🅶🅴🅽🆁🅴—𝒞𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝑅𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒
🗓ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖—𝕄𝕒𝕪 𝟛𝟘 , 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟛

"𝓘'𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷. 𝓘'𝓶 𝓪 𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓹𝓸𝓹 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓸𝓷 𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓫𝓸𝔂 𝓫𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓸𝔂𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴𝓼 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓮𝓼 𝓪 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮. 𝓘'𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓵. 𝓘'𝓶 𝓪 𝓬𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓽𝔂."

✂️ P L O T L I N E
THEN- Katee Rose is living the so called dream of being a famous pop star while dating celebrity boy band member of CrushZone, Ryan LaNeve. Her life turns to shreds after she cheats on her boyfriend with her child hood crush and other CrushZone member, Cal Kirby. She is left heart broken and career-less after the entire world turns on her.

NOW- Kathleen Rosenberg is given another shot at fulfilling her dreams of being a star on Broadway. The only problem is that director of this new show is the one and only Cal Kirby. They have not spoken or seen each other in a decade and their bitterness still shines brightly. Will this be their second chance at rekindling their old flame, or will working with each other cause them to each get burned again?

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
I enjoyed this book. It was fun, flirty, and funny. I like that it showed the unrealistic expectations that are put on celebrities and reminded us that they are people just like us. There is a bit of a miscommunication trope, but that didn’t seem to bother me much. I was invested in this story and kept turning those pages. I can see that some people might say that none of the characters are super lovable, but I appreciated how realistic and relatable they were.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💫Enemies to lovers 🖤 ❤️
💫Second chance love 💕
💫Forbidden love 💔
💫Slow burn romance 🥰
💫Pop culture 🎤
💫Musical Theatre/Broadway 🎭
💫Dual timelines ✌🏽

🎤𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🎤
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: 𝐼'𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝒹𝑒 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼'𝒹 𝓅𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂. 𝐼'𝒹 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝑀𝑜𝓈𝓉𝓁𝓎. 𝐼'𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝓊𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂. 𝐵𝓊𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝐼 𝓀𝑒𝓅𝓉 𝓅𝓊𝓃𝒾𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓎𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐼 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝓃'𝓉 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒. 𝐼'𝒹 𝒹𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒶 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝒶 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑜𝓃. 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝓎𝑜𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝒶𝓁𝓋𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃. 𝒲𝒶𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝓎𝑜𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒.“

🙏Thank you NetGalley, Random House —Ballantine, and Elissa Sussman for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts 💕

Set in the world of pop music and Broadway, this book is big and bold while also being thoughtful and emotionally driven. It is both a second-chance romance and a striking commentary on the unequal expectations of male and female celebrities. Why must women be sexy but not sexual? Why are men much more easily forgiven for missteps (see: Britney + Justin, Janet + Justin)?

Before her career imploded, Kathleen used to be pop star Katee Rose. Everyone knew Katie Rose but more for cheating on her boyfriend Ryan with his bandmate Cal - both members of the mega boyband CrushZone. Over a decade later, living a much simpler life, Kathleen has the chance to achieve her lifelong Broadway goals. But Cal will be her director. So can she put the hurt, pain, love, and longing of the past behind her and get a second chance in both her career and love?

As I started reading this book, I thought Kathleen was overly harsh and unforgiving, but as the dual timeline unfolded, you understood what she lost relative to Ryan and Cal. You also gained a deeper insight into how deeply Kathleen continued to blame herself, manifesting in both anger and shame. Ultimately, I loved the message of forgiving yourself and finally fighting for what you want. Also, I think Kathleen and her best friend Harriet are friendship goals - painfully honest but always in each other’s corner.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Elissa Sussman for the opportunity to read before publication in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for the early read!!
Katee Rose (now known as Kathleen Rosenberg) is a former pop star who has chance to do Broadway as an adult. A former boy bander, Cal, happens to be the director of the show she thinks will help her achieve her Broadway dreams. Things are awkward at first since they didn’t end up on the best terms. The dual time line is easy enough to follow and I don’t love dual time lines usually.

“Then: Katee Rose is living the dream as America’s number one pop star, caught in a whirlwind of sold-out concerts, screaming fans, and constant tabloid coverage. Now: Kathleen Rosenberg is okay with her ordinary existence and leaving her pop star image in the past. That is, until Cal Kirby shows up with the opportunity of her dreams—a starring role in the Broadway show he’s directing and a chance to perform, the way she’s always wanted.”

OMWF captured the essence of pop culture and its intense competition and invasive paparazzi. The author also highlights the additive nature of media attention and fame. Katee/Kathleen’s flaws and self centered ambition were aggravating, but I still found myself rooting for a successful comeback.

The book alternated between then and now describing a mix of celebrity highs and lows that kept me engaged. However, the story was a little too “ripped from the headlines” and my opinions about the real life pop stars seeped into my opinion of these characters. Absolutely loved “Funny You Should Ask” also by Elissa Sussman and found it to be a more subtle take on interpreting the celebrity rumor mill.

Overall Once More with Feeling is an enjoyable read for fans of 90s pop culture.

this was a pretty interesting book as i’ve thought about reading funny you should ask for a while. it kinda makes me more interested to read that book. however, i haven’t been in the biggest reading mood lately (which i feel like took a toll on how i felt about this book). i kind of procrastinated finishing this and skipped around a bit. it was a really great concept, though, and i’m excited to see and read more of elissa sussman in the future.

thank you to netgalley and dell publishing for giving me the ARC of this book !!

I wanted to like this so bad but everything about this book just felt super flat to me. The relationship development was kind of nonexistent and I really just didn’t feel anything. I loved the flashbacks to summer camp but the parts I found myself anticipating always felt rushed. It was okay and definitely was a quick read but this just didn’t really do anything for me.

I was so excited to be approved for this title and was not disappointed! I loved the three different timelines. I loved the musical references. I loved Cal. Though I did not love Kat at all times, their banter was perfection. Overall a very fun read!

As someone who grew up on a steady diet of musical theater, I really, really enjoyed this book.

Former pop star Kathleen Rosenberg is finally getting the chance she has always dreamed of: to star in a Broadway musical. But to say yes to the part means she is also saying yes to working with director and choreographer Cal Kirby, with whom she has A LOT of history.

There are three timelines in this book (it works, I promise), and I loved how pieces of Kathleen's story are slowly revealed. She is definitely a flawed individual who has made and continues to make mistakes, but I love how she owns up to her actions and works on forgiving herself. Something that Elissa is really good at is showing the growth of her characters via the now vs. then narrative, and I loved Kathleen's insights into herself as a more mature woman.

The tension between Kathleen and Cal was so very enjoyable to read. They are at their best when they are fighting with their feelings for each other, and their slow burn second chance romance was very satisfying.

This story had a great nostalgic feel to it with the pop star/boy band angle, and pays homage to musical theater greats like Cats, Newsies and Annie.

Again, I just really, really enjoyed this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Genre: Romance
'Age Level: Adult
Content: strong language, 1 fade-to-black, 1.5 open-door scenes, mentions of drug use

If you’re a Millennial who remembers the Britney/Justin/Wade Robson saga and are looking for a good second chance romance filled with nostalgia, this book is for you. It follows a former pop star trying to make it on Broadway and her former Boy Bander flame/director and it is just so stinking fun. I read Sussman’s last book, “Funny You Should Ask”, and enjoyed it a lot, so when I got an opportunity to read an ARC of this one, I was pumped. This book comes out on Tuesday and I think it’s going to be a hit! Order your copy now! You won’t be sorry!!

2.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads.

This seems to be a love or hate book and I'm one of the ones questioning why people enjoyed this as much as they did. I read the author's first book "Funny You Should Ask" and gave it a solid 4 stars for a floofy hollywood scene romance, so it's not like I went into this being completely unfamiliar with this author's work or writing style. This one just didn't do it for me. I love a good famous star romance and even though I was a bit of a theater nerd growing up, this one didn't hold my interest much. I disliked the Then and Now time hops the most and I didn't FEEL the chemistry between Kathleen and Cal. And also? WTF is up with Kathleen and how she treats her friend? Where is the growth of these characters? Why are these people unable to act/talk like adults? Ugh. I was just frustrated reading this and wanted to DNF it but pushed through so that I could give my honest feedback and review. Side note, I love the cover art on this and how well it goes with her previous work, FYSA.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing group for this eARC!

