the class too. Caroline is shocked to see him, but even more surprised at the lingering feelings that remain from so many years ago. In her quest to reconcile her newly single self (and a self now on a road to recovery, no less!) she finds herself bonding with Crispin...but doesn't want to put too much stock in the perceived connection, with Crispin's gorgeous bandmate hanging around. Crispin tells her he cannot date until he's made it through a year of recovery...but is that REALLY the reason...or is he simply trying to let her down easy? Will Caroline find what her heart is looking for locked away with her memories in her childhood bedroom? And can she convince The Guys that this GIRL can play ball with the best of them...and maybe even snag the BIGGEST victory of all?
This is Courtney Preiss' debut, so with no point of reference, the premise alone was enough to pull me in...although I PROBABLY should have read the blurb a bit more carefully (since I am pretty much the last person on earth I would declare a 'baseball fan.') A good coming of age story, with a late twenty-something MC who returns home to reconcile the heartache and disappointments from her past, however?
THAT you can sign me up for time and time again.
However, this book felt more like a amalgam of themes and ideas...and while some of them clicked for me, others either felt out of place entirely or in the case of the (many) baseball scenes, overly drawn out and needlessly detailed.
From the off, we are introduced to Caroline via her dating life, which post breakup involves meeting men from apps and grabbing drinks with her bestie in NYC (many, MANY drinks sometimes) and Caroline's attempts to sort of 'fill the void' that had been left by her ex. I actually found these chapters pretty engaging, and they seemed to point at a certain complexity and a battle of the angel on my shoulder vs. devil on my shoulder, partaking in behaviors that are somewhat destructive but knowing at the same time that she deserved better...just not how to find it. Once Caroline got the call to return home though, the narrative took a pretty sharp turn into her relationship with her family, which again, was still interesting... and then we got to the sports.
...Sigh.
As much as I was hoping to feel 'part of the team', as it were, the crotchety old men and all of the machinations of the games themselves were SO DRAWN OUT, I felt like I was sitting at an ACTUAL baseball game...and unfortunately in my book, that isn't a compliment. I know Caroline had to have a reason to go home and an objective to shoot for once she arrived there, but I just wish it hadn't been sports...or at least, not this sport. The men were sort of awful to Caroline (unsurprisingly) so not only were the ins and outs of the games painfully long and seemingly unimportant to the plot, I'll be honest, a couple of weeks after finishing this book, I hardly even REMEMBER the outcome of the final game...THAT'S how unimportant I felt it was to the whole book.
What that points to more than anything else was that Caroline as a character had so much potential and seemed at first to have moved beyond her high school years and failings...but when she returns to that environment, everything sort of comes rushing back and she makes mistake after mistake, seemingly learning from NONE of them. As someone who started off this book really liking Caroline and finding her intriguing (she even randomly tosses in a spicy tidbit from a short lived affair with a WOMAN 😳...and then this is sort of brushed aside a few pages later(!) I was disappointed to watch her sort of fall into traps of her own making over and over, only stepping away from bad habits entirely at the LAST possible moment, every time. 🤦♀️
I also would have liked to see more of Caroline's relationship with her family, and there were glimmers and glimpses of this tossed in along the way, but between Caroline's addiction issues (which also seemed to reach a fever pitch out of nowhere after seeming fairly innocuous in early chapters), her will-they-won't-they with Crispin, and dealing with problematic people from her past...there was a LOT crammed in, and exploring the idiosyncrasies and the psychology of Caroline's life choices was probably not first on Preiss' list. (Honestly, I'm not sure it made the list...but as a former psych minor, I SO wish it had!)
In every baseball game, there's a seventh inning stretch, by which time my grumbling about sitting at a baseball game has reached a fever 'pitch' (if you will 😉) and I'm just about ready to tap out and beat the rush out of the parking lot. In the case of Caroline Kline, though she may have made it through ALL 9 innings, and also made it 'home'...I just couldn't QUITE call it a home run.⚾
3.5 stars
"Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack
I don't care if I never get back" - Take Me Out To The Ballgame
Caroline Kline definitely cares if she never gets back to her New Jersey hometown...in fact, she'd prefer it that way. But after her ex blindsides her with a sudden breakup and all the plans she had made to start a life with him were in vain, she has no job, no direction...and in some respects, very little hope. She pursues random hookups to occupy her time, but feels a sort of emptiness that she just can't explain. All of that personal strife gets pushed to the back burner, however, when her elderly father Leo suffers a nasty fall...and Caroline must make the long journey back to her hometown to help support him.
What this also involves, however, is Caroline taking her father's place...on an all-male softball team. The team thinks they have a shot at the World Series this year, so her involvement is met with skepticism (to say the least) but she is determined to try to give it her all.
...Until one night, when a few too many drinks causes Caroline to end up getting in trouble with the law and she ends up at an AA class...and sees none other than her high school crush Crispin in the class too. Caroline is shocked to see him, but even more surprised at the lingering feelings that remain from so many years ago. In her quest to reconcile her newly single self (and a self now on a road to recovery, no less!) she finds herself bonding with Crispin...but doesn't want to put too much stock in the perceived connection, with Crispin's gorgeous bandmate hanging around. Crispin tells her he cannot date until he's made it through a year of recovery...but is that REALLY the reason...or is he simply trying to let her down easy? Will Caroline find what her heart is looking for locked away with her memories in her childhood bedroom? And can she convince The Guys that this GIRL can play ball with the best of them...and maybe even snag the BIGGEST victory of all?
