Told in alternating timelines we follow Cal and Kathleen two previous teen idols, one of whose star burned out in spectacular fashion. They haven’t spoken for years, feeling both angry and betrayed by the other, all until they’re forced to work alongside together in a play that has the potential to reignite their careers. Their professionalism is tested as these old flames try to balance an unspoken and tumultuous past with their twin desires to make their dreams a reality.

OMWF was throughly enjoyable, but lacked the punch I hoped for after Funny You Should Ask. Though that said, Once More With Feeling captured me — I couldn’t put it down, was emotionally invested, and had such a blast reading it.

This might be for you if you:
🎭 Were a theater kid
🎭 Love second chance romances
🎭 Enemies to lovers meets friends to lovers

𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳-𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: (themes discussed but not direct plot points)

While Sussman’s writing propelled the story at the pace of a brisk allegro, I felt let down by the characters. I wanted more of their quirks, their idiosyncrasies, their insecurities. The thing that did work with the characters was how flawed they were — it made their lack of depth pretty forgivable from a reading perspective. They made mistakes, reaped the consequences and made new mistakes — they were people, and for that they felt pretty realistic. I just wanted more background. I wanted to relate to them.

I kept waiting for the commentary on misogyny and double standards in the entertainment industry to make a big splash in the story, but it was more or less an observation. It had the makings of a rising action, but never resulted in a meaningful dénouement. It was missed opportunity / underdeveloped idea.

It was 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, but still so good and ultimately I’d still recommend this book.

I’d be remiss not to mention that I might’ve gone in with sky high expectations. FYSA resonated deeply with me, and I’d hoped for a repeat experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

ℝ𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝟝-𝟛𝟘-𝟚𝟛

This book is like a love letter to my past! Theater summer camp, celebrity romance, childhood friends, enemies to lovers, second change slow burn romance, and workplace romance! Look at these tropes!

My favorite part of this story was the friendship between Kathleen and Harriet; forged in adolescent and transcending the peaks and low points of fame to a redeeming debut on broadway.
I don't typically love second chance romance, but this one was executed really well with a good redemption arc and sufficient character growth. I loved the past pop star and boy band references in addition to all of the musical theater references in the current timeline. The audiobook was fun, fresh, and engaging and I plan to go back and read the first book by this author.

I'm loving this author's books! I really enjoyed Funny You Should Ask and I'm so happy to say that Once More with Feeling lived up to the expectations that book set. I'm definitely getting ready to add her to my auto-buy romance list. She's so reliable when it comes to the second chance romance and celebrity/fame tropes. That kind of familiarity is so nice and definitely reminds me of how Ali Hazelwood uses a kind of formula for all of her books. It works every time without feeling repetitive.
Kathleen and Cal's story felt really genuine and heartwarming. They were both flawed characters but it was also easy to root for them. They had both been through so much and were really trying to grow from their past mistakes.
This was well-written and I loved the childhood friends aspect that was also woven with enemies to lovers.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I’m usually not one for reading second chance romances but this one was so good. It was a fun quick read with Jewish representing and some Yiddish sprinkled in there.
Drama camp nerds to international celebrities to broadway director and star. This book tells the story of Kathleen who was once an international pop star who ended ostracized out of the spotlight after a scandal. She now has the chance to be on broadway and has to overcome the hurdles of working with her former camp sweetheart who was there when everything imploded. This book explores the fragility of fame and the dreams people have and the sacrifices they make to get there or to get somewhere similar.
I really enjoyed this book. Cal was adorable and definitely book boyfriend material. I love musicals and this book gave me a glimpse into that world.
The authors note at the end about it being a love letter to broadway and musicals which Elissa Sussman, and myself, will never be a part of but will still be a huge supporter and fan.

*Thank you netgalley and random house publishing for pricing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so so excited about getting approved of this! I adored Funny You Should Ask by this author.

I think my favorite part of this book was the theatre camp vibes. It gave me all the nostalgia. It reminded me of Here for the Drama which I also really enjoyed.

I was worried about the premise because I know it's based on Britney and Justin. Our hero isn't Justin, but he still wasn't great tbh when it comes to the past. He was complicit in the fallout of Kathleen's career and I didn't want to root for them as a couple.

But I do think the slow burn was very sincere. I really liked letting them learn and bring their guards down. Would I have loved more groveling from Cal? 100%, but he did have a good learning arc and I can appreciate that.

Overall, I really have loved this author and look forward to what they'll come up with next.

5/5

ABSOLUTELY FRIGGEN ADORED THIS BOOK! Could NOT put it down! I love Elissa's books. The fact that this is a celeb romance but with Broadway absolutely send me over the edge. A second chance romance?! GOODBYE. Addicting. Perfectly executed.

This was cute -- I was expecting so much from this author's debut and was slightly disappointed with that book that I wasn't sure what to expect with this one but I enjoyed it! You will especially love it if you are a musical theater fan (I'm not) but it still was a great second chance romance. Enemies to lovers is also very hard to pull off and that wasn't my favorite part of this book but I could see it really working for others. Definitely a good beach read!

Once More With Feeling comes out next week on May 30, 2023 and you can purchase HERE.

Last night I'd stared at myself in the mirror for a good hour, looking for Katee Rose. Because I knew that's what everyone else would be doing.

Katee Rose had been beautiful and perfect and manufactured. Until she wasn't Then she'd been sad, sloppy, and embarrassing.

The woman in the mirror last night had wrinkles and sun damage, and, of fucking course, a zit on her chin.
Kathleen Rosenberg was imperfect. She was fine. She was alive.

Wow, what a fun read! It’s cute and lighthearted but also pulls a little on the heart strings. Although I never really did theatre, I could still relate as someone who has danced her whole life. It made the book feel a little bit nostalgic! I even liked it a little bit more than Funny You Should Ask! I found the characters a little more relatable, lovable, and memorable.

Things I liked:
•Dual timeline
•Second chance romance
•Workplace romance
•Enemies to lovers
•Celebrity romance
•Kathleen’s friendship with Harriet
•Cal because he is just the sweetest…and has incredible patience
•Short chapters!!!!

Things I wish were a little different:
I feel like it ended a little quickly. I would’ve liked to see one more chapter of Kathleen and Cal happy together!

As a big fan of Sussman's adult debut, Funny You Should Ask, I was thrilled to read this. While the cover and the premise drew me in, I ultimately felt let down by the characters and plot.

Katee Rose used to be a huge pop star who was dating a member of a huge boy band, Ryan. Thrown into stardom, Katee gets closer to another member of the boy band, Cal, blowing up her relationship with Ryan. Flash foward, Katee Rose is Kathleen Rosenberg, a woman living an ordinary life after falling from pop stardom because of her past relationship with Cal. Cal is now directing the Broadway show of her dreams, and he asks her to be the star. Because of their past, Kathleen and Cal keep their guards up, but with long hours of rehearsal will their reunion lead to something more?

I was drawn in by the first couple chapters, but I grew bored very quickly. The characters felt so flat, and even though there was some "chemistry" written on the pages, I felt absolutely none of it. I needed more romance, more chemistry, and more character description and development. I am still a fan of Elissa Sussman but unfortunately this one felt like a bit of a chore to read.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, for this ARC of Once More With Feeling.

Years after a cheating-scandal that put an end to her blossoming career as a pop-star, Kathleen Rosenberg’s dreams of becoming a Broadway star are just within reach. When Kathleen discovers that Cal, an ex-member of her ex-boyfriend’s old boy band, and the man she cheated on her boyfriend with, is set to direct and choreograph the musical she’s starring in, she must grapple with the past and manage her feelings for him. The show goes on, and the past mingles with the present asKathleen and Cal grow closer, and ultimately overcome all obstacles to be together.

The time jumps in this book allowed for a complex, intriguing manner of storytelling, and made this read a quick one. However, while the concept and descriptions of this book promised a rich, developed world in an intriguing setting, it did not deliver. The characters are incredibly shallow, and their desires are surface-level. The plot does not hold, throughout, and falls flat at times of drama and conflict.

The relationships in this book, namely those between Kathleen, Cal and Harriet, fall flat, as the conflict between them lacks depth, and holds no real meaning. I was left wondering why any of these people even interact, as the relationships feel very one-sided, Kathleen being the main perpetrator of love in every relationship she has. As a protagonist, Kathleen constantly tells us how authoritative and stubborn she is, but is more-often-than-not passive and reliant on others for decision making. Her lack of agency and the constant miscommunication between characters is disappointing, and made the plot move confusingly and haltingly.

The messiness of Funny You Should Ask compels readers in a way that shines a light on the authenticity and realness of the characters and the writing, and that was missing in Once More With Feeling.

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance.

SUMMARY
Kathleen - formerly pop star Katee Rose - is set to make her comeback to the stage in a musical written by her best friend and directed by her former flame and fellow pop star Cal. Katee Rose fell from the spotlight in a disgraceful way when she and Cal were exposed as having a romantic relationship and Katee was cheating on her of her pop star and national sweetheart of a boyfriend and Cal's band mate, Ryan. Needless to say, Kathleen does not have fond memories of Cal and their fall out, but she finds the will power to muster through to act her heart out in her friend's musical in the part written just for her. However, the chemistry between Cal & Kathleen is undeniable as their professional relationship and personal relationship is reborn.

THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed this! It was fast paced, funny, sexy, and kept my interest throughout. I wish there was more built into the backstory sections. I wanted to know more about Katee Rose's decline and felt that was lacking. I loved the secondary characters.

I am definitely recommending this one!

Thanks NetGalley & publisher for the ARC!

If you are a fan of musical theater and early 2000s pop singers and boy bands, you will love this book. It is very Britney x Justin scandal coded. This was a quick read but filled with drama, angst, romantic tension, and even more drama. I am such a fan of how Elissa uses a dual timeline to navigate the story and let us discover what went wrong and what went right as these two friends to lovers become enemies to lovers. I definitely recommend this book!

Thank you Elissa, Dell, and NetGalley for sending me an ARC for an honest review!

In 2022, Elissa's previous release, Funny You Should Ask, made for one of my favorite reads of the entire year! Because of this, I screamed with excitement at the opportunity to read an early copy of Once More with Feeling, a second-chance romance between two former pop stars that had scandal ruin their blossoming careers.

A decade after Kathleen and Cal made news with an affair, their paths cross again to work on a possible Broadway production. With Cal directing and Kathleen the leading lady, the success of their show will rely heavily on whether or not they can overcome their lingering resentments and tangled history. Three timelines provide the reader insight into the pair's past — the highs, the lows, the love, the loss.

Overall, OMWF was a fast-paced book that I wished had leaned into the celebrity romance more, but still thoroughly entertained. It wasn't long before I was pulled into the action and chemistry between Cal and Kathleen, their lives having been intertwined for decades, for better or worse. And since this was a case of "he falls first", Cal's adoration for Kathleen, once Katee, was so evident. During moments where they finally submitted to the feelings that simmered beneath the surface, his longing and desperation couldn't be ignored. Additionally, and this is a bit of a strange mention but bear with me, as someone who doesn't enjoy when characters sing to each other, I didn't experience even a moment of that anticipated secondhand embarrassment given the whole premise centers around song and dance. Major kudos to Elissa for that!

However, some elements didn't totally work for me. The most memorable being that the late conflict was poorly executed. Considering Cal and Kathleen met as teenagers, as young aspiring entertainers, I hoped to see more growth and communication from the pair in the third act of their dynamic. After experiencing fame together and subsequently losing it, I hoped to see them commit to doing better in the future. As a reader, that would have gone a long way to convince me that their relationship with stand the test of time.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Elissa Sussman for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect read for those looking to escape reality and delve into a world of nostalgic celebrity drama. Sussman did an excellent job of using three interwoven timelines to reveal small plot twists, exceeding expectations set by Funny You Should Ask. Absolutely delightful! Will be loyally reading Sussman for years to come.


A sincere thank you to Random House Publishing / Dell and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.25 ★

I really enjoyed this! Compared to Funny You Should Ask, Once More with Feeling felt more comprehensive and elevated. I was instantly hooked on Kathleen & Cal's story, and the dual timeline helped you piece together their extensive history alongside their rekindled relationship. I think Elissa Sussman EXCELS at writing flawed characters and really allows the reader to see all the ways in which they had changed from when they were swooped into fame and how they navigated themselves post-scandal. The complex relationships Kathleen and Cal held and the relationship between Kathleen and her best friend Harriett felt so realistic and I honestly could've read so much more about them. I was so intrigued from start to finish and adored the humor and theater references sprinkled throughout.

If you liked Funny You Should Ask, I think you will like this one even more! Sussman's writing has evolved in such a beautiful way that made for such a wonderful second-chance story!

This was such a fun book to read. I loved the Broadway show setting. It’s told from a then and now POV. Kathleen is a former pop star and Cal was in a boy band. The multiple timelines put all the pieces together on why they broke up. I enjoyed reading about what it’s really like to be in the pop music industry and work in theater. I liked the characters and seeing their growth throughout the story. This was such an entertaining, funny, and quick read! There is drama, tension and I was silently rooting for Kathleen and Cal the entire time.

I wish they wrote this book 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.

We start off with a tabloid headlining Katee Rose's epic break-up more than ten years in the past. Cut to the present, Kathleen Rosenberg has been casted as the lead for a Broadway show alongside Cal - the director and her old flame. But as the couple are given a second chance, their mistakes of the past still haunts them.

- ~ -

To be fair, it's not a bad book.
Just very immature?

I'd accept half the stuff that went down if it was for the greater good considering the current situation then but it was mainly due to dumb decisions.

Don't get me wrong, the plot has potential but the execution was all shades of wrong. It only led to the characters being drawn in a negative light when they could've created a more emotional impact.

On the bright side, though, I liked Kathleen and Cal's banter and confessions. Their energy was easy going and I liked Fish - Kathleen's cat.

- ~ -

3.71 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Kathleen and Cal- a second chance, friends to enemies to friends to lovers story with music! They met for the first time at summer camp and then not again until Kathleen was Katee Rose, the singer in a hot band featuring her boyfriend Ryan and.....Cal. These three, hmm. The whole thing implodes and they part but then, when Kathleen's friend Harriett writes a Broadway musical that's meant to be her second chance at a career, he turns out to be the director. And now it's a second chance at love. This isn't deep, it's trope-y, but it's also fun. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Perfect for beach or travel reading.

I loved Funny You Should Ask so I was really excited to read this new book by Elissa Sussman -- and it was very engaging and fast paced.

Kathleen and Cal have a history - we know something happened in their past that broke up her relationship with Cal's bandmate and also caused her and Cal to not speak for over 10 years. Kathleen's best friend has written a musical she wants Kathleen to star in, but Cal is going to direct - which means they need to put aside the past to work together.

There is clearly tension between the two of them from the start -- and it kept me very intrigued and wanting to know what would happen next.

I had a little trouble relating to Kathleen and her motivations -- I found a lot of things she did very frustrating, but overall I was rooting for her and wanted her to work it out with Cal, as well as her best friend Harriet.

I loved the split narrative between the present day and what happened in the past -- it was nice to understand what Kathleen and Cal were feeling based on how everything had played out between them.

I'm definitely an Elisa Sussman super fan and look forward to reading whatever she writes in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this novel.

I DNFed this one pretty quickly because of the writing style. I've noticed that I can no longer deal with books (especially romances, for some reason) that have these short, choppy sentences and feel like the inner monologue of a character who just thinks in two or three words at a time. Another example of this is Katherine Center's book The Bodyguard, which made me question whether I had ever really liked her books. I didn't like Sussman's first book very much either, so I feel like I should quit while I'm ahead.