This was my second book by this author, and she’s 2 for 2 in my book! I love dual timelines and this one had pop stars and Broadway and boy bands- oh my! The story flowed nicely and I love that the epilogue goes back to summer camp. 4.5 stars!

Once More with Feeling is a charming and heartwarming novel about second chances and the power of love. The story follows Kathleen Rosenberg, a former pop star who is given the opportunity to star in a Broadway show. As she prepares for the show, she reconnects with Cal Kirby, her childhood best friend and the one who got away. The two of them must overcome their past hurts and learn to trust each other again in order to find happiness together.

Sussman does a wonderful job of creating characters that are both relatable and likable. Kathleen is a strong and independent woman who is still struggling to come to terms with her past. Cal is a kind and caring man who is still haunted by his own demons. The two of them have a great chemistry together, and their romance is both heartwarming and believable.

The novel is also full of humor and wit. Sussman has a gift for creating funny and memorable scenes, and she does a great job of balancing the serious moments with the lighter ones.

Here's cute broadway romcom that delivers just enough celebrity moments to keep fans of Funny You Should Ask satisfied. It's also a nice take on a second chance romance where it's almost a third chance romance? Enjoyed that part quite a bit. As a musical theatre fan, I enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes of a broadway production from blocking to choreography to first reviews. It was also nice to see older leads still pursuing their dreams and finding love. I got a little confused with the summer camp, boy band era, and broadway timelines at times, but it was still fun. I absolutely need to watch Into the Woods now.

*Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for an ARC and PRH Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review*

“Katee Rose had been beautiful and perfect and manufactured. Until she wasn’t. Then she’d been sad, sloppy and embarrassing.”

Katee Rose isn’t Britney Spears, but when she cheats on Ryan LaNeve of boy band CrushZone I had massive JT/Britney flashbacks. Katee was thrown under the bus, she lost everything. Her career, her dignity and the one person she truly cared about - fellow CrushZoner Cal Kirby.

But this is a comeback story and Katee isn’t done yet. She luckily has the most kickass best friend ever in Harriet who just so happened to write a Broadway show Katee is perfect for. Katee, Harriett and Cal met back in the day at the theater camp and this show has been Harriet’s dream her entire life. So when Cal comes knocking as a director, can Katee forgive him long enough to make it work for the show? Can she focus on her choreography and the changes to her body after all this time out of the spotlight to show who SHE really is. Kathleen Rosenberg! Will people even give her chance to showcase her real voice or will her past dictate the shows success?

The setting of a Broadway show is everything. This may have started a tad slow for me but that’s more me then the book and the second half I inhaled and could not put down. Elissa Sussman bravo, once is quite enough with this beautiful book.

4.5

If you love anything theater/Broadway and an imperfect MC you can't help but relate to, this might be for you!
🎵
What I love the most about this story was that it told Kathleen and Cal's story from their present-day as 30-somethings while giving us snippets of flashbacks into their past. Both of them had made stupid mistakes when they were younger and touring the country as pop stars but in the present, they are both doing their best to work together on what could be the next big Broadway play.
🎵
There was something I loved about the fact that they were "older" than typical romance main characters and that Sussman didn't shy away from talking about how different their bodies were in the now compared to in the flashbacks. It all just seemed so real to me... It's funny because normally second chance isn't my favorite trope, but I read two this past weekend. Absolutely love both of them.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this! I thought it was fun and it kept me entertained. I couldn't ask for anything more. I enjoyed every single page and I would happily read this again and again just to feel the happiness I felt while reading. Elissa is slowly becoming a favorite of mine. This is super fun and flirty and I ate it right up. Highly recommend!

I appreciate it when authors find a formula that works well for them and run to the hills with it. There are many times, familiarity is very nice. This is a great friends to lovers, to enemies to lovers plotline and is very fun and engaging to tell.

I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

This started off so cute but I have to say (and NOTHING wrong with the story) but this one just wasn't for me. I wasn't crazy about the MC's and the story just didn't grab me the way I was hoping.

If I had to try to identify what I wasn't crazy about:
- I thought the back and forth between past/present was clunky? It didn't feel like and exciting flash forward and back. I also thought the first few chapters dragged on quite a bit.

As a mood reader this could totally have been a "me" problem based on just what I was (or wasn't in the mood for at this given time!) So I would totally encourage anyone who is curious to try it out!

Giving 5 stars but did put down at 25% to pickup later.
Cannot thank the publishers and author enough for the chance to read this one early!

Elissa Sussman does it again! I was hooked from the first page with this one!

The story starts with Kathleen Rosenberg, aka Katee Rose, in the present after the fame and glory ran its course due to a crushing story headline. Now she is a normal person just living a normal life until Cal re-enters her life with a proposition that includes her best friend Harriett!

With this new proposition comes the forced proximity that Cal and Kathleen now share. Which in turn brings up a lot of unresolved feelings from the past and the reason for both of their careers taking a turn for the worst. They both still blame one another for what happened, and must decided whether or not they are willing to risk it all again for a second shot at love.

I love that this story have your present POV and past POV. It shows the interwoven ways of Cal and Kathleen's history, starting at a summer theater camp. I love the emotions throughout this book and the characters development.

