Evvie Drake Starts Over

April 29, 2019
Holmes’s debut charms, as a young widow and a former Major League pitcher learn to begin again. Evvie Drake has spent her whole life in Calcasset, Maine, and doesn’t feel as sad about her widowhood as she believe she should—possibly because she was packing up to leave her husband when she got the call about his deadly car accident. Then Dean Tenney, a former New York Yankees pitcher who has inexplicably lost his amazing pitching ability, comes to Maine to retreat from the media, and rents the apartment in Evvie’s house. Evvie and Dean grow closer, with the agreement that they not discuss her husband or his failed baseball trajectory. When Dean gets an opportunity to revamp his career with Evvie’s support, and she reveals some of the details of her difficult marriage to him, they develop trust and sparks ignite between them. But the future of their relationship depends on their ability to communicate and confide in one another. Believable, flawed characters are at the heart of this novel. At times deeply emotional yet sometimes extremely humorous, This is a satisfying crowd-pleaser. Agent: Sarah Burnes, the Gernert Company.

Just in time for summer, this audiobook puts a new twist on an unconventional romance. Evvie Drake is packed and ready to leave her husband when she learns some devastating news about him. Dean Tenney's baseball career comes to an abrupt halt when, overcome by the "yips," he loses his ability to pitch. Of course these two are thrown together by circumstance, and Julia Whelan's performance of both lead characters is lively and bright, filled with appropriate humor and pathos. The pacing of the audiobook is engaging and relaxed, inviting the listener to escape to small-town Maine and watch friendships evolve. Holmes's selection of details and Whelan's dexterity with conversational nuance largely keep too much predictability at bay. An ideal summer listen. L.B.F. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine