Once More With Feeling follows ex pop star Katee Rose as she tries to reclaim her life and fame after a scandal in her younger years brought her career to a screeching halt. She finds herself poised to star in a new show set to hit broadway, but the only problem is the director is Cal Kirby, the man who played a role in the toppling of her career.

This book was highly anticipated for me after Sussman’s prior novel Funny You Should Ask, but it didn’t quite live up to it. While overall still enjoyable, I struggled to like Katee and had a hard time rooting for her throughout the novel. Cal was only slightly better. I liked the dual timelines and the enemies to lovers-esque plot line. As with the prior novel it was fun to live in the entertainment industry through the main characters and follow the rise and fall of their fame.

If you liked her previous book, or rom coms in general, I would still recommend this title! Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of this book.

i finished this after the pub date but wow! elissa sussman is definitely a new favorite author for me! even without the writing being absolutely amazing, the covers?!?! masterpieces on their own!

This was such a fun read! As someone who grew up on 90s pop stars and boy bands, the vibes and environment this book threw me into were terrific. I also love musical theater, so being a central theme was a pleasant surprise. Elissa Sussman can write a second-chance romance like no one else! Definitely recommend.

I read 77% of this book and then I set it down for nearly two weeks and just to be honest, I'm just not even remotely interested in picking it up. Sussman's writing is engaging enough when you're reading it, but I just cannot bring myself to care about any of the characters she's created. I don't care to find out what the third act conflict will be. I don't even care if these two people wind up together because I don't really understand why they should. I'm 77% into this book and I could not even tell you why they like one another. I wish I liked this, but it's just not for me and I'm going to go ahead and call it.

I loved Funny You Should Ask, so I was so excited to receive an ARC of Once More With Feeling. The plot was so much fun. Who wouldn't adore a boyband gone Broadway? I've always been a big fan of both boybands and theatre, so I was hooked! The jumping between time tenses was fun and especially exciting whenever we got to see so much in the past to help with the story in the present. Truly loved Katee and Cal's story! I will definitely be reading Elissa Sussman's work in the future!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Once More with Feeling! I went into this one not expecting to like it as Funny You Should Ask didn’t do much for me, but I really enjoyed this one!

Once More with Feeling is the Britney/Justin fanfiction of our millennial dreams. Elissa Sussman serves up a fun, flirty rom-com with some substance and characters that, despite being world famous, remain relatable. They're world-weary, insecure, and struggling to make that next step in life. Would definitely recommend this to lovers of the genre and of pop culture in general.

Elissa Sussman has done it again! I enjoyed FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK, but I loved ONCE MORE WITH FEELING even more. Sussman's latest second-chance, celebrity romance follows Kathleen Rosenberg, who was once Katee Rose, a world-famous pop star...until she cheated on her boyfriend, adored boy band member Ryan LaNeve, with Cal Kirby, fellow band member and Katee's longtime friend, and her career fell apart. Now, years later, Kathleen is content being out of the spotlight, until her best friend Harriet and Cal himself propose an opportunity Kathleen can't refuse: a starring role in the musical that Harriet is writing and Cal is directing. It's a chance for Kathleen to shine on a Broadway stage and be the performer she's always wanted to be, but she and Cal haven't talked since everything that happened all those years ago, and she isn't about to forgive him for contributing to her fall from grace, letting her face the scrutiny of the press and the public alone. Can Kathleen and Cal overcome their past to put on a stellar show? And do old flames ever really burn out?

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING includes so many things I love in a story—a celebrity romance, the enemies-to-lovers trope, Jewish representation, dual timelines, an entertaining theater setting (plus plenty of musical theater and pop culture references!), and all of these things are woven together perfectly. The relationship and chemistry between Kathleen and Cal is well-written and feels so authentic—I loved the flashbacks to the development of their friendship and the progression of their mutual feelings and pining, as well as the chapters set in the present day, where even after years of distance and hurt, they fall for each other all over again. Similarly, the friendship between Kathleen and Harriet feels very realistic, and I so enjoyed the moments where readers really get a sense of their bond. The celebrity commentary was also a compelling aspect of the story—the portrayal of Katee's career was so fascinating, and the book doesn't shy away from depicting how unfairly female pop stars were often treated by the media at the time. In some ways, I wish the book had dug into that a little more, and also included some more of the mixed media elements throughout, as those were such great additions to the storytelling style. Overall, ONCE MORE WITH FEELING is truly a pitch-perfect romance—I can't wait to reread it someday, and to see what Elissa Sussman writes next! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was such a fun, sweet contemporary romance. Katee and Ryan were young pop stars with an enviable romance. Until Katee cheats with another member of Ryan's band. After the fallout from her mistake, she builds a quiet life away from the spotlight. Then Cal (the other half of the cheating scandal) shows up with an amazing opportunity for a show on Broadway. I loved the relationships and peek at a life of fame that this book presents. Katee and Cal have tons of chemistry and their banter is great. I really enjoyed this book and it will perfectly lend itself to summer vacation reading. I highly recommend, especially for romance story lovers. Thank you Elissa Sussman, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell books for the ARC in return for my honest review.

sussman's formula is repeated from FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK to ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, but the second time around it doesn't work as well. i'm also just personally not a fan of cheating and it immediately makes me want to put down a book, so this one was not for me. the dual timeline wasn't very impactful and got boring/confusing at times. none of the characters were very well developed or made me want to keep reading about them.

I think I’ve said it before: I’m not usually a second chance romance fan, but in the case of Once More With Feeling, it worked for me.

Kathleen and Cal both being a little older than your average romcom characters is probably why this worked so well, plus their backstory really gave them a lot more depth. We see glimpses of how they met in flashbacks and as the present day love story begins to bloom we see what led to that fateful day a decade earlier that ruined both their careers and their almost relationship.

Also, yes, cheating is so wrong and I do not condone it but in the case of Kathleen Rosenberg and Cal Kirby, I find them innocent because Ryan was a piece of 💩 and I did not root for him at any point because he was so clearly just using her and piggybacking off her career to get a leg up. The proposal scene was so fucking cringy as well, she should’ve said no in front of all those millions of people but I guess I understand why she didn’t 🤭

I loved the overall premise of two has-beens reuniting to relaunch their careers and the conversation around how women are usually the ones to take all the blame and hate and suffer consequences more than a man would if they make a mistake in the public eye.

Overall, I really enjoyed and do recommend.

THIS BOOK. After reading Funny You Should Ask, which was an instant favorite, I was super excited about this book especially because it’s about theatre and music and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This was a second chance, enemies to lovers, with SO much pining and tension and it was EXACTLY what I needed to read right now.

I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the way everything tied together in the end, the chemistry was great and the banter was absolutely excellent.

I read this one SO fast and already want to read it again. This book just made me incredibly happy and I’m in absolute awe of the kind of stories and chapters Elissa Sussman creates and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

4 1/2 stars

This was such a fun second chance romance (or was it third chance?). Kathleen and Cal initially meet at a summer camp fo theatre when they are teenagers. Then flash forward ahead to when Kathleen is "Kate" and she's a pop star. Cal is part of a new boy band - - the same one that Kate's boyfriend belongs to. And then they meet up again in the present when they are working together on a musical. Through it all, they have a chemistry that hasn't faded. But they also have a great deal of distrust and past betrayal to overcome. It might be that there's just too much baggage to deal with.

I was a huge fan of this author's previous book, Funny You Should Ask, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of this one. I'm quickly becoming a fan of the author and will eagerly await the next book that she decides to put out there.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I liked this one more than Funny You Should Ask. It was a cute fun read! I really like second chance romance and the celebrity romance makes the story a little different too!

Even better than Funny You Should Ask. I could not put this book down, the chemistry between the two main characters was crazy intense and had you wanting to skip pages left and right to figure out what happened between them all those years ago. An incredibly good second chance romance that also looks at friendships and growth within oneself.

I really enjoyed this new novel by Elissa Sussman about a woman making a comeback after a fall from grace on the biggest stage of her life. I thought that the characters were very relatable and I enjoyed the banter between Kathleen and Cal.

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING by Elissa Sussman was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023 - so I was thrilled and so thankful to NetGalley and the publishers to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sussman's first novel - FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK - was an absolute highlight of '22 reading for me. ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, Sussmans' follow-up, tells the story of Kathleen, a former pop star looking for a comeback, and Cal, ex-boy band member who has major history with Kathleen. ONCE MORE WITH FEELING follow these two as they work together on a musical set for Broadway, and we learn about their messy past. Overall, I really enjoed this novel, and continue to love Sussman's sharp, funny, heartfelt writing. This story fell a little flat for me in comparison to FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK: I didn't feel the connection between Kathleen and Cal as much as I wanted to, and some of the secondary storylines (Kathleen's friendship and conflict with Harriet, other minor characters) felt a little rushed. In all, I would recommend this novel, particularly to fans of second chance romance, and fans of Sussman in general!

Synopsis: Kathleen Rosenberg, aka Katee Rose, used to be the biggest pop star in the world - until a scandal involving members of the boy band Crush Zone derailed her career. Now, all Kathleen wants to do is follow her passion and star in her friend Harriet’s new musical. That is until she finds out that the director is none other than Cal Kirby, one of the members of Crush Zone. Forced to work together, Kathleen and Cal must come to terms with what happened years ago and with the feelings that might still exist between them.

Thoughts: This was such a fun read! Told in three timelines (high school summer theater camp, early 00’s pop star world tour, and present day), the story is weaved together so well. The past timelines give real depth to the characters and their situations, and the present timeline will have you rooting for Kathleen and Cal. If you’re a fan of 90’s/00’s nostalgic reads you’ll love the past timeline, and if you’re a musical theater fan you’ll love the present timeline. I’m into both, so I thought the whole book was super entertaining!

Read this if you like:
🎤 boy bands/pop stars
🎤 90’s/00’s nostalgia
🎤 musical theater
🎤 second chance romance
🎤 multiple timelines

I ADORED Elissa’s first book but unfortunately I was not a fan of this one.

I found the characters quote “flat” and confusing. Not sure even if the couple made it in the end?

Was it easy to read? Absolutely.

But, I struggled to connect with the characters and root for them. Tbh I didn’t want them together.

This was my second chance for this author and unfortunately her writing style is just not for me. Nothing in this book hooked me and I just found myself incredibly bored immediately into the book. I can see how others would enjoy it but unfortunately it wasn’t for me! I have several friend I would recommend this book too so still give it a try!