Different than I expected in all of the best ways. It reminded me a lot of Alice Munro in the way so many ordinary details were highlighted and elevated to become these beautiful snapshots of life. Witty and one of the most realistic love stories I've ever read.

"Evvie Drake Starts Over" is the perfect summer read - it's charming, funny and moving but also throws some curveballs you don't see coming.

When we meet Evvie, her husband has just died, and she's figuring out how to (you guessed it!) start over. Enter ex-pro baseballer Dean Tenney who needs a place to escape his notorious flameout and (wait for it...) start over himself. He relocates to small-town Maine and rents an apartment in Evvie's house and soon, the two are helping each other pick up the pieces.

Linda Holmes writes terrific characters who are well-developed and flawed in realistic ways. The relationships in the book - between Evvie and Dean, Evvie and her dad, Evvie and her best friend Andy, Dean and his parents, etc. - are believable and the issues they face aren't silly or too easily resolved. It's not a spoiler to reveal that Evvie and Dean become romantically involved and the evolution of their relationship from landlord/tenant to friends to more than friends is truly earned. I also loved the setting of Calcassat, Maine - it really came alive through Holmes' colorful descriptions of its quirky traditions and history - and the dialogue is so smart. It was refreshing to read a romance where the adults talked like adults and addressed problems head-on.

If you enjoy smart and heartwarming rom-coms, this contemporary take on the genre is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books - Ballantine for a review copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

I adored this title. The slow friendship and romance was endearing and authentic. Evvie was relatable and authentic. The secondary characters had depth and helped the authenticity of the story.

Holy smokes, what a lovely book! It was the perfect choice to read as I rested after a dental procedure. I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours, in a few sittings!

I absolutely adored Evvie from start to finish. She's easily going to be one of my all time favorite protagonists. Evvie is so relatable because she's wonderfully human, she's flawed and good intentioned. She's giving and loving, yet she's harboring secrets to protect herself and people she loves. Evvie's story resonated with me because I've had my own howling-on-the-floor-crying- because-I-spilled-something moment (who hasn't) and I loved that she indulged in it, then asked for help and got some.

The writing here is sharp, witty, and true to life. I appreciate that while the plot is a tiny bit predictable, the path to getting there wasn't. Everything wasn't tied up in a nice neat bow. While this is Evvie's story, it's also the stories of all eh side characters who are important in her life. This novel is ultimately about adulthood not looking like we pictured it, and trying to figure out what the hell to do about it. It's a wonderful story all around about being human and taking care of ourselves.

Linda Holmes has struck a perfect balance in Evvie Drake Starts Over of telling a compelling story about the messiness of life and adding enough romance that there's some fun to enjoy. Evvie (rhymes with Chevy) is a young widow who perhaps doesn't miss her husband as much as people would expect. Dean, a MLB pitcher, is looking for some peace and quiet after his disastrous career-ending case of the yips have made him the laughingstock of professional baseball. Dean lands in small town Maine thanks to his childhood friendship with Andy, Evvie's best friend.

Andy points out that Evvie has a big house, including a small attached apartment, all to herself, and Dean is in deep need of a small quiet place where he can sort out his life and his next steps. Suddenly the reclusive Evvie has a roommate who brings her out of herself, lets her think about someone else's problems and who happens to be a good looking gentleman. This is definitely a feel good novel despite the real and fairly heavy issues Evvie and Dean are working through - and their chemistry and the very real friendships among Evvie, Andy and Dean are beautifully depicted.

Very enjoyable and well developed story arc and characters.

I was not expected to emotionally devasted by a romantic comedy. But there I was crying for the last 25 percent of the book. I want to read this book again and let it just become part of my soul. I loved the character development. All the characters were so well multi-dimensional. I want to read more by Linda Holmes.

I loved the story and the characters. I couldn’t put it down. The author did a great job of presenting real life & the struggles, but still hopeful, in a way that is believable and not too over the top. A great feel good story.

Sometimes you read a book and like the main character even though that character is obviously imaginary and could only exist as a fictional character. Then there are books you read, rare ones, where the characters are so real that you imagine them in real life. You picture them in your mind and see them going through life as if they are real because they are so completely written. That's what this book was for me. Evvie is the most real fictional character I've read in ages. She screws up, acts out, and wails her soul out on the kitchen floor. She is flawed, funny, and all-around wonderful.

