Linda Holmes

A Novel

Evvie Drake Starts Over

"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. 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. They'll need a lot of help, but in life, as in baseball, there's always a chance--right up until the last out"--

Ghofran Mustafa 

After finishing Harry Potter series, I had to read something light with no drama
And this one did the job
It wasn't Wow but I liked it.

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.”—People A 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, 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

Gelaine Trinidad

Victoria 

Anyone else picture Maddie and Cal from Sweet Magnolias?

Kenzi Linton

After reading quite a few suspense novels in a row, this book was refreshing and a quick read. It has been on my to be read list for awhile and when I saw it at my library, I had to grab it! The chapters are short, which I always like. This book had me smiling and “awing” at cute moments. I never wanted it to end.

Very heartfelt and this is the second book i have read this year that talks about emotional abuse and how horrific it is. the victim always thinks ‘oh i was not physically hurt but my partner was really mean and it’s not the same they are just weird’

evvie and dean romance wasn’t really highlighted here but their personal journeys to loving each other were

Davina 

Very heartfelt and this is the second book i have read this year that talks about emotional abuse and how horrific it is. the victim always thinks ‘oh i was not physically hurt but my partner was really mean and it’s not the same they are just weird’

evvie and dean romance wasn’t really highlighted here but their personal journeys to loving each other were

Patricia Nelson

I received a copy of this book to review from NetGalley, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This debut novel is categorized as a romance and 'chick lit', and it is, but it's more. It's about friendships, redemption, forgiveness of yourself and others, secrets, witty banter, and figuring out your path when you are an adult who has to find a new one. The main characters do fall in love (this is not a huge plot spoiler), but they also do the work to find themselves first, and I liked that. Great book! Great summer read! Would also be a good book club choice as there is a good amount to discuss.

Slow-moving and thoroughly enjoyable, a snapshot of what it's truly like to move on

Kate B-L

Colleen

4 Stars 

*A resilient novel with a lackluster romance but a surprising amount of insightful life advice*


I was conflicted about whether or not to read Evvie Drake Starts Over. On the one hand, I love books set in my home state. On the other hand, I despise celebrities (real or fictional). Since one of the main characters is a celebrity, I came extremely close to passing over this book. Then there is the author’s first book, a coauthored nonfiction book called Why You're Still Single, which sounds absolutely cringe-worthy. But it seems like Holmes is better suited to distilling her messages through charming fiction. And in the end, I'm glad I read Evvie Drake Starts Over even with the celebrities and even though the Maine setting was only superficial.

Despite sounding like your typical fluffy Chicklit love story, this story has a lot more depth to it. Evvie's journey resonated deeply with me even though the specifics of her life were quite different from mine. Although I expected a lighter love story (and thought that was what I was in the mood for), I was serendipitously surprised by the poignant messages of this book.

The celebrity issue stopped this from being five stars for me. I truly have no interest in celebrities. I never have. All of my life I have been utterly baffled by why people become manically obsessed with such ersatz figures. And yes, I include professional athletes in that category. Tom's story of being a professional baseball star whose career ends after he gets a case of the "yips" was utterly boring to me.

All in all, I was much more engrossed in Evvie's journey of self-acceptance. The older I get, the more fed up I am with how controlling people are. The line of what is socially acceptable is so thin and fickle. For instance, one of the topics in this book is grief and how people are so intolerant of anyone who doesn't follow their own grief timeline. If you don't grieve enough and don't show that grief to the public then people consider you a cold-hearted bitch. If you grieve too much or too long, then you're a pathetic sadsack who needs to just get over it. The path of what is socially acceptable is thin and narrow, and there are psychos on either side just waiting for you to step off that path so they can eviscerate you for not following their suffocating rules.

Evvie is stuck on the not grieving enough side of the road. People think she should be an inconsolable wreck after the tragic death of her successful, town Golden Boy husband. But the truth is that he was an emotionally-abusive control freak, and that she was packing her car to leave him when she was notified of his death.

The story deals with abuse and grief as well as other mental health topics. One of the biggest things I loved about this book was how it normalizes therapy. We're probably all aware of the rampant negative connotations of therapy. Many people view it as well people whining about their problems so they can have their feelings validated. And there undoubtedly are people in therapy for those reasons and therapists who indulge that urge. But therapy is a vital tool. It is not just for "crazy" people. It is not a sign that you are too weak to handle your problems on your own. They was a great quote in this book; sadly I forgot to write it down verbatim. The gist of it is that going to therapy is like going to the dentist to have a tooth pulled: you certainly could do it yourself, but it might be a lot more risky and painful.


