⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for Cal and Kathleen!

This book follows Cal and Kathleen — former pop stars rocked by scandal. They reunite on Broadway (he’s the director, she’s the star) and it’s just the cutest little story of second chances.

The story goes back and forth between “then” and “now”. I liked both of the main characters in both plot lines. The plot moved quickly and the characters really came into their own by the end.

If you’ve read Funny You Should Ask, this book is in the same world.

Read this if you like:
❤️ Famous MCs
❤️ Broadway shows
❤️ Musicals made into movies (tons of references!!)
❤️ Second chance romance
❤️ Childhood romance
❤️ Dual timeline

Thanks to NetGalley for the E-ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

I gobbled this book up in one sitting.

Sussman’s writing is so witty and entertaining. I loved all of the musical theatre references she sprinkled in—and the subtle connection to It’s Funny You Should Ask was a cute nod.

Sussman’s use of the narrative structure of then/now works really well to keep the reader engaged and wanting to know what happened to our main characters to pull them apart.

Second chance romances can be hit or miss and this one in my opinion was very well done. I’m not a huge fan of 3rd act breakups but the one in this didn’t feel forced for the sake of drama—it felt natural given the complexity of the situation and emotions involved.

The tension really builds nicely between Cal and Kathleen as they are forced to work together after so much time apart and festering anger. I liked how real Kathleen’s struggles felt with trusting Cal again and also with feeling like she’d been forced into this Villian role in what went down in their youth. The inevitable pull and coming together and then imploding evolved seamlessly.

The ending was so corny but SO CUTE. I loved it.

Bonus points for the TRIXIE and KATYA reference and a cat named Fish.

I didn’t see how this book could top the first but boy did it! I absolutely adored this book with my whole heart and I hope you love it as much as I did!

I am new to Elissa Sussman’s work, but her love and knowledge of the entertainment industry, flawed and unlikely pairings, and humor sucked me in right away. Once More With Feeling captures the nostalgia of the late 90s and its stars after the spotlight and scandal fades. Kathleen and Cal have engaging chemistry and a fascinating history, and their happily ever after feels so fulfilling and long awaited.

Me, to this entire book: once more, with FEELING.

I was so looking forward to this read after loving Funny You Should Ask, but I was left feeling mostly dissatisfied. While the premise is intriguing, one any fangirl will appreciate, the resolution to the many conflicts and the character development fell flat.

I typically enjoy asynchronous plot lines woven together to uncover the true depth of a story, but the alternating timelines ultimately felt disjointed and incomplete. It took away from the character development in the sense that it took the focus away from the “why” and instead placed the emphasis on the “how,” which is arguably (it’s me, I’m arguing) less fruitful when trying to cultivate an emotionally charged story. There are other, less time consuming ways to portray history between characters.

I wanted to like Kathleen, I wanted to root her on as she fought to overcome her past and her turbulent stardom, but it was just so goshdarn hard to piece together her feelings. (Aside from a sort of misplaced and weirdly intense bit of self loathing over something that occurred over a decade ago). But she refused to stand up for herself, even all this time later, and the wet rag of a love interest never had to explain himself (aside from that one bit of dialogue they shared that one time that hardly scratched the surface). There was a lot of wasted potential here and I wish this major point of conflict had been more fleshed out.

Also the weird friend dynamic between Kathleen & Harriet that was explicitly stated to be strained but never really gave evidence for strain aside from when everything supposedly came to a head in a blow out? Kathleen was all “things feel off” and I was like “girl nothing even happened?” It was confusing.

Aside from the lack of emotional investment I had in the characters and plot, I can appreciate the salute to the love of entertainment & theater. This is camp rock fanfic in my brain, and one I probably wouldn’t give kudos to (that feels harsh, I’m sorry). But in the words of the one and only Kathleen Rosenberg, you were a little flat.

2.5⭐️

**thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this eARC**

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy and fun read. Loved the celebrities and second chance romance/friends to lovers theme. I just feel like there could have been more character development. I felt like there was more to the characters than was shown. Overall I did enjoy this book though.

