Unfortunately, this book could not hold my attention well enough to finish. I am grateful for the opportunity to read, but by 40%, I had to walk away. Too slow of a slow burn.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an ARC of Caroline. I picked the book partly because it sounded
very interesting and because John Lescrault, a favorite writer of mine is the narrator.
The story involves a young blind lawyer who is working for an agency for indigent felons and not paid much. He meets Caroline in an evening writing class. She is the free spirit to his logical, grounded personality. They get closer and, though he never learns much about her, they move in with each other into his small apartment. Slowly things emerge about her that are unsettling but he loves her. As the story progresses, both have dark sides that start to collide.

I found this book interesting but somewhat mystifying. Of course, we never understand why someone falls in love with someone else so it's hard to judge but I found Nick's devotion to Caroline a bit of a stretch. She was so hot and cold, she never seemed particularly wonderful, unlike the young woman who was a reader for him. Most interesting was learning how Nick navigates his life. The writer, Adrian Spratt is indeed a blind lawyer and it is fascinating the confidence with which he lives his days.

In the end, I think this book is about the decline of mental health once difficult things happen that aren't healed. It is sad and unfortuantly probably quite real. It is a good book

Caroline follows our protagonist Nick a young lawyer in 1980s New York and his developing relationship with Caroline. I really wanted to like this book and it had lots of potential. The protagonist Nick, is questioning his place in the world, an interesting female lead in Caroline doing her own thing and their complex relationship dynamic causing them both to spiral, but ultimately the book didn’t really come together for me and I found myself frustrated a lot of the timing.

First the good, this is a slow paced, character driven book with not a lot in terms of plot. That’s something I enjoy, but if you want a book with lots of action and pace this isn’t for you. Nick our main character is blind and the aspects that dealt with his interaction in the world, how this affected his relationships and work were the strongest parts of book for me. The writing is good but I listened to this as an audiobook and didn’t enjoy the narration so this impacted the overall reading experience. I found it quite flat and emotionless, particularly for the main character Nick.

I found Nick incredibly frustrating, he’s emotionally distance, lacking in real empathy and I found his attitudes towards women incredibly negative. We get to know Caroline through Nick’s eyes and because of that I feel like I hardly know anything about her except that she’s attractive and troubled and Nick wants her to get her act together. All of that meant I just didn’t like him and Caroline didn’t feel fully developed as a character. There is some element of self reflection for Nick towards the end of the book but not enough in my opinion. I would have enjoyed more of this throughout the book as Nick looks back. I think this is probably 2.5 ⭐️ for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book I’m exchange for an honest review.

I received a free review copy from the publisher, via NetGalley - thank you!

I listened to this as an audiobook.

A love story between Caroline and Nick. Nick is a lawyer, and blind. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t bring myself to like him very much - the word “cold” keeps coming to mind. As for Caroline, I didn’t feel like I ever really got to know her very well. She remained a two dimensional character. That might have had something to do with Nick’s view of her though - he talked like he cared for her, but his actions didn’t quite match.

Also, it took quite a long while (approximately 20% of the way through) to really get into the story. The switching between the actual story and Nick’s fictional story in the first part of the book were quite confusing.

Good story line and kept me entertained! Was a bit slow at the beginning but definitely caught up quickly. I overall really enjoyed this book.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting story of Nick, a blind man, and his experience with Caroline. I enjoyed this, it was a lot like listening to someone's train of thought.

Caroline AUDIO by Adrian Spratt is kind of a fictional memoir of the yearlong relationship between Nick and Caroline. It is New York in the 1980s, Nick is a lawyer, and Caroline is the kind of young woman everyone likes. They meet in a creative writing class. Nick has long toyed with the ideal of writing and Caroline is just at loose ends, but is not a bad writer. Nick is blind, which metaphorically is important to the story, but not literally. After leaving class together for a few weeks, they sleep together, and then it becomes a regular thing with her all but living with him. She is good for Nick. She broadens his horizons. Things go well until she finds herself pregnant. She doesn't know how to react, and because of that, Nick doesn't either.

John Lescault is the reader and much of how I feel about the book comes down to him. He had a very calm voice, almost monotone, and reacted to nothing in the retelling of Nick's story. I don't know if it was Nick or John and so I am no sure what I am reacting to. I don't feel like he was the best choice as a reader because of this. Maybe it was the director's interpretation of the book and John did as he was told. I think I would feel differently if it had been a different reader or if I had read the words. I feel like Nick was nearly emotionless and that left me feeling negatively about the book. It was sad, but at least partly because of Nick. I didn't love it.

