Evvie Drake Starts Over
Ratings73
Average rating3.7
I had kind of penciled this in as a possibility for summer romance bingo (either as character name in title or next-door neighbor) and I didn't make it off of the library hold list in time, but it actually worked out well, since this isn't a romance novel, per se, even though that is definitely an element of the story. This was more about Evvie slowly learning who to let into her post-terrible-husband life, when she was keeping major secrets from even her closest (maybe only?) friend. I really liked Evvie and her growth throughout this book - Dean was a little less defined as a character for me. but was still an excellent romantic lead. And as someone who's gotten super-drunk and told a close male friend I thought he was secretly in love with me, I unfortunately identified hard with the super-cringey confrontation between Evvie and Andy. This wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it, and I want to visit Maine and eat all the lobster now.
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.
This is probably more like a 3.5, but rounding up because I like the author. Sweet and uncomplicated, and will make a fantastic hallmark or Netflix movie when adapted.
DNF @ 36%...I enjoyed this book well enough in the beginning, but since about 1/4 in, I find that the story has been dragging a lot, and I'm just not feeling motivated to continue. I like the concept and reading a romance with characters that are (and feel) older than a lot of the romances I've read recently, but the romantic plotline and characters themselves are just feeling very meh
Possible spoilers.
I felt like I was in the mood to read a romance, and the title Evvie Drake Starts Over sounded quite promising, and so I checked it out. Evvie (pronounced to rhyme with Chevy, we are told a few chapters in, which threw me) was about to leave her husband when he was killed in an automobile accident. Drake has suddenly lost his ability to pitch a baseball, and that's traumatic when you are a New York Yankee. These two are thrown together for a lot of I'll-help-you-you-help-me talk therapy, but by the middle of the book I was frustrated because it felt like both these two needed a lot more help than they were able to offer each other.
I've probably already said too much, but I want to you to know that the last half of the book was much better than the first half, and I ended up liking the story very much, with a story that felt very true.
Again, this may be a spoiler, so don't read more if you are worried about that, but I loved this little part of the book:
Dr. Talco tapped her index fingers together. “Did you know it's possible to remove your own teeth with pliers?”
“This feels like a trick question.”
“Stay with it....That's what I always tell people about therapy. It's not a question of whether you could try to do it by yourself. You can always try it. But it can be dangerous, and it's harder....”
I read this all in one day! (An ideal way to spend a holiday!) It's a really enjoyable read about messy people who you can really root for. I particularly appreciate the value placed on platonic friendships (and friend...not quite breakups, but friend status changes)? Also–as to be expected from Linda Holmes–the casual way that pop culture knowledge can say a lot (or not) about a person. A nice summery dose of feels.
W sennym nadmorskim miasteczku w Maine Eveleth „Evvie” Drake prawie rok po śmierci męża w wypadku samochodowym rzadko opuszcza swój duży, do bólu pusty dom. Wszyscy w mieście, nawet jej najlepszy przyjaciel, Andy, myślą, że to smutek trzyma ją w środku, a Evvie nie zamierza ich poprawiać.
W międzyczasie w Nowym Jorku Dean Tenney, były miotacz Major League i najlepszy przyjaciel Andy'ego z dzieciństwa, zmaga się z koszmarem sportowca – syndromem „yips”- nie może już rzucać na wprost, co gorsza nie może zrozumieć, dlaczego. Baseball był całym jego życiem. W miarę jak medialna burza się wzmaga, na zaproszenie od Andy'ego postanawia przeprowadzić się do Maine, aby wcisnąć przycisk reset.
Kiedy wprowadza się do mieszkania na tyłach domu Evvie, oboje zawierają umowę: On nie zapyta o zmarłego jej męża, a Ona nie zapyta o jego karierę baseballową. Zasady są jednak łamane w zabawny sposób - a to, co zaczyna się jako nieoczekiwana przyjaźń, szybko zamienia się w coś więcej. Aby iść naprzód, Evvie i Dean muszą liczyć się ze swoją przeszłością, ale i otworzyć się na przyszłość.
I może historia z opisu przypomina typową opowieść obyczajową z romansem w tle, porusza też ważne problemy, o których należy mówić. Cieszy mnie to, że pojawia się coraz więcej książek, które w delikatny sposób, starają wytłumaczyć czytelnikowi, że terapia nie jest czymś złym oraz że nie musisz żyć w toksycznym związku.
„Evvie zaczyna od nowa” – Lindy Holmes to Świetna historia na wieczorem pod kocykiem w jesienne wieczory. Dla miłośników „Eleanor Oliphant ma się całkiem dobrze”.
⭐3,5/5
Dialogue is definitely this author's strong suit, and I love a book with great dialogue. The stories her characters relay within the main story tells us all we need to know about them.
Evvie Drake is a young widow, but she isn't the grieving in the usual sense. She was leaving her husband the day she got the call about his untimely death. This secret haunts her throughout the book. It's one she doesn't feel she can share with anyone in her small town in coastal Maine, that is until a washed up, major league pitcher, Dean, rents an apartment from her.
Slowly, the truth about Evvie's unhappy marriage leaks out one evening when she's getting to know Dean. She tells him things she hasn't told her best friend, Andy, Dean's boyhood friend. Evvie inability to share this truth with her best friend keeps her locked in an healthy state, perpetually reliving her pain.
Dean, on the other hand, has his own issues. He has the yips. That's a baseball expression for, one day, not being able to do what used to come so naturally the day before. A second-baseman can no longer make the throw to first. An outfielder can't hit the cut-off man. In Dean's case, he was either throwing the ball in the stands, or hitting the guy in the batter's box. The team tries everything to get him back on track but, in the end, they let him go. He's treated mercilessly by his former fans, as only Yankee fans can treat an disgraced player.
Following these two loveable but broken characters through their acceptance of the truth shows the author's chops at how to make believable characters grow. Sometimes healing comes in the most unexpected ways, but good friends can help.
Lovely book if you love to read about how relationships are born, how they can derail, and then evolve. ADDED BONUS: It's especially fun if you love baseball too.
I love Linda Holmes, I love Pop Culture Happy Hour, and I love that this is a romance featuring characters who are in their 30s and imperfect and are not interested in playing relationship games. There's still misunderstandings and secrets to work through, but seeing people behave like, well, people in a relationship was quite refreshing. I thought this book was sweet and lovely, with great friendships.
CW: spousal death (not a spoiler, it's in the prologue), emotional abuse (past tense, with some elements that could be considered moving toward physical abuse).
“Evvie Drake Starts Over” has been compared to “Emily Oliphant is Totally Fine.” Here's how those two books are similar: they are books, the main character's name starts with an E, they are fiction, and the authors are woman.
Where “Emily” is full of humor, well-drawn characters, and a love story that makes sense, “Evvie” is full of dullsville characters and dialogue, especially the main characters, and an insta-love story. I have made it a practice to stop reading or listening to books if they aren't doing it for me, and it is time to stop biting myself with “Evvie.”