This is a fantastically well-written, laugh-out-loud hilarious romance set in the world of podcasting. I was so deeply invested in these characters, and I can't remember the last time I read a book in any genre that was so consistently funny all the way through. There were some fade-to-black scenes that I think could have faded to black a little bit sooner, but even these were written so well and so tastefully that they didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book at all. Linda Holmes's Evvie Drake Starts Over is one of my all-time favorite romances, and Back After This is every bit as amazing. It will definitely make my list of favorite books of 2025.

I really enjoyed this new release contemporary romance by @lindaholmes97 The main character, Cecily, is an audio engineer who reluctantly agrees to make a podcast with a life coach/influencer who will help her find love through a series of steps. There's a great meet-cute aspect to this book (involving a dog), good banter, an interesting antagonist, and an overall early 2000s rom com feel. I kept picturing Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling as the main character which says something about the tone of the book. It seems like there were a lot of thrillers last year with podcasts as a plot point, but this rom com talks about audio engineering and podcasting clearly from an experienced point of view. I listen to a lot of podcasts, or rather a lot of episodes of a couple favorite podcasts, and I thought all the behind-the-scenes details about audio were so interesting.

The banter between MCs was my favorite, they had great chemistry and a huge dog that made lots of appearances.

Boy did I love being a part of Cecily and Will’s adventures around DC! Their story, mixed in with Cecily’s podcast misadventures made this the perfect book to binge in February, providing all the laughs and hope for my own meet cute, dog included!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It took me a little bit to be pulled into this one, but I really ended up enjoying it. Cecily is a podcast producer and is given the chance to have her own show, but there are circumstances. She must work with Eliza, who is a relationship and life coach/influencer. She agrees to go on twenty first dates with men Eliza chooses, and it will be filmed. But before the show is filmed, she meets Will….and she likes him, but Eliza doesn't think he's good for her. Her and will just end up running into each other all the time though. I was curious to see how she would navigate the show, while being attracted to Will. This was a light, funny and entertaining read and I'm happy I was able to get to it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I love Linda Holmes. This book is no exception.

Cecily makes podcasts, and that's basically her whole personality. She gets chosen to host a podcast where she works with a life coach to go on 20 dates. After committing to the podcast, she meets Will. Cecily finds herself drawn to Will as they keep bumping into each other. Cecily's journey is messy and she has a lot of truths to confront but the story is engaging and you root for her the entire time.

Linda Holmes has become one of my go to authors to read and this was no exception. I love her books and am so glad to say this one was just as good.

Charming, sweet story with a relatable, winsome main character. 3.5 stars rounded up. The podcast elements were fun! Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved Cecily and her story. I read this in one sitting because once I dove in I couldn't stop. Linda Holmes wrote the chemistry between Cecily and Will so well; I could easily see them as real people while I was reading.

I loved everything about this story and these characters. Cecily is a character you can’t help but adore, because she wants to help those she loves. The meet cute between Cecily and Will was hilarious and I loved Buddy, the Great Dane. I enjoyed the peek into the world of audio production and editing and I loved the lessons Cecily learns as she goes on twenty dates, as part of a new podcast. This is my second book by Linda Holmes and I enjoy her writing style and her character development. Definitely recommend!

Linda Holmes is such a fun writer. I loved her previous "Evie Drake" and was thrilled that this one lived up to the funny dialogue, great characters, and a storyline that moved. I usually read pretty "heavy" books and this one was like a breath of fresh air that I needed. It's about a woman who is behind the scenes for a company that makes podcasts and the company is nearing the end because of money. Her boss comes up with a strategy to boost revenue with a fun idea for a new podcast and we are off to the races. It has a little of everything which made me keep turning pages well into the night. Everyone will enjoy this romp. Huge thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy.

My sincere thanks to Random House/Ballentine and @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The main character Cecily works with podcasts and has had some tough breaks from her ex taking credit for her ideas to her boss not giving her the opportunities she deserves. When he finally gives her a chance to show what she can do she has to agree to being the focus of the podcast and allowing a relationship influencer to set her up on 20 dates. In the meantime, she meets Will. He catches her interest right away and keeps showing up in her path. Where will he fit in? Can she even think about Will while doing the project? (The following may contain a spoiler.)

I wanted to love this like I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over. Sadly, this was not the case. I'm not sure if it was the podcast storyline because I'm not really a podcast listener or because I was expecting more about the 20 dates when we only got a short summary with really no details about the dates. Anyway, I was expecting something different than what I got. I would still recommend this book to people who enjoy rom coms because I know many readers will enjoy it even if this wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher for a free Netgalley.

I loved Evie Drake Starts Over, so I was excited for this one. Predictable? Yes. Cutesy in ways? Yes. Fun? Yup! I needed this style book. A little bit heartwarming, a little funny, a little predictable, and a very likable plot.

Cecily is an absolute gem, and Eliza is quite a character. There personalities are perfect together as partners in this podcast, and though Eliza is Eliza you can't hate her. Will, as a love interest, was fine. He was probably the most lacking part for me as I just felt he was kind of 2 dimensional. But to be honest, I did not need him to be anything more. The story was about Cecily and her development.

The podcast portion is small in the sense, that this is not going to give you chapters in the podcast format. It's not that type of book. My only other "concern" was I could have used a couple more dates for Cecily in longer format.

Overall, this was enjoyable and I recommend for those who liked her previous novel!

I absolutely plowed through this book! It was so fun and easy to read. The concept was fantastic and the book lived up to it. Cecily was a really good main character, although her character development took longer than is generally ideal. Will was perfection and I adored the chemistry between the two. I found the podcast framing to be well done, but I think the book got slightly over complicated with all of the different plot points. Overall, still tons of fun and a popcorn level delight.

I am a big ol Linda Holmes fan - both of her as a podcaster (love Pop Culture Happy Hour) and her books. So when I saw she wrote a romance about a podcaster?!?! And set in DC?!?!? SIGN YA GIRL UP!

Cecily is a podcaster who prides herself in her work ethic and her relationships with her friends, colleagues and family. She is also still putting herself back together after most serious relationship - with her former coworker - imploded. So instead of focusing on romantic relationships she is pouring herself into her friendships and work. And it is working for her - until her boss makes her an offer that he says she can't refuse.

The company is struggling and the idea to save it - and all of their jobs - is a new show where influencer Eliza will serve as a relationship coach for a woman and help her find a man. And of course, that woman must be Cecily. While she is not a fan of the premise out of principle, she feels like she has to. It only gets worse when she realizes that this plan requires her to go on 20 first dates (!!!!) all picked out by Eliza.

Cecily plans to power through it, but gets distracted by Will, a handsome stranger who just keeps popping up around town...

Linda Holmes is a fabulous story teller - this was full of nuance and excellent character development. I found myself quickly invested in Cecily and Will, faults and all. When I closed the book I couldn't tear a big ol smile off my face.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for this ARC! I loved it!

If you’re a fan of podcasts, workplace drama, life coaches, dating drama, or meet cutes that just keep happening, this book has it all!
When uber podcast producer Cecily gets called into her boss’s office she wonders which show he needs her to “fix” or what crisis he’s about to load on her already overworked and under appreciated shoulders, you know, the usual. However, it’s much worse, at least to her. He wants her to host a new podcast with an up and coming influencer, Eliza, aimed at women, dating and self improvement. They have sponsorships, money that will help stave off the impending layoffs that have been rumored if she will agree to go out on 20 dates picked by Eliza and have it all broadcast. Cecily can’t help but think there could be a silver lining- save her single mom best friend’s and her own job, and also finally get her boss to sign off on her dream project that she can host. When he agrees, she decides to try and be positive about the situation.
Funny thing about life, just when you least expect it, the universe has other plans. As she stumbles along following all of Eliza’s advice and going on her 20 dates picked for her- she keeps running into one man, over and over, and well, shenanigans ensue.
** Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book!**

Thank you to Netgalley for the Advanced Reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

** Review contains spoilers **

Back After This was thoroughly enjoyable. Cecily and Will had great chemistry and it was easy to root for them throughout the story. While you knew it was inevitable that they would end up together, the ride to find out was still enjoyable. I loved how serendipitous their story was and the cute ways they kept bumping into one another. The banter throughout this book was also really funny. I laughed out loud in several places and often wished I had Cecily's quick wit.

This will be an obvious purchase for the library. Pass along to anyone looking for a good contemporary fiction story.

I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over and was excited to try another book from this author!

The premise of this sounded promising, when Cecily, the FMC, gets a chance for her own podcast, with the caveat that it'll be about her own dating life while following the advice of an influencer/career coach, she hesitantly dives right in to help save a friends job. Independently of the 20 dates she's committed to going on associated with the show, she also keeps running into Will. Meet cute after meet cute. They hit it off immediately. And the reader spends the rest of the story rooting for them, while simultaneously hearing about the hoops that influencer Eliza is having Cecily jump through.

I wanted more from this story. The plot was messy, there were an abundance of characters introduced at the beginning that it was hard to keep track of who we did like (molly) and who we didn't (let's be honest, eliza was the worst). I wanted Cecily to stand up for herself more, for her job, and especially for what she had with Will. I missed the depth and feels that this author had in a previous book and ultimately the epilogue felt so unresolved for the journey the characters were on that it ultimately impacted my rating. This was a quick and overall enjoyable one sitting read. I'd pick up another book from this author in a heartbeat but was a bit disappointed here.


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Fully enjoying this one!

Thank you @prhaudio for a listening copy - I listened on my way to pick up sushi last night and I found myself sitting in my driveway longer, just to keep listening!

Brief Summary
A podcast producer agrees to host a new series about modern dating—but will the show jeopardize her chance at finding real love?

Is this one on your list?? I loved Evvie Drake and liked Flying Solo so we'll see where this one lands but so far it may take the top spot.

Have you ever stayed in the car longer just to keep listening?
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Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I'm not sure anything will ever measure up to Evvie Drake (the first rom-com I can say I ever loved) I did enjoy this very much! What makes Holmes' books stand out to me in the romance space, which I don't visit too often, is her smart heroines and witty- actually witty, not forced- dialogue that made me snicker throughout the book. The behind the scenes of podcasting and influencer culture/business was interesting as I know nothing about either. I struggle to read electronically unless I am really engaged in a book, and I had not problems staying engaged with this one. It's smart, and fun, and a quick read.