This book felt so familiar and was definitely easy to read. After reading Elissa Sussman's other novel, I was excited to be approved for this one. I was not disappointed, except for the fact that I didn't want the book to end and of course it had the audacity to be over!

As someone who grew up a talentless music theatre geek, I greatly appreciated this. Especially when I read the acknowledgements and found that Elissa Sussman could relate, LOL. I enjoyed this one! The writing was great and exactly what I expected after loving her 2022 book Funny You Should Ask. I just feel justice wasn’t served and the love interest pissed me off with how he handled things in the past timeline. But I found Kathleen to be a relatable main character, even if she was a bit unlikable at times. Even though I was like 7 years old, I STILL remember the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards and was a diehard Britney Spears and NYSNC fan (look, I know Backstreet Boys are better but NYSNC was hotter ok). So this book being a bit inspired by Britney and Justin was super nostalgic for me. Honestly, just a really fun read. I can’t wait to read what she writes next!

Elissa Sussman has become an auto-buy author for me! I LOVED the Jewish representation, which was integrated seamlessly into the story. You could feel the angst and sexual tension between Kathleen and Cal. The plot line was realistic and made for an overall very enjoyable book!

Sussman's novel "Once More With Feeling" was a complicated read, The novel has a lot of heart and allows the reader to follow dynamic characters that are complex, cringy, quirky and unlikable at most times. However, there is an understanding of why the main three characters are acting the way they do and you see their struggle to break previous habits. I think she did a great job of explaining a lot of intense and intricate backstory that happened over a large period of time.

While it still bounces back and forth from past to present, it does so without the whiplash that "Funny You Should Ask" gave readers. While this book is a definite improvement on the former's formula, I think that some of the pop culture moments that she is taking inspiration from are too familiar in the cultural zeitgeist for readers to suspend belief.

Rating: 4/5
Warnings: cheating (in flashbacks), slut-shaming
Steam: 2/5
Tropes: second chance romance, celebrity romance, frenemies to lovers

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had high hopes for Sussman’s sophomore novel. Funny You Should Ask was an amazing debut and I was so excited to get my hands on this one. It’s a mixture of I really liked this one and I still feel like there were a bunch of holes in the story. The dual timeline was really well done, I loved seeing so many aspects of their past and how they knew each other.

Things I loved: great banter, perfect for theater nerds. boy band/pop star dynamic. the dual timelines. Kathleen, while frustrating at times, was also super relatable. Cal was a great hero and balanced Kathleen out well. I appreciate the calming approach he took in his work and relationships.

Things I didn’t care for: Kathleen had a lot of growing up to do, and we did not get to see true character development. Kathleen and Harriet’s relationship had some tension points. wish I would have gotten Cal’s pov. jewish rep was well done. I wish there were more interactions with other characters, it feels like we had some repetitive story plot points between the two. Cheating…and the justification

At the end of the day, maybe I would have loved this more if I was invested in the nostalgia of Britney and JT.

Everything about this book just worked for me!!!

Synopsis: Kathleen and Cal first met one summer at a performing arts summer camp. Then fate brought them together once again when Cal’s band became the opening act for Kathleen’s tour. Despite their chemistry, timing was never right, especially because Kathleen was dating another band member at the time… who eventually blew up her entire singing career. In the present, it’s ten years later and Kathleen is finally getting her second chance by starring as the lead in a new Broadway show written by her best friend. However, when she finds out Cal is the director, she finds it hard to let go of the resentment she has towards him, though at the same time cannot help the attraction resurfacing.

Thoughts: I am a HUGE fan of celebrity romances and this one was done so well. I loved the mix between teenage pop star, boy band and broadway and all the pop culture references. The second chance love story was filled with so much heart. Yes, Kathleen was definitely a flawed main character, and you will have some mixed emotions during her irrational moments, but I could not help but route for her in all aspects of her life- friendship, romantic relationship and career. And Cal was a great love interest/ hero. Even though we did not hear from his perspective, I felt like I got to know his character well, and I love when he took control. I also thought Elissa did a great job weaving together the past and present timelines, which I struggled more with in her debut.

Read if you like:
-Second chance romance
-Hollywood and broadway
-Frenemies to lovers
-Past/present timelines
-All the angst
-Slow burn build up

Thank you Random House for the ARC!!

We love a good second chance romance! I dont normally like second chance romance but this was good! I couldn't stop reading.

This is a read for all the theater lovers! The broadway references, the theater camp flashbacks, I loved Cal and Kathleen's story. Their enemies (but are they) to lovers, the glimpses of sweet moments between the two, their theater family friend group, and an inside look at opening a Broadway show....the story just works! Part the hating game, part roomies, with a sprinkle of love and other words, you can't help but root for Cal and Kathleen right from the get go!


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Second-chance romances are where it's at right now. Loving this author. The cover is eye popping and captivating. I think that this book will go places. Loved!

I’ve read Elissa Sussman’s previous work and I was impressed. So of course, I had to check this one out too. As someone that loves and adores second chance romance, I was extremely excited to see Sussman writing one again. I loved this a lot more than I expected to. It was amazing to see the characters slowly make their ways back into each others lives once again and explore the dynamics that they were newly subjected to in this.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review. Very light and enjoyable book, especially for fans of musical theater.

I was absolutely captivated by this book from the start. It was finished in less than 12 hours total with sleeping in the middle of that.

Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and this book did not disappoint on this front. Or any front.

