BACK AFTER THIS

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The second half of this book completely changed my reading experience. If it hadn’t been an ARC, I probably would have stopped reading but I’m glad I didn’t! The romance ended up being really sweet and I loved all the little meet cutes that built a friendship between the main characters. There were also a quite a few funny moments that made me audibly chuckle. I’m interested in trying the author’s other books just for the humor!

I struggled with all the information about podcast production. I have no frame of reference so I got really bogged down in the details.

romantic content: fade to black
brief strong language

*Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are my own.

“Back After This” tells the story of Cecily Foster, a woman who’s had a longtime career in podcasting. After her ex and former colleague took their podcast for himself and broke her heart Cecily has sworn off love. When the opportunity to host her own dating podcast with advice from influencer (and “dating coach”) Eliza Cassidy arises, will Cecily be able to find love?

I have mixed feelings about this book. I was really looking forward to the premise of the story, and I enjoyed her meet cute with Will and the conflict that made with the podcast. I also really enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the world of podcasting, as well as Cecily’s personal journey with her work/life balance.

However, I really feel like the story was rush and lacked a lot of depth, both with both the podcast and romance plot lines. It felt like we jumped from point to point and didn’t get a lot of details about the actual progress of the podcast, and it was hard to tell if it was because Cecily wasn’t invested in it or if it just wasn’t fleshed out. And while I enjoyed Will and Cecily’s romance, I felt like it went from 0 to 60 and then fell apart just as fast.

I would still recommend that you give the story a chance! I just don’t think it was the romance for me.

I am a Linda Holmes fan + had high expectations for this one but it wasn’t my favorite by her! I did enjoy the podcast/audio trope, thought it was cute and fun. I did feel like the thickening of the plot never really happened. This is much less of a romance read than a women’s fiction - so it surprised me. I didn’t fall much for Will and Cecily’s chemistry which just makes it SO hard to be engaged for me. I did appreciate the growth of Cecily’s character throughout but just overall wasn’t super engaged in the story.

After years of being behind the scenes, Cecily finally has the opportunity to host her own podcast. The catch? She has to agree to go on twenty blind dates and discuss them for the whole world to hear.
Back After This is sweet and funny and a little bit ridiculous in the best way. This book has so much heart, I couldn't put it down.

Cecily has always wanted to host her own podcast, and not just produce them as she’s currently doing. When her boss finally gives her a big break, it’s not exactly what she has in mind. She’s going too the focal point of a new podcast on relationships/dating. She’ll be going out with 20 men, picked for her by a relationship/dating guru/influencer. Cecily is not thrilled with the idea but she’s got incentives to go through with it. Of course the last she expected was to have a chance meeting with Will, a guy who was chasing down a loose dog. Since he isn’t part of the podcast, Will is off limits and yet she keeps running into him. This was a cute, quick and easy read. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity too read and review an eARC of Back After This.

2.75 Sadly this one just didn't work for me. It started it out with promise and the main romance was the thing that kept me reading. The whole podcast dating thing was so very boring and I struggled to care. The premise sounded like a good one and I really enjoyed Evvie Drake Starts Over but this one fell really flat for me. If you are looking for a slow burn, cozy, quiet rom com this may be just what you are looking for. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read it in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I loved this book so much! Cecily is such a fascinating character. I really understood her and where she was coming from. I saw a lot of myself in her. I actually feel like I might have learned some important lessons about myself from this book.

Linda Holmes does it again!

Not that its any surprise that Holmes, who is an NPR host by day, knows how to write a fantastic story set in the world of audio journalism – in fact, it’s something of a surprise it took her till her third novel to mine what must be a wealth of personal experience.

I appreciate that Back After This doesn’t play coy with the HEA. Even as Cecily goes on numerous dates at the direction of life coach/influencer Eliza for the sake of the show, Will keeps popping up. After multiple meet cutes, it’s starting to feel like fate is throwing them together for a reason, even if Eliza insists Cecily must be choosy in order to successfully land a relationship. Cecily is trying so hard to be game for Eliza’s way of doing things – she’s not sure she buys what Eliza is selling, but she’s not sure she’s wrong either. Even if her heart is telling her otherwise.

Tropes abound, but Holmes makes them feel fresh. Can’t wait for her next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 ⭐

Thank you to Ballantine Books for the ARC provided through NetGalley.

This was my first time reading a book by Linda Holmes, and I overall enjoyed it. Her humor shines through in a way that makes the story feel warm and inviting. I especially loved how the book was deeply rooted in the audio world—it added a unique and immersive element that made the setting feel fresh and engaging.

That said, while I liked the story, the connection between the FMC and MMC felt lacking. There was so much potential, but something was missing, and their relationship never fully landed for me. Still, the novel had a lot of heart, and its cozy, comforting tone made for an enjoyable read.

If you’re looking for a light, character-driven story with a charming atmosphere, Back After This might be worth checking out!

The story begins with a truly delightful meet-cute: Cecily, a podcast producer and consummate helper, spots a man wearing a cape - a barbershop cape, not a superhero cape - and chasing a large dog. She follows, helping lure the dog with the peanut butter she keeps in her giant purse, and meets Will and his curly, half-cut hair. The meeting is random, but Will and Cecily strike up a flirtation.

