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

This was a practically perfect contemporary romance for me! I love Linda's thoughtful, funny and emotional stories and I think this is her best one yet. Cecily's meet-cute with Will hit all the right notes, and the high-stakes of her assignment to create a hit podcast felt grounded in reality. One I will absolutely be recommending to customers.

I love Linda Holmes's writing and this was no exception. Cecily is a delightful character and I loved her journey. The setting of podcasts was so appropriate for Holmes and I felt like we got a bit of a peek inside her world.

Cecily is a good person; she lets her ex walk away with the poscast they co-created, helps her friend keep her job, hps a guy chase a rescue dog. But, she doesnt show up for herself. She is afraid of even aaking the question "what do i want", let alone making direct moves to try to get it. The closest she gets is to say yes to her first chance to host a podcast and get set up on 20 dates by influencer Eliza.

This is a great premise for a story and Cecily is an interesting and layered character. I was pulling for her to be brave and actually go after what she wanted instead of being swayed by Eliza. Eliza was an enigma; I kept waiting for her marriage to not be real and only be for social media. It was so easy to root for Will. He was certainly the mirror of Cecily, always looking for something more, but also feeling not enough. This book was very cute, funny, and fast paced. I would recommend 3.75 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fun story that picks up when the Great Dane (and love interest) runs into her life. When Linda, a podcast producer who didn’t get credit for the hit podcast she produced with her ex, is finally given the chance to host her own, she jumps on it — even if it means she has to work with a dating coach she doesn’t necessarily believe in. For fans of The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynne Solomon.

The podcast setting is fun, the cast of side characters is fabulous, and the meet cute is stellar. My main critique is that this meet cute is a full 20% of the way through the book, and the pace until then was slow. I also personally wanted her to receive some kind of public recognition for her and her ex’s podcast, so was a bit sad he got to ride out that unfairness. Nonetheless it was a fun, warm hearted comfort read.

I’ve been a fan of Linda Holmes and her work for over a decade. Her writing, in particular, is sharp, witty, and scratches a Nora Ephron-shaped itch so few rarely do. Of her three novels, this comes in second for me. (I just absolutely loved the coziness of Evvie Drake so nothing will be able to dethrone it, I fear. This was pretty damn good, though.) I loved being able to “hear” Holmes’ cadence in my head after so many years of listening to her on PCHH. I genuinely laughed at several of Cecily’s observations. I’ll definitely be grabbing a copy of the audiobook version of this (that she’s narrating!!) when it releases on Feb 25th.

Here we have Cecily, an overworked and under-appreciated producer working for a real schmuck of a dude that so many of us have worked under. He’ll praise you endlessly for being his steady, reliable workhouse and then never actually help you move forward with your career. Anyway, she’s emotionally manipulated into hosting a radio show where she’ll work with an influencer/life coach (gag me) to find a partner by going on twenty first dates. The only problem is that she serendipitously meets Will, a real gem of a human—without a real path in life and a lease ending in three months—right as the show’s taping is set to begin.

I really enjoyed the banter between Cecily and Will—and even thought Eliza, the influencer, had some great dialogue too. This is a closed-door romance but there were definitely still sizzles and chemistry between Cecily and Will. The romantic and the professional drama felt authentic and it was neat getting to hear the insider audio production knowledge that Holmes must just be brimming with. My only criticism is that I wish there were more development to some of the side characters, to fully round things out. (I wanted more Julie and Molly!)

Linda Holmes has done it again and writing a lovely romance with her newest offering Back After This. She taps into her day job as a podcaster (if you aren't listening to NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, get to it!) with her main character Cecily working behind the scenes of podcasts. Holmes is really able to tap into the details of what is like to produce a podcast. it's fascinating. Anyways, to the plot! Cecily yearns to host her own podcast and one is offered up to her, but as her as the focus. She will allow a matchmaker set her up with men to see if romance will emerge. Right before she dives into the podcast she runs into a guy and a runaway Great Dane (look, I'm a sucker for anything dog-related) and lo and behold she keeps running to him! This book takes place in Washington, DC and as someone who lived in the city for many years, I really appreciated all the easter eggs she left for Washingtonians. Like her previous novels, Holmes is great with dialogues, but I also really appreciated Cecily's internal snarky observations. Her observations of her matchmaker's all white house ("like a perfectly which living room that requires you to drink broth and apple juice like you're prepping for a colonoscopy") had my rolling. Ultimately the book still runs into common romance tropes (a misunderstanding/assumptions that would be resolved with one conversation) and I wish I got more context on Cecily's backstory, but this was a delight.

Thanks to Ballantine Books via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

“Back After This” follows Cecily, a podcast producer, on her big break as a host and star of a dating podcast. She is a partnered up with Eliza, a social influencer/dating coach who sets her up on twenty dates and plans to help her find “the one”.

I enjoyed the background information on the podcast industry, but I felt Cecily and the other characters were underdeveloped. Because of this I ended up not really caring what happened at the end.

A complementary copy was provided by publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

This was a quick read, surprisingly - I finished it in just a few hours (always a plus in my book)! The main character, Cecily, is a podcaster with big dreams of hosting her own show but never got the chance despite her dedication to her job, until now. After her last relationship with a former colleague who constantly took credit for her ideas and then broke up with her, she became jaded about dating and finding love. When her boss gives her the opportunity to host her own show, little does she know she and her dating life are about to become center stage when she learns the new project involves her going on twenty blind dates while being coached by Insta-famous relationship coach Eliza. As Fate would have it, Cecily's job becomes complicated when she has an adorable meet-cute with Will, a handsome photographer, that involves a runaway dog and a jar of peanut butter. While Cecily is set up on these blind dates, she seems to run into Will everywhere she goes and can't stop thinking about him. Only one problem...Eliza forbids Cecily to get involved with Will and reminds her to focus on the dates she handpicked, but Fate might just know better after all. I thought the story had great pace, touches of humor and closed-door romance, but what I liked the most was that I felt I could relate to Cecily's character - although change can be uncomfortable, it's necessary for growth. Thank you to Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the podcast side to this dating experiment! Cecily was a fun main character to follow and I was definitely rotting for her to find love whether it was with one of her dates or the "cute waiter." The meet cute between Will and Cecily was adorable and Buddy was one of my favorites of the book 😍 The production side of it was interesting as well.

Thank you so much for an advanced e copy of this book! I absolutely loved Evvie Drake Starts Over and was excited when I saw this one on NetGalley. This book was so fun! I loved the podcast/audio viewpoint. Cecily is the perfect main character who you are always rooting for. I have read a few books recently where I find myself not caring about what happens to the MC or not liking them, but I liked Cecily for page 1. This was such a cute, fun read. I would love to hear more from Cecily and how her love life is going now!