When former pop stars Cal and Kathleen find themselves thrown back together after their previous actions had blown up Kathleen’s life, there is so hesitancy involved. However, as they start to work together in this new capacity, they realize how talented and how in love they are with each other.

I somewhat enjoyed reading Once More with Feeling, but I wouldn’t say it was my favorite book or a standout in its genre. It definitely took a while for me to get into the story. I also didn’t feel like the characters were developed that well, so by the end of the story I still felt like I didn’t know them that well, and considering it follows the same few people over three different timeliness that’s pretty strange. I’m just a sucker for a love story, so that’s the main reason I found it enjoyable. I would say I almost DNF’d it since it was taking so long to get going, but I stuck with it and honestly I don’t think I would’ve missed that much if I had decided to quit reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Full disclosure, contemporary romance has not historically been my favorite genre. I would often find myself thinking that the characters were paper thin, the romance unbelievable and the spice a little cringy. That was until I read FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK by @elissasussman, which changed my opinion about contemporary romance and opened my eyes to other books that are warm and funny and thoroughly enjoyable.

Such as her latest book, THIS TIME WITH FEELING:
“A former pop star finds herself back in the spotlight—along with an old flame from her past—in this friends-to-lovers meets enemies-to-lovers story from the bestselling author of Funny You Should Ask, the sensational TikTok romance!”

I devoured this second-chance romance in a day and a half, which was disappointing because it ended too soon. I wanted to spend more time with Kathleen Rosenberg and Cal Kirby and the story of their romance from then to now. First meeting as teenagers in theater camp with an undeniable spark, they cross paths again years later, when Kathleen has become superstar “Katee Rose” and Cal is the best dancer in the hot boy band CrushZone, in which Katee’s boyfriend, heartthrob, Ryan LaNeve, is also a member. With so much in common, including a giant attraction for each other, Katee and Cal can’t help falling for each other. But when the word gets out that she’s a cheater who has broken her popular boyfriend’s heart, the press and public opinion turn against her. The scandal ruins Katee Rose and ends her career. Years later, their paths cross again when she is set to play the lead in the stage musical written by her best friend Harriet and directed by none other than Cal Kirby. This show is meant to be her comeback and she’s not about to let her feelings of hurt and anger and mistrust for this man she once thought she cared about, but who left her high and dry when the shit hit the fan, get in her way. She is determined to show the world what she can do; Kathleen Rosenberg is even better than Katee Rose was!), but old feelings between her and Cal rear up and threaten the production.

The story toggles back and forth between then and now, and in each timeline, the drama intensifies as the couple hurdle towards each other and away. I was rooting for them the whole time!

This story is for you if you like musical theater, which this book is a love letter to. This book is also for you if you enjoy a fun and funny contemporary romance that won’t make you throw up in your mouth. Thank you to #NetGalley and #RandomHouse and #ElissaSussman for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. #OnceMorewithFeeling #NetGalley.

Ugh, this one was a bummer. I was expecting funny and whitiness just like funny you should ask. But I didn’t find that here. It’s hard to follow up a debut that does so well and goes viral on tiktok but this one let me down.

I am a huge fan of second chance romances and this was no exception. Fans of Sussman's Funny You Should Ask will also love Once More with Feeling. I read this book in one sitting and was absolutely captivated by Kathleen and Cal's story.

Sussman masterfully uses a dual timeline to give the reader the full backstory between Kathleen and Cal and you really feel for both characters throughout the story. Millennials who grew up on the Mickey Mouse club, Britney Spears and boy bands will love this story! It was also a really fun glimpse into the world of theatre and how Broadway shows come to life.

Thank you to Random House - Ballatine and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

I loved this book! Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed Funny You Should Ask, but honestly, I think this book was even better. I loved all the musical theatre references and the dual timeline. The book is so well-paced, and I could put it down. Finished it in <24 hours, which is rare for me! Will definitely be recommending this one and keeping an eye out for Elissa Sussman’s next book!

Elissa Sussman did it again, friends, to lovers, to enemies, to lovers? Sign me up!! As someone who enjoys a good second change romance I couldn't get enough of Cal's and Kathleen's banter, it had me giggling and kicking my feet throughout the whole story, I can't wait for this one to be out in the world.

What a delightful read! Great premise, great dual timeline, great dialogue, great subplots, great references. Nothing felt forced or unnecessary. An ode to theatre kids everywhere. Well done and worth a binge read!

This was a fun follow-up to last year's smash hit Funny You Should Ask. I loved the Broadway setting and the second chance love story. There were a few things that got a little repetitive, but I flew through this book and had a good time with it.

Kathleen Rosenberg (formerly known as Katee Rose) is a retired pop star. Her fall from pop royalty was epic and crushing, but she's ready to put herself back out there with a Broadway production written by her best friend. The only issue is that it is also directed by her former love who let her go down in flames by herself. Can they make it through this play without killing each other? Will sparks fly again and will they be able to sustain a relationship this time?

This story was told in two parts, similar to Sussman's previous book. She really does a great job with building tension in the present and finding out what happened in the past. Kathleen was a bit of a diva, but definitely in a fun, semi-awkward way. I loved her comeback story! Cal was sweet, but I could have used a bit more groveling for his past actions. I'm vicious that way. They both felt like likable, sometimes flawed, well-rounded characters. They had great chemistry and banter together. They did have a lot of angst that felt a little repetitive at times. The Broadway production setting was fun and different than a typical celebrity romance.

This was just an entertaining book to lose a day in. It's a perfect summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-book in exchange for my honest review!