i can't say enough about how much i LOVED this book. i didn't want it to end...

i'll call this women's fiction but only because the other more serious plot points are more of the focus here rather than the romance. I will say the romance between Evvie and Dean- which by the was is utterly charming and romantic-does play a HUGE role in the novel so i think a romance reader wouldn't feel cheated.

i will also add that Ms Holmes writes the serious issues she deals with her with a lighter touch and this is shining/best part of the novel- in other words she is REALISTIC and BELIEVABLE here in this novel and doesn't shy away from some things.

i can't wait for more from this debut author. and yes even though it sounds cheesy- it's a huge grand slam.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse @ballantinecorp for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Evvie Drake, a recently widowed Mainer, stays home, really only venturing out to spend time with her divorced friend Andy and his young girls. Dean, former MLB pitcher suffering from a case of the “yips” flees his New York life to visit his childhood friend Andy, and rents the apartment connected to Evvie’s house for the year. The two develop a friendship, working through their challenging situations together.

I absolutely adored this book. I have long been a fan of Linda Holmes and when I learned she was writing her first novel I thought, “oh please let it be amazing.” (And of course it was!) I fell in love with each character, their witty and real interactions, and how they evolved through the story together. Everyone felt relatable, and I rooted for happiness all around. The romance was well-written and free of the nonsense that usually turns me off from romance novels. (This is much more than a romance novel - it is friendship and family and love and new beginnings and finding your footing.)

This will be on my top ten of the year!

This is one of those books you pick up and finish it in a very happy place. Everything about it is likable from the main characters, to the secondary ones, to the location, to the emotions. Evvie is a wonderful main character. Her relationship with Dean will just make you smile. The dialogue is whipsmart, perfect for a romantic comedy. I really can see this as a movie. You can see the way it is heading and you are perfectly fine with the view.

It is very funny. I was laughing out loud a lot throughout the book. The give and take between Evvie and Dean was adorable. They are adorable!

I think you could categorize this as a great summer read. It won’t tax your brain and it won’t leave you unsatisfied. (Maybe wanting a little more)

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for a copy of this enjoyable book.

This is such a great book! I loved Evvie! I loved the story. It was a roller coaster of emotions to go with these characters on their journey. I recently lost my father so the grieving process that’s Evvie went through felt very real and similar to feelings I dealt with (not quite the same but familiar... no spoilers by saying why). I loved seeing her grow and heal. The ending was happy for me but I could have enjoyed a tad more wrapping the story up but was satisfied. I loved these characters and would love to see more of them somehow.

I love a good rom-com and this book didn't disappoint! However, if it was possible this book went deeper and dealt with the "hidden" relationship between a husband and wife, how society can dictate our actions, and the importance of a solid parental relationship. Imagine me shocked!!! I adored the way the author was able to do this without coming off as "preachy" or lecturing! The romance was cute too! This was one of my favorite summertime reads of 2019!! I do, recommend giving this book a read!!!

3.5 ⭐️ This was better than your average light read romance or average starting over story. I’d say this was more a story about friendships, of which one becomes a romance, as well as a story about peeling back your layers to understand your decisions. I found the story itself original and enjoyed the sports tie in. I also liked that many of the outcomes in this book were realistic. Recommend.

<i>Evvie Drake Starts Over </i> is a fun, quick read; perfect summer chick lit after I read a series of heavier literary titles and non-fiction books. The characters are well developed and likeable, and a (mostly) believable plot, complete with an apparent happy ending. Highly recommend.

This book moved quickly and held my interest throughout the chapters. Evvvie, Dean and Andy are likeable characters and I couldn't help but cheer for them at every turn. I was anxious to see where things would end up. Seeing these characters fight through the drama of their past to lead them to the future was fun and engaging.

This books follows Evvie Drake (Evvie like Chevy) as she's struggles after her husband unexpectedly passes away. Luckily she had her best friend Andy to help her cope, but even he doesn't know the whole story. When Andy's friend Dean comes to hide out in Evvie's apartment, she slowly starts sharing the secrets she's held so close. Evvie is a fixer and with Dean as her new project she starts to realize that he's not the only one with issues that need work.

As you follow Evvie throughout this book, you'll be rooting her on. This is her story about recovery and growth after the trama she's lived through almost breaks her. There are so many ways a person could break and this book covers a few of the more difficult ones. As the characters start healing and moving on you'll be smiling as you read along. Seriously this book has drama, romance (like real life romance, not the instalove stuff), family issues, town gossip, healing (no insta-healing either), and so much more.

I liked so much about this book, the setting, the characters, and the plot are all enjoyable. The only reason I didn't give it 5⭐ is because I felt it dragged on a bit in parts. Overall I would recommend this book to anybody looking for a quick, whitty read.

I adored this book!! 4.5 stars, rounded to a 5!!

