Thank you Berkley and PRH Audio for the complimentary physical and audiobook copies in exchange for an honest review.

I’m tired of romance novels that use the last 100 pages to destroy every ounce of character development. The end of this story was a huge letdown, and Caleb deserves better. There are also moments where the timeline is hard to follow. It’s such a shame because the narrators have so much emotion and do a great job!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica James, and Berkley for an ARC of For One Night Only. All opinions are my own.

FONO is an enjoyable debut filled with music, found family, and personal discovery and growth - quite literally focused around "getting the band back together". I think the musical aspects were great, and enjoyed the glimpses into all the main and side characters' personalities and how they blended as a band. And Caleb's anxiety representation was really well done, as was the misogyny and biphobia surrounding a woman in the private eye compared to the treatment of men in the same roles.

My one big complaint was regarding the maturity levels of characters who were all completely past adolescence. All the characters are in their mid-to-late twenties, though they all did read as a bit immature, which could be attributed to their time as rockstars when they were barely adults forcing them out of childhood quickly. Valerie's decisions at the end of the book were so chaotic and while they made a little sense, felt more like unnecessary contrived conflict. I definitely think couple's therapy should be in Caleb and Valerie's future.

Overall this was a good debut and I think this author has a lot of promise.

POV: dual first person

You can expect: opposites attract, childhood best friends, former bandmates to band reunion, short king, choir teacher/rockstar MMC, actress/rockstar FMC, fake dating, second chance, found family.

Rep: bisexual FMC, queer side characters, panic attacks, anxiety

Spice: 2/5

CW: gaslighting, emotionally manipulative parent, financially manipulative and abusive parent

I'm completely obsessed with this book, and it's setting a high standard for my 2025 reading. I'm also hereby begging Jessica James for more books featuring the other characters in the Glitter Bats so that I can continue to live in this world. I loved the way the story balanced "real life" and stardom, with authentic looks at the challenges and manipulations that can come with fame. The chemistry between Valerie and Caleb was radiating from their first moments. The secondary characters were all excellent, and I really felt immersed in the world of this story.

For One Night Only begins with Valerie who is in the midst of a PR disaster. It seems like her show is going to be canceled and she needs all the good press she can get. She comes up with the idea to reunite her band: Glitter Bats. However, the band didn't leave things on good terms so it's up to Valerie to make the reunion happen. Valerie is able to convince almost everyone aside from Caleb. Quickly, we find out that Valerie and Caleb have some history. The two were once lovers before things fell apart on one fateful night. The story follows the Glitter Bats as they're coming back together and doing their "For One Night Only" concert to try to get as much good press as they can.

One thing I adored was how Jessica James wrote these characters as Valerie is pretty unlikable for a majority of the story. Sometimes, authors can tend to write celebrities in a more relatable way but Valerie was not like that. She was messy, selfish, and downright cruel at times yet it made the story all the more entertaining. Then there's sweet and sensitive Caleb who is doing the reunion to help out his family. Aside from Valerie and Caleb, we also meet the rest of the Glitter Bats and honestly, I'm dying for her to write stories about all of them. I can just imagine the angst-filled story following Jane and Keeley so let's hope she has plans for those two. The same can be said about Riker and his love interest which would be such an interesting dynamic.

As for the romance between Caleb and Valerie, it was good and I loved seeing their second chance come together on the page. However, I do think Valerie was a tad bit too impulsive and messy when it came to Caleb and everything he was giving up to be there. Maybe I was reading too much into it but that's my only real qualm with this story.

If you're craving something juicy and angsty to start 2025 with, then For One Night Only is a great read to start 2025 with. Considering that I read this book in one sitting, then I can confidently say that you won't want to put it down once you start. If you love music or had a pop-punk phase, then this romance might be the book you've been searching for.

The Glitter Bats, a successful pop group, imploded after their Vegas gig, and no one really knows why—except Caleb and Valerie, the band's frontpeople and (at the time) a romantic couple. Several years later, Caleb has given up the limelight and works as a teacher while helping out with his younger sister. Valerie, on the other hand, stars in a streaming TV show, which is up for renewal. Due to some bad publicity she's gotten, she feels she has to clean up her act in order to make that renewal happen. How better than to reunite the Glitter Bats?
Fortunately for Valerie, everyone goes along with it, even Caleb, who wants to put away money for his sister's education. When they reunite, Caleb and Valerie can't keep their hands off each other, which complicates matters, since Caleb is so private (and suffers from anxiety) and Valerie is hyperfocused on her career. She's constantly scrolling through social media to find out what people are saying about her.
It seems surprising that a record company would invest so much cash in a one-night-only gig as opposed to an entire tour—the band is put up in an L.A. hotel for months so they can rehearse. Their record label, Label (a name which seems to have been a placeholder that stuck) keeps encouraging them to make another album, but the band members worry, correctly, that the execs don't have their best interests at heart.
I was really put off by how selfish and immature Valerie was; her decisions adversely affected her fellow band members, especially Caleb, but everyone always seemed ready to forgive her. I kind of wanted them to get away from her toxicity, which isn't a great feeling to have about a book's protagonist! I usually enjoy books about fake bands—"Daisy Jones and the Six" and "The Final Revival of Opal & Nev" are two of my favorites—but this one didn't quite hit the high notes of those other novels.

I really liked this one!

For One Night Only follows Valerie and her (former) bandmates, the Glitterbats. Valerie is in a bit of a tough spot career-wise and in order to reshape her image in the public eye, she decides to convince her former bandmates to return for a reunion concert "For One Night Only". One small thing - one of the band members is her ex and the band didn't end on the best of terms. Tensions run high as the band prepares for their reunion concert, all while the members juggle their current careers as well. Valerie and her ex, Caleb, reconnect through all the long rehearsals and band bonding activities as well.

I loved Caleb and Valerie's story! I think the author did a great job of highlighting the media scrutiny that female celebs receive in opposition to their male counterparts (slut-shaming, "wild child" branding, being called a diva for basic requests, etc.) and I loved how much Caleb defended Valerie when it came to the media. There were also times I got annoyed with the characters (these guys have physically run away from their problems...multiple times) and it felt like there wasn't much character growth until the last 20 pages, but I still loved them. I loved the whole band dynamic and the personalities of each character were so unique. I felt like the author also know technical information about making music (she at least has more knowledge than me) and that was something that was really cool to see showcased throughout the book.

Thank you to Berkley publishing & NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I think the premise of this story is something that most would enjoy, but unfortunately does not work well with me. The dialogue was incredibly engaging, but the telling and not showing was something that I did not personally enjoy.

I have a few friends who have also read this and loved it, so I just know that I am not the correct audience for it! Would def suggest you give it a try if you are looking for a book with a sort of camp rock vibe to it :)

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I was super excited when I read the synopsis for this book! The cover art reminded me so much of Jem from Jem and the Holograms that I had to give this book a shot! With that being said I do feel like the plot and character development fell a little short for me.

As far as our two MCs, Valerie and Caleb, I think their story had so much potential! It was hard to really get interested in it when it felt like their personal motivations remained selfish even when we were being told that their motivations weren’t selfish. That’s the main point that made it hard for this book to really reel me into the plot. I also felt as if the maturity of the characters didn’t really match their ages. If I hadn’t have known these were people in their 20s I would have assumed that it was a group of high school kids navigating Hollywood without a proper guide. With that being said, I can also understand why they were portrayed that way. They were kids without proper guidance when they shot into stardom.

I did love the rockstar summer vibes of the story though! So much of this book reminded me of those old 80s/90s cartoons about rock bands hitting the stage, so it had a nostalgic feel in that sense!

The mental health representation in this book is what kept me interested. In the descriptions of some of the things the MCs went through I really felt seen and understood. For that alone I pushed through and I am glad that I did.

All in all, I think there are many that can enjoy this story and really gain something from the representation within it.

A huge thank-you you to Netgalley and Berkley publishing for sending me a copy of this second chance romance debut.

Valerie and Caleb had a failed secret relationship when they were younger and part of the band Glitterbats. It ended with their separation, and the bands break up. Years pass, and Valerie is spiraling, and her reputation is tanking. As a last pitch effort, she tries to bring her old band back together - and realizes she might have feelings still for Caleb. But the band is only together for the lead up to a one night concert. Will hearts prevail?

I honestly hated Valerie - she was attention and fame hungry. I felt she took advantage of sweet cinnamon roll Caleb. She did absolutely get what she deserved, but her redemption felt too convenient and quick. Overall, I do love a good second chance romance, and this fits the bill.

4 ⭐️
This gave me Daisy Jones and the Six vibes and I was all for it!! 😍
I always enjoy a second chance romance and this one was cute!!! Did it touch my soul though? No, but it was still an enjoyable read! Books that have dual POV is the best!! I liked seeing Valerie’s and Caleb’s POV about the band reunion, their relationship, and the media. I did think at times that Valerie was fame hungry which did get on my nerves a bit, but the moments she had with Caleb were swoony!! 😭🩷
I wish we could have gotten more of a background story on her and her mom (to understand her character more) but I absolutely did not like the mom at ALL.

I probably would have rated the book lower, had I not done the audiobook. The narrators did amazing! 🩷

Thank you Berkley for the ARC and PRH Audio for the ALC!!🩷

Read This Book If…you liked Daisy Jones and the Six!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
For One Night Only by Jessica James

Genre: romance
Spice Level: 3/5🌶, 1-2 explicit scenes
Setting: Los Angeles
POV: dual, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: celebrities, second chance, fake dating(ish), cinnamon roll hero, “good girl”

My Thoughts:
Overall, I really enjoyed this read! Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes, especially when the love interests have grown a ton (and yet not enough) in the between times.

The third act breakup was rough as I feel it didn’t match with all of the growth these characters had been working towards.

This book had great representation of anxiety and panic attacks, as well as a wide variety of complex family/band dynamics.

One thing that had me rolling my eyes throughout was the lack of any sort of creativity in naming the network, label, etc. They felt like placeholders that had never been replaced.

If you liked Daisy Jones and the Six but wanted more romance, this is the book for you!

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

I was really excited for this one! A second chance rock star music romance sounded amazing. There we a lot of great moments where you could really feel the band’s love for music and love for each other. But at the same time I feel like a lot of the bandmates had fairly shallow character development. I never felt like we really knew each band member.

I loved Valerie and Caleb’s chemistry and relationship but it also continuously aggravated me. Valerie constantly seemed to act selfishly never thinking about anybody else’s feelings but her own. While my heart hurt for everything she had to deal with the media and industry, the way she kept treating others constantly rubbed me the wrong way. However, that didn’t stop me from crying for her at the end of the book! Overall, an easy read, I wish there was a soundtrack of the songs because there were so many of them I wanted to hear as I read!

Thank you Berkley and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I was excited to read For One Night Only because it has two of my favorite tropes: second chance and rock-star/celebrity romance. I enjoyed most of the book despite the occasional lack of communication between FMC and MMC. My biggest issue with the book was the third-act break-up. Valerie's actions were appalling and showed zero character growth. I was so angry with her. Therefore, even though For One Night Only is a solid debut, I am rating it three stars only.

This was a super fun second chance romance! Val and Caleb were fine characters on their own, but their scenes really took off when they were together, which is how it should be in a romance. I love a good, prickly heroine (we need more of them!), and I really appreciated the mental health rep. James does a fantastic job writing about music, too.

This story was everything I hoped it would be – swoony, romantic, and full of the tension of both a band and a couple reuniting. The Glitter Bats are reuniting after six years, thanks to Valerie Quinn’s machinations. She needs good press in order to change her image in the media and she’s determined that this is just the way to do it. The only problem is, she has to convince her ex-bandmates, including her ex-boyfriend (never confirmed!), who she hasn’t talked to since the band broke up.

Valerie does convince them it’s worth reuniting for one night, one reunion concert. However, when everything else in her world starts to crumble, Valerie stands to lose everything – her fame and her newly rekindled romance. So much tension! So much angst! Loved this debut.

i should have dnf’d. as a whole, the band mates were never fleshed out, the mc’s were desperately unlikable, the plot was fanfiction gone wrong, and my interest is absolutely nowhere to be found. after seeing people talk about this, i decided to request the arc but i should’ve stayed curious 😐



thank you to netgalley and berkley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Jessica James' For One Night Only is a nostalgic second-chance romance that made me wish I could be an honorary member of the Glitter Bats.

