I can't say enough wonderful things about this book! Loved the storyline and the characters. Kathleen and Cal were adorable!

this book ended up being so so cute. I felt so much for both cal and kathleen, their love was so painful and raw and wrong place, wrong time. I felt so awful for kathleen and all that she had to endure with fame and being in love. her journey and self discovery through the show was so amazing to read about. cal and kathleen served such good childhood to lovers, friends to lovers to enemies to lovers excellence! I definitely recommend. Read it when it comes out on May 30th! A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

I loved this, perfect for any pop culture fans especially if you have an interest in Broadway. The balance of plot, relationship dynamics and behind the scenes of how broadway shows are made was perfect. The single POV added a layer of suspense wondering how all the other characters were feeling that made it impossible to put down. When Kathleen has a second chance at her career she realizes she'd do anything for it, including working with the man who helped ruin her reputation all those years ago. This time Kathleen wants to work on her own terms, sharing her real talent, and help her best friend find the spotlight she deserves. The relationship dynamics of both friendship and romantically portray raw emotions of decades of unresolved feelings and will take you on a rollercoaster and feeling for all of them.

Once More With Feeling - Elissa Sussman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publish date: May 30, 2023 💙

First and foremost, I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Elissa Sussman for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Once More With Feeling. I have been wanting to read Elissa’s Funny You Should Ask Novel for a while and once I saw this one being released I knew I’d wanted to read it as well! I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy the book mainly because pop stars and Broadway aren’t my forte- but, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved it and how interesting it was. This book ended up keeping my attention throughout and made it nearly impossible to put down. I loved Harriett, Kathleen, and Cal, and I loved seeing their growth while reading. The book did a good job of going between past and present tense to give more backstory to Kathleen and Cal’s relationship as well as life as a celebrity pop star/boy band member. Overall, I loved it- and I am excited to see what Elissa Sussman writes in the future. Thank you again ☺️

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC!

Once More with Feeling is a book about an old boy band and former pop star, their pasts with each other, and their futures moving forward.

First things first, I LOVE the title. It perfectly fits the book, from performing on Broadway to the second-chance romance. Second, this book has multiple timelines, two in the past and one in the present, which I really enjoyed. The two main characters, Kathleen and Cal, had amazing chemistry, which speaks to Elissa Sussman's incredible writing. However, I wish we got to see more of them together in the first timeline when they were young. I also wish we got more background on Kathleen’s relationship with her best friend, Harriet. Basically, I wish we had more of the first timeline overall. It would’ve helped us understand the characters and their relationships to each other even better (plus that whole timeline was giving Camp Rock which I was obsessed with!!)

Other than that, I loved this book. I actually liked this better than Funny You Should Ask, her other novel that I really enjoyed, because I feel like the characters had better chemistry. I really liked the pop star/Broadway star aspect as well — especially the boy band dynamics (as a former fangirl myself). There were very few parts that I cringed at, which is huge because I have a bad habit of cringing A LOT when I read romance. Overall, it was a really, really cute book — it's definitely one of the best romances that I’ve read recently. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for Elissa Sussman :)

After reading and loving Funny You Should Ask, I just had to dive into Once More With Feeling as soon as I got my hands on it. In Sussman's second novel--completely independent from her first, despite the strikingly similar (and gorgeous) covers--we meet former pop princess Katee Rose living in Manhattan under her birth name, Kathleen Rosenberg, occasionally teaching dance when funds run low. Her BFF writer, Harriet approaches her about starring in her new musical, but the director is none other than former boyband member, Cal Kirby. Once upon a time, the two were friends, perhaps more, when Katee's entire life and career blew up in one fell swoop. Can she work with Cal and stage a comeback?

I love a good celebrity romance, and this book is no exception. Told in alternating timelines, from when Cal, Kathleen, and Harriet all met at theater camp, through Cal and Kathleen's rise to fame, through Katee's downfall, and the present day, as the three work to make the musical the success. One aspect of Sussman's first book that this book lacked was the interspersion of news articles and other tidbits between the chapters. I think that really added an outsider's perspective and made things a bit more interesting; I wish we had had that here. I also wish we had gotten to see more of Kathleen's comeback. The book ends (mini spoiler alert) on the precipice of Kathleen's return to fame, but I would have loved to have seen her sign a book deal for a memoir or something that really cemented her turn for the better. She's not a perfect character and is well aware she erred and punished herself for it, but it takes two to tango and Katee definitely got the Janet Jackson treatment--I want justice! But overall, I still loved the book and the characters and the arc overall. Another smash hit for celebrity romance fans.

Thanks to Ballantine Books for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this eARC! After absolutely loving Funny You Should Ask, I may have freaked out a little when I was approved to read Once More With Feeling before its release date. After finishing this wonderful book, Elissa Sussman has officially become one of my favorite authors. I’ve always found myself so drawn to the characters she creates. I couldn’t get enough of Kathleen and Cal in this story. I was so engrossed with the history between the two of these characters and never wanted to put this book down. I’ve had a slower reading pace lately, but somehow flew through this book in a day in a half. I loved this book so much and urge everyone out there to read it!

I can see it going over well with readers. It’s a slow build with charm.

I didn’t personally find it interesting. I stopped at 9%.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Once More with Feeling is a second chance romance that follows to former pop stars as they embark on musical theater. Kathleen Rosenberg (also known as the once superstar Katee Rose) was living the popstar life. She had a bazillion fans, a famous boy group boyfriend, and plenty of opportunities. That was until it came out that she cheated on her boyfriend...with his bandmate and broke his heart. She lost everything when they took his side.

We get to see both the story of the past and the present where Kathleen tries to rekindle her love of performing while having to work with Cal, the man she cheated on her boyfriend with. At first it is very tense, but over time they start to fall for each other all over again.

I personally thought the plot was a cute idea but it was boring to read. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters and didn't care who Kathleen ended up with. I thought the ending drama wasn't exciting either. It was just "meh", which made me sad because the cover is beautiful.

Not a difficult read, but needed more pizazz.

Finished this in a day because I couldn’t put it down! I was a big fan of Funny You Should Ask, so I went in with high expectations, and I’m so glad they were met. In the way it was with its predecessor, the book is a back and forth of before and after. The main drawl for me is the angst between the two main characters. Their chemistry flies off the page and it’s so addicting. And out fmc can hold the book on her own. I will be buying this when it comes out. Sussman is now 2 for 2 in my book!

One of my to-read books for this year, it fell a little flat for me, but I think it's partly because I'm of a different generation than the intended audience. Summer camp, theater camp, those are things I can relate to, but things sure have changed a lot over the years. Kathleen and Cal have history, a lot of history, and much of it is public knowledge since they are both famous musicians. They have to work through their past, offer forgiveness, make lots of mistakes, and finally find their way into a satisfying future.

This was one of my most anticipated books for 2023–I LOVED Funny You Should Ask and am therefore going to immediately get my hands on any of Elissa Sussman’s future books as quickly as I possibly can. So, when I got the email from NetGalley saying I’d gotten an ARC of Once More With Feeling, I dropped the rest of my TBR pile to start it immediately.
I am a big fan of the friends, or enemies, to lovers trope, and this story handled both perfectly. Once great friends, Kathleen and Cal are now enemies after a very messy split years ago (that ruined Kathleen’s career as a pop star). Now, Kathleen has been asked to audition for a new Broadway show that Cal is directing, so they are thrown together after years of hating each other. Of course, knowing this is a romance means knowing that Cal and Kathleen will end up together, but I appreciated the journey of self-healing that Kathleen experienced to be able to find love with Cal (again).
Overall I thought this was a very good read, and is clearly a love letter to millennial theater kids (a very specific group, but it works). Funny You Should Ask is still my favorite Sussman book, but this is a close second!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Dell for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book after seeing the gorgeous cover and after reading Funny You Should Ask. I was not disappointed as I was sucked into devouring this book in less than a day. Possibly a few hours.

Funny, sexy, and devastatingly heartbreaking at times, featuring a middle-aged (yes, please) theatre nerd’s sarcastic voice as a former teenage pop star whose career has crashed and burned due to a past cheating scandal dumped upon her by her ex-boyband-boyfriend. (Not sure if this hyphen usage is appropriate but right now I’m struggling to get all the words out without the use of shouty caps, so please excuse the lack of proper grammar).

I loved Kathleen’s relationship with her bestie Harriet, and Cal, the one who got away who she’d secretly loved.

If you love sexy, sarcastic heroines who are tough, strong and know how to stand up for themselves and take what they want, even if it’s standing alone in the middle of a theatre stage just to hear their own real voice sing their best friend’s beautiful songs…while making eyes at the director/first love all grown up and back in her life throwing her feels into a tailspin, this book is for you.

A second chance romance with dual timeline? That's my jam!

Once More with Feeling followed a similar formula to Funny You Should Ask, but the difference was that I actually felt invested in Kathleen and Cal. I loved the musical theatre backdrop and was so curious at what had happened between the two of them in the past that led to them hating each other in the present.

The book was a little angstier than I had expected and one piece I didn't enjoy was Kathleen's friendship with Harriet. While there was redemption and hope by the end, I felt that they were pretty toxic for each other for the majority of the story.

As for the relationship between Kathleen and Cal, there were moments that I absolutely <i>loved</i>, but overall I think there was something missing. I wish we had seen more development between them in either the past or in the present. As it was, I was left feeling like I didn't see quite enough to fully root for them. I think there were bits of drama in each timeline that could have been left out in favor of going deeper into Kathleen and Cal's connection.

After reading other reviews for this book, I feel like I’m in the minority.

Let me start by saying that, while I didn’t hate Sussman’s previous novel, Funny You Should Ask, I was let down by it. I felt like we didn’t get enough backstory, so their connection didn’t make sense. And they had very little chemistry in general, which didn’t make up for the lack of a backstory.

