Back After This by Linda Holmes
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pub Date: 2/25/2025

Thank you Random House for the free advanced copy. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Podcast producer Cecily Foster is reluctantly thrust into the spotlight, hosting a series about her own dating life under the guidance of a controlling influencer. Torn between sparks with a charming photographer and the pressure to follow her mentor’s rules, Cecily must decide whether to trust her instincts or risk losing her shot at real love.

Back After This is the third book I’ve read by Linda Holmes, and the premise initially sounded intriguing. At first, I enjoyed getting to know Cecily’s character especially her personality at work, but the book’s pacing quickly became slow and drawn out. I wasn’t a fan of Eliza’s character and kept hoping she would improve, but she never did. Most of the characters felt underdeveloped, especially Will, whose backstory and personality were barely explored. The conversations between Will and Cecily felt stilted and their connection seemed based more on repeated encounters than genuine chemistry or spark. Cecily, as a protagonist, came across as a workaholic who relied too much drinking and lacked hobbies or interests outside her job. Her friendship with Julie felt one-sided where Cecily seemed to sacrifice unnecessarily for Julie who didn’t ask for such devotion and placed her friend on an undeserved pedestal. By the time I reached the 60% mark, I found myself bored and tempted to DNF, but since I’d made it so far, I pushed through. Unfortunately, the ending was underwhelming and it felt like the author added unnecessary descriptions and filler dialogue to meet a word count. Overall, this book confirmed that Linda Holmes’ style may not be for me.