Valerie Quinn, a bisexual actress/singer-songwriter in desperate need of a reputation reboot, reaches out to Caleb Sloane, a short king/rockstar turned teacher, to reunite their band, the Glitter Bats, for a one-night only reunion show. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Valerie and Caleb haven't spoken since the night of their last concert six years ago and it's clear they've both been harboring all sorts of feelings for each other since that night. The tension between Valerie and Caleb as the story progresses is amazing and it allows for some very emotional moments throughout the book. There's nothing superficial about the love flowing through the pages of this book.

I loved the dual POV as it really allowed me to connect with both Valerie and Caleb throughout the book. I also loved seeing how the other band members--Jane, Keeley, and Riker--had moved on since the band fell apart. Sometimes side characters take away from the main story, but not these characters. They are just as important as Valerie and Caleb to the story.

For One Night Only isn't a fluffy second-chance romance. It's deep and explores heavier themes, such as mental health and bisexuality, often left untouched in today's romances. Jessica did an excellent job in representing these themes and I hope to see more of this in future books from Jessica.

For One Night Only is an outstanding debut and I can't wait for everyone to read it. Thank you @berkleypub, @berkleyromance, and @NetGalley for the e-ARC!

“Caleb kisses me like I’m the perfect harmony to every melody he’s written”

Thanks so much to @berkleypub @berkleyromance or @acebookspub for the free book!

For One Night Only was a refreshing romance read with a male main character who actually has a unique personality and is the one finding himself strung along intol love by his confident, messy female counterpart. Caleb Sloane, eyeliner-wearing icon that you are… just perfect. No notes.

Every member of Glitter Bats felt distinct to me, and their careers post-breakup all felt reminiscent of bands in real life; in fact, while reading about their early career, I could taste the indie music sleaze, the 2014 vinyls, Urban Outfitters flooded with beanies and Arctic Monkeys fans. It was nostalgic for me and made the reunion plotline all the more exciting.

Valerie was kind of annoying and fame hungry, and I don’t think we got enough of her mom in-scene to justify why she is the way she is. I still thought her redemption was handled well, and her chemistry with Caleb was electric.

Overall, a cute romance with actual stakes and complex characters that addresses the toxicity of the music industry and how it can ruin our favorite artists. I did feel like the pacing was a touch slow at first, but the climax was worth the uphill trek.

Two former bandmates, a band reunion after a horrible breakup, a fake relationship, and a reputation to save... can they make it? When Valerie Quinn's latest bad tabloid headline puts her TV show on the network chopping block, she'll do anything to save her show... even reassemble her former pop punk band, Glitter Bats.... but that means facing her former band mates who she left cut and dry, especially with the bassist, her sort of ex who she definitely ruined things with all those years ago. Valerie knows that if she can pull off this reunion it would not only save her reputation but would save her show, now she just has to convince her former bandmates to agree to it... shouldn't be too hard right? Except they are hard because it means she has to face the reason of her band's fall out, she has to face what she did, and has to face all those old wounds again.... and that means facing Caleb. Caleb is tired of being in the industry, he's tired of the anxiety attacks he gets from it, and most of all he's tired of nursing a broken heart that Valerie left him with all those years ago, but he can't say no to her.. so he agrees to one last show. One single final summer reunion show and he's done... yet making music together revives old feelings as well as old hurts... can he trust her to not break his heart again or will she prioritize fame again over all of them? This definitely had potential to be a fantastic read, I love the idea of bandmates falling for each other, and this was definitely a fun second chance romance type of situation. Caleb was a sweet love interest... however my only thing was that I never really fell in love with Valerie. Despite it all, she really took forever to even like, and her constant switch to making selfish decisions made it hard to root for her. If you like rockstar romances with a bit of fake dating and bandmates falling for each other, I would definitely recommend reading this though!

Release Date: January 7,2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you so much to Berkley for this e-arc. For One Night Only has a myriad of things I like when it comes to stories that deal with the musical/band dynamics. I loved the supporting and secondary characters and found that they brought so much life to the group dynamic, and that being said the reason why I docked a star was due to how selfish and grating the FMC was. For all intents and purposes, even with the trauma she harbored and though she did acknowledge her wrong doing, having known people in real life who are as impulsive as her, she was very grating to the end of the story. A part of me wished the love interest would have amicably parted ways, but instead this story wrapped up with a kitschy almost double proposal that felt so empty towards the end.