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A review by beckykphillips
Back After This by Linda Holmes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I completely devoured Back After This and cannot wait for it to come out so I can gush over it with my friends. Linda Holmes's writing is lovely with grounded, real human characters, delicious banter, and of course, an incredible giant rescue dog that kick starts a meet-cute. This book feels like an ode to those of us who may be extremely Type A people pleasers, while also giving us a good dose of reality, while also being just a wonderful romance.
Back After This centers on Cecily, a hard working podcast producer at a fictional firm that is struggling amidst the changing winds of advertising. Her less than great boss, Toby, finally brings Cecily in to host her own show. However, the show centers on Cecily learning on how to find a partner and being taught by influencer extraordinaire, Eliza Cassidy, In service of this show, Cecily agrees, but not before meeting Will via the aforementioned giant rescue dog. Cecily goes on 20 first dates, but can't stop thinking about Will, much to Eliza (and Toby's) consternation. Along the way we meet Cecily's incredible friends and family (and also an incredibly unfortunate ex, Justin, who is also a podcaster and is the type of guy to tattoo the waveform of his voice saying "Hi this is Justin Dash" on his arm - a detail that I truly appreciated).
This book is just an absolute delight cover to cover. I identified so much with Cecily and her relentless pursuit of forward progress and trying to figure out what all of the "right moves" were. I too have aspirational apples as snacks that are squirreled away and have trouble figuring out what I actually want versus what I should do. Cecily is acerbic in the best of ways and both her inner and outer commentary had me nodding along while I was reading. Holmes puts in so many small details that really make the book - like Eliza not being good at making coffee, but seemingly good at everything else.
Speaking of Eliza, she really could have been written like an absolute cow, but the humanizing details between her conversations with Cecily and also having Emmy, her sister, give background made her feel so much more real. Many of the side characters, like Molly, Cecily's sister, have these good, inner lives and stories that help ground everyone. And of course, I just adored Will as a character.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who needs a romance that will make you swoon and think. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the advanced copy.
Back After This centers on Cecily, a hard working podcast producer at a fictional firm that is struggling amidst the changing winds of advertising. Her less than great boss, Toby, finally brings Cecily in to host her own show. However, the show centers on Cecily learning on how to find a partner and being taught by influencer extraordinaire, Eliza Cassidy, In service of this show, Cecily agrees, but not before meeting Will via the aforementioned giant rescue dog. Cecily goes on 20 first dates, but can't stop thinking about Will, much to Eliza (and Toby's) consternation. Along the way we meet Cecily's incredible friends and family (and also an incredibly unfortunate ex, Justin, who is also a podcaster and is the type of guy to tattoo the waveform of his voice saying "Hi this is Justin Dash" on his arm - a detail that I truly appreciated).
This book is just an absolute delight cover to cover. I identified so much with Cecily and her relentless pursuit of forward progress and trying to figure out what all of the "right moves" were. I too have aspirational apples as snacks that are squirreled away and have trouble figuring out what I actually want versus what I should do. Cecily is acerbic in the best of ways and both her inner and outer commentary had me nodding along while I was reading. Holmes puts in so many small details that really make the book - like Eliza not being good at making coffee, but seemingly good at everything else.
Speaking of Eliza, she really could have been written like an absolute cow, but the humanizing details between her conversations with Cecily and also having Emmy, her sister, give background made her feel so much more real. Many of the side characters, like Molly, Cecily's sister, have these good, inner lives and stories that help ground everyone. And of course, I just adored Will as a character.
I highly recommend this novel to anyone who needs a romance that will make you swoon and think. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the advanced copy.