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..

Elissa Sussman should really be a more polarizing author than she appears to be. She writes about a--holes and invites us to root for them. And look at me doing just that because the writing is so compulsively readable. 

Go ahead and fight me on this. But in this book, Cal is terrible to Kathleen. Kathleen is terrible to Harriet. 

Sussman takes risks in her writing: Three timelines! Solo POV! Unlikeable decisions! But the writing propels me forward in a way that is irresistible and the story unfurls in a way that provides many moments of delight as I discover something new about the characters and their backstories every chapter. 

I'd say this book is more plot-driven than character-driven, which may put off those who prefer the latter in their romance. For me, Sussman is one of those writers who makes me want to be one.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There will be spoilers ahead!

"... I would have literally bent over backward if I thought it meant everyone around me would be happy and satisfied. Now? I didn't really care. I wasn't mean or cruel or thoughtless. I just didn't put everyone else's needs before my own anymore."

Kathleen is a former pop star from what would be called the "Brittney/Justin" era. When she is caught cheating on her equally popular boy band boyfriend with another bandmate, her world turns upside down and her life and career is left in ruins. Years later she is given the opportunity to return to theater with the chance to star in her best friend's play. There's one catch: Kathleen has to agree to work under the man who she cheated with back in the day when everything went wrong. Reluctantly she agrees and both of them have to figure out how to work together to bring their friend's play to life while also dealing with unresolved resentment and possible sparks...

I truly love Elissa Sussman's Funny You Should Ask. Both books have a second chance romance and well-developed characters with many flaws. I literally read Once More with Feeling in a day. I was so caught up in the emotions, the bitterness and confused feelings between Kathleen and Cal. It was very easy to be swept up in their story and to want to root for both of them, separately and together.

I only have one negative and that's the ending.

While I love Elissa's writing technique, and the overall story, the ending failed to meet expectations. Harriet, Kathleen's best friend since childhood, has always wanted to be acknowledged for her music writing and while living in the shadows of Kathleen's pop star years and the tragedy that followed, she asks Kathleen to not be romantic with Cal as that could overshadow the credit Harriet finally deserves. Of course, Kathleen and Cal were going to get together and they both decided to keep it a secret from Harriet. Harriet eventually finds out and is mad at Kathleen and doesn't talk with her for about a week. During that week Cal and Kathleen repeat their own history by breaking up and avoiding each other. The way the issue is resolved between Harriet and Kathleen felt too fast and made me feel like I didn't really need to care about Harriet's situation. Same with the resolution between Cal and Kathleen, it happened so fast that the impact of the break up felt anti climatic and rushed.

I know rom-com books almost always have a "third-act breakup/make-up" and the way it was written in Once More with Feeling came across as an after-thought and it just wasn't executed properly.

Besides the disappointment with the ending, I did really like Once More with Feeling. I love the way Elissa Sussman writes her flawed characters and the second chance romance felt believable between Kathleen and Cal. I loved the tension and the spice! I wish we had more tension filled dancing scenes or moments where they both worked a lot closer together.

If you enjoyed Funny You Should Ask, I definitely think you should pick up Once More With Feeling.

4 stars

I wanted to love this like I loved “Funny You Should Ask” but it didn’t hit me the same way. It seemed to lack the same heart and depth, but the characters were likable and I enjoyed the Broadway musical setting. 3.5/5

While I found Funny You Should Ask to be funny, and at times, charming, I think Once More with Feeling really missed the mark for me. It had so much potential, and so many things I love: musical theatre, second chance romance — but I just struggled to connect with the characters. Perhaps people who don't love musical theatre/aren't as familiar with the world of theatre will enjoy this more than I did, but I just really struggled to get through it.

Elissa Sussman's first hit novel, Funny You Should Ask, was amazing. I really thought that anything else was going to pale in comparison to that romance novel. However, Once More with Feeling was a great novel that combines teenage popstar drama with Broadway musical love. Much appreciated read in the doldrums of winter.

If you enjoyed Funny You Should Ask then you will definitely enjoy Once More With Feeling.

Sussman follows a similar paradigm in ONMWF as in FYSA which works perfectly with the story. The dual timeline helps you understand the characters more in depth and make them more like able after the dramatic end to Katee Roses career.

Notes: I received a copy of this book as an advanced reader but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This is the second book from Elissa Sussman that I’ve read & I enjoyed it just as much as her first novel! I love how she alternates between the past and the present. I think it helps you understand the characters and their motivations, It didn’t take me long to get invested into the two main characters and story! I absolutely love when a hero who pines for the heroine since childhood! Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!

Both famous pop stars whose relationship torpedoed each other, Cal and Kathleen come together years later over a Broadway play. Cal’s the director and Kathleen the star. But there is so much troubled water under the bridge. We’ve got friends to lovers to enemies to lovers going on here. Can they get past that?

The story is told in the present and past. I enjoy the relationship-building of that kind of storytelling. Kathleen is a sparkling endearing hero. Sussman makes her so human and sympathetic both as Kathleen would be as young star. Sussman does an equally good job portraying her as an older woman; her feelings, her motivations and her actions. Cal is a genuine and appealing hero himself. Through the present day and flashbacks it is easy to root for these two.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Kathleen’s character, her progression from teenage hopeful to pop star to reinvented performer. Kathleen, Harriet and Cal are so appealing to me because Sussman doesn’t mute their flaws or minimize their mistakes, they’ve all made poor choices and are forced to deal with them which makes even a former pop star relatable.