While I was reading this book, I happened to see a post with life tips that said (rather low on the list) "Make time for self-care every once in a while!" Which sounds nice and all but is in fact reinforcing the idea that self-care is a self-indulgent thing to treat yourself with once in a blue moon. It's viewed as selfish. And it's always accompanied by a side of guilt - particularly for mothers. This is yet another topic where society tries to dictate what is acceptable or unacceptable. The truth is that both physical and mental self-care are things that every single person should work on every single day! It is NEVER something you just achieve and stop doing. It will always be a lifelong process. And it is critical! No one should EVER have to apologize for taking care of themselves!

Evvie Drake Starts Over was surprisingly empowering. One of the biggest lessons of this book is that it's ok to say no. That sounds obvious and easy, but the reality is far from that. So let me repeat; it is ok to say no! Particularly when it is something that affects your well-being. You can say no to things that will have a negative effect on your headspace. It's even ok to say no to loved ones. True, some people will see it as a personal rejection and get their feelings hurt. And people will always be judgemental. But it is still ok to say "No" or "Not right now." I can't emphasize enough that taking care of your physical and mental well-being is not selfish!

The Maine setting was disappointing. Seriously folks, it takes more than mentioning lobsters to make an authentic setting. And if Holmes truly believes no one in Maine cares about professional baseball, then she should go into any public place in Maine, yell, "Go Yankees!" and see the reaction she gets.

I mentioned that the love story wasn't a home run for me (pun intended). It's not as if I disliked Dean. I simply didn't care about him one way or the other. So much so that I just had to look up his name to write this. He never passed being "baseball dude" in my head. So I didn't care one iota about Evvie and Dean's relationship. If I had, this probably would have been a five star read for me. But for me, the celebrity subplot was entirely unwanted. And it ruined the romance part of the story. But I enjoyed the rest of the book enough that this is still a four star read for me, and I’ll still recommend it!


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Lyric Hooey

Cute little romance where the characters seem just more relatable than a lot of other ones I’ve read. Really enjoyed it and could see myself picking it up again. Saw somebody else say it’s the equivalent of a hallmark movie and I’d probably agree, haha.

Megan Snodgrass

3.5 Stars

Overall.. 
This was a cute book that read like a Hallmark movie and I love me a good Hallmark movie. Would I say they're all 5 stars an cinematic masterpieces that I would recommend to everyone? No, but I would say they leave me feeling warm and fuzzy which is exactly what this book did. Romance isn't exactly my cup of tea but there's always a time and place for them.. When I'm sick in bed or being dragged to the beach. As far as they go though, this one tickled my fancy. The author manages to to throw in some of the cheesiness (some of that dialogue man) but also tackle some real life issues in realistic and healthy ways. I wasn't completely sold on the book until the final chapters, and I enjoyed how everything was wrapped up and the development all of the characters went through. It's a slow buildup, but overall worth it in the end.

Lucia Correa

5 Stars for this slow burn romance that is poignant as it is humorous. 

When I saw that Linda Holmes had written a book, I picked it up right away. For a number of years now, I've been listening to her weekly podcast on National Public Radio (NPR) where she is the moderator of Pop Culture Happy Hour.

This book didn't disappoint. I loved it. It is a sweet romance. Evvie (pronounced like chevy), a recent widow, is sarcastic, witty, broken, and grieving but not why everybody thinks. Evvie married her High School boyfriend, Tim, whom everybody loved, except Evvie. Oh, she loved him once but even in HS he was controlling and emotionally abusive to Evvie. It only got worse in time. In retrospect, she felt she made him worse, by feeding his ego. Such as tanking her final math exam so he would be valedictorian and not her. Not even her best friend Andy, or her father knew what she was experiencing.

About a year after Tim's death Andy has a proposal for her. His childhood friend, Dean Tenney is a former Yankees pitcher who suddenly lost his ability to pitch. What about renting the small apartment in the back of her home to Dean for a few months? He gets a quiet place where he can figure out "What now?" and she can collect rent money he knows she needs because Tim didn't have life insurance. A Win. Win. And a win for us, as we watch Evvie and Dean grow closer and they help each other heal.

A few quotes I highlighted
"Holley's sprawling Victorian was fusty and untouchable inside, like Colonel Mustard should be bonkng Miss Scarlet on the head with a candlestick over by the bar."

"Oh, that's right, she thought. I remember having good days."

Dean asked where does her name come from. "Eveleth is in Minnesota" "But she missed home, so she called me Eveleth. I am named after my mother's unhappiness."

"I now have a wrestling move informally named after me. Do you want to know what it is?" "Probably not." "It's choking" She nodded. "Yeah, I was afraid that was what it was."

And how she named her new puppy:
"...she asked me what kind of dog he was and I said a shepherd mix, because that's what they told me at the rescue. But Andy said "He looks like the dog who's in the dictionary under "dog". So I named him Webster."

