I was really looking forward to diving into this book as soon as I finished this authors previous release to this book, in hopes that I would be hooked. Unfortunately, not exactly the case. While the writing style is quite easy and quick to follow, I just have trouble with connecting to the characters entirely. They just fell a little flat to me, and didn't really feel like they had a real connection. The "enemies to lovers" aspect felt more pushed than fluid, sadly. And Enemies to lovers is one of my all time favorite tropes. But this one just wasn't believable.
Don't get me wrong, I dont think I'm gonna give up on this author or anything just yet. I just really had higher hopes for this book that has such a stunning piece of cover art.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This story follows Kathleen Rosenberg, formerly known as pop star Katee Rose, as she embarks on a journey to star in the musical her best friend wrote with her in mind. The problem? The person who will help her get to the stage is none other than Cal Kirby, who helped destroy her career back when she was Katee Rose.

I really liked the premise of the story, as I am a big fan of Broadway and anything involving the entertainment industry. The way Sussman used multiple timelines to move the story along was creative, and I found myself recognizing callbacks to previous points in Cal and Kathleen's lives as the callbacks caught up to them in the present. My one problem is that I just found Kathleen to be so unlikable at certain points in the story. She was incredibly impulsive, and sometimes had a hard time putting others first. There were a couple of scenes where she would talk to Cal and I would be cringing because she was acting so immature or unprofessional. I also think Cal would've been a better character if he had acknowledged the role he had played in the destruction of her career more emphatically, and if he had actually taken the time to realize that he got off easy while Kathleen was massacred in the court of public opinion.

Overall, I think this is a fun read, but I do wish the characters were a bit more likable.

While I read this on a Sunday in its entirety, I just was not so consumed as that would lead you to believe. I think Sussman's work is just not for me, but after her debut fell flat (&slightly weird) to me, I thought I would still pick this one up because I not only saw the potential but also felt like I was out of the loop on not being obsessed with it. I guess I need to be ok with being out on this.

Cute books with good chemistry and tension between the two main characters/love interest. However, I found the story dragged on and felt a little predictable

The flashbacks slowed the pace of the plot moving forward, But overall I enjoyed reading. My favorite part was when they are enemies and are forced to work together.

I was so, so excited for this novel, as I absolutely adored Funny You Should Ask. Once More with Feeling is set up to be a similar novel - celebrity romance, told in then/now narrative - however, OMWF surprisingly let me down.

First, I felt the characters were a bit underdeveloped. I never really got a sense of them - other than our grown-up pop star is just so over her fame, and that our leading man is looking forward to his next project. Then, I felt the romance was underdeveloped - while you can definitely develop a fantastic second chance romance with its origins starting in teenage years. But, when the characters meet and start having feelings as teenagers, the grown-up romance really needs to be developed and rooted in where the characters currently are in their lives, their personalities - and not JUST rely on the past romance.

While this book fell a bit flat for me - I will still eagerly look forward to her next novel.

i was so incredibly excited for this as i absolutely loved the first book but this one fell a little flat for me, im not a fan of the cheating trope unless done well but to me the cheating wasn’t necessary in this book.

I thought the concept was cute. I like the popstar/ boyband relationships. I did find the main character to be a bit unlikeable. There isn't anything that connected me to her, which is just a personal thing I like to feel in characters.

The writing was good and easy to read, it made this book easy to fly through. I would recommend it if you like friends to lovers/ enemies to lovers trope. I thought overall it was a cute, but just fell a bit flat for me personally.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review

A former pop star finds herself back in the spotlight--along with an old flame from her past--in this "friends to lovers" meets "enemies to lovers" romance from the bestselling author of Funny You Should Ask, the sensational Tik Tok romance!

Usually romance books pick one trope for the main characters and stick with it - lending to the predictability of romance novels. HOWEVER - Elissa Sussman has combined two major tropes to tell the story of Kathleen and Cal. It was magic. I was able to overlook all the flaws of this book because it just sucked me in. I did prefer Funny You Should Ask (another novel by Elissa Sussman) to this book.

