⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
🌶️🌶️ 2/5

I have a love/hate relationship with second chance romance, but Elissa Sussman wrote this trope SO WELL! I loved the back and forth between past and present and the way the relationship between Kathleen, Ryan, and Cal was slowly revealed through flashbacks. We love it when a dual timeline is done right!

I really loved to see Katleen’s character grow from when she was a driven teenager to an adult wanting to prove something to herself and the world. In the flashbacks, it made me so mad to see the behind-the-scenes manipulation of Kathleen as a young performer in the music industry. How her management team pulled her strings, and especially how her boyfriend used her fame for his own personal gain. It was hard to read at times as I just found myself so mad at the people in her life.

That is, everyone but Cal.

His presence in her life was the one real thing and it broke my heart how, as a teenager, Kathleen didn’t appreciate him as much as she could have. Fate, of course, has a sense of humor, and in many of the books we love, we tend to see those characters come back around. And thank god for that!

Overall, I did think this book was a bit long, creeping in at about 400 pages, which, was too much for me. There is, in fact, a sweet spot! But this story was filled with fun, light-hearted scenes, and moments that brought the story full circle.

I definitely recommend this book, along with Elissa Sussman’s first - Funny You Should Ask. Celebrity romances continue to have a hold on me!

Thank you to Dell for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked Sussman's first novel, but WOW - she blew me away with Once More with Feeling! This slow burn friends to lovers to enemies to lovers story grabbed me from the start and I loved the summer camp musical and NYC vibes! I also loved the dual timeline, Jewish representation, and the fantastic cast of characters. Kathleen and Caleb completely stole my hear and Sussman did another excellent job with a second chance romance!!

I loved this book. This was the second book from this author I have read and she did not disappoint. I loved the characters and the storyline in this book. I felt like I was almost there with them. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was such a fun read! I loved the way this second chance romance played out! The only thing I would change was that the ending was a little rushed

This book was not for me. I appreciate the publishers and netgalley giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really liked this one--maybe even a little more than Funny You Should Ask! I don't mind the structure with the then/now chapters because I feel like she quickly fills in the missing pieces that each section creates. Plus, I thought the writing was a bit more honest, punchy, and realistic. The nostalgia of this was also top notch.

Read like a YA novel, I was totally intrigued by the drama. Such a quick read filled with so much nostalgia. I enjoyed all the pop culture references that were intertwined into the novel. It was interesting to see the second chance romance unfold alongside enemies to lovers. I really enjoyed reading this novel.

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲: Special thanks to Elissa Sussman for providing me an ARC copy to share my honest review.

Another cute, uplifting romance from Elissa Sussman! I ended up listening to the audiobook version, and it was such a treat.

This one had such potential for me! Sadly, I couldn't get into this book enough to finish it so I'm opting out of it for the time being and hope to return to it down the road!

While I didn't love this book quite as much as Funny You Should Ask, it was still fantastic. I am a huge musical theatre nerd, so this plot and setting was right up my alley. This second chance romance told with a dual timeline kept me engaged, and helped the slow burn build perfectly.
I loved the character development in this story. There are so many little details that added delicious layers, like how FMC Kathleen was known as a pop star when she was young, with a very distinct nasal voice. However, as she reinvents herself as a Broadway star, she uses her natural chest voice, and distinguishes herself as Kathleen, not Katee Rose. So many tropes are touched on throughout the book. You can certainly consider this to be a friends-to-lovers story, while simultaneously considering it an enemies-to-lovers story. There's plenty of forced proximity, and it built the sexual tension until it was leaping off the page.
I really liked MMC Cal and Sussman certainly had me rooting for him.
This book and it's HEA were really satisfying. I can't wait for her next book!

I didn‘t like this one at all! I‘m so sorry but nothing worked for me. I didn‘t really feel the chemistry between the characters. The romance fell flat more me as well. There was no spark or anything that made it feel real for me.

This one was so much better than Funny You Should Ask for me. Second chance romance, some spice and all of the music and theater/Broadway talk in this made this book for me! It also gave me Britney/Justin vibes, which I loved! Easy read, can’t wait for her next one!

DNF

I realized that this author’s writing is not for me, so I did not finish it.

Thank you for the advanced copy, but I will not be reading anything else by this author.

Elissa Sussman is a SO good at writing celeb romances - I loved that this one also was a second chance romance and was told perfectly with multiple timelines.

The strong themes of friendship were a great addition to the plot as well and I found the relationship between the friends to be as great of a feature as the main romance.

I’ll continue to read whatever this author writes! Unique plots that are well paced and intriguing!

What an incredible story! It kept me guessing about what was happening with this couple. There's plenty of drama, but also a good dose of laughter. The author really knows how to craft a compelling tale. You won't be disappointed. Give it a read and enjoy!

A former pop star returns to her first passion when she’s offered a leading role on Broadway. The only thing holding her back is having to work with the man who destroyed her career.

Once More with Feeling is a second-chance, contemporary romance.

There’s something very nostalgic about Once More with Feeling. If you grew up in the late 90’s to early 00’s, I’m sure there are a few different starlets and pop stars that you could picture in place of the FMC. That sentimentality really had me wanting the best for Kathleen. I like the overall layout of the storyline. It bounces between past and present and it lets the MCs history unfold in a more organic way.

I just did a reread (audio) and highly recommend the audiobook. The narrator, Jaime Lamchick does an excellent job.

I look forward to reading more of the author’s work in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Dell and Netgalley!

I love the mix of music and second chance romance. I will definitely be reading everything that Sussman writes because they're all so good!

I was obsessed with this book! From the banter to the butterflies! I can’t wait for this author’s next release!!

Once More With Feeling is one that I definitely recommend to my Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC girlies. It gives you all of the nostalgia of those days when Disney Channel and MTV were everything and you just lived for your favorite pop stars dating each other.

I loved Kathleen and Cal so much and seeing how their relationship grew then broke then reconnected was so good! I also loved the broadway aspect of the story and how these two ended up back in each other’s lives.

I can’t say enough about how much I loved this and I will definitely look forward to more from this author.

Thank you so much to Random House, Ballentine, Dell, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman
2/5 stars
Pub Date: May 30, 2023

This book is a friends to lovers to enemies to lovers story. Kate Rose is a pop star and Cal Kirby is a choreographer. They both knew each other when they went to a summer camp together and fell in love at camp. They lost contact and later on in the future when their paths cross again, they become enemies. Cal is directing a new broadway show and Katee ends up being the main character because the role was basically written for her. We go through the rest of the story as we watch these characters get to know each other again while we also learn about their past.

I was honestly so excited for this book because I loved Sussman’s book Funny You Should Ask, but this one did not live up to that hype. I felt like this story was very bland and I just didn’t care for the characters all that much. It went to back and forth between the past and the future for me to really understand the story as well as I feel like the story didn’t really have a good “beginning” and just went straight into the story. I just didn’t love it which was really sad cause I was very excited to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dell, and Elissa Sussman for allowing me to read this in advance for an honest book review.