Such a wonderful book! Right up there with A Man Called Ove and The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry! Every part of this book was like a wonderful cup of tea!

4.5*
Definitely not your average Rom Com! This is raw, true life! The twist and turns it takes along the journey. The pieces you need to pick up in order to move forward.

Evvie married her high-school sweetheart. On the day she’s planning to take on life in a new direction, her husband is killed in a car accident. With the snap of a finger, Evvie is left to regroup, and somehow find the strength to start over...again. Time for Evvie 3.0

Dean was living the dream. A star pitcher for the New York Yankees. Everything he wished for in life was laid out in front of him. That is until he could no longer throw a strike, quickly finding himself a wash-out. Dean is left searching for answers, trying to find himself, as his dream collapses down around him.

This was a truly heartwarming read. One that I connected to immediately, holding me right to the end. I loved Evvie and felt her profound pain as she dealt with piecing her life back together. The strength she needed to put her past behind her and move on.

There is nothing cliche about this Rom Com. So very authentic, it takes you deeply into the lives of the characters as they gradually discover there is in fact, life after their dreams fall short.

Linda Holmes writes an incredibly captivating book about....well...life! Loved it! Hope you will too!

A wonderful buddy read with Susanne, that took both of us by surprise!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine and Linda Holmes for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Evvie Drake’s Sweet/Sad Drama in Linda Holmes’s Debut Rom/Com

Public Radio rock star Linda Holmes has used her inclination towards good storytelling to expand a story of two broken people and the ways life can surprise the hell out of you in her debut novel, Evvie Drakes Starts Over.

The story starts with a bang: Evvie Drake packs her car to leave her seemingly perfect doctor husband when she gets The Call, the call we figure comes in the middle of the night but really can come anytime, telling her that her husband has been in an accident and to rush to the hospital. He dies before she makes it. She’s left with terrible guilt for not mourning a man she is supposed to have loved while his heartbroken family, sad friends, and hospital co-workers and ex-patients want to memorialize the good doctor. Evvie feels like a fraud and a “monster” (her words), but bitch just don’t feel sad about his death.

Add to the trauma: her guy best friend’s best guy friend is a washed-up NY World Series-winning major league baseball pitcher with the yips: a kind of mental blockage that fucks with your head as it fucks with you physically. He moves into her attached apartment-sized rental space and, well, the story will be turned into a movie for sure so you know they end up closer than roommates.

Wendy Ward
http://wendyrward.tumblr.com/

I chose to read this book because Linda Holmes wrote it. It was a very 'pleasant' book, and I was rooting for Evvie the entire time. I'm glad there wasn't a murder or a big mystery to solve. I appreciated just reading about a 'normal' adult trying to deal with problems and situations a lot of us have.

5 Stars

Do you want your HEART STOLEN? Yeah? Then “Evvie Drake Starts Over” is a MUST FREAKING READ!!

Evvie drake is a woman everyone in town feels for - her husband Tim passed away recently and everyone in the town is just devastated, including her father, his parents and her best friend Andy. Everyone simply assumes Evvie feels the same way and Evvie has never said otherwise. The fact is that no one really knows her and they have no idea what her marriage was like. Some things are simply better left unsaid (isn’t that the truth?!).

When her best friend Andy recommends that she rent out an apartment in her house to help a friend of his, Evvie says yes. Dean is a former Professional League Baseball Player. He kinda lost his nerve and lost his game. Now he’s looking for a place to live for a while. It just works. Turns out that they both have a lot to hide.

What could Evvie (a small town gal who no one knows) and Dean (a guy who has had everything he ever wanted) possibly have in common? More than you think. Perhaps thinks sounds like a predictable rom com to you.. yet it's more than that. It’s not a heavy read and yet if you flip the coin, it’s relatable and realistic. The situations the characters find themselves in and the conversations they have are completely real. Life simply happens. Sometimes it's not pretty and sometimes it makes your heart catch. Yeah. I said it. My breath caught and I fell. (Yes.. this is coming from the girl who is not a romantic at heart).

There is something amazing going on in “Evvie Drake Starts Over” my friends and I freaking loved it and yes, I know that not all of my friends did (I’m sorry for that). That said, I loved these characters. Evvie and Dean grabbed my heart and ran with it and it's about time! Love for characters and a storyline doesn’t happen often.. but when it does.. WHOOSH! I’ll take it. It’s like the wind - you can’t see it but you can feel it - and boy did I feel it.

This was a buddy read with Ms. Kaceey. Sharing in this read with her meant a lot. We both loved this book and Evvie and found different parts of this book extremely special. I am so glad that we finally read it (what took us so long? Lol) and that we both loved it so very much!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Linda Holmes for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads on 7.31.19.

