This was a fun, up beat, fast paced rom com. Cecily agrees to be part of a podcast with a life coach that involves 20 first dates. There was plenty of humor between the two main characters. Cecily learns some valuable lessons about what she wants and needs - and even gets some final closure. I also enjoyed the insight into the world of podcast making. And let’s not forget about the best background character, Buddy the Great Dane. Thank you to Ballentine Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Back After This offers an interesting behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of podcasting, layered with a gentle, unfolding love story. The main character, Cecily, is matched by the well-meaning Eliza Cassidy, who at first glance feels like she might be the antagonist—but Holmes paints her with enough nuance that she never quite lands in that role. While Eliza doesn’t guide Cecily toward the love she’s truly meant for, that discovery ultimately becomes Cecily’s own journey, which adds a nice depth to the plot.

It wasn’t the most memorable read, but it certainly wasn’t a bad one either. This book would be a solid choice for readers looking for something light and fluffy, or for anyone in need of a palate cleanser between heavier reads. Holmes' writing is easy to settle into, making it an enjoyable, if not groundbreaking, read.

This was book was such a surprise to me - I was not expecting to like it as much as I did, but I really enjoyed it. I read it primarily on audio, and the fact that it was narrated by the author was so fun. It was kinda predictable, but the actually execution of it was pretty well done. I enjoyed reading about the dynamic between Will and Cecily, especially as she navigated through the dating podcast she was involved with. I wish there had been more conflict with her ex and slightly more resolution with that, but otherwise I had a pretty good time with this.

Thank you to Ballantine and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

The story focused on Cecily, a podcast producer who is asked to work with an influencer to find the perfect boyfriend. However, Cecily constantly bumps into Will repeatedly and their connection is hard to resist.
I enjoyed learning more about the podcast world. I wish the book had focused a little more on the romance and less on Cecily’s former relationships. Also, none of the dates selected by Eliza felt like true contenders for Cecily’s love.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read but it won’t stay with me.

Sweet and smart! I loved this. I love an emotionally mature character that has a job, leads an independent life, etc. I enjoyed the podcasting premise and I loved the meet cute with the dog!! All in all, a fun read!

This was a sweet romcom, that was an easy read. While the story was creative, overall the book lacked depth for me.

What a great read! I devoured this book in two days and loved every minute of it. The plot was perfection - just enough twists to keep you guessing while fulfilling all the expectations we have of a good romance journey! Makes me want to go read all of Linda’s previous titles and enjoy a good podcast.

4.5 stars! Linda Holmes' writing just works for me. I like the humor and the very three-dimensional characters that she creates. In this book, Cecily has a job in podcasting that's sometimes satisfying and sometimes maddening - her talents aren't fully appreciated and her boss doesn't follow through on his promises but her co-workers are the best. Her boss makes yet more promises to entice her to participate in a podcast with an influencer who fashions herself a matchmaker. Cecily is very skeptical about this influencer's ideas to send her on 20 dates, but she reluctantly agrees. Just when they decide that the podcast is a go, Cecily meeets Will, and things get more complicated. As the book progresses and Cecily's life seems to be in a downward spiral, she realizes that her friends, her sister, and even the influencer haven't been totally wrong - she needs to figure out what she really wants and go for it. When an author can mix quippy humor with introspection and real-life messiness like Holmes can, I know it's going to be a hit for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for an early digital copy of this book to review. If you haven't picked this one up yet, I definitely recommend it!

BACK AFTER THIS review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🎙️This was my first book by Linda Holmes and I went in having no idea what to expect! Honestly this one had a bit of a slow start. But once I was invested in the story, I didn’t want to stop reading!

🎙️Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Cecily is promised a promotion at work if she agrees to participate in a podcast where she’s the main subject. She’ll be set up on 20 dates by a dating coach and guaranteed to find a lasting relationship. But what happens when she seemingly finds Mr. Right on her own?

🎙️This reminded me quite a bit of IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? and I enjoyed them both! The ending was pretty obvious but the workplace drama made it more interesting for me! Overall, I enjoyed this one but since it was fairly similar to another new release I’m not sure how much it will stand out down the road.

🎙️Thanks to @randomhouse for my digital copy!

Fun Romcom.

Will and Cecily really grew on me, and I ended up enjoying their story. The bits with Buddy were super sweet—probably my favorite part.