This is Courtney Preiss' debut, so with no point of reference, the premise alone was enough to pull me in...although I PROBABLY should have read the blurb a bit more carefully (since I am pretty much the last person on earth I would declare a 'baseball fan.') A good coming of age story, with a late twenty-something MC who returns home to reconcile the heartache and disappointments from her past, however?
THAT you can sign me up for time and time again.
However, this book felt more like a amalgam of themes and ideas...and while some of them clicked for me, others either felt out of place entirely or in the case of the (many) baseball scenes, overly drawn out and needlessly detailed.
From the off, we are introduced to Caroline via her dating life, which post breakup involves meeting men from apps and grabbing drinks with her bestie in NYC (many, MANY drinks sometimes) and Caroline's attempts to sort of 'fill the void' that had been left by her ex. I actually found these chapters pretty engaging, and they seemed to point at a certain complexity and a battle of the angel on my shoulder vs. devil on my shoulder, partaking in behaviors that are somewhat destructive but knowing at the same time that she deserved better...just not how to find it. Once Caroline got the call to return home though, the narrative took a pretty sharp turn into her relationship with her family, which again, was still interesting... and then we got to the sports.
...Sigh.
As much as I was hoping to feel 'part of the team', as it were, the crotchety old men and all of the machinations of the games themselves were SO DRAWN OUT, I felt like I was sitting at an ACTUAL baseball game...and unfortunately in my book, that isn't a compliment. I know Caroline had to have a reason to go home and an objective to shoot for once she arrived there, but I just wish it hadn't been sports...or at least, not this sport. The men were sort of awful to Caroline (unsurprisingly) so not only were the ins and outs of the games painfully long and seemingly unimportant to the plot, I'll be honest, a couple of weeks after finishing this book, I hardly even REMEMBER the outcome of the final game...THAT'S how unimportant I felt it was to the whole book.
What that points to more than anything else was that Caroline as a character had so much potential and seemed at first to have moved beyond her high school years and failings...but when she returns to that environment, everything sort of comes rushing back and she makes mistake after mistake, seemingly learning from NONE of them. As someone who started off this book really liking Caroline and finding her intriguing (she even randomly tosses in a spicy tidbit from a short lived affair with a WOMAN 😳...and then this is sort of brushed aside a few pages later(!) I was disappointed to watch her sort of fall into traps of her own making over and over, only stepping away from bad habits entirely at the LAST possible moment, every time. 🤦♀️
I also would have liked to see more of Caroline's relationship with her family, and there were glimmers and glimpses of this tossed in along the way, but between Caroline's addiction issues (which also seemed to reach a fever pitch out of nowhere after seeming fairly innocuous in early chapters), her will-they-won't-they with Crispin, and dealing with problematic people from her past...there was a LOT crammed in, and exploring the idiosyncrasies and the psychology of Caroline's life choices was probably not first on Preiss' list. (Honestly, I'm not sure it made the list...but as a former psych minor, I SO wish it had!)
In every baseball game, there's a seventh inning stretch, by which time my grumbling about sitting at a baseball game has reached a fever 'pitch' (if you will 😉) and I'm just about ready to tap out and beat the rush out of the parking lot. In the case of Caroline Kline, though she may have made it through ALL 9 innings, and also made it 'home'...I just couldn't QUITE call it a home run.⚾
3.5 stars
June 10, 2024
Caroline’s life was going great until it wasn’t. Now jobless, homeless, and newly single, she heads back home to help her father after a fall and to take his place on his all-male softball team. But after a night with too many drinks lands her trouble, she reconnects with her childhood crush and falls back into the small town life.
This book is about growing up when you’re at the cusp of 30. It’s a slow moving novel, sometimes relatable but other times you want to shake Caroline and tell her to act her age and learn from her repeated mistakes.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
This book is about growing up when you’re at the cusp of 30. It’s a slow moving novel, sometimes relatable but other times you want to shake Caroline and tell her to act her age and learn from her repeated mistakes.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
February 4, 2024
I love the way she writes and tells a story. Imaginative, witty, and insightful.
~~~~~~~~
This book has a lot of cool concepts to it, some of which are probably very familiar in our own lives. Taking care of our parents in one manner or another is something many of us are doing now or will be juggling in our lifetime.
The female lead has taken so many hits to her life and ego, and now she finds herself moving back home to help her father out after a serious diagnosis. Centered around baseball and the ridiculous way men focus on and treat women in the sport is a huge focus.
It adds more pressure to her character along with her other perceived failures, including drunk driving and meeting her long-term crush again. While this book is definitely not written in the romance slant but more of a women’s fiction, we are taken back into time and relive many of her instances of how he was the one who got away.
In some spots, it was very difficult to read this book because it seemed like Caroline was constantly going backward. Making bad choices, especially when it came to growing a potential relationship. I lost respect for her because of her stupid choices, but on the other hand, would cheer her on the way she handled the men on the softball team and how she finally pulled it together.
