Thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Megan Whalen for pre-approving this ARC. It will be published February 25, 2025.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. I also really enjoyed “Evie Drake Starts Over”.

This rom-com was a quick and fun read. Against her better judgment, Cecily agrees to be the star of a podcast called Twenty Dates. She works with uber successful life coach and influencer Eliza to produce it. Eliza thinks there should be a logical approach to finding your mate, but Cecily keeps testing that theory. I like how Cecily gains confidence and even though she works in SOUND, she finds her VOICE! You go Girl!

Serendipity? Coincidences? While it’s somewhat predictable there’s a fun plot twist near the end.

I was asked to review “Back After This” by Linda Holmes, who wrote two memorable books “Flying Solo” and “Evvie Drake Starting Over.”

Cecily is a podcaster but isn’t prepared to be the subject matter of her own show. However, she is pressured to do a series where she is guided by a popular influencer and relationship coach, Eliza, to go on a variety of dates to find her one and only. However, what about the guy that Cecily meets all on her own (with the help of a misbehaving canine?

Like Holmes’s other protagonists, Cecily is a strong woman but someone who is also stuck in the predictable. This is not a novel about dating inasmuch as it is about finding oneself and embracing who you are. While there are plenty of comedic moments, “Back After This” makes some convincing points about the impact of social media and dating in the 21st century. I did feel like a few plot points were left unresolved, but overall, I would highly recommend this story to anyone who struggles with moving forward (or loves stories where a dog is heavily featured).

Four stars.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this great read.

Review: Back After This

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!

Overall, I enjoyed the story—it felt fresh and different, unlike anything I’ve read before.

What worked for me:
I really liked Will; he reminded me of someone I know, and I wished we had more of his perspective throughout the book. Cecily, on the other hand, was more complicated. I don’t know if I liked her, but I understood her. She seemed stuck—always trying to please others, believing life had to follow certain rules, and making excuses for why she couldn’t improve her situation or leave toxic relationships. I also liked the way Will and Cecily’s paths kept crossing—their chemistry was well-written and believable.

What didn’t work for me:
While I get that the story revolves around a podcast, the amount of focus on audio felt distracting at times—it could have been toned down a bit. I also wished we had more scenes from Cecily’s dates instead of just summaries, especially with the doctor. Did he ever realize she wasn’t really interested in him? That part felt unresolved.

The romance, when it finally happened, felt too brief—it was a closed-door moment, and I would’ve loved to see more of their relationship develop on the page. The pacing at the beginning was slow, too. The prologue was great, but it took a while for the story to pick up momentum with the podcast and Cecily’s interactions with Will.

Finally, I wanted more closure regarding Cecily’s career. Since so much of her identity revolved around audio work, it felt like an unresolved thread. What happens to her professionally now that the story has wrapped up?

Final thoughts:
Despite these minor issues, I liked the story overall. It had unique elements that kept me engaged, and I appreciated the balance between romance and personal growth.

Cecily is a podcast producer and aspires to one day host her own podcast. She is also single, and her former boyfriend broke up with her and took their podcast collaboration with him. As a last ditch effort to save their company, Cecily is asked to host and be part of a podcast, Twenty Dates, where a relationship coach will set her up on twenty dates and she will hopefully meet "the one". As the podcast is getting started, Cecily also meets Will, and although sparks fly between the two of them, she has to commit to the podcast and ignore her feelings towards him.

I am so torn about this book. I loved it. I loved the depth of the characters. I loved the supporting characters. I loved the story. BUT Spoiler Alert: the plot of this book struck me as so similar to The True Love Experiment by Christian Lauren. When I read that book, I thought the plot was so incredibly innovative and like nothing I had read before. When I read this book, I thought, "oh, this book is going to end up the same as that book." And without giving too much away, there were some things that were different about that book, and I liked the choices in that book more.

Overall, I would recommend the book. I really liked it. But the plot is really similar to another book in the same genre.

Cecily Foster’s journey in this delightful romantic comedy is a whirlwind of chaos, humor, and self-discovery. As she navigates the murky waters of modern dating on a podcast, you can’t help but feel her frustrations and triumph, each blind date feels like an adventure. This story brilliantly captures the struggle of finding love in a world that often feels overwhelming, reminding us that the best relationships often bloom when we least expect them. You’ll laugh, you’ll root for Cecily, and you might just find yourself reflecting on your own dating escapades along the way.

What a cute romance. Back After This tells the story of a podcaster who takes a job discussing her dating life. The problem is she meets a great guy before she is set to go on 20 blind dates. The story unfolds as you see what a woman will do to save her career and for true love.

Back After This is a book that, when you finish, you wish you had not read so you can have the joy of discovering it for the very first time. This third novel by Linda Holmes, the host of NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour, is a story that feels very close to the author's heart. Cecily is a longtime, quite talented podcast producer who feels the future of audio journalism and her company's role in it slipping away. In order to keep this from happening and protect the jobs of her coworkers she agrees to something she does not want to do. To make a podcast of her working with a dating coach to help her find the “right man”.

I don’t know if it the author's day job as an observer of life or her interview skills or just her great writing ability but I loved her characters. I wanted to know them in person, to cheer for their happiness, and in the case of Cecily's ex boyfriend see him get his just deserts.

For me, the sign of a well written book is that once I start it the only thing I want to do is read it. I read this book in 2 days because any time I wasn’t reading it I was wondering what was going to happen. I have felt this way about Linda Holmes 2 previous novels and highly recommend her books.

I loved Linda's last books and this one is more of the same - smart writing, real characters, a well-done plot. The romance feels real but still gives you all the feels you're looking for in this kind of book. I picked up on some of the romantic comedy easter eggs and I bet there are others I'll find on a re-read.

Is there anything better than incredibly smart banter in a rom com? So satisfying! so Sexy :)

Linda Holmes injects humor and true human complexity into this wonderful rom com, podcasting slash lifestyle story.

The plot of Back After This is near perfect as Cecily is living a love-less life and working herself to the bone for a manager who takes advantage. When a opportunity comes up to become involved with a big ticket podcast, Cecily balks but knows that she has to play along to ensure that the podcasting company stays afloat. Before she knows it, she is involved in 20 first dates and an influencer-turned-romance-expert who promises to find a great love interest.

It's a great tale. I loved the action, the rom com moments and the inside line on podcasts. I would say that there was quite a bit hinted just in regards to men - is the boss selfish, was the ex-boyfriend a narcissist? Or are they really, what I would argue, just misogynists? I felt like that angle could've been taken a bit further without diminishing the story. Plus, we all want to see the bad men get theirs don't we?

If you like romance, comedy, near misses, fixer-uppers, date fiascos and OR are a podcast lover - this is surely a book for you!
Here's to a fabulous book that could be an extra fabulous movie and here's to Linda Holmes !
#randomhouse #ballantine #Lindaholmes

This was such a delight from start to finish - I adored it!

Cecily is a super competent and driven podcast producer. When layoff rumors start at her work, Cecily reluctantly agrees to be a part of a new podcast where she goes on blind dates and gets relationship coached by a popular influencer. As her luck would have it, she has an amazing meet cute with Will, just as she’s about to go on 20 dates with other men…

Cecily is a lovable and relatable character and her chemistry with Will was amazing (they have actual conversations and fun banter!). This is the kind of story that made me smile and root hard for Cecily and Will. The workplace/podcasting aspect was also interesting to read and learn more about. Highly recommended!

Thank you very much to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Cecily goes from being behind the scenes to podcast star almost overnight. The catch? She is working with a dating coach Eliza who seemingly has no credentials but her follower base. Cecily goes along with Eliza’s “intentional” dating methods. Wearing her approved outfits, eating the approved meals, and going on 20 blind dates. Eliza is dead set that Cecily needs to be “intentional”. But what about Cecily’s meet cute with Will? The man who chased a great dane down for someone else? Will dating intentionally help her find her person? Or will it get in the way of her finding true love?

This story is laugh out loud funny. I think it’s such a great representation of the modern dating advice that’s on social media these days. Also people with little to no experience calling themselves “life coaches” and because random people follow them that gives them credentials. It was modern, funny, and Cecily was so relatable. Also Will is such a sweetie. This books is more women’s fiction with a dash of romance, though the whole plot revolves around dating. But hella cute, if you don’t take social media advice too seriously and have struggled in the modern dating world this one is probably for you!

Thanks netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Linda Holmes, you created the most fun, darling story! I could not put this book down. It was fantastic! Loved the main character and her realness. It was so relatable, and fun to follow her throughout the story.

