I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over so I was so excited when I heard about Back After This, and it did not disappoint. Cecily is a great protagonist and the story was engaging and cute. An easy and good read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book took me a hot minute to get into (had to get past all the office politics first) but once I did boy did it have me hooked. This was such a quick read for me, I devoured it. There’s nothing I love more than a woman who wants absolutely nothing to do with dating suddenly finding herself in a situation where she’s going on a bunch of dates. The unexpected romance of finding someone accidentally is the best.

I was really looking forward to reading this as I heard such great things about Linda Holmes' books. I enjoyed this immensely! In this novel, a woman is essentially force (due to work reasons) to participate in a dating podcast where she is set up on 20 first dates. Listeners follow along with her dates across episodes in a very "Bachelor Nation" kind of way. The only hitch, she's actually falling for someone not on the show. This book was really good fun!

Evvie Drake remains one of my all-time favorite books, but I had a hard time getting into this one. The pacing in the beginning felt a bit slow, and the concept of a podcast/radio show focused around a host's dating life felt overdone at this point. I might revisit this book in a different mood, but for now it failed to catch my interest.

I really enjoyed this one from Linda Holmes. Once again it was a relatable romance for women over 30. I love having characters who are well into their career and trying to figure it all out at the same time. Comforting and heartwarming. I'll keep coming back for more.

A quirky podcasting rom-com with laughs and audio insider flair—but the endless blind dates and convenient coincidences start to feel like filler.

This was a cute book. We follow the main character Cecily go on 20 blind dates setup by a relationship guru for a podcast she hosts. Cecily definitely learns a lot about herself along the way.

I got sent this book and found it to be, if anything, one of my favorites of the year. It had everything I loved in at and more. The banter, story, and dog were what kept me interested and thinking about this book long after I stopped reading it. Its funny, relatable, and had me giggling and kicking my feet every time Cecily and Will ran into each other.

Ballantine eARC
I didn't get to this when it released, but I am so glad I made time for it now because it was just what I needed as I was feeling slumpy. I loved the setup of this one. There are so many podcasts in books now, but this was such a fresh take from Cecily actually working behind the scenes in the industry. I thought the story line felt fresh. I also fell for Will right in the beginning because of the dog scene. I liked their dynamic and exploration of what it meant to be content. I also liked the friendship established in the beginning between them. Cecily's twenty dates for a podcast she hosted was an interesting way to set up a romance. There was such a nice contrast between a dating service and organic meetups here. This was lots of fun, and I really enjoyed it.

If you like cozy romance, this one is for you! This is a cute story, full of romance. It didn’t blow me away, but definitely perfect for a relaxing beach read..

Back After This
By: Linda Holmes
Review Score: 4 1/2 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Podcast Element
•Influencer Element
•Light Revenge
•Great chemistry

———

Y’all. I love Linda Holmes. I seriously enjoy every book she has written. She has such a way with creating real characters, where you feel invested in their story.

I love podcasts, so I loved reading about Cecily, and the hoops she is jumping through to try and create her own podcast.

I also loved Eliza. Not because she was a wonderful person or anything (lol), but because I liked how the life of an influencer was represented. I found myself laughing at how she does things and her perception of how life is.

Cecily and Will have the funniest meet-cute I have read in a long time, and I loved to see the evolution of their relationship as the story unfolded.

This was such a great book. I loved it, and I can’t wait to see what Holmes writes next!

Back After This by Linda Holmes is a heartwarming and engaging story that perfectly balances humor and heartfelt moments. I loved how the characters felt real and relatable, navigating life’s ups and downs with charm and honesty. The pacing kept me invested, and the story left me with a satisfying, uplifting feeling. It’s a sweet, thoughtful read that lingered with me long after the last page.

I loved this book! It had a pretty unique premise and main characters with real chemistry. And of course, A DOG.

Cecily is a podcast engineer with aspirations of hosting her own show. She finally gets a chance with influencer Eliza, who is tasked with finding Cecily a man by putting her through 20 different dates. However she keeps crossing paths with someone off-limits: Will (and his adorable Great Dane Buddy).

While I found the way they were CONSTANTLY bumping into each other to be a bit obnoxious, I did love Cecily and Will’s relationship. It has been awhile since I have read a romance with characters that feel this real and got my kicking my feet!! If you loved Evie Drake like I did, I think you’ll love this too! 4.5 stars

DNF'd at 10% - I couldn't get back into it. The way she was "approached" about the show and the sponsors...maybe it's me and I shouldn't have read this post long work trip.

Thank you to Ballentine and NetGalley for the opportunity.

Even though I don't listen to podcasts myself, it's still an element I love to see incorporated in books. Cecily immediately had my attention, because I love her love for podcasts. It's always interesting when you have a main character who is very invested in the job she loves. I even learned a few things about what not to do before recording with a microphone (like drinking certain things). That aspect was very entertaining.

Cecily has always wanted her own podcast, so reluctantly agrees to doing one about modern dating that has her going on twenty dates. An influencer takes over her dating life and is convinced she can find Cecily her perfect match. I loved the fact that after this our main character has her very own meet cute with Will and a runaway dog. This moment had me laughing out loud!

I really appreciated that Cecily and Will just can't stop bumping into each other after that. Even though Cecily has been forbidden to date Will because of the podcast. Their banter and chemistry was there from the start. Both of these characters were fun to get to know. When Cecily goes on dates they're awkward and show us all how dating actually goes. It had me laughing and feeling for Cecily as she goes through this whole podcast journey.

All in all, Back After This is just a feel good book that has us exploring the fact that dating can be messy. Life just isn't perfect and we have to go with the flow. I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

My review will also be posted on https://thebookdutchesses.com on August 30th

Not spicy (strangely not graphic but not closed door sex - vaguely spicy?), male female, 1st person single point of view, contemporary romance. Well written with humor and an engaging premise. I didn't love this, but I also didn't hate it. Now I'm vague! I can't put my finger on it, so I can't tell you specifically. BUT, I would definately try this author again.

2.5 stars!

They skip over the most interesting part of this plot – Cecily is going to go on 20 dates for a podcast, and all 20 dates are summed up in one chapter. Also, for a story that puts such emphasis on production value and spoken word, this was a really dull audiobook with basically no production value. The "meet cute" in this story was also.... really weird.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review.

The reason why I requested this ARC was that I was drawn to the title and the synopsis which sounded so cute and fun (but I found it was not that unique in my opinion - so I wasn't the biggest fan the execution)
As I was reading I found that it was very predictable, which unfortunately made the story drag and left me feeling bored. It was hard for me to get into and I never felt the urge to pick it back up whenever I'd put it down.
That being said, the chemistry between Cecily and Will was great and while there were some heavy topics and more mature themes, I did think the author wrote these very well.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine for the ARC and a chance to read and review. All opinions are honest and my own**

Thoroughly enjoyed this! I usually give an eye roll to books about podcasts, but the main character, Cecily, really pulled me in. I’m glad I took a chance on this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the advanced copy. Publication date February 25, 2025.

I really enjoyed this book! Back After This was witty and smart. Cecily is a podcast producer who is put on a show where her assignment is to go on 20 first dates. During all this, a charming stranger named Will keeps turning up wherever she goes.

I enjoyed the audio aspect of this book. I feel like a lot of books have been published lately involving podcasters or radio shows, but this one was different. I feel like I learned a bit about the world of audio, the companies that run it and the industry in general. It also gave me a new appreciation for producers and how hard they work to make the hosts sound good!

Linda Holmes is an author I greatly enjoy. Her books are charming and smart. Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for this electronic arc. The thoughts in this review are entirely my own.