Back After This, Linda Holmes
Back After This, Linda Holmes
List: $22.00 | Sale: $15.40
Club: $11.00

Back After This

Author: Linda Holmes

Narrator: Linda Holmes

Unabridged: 9 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/25/2025


Synopsis

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?

“Romantic, smart, and exactly the book we all need right now. I adored this.”—Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script

“You’ll sink into this story and never want it to end.”—Elissa Sussman, author of Funny You Should Ask

Cecily Foster loves to make podcasts. She fiercely protects her colleagues, dearly adores her friends, and never misses dinner with her sister. But after a disastrous relationship with a colleague who stole her heart and her ideas, she’s put romantic love on hold.

When the boss who’s disappointed her again and again finally offers her the chance to host her own show, she wants to be thrilled. But there’s a catch—actually, two catches. First, the show will be about Cecily’s dating life. And second, she has to follow the guidance of influencer and newly minted relationship coach Eliza Cassidy, whose relentlessly upbeat attitude seems ready-made for social media, not real life.

Cecily would rather do anything other than put her singledom on display (ugh) or take advice from the internet (UGH). But when her boss hints that doing the show is the only way to protect a friend’s job, she realizes she has no choice.

To make matters more complicated, once she’s committed to twenty blind dates of Eliza’s choosing, Cecily finds herself unable to stop thinking about Will, a photographer she helped to rescue a very big and very lovable lost dog. Even though there are sparks between the two, Will’s own path is uncertain, and Eliza’s skeptical comments about Cecily’s decision-making aren’t helping. On the one hand, Will seems great. But on the other hand . . . don’t they all?

As Cecily struggles to balance the life she truly desires and the one Eliza wants to create for her, she finds herself at a crossroads. Can Cecily sort through all the advice and find a way to do what she loves without losing herself in the process?

Reviews

Goodreads review by emma on March 08, 2025

if a romance author writes even a single book i like, i will pledge my loyalty to them for all my days. in return, i receive more good books. (review to come / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)......more

Goodreads review by Jayme on February 25, 2025

3.75 rounded ⬆️ New York Times bestselling author, Linda Holmes (Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo) is back with another story of a woman who needs a fresh start! Longtime podcast producer Cecily Foster has always longed to host her own show, so she agrees to do a show her boss wants her to do w......more

Goodreads review by Nilufer on April 03, 2025

Reading Back After This felt like wrapping myself in a cozy blanket while sharing secrets with my best friend. I fell head over heels for this enchanting story of self-discovery that had me laughing, tearing up, and cheering from the very first page. My heart ached for Cecily Foster, a talented podca......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on November 10, 2024

I think this is Holmes' best book yet, although it's very possible I'm bringing in my own biases. I am not a big romance reader but Holmes gives me enough outside the tropes to chew on that I enjoy her books. And this time the meat of the story that the romance works around is working in media, some......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on January 16, 2025

I was very much anticipating this book since I loved Evvie Drakes Starts Over. I was excited to pick up Linda Holmes’ newest release. Unfortunately this one didn’t live up to my expectations. I was expecting a female character going through a hard time with a side of romance. That’s not what this is.......more


Quotes

“Dating hijinks, hilarious banter, heartfelt moments . . . this book by Linda Holmes, bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over, has it all.”—Woman’s World

“You won’t be able to read fast enough.”People

“Back After This is a delightful read, full of wit and human connection and the intrigue and mundanities of a career in media in the nation’s capital, plus the addition of a very large, very endearing dog named Buddy.”—Roxane Gay, The Audacity

“I can’t imagine a more delightful meditation on the value of listening to your own voice in a loud, loud world. Back After This is romantic, smart, and exactly the book we all need right now. I adored this.”—Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script

Back After This is a sweetheart of a novel—fun and warm, full of Linda Holmes’s signature charm. You’ll sink into this story and never want it to end. The dialogue is sweet and snappy, and the characters so real you could touch them. There’s so much to love in this book: dreamy men who do backflips, found family, the perfect revenge, and an adorable dog. What more could a reader want?”—Elissa Sussman, bestselling author of Funny You Should Ask

“Hugely uplifting and hilariously funny, Back After This is the kind of smart, grounded romance that’s made Linda Holmes one of the most beloved voices in fiction. She’s just so good.”—Katie Cotugno, New York Times bestselling author of Birds of California

Back After This is a propulsive, heart-warming journey through the difficult—and often petty—world of podcasting. I gobbled this book up in a single night, enchanted by Holmes’s all-too-real characters and their dogged pursuit of love. This book is a much-needed distraction—a fun, exciting, and sexy reprieve from the real world. I cannot wait to recommend it to all my friends.”—Kelsey McKinney, host of Normal Gossip and author of You Didn’t Hear This From Me

“To know Linda Holmes—whether through her work at NPR as a correspondent and host of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast or as the author of warm-hearted, chatty novels Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo—is to love Linda Holmes. Her third novel, Back After This, is a delightful combination of her two fields.”BookPage

“Holmes clearly knows a thing or two about the world of podcasting, as she’s one of the hosts of the popular NPR show Pop Culture Happy Hour, and she fills the book with details that give listeners a peek behind the curtain. . . . An altogether charming and delightful romance full of laugh-out-loud lines.”Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Holmes once again crafts an engaging, appealing tale of a woman coming into her own and learning to leave her people-pleasing ways behind. But it is not just Cecily who readers will connect with; all of the cast members are fully realized, with their own motivations and insecurities. Blending witty humor, a tender romance, and true character growth, this is a winner.”Booklist, starred review