Elissa Sussman has done it again! I loved her first book and this one does not disappoint. This is a perfect second-chance romance with compelling characters, a great story, and swoony romance. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a good cozy read.

Review: Once More With Feeling
Author: Elissa Sussman

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ 3/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

I loved the first book in this “kind of”series by Elissa Sussman, Funny you should ask.
It was unique and it totally sucked me in. And I loved the characters. Even though I read it a year ago-I can still remember Gabe and Chani.

Sadly, I can tell I’m not going to feel the same way about Cal & Kathleen. There were moments of their story that were sweet, and I did find myself fairly engaged with the book about 80% of the time.
But the multiple timelines that had late reveals of their relationship made it difficult to root for them in the present and to understand & feel their chemistry.

I also felt annoyed that there was so much skipped in the telling of the broadway show. We heard all about the characters anxieties leading up to the first broadway show, or the workshops and then it would just skip ahead?
I didn’t get that.

I do love Elissa’s style and will for sure pick up her next novel. But this one just wasn’t my jam.

I do have to say- the cover is *chefs kiss* perfection. ✨

This was such a fun read that sucked me in quickly! I read it over about a day and half and even though I didn’t love certain aspects of it, I couldn’t put it down!

I really enjoyed the plot of an old pop star getting a second chance in a musical. I am a sucker for an inside look at celebrity anything and this was a fun look behind the curtain. The book alternated between present day and 10 years prior with a few chapters based at a camp during high school as well. I would have liked more “then” chapters intertwined with the “now” chapters earlier in the book so I could get a better idea of why Kathleen is so angry with Cal. It was hard at times to empathize with Kathleen when she came off as very immature. A more developed backstory could have helped this aspect of the story.

I really enjoy the writer’s writing style and how fast paced the book was. I felt like the book could have been executed a bit better-I would have loved some chapters with Cal’s POV. I felt that he was a bit underdeveloped for the love interest in a story and would have liked a bit more on him.

Overall, it was a delight and I will for sure be picking up her next book!

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I had two authors redeem themselves to me this month! Once More with Feeling gave a better story and more interesting characters this time around. Unlike Funny You Should Ask, the second chance romance was believable because the characters actually knew each other and could return to an already established foundation.

This book has many elements that sound absolutely wonderful. Childhood friends with a rollercoaster relationship spanning decades. Theater kids finding their dreams. Drama and friendship. Lightly steamy romance.

It’s biggest downfall is the characters, which I hate to say. Kathleen is fairly unlikable, and I would have liked to see a lot more growth from her. Cal is…fine. Bland?

Out of the two E.S books I have now read, FYSA worked better for me.

3.75⭐️

This felt like a standard romance to me. I’ve learned that for my personal taste in romance, I need to really get to know the characters, and I didn’t feel like that happened for me with this one. I think the flashbacks helped, but even with them, I never truly felt the connection and the chemistry between the two main characters, nor did the stakes seem high enough. We’re told that Kathleen lost everything but it never felt like the consequences were truly shown. Most of the characters felt flat, including Cal, who I think could have been an interesting character had the author delved more deeply into who he is.

I always love a second chance romance, especially one with a celebrity angle to it, but I had higher hopes for Once More with Feeling after loving Elissa’s debut adult book. It’s a fun read and there was a lot I enjoyed, but I also wanted much more out of the story than what you are given. I also think this book could’ve benefited from dual
POV, I think it would’ve helped the story and me wanting to root for Cal if we had his perspective.

Thank you Elissa for the Jewish representation, always love to see it in books!

3.75 stars

Okay, I liked this book more than Funny You Should Ask. I felt so much more connected with Kathleen and I felt like she had more of a sure voice. I am a sucker for a second chance romance, so I enjoyed this one. Cal was a sweetheart, and the ending was sweet. And I love that this story was also centered around a broadway musical!

3.5 stars

What I Liked:
-Musical theater references
-NYC/Westchester/Curtain call setting (all familiar to me)
-Now & then timeline

What I Didn't Like:
-The pacing toward the end felt rushed
-Kathleen was pretty immature
-Wasn't as emotionally invested in the romance

I have been so excited for this book to come out and just about peed myself to be approved for an ARC. Funny You Should Ask was such a fun read and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the day I could get my hands on Sussman’s next book. I really enjoy the way she is able to delve deep into the celebrity experience and show multiple sides of show business, personal life, success and loss, and of course, love.

