It took me way too long to read this book. Unfortunately, it did not keep my attention enough for me to want to keep picking it up. The buildup to the plot was a little too info dumpy for me. The company Cecily works for is not doing great, so they come up with a plan to do a dating podcast show to help draw in more listeners. Since Cecily is single, they choose her to do the show. They assign a relationship expert to work with her to help find her the perfect guy. She has to go on twenty dates with different guys and do a process of elimination. Before the podcast starts, she has a meet cute with Will who is not part of the show. They have a connection, but she has to do the show and date all these guys. There are just a lot of scenes that seem like they are filled with unnecessary explanations of what is going on or is going to happen. I didn't really like the tone of Cecily and how she talks to her friends or coworkers. The story spends way too much time focusing on her work and the podcast and not much time on the relationship build up with Will. The rom com part felt like it took a backseat in this story.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, & Linda Holmes for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #BackAfterThis

Linda Holmes charming new novel, Back After This tells the story of Cecily, who works as a producer for a small company that creates podcasts. The company is not doing well, and Cecily’s boss comes up with an idea to save them- a new podcast featuring the single-and-looking Cecily going on 20 first dates to find the perfect man, while being guided by a popular Instagram influencer.


After Cecily reluctantly agrees to it, she keeps running into a handsome, charming man who’s perfect for her. But she can’t date him until after the podcast is over which is months away. What’s a girl to do?


If you are podcast fan, you will enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at the industry. Linda Holmes is a cohost of NPR’s “Pop Culture Happy Hour”. This is a breezy, sweet read.

★★★.25

as someone who listens to multiple podcasts a day, I was really excited to read this!

I'll say that it started pretty slow for me and honestly took me weeks to finish. it's not that I didn't like the story, it was just not super captivating for me! I think this felt more like it was about Cecily's career and personal development rather than a romance - which is fine, I just didn't expect it. I do kind of feel like there was something missing for me to be truly invested throughout the story and satisfied with the ending, but I really can't figure out what it is. I did love the banter, though!


thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Linda Holmes returns with another charming, entertaining story in BACK AFTER THIS.

Cecily is an exceptional podcast producer, longing for more freedom to develop her own shows (as an aside, Holmes' background in radio allows her to include rich detail to enhance the overall story). Her boss offers her an opportunity: agree to be the star of a new dating podcast, working closely with a life coach/online influencer, and she will both preserve a friend's job and be given a chance to develop one of her shows. Twenty first dates, strategically chosen by the life coach, will be recorded, then the men are pared down to see whom she meshes with for follow-up dates. Cecily grudgingly goes along with the project, since she realizes she has a type that typically leads her unhappy. But what about the dog-rescuer/photographer/jack of all trades who keeps crossing her path?

BACK AFTER THIS is an empowering story as Cecily realizes she defaults to being accommodating and compliant, often trying to orchestrate lives around her in ways she thinks are best, all without their input, but maybe she just needs to engage in revealing conversations with them instead of trying to control everything, and she also considers how to give herself permission to "want" and to act accordingly.

(Thank you to Ballantine for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

Love love love! Anything Linda Holmes is an automatic buy. Her writing is so genuine that you feel like the main character. I felt like I was Cecily, heartbreak and healing and all. You don't want to sleep on this one. Also, omg, I could NEVER handle the pressure of a podcast. Cecily is the epitome of resilience and to come back after having her idea stolen, my gosh, Queen status!

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine for my eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I think this book started strong and then started to deflate. The initial meet cute between Cecily and Will is adorable. They instantly vibe with each other and work together to catch a runaway dog. I have to say Will was one of my favorite MMCs so far this year, he loves animals, is thoughtful and his ability to read Cecily was so sweet. Its at this point that I started to lose interest unfortunately. This might be me but I found the podcast jargon to be awkward. Its possible I just do not listen to enough of them to know all this background but I still do not know what Holmes is referring to when Cecily mentions, what I am guessing to be real life podcasts, indirectly. I think this avoids legal issues but as I non podcast listener I felt like I was on the outside of a "if you know you know" type of gag. There is also a reference to a "Coldplay song" but I do not get why that couldn't be named. I think this story would resonate better if the reader is a more active consumer of podcasts.

I also think the story could have gone in another direction and led to more depth for Eliza, the relationship coach, she seemed to really snap when Cecily was interested in Will and it felt like there was some projecting going on. The ending kind of tied that up in a less impactful way which is fine but I was anticipating a deeper reason after reading her freaking out about Will across two thirds of the book.

This was so amazing! I honestly can’t remember the last time a romance had me laughing out loud but this one did it multiple times. Cecily is such a fab main character. She’s so normal. I think a lot of readers will be able to identify with her which is so important in a romance.

I thought the plot was terrific. I am not a big podcast fan myself but I found myself completely interested in how they are made, specifically the audio side of things which I genuinely had never thought about before.

And Will! Oh, he is such a great male lead! The banter between he and Cecily was perfect.

I cannot recommend this highly enough!

Really liked Back After This! Cute, easy and feel good read. This is my first experience with this author and I’ve since put other books of hers on hold.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Linda Holmes has yet to steer me wrong.

Back After This dives into the world of podcasting. Cecily Foster has worked for the same production company for several years. Though she has been involved in various projects that she has enjoyed (and even more that she hasn't), she still hasn't been given the opportunity to host her own show. Ultimately, this is the goal she is working towards. Unfortunately, the step that will get her closer to it is one that really doesn't sound appealing.

Her boss offers her the chance to host a podcast called 20 Dates. The caveat is that she will be the participant going on those 20 dates, all of which have been arranged by an outside consultant named Eliza. In order for this show to work, Cecily has to buy into the idea that Eliza is capable of finding her the perfect match.