Solid 4 star read and proof that Elissa Sussman has mastered the second chance romance. Or in the case of this book, third chance romance? This definitely hits the criteria for a beach read, and bonus points if you love musical theater because that’s a huge component of the story.

This story felt really familiar and I think it’s because it incorporates a lot of the successful mechanisms that Funny You Should Ask utilizes. Sussman does a good job leaning on flashbacks to tell this story. I struggled a little in the beginning (and I think this is intentional) because I kept feeling like I was missing crucial information. Of course this is all revealed as the story unfolds and the timing where past scenes were injected feels strategic and was well done. In a lot of cases it seemed like we found out the details when we were supposed to and not a moment sooner. This kept up the pacing of the book.

I couldn’t help but feel bad for Kathleen because it really seems like she got the short end of the stick. But, she was written well and it’s easy to rationalize her present day choices based on what we know about her/her past. It’s also just generally frustrating/easy to sympathize with her because no one should have their life ruined (not to be dramatic) by a romantic decision they make when barely an adult. Plus Ryan seems like he was never into Kathleen for the right reasons and used her in the most egregious way to boost his own career. Men SMH.

The tension between her and Harriet also feels very realistic, and I was happy to see them forced to confront it in a way that mimics real life (not just idealized story portrayals of friendship). I’ve noticed a lot of newly released books are deviating from the “sidekick best friend” in favor of writing about what adult friendships are really like (struggles and all). Love that!

And last but not least, Cal *sigh* he’s certainly not perfect but dang. I don’t generally love a “third act breakup” but in the context of this story it makes a lot of sense. I felt like Kathleen and Cal’s story was pretty authentic. They both make mistakes and it’s interesting to see them forced to confront their mistakes and each other. Not really an enemies to lovers, but shares some of that essence. The forced professionalism, sarcasm, banter, and growing past resentment all help contribute to why this story was so engaging.

Thanks to NetGalley, Elissa Sussman, and Dell for providing me with an eARC.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Randomhouse for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide my honest review.

Famous pop star, Katee Rose, aka Kathleen Rosenburg has the opportunity of a lifetime to fulfill her lifelong dream as a Broadway star. The only problem is that it is being directed by a blast from her past, Cal Kirby.

I was riveted from start to finish (read the book to see what I did there ) and I read it in less than 24 hours! So many references to things like theater camp, famous Broadway ballads, working through tough choreography and the agony (and ecstasy) of auditioning for a part that was meant for you…Ah! It had my heart was bursting with nostalgia while reading this book.

I think it’s safe to say that I really enjoyed the plot. It was told using flashbacks with charming references to the connections between the characters. It’s a second chance romance but I think you could sprinkle in a little forced proximity, missed communication, and enemies to lovers as well. Not a bad combination. Have I mentioned that there’s karaoke too? I just found this to be such a fun, and entertaining read.

This one really ended up growing on me! It started a little slow but it started cooking about 40% in. I read the authors previous and really liked it but thought the pacing was off and I think this book was a big improvement in that arena. I missed the winking celebrity and journalism commentary of Funny You Should Ask but appreciated the deeper character development in this book. A fun read with some substance!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review,

I am obsessed with this book. It's fun and emotional and romantic and healing. When I read 'Funny You Should Ask,' I didn't think any book could invoke more emotions from me. However, I was proven wrong with 'Once More with Feeling.'

This book follows Kathleen and Cal. They met at a summer camp years ago before she dated his fellow band member, Now it's years later and he is directing the musical she is starring in. They both have strong feelings towards each other: a combination of anger, hurt, and romantic interest.

The enemies-to-lovers storyline was incredibly well written. There was a natural progression as each character struggled to get over the past. I was screaming in frustration at points because I just wanted them to kiss and then they did kiss and I screamed some more.

