I absolutely loved Evvie Drake and now I’m in love Cecily Foster in Back After This! I had such a good time with this story and couldn’t get through it fast enough because I just wanted to be deep in it. 😂 I will definitely recommend this one!!

I loved this book and was immediately drawn in by the main character Cecily. She is relatable in many ways to me - her humor, her dive for work, and her optimism. The run-ins with Will were my favorite and I laughed out loud many times while reading this. During some of the breakthrough moments between Eliza and Cecily, I appreciated the back and forth dialogue to get her to really start changing her perspective. Eliza’s perspective was able to be direct to her and call Cecily out but in a kind, caring way. Indirectly, I felt like I needed to hear those things as well. I haven’t read Linda Holmes before but will be looking up her other books. Looking forward to this coming out and listening to this as an audiobook as well.

LOVED this fun romp through the podcasting business! Main character, Cecily, is single and works in audio editing. Business has not been great so to stimulate some podcast excitement, her boss sets her up with dating coach, Eliza, to go on 20 dates, and evaluate her experience in a series of podcasts. Just before the dates begin, Cecily has a random encounter with Will, who is actually chasing a dog on the loose. The two capture the dog, and have a chat. Oddly, Will coincidentally works at the restaurant where Cecily's first date is, and becomes part of the podcast adventure. The story progresses and Cecily discovers what she really wants, even though others disagree. It's a fun book with a satisfying ending. Highly recommend this entertaining rom-com!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Back After This.

I've enjoyed Linda Holmes' books in the past, but this one was not for me. I had a very hard time getting into the story. A premise of saving a job is set on a friendship that does not appear to be remotely strong (there are no interactions between these friends, they never hang out, they don't have meaningful conversations about important life events they are going through). The main character is participating in an activity that is supposed to be so unlike them, but they aren't very likable so it's hard to buy into that. I think there may have needed to be a little more development of the characters stories before going into the twenty dates portion so that the backstories held up. The end was enjoyable and had more of the interactions/personality the rest of the book of was missing, but by then it was a little too late. Sorry, I did not enjoy this one.

I first fell in love with Linda Holmes writing and humor in her debut, 𝘌𝘷𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳. I wasn't quite as enamored with her sophomore novel, 𝘍𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘰, so I was cautious to read her latest, 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 (Pub 02.25). Friends- I LOVED it!

Thank you @ballantine for the early copy.

𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄
Impossibly heart clutching meet-cute
Sharp, smart humor
Romance-adjacent
Podcaster agrees to 20 First Dates concept
Antics and banter
A delightful escape yet grounding and relatable
Wit, charm, heart
Set in D.C.
Save for a weekend when you need a pick-me-up. It will deliver.

3.5

If you love podcasts + rom coms, this is the book for you! It follows Cecily as she posts a podcast where she is the subject: a relationship coach curates 20 first dates for her and Cecily records her journey for the show.

This book is altogether heartwarming and hilarious to read--the epitome of rom-com. I had fun reading about all of Cecily's failed first dates and what went wrong in each of them. Her chance encounters/meet-cutes with the dog-man throughout the book were unrealistic but great in the way that rom coms are.

I was worried that the main part of the story (the 20 first dates) would drag on super long, but Holmes chose to describe each in a short, snappy paragraph. Most were funny to read about, and the ones that were not did not take up too much of my time. Like all romance books, it's clear who the final love interest is going to be, and finding out how it happened was part of the fun of reading the book.

The podcast element was most prevalent in the beginning and ending of the book and a driving force for the middle. As a casual podcast fan and a Bachelor watcher, I enjoyed the fictional look into the podcast industry and it gave me newfound appreciation for the work that the podcasters put into their episodes.

Overall, I gave this book a 3.5 stars because it was fun and heartwarming, but not the most memorable or emotional romance book I've read. It won't stick with me a month from now, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it in the moment.

Thank you to NetGalley + Random House Ballantine for this ARC!

Such a fun reading! Love the end (happy but not perfect fairy tale) and how the main chat after evolves in the book.

Competition is fierce as millions of podcasts are made every year. How is it possible to get the most listeners? A terrific love story almost always works.

Toby understood this and was eager to get support from advertisers for dating-game episodes that would draw thousands of listeners. He just needed to find a single, attractive woman that would be willing to go on 20 dates. One of his employees, Cecily, was called into his office. She wasn’t happy with this arrangement but she felt pressured to keep her job.

It happens all the time: unjustified abuse in the workplace. I never thought about how much behind-the-scenes work it would take to create a successful podcast. It was predictable early on but it didn’t matter as it was filled with humor and a sweet lovable dog. It was quick to read with a handful of strong characters.

I enjoyed Cecily’s journey with the various dates. The story was also about finding important values in life and making positive changes. The outcome made me smile. Everyone needs a fun book, especially these days. This is a good one!

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 25, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read Back After This by Linda Holmes, in exchange for my honest review.

I squealed with delight when I received the privilege of reading this ARC.

I love Linda Holmes! Her writing is amazing! She writes unique situations, witty dialog, loving relationships, and heartfelt characters like no one else.

This was a fun, somewhat relatable, enjoyable story. I highly recommend this book, and Ms. Holmes' other books (Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo)!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for this eARC!

Linda Holmes is a must read! I liked this look into the world of podcasting (which Linda <i>knows</i>). The main characters, Cecily and Will (and the dog) are great and this also gave a fascinating look at an influencer, Eliza. I love that Linda went a new direction from her Maine books, but I will admit, I missed that setting just a little.

While I thought the book started off a little slow at first, I really liked the characters and felt that it picked up later on. I also thought the book was very witty, and I enjoyed getting to read it from Cecily’s perspective. I would have enjoyed reading a few chapters from Will’s perspective for more insight into his character, but I think the author does a good job of providing the background information we need.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

(Rated 3.75 on StoryGraph but rounded up to 4 for whole number rating)

This is such a cute rom-com! This is my first Linda Holmes book, and I love that it was based around a podcast producer. This is such a specific world that Holmes clearly knows a great deal about, so it was fun to experience the world of audio through her eyes. She also writes fantastic banter and I found the romance between the two main characters super cute.

While the plot wasn't super strong, I still loved the premise - Cecily agrees to step in front of the microphone for a podcast at her company, where she usually works behind the scenes. She is matched up with a life coach who will set her up on 20 first dates to help her find "the one." Luckily, most of the dates don't go very far so we don't have to keep track of 20 love interests (!) Instead, the story is more about Cecily juggling her professional and personal life, and the curveball of meeting someone when the timing couldn't be worse.

I think this will be a big hit next year! It's a perfect cozy read and we all need that right now.

Cute and fun read. The characters were developed well, you felt s if they were old friends. I would definitely recommend.

Finding love is never easy and letting someone else do the sorting adds to the mess. Cecily Foster puts her love life in the hands of an influencer and is forced to go on 20 dates. Unfortunately she has managed to meet someone on her own who suits her perfectly, but her mentor refuses to let her date him. Charming, witty and full of surprises.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. These opinions are my own.

I simply adored Linda Holmes' first two novels, having discovered her through her podcast. I was so happy to see this third book with a glimpse of the podcast world firmly within her usual emotionally insightful, playful, romance-adjacent-but-not-exclusively style. It was another absolute banger. I loved it all from the meet cute to our loveable but flawed main character, to the way she humanized our antagonists. Five stars, will keep nabbing Linda Holmes' work as fast as she can produce it!

Back After This, is a fun, silly, engaging rom com! It had me kicking my feet and giggling it was cute and a fast paced novel!
We are following Cecily who is working for a company that produces podcast but with a turn of events she is now being partnered up with popular influencer who is now going to be her dating coach for a new podcast!
I really enjoyed this book! I thought the pacing was perfect and I really loved reading about the behind the scenes of editing and making of podcast!

This book took me by surprise in the very best way! Such a fun and cute story, didn't want to put it down!

Such a great rom com. The beginning was a bit slow but then started getting momentum later! Loved the plot of this! Was my first podcast book and I was a bigger fan than I thought I was going to be

Cecily has dedicated her entire adult life to the podcast industry. After breaking up with her boyfriend (4 years ago...) she wants to be as successful as him in the industry. Her boss pitches a dating show for her to star in and she is immediately reluctant. While pondering this opportunity, she randomly runs into a man that she seems to be attracted to. She decides to do the show and ignore her connection to save her job. Now she has to deal with being date coached by an uppity influencer, going on twenty dates, while having them recorded, and on top of it all, she's distracted by a man that she can't get out of her mind - or her line of sight given she keeps running into him.
 
Authors put their hearts and souls into their work, so it crushes me when books just don't sit with me. This one was a miss. Cecily was unlikeable. Eliza was unlikeable. Julie was unlikeable. Toby was unlikeable. Will was the perfect book boyfriend; however the ending made me horribly mad for him, and I ended up liking him a little less because of it. I just couldn't get on board with any of the characters. I was not once rooting for Cecily. I did really like the explanation of the podcast industry and the difficulties that accompany it. I do have a greater appreciation for podcasters because of this novel, so I'll take that as a win!

Ultimately, this one fell flat for me. Thanks to Ballantine Book and NetGalley for the eARC!

Cute romance. Not really a romcom. Kind of slow for my tastes. Thanks to the publisher and author for the arc all opinions are my own