I am a huge fan of the "second chance" troupe so I was super excited to read Once More with Feeling from Elissa Sussman. The connection between Kathleen and Cal was great and I adored the childhood friend-to-lover troupe that was also in this story. I was a huge fan of Elissa's first book and I really liked that in this novel both main characters had a fame background, it felt far more authentic. This is the perfect beach read!

I had really high hopes for Once More With Feeling but I unfortunately had the same issues with this one as I did with Funny You Should Ask. I love celeb romances and the synopsis sounded amazing but I just can't get into Sussman's writing. It is in my opinion, boring. Her FMCs are unlikable and there is absolutely no chemistry between the two characters. I feel like they just say lines at each other and there's absolutely no emotion there. Wanted to love but I think it's a no for me.

I was really looking forward to this book as I liked the author’s previous book, however I ended up DNFing this one. The plot just wasn’t enough to keep me interested, but that could have been overlooked if it weren’t for the characters also being so unlikable. Both Kathleen and Cal come across very immature. Specifically when they are fighting and Harriet tells them to stop and they immediately start arguing again. Kathleen gets mad at Cal for doing exactly what she wanted him to do with the dance routine. I unfortunately wasn’t rooting for any of these characters.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to review this book.

Once More With Feeling
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Elissa Sussman

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Random House Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Then. Katee Rose is living the dream as America's number one pop star, caught in a whirlwind of sold-out concerts, screaming fans, and constant tabloid coverage. Everyone wants to know everything about her and her boyfriend, Ryan LaNeve, the hottest member of adored boy band CrushZone. Katee loves to perform but hates the impossible demands of stardom. Maybe that's why she finds herself in the arms of another CrushZone member, Cal Kirby. Quiet, serious Cal, who's always been a good friend to Katee, is suddenly Cal with the smoldering eyes and very good hands. One unforgettable night is all it takes to blow up Katee's relationship with Ryan, her career, her whole life...

Now. Kathleen Rosenberg is okay with her ordinary existence, and leaving her pop star image in the past. That is, until Cal Kirby shows up with the opportunity of her dreams--a starring role in the Broadway show he's directing and a chance to perform the way she's always wanted. The two haven't spoken since the joint destruction of their careers, and each of them blames the other, making their reunion a tense battle of wits and egos. Katee reluctantly agrees to the musical, as long as she keeps her guard up around Cal. But rehearsals are long, those eyes still smolder, and those hands are still very good. Despite everything, Katee can't deny the chemistry between them. Is it ever a good idea to reignite old flames? Especially if you've been burned in the past?

My Thoughts: This was a cute, beautiful, poignant story than spans over a few decades. I was really looking forward to this story after devouring the first one, which was exceptional. While I throughly enjoyed this novel, some of the other reviews are not the best and I believe that is because our MC, Kathleen is not a likable character for a good part of the story. This story follow the tropes of second chance romance and enemies to lovers.

This story is narrated in past and present tense by Kathleen. Pop star Katee and present day Kathleen are really two different women. When Katee was a pop star, she was only a child and made some decisions that were not the best, same rings true for Cal. Now they are grown up and their roads cross again doing a broadway play. Even though they do everything to remain professional through the broadway play, feelings start to reemerge again. The characters were developed well, with witty banter, chemistry, and creative passion. Even though the MCs were not likable at times, they really grew on me and I was rooting for Kathleen and Cal. The author’s writing style is complex, beautiful, poignant, and engaging.

I would recommend this one and the previous one, as they are sweet, heartwarming, and just makes you feel good reading. A beautiful, poignant, yet happily ever after story of mistakes, love, and how to move on. I highly recommend this story!

Elissa Sussman is a wizard when it comes to crafting story. And this was a gem! I absolutely loved the premise of this book…the gift of coming back to love after growth and time to become one’s truest self. The setting (musicals????) couldn’t be better. This was a perfect read during my week at the beach and I am so thankful to have been gifted a copy to enjoy!

I love, love, loved this!! I’ve heard great things about Elissa Sussman’s writing and was so excited to dive into it. Every character was so beautifully developed. I was iffy on Kathleen - she was relatable in some ways, but she also annoyed me with her celebrity persona. She was also a terrible decision-maker, but it drove the storyline in mostly a fun way. Now Cal - oh Cal, I love him. He is so warm and sweet - from the start he was a perfect character. The then-and-now perspectives gave great insight into each of the characters and allowed Kathleen and Cal’s relationship to build into something believable. I actually preferred the past scenes, they showed young love and indecision in an engaging way!

Overall, it was such a great and engaging story that I didn’t want to put down!

Thank you Elissa Sussman, Netgalley, and Random House Publishing for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballentine for the advanced copy to review!

This book was fine. I wouldn't say there was anything special about it. It was a quick read, but not in a couldn't-put-it-down kind of way. It just seemed very short, which I felt was to the book's detriment. I didn't feel like the characters were very well developed, and they lacked depth. The main character's "best friend" is mad at her for practically the entire novel, which isn't explained very well. For Harriet to be Kathleen's best friend of over a decade, she really doesn't show it, regardless of her out-of-the-blue jealousy. I also felt like the conversations between the characters weren't realistic. They didn't speak to each other in a way that a normal human would talk to someone else. It sometimes made the dialogue hard to follow.

What I did like about the novel, however, is its commentary on how media, pop culture, and fans treat celebrities, especially female celebrities. It very much gave off Taylor Swift's "The Man" vibes. Ryan was manipulative, narcissistic, and treated Kathleen like garbage, but it took a decade and her past to be dredged back up for the world to realize that even if Kathleen did cheat, maybe she shouldn't have been treated the way she was.

Overall, the book was okay. I wouldn't strongly recommend it, but if you're looking for a quick, mindless read, this book would fit the bill.

Katee Rose was one of the biggest pop stars in the world and was in a very public relationship with CrushZone member Ryan LaNeve. While touring with CrushZone, she reunites with Cal Kirby, who is also a member of CrushZone and went to theatre camp with her. Cal knows Kathleen from before she was Katee Rose. When a series of events develop after she realizes that she loves Cal and not Ryan, her career quickly comes to an end. Years later, Kathleen's best friend has written a Broadway show, and Cal has agreed to direct it. This brings back all kinds of feelings and sentiments that Kathleen thought were gone. It was a fun, entertaining read that demonstrates the demon that show business can be when it's all-consuming.

Stunning and incredible. The hate to love second chance was immaculately done. I loved the discussion around slut shaming and the reputation of women in the limelight in comparison to their male counterparts in similar situations. It was so beautifully done and I can’t wait for the next one!

While I did enjoy this book, I thought that Funny You Should Ask was stronger and felt myself comparing Sussman's work in this novel to her previous one. Elissa Sussman is incredibly talented at writing second chance romances because she's able to show the passage of time so well through her characters' eyes and is able to make both the past and present feel tangible as well as making the period of time the characters have gone without contact realistic. However, I felt the characters in this book were underdeveloped. Harriet and Cal both had a lot of potential, but in the end it felt they were only there to help us better understand Kathleen, and I was left wanting to know more about each of them at the end of the story. I thought the conflict in the past was very believable, but I wish we were able to see more character growth from Kathleen in the present. It was good but not great.

3.75/5

As a theatre lover, I honestly really enjoyed the references throughout the book! It was a joy to relate to a young Kathleen at theatre camp as someone who got her college degree in musical theatre.

Other than the great theatre and drag race references, I really didn't like this as much as I was expecting. I feel like it would have been better for me if I read the physical book and not listened to the audio. Kathleen just seemed super whiny on the audio and I think that turned me off to the book.

That being said, I was honestly expecting so much more from this book. I felt that Elissa could have further explored Kathleen's relationship with Harriet, her family, and her agent. It seemed like there were details thrown into the plot that would have added so much drama and depth to Kathleen and her career if further explored.

Also, I'm not a huge fan of the cheating trope, so this was hard for me to read at times.

Despite all of this I did love the ending and thought it was freaking adorable.

Thank you PRH Audio, Netgalley, and Random House for this eARC and free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of my favorite books of the year. Elissa is the QUEEN of dual timeline second chance romances that also deal with fame. Uhhhh hello??? This is the perfect niche for me.

One thing that Elissa is great about is attention. to. detail. You can even truly tell the difference in the maturity of the character's inner narratives between their teenage and adult timelines. I felt really drawn to Kathleen and Cal and how well their heartbreak was conveyed, both past and present. Their HEA felt SO deserved, especially after all of the ways Kathleen had been scorned by both fame and Cal in the past. It felt like they truly understood each other and had a true and honest connection.

Also, I was just obsessed with the teen popstar era and the musical theater adults. Double whammy to my heart.

While I wanted to like this book based on the premise alone, it wasn’t enough. I found the main character absolutely insufferable and someone who didn’t take the time to grow or change after doing some truly horrible things to those around her. It seems that everyone just forgives her because she is a superstar rather than her truly taking the time to apologize and make amends.

Thank you randomhouse publishing-Ballantine and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

It was pretty meh overall. It was cute but didn’t really stand out to me. I enjoyed the characters and loved Kathleen’s journey.

I was not a fan of this one; second chance romances don't leave much to be desired for me. I also don't like when books start and we're thrown into a situation; it feels like I'm trying to catch up to a class I was late for. Too much anxiety and it turns me off of the book.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was cute!

It was a second chance romance. I loved being able to see what went down in the past between the characters and then watching them slowly grow back into one another.

I REALLY loved the Broadway aspect of things. I found that super interesting.

I read this right after I read Funny You Should Ask. I was so excited to find out this book was set up in the same format! I find it so interesting and it’s always keeping me intrigued and wanting to read more! I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to share with my followers all my thoughts!

Ugh this book’s main character and I did not get along. She was so insufferable to me.
There were so many tropes going on in this book but none of them hit the way they intended to. I think if I liked the main character a bit more, it would’ve stuck with me a lot better. I have heard such mixed reviews about this book, so I wasn’t surprised that it just wasn’t for me. I loved the pop culture references and the band stuff but overall it just didn’t pay off.

What a great romance read! I really enjoyed the pacing of both the current day plot line and also the tid bits from the past that we were given throughout the story. I think both of these elements made this story very engaging and easy to want to keep reading.

The relationships were a bit messy and the main character seemed a tad immature at times, but I think that it was necessary to show her in this light to progress the story at certain points. The spice was well done while not being overly done. I could've used more from the supporting characters (particularly Harriet), but overall it was a very enjoyable book!

This was okay at best. Could’ve been persuaded to give it less than 3 stars. I felt like the characters fell flat, Kathleen was unlikable for majority of the time, and I didn’t really care how it would end for Kathleen and Cal. Despite being friends for so long, I had a hard time seeing how they fit together. I also struggled with Kathleen's behavior in the beginning with working with Cal. I can't imagine being so blatantly rude to your boss and getting away with it so Cal was absolutely right - Kathleen seemed like a diva which made it hard for me to root for her. It was a quick read at least and the aspect of being in the theater was fun/different from any other book I've read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinions.