Huge thanks to NetGalley and Dell for this read! Loved the first book by this author and this one did not disappoint either. Definitely should be added go every TBR. While reading, I really felt that I could understand how both characters were feeling throughout the whole book. You won’t go wrong with this one!

When I tell you I was SO excited to get approved to read ‘Once More With Feeling,’ Elissa Sussman’s newest release, I truly mean it. I loved her last novel, ‘Funny You Should Ask’ (and the covers for both books are some of my most favorites), so I reasonably freaked out when I started to read.

The story centers around Kathleen Rosenberg aka Katee Rose. She was a teen pop star who rose to fame for auto-tuned tracks, crazy costumes, and elaborate dance moves. Her relationship with a fellow teen idol, Ryan, from the legendary boy band CrushZone also helped pave her way to insane fame when she was super young. However, everything changed when she and Ryan broke up and rumors stirred about her and his bandmate, Cal. Now, decades later, still trying to stay separated from their former personas, Kathleen and Cal are forced to team up to pursue their true passion: musical theater. They have the opportunity of a lifetime, but can they put their issues aside to make it big (again)?

Honestly, I went into this book completely blind. When I saw that Elissa Sussman was coming out with a new romance, I requested it immediately. That said, the early 2000s, Britney/Justin vibes were super easy to pick up on and made the read so much fun. I adore a second-chance romance and seeing Kathleen and Cal get to have another shot with each other but also another shot at success was adorable and moving. The only part I would change is my knowledge of musicals, because some references went totally over my head. Overall, though, this was a perfect read to start summer and anyone who enjoyed ‘Funny You Should Ask’ would also love ‘Once More With Feeling.’

Pub day is TODAY 5/30, so everyone go get your copies now!! Special thanks to NetGalley, Dell, and Elissa Sussman for this ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second chance romance! Once More With Feeling explores the comeback of a former Britney Spears-esque character and her former love. The book alternates timelines between the past and the present and even includes some news articles. I liked the story and found myself unable to put this one down. I found some of the characters choices very frustrating at times. I didn't appreciate Harriot asking Kathleen to not date Cal and found that their fight brought out some of the two's worst character traits. I also found Kathleen's inability to breakup with Ryan to be frustrating. That being said, I think these conflicts made the characters more realistic because they were flawed in some ways. I overall enjoyed the pining between Kathleen and Cal. The story was a sweet second-chance romance that I would recommend to others but doesn't quite make it to 5 stars. I will be posting my review on Goodreads today and will post about this book on my Instagram handle, @treatyoshelfbooks. Thank you Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

As a quintessential ‘theater kid’ this book was practically made for me! I absolutely love Elisa Sussman’s writing and her characters, and this book did not disappoint after such an amazing book with ‘Funny You Should Ask’. She created such real characters that you can’t help but root for! I loved Kathleen and Harriet’s friendship as well as the true friendship that Kathleen and Cal’s relationship was built upon.
If you ever watched Smash on TV, you will love this book and reading about their Rosie the Riveter musical going from workshops, to out of town tryouts, and finally, Broadway.
Such a good book and I can’t wait to see what else Sussman puts out in the future!

Thank you to #Netgalley and #RandomHouse #Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Does anyone else remember the tv show Smash? With Katherine McPhee? I can’t help but draw parallels here. If you liked that show, you’ll like this book 🎭

It’s a 2nd chance romance. Two summer camp theatre kids who both “make it” but they can never get on the same page when it comes to their relationship. Fast forward years later, and Cal is directing a new Broadway play about Rosie the Riveter in which Kathleen is staring 💪🏻

They hate each other (but do they?)😉

The Now and then timeline was entertaining. We get glimpses of theatre camp, play workshops, and touring🎤

I’m typically a huge fan of 2nd chance romance but this one had a love triangle that I didn’t love. I wish the 3rd act up break up was different. But overall, I loved it and recommend it for an easy contemporary romance summer read 💜🩵

Read if you like:
💕2nd chance romance
🎤Pop culture
⏳Now&then timeline
🧠Anxiety rep
🎶Musical theatre
🔼Love triangle
🎹Boy bands
😤Enemies to lovers

This was a very charming love story. I enjoyed all the musical theater and rom com references. I really loved the dual timelines, and I think they worked really well within the structure of this book. And I adored the deep discussions of loss, regret, and nostalgia, because who hasn’t stayed up late at night wondering “what if?”

But at the end of the day, I wanted more from this. It lacked something that I can’t quite put my finger on. I’m not sure if it was that the present day conflict seemed a bit manufactured (I’m sorry, I don’t buy that people would still care about this boy band drama 15 years later), or that none of these characters feel like they grow at all during the course of the story, or that Cal really doesn’t apologize for his role in the past events and Kathleen overlooks that way too easily. So while I enjoyed this book quite a bit while reading it, as soon as I put it down I knew it wasn’t one that would stay with me that long.

That being said, if you’re a big theater nerd and want a quick, bingeable romance to read, definitely check this out because I FLEW through it! It’s simple and enjoyable, and sometimes that exactly what you need.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine for this ARC.

3.5/4

I am always intrigued by romance novels where the main character or characters aren't completely likeable. I think we get so many romance books where the female main character may be dealing with some stuff or going through a hard time but is ultimately a pretty perfect person. But having characters we are actually flawed makes for a more nuanced and layered read, and I think Elissa Sussman has continued to achieve that with Once More with Feeling. I would give this 4.25 stars!

Synopsis: Through dual timelines, Once More with Feeling follows Kathleen, who rises to pop stardom in her early twenties under the stage name Katee Rose and in Kathleen's "now" as a bit of a has-been who is in her 30s and wants to launch her Broadway career (and there are some flashbacks to when Kathleen is 14 and at a performance arts summer camp). In the "then" timeline, Katee Rose has hit it big as a popstar and is on tour with boy band CrushZone, which her boyfriend Ryan is a member of. But as they spend time on the road together, Katee starts getting close to another member of the band, Cal, who was her duet partner at theater camp when they were teenagers.

At the end of the tour, Katee and Cal give in, and one night together is all that it takes for Katee to blow up her relationships with both Ryan and Cal, and destroy her career and image.

Now in her 30s, Kathleen has left her pop star dreams in the past and is living a mostly ordinary life, but she still dreams of making it to Broadway. Her best friend since camp writes a musical with a major part written specifically for Kathleen, but there's one problem - Cal is going to be the director for the play. They haven't spoken since everything imploded and both harbor resentment toward each other, but neither wants to give up on this opportunity. As they work through the long process of rehearsals, they both realize that there is still an attraction between them, but also still a lot of hurt that needs to be addressed.

Review: There is a lot of history between Kathleen and Cal, starting back when they were at the performing arts camp, when they were on tour together, and now working together on this musical. It makes for a very layered and rich story. I think that Kathleen isn't super likeable but I'm ok with that - in the "then" storyline when she is a popstar in her early 20s, she is so afraid of upsetting her boyfriend that she keeps dating him even though she is falling for Cal and eventually sleeps with him, and it ends up blowing up both relationships and her whole career.

Now in her 30s, she is still acting selfishly, worrying more about herself and how she is going to deal with Cal than being there for her friend who wrote the musical and is very stressed about trying to get it onto Broadway. I felt like this book was almost a character study into Kathleen and I really enjoyed it.

Because the story was so deeply about Kathleen and her trying to figure her life out, I did feel like Cal could have used some more depth. He is still into Kathleen but definitely exasperated by her behavior, but I wanted to know more about WHY he liked her still in the first place. Maybe it was due to their history, maybe just some undeniable attraction, but I wish the book had explored his motivations a bit more.

I thought that focusing the storyline around their pop careers and now theater careers was a fun element but because we were so in Kathleen's head, I felt like we missed out on some of the fun parts of the Broadway show that could have been included. But that is just a small nitpick, overall I did really enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

Katee Rose was one of the biggest pop stars and dating one of the hottest members of CrushZone, one of the most adored boy bands at the time. Katee and Ryan seemingly had the perfect lives but the stardom was taking its toll on Katee. When she found herself in the arms of another CrushZone member, Cal Kirby, her whole life started to implode.

In the present day, Kathleen Rosenberg is just trying to live a semi-normal life. She's doing just fine until Cal comes back into her life asking her to star in a Broadway show that he's directing. Neither of them had spoken since their lives completely flipped upside down but Kathleen couldn't resist the amazing opportunity so she agrees to star in the show. Will that old chemistry come flying back and can they ignore those feelings they felt so long ago?