Kathleen Rosenberg, once better known as Katee Rose, has dazzled audiences for years as a world famous pop star with bigger dreams to one day make it to broadway. In her early years of fame, she is romantically connected to Ryan LaNeve, singer in a well loved boy band, CrushZone. One day their relationship publicly explodes after cheating scandals are exposed, tanking her career along with her best friend and song writer, Harriet Watson. The story goes back and forth between then and now, giving us a peak into how things literally went down, and how Kathleen is still trying to make it to broadway. She gets her big break but the only kicker is that the director of this new show is none other than Calvin Tyler Kirby, the man she cheated with. This second chance romance will have you smiling, possibly yelling at your book, and even tearing up a bit.

Elissa Sussman does what she does best in 'Once More with Feeling', delivering us a beautiful second-chance-romance novel. She seems to have a formula, and honestly, it works well! She ties together two of my favorite tropes of the previously mentioned second chance romance, and enemies to lovers in her new novel, and one I think readers will truly enjoy. The story follows Katee Rose, a pop star caught in a whirlwind of fame and tangled relationships. When a life-altering event separates her from her boyfriend and her career, years later she reunites with Cal, a former CrushZone band member, in a Broadway show. Sussman's evocative writing and alternating timelines bring depth to the characters and their journey of forgiveness and self-discovery. While the plot may have a few predictable moments, the exploration of emotions and the power of second chances make "Once More with Feeling" a compelling and satisfying read.

Another famous person romance from Elissa Sussman? YES PLEASE!

I loved last year's Funny You Should Ask, and was so excited for Once More with Feeling, Sussman's new romance in the musical theater world. While not quite as funny/banter-y as FYSA, this is a really solid summer romance read, particularly for musical theater fans. While I don't know a ton about it, I can tell that if you are a mega fan, then you would love all of the references.

The only part that I didn't love were the flashbacks to the summer camp, but those scenes were very minor relative to the rest of the story.

4.5 stars rounded up!

Elissa Sussman is now a must read author for me. I adored ONCE MORE WITH FEELING. There is agnst, there is coming-of-age drama and growth, and there is a *spark* between two complex characters. My only complaint is the bickering between the characters at first. I don't love when a character is stubborn to an unreasonable fault. I found it childish and it made me cringe to read. Other than that slight complaint, I have nothing but love for this book and I anxiously await another romance from Sussman.

Elissa Sussman’s second novel is a knockout if I’ve ever seen one. This book is for the theatre kids, the boy band lovers, and anyone with a dream that’s bigger than themselves. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. But most importantly, you’ll fall in love with Kathleen and Cal. Everything about this book from the cover to the title to the very premise is perfection. I was obsessed with Sussman’s first novel, if it’s possible I love this one even more.

This was my first experience with Elissa Sussman's books but this definitely will not be my last! I devoured this book and loved it a lot. A lot of the elements of it just worked for me.

In this book we are getting a second chance romance between Kathleen, former pop star, who cheated on her boy band boyfriend years ago with Cal, a different member of said boy band. And now years later Cal has recruited Kathleen to star in a new Broadway musical. This story gives us both storylines showing up what happened in the past between Kathleen and her ex boyfriend Ryan and how that relationship went down in smoke and how Cal is tied into it. And then we get the present day timeline of Cal and Kathleen's contentious rekindling of their relationship.

I thought both storylines were done very well. They each had me equally on the edge of my seat turning pages to see how things were going to resolve. The stories were friends to lovers and then enemies to lovers and Sussman nailed the tension for both of those tropes very well.

I also loved the back drop of the Broadway musical. I'm a sucker for musicals and this one sounded like it would have been a really fun show and I wish it was an actual show and not just in this book.

I will warn there is an incident of cheating in the book (which is pretty evident in the blurb so this isn't a spoiler) so if you have a hard line against reading cheating in books I would warn you off of this one.

I absolutely adored Funny You Should Ask so this book was one of my most anticipated of the year and it absolutely did not disappoint! Loved these characters, loved the second chance element, and the musical theater!! Elissa Susssman keeps producing hit after hit and I can't wait to see what's next!!!