Evvie is a young woman living in Maine, the story starts with Evvie doing something with her life for herself & an upsetting "event" happens before she can continue with her plan.

Evvie is trying to pick up the pieces of her life, not doing such a great job of it. She has her life long friend, Adam & his girls & she has her dad, but even they don't know how Evvie is really doing.

Adam introduces Evvie to an old friend of his, Dean, hoping Evvie can give Dean a quiet place to live & recoup as he too is dealing with upset of his own. Evvie agrees to rent her small apt to Dean.

Over time, Evvie & Dean open up to each other in ways that they have been unable to with close friends & family. Evvie is a "fixer" by nature so in her own way she sets about to try & "fix" Dean.

It is a fun story without being silly. Well developed characters & very well written. Just enough of some pop culture without it being trendy. But also, there's a deeper side. How people cope or don't cope with loss, what people share with friends & how people seek help, or don't.

This was a debut novel by Linda Holmes, who happens to be the pop culture correspondent for NPR, something I did not know prior to reading!

I really enjoyed this book!!!

I enjoyed this book even though indont generally go for books that trend toward romance. Evvie Drake is more about self discovery and overcoming what we let others tell us we are. The characters are enjoyable and you want to sit down and eat pancakes with Evvie.

4.5 stars
I am so glad I picked this book up. I have never read a book by Linda Holmes before and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this as a summer-time-must-read.

Recently widowed Evvie barely leaves the house. Everyone in their small town thinks its the overwhelming grief. But Evvie is keeping a lot of secrets.

For supplemental income, her best friend Andy recommends a friend of his to rent out an apartment in her house. Dean has a case of the "yips". He used to be a great starting pitcher for the Yankees. Now he is retired and somewhat lost. As is Evvie.

Evvie and Dean strike a deal: Dean won't bring up Evvie's dead husband and Evvie won't bring up baseball. Their natural progression into friendship is endearing. And eventually the deal gets broke by both sides and Evvie needs to confront a lot about the truth of her relationship with her deceased husband, and how to share what happened.

This was a great read about friendship and second chances. Definitely one-click it now.

Bull Durham introduced me to the phenomenon of the "yips,' when a pitcher loses his ability to throw with no pparent physical reason. That's the affliction Linda Holmes' hero is experiencing. He retreats to a small coastal fishing village to try to recover his mojo. The heroine (Evvie) has her own issues; she's a young widow, but was in the process of leaving her husband on the day he died. They both definitely have baggage. I really appreciated that the romance in this novel was balanced so well by the healing process and character growth. I found the characters well drawn, layered,and clear voiced, and that even the secondary characters are complex. The story itself is well paced. the settings beautifully drawn, and the dialogue stellar. If youre looking for an entertaining journey, Linda Holmes' Evvie Drake makes a terrific guide. I definitely would read more from Ms. Holmes.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

I give this book a solid 3.5. (Why can't anyone program in a half star rating on these apps?!)

Evvie Drake is now a widow after her emotionally- (and possibly physically-) abusive high-school-sweetheart-turned-doctor/small town hero-husband dies in a car crash while she is packing the car to (finally? hopefully?) leave him. While pretending to mourn and feeling guilty about not feeling sad, her best friend Andy talks her into letting a washed up major league baseball player, Dean, rent the apartment attached to her house.

This book was a fun read. It could have used tighter editing in a couple of places where the details bogged it down... For example, I don't care about my own clothes enough to care about how Evvie picks out each piece of clothing for a big date she has.

But this was a nice, light read and perfect for summer. While a few of the character's choices got under my skin, I appreciated what a strong, independent character she was, which is rare to find in this genre.

On a side note, not too many books -- especially those with a romantic, chick-lit feel, address the issue of consent as directly as it's done here, and I noticed it as something fairly easy to incorporate.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book. It did not influence my review.

What a fun read by Linda Holmes! I love Linda from NPR and was so delighted to hear she had written a book. This book was everything you want in a contemporary romance novel – the ability to escape but still be rooted in everyday realness. Started off a little slow for me but picked up as we moved along. This book is highly entertaining, breaks your heart a little and stays with you after you finish. Definitely recommending!

Evvie Drake is sad. Her husband died, and now she’s alone. But that’s not why she’s sad. When he died, she was leaving him. And then he died, and no one knew that she was about to leave her marriage, and her home town of Calcasset, Maine, , and her friends and family, to start over somewhere else. Now everyone in her small Maine town knows that she is sad, but no one understands why.

Dean Tenney is sad also. And angry and frustrated and also needing to start over. Once a phenomenal baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees, a World Series winner, now Tenney’s career seems to be over. After a bad case of the “yips,” he can no longer pitch, and while everyone seems to think his problems are mental, all the therapists in New York City couldn’t help him get his pitch back.