This is a second-chance love story with the fun environment of a Broadway musical. The chemistry and tension were undeniable between Kathleen and Cal. While they had a lot of baggage and hurt to work through, the characters felt real and you could see how they had grown through their past struggles. I will say that I enjoyed Elissa Sussman's novel, Funny You Should Ask, a bit more than this one but this was a solid good read.

Listen. Second-chance romance written by Elissa Sussman?? That’s becoming my love language.

Two former pop stars, Kathleen and Cal are brought back together a decade or so after a “cheating scandal” that halted both of their blooming careers. Cal approaches Kathleen and her playwright best friend, Harriet, to bring their musical Riveted! to the big stage—Broadway. Will they be able to overcome the past they never talked about? Three timelines will give the reader a look into the past, present and future of their loss, their love, and their triumph in the musical theater world.

When I read Funny You Should Ask by Miss Sussman last year, I wasn’t a huge fan but I could see the foundation for something great was in there—and I am so glad that I was right! Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. The three timelines allow for the reader to get the full picture in installments, letting Elissa tell the story the way she wants and not all in one swoop. I was enthralled to watch Cal and Kathleen’s love blossom and intertwine in their lives for over a decade. The will-they-won’t-they left me literally on the edge of my seat. I just loved every minute of them.

My only gripe with this novel is the third-act breakup/conflict. While such conflict made sense when they were teenagers attempting to navigate the celebrity scene, it did not make sense for adults who were reasonably mature in all other aspects. It’s the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars, so I can’t wait to see what Elissa writes next!

Unfortunately, this fell a bit flat for me. When you add the nonexistent chemistry between our main characters, who are supposed to be romantically interested in each other, to the very, very boring plot of this book….it feels more like a chore to read instead of something enjoyable that you look forward to. Very disappointing because this was a very anticipated read for me as Funny You Should Ask was high on my favorites list last year!

You can’t love ‘em all though and I will continue to look forward to the authors future releases!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGally for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was blown away by how much I loved FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK earlier this year so I could not wait to get started with Elissa Sussman's sophomore novel. It did not disappoint and I loved every second of this book! ONCE MORE WITH FEELING is another second chance romance with famous person tropes except each person is a celebrity here. I think the celebrity trope is becoming one of my favorite types of romance novels because its a life I don't know anything about and I find myself immersed in the world as much as the romance (similarly to how I feel about hockey romances I guess?). Plus add Broadway and I was SOLD! I love Elissa Sussman so much and she is now an auto-buy author to me. I am captivated and entranced in her books while reading and what else could you ask for in a book?

Huge thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced copy. This is out TODAY and I would highly recommend for a beach/pool/general summer evening book as it is such a quick and compulsive read.

I am a sucker for a good celebrity romance, but this one was better than I could have imagined. Second chance romances can be done so well, and this one was so incredible. The characters and their struggles the first time around made me root for a reconciliation, not think that they broke up for a reason (which is a problem I think second chances sometimes fall prey to).

Kathleen and Caleb had amazing chemistry, and their lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers arc was so enjoyable to watch. I especially loved Kathleen's growth, from her time as a pop star to also still finding herself as an adult. One of my favorite moments was her no longer accepting that she made mistakes so it meant she wasn't allowed good things in her life. I think this is a life lessons many of us would benefit from learning.

Sussman has become an instant read for me, I can't wait for more!

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

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: May 30, 2023

Formulaically similar to Sussman’s last hit, this one swept me away just as fast. A solid dual timeline second chance romance with MCs in their 30s—the flashbacks in this slowly reveal answers to many questions we have. I enjoyed this, but the pining for decades seemed a bit of a stretch.

CW: There is quite a bit of text regarding her weight, dieting, body image, and abusive behavior toward her from when she was a teen pop star (from management, instructors, her ex, etc. Yes, all these things happened regularly in the 90s/00s but I wish more time was spent addressing the issues of that narrative instead of perpetuating them.

