Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really looking forward to Elissa Sussman's follow-up to Funny You Should Ask. And given the premise of this one, I anticipated some similarities in style and content. It seemed as if Sussman had found a formula that worked for her.

And while there are some definite likenesses between the two works, this one just didn't vibe with me as much. Like Funny You Should Ask, Once More with Feeling is clearly inspired by a true celebrity story. In this case, it seems as if Sussman is drawing on the Britney/Justin relationship-saga that overtook us all in the early-2000s. The protagonist, Kathleen (aka, Katee Rose), was once a high-profile pop singer who was in a widely-publicized relationship with a fellow music sensation, Ryan. However, once it was discovered that Katee cheated on Ryan with one of his bandmates (Cal), her reputation tanked and her career followed.

Now, several years later, Kathleen and Cal are collaborating again... this time on a musical production written by their mutual friend, Harriet. Understandably, there's some residual tension between them, especially given the flack Kathleen received that Cal (as a man) was basically exempt from.

While I liked the premise, I didn't love the pacing. I didn't feel an attachment to the characters. There wasn't the same sort of flow as the timeline alternated between past and present. I just really wasn't sure, at any point, where this one was going to go... and I don't mean that in a good way, unfortunately.

Not my favorite. As much as I love a good book inspired by celebrity culture, this one wasn't it for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

Oh, my heart. Nothing can stress me out and make me swoon quite like an angsty second chance romance. Once More With Feeling combines the second chance romance trope with Hollywood to make an entertaining and addicting story. Kathleen was the world’s biggest pop star until a scandal destroys her entire career. Years later, Kathleen is finally getting her comeback role in a Broadway show written by her best friend. The catch? The director is Cal Kirby - the main player in her big scandal. Now Cal and Kathleen have to fight their intense chemistry and heart wrenching history to pull off their Broadway show.

The. Chemistry. Kathleen and Cal had a ton of chemistry and perfect banter that made me immediately