okay, I'm actually obsessed with cecily, will, and buddy. their romance was super believable and I appreciated how will kept popping up. huge points for a great dane meet-cute, too!

Back After This by Linda Holmes is a fun book that kept me literally laughing out loud for several long haul flights. I'm sure my seat mates were wondering what I was enjoying so much.

Cecily is very good at her job of editing podcast audio, but she's kind of stumbling through life. Her boss wants her to participate in a dating advice podcast series. Although she's not very keen, she does it, thinking it will help her keep her job. And then a dog escapes... LOL!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, author Linda Holmes and the publisher for an e-book of Back After This. I am telling everyone I know to read it, it's so good!

This is a charming, modern romance with Linda Holmes’ signature wit and warmth. Cecily Foster, a podcast producer burned by love and career setbacks, reluctantly agrees to host a dating show—only to clash with an influencer’s advice and unexpectedly fall for a sweet, dog-rescuing photographer. Although the podcast setting has been done a lot lately, Holmes still manages to add some depth and perspective, as well as fun banter.

That said, the premise stretches believability at times (would a producer *really* agree to such a cringey public dating experiment?), and the pacing drags in spots, especially during Cecily’s repetitive internal debates. While Will is utterly lovable, the central romance sometimes plays second fiddle to the podcast drama.

Still, Holmes delivers a thoughtful exploration of self-worth, career vs. love, and the chaos of modern dating. Fans of Evvie Drake will appreciate the same humor and heart, even if this one doesn’t *quite* hit the same highs. Perfect for readers who enjoy slow-burn romance with a side of media-industry insight.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Cecily Foster is no stranger to podcasts. She was part of the duo who put out one of the best true crime podcasts. However, after a bad breakup, he ex not only broke her heart, but gave her no credit for everything she did. At a new company, she is given a chance to finally host her own show. The two items to note is that she has to follow a recently minted relationship coach, Eliza Cassidy, as they navigate her dating life first hand for the show. This was not her idea for her first show, but the sponsorship money coming in could save not just the company she works for but for many jobs as well. While she moves through every blind date, she can’t help thinking about and running into photographer who rescued a large dog on the loose. Will see the sparks immediately, but Cecily is pushed away by Eliza to focus on other men. She must determine if following the dating advice is losing ground of herself or if she needs to find a new path.

Let’s be honesty, the dog was a real winner in this one. He made sure Cecily and Will met up and stayed connected. I think we all love a great podcast (or 10+) these days, so this was a fun way to enjoy that aspect as well. The author really dove into some great aspects of podcasting to help set the plot even more. This was a fun rom-com to pick up.

I love Linda Holmes and her ability to write reliably excellent books every time. I'll read anything she writes at this point!

Cecily is a podcast producer who has finally been told she can star in her own podcast as the host. The catch? It’s a podcast about her going on twenty dates and getting advice from famous life coach Eliza, who will co-host. Cecily isn’t necessarily opposed to finding love, but this way? So publicly? Not necessarily her style. Will she end up finding love through her twenty dates? Or will true love find her in its own way?

Something that I really loved about this book was the banter and the writing style itself. The book was very well written, and the banter between all of the characters is top notch. Cecily is so witty and funny without trying. Her and Will’s conversations were my favorite, they gel together so well!

The way that the chapters were wasn’t my favorite - it made me feel like I was an outsider to Cecily’s story instead of by her side through it as it was happening. I really liked the characters, so I wanted to feel close to the story, but the way it was written made me feel separated.

Overall I still enjoyed it. The characters and the banter (and of course Buddy the dog) made it an enjoyable read. Thank you to Random House Publishing, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

A sweet book about finding something you weren't looking for. After everything was ripped away from her, she is in a fledgling career and trying to stay afloat and help those around her. Didn't love the influencer. I get her reasoning but she took no responsibility and put everything on Cecily. Will was so sweet, but I also understand there needs to be some tension in a book. Some drama, if you will. Overall, a sweet book.

Back After This has such a unique story and all of its characters give something to the story. I loved Will from the jump and his banter with our other characters was wonderful.

