pages: 289
read: 1/22-25/2020
book: 5 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
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.
MY THOUGHTS
This was an okay read for me.
It's a super easy, fast read (only 289 pages) but for some reason I only wanted to read it at work and then struggled a bit to pick it back up at home.
And today I thought to myself, "I am finishing this TODAY because I don't want to wake up to read it another day."
I just wanted it to be done and I found myself glossing over some parts of this story.
Evvie gave me super Eleanor Oliphant vibes in a way. Its just that Evvie was a bit more...sure of herself even though she also had her own set of issues.
maybe not sure but definitely not as retracted as EO was.
I loved the relationship between Andy & Evvie even though it was, I don't know, I bit farfetched (only because of the kids and every weekend for hours on end....but also, what do I know?) But I did love that they had their weekends and I loved that it also falls apart a bit. I thought that was a bit more realistic. Friends have fall outs. And the comebacks are always sweeter.
I also really liked Monica. I like that she was level headed and confident in A&E's friendship instead of being jealous about it. And I also loved that she was such a good friend to Evvie in the end.
I also like that E gets her happy ending after all even if it isn't her that is walking down the aisle but I think that was just perfect.
Overall, it was a cute story but I personally didn't connect with it like I know other people have.
I definitely didn't love it like others have.
There's a lot that I did like about it, especially the cereal box story!, but in the overallness of everything, it was just an okay read for me and i was counting down the pages til I'd be done with this read. and then ironically when I was at the end, i hadn't even noticed because I don't know, I just didn't.
Either way, I'm glad i read it.
I would've been fine never having read this but I'm not mad at all that i read it so it's all good I guess.
anyway, jump over for spoilers.
thanks for reading!
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S P O I L E R S
Evvie was on the verge of leaving her husband, as in going back in to the house to get the rest of her stuff to finish packing up the car - leaving, when she got a call that her husband was in an accident (they never say what the accident was. And its actually raising questions rn that I think about it).
Hes passed away when she arrives.
It's now been a year.
Her bff Andy proposes that she let Dean move into the apt to help out with the rent and bills (yes, the doctor did have life insurance but she didn't want it)
He moves in, they get to know each other, she tries to fix him, then end up hooking up.
Andy gets told by his mother that she noticed the luggage in Evvies car thinking that evvie packed it because she was going to be staying in the hospital until her husband recovered the day of the accident but in actuality, once she described the luggage to Andy, he knew that she was actually running away.
He confronts her, she admits it, he's bothered that she was just going to flee her home without talking to anyone. Not him, hot her father. But he leaves it as is and goes home.
But of course its not okay.
They don't talk for a while.
In the end, Dean moves back to NYC and Evvie ends up selling her home and buying another by the water. she does a lot of self reflecting in this period. therapy and everything.
Dean ends up coming back to her and they end up together.
Andy marries Monica.
Quick background: Andy was married to Lori and they have two kids. Lori leaves him and he eventually starts dating Monica. who is very aware of the relationship that Andy & Evvie have.
Tim (evvies husband) wasn't physically abusive but he was verbally and mentally and he wore her down.
She didn't want anyone to know how much of a dick he was. That's why she was pretending to stay home and grieve for the past year. ...but honestly, I don't even think it was that. I think she was just afraid.
She celebrates the first year anniversary but by the second one, she doesn't really, not care but I cant think of the proper word/phrase, care/need to uphold the anniversary tradition. Which of course upsets his parents and which was honestly probably my fave part.
Bahaha.
And that's it.
As always I left out a lot. But it wasn't because I'm trying to be mysterious I'm just over it.
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