I was invited to listen to a free audio of Caroline by Books Fluent, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #booksfluent #adrianspratt #caroline

It’s the 1980’s in New York City. Nick is just a few years out of law school. He’s practicing law at an organization that files appeals for convicted criminals. He likes his work but his supervisors are awful to work for. Nick is also blind. He lost his sight as a preteen due to a degenerative eye condition. As the book opens, Nick decides to take a creative writing class to pursue his dream of writing. In class he meets Caroline. They strike up a friendship and eventually become romantically involved. They date for about a year before it ends badly.

Nick’s experiences as a blind person were interesting. I’ve never read a book written from that perspective. There is a lot that I’ve never considered before in what that life would be like for the blind community. Especially without the technological advances of the last 40 years.

The writing is smart and poignant. However, I was a little bored. So much of the book is Nick’s inner dialogue and not a lot happens.

Thanks to @netgalley for a copy of this book!

I received this audiobook from NetGalley as an advanced listening copy (ALC). Thank you to NetGalley, Books Forward Audiobooks, and Adrian Spratt for allowing me to listen in exchange for my honest review.

I plan to review this audiobook with soft spoilers, so read at your own risk. My review style for audiobooks is to rate the book and the narration separately with the average being the final rating (i.e. a 3 star book with a 5 star narration= 4 star overall rating).

Narration:
At first the narration turned me off. The voice actor, John Lescault, has a cadence like a local radio personality commentating on CSPAN: thunderous yet dull. However, as I continued to listen his voice became soothing to me. Like Peter Thomas from the TV show “Forensic Files”, he speaks about dark, yet mundane, subject matter in a way that’s entertaining and calming. Knowing that Mr. Lescault mostly narrates nonfiction audiobooks makes perfect sense. He honestly was a good pick to read this book because his voice personifies what I would expect the main character Nick to sound like.
Narration: 4/5 stars

Story Structure:
This book is set up like a slow burning satirical memoir. It’s Nick telling us about his journey with Caroline. He speaks about how their relationship unfolds and his perspective (and sometimes lack thereof) of their partnership. The author speaks about being employed as a lawyer in a time before the ADA. Being a blind lawyer in the 80’s, Nick struggles to find his footing professionally, with his family, and in courtship.
Story: 4/5 stars

Overall:
I really enjoyed this book. This is going to be a polarizing book. It’s a slow burner and to many will come across as downright boring. I have a tendency to enjoy books that are anticlimactic and dry. *There is a trigger warning about rape but it is not graphic.*

Overall rating: 4/5 stars

I have been picking up historical fiction novels more recently and was very excited when I got approved to read this title through Netgalley. The blurb and character descriptions sounded great, but the actual book was not. The writing was extremely slow-paced and I had to force myself to finish reading this book. Readers who enjoy character-driven stories may enjoy Caroline more than I did, but I would not recommend it to others.

It’s very dry, bland and very hard to get through. The authors tone was just meh… I was really lost and the start of the book was so blunt and jarring that it didn’t work well.

Thank you, NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

I don't even know where to begin with this book.

I was initially intrigued by the premise and was excited to read (well, listen) to a story about a lawyer/aspiring writer that just so happens to be blind. For a majority of the book, it felt like nothing was really there to move the plot forward, and it was not very memorable. It was only around the 60% mark that the plot started to pick up.

I didn't really like the portrayal of women in this book. (Or anyone really, since the characters and everyone's feelings toward one another came off as very dull and surface-level with very little character development.) Any woman who wasn't a mother or relative was instantly attracted to the main character or portrayed as troubled, or a mix of both. TW are needed for sexual assault and suicide. While I can forgive cringey interactions Nick has with the many women in his life, the fact that the main character basically sexually assaults a character that has revoked consent and sees nothing wrong with it/calls her crazy afterward is just gross in my opinion.

It definitely feels like this novel was more of an author-insert fantasy than what the summary promised. However, this was probably done on purpose as there was a bit at the end of the novel that alluded to it being a bit self-aware.

Story and characterization-wise, I was not a fan of this book. However, the writing itself is quite good. At times Splatt's writing comes off as a bit technical or "lawyer-y" at times, but the ideas flow from one another quite well. I also enjoyed reading about a character that happens to be blind, as there were some interesting moments that shed light on just how different someone who has sight and someone who happens to not have sight will interpret things. However, between the terrible characterizations and dark themes that are solely used for shock value at the end, I cannot give this book more than 2/5 stars.

