In this debut novel, Caroline Kline returns home! Following an accident regarding her father, Caroline Kline has made the decision to move back to her hometown in New Jersey. Not only is she there to support her father but to take his place in his local men’s softball team. Caroline has a lot going on, especially because she just went through a messy breakup which caused her to lose basically everything.

This is not only focused on the romance but also the character development of Caroline. At the beginning we see her hit complete rock bottom, but as the book progresses, she begins to learn from her mistakes. It was a difficult read because sometimes I think it focused too much on the softball aspect of the book. I would have loved seeing more of Caroline growing and more issues being tackled like the way her parents treated her. The romance is cute but felt a bit flat for me. Overall it's an easy read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putman, and G.P Putman’s Sons for this eARC!

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!

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC!

Welcome Home, Caroline Kline was such a breath of fresh air! It was the perfect mix of reality with a lot of humor and heart. Caroline is flawed, but she is likable and you can't help but root for her. I am a big baseball fan, so the World Series storyline was really appealing to me.

This book was so lovely and wonderful. If you need a good story about healing and forgiveness with a ton of laughter, this is the book for you! Thank you again for the ARC!

Wow. Welcome Home Caroline Kline was a beautiful story of growth, maturing and finding place in the world.

Caroline returns home to NJ to support her dad after he’s injured. In a kooky spin, the support he needs most is a replacement for his spot on a city softball league. Caroline faces ups and downs and finds her place both in the league and in her life.

I expected this to be a light-hearted romcom, but what we got was a deep, introspective look at reevaluating life’s wants and purpose.

The love story is well written, but not necessarily the full focus of the story. This is a well rounded snapshot of the multitudes of life.

This debut story is for everyone! I tried to think about what kind of reader would enjoy this and I’m hard pressed to think of someone who wouldn’t.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I am happily & voluntarily sharing my review.

Honestly this book took me a long time to get into. The first half kinda dragged and in my opinion there was a little too much backstory for each side character that was introduced. I also felt like I did not need to read through every single softball scene because they got very repetitive.

The last 30/40%, however, was really good! Caroline had a great character arc and the romance plot line was done really well. I loved how all of her family relationships ended; I think each character got a good ending that fit them well. I even liked Kelly a little bit in the end :)

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!

This was absolutely not what I was expecting it was much quirkier and less sweet than I thought would be which was surprising but very enjoyable. I found the writing style to be a little choppy but overall this is a solid debut.

Yessss!!! This was such a good book that took on so many important topics and aspects of life. I think that if you are someone who has questions about life and has a level of uncertainty with what comes next in your journey, this book would hit a spot. I really liked this book. One thing I liked about this read was that it was not your typical. This story didn’t have picture perfect characters that have never struggled with themselves as individuals. But that was the beauty of it. This book was about getting second chances in life. It was about realizing that you don’t have to be perfect. It’s about realizing it’s ok to make mistakes in life just keep swimming! I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author Courtney Preiss and publisher for the chance to read this book online before publication, I loved this novel and was surprised by some of the twists the main character experiences. As a grade school and high school softball player I enjoyed her writing about the game and especially her father’scommitment to it.
Well written and highly recommend this debut novel!

I had a rough time with this book. I could not get into it. I enjoyed the characters well enough, but I couldn't connect with the plot. A solid romance read well enough.

What a debut! Caroline Kline is probably the best protagonist I’ve read in quite a while. She starts off the book as a hot mess and spends most of the book as one as well. She has flaws and faults, but I couldn’t help but to root for her the whole time.

Caroline moves back home to Jersey to help take care of her ailing father and get her life back together. She encounters a childhood friend turned rival as well as her first love. She also takes her father’s spot in one of their hometown leagues, causing a bit of chaos along the way.

Overall, a very solid debut and I look forward to future releases from this author.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a slow start for me but I’m glad I stuck with it. I grew up going to the Jersey Shore so I loved all the references. Caroline got on my nerves in the beginning but she really grew on me. I loved Crispin ❤️ The supporting characters were great. The men’s league…. man I knew so many guys like that growing up. Overall it was a strong debut from this author and look forward to reading more in the future.

✨ARC Read✨
⭐️Published: April, 16,2024⭐️

This book was funny while also showing the expectations of women. Men are so quick to think they are “better” or “more capable” than women and women should just shut up and sit down or just be a mother. Caroline Kline proves them wrong when she joins a men’s softball league in place of her father who injured himself during a fall. Absolutely loved Caroline she is funny, strong willed and an advocate for women! I also really loved Crispín’s character. He is such a relaxed soul who has worked so hard to get his life and mental state to where he wants it to be; staying sober and controlling his emotions to better himself. This book started out a little slow but it got so good! I absolutely loved the ending and how everything played out! The story unraveling had me hooked once I really got into it and it’s definitely something I’d read again! If you like: strong women main characters, second chance romance, humor and softball definitely read this book!!

Oh how I identified with Caroline trying to avoid everyone she went to high school with!!! Caroline is a beautifully written FMC with heart, grit, and some laughter.

Hard pass on the vomit, however.

I loved this book! The main character is so well written and her voice balances humor and real struggles really well. There is so much beautiful writing here. I loved all of the New Jersey references and setting. The characters feel alive and like real people. I was engaged in the story from start to finish and wished there was more time to spend with Caroline and everyone else once I neared the end!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of my latest read!

Caroline's story and softball career were so engaging the throughout her whole journey, and I particularly enjoyed her evolving relationships with Winnie, Leo, and, of course, Crispin. The humor in this read goes beyond surface-level and by the end I felt like Caroline was more of a friend than a character. What a good read to finish summer with!

This was a fun, quick read! I originally thought it would be a fluffy book but it actually had a lot of depth in the story. It was fun but also thought provoking. Would definitely recommend.

A boisterous and heartwarming read with a memorable lead - I loved it!

Caroline fled New Jersey as soon as she was able and hasn’t looked back. When her life in New York City crumbles and her father calls from the hospital, she reluctantly moves back into her childhood home where she spends time wondering where it all went wrong and trying to avoid running into people she went to high school with (though there might be one person she wouldn’t mind seeing again).

I was riveted by Caroline who is a flawed, realistic, and compelling character. She makes many terrible and sometimes dangerous decisions and despite this I was very invested in her finding stability and happiness, and maybe even winning the World Series. Recommended to anyone who loves stories about self-discovery and second chances. 4.5 stars.

Thank you very much to Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this great debut.

I thought this book would be a quick, easy read and wasn't sure how much substance would be behind it. I was surprised by how much I loved it. As a girl who grew up in a Philadelphia suburb and spent a lot of time at the Jersey Shore (and really loves baseball, but not the Yankees), I really resonated with this book. A lot of the local references made by Courtney Preiss aligned with experiences I've had, and the entire storyline just felt...real. I didn't have to willingly suspend my disbelief to read about Caroline's life; it seemed like the life of a real person who's experiencing very real problems - heartbreak, family illness, addiction, failure, and fear. Of course, it was a little bit predictable and there was an alarming amount of vomit (????) in there, but I would definitely recommend this book to others.