Evvie Drake Starts Over

The bestselling contemporary romance Evvie Drake Starts Over is the first novel by the noted American radio journalist and podcaster Linda Holmes. Originally published by Random House in 2019, the Bantam books paperback of 2020 is summarized here. Holmes’s novel was selected in July of 2019 for Jenna Bush’s book club, Read With Jenna, by which time it was already on the New York Times bestseller list. The novel follows the stories of two wounded individuals, a young, emotionally abused widow named Evvie Drake, and a much-maligned former Yankees player, Dean Tenney, who unaccountably lost the ability to pitch. In describing her novel, Holmes has said she dreamed of writing it for years, only committing to do so after telling her national radio audience she was going to complete a book. Although many readers have noted the similarities between Holmes and the fictional Evvie, the author insists the book is not autobiographical. Profane language occurs throughout the book, though typically only when characters are expressing frustration. The few romantic scenes in the narrative are not explicit or graphic. Alcohol use, including inebriation, also occurs throughout the narrative.

Plot Summary

After more than a decade of marriage to Dr. Tim Drake, his wife Evvie can no longer endure his angry, venal behavior. She selects a day to decide whether or not she will leave him. Once she decides to leave, she experiences sudden euphoria. While gathering her belongings, Evvie receives a phone call from the hospital where Tim works. A nurse informs Evvie that Tim has suffered serious injuries in an auto accident. Tim dies while Evvie drives to the hospital.

After these introductory events, the narrative jumps forward a year. At one of her regular Saturday morning breakfasts with her closest friend, Andy, he tells her his friend Dean Tenney is coming to their town, Calcasset. He hopes to escape New York for about a year and wants to rent the apartment in Evvie’s house. Dean is notorious in Manhattan where, as a pitcher for the Yankees, he suddenly lost his ability to control his pitches. Evvie agrees to meet and evaluate Dean as a prospective tenant.

Dean arrives at Evvie’s home to see the apartment by himself. Evvie did not expect him to be so attractive. They have a pleasant conversation and agree Dean will stay for a year in the apartment attached to her house. They agree not to bring up loaded topics, such as his baseball troubles or her deceased husband.

The hospital holds a tree-planting ceremony in Tim’s honor. Evvie asks Andy to accompany her. She is grateful that her tears fall during the program, which allows her to perpetuate the myth she is a recluse because she still grieves Tim’s death. That evening, during a thunderstorm, Dean moves into the apartment. Evvie watches him pitch a pinecone against the fence until it falls to pieces.

A tabloid reporter, Ellen Boyd, appears one day when Dean is absent. She asks Evvie several leading questions. Evvie demands that she leave. Boyd’s article appears on the internet less than an hour later, full of innuendos. Evvie fears Dean will be angry. Instead, he compliments her on standing up to Boyd. The next visitor is Ted Finch, the high school baseball coach, who asks Dean to be his assistant coach. Dean eventually agrees.

Evvie and Dean grow closer, soon watching TV together. They begin to prop open the door from the kitchen to the apartment except at night. They receive an invitation to attend Thanksgiving at Andy’s home, where Dean’s parents will be present along with Evvie’s dad. When Evvie’s father, Frank, expresses his gratitude that she has held up so well after the death of her beloved husband, Evvie grows angry and tries to cut him off. On the ride home in Dean’s truck, he tells Evvie she must learn to be honest with those she loves about how she detested Tim. She points out Dean needs to be honest about not being emotionally finished with baseball. They conduct a lengthy, candid conversation that concludes with Dean kissing Evvie on the forehead before going to bed.

Dean asks Evvie to ride with him to Boston to pick up a vintage pinball machine. On the trip, they candidly share the reality that each finds the other attractive. They establish a “go signal” Evvie can use to let Dean know when she is ready for romance.

Andy shows up at Evvie’s house. He has deduced that Evvie was going to leave town without telling anyone the Tim the night he died. When she confirms it, he feels devastated and betrayed. After this, he cancels the next two of their regular Saturday breakfasts.

Evvie asks Dean to teach her to pitch. He takes her to a practice field and shows her the fundamentals. She convinces him to throw pitches against a fence. Knowing she is working to get him back into the major leagues, he tells her to give up her efforts. She asks him to pitch one inning for the Calcasset Claws minor league team. He agrees to pitch so long as there is no advance publicity. However, when Dean takes the mound in the charity game, within four minutes the news is on the internet from a major sports news source. Dean strikes out the opposing team with 11 pitches.

At Evvie’s home, she and Dean decide to be intimate, but they want the occasion to be quite special. He asks her to go out of town with him the next Thursday. In preparation, she purchases four new sexy sets of lingerie and spends the entire day getting ready. They go to a hotel with a restaurant and have wine and dinner. Dean reserved two hotel rooms, meaning Evvie could back out of sex, though she does not. The result is splendid for both. They decide to keep this part of their relationship secret.

Hearing about his perfect inning with the Claws, the Phillies contact Dean and ask him to come to Connecticut for a tryout the following week. Before he leaves, he and Evvie decide to ask Andy and his new girlfriend Monica to a cookout. Evvie and Andy get drunk and begin to hurl accusations and insults at one another. Monica takes Andy home early, and Dean carries Evvie to her bed.

Dean returns from his tryout to tell Evvie that he failed. He has reconciled himself to the reality that he will never pitch again. When he announces that it is over, Evvie understands him to say that they are over. She tells him later that night that she expects him to move out. By the end of summer, Dean sells his furnishings, packs his belongings, and leaves for New York. Devastated, Evvie has a meltdown in the kitchen and texts Andy to come over. They sit on the kitchen floor, confess all the secrets they have kept from one another, and reaffirm their friendship.

Evvie visits a therapist, Dr. Talco. She makes several changes, including selling her house and buying a new cottage overlooking the ocean, adopting a puppy, going back to work with her favorite client, and changing back to her maiden name. She also sends Dean a message that she misses him. Dean, meanwhile, has been confronted by his parents who say he planted the seed that made Evvie ask him to move out. He shows up at her new house. They make love and agree he will stay in Calcasset a while, and she will come to New York for a time.

Andy and Monica get married, with Dean serving as the best man. The novel closes with Evvie watching Dean walk toward her with a little smile.