... Which can't go anywhere, because Cecily is starring on a dating podcast with a self-help guru. Initially reluctant, she goes along with the idea to safeguard her and her producer's jobs, get her boss to take her ideas more seriously, and finally graduate to the next step in her career after years helping make other people's podcast dreams into reality. But the book is less interested in the dating podcast itself than in why (and how) Cecily is making it and whether - now that she's ceded control of her romantic choices to the same people who've already taken over her professional life - she can wrestle back her agency before she loses not only everything she's been working for but anything great she might stumble into.

Back After This is a sweet, charming story of love and self-actualization. I loved the main character's realistic-feeling combination of competence and vulnerability as well as the textured backdrop of Washington DC, the podcast milieu, and the delightful cast of intriguing secondary characters.

This is a cozy hug of a book and I really loved it. Linda Holmes captured the world of podcasting and the banter in this one is absolutely fantastic. I loved that she did learn a lot about relationships along the way, even if not all the lessons were the ones that she was expected to learn through her work. I think this is the author's best book yet.

This book was adorable. I loved the premise: a podcast producer agrees to do a show where she has a relationship coach that sets her up on twenty blind dates. It's very different from your typical love story and I also loved the person that she ended up falling in love with. They're so sweet together!

There's also a really cute scene in an ATM vestibule while its pouring rain outside that strongly reminded me of Chandler in the Friends episode with the blackout (IYKYK) and it made me really happy!

This was my first Linda Holmes book, looking forward to reading more!

🥰Thank you so much @randomhouse for the gifted book!

📖Title: Back After This
✍️Author: Linda Holmes
📅Pub Date: February 25, 2025

🎙️If you're a fan of audio in any format (podcasts, radio, audiobooks, etc.), then you'll probably really enjoy this book!

🐕‍🦺After a failed relationship and almost losing her job in podcasting, Cecily is desperate for a solution to both her love life and her career. The solution to both of her problems comes in the form of a popular relationship guru, Eliza Cassidy, who will not only help Cecily find love, but do it publicly on a new show!

📻Will following Eliza's prove methods lead to love? Well, I'm not going to tell you, but I will tell you read it for yourself and find out! I was pleasantly surprised by how well this was wrapped up.

Back After This was a good story about a women who basically has to find herself after she loses almost everything. Cecily is just ok… she has friends she loves and a job she’s great at but doesn’t get the recognition or the opportunities she deserves. When her boss pitches her own podcast where she goes on 20 dates with the guidance of a self help guru she reluctantly agrees in hopes it will further agree. But while trying to learn from the guru she meets Will… and keeps meeting him. Cecily must figure out if she is strong enough to fight for what she wants.

This was a cute story that was just ok. The characters were relatable but not enough that I truly became invested in what was going on. It was fairly predictable but it was interesting to read about the process of podcast development.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Back After This was my first Linda Holmes book after years of listening to her on Pop Culture Happy Hour—and it did not disappoint! Charming and heartfelt, the romance was swoon-worthy, but what really won me over was watching the FMC’s personal growth. A delightful read!

Linda Holmes navigates the world of podcasting (who knew it was so complex?? Major props!) in a lovely yet somewhat broken way. Working to explore the different dimensions of (online) dating and finding The One, Back After This traverses the dating game in a unique way. Highlighting life and career transitions, and getting “unstuck” when push comes to shove.

Arc via NetGalley.

Goodreads review

This was the first book by Linda Holmes that I have read, and I truly enjoyed it. I was a fan of the snappy dialogue, and I learned a lot about podcasts. The storyline and character development kept it interesting.

It reminded me so much of the Netflix show, "Nobody Wants This" that I pictured Cecily and Will as Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. Hot Waiter/Hot Rabbi- either way it works!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review. This book publishes on February 25, 2025 and I think it is certainly worth reading.

4.5⭐️ I’m kicking myself for not reading anything by Linda Holmes sooner!

This book was delightful. Cecily was a fantastic main character, and I loved her personality; it’s been a while since I laughed this much while reading a book, both from her inner thoughts and the dialogue between her and others. It was also interesting to learn about how audio work is done, and how much goes into it, especially as someone who often listens to podcasts.

The romance plot was fun, and I loved all of the meet-cutes Cecily and Will had. I loved how their banter developed, and that they could be in the middle of a serious conversation and still find a way to have fun with it. The chemistry between them, romantic and non, was palpable and it was easy to root for them.

The rest of the plot with the dating podcast was interesting, and I liked how the side characters helped drive that. Most of all what I liked there was how Cecily learned what she wanted and how to fight for it.

If you want a funny, heartwarming, bingeable romcom, look no further!

Thank you so much Ballantine & NetGalley for the e-ARC! 💙

This was pitched as a book you’d like if you enjoy Emily Henry, and I definitely agree with that. Still its own unique story, but this definitely reminded me of the experience of reading an EH, both in writing and just overall. I never felt bored at all reading this and the story flowed so well for me - it was a great rom-com with the perfect amount of everything. I loved the plot and the romance. I would especially recommend this if you’re an Emily Henry lover looking for similar vibes, but also just for a great romcom! It was a great read for me & so glad I got an ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC of this title.

Tore through this over the course of a day, simply because it's so charming and I couldn't put it down. This was fun and frothy in just the way I needed, and all the podcast editing inside baseball details were a particular treat as someone who's been in that world.