Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books for an advance read copy of Linda Holme's newest book, Back After This!
Cecily Foster has been working and striving for her next big break in her podcasting career.  Always loyal to her company and coworkers, Cecily reluctantly takes on a role in a new dating series which will finally place her in a host position.  Cecily's dating life has been in a dry spell since her former podcasting boyfriend Jusitin, took advantage of her skills and ideas leaving her high and dry without giving any credit where it was due.  With Justin increasingly gaining success and Cecily stuck in a rut, she is tossed full fledged into the dating scene undergoing 20 dates set up for her by influencer and relationship expert, Eliza Cassidy.  Cecily ends up finding a man who she clicks with but not through Eliza's curated methods.  Will is fun, but will he be able to set down roots and unexpected and dating him brings a whole lot of unplanned consequences for Cecily's career.      
I absolutely loved Evvie Drake starts over and was thrilled to be able to read this book in advance.  While I liked it more than Flying Solo, I didn't love it as much as Evvie Drake.  Cecily's character was well developed but there were so many minor characters that it was often difficult to keep track of who was who.

This is a cute rom com. I really liked Will, liked Cecily, and loved Buddy. The reason this one was only three stars for me is that I felt the storyline of Cecily’s dating podcast got very lost in the rest of it. We got zero interaction with the guys she dated after the “test date” and it just almost seemed to be an afterthought. Just felt like it wasn’t carried through completely. Regardless, I thought the book was worth the read and I will read more Linda Holmes in the future.

This book had what I like in romance books. It wasn’t solely about a relationship, it wasn’t a ton of buildup to one or two steamy scenes, but it was about a woman finding love and self acceptance, while becoming empowered to decide what she wants, rather than what others always assume she will do. The romance was pretty closed door, but I felt that it went well with the overall tone of the book.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. I have adored both previous books by Linda Holmes and Back After This was no exception.

Back After This follows Cecily, a podcast producer who is talked into hosting a show where she is set up on 20 first dates in order to save her struggling media company.

Holmes has a way of making her characters feel so incredibly real and grounded. They never come across as contrived or fake in any way. She also does a great job of exploring the changing media landscape and the pitfalls of influencer culture as well. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed her previous two books or is a contemporary romance fan.

I was really really hoping to love this and I just did not. This book was so boring. When she met Will I was like “A MEET CUTE!” and then I just got bored. I was bored with Eliza, and the men she dated and the coworkers and her overall attitude with life and the podcast show. I’ve read another book involving podcasts and dating and it was so much better than this. The narrator for the audio was boring too. She never changed her voice no matter what character was currently talking and I hated it. This book was an absolute no for me and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an enjoyable rom-com! I really liked the premise (it had similar vibes to First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison if you're looking for a comp!) and absolutely loved the male MC- Will. Their meet cute, witty banter, and repeated run-ins were the best part of this story. I also really loved some of the other characters, like Eliza, the influencer who was her romance guru; they felt fully fleshed out. I unfortunately didn't love Cecily (the MC.) I know the goal was character growth and to show her from start to finish, but I really didn't enjoy or relate to her, even once she hit her growth spurt at the end. I did have a hard time getting into this one- I had to switch to a physical copy to finish it. Overall, this was a closed door rom-com that gave me the HEA I was hoping for from the beginning, so it was worth my time!

3 Stars – A Cute, Lighthearted Rom-Com

This was a very cute rom-com! The premise was fun—following Cecily on her dating experiment while navigating career struggles and unexpected chemistry with Will made for an entertaining read. I really enjoyed the friendships in the book and the humorous moments sprinkled throughout.

That said, nothing about the story really surprised me. It followed a fairly predictable path, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. If you’re looking for a quick, fun escape from heavier reads, this is a solid choice!

Thank you NetGalley & Ballantine Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

What a wholesome and cute romantic comedy that gave me butterflies! I love when books have a podcast element and the author executed this one very well. The romance is believable as well as adorable. The characters have depth as well as maturity! Of course it goes without saying that a book with a dog is an automatic mark up in my reviews.

