Cecily and Will's story was just perfect! This was my first Linda Holmes book, but I now plan to read more of her work, Back After This will appeal to fiction and romance readers.

A solid 4 star read! Cecily works for an audio company and, in a ploy to save her job, she agrees to be the star of a new podcast in which she will work with a dating coach and go on 20 blind dates, with the goal of finding "the one." And then she bumps into Will, quite literally, on the street. And at the bank. And at a restaurant. Is it a sign that he keeps cropping up in her life, or should she listen to her dating guru and ignore him?

All the LOVE for this story! Linda Holmes is clearly a talented writer. Her characters are intriguing and her stories are difficult to put down. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Linda Holmes is back! I loved this almost as much as her first two books. Will was my favorite and I wish there was more of him and Cecily together. The insider look at editing was fascinating. As always, looking forward to more from Holmes!

Can I give this book more than 5 stars???

I've listened to Ms. Holmes on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour since its early years and I've enjoyed her first two books but I think this is her best work. I think the premise may be a bit more rom-com standard fare, but it's so well executed with realistic and likable, but flawed character who do not some how become less intelligent as the book goes on which so often happens in romances.

Her ability to execute the story in a sharp and funny way elevates way above many other books like it. I think what she is a master at is dialogue and banter which makes the novel a pleasure to read.

This is how it's done.

I was so excited for this—the premise is so fun and interesting, I love other books from this author, the cover is so cute! But sadly it fell flat for me 😭 I felt the chemistry with Will and Cecily but I felt like there wasn’t enough of them together, especially in the first half. It got way too in the weeds on the audio side and less about the relationships. A lot of the other characters felt kind of one dimensional and I found myself skimming through a bunch. 2.5 stars will round to 3 I’m so sorry!!!!

Overall, I enjoyed this latest release by Linda Holmes.I enjoyed both Cecily and Wills’ characters. Their banter was fun and refreshing and as a devoted dog lover.

I was fully engaged by this rom com, which is saying something for work I consider "chick lit." It was both funny and clever and I enjoyed spending time with the main character. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Linda Holmes & the publishers for the eARC, I have an abundance of positive praise for this delightful book. . Linda Holmes is one of my favorites and no one does banter better .
I will be recommending this one to all my friends.

This was such a fun read; a slow burn, simply endearing romance. The podcast setting was well- fleshed out. I loved the way it was presented- pros, cons, nuances, technology, etc. Most importantly the characters and relationships were well-written. Loved Will and Cecily!
Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC ebook!

Recurring meet-cutes, a podcaster, fantastic supporting characters and a lovable dog. What else do you need? Linda Holmes is a must-read for me and Back After This had it all!!!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC!

A sweet and short romance that made me fall in love with the main female character. Although some parts felt a little dry, I enjoyed the plot and how the story set out. I also really liked the side characters. The main male character lacked a little personality. Maybe not enough one on one banter or sometimes they'd say something and there wouldn't be a response from the other. I thought at first the main character would be Miles, seeing his quirks in chapter 1 they were endearing so I wish we had a little more of this type of thing from the real mmc. The side characters were soo good. The story arc and character arc for the main female was so relatable and seeing her insecurities on page was such a nice thing to witness her work through them. Loved a lot about the story and I'll definitely pick up the next book by this author and recommend to anyone who wants to read a quick romance with relatable insecurities. The main female character was everything.

I received an ARC of *Back After This* in exchange for my honest opinion, and I absolutely loved this book! It was funny and nerdy, and I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Cecily and Eliza, especially when Cecily had to go on twenty dates with to save her career. Their personalities are so opposite: Eliza has an optimistic view of dating, while Cecily represents a more cynical perspective. I found Eliza's character both frustrating and endearing—she was so wrong about our attractive waiter and, even in the end, she still didn’t realize it. However, her quirky influencer energy added to the book's charm. Justin never deserved Cecily either.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, podcasts, humor, and, of course, horse dogs.

