3.5 stars

I found this enjoyable but not super memorable. I had a decent time but I can't really remember why. The background information I learned about podcasts was interesting and I'd probably listen to the podcast they made with a bunch of first dates. And the romance was...fine. I liked the characters but nothing felt super amazing about their connection to me. Which in real life sure that happens more often than not but in a romance novel, I'd like a little more (though that was a great first kiss/romp). Overall, I'd recommend it but I don't think this would be one I'd read again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Cecily loves working in podcasts, she yearns to lead her own podcast, after the one she worked so hard on and came up with is stolen by her ex. When her boss pressures her into being the subject of a self-help dating podcast with a beauty influencer turned "dating expert", she agrees because she thinks it will allow her friend to keep her job and for Cecily to get to create a pilot of a new podcast. However, right as things are getting started with her dating twenty different men, she meets Will while helping him chase a Great Dane through the city. When they seem to run into each other at every turn, Cecily has to decide whether she wants to follow fate or let Eliza the dating guru tell her what to do.

To be honest, if you put a Great Dane on the cover of a book, I will read it. I have two block headed beasts at home that are the loves of my life and I was excited to see one featured in a romantic comedy. He ends up in more of the book than the first scene but I missed him in the interim! I really liked the chemistry between Will and Cecily. I thought it was wonderful how it pointed out that we do not always know everything, nor should we be expected to.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. There were a few parts were it dragged and I wanted to return to the one I was listening to the audio of, which was disheartening but once I stuck with this I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

I loved, loved, LOVED this book. Linda Holmes has a powerful knack for creating extremely relatable and lovable characters who can banter their adorable little heads right off, and she knocked it out of the park again with Back After This. If you need some joy in your life, and who doesn't right now, GET. THIS. BOOK.

Back After This was an adorable, cozy, romp! I loved the meet-cute between the two characters. This was a perfect rom-com and I can't wait to read more by Linda Holmes. The characters were swoon worthy and well written. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for my complimentary advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this. I was very intrigued by the fmcs dating adventures and her journey in asserting herself and the love story was sweet. I did feel like something was missing but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Some things felt rushed at times.

“Back after this” by Linda Holmes is a delightful and witty novel that I’m sure I’ll return again. The main character, Cecily Foster is a podcaster. Although her ex basically taken credit for all the podcasting work they had done before after he broke up with her, she still is an idealist. But she’s also single. Her struggling company comes up with a plan for a new podcast that they will let Cecily produce—a dating series where she she works closely with a romance coach and goes on a number of dates, hoping to find her soul mate. Cecily really doesn’t want to do this, which will propel her into the public light, but she feels she has to. None of the dates go well. And besides, before the series began she met Will, a handsome and engaging man who is a bit of a rolling stone. He is nothing like the men the romance coach is setting her up with. He’s much, much more.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this fun book. I really loved this book and my opinions are my own.

I loved this book. Cecily works as an editor for a podcast company. The company is not doing well. She is asked to collaborate with an influencer who wants her to find her perfect match by going on 20 different dates with the dates being recorded for a podcast. Cecily takes the project. Of course, right before the project begins she has continual chance meetings with someone who is not in the pool of men selected and the influencer does not want her to date.
This all comes to a head that was very satisfying.
Linda Holmes has become an author that I will automatically buy her books. Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m not 100% sure what to think about this one. I enjoyed the podcast production vibe, it was well written, and to a good degree, well-plotted; but then there were times when I was confused why she was spending page count on one thing and not on another (e.g. the twenty dates.) The main character annoyed me at certain moments with her occasional sense of superiority and self-importance, but at other moments the characters felt very realistic. A 3/5 read I think.

Linda Holmes is back! After reading Evvie Drake Starts Over and loving it, Flying Solo fell short for me. But I was excited that Holmes was back with a new novel and eager to dive in. And this one did not disappoint! Back After This brings back the magic. Holmes's strength is that she writes such a mature rom com, the characters are well developed and have lived life. They have their flaws, but they are growing and figuring out what is important. The whole dating podcast angle was interesting...it had the potential of veering into I've read this type of story before, but Holmes has such a strong voice that it still felt fresh and engaging. Well done!
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC.

Author Linda Holmes is 3 for 3! That’s 3 books she has written that I have absolutely adored. She has such a wonderfully witty way of telling romantic stories that are both humorous and heartwarming.

Cecily Foster is an audio producer for podcasts. She is smart, amazing at her job, and still raw from her ex ending things 4 years prior. Cecily’s boss convinces her to host a new dating show…with one catch, she is the subject of the dates. Working with Eliza Cassidy, a dating coach and popular social media influencer, Cecily will go on 20 blind dates in hopes of finding a good match.

This whole process will open Cecily’s eyes to many things, most importantly that she needs to put her wants and needs first and telling the truth is always the best idea. She will also learn that bumping into waiter/photographer Will throughout the city is much more than coincidences.