Once More with Feeling intertwines "enemies to lovers" and "second chance" tropes. The author seamlessly combined the two tropes and I'm here for it. The storyline alternates between then and now. In the past, Katee Rose is America's number one pop star who is dating the popular Ryan LaNeve. One wrong decision with childhood friend Cal Kirby sends her career spiraling downhill. Now, Kathleen Rosenberg has been given an opportunity by none other than Cal Kirby to star in a Broadway show and a chance to fulfill her lifelong dream. She reluctantly agrees to star in the show and decides to keep Cal at a distance...until the chemistry between them becomes too much to deny.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing /Ballantine, Dell for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this author’s debut, but this one not as much. There were definitely things I appreciated- the plot & pacing mostly - but I couldn’t get on board with the TWO past timelines (the camp timeline/plot felt wholly unnecessary), and the main characters were really frustrating. I think if more time had been spent fleshing out Kathleen’s backstory, she would’ve rang truer, but there just wasn’t enough time for me to buy into her (or Cal’s) characterization. I was left wanting more

I was a huge fan of Elissa’s previous book and was really looking forward to this one. I definitely enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it quite at much. I wish the characters were a little bit more developed, and we were able to see a little bit more of them falling in love. However, it still was a fun read that I very much enjoyed!

This heartwarming, enemies to lovers, second-chance romance hit the nail on the head if you are looking for the perfect quick and cute rom-com read. If you were a theater kid growing up, this book is meant for you. It truly embodies a theater kid’s dreams wrapped up in a book. My favorite aspect of the book was the duel timelines. They were perfectly in sync, woven so thoroughly, you never have a question about past reference for too long. The tension between Cal and Kathleen fueled my desire to turn the pages. While there wasn’t a full development of the characters, the book does a great job at navigating relationships with friends, lovers, and oneself. I’d recommend you read if you are a fan of second-chance romance, the perfect rom-com, or looking to see your theater passion written on the pages.

I'll read anything Elissa Sussman writes this was amazing and just as lovely as Funny You Should Ask, I absolutely loved every minute of it.

2.5 ★

this book sure was interesting…

i don’t know whether it’s the author or me, because the writing never hits the way it’s supposed to. i had so much hope i would love this but it was even worse than funny you should ask 💔

the characters were so BLAND. i don’t know how else to put it. i couldn’t connect to any of them. kathleen was such an embarrassing character it physically hurt me to read some of those scenes 😭 the breaking point was the cheating. no matter what the situation is i will almost never support cheating. you’d think that with the characters being in their 30’s they’d be more mature but that was sadly not the case.

i’m not a big fan of time jumps because i usually like one more and it gets hard to push through the book. this book was no different, i didn’t really care for the then chapters, i only wanted the now, which caused me to be pretty bored most of the book.

on the bright side, cal was really cute for the most part. his little moments had me smiling. the 2.5 star rating goes to him entirely 🫶🏻 i also love books about celebrities, idk why they’re so entertaining, i loved that aspect of this book.

if you enjoyed funny you should ask, then i think you should definitely read this! it’s a quick and easy read, the authors writing style just isn’t for me. i also think if you’re a big fan of musical theatre you’d enjoy this way more!

thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Looking for enemies to lovers and second chance romance? Then this is the book for you. Lots of tensions, and sweet moments in this story. A comfy romance read, for sure.

I adored 'Funny You Should Ask,' so I really looked forward to 'Once More With Feeling.' Nostalgic in all the right ways and made for those of us who were (and continue to be) obsessed with musicals and 2000s pop culture, Sussman's second novel is fun, quick, and entertaining.

Theatre nerds will love Sussman's niche references, and those of us who lived through the era of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake (and the fall out of their breakup) live vicariously through a heroine who got to take back the narrative on her own terms.

It's an alarmingly fast read (I couldn't put it down), but I do wish the book was 50 pages longer. The conflict wraps up very quickly — almost unbelievably quickly — and I would have loved to see Sussman flesh out the end so it was more satisfying for the reader.