The description of this book was really appealing to me. But that’s where it stops for me. An extremely slow start in my opinion, with not a lot of character development. Because of the mystery and thriller category I was drawn in. I don’t think that’s an accurate category for this book. I was not even able to complete the book due to being bored.

From what I read after in other reviews after I already decided to not listen anymore- there is also trigger warnings that seem quite frightening.

I was happy to provide this review from listening to the audiobook on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity.

Caroline by Adrian Spratt

Caroline is a book about Nick and his girlfriend Caroline. They meet in a fiction writing class. Nick is an interesting character he wants people to see him for his abilities not his disabilities. He is more than his blindness. He is a deep man with an interesting outlook on life. When he an Caroline meet in the fiction class he begins to like her after her writing is shared in the class. The book starts a little slow but you get to understand Nick the second half of the book you see the darker side of each character especially Caroline. I loved how Caroline did not treat Nick different from his disability she to me treated him equal.

There are many themes in the book that for some of them are on the darker side like abortion, suicide, depression, people with disabilities, and a touch of religion. The second half to me turned really dark Caroline life really came full force in the front. Nick struggles to understands and misses key things about truly understanding the dire situation with his girlfriend Caroline.

Adrian Spratt story laid out how complex relationships can get when unexpected situations arise when couples are not ready to become fully committed in their relationship to become parents. The story was deep and complex in the struggles each go through in the book Nick struggles with people seeing him for his abilities and the acceptances of his girlfriends Caroline's dark side. Caroline struggles with demons that lead her to a very dark place and her struggles to deal with consequences and the aftermath destruction. I felt as though at times Nick was in denial and Caroline had troubles with her mental state before Nick came into her life.

I recommend this book it gives you the inside view of the struggles new and young couples go through when making decisions of unplanned consequences.

I rate this book 4 stars. I want to thank Netgalley and Adrian Spratt for a free copy of the book for an honest review.

Reviewing
Caroline
By Adrian Spratt

I was very intrigued by the concept of a blind attorney and navigating the highs and lows of the legal world unfortunately it did not play out as interestingly as I imagined it would. The writing style felt very clinical, the characters showed little development, and the overall feel was veryThe writing style felt very clinical, the characters showed little development, and the overall feel was lethargic and depressing. I was desperate for something, ANYTHING to happen and when it finally did it came and went to fast I wast sure it actually took place. I went back, reread it, and continued on only to find the second half as mundane as the first. Sad.

I believe that there are readers out there who love this book but unfortunately it didn’t peek my interest as I hoped it might.

⭐️⭐️💫 2.5 stars with a 14+ rating for mature sexual content.

I chose this book because I liked the storyline. But I have found that after listening to 17 chapters of Caroline that I will not be able to finish it.
I like both characters of Nick and Caroline but found that I was often lost with all the characters while listening. It may have been that as each character entered the frame I didn't find any character development to see where they fit into the story.
I may try reading Caroline as an ebook rather than an audiobook to see if that format works better for me.

My thanks to #NetGalley, Books Fluent and the author for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot connect with this story. I am struggling to finish the audiobook. I don't particularly like any character. I don't particularly like the narrator. I don't even really care for the legal aspect - which I usually tend to like.
DNF at 65% as I just can't make myself push through any more.
Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook to read & review.

Caroline by Adrian Spratt sounded appealing to me initially, but didn't connect with me. The character of Nick was good, but Caroline just missed it. I felt the book was depressing. The narrator, John Lescault had a very smooth and soothing voice. The book did not fit the thriller-suspense category in my opinion. Thank you #NetGalley and #Books Fluent for allowing me to listen to this book.

My general rule-of-thumb is to give a book 10-25% to catch my interest, and that unfortunately just didn’t really happen here. I don’t wish to say negative things about the book, I just think it wasn’t for me. I also had a hard time imagining the narrator—I realize he’s looking back at an earlier time in his life, but it was hard for me to imagine a fresh-out-of-law school student with the voice of a clearly much older man.

Thank you to Netgalley for an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was very "meh" for me. The first half of the book was dull and slightly confusing. I kept getting all the characters mixed up, and no character traits really stood out for me. Once I found out this book was written by an attorney, it made much more sense. The writing is very attorney-esque.

The second half of the book was much better than the first. I actually enjoyed listening to the second half and wanted to find out what happened.

The concept of a blind attorney was very unique and was just about the only redemptive piece of the novel. This is definitely not a thriller, and the book needs to come with TWs for sexual assault and suicide. Do I regret reading it? Not really, but I'm glad I didn't pay for it. Would I recommend to others? No.