"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.

Loved this romance with such great tension and theatre kid vibes! In my opinion, better than the debut, but maybe that's just because of my love of Broadway

Once More with Feeling is a second chance romance that centers around the entertainment industry - the 2000's pop princess/boy band era and the current day Broadway scene. If none of those buzz words sound intriguing to or you can't get behind a second chance romance, maybe wait for the next novel, but if that does sound like a fun time, you will probably really enjoy this novel.

Kathleen Rosenberg used to be Katee Rose - the pop star of the day. She had the world tour, the catchy songs. was invited to all the hottest parties and was dating Ryan LaNeve from CrushZone, a rising boy band of the era. After one night with Cal Kirby, the quiet one in the band, and one of Katee's old camp friends, she lost it all.

Now she's just Kathleen - living a normal life in NYC, that is until she finds out Cal is directing the could be Broadway show and opportunity of her dreams.

This novel has a dual timeline - we get more chapters of the current day, but we also get chapters from the pop star years as well as the camp years interspersed. This had potential to be very exciting, but it didn't have the emotional impact I was hoping for.

For the present day chapters it is supposed to center a new musical, and I love broadway, musicals, etc. but it didn't feel like there was enough detail about the show and the process throughout the novel. The timeline does seem to go a bit fast for how the broadway progress normally is too. That very well may not matter to some readers, but that was a bit of a negative for me.

My biggest gripe with this novel was I didn't really feel the chemistry between the characters for most of it. It was more telling than showing and the third act I just did not really enjoy (nor the resolution for that). It all just fell a bit flat.

I've kept it at 3 stars because I like the premise and had a good enough time reading it, but it isn't memorable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfect for theater kids, fans of a second chance romance, and 'enemies to lovers' lovers everywhere! The characters are complex, but you can't help but root for them and their HEA by the end.

This is a heartfelt, poignant, genuine, and engaging romance novel that skillfully weaves together the "enemies to lovers" and "second chance" tropes. It tells the story of Kathleen and Cal as they navigate their relationship through time.

The two first met at a summer theater camp when they were teenagers, where they were both selected to perform solos. Kathleen aspired to perform on Broadway, while Cal shone with his dancing skills. They shared an innocent and unforgettable moment on the roof and teased each other during rehearsals. But after the summer ended, they went their separate ways.

The next time they met, Kathleen had become a pop singer named Katee Rose and was dating the lead singer of a popular boy band, Ryan, who was self-absorbed and loved being in the spotlight. Cal joined Ryan's boy band, bringing back memories of their shared past. Things escalated quickly, and Kathleen found herself in the middle of a love triangle. In the end, she lost both guys and her entire career as she was shunned by the press, fans, and agents.

3.75 stars. I really enjoyed this story, although I felt like it dragged at times. I really like the friends to lovers and enemies to lovers are both mixed in and work. AS with any romance, I find the formulaic third act breakup to be endlessly frustrating.

When Kathleen Rosenberg's best friend, Harriet, writes a musical for Kathleen to star in, she couldn't be more thrilled... until she realizes that the director will be Cal Kirby. Kathleen and Cal's story moves back and forth between their first meeting at theater camp in high school to their early adulthood when Kathleen toured as singer Katee Rose and Cal was part of boy band opening act CrushZone to present day, over a decade since they have seen each other. Will they let their complicated past define their future or will they finally get it right this time? A must-read for fans of romance and musical theater.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A second chance romance between two former pop stars Cal and Kathleen. Years ago a scandal ruined Kathleen's career and now ten years later Cal is directing her in the Broadway play that will revive her career.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

i liked the first book a little bit more but this was a great read and pretty enjoyable⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀


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I liked this book however I don't think it was amazing, I enjoyed the author's previous book but I kind of found Katee Rose to be a bit much as she was sometimes needy and didn't think about the other people in her life essentially she was selfish with people who mattered to her. I also found that her friendship with Harriet seemed so off toward the end considering they had been good friends since childhood as they definitely didn't act like it and disregarded each other's feelings so easily. I also felt most of the characters felt flat and the plot kind of lost itself. Overall it wasn't a bad read and was enjoyable. Thank you to Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell, and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for our honest review.

I'm not sure what category to even put this book in. It seemed like a second chance romance, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers. basically too much for me.
When tying the past and the present, I should feel the emotion and the connection the couple had and why they had it.. unfortunately when reading this book, I did not get the connection of the time. Some of the flashbacks had no emotion and seemed meaningless to me. The female main character was also hard for me to like and honestly, I did not feel any emotional or loving connection between the characters.

Overall, this book just wasn't for me, as it seemed to lack character development. I also found myself not rooting for the couple to get together, so I'm not sure why I continued to read it.