I had just started reading this book when it was announced on the Today Show that it was Jenna Bush Hager's book club selection for the month.  I'm late in publishing this review because my life has just been too hectic and then I went on a trip with my Mom.  I chose this book because Mom and I were going to be in Maine, and this book is set in Maine.

Evvie Drake is married to her high school boyfriend.  He's a doctor and well-beloved in the community.  What no one knows is that he has been abusive toward Evvie.  She is just about to leave the town and him behind when she receives a call that he has been killed in an accident.  Evvie is left in an awkward position as a grieving widow, knowing that she was leaving, yet not being able to be truthful with everyone around her. Evvie becomes reclusive and thinks of herself as a monster because she can't really grieve for him.  When her best friend,  Andy, says he has a friend who is looking for a place to stay, he suggests to Evvie that she rent out her extra room that is attached to her house.  She agrees and soon Dean Tenney, an ex-professional baseball pitcher has moved in.  Dean was a celebrity star player for his team for years when for unknown reasons he lost his ability to throw the ball with accuracy anymore.  He's struggling with his loss and trying to stay out of the limelight in the small town.  Over time the two develop a relationship.

Lately, I've been in a romance type of mood, and this one was enjoyable.  It had believable, three-dimensional older adult main characters dealing with realistic issues.  Although I knew it was probably going to have a happy ending, it didn't progress quite as superficially as a Hallmark movie.  The romance was almost secondary.  It was more about the development and growth of the two main characters as they dealt with their issues.  The romance was a nice by-product along the journeys of the two main characters. I also loved the small-town setting and secondary characters.  I loved the relationship Evvie had with Andy and the love and support shown between the two.  It was also nice that their relationship wasn't always smooth, yet they both were there for each other when needed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book for review.

I absolutely loved the heartwarming story of Evvie Drake. It was a thoughtful story about finding yourself and moving on. I also loved Evvie's relationships with both Andy and Dean and thought they had great banter. It was an easy, enjoyable read and I was hoping to see Evvie succeed in the end. This was a five-star read for me that I will be recommending to others.

Linda Holmes once recommended to me - well, to millions of people via her NPR platform - that I read Kristan Higgens and this is the author that I felt this work draws the closest comparison to: small town romance that explores the emotions and lives of those people. In both Holmes and Higgins's case, it seems unfair to call it a romance novel, since there is so much else going on. It is a romance novel in the same way that Pride and Prejudice is. But its difficult to call it anything else, if a label is needed, so the hope is that the genre benefits from its inclusion. I've been a long time fan of Ms. Holmes' other work, so I was delighted to get to experience her fiction and recommend it to others who are looking for more than just steamy glances in their love story (though there's plenty of that, too!)

This book is a sweet twist on a love story that's ageless.
Evvie Drake was on the verge of leaving her husband when he dies unexpectedly. That sets the stage for a period of reconciling with what lies ahead for her.
At the same time, Dean Tenney, a major league baseball player, has lost his ability to play the game.
Through a mutual friend, Tenney moves into the back room of Evvie's apartment and the romance begins. I enjoyed the simple story and especially enjoyed the writing.

** spoiler alert ** Romance novels aren't really my thing. When NetGalley offered the book to read in exchange for an honest review, I had to think about it. The story sounded fun and I do love anything dealing with baseball but still...a romance? My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to read it because at the least it might make an amusing summer read. I am so glad I did! EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER is an absolutely wonderful book! Linda Holmes put a lot of clever humor in her writing and I giggled and even laughed out loud at the dialogue which I can only describe as quite snappy. The book felt so REAL which I don't always associate with romance novels. To me the book is more like good literary chik lit. Evvie ticked me off a few times because she was so unreasonably stubborn about letting anyone in but I get it...part of the story's emotional conflict for the main character. I was more sad for her really because I could see what she was missing. I really like her though and Dean who had his own stubborn streak. Andy was cool too and Monica was OK and I think Evvie was a little too hard on her. Not really sure what the deal was with her mom except maybe she was crazy about her about Evvie's abusive husband who died but no one knew about that so how cooed she blame them for not knowing? I enjoyed the baseball aspect of the story and even turned the book into a participatory read, following Dean's pitching instructions to Evvie with a friend of mine who happened to be around when I was reading it. I even adapted Evvie's heart emojis code in my ow correspondence. :) This was an awesome summer read and is actually more than just a light read. it goes deeper into ourselves and how to cope with change and look for making your life better instead of letting the change tear you down. Also it is a reminder that none of us really live alone and there is always someone there we can connect to and get support and love. who can help you cope, change and grow. As Evvie's therapist says (psraphrased) "It's not fun to pull your own teeth with a pair of pliers so why torture yourself and make things worse? "
Also, I like that it didn't end in a neat package all tied up in pink ribbons and a wedding. I think it is neat the author left it at Evvie and Dean starting their relationship as a couple and let us wonder how things will turn out for them. I think they will be OK whether they find true love together or just great friends, or both.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2849846317

I liked the writing style in Evvie Dake Starts Over a lot. Linda Holmes has a gift for prose that's both observational and relatable, and her dialogue is smart and often very funny. This book balances serious issues and lighthearted fun very well, and I'll recommend it to many of my friends and family members...even if I kind of wanted Evvie to end up happily single in the end.