There are plenty of similarities between 'Funny You Should Ask' and 'Once More With Feeling,' (not the least of which being that they both revolve around a second chance, Hollywood romance that spans decades), but I can't wait to see her venture out of her comfort zone in the future. And if she continues to write Hollywood romances that have us hooked from the jump? I'll be consuming those, too.

Once More with Feeling is a mix of second chance romance, childhood sweethearts and enemies to lovers, mixed with an element of celebrity. I loved the mix of now/then timelines for this book as it helped paint a full picture of Kathleen and Cal's past and their connection, as well as what tore them apart and caused so much resentment on both ends. At times, Kathleen's self loathing was hard to read because she was so hard on herself regarding the reason her career as a pop star blew up. Plus, her best friend harbored a lot of jealousy which made her second guess herself even more as she worked to rebuild her image. However, Cal's (deep down) unwavering feelings for her helped her realize her full potential to be the star she actually wants to be this time around. Their forced proximity and leftover resentment led to a lot of fighting before they could truly breakthrough to each other, but the end result led to a true second (or technically third) chance at love. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for this wonderful ARC! All opinions are my own.

Kathleen Rosenberg and Cal Kirby are famous pop stars of the past, she rocked the world as Katee Rose, and he was one piece of insanely popular boy band, CrushZone. Katee was seemingly on top of the world—performing to sold-out stadiums, living lavishly, dating Ryan LaNeve, the boy of her “dreams”—until one night with Cal destroys everything she’s worked towards… and she’s still bitter ten years later. When she gets the opportunity of a lifetime to work with her best friend, she comes face to face with Cal again. The question is: Enemies or Lovers?

I really really enjoyed Funny You Should Ask, but Once More With Feeling was a master class on character progression, story progression, and especially relationship progression. This was a very refreshing read. Instead of your basic coming-of-age story of a young kid trying to make it big, you have Kathleen and Cal who have been through it all, and who have been hardened and educated by the industry. A book about a nobody going through the industry has been done and uses the same themes and plot lines. I love how Elissa Sussman includes the past when her characters were much younger, but her main focus is on the present and how her characters have aged and became adults. That formula really works for her.

Kathleen’s character is terribly great. She’s desperate but stubborn, incredibly flawed, and at times unlikable, but that is what makes her character so entertaining. It’s relatable to be irrational, make irreversible mistakes and bad judgement calls, and to want your dreams so bad it physically aches. I can tell that her heart is in a lot of her words and decisions. While I cannot overlook the main conflict of the story, I really enjoyed all the romance and the spice of the book. I really wish I could talk about the ending, but alas, I cannot…

7/10 - I definitely enjoyed this second chance romance novel, which is a follow up to Funny You Should Ask. Elissa Sussman definitely has a theme to her books - celebrities, romance, second chances, etc.

I liked how we got a glimpse into the early before, the middle before and the now. I do wish we got to hear Cal’s point of view. I think that would have helped build the story line / character development. I was also never into theater, so the references to theater camp / theater in general just fell short for me.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book and really liked the happy ending. I would recommend it as a quick cheerful read for anyone who enjoys second chance romance novels. If you enjoyed Funny You Should Ask, I have a feeling you’ll enjoy this one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was slow to start but the last half really picked up. That was when I earnestly started rooting for Kathleen and Cal. The theater storyline was interesting. I wish we got more from Harriet and some other cast members. And wow does Ryan suck. I’d rate this 3.5 stars.

Reading Once More With Feeling was like getting a weird look into a celebrities life. I don't want to call Kathleen washed up or a has been but certainly fallen from grace. I had sympathy for her out of the gate. Sometimes with these types of books you think "oh, yeah they were based off of [enter real life human here]." Maybe I'm getting worse with celebrities but these characters felt like an amalgam of many different people, or maybe like no one? I wanted more about their present. It felt like we breezed through parts of the story and we only got a slight look into their romance. Over all, I really enjoyed what parts we did get.
Thanks #Netgalley!

I love how Sussman writes Adults who have been through it and still grow as people. A priority purchase for most libraries..