Back After This

A Novel

By: Linda Holmes

Narrated by: Linda Holmes

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?

©2025 Linda Holmes (P)2025 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“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

Like a warm and cozy hug

Cecily Foster finds herself in a position of hosting a podcast that aims to find her love via dating coach. Along the way, she runs into the same person who she clicks with. A light and lovely adventure about making your own way forward and knowing what you want.

Not her best

From reading her previous work I know author has a great book in her but this isn’t it.
It’s fine for background listening but characters are thinly drawn and motivations don’t make sense from one moment to the next. The behind the scenes of podcast production was kind of interesting but would have been better if any character had a real love for audio storytelling.

Well what do you know about pod casts

So much energy. I just loved this book. Liked the characters and could see them as real people. Eliza the influencer was too real. I feel so sorry for people who have to change every day inbb vs order to stay popular. It must be exhausting.

Had to DNF - Terrible Narration

The narration is a shame. The speech pattern was so grating I couldn’t finish. I was excited to see something different, but the usual Julia Whelan is much preferred to whatever this was.

Pronounced furniture as fun-it-ture is this a joke? A commentary on the audio industry?

Wonderful story

I loved Linda Holmes’ two previous books, and Back After This is my favorite one yet! The main character is funny, endearing and very human, especially as she struggles with her choices. This story seems nearly as much a love letter to the audio world as it is a romance. It was particularly meaningful to hear in Linda’s own voice.

Her best yet!

I am a Linda Holmes completist and this is my favorite of hers so far!

Really needs professional narrator

I've read the author's other books and they were great! Light slice-of-life stuff. This book seems like it could be similar, but the narration unfortunately is tough to get through. I know the author does host a podcast, so is used to being on microphone, but unfortunately her talent doesn't translate as well to narration. The book would have really benefitted from a professional narrator, I think.

Listen to your Gut

I loved this, it's very engaging right from the start. There's lots of funny, smart banter. And the ending is not trite. Girl meets boy, girl looses boy and in the end she's happy - which she was not at the beginning. This is not a romance per say, which I detest.

Narration added to the story

I disagree with a lot of the reviews I’ve seen here. I think having the author narrate instead of a typical voice actor added character to this audiobook and made the story feel more authentic and intimate (like a podcast itself). Not to conflate the author and the protagonist, but the novel starts with a description of the sort of messages the main character receives about her voice every time she was featured on a show. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was based on the author’s own experience, which makes it all the more triumphant when the protagonist finds her voice in the end. The story was delightful and the narration refreshing.

Funny and Relatable Romance

Back After This is a fun and thoughtful romance set in the world of podcasting. I read and enjoyed both of Linda Holmes’s previous novels in print. However, I chose the audio this time because what could be better than a book about podcasting, voiced by the author, who is also one of your favorite real life podcasters? (Check out Linda’s work on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour.) What sets this story apart are the very relatable characters who are lovable despite not having everything figured out. Parts of the book made me chuckle out loud, and I felt as though I had a sneak peek into how podcasts are made. If you, like me, often need a little comfort in book form, give this one a try.