4.5 ⭐️

I absolutely loved this book. I gravitated towards it solely based on the dog on the cover which looks like my dog. I loved the humor mixed into the story. I felt it wrapped up really nice and I’m interested in reading more by this author!

If you are looking for a easy and bingey read, this is for you!

The premise of this book (a dating reality show podcast) had me hesitant that it would be corny, but Holmes really pulled it off! I loved her characters and just the heart and this book. Thankfully, the dating game part took a backseat to the protagonist’s life and love. By the time the book really got rolling, I was all in for Cecily to get her happily ever after. Both of Holmes’ books have been 5 stars in my book. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I read this in one sitting. The main character was flawed — but not in the ways we typically see the main character in a rom-com style story. She felt real, even when I got annoyed with her decision-making. Loved how fleshed out the other characters were. Really a lovely book that accurately depicted challenges in the audio/media space and also had a bit for the girlies (like myself) who like to watch reality TV shows.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank goodness! I feel like I have been reading a lot of meh books lately and Back After This any Linda Holmes was the perfect pick me up! Linda Holmes writes banter like few others! Cecil’y and Will were so fun and I loved getting to know them I. This story Definitely a book to pick up on. 2/25/25!

A regular listener of Pop Culture Happy Hour, u jumped at the chance to read an ARC of Linda Holmes’s new novel. I had read and loved Evvie Drake, and enjoyed her second novel (though not quite as much as Evvie Drake).

This third one is a gem. And while of course Linda Holmes knows podcasts - so this novel is full of a lot of the inner workings of a pod I was never aware of, she also knows dialogue. And the dialogue and banter between characters is delightful, easy, and really enjoyable.

This was a fast paced and enjoyable rom-com of a book and I definitely recommend it.

[ARC provided by NetGalley. Opinions all mine.]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was my first Linda Holmes novel, after being a fan of Pop Culture Happy Hour. Her voice is strong and I laughed a few times. However, I found the premise weak and a smidge half baked. I also found Cecily to be a passive character that frustrated me sometimes.

Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it for someone who wants a closed door romance with equal parts story of a particular woman’s experience.

This was a rom-com!!! Omg that was funny.

I don't think that I connected to the story very much, but Linda Holmes knows how to write comedy! I found myself buss-laughing about every five minutes.

Wasn't earth-shattering, but I'm not mad that I read it!

A sweet romcom set in the podcast world follows Cecil’y as she is working with a popular influencer who deems themselves as a life coach and brings along Cecily on a journey of 20 blind dates. Just as these begin she meets Will outside of her apartment and the book follows their various run ins. A sweet and enjoyable rom com!

I was in the ruttiest of book ruts until i got the chance to read this little gem. It scratches all the itches - protagonist who’s got something relatable to learn about herself, antagonist who is flawed but in a way that could be true any of us, and a guy who’s attractive in an attainable-normal-human being kind of way. Plus the best bonuses; snappy banter and a dog. Light spice, heavy chemistry! Recommended for fans of Emily Henry, Carly Fortune, and Christina Lauren.

3.75⭐️

Linda Holmes delivers again with another charming romance. The main character and her love interest are both characters for whom you can easily root. The peek behind the curtain of podcasting was also enjoyable! I enjoyed this book very much!

Cute story about a professional podcaster trying to position herself as a podcast host on a successful show in order to one-up her very successful ex.

Cecily agrees to a crazy new show portraying her 20 date journey to true love, coached by a big time influencer. Motivated by ambition and concern for the long term job security of her friends and colleagues, she suppresses her doubts and concerns along with her interest in a guy she keeps bumping into.

I liked the banter between Cecily and Will, and loved the relationships between Cecily and her sister, Will and his sister, and Cecily and her bff Julie. Insight into the podcast world was an added bonus.

This isn’t my favorite by this author but it’s definitely one I enjoyed and makes me look forward to her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.

Excellent! I love how this story started. A meet cute with a great Dane, can you even get any better?!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I was so delighted to have the chance to read and review this book early. I have loved both of her other books, and this one is my new favorite. Her characters are so real and relatable, and I loved learning the details of the podcasting world as well. The romance is sweet and believable. I loved the dog as well. A wonderful read, and one I'm sure I will be re-reading and recommending to all of my friends.

3.5⭐️

This was my first Linda Holmes book and it was a cute little romcom. Sweet, funny, and wrapped up at the end with a nice bow — exactly what I love!

What I enjoyed most was the banter between Cecily and Will. The witty conversations between the two made me laugh out loud. I could easily feel the chemistry between them.

However, I didn’t really feel like I connected strongly with any character. I wish there’d been a bit more backstory about some of the side characters. I didn’t get the feeling Cecily and Julie were as close as I was told they were, and a huge part of Cecily’s actions relied on her supposedly strong relationship with Julie.

This story talks a lot about the world of audio, which I thought would be a distraction but actually found quite interesting.

I’ve added other Linda Holmes books to my reading list thuggish and look forward to seeing her fun and unique writing style in other plot lines.

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Linda Holmes!

To be honest, I wasn't unsure about this story at first. It just felt a little slow in the beginning. The author did a great job regarding character development! The story picks up and the "meet cute" between Cecily and Will evolves from there. Cecily has decisions to make. I would recommend!

Very happy that my first advanced copy from NetGalley turned out to be a book I really loved! The plot was fun (podcast producer gets talked into hosting a show about her own dating life) and Cecily felt so real and relatable to me. Almost too relatable… It was also cool to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes of podcast production! While you wait for this one to release in February, I highly recommend checking out Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo, also by Linda Holmes!

As a big fan of Evvie Drake starts over, I was so excited to read Back After This.

Linda Holmes writes in such a way that I felt so at ease reading this book. Cecily’s narration was so funny and likable that it made the book an easy and quick read. I would like about Cecily and her journey when I wasn’t reading. My heart was in the story with her.

I learned a lot about audio engineering while reading, but it didn’t feel like an overwhelming amount of information. Linda Holmes gave just enough information about podcasting that it didn’t feel like an info dump and it didn’t take me out of the story.

The romance in this book was incredibly cute and just felt so natural. Nothing felt forced and the overall arc of the 20 Dates journey was unique and engaging.

I ate Back After This up. 100% would recommend and can’t wait for it to come out!

DNF @ 40%

While I found this funny and the premise interesting, the execution left much to be desired.
Although the description of the podcasting and the overall show idea was detailed and fascinating, I felt like the romance had an overall slow pace. I wanted more buy in with the obvious love interest choice.
It was just toooo slow of a build. And sorry, I just didn't care about the ins and outs of everything else. I wanted to fall in love with the fmc and the love interest but not enough time was dedicated to them for my taste.

I enjoyed this book, although it was quite obvious to all (except Cecily and Eliza) which person she should date. There were many funny scenes in this book - but there were also poignant and thoughtful parts. It would make a great movie I think.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early. Linda Holmes has turned into a must-read author for me. Cecily works in the podcast industry and is always overlooked for having her own show. That changes when her boss offers her the chance to have her own show, but the terms are less than ideal to Cecily. He wants it to be a show about her dating life complete with a relationship coach who is big in the social media world. The idea of going on 20 blind dates is painful to Cecily, but she wants to finally get the chance to have her own show. Add in Will, a photographer, who she has a meet-cute with while they're trying to chase after a dog who is on the run. Through the show Cecily is given the opportunity to figure out what she really wants as far as her career and what she's looking for in a partner (maybe she doesn't have the same priorities as the relationship coach).
Great dialogue, great secondary characters, and a very likable lead all make this book definitely worth reading!