Evvie Drake Starts Over (Holmes)

Evvie Drake Starts Over 
Linda Holmes, 2019
Random House
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780525619246


Summary
From the host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast comes a heartfelt debut about the unlikely relationship between a young woman who’s lost her husband and a major league pitcher who’s lost his game.

In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth "Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash.

Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the "yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why.

As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.

When he 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.

To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.

A joyful, hilarious, and hope-filled debut, Evvie Drake Starts Over will have you cheering for the two most unlikely comebacks of the year—and will leave you wanting more from Linda Holmes. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1970-71
• Raised—Wilmington, Delaware, USA
• Education—B.A., Oberlin College; J.D., Lewis and Clark Law School
• Currently—lives in Washington, D.C.


Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for National Public Radio and the host of the podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which has held sold-out live shows in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, and elsewhere.

She appears regularly on NPR’s radio shows, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Before NPR, she wrote for New York magazine online and for TV Guide, as well as for the influential website Television Without Pity. In her free time, she watches far too many romantic comedies, bakes bread, watches her nephews get taller, and recently knitted her first hat. (From the publisher.)

Book Reviews
Holmes’s debut charms, as a young widow and a former Major League pitcher learn to begin again.… Believable, flawed characters are at the heart of this novel. At times deeply emotional yet sometimes extremely humorous, this is a satisfying crowd-pleaser.
Publishers Weekly


Though one could make the case for this being a romance—and plenty of romance readers will enjoy it—there's a stronger focus on the characters' individual arcs than on them as a couple. Holmes's debut is charming, funny, and warmhearted.
Library Journal


(Starred review) The charm of Holmes’ novel comes not only from a genuine friendship between Evvie and Dean… but also from watching amiable Evvie stumble through the process of finding herself in a realistic way. A warm and funny book that will utterly captivate.
Booklist


(Starred review) [H]ilarious dialogue, making… conversations a joy to read. Refreshingly, … [a]lthough their romance is often front and center, there are many other emotionally affecting storylines.
Kirkus Reviews


(Starred review) [H]eartwarming rom-com about loss, grief and second chances…. Despite the kernel of sadness rooted at the novel’s core, Evvie Drake Starts Over is a feel-good read that radiates warmth. Holmes nails the balance between romance and humor.
BookPage


(Starred review) [S]mart… ripe with amusing wit and charm…. [Holmes] skillfully explores regret and longing, friendship, love and forgiveness and the challenges posed by reinvention. Strong characterizations and… filled with clever banter.
Shelf Awareness

Discussion Questions
1. Small towns like Calcasset, Maine, can be wonderful—Evvie has a strong support network, community traditions, stability—but there can also be downsides. After her husband’s death, Evvie keeps secret her previous plans to leave him. Why do you think she does this? Have you ever found it difficult to voice an ugly truth?

2. What does Dean’s unexpected and inexplicable inability to pitch a baseball mean to you? Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you haven’t been able to perform as you would like to?

3. Evvie and Dean are both thrown huge curve balls—Evvie loses her husband, Dean his livelihood. Do you think they handle the changes in their lives well?

4. Andy and Evvie are close friends with no romantic interest in each other—but things get complicated when Andy starts dating Monica. Have you ever had to balance a relationship and a close friendship?

5. Do you think that balance is further complicated if that friend is a member of the opposite sex? Is this an experience you can relate to?

6. As Evvie and Dean become closer, Evvie reveals more about her marriage. What does she come to understand about her marriage to Tim by the end of the book, and how does this new understanding change her?

7. Evvie finds it difficult to rely on others or to ask for help. Can you relate? Do you find it hard to depend on other people for emotional or practical support?

8. Why does Evvie decide to take a break from speaking to her mother? Do you think she makes the right decision?

9. Evvie, Andy, and Dean are all struggling with different forms of grief. What is each character grieving and how do they find ways to heal?

10. Why do you think Evvie puts off contacting Nona about her job proposition? Why do you think she finally does call Nona back? Have you ever put off an opportunity? What made you finally take the plunge?

11. Do you think Evvie successfully "starts over” by the end of the novel? How does she change from the beginning to the end of the book?

12. What actors would you cast in a film version of Evvie Drake Starts Over?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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