The author has a wonderful way of writing and telling her story. It’s imaginative and deeply insightful, but I wish it would’ve had more of a romantic slant that we got to enjoy for longer than a few minutes.
Welcome Home, Caroline Kline is about family support, empowerment of women, finding yourself, and being free to be who you should be. It’s witty, full of attitude and sass, insightful, and a little sad, but overall a really good second chance story.
~~~
* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/welcome-home...
~~~~~~~~
This book has a lot of cool concepts to it, some of which are probably very familiar in our own lives. Taking care of our parents in one manner or another is something many of us are doing now or will be juggling in our lifetime.
The female lead has taken so many hits to her life and ego, and now she finds herself moving back home to help her father out after a serious diagnosis. Centered around baseball and the ridiculous way men focus on and treat women in the sport is a huge focus.
It adds more pressure to her character along with her other perceived failures, including drunk driving and meeting her long-term crush again. While this book is definitely not written in the romance slant but more of a women’s fiction, we are taken back into time and relive many of her instances of how he was the one who got away.
In some spots, it was very difficult to read this book because it seemed like Caroline was constantly going backward. Making bad choices, especially when it came to growing a potential relationship. I lost respect for her because of her stupid choices, but on the other hand, would cheer her on the way she handled the men on the softball team and how she finally pulled it together.
The author has a wonderful way of writing and telling her story. It’s imaginative and deeply insightful, but I wish it would’ve had more of a romantic slant that we got to enjoy for longer than a few minutes.
Welcome Home, Caroline Kline is about family support, empowerment of women, finding yourself, and being free to be who you should be. It’s witty, full of attitude and sass, insightful, and a little sad, but overall a really good second chance story.
~~~
* I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
* full review - https://amidlifewife.com/welcome-home...
April 16, 2024
Some Chick Lit books need to come with a warning: "Not Suitable for Anyone Over Forty Years of Age". As an old fart, I found the rehash of the life of the young and temporarily displaced tedious at best. The whole "I matter, and you must acknowledge that I matter." stick got old really quick. But there are some serious matters addressed here: aging parents, drug and alcohol abuse and how to reinvent yourself when your life goes off track.
When Caroline Kline ends up back home after a failed serious relationship, the loss of her dream job and her father having a rather serious accident, she feels like she is right back at the start, like adulting never happened at all. Her father demands she take his place on the men's softball team he has devoted decades too, but the rest of the team isn't very welcoming. I've got to say that this is what kept me reading this book. My whole family, all 14 of us, have played rec league ball. This was the most intriguing aspect of the whole book.
Caroline and Crispin Davis were childhood friends and first crushes. They lost each other growing up and now are thrown together in a drug and alcohol diversion program for first time drunk drivers that Caroline is mandated to take after drowning her sorrows with too many margaritas. But Crispin was on a journey that Caroline realized to late she should have taken more seriously.
As Caroline navigated her way through the serious issues of her life we are subjected to the minutia of her early life and, for me anyway, it wasn't pretty, enlightening or entertaining. I only got a very few of the pop culture references in the book and felt left out of the inside joke a lot. Note to Self: Stop reading this stuff.
3 1/2-Stars
My thanks to the Publisher and Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.
When Caroline Kline ends up back home after a failed serious relationship, the loss of her dream job and her father having a rather serious accident, she feels like she is right back at the start, like adulting never happened at all. Her father demands she take his place on the men's softball team he has devoted decades too, but the rest of the team isn't very welcoming. I've got to say that this is what kept me reading this book. My whole family, all 14 of us, have played rec league ball. This was the most intriguing aspect of the whole book.
Caroline and Crispin Davis were childhood friends and first crushes. They lost each other growing up and now are thrown together in a drug and alcohol diversion program for first time drunk drivers that Caroline is mandated to take after drowning her sorrows with too many margaritas. But Crispin was on a journey that Caroline realized to late she should have taken more seriously.
As Caroline navigated her way through the serious issues of her life we are subjected to the minutia of her early life and, for me anyway, it wasn't pretty, enlightening or entertaining. I only got a very few of the pop culture references in the book and felt left out of the inside joke a lot. Note to Self: Stop reading this stuff.
3 1/2-Stars
My thanks to the Publisher and Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.
January 23, 2024
I hate to admit this but I do not like Caroline Kline (the character). The book is written well, but I didn't find the FMC to be likeable at all. She had so much room for growth and I feel like she just kept making bad decisions. I typically like a book where the FMC is a messy character but this one just wasn't doing it for me. The book is on the shorter side which I was thankful for just due to the fact that I was not connecting with the characters. I do think many readers will enjoy this book as it does have fun/interesting parts but for me this one was just satisfactory and nothing spectacular.
Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and Courtney Preiss for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and Courtney Preiss for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 24, 2024
WELCOME HOME, CAROLINE KLINE is an emotional book about past mistakes and growing and changing. I liked that the family members were working hard to become a family once again. I enjoyed watching Caroline rebuild her life. Some of the choices Caroline makes made me want to shake her and tell her to use her brain. At the same time, her bad decisions will lead her to better things. I grew up in New Jersey and spent many summers down at the Jersey shore so this story really gave me many of the feels I crave in a book!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Fresh Fiction. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
You can read my full review at:
https://freshfiction.com/review.php?i...
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Fresh Fiction. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
You can read my full review at:
https://freshfiction.com/review.php?i...
