Michelle Blanchard Ardillo

This yet-to-be published new book, Back After This, is about the world of podcasting, but that is not why I requested an ARC from NetGalley. When I read the description, I saw that it was by the same author as Evvie Drake Starts Over (Ballantine, 2019), a book I read in 2020 and loved.

Somewhere in between that debut novel and this one, I missed Linda Holmes’s sophomore book, Flying Solo (Ballantine, 2022), but I will be digging into it soon. Linda Holmes the writer is firmly on my radar now. However, many people will know Linda Holmes from the world of radio, specifically NPR and its podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour.

I have limited experience with podcasts. When I had a longer commute to my first teaching job, I listened to a podcast about books, What Should I Read Next by Anne Bogel, and a few other podcasts about food, mainly the Bon Appétit one and Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio. During Covid, I would listen to one of those while out walking my dog in the middle of the day, but when my teaching job was in a school only 1.6 miles from home, my podcast listening shrank even more. While my husband and daughters think I’m a good storyteller and that I should do a podcast (lol, yet they tease me as to how many careers I’ve had), I am more about the written word.

A few years ago, I stumbled on a podcast called Currently Reading and I loved it so much I subscribed to their Patreon (my one and only), and thanks to Meredith and Kaytee and their delightful banter about books, my TBR list is roughly the length of the Nile River.

So, why did this book, Back After This, draw me in so quickly when it is about a sound editor for an audio production company? Two words: the writing. Just like I knew NOTHING about baseball when I started reading Evvie Drake, Linda Holmes is a master storyteller and just wants to tell me a good story.

In some ways (all good), Linda Holmes’s writing reminds me of Elinor Lipman, whose books I also adore. I am swept away on page one. I can’t wait to find time to read again. I stay up too late. I neglect things I am supposed to be doing. I just want to stay in the story. That is the textbook definition of a 5-star read for me.

And now back to the real reason you are here, a book review. I loved Back After This. I learned a lot about sound editing and what producers really do. I loved the obsession with social media and brand collaboration, the way youngish people make money in today’s world, which is a paradox of conforming to the standards set by famous people versus striking out and doing your own thing. I thought the inter-office politics and layoff drama was very realistic and stressful. I loved that the main character has a dysfunctional family life but a sister she loved and looked up to. I loved that this book was set in Washington, DC, but not about politics or corruption or scandal. But, I mean, come on, this book at its core, is a romance, a rom-com even. Is falling in love possible by just repeatedly running into the same person over and over when you least expect it? Or do you need a plan? Do you need a bunch of blind dates to have enough statistical data to pick and choose which ones are keepers and which ones are see you later, alligator? Linda Holmes tells us her views on this, and she squarely seats us in the court of kismet, not contrivance.

Oh, did I mention the dog? Dog lovers of all breeds will absolutely delight in the subplot of Buddy/Gideon the Great Dane!

Did you just finish something heavy and dramatic? Do you need something light-hearted to cleanse your book palate, but also interesting enough that you will want to keep reading? Back After This is just the ticket. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC. I can’t wait to see what Linda Holmes does next!