ARC received from NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

There were many elements of this story that I enjoyed. It’s about friendship, loss, starting over, asking for help, mental health, romance ... How all these things intertwined together made this book something special.

Reading and following Evvie’s emotional growth throughout was so interesting. I definitely did a little victory fist bump for her character when she finally allowed herself to recognize and put her own needs before others’. I’m also glad that the author didn’t wrap everything up in a perfect package at the end - it was still acknowledged that Evvie, as well as her friendships and still-budding relationship with Dean, needed time to continue to work and better herself. It was all very mature and grownup, which was relatable, realistic and refreshing!

Parts of This reminded me so much of Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes, which I also enjoyed back in the day. I recommend this to anyone who loves a comeback kid story about starting fresh and learning ones true-self.

In "Evvie Drake Starts Over," author Linda Holmes makes something that is difficult to do in rom-com/chick-lit seem effortless: tell a meet cute love story in a way that is isn't too cute, saccharine, or unbelievable. Her characters feel rooted in reality, with real problems and some ugly feelings. And yet, somehow she manages to tell a story that is joyful and a breeze to read. I can't be the only one who hopes someone at Netflix will make this into a movie! In the meantime I'll be over here wishing that Linda Holmes has a sequel in the works so I don't have to say goodbye to Evvie, Dean and Andy forever.

If you like Hallmark movies then you'll like Evvie Drake Starts Over. The plot and the characters are predictable; the setting could have been a more important part of the novel had it been fleshed out more. Holmes is too good a writer to waste her time on a formulaic novel such as this. I hope her next effort is more complex and interesting, for she certainly has the talent to pull off a much more thoughtful and nuanced novel than this one.

“Evvie Drake Starts Over” is a perfect beach read. Following the death of her husband, Evvie faces not grief, but a chance at a new life. In order to make some much-needed money, her best (platonic) friend Andy encourages her to rent out the apartment in her home to his friend Dean Tenney. Dean, a former pitcher for the New York Yankees, is also ready for a change. Together, two broken people have the chance to help each other start over.

This book delivers likable and relatable main characters, and an inspiring message in a light and fun read. The story was enjoyable, and I would definitely read books by the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Oh how I loved this book!

Evvie (pronounced like Chevy) is on a journey to reconciling her feelings for her husband, and where her place is now that he’s gone. Haven’t we all been there? Having a disproportionate reaction to something we should take seriously?

To me, Evvie is strong and nurturing. She was likable from the first to the last page. She seems exactly like the type of person and friend I would want in my corner if my life went south.

Evvie’s reaction to life around her is realistic and organic. When she breaks a bunch of dishes that she never really liked, I wanted to cheer for her catharsis.

If you’re looking for a book that is sentimental, a fast read, with a bit of romance, this is one for you.

I highly recommend this book.

I loved this book! Just loved it! I’ve been very exclamation point happy lately but the slew of amazing books coming out justifies my actions. I swear.
Evvie Drake Starts Over is exactly what I was hoping it would be-funny, heartfelt, and emotional. Evvie Drake had finally enough of her marriage and was packed and ready to go when she got the call. Her husband had died in a car accident. No one knew Evvie was going to leave her husband, no one knew how bad their marriage was. Now she has to attend his funeral and behave like a grieving widow. But time has passed and she needs to start living her life again-and paying her bills. When her best friend recommends she rents out the back apartment to a good friend of his, she’s unsure of having a stranger living so close. But of course, this isn’t just any friend, it’s Dean Tenney, professional baseball player. Dean is taking a break from the game while he figures out what is wrong with his pitching arm and to hide from the press for a bit.
It takes some time, but the two of them learn to negotiate the rules of landlord and tenant and their friendship begins when the two strike a deal to not discuss their pasts. But the stresses of Dean’s inability to pitch and Evvie’s desire to help him put the two at odds. If they can’t get over their past, how can they move on to create a new future, with or without each other?
Reading Friends, this book was so enjoyable. Evvie’s character has so much to deal with between her guilt over her marriage and the pressure to be the perfect grieving widow. She asks so many big questions about how we expect people to behave in and out of relationships and what does it look like to move on after a spouse’s death. Dean has his own struggles to overcome. The pressures of being in the spotlight and letting people down, the uncertainty of his inability to pitch, and the growing attraction to a woman who happens to be his landlord is a lot to hold.
I found this book to be engaging, funny, and an absolute delight.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

This one was a wonderful surprise!

Evvie Drake’s emotionally abusive husband dies on the day she plans to leave him, and the rest of the book deals with how she comes to terms with guilt over that plan (and how she felt about her husband), abandonment issues (mom) and trying to be a “fixer” in the lives of those around her.

This book featured wonderful character development (especially loved her bff relationship), a slow, get-to-know, burn of a love interest and ultimately a path towards self-healing for Evvie. Fast read, loved every bleary-eyed moment of it! 😌💙💚💙💚

Thanks to #NetGalley, #RandomHouse and #BallantineBooks for providing me the ARC! The opinions are strictly my own.

Evvie is packing the car to leave her husband, but before she gets the job done she learns her husband has been in a horrific accident and has died. she feels a fraud accepting people's sympathy as only she knows the truth and how badly she as treated by her husband. A long time friend, always at her side, suggests she rent the apartment at the back of the house as she seems to be struggling to make ends meet. A friend of his is looking for a place to get away from the publicity of his failed pitching career. Evvie holds her cards close to her chest - no one knows about her troubled past with her husband, she doesn't really have many, if any friends, but her life is about to change. And lo and behold it changes for the better. A book that both uplifts and entertains.

This book has a little of everything - friends, family, love, loss, conflict, forgiveness, baseball, Maine, and just highs and lows of life. Evvie Drake is a woman learning to find herself and what she wants. I enjoyed the story, but it wasn't necessarily one that I couldn't put down. It was a true-life story that was believable and felt like Evvie was your next-door neighbor. It was a fairly light, quick read that would be a good one for the summer.

