Apologies for the delayed feedback. This book was so good! I recommend it to a lot of people and will be making it a book club pick for my library in the next year.

On the surface, this book is a sweet romance set in Maine. If you consider it more deeply, though, there are themes of loss, abuse, empowerment, and second chances. There are scenes that made me laugh out loud and others that made me cry. The coastal Maine setting is realistic and the characters are enjoyable. I enjoyed this hopeful tale immensely.

DNF'd because I was hoping this would be a fun summer read but was just a little too boring for me.

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I picked this up because I listen to Linda Holmes on NPR. I was pleasantly surprised at this sweet romance that takes place in small town Maine. Evvie is a widow who isn't upset with her status. The town thinks she's grieving, and she allows them to think that. Dean is a major league baseball player who is experiencing the Yips. I've never really heard of the Yips, and this was an interesting introduction. I enjoyed watching Evvie and Dean both make comebacks in their lives, and also loved the small town Maine setting. Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an unbiased copy.

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
Colleen Chi-Girl's review on Mar 20, 2020
Bookshelves: 2020, audio, feminism, women-centered, reese-bkclub

I really enjoyed this novel! I was given an ARC from Net Galley and the publisher, for an honest review (and thank them and the author. However, I ended up reading it elsewhere on audio (my fave book form), Regardless, I wanted to be sure to leave a thanks and a review here and just noticed I hadn't done so. Here goes:

The main character Evvie is interesting and sympathetic. I enjoyed the character development and relationship issues so much. The genuine friendships are formed and are pure joy. The setting of Maine is a wonderful respite and took me away from teaching young children virtually/online, who were stuck in their bedroom, kitchen, or family room. This was an audio for me and Julie Whelan does a great woman's voice and is delightful to listen to. I didn't like her voice as a man, as in The Great Alone (so so creepy and despicable).

Evvie Drake Starts Over is fabulous. Read it - it's light enough without being fluff. Maybe a perfect voice during these imperfect times (Covid).

Here's a blurb from the publisher: 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.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was in a reading slump before I read Evvie Drake Starts Over. This was just the hopeful book I needed to pull me out of it. Though there are some tough things presented in the story, it's really a feel-good, hopeful read.

heartwarming & emotional. this is a story about grief and healing. typically romances of this sort are surface level and shallow. this one manages to dive in and get deep, it’s beautifully done.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I really could not get into this book no matter how hard I tried.

This is such a charming story - if I loved the chick lit genre, I'd definitely have given this 5 stars. However, there wasn't one element of this book that didn't feel predictable to me, and I like not knowing where a story is going.

Evvie Drake is a young widow who has to mourn the husband she was actually planning on leaving before his death. She takes in a tenant -a down-on-his-luck professional baseball player - and begins to find herself again. The characters have a lot of heart to them, but their actions are also pretty predictable and they don't really make any surprising choices. Everyone follows the cliched script.

I can see a lot of people really falling in love with Holmes' style, but this just didn't have enough spark for me.

This was a fun read. Light hearted and an equivalent to "easy listening". Recommended for fans of Abby Jimnez.

This was a heartwarming romance with real depth. I fell in love with both Evvie and Dean. Life has not been kind to either of them and it made this story feel so real and true to life. I loved watching Evvie and Dean become friends and start to really open up to each other. I think all most of us really want is to be truly known. I highly recommend this book. It’s a great middle ground read after something heavy or if you’ve been reading too much fluff and want something a little deeper. I’ll definitely be adding Linda Holmes next book to my “to read” pile as soon as it comes out.


Thank you to Netgalley and to Ballantine Books for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay for me. It started to drag in the middle and I just wanted more from the relationship.

I love Linda Holmes. I think this book is well written, if a little mild. I liked the concept of a new widow who had been about to leave her husband when he died, and I wish that had been explored...more? Differently? I didn't love ((((spoilers))))

the abuse angle for the husband. It's not bad, but it does change that angle of her leaving her husband to something different, and maybe a little cheap and simple in comparison. It wasn't the most nuanced or thoughtful take on an emotionally abusive relationship.

The romance was ok, but I did get distracted by wondering what these people did all day. As someone who is a pro at staying home, even I felt their days seemed a little empty. I wanted a bit more weirdness and character to these guys. Still, I'll pick up her next book.

With two sons & a husband who love baseball, I thought let’s see what this story can do with a pro ball player and a woman who recently lost a husband in a tragic accident. What we learn however is the real tragedy is how her husband treated her. Moving forward for both isn’t always a straight line but real life isn’t either. You will want to follow how they come together! I agree with Jenna Bush- read this book!

I bet if you read this book it will totally charm you. The plot is predictable yet so entertaining. Loved characters and their flaws. The pace has a few slower parts but it all comes together nicely. There are some serious topics , there’s also humor and some steamy scenes. A very enjoyable read.

3.5 stars - A cute, light read. A rom com in book form. But there was a deeper storyline for both Evvie and Dean that made them more interesting.

Solidly enjoyable. In fact I probably have no business giving this book four stars because I enjoyed it so much, it really goes beyond the realm of four anything. Very entertaining in the most delightful way. Manages to be about love and loss and sex and small sea-side towns and grief and it is completely honest about human emotions and attachments and connections. Honestly I give almost every book four stars but this one likely deserves for and a half because of how true it seemed.

Good honest work and I hope Linda Holmes will write many more.

I had so many people recommend this book to me and I hate that I put it off for so long because it is such a great book. I fell in love with Evvie and this story as a whole.

This is now shelved with my favorites! I found Evvie and Dean were written with such an accessible and relatable technique, and as a result, their chemistry felt organic and not forced. The build up of tension between them was done very well, and I especially enjoyed that it is a story of healing--the discussion of emotions/emotional awareness was fantastic. I look forward to reading more work by Linda Holmes! She really knocked it out of the park on this one!

Just the book for a pandemic slump. Enjoyable characters, Great dynamics. Felt like I knew the characters from my home state of Maine.