Our FMC Cecily is a long time podcast producer. She has been grinding it out. Editing. Pitching. Managing Talent. She's had her ideas passed as male coworkers--you know, she's a "team player," that puts the company first and her relationships and life on the backburner.

When her boss approaches her to star in her own pod, she pauses. He wants her to date ON AIR and be coached by influencer/life coach Eliza.

I loved this one. It has a cute dog, a handsome guy with the best meet cute, and extremely interesting niche nerdy content regarding podcasting/audio world that makes for a great "romance ++." (Romance ++ for me is a great story with a HEA, but we get a little more character development and real life.)

And, Cecily is dealing with the great dilemma of life. If we live to work, what life do we have?

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the review copy. Back After This releases February 25, 2025.

Linda Holmes' writing is so clever and heartfelt that I wish she would release a book more frequently than every three years. I know she's busy with her job at NPR (I am a regular Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast listener), but right now I'm delighted to be able to sit down and read an advance copy of her newest, Back After This, which I devoured in a couple of sittings.

Linda knows a thing or two about podcasting, and so does the main character, Cecily. Her boss treats her more like a utility player, even though he swears she is his best editor and producer, while Cecily dreams of having her own podcast. With the business in financial trouble, a guaranteed-killer podcast is needed to save them from cutbacks. That's the only reason Cecily reluctantly agrees to be the centerpiece of this podcast where, under the direction of a popular influencer and relationship coach, she goes on 20 dates to find her soulmate. I should mention that Cecily's love life has been stalled since her breakup with a man who stole her work and conveniently fell out of love with her.

I'm happy to say that there is very brief coverage of most of the dates, and that the focus of the plot is squarely on Cecily coming to terms with--and being able to articulate and even demand-- what she wants from a man, her career, and herself. I love the depth Holmes has given not only Cecily, but also her loyal sister and friends and (eventually) her coach, not to mention an appealing man who is not part of the show and doesn't have it all together either, but who has showed up unexpectedly to change everything. Then there's the 160-pound dog who becomes a cherished character. I also enjoyed getting some insight into what podcast editors and producers do, and what goes into making the podcasts that I enjoy.

Linda Holmes is high on my must-read author list, and I recommend all three of her novels. I think this one may be her best, especially for her ability to come up with unique characters I haven't read about before, and for exceptional writing that brings them to life.

My thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Podcast meets reality TV dating and we are here for it. Thank you Random House and NetGalley for access to this advance read.

"Back After This" is a sweet and heartwarming read! Cecily's journey as a podcast producer navigating modern dating is both relatable and charming. The balance between humor and vulnerability makes her story shine, and the chemistry with Will adds a perfect touch of romance. The dynamics with influencer Eliza create tension that keeps you turning the pages. A beautifully crafted story about love, friendships, and finding your voice. Highly recommend!

Summary: A podcast producer agrees to host a new series about modern dating—but will the show jeopardize her chance at finding real love?” I really enjoyed both of this author’s previous books. I’m not interested in podcasts so the author was the main draw. I really enjoyed the humor and writing. This is a fun and fast read.

This was ok! Cute romcom contemporary piece that was quick to read. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who needs a pickmeup

This might be my favorite of Linda Holmes' romance novels, even after loving "Evvie Drake Starts Over" and its dual POVs. In "Back After This," Cecily has signed up to host a podcast, getting her first turn on the mic after producing and coming up with tons of others, but the catch is that it requires her to be submitted to a makeover style intervention to go on dates with men picked for her by others – even as serendipitous encounters are really pointing her to someone she'd like to pick herself instead.

The banter is witty, the meet cute and subsequent encounters are fun, and the conversational style of writing is sparkly to an Ephron-like degree (appropriately there are "Sleepless in Seattle" and "When Harry Met Sally" vibes; also a tad of "Easy A" in terms of wordplay). And the setting (related to the podcasting world close to Holmes' bio) makes the characters in "Back After This" feel especially lived in.

Cecily has a mix of media industry jadedness and quick-mindedness that really resonated with me, working in media as well, and that makes her scenes with the MMC especially lively and warm — and also makes a lot of the dialogue *laugh out loud* funny. Highly recommended!

Spice levels: There's open door romance but not explicit
It's not a particularly tropey book, which I liked, but it does hit on some of these if they're of interest to you: a bit of friends to lovers, matchmaker/relationship coach, a dash of star-crossed lovers, brains are hot, blind dates