I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Evvie makes a decision to leave her verbally abusive husband on the night that he loses his life in a car accident. She struggles with guilt and friendships. Great relationship storyline.

This is a solid beach read, especially if you are looking for an entertaining romance (without the bedroom mechanics), some excellent and witty dialogue, and funny scenes set in small-town Maine. Baseball fans, specifically Yankees lovers, will get a kick out Dean's story, and there are great allusions to current pop culture.

I finally sat down to read this book because of the enormous buzz it is getting. A sweet, romantic tale with well developed characters and a quaint setting, I liked it a lot but don't think it lived up to its massive hype. While there was nothing particularly unique about it, it was perfectly enjoyable- I would definitely recommend it as a light, smart read.

Joyous is what I read about this book and that word describes this book perfectly. I laughed, I cried and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This was a well written story about characters I cared about. It was relatable, and enjoyable! I’m glad I read it, and Have recommended it to people already!

Evvie is in the act of leaving her husband, driving away from their home with her packed suitcase, when she gets a phone call that he has been in a terrible car accident and has died. Now, in the months following, she is holed up in their big old house in Maine, in what everyone assumes is deep grief - but what is actually guilt over not actually feeling that much grief, given the aforementioned plan of leaving her husband, which nobody else knows about. In an effort to bring her out of her shell a bit, her best friend proposes that she take a tenant in the unused upstairs apartment: his childhood friend, a star pitcher whose baseball career is majorly in the dumps right now and needs a place to get away. Evvie and Dean start a friendship on their pact to never talk about their major issues (the dead husband and the failed baseball career), but of course their shared fresh start begins to blossom into more... This book was an absolute DELIGHT. It's in this general women's fiction/rom-com category where I've enjoyed a lot of books and found others to be total misses - but there is something about this one that made it stand out even more than others I've enjoyed. Perhaps it's the perfect level of fun pop culture references, thanks to author Linda Holmes' main gig as NPR pop culture correspondent, that add a little extra sparkle. Perhaps it's the writing in general, which flows well, tells a story that is fun to read and has just the right amount of quirk but also has depth, and develops incredibly loveable characters. Perhaps it's that you get the rom-com fulfillment you might be looking for, but also true friendship with depth that the relationship is based on. But I think most of all for me it was the dialogue between Evvie and Dean, this wonderful banter that just made me smile. 4.5/5 stars

Fantastic! I devoured this one in a weekend. Delightful characterization, unique premise and compelling story arc. Reading the last page was bittersweet because this story is such a satisfying read but I'll miss Evvie and Dean.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions shared here are my own.

I loved Evvie’s growth in this story. She has to survive her emotionally abusive husband and feeling guilty not being sad enough over his death since no one knew how he was at home. She needs to find her way on her own. She has to learn to stop over apologizing. I also loved following Dean as he realizes that maybe baseball isn’t the only thing in life. Baseball runs strong in our house so it was a fun read!

I LOVED this book! Evvie was relatable and real. I so enjoyed watching the relationship grow between Evvie and Dean. And seeing Evvie find her new self. The writing was fabulous...I can't wait to read what's next for this author!

This book is such a cute and easy read! At first, I was not sure if I wanted to read a book about a young widow, but I am very glad that I did! I usually avoid books with widows because they sound too heartbreaking for me. I am glad that I decided to give this book a try though. You find out very quickly that Evvie is not a normal widow.

Dean, the former pitcher, is also an interesting character. He needed to escape his normal life for a bit so I had to understand him wanting to get away. Although I am not a huge baseball fan, the author did not reference it too much for me.

The two main characters Evvie and Dean both have secrets to hide, and the book is mainly about their journey.
I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing with complex characters and engaging dialogue. Although Evvie and Dean were great characters, I enjoyed reading about the supporting characters as well. I especially enjoyed her friend Andy.

This book is an easy and quick read that I found myself finishing fairly quickly after I picked it up. There was no need to rush through it like race, but a journey instead. This would be a great book for a trip to the beach or a plane ride. Wherever you read it you will be glad you did. I think that this book is not just a regular romance book, but a book that is also about families, friendships, and more that is told with humor. If you are looking for an enjoyable read that is not just a typical romance novel, I recommend this book!

*Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.
This was an extremely well-written story of the slow romance between a widow and a former major league baseball player. Holmes tackles a number of serious issues in this book, including mental health and spousal abuse, in a way that is respectful and not at all maudlin. I seem to be in the vast majority for not loving it, and to be honest I"m not sure why. I liked it, but it wasn't a home run for me (see what I did there? Home run? Such wit!). Chances are you'll be in the vast majority, love this book, and want to read more of Ms Holmes. So make yourself happy and do it!

4.5 Stars. I LOVED this book, it was just what I needed to get out of a book rut. The story centers around the life of Evvie, whose husband died the day she was planning on leaving him and what she goes through to find herself and her life again. Although there for sure moments of sadness, this was overall such a heartwarming and uplifting read and so funny at some moments. You could not help but root for Evvie to find her way and her happiness. The story with Dean was pretty great too, very sweet and romantic. I cannot recommend it enough. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!