October 11, 2023
Definitely a special book! Courtney Preiss’ debut novel is smart, funny, and relative.
Caroline Kline is a single, 30 year old woman living and working in NYC. She’s living her dream but falls for a ‘prep school pretty boy,’ and agrees to move to California with him. They were together for three years when ‘dickhead’ tells her she can’t move to California with him. What?!
She quit her job, gave up her apartment all to go with him! I would’ve sued him for breach of promise, leading her on (tech term?), and whatever else I could. But, we wouldn’t have this delicious novel!
So Caroline is stuck without a job or apartment when her mother calls. Apparently her Dad had a bad fall and is in the hospital. They want her to come home to suburban NJ. She figures she’ll help to care for him but her father has a different idea how she can help.
He wants her to replace him on the Glen Brook Men’s softball team because he feels they’re going to be headed to World Series! Now Caroline played softball in school but it’s been years.
The fun begins when Caroline moves into her childhood bedroom and starts to practice with the team. Naturally someone complains that she’s a woman trying to play in the men’s league. True, but they make an exception based on a previous ruling of a family member replacing an injured player.
And of course she runs into an old crush, still handsome and pleasant. We have a whole wonderful story of Caroline and Crispin.
This book is so entertaining and fun. I personally loved every one of the New Jersey references.
Thank you Edelweiss and GP Putnam.
Caroline Kline is a single, 30 year old woman living and working in NYC. She’s living her dream but falls for a ‘prep school pretty boy,’ and agrees to move to California with him. They were together for three years when ‘dickhead’ tells her she can’t move to California with him. What?!
She quit her job, gave up her apartment all to go with him! I would’ve sued him for breach of promise, leading her on (tech term?), and whatever else I could. But, we wouldn’t have this delicious novel!
So Caroline is stuck without a job or apartment when her mother calls. Apparently her Dad had a bad fall and is in the hospital. They want her to come home to suburban NJ. She figures she’ll help to care for him but her father has a different idea how she can help.
He wants her to replace him on the Glen Brook Men’s softball team because he feels they’re going to be headed to World Series! Now Caroline played softball in school but it’s been years.
The fun begins when Caroline moves into her childhood bedroom and starts to practice with the team. Naturally someone complains that she’s a woman trying to play in the men’s league. True, but they make an exception based on a previous ruling of a family member replacing an injured player.
And of course she runs into an old crush, still handsome and pleasant. We have a whole wonderful story of Caroline and Crispin.
This book is so entertaining and fun. I personally loved every one of the New Jersey references.
Thank you Edelweiss and GP Putnam.
April 11, 2024
BOOK: Welcome Home Caroline Kline
AUTHOR: Courtney Preiss
PUB DATE: 4/16/24 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons
PAGES: 368
RATING: 5 stars
GENRE: Contemporary Fiction
A BIG Thank You to NetGalley. Courtney Preiss, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons. for gifting me this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!
REVIEW: I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel and am so happy to have been gifted a copy! Caroline is easy to relate to as she navigates life’s ups and downs. It was heartwarming to see her come home to help out her father, and I also thought her journey and growth as an adult were beautiful. It’s a remarkable story full of baseball & antics. You don’t have to love the sport, but you will surely find yourself rooting for her dad’s team!
Happy Reading!
AUTHOR: Courtney Preiss
PUB DATE: 4/16/24 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons
PAGES: 368
RATING: 5 stars
GENRE: Contemporary Fiction
A BIG Thank You to NetGalley. Courtney Preiss, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons. for gifting me this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!
REVIEW: I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel and am so happy to have been gifted a copy! Caroline is easy to relate to as she navigates life’s ups and downs. It was heartwarming to see her come home to help out her father, and I also thought her journey and growth as an adult were beautiful. It’s a remarkable story full of baseball & antics. You don’t have to love the sport, but you will surely find yourself rooting for her dad’s team!
Happy Reading!
July 13, 2024
as a young jewish woman who grew up (and still lives) in the town bruce springsteen wrote so many songs about, who will always hold a candle for the boy in 8th grade who broke my heart, and is constantly preoccupied worrying about what’s next… this book was very important and special to me. lots of tears and so many laughs, i loved it so very much.
September 12, 2023
Loved!!! I thought it was a really great look at being a woman in a male dominated space.
This book felt so so deeply personal, and I can’t say I was expecting it to be. I thought I was going to hate Caroline at first, but I think she was really well redeemed and I enjoyed how flawed she was, and how it felt like she was genuinely working at being a better person even when she failed. Great cast of characters overall - Everyone felt really well thought out and real. I genuinely felt the pressure on Caroline while playing. Literally cried during the last two chapters.
Will say my one complaint was how little the men cared about how Caroline was treated throughout most of the book - I was surprised there wasn’t even one guy willing to fight for her besides her dad. Altogether a well put together story, and I really enjoyed it!
This book felt so so deeply personal, and I can’t say I was expecting it to be. I thought I was going to hate Caroline at first, but I think she was really well redeemed and I enjoyed how flawed she was, and how it felt like she was genuinely working at being a better person even when she failed. Great cast of characters overall - Everyone felt really well thought out and real. I genuinely felt the pressure on Caroline while playing. Literally cried during the last two chapters.