That’s when Andy steps in. As Evvie’s best friend and regular Saturday morning breakfast date (not that kind of date) and Drew’s childhood friend, he decides that they need each other. Evvie needs some extra income, and a tenant in that apartment in her house would help her pay the bills that much easier. And Drew needs somewhere out of sight of the press where he can lie low and figure out what it is that he wants.

So they move in together, with one rule: she doesn’t ask him about baseball, and he doesn’t ask about her husband. As the weeks go by, Drew becomes more comfortable with the town, and Evvie finds herself starting to open up and share her secrets for the first time in years. As their relationship grows, they both learn a lot about honesty, forgiveness, and going after what you really want in life.

Evvie Drake starts over is the first novel of Linda Holmes, probably best known for her smart snark about pop culture on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour. As the longtime host of the radio show, she leads discussions on movies, television, Broadway, music, books, and anything else that captivates us. As a first-time novelist, she writes with the same intelligent sass we listeners have come to know and admire.

This is not your typical romance. It does have plenty of sweet and sexy moments, but it’s so much more. There are also genuine conversations, honest feelings, a little bit of therapy, lots of great jokes, and more than a couple references to Law & Order. The more I read, the more I found myself comparing it to a smart sports comedy like Tin Cup or Bull Durham.

There are a lot of things I loved about this book, from its natural rhythm to the lovely writing style that pulls you along gently to the intelligence underlining the emotional story line. But what I love most is how genuine it feels, like Holmes herself is a close friend and she’s talking to you about a thing that happened to her once. I can’t wait to read her next novel!

Galleys for Evvie Drake Starts Over were provided by Ballantine Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Sigh. Ever close a book and feel sad like you just walked away from a friend? That’s how I feel about turning the final page and leaving Evvie.

Evvie Drake has recently been widowed after the death of her husband. No one knows that their relationship wasn’t good and she was about to leave him anyway. Dean is a Major League Baseball pitcher who has suddenly lost his ability to pitch - and his professional crash-and-burn is something every Tom, Dick and Harry has a theory about.

When Evvie and Dean come together - they learn more about themselves and each other. I loved spending time with them and am truly sad that I can’t keep checking in on them to see how they are doing.

Thank you so much to Random House and Netgalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Linda Holmes for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel - I loved it.

Evvie Drake has finally gotten the courage to leave her husband, Tim, a beloved doctor in their small Maine town and her high school sweetheart. As she is packing her car, she gets a call that Tim was in an accident. When she gets to the hospital and finds out he has died, she is left feeling like a monster because she isn't sad. Everyone thinks she is devastated by her grief when she can't leave her house or function normally. Her best friend, Andy, does everything he can to help her through this. period, even though she doesn't fully share her feelings with him. Andy is dealing with his own issues being a single parent to two young girls. When Andy's friend, Dean, a major league baseball player who can no longer pitch needs a place to escape, he talks Evvie into renting Dean the apartment space in her house.

I just really loved these characters - each one felt so real to me. Highly recommended - a wonderful book!

As Evvie Drake is leaving her husband, literally she’s leaving her husband, she receives a phone call that he has been in an accident. By the time she reaches the hospital, he is dead. She spends the next few months bumping around her big empty house trying to figure out how to reconcile the way she felt at his death with the way a widow should feel.

Andy, her best friend, suggests that she rent the attached apartment to his friend. Dean Tenney is a former major league pitcher who one day discovered that he could no longer pitch. After trying everything to figure out his problem, he needs a refuge from the world. Renting from Evvie is perfect.

They immediately make a pact not to speak of dead husbands or dead careers. Soon they become friends and find the enjoy each other’s company. Before they realize, the landlady/tenant rules are becoming difficult to maintain. Both are presenting with troubled pasts and damaged egos. Can they put aside their secrets and learn to trust each other or are they destined to be alone to wallow in what ifs.

This was a fun easy read. The wit exchanged between Evvie, Andy and Drake will keep you chuckling or at least smiling throughout. The well written chemistry can actually be felt. The characters are normal people with difficulties and failures like the rest of us. They just have a great way to get through them.

The story is set in Calcasset, Maine. After the author’s descriptions, I want to visit Maine, especially the coast. The sunsets sound exquisite. The people are kind and neighborly.

I enjoyed this book very much. The romance was fun, but the backstory and ways the characters deal with other issues makes the writing flow. I recommend this as a good summer read!


I received an ARC from Random House Publishing – Ballantine Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affect my opinion or rating of this book.

Evvie Drake Starts Over is a smart and touching novel and an excellent offering for reading any time. It covers a year in the life of Evvie Drake after she loses her husband on the day she was planning on leaving him. The novel encompasses all the difficult and enjoyable experiences Evvie faces as she comes to terms with life as she knew it and as she wants to have it become.
I really loved the novel and could not put it down.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.