I loved Elissa Sussman's other book Funny You Should Ask and really enjoyed this one! I love time hop books and read this one quickly! The characters and plot are well developed. Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Elissa Sussman!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random Hourse for the earc of Once More With Feeling

Just like Funny You Should Ask, I am left with not only happiness but such sadness for the characters and the experiences that happened that made these characters who have been in love with each other for their whole entire lives apart for so long.

Kathleen and Cal are just characters that I love so dearly that have been hurt by each other over many years. Kathleen is not only hurt by Cal, but by society as a whole. She was practically banished after her ex blasted the fact that she cheated on him on every platform he could. He was a jerk. Completely. Reading about how he treated her and how she put up with constantly being made to be less than him throughout her entire career it’s no wonder their relationship ended as it did. Kathleen is so strong and I just felt so bad for everything that had happened to her and am so proud of how far she has come since that happened.

As for Cal, man I love him but I too would be so resentful of him given Kathleen’s situation. However he is truly such a kind soul and cares so much about not only the people around him but the musical too. He is just a really thoughtful person and I really loved seeing that side of him.

I loved how this book played out. I was rooting for everything. I adored the characters. I loved the backstory. I loved the redemption of dreams. It was such a well written book and I’m so happy I got to read this.

Published 5/30/23
Read 6/22/23
Setting NYC
Genre Contemporary Romance, Adult Fic, Women's Fic
Page Count 240
Source **Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily give my honest review. All opinions are my own. **


Elissa Sussman does it again with another second chance romance told in flashbacks.

MAIN CHARACTERS
Katee Rose/Kathleen Rosenberg | Cal Kirby/Calvin Tyler Kirby

MINOR CHARACTERS
Harriet-a songwriter/playwright who met Katee @14 years old, her BFF

FEATURES
∘ teenage romance
∘ enemies to lovers
∘ forced proximity
∘ love triangle
∘ musical theater
∘ celebrity romance

REVIEW
I love a good redemption story. This seemed very Britney/Justin, or better yet Janet/Justin's infamous Superbowl halftime show. Scandals, breakdowns, and career revival. Because of Kathleen and Cal bad breakup back then, they play the blame game with each other. They second guess if they "still got it" when Cal recruits Kathleen for a new play. I enjoyed the pop star and boy band fall from grace (per the tabloids and public opinion). They come back to perform on their own terms. Loved the shoutouts to Funny You Should Ask. Cal choregraphed a dance in the James Bond movie Gabe starred in.

OW/OM DRAMA yes Katee dated Ryan LaNeve (another member of CrushZone)
CHEATING yes
BREAKUP yes
ENDING HEA — epilogue w/ their first kiss and success
POV alternating then and now
SPICE LEVEL 3 / 5
RATING 4 / 5

I had high hopes for Sussman’s sophomore novel. Funny You Should Ask was a great debut and I was so excited to get my hands on this one. The dual timeline was well done, I loved seeing so many aspects of their past and how they knew each other.

Things I loved: great banter, perfect for theater nerds. boy band/pop star dynamic. the dual timelines. Kathleen, while frustrating at times, was also super relatable. Cal was a great hero and balanced Kathleen out well.

Things I didn’t love: Kathleen had a lot of growing up to do, and we did not get to see true character development. wish I would have gotten Cal’s pov. Cheating…and the justification

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this one so much more than the author’s first book- Funny You Should Ask! As a musical loving person, this pulled on my heart strings and was a fun read! Was it my favorite? No. But it was a good summer read! I think this author has really creative premises for her books and it’s a fun twist on some popular tropes.

It was always Kathleen Rosenberg’s dream to be a star: and she did it. She became Katee Rose, America’s number one pop star, playing sold-out concerts and dating Ryan LaNeve, the hottest member of adored boy band CrushZone. But fame isn’t exactly what she thought it would be, and Kathleen finds herself spending more and more time with CrushZone’s quiet, serious Cal Kirby. One night is all it takes to blow up her relationship with Ryan, her career, and her whole life. Now, Kathleen Rosenberg has a chance at fame again, a starring role in the Broadway show written by her best friend and directed by none other than Cal. Kathleen and Cal must move beyond their past in order to put on a good show, but will they be able to stop themselves from reigniting an old flame?

Expertly weaving between multiple timelines, Once More With Feeling reveals Kathleen and Cal’s history, every friendship-filled scene from the past only making you root for them more in every tension-filled scene in the present.

Elissa rocked her sophomore novel Once More with Feeling!! I fell in LOVE with Kathleen and Cal’s story so much!! The friends/enemies to lovers trope gets me every time! With a past as special and bittersweet as Kathleen and Cal’s, it made an interesting story with the flashbacks when they first met to him being her enemy/director! I have yet to read Elissa’s debut novel “Funny You Should Ask” but after this 5 star read I quickly ordered her debut and its next on my TBR!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Elissa Sussman is an auto buy author for me after her debut blew me away.

This novel is different from her debut, a little more playful, but I still enjoyed it.

It was hard to separate Katee from Britney Spears, but I loved the musical theater side of this story.

All in all, a great sophomore novel and I look forward to the next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and Elissa Sussman for the eARC.

I really enjoyed this second novel by Elissa Sussman. It gave me real 1990/early 2000s Brittney Spears vibes in the best way. The Broadway component of this book was newer to me, and I enjoyed learning about it. A great second chance romance.

