This book tells the story of Kathleen Rosenberg, former pop star Katee Rose who had a tumultuous career that ended when she cheated on her boy band star boyfriend, with another member of the boy band, Cal. Cal and her are reuniting after a decade for another opportunity to work together on a broadway musical.

It has a few of my favorite romance tropes- childhood friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and second chance romance. It goes back and forth between three various times - theatre camp, the height of their fame/downfall, and present— and does so seamlessly.

I gave it 4 stars, because I wanted there to a bit more character development, and deeper knowledge of who Kathleen and Cal are as people beyond their careers. I wish there was more clarity around their ages, as the present takes place a decade later but I’m unsure if they’re 28, 30, 35? I feel like there was also a missed opportunity to speak to the misogyny of placing the blame of the cheating scandal on Katee.

Overall, this was a great, fun romance with an unusual plot that I really enjoyed! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was SUCH a fan of funny you should ask so my hopes going into this one were high & WOWOWO Elissa came though.

Nobody writes the back and forth timeline as well for me as Elissa does. It leads to a much more organic story telling & these characters deserved that.

My only thing I didn't love was how she was ridiculed for cheating and he just let her be?? seems like a red flag to me.

but overall, i loved it.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

Thankfully, this was much better than Funny You Should Ask, but, it fell flat for me. I'm not the biggest fan of second chance romance and the whole cheating thing just gave me the ick and I could mot root for this couple. Also. It got a little hard to keep up with the different timelines. That being said, it was a quick and interesting read, it just isn't for me.

As much as I want to root for the Kathleen and Cal, I just feel like the whole cheating aspect couldn't over power the second-chance and missed opportunity romance the novel pushes for. It rang a little flat toward the end since after that initial sex scene, there really was no conflict left except the show's reviews. Likewise, I felt that I would have preferred to see Ryan becoming a bigger conflicting character in the present rather than in the past time frame. Regardless, I think the chemistry between the two was very solid and made for a cute second-chance.

Amazing.
I will truly never understand how this author manages to tie so many emotions and feeling into a book. She truly has the ability to make it feel like you are the main character. After ready FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK I did not think it could get any better but it did. Defiantly going to be one of by top five of 2023!

Elissa Sussman has done it again! Celebrity second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes because the characters just feel so life like with all their struggles and obstacles which Elissa did such a great job with. I was rooting for Katee and Cal the entire time especially when all they did was bicker. THE TENSION AND ANGST!!! Since they had known each other for so long they understood each others negative sides and yet their love didn’t lessen. They were both trying so hard to grow as people and learn from their past mistakes. Katee’s struggle with who she used to be as the world famous pop star to who she was now as the ordinary Kathleen was so perfectly done. I could tell how their love stayed the same from the flashbacks to present day. The then and now was so well done that I didn’t know which one I was more excited to read which isn’t easy to do! I could not put it down! Read this if you want something fast-paced, heartfelt, and sincere.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!!! :)

This story follows 3 periods of time when Kathleen/Katee Rose and Cal were in each others lives. We see the two at theater camp, on tour together as pop sensations, and during preparations for a new musical. The connection between Kathleen and Cal during all points of time was fantastic. I appreciated the process they took to resolve decades old hurt and reconcile their feelings feelings.

I was super excited for Once More with Feeling because I loved Funny You Should Ask. Once More follows the story of Kathleen Rosenberg, formerly known as pop megastar Katee Rose, as she makes her return to the stage after years of hiding out following a scandal that ushered in her fall from grace. This time, Kathleen is older and wiser and re-emerging on broadway as herself, alongside her longtime best friend and writer Harriet as well as her former friend and director Cal. The dynamics are complicated as are Kathleen’s relationship with her own fame and her identity.

This book started out so strong for me. It was quick and engaging, switching between present day and her years as a pop star. But it lost me in the second half. Kathleen, to me, was not super likable and showed little growth. There is a romance storyline that I could have done without (which is shocking for me!). I was more interested in Kathleen as an individual and as a performer. In short, this just wasn’t for me.