Cecily and Will’s banter is hilarious and charming. Their developing friendship is full of chemistry but also caution as both of them have uncertain paths. I love this story and enjoyed every minute of Cecily and Will seeking happiness.

“I’d started to think about real happiness as not just precious but owned, kept, borrowed, shared, stolen, divided, and sacrificed.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the eARC of Back after this by Linda Holmes.

I really wanted to love this book to give it four stars but at 60% of the book there just still wasn’t enough pizazz for me for a good romcom. I loved our FMC and MMC. I loved the idea of the book and towards the end when Cecily seemed to have some spark to her character and began to fight for herself I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the ending and her overall growth throughout the book. I just felt like the whole thing was very slow until halfway.

I look forward to reading more from Linda Holmes. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

This was cute, but felt a little surface level. I did like that I felt invested in the love story without a ton of smut. Great context and background setting

I loved this book! I really enjoyed the author's voice- I thought it was so confident and committed to the characters and the plot. The characters were realistic and well rounded in the way that real people don't always have everything figured out and aren't always likeable when they're in the process of figuring things out. The main characters and the side characters were beautifully layered and complex while also being funny and light hearted. I loved everyone's character arcs together and separately. There is an aspect of the story that I loved and I won't share because it is a spoiler but just know that I got the impression that this story could actually occur in real life and that was refreshing. It honored the fact that happiness can look all kinds of different ways and that includes embracing where you are at the moment. I ended this book smiling and feeling fulfilled.
This beautiful book is publishing soon on February 25 and I highly recommend checking it out!
Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I just love Linda Holmes' writing.

Honestly, I feel like the plot could be basically anything and I'd still want to pick it up if she wrote it.

BACK AFTER THIS stars Cecily, who works in audio and has a good life. Her ex stole her podcast, and she's yet to get to host a new one; still, she likes what she does, she works with her closest friend, and she has frequent dinners with her sister and BIL. Her boss finally offers Cecily her own show, but it's not remotely on her terms: It'll be about Cecily's dating life, under the guidance of an influencer/relationship coach. Sponsored by "eating alone, drinking alone, dying alone, and cat toys." And also the gym.

I have a couple quibbles, but rounding up to 5 stars because I so enjoyed this.

I absolutely loved this read, so apologies in advance if I gush!

Set in the world of audio and podcasting, Back After This is told from the POV of Cecily, an audio editor at the fictional company Palmetto. Fueled by fears of losing her job (and the jobs of close friends) Cecily lets herself be convinced by her boss to host a self-help type podcast where she consults a wellness influencer about dating to find her perfect match. Despite her reservations, Cecily meets influencer Eliza and they discuss the plan for Cecily to go on 20 (!) dates that Eliza arranges, plus one “dummy date” to work out the kinks and let Eliza get a feel for how Cecily is on a date. Eliza insists that dating with intention and purpose will help Cecily find someone who will truly complement her in life.

But Cecily’s life has other plans. Cecily almost immediately has the best meet cute I’ve read in a long time, and then of course he shows up on the dummy date. As the waiter. It was just…perfect.

I love the way author Linda Holmes writes her main characters. Cecily genuinely felt like a real person—awkward, insecure, loyal to a fault, able to hyper focus on one thing for far too long, apt to geek out about one small thing on a first date and probably scare the poor guy off. There’s so much that’s real and relatable about a character like this! By the time she tries to say that her eyes are her favorite feature I was screaming THAT’S ME TOO! This girl gets it!

And I loved that this ultra-relatable character was placed in this adorably improbable situation—going on 20 first dates but being way too interested in this cute guy she can’t seem to stop running into. It’s such a fantastic juxtaposition.

I also really enjoyed the fact that this was set in an arguably dying medium (audio/podcasting) while confronting another struggling medium (influencing). Holmes makes some really interesting comparisons that I really appreciated.

I also just have to say that I really enjoy reading Linda Holmes’ writing. She’s a longtime writer and podcaster, so her narrative voice is quite developed at this point, and it’s a voice that’s perfect for telling a story. The other reason Cecily is so likeable is because we’re literally getting this story from her, and her narration is funny and approachable and so very readable. I devoured this book in a weekend because I was enjoying it immensely, but also because the story just flowed. I will definitely be recommending this one a lot!

Thank you so much to @NetGalley and @atrandombooks for this ARC!

If you've read Evvie Drake, you know Linda Holmes leans more fiction with a side of romance than strictly romance. Even knowing that, I still wanted more romance..because what was there was DELICIOUS. Every time Cecily and Will were on the page together, it was magic and I never wanted the scene to end!

Holmes is bitingly funny and portrays the plight of the working thirty-something woman better than most. The protectiveness we can feel over those twenty-somethings we've taught everything they know. The difference between how we feel about our job vs how we feel about our WORK. The precarious balance between "My god, can you people do anything without me?" and "I am utterly replaceable." Also, having produced a podcast in my day-job before...the tiniest cuts at the last minute that no one but you will notice...really resonated. It's SO MUCH EFFORT to make these things.