This is my first read by Linda Holmes and will not be my last— I can’t wait to dive into the authors backlist as well as look out for new releases!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC 🤍

All about Podcasts 🤔 Why are the exes always so awful and the FMC *never* has *any* idea?!?!

20 blind dates sounds like a terrible time to be honest. I thought Eliza was supposed to set her up with *good* options? They were all boring or awful. I get they were going for the always running into each other it’s meant to be kind of thing, but it felt like Will was stalking her. Even in a smaller town I have *never* ran into anyone I know out and about in public. These odds seem off. For being such a big part of what’s happening Eliza was not really fleshed out very well as a character. She felt fake from the beginning so when she started to get weird about Will and basically crashed out I was not surprised.

Initially I enjoyed this. The writing was done well. I enjoyed the style, the flow, and how the chapters/sections were broken down. However, all the audio/podcast explanations and jargon really bogged it down. It was easy to read when I stuck to it, but found myself easily distracted and bored. By the time it was the Epilogue I was over it

Back After This by Linda Holmes is a fun women’s fiction / romance about a woman who has been trying desperately to further her career in audio shows (podcasts). The company she works for is finally giving her an on air chance, but it comes with a catch…she must host a show where she’s the subject of dating advice and blind date setups.

This book is great for those who are ready to dig into a book with a character NOT in her 20’s, and who is career driven, but isn’t seeing the results of her hard work.

I thought this book had great character development, a compelling plot line, fun banter, and strong female character growth.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, for this advanced reader copy.

Super cute and quick read. It felt a little predictable but I love a good HEA. Buddy was by far my favorite character, iykyk! Only closed door spice but a fair amount of romance for the FMC (20 blind dates?!).

Thank you to NetGalley, Linda Holmes and Random House Ballentine for this ARC!

It took me way too long to read this book. Unfortunately, it did not keep my attention enough for me to want to keep picking it up. The buildup to the plot was a little too info dumpy for me. The company Cecily works for is not doing great, so they come up with a plan to do a dating podcast show to help draw in more listeners. Since Cecily is single, they choose her to do the show. They assign a relationship expert to work with her to help find her the perfect guy. She has to go on twenty dates with different guys and do a process of elimination. Before the podcast starts, she has a meet cute with Will who is not part of the show. They have a connection, but she has to do the show and date all these guys. There are just a lot of scenes that seem like they are filled with unnecessary explanations of what is going on or is going to happen. I didn't really like the tone of Cecily and how she talks to her friends or coworkers. The story spends way too much time focusing on her work and the podcast and not much time on the relationship build up with Will. The rom com part felt like it took a backseat in this story.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, & Linda Holmes for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #BackAfterThis

Linda Holmes charming new novel, Back After This tells the story of Cecily, who works as a producer for a small company that creates podcasts. The company is not doing well, and Cecily’s boss comes up with an idea to save them- a new podcast featuring the single-and-looking Cecily going on 20 first dates to find the perfect man, while being guided by a popular Instagram influencer.


After Cecily reluctantly agrees to it, she keeps running into a handsome, charming man who’s perfect for her. But she can’t date him until after the podcast is over which is months away. What’s a girl to do?


If you are podcast fan, you will enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at the industry. Linda Holmes is a cohost of NPR’s “Pop Culture Happy Hour”. This is a breezy, sweet read.

★★★.25

as someone who listens to multiple podcasts a day, I was really excited to read this!

I'll say that it started pretty slow for me and honestly took me weeks to finish. it's not that I didn't like the story, it was just not super captivating for me! I think this felt more like it was about Cecily's career and personal development rather than a romance - which is fine, I just didn't expect it. I do kind of feel like there was something missing for me to be truly invested throughout the story and satisfied with the ending, but I really can't figure out what it is. I did love the banter, though!


thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Linda Holmes returns with another charming, entertaining story in BACK AFTER THIS.