This was super duper enjoyable. Nothing earth-shattering or mind-blowing; just a completely entertaining novel.

(I feel like I'm a little bit of a Linda Holmes fangirl now. She's so awesome!)

Evvie Drake has turned into a recluse. The people in her coastal Maine town think she is grieving for her late doctor husband, who died in a car accident. After all, they had been high school sweethearts. What the community does not know, and Evvie has no plans to tell them, is that her late husband was an abuser and she was planning to leave him. Now she has a huge old Victorian home, and she tells people her husband had no life insurance. Her very good friend Andy suggests that she rent out an apartment to his very good friend, Dean Tenney. Dean is a professional baseball pitcher, struggling with the yips, which have destroyed his career.
Evvie and Andy who are BFF, and have seen each other through a lot of struggles, find they need to chart a new course with the addition of Andy's girlfriend, Monica and Evvie's friend, Dean.
Evvie and Dean become good friends and eventually fall in love with one another. But it's complicated. Evvie is grieving not for her marriage but for herself and what might have been, and Dean is trying to figure out what he needs to do with the rest of his life.
The story has good writing, developing relationships, but it does not overlook how complicated people are. Evvie's therapist reminds her she can't fix someone else, until she fixes herself.

Evvie Drake Starts Over is the first novel written by Linda Holmes, a correspondent for NPR. It is about Evvie, who lives in Maine. She grew up in Calcasset; then, she and her high school sweetheart, Tim, went to USC. Tim became a doctor, and they returned to Maine and married. But, not all was happily ever after.

It is also about Dean, a major league pitcher who developed the yips. Forced into an untimely retirement, Dean needs to get away for awhile. So, he comes to Maine and rents the apartment in Evvie’s house, a house that is now too big after Tim’s untimely death.

Evvie and Dean appear to be normal, albeit fortunate, people. Each may be a person whom many of us admire and perhaps even envy. But, as Holmes chronicles their struggles with the adversity that has confronted them and the battle to find a way to move forward, we see that all is not as it appears.

The characters in Evvie Drake Starts Over are not the typical, “juicy” characters found in many novels. To many of us, Evvie and Dean are not worthy of a book. They are seemingly normal; some might even think that they are flat or boring characters. One interpretation of this might be that this is simply a shortcoming in new novelist Holmes. But, in my opinion, Holmes purposefully crafted her characters in this manner. Although we all know many such normal-but-boring people, none of us truly knows what lies behind this perceived normalcy. Once we peek, we just might be surprised by what we find.

Some of the early reviewers comment that Evvie Drake Starts Over is a quick, easy read – that it is a charming or lovely romance. I think these reviewers miss the point – as many miss, or overlook, the richness of the Evvies and Deans in our lives. Holmes is spot on as she portrays those in our modern society who appear one way, who are misunderstood, and who get lost in the shuffle. Evvie Drake Starts Over provides an interesting perspective about a segment of our culture that is often overlooked or taken for granted. As Holmes reminds us, all is not as it appears.

Evvie Drake Starts Over is a cute but predictable novel. A fun story that is great for summer. I read it in one weekend at the beach. However, for me, I could have completely gone without all the bad language. For that reason, I can only give 3 stars.

What to say about this lovely book! First of all I was captivated from the beginning. Secondly I'm pretty sure I have a bookish crush on two of the main characters, Evvie and Dean. Both are "broken:" Evvie because she carries the guilt over attempting to leave her husband the night he was killed in a car accident, and Dean who has the "yips" and can no longer pitch a baseball. So this unlikely friendship starts out slowly as Evvie rents a room to Dean. They agree they won't mention or question each other's issues. There is incredible banter between the two as well as with Evvie and her best friend, Andy. This relationship too, is heartfelt and flawed and oh so realistically human. I laughed, I cried, and I could barely stop crying at the end. Holmes certainly has a poignant voice in her writing and I just didn't want the book to end! If you've ever cried during Field of Dreams, this is what it feels like!

This romance novel starts when the protagonist, Evvie Drake, is packing to leave her husband. She's loading the car when she gets the call that her husband has been in a car accident. Tim's death leaves an opening for Evvie to evaluate her life and her own state of mind. When she rents out a spare apartment to a washed out baseball superstar to help pay the mortgage, the possibilities loom large.

What's lovely about the way Holmes has written this story is that she is patient. She has taken the time to introduce and then develop the main characters, especially Evvie. Evvie doesn't tell us everything in the beginning. We get to know her as she gets to know Dean, her tenant. We get to root for her and then we get to experience her turmoil. Holmes controls the story and we don't mind getting immersed in this world of Evvie's big house, big hurts, and her vitally important connection with her platonic buddy, Andy, before it wobbles. The novel transcends the typical formula romance because there is significant time and development of relationships outside the core love interest. Evvie's friendship with Andy is long-standing and somewhat co-dependent. She was there for him during his divorce; he was there for her through her husband's unexpected death. But she has been holding back certain things and when Andy finds out, there is a rift. And we get to know the baseball player, Dean, too, to a lesser degree. It's definitely Evvie's story, but the narrative makes sure to show why Dean is worth so much investment.

