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.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Once More With Feeling” by Elissa Sussman. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

The beginning of this made me very confused as I thought it was YA when I was expecting an Adult Romance. It was a flash back but I don’t know why the story started there.

I’ve read this author’s previous book and I do think she has a talent for writing. My main issue is I feel like her books should be women’s fiction and not romance. I know both the books I’ve read are romance, but I think the romance actually hurts the books and I would have liked them more if they hadn’t had to stick to the romance structure. And I say this as someone who loves romance books! I just don’t think I like how this author writes romances. They come across as very problematic and toxic and there isn’t enough work done to make me feel like the couple should end up together.

In this book, the couple was incredibly off putting. I did not want to root for them. Marketing this as a “Britney/Justin” romance is not a great angle and it wasn’t accurate for the main couple. The ex was the Justin in this scenario but the actual love interest was also awful in his own way.

Again, I love romance but this one was not for me. I would have liked it more if the heroine had been making her comeback without having to end up with the male main character. The whole book I was rooting against them even though I knew they were going to end up together. I just would have liked the story way more if it had focused on the heroine’s comeback.

3/5 stars

I was excited for this one after reading and loving Elissa Sussman's last book, Funny You Should Ask.

Once More with Feeling is a charming second chance romance that got my interest very quickly. However, I didn't feel quite as attached to the characters in this story as I did with Funny You Should Ask.

This book has multiple timelines, second chance romance and friends to lovers

I was a big fan of "Once More With Feelings," with its captivating cast of characters, the world of Broadway, and, of course, the second-chance romance. Elissa Sussman's storytelling shines in this novel, making it my favorite among her works!

Kathleen Rosenberg, also known as Katee Rose, had it all as a pop sensation—sold-out concerts, whirlwind tours, and a high-profile romance with the lead singer of a world-renowned boyband, Ryan LaNeve. Then, Cal Kirby entered her life, shattering her relationship and their careers. Years later, Kathleen gets the lead in a Broadway show, her first chance at a musical resurrection since her world crumbled. But that means working alongside Cal, now the director. Their mutual disdain sets the stage for a passionate, turbulent reunion, reigniting a fire as intense as their initial encounter.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Kathleen and Cal. They have known each other all their lives. They meet at summer camp. Her best friend wrote a play, a special part only for Kathleen to play. Cal was going to direct. It went all the way to Broadway. They each had issues but together they worked it out and fell in love.

This was a solid second chance at romance novel! I also loved the dual timelines! The writing was good and the story entertaining.

I really liked this. I like the concept of a second chance ex-pop star and dancer romance. It kind of gave Britney Spears and I was so here for it. I liked the jumps to the past because it just gave more oomph and clarification and at the end it came together very well!

Give me a dual timeline, second chance love story any day of the week. Loved this follow up maybe even better than Sussman's debut.

Kathleen and Cal go back and forth for years and can never seem to get it right as their careers and love lives intertwine.

I really enjoyed this second chance romance about a former pop star who risked it all to be with another guy. Years later they have another chance together and it was fun reading how things would end with Katee and Cal.

Once More with Feeling had an interesting premise and employed a dual timeline format that had real potential, but it fell short in execution. While it was fast-paced, there were several significant issues. The characters felt flat and lacked growth and accountability, making it hard to connect with them. The miscommunication among them, despite the passage of time, felt juvenile and frustrating. It would have benefited from dual POVs or a more in-depth exploration of the years between 'Then' and 'Now.' Moreover, the flashbacks lacked emotional connection, and the heroine in the present was portrayed as immature and difficult to root for. The absence of emotional chemistry between the love interests left me indifferent. The plot, at times, veered into cringe-worthy territory, especially due to the inclusion of the cheating trope. It often felt like the author was telling us about tension between characters rather than showing it, resulting in a forced chemistry that didn't resonate. Potential was there, but it just didn't hit the mark for me.