I was laughing and crying multiple times during this book! The story line is perfect and the characters are so loveable. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I will definitely pick up another one!

Once More With Feeling by Elissa Sussman is a heart-stirring tale that expertly weaves the magic of fame, shattered dreams, and the chance to reclaim what was lost. This friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers romance had me captivated from start to finish, from the real emotions to the steamy chemistry between the leads.

Sussman crafts a narrative that effortlessly transports readers into the tumultuous world of stardom. Through the eyes of Katee Rose, America's pop sensation, we experience the glitz and glamour, the relentless paparazzi, and the suffocating pressures of fame. Katee's yearning for authenticity and freedom tugs at your heartstrings, making her instantly relatable despite her larger-than-life persona.

The story seamlessly shifts between past and present, providing a fascinating glimpse into Katee's journey. From her passionate yet forbidden connection with Cal Kirby, a member of the CrushZone boy band, to her bittersweet fall from grace, the emotions run deep. Sussman's writing effortlessly captures the complexities of love, guilt, and the weight of past mistakes.

The characters in Once More With Feeling are beautifully layered and flawed, adding depth and authenticity to the story. Katee's transformation into Kathleen Rosenberg, an ordinary woman seeking redemption, is a testament to Sussman's skill in portraying the intricate nuances of growth and self-discovery. The tension between Katee and Cal is palpable, and their tempestuous reunion ignites a fire that sizzles off the pages.

What sets this book apart is the author's ability to infuse humor and wit amidst the emotional turmoil. The dialogue sparkles with banter and playful exchanges that had me grinning like a fool. The Broadway setting adds an extra layer of magic, as Sussman effortlessly captures the vibrancy and energy of the theater world.

Once More With Feeling is a tale of second chances, forgiveness, and the power of love to heal even the deepest wounds. Sussman's masterful storytelling will leave you with a renewed belief in the resilience of the human spirit. Loved it.

I am such a sucker for a celeb romance and FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK was a big hit for me last year! I couldn't wait to request ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, but I am so bummed to report that it didn't work out for me.

I usually love dual timelines in a romcom, but for some reason, it just didn't work for me here. I didn't feel the emotional connection to these characters or their relationship and I SO wanted to. I also wanted a lot more musical details in this book!

I think this book had a lot of potential but unfortunately, this was just a miss for me. However, I still want to give Elissa's work another chance, and hope she comes out with new work soon!

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. As a thespian, I was obsessed with the Broadway performance storyline. The characters were frustrating in the best way and I loved watching their personal development and growth in self-awareness. This book was un-putdownable and I was anxious to see how the two main characters would grow through their increasingly close contact.

Something that I know will be undervalued was the dynamic and growth in the female friendships in the book. Helen was such a wonderful character and ultimately kind of an unsung hero in this novel and I loved watching her grow in confidence and finally be herself and ask for what she wants!

I have and will continue to recommend this one to everyone I know. Never met an Elissa Susan novel I didn't love!

Once More with Feeling takes you inside the life of a former bubblegum pop princess (think Britney Spears circa 2001) who has fallen from grace after a scandal involving her boy band frontman boyfriend (think Justin Timberlake circa 2001). Katee (nee Kathleen) is bruised from her fall but determined to make her comeback to her first love, theater, with the help of her first love (and Other Man in her career-ending scandal), Cal. I thought these two made for interesting, complex characters who show the journey of being sucked into the cyclone of noughties fame and spit out decades later. This novel is compelling, juicy, and of course gives Kathleen the happy ending that was stolen from her by that y2k staple, misogyny.

Elissa is truly amazing at writing slow burn and amazing chemistry between two characters. It was truly crackling between Kathleen and Cal. I loved the back and forth on the timelines and how it helped build the current day story. It was very heartfelt and the theater background was fun. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

3.5 Stars

I was excited for this one after reading and loving Elissa Sussman's last book, Funny You Should Ask.

Once More with Feeling is a charming second chance romance that captured my interest very quickly. However, I didn't feel quite as attached to the characters in this story as I did with Funny You Should Ask, though I can't point to exactly why.

⭐️multiple timelines
⭐️second chance romance
⭐️friends to lovers to enemies to lovers

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell for the ARC!

This book was so cute! I love that the characters were a little bit more adult than typical romance, but it still held all of the charm of a mainstream romance book.