This is a smart, quick read that I think would be a great palate cleanser!

4.5 I feel like I was starts and fits at first and then I was hooked. I expected the dates to be more of a focus of the story and was pleasantly surprised it wasn’t. The relationship most in focus was Cecilia’s with herself (I WANT!), other strong women and then her work, which was so relatable .

I loved Cecilia and I loved Will. They are messy and complex and yet I was never worried about them finding each other in funny and poignant situations. How they end up isn’t even the point…it’s really her journey to figuring out what she deserves.

Linda Holmes is amazing. This book is a world I could really HEAR. It made me want to visit DC. It taught me a lot about podcasts! And maybe I need to get a dog horse?

𝙱𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚢 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚊 𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚜
𝙿𝚞𝚋: 𝙵𝚎𝚋 𝟸𝟻, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻 𝚋𝚢 @𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚖𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎

*Thank you to @netgalley & @prhaudio for access to this adorable audiobook!

"𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘷𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘰, 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘫𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦?"

This was utterly delightful! I read and loved her other novel Evie Drake Starts Over and so I was very excited to check this one out. I listened on audio and Linda Holmes narrated the book herself - which sometimes doesn't work with a fiction author but since Linda Holmes has a voice famous for podcasting, she was the perfect person to read her own words!

I loved all the behind the scenes information on the podcasting world - there is a lot there so if you're not into that, it may be too much for you - and I was SO rooting for our two main characters. Any meet-cute involving a dog makes my heart go pitter patter. This was a quick listen and I was fully engaged the entire time! The addition of the "influencer" trying to find the main character a man by setting her up on 20 dates was so much fun and hearing about the dates made me laugh out loud a few times.

If you are looking for a fun, entertaining, sweet, and well written rom-com, definitely check this one out!

QOTD: What are you listening to, reading, or watching today?

#backafterthis #booksaboutpodcasts #audiobooks #2025reads #2025books #newbooks #penguinrandomhouse #bookreview #romcombooks

Predictable sweet escapist rom-com! And I don't say any of those things as a negative! Instead, this made for a light easy peasy read to cuddle up with along with a warm beverage while it storms outside. I normally don't like romances, but stories like this are the exception. Ms. Holmes includes enough of a plot outside of the romance to keep me engaged and to lessen the saccharine sweet of most rom-coms. On top of that, her characters are always multi-layered, providing lots of interesting interactions, whether related to the romance or not. Maybe this is a new genre: smart romance?

Linda Holmes was one of the first writers I had the privilege of reading during the start of the pandemic, whom got me into reading romance without my even realizing it. I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over, and Back After This is more delicious storytelling along those same lines. Holmes’ voice is unlike many—she’s dryly humorous, using wit and “only in a rom-com” scenarios to pull off the type of story worthy of all the stars.

As the sole narrator, we see the life of a podcast producer and thirty-something Cecily being pushed to do a dating show because of how her boss perceives her singleness as in need of self-help. And Cecily plays into that—she hems and haws about doing Twenty Dates but only if she can have a crack at her own show once it’s wrapped, along with a few other stipulations. Of course Cecily gets to finally have a voice on air, even if it’s not what she anticipated. Cecily is matched with Eliza, an influencer giving her the Platinum Goddess™️ treatment who believes that through intentional planning, Cecily can meet a perfectly matched partner. But it wouldn’t be a romcom without Cecily meeting Will, aka the Hot Waiter, outside of the podcast dates through a series of fated(?) mishaps and run-ins, many involving a ginormous dog.

I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of Cecliy’s twenty dates, which read as a page right out of online dating hell (or maybe heaven). Holmes has a way of prioritizing Cecily’s voice and giving the reader exactly what they want—to both see Cecily have success, but also grumble with her along the way. Back After This is a look at changing cultural norms, what’s here one day may be gone tomorrow, and Cecily is just trying to make sense of how this all affects her workspace and her dating life. Will is the ironic constant star to Cecily’s unpredictable love life—she never expects to run into him and yet time and time again, he’s the man who draws her interest when she least expects it. Just like the podcast listeners, I was rooting for Will and Cecily the entire time. Their interactions are always so cleverly humorous, and the low stakes expectations that they have for each other are entertaining to see played out against the stressful timeline Cecily has to meet her podcast dating requirements.

There are some swoon-worthy romantic moments between Will and Cecily (hello against a door!), and although not closed door, sexual innuendo is kept to more metaphorical descriptions. This is a book I’d recommend to anyone, but I think bookstagrammers will particularly enjoy the social media influence of Eliza, which is very on the nose. I received an early copy from Ballantine. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Humor: 🤡🤡🤡
Steam: 🪭
Number of times I wanted to punch Toby in the face: 3️⃣