I want to express my gratitude to Ballantine Books for the ARC.

DNF around the 20% mark. I love a good podcast story but was a bit too much and it around the podcast more than I would’ve liked. I just couldn’t connect the story nor the characters unfortunately it was on miss for me.

Cecily is a podcast producer who is given her own show, but it involves going on 20 dates and following the guidance of a life coach/influencer. Naturally, Cecily meets someone on her own, which means a whole new set of complications. As a journalist who is deaf and can't listen to podcasts, it was interesting to learn a bit about this form of journalism. An enjoyable read.

I absolutely loved “Back After This”. I loved Cecily’s detailed look into someone who works on a podcast and has been undervalued and overlooked by her ex and boss. I loved her friendship with Julie and her semi forced quest to find love. Eliza was the perfect overconfident life coach and Will was the perfect distraction from Eliza’s plan. I’ve loved all of this author’s books but this was a favorite for sure.

Recurring meet-cutes, a podcaster, fantastic supporting characters and a lovable dog. What else do you need? Linda Holmes is a must-read for me and Back After This is no different. Highly recommended!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Like "The Ex-Talk" by NPR's Rachel Lynn Soloman, "Back After This" is also by an NPR journalist and also gives the reader a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the audio world--this time in a story about podcasts. I have loved Linda Holmes previous books, and this one was no exception. I loved the character of Cecily, who worked so hard for a life she thought she was supposed to have. I loved Will, who was so sweet but also flawed and lost. And I even loved Eliza, the influencer tasked with finding Cecily love in a methodical and intentional way. She could have come off as shallow and selfish, but Holmes gave her depth and a strong values. This was a very sweet romance about finding something you didn't know you were looking for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I have been a fan of Linda Holmes for a while now, due to her excellent work on one of my favorite podcasts. I have read two of her prior novels and enjoyed them both. This latest was especially satisfying because it is set in the world of podcasting. I enjoyed the glimpses behind the scenes and hearing a bit of the inside story of what goes on with content creators. Even if you do not care about podcasts, this novel has something for you. This is a rom-com, and an intelligent one. The "meet cute" is very cute, and unlike a lot of rom-coms, not one I have heard (or a variation of) a million times before. The protagonists are messy, but I quite liked them both and was rooting for them. The thing keeping them apart felt real, and while there were a lot of coincidental meetings, the plot did not feel contrived at all. This is 100 percent due to the excellent writing- the writing is very warm, very clever, witty, relatable, and contemporary (without seeming like it will be dated within six months). The main characters were well drawn; they had depth and nuance. The secondary characters were less well drawn, but you still felt like you would recognize them if you met them at a party. I even found myself kind of interested in the "influencer", which surprised me, because I normally do not care about that sort of thing at all. In summary, I liked this one a lot, Linda Holmes is very talented.

Back After This by Linda Holmes is a heartwarming rom-com featuring podcast producer Cecily, who gets roped into hosting and being the subject of a dating podcast called Twenty Dates. Cecily is still recovering from a breakup four years ago when she is asked to do this podcast. She doesn’t want to but it’s an opportunity for her to save her friend’s job, get on the air, and possibly be able to create the pilot of a podcast she’s been working on. She’ll parter with a life coach who will set her up on twenty dates and give very planned, purposeful tips on dating. The catch? Cecily unexpectedly meets a man she has a connection with (Will) and now she’s torn between following this unplanned path towards him or keeping the podcast plan and saving the company.

This was a fun read. I devoured it in one day. It was lighthearted but had emotional, sweet, and funny moments. I really liked the main characters. Due to the writing being in first person, I felt like I was having a conversation with the FMC who is the narrator of this story.

Readers who are interested in books that feature characters in their 30’s, characters that are “normal” people, and romance without graphic sex scenes would likely enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and author for granting me an advanced reader copy of the ebook. My review was not influenced by this and is based upon a draft and not the final version of the book. Expected publication date is February 25, 2025.