Cheri McElroy

Typical, cute little romantic story. It’s not my usual genre but I did enjoy reading about Evie and her growth.

Alex Flagg

Heartwarming story with lovable characters. I loved how much dialogue between characters was in this book. I know that sounds funny, but I feel like most romances are inside the characters head. Here, the characters talked a lot and had meaningful conversation which made this really fast paced for me!

Celeste Richardson

This is the cutest thing I’ve read in a while. Was it a perfect book? No. But it was such a fun, fluffy story. It’s dorky and cheesy and yes, I rolled my eyes a few times, but it’s just so delightfully goofy. I didn’t realize quite how much I needed a moment of delightful goofiness in my life right now. There was just enough drama to keep things interesting. While it didn’t do anything earth shattering or incredibly original, it was very entertaining. And sometimes, that’s enough.

Cindy Lieberman

A modern rom-com novel that hits all the right notes with snappy dialogue and believable characters. Evvie was packing her car to leave her emotionally abusive husband - the town’s favorite son and local doctor - when he dies in a car crash. Her best friend is a divorced dad with two small girls. Yet even he didn’t know Evvie was planning to leave. This book is about how Evvie finds her way back to her true and honest self and, of course, finds love again. A pleasant palate cleanser of a book.

Antje

4,5 ⭐️ überraschend gut, erwachsen und klischeefrei. Loved it.

Anna Campbell

** spoiler alert **
           A nice and easy romance! Nothing too wild happened, but I liked that it was set in Maine and I learned about professional baseball.

Liz Carpenter

3.5 stars, for being just a bit more than I expected. Also, coastal Maine. Looking forward to more from Holmes.

KADY BURNS

It's was fine. Not sure I will remember it in a couple of weeks, but I didn't dislike it.

'I guzzled it up' Pandora Sykes, The High Low Show THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON THE TODAY SHOW 'Everything a romantic comedy should be: witty, relatable, and a little complicated' People 'Effortlessly enjoyable . . . [a] pitch-perfect . . . adult love story that is as romantic as it is real' USA Today It's been a year since Evvie Drake's husband died, but she still can't leave the house. Her best friend Andy thinks it's because she's grieving, and she does nothing to make him think otherwise. Dean Tenney was once a sports star. Now he's a former sports star who has lost his ability to throw a ball better than anyone else, and he can't even explain why. When Dean moves into the apartment at the back of Evvie's house, the two make a deal: Dean won't ask about Evvie's dead husband, and Evvie won't ask about Dean's failed career. But as Dean and Evvie grow closer, could it be that these rules are the one thing in the way of them starting over?

A feel-good, uplifting story of romance and second chances

Karen Shimek

Yerim Oh

Rating: 4.5/5 

I loved this book! I loved how well developed and flawed both the main characters were and how they are able to become conscious of their flaws and work on them. This was different than other rom-com books I've read in the past year but I really enjoyed it. 

The struggles and story of all the characters in the book felt so real. When there were parts of the book where I thought Evvie was going to get away with not changing and realizing her short-comings, the reader surprised me and wrote Evvie into a stronger character and woman. 

I can't wait to read what Linda Holmes will write next!

Jen Estrella

I'm rating this 5 stars not because of the romance, but because of something else. Also, Evvie might be my twin - 

  "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"That you have to be the whisperer."
"Can I suggest for your project that you take a class in not apologizing all the time?"
"Sorry."
"Oh, Jesus."
This needs to be turned into a movie or a book series. I want more :(

Ruby Huber

I listened to this on the first half of a cross-country drive with my mom. She picked it out, and we both agreed that it was FINE. Love redemption story between a few 30-somethings. Ended up being way more about baseball than I expected or would have ever wanted. The character development was bland, Evvie's main personality traits are that she is anxious and needs a lot of therapy but thinks therapy is for other people. The love interests personality is that he is hot and not abusive. Maybe someone closer in age to these two than either me or my mom would like it? Just didn't do anything for me, and didn't love listening to this book about Maine while the southwest rushed past me.

Tori Carrillo

Comfy and not too complicated 

I got turned onto this title from the Cozy episode of Get Booked and it seriously is a fun, cozy, romantic, cottage read with just enough plot, intrigue, and pain to keep it grounded and moving forward. A bit repetitive at times when it came to Evvie's character and self-understanding but overall I cannot complain about this random addition to my reading pile this month. I listened to the audio book and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. But the writing is also very easy to read and get immersed into the characters. Witty banter and fun moments. Will most likely purchase so I can re-read for those cozy fall/winter nights inside!

Evvie Drake Starts Over A Novel

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