Wonderful follow up novel, heartfelt and captivating story!

If book 1 was inspired off the Chris Evans interview, this one gives me inspiration of Britney/JT relationship with Pam's return to showbiz on Broadway and I'm here for it.

This story give you childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance, showbiz romance and heartbreak, and characters finding/redefying themselves and their careers again in adulthood. There a few different timeline and interconnected stories following our lovers Kathleen and Cal, plus Kathleen's bestie. This drama filled book is faced paced while being heart warming and heart wrenching. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

46. Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman

3.75/5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 4)

I was excited to get my hands on this ARC because I really enjoyed Sussman’s previous book, “Funny You Should Ask.” This book follows washed up pop star Kathleen and her opportunity for a second career as a Broadway lead, her dream since she was a kid. The only problem? Her ex-lover is set to direct the musical and being close to him is something she despises. Will she be able to hold it together while everything she desires is on the line?

This is the book for all you musical theater lovers, anyone who loves boy bands, or anyone who loves the “second shot at first love” trope. I enjoyed Sussman’s writing in the last book, and enjoyed this writing as well! Kathleen was a fun protagonist to root for, even though she seemed a little crazy and a little bit of a diva. Cal seemed like the perfect hunk, down to earth, but also humble and genuinely talented. As someone myself who played in the pit orchestra in high school, I loved reading about the ins and outs of putting together a Broadway musical.

I also liked how the book was formatted. The story jumped from the past (Kathleen’s teenage years and pop stardom) to the current musical she’s working on. While the story developed in real time, we got glimpses into her past with Cal that tie the story together. It made sense and continued to unravel the romantic attraction ✨💖

TBH I’m really sad that the faux musical that is the subject of the book isn’t real. I would DIE to see a musical focused all around Rosie the Riveter! I think just about anyone would enjoy this book with likable characters and a unique setting. Pick this book up for your beach trip this summer when it publishes on May 30!

Special thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this Advanced Readers Copy!

Book : Once More With Feeling
Author : Elissa Sussman
Release Date : 30 May 2023

Thank you Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group — Ballantine and the author of this book for an opportunity to review this ARC.

This book cover is fresh. I not only love this cover but I also love this story! This is a celebrity second chance love story. This book held the attention the entire way though and was such a fun read. I also appreciate a good book with dual POV. This book gives you that.

There is nothing bad I can say about this book at all. Great characters, strong story line that keeps you reading along to figure out how it is going to end. I gobbled it up like I did with funny you should ask by this author as well. I have already been telling my book girlfriends to watch for this fun read.

If you love :
Celebrity MC’s
Broadway shows/references
Second Chance Romance
Childhood Romance
Dual POV
This book will be for you!

One of my favorite books of 2023.I can’t wait to read more from this extremely talented author!!!

Race and put this on your TBR NOW!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House and Elissa Sussman for the ARC! This once comes out in a couple weeks on May 30th!

REVIEW: Once More with Feeling

Author: Elissa Sussman
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle Advanced Copy
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Summary:

Katee Rose was living her dream as America’s number 1 pop star and dating boy band superstar, Ryan LeNeve. She loves to perform, but she finds herself hating the demands of stardom, which may be why she finds herself in the arms of Ryan’s band mate, Cal Kirby. It only takes that one night with Cal to cause her entire career to implode.

Years later, Katee Rose is gone and Kathleen Rosenberg had become okay with her now ordinary existence. That is, until Cal Kirby resurfaces with an opportunity that Kathleen has always dreamed of - being on Broadway. Can she overcome her hate of Cal and how he led to the end of her career in order to fulfill her dream of performing?

Review:

I read “Funny You Should Ask” earlier this year and really enjoyed it, so I was so excited to get to read Elissa Sussman’s newest work!

This was a very cute rom-com, with a “friends to lovers” meets “enemies to lovers” trope. I flew through the story, but the reason I didn’t give it a higher rating was that the characters didn’t feel very flushed out. I found myself confused by how easily they overcame conflict and also how quickly they became angry with each other.

It was definitely a fun book and would be a good one to pick up this summer!