The main characters and even the secondary characters are practically circles with how well rounded they are. Elissa Susan obviously devoted a lot of time and energy into developing these characters. Everyone added to the story without distracting the reader from the main plot.

This book is absolutely phenomenal. I highly recommend everyone check it out. Thank you again to the publisher for giving me the chance to read it early.

4.3/5 ☆
oh, my dancer heart! and my musical theatre heart! i think elissa is so amazing at portraying second chances and the angst of their feelings throughout the book and this book DELIVERED! (me as i was crying 1/3 into the book) these characters brought me frustration, sadness, endearment, and so many other emotions and i commend books that are able to reveal those kinds of feelings... now thinking about it, the title is absolutely spot-on for this book LOL <3 something i really liked is how cal and kathleen portrayed the reality of young celebrities and the reminder that they are human too, despite how high they are put on that stage for people to judge and that's why i can understand how their flaws and their mistakes may anger some people, heck! even me at some points, but i think that it just made them seem realistic and how life isn't always just black-and-white. overall, the pace was great and the unwinding of the past to the present and the undiscovered feelings of it all, it almost felt like you were with these characters. their love story, the friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, was an emotional ride and it was a good read!
❥ thank you netgalley for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! That’s it - Elissa Sussman is officially a “must read” author for me.

A little bit Britney/Justin, a Jewish main character (it always fascinates me when Jewish musical artists release Christmas albums and how most of the famous Christmas songs were written by Jews), summer camp, Broadway - tell me how this book could have been more perfect for me??? I did feel that some parts jumped around too much and occasionally the pacing was off, which leads me to believe I want to read an unedited previous draft. I just wanted more!

I’m going to share a quote that kicks off the acknowledgments - I’ve never felt more seen. Elissa writes, “There are few things more tragic than a theatre kid who can’t sing, dance, or act.” Thank you for sharing this story for all of us wannabe theater kids to enjoy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

Rounding up to a 4, this book is definitely an improvement on the authors previous work. Overall I enjoyed the plot, the alternating timeline, and the characters, but I felt like there were some things that could’ve been explored a bit more. The timeline of the current day plot was also very vague to the point of being distracting. Overall a fun fluffy second chance romance that’s sweet enough to distract from being just a bit too surface level.

𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨

This was a fast read and cute romance story about 2 people in the entertainment business. I have always enjoyed when a book jumps to different timelines, and this one has lots of them which made it fun, but I do have to admit, I could’ve done without 2 or 3 chapters, they felt unnecessary. Now that being said, I was not always a fan of the female main character, Kathleen because she sometimes acted immature and a bit too dramatic. I also feel like there was too much unnecessary drama but I get it, this is about young adults being famous, and acting a fool, but also those same people being grown ups who haven’t gotten over their unresolved issues so I guess it makes sense. Anyway, overall, it was a fun read. The third act breakup made me pull my hair out but the ending was super cute.

3 ★

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺.

Slow burn, second chance romance.

Major Britney and JT flashbacks, but I definitely liked both these characters more.

I really love Elissa Sussman’s writing style.

I think this is a great follow up to Funny You Should Ask!!

I want to thank netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review

4.75⭐
R for some good 🌶️ but definitely a slow burn!

Wow, this was SUCH a compulsive read. I did chores today and still managed to finish this book on the same day I started. If you are looking for a great book to take with you to the beach this summer, look no further because this book is perfection.

I truly adored Elissa Sussman's debut and Once More with Feeling just continues her streak. Broadway, second chance romance, enemies to lovers, a critical best friend relationship and a pop star trying to make her comeback--what isn't there to love?! If you enjoyed Glee in its heyday and want a book where Rachel Berry flamed out at twenty and is now more self-aware, less annoying and a older--this is absolutely the book for you.

Truly this book hit all the right notes (pun intended). I will say the story within a story with story was a little much at times, but I loved how everything came together a satisfying finale. I will read anything Elissa Sussman writes and she is cementing herself as an essential romance writer.