Will say my one complaint was how little the men cared about how Caroline was treated throughout most of the book - I was surprised there wasn’t even one guy willing to fight for her besides her dad. Altogether a well put together story, and I really enjoyed it!
March 3, 2024
Welcome Home, Caroline Kline was a slow-burn, but at the same time kept me at edge of my seat, until the very end. A story centered on redemption and coming back home. I could totally see this being my reality if I moved home in my 30's, recently single and out of a job. I wanted to both inhale and slowly savor this story as it weaved through the baseball season. I felt like the ending was perfect for the story, but at the same time showed growth from where Caro started her story. The path to success is winding and there is no one way to get to where you're "supposed" to me.
August 30, 2024
In New York City, newly single Caroline is reeling from a sudden breakup that leaves her without a job, apartment, or plan. When her father, Leo, gets injured in a fall, he asks her to move back to her childhood home in the Jersey Shore suburb she had always wanted to escape. But Leo doesn’t need a caretaker; he wants her to replace him as the third baseman in his local men’s softball league, which he believes has a shot at winning the World Series. Reluctantly, Caroline agrees, suspecting that Leo might be hiding a more serious health issue. As the league's first female player, she faces numerous challenges, including a reunion with her first love, forcing her to rethink the life she envisioned for herself and the one she might actually desire.
The idea around the book drew me in but unfortunately I did not love Caroline Kline very much. I had a hard time connecting to her and wanted to see more development from her. I wish we would have had more of her and Crispin because that was one of the most interesting parts of the book. The book felt more like fiction than romance to me and while it was enjoyable it wasn't a home run.
The idea around the book drew me in but unfortunately I did not love Caroline Kline very much. I had a hard time connecting to her and wanted to see more development from her. I wish we would have had more of her and Crispin because that was one of the most interesting parts of the book. The book felt more like fiction than romance to me and while it was enjoyable it wasn't a home run.
June 9, 2024
This book was really cute and genuinely funny. I ride for Caroline Kline she is a queen and made no mistakes!! There were a lot of baseball references that I liked and I just loved the community as a whole. There was a sun plot of romance but mostly focused on her life.
Also do not recommend reading this if you are going through a mid life crisis about if you should move home after college!!! Really sent me spiraling!!! Still spiraling btw thank you!!
Also do not recommend reading this if you are going through a mid life crisis about if you should move home after college!!! Really sent me spiraling!!! Still spiraling btw thank you!!
March 10, 2024
3.5
I enjoyed this one. But I wish that either the pacing was a little different or it was a bit longer.
I enjoyed watching Caroline return to her home town and have to figure out how to reset herself. I liked seeing her interactions with her family. I liked how she slowly settled into being part of the softball team and came to enjoy it.
I think I just wished her character development happened earlier? I wanted to see more of the after. Of what her life looked like when she realized what she needed to change and how she had actually been ok with moving on from her previous life.
Overall entertaining and enjoyable.
I enjoyed this one. But I wish that either the pacing was a little different or it was a bit longer.
I enjoyed watching Caroline return to her home town and have to figure out how to reset herself. I liked seeing her interactions with her family. I liked how she slowly settled into being part of the softball team and came to enjoy it.
I think I just wished her character development happened earlier? I wanted to see more of the after. Of what her life looked like when she realized what she needed to change and how she had actually been ok with moving on from her previous life.
Overall entertaining and enjoyable.
April 18, 2024
When I started the first few chapters I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this book. However I was surprised to find that I did enjoy it. I loved seeing Caroline’s overcome her struggles. There were moments when this book left me tearful and moments I was giggling with glee. My only complaint is that I wish some of the chapters were shorter.
April 15, 2024
What I Liked:
-Jewish Representation
-Addiction Representation
-Redemption storylines
What Didn't Quite Work For Me:
-The characters never truly spoke to me, despite relating on multiple levels and I did not find myself caring about them
I appreciate that this is a debut from Kline and I will definitely give her another chance in the future.
Thank you to Putnam for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
-Jewish Representation
-Addiction Representation
-Redemption storylines
What Didn't Quite Work For Me:
-The characters never truly spoke to me, despite relating on multiple levels and I did not find myself caring about them
I appreciate that this is a debut from Kline and I will definitely give her another chance in the future.
Thank you to Putnam for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
February 27, 2024
Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was not what I was expecting. It’s 70% baseball/softball, 20% unlikeable characters, and 10% substance abuse issues.
I’m not into baseball, so that did make most of this book a chore to get through. I could have overlooked most of that if the main character wasn’t so awful. I mean, no redeeming qualities. She was not funny and was super immature for a woman pushing 30. There was also little chemistry between the two main characters. The relationship seemed like a bad idea and totally mismatched.
Overall, it was written well, but just not for me.
This book was not what I was expecting. It’s 70% baseball/softball, 20% unlikeable characters, and 10% substance abuse issues.
I’m not into baseball, so that did make most of this book a chore to get through. I could have overlooked most of that if the main character wasn’t so awful. I mean, no redeeming qualities. She was not funny and was super immature for a woman pushing 30. There was also little chemistry between the two main characters. The relationship seemed like a bad idea and totally mismatched.
Overall, it was written well, but just not for me.
September 21, 2024
Caroline was the worst? Like so unlikable?
