Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Evvie Drake Starts Over

by Linda Holmes

'I guzzled it up' -- Pandora Sykes, THE HIGH LOW SHOW

'A quirky, sweet, and splendid story of a woman coming into her own . . . an absolute delight' -- Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of DAISY JONES AND THE SIX and THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO

'Charming, hopeful and gently romantic. Evvie Drake is great company' -- Rainbow Rowell, author of ATTACHMENTS

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?

Reviewed by Leigha on

4 of 5 stars

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Evvie Drake remakes her life in this quiet, if forgettable, contemporary romance.

Evvie Drake Starts Over explores the grief, pain, and confusion of losing a person irrevocably tied to you. Usually these stories focus on loved ones, but, in this case, Evvie pretends to mourn a husband she no longer (if ever) loved. (BTW – her feelings for her husband are made very clear in the prologue so it’s not a spoiler). It’s obviously traumatizing for her to portray a grieving widow to a community that only knew her as part of a couple.

The romance between Evvie and Dean lacked chemistry. It was cute, if not all that memorable. The most intriguing relationship in the novel is between her and Andy, her best friend. I’ve been lucky in my life to have deep and loving PLATONIC relationships with men. This story illustrates to a T how a platonic relationship between a man and woman natural changes when one of them enters into a long term relationship. Read for Andy and Evvie, tolerate Evvie and Dean.

Finally, I could listen to Julia Whelan read a phone book. She’s perfect for this type of feel good romance with a side of drama.

tl;dr This story excels at exploring emotional grief and intriguing friendships, but lacks the connection I prefer between romantic partners.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 January, 2020: Finished reading
  • 20 January, 2020: Reviewed