Kristin's Bookshelf

Carry On
By A. Winchester
Narrated By Harley Chase and Griffin Rivers
Produced by High Gravity Productions
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

I’ll start by saying this book is not for everyone, heck – I’m not even sure it was for me. But there is no denying the beautifully written and HEAVY storyline. Even going in and knowing that there isn’t a HEA, you can’t help but find yourself rooting for Lincoln and Nash.

Their relationship starts as lust, evolving into necessity and ultimately love.

Both characters have demons and I’m not talking the small “all my boyfriends have cheated on me” kind. I’m talking life-altering demons that are always threatening to surface, the kind you can’t hide and you can’t shake away with a little Prozac or trips to the therapist. These are broken men, shaped by a world that has dealt them truly crap hands and circumstances.

The book leans heavily into mental health in a way audiences can truly understand through Nash’s inner dialogue. I’m sure we’ve all had a voice inside our head at one point telling us we aren’t good enough, but Nash’s voice – paired with PTSD, alcohol, and a medical/insurance system that rarely supports the people who need it most – absolutely consumes him.

Earlier this year, my uncle, a war veteran, took his own life. He struggled with paranoia, alcohol, and PTSD. Because of that, the ending hit especially hard for me and mirrored circumstances that felt painfully familiar.

As for Lincoln, he was more relatable, but only in the sense that he had become better at masking his struggles. He could maintain a reputable career and function in a way society accepts, but that doesn’t minimize the trauma he endured in his past relationship.

This book is intense, emotionally exhausting at times, and honestly pretty heartbreaking… but also incredibly impactful.

And the narration? Harley Chase and Griffin Rivers were phenomenal. You could feel every ounce of pain, desperation, vulnerability, and love through their performances. They didn’t just narrate the story – they carried it.