diff --git a/pkg/sqlcmd/batch.go b/pkg/sqlcmd/batch.go
index 7b8082e5..17432319 100644
--- a/pkg/sqlcmd/batch.go
+++ b/pkg/sqlcmd/batch.go
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ parse:
 			i, ok = readMultilineComment(b.raw, i, b.rawlen)
 			b.comment = !ok
 		// start of a string
-		case c == '\'' || c == '"':
+		case c == '\'' || c == '"' || c == '[':
 			b.quote = c
 		// inline sql comment, skip to end of line
 		case c == '-' && next == '-':
@@ -145,25 +145,24 @@ parse:
 		}
 	}
 	if err == nil {
-		i = min(i, b.rawlen)
-		empty := isEmptyLine(b.raw, 0, i)
-		appendLine := true
-		if !b.comment && command != nil && empty {
-			appendLine = false
-		}
-		if appendLine {
-			// any variables on the line need to be added to the global map
-			inc := 0
-			if b.Length > 0 {
-				inc = len(lineend)
-			}
-			if b.linevarmap != nil {
-				for v := range b.linevarmap {
-					b.varmap[v+b.Length+inc] = b.linevarmap[v]
+		if command == nil {
+			i = min(i, b.rawlen)
+			empty := i == 0
+			appendLine := !empty || b.comment || b.quote != 0
+			if appendLine {
+				// any variables on the line need to be added to the global map
+				inc := 0
+				if b.Length > 0 {
+					inc = len(lineend)
+				}
+				if b.linevarmap != nil {
+					for v := range b.linevarmap {
+						b.varmap[v+b.Length+inc] = b.linevarmap[v]
+					}
 				}
+				// log.Printf(">> appending: `%s`", string(r[st:i]))
+				b.append(b.raw[:i], lineend)
 			}
-			// log.Printf(">> appending: `%s`", string(r[st:i]))
-			b.append(b.raw[:i], lineend)
 			b.batchline++
 		}
 		b.raw = b.raw[i:]
@@ -242,11 +241,13 @@ func (b *Batch) readString(r []rune, i, end int, quote rune, line uint) (int, bo
 			} else {
 				return i, false, syntaxError(line)
 			}
-		case quote == '\'' && c == '\'' && next == '\'':
+		case quote == '\'' && c == '\'' && next == '\'',
+			quote == '[' && c == ']' && next == ']':
 			i++
 			continue
 		case quote == '\'' && c == '\'' && prev != '\'',
-			quote == '"' && c == '"':
+			quote == '"' && c == '"',
+			quote == '[' && c == ']':
 			return i, true, nil
 		}
 		prev = c
diff --git a/pkg/sqlcmd/batch_test.go b/pkg/sqlcmd/batch_test.go
index a323c1fb..29d290da 100644
--- a/pkg/sqlcmd/batch_test.go
+++ b/pkg/sqlcmd/batch_test.go
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ func TestBatchNext(t *testing.T) {
 		{"select 1\n:exit()", []string{"select 1"}, []string{"EXIT"}, "-"},
 		{"select 1\n:exit (select 10)", []string{"select 1"}, []string{"EXIT"}, "-"},
 		{"select 1\n:exit", []string{"select 1"}, []string{"EXIT"}, "-"},
+		{"select [a'b] = 'c'", []string{"select [a'b] = 'c'"}, nil, "-"},
+		{"select [bracket", []string{"select [bracket"}, nil, "["},
+		{"select [bracket]]a]", []string{"select [bracket]]a]"}, nil, "-"},
+		{"exit_1", []string{"exit_1"}, nil, "-"},
 	}
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		b := NewBatch(sp(test.s, "\n"), newCommands())
diff --git a/pkg/sqlcmd/commands.go b/pkg/sqlcmd/commands.go
index b921ff32..3422f151 100644
--- a/pkg/sqlcmd/commands.go
+++ b/pkg/sqlcmd/commands.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ func newCommands() Commands {
 	// Commands is the set of Command implementations
 	return map[string]*Command{
 		"EXIT": {
-			regex:  regexp.MustCompile(`(?im)^[\t ]*?:?EXIT(?:[ \t]*(\(?.*\)?$)|$)`),
+			regex:  regexp.MustCompile(`(?im)^[\t ]*?:?EXIT([\( \t]+.*\)*$|$)`),
 			action: exitCommand,
 			name:   "EXIT",
 		},
@@ -186,15 +186,17 @@ func exitCommand(s *Sqlcmd, args []string, line uint) error {
 		}
 	}
 	query = strings.TrimSpace(params[1 : len(params)-1])
-	s.batch.Reset([]rune(query))
-	_, _, err := s.batch.Next()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	query = s.batch.String()
-	if s.batch.String() != "" {
-		query = s.getRunnableQuery(query)
-		s.Exitcode, _ = s.runQuery(query)
+	if len(query) > 0 {
+		s.batch.Reset([]rune(query))
+		_, _, err := s.batch.Next()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		query = s.batch.String()
+		if s.batch.String() != "" {
+			query = s.getRunnableQuery(query)
+			s.Exitcode, _ = s.runQuery(query)
+		}
 	}
 	return ErrExitRequested
 }
diff --git a/pkg/sqlcmd/commands_test.go b/pkg/sqlcmd/commands_test.go
index d90a9749..2540bd1b 100644
--- a/pkg/sqlcmd/commands_test.go
+++ b/pkg/sqlcmd/commands_test.go
@@ -41,9 +41,9 @@ func TestCommandParsing(t *testing.T) {