July 23, 2025
I’m ngl I cried throughout parts of this book. I loved that while there was a love story, that wasn’t the main focus of everything.
Caroline Kline lost everything: her boyfriend, apartment, job, and life savings. When her father suddenly has an accident, she knows she has the available and time to come home to take care of him. What she hadn’t planned on was taking his place in his men’s softball league or a night gone wrong to impact the trajectory of her life.
This book is perfect for anyone in their 20s who doesn’t know what is going to come next. I found myself able to relate on some levels to the anxiety and uncertainty that Caroline faced regarding the future. I really liked that as a reader you were able to see her heal and learn to love life.
I did appreciate seeing her relationship with Crispin bloom. I do wish we got some more flushed out family scenes as far as them working through their miscommunication/feelings. But also a lot of the book felt very vulnerable and raw which I loved.
Caroline Kline lost everything: her boyfriend, apartment, job, and life savings. When her father suddenly has an accident, she knows she has the available and time to come home to take care of him. What she hadn’t planned on was taking his place in his men’s softball league or a night gone wrong to impact the trajectory of her life.
This book is perfect for anyone in their 20s who doesn’t know what is going to come next. I found myself able to relate on some levels to the anxiety and uncertainty that Caroline faced regarding the future. I really liked that as a reader you were able to see her heal and learn to love life.
I did appreciate seeing her relationship with Crispin bloom. I do wish we got some more flushed out family scenes as far as them working through their miscommunication/feelings. But also a lot of the book felt very vulnerable and raw which I loved.
May 3, 2024
Reasons why this book was not it for me:
1) the female main character SUCKED. i couldn’t get into all of the whining and little accountability for her actions
2) the amount of baseball stats and history was not interesting to someone who knows nothing about sports
3) the pining over a middle school crush reeked of desperation. i genuinely didn’t feel any chemistry between the fmc and mmc, it definitely just felt like caroline just liked the idea of crispin and getting with him to satisfy her childhood crush. i didn’t believe that by the end they were in love.
4) i still don’t get why kelly and caroline had a falling out
i should have just gotten this from the library and not spent money on libro fm to listen to it. :(
1) the female main character SUCKED. i couldn’t get into all of the whining and little accountability for her actions
2) the amount of baseball stats and history was not interesting to someone who knows nothing about sports
3) the pining over a middle school crush reeked of desperation. i genuinely didn’t feel any chemistry between the fmc and mmc, it definitely just felt like caroline just liked the idea of crispin and getting with him to satisfy her childhood crush. i didn’t believe that by the end they were in love.
4) i still don’t get why kelly and caroline had a falling out
i should have just gotten this from the library and not spent money on libro fm to listen to it. :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2024
A moving debut about a young bisexual Jewish woman who is struggling after giving up her city job and getting dumped by her boyfriend who then is asked to move back to her Jersey home town to help take care of her ailing father and take his place on the local men's baseball team. Heartfelt, funny and memorable, this was an entertaining, feel-good coming of age story about returning home and finding yourself. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of books like Libby Hubscher's Play for me. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!
October 11, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up.
February 26, 2024
The word that kept coming to mind when I read this book was gritty. Caroline Kline has a lot to work through in this book, and it doesn't always happen in the smoothest way. This definitely falls more in the women's fiction realm than romance.
Caroline Kline is headed back home to New Jersey. After she quits her job to move across the country with her boyfriend, he breaks up with her so she's left floundering about her future. When her dad falls and gets hurt, it works out perfectly for her to return home and take his place on the town softball team. But she does not return to her hometown gladly. There's animosity about her joining the team, an old best friend turned rival that drives her crazy, and a former crush that she never got over.
Caroline. She's a mess. She is not the most likable person and makes terrible decision after terrible decision. I liked her feisty personality, but I wanted to shake her multiple times. I was aching for her to make mature choices, and I'm glad to say that the growth arc was decent by the end of the book. My favorite part of the book was the Jewish representation. I loved all the addition of Jewish verbiage in the book. The baseball content was fun, but also quite frustrating with the harassment that Caroline faced. I really enjoyed the family story line with her aging father. The romance was half baked at best. Crispin (awful name) was hardly on the page and I didn't have much connection to him. I could have used a bit more of an epilogue to see them together as a couple.
Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam for the advanced ebook in exchange for my honest review.
Caroline Kline is headed back home to New Jersey. After she quits her job to move across the country with her boyfriend, he breaks up with her so she's left floundering about her future. When her dad falls and gets hurt, it works out perfectly for her to return home and take his place on the town softball team. But she does not return to her hometown gladly. There's animosity about her joining the team, an old best friend turned rival that drives her crazy, and a former crush that she never got over.
Caroline. She's a mess. She is not the most likable person and makes terrible decision after terrible decision. I liked her feisty personality, but I wanted to shake her multiple times. I was aching for her to make mature choices, and I'm glad to say that the growth arc was decent by the end of the book. My favorite part of the book was the Jewish representation. I loved all the addition of Jewish verbiage in the book. The baseball content was fun, but also quite frustrating with the harassment that Caroline faced. I really enjoyed the family story line with her aging father. The romance was half baked at best. Crispin (awful name) was hardly on the page and I didn't have much connection to him. I could have used a bit more of an epilogue to see them together as a couple.
Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam for the advanced ebook in exchange for my honest review.
May 18, 2024
Wow, I loved this book.
It's definitely more women's fiction than romance, but the romance subplot is so sweet, well-handled, and for the reader: well-earned. I absolutely love the author's writing style. It was a complete joy to read simply for her craft; it manages to be funny and smart and unique. I don't think I've ever writing quite like Preiss'. Even when she's handling tough topics and conveying complicated feelings, the writing feels so sharp and intelligent. For me, this book didn't have any unnecessary filler in its prose -- each word is chosen carefully and that made it an above-average reading experience for me. I truly cannot wait to read more from Courtney Preiss.
I also really appreciated how well this book gives us the chance to journey alongside a complex female main character. She's flawed and she's real and her choices and experiences are, at times, hard to stomach. But it makes her -- and the growth arc of the story -- feel real and redemptive by the finish. I love this story's characters and setting, and how deftly the author is able to have conversations about illness, family relationships, misogyny, addiction, and other complex topics, while still reading hopeful, fun, and sweet.
I simply cannot say enough good about this book! Can't wait to recommend it to everyone I know.
Thank you to Putnam for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. WELCOME HOME, CAROLINE KLINE is out now.
It's definitely more women's fiction than romance, but the romance subplot is so sweet, well-handled, and for the reader: well-earned. I absolutely love the author's writing style. It was a complete joy to read simply for her craft; it manages to be funny and smart and unique. I don't think I've ever writing quite like Preiss'. Even when she's handling tough topics and conveying complicated feelings, the writing feels so sharp and intelligent. For me, this book didn't have any unnecessary filler in its prose -- each word is chosen carefully and that made it an above-average reading experience for me. I truly cannot wait to read more from Courtney Preiss.
I also really appreciated how well this book gives us the chance to journey alongside a complex female main character. She's flawed and she's real and her choices and experiences are, at times, hard to stomach. But it makes her -- and the growth arc of the story -- feel real and redemptive by the finish. I love this story's characters and setting, and how deftly the author is able to have conversations about illness, family relationships, misogyny, addiction, and other complex topics, while still reading hopeful, fun, and sweet.
I simply cannot say enough good about this book! Can't wait to recommend it to everyone I know.
Thank you to Putnam for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. WELCOME HOME, CAROLINE KLINE is out now.
February 17, 2024
I always feel fortunate when I have the opportunity to review a book from Netgalley, but reviewing an especially lovely debut novel is a true joy! WELCOME HOME, CAROLINE KLINE, is a perfect example. I really enjoyed every page. The author chose to take a pretty ordinary start and then took it to places that I never would have expected.
Just as Caroline’s life imploded (losing boyfriend, job and apartment) she is called home when her father falls. She is needed, not as a care giver, but as a pinch hitter, and thereby hangs this yummy tale. I really loved her journey back to her home and youth.
I enjoyed watching Caroline rebuild her life. I liked the characters. The writing is clear and wonderfully descriptive. I loved the sly sense of humor that often had me smiling. This is a great debut novel. I can’t wait to read more by Courtney Preiss.
Thank you Netgalley for this special treat!
Just as Caroline’s life imploded (losing boyfriend, job and apartment) she is called home when her father falls. She is needed, not as a care giver, but as a pinch hitter, and thereby hangs this yummy tale. I really loved her journey back to her home and youth.
I enjoyed watching Caroline rebuild her life. I liked the characters. The writing is clear and wonderfully descriptive. I loved the sly sense of humor that often had me smiling. This is a great debut novel. I can’t wait to read more by Courtney Preiss.
Thank you Netgalley for this special treat!
October 19, 2025
this book was just very fine. I loved all the New Jersey references, but am unsure if I would’ve like it as much without them. Definitely was a great book to read when moving out of nj LOL. it was cute and wholesome and tear jerking at times. The author liked using TONS of big words that I didn’t know what they meant (small vocabulary don’t hate me) which annoyed me. The plot also jumped and was random sometimes but I still liked it. Idk I just kept waiting for this book to get good and it just…didn’t really. Only reason it got 2 not 1 is because they mentioned rook coffee and the main character loved the Yankees. Relatable.
May 30, 2025
For this Monmouth County born and raised reader, the only redeeming aspects of Welcome Home, Caroline Kline is the Jersey Shore setting. Judgy, self-absorbed, and immature, Caroline’s constant contradictory outlook of fondly romanizing her hometown while also criticizing her peers who still live there gets old real fast. The story telling lacks nuance and is all tell, no show.
June 22, 2025
Rating:2
So okay, I don’t really know where I found this book rec. I feel like it was an Instagram reel, and I may think less of the creator now. But idk, it was available at my library, so I just sent it. This totally seemed up my alley, dude. I regret to inform you that it dropped the ball, literally. Caroline Kline struggles to deal with the aftermath of a breakup in NYC at the same time her father, who is apparently a local softball legend, gets injured and calls for her to return home to New Jersey to help aid his recovery and join an all-male softball league in his place.
I thought this was going to be a cute little rom-com with a baseball background, and it kinda was but failed to deliver on all points. The chemistry between the FMC and MMC was extremely lackluster and absent for the majority of the book. And this is totally more of a self-grown journey than a romantic focus. Which I’m here for but wish it wasn’t.
