BOOK REVIEW: Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes / uplifting small town romance that I absolutely adored

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

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Ever since I saw the cover, I was intrigued. The blurb sounded fantastic and the reviews were amazing – there was no doubt I would be picking it up. I just had to decide on the format. Physical book or audiobook. In the end I went with the audiobook, since it arrived rather quickly from the library, and I didn’t regret it. The audiobook was FANTASTIC!!!

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.

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

MY THOUGHTS

Have you ever had a book that makes you feel good?

Evvie Drake Starts Over was one of them. From beginning to end, the audiobook made me smile.

The story is a romance, a slow burn, but it’s also so much more. It’s about friendships, about loss, about mental health issues, it’s a journey of personal rediscovery, of letting go, and moving on.

This debut novel touched me in the best way. 

The audiobook gave me 9 hours of feel good vibes that made this book unputdownable. Or in my case I found chores to do, and stayed in my car for far longer than needed. Honestly these are the best kind of audiobook experiences. When I stay in my car even after I get home after a long day of work, and don’t want to stop listening.

The friendships between Evvie and Dean, and Evvie and Andy were the heart and soul of this story. All three were exceptional characters, well developed, likable, relatable, and just endearing to me.

Throughout the entire novel, the dialogues really jumped out to me as something special. I just loved the way the characters talked to each other. The author did such a fantastic job with her dialogues, and most often, Evvie and Dean’s rapport was EVERYTHING to me, and really carried the story.

The book isn’t super deep or life changing, but it is an easy to read, light and feel good novel that is perfect for a summer read, and wonderful palate cleanser in between heavier books. The setting, the characters, the story, are all very well developed, and beautifully written. Together it makes for an awesome debut novel.

About the audiobook:

The audiobook was captivating, enchanting and as I mentioned above I didn’t want to leave the car. The narration was fantastic, well paced, and drew me in, from start to finish. I’m excited to see what the author has in store for us next.

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Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes