DNF at 70%
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I just started to really look at the plot of the book and it completely fell apart. I thought the idea of this story was compelling but the execution is not ideal. The main characters feel unknowable and their motivations are all over the place. So much of the connection is either happening off the page or isn't gone into at all which is something I tend to not enjoy. I think this author has potential and I am definitely open to reading their next works.

A second chance romance between two lovelorn former band mates who reunite for one last show??? Incredible anxiety representation featuring queer characters in the spotlight?? This was a storyline that immediately captured my attention, and what an incredible debut this was!

For One Night Only encapsulates the beauty of fandom while showing the trials and tribulations that come with fame. It’s a refreshing perspective to read, especially through the lens of romance. Caleb, Valerie and the rest of the Glitter Bats rose to fame at such a young age from the immediacy of a viral moment that left them little room to learn themselves and with even less room to grow and make mistakes. Though we meet them years down the line well into their adulthood, we still see the very real effects that fame had on their lives.

Caleb and Valerie had a tumultuous secret relationship in the past that ended abruptly, leaving the band splintered with no path forward. Six years later, Valerie is an actress with a career hanging on by a thread, Caleb's out of the spotlight altogether with a job in education, and the rest of the band works in the industry with little to no contact with their past. When the opportunity to give the Glitter Bats fans a proper farewell arises, they’re all suddenly thrust into the memories of the moments they had together, for better or worse. But reunions bring chances for closure, and that’s the journey that Caleb and Valerie go on as they prepare to face the music.

Jessica James wrote an addicting story that I immediately wanted more of. From the charisma that comes with celebrity, anxiety depicted in a way that brings perspective to the main characters’ decision making, to the creation of found family and fandom, she created a very raw, heartwarming world that I hope we get to return to 🩷

This is a 2025 release that will be so well loved, and I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author!!!

This book depicted anxiety and a flawed main character so well. Maybe a little too well - I found myself getting frustrated with Valerie's choices and getting anxious on my own while reading about her and Caleb's anxieties. I would have enjoyed a flashback or two to when Valerie and Caleb initially fell in love. I think it would have helped me root for her as I read on.

I keep flip-flopping between wanting to give this 3 or 4 stars, but I'm going to land on 3 stars for now. This book definitely has its audience and it shines in that respect. Valerie - as a product of her own environment - was written SO well. Caleb is a cinnamon roll that I will always protect. And the depictions of anxiety and spiraling were spot on.

Thank you to Berkley and Ace Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book. #BerkleyPartner #AceBooksPartner

#BerkleyPartner @berkleypub @berkleyromance

Now that we have the emphatically mandatory disclosure out of the way, let's begin.

FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY by Jessica James is a forthcoming Berkley book. You're probably thinking, "Girl, how did you get approved for a Berkley ARC?" and, fair. I still have a 100% rejection rate for requests through NetGalley; this was a request through the Berkley Influencer Hub for Underrepresented Voices. A few times a year, people with marginalized identities can request copies of books that include that representation. So I took my little Oliver Twist bowl to them and said "Please sir, I'm bi sekshual 🥺".

The book: Valerie has an image problem, most of it unearned. She's not a perfect person, but through the joy of biphobia and misogyny, she's been painted as a problematic diva heartbreaker by the media. Her musical TV show is in limbo with their Netflix-esque streaming company, so she needs to clean up her reputation to save it. (Side note: the series reminded me of Julie and the Phantoms, so I was delighted to see it mentioned in the acknowledgements.) What's her big idea? Get the band back together. Literally—she co-founded a wildly popular band when still a teenager, the Glitter Bats.

There's only one problem: former bandmate (and former best friend and lover) Caleb left the band and the industry, with no intention of ever returning. He and Valerie haven't talked since everything imploded, but he can't say no to his first love. He'll come back to the band, but For One Night Only.

Valerie is not entirely likeable; she's selfish and self-centered. This is fine. Characters don't need to be likeable, especially before the have Gone on Their Journey! Caleb is an anxious pushover who needs to learn how to say no and do what HE wants sometimes. They're not perfect, but they're perfect together.

The texture of the performances was so detailed, the descriptions so specific, I was positive that the author has a musical background. It made the voice of the characters particularly believable. You almost feel like you're in the band too. It's great.

I really liked this book! I enjoyed Valerie as the main character for the most part, though she certainly annoyed me at times. I thought Caleb was a very relatable main character, though, so he made up for that. I loved the side characters, especially Jane and Keeley! I overall had a pretty good time with this book, and I will definitely be recommending it! I'm excited to see what Jessica James writes next :)

In an effort to rehabilitate her image, Valerie reunites the Glitter Bats for one night only. It had been six years since Caleb walked out on the Bats. The full truth regarding the breakup was never revealed, but fingers crossed that history doesn't repeat itself during this reunion show.

I have a special place in my heart for second chances romances, but I love them even more when the character can get a second chance at something else. In this case, Valerie was hoping to advance her career. The media was actually really hard on her, but she was determined to change their view of her in a bid to get her TV show renewed. She didn't expect to feel so much magic when she was back with the band, and she especially did not anticipate the sparks that still flew between her and Caleb.

This second chance romance really called to me. Caleb and Valerie shared so many firsts. Though they grew during their time apart, they still loved each other, and THIS was why I needed them to be together. Obviously, I was rooting for them the entire time even when they were too blind to see the writing on the wall.

Clearly, I adored the romance, but I also liked seeing Valerie rebuild some of her most important friendships. The Glitter Bats were her friends first, then her bandmates. Valerie lost her "family" when the band broke up. She struggled in the spotlight and was often betrayed. I could feel her happiness when she was back with the Bats. It was not all smooth sailing as there were still some bad feeling involving the breakup and the distance Valerie kept for so many years, but like most families, they made up and made beautiful music together.

Expect some drama, probably more than the story needed, but be sure to enjoy the great mixed media bits. Loved all the social and blog posts as well as song lyrics that were mixed in with the story. I always find that gives the tale more dimension.

Overall: I was thrilled to accompany the Glitter Bats on their reunion journey which was filled with music, friendship, drama, and a fabulous second chance romance.

As this is a debut author, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’m not always a rock star romance reader, but this one hit the spot! And I’m kind of excited that when I went to find the Amazon link, it looks like maybe, just maybe, this might turn into a series and we can get some HEAs for the other band members?

I loved that Caleb had gone home and become a teacher. Such a totally different career compared to being a rock star. Valerie and the others had all pretty much gone onto rock star adjacent jobs, or at least still with some music or fame/celebrity aspect to them. Valerie however seemed to not be doing as well as her latest show was in danger of not being renewed for another season. Not to mentions people on the show, ex-boyfriends especially, were using her – badmouthing her – on social media but really just to help their own images. So it definitely made me sympathetic to wanting to see her be able to get ahead.

While both Caleb and Valerie had issues with family – specifically their mothers – at least Caleb’s for the most part at least somewhat cared and wasn’t taking advantage of him. But Caleb also had sisters to be there for him or for him to have a reason to be there for them. Valerie really had no one for the most part. Not to mention most everyone kind of blamed her for the band’s break up. But while Caleb kind of blamed her for why he left partly, he also knew he was in a way just as much to blame for the breakup because of how he left.

Their reunion and subsequent rekindling of their relationship, even as they pretended it was just fake-dating to help with the concert was a really fun, yet emotional journey to go along with as the reader. I got to know the both of them so well, and developed both a love and hate relationship with the other members of their band. Enough so that as I mentioned above, I would love to see the rest of them get a story! Of course something had to happen to make things blow up even as it seemed they could maybe get back together, both as a couple, and maybe even the band. And even with how it seemed to totally be blown up and what a crazy way to just walk off once again, it made sense for the history between all of them, and what was hanging on the line with their former company and the contract they found an extra copy of.

In the end I like the way it all worked out. How everyone came to figure out how they really felt and how they made it up to the ones who needed that. As someone who is a major superfan of a group from my high school years, New Kids on the Block, and I consider myself a Blockhead, it was fun to read about other superfans and their much better nickname of the Glitterbugs. In fact I loved the background story on the name of Glitter Bats! I really enjoyed this story, and hope to read more by this author in the future. Especially if it is another one set in this same world!

