Twenty blind dates. One runaway Great Dane. And a meet-cute that’s technically a dog heist. If that doesn’t scream rom-com magic, I don’t know what does.

Cecily Foster is perfectly happy staying behind the mic as a podcast producer—until her boss and an influencer convince her to document her return to dating for the world to hear. Suddenly, she’s the star of a viral social experiment, juggling awkward setups, questionable date activities, and a growing suspicion that the best connection she’s made might be with the guy outside the experiment.

I found Cecily to be so relatable, and there are little tidbits of advice in here that sound like they came directly from my therapist. 😂 Also, when I get back into dating, I am 100% utilizing the dummy date idea. It’s GOLD. 🥞

I loved this book—the podcast details were fascinating, the romance was top-tier, and the vibes were absolute perfection. If you like your rom-coms with smart humor, chaotic dog energy, and just the right amount of pining, make sure to add Back After This to your TBR! Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC—this one drops February 25!

Cecily is a talented podcast producer. In desperation for job security and secretly a reason to believe in love again agrees to a modern dating series as the "bachelorette" . During the process she must decide to follow the rules or to just simply following her heart after a hilarious meet-cute with Will, "the waiter" who is off limits according to her dating coach.

This is my favorite Linda Holmes book.

It did start off rather slow, but in classic Linda Holmes fashion, she hooked me at some point, and then I just couldn't stop reading.

I audio-booked her other two books, but thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books, this was my first physical reading experience from her, and it was so easy to picture the characters in my head.

I absolutely loved the characters, Will was a "wear your heart on your sleeve" kind of guy and Cecily was a people-pleasing, need to help kind of girl. Their chemistry was fire from the meet-cute, and I think the growth was handled very well.

I think I wanna read this again as an audiobook down the road. I felt very invested in Cecily's journey.

Cecily Foster, an overworked podcast producer, is eager for more in her career. She agrees to a dating/self-help show with influencer Eliza, going on 20 blind dates in exchange for the chance to produce her own show. Along the way, she keeps running into Will—who isn’t part of the show and whom she’s been told to avoid. Yet, their paths continue to cross in unexpected ways, and their connection grows despite the rules. It took me a while to get into the story, and some parts felt drawn out while others, like the dates, could’ve used more detail. Overall, it’s a light, fun, non spicy and easy read with a peek into the podcast production world.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for providing an advanced reader’s copy 🤎
PUB DATE: February 25th, 2025

This was a cute story and I enjoyed the premise and the meet cute. Having this set in the podcasting world was interesting but I also felt it got a little to technical at times. I love a Bachelor-like plot but the dates actually played a very small role in the plot which was very surprising to me. They almost felt like an afterthought. I also wish the female main character showed a bit more growth. Toward the end she was making progress but there were still a lot of bad people in her life that got away with it and I felt unsatisfied with the conclusion. Overall, this had lots of potential but missed the mark for me in a few ways.

I've been a big fan of Linda Holmes since my podcast-listening days and so far I've enjoyed her foray into fiction. This book was really a stand-out for me. As much as I liked her first two books I felt like this one took it up a notch in nearly every way. You can tell that Linda is doing a lot of writing what she knows here, which gave some really fascinating insight into the podcasting world. The characters are wonderful, flawed, and relatable in their own ways and the chemistry between Will and Cecily had me full on kicking my feet and laughing out loud with delight. There were several impactful scenes/bits of dialogue that gave me that stomach-twist of recognition when you see yourself and your experience reflected on the page. I can't wait to read whatever Linda writes next.

A fun rom-com by the author of Evvie Drake Starts Over, which I also loved. Cecily is a sound producer for a dying podcast company in Washington, DC. She's given up on love after a disastrous failed romance years ago and several uninspiring first dates since then. Her boss is grasping at straws, trying to keep the company alive, and comes up with the idea to do a dating podcast. With Cecily. It involves going on 20 first dates and then getting critiques from said dates so that Cecily can improve her skills and find her true love. It just so happens that in the midst of the first dates, she happens to meet someone who just MIGHT be the man she's been waiting for.

This was a cute story. I enjoyed the love story of Cecily and Will, and wish there was more scenes with the 2 of them. The podcast plot was original, but I lost interest when none of the guys seemed enjoyable. Fun read overall!

This fun novel is about Cecily, a podcast producer who longs for a bigger role. She also has been single for four years, and her boss tells her their company is not doing well and he needs her to not just produce but be the subject of a podcast with a semi-famous influencer who will set Cecily up on 20 blind dates as the podcast documents her search for love. But things get complicated when she also meets someone on her own in the middle of all this.

I just loved this book, so enjoyable to read. The banter and romance is great, but it’s also about so much more than that - career, friendship, families, and more. And as much as I also love the ultra unreal celebrity romance books, I also just love a book that has a romance between main characters who are not perfect or super humanly gorgeous, but regular insecure people with their own foibles, and this book does that so well! (Think Curtis Sittenfeld or Rainbow Rowell.)

I am a long time fan of Linda Holmes, going back more than 20 years to her recaps of The Amazing Race on Television Without Pity, and her first book Evvie Drake Starts Over was one of my top ten books of 2019. I wasn’t quite as enamored of her sophomore effort, Flying Solo, so I’m thrilled to say she’s back to form with this one!

4.5 stars

5⭐️ Captivating! Holmes crafts characters and a story that sucks you in until the last word.

**Thank you to Boldwood Books, Inc. and NetGalley for the eARC**

Cecily Foster, a podcast producer is about to end up on the other side of the mic and the subject of a dating, self-help podcast. And she is dreading it. If it wasn’t for the promise of saving the company and her friend’s jobs, she’d turn it down. And what would happen as soon as she agrees to twenty blind dates? She meet the sweetest man. Over and over again. Will she find love on the podcast? Or will the chance meeting be her dream guy?

I cannot give this book enough praise. Such a good storyline and probably the best meet cute I have ever read. And it involves a dog! Cecily is a character you want to love and root for, and Will, her love interest, is a down to earth, all around good guy. The pacing is great and keeps you surprised and interested from cover to cover. Read the book!

Thank you so much for the publisher for the review copy!

This book was delightful, and I found the unconventional romance quite charming, the characters were easy to connect to. I think what moved the novel forward was the clever and witty banter between the characters!

I am so appreciative to Net Galley and Random House - Ballantine for this ARC! I loved this non-traditional romance and found the characters relatable and refreshing. The dialogue and banter between main characters was so well done. I particularly loved the ending and a few unexpected twists. Linda Holmes has provided her readers with another fantastic book!

Based off the book description, I thought that this book would be a 5 star win for me. Combine rom-com, people who work in audio/podcasting and a dog, and I thought I'd love this story. However, the beginning was so slow, I got about a quarter of the way into the book and ended up setting it aside for several weeks because I just could not get into the story. I found the antagonist in the story to be obnoxious and not a well-rounded character. I did love the banter between the main female and male characters. I wish the story would have centered them more, it would have been a fantastic story. Unfortunately, for me, this one fell flat.

Cecily is a 30 something with a dead end job in podcast editing. She hasn’t dated anyone seriously since her work colleague dumped her four years ago. Now her boss wants her to be the subject of a dating podcast. She will work with an Influencer who will set her up on twenty dates in about six weeks. Cecily has no interest in this project but feels her participation is a means of saving her best friend’s job as well as getting her boss to let her make a pilot of her own podcast. When she meets a nice guy outside of the project, there are all sorts of complications. The story is both funny and sad. The characters are engaging and likable. This was my first experience with Linda Holmes but I look forward to reading more of her books. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Linda Holmes is a favorite author and her latest is now a favorite new romance. Such a fun story with a peek into the world of podcasting and audio editing. I love interesting characters with unique jobs, and Cecily is just perfect. She agrees to date - with the help and advice of an online influencer, making a podcast along the way. In the meantime, she has a hilarious meet-cute with Will, who is not an approved date for Cecily. Antics ensue as Cecily and Will keep connecting, and Cecily has to decide what direction she wants her personal and professional life to take. I loved everything about this book. All the stars! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the earc to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Cecily is a podcast producer who is over-worked and under-appreciated. She finally gets the opportunity to produce her own show but the premise isn’t ideal- she has to work with a famous social media influencer & the goal is for her to find love over the course of 20 blind dates. This book explores themes like serendipity, proximity, career ambition and the state of the podcast industry. The pacing lulls at times but overall this was a fun, light and cozy time! I will read anything by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I love Linda Holmes on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, so I had high hopes for her novel set in the podcasting world. In Back After This, we follow Cecily as she embarks on a hosting a new podcast that is focused on her dating life. She is meant to go on 20 dates set up by an expert, and she does, but Cecily gets distracted by Will, who keeps popping up in her life.

There was a lot to like about this book, but some parts didn't click for me. I really enjoyed Cecily and Will's dynamic and banter. I had a harder time reading about Cecily's job and wished less time was spent on this - her workplace was unstable, which was important to the story, but simply not fun to read about. In the end, I appreciated seeing Cecily's growth with the workplace dynamic.

3.5 stars

There was just something about this one that didn't hit right for me, and I'm a bit surprised because I did really enjoy Evvie Drake Starts Over by the author. I'm not sure if it's just lack of personal interest in the podcast world, or how at times the writing style didn't quite flow with perfunctory summations "And that's how I ended up...", but it ended up being a largely skimmable book for me. I did like the idea that you can try as hard as you can, in this case, by agreeing to go on blind dates for a podcast, but what's meant to be will be and you can find love by a chance encounter instead. However, in this case, love came in the form of a blasé blah mediocre man named Will, who didn't seem like a great match for the more career oriented Cecily. Maybe this is a more realistic depiction of romance, and I guess I like to be delusional after all.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy the book even though I felt it went a little slow. I did like the storyline and the characters. I would recommend this book.

This was another great story from Linda Holmes! I really enjoyed the premise of a podcast producer trying to get her own show. I loved how hard Cecily worked and what a badass FMC she was. This story had good pacing and i really enjoyed the storyline with Will as well. What I like about this author's stories is that they tend to have a very independent female lead just trying to figure out how to make it in the world and have a good relationship as well. Toby turned out to be a jerk and the twist really got me! This was a fun one. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks NetGalley and Ballantine for my copy of this ARC which publishes 2/25.

Back After This follows Cecily, a podcast producer turned host recording her way through twenty blind dates, set up by renowned dating coach and influencer, Eliza Cassidy. Enter Will: the dog rescuer/photographer/waiter everyone wants her to avoid, but she can't seem to stay away from.

As someone who worked at the same place for 11 years and was too scared to leave because it was comfortable, I saw a lot of myself in Cecily. It's hard enough to define what you want out of life, but it's even harder to say it out loud. Although I enjoyed how quickly the plot moved, I fought a slump left and right while reading this, hence why it took me over two weeks to finish. Linda Holmes, I love your work. It's not you, it's me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!