Ugh, I *want* to like Elissa Sussman’s books so much more than I actually do. This is the second book of hers I’ve read, and the complaints I had previously only got worse for me this time around. She writes books with really interesting pop culture-inspired premises that seem like they should be right up my alley but they end up just feeling derivative rather than a fresh take. This is a pretty obvious “Britney cheated on Justin” redux, with a theater camp first love thrown in, and the Britney stand-in returning to both her theater roots and that relationship later in life. I enjoyed the NYC theater nerd references (like a group outing to Marie’s Crisis one night), but the writing just fell completely flat for me. Sussman does a lot of telling and very little showing, from the way she describes the allegedly undeniable chemistry between the leads to just minor moments that could have been fleshed out into fun details but just never are (like the embarrassing college stories the love interest’s friend threatens to divulge and then we just fast forward past anything potentially interesting).

I was really excited to get this book after recently just finishing Funny You Should Ask. At the beginning of this one, I got major Britney/NSYNC vibes, and I kind of loved it. I haven’t caught up on all the drama between JT and Britney, so this nostalgia wasn’t tainted for me.

I liked all of the theater parts of this story, it makes me want to go and see a show. Especially learning about all of the effort that goes into it. I know they are huge productions, but I’ve never looked into what the process is like from beginning to end, so this was a nice lesson on that.

I liked all the characters in this story ~enough~ I just thought they were all kind of flawed and mean to each other. I accepted their flaws because I imagine the things they went through in life shaped them into the humans they are, and I can imagine it being an accurate reflection of how celebrities are. I liked the different flashbacks throughout the story and seeing the same characters at different stages of their life.

I absolutely loved this book!

The story follows Kathleen Rosenberg also known as Katee Rose. She once was one of the biggest pop singers in the world. During this time she was touring the world with a boy band called CrushZone. She started dating Ryan from the band but she fell hard for another band member, Cal. She knew Cal already from camp when they were younger.

In the present time, Kathleen’s best friend asks her to be the lead role in her Broadway debut play. Turns out That Cal is also helping choreograph the play. You will notice the chemistry that Cal and Kathleen have grow throughout the book. Both characters have made such growth from the past to the present.

It goes back and forth between the past and present timelines. It does a great job of that.

This was such a fun book. I could not put it down. You will get easily invested in the play and the lives of Cal and Kathleen. This is a perfect second-chance love story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m realizing that I’m very into the “second chance romance” trope, and this book fits the bill to a T. Cal and Kathleen’s story felt so genuine and real (yes, despite the glam and broadway production). Sussman does such a good job comparing and contrasting the past to the present, while still keeping the present at the forefront. This was such a fun, quick, and easy read! I’d definitely add it to your list of summer beach reads.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending me an ARC!

I enjoyed Funny You Should Ask so I was super excited to jump into Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman.

This book was so creative and highly engaging.
I was completely absorbed by the characters.
The storyline for each character flowed so naturally.
I loved the writing style and the voices of the two main characters. Cal and Kathleen were fun, engaging and so entertaining.
Elissa Sussman’s writing is crisp and fun, the characters are fully engaging, and the story is delightful.
A phenomenal second chance romance with friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers trope you can’t help but root for these two the entire time.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine & Dell for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Friends to lovers...enemies to lovers...second chance...forced proximity. Need I say more?

I love Elissa Sussman and loved Funny You Should Ask so I had pretty high expectations going in and I was not disappointed. The characters in this book were lovable, had great banter and great chemistry.

The plot was great and the story kept me entertained the entire time. Overall I loved it!!

I dropped everything I was reading to start Once More with Feeling. The first reviews/marketing for this book that I saw was “for the ones who always believed in Britney” and I knew it was a must read.

It was entertaining, fast-paced, and an overall easy read.

Kathleen felt like your favorite hot mess friend who you wanted the best for no matter what and you hoped they finally found their footing. I can also see how the comparison to Britney Spears was made.

The one critique that I truly have is that the novel felt unrealistic at times. The novel focuses solely on Kathleen so I felt like I, as a reader, missed out on so much of the story because Kathleen is such an unreliable narrator. It creates a small disconnect between the reader and the world we’re trying to immerse ourselves in.

Despite that, I really did enjoy this novel. I think it was a great follow-up to Funny You Should Ask. Sussman created characters you wanted to root for and a world where I could have loved Katee Rose as a teen. I would highly recommend this to people who love Britney Spears, boy bands, and celebrity relationships.

Thank you so much to Elissa Sussman, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for providing an ARC for me to review.