Evvie Drake Starts Over - Linda Holmes
Summary: Widowed on the day she plans to leave her husband, Evvie puts on a show of grief for the town, her family, and even her best friend Andy. Andy, concerned about Evvie’s finances and the fact that she rarely leaves the house, suggests that she rent out her extra room to a friend of his, Dean Tenney, a major league baseball pitcher whose career took a nosedive after he got a case of the “yips”.
Quote: “And if you’ve been somebody’s first call, it’s hard not to be their first call anymore. She says it’s one of the reasons why parents sometimes feel sad when their kids are getting married. It’s not just the empty nest. They’re not the first call anymore. I’m not Andy’s first call anymore. It doesn’t mean I want to be his girlfriend, and it doesn’t mean I don’t like her. But it was sad. It’s different. The doctor says it’s important to be sad.”
My rating: 4.0/5.0 Goodreads: 4.05/5.0
Review: Holmes works through all sorts of difficult issues with a kind and gentle touch. The conflicts between the characters feel achingly real. They have difficult conversations with friends, negotiate boundaries with parents, confront disappointed expectations, and define relationships. The marketing has mostly presented this as a romance, but Evvie’s recovery from her marriage is the most compelling aspect of the book. The climactic moment is centered on Evvie’s breakdown, which she has before deciding to finally reach out for help. Notably, when she first reaches out it’s to Andy, her best friend, not to Dean. The relationship between Evvie and Andy is one that brought me to tears a couple of times. The romance is gentle and sweet, with a subtle, nuanced conflict but the title has the right of it; this is more Evvie’s story than Evvie and Dean’s.
To listen: Linda Holmes is the host of the podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour. She brings the same thoughtfulness and kindness to her podcast that she does to her writing.