This was such a cute second chance romance. It was adorable, heartwarming, slightly cringe at times, and all around just perfect. I’m so glad to have read this book!

Honestly, I was scared to pick up this book and kept putting it off because I kept seeing not stellar reviews. I am so glad I decided to take a chance on this book. Kathleen Rosenberg used to be THE pop star when she was young, selling out concerts, having many adoring fans, the perfect boy band boyfriend until it all fell apart. In a matter of moments, she lost it all. Now several years later, her best friend, Harriet, writes the perfect part for her in a hopeful Broadway show. Unfortunately, she is thrown together with the reason it all went downhill and she lost her career, Cal Kirby. Can she work with him to achieve her dreams or is there too much history there?

As I said, I was scared to pick up this book because of all the not-so-great things I was hearing about it, but I am so glad I did. I loved this story and ate it up. I loved the then and now timelines, seeing how her life fell apart and how she was slowly trying to regain herself and her self-confidence. I would have liked it more if we had a dual-pov and got to see what Cal was thinking, but I still enjoyed the story. I would recommend Once More with Feeling to anyone who likes a slow-burn romance, especially if you like ones that revolve around celebrity life.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this! 3.5 stars — 2 for the romance, 5 for the musical theatre love.

Sussman has clearly grown and improved as a writer since “Funny.” The dialogue in this one was so much more realistic, and the story as a whole felt more … developed. More complete and rounded out.

I do wish there’d been more explanation of some of the Broadway bits. Like what is an out of state tryout? Why were they in Rhode Island? Why were there so many different opening nights? Just a sentence of brief explanation would’ve helped me feel more in the know on what was happening, so I could be excited for the characters.

The slow burn romance was a veerrryyy slow burn. Not much happens until 75% in, then they break up quickly and get back together with a few pages left. So if you’re here for the romance, I’d suggest finding something else to read. If you’re here for the ode to musical theatre, you’re in the right place!

second chance romance isnt a trope i seek out, so its nice to be surprised with one like this! I adored this author's first book, and while this wasn't as good in my opinion, it's still worth a read.

This is one of the books where I go "Did the author look inside my head and write this for me." A rom com with three timelines - #1 about kids at musical theatre camp, #2 about said musical theatre kids now older in the pop world (oh how I love a good boy band!) AND #3 as adults auditioning and in rehearsals for a Broadway show? WHAT??!!

This musical theatre girl's heart just grew 6 sizes!!! I knew I was all in with this book the minute I read the quote "It was as if the patron saint of musical theatre - Stephen Sondheim - was smiling on me."

I enjoyed Sussman's previous novel and was so excited to dive into this one, not really knowing much about the plot. I was incredibly invested in the characters and their journeys. not only from a will they/won't they aspect, but also from a friendship, career, and life aspect as well. I devoured this in less than 24 hours and found myself relating with these characters in so many ways - I personally went to musical theatre camp, have also performed in a live showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in college, had movie musical marathons with my friends, and am still obsessed with the patron saint Mr. Sondheim!

Thank you - thank you - thank you Elisa Sussman for making this musical theatre nerd's heart so happy with this adorable, unique, witty, tender, and beautiful novel. You nailed the audition anxiety, the joy of being on stage, and also the beauty of those friendships (and rivalries) that are made in the performing world that last a lifetime.

I truly wanted to just hug this book when I finished it (while singing Memory at the top of my lungs, of course).

After her first novel and now this one - Sussman has just become an auto read author for me!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House/Ballantine/Dell for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!.

I had a really hard time getting into this book and connecting with the characters. To.the point where I had to put it down for a bit before picking it back up. Fun dialogue, interesting characters for sure, but it fell a little.flat for me.

I was a bit nervous about this one...
I think the most important thing to know about this book is that it does involve the cheating trope.
Do I like this trope? No. I honestly hate it.
But did I hate this book? No.
Knowing that this book had the cheating trope in it, I tried to focus on other aspects of this story.
I liked the then and now timelines, which provided insight into our female main character and her motivations with regards to her career. I also appreciate an underdog story, which is exactly what the main character is in her career. She's giving everything she has to try an "make it," which is compelling to read about.
I liked the exploration of the main character's relationship with her best friend and their dynamic from teenage years, into young adults, and now. I do wish the story would have focused even more on this relationship because it was a standout for the book as a whole.
With regards to the romantic storyline, I think Elissa Sussman does a good job of making the audience love the male main character and wanting us to root for him and our female main character in both the then and now timelines. Unfortunately, there is cheating. As much as the reader can try and sympathize with the characters involved, I'm never going to enjoy that trop and it's never going to sit well with me.
I think if the cheating trope isn't a negative for a reader they will likely really enjoy this story. The author does a great job with some much of it and it really is an enjoyable read overall. If you know you dislike the cheating trope, you may want to skip this one.

