Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

Former child pop-star Kathleen Rosenberg (a.k.a. Katee Rose) finally gets to live her dream -- a leading role on Broadway! But when the director is her old summer camp flame, Cal Kirby, will Kathleen be able to focus on the show, maintain her friendships, and revive her career?

This was the first book I'd read by Elissa Sussman, after hearing SO much about her previous Chris Evans-inspired romance. I didn't read about this book in advance, and I was very pleasantly surprised. As a former theater kid, I really enjoyed this sweet homage. You can tell the author has a sweet spot for musical theater, and it really showed in the niche details! (See: Marie's Crisis, stale Red Vines out of the bucket, and kissing any straight boy in close proximity.) I'm also a sucker for second-chance romances, and this was a great example of this -- a nice slow burn, while still being able to appreciate the nuances in the relationship that were heavily influenced by their past together as summer campers and young pop-stars. The karaoke scene was my favorite, and really got me invested in Kathleen and Cal's relationship. Also, I loved the organization in the time flips; I felt like Sussman revealed details about the characters' intimate knowledge of each other in just the right way, without spoiling or repeating too much.

In all, if you can suspend your disbelief enough to enjoy a contemporary rom-com, and are a reformed theater kid, then you'll enjoy this book as much as I did! I look forward to reading more by Sussman in the future.

Love love love this story! I’m a sucker for second-chance stories and I like how the storyline weaves between the past and present. I feel like some character relationships could have been developed a little more, but that didn’t stop me from reading this in 2 days.

4.25🌟 this book was so cute!! if you're a theater kid, i think you'll really enjoy this. the dual timeline really worked for me in this situation, because i was equally excited to find out what happened in each. these two characters just know each other so intimately, both from their years at theater camp and their years in the music industry, that even when they're bickering, they can still see past their conflict and find the good in each other. also, with this being set amidst a theater workshop, it made the whole situation feel like a powder keg just waiting for the conflict to pop off!

*thank you random house, netgalley, and PRH Audio for the ARC & audiobook!

This is Elissa Sussman's second novel - and similar to her first, it's about second chances at love. This is a story of second chances, redemption & the characters were layered and interesting. This was such an easy and enjoyable summer read! I've recommended it to my book club & have purchased several copies for friends!

This was nostalgia in book form. I feel like reading this I was immediately sucked back into the dram of my adolescence that was Brit Brit and JT but with an adorable twist. Katee and Cal had my heart from the get go and I loved everything about their dynamic. I laughed out loud at so many instances and OMG once the tension finally broke, the slow burn was so worth it. Great read. 4/5 stars.

Read for Bad Bitch Book Club's 2023 Maine Summer Camp Retreat.

I liked this one better than her last book but I think it's a 3.75 for me. I didn't dislike it but Kathleen annoyed me most of the book. I did like her and Cal together so my opinion was higher at the end of the book but I spent most of the book irritated with her.

I didn't love the conflict between Kathleen and Harriet because they could so easily just talk! Miscommunication/no communication is my biggest pet peeve in a book.

It also annoyed me that "then" was two separate time frames, as it was hard to track.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this one!

Loved this book! I haven’t had a chance to read her first book Funny You Should Ask but immediately adding to my TBR! This was an excellent second chance romance. It was funny and sweet. I couldn’t get enough!

Funny You Should Ask was one of my favorite reads of 2022, so Once More With Feeling had A LOT to live up to. And while it didn’t top FYSA, I really enjoyed this frothy, dual timeline, second chance romance. Sussman is now 2 for 2 in my books and quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

🎤 “It's you and me, that's my whole world
They whisper in the hallway, "She's a bad, bad girl" (okay)
The whole school is rolling fake dice
You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes
It's you and me, there's nothing like this”

I’m in my celebrity scandalous past/present redemption story era. It’s oddly specific, but incredibly true. (Like my animal POV era 😂)

Elissa’s sophomore novel follows Katee Rose (now Kathleen Rosenberg) in a past/present POV of her time as America’s number one pop star to a Broadway redemption arc. After a huge scandal with her now ex boyfriend, frontman of boy band “CrushZone,” she disappears into obscurity until she reluctantly chooses to re-enter the spotlight 10 years later with none other than Cal Kirby, one of the OTHER members of the former boy band who also destroyed his career that night.

This book was a fun read especially as a millennial girlie picturing Justin and Britney with a fun Broadway twist. It also gave me SMASH vibes with the inception of the musical. I enjoyed the second chance romance, slow burn, enemies to lovers. I think their relationship was very sincere and genuine compared to Funny You Should Ask. Their relationship felt more realistic and I loved that more

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced reader’s copy

#2023ReadsDaniellesVersion #netgalley #elissasussman #oncemorewithfeeling #bookrecs #bookreviews

I can definitely see this book attracting certain readers, especially if they enjoyed the author's first book. I just couldn't get into the book until the last half or so. The ending was enjoyable after it started picking up. This one was wasn't for me but I still think it was an okay read.

This was a quick read, chock full of nostalgia and pop culture references. I absolutely loved the setting and references. It is told in a dual timeline, back in the boy band heyday and then a current timeline. It is a second chance romance, enemies to lovers, and set in a celebrity world. I was kind of annoyed with some of the characters, but overall a good read.

Katee Rose was the pop queen, and was the ultimate people pleaser. Until she wasn’t and her world crashed around her. Her career vanished, and so did everyone around her. Her best friend stood by her, but otherwise she was alone. Until her best friend blindsided her with the news her play is going to be produced and hopefully get on Broadway. She wrote the leading part specifically for her. Only is is going to be directed by *him*. Will they be able to leave the past behind them to get her best friend’s dream on Broadway?

Another Hollywood romance? Yes please! Elissa Sussman seems to know how to write the perfect one! I absolutely loved this second chance, enemies to lovers, Hollywood romance! These characters were so well developed, seriously flawed, and yet I still loved them! The banter, tension, and sweet reunion of Kathleen and Chris was absolute perfection.

I came to love Elissa Sussman’s writing after reading “Funny You Should Ask”. So, it wasn’t a super big surprise to me that this book would be another winner. Elissa does a brilliant job at creating characters who are relatable and who you want to root for, even if their worlds are somewhat unrelatable (like being a pop star). The relationship between Cal and Kathleen is so raw and authentic, and I felt like their story is very healing for anyone who understands second chances. The friendship between Harriet and Kathleen is also wonderful and very real. Basically, I loved this book!

I thought the premise of this story was promising and I usually love dual timelines, but the execution of this did not work. The characters fell a little flat. It was just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Any book that has Jewish representation -- down to my exact last name as well as americanized nickname "rose" -- and has a cover designed/art directed by Cassie Gonzalez is already starting off on the right foot!

I was nervous about this book and there are parts that were less believable than others but I enjoyed Kathleen's relationship journeys -- both romantic relationship and platonic relationship. I love any book that puts friendship as a key plot point.

This story trope is second chance romance between childhood friends. You were able to see how much love they had for each other even with being enemies. They just couldn’t admit it to themselves. The way the characters flaws are written gave the dual timeline more effect in my opinion. I really did enjoy this book and it was super easy to read and get into.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ability to read this book for my honest review.

This was unfortunately a difficult read for me. Though I like Sussman's prior novel, the character behavior and storytelling (a lot of telling without showing) in Once More with Feeling took me out of the story because it felt poorly executed. I thought the themes of this book, like exploring a pop star's comeback via Broadway and Hollywood's tendency to side with men in he said/she said situations, were fascinating but the execution just wasn't there for me.

This was a cute and fun rom com. I always love a celebrity adjacent story and this was well done. Kathleen really mirrored Britney Spears and it’s still such a shame how the insured chews up young women. There was some great tension between Kathleen and her best friend that was well done and very realistic. I’ll be checking out Sussman’s other novel, Funny You Should Ask, soon!

As someone who grew up in the 90s with lots of boy bands, I enjoyed this fast easy read. Didn't feel a lot of connection with the characters, but good fluff.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, for this delightful arc! I thought Once More with Feeling was a fun, nostalgic, funny read. The pacing was superb. True to its title, the pacing kept a theatrical beat, making it fun to consume. The washed-up boyband and pop singer celebrity arc was something I was nervous about going in, but as a theater kid who loved both of the aforementioned types of celebrities, I ate it up! I loved the dynamic of Kathleen and her best friend Harriett within the industry and the exploration of how tensions within friendships run high when in the same business. Elissa Sussman did a great job sticking with a familiar formula to Funny You Should Ask while making something completely new. I highly recommend this book.