Cecily’s character had some nice growth, which I appreciated. The part with her “best friend” could’ve used more development though—it felt kind of shallow. If you're into podcast production, I think you'd enjoy it even more. For me, it was a cute, light, and fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books for an advanced copy in return for my honest review. Somehow, even though generally I dislike romance books, I love Linda Holmes. I think it's because her stories are more about character growth, with the romance being secondary. This holds true with Back After This. Once again, Holmes gives us a book full of interesting, flawed characters that we want to succeed. I didn't like this book as much as Holmes' previous two books, because I'm not a fan of the podcast plot device. It seems to be everywhere these days. Despite that, I found myself pulling for Cecily and Will, and of course Buddy. Holmes' characters and writing won me over again, and she will remain an auto-buy author for me.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. I have become a faithful reader of Linda Holmes since her debut, and I'm happy to say this one was a joy to read. I really enjoyed the main character and her job - almost even more than the romance aspect of the story. The content about podcasting makes sense, as Linda works for NPR in addition to authoring books. I enjoyed that the book was about more than just the love story and that we were able to see the main character grow. This is pretty mild on the spice, which was fine with me.

2.5 stars. This book was….disappointing. I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over, so I expected to love this one too, but it fell flat for me. It was slow, the character development for her best friend she was supposedly saving the job for was so small I barely remembered her name or her story, there was a lot of the storyline that I just did not care about, her work issues didn’t interest me at all, and I really, really disliked the character of the dating coach. She wasn’t even a little bit likable or relatable.

That being said - I was invested in Cecily and Will. I loved Will’s character and I liked the romcom aspect of them continually running into one another and Will just always being there. BUT - again, Will could’ve been developed deeper and the romance could’ve had a more engaging build up. By the time they got together in her apartment, it just seemed off.

It was just fine. I didn’t hate it, but I’m not recommending it to everyone I know. Just meh.

So cute! I loved the main character Cecily and felt like her character arc was strong. Will was a strong male protagonist and dreamy as well!

Back After This is a fun, easygoing rom-com set in the world of podcasting. The protagonist is likable and the setting feels fresh, even if the backstory is a little light. I enjoyed the ride, but it didn’t quite hit that “love it” mark for me. Still, a solid pick if you’re in the mood for something charming and modern.

Oh, wow I LOVED this. LOVED.

I absolutely adored the voice and wit of this book, and it immediately made me want to return to visit Linda's backlist of titles. The author's writing is smart and funny and this book is well-constructed and engaging from start to finish. I loved the premise -- betrayed podcaster's effort to boost her company and protect her colleagues' jobs lands her on a dating & self-improvement show -- and found it a unique plot made all the more believable and engaging due to the author's own knowledge and experience in the field.

It's the perfect combination of swoony, reflective, captivating, and smart. The characters and world are well-developed and it's easy (and really enjoyable) to get lost in the story. This will be a definite re-read and a title I'll absolutely recommend to my community!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Cecily is a podcast producer who has always wanted to host her own show. Her boss gives her the opportunity to be the front person to help save the company. The only catch, she has to work with a self-help coach and go on 20 first dates. Cecily isn’t happy about the arrangement but agrees to save her job and the jobs of her friends. Of course nothing works out as planned.

This is a cozy, romance with witty banter that had me laughing out loud. Using her knowledge of the industry, Linda takes us behind the scenes of the making of an podcast without getting over our heads with technicalities. She keeps it light while exploring issues of self-sacrifice and empowerment. And the story features a dog named Buddy. Who doesn’t love a book with an adorable dog?

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for the arc of this book in return for an honest review

I love Linda Holmes, and I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over. But this wasn’t my favorite. I would have liked to spend more time with Cecily and Will, but I felt like there was so much time spent with Eliza and everyone at the podcast studio, left the romance a little thin.

"She nodded. "I was talking to Izzy, and she asked me if I'd noticed that we used to have great toilet paper in the bathrooms, and now it's this stuff that's like, all scratchy. I think it's one-ply. And I realized—I hadn't thought about it, but my ass knows it's true. The toilet paper sucks now. Benji says the first sign that a company is really in trouble is when they switch to cheaper TP."" - I shared this with my friend screaming because we were just talking about it. Single Ply Curse!

Another woman betrayed by her own kind and belittled by men. Another woman who got shit done, solved problems, and when she tried to be little vulnerable she got slapped. Another woman who tried to find the balance and try to be happy. Cecily was that woman. She loved editing and producing podcasts. She never shied away from a challenge even though men took the credit what should have been hers. Yet she still felt the burn of everything that happened around and to her

It started as a sad story of a woman who couldn't get a break but ended up on a high note. I needed this palate cleanser in between dark and disturbing stories. While I could consider it bit romancey, I liked the lightheartedness of it.

This book was unfortunately not for me. It felt very repetitive and drawn out. The writing style was not my favorite either.