Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballentine for the advanced copy to review!

This book was fine. I wouldn't say there was anything special about it. It was a quick read, but not in a couldn't-put-it-down kind of way. It just seemed very short, which I felt was to the book's detriment. I didn't feel like the characters were very well developed, and they lacked depth. The main character's "best friend" is mad at her for practically the entire novel, which isn't explained very well. For Harriet to be Kathleen's best friend of over a decade, she really doesn't show it, regardless of her out-of-the-blue jealousy. I also felt like the conversations between the characters weren't realistic. They didn't speak to each other in a way that a normal human would talk to someone else. It sometimes made the dialogue hard to follow.

What I did like about the novel, however, is its commentary on how media, pop culture, and fans treat celebrities, especially female celebrities. It very much gave off Taylor Swift's "The Man" vibes. Ryan was manipulative, narcissistic, and treated Kathleen like garbage, but it took a decade and her past to be dredged back up for the world to realize that even if Kathleen did cheat, maybe she shouldn't have been treated the way she was.

Overall, the book was okay. I wouldn't strongly recommend it, but if you're looking for a quick, mindless read, this book would fit the bill.

Katee Rose was one of the biggest pop stars in the world and was in a very public relationship with CrushZone member Ryan LaNeve. While touring with CrushZone, she reunites with Cal Kirby, who is also a member of CrushZone and went to theatre camp with her. Cal knows Kathleen from before she was Katee Rose. When a series of events develop after she realizes that she loves Cal and not Ryan, her career quickly comes to an end. Years later, Kathleen's best friend has written a Broadway show, and Cal has agreed to direct it. This brings back all kinds of feelings and sentiments that Kathleen thought were gone. It was a fun, entertaining read that demonstrates the demon that show business can be when it's all-consuming.

Stunning and incredible. The hate to love second chance was immaculately done. I loved the discussion around slut shaming and the reputation of women in the limelight in comparison to their male counterparts in similar situations. It was so beautifully done and I can’t wait for the next one!

While I did enjoy this book, I thought that Funny You Should Ask was stronger and felt myself comparing Sussman's work in this novel to her previous one. Elissa Sussman is incredibly talented at writing second chance romances because she's able to show the passage of time so well through her characters' eyes and is able to make both the past and present feel tangible as well as making the period of time the characters have gone without contact realistic. However, I felt the characters in this book were underdeveloped. Harriet and Cal both had a lot of potential, but in the end it felt they were only there to help us better understand Kathleen, and I was left wanting to know more about each of them at the end of the story. I thought the conflict in the past was very believable, but I wish we were able to see more character growth from Kathleen in the present. It was good but not great.

3.75/5

As a theatre lover, I honestly really enjoyed the references throughout the book! It was a joy to relate to a young Kathleen at theatre camp as someone who got her college degree in musical theatre.

Other than the great theatre and drag race references, I really didn't like this as much as I was expecting. I feel like it would have been better for me if I read the physical book and not listened to the audio. Kathleen just seemed super whiny on the audio and I think that turned me off to the book.

That being said, I was honestly expecting so much more from this book. I felt that Elissa could have further explored Kathleen's relationship with Harriet, her family, and her agent. It seemed like there were details thrown into the plot that would have added so much drama and depth to Kathleen and her career if further explored.

Also, I'm not a huge fan of the cheating trope, so this was hard for me to read at times.

Despite all of this I did love the ending and thought it was freaking adorable.

Thank you PRH Audio, Netgalley, and Random House for this eARC and free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of my favorite books of the year. Elissa is the QUEEN of dual timeline second chance romances that also deal with fame. Uhhhh hello??? This is the perfect niche for me.

One thing that Elissa is great about is attention. to. detail. You can even truly tell the difference in the maturity of the character's inner narratives between their teenage and adult timelines. I felt really drawn to Kathleen and Cal and how well their heartbreak was conveyed, both past and present. Their HEA felt SO deserved, especially after all of the ways Kathleen had been scorned by both fame and Cal in the past. It felt like they truly understood each other and had a true and honest connection.

Also, I was just obsessed with the teen popstar era and the musical theater adults. Double whammy to my heart.

While I wanted to like this book based on the premise alone, it wasn’t enough. I found the main character absolutely insufferable and someone who didn’t take the time to grow or change after doing some truly horrible things to those around her. It seems that everyone just forgives her because she is a superstar rather than her truly taking the time to apologize and make amends.

Thank you randomhouse publishing-Ballantine and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

It was pretty meh overall. It was cute but didn’t really stand out to me. I enjoyed the characters and loved Kathleen’s journey.

I was not a fan of this one; second chance romances don't leave much to be desired for me. I also don't like when books start and we're thrown into a situation; it feels like I'm trying to catch up to a class I was late for. Too much anxiety and it turns me off of the book.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Years after Katee Rose blew up her pop star career, Kathleen Rosenberg is starring in a musical - directed by her former love Cal Quirby.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! I loved the second chance romance between Kathleen and Cal, and I definitely think you should read this!

This was cute!

It was a second chance romance. I loved being able to see what went down in the past between the characters and then watching them slowly grow back into one another.

I REALLY loved the Broadway aspect of things. I found that super interesting.

