I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it, either. I found my attention flagging throughout because it felt repetitive and the characters' actions became tiresome. They felt a lot younger than 27/28.

Valerie Quinn, former lead singer of pop-punk band Glitter Bats, has transitioned into acting and is getting bad press. Her show is on the hook for renewal and she needs to repair her reputation, so she decides to get the band together for one last show. Valerie and the band's bassist, Caleb Sloane, were in a secret romantic relationship six years prior. He wanted to go public with it; she didn't. This led to the band's breakup, and several of the members haven't spoken since.

When they reunite, Valerie doesn't treat her bandmates well, despite the fact they all have their own successful careers and are doing this reunion specifically for her. All is forgiven — and everybody agrees to the reunion — a little too quickly. I love a complicated FMC, but she didn't have any sort of growth over the course of the story. And Caleb was all too eager to get back together with her, with nothing really standing in the way of them rekindling their relationship.

Aside from the lack of conflict, I never grasped the band's level of fame. On the one hand, they're crashing the ticket website, photographers are trying to get photos of them, the press is writing about Valerie and Caleb, and fans are approaching them in public. On the other, Caleb has been living a quiet life as a music teacher, apparently going about his days without anyone caring he used to be in Glitter Bats. The stuff with Valerie's supposed bad reputation also felt unclear. She was photographed out with a co-star and her ex implies she cheated (she didn't), but it never really felt like something she couldn't come back from. We're constantly told she needs to repair her reputation so her TV show gets renewed, but the stakes don't feel that high. And if the band was *that* famous, what's she doing on a superhero show for a streaming service, anyway?

I know I'm probably being too nitpicky, but these things stuck out to me while reading. This book didn't entirely work for me, but I'd give this author's next book a chance. There was some beautiful imagery in her descriptions, especially of music.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

This one did not resonate with me, and I honestly found myself struggling to finish. It felt juvenile, but not in a YA way, more like the characters were very immature for their age. I didn’t really enjoy this unfortunately
3 stars

This book was included in a set of books i won from an independent website so special thanks to the author for that.
This was a miss for my girlfriend who was my original planned reader for this novel. The characters weren’t believable and they acted like young teenagers than adults. There were some odd sticking points throughout the novel with interactions from parents and business in the music industry. This seemed much more of a a teenagers having a lot of sex while pretending to hate one another story.. I wouldn’t tell people to steer away from it, but I wouldn’t have this novel at the top of your TBR.

Such a fun debut! I adored the rock star/real life comparisons and second-chance romance. Flashbacks and song lyrics were unique and so well done. The rest of the band is absolutely crying out for their own books! I look forward to seeing what Jessica James writes next.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY by Jessica James in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy Halloween season!

As I grew up listening to punk and new wave groups this was right up my alley. I had fun, rooted for the characters, and liked the description of the music world and the relationship in the band
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I read this book and hated the ending. It was boring the whole book. Would not recommend to others kinda sucked.

It took a few chapters for me to get into it, but once I was hooked I couldn't stop.
I was a music education major at one point in my life and once even had dreams of being in Valerie's place, so I was super into reading this perspective from a character.
The way the author describes how music make Caleb & Valerie feel throughout the novel was written really well and I enjoyed it the most out of anything I enjoyed. I found Valerie to be pretty annoying until nearly the end of the book, but that's kind of part of her story and her growth. Caleb was sweet and reserved and deserved to not be treated like garbage time and time again.
When we finally learn what their last night together before the band broke up, you're at a point where you're rooting for them to make it work.

I DO have gripes with the music references being modern pop stars and not any bands or artists who would have inspired a POP PUNK band. Teen bands almost always start as cover bands, did they not have any of those influences in their own music?


Genuinely enjoyed reading and am excited to see what comes next from Jessica James.


Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love rockstar romance, FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY delivers and *then some*. I was entranced by Caleb and Valerie, and the delicious second-chance sexual tension they brought to every scene. Jessica’s prose glitters on the page, and the exploration of Caleb’s anxiety was nuanced and hit close to home. This is a love story that feels both fresh and nostalgic, thoroughly modern and speckled with pop culture references but still artistic and timeless. Fans of Elissa Sussman, Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka, and Falon Ballard are going to be obsessed with the behind-the-scenes celebrity drama and found family of the Glitter Bats and #CalErie’s swoony love story. I can’t wait for Jessica’s next romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

For One Night Only is a fun story about the GlitterBats. I am in a phase at the moment where I love all the nostalgic feeling rock group based books that have been coming out recently. Caleb was the true star of the book while Valarie moved the plot along. I wish we had more of the backstories of the other members of the band, but maybe we will get a sequel to explore them more. I am not sure how much character development there was, but it was an enjoyable second chance romance that I am sure romance fans will love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an eARC copy of this title.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing.
Full of found family and learning how to forgive, I had so so much fun with this book.
To be honest, I read this a while ago so I'm forgetting a bunch, but what I can't forget is the vibes!

Second chance romance, rockstar vibes, found family, learning how to heal, writing that makes you feel like you're at the show... it was just a really well done book full of pining and angst and everything that we could hope from a book about tortured rock stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for a DRC of this title.

Years after their band imploded on the brink of superstardom, bandmates and former lovers Valerie and Caleb find themselves back in each other’s orbits after their band reassembles for a reunion concert and must contend with old feelings (and old hurts) in the process.

Though I might’ve wished Valerie did more to make amends to her bandmates and the bandmates’ forgiveness wasn’t given quite so quickly or easily, I think fans of complicated female characters and rockstar romance will really enjoy this one. A lot here that contemporary romance readers can really sink their teeth into— and that cover’s gorgeous! Not a total home run for me, but I’ll look forward to reading what James writes next. 3.5/5.

3.5 stars. I'm pretty picky about contemporary romance but I enjoyed this for the most part. Loved the bi representation and how the description of the MMC is not the same as every other romance book. These characters have lots of ups and downs and I found myself stressed by some of their poor communication and actions. Also, there's a moment where it's revealed that one side character has feelings for another side character, and I assumed that by the end they would at least confess those feelings, but it was never brought up again? I enjoyed the spice as well, except for one thing: "folds." While this wasn't my favorite romance, I think many people would enjoy this. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I went into this yearning for a fake dating trope, but because these are exes fake dating I feel like you miss all the fun. They’re just residually still in love with each other so while there’s definitely pining, we just skipped over the best parts of dating and falling in love. Loved Caleb. Strongly disliked Valerie. As a reality dating show would say, “she’s not here for the right reasons.”

Also … my face reading the fake band’s lyrics 😬

Also… my fave reading the ending 😬🫠😑

Free ARC from NetGalley, Berkley Romance & Penguin Random House

Debut novel
Dual POV
Second Chance Romance
Celebrity/Rock Star Romance
Third Act Breakups

I love the cover and the description of the book, and I love to read a debut. It’s what led me to request it.

Ooh the momager taking all the bands money? Straight out of the Grateful Dead’s history.

Val is very self centered. It’s very hard to like her or even forgive her. The whole premise of the Glitter Bats reunion is for her to gain good press, but never really a focus on what’s in it for everyone else.

The story felt very immature between the two MCs, Valerie and Caleb.

I don’t love how quickly Caleb changes his tune for anything revolving Valerie and her attention. It’s not healthy. It makes me question when he is being true to himself and what he wants?

This whole story felt too fanfic. While I felt the tension between the band, I didn’t feel the romance between Valerie and Caleb. I skimmed through the explicit scenes because their shownance/romance wasn’t believable to me. (And I loveeee me a good explicit scene, but I just couldn’t buy into their toxic story).

I think James has a lot of promise as a writer and I will read future works by her.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this eARC.

I was hooked by how the story wove their past heartbreak with the excitement of their reunion concert. The way the author captures the raw, messy emotions of rekindled relationships had me on edge, and screaming. I was utterly invested in whether these two could find their harmony again. And, they happily did. So loved and enjoyed it.

I thought this was a cute read and I’d definitely pick it up if you want a cute romance with lots of representation, a behind the scenes look at celebrities lives, and a friend group rediscovering themselves again.

A fun and delightful book. While some of the story is predictable, it is exactly what you want it to be!

I have been looking forward to reading this book ever since I heard the premise (second chance romance amid a "let's get the band back together" backdrop!) and saw this absolutely STUNNING cover. I'm happy to say, Jessica James DID NOT disappoint!

It's always fun and a bit nerve-wracking to read a debut because you can approach the book without any preconceived expectations, and James met every one of mine and more. If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be longing:

Valerie longing for the renewal of her tv show
Caleb longing to have his "normal life" AND somehow his career in the entertainment industry
Valerie and Caleb longing for each other
The whole band longing for the friendships-- and magic-- they once had together

And longing is universal, right? We all know what it's like to pine for something (or someone) we can't have. Given this, James' characters are refreshingly real-- showing, with vulnerability, a really relatable navigation of the tension that exists between wanting, having, and letting go.

I may be biased because I love a second chance romance AND I love pop culture, but this book was just a fun, funny, heartwarming, steamy, satisfying read. Will be recommending to friends!

I would give this a 3.5 but alas no half stars.

A great premise where a paramore like band has a one night reunion to help bolster the lead singers reputation and also leads to a reunion between the two leads of the band who were once in love. There were a lot of
Positives about this book. The supporting characters are super engaging. The romance has a lot of
Chemistry. I love a messy heroine, but some things kept it from being a slam dunk for me.
1) I love a messy heroine but at
Times this one was almost too annoying? She didn’t seem like a good friend or a good partner and she didn’t seem to have a ton of growth.
2) too many questions about this bands place in the fame landscape and questions about the way fame in general worked in this world. This band is famous enough to crash ticket master with the news of a reunion but its former heartthrob is able to completely disappear and become a music teacher? And no one finds out what happened to him? In the age of TMZ? And the idea of the Lead singer pivoting to a musical tv show involving super heroes was a bit too wtf for me. I recognize these issues are probably me being far too online.

I look forward to the next book from this author. I think this is a very good debut with a major publisher and there’s enough here to make me enthusiastic about whatever comes next.