I love Pop Culture Happy Hour, but is it bad to wish that Linda Holmes could just write romance full-time? Her third book is just as delightful as the others, this time set in the world of professional podcasting. Hardworking producer Cecily gets coerced into hosting an audio dating show that involves her working with a dating coach and going on many blind dates. But when she maybe meets someone great IRL, things get very complicated.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book. Although this was a topic I didn't have a lot of interest in-I'm one of like, four people who've never listened to a podcast (although I love audiobooks) and the details about editing were not that interesting to me, I love the dialogue Linda Holmes writes! I laughed out loud multiple times reading this and interweaving in the influencer story line felt very current. I really appreciate books where I have good feelings about the character- If you are looking for a sophisticated romance with captivating dialogue you can't go wrong with Linda Holmes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to preview Back After This by Linda Holmes in exchange for an honest review. I have been a huge fan of Linda's for a very long time. I found her through the NPR podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour and read everything she writes at NPR (please bring back the tv Christmas movie watch guides!). I don't often read romance and when I do I rarely enjoy it. Linda's work is an exception. Back After This is officially my favorite of her three novels. It is an absolute delight! This story hits all the classic rom com notes without seeming stale and Holmes infuses her sense of humor throughout. I highly recommend this to anyone needing a fun diversion.

You can count on Linda Holmes to write a solid rom-com with fun dialogue, an engaging plot, and the right amount of quirks to be funny, but also still be plausible. I love that she wrote about the podcasting world (her other job) and as an avid podcast listener, I found learning about some of the behind the scenes parts to be quite interesting. Would definitely read another book by her.

4.5 ⭐️

I looooved this book! I loved Will, I loved Buddy, I loved it all. I was rooting for Cecily and I’m so happy to see she found her happiness and her “I want”. Eliza may have had good intentions but I still think she can go kick rocks, same with Justin. Cecily’s growth throughout really hooked me, especially with Will even through their rough patch, and I thought she had a really good sense of humor being able to point out that yeah, these guys were boring and so are my answers to all the questions. Will is one of the best book boyfriends and I will die on that hill. Will + Buddy forever

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this arc!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was EVERYTHING. Admittedly, it did start a little slow but it was necessary to understand Cecily and all that was to come with her and her character development. Once it get's going - I couldn't put it down (I was reading it in the Costco food court!).

I kept trying to think of what ROM COM this reminded me of. It had elements of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, You've Got Mail, While You Were Sleeping, and so many others. Really, none of them really fit into the box of comparison to "Back After This" because it is uniquely wonderful while giving off the best of RomCom vibes. This left me with all the warm and fuzzy feelings and kicking my feet.

This will be released February 25th, 2025.

Thank you for this ARC! I loved Holmes debut novel but her second one fell short for me. This was somewhere in between. The love story was sweet and it was interesting to see behind the scenes of the podcast world. It did give us a HEA but it felt a little too forced. Regardless, the characters were likable and the story was unique. I recommend this for romance lovers!

This was a satisfying and cozy read. It was meandering in a comfortable way and it allowed me time to get to know the characters really well. And kept me turning the pages.

3.5/4 ⭐️ Back After This can’t compete with Evvie Drake, but I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story and would encourage anyone to read it when looking for a well-written rom com and who is interested in learning behind-the-scenes some of what goes into making a successful podcast. Spoiler - it’s a lot of time and hard work! This book is funny and dispenses some pretty good advice between the lines.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Back After This will be on shelves Feb 25, 2025. Put it on your list!

I really liked this! I enjoyed Linda Holmes’ other books and this was no different! I do wish there was a little more in there about the sexism involved in Eliza’s role and what she wanted from Cecily.

This was my first book by Linda Holmes and I loved it. I am already reading her backlist, I loved it so much. It had a really fun plot and relatable characters. I found the story a little bit predictable in terms of what was ultimately going to happen (not how) but I still loved the characters and the way this played out. The premise was a lot of fun. I was a little bit frustrated with our female MC for one place because of how she spoke to the male MC, but that is a small quibble. I highly recommend this delightful romance and am now a Linda Holmes fan.

3.5 Stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

I've really enjoyed the previous books by this author and was excited when they reached out for me to review this book.

This was so cute.

The one thing that really bugged me was that one of the main premises of the book was the idea of 20 blind dates, but the dates only comprised three pages of the book basically in list form? Plus the dates were supposed to be accompanied by advice from a dating coach and there was less than zero of that? That was a really missed opportunity in my opinion as well as just not being very well done. It made it pretty obvious how the book was going to turn out. I mean, really, it was a book about podcasting with a side of a serial dating trope.

To a lesser degree, I also thought there were too many side characters/sub plots so there wasn't time to really dig into them enough to connect with their stories. Multiple times someone was mentioned and I had to pause to think through who that actually was (and I read this in one sitting so it wasn't a factor of forgetting in between reading chapters over a span of time).

I liked the trajectory of the main character so much that it was still a really great readm.

Cecily Foster is a talented podcast producer. But she is typically behind the scenes, even when she is the one with the idea for a show. Then, the boss at her struggling podcast company approaches her with the chance to be the host of her own podcast. This is not one of the ideas that Cecily has regularly proposed. Instead, it will focus on her dating life, as she follows the guidance of a lifestyle influencer, Eliza Cassidy.

Cecily is reluctant to do the podcast, until her boss implies it is the only way to save the job of her closest friend at work. So Cecily agrees to do it. But as she is set up on several dates with guys she doesn’t quite connect with, she can’t stop thinking about Will. Unlike her highly choreographed dates on the podcast, she met Will by chance on the street as they were both trying to rescue a dog and she somehow keeps running into him. But Eliza insists that there is no future with a guy like Will. As Cecily’s personal and professional lives become impossibly intertwined, Cecily feels like she may be losing a part of herself and the future she truly wants.

I was a big fan of the author’s previous novels, so I was excited to her latest … and it exceeded my expectations. The book is a frequently insightful examination of balancing personal growth with staying true to yourself. And it was an also an interesting portrayal of what goes on behind the scenes in producing podcasts.

Highly recommended!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 … I was so excited to see this release (and to be approved on netgalley!) and Linda Holmes does not disappoint. Back After This is a bit rom com, a bit career/life help for Cecily. I loved the characters and banter in this one. I enjoyed the set up of this story and once again, another read I recommend picking up when it releases Feb. 25th!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a great heartwarming book! This had me in all my feels! This was a first for me for by this author but will not be my last. This was a great book if you need a pallet cleanser. The main character was great!!

Forced to go on 20 blind dates for a podcast in order to save her friend’s job, Cecily isn’t sure how it’s going to turn out. Especially when she keeps running into Will, who isn’t part of the podcast plan.

There are a couple characters that I wanted to slap by the end of the book. If I went into details, it would involve spoilers, so I’ll leave it at that 😉

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Back After This to come out February 25, 2025.

Writing: 5/5 Characters: 4/5 Story: 5/5

I really enjoyed this (very) funny, well-written, and actually insightful rom-com written by the author of Evvie Drake Starts Over. I like rom-coms when they are clever, witty, and most of all — NOT STUPID. I can’t stress that last quality enough. This was a perfect, read-in-one-sitting exemplar of exactly what I love in a rom-com and perfect for this stressful season.

Cecily is a podcast producer who agrees (think forced, bribed, coerced) to star in a podcast about modern dating with the help of a dating guru / popular Influencer. An introverted audio nerd by nature, this takes her so far out of her comfort zone that she feels impending implosion looming everywhere. Plenty of (well-paced, well-written) comedy follows, but I was impressed that she gained some real insight into aspects of her own personality that were getting in the way of her getting more of what she wanted from life. While I can’t bear to read about physical makeovers, psychological makeovers — are fascinating.

As an aside, I learned interesting components of podcast production (and marketing) which were new to me and described with a depth that showed true understanding on the part of the author (pet peeve: I hate when characters have a huge passion for something but then never do or think about it in any meaningful way).

A cross between Lori Gottlieb and Curtis Sittenfeld — the best of them both!

Some great quotes:
“I wondered exactly where that research had been done. Presumably the University of Unsupported Hunches, where I was guessing she was a tenured professor.”

“He took me to an ax-throwing bar on our first date, and he was very good at ax-throwing, which I suppose impressed me, because you never know when you might need a guy who can kill a monster in a cartoon dungeon.”

“But we finally agreed on a loose top that fell off one of my shoulders and a pair of pants that had just enough stretch to accommodate my newly emphasized hips without making me look and feel like a vacuum-sealed pork shoulder, ready for a sous vide bath.”

“He had the facial symmetry and the perfectly shaped dark hair of a Lego prince.”

“I tried to dig my smile out of the recesses of my personality.”

“It made for a long dinner, learning quite that much about Andrew’s gym routine.”

Linda Holmes is easily one of my favorite authors and this might be her best book yet!

I absolutely loved our main character and the story was equal parts heartfelt and entertaining! This is a perfect book to read when you want to feel something and ponder your life choices.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader copy.

I love a Linda Holmes book. Even as a romance, where you know the couple will be together at the end, she has a way of making what the "happily ever after" looks like feel fresh and just this side of perfect (in the best way). I enjoyed the peek behind the podcast curtain and Cecily was a great main character to do it with. And the hot waiter was...well, hot (and kind and had a great dog).

Linda Holmes is one of the best rom=com writers we have. For people who aren't super interested in a ton of spice, she really knocks it out of the park and also provides truly meaningful and sweet character arcs. I'm a fan of Linda's from her podcast, so I loved the podcast angle. Well done Linda!! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.