I want to give a big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Elissa Sussman has done it again! I loved her first book and this one does not disappoint. This is a perfect second-chance romance with compelling characters, a great story, and swoony romance. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a good cozy read.

Review: Once More With Feeling
Author: Elissa Sussman

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ 3/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

I loved the first book in this “kind of”series by Elissa Sussman, Funny you should ask.
It was unique and it totally sucked me in. And I loved the characters. Even though I read it a year ago-I can still remember Gabe and Chani.

Sadly, I can tell I’m not going to feel the same way about Cal & Kathleen. There were moments of their story that were sweet, and I did find myself fairly engaged with the book about 80% of the time.
But the multiple timelines that had late reveals of their relationship made it difficult to root for them in the present and to understand & feel their chemistry.

I also felt annoyed that there was so much skipped in the telling of the broadway show. We heard all about the characters anxieties leading up to the first broadway show, or the workshops and then it would just skip ahead?
I didn’t get that.

I do love Elissa’s style and will for sure pick up her next novel. But this one just wasn’t my jam.

I do have to say- the cover is *chefs kiss* perfection. ✨

This was such a fun read that sucked me in quickly! I read it over about a day and half and even though I didn’t love certain aspects of it, I couldn’t put it down!

I really enjoyed the plot of an old pop star getting a second chance in a musical. I am a sucker for an inside look at celebrity anything and this was a fun look behind the curtain. The book alternated between present day and 10 years prior with a few chapters based at a camp during high school as well. I would have liked more “then” chapters intertwined with the “now” chapters earlier in the book so I could get a better idea of why Kathleen is so angry with Cal. It was hard at times to empathize with Kathleen when she came off as very immature. A more developed backstory could have helped this aspect of the story.

I really enjoy the writer’s writing style and how fast paced the book was. I felt like the book could have been executed a bit better-I would have loved some chapters with Cal’s POV. I felt that he was a bit underdeveloped for the love interest in a story and would have liked a bit more on him.

Overall, it was a delight and I will for sure be picking up her next book!

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I had two authors redeem themselves to me this month! Once More with Feeling gave a better story and more interesting characters this time around. Unlike Funny You Should Ask, the second chance romance was believable because the characters actually knew each other and could return to an already established foundation.

This book has many elements that sound absolutely wonderful. Childhood friends with a rollercoaster relationship spanning decades. Theater kids finding their dreams. Drama and friendship. Lightly steamy romance.

It’s biggest downfall is the characters, which I hate to say. Kathleen is fairly unlikable, and I would have liked to see a lot more growth from her. Cal is…fine. Bland?

Out of the two E.S books I have now read, FYSA worked better for me.

3.75⭐️

This felt like a standard romance to me. I’ve learned that for my personal taste in romance, I need to really get to know the characters, and I didn’t feel like that happened for me with this one. I think the flashbacks helped, but even with them, I never truly felt the connection and the chemistry between the two main characters, nor did the stakes seem high enough. We’re told that Kathleen lost everything but it never felt like the consequences were truly shown. Most of the characters felt flat, including Cal, who I think could have been an interesting character had the author delved more deeply into who he is.

I always love a second chance romance, especially one with a celebrity angle to it, but I had higher hopes for Once More with Feeling after loving Elissa’s debut adult book. It’s a fun read and there was a lot I enjoyed, but I also wanted much more out of the story than what you are given. I also think this book could’ve benefited from dual
POV, I think it would’ve helped the story and me wanting to root for Cal if we had his perspective.

Thank you Elissa for the Jewish representation, always love to see it in books!

3.75 stars

Okay, I liked this book more than Funny You Should Ask. I felt so much more connected with Kathleen and I felt like she had more of a sure voice. I am a sucker for a second chance romance, so I enjoyed this one. Cal was a sweetheart, and the ending was sweet. And I love that this story was also centered around a broadway musical!

3.5 stars

What I Liked:
-Musical theater references
-NYC/Westchester/Curtain call setting (all familiar to me)
-Now & then timeline

What I Didn't Like:
-The pacing toward the end felt rushed
-Kathleen was pretty immature
-Wasn't as emotionally invested in the romance

I have been so excited for this book to come out and just about peed myself to be approved for an ARC. Funny You Should Ask was such a fun read and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the day I could get my hands on Sussman’s next book. I really enjoy the way she is able to delve deep into the celebrity experience and show multiple sides of show business, personal life, success and loss, and of course, love.

Kathleen Rosenberg, once better known as Katee Rose, has dazzled audiences for years as a world famous pop star with bigger dreams to one day make it to broadway. In her early years of fame, she is romantically connected to Ryan LaNeve, singer in a well loved boy band, CrushZone. One day their relationship publicly explodes after cheating scandals are exposed, tanking her career along with her best friend and song writer, Harriet Watson. The story goes back and forth between then and now, giving us a peak into how things literally went down, and how Kathleen is still trying to make it to broadway. She gets her big break but the only kicker is that the director of this new show is none other than Calvin Tyler Kirby, the man she cheated with. This second chance romance will have you smiling, possibly yelling at your book, and even tearing up a bit.