(No link because I haven't discussed it on the podcast yet.)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. Evvie Drake has the strength and determination I would love to have. I love books with a strong female lead. I also love books with sports backgrounds and enjoyed that aspect of Dean. Entertaining read.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like Evvie’s voice was similar to Ov’s in “A Man Called Ov” and Bernadette’s in “Where’d You Go Bernadette?”, therefore, it was a voice I could relate to. She had some funny thoughts but also some real feelings. I thought the love story was cute, and even a little surprising at times. I really liked a lot of the characters and thought the author did a great job developing each of them. This is my new go-to book recommendation book!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review!

This book was lovely. I actually loved the slow burn of a love story and how relatable/not cheesy the characters were. The book was a tiny bit slow at times, this didn't hinder my love for it but it made me wish there was a little bit more plot points going on, especially in the beginning. The author does a good job with character development, but I do think so more back story on Evvie's unhealthy relationship would have helped the reader understand her better as a person. Overall, an enjoyable read.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was all right--not awful, not spectacular.

The writing sometimes was fine, and at other times felt like a list of actions. "She did this. Then she did this. And then she did this." And so on. The dialogue was actually pretty good, though. Conversations flowed naturally and, for the most part, mimicked the way real-life conversations tend to go between friends and acquaintances.

I liked Evvie (about 32) and Dean (probably about 35); they're both good, flawed people. It was good to see them grow and work through their issues. They worked well together, too.

But holy cow, this book had a lot of language. I gave up counting the f words. I'm pretty sure the only other book I've read with this many was Lone Survivor, and I can't exactly fault the use of it in that book. This book, however, tossed around f words like candy on Halloween. Especially Dean. I liked the guy, but he needed to wash his mouth out.

Note: Swearing, including a LOT of f words. A few scenes of fade-to-black sex.

Thank you publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Evvie Drake has lost a lot lately, but what she realizes is she may have also lost herself. This book was a fun read and very enjoyable. I fell in love with the characters and really wanted Evvie Drake to succeed. Its a love story, lots and push and pull. I kept hoping for the best through this story.

Although it is a love story, it is also about a woman wanting to redefine herself. I liked this aspect of the story a lot.

I read this book in a single sitting! It was a little more of a romance than I normally read but it was so well written and the characters so vividly drawn, I didn't mind. I really felt for Evvie and was rooting for her the whole book. A really fun, light but not silly novel. Perfect hammock reading.

This is such a lovely read, with realistic renderings of grief, career crisis, friendships in flux, and romantic connection.

Eveleth "Evvie" Drake is recently widowed and finds herself living in the home she had with her husband in a small town in Maine. Everyone in town, including her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and she doesn't correct them. In New York, Dean Tenney, former major-league pitcher and Andy's childhood friend, is struggling with his lack of being able to perform on the field. An invitation from Andy to stay in Maine for a few months seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button. When Dean moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie's house, the two make a deal: Dean won't ask about Evvie's late husband, and Evvie won't ask about Dean's baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken - and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. But before they can find out what might lie ahead, they'll have to wrestle a few demons: the bonds they've broken, the plans they've changed, and the secrets they've kept.

review: Evvie Drake Starts Over was a highly engrossing, charming romance book with a bit of substance, which I always appreciate! I thought it was a great feel-good book that covered important topics like loss, self-care, friendships & the importance of new beginnings. Each of the characters felt very relatable and I liked that they were both flawed and imperfect. I also loved the dynamics of the characters, especially the friendship between Evvie and Andy. I found myself rooting for all of them throughout the book. I could totally see this being a mini-series or a movie! Definitely add this one to your summer reading list. rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️

In a small town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth "Evvie" Drake rarely leaves her house. Everyone in town, including her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and she doesn't correct them. In New York, Dean Tenney, former major-league pitcher, and Andy's childhood friend is struggling with a case of the "yips": he can't throw straight anymore, and he can't figure out why. An invitation from Andy to stay in Maine for a few months seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button.

As a Mainer, I enjoyed this book especially seeing my hometown area mentioned in the book, which doesn't happen unless the book is nonfiction. :) I liked that Evvie's story became a happy one after she came to terms with her past marriage and opened up to family and friends about her secrets. This book is a little romance, baseball, close friendships, and coming to terms with oneself. A very cute read!