Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes is an absolute charmer of a book. The characters are well-drawn with believable flaws, which adds to the wonder of their relationship. Holmes evokes small-town life without making it unbearably quirky. Finishing the book leaves you with a sense of pure joy that leaves a huge smile on your face.

Linda Holmes has written a delightful novel. This book completely sucks you in, and it does it without gimmicks or cliches. Unpleasant things may be happening to the characters, but the reading experience is never unpleasant, and it evokes the same feeling you get after your first glass of red wine. Joyful and hopeful, without things magically working out perfectly. I loved reading this!

This is a charming, well-written debut for Linda Holmes. It follows the lives of a woman who is widowed just as she's about to leave her marriage and a MLB baseball player who has developed a career-ending case of the yips.