This book.

I've been disappointed by some of the romances I've read recently and Once More With Feeling was a breath of fresh. Elissa Sussman's writing crackles on the page. The banter, the best friend, the swoony moments...it's just perfection.

Fifteen years ago Kathleen Rosenberg used to be Katee Rose, a wildly successful pop star with the perfect boyfriend, Ryan, who was in the boy band CrushZone. But her world came crashing down when the press found out she cheated on him.

Now she teaches dance to kids in her basement. She's fine with her life out of the spotlight, but her big dream is to be on Broadway. Her best friend Harriet has written a musical with the starring role made just for her. And, Harriet even got a director! But to Kathleen's dismay the director happens to be Cal Kirby. Cal also was a member of CrushZone. And was the person she hooked up with all those years ago when things ended horribly for all parties. Well, not so much for Ryan because he totally capitalized on the jilted boyfriend role and is now a Hollywood superstar.

Cal and Kathleen both want the show to be a success, but can they set aside years of resentment and bitterness to finally get to Broadway?

This second chance love story is great at alternating with scenes from the past and present. Before he joined CrushZone, Cal actually met Kathleen at theater camp when they were teenagers and even had a duet together. He had the dance moves, and she had the voice.

I was rooting for these two musical theater nerds all through the book, and their chemistry is "chef's kiss".

This was an awesome follow up from Elissa Sussman's adult debut from last year, Funny You Should Ask. Thank you to Random House Publishing Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Wow wow wow! The theatre kid in me loved this. The romance lover in me loved this. The pop music lover in me loved this. If you can’t tell, this book truly checked every box for me and more!

Katherine and Cal were amazing to read about. Past and present, I loved watching their relationship grow. I also loved Katherine’s friendship with Harriet (even though a certain part of it annoyed me, but for the sake of spoils I won’t dive into it because it’s my own preference and not an actual story issue.) I honestly hope we get more from these characters, and the other characters mentioned in the story, because this universe was perfect and gave me everything I could possibly want!

Things I love: the early 2000s, pop culture, and musicals. This book has all of these things with so much nostalgia. It was so fun to read!

I was a big fan of Funny You Should Ask. This follows the same format, switching between present and slowly revealing events from past. This was the enemy to lovers trope with a side of comeback, and I’m here for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an early copy of this book.

Last year, I read this author's debut novel after it went viral on Tiktok. I enjoyed Sussman's writing style and looked forward to reading more of her work. This book follows a former pop star who gets the opportunity to pursue a personal dream of acting in a broadway play. However, she has to work with the person who contributed to her downfall during her popstar days. This novel has many romance tropes combined with musical theatre references. Personally, this book had a lot of things I liked with the aforementioned. Unfortunately, I just felt like this book was missing something to propel it higher. The male lead is lacking in depth and can come off as very stiff in comparison to the female lead. I found myself rooting for Kathleen's personal growth more than the romance. Overall, I still think this book is enjoyable and would recommend it to fans of Sussman's previous work. I will be getting a copy on publishing day as well.

All the stars! There’s nothing I hate more than instalove or meet-cutes, so finding such descriptive history between these characters was such a welcomed surprise. I find peak interest in rivals or enemies to lovers. Better yet, if the main characters share a hatred for one another or have a dramatic past, I feel far more invested.

Did Elissa Sussman poll me in my sleep about my favorite tropes and sense of humor? Because it sure feels like it. If you don’t usually go for romance or theater-themed books or famous people - read it anyway. The banter. The pining. The flashbacks to their past. This is all I need in romance. Put a fork in me.

🌶️ 1/5 light spice, but so perfectly written and timed!

I loved following these two characters in the past and present! Their bickering was perfect to lead to the big kiss in the dressing room. THAT KISS!! I can’t wait to suggest this book to friends and patrons. Thank you for allowing me to read it early!

Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman is a romcom about a bunch of musical theater nerds and teen stars who grow up to develop a Broadway musical together, reconciling some unfinished business along the way. I really liked this book; it was fun and witty and really sucked you in. As someone who also loves musical theater, I thought this was such a fun premise; I really appreciated the deep appreciation that was  so clearly evident from author Sussman. That said, I think this would be enjoyable even for those who aren't all in on musicals. The characters themselves were likeable but also make mistakes, like real human beings. All in all, I'd definitely recommend this book!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I'm sad but mostly just perplexed by some of the choices made here. The love interest Cal doesn't get a personality or an arc, so it really felt like trying to root for a romance with a brick wall. But what bothered me the most is how easily the book wants to forgive Cal and gloss over its own premise: Kathleen and Cal don't have any real conversations about his complicity in the misogyny that destroyed her career and spared his. A baffling omission that made the rest of the book, and romance, feel moot to me. Plus there's other stuff I disliked, like how badly Kathleen treats her best friend Harriet, and how these adult characters can't have one single, mature conversation. 1.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of "Once More with Feeling"! This is my third Elissa Sussman book & I think it's her best yet! I completely absorbed this book in just a couple of days. Now to be fair - a rainstorm keeping me inside helped out with that, but I must give Elissa credit for such a smooth and delicious read. I often find reading a struggle, until I find something great that I can't put down. Cal and Kathleen are so fun to read - their banter was addictive, and the story conflicts worked well for me. I don't always love a time-hopping story, but the choices made on time-hopping felt appropriate and I felt like the unraveling of their history was exciting and worked very well. I liked Harriet as well, and all the subplots about the Broadway show. I'm a huge Broadway/musicals nerd, so this felt like being in a candy store full of so many great references. It's a great tribute to everything I love about Broadway and the rom-com. I'd say if I'm being picky, the only little odd thing that stuck out to me was how one-note and sorta pointless Rachel felt (she is slightly an antagonist). I would have loved if she had come back into the story with a little more purpose. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed this story - and really hope it gets to be a movie someday so I can listen to the pop song & Broadway song soundtrack. Thank you again NetGalley for the ARC, it was a worthy read! :)

I really wanted to love this one! I enjoyed Sussman’s debut, but this was a much different experience for me. The pop star aspect felt cringey, and I never really believed that Cal and Kathleen ever really had chemistry.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Something about it just had me hooked from the very beginning. The way the story was set up made it very easy to follow. I was obsessed with the characters' tension, a true enemies-to-lovers vibe. It felt very short and sweet, with the right amount of spice in it. Overall, this was a really great read!