Yet the themes of this novel go beyond romance. Mental health is key, and so is the disruption of the traditional gendered expectation of a woman being a supportive spouse behind the career of a successful professional husband. Holmes explores these ideas gently and with a great deal of empathy.

The author of this novel is well known to the pop culture world and anyone who's been following her trajectory over the years will recognize how interpreting and promoting good things like movies, books, and other podcasts has shaped her world view. Her willingness to open up about her own life and tastes are evident in this heartfelt and tender story.

Finally, this would make a fantastic movie, that is, if anyone wants to make a zillion dollars.

Evvie Drake Starts Over is one of the best beach reads I’ve read in a long, long time. It’s a great story about a young widow who was planning to leave her husband on the night he was killed in an automobile accident. They live in a small town and Evvie can’t tell anyone she was leaving, not even her best friend. When her best friend’s, pro baseball playing friend comes to town to escape bad publicity in the “real” world, they get to know each other in a fun, lighthearted way that makes you cheer for them both.

I’ve been reading some more depressing books lately and this was the perfect book to bring me out of that kind of “over it” feeling on WW II books. It’s a quick read and definitely a page turner. The dialogue is smart and funny and I wish the book was longer. I hope there is a sequel – if there is I will pre-order it.

Review will be published at The Tin Kitchen (link below) within one week prior to release.




Evvie Drake Starts Over tells a story of second chances with wit, compassion, and kinetic dialogue. Romantic and moving: an absolute joy to read. Five Stars.



Despite reading many of her articles, I was still caught off guard that man, Linda Holmes can write. Her prose is free and creative, but always for the sake of being direct. She writes what she means, even when she has to create an onomatopeia or use a TV reference to get there.

The cover and synopsis will make you think this book takes place in Maine. It does not. Maine is a real place, and Evvie Drake lives in a fantasy world–a seaside town of gossips and diners and cereal-box races, infused with pop-culture references and built on personal relationships.

Holmes populates this imaginary world with vividly, messily real people and lets them do what real people do: screw up. Fight. Fall in love. Take care of each other. Talk about things. Not talk about things. Be happy. Be unhappy. Think about little things. Think about huge things.

Holmes lets external circumstances have as little sway as possible in her story. Once things are set in motion, few obstacles or opportunities come from the world outside. They come, instead, from the traps characters have set for themselves. It’s an immensely interior, relationship-driven story. The focus is on Evvie’s journey, and even when there’s turbulence, Evvie stays the pilot.

It probably sounds like I’m describing a pretty light story. And Evvie Drake Starts Over does feel light most of the time. But it’s worth noting that there’s are some dark edges to the story. In the first couple chapters, we come to understand Evvie’s impossible position as the pitied widow of a beloved doctor that, unbeknownst to anyone else, Evvie was in the process of leaving when she learned he died in a car accident. Their private relationship, which the reader will quickly recognize as emotionally abusive, is drawn with devastating subtlety in Evvie’s scattered recollections.

I could tell after the first few chapters that the book would have to dig into some thorny areas of mental health. Thankfully, it didn’t run away from those topics, but always left them room to breathe. Evvie Drake Starts Over was still a witty, breezy read, even when it was chipping away at my heart.

It is accurate to describe Evvie Drake Starts Over as a romance, but it's important not to overlook a second relationship just as important as the romance. Evvie’s relationship with her long-time best friend Andy is one of my favorite fictional friendships I’ve read in a long time. If you’ve been frustrated by the lack of well-drawn platonic relationships between men and women (that aren’t familial or sassy-gay-bff types), this is what you’re looking for. The book takes seriously how important this kind of relationship is, and honors it with an arc every bit as lovingly, realistically drawn as the romance.

But don’t get me wrong–the romance is there, and it’s sweet, and it’s sexy, and it’s great. Like the rest of the book, it’s built on banter and compassion and actual human connection. And so wonderfully, deliciously consensual.

I’ve already seen some praise for Evvie Drake for “elevating” the chick lit/book club/women’s lit genre, “going beyond” the usual in those categories. And… okay, I guess. It is certainly better than what I’ve come to expect from those categories (though I don’t love the way we categorize those books).

But that praise suggests that somehow Linda Holmes is fighting against the conventions of romance or women’s lit. I don’t think she is. I think the key is that she isn’t afraid of what she’s writing. She embraces writing women’s lit and trusts that her story is enough. It’s enough to write an entire book about the relationships one woman has with her most important friends and family. It’s enough to write a romance, because romance is a great way to dig into the character work she’s doing. She’s not reinventing the genre; she’s digging into its roots, confident that she doesn’t need to add an experimental frame or a deadly twist to keep readers engaged.

A romantic contemporary is enough. Holmes’ delightful, smooth prose is enough. The lovable, human Evvie Drake is enough.