Wow, I devoured this book. I started during work (don’t judge) and rushed home to finish it in evening. There was something about it that just resonated with me.

Evvie’s finally leaving a loveless marriage when the unthinkable happens and her husband dies. Now she has to act like the grieving widow while secretly feeling like a monster and shamed inside. Dean’s career as a pitcher comes to an end when he gets the ‘yips’ and is unable to throw accurately anymore. He moves to small town Maine and rents a studio from Evvie who he finds through their mutual friend, Andy. Together and separately they navigate coming to terms with the unexpected and starting their lives over.

I loved every one of these characters. They were complex and broken and so so real. They dealt with the hand life gave them the same as so many of us would do: bravely one day, in denial the next, taking two steps forward and one step back.

It’s a more quiet novel, very character-centric, and that’s what makes it so good. There’s no unnecessary drama to spice it up or action sequence to build suspense. It’s a novel about life, about acceptance and closure, and about the relationships we have with the ones we love.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Evvie Drake Starts Over is a warm and romantic, yet witty read. Author, Linda Holmes, manages to touch on important topics without delivering a heavy storyline. Set in a small mid coast Maine town certainly added extra appeal and charm to the novel. The characters are very relatable and their dialogue is engaging and at times laugh out-loud funny. Such a pleasurable read, I enjoyed every page!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Linda Holmes for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this novel and share my thoughts. I'm looking forward to purchasing a hard cover copies for family, friends, and my own personal library upon publication day!

On the day that Evvie Drake finally decides to leave her emotionally abusive husband, she gets a call that he's been in a fatal car accident. Now all alone in a huge house with a huge mortgage, she agrees to let washed-up baseball player Dean Tenney move into the attached apartment.

This ultimately heart-warming novel with a charming will-they-won't-they romance at its core, also has some substance to it. It tackles grief, guilt, and the nuances of many types of complex relationships - whether it be with a partner, parent, or friend of the opposite sex.

Admittedly already a fan of Linda Holmes' work on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, I am a huge fan of her debut novel as well, and look forward to any future work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Evvie Drake Starts Over is such a fun and entertaining read! It’s the perfect book for summer since much of the book centers around baseball.

Recently widowed Evvie Drake rents out a portion of her home to Dean Tenney, a former major league baseball player who left his career because he lost his ability to pitch. Dean felt the need to get away from the city and re-evaluate how his life should be post-baseball.

Evvie was having her own struggle with guilt because her husband died on the day she planned to leave him. His private and public persona were also at odds and Evvie seemed to be the only person in town that was aware of what the man was really like.

I loved following along as these two became friends and then stumbled into something more than friends, with some realistic glitches along the way. The story is uplifting and full of great characters set in a peaceful small town in Maine.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

What a good book Evvie Drake Starts Over was! This was my first book from Linda Holmes so I didn't know what to expect. I was loving that fact that it took place in Maine. Linda made me feel like I took a little vacation to Maine as I was reading. I also loved how real Evvie and Dean were in this book. They both were perfectly flawed and that made them so relatable and gave amazing depth to their journey.

This was a good one! I really loved the Maine setting and I loved the friendship between Evvie and Dean . . . it definitely wasn't an easy road but the book was so satisfying. It also felt so real - no one was perfect, no one always did the right thing but everyone learned. I also was so happy with the ending - again, not because it was perfect but because it felt right for this story and the characters. Definitely will read more by this author!

Evvie Drake Starts Over comes out later this month on June 25, 2019, and you can purchase HERE. I definitely recommend this one - such a great summer read!!

Evvie's Scandinavian grandmother had claimed that young women dream about the husbands they want, old women dream about the husbands they wanted, and only the luckiest women, for a moment in the middle, dream about the husbands they've got.

Hmm. I’m half and half on this book. It was a fine story and I liked the romance enough, but Evvie was a hard character for me to like. One of my least favorite things is when things happen conveniently and are solved quickly in the story (which is the whole plot of this book). I think the main problem for me was that this book promised to be a more realistic romance, but it had the same tropes/problems as “sillier” romance novels; poor communication! I also felt that some things were shoehorned in; the issues surrounding evvie’s relationship with her mom, her relationship with her father, even Evvie reclaiming her life felt flat to me. I also did not like the bits of pop culture included in this book. Just say the name of the Jessica Chastain movie! Don’t make me stop reading so I can try to guess it! I don’t mean to nitpick, but just these little things threw the whole book off for me. Anyways I would read a whole book about Monica, who was definitely the most dynamic character and my favorite. Anyways, book was fine and is a quick and inoffensive read that many people will love!

I enjoyed this book a lot! It would make a lovely read in between books that are deep and dark, because this had a lovely picture of small town Maine. Evvie the main character is leaving her husband unknown to him and he has an accident. Her best friend Andy is a very supportive friend and even helps her lease an apartment on her property to Andy's friend.
The story unfolds nicely and keeps the reader entertained. I would recommend this one. It would be a great summer read!

A charming story about two people finding each other as they start the next chapter in their lives. I liked how the friendship and relationship naturally evolved. The best part, hands down, is Evvie retelling the story about the cereal box race - I couldn't stop laughing!

I felt like the characters were fleshed out and did enjoy the writing and flow of the book. I just didn't feel a real connection between Evvie and Dean.

I loved this book. It was so well written, drew me in right away. I got a bit cranky when life pulled me away from reading, ha.

Lovely story, wonderful characters, setting, and emotions.

Sometimes the emotions that Evvie had in her mind, as she explained them, I would feel myself cheering her on, saying "YES! That, exactly that!"

I recommend this to all readers.