August 15, 2020

Evvie Drake Starts Over

 



Fiction
2019 Random House Audio
Read by Julia Whelan
Finished on August 13, 2020
Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

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.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started this audiobook. I didn't read the publisher's blurb prior to listening, but chose the book shortly after its release and after reading a few positive reviews from friends. I presumed it was contemporary fiction, but as it turns out, it leans more toward light romance, which is not something I generally read. And yet, looking back on this past year, I've actually read several romances: My Oxford Year (also read by Julia Whelan), Things You Save in a Fire, In Five Years, and The Sight of You

Evvie Drakes Starts Over is fairly light and full of lengthy descriptions of daily life (bordering on monotonous) and so predictable I was actually able to predict several responses in the conversations between Evvie and Dean. In spite of the predictability, tired narrative tropes and lack of depth, I was mostly entertained as I listened while out on my daily walks. Julia Whelan is becoming one of my favorite audiobook narrators, which is partly why I didn't call it quits; I know I would have, had I been reading the print format.

10 comments:

  1. I liked (not loved) the audio of this one, it was what I needed at the time.

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    1. Diane, I was mostly entertained, but I don't know if I'll read more by this author.

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  2. Think our opinions on this are pretty similar...

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  3. Yeah I agree with you ... it was okay but not great. I'm not sure I thought the characters would appeal to one another ... and as it went on ... they lost some of their appeal to me.

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    1. Susan, I guess they can't all be winners, right?

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  4. I have this book on my TBR and now I want to read it even more. Thanks for dropping by my blog.

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    1. Anne, I hope you find it to be an enjoyable read!

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  5. I like romance novels every once in a while but I think the thing that's mainly kept me from this book is the baseball part. I'm not into sports whatsoever so I just wonder if there is a lot of about the sport that will only leave me confused.

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    1. Iliana, baseball plays a small role and I don't think you need to know anything about the game. I mean, you know what a pitcher does and that's pretty much all you would need to know. LOL!

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