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The Pain of the Past
Caroline’s Purpose follows a once-promising athlete and equestrian who, after an accident, struggles to navigate college, broken relationships, and haunting memories, while trying to find purpose in a life that feels hollow. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My inspiration for the setup of my story was my own journey. I tried to be the best at different things, only to come out on the other side hollow and disappointed. I wanted to encourage readers that God always has the best purpose for our lives. We don’t have to rely on ourselves. We don’t have to strive to be the best at something for fulfillment or to find our identity or value. Our identity and value are found in who God made us to be. Caroline needed to discover that by losing the identities she had worked endlessly for. Her pain is relatable for anyone who has lost dreams or the identities they created for themselves. God uses our pain to bring us back to Him and the value He created us with
In many contemporary coming-of-age fiction novels, authors often add their own life experiences to the story. Are there any bits of you in this story?
There’s a whole lot of me in this story. I played softball in high school and was a pitcher. I chose not to play in college because I didn’t think I was good enough. I was offered an academic scholarship to the University of Arizona. I lived out my dreams of pitching for the U of A through Caroline. At U of A, I majored in Equine Science. A riding accident in middle school led me to playing softball. The Equine Program at the U of A was my return to the horse world, like it is for Caroline in the book. Luna, the weanling, is based on the weanling I was assigned in the weanling class. Her name is Goldee, and she is now my horse. Edison is based off of the real-life Edison I leased and then owned until he had to be put down two years ago. Edison is the horse who gave me my confidence back. He wasn’t abused, like the Edison in the novel, but he was a huge part of my healing and moving forward.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The themes that were important for me to explore in this book were God’s purpose for each life and healing from the pain of the past. It is easy to get stuck in the pain, especially when multiple dreams have fallen apart. It is easy to feel like God has forgotten about us or doesn’t care about us. I wanted to create a story to show readers that God always loves and always cares and always has a purpose for us. I wanted to create characters that would show that healing is possible.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
I am currently working on the sequel.
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When she meets Connor Taylor, Caroline finds that he is able to relate to her pain more than she would have thought possible.
With the help of Edison, an abused horse, Connor seeks to help Caroline learn to use her past as a stepping stone towards the future.
As her relationship with Connor grows, Caroline must make a choice to conquer her fear or to stay where she feels safe. Their relationship and her future hang in the balance.
Caroline’s Purpose
Erica Zaborac’s Caroline’s Purpose is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about loss, faith, and rediscovery. It follows Caroline Davis, a once-promising athlete and equestrian whose dreams are shattered by injuries and tragedy. As she navigates college, broken relationships, and haunting memories, she struggles to find purpose in a life that feels hollow. Through new friendships, reluctant encounters with horses, and a reawakened faith, Caroline slowly learns that healing isn’t about returning to who she was, but about embracing who she’s becoming.
I knew this book would be emotional right from the start. Zaborac writes with such sincerity that it’s hard not to feel Caroline’s pain right alongside her. The story never rushes her healing, and I appreciated that. Caroline’s fear, anger, and guilt feel raw, and they hit close to home. The writing is clean and direct, never flashy, and that simplicity lets the emotions breathe. I loved the moments with Luna, the weanling filly, those scenes carried a quiet grace that said more about healing than any speech could. The faith elements were woven gently, never forced, and they gave the story warmth instead of weight.
The dialogue is straightforward, and I admired how Zaborac balanced heartbreak with hope. Connor’s steady kindness and his belief in purpose grounded the story when things got heavy. The pacing dipped in a few middle chapters, but the emotional payoff near the end made up for it. The book reminded me how fragile and strong people can be all at once. It left me thinking about how pain doesn’t always end neatly, and maybe that’s okay.
I’d recommend Caroline’s Purpose to anyone who’s ever had to start over. If you’ve loved something, lost it, and had to figure out who you are without it, this book will speak to you. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy stories about resilience, second chances, and quiet faith. Caroline’s Purpose feels like a blend of The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks and It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, but with a gentler heart and a stronger thread of faith running through its core.
Pages: 222 | ASIN : B08P57Z37B