I read this right after I read Funny You Should Ask. I was so excited to find out this book was set up in the same format! I find it so interesting and it’s always keeping me intrigued and wanting to read more! I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to share with my followers all my thoughts!

Ugh this book’s main character and I did not get along. She was so insufferable to me.
There were so many tropes going on in this book but none of them hit the way they intended to. I think if I liked the main character a bit more, it would’ve stuck with me a lot better. I have heard such mixed reviews about this book, so I wasn’t surprised that it just wasn’t for me. I loved the pop culture references and the band stuff but overall it just didn’t pay off.

What a great romance read! I really enjoyed the pacing of both the current day plot line and also the tid bits from the past that we were given throughout the story. I think both of these elements made this story very engaging and easy to want to keep reading.

The relationships were a bit messy and the main character seemed a tad immature at times, but I think that it was necessary to show her in this light to progress the story at certain points. The spice was well done while not being overly done. I could've used more from the supporting characters (particularly Harriet), but overall it was a very enjoyable book!

This was okay at best. Could’ve been persuaded to give it less than 3 stars. I felt like the characters fell flat, Kathleen was unlikable for majority of the time, and I didn’t really care how it would end for Kathleen and Cal. Despite being friends for so long, I had a hard time seeing how they fit together. I also struggled with Kathleen's behavior in the beginning with working with Cal. I can't imagine being so blatantly rude to your boss and getting away with it so Cal was absolutely right - Kathleen seemed like a diva which made it hard for me to root for her. It was a quick read at least and the aspect of being in the theater was fun/different from any other book I've read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

(Posting on Instagram @pairswellwithread on 8/6/2023, Paired with Hibiscus Cherry Vodka Spritz)

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING by Elissa Sussman Cocktail Pairing + Review:

Hibiscus Cherry Vodka Spritz from @halfbakedharvest

After loving Elisa Sussman’s FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK earlier this year, this was at the top of my reading list for this summer!

Adding onto recent popularity of second chance celebrity romances, ONCE MORE WITH FEELING follows the dual timeline of Kathleen Rosenburg, formerly known as Katee Rose when she was a younger, famous pop star dating the lead member of America’s favorite boy band. After that relationship declines, and her career following as a result, present day Kathleen has the chance to reboot her career while starring on Broadway and mend her relationship with another member of the past boy band, who is now her new director.

Feels like second chance celebrity romances are all the rage this summer, and this one sits near the top of my list! While it doesn’t exceed FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK (that book is hard to beat!), this book is a must for all Elissa Sussman fans.

Thank you to Elissa Sussman, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for kindly providing this advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#bookstagram #bookclub #books #booksofinstagram #goodreads #netgalley #oncemorewithfeeling

I had read Funny You Should Ask by this author and wasn't the biggest fan. I wanted to give Elissa Sussman another shot so I was excited to see that she was releasing this book. Unfortunately, I just don't think Sussman and I are a good match. I enjoy her writing but I was not captivated by the story. I did not bond with the characters which left me not caring how the story went. I definitely think others will LOVE this book but it was not for me.

I wasn't a big fan of Funny You Should Ask, but I wanted to give this one a chance because the plot sounded really intriguing and is right up my alley (boyband/pop princess nostalgia? Yes please. That era was my entire middle school to high school experience. #TeamBritney).

But, ugh. Another disappointment.

Alternating timelines have to be done really well to work, and like her other novel, this just didn't work for me. They felt random and not meaningful, almost like they were done only to make the book more interesting so it wouldn't be another tropey romance (but tbh, we're here for tropey romance, so it would've been fine and arguably better to tell the backstory through the present characters, rather than force us back in time without really giving anything meaningful). It almost feels more like a series of random vignettes. There was a lot of jumping around between camp days, their pop star days, and present day, but I never became emotionally or even cognitively invested in any of them. It felt shallow to me. I finished it not because I cared to see how it ends, but only because I was far enough into it that my OCD wouldn't let me DNF it.

Rounding up because I think the underlying idea is clever, but it's probably more of a 2.5 star rating for me.

I know a lot of people really like her books, so I think it's just not for me.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This book was not my favorite and I attribute that partially to the fact that it’s centered around musical theatre, which I don’t know a lot about. I enjoyed Kathleen’s development in this story, but I also felt like I didn’t connect as much as I wanted to with her love story. I think the switching between the past and present in the way it was done made it hard for me to be invested in the Kathleen of now. I thought the story layout was unique and interesting, going back to when the two had first met at theatre camp, and also to when they had first been romantically involved in their early adult years, but again I just didn’t connect with their story as much as I wanted to. This just wasn’t my favorite romance, but it also had some elements I did really enjoy.

A second chance/enemies slash friends-to-lovers romance about former pop stars who are actually musical theatre kids trying to put a show up on Broadway? Thank you so much to Elissa Sussman for writing this book specifically for me. Truly, what an absolute delight. If you’re a theatre lover, you’ll adore this book and love the jokes and references. If you’re not a theatre lover, you’ll still adore this book but may need to have google handy. What fantastic characters, a funny and lighthearted story, realistic conversations and conflict, and just an all-around wonderful afternoon. Five easy stars.