DNFed at 15%

Thank you to netgalley and Ballantine random house for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who didn’t adore funny you should ask but enjoyed some aspects of it I went into this hoping this one would build on the highs, rather than the lows, of that novel.

I’m sorry to say that, unfortunately, in my opinion, that didn’t occur. I found the characters unlikeable, besides Harriet who seemed to have the most inviting personality out of everyone.

I often times felt like I was reading celebrity fan fiction and found the characters shallow and self centered.

However, I did enjoy Harriet’s and Kathleen friendship, along with their love for musicals, I found myself wishing the rest of the novel shared the amount of depth and detail that went into these traits. I wished the author had played more into the emotional aspect of Kathleen’s personality, with more detail. How deeply her time away from the spotlight had changed her and molded her. While we do get scattered lines of this here and there I just don’t find it having the depth to really stick and make us feel for this character and why she truly deserves this second chance she is getting. I personally didn’t see any character development and because of these reasons I had to DNF this one.

While this book wasn’t for me, I do believe other readers may get something out of this read that I was unable to.

I think the premise of this one will attract some of my YA readers, but I didn't get as much romance as I did realistic fiction from it.

Thank you #netgalley for the advance reader copy of "Once More With Feeling" by Elissa Sussman. This was the first book I've read by the author and I really enjoyed how she constructed the story. It was very easy to know when it was a flash back.  The way she weaves the tale of childhood friends and intimate relationships. She writes in such a way that I was interested in all the characters and where their decisions take them. And I really enjoyed the Jewish referencea!! I looking forward to reading her other book!


#netgalley #sussman #random house #OnceMorewithFeeling


@netgalley @randomhouse

A smart, unique writing style with all the witty and charming dialogues and the characters that I love in a romance. I seriously so loved and enjoyed it.

Thank you so much Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this story of second chance romance between Cal and Kathleen and I love a good dual timeline! Especially with second romance aw we get to follow the trail of the entire story of how they met, where it went wrong and they came back together!

Once More With Feeling vibrant musical spins a tale of a fallen pop star and her trusted songwriter, both on a mission to reclaim their glittering world. But here’s the small twist: no cliché misunderstandings here. Katee, the former pop sensation, commits a genuine mistake that the narrative fearlessly confronts. Through its “Then” and “Now” narrative, this book goes through the motions and backstory of Katee Rose.

Katee Rose once stood as the reigning pop sensation in America and beyond, drawing fervent fans to her concerts and captivating the media’s attention. However, her superstar status crumbled under the weight of a misogynistic campaign led by both the media and her then ex-boyfriend, Ryan. The pivotal moment arrived when she cheated on her boyfriend Ryan, a member of a beloved boyband CrushZone, with his bandmate Cal Kirby—a secret affection she had harbored, dating back to their summer theater camp days.

Fast forward many years and enter Kathleen Rosenberg, content with leaving behind her brief stint as a pop star. Big on the content. That is until Cal, now directing her best friend’s soon-to-be Broadway production, reappears with an irresistible offer: the starring role, on the condition that she auditions for the producers. As old emotions resurface and tensions escalate between the two who haven’t spoken since their fall from grace, the question hangs in the air: should they rekindle their old flame, or can they resist the temptation that still lingers?

Beneath its surface, “Once More with Feeling” tells a tale of redemption, tracing a woman’s journey from a grave mistake to accountability and self-forgiveness. As Kathleen’s story exemplifies, granting second chances can be a powerful act. I felt some areas of this book fell short. Cal never truly apologized to Katee yet she seemed so okay with it? There were also times where Katee felt unrelateable BUT that could have been her big diva personality, since she grew up in the spotlight.

If you’re looking for a spicy romance, this isn’t for you. Also, I should mention, I kind of wish Katee’s cat Fish had a few more cameos since there’s a cat on the cover of the book.