Thank you to Berkeley Pub and Ace Books Pub for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this. It was nitty and gritty, and truly delved into the darker side of celebrity and fame, and it almost felt like a true account of someone's life imploding and their desperate attempt to wrench back any semblance of normalcy. Valerie wasn't perfect, and she irritated me at times, but it's clear she was meant to be that way. She was imperfect and that was the point. For a debut novel, this was as funny and gritty as it was romantic and dramatic. I love romance books that deal with fame, and I love that Valerie was so unapologetically herself in her sexuality, and I loved that Caleb owned his anxiety. I do wish his anxiety was explored a bit more, but I digress. There were loveable main characters, and side characters, and of course, the perfect villain in Valerie's mother.

A great debut from Jessica James, perfect for fans of music-themed romances and second chance romances.

I really liked the chemistry and tension between the two main characters in this novel. Former bandmates and secret lovers with a complicated backstory, Val and Caleb are in perfect harmony on stage and yet constantly out of sync in their personal lives. I enjoyed the Glitter Bat reunion storyline, as well as the interplay between the side characters. I do wish that we saw Val’s growth happen a little sooner—her selfishness, especially in light of her backstory, makes her an interesting character but I felt like she took a little longer to learn from it than I would have liked. Still, the ultimate resolution was satisfying. I do want three of the side characters to start a throuple but hey, we can’t have it all.

rep: FMC is bisexual and deals with some biphobia, MMC has anxiety and deals with panic attacks.

I absolutely adored this second-chance romance and the debut novel by Jessica James. Her story centers around a fictional band reunion! Valerie and Caleb were truly destined for each other, and I loved seeing them reconnect as both musicians and lovers. The dynamics of their band were just as captivating, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the rest of the group. This book transported me back to my high school and college days of attending concerts. The storyline about fans working to revive Valerie’s canceled show .Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early. I look forward to reading more of Jessica James books in the future.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of For One Night Only by Jessica James!

Valerie used to be a member of the band Glitter Bats but has since joined the cast of a TV show. With the show at risk of cancellation, Valerie pursues a plan to generate good press in hopes to save the show. She reassembles the Glitter Bats members for a reunion concert. The reunion puts Valerie back in close proximity to her former bandmate and bedmate, Caleb, who completely left the industry six years ago.

I am in LOVE with this book! And Valerie and Caleb! And all of the Glitter Bats!! For our main pair, there are so many moments that made me melt. From the beginning, you'll know that these two need their second chance romance and find their way back to each other. I thought the rest of the bandmates had such well developed personalities - I loved each one of them! I also thought this book did such an incredible job building the band’s fandom. I'd also love to be a Glitterbug!

I’m hopeful for another book in the Glitter Bats universe - there’s definitely another pair I’m shipping!! :)

I was so excited for this release! The angst. The second chance. The first love lost. The band aspect - I love the Glitter Bats and all of their found family dynamics. I loved the undercurrent of the record company dynamics, and the way this story deals with what early success can do to young people, especially when they don't have the family or management or public support to handle it. The chemistry between Caleb and Val was really well done and you could feel the history and pining and tension. I also really liked the way the rest of the Glitter Bats interacted with one another and the way they each play a stereotypical "role" within the group - Jane is the peacemaker, Riker the fun guy with a heart of gold, Keeley the tough as nails one that's secretly hurting.

Where this fell a little short for me was in how Val's character development happened. I did love the fact that she was very much a flawed anti-heroine. It's always refreshing to read about a female lead that is less than perfect. But as the story went on, I struggled a bit with some of the decisions she made. We would see the action from Caleb's POV, and then get to Val's where she often doubled down on the selfish and (frankly mean at times) decisions she makes. Caleb gets the raw end of the deal, and I didn't see a ton of grovelling or apology from Val when it came to him.

I do have to say that Jessica's writing was great and so engaging. The pacing was good and it had me wanting to keep going. I am excited for what's next from her!

I absolutely loved this book! The music and rock band themes (Paramore vibes!), the bandmate relationships, the romantic relationship, mental health discussions, the strains of fame... plus the excerpts of other material sprinkled throughout... everything was wonderful. And is it just me or is this being set up to be a series?? I can see some possible relationships between the other characters and would gladly read their stories. A phenomenal debut.

Full review to be added very soon!