Enter Will. Walking his dog. Waitering at the restaurant Cecily meets her date at. Taking the headshots they'll use for promo of the show. He's everywhere. And yet, Cecily is obligated to fulfill her contractual duties and has been advised not to pursue the "hot waiter." Of course, he's the only person she's felt a true connection to. So it ultimately comes down to what matters more to her -- her job or her personal life.

And at the end of the day... does she want an outsider dictating either of those things?

This was filled with the same sort of charm, banter, and cute romance that Holmes' previous novels (Evvie Drake Starts Over & Flying Solo) have become known for.

Cute premise, way too long. I should have taken a hint from the description of the book which is overly long (5 paragraphs!). It was cute in spots and the relationship with Will could have been the star but there was way too much going on and so much time spent in Cecily’s head that this became unbearable and I finished just because I had already spent so much time with this book. This one was not for me.

I thought it was cute, but it felt too serendipitous with Will popping up multiple times- the meet cute, the waiter, the photographer, etc.. The meet cute was adorable, but also, who runs out in the middle of a haircut? There was a lot of audio/podcast information that seemed a little meaningless to the reader. Overall, I thought it was a quick fun read, just nothing extra special or enticing about it. It didn't really stand out to me from the rom coms I've read so far this year.

I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over by this author, so I was so excited to read her next book.

Like her first book, Back After This managed to be the perfect amount of charming, sweet, funny, and heartfelt for me. I loved the character growth for the Cecily throughout this story and how we got to watch how she came to trust herself and learn from her influencer coach, Eliza, despite being COMPLETELY different people and having a complicated realtionship. While I loved Cecily and Will's romance, this story felt also felt like a love letter to women and the value of female friendships and relationships in our lives.

I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed the podcast of it all, as I normally don't love stories centered on media jobs.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC!

I really enjoyed this low spice rom-com by NPR's Linda Holmes. I enjoyed the characters and I really appreciated all the ways that Will and Cecily kept running into each other. I though the book was well written, the characters had good banter and the despite the premise of someone dating 20 guys to find the one, it did seem really relatable.
This is the first book I've read by Linda Holmes but it will not be the last.

I loved Evvie Drake Starts Over and was excited to get my hands on another Linda Holmes story. This did not disappoint! Cecily is a relatable character—a young woman trying to make her way in the world, a woman with dreams and goals... and is long overdue (in her goals) for finding a decent man. I felt Cecily was a well-rounded person, someone you could imagine being friends with in real life. And Will was adorable!
This author brings depth and humor to multi-layered stories that also focus on the things that are truly important in life, the simple things that make us happy.
This was a quick read for me and another two thumps up for this author! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book.

This book was super cute! It’s got podcasts and the nitty gritty behind how they’re created. A meet-cute, a bachelorette-type podcast, influencers, and a huge dog. Once I got into this book, I flew through it in just a few days!

Linda Holmes never disappoints! BACK AFTER THIS is her newest romance, following podcast producer Cecily.

It was sweet and charming and delightfully nerdy about audio production. So fun!

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for a free review copy.

I thought this was a well-written romance. The pacing was good, and the 'breakup' toward the end din't bother me as much as I thought it would. I thought the podcasting setting was interesting and they included the right amount of details.

This was such an enjoyable rom-com! I loved all of the dating adventures and the dynamic between Cecily and Eliza. The dating podcast was also a fun approach! A light and easy read.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Random House Publishing for a copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Linda Holmes has done it again! Her books always hit me just right with the perfect amount of cute, sweet and swoon. Watching the heroine find herself despite all the obstacles and love along the way always makes me smile.

This time we have Cecily who is brilliant in the podcast world even if it is behind the scenes and not quite where she wants to be. At one point in life, she was part of a podcast with her boyfriend that she was the brains and heart of, but he took all the glory being the voice. Then he dumped her and took the collaboration as his own leaving her behind in all ways.

Cecily is now a podcast producer who would love her own show. The place where she works is hitting hard times with imminent layoffs. So, when she is offered a show (not of her making!) she agrees in order to save her friend/coworker's job and the chance at making her own podcast if this show is a success. This podcast will showcase Cecily finding love while being mentored by Eliza, a life coach, through 20 blind dates chosen for her.

Right before starting the podcast, however, Cecily has the most adorable meet-cute with Will (and a dog!) that is totally epic. There is a definite connection, but it is not part of Cecily's new life plan being executed by others. Then Will keeps crossing her path in unexpected (perhaps fated?!) ways. Will is definite book boyfriend material....

I adored the romance but also was fully invested in Cecily finally coming to her "I am woman, hear me roar!" moment and discovering what (and who) she wanted in life. Honestly, I had kind of a love/hate relationship with Eliza trying to figure out her true intentions with Cecily. I am glad we got a full circle moment, but still...I guess, all's well that ends well!

I hope to listen to the audiobook, too...:)

5 stars

Back After This by Linda Holmes
4/5 🌟 pub 2/25

This book is another joyful and wonderful read from this author. She is so consistent with creating fun characters with confidence and go with the flow attitudes.

This one follows Cecily who is in the podcasting steaming space and is tasked with allowing an influencer dating-based program for their channel. This influencer Eliza is mega popular and guarantees. She can help Cecily find love. It also doesn’t hurt that the station needs this to go well so they can secure more advertisers to keep them afloat.

When she randomly meets a guy in the wild via a runaway dog, she finds a spark, but with everything going on, does not prayer prioritize dating him. They keep finding each other through her dating regimen, and when they get together, it is casual and light. Towards the end, she sees a future, but also holds back due to his lack of stability.

This character is so special and finds self love as well as value in adding someone else to her life.