Back Where We Started: A Novel
Becca Freeman
Oct 2026 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Brittany Pressley
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9 hr 41 min
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A rising Hollywood star explores the road not taken with her first love in this tender second-chance romance by the author of The Christmas Orphans Club
Katie’s wildest dreams have come true. She’s a Hollywood actress, booked and busy, and promoting her latest film. Sure, she still struggles with sexist media malignment and unimaginative roles, but from where she stands today, her hometown of Dutch Ridge, Pennsylvania feels a million miles away—and that makes it all worth it.
Because Dutch Ridge can only ever represent Drew. Every street is filled with memories of their shared adolescence, how they were each other’s first everything, the hours they spent planning for the future. Drew was the only person in Dutch Ridge who didn’t make Katie feel delusional for dreaming big, because he did, too. She was going to be the next Julia Roberts, and he was going to be president someday. Was it their extraordinary level of ambition that brought them together at sixteen? It was definitely what drove them apart in the years after.
But now, a promise to her sister forces Katie to return to Dutch Ridge for Christmas, where she runs into Drew, who seems to have followed a different path from the one they once dreamed up. And strangely, he seems...happy. As their run-ins heat up and the two can't keep themselves away from each other, Katie begins to wonder whether her accolade-filled Hollywood life really fulfills her after all. Back Where We Started is an emotional second-chance romance, a story about allowing oneself to change, the addictive nature of achievement, and how we make room in our lives for what matters most.
Katie’s wildest dreams have come true. She’s a Hollywood actress, booked and busy, and promoting her latest film. Sure, she still struggles with sexist media malignment and unimaginative roles, but from where she stands today, her hometown of Dutch Ridge, Pennsylvania feels a million miles away—and that makes it all worth it.
Because Dutch Ridge can only ever represent Drew. Every street is filled with memories of their shared adolescence, how they were each other’s first everything, the hours they spent planning for the future. Drew was the only person in Dutch Ridge who didn’t make Katie feel delusional for dreaming big, because he did, too. She was going to be the next Julia Roberts, and he was going to be president someday. Was it their extraordinary level of ambition that brought them together at sixteen? It was definitely what drove them apart in the years after.
But now, a promise to her sister forces Katie to return to Dutch Ridge for Christmas, where she runs into Drew, who seems to have followed a different path from the one they once dreamed up. And strangely, he seems...happy. As their run-ins heat up and the two can't keep themselves away from each other, Katie begins to wonder whether her accolade-filled Hollywood life really fulfills her after all. Back Where We Started is an emotional second-chance romance, a story about allowing oneself to change, the addictive nature of achievement, and how we make room in our lives for what matters most.
A rising Hollywood star explores the road not taken with her first love in this tender second-chance romance by the author of The Christmas Orphans Club
Katie’s wildest dreams have come true. She’s a Hollywood actress, booked and busy, and promoting her latest film. Sure, she still struggles wit...
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About the author
Becca Freeman is the author of The Christmas Orphans Club. She's also the co-host of the popular books and lifestyle podcast "Bad on Paper" and the writer behind the Book Enthusiast newsletter. Becca is a graduate of Boston College and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Back Where We Started is her second novel.
Becca Freeman is the author of The Christmas Orphans Club. She's also the co-host of the popular books and lifestyle podcast "Bad on Paper" and the writer behind the Book Enthusiast newsletter. Becca is a graduate of Boston College and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Back Where We Starte...
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