Some books should stay fan fiction and that’s okay. Now I don’t know if this was truly fan fiction, but it felt that way. It felt like an immature personal fantasy that did not translate to a full blown book. None of the characters were likable and I wasn’t really rooting for anyone. It was just a lot of everyone being mean to each other and then really quickly forgiving others for some really messed up actions. The romance being a fake dating, second chance, and friends to lovers situation was a bit much. Also the fact that more than half the characters had last names that sounded like first names (which is clearly in line with the author’s personal name) made it confusing when going back and forth referring to them by first or just last name.

I loved the messiness of The Glitter Bats, and how much I felt like I really knew the band as an entity, not just Caleb and Valerie. All the interstitials were super fun too! A wonderful rock star romance.

This book was a solidly impressive debut novel for Jessica James. If you’re into second chance, rockstar/celebrity romance with a healthy dose of turmoil, add this one to your TBR.

Valerie Quinn was an incredibly complex character who was as frustrating as she was understandable. She routinely made choices that had me wanting to shake her but I knew exactly why she was making them. Her struggles were so real and the impact it had on her and the people she loved was visceral. I could feel the impulsive moves she was going to make coming and I felt like I was on the crash course right alongside her wishing I could stop her and knowing it was inevitable. Inevitable because it needed to happen to turn the corner and the way off that path. The resolution did not come without some intense self-reflection and facing hard truths, but it made it that much more worth it in the end.

I had such a soft spot for Caleb Sloane. His anxiety mirrored so much of what I’ve felt myself (minus the whole “rockstar” famous element of it all) and I felt like I channeled all the comfort and understanding to him that I wish I could give myself in my more anxious moments. He was such a genuine, kind person. I wanted to protect him from others and, in a way, himself. He had a bit of pathological people pleaser about him (again, can relate) especially when it came to people he loved. His internal conflict he had to face over determining what he wanted and needed for himself and what he was willing to do for others was so authentic. Also authentic was the letting it all build inside until it breaks and needing time and space to work through it but not being able to communicate that well in the face of heightened emotions and feeling like you’re spiraling (or so I might imagine…).

I don’t know if this is intended to potentially be a series but I was left with a lot of questions and loose ends with the other members of the band that I’d really like to know more about. I felt like there was a lot included in their story that didn’t get resolved and I’d love to see how some things play out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a second chance romance and put it as 2 members of a pop punk rock band, it's so great. I love musical books, I love that the "getting the band back together" is not all a bed of roses especially as how they ended the first time.

Caleb deals with anxiety and is getting the help/medication he needs for that. Valerie is his best friend and she is a calming balm to him. They have a tough time trying to find the magic of the music they once had but I love how they both worked at it. I loved the band members- June, Keeley and Riker and how they didn't bend to anyone's opinion of them.

This book is filled with news clips, social media posts with comments, and a great reporter who once again is writing about the band that started her career. Great debut

For One Night Only by Jessica James gave me all the feels and then some. Valerie and Caleb’s chemistry practically leapt off the page—there’s nothing quite like the tension of old flames being thrown back together. Valerie’s mix of vulnerability and strength made me root for her instantly, and Caleb? Total swoon. His struggles felt real, and I loved seeing his softer, more honest side emerge as the story unfolded.

This book is a perfect mix of angst, romance, and second-chance magic. The music, the nostalgia, and all the messy emotions made it impossible to put down. If you love stories about complicated love and characters who get under your skin, For One Night Only is a must-read. It’s raw, it’s sweet, and it left me grinning like an idiot. ★★★★★

This was a solid debut! I really enjoyed the angst of seeing the band navigate their past hurts and try to find a way to work together again. I also loved that the representation for mental health and queer characters (the FMC is bi and a side character is also not straight). Caleb was an absolute sweetheart. He was down bad for Val and I fell hard for him once we got to see how sensitive he is. In addition to being really sweet this story is also quite sexy. Caleb and Val's chemistry was off the charts! Second chance is truly the hardest trope to pull off so it's a doozy to take on in a debut. This book didn't ~quite get there for me because I wanted to see that Val and Caleb had learned how to communicate well and we definitely didn't get to see that. However we did get some quality angst and pining so I'm really looking forward to this author's future books.