The reality of this book is what makes me like it so much. The relationships between all of the characters progress in such an organic way, nothing feels forced to fit a fictional narrative. Between Evvie and Andy, there's that usual wondering of if a true platonic relationship can happen between men and women, and then what their partners feel about that later on. Between Evvie and Dean, it's a real relationship that forms in real time like it actually would. I didn't realize how refreshing that would be, to watch a romance form from conversations and shared experiences when so many stories just make it about the fireworks and whirlwind.

I couldn't put this book down because I enjoyed the characters so much. The pacing was perfect for this kind of story and the ending was truly perfect. I would absolutely recommend this book to any reader. Evvie's journey has something for everyone to learn, no matter where they are in life.


Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank Netgalley, the publisher Ballantine Books, and the author Linda Holmes for the opportunity to do so.

First line: Go now, or you'll never go, Evvie warned herself.

Summary: Evvie Drake has finally decided that she needs to leave her husband, but before she can pull out of the driveway, she gets a call that he has been in a terrible car accident. Before she arrives at the hospital, he dies. She is left in a large home by herself, dealing with all kinds of conflicting emotions and trying to figure out what her life holds next. Then, her best friend Andrew suggests she rent the small apartment at the back of her house to one of his friends, a Major League Baseball pitcher who has lost his stuff.

My thoughts: This was a lovely, fun, quick summer read, perfect for these hot days when I am looking for something to just enjoy. The writing is excellent and the characters are well-developed. The experiences of the characters feel completely real, and they have strengths and flaws just like the people I know. I was really rooting for Evvie, especially as the story moves along and you learn more about her and her marriage. It's definitely a book worth reading, any time of year.

I really loved this book. It quietly snuck up on me. I couldn’t put it down. It was sweet, emotional, and heartbreaking at times. It was a lovely read. Highly recommend!

Evvie is smart, and funny, and beautiful. She has a heart so big that is is begging to be broken. She has family, friends, a best friend without parallel, and she feels like she is never going to be good enough for all of them.

When Evvie meets Dean, a washed up major league pitcher, they are both in very bad places, but somehow the combination of their problems begins to fill their mutual missing pieces.

I enjoyed this story. It’s the best of romance fiction, with adorable characters, challenges to overcome, and a sweet love story.

If you're already a fan of Linda Holmes, the pop culture critic best known for her work at NPR, odds are that you're going to love her first novel, Evvie Drake Starts Over. Holme's voice—smart, generous, and full of humor—is in full effect in this book, the story of a recently widowed transcriptionist and her work to, well, start over. It's a delight to see the titular Evvie work through the things keeping her in a kind of emotional corner as her romance with a surprise tenant, an out-of-commission Major League Baseball Player, blossoms. Immersive, smart, and satisfying, Evvie Drake Starts Over is just the thing to grab to read on your next vacation.

I’ve been a fan for years of author Linda Holmes’ work as the host of the NPR podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, and the wit and warmth that is the hallmark of her commentary there is all over Evvie Drake Starts Over, the charming story of Evvie, a young widow hiding her guilt that she is not exactly grieving for her abusive late husband, and Dean, a Major League Baseball player forced into retirement after losing control of his pitching arm and trying to regroup by renting an apartment in Evvie’s rambling Maine home. Their clever, sparkling banter as they develop a friendship that eventually blossoms into something more gives the novel an effervescence that completely won me over and had me rooting for Evvie and Dean throughout. Throw in the baseball subplot and a coastal Maine setting, plus the fun cultural references you’d expect from Linda Holmes, and you have a book that belongs in every beach bag this summer—a Nora Ephron movie in book format. Don’t miss!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books from providing me with an advance copy of this book in return for my honest review—loved it.

I was not prepared for how much I would like Evvie Drake Starts Over.
Everyone from Evvie (an unhappy widow a year out of a unhappy marriage), to Dean (a pitcher suffering from a humiliating public loss of his mojo), to Evvie’s best friend Andy all felt familiar but fresh and new at the same time.
Evvie and Dean’s struggles were not problems made for each other to solve nor were they built in to create angst and drama. They were complicated and messy and real.
The author brought small town Maine alive with her descriptions and kept the dialogue funny without falling into the trap of cutesy or corny.
I loved that Evvie had a male best friend that wasn’t a potential lover but he also wasn’t neutered. His kids were cute without being wildly unrealistic and precocious. Her parents were flawed like most parents are.
I recommend this for anyone that wants a uplifting read about moving on and moving up without sacrificing who you are.