I think Once More With Feeling gave me what I was missing with Funny. The flashbacks provided enough detail to make the romance feel real. And the mains had so much more chemistry than the mains in Funny. All this to say, I really enjoyed Once More with Feeling! It was a great romance with a fresh take on the friends to lovers to enemies to lovers trope. My only gripe is I felt the ending was a bit rushed. But that certainly wasn’t a deal breaker!

The format of this book is my kryptonite, and it took me reading Once More with Feeling to fully realize that. The 'Love and Other Words' esqe flip between 'then' and 'now' all leading up to the one pivotal drama plot point we knew existed but didn't know the details on- eeeeeek, I just eat that up every time. The call backs to their lives in the past, both at camp and in their early careers, truly made me feel the mutual longing Cal and Kathleen had for each other, even when at each other's throats in the 'now'.

Elissa does an incredible job mapping out just how Cal and Kathleen's lives have led them to one another again. I do appreciate that both characters (as well as side characters) were not made out to be the perfect person. They were both flawed and working to do better. I do feel Kathleen's character development was a little lacking- she was a little emotionally immature and sometimes downright mean- which she was aware of and pointed out every time she said something cruel. After a while, the 'I knew it would hurt him' or 'I knew it was mean' got a little aggravating because she wasn't doing anything to be better about it. Though, I am sure that was an intended aspect of her character and just who she is. On the other hand, Cal was made out to be a good man who had done things wrong in the past but was trying to do better.

This book is very appropriately titled Once More with Feeling because I was feeling every emotion these characters experienced while reading.

4.25 stars only because I could have done with more groveling and emotional development on Kathleen's part. I loved everything else about this book!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, NetGalley, and Elissa Sussman for graciously allowing me to read this early.

This book is a then and now second chance romance with celebrities!!! Need I say more?!

This book had me hooked by the first page and I could not put it down. I felt the same way with Funny You Should Ask, and I think if you loved that one you will absolutely love this one!! (Maybe more?)

This was every trope I love wrapped into a book.
The angst and the then and now timeline was done so well. and I loved seeing the behind the scenes of the making of a broadway show.

I do wish we got more of Kathleen and Cal together at the end, but that’s truly just me being nit picky. I really really loved this book and will definitely be needing a physical copy when it releases!!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

In this follow up to one of my favorite 2022 books, Funny You Should Ask, we get to know the world of musical theatre as we follow Katee (her mega pop star name) into new territory - one in which she’s been dreaming of forever.

At summer theatre camp as a teenager, we get to see Kathleen Rosenberg transform into Katee Rose and then skyrocket into mega fandom as a blond pop star - a persona she is never quite comfortable with. Nor is she comfortable with her relationship with Ryan, a boy bander - and maybe that’s why she ends up cheating on him with his bandmate Cal. But now, her entire career goes up in smoke after she has broken Ryan’s heart.

Flash forward to present day and Katee, now going by her given name Kathleen is ready to go after her big Broadway dreams, even landing a starring role in an upcoming musical. The only problem? The director is Cal, the man she never quite got over, but who also stood by and said nothing while her career went up in flames. Now they have to decide if they can put their history aside to focus on their joint venture.

It was fun to dive into a world that I knew nothing about - musical theatre and learn more about the process. And just as in Funny You Should Ask, Sussman has a great talent for taking us back and forth in time without feeling like we’re confused about the time period we’re in. The love story itself with spicy with a friends/enemies to lovers trope to follow.

The only problem I had with this book is that I truly didn’t like the character of Kathleen. I found her pretty annoying which made it hard to root for her and want her to find her happily ever after. I also felt like “what happened” back then was mentioned so, so many times before we got any sort of clarification on that. I understood from the start that something messy happened so being reminded of it over and over again felt unnecessary.

I didn’t like this book as much as I liked Funny, but I will continue reading Sussman’s novels as soon as they come out. Not to mention, she truly has the best covers!

This book will be featured on episode 79 of the Reading Through Life podcast.

RATING: 4/5 STARS

I absolutely love celebrity romances, and Elissa Sussman really knows how to write captivating ones. ONCE MORE WITH FEELING is super swoony and fast-paced. It didn't quite live up to the gold standard, which is Sussman's debut novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and finished reading in a single day. Sussman nails the past-to-present dual timeline and magnetic friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers connection between Kathleen and Cal. My only gripe with the storyline is that I felt Kathleen was too indecisive about leaving her obviously wrong-for-her prior boyfriend Ryan, which created a lot of angst (unnecessarily?) in the plot.

4.5/5

As kid who never did theater growing up but absolutely loved musicals, this was such an enjoyable read. I quite literally finished it in less than 24 hours, sacrificing some grad school grades with it (but worth it). As I devoured Funny You Should Ask last summer, I was eagerly waiting for the unofficial sequel. Elissa Sussman has a great formula for her books that works and characters that are interesting. Truly a love letter to theater kids everywhere and fans of Emily Henry and Taylor Jenkins Reid will enjoy this book.