Now here is where my main problem lies: it was with this damn softball plot and how absolutely extra it was.
-The season starts in spring and ends before just before Halloween!!!! Like, brooooo, these are grown-ass men playing more softball games than goddamn Mike Trout.
-They also played 9-inning games plus extra innings on more than one occasion!! High school softball is not even 9 innings. That is absolutely preposterous for New Jersey rec league softball. These are hard-working city-commuting men doing these on a Thursday night. I think we can chill with the basically side-job for 7 months a year.
-At one point ,Caroline, who is starting at 3rd base (after getting in the league on a technicality from the 1970s), brags for an entire page about how fast she threw a ball to her CUTOFF man. If her arm is so goddamn good, then why does she even need to hit the CUTOFF man?
-At another point ,Caroline, (who is a switch hitter, of course), goes up to bat, and the other team makes a pitching change(I’ll get into that later) to favor a lefty-lefty matchup, and once the change is made, she switches to the other side of the plate. Idk, man, it just really irked me with the braggadocious way she approached the situation.
-Nolan Ryan be damned, dude, one of these teams ran out of relief pitchers, and it was a whole thing. Like, young homie Nolan is out here throwing 150-plus heaters in a game only for local Timmy to get winded after lobbing in a couple of innings of balls.
Full disclosure, I did love that there were multiple disciplinary hearings over the course of the season, like, yes, bro, keep these men in check!
Overall, it was kinda cute, which was her relationship with her father, but it was also 100p a me problem to overlook that and Caroline’s journey because I was too petty about little details.
So okay, I don’t really know where I found this book rec. I feel like it was an Instagram reel, and I may think less of the creator now. But idk, it was available at my library, so I just sent it. This totally seemed up my alley, dude. I regret to inform you that it dropped the ball, literally. Caroline Kline struggles to deal with the aftermath of a breakup in NYC at the same time her father, who is apparently a local softball legend, gets injured and calls for her to return home to New Jersey to help aid his recovery and join an all-male softball league in his place.
I thought this was going to be a cute little rom-com with a baseball background, and it kinda was but failed to deliver on all points. The chemistry between the FMC and MMC was extremely lackluster and absent for the majority of the book. And this is totally more of a self-grown journey than a romantic focus. Which I’m here for but wish it wasn’t.
Now here is where my main problem lies: it was with this damn softball plot and how absolutely extra it was.
-The season starts in spring and ends before just before Halloween!!!! Like, brooooo, these are grown-ass men playing more softball games than goddamn Mike Trout.
-They also played 9-inning games plus extra innings on more than one occasion!! High school softball is not even 9 innings. That is absolutely preposterous for New Jersey rec league softball. These are hard-working city-commuting men doing these on a Thursday night. I think we can chill with the basically side-job for 7 months a year.
-At one point ,Caroline, who is starting at 3rd base (after getting in the league on a technicality from the 1970s), brags for an entire page about how fast she threw a ball to her CUTOFF man. If her arm is so goddamn good, then why does she even need to hit the CUTOFF man?
-At another point ,Caroline, (who is a switch hitter, of course), goes up to bat, and the other team makes a pitching change(I’ll get into that later) to favor a lefty-lefty matchup, and once the change is made, she switches to the other side of the plate. Idk, man, it just really irked me with the braggadocious way she approached the situation.
-Nolan Ryan be damned, dude, one of these teams ran out of relief pitchers, and it was a whole thing. Like, young homie Nolan is out here throwing 150-plus heaters in a game only for local Timmy to get winded after lobbing in a couple of innings of balls.
Full disclosure, I did love that there were multiple disciplinary hearings over the course of the season, like, yes, bro, keep these men in check!
Overall, it was kinda cute, which was her relationship with her father, but it was also 100p a me problem to overlook that and Caroline’s journey because I was too petty about little details.
January 22, 2024
Caroline Klines life is a mess. she just quit a job she was happy with and moved out of her apartment so she could move across the country with her boyfriend, only to have him dump her at the last minute. Now she is at a crossroads, handling it by couch surfing with her best friend, drinking and dating random guys. She receives a phone call from her dad and stepmother, asking her to come home and help her dad after a fall, and take his place on his beloved softball team. Not having many options, Caroline very reluctantly goes.
I really didn't like Caroline very much at the start of the book, but I figured she would grow up eventually, but it took forever. She makes poor choice after poor choice, even though she is surrounded by supportive friends and family. I did like the cast of surrounding characters, the small town vibe and even the baseball, but then again I am a big baseball and softball fan. The novel touches on issues such addiction, anxiety and aging which makes this much more than a romance and I thought it was fine, it just wasn't a big hit for me.
Thank you to net galley and Courtney press for a digital copy for an honest review.
I really didn't like Caroline very much at the start of the book, but I figured she would grow up eventually, but it took forever. She makes poor choice after poor choice, even though she is surrounded by supportive friends and family. I did like the cast of surrounding characters, the small town vibe and even the baseball, but then again I am a big baseball and softball fan. The novel touches on issues such addiction, anxiety and aging which makes this much more than a romance and I thought it was fine, it just wasn't a big hit for me.
Thank you to net galley and Courtney press for a digital copy for an honest review.
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