This one took a while for me to get into but I ended up enjoying it. It had a great lesson in it for all us “fixers” out there and I was happy that Evvie finally came to terms with this and made the needed changes in her life to move on. 3 stars

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Oh Evvie Drake, you not only started over but look how much you've grown. You went from an "abused wife", and yes what you experienced was abuse, to a woman who became confident and was able to share her life with someone else experiencing the joys of life that she never was able to experience before. I so connected with Evvie and her story because I was emotionally abused and isolated from my family and friends and sometimes made to feel like I was the crazy one. It took me 13 years to get out and I can see myself feeling exactly like she did when Tim died if my husband had died.

I loved her relationship with Andy and it was nice to see a male/female relationship that didn't turn into love. It felt genuine and when they had their falling out I hurt so bad for both of them. I understand why she didn't tell Andy what was going on and what she was planning to do, but in that situation, she did what she felt she had to do.

I thought the relationship with Dean flowed at the right pace and benefitted both of them in their journey. I think they each learned so much from the other that helped them both to heal. I specifically enjoyed that Evvie didn't follow after Dean when he went back to New York, she stayed and continued her journey with the strength she built from grief and the beginnings of a new relationship.

I finished this book a few days ago and sat with it before writing my review. I have a few "bookish" friends that have rated this book 5 stars, and while I enjoyed it and thought it was good, I initially didn't see it being 5 stars. I'm really stingy with my 5 start ratings and those are usually reserved for heavier, weightier books that have a much deeper meaning. However, after sitting with it and thinking about it, I realize that I loved it and so appreciated Evvie's growth from a situation that can be horrible to live through and come out the other side with any sense of well being. Well done Linda Holmes and I look forward to future books from you.

EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes is a fun LibraryReads selection for June. The tale begins with a young woman who is in the process of leaving her husband when she learns he has died in a car crash. Now, regarded by others as a grieving widow, she struggles to redefine her life and depends in large part on a platonic friendship with Andrew. He, in turn, has a childhood friend named Dean Tenney, an MLB pitcher facing a career ending case of the yips. Looking to get away, Dean arrives in small town Maine and rents an apartment at Evvie (rhymes with Chevy) Drake's house. Holmes describes the feeling: "that was when he had known what was next. Now, his only plans were dinner and bringing his duffel in from the truck. The part of the future that was in focus had shortened; the part that was just a wall of fog went on forever." Fortunately, these two lonely and bruised people click and both the banter (including a hilarious story involving a baseball field cereal box race) and the healing begins. EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER is a gentle story, an undemanding read about forgiving oneself and moving forward. Author Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent at NPR and her debut novel received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this book given the reviews already. The story begins with a loss for Evie which sets the tone of the book. Evvie was so close to her new life until tragedy struck and she is now dealing with her own guilt and the perception of her friends and family.

Dean is a major league pitcher who is a friend of Evvies and due to his own professional tragedy, he is forced to take some time off and decides to rent a room in Evie's home.

The story spans over a year and both form a friendship that blossoms over time. They initially make an agreement not to discuss their current issues, but realize that their friendship lends a necessary support that forces them to face their truths.

They are also confronting the feelings that have developed and how to navigate due to Dean's temporary stay and neither is wanting to make any permanent logistical changes.

The story does have an HEA, but this author did not rely on a predictable ending to get there. I enjoyed Evvie's journey to get her life back and she eventually discovers how strong she is. I also loved the banter between Evvie and Dean, and their friend Andy. It reminded me of many episodes of Gilmor Girls where the ordinary became extraordinary...........and hilarious.

On the day Evvie Drake decides to pack up and leave her husband she gets a call from the hospital saying he's been in a terrible accident. That's not a spoiler, it happens in the first pages of the book. Evvie doesn't tell anyone that she was going to leave thus throwing her into widowhood and keeping up the resulting appearances - even to her best friend. This friend, knowing Evvie needs income, sends another friend who needs an apartment to rent the apartment attached to Evvie's house. This friend is a baseball pitcher who lost his mojo and needs to hide out in a place where he won't be easily recognized. Evvie and Dean slowly form a friendship that was fun to read. I enjoyed their banter and the slow progression of their relationship. I liked how they figured out, in a not so simple/convenient way, the direction their lives would begin to take. Themes of depression, anxiety, grief, friendship, and love are touched on in Linda Holmes' deceptively breezy tale. I read it in an afternoon and recommend it to fans of romantic comedy. I wouldn't be surprised if this winds up on the big screen.

I love this book! It was everything I hoped it would be. It was so beautifully written and Evvie was such an excellent character. I loved being in her world.