 		{` :Error c:\folder\file`, "ERROR", []string{`c:\folder\file`}},
 		{`:Setvar A1 "some value" `, "SETVAR", []string{`A1 "some value" `}},
 		{` :Listvar`, "LISTVAR", []string{""}},
-		{`:EXIT (select 100 as count)`, "EXIT", []string{"(select 100 as count)"}},
-		{`:EXIT ( )`, "EXIT", []string{"( )"}},
-		{`EXIT `, "EXIT", []string{""}},
+		{`:EXIT (select 100 as count)`, "EXIT", []string{" (select 100 as count)"}},
+		{`:EXIT ( )`, "EXIT", []string{" ( )"}},
+		{`EXIT `, "EXIT", []string{" "}},
 		{`:Connect someserver -U someuser`, "CONNECT", []string{"someserver -U someuser"}},
 		{`:r c:\$(var)\file.sql`, "READFILE", []string{`c:\$(var)\file.sql`}},
 		{`:!! notepad`, "EXEC", []string{" notepad"}},
diff --git a/pkg/sqlcmd/sqlcmd_test.go b/pkg/sqlcmd/sqlcmd_test.go
index 81b66633..c90ed782 100644
--- a/pkg/sqlcmd/sqlcmd_test.go
+++ b/pkg/sqlcmd/sqlcmd_test.go
@@ -67,10 +67,11 @@ func TestConnectionStringFromSqlCmd(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-/* The following tests require a working SQL instance and rely on SqlCmd environment variables
+/*
+	The following tests require a working SQL instance and rely on SqlCmd environment variables
+
 to manage the initial connection string. The default connection when no environment variables are
 set will be to localhost using Windows auth.
-
 */
 func TestSqlCmdConnectDb(t *testing.T) {
 	v := InitializeVariables(true)
@@ -185,6 +186,34 @@ func TestIncludeFileWithVariables(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestIncludeFileMultilineString(t *testing.T) {
+	s, buf := setupSqlCmdWithMemoryOutput(t)
+	defer buf.Close()
+	dataPath := "testdata" + string(os.PathSeparator)
+	err := s.IncludeFile(dataPath+"blanks.sql", true)
+	if assert.NoError(t, err, "IncludeFile blanks.sql true") {
+		assert.Equal(t, "=", s.batch.State(), "s.batch.State() after IncludeFile blanks.sql true")
+		assert.Equal(t, "", s.batch.String(), "s.batch.String() after IncludeFile blanks.sql true")
+		s.SetOutput(nil)
+		o := buf.buf.String()
+		assert.Equal(t, "line 1"+SqlcmdEol+SqlcmdEol+SqlcmdEol+SqlcmdEol+"line2"+SqlcmdEol+SqlcmdEol, o)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIncludeFileQuotedIdentifiers(t *testing.T) {
+	s, buf := setupSqlCmdWithMemoryOutput(t)
+	defer buf.Close()
+	dataPath := "testdata" + string(os.PathSeparator)
+	err := s.IncludeFile(dataPath+"quotedidentifiers.sql", true)
+	if assert.NoError(t, err, "IncludeFile quotedidentifiers.sql true") {
+		assert.Equal(t, "=", s.batch.State(), "s.batch.State() after IncludeFile quotedidentifiers.sql true")
+		assert.Equal(t, "", s.batch.String(), "s.batch.String() after IncludeFile quotedidentifiers.sql true")
+		s.SetOutput(nil)
+		o := buf.buf.String()
+		assert.Equal(t, `ab 1 a"b`+SqlcmdEol+SqlcmdEol, o)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestGetRunnableQuery(t *testing.T) {
 	v := InitializeVariables(false)
 	v.Set("var1", "v1")
diff --git a/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/blanks.sql b/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/blanks.sql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e400ae5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/blanks.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+set nocount on
+:setvar l line2
+select 'line 1
+
+
+
+$(l)'
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/quotedidentifiers.sql b/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/quotedidentifiers.sql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..25b8c1cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/quotedidentifiers.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+set nocount on
+set quoted_identifier on
+select [a]]b] = 'ab', "a'b" = 1, [a"b] = 'a"b'
diff --git a/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/variablesnogo.sql b/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/variablesnogo.sql
index bea1d010..10aded38 100644
--- a/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/variablesnogo.sql
+++ b/pkg/sqlcmd/testdata/variablesnogo.sql
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 set nocount on
 :setvar hundred 100
--- comment
+
+-- verify fix for https://github.com/microsoft/go-sqlcmd/issues/197
+
+-- Correctly handle the first line of a batch having a variable after an empty line
+
+GO
+
 select $(hundred)
 
+GO
\ No newline at end of file