NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today • “Everything a romantic comedy should be: witty, relatable, and a little complicated.”—PeopleA heartfelt debut about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who’s lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, … THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR
In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.
When he 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. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.
A joyful, hilarious, and hope-filled debut, Evvie Drake Starts Over will have you cheering for the two most unlikely comebacks of the year—and will leave you wanting more from Linda Holmes.
Praise for Evvie Drake Starts Over
“A quirky, sweet, and splendid story of a woman coming into her own.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six
“Effortlessly enjoyable . . . [a] pitch-perfect . . . adult love story that is as romantic as it is real.”–USA Today
“Charming, hopeful, and gently romantic . . . Evvie Drake is great company.”—Rainbow Rowell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park
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Evvie Drake is a woman consumed with the sadness that she doesn’t feel about her emotionally abusive husband’s death. Dean Tenney is a former MLB pitcher who inexplicably can’t pitch. When their mutual friend, Andy, facilitates a meeting, they become landlord and tenant with an express agreement that they won’t talk about Evvie’s husband or about baseball. But sooner, rather than later, those lines begin to blur.
Evvie Drake Starts Over is an enthralling novel that explores the relationship of two people with a whole lot of baggage, and how they process said baggage. It’s equal parts charming, heartbreaking, and redemptive. And I’m a sucker for anything baseball-adjacent, so I found this aspect of the story to be especially interesting. Its brilliance is in its nuance, and its realistic portrayal of relationships, both romantic and platonic.
Holmes demonstrates her extensive writing prowess in what I think is one of the most successful debut novels that I’ve read in quite awhile.
Evvie Drake is walking out on her marriage when she gets a call from the hospital that involves her husband. A very private person, Evvie becomes even more reclusive over the next months with unresolved issues. When her best friend asks her to rent her attached apartment to a friend who has just suffered a blow to his career, she agrees. The story then focuses on these two broken individuals and how they handle their challenges. A delightful story with humor, depth, good storytelling and wonderful characters.
NPR’s Linda Holmes has a fun and enjoyable debut novel — a tale of love, loss, family, and finding yourself after losing a key part of your identity. I read it in one day.
Sweet
Fun, fresh, and entertaining read about one woman’s path to starting over in a time when everyone expects one thing of her and that’s just not how it is. No spoilers so I won’t tell you more, other than…you should really read this book.
Delightful! Realistic. Believable.
Loved this book
A year later, thinking about this book makes me smile
Hoping my copy comes home soon
Wonderful coming-of-age story for us long past 30-somthing-types! Gives readers hope that there’s ALWAYS time to change, ALWAYS time to go after your dreams.
Gloria Squitiro: Author of May Cause Drowsiness and Blurred Vision: The Side Effects of Bravery—YOU, Too! can OVERCOME ANXIETY and live a bigger more carefree life—Become a New and Better You!
#YayWomenWriters!
I’ve been a big fan of Linda Holmes’s writing and work for Pop Culture Happy Hour for years so I was more than curious about how her fiction would be. I’m happy to say it was an absolute delight!
This was a super engaging story that I had a hard time putting down. While I’ve heard it described as a rom-com, I cried much more than I laughed out loud but the sense of humor is there.
What I really enjoyed was the interior journey we go on with Evvie. She is clearly stuck due to her circumstances and her inability to be honest with anyone about the true nature of her marriage. The day her husband died is the day she planned on leaving him but nobody knew, nor were they aware he was emotionally abusive. And so people project grief on to her when all she feels is relief and then she feels guilty for feeling that way. She’s really harsh on herself and refers to herself as a monster quite frequently because she’s not grieving the way people believe she is. But she also doesn’t want to deal with her feelings and so she consistently looks for people to help, latching on to solving their problems, instead of dealing with her own junk. For instance: seeing a therapist so you can get tips on how to help your new friend (who hasn’t asked for your help) sure is something.
I wished she wasn’t so hard on herself and was confused as to why. Of course, she wouldn’t grieve her abusive husband! Of course, this is complicated since she never told anyone he was a complete jackhole. But why not at least tell her best friend Andy and her dad now? The answer doesn’t come toward the end of the book and while it was satisfying to see it play out, it might have helped had the revelation come sooner. At the same time, Evvie has a lot to figure out post-loss and I really felt for her along the way. It took awhile for Evvie to get there but I ultimately loved how the story examined boundaries. As in, she needed to get some. Watching her slowly take more charge of her life was beautiful to see.
Similarly, Dean is figuring out how to move forward after the unwanted death of his baseball career when he’s suddenly, inexplicably unable to pitch anymore. He comes to Evvie and Andy’s small town to escape and regroup. I really enjoyed his character arc, as well.