Cecily is an exceptional podcast producer, longing for more freedom to develop her own shows (as an aside, Holmes' background in radio allows her to include rich detail to enhance the overall story). Her boss offers her an opportunity: agree to be the star of a new dating podcast, working closely with a life coach/online influencer, and she will both preserve a friend's job and be given a chance to develop one of her shows. Twenty first dates, strategically chosen by the life coach, will be recorded, then the men are pared down to see whom she meshes with for follow-up dates. Cecily grudgingly goes along with the project, since she realizes she has a type that typically leads her unhappy. But what about the dog-rescuer/photographer/jack of all trades who keeps crossing her path?

BACK AFTER THIS is an empowering story as Cecily realizes she defaults to being accommodating and compliant, often trying to orchestrate lives around her in ways she thinks are best, all without their input, but maybe she just needs to engage in revealing conversations with them instead of trying to control everything, and she also considers how to give herself permission to "want" and to act accordingly.

(Thank you to Ballantine for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

Love love love! Anything Linda Holmes is an automatic buy. Her writing is so genuine that you feel like the main character. I felt like I was Cecily, heartbreak and healing and all. You don't want to sleep on this one. Also, omg, I could NEVER handle the pressure of a podcast. Cecily is the epitome of resilience and to come back after having her idea stolen, my gosh, Queen status!

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine for my eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I think this book started strong and then started to deflate. The initial meet cute between Cecily and Will is adorable. They instantly vibe with each other and work together to catch a runaway dog. I have to say Will was one of my favorite MMCs so far this year, he loves animals, is thoughtful and his ability to read Cecily was so sweet. Its at this point that I started to lose interest unfortunately. This might be me but I found the podcast jargon to be awkward. Its possible I just do not listen to enough of them to know all this background but I still do not know what Holmes is referring to when Cecily mentions, what I am guessing to be real life podcasts, indirectly. I think this avoids legal issues but as I non podcast listener I felt like I was on the outside of a "if you know you know" type of gag. There is also a reference to a "Coldplay song" but I do not get why that couldn't be named. I think this story would resonate better if the reader is a more active consumer of podcasts.

I also think the story could have gone in another direction and led to more depth for Eliza, the relationship coach, she seemed to really snap when Cecily was interested in Will and it felt like there was some projecting going on. The ending kind of tied that up in a less impactful way which is fine but I was anticipating a deeper reason after reading her freaking out about Will across two thirds of the book.

This was so amazing! I honestly can’t remember the last time a romance had me laughing out loud but this one did it multiple times. Cecily is such a fab main character. She’s so normal. I think a lot of readers will be able to identify with her which is so important in a romance.

I thought the plot was terrific. I am not a big podcast fan myself but I found myself completely interested in how they are made, specifically the audio side of things which I genuinely had never thought about before.

And Will! Oh, he is such a great male lead! The banter between he and Cecily was perfect.

I cannot recommend this highly enough!

Really liked Back After This! Cute, easy and feel good read. This is my first experience with this author and I’ve since put other books of hers on hold.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Linda Holmes has yet to steer me wrong.

Back After This dives into the world of podcasting. Cecily Foster has worked for the same production company for several years. Though she has been involved in various projects that she has enjoyed (and even more that she hasn't), she still hasn't been given the opportunity to host her own show. Ultimately, this is the goal she is working towards. Unfortunately, the step that will get her closer to it is one that really doesn't sound appealing.

Her boss offers her the chance to host a podcast called 20 Dates. The caveat is that she will be the participant going on those 20 dates, all of which have been arranged by an outside consultant named Eliza. In order for this show to work, Cecily has to buy into the idea that Eliza is capable of finding her the perfect match.

Enter Will. Walking his dog. Waitering at the restaurant Cecily meets her date at. Taking the headshots they'll use for promo of the show. He's everywhere. And yet, Cecily is obligated to fulfill her contractual duties and has been advised not to pursue the "hot waiter." Of course, he's the only person she's felt a true connection to. So it ultimately comes down to what matters more to her -- her job or her personal life.

And at the end of the day... does she want an outsider dictating either of those things?

This was filled with the same sort of charm, banter, and cute romance that Holmes' previous novels (Evvie Drake Starts Over & Flying Solo) have become known for.