All that being said, this book has lots of great reviews so I don’t want to dissuade anyone from giving it a try, particularly if you are a musical theater fan! (Controversial opinion: I do not like musical theater 😬). This wasn’t for me but I could definitely understand how others could get into it.

If you liked Funny You Should Ask, you would love this book. Elissa does a great job with the second chance romance stories with a slow burn. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys both of those things. The ending was perfect!

I’m definitely in the minority on this one, but I did not love Sussman’s previous book, Funny You Should Ask. While I really enjoyed her plot development and writing style, the characters in that book felt flat, underdeveloped, and mismatched. Well, she’s fixed all of that in this book. What a fun book! Once More With Feeling features Sussman’s trademark witty and sharp writing style while also giving the reader a very immersive plot and likeable, well developed characters.

The alternating “then” and “now” storylines (which Sussman also used in Funny You Should Ask) were so well done here. Both storylines were equally engrossing, fun to read, and both propelled the book/plot forward - which isn’t always the case when books jump back and forward in time.

The characters were also very well written. Kathleen specifically was well developed and a big improvement over Chani from Funny You Should Ask. By even just 1/4 of the way through the book I felt connected to her. I also thought the chemistry between Cal and Kathleen and the evolution of their relationship was very well done.

I also really loved the attention to detail in this book. The musical references were fun and I loved the little tie ins to Sussman’s prior book.

Overall, this book was a fun, engrossing read. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Second chance romances aren’t my favorite, but Elissa Sussman writes them really well. I really enjoyed this book.

I love musical theater, so the setting of the present timeline of this book revolving around the development of a new Broadway show was great. I liked the flashback scenes to the earliest timeline at theater camp too, though I don’t think they really added a ton to the story.

The middle timeline of the pop star/boy band days gave me nostalgic late 90s/early 2000s vibes, and I felt shades of Britney and Justin while reading about ‘Katee’ and Ryan’s relationship. That said, I don’t feel like those flashbacks did much to build the relationship between Kathleen and Cal. A couple of them did, but I would’ve been fine wrapping up the flashbacks about halfway through the book and spending the rest of the time with them in the present.

I loved the interactions between them in the present timeline. I could feel the tension and that it was only a matter of time before it snapped. I wanted more time in their current situation, watching them try to move past the old hurts and navigate life and a relationship as the people they’d grown into, all while trying to open a Broadway show. I liked the balance and growth of Cal and Kathleen as adults learning how to leverage their pasts to fuel the attention for the show, so they were giving people something to talk about on their terms.

One other part of the story I wish there was more development of was the character of Harriett. As the creator and writer of the show she was an important piece of the puzzle, and it felt like we didn’t get much from her other than as a catalyst for drama in Kathleen’s life, whether it was between the two of them or with Cal. I would’ve liked to have seen her more involved in the scenes where the show was being rehearsed, notes were being given, etc. Maybe writers don’t have the much input on a show once it’s in the hands of the director, but it seems like she should’ve been featured more there.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book, and I liked the culmination of Kathleen and Cal’s journey to each other.

This book was a refreshing take on a second chance romance with characters that were flawed but likeable. Kathleen and Cal were former teen pop stars who meet again later in life when Cal is directing a broadway musical that Kathleen is starring in. They both made mistakes in the past, and this book sees them come to terms with them through the process of bringing a musical to the stage. I thought the insight into producing a Broadway show was very interesting, and I would recommend this book to any needing a quick fun read.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my ARC!

