Back After This
By: Linda Holmes
Review Score: 4 1/2 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Podcast Element
•Influencer Element
•Light Revenge
•Great chemistry

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Y’all. I love Linda Holmes. I seriously enjoy every book she has written. She has such a way with creating real characters, where you feel invested in their story.

I love podcasts, so I loved reading about Cecily, and the hoops she is jumping through to try and create her own podcast.

I also loved Eliza. Not because she was a wonderful person or anything (lol), but because I liked how the life of an influencer was represented. I found myself laughing at how she does things and her perception of how life is.

Cecily and Will have the funniest meet-cute I have read in a long time, and I loved to see the evolution of their relationship as the story unfolded.

This was such a great book. I loved it, and I can’t wait to see what Holmes writes next!

Back After This by Linda Holmes is a heartwarming and engaging story that perfectly balances humor and heartfelt moments. I loved how the characters felt real and relatable, navigating life’s ups and downs with charm and honesty. The pacing kept me invested, and the story left me with a satisfying, uplifting feeling. It’s a sweet, thoughtful read that lingered with me long after the last page.

I loved this book! It had a pretty unique premise and main characters with real chemistry. And of course, A DOG.

Cecily is a podcast engineer with aspirations of hosting her own show. She finally gets a chance with influencer Eliza, who is tasked with finding Cecily a man by putting her through 20 different dates. However she keeps crossing paths with someone off-limits: Will (and his adorable Great Dane Buddy).

While I found the way they were CONSTANTLY bumping into each other to be a bit obnoxious, I did love Cecily and Will’s relationship. It has been awhile since I have read a romance with characters that feel this real and got my kicking my feet!! If you loved Evie Drake like I did, I think you’ll love this too! 4.5 stars

DNF'd at 10% - I couldn't get back into it. The way she was "approached" about the show and the sponsors...maybe it's me and I shouldn't have read this post long work trip.

Thank you to Ballentine and NetGalley for the opportunity.

Even though I don't listen to podcasts myself, it's still an element I love to see incorporated in books. Cecily immediately had my attention, because I love her love for podcasts. It's always interesting when you have a main character who is very invested in the job she loves. I even learned a few things about what not to do before recording with a microphone (like drinking certain things). That aspect was very entertaining.

Cecily has always wanted her own podcast, so reluctantly agrees to doing one about modern dating that has her going on twenty dates. An influencer takes over her dating life and is convinced she can find Cecily her perfect match. I loved the fact that after this our main character has her very own meet cute with Will and a runaway dog. This moment had me laughing out loud!

I really appreciated that Cecily and Will just can't stop bumping into each other after that. Even though Cecily has been forbidden to date Will because of the podcast. Their banter and chemistry was there from the start. Both of these characters were fun to get to know. When Cecily goes on dates they're awkward and show us all how dating actually goes. It had me laughing and feeling for Cecily as she goes through this whole podcast journey.

All in all, Back After This is just a feel good book that has us exploring the fact that dating can be messy. Life just isn't perfect and we have to go with the flow. I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on August 30th

Not spicy (strangely not graphic but not closed door sex - vaguely spicy?), male female, 1st person single point of view, contemporary romance. Well written with humor and an engaging premise. I didn't love this, but I also didn't hate it. Now I'm vague! I can't put my finger on it, so I can't tell you specifically. BUT, I would definately try this author again.

2.5 stars!

They skip over the most interesting part of this plot – Cecily is going to go on 20 dates for a podcast, and all 20 dates are summed up in one chapter. Also, for a story that puts such emphasis on production value and spoken word, this was a really dull audiobook with basically no production value. The "meet cute" in this story was also.... really weird.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review.

The reason why I requested this ARC was that I was drawn to the title and the synopsis which sounded so cute and fun (but I found it was not that unique in my opinion - so I wasn't the biggest fan the execution)
As I was reading I found that it was very predictable, which unfortunately made the story drag and left me feeling bored. It was hard for me to get into and I never felt the urge to pick it back up whenever I'd put it down.
That being said, the chemistry between Cecily and Will was great and while there were some heavy topics and more mature themes, I did think the author wrote these very well.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine for the ARC and a chance to read and review. All opinions are honest and my own**

Thoroughly enjoyed this! I usually give an eye roll to books about podcasts, but the main character, Cecily, really pulled me in. I’m glad I took a chance on this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the advanced copy. Publication date February 25, 2025.

I really enjoyed this book! Back After This was witty and smart. Cecily is a podcast producer who is put on a show where her assignment is to go on 20 first dates. During all this, a charming stranger named Will keeps turning up wherever she goes.

I enjoyed the audio aspect of this book. I feel like a lot of books have been published lately involving podcasters or radio shows, but this one was different. I feel like I learned a bit about the world of audio, the companies that run it and the industry in general. It also gave me a new appreciation for producers and how hard they work to make the hosts sound good!

Linda Holmes is an author I greatly enjoy. Her books are charming and smart. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for this electronic arc. The thoughts in this review are entirely my own.

Linda Holmes scores another winner! A story of love, dating, and a huge loveable dog, I loved this story. Cecily is a character to root for, and readers will.

Thank you Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. This was a cute fun podcast based book. I usually am not a fan of podcasts or anything based around them but this was an exception.

Linda Holmes has a knack for writing the most charming, genuinely funny dialogue in her rom-coms. I loved BACK AFTER THIS for its great characters and peek into the podcasting world (from an author who would know!). I hope Linda Holmes continues to publish many more delightful rom-coms in the future!

Cecily is good at making podcasts. She also has lots of great ideas for them if anyone will listen. Since her ex stole her last idea and ran off without her, she has been down on love. Until her boss comes to her with an idea to help her find love and save the company. No pressure, right? Collaborating with an influencer, Cecily goes on 20 dates that are all recorded for podcast episodes. In the mean time, she keeps running into Will everywhere. And there seem to be some sparks, but it's been made clear she can't date him while the podcasts are going on. Cecily has to decide whether to follow her heart, or try to save the company.

This was a good book with (mostly) likeable characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Cute, but not memorable at all. I’ve always enjoyed this author’s writing and that was the case here too. It’s just not one that stuck with me unfortunately.

I love a podcast-based book and this was no exception! This story had excellent banter and such strong character development.

I adore Linda Holmes and her quirky way of creating realistic, yet slightly exaggerated, characters. This one is yet another entry into her fantastic canon of stories. I loved the setting of it, with the podcast doing so much of the work of the storytelling. I would recommend this to anyone who loves comedy with some romance thrown in, and is also slightly tired of the familiar tropes and just wants some fresh, original ideas.

This was such a fun, charming read—a playful twist on the classic makeover/blind date rom-com, but with so much more heart. Linda Holmes nails the tone: light and witty, but with plenty of emotional depth to keep you invested.

The banter in this book? Absolutely top-tier. I found myself smiling (and sometimes laughing out loud) at the dialogue—it’s smart, sharp, and totally believable. The characters have great chemistry, and even the more predictable beats feel fresh because of the way they’re delivered.

It’s the kind of book that feels like a comfort watch in book form—delightful, funny, and just a little bit swoony. Highly recommend for anyone who loves a good rom-com with brains and heart.

I loved this book so much. My only complaint is that I would have liked to have more of a podcast format throughout the book to show what was going on with that. This was a great romcom.

Any romance that starts with a Great Dane-induced meet cute is going to be good, and this was no exception. My favorite part of this after the dog was the dialogue, which has that snappy Jennifer Crusie style that characterizes my favorite rom-coms.