I would give this book a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars. I thought this book was everything and more. It had the cute teen drama of the past tied in with the brewing love of the present. Kathleen and Cal were super SWOON worthy. I mean finding love at summer camp, becoming a major pop star, only to have a major down fall that totally obliterated her world but Kathleen got back up eventually. When she was ready, for her best friend's first ever broadway show. The main role was written with her in mind and she's ready to make her big comeback. But to her surprise, the director is Cal. Man of her past, but they have history and it's not all good.

I loved that back and forth of the past and present. I wish I had read this sooner but I'm so glad I finally got around to it.

Such a good summer read! I loved it! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review im exchange for an honest review. 5 stars!

This was so cute! I’m definitely not a faithful romance reader. I’m obsessed with thrillers but this held my attention and I loved it!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review

I loved Sussman's debut and thoroughly enjoy her writing, so I was looking forward to picking this one up. Especially with her world-building in the Hollywood and theatre scene. Her characters always feel so three-dimensional and the chemistry is always popping off the page.

While I enjoyed Once More with Feeling, I didn't love it quite as much as Funny You Should Ask. I enjoyed the commentary on fame and the effects of being so immersed in the world of pop culture. I had a hard time with the tropes, especially only getting the story from one point of view (Kathleen's). Romance is different for everyone, and different things and characters resonate and Kathleen was not it for me.

I look forward to seeing future titles from Sussman, though!

This book centered a lot around musical theater and that didn’t interest me. I thought it was going to be more celebrity focused but the musical theater part doesn’t really interest me. Just a preference issue!

This is my second time reading Sussman's work, and again, I truly enjoyed her way of describing the lives of the rich and famous. However, and this might be personal bias, I second-chance romances are not my favorite. Further, Kathleen, as main character, was hard to root for. I wish we had some more backstory with her bio family or less fighting with Harriett.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the story! I am a fan of Sussman!

I love a second chance romance and Elissa Sussman did not disappoint with Once More With Feeling. I was a huge fan of Funny You Should Ask and feel the same way about this one as well. Sometimes two timelines are hard for me to follow but I’ve loved how Elissa Sussman weaves them into her stories bringing both the past and present together.

Finished this one late but thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have mixed feelings about this book! On the one hand, I utterly devoured it in two sittings. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and I loved Cal and the plot pretty much immediately.

I do wish we got more of the show, if that makes sense. The entire revival was based on this epic Rosie the Riveter themed Broadway show and it feels like we barely got to peek behind the curtain to see it. There was so much build up to the Broadway opener but it felt like the show itself wasn't a core component of the plot.

Nonetheless, this was a cozy and enjoyable read about two teenage stars who messed it up the first time and had the chance to make it right the second. I loved the dual timelines between then and now (although I felt like it took a loooong time to learn the details behind their original falling out) and I loved the ride nonetheless.

Second chance romance AND Broadway!? Sign me UP! Once More with Feeling was such a cute lil book, showing the reality of chasing your dreams and the consequences of when they come true.
I didn't love some of the drama, which is why it wasn't 5 stars, but this was such an easy read and I felt like it was real, whereas some other rom com books glaze past the hard things. I loved the communication between Kathleen and Cal, and the banter--the BANTER. I was cheesing hard. Elissa Sussman is a auto-read author for me at this point!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Elissa Sussman has done it again.

I absolutely enjoyed this book so much. I felt things that other books don’t give me sometimes, and that’s being able to understand why a character does something and getting mad at them, but also again, understanding.

The friendship and romance in this books was enjoyable to read, yet also stressful, but the drama was CRAZY. If you love celeb romances, nostalgic references, musical theatre, boy bands, and drama, definitely read this. I am looking forward to Elissa’s next book, and is an auto buy author for me, after Funny You Should Ask and Once More with Feeling. I also love the title connection to the story, and is something to pay attention to.

4 stars!

"Once More With Feeling" by Elissa Sussman is not quite as good as "Funny You Should Ask," but I still really enjoyed it! Sussman LOVES a second chance romance. She might be the queen of that trope at this point. I think the dynamic and the dual timeline friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story/relationship between main characters Kathleen (formerly known as pop music sensation Katee) and Cal (a former member of the pop boy band CrushZone) is well worth the wait. Sussman really makes her readers ache and yearn for her characters to get together it each and every time. Personally, I felt like the payoff was worth the wait, but I can see why others might disagree. You really get a sense that these characters weren't just a thing that happened in the past. There is clearly more between them that has to be resolved in the present. I felt Kathleen and Cal's trepidation with exploring and untangling the genuine spark that still exists between them years later when they are thrust back together to work on a mutual friend's Broadway play. Also, while the initial premise will throw off a lot of readers (spoiler: cheating is involved, and I know that is a hard line for a lot of people), if you stick with it, you might have your mind changed because it slightly deviates from other books featuring that plot point. I also appreciated what happens with Kathleen towards the end regarding this aspect of the story. The commentary on the commodification of female bodies for the world stage and how they are crucified and vilified when they make a misstep in the public is something more romance novels (heck, just more novels in general) need to explore. What can I say? I thought this book was great. I felt the longing here. I like Sussman's writing style, and I know it's not for everyone, but it is very much my jam.

Thank you to NetGalley, Elissa Sussman, Dell, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.