Linda Holmes has written another one that just grabbed me and didn't let go. Cecily is.a character that you can't help but root for. She's a definite underdog in this story. Speaking of dogs - - there is one in the book and he just might be one of my favorite characters. And his owner isn't bad either. You'll see if you read it.

Even though I was a fan of the book, I wasn't really a fan of the "blind dates" show that Cecily agreed to do. I think I found that part less enjoyable because a similar plot device was used in another book I recently read. Given that fact, it wasn't fresh to me. Or maybe I just don't care for that type of storyline. Either way, I'm pretty sure that is a "me thing" and I wouldn't think it will impact every reader.

What I enjoyed was the natural evolution of the relationship between Cecily and Will. The fact that they keep running into one another feels very "fateful" and "meant to be."

This is definitely a good read and feel good story. Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.

I wanted to love this! The premise sounds fun and light hearted. It was good, don’t get me wrong- I would have just liked to feel a little more connected to the characters

Podcaster stuck in a dead end job after her boyfriend took her show and relationship and made it big. She moves from behind the scenes to in front of the mic as she has a matchmaker set her up on a series of dates when really she'd rather be dating the photographer/waiter she met while chasing after his dog. I loved the behind scenes look at the podcasting world however had a hard time getting into the plot. However as Evie Drake starts over is one of my faves I will continue following Linda Holmes wherever she goes

3 star. Was okay. Good enough to finish and liked Will. But I skimmed alot. Didn't read about any if the 20 dates and ended up skimming for just conversations in quotes. Didn't enjoy as much as the one about the duck.

Review 3.5 ⭐️
“I would look at dating apps and townhouse listings, become utterly defeated, and forget about it for another day.” Back After This by Linda Holmes
I really liked the concept of this book. A podcast about the host working with a relationship coach trying to find love. Sounds good, right? However, I could just not get into the story or care much about any of the characters. I felt this way early into reading this book, but I kept wanting to see if it got better. This by no means was a bad story or written poorly. I just think the pace and possibly the style was not for me.

I really enjoyed this fun, light-hearted rom com. I thought the characters were quirky and charming and the writing was entertaining.

My biggest hangup was that the whole premise of the book – a podcast series about a woman’s dating life being guided by an influencer life coach – was a little hard to get behind. The whole premise of the podcast just seemed unrealistic to me.

That said, I was able to suspend disbelief enough to still enjoy the book, and I would definitely pick up more from Holmes when I’m looking for a light-hearted romance. I’d definitely recommend if that’s what you’re in the mood for this summer!

Back After This has the classic Linda Holmes wit, wisdom and charm that we’ve come to love. A podcast producer agrees to do a show on love and modern dating, guided by a influencer and relationship coach. She’s set up on a series of dates picked out for her, and she has to debrief on the podcast afterwards. The problem? She’s already met someone who she has that elusive chemistry with - and he keeps popping up everywhere, including on her dates. Balancing her own needs with those of her staff around her she’s trying to protect, as well as her coach’s and boss’s demands, she’s stuck in the middle of a storm fighting for the life she desires.

This was a cute romance, but it didn't pack the same punch of some of Linda Holmes' previous books. I liked learning more about the world of podcasting as an avid fan of the medium, but I didn't really connect with much in the story. At times, the premise was a bit far-fetched, but there were some great moments between the FMC Cecily and the MMC Will. Overall, just fine for me but always excited to see what Linda Holmes brings us next!

Thank you to Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an early copy through NetGalley.

Back After This was a tough book to get through. It took me a while and I almost DNF’d it a few times. I couldn’t connect with the characters and was bored the whole time. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC.

This is a light romance set in the world of podcasts. The main character is behind the scenes until she is convinced to participate in a dating podcast. The author is also a podcaster and is one of the rare authors to write about that world well.

This was a nice read, I enjoyed the romance, and the character development / the path to it was super insightful!

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

A cute little Happy book. It was read / narrated by the author herself which I both loved and didn’t care for. There were time where there wasn’t as much emotion or change of voice for each characters dialogue. But other wise she did a great job and I loved the story.

For fans of First Time Caller, this one is right up your alley!