It's official: Elissa Sussman is an autobuy author for me. I devoured and adored her adult debut, Funny You Should Ask and her YA Drawn that Way last year and loved the humor and heart in both. She excels as a writer at capturing imperfect people and making the reader root for them, and that's no different here with Once More With Feeling. I am the least theatre kid person, but I felt like I was on that stage with Kathleen. The setting is so richly drawn, and the characters even more so. The timelines weave in and out of each other seamlessly to build an iron-clad picture of Cal and Kathleen's relationship, and I loved getting to unravel their past to better understand their future. This book had the perfect level of angst for me and it really delivered on both the disgraced former celebrity and second chance romance tropes. Cal and Kathleen have fantastic chemistry, and she even managed to make me swoon over a man named CALVIN. 10/10, would recommend. This is going on a favorites shelf for sure.

It is offically, I will read anything and everything that Elissa Sussman writes. I adored this book. I enjoyed the storyline from start to finish. I appreciated the musical theater aspect of this book and I could have kept reading for another 100 pages. I was pulling for Kathleen and Cal the whole way through. I am a sucker for a second chance romance and this book did not disappoint.

Funny You Should Ask was one of my favorite books of 2022. So I was really looking forward to this one and it totally exceeded my expectations. The angst, the banter, the flashbacks! I loved it and can’t wait to read it again! Cal and Kathleen had such great chemistry. Couldn’t put it down! I loved it so much thank you for the arc copy !!

Once More with Feeling was more than I was expecting. I loved loved loved Funny You Should Ask, so I figured I would love this one as well. And I did! I was a little hesitant on the theatre premise, but I ended up really enjoying that aspect of it.
The reason this is a 4 star read for me and not a 5 was the main character, Kathleen. She was so self deprecating, ultimately to the point she started to heavily annoy me during parts of this book. Had that been toned down a notch this would've been a 5 star read for me.
I think anyone who loved Funny You Should Ask should absolutely pick this one up, and anyone that's a fan of second chance romances, friends/enemies to lovers would enjoy this one.
Once More with Feeling is out May 30th, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley, Elissa Sussman, and Random House for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Funny You Should Ask and so I came into this book expecting something similar. I really enjoy the way that Elissa writes about Hollywood and celebrities. I connected with our main group of characters and actually cared about their second chance romance (a rarity for me). What I didn’t enjoy was the third act break up, as well as the fight with Harriet. I felt like it was unnecessary and only there to cause Kathleen to end things with Cal for no reason. Please can we ban the third act break up arcs !! It took this book from a 4 star to a 3.5 for me. Still enjoyed overall, definitely a good book for a plane ride or weekend!

Stunning! Captivating! Entertaining! Hot! This book blew me away in every imaginable way.

Fans of Funny You Should Ask, I am SO excited for you to read this book. It has everything you know and love from Sussman’s writing. And I think the plot of this book is more realistic and easy to follow than her last (although I loved that too).

I just keep wanting to call this book entertaining. I wasn’t bored for a single. page. Instead, I was giggling, kicking my feet, gasping, swooning, and having every emotion that I read a romance novel hoping to have.

I’ve fallen in love this this diverse cast of characters. The dialogue was hilarious and addictive in nature. The banter both tense, and hilarious. And Cal. Oml I can’t express how much I love Cal, and how excited I was to read about a man that can dance!

I’m telling any potential reader now, Go. Read. This. Book.

I was a huge fan of Funny You Should Ask and I really enjoy this author’s writing style. I love to read books about actors, singers, etc so this book was right up my alley! I found it entertaining and I was rooting for Katee/Kathleen to find her way back to Cal. It was inevitable there would be a HEA, but it’s the journey that I love! The story moves along at a good clip; part of it it told in the past and part of it is now. While entertaining, it wasn’t a particularly moving story with super memorable characters. If you’re looking for something that will entertain you, pick this one up! I enjoyed reading it! Thanks to Netgalley for the arc!

4 ⭐️ I thought this book was an excellent story, with great characters and depth. The characters aren’t perfect, and they try throughout the story to work on that. The flashback chapters really help the reader see the characters whole self and how they got to where they are. They were very well written.

This was an emotional story that I believe anyone who loves the celebrity trope will love. This is my first read by this author, and now I can’t wait to read her other book, Funny You Should Ask. Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this eARC.