A celebrity second chance love story that is also a love letter to musical theatre? Sussman checked all the boxes and then some! I loved Kathleen, Harriet and Cal’s passion for musical theatre and their determination to support one another and get to Broadway together.

I was immediately invested in Cal and Kathleen and their story as former childhood sweethearts who, after a decade apart, wind up working together and must address what broke them. I love a second chance story and Sussman excels at writing this trope (Funny You Should Ask was a favorite of mine last year!) as she infuses all the emotion and pining and she draws readers with alternating an timeline. I do wish we had more of Cal’s POV - I think it would have helped cement his and Kathleen’s chemistry.

One thing I greatly appreciated was that Sussman addresses the blatant double standard and wildly sexist unsolicited commentary society provides in regards to women and their personal lives, relationships, health, aging, appearance, etc. I’m grateful Sussman called this out as there is still much work to be done!

Overall, I really enjoyed this sweet story and can’t wait to read what magic Sussman creates next!

My first book by Elissa Sussman and I really enjoyed the book! This book has second chance, dual timeline, but the POV is given in the FL. I wish it was both the ML and the FL but I still enjoyed the past and present timeline this book followed. Im usually not a huge fan of showbiz type of romance but this one I enjoyed and it was an easy read. I haven't read Elissa's other book so I cannot really compare and contrast, but I did enjoy this book so I am going to check out her other book!

"Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review*

When I saw another book by Elissa Sussman was coming out, I immediately went to request it. I really enjoyed Funny You Should Ask. So I just knew this one would be good as well. I usually do not go for music/music theater related stories but I really enjoyed how Sussman portrayed the performances and how the characters felt about performing. The alternating timelines were so well done. I think that is one of Sussman's strengths. The past help set the stage for perfectly for the "now" while also maintaining their own unique tension and drama. The tension and connection between Cal & Kathleen throughout the entirety of the novel was *chefs kiss." You definitely knew they were meant for each other before they did. This book is full of self reflection, redemption, strong female friendships and one hell of a slow-burn. It is a memorable second-chance romance to say the least!

I’ve been looking forward to the follow-up to Funny You Should Ask. This was pretty good, but it did not hold my attention as well as FYSA.

I received an ARC copy from netgallery for a honest review and my opinions are my own.

This book will pull at your heartstrings and make you love it all at once. It jumps back and fourth between the past and present. Which I like because you get to know the characters more. These characters were developed well and this story took my breath away. I highly recommend it!

Funny You Should Ask was one of my favorite reads of 2022, so I was over the moon with Once More with Feeling was announced. So a HUGE thank you to Elissa Sussman, Random House and Net Galley for the ARC. I devoured this book immediately.

The set up to this book is very similar to Funny You Should Ask, in the best way. Dual timelines, Second Chance, POV of FMC only. It follows the FMC on her road to Broadway since her fall from fame. In the past timeline we see what exactly happens to cause the fall, although it is briefly explained in the prologue. In the present we see her being forced to reconnect with Cal who is now directing the potential Broadway show. I feel like their history would cause Kathleen to hold a bigger grudge against him, and they do bicker and fight but it just wasn't giving enough "enemies" before they become lovers again to me. However, it is pretty obvious they are not over their feelings of each other to ever be true enemies. I also wasn't a big fan of Kathleen's best friend in this story, she just kind of annoyed me throughout the present timeline. I much preferred Whitney and would have loved to see more scenes with her! However those tidbits didn't sway me from enjoying the book. It was cute, and I loved the FMC and MMC's characters.

Overall it was a very enjoyable read, and I loved it. I would definitely recommend it especially if you love a good second-chance romance.

pop stars? musical theatre? friends to enemies to lovers? no notes. this did everything this type of book is supposed to do. this author lets you live where they live, and then root for them.

Thank you to Random House, Elissa Sussman, and NetGalley for the Arc of Once More with Feeling.

This is the first Elissa Sussman book I’ve read, and if her other books are like this than I’m going to be reading them all soon!

I really can’t find a thing I didn’t like about this book. If I had to pick something I think it would have been nice to have a few seems of the aftermath of the scandal that hit Kathleen.

The characters were hilarious, were believable, and most of all I enjoyed every single on the the main characters which is nice.

If you like romance, second chances, or books about theater I think this is definitely one for you to pick up.

Thanks for the ARC NetGalley! i am so happy i got this book when i did, it pulled me out of a reading slump.

okay. I knew nothing about this book going in - and I think I'd like to keep it that way moving forward with ARCs. didn't read the description, I just vaguely assumed it would be about/around an MC who was a celebrity.

the prologue hooked me.

second chance romance is my fave trope and this book really reinforced why. the time jumps weren't overwhelming or distracting, nor did they impede the progression of the plot, which I really appreciated.

sometimes i wish there were more characters? MC's parents/family seemed more like an idea, and same with Cal. idk not really a critique, it only really vaguely bothered me.

I definitely wanted an extended epilogue - the HEA was so so so so short. that would be my only critique.