Evvie Drake Starts Over

Description: 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.

Review: As far as everyone in her small town knows, Evvie Drake is a grieving widow. Her husband died in a car accident, and she’s been living all alone in their big house, rarely venturing out except to get breakfast with her best friend, Andy. In actuality Evvie is hiding a big secret from everyone, she is not grieving as she should be and that she was actually planning to leave her emotionally abusive husband on the night of his death. She plays the role of a grieving widow because that it is what is expected of her, but is exhausted by play acting and wants to restart her life but doesn't know how.   When Andy suggests that his old friend, former baseball player Dean Tenney, move in to the apartment attached to Evvie’s house, she agrees. Much like Evvie, Dean’s life hasn’t turned out the way he wanted it to. After pitching for years, he’s struggling with “the yips”—he’s unable to pitch for reasons that neither he nor any professionals can figure out. Evvie and Dean are both mourning their old lives, for very different reasons, and the two of them quickly become friends—and then, slowly, something more than friends.
  Evvie Drake Starts Over is a quick and satisfying read mainly because the writing is so smooth and natural. Evvie and Dean are authentic adults who are kind, but incredibly flawed. They are trying their best, but they are reluctant to open up to one another. Evvie shuts down when asked about her her husband and Dean with a ban on discussing anything remotely related to baseball. I absolutely loved the slow burn romance between Evvie and Dean who speak to each other with natural but hilarious dialogue, making their conversations and this book an enjoyable read.  Refreshingly, Evvie and Dean’s relationship hurdles come about because of real life problems, their own share of emotional baggage and not because of easily fixed miscommunications. The book is not just centered on Evvie and Deane's romance, but also many other story lines that add to the character development of Evvie and Dean, such as the changing friendship between best friends Andy and Evvie and Evvie’s need to stand up to her family. Evvie Drake Starts Over is a smart romance that is fulled with nuisance and humor.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language and sexual situations in the novel. Recommended for older teens and adults.

If you like this book try: In the Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman, Landline by Rainbow Rowell