The love story was also a delight. Evvie and Dean are both adults figuring out where to go with their lives. There are reasons they’re drawn to one another and reasons why a long-term relationship might not work. I was rooting for them the whole time and I really appreciated the plot choices Holmes made in getting them there.
Evvie and Andy’s friendship is so wonderful and I just want to blubber right now. It’s refreshing to see a platonic male-female friendship highlighted in fiction. I also love that Dean was Andy’s friend and while he didn’t expect Dean and Evvie to get together, Andy was the one to get the ball rolling that leads to much-needed changes in Evvie’s life.
Holmes includes a lot of descriptions of sounds in this story and it worked. It stood out to me and I realized there aren’t always similar descriptions in other novels. I’m guessing she’s more tuned in to such things because her radio career and it made for a nice touch.
All in all, this was a wonderful read. It had humor and heart and the promise of hope. What more do you need?
CW: emotional abuse, death of a spouse
Easy read
Evvie Drake lives in a beautiful house in small town Maine. Her husband, a beloved local doctor, died in a car crash last year and everyone, from Evvie’s father to her best friend, Andy, thinks Evvie’s grief is what keeps her in her house most of the time. However, the truth is that Evvie isn’t grieving her husband at all. She’s relieved that he’s gone and she thinks that makes her a monster.
Dean Tenney, a former Yankees pitcher, is suffering from a horrible case of the “yips”. His ability to pitch seems to be gone and no one can figure out why. Dean has explored every possible remedy, psychological and physical, but he has not been able to get back on track. The media has been cruel in their coverage of his downfall and Dean needs to get away from New York City. His childhood best friend, Andy, suggests renting the empty apartment at Evvie’s house for a while.
Dean and Evvie make a pact from the start – no talking about Evvie’s husband or Dean’s baseball. However, the two quickly become close friends and open up about both their pasts and their current struggles. Each is carrying so much baggage they will have to release if either is going to have any chance of having a happy future.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the characters and how Evvie’s relationships with her mother and husband have affected her. She’s holding on to so much hurt and has become the caretaker to all. Can Evvie learn to be honest and start taking care of herself? Dean is such a likable character as he struggles with losing something that has defined him for most of his life. Since he was a child, his focus has been on baseball and he was on an upward trajectory for so long. Dean’s story is a great look into how someone reacts when the core piece of their identity are gone and how accepting that one’s future is going to be different from what they always envisioned can lead to some really beautiful things. This is a warm, uplifting story of love, loss and second chances.
This rom-com was fresh and fun to read. I’ve been looking forward to digging in ever since hearing Linda Holmes speak about her debut in June. Indeed, the characters are original and nothing was formulaic. The setting is painted as relaxing, a destination for a star Yankee pitcher to get his head together. Well, the book had the same effect on me, spending time in Maine with Evvie and Dean made it hard to put this book down and had me looking forward to more. Evvie had many men in love with her, but not your typical Cinderella story.
This was a great, feel good story about two unlikely individuals who have gone through loss and find each other. Lots of things standing in their way of happiness. Quirky characters make the story!
Sweet, charming, touching tale of a woman starting over after the death of her husband. Enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the HEA.
Linda Holmes’ debut novel is a story of two characters who are broken, find each other and bring out the best in each another. Evvie Drake is a widow who lives in a small town in Maine, and Dean Tenney is a well-known professional baseball player who’s a pitcher. Dean’s pitching has dried up and so has his career. Dean needs a break and a getaway which takes him to Maine where he rents an apartment in Evvie’s house. Their friendship grows into a sweet and gentle romance, their worlds collide, and gently they’re put back together again.
Holmes created warm characters and this was a lovely story, but Evvie’s relationship with her late husband dragged on and fell flat. I know this book was entertained on The Jimmy Fallon Show and was a top pick, but for me, the story needed to pick up. Broken characters need time to mend, but I wanted more sooner for Evvie and Dean. Otherwise, I enjoyed it, and Holmes definitely created vivid scenes in my mind throughout the entire book. Even though it was a little slow for me, I do look forward to another novel by this author.
Nice light read.
it was an easy fun read. Not too deep. Good beach book
predictable but a fun read (I read it in 1 day)
My three favorite things about this book:
1.) It’s not that I’m opposed to madcap plot twists in romcoms, but I admired that this book didn’t have any. Instead, it’s just a lovely story about two people falling in love and trying to figure out how to make that work.
2.) The story of Andy’s and Evvie’s friendship is so heartbreaking and lovely and just well done. Sometimes these secondary elements get short-shrift in romcoms, but not here.
3.) Evvie’s plight was well done and compelling. I think emotional abuse is an important topic for books to address.
This was an all-around wonderful romcom and I enjoyed it immensely.
Best dialouge I have read in a while.
2.5
DNF at about 23%. I think I’m in the minority with this one. If I wanted a Lifetime movie, I’ll turn on my television and watch a Lifetime movie.