All in all, it is a book I would recommend to any fans of Emily Henry, Christina Lauren and the like.

This was a fun read with a cute romance story. It was fun to be back in Elissa's world and I look forward to returning in the future.

I was so excited to read this after loving the author’s previous novel.

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING is a second chance romance story that follows 2000s pop star, Kathleen “Katee Rose” and boy band to current day Broadway scene.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-pop stars
-now/then timeline
-enemies to lovers
-second chance romance

*many thanks to PRH, prh audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy

"Once More With Feeling" is a theatre kid's fantasia, it's fun, comical, Sondheim loving, lighthearted, and predictable- but that's the point; it's a story about redemption and second chances. The characters are quite vibrant. Kathleen did get on my nerves sometimes, though that was her whole personality. Loved Harriet and Cal! And the mention of the beloved Marie's Crisis! While romance isn't my typical genre, I really enjoyed it. However, in those odd moments when I do read romance I'm pretty big on enemies to lovers- I know typical (sue me)!

Sorry, but this book wasn't for me. I truly tried reading the entire book but I just wasn't into. I felt bored in the beginning, and my feelings didn't change. Unfortunately, I just dnf the book. Just have to put it out there. Sorry.

This romance novel is a love letter to the theater kid. There are so many theater references, and I have to admit, those were the best part for me. We follow Kathleen, a pop star who had a big-time scandal when she cheated on her boyfriend who was also a star, with long-time friend Cal. Years later, she gets a second chance with the guy she cheated with, and she has big feelings for, and also a second chance to follow her passion and star in a broadway show. Of course, Cal is the producer of the show. It's tense, there is push and pull, and sparks fly. I wish I had a better sense of the characters. It was just a very shallow story, with stereotypical cliche characters of a love interest, a best friend, etc. I found it a slow read and had trouble with the motivation to finish it.

I'm a sucker for a second chance romance, and I was so excited to get this as an ARC. I put it down 3-4 times, and ended up 2x speed on audiobook. The characters were so flat, and it felt like I was reading an outline or she'll of the book I would LOVE.

Not sure how everyone else will fare with this book but for me, it was genuinely an uphill battle. I had to temporarily set this book aside for weeks before reading it again. I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I would’ve liked and overall the whole book unfortunately just felt one dimensional. Would’ve rated it a bit higher but because I struggled to get through it I had to reduce the rating. It’s a shame considering I was really looking forward to reading this one.

You already knew Elissa Sussman was a contender for best romance author if you read Funny You Should Ask, so it was no surprise that Once More with Feeling gave me the same warm fuzzies.

This book pops between "Now" and "Then" and what happened between pop star Katee Rose and boy band member Cal Kirby. Why do we care about what happened "then"? Oh, no big deal, just Katee (now Kathleen) and Cal being forced together in the present by a broadway show that they both are dead set on making happen. Can they make it happen if they both are in forced proximity for that long? Can they set aside past hurt and hatred?

This book was written for you if:
1) You loved Funny You Should Ask
2) You have a parasocial relationship with any pop stars
3) You love a now and then pop back and forth structure (Think Love and Other Words or Every Summer After)

Cute little enemies to lovers story. The relationship with the best friend and that whole story line added depth to the overall book. The ending fit absolutely perfectly!

Such a wonderful story about theater, love and friendship. I wasn't too keen on Kathleen at first. Her attitude was annoying and her I'm the best got to me. But I grew to like her and root for her and Cal and the success of the show as the story went on.

Thank you to Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell, Elissa Sussman, and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for our honest review.

Once More with Feeling follows a 2000's pop star Kathleen Rosenberg, aka Katee Rose. Katee's world tumbled when she cheated on her then boyfriend with Cal Kriby. Kathleen is getting a second chance at her career starring in a Broadway Musical; however, Cal is the director. This is a second chance romance for both Kathleen and Cal.

This book is a good second chance romance novel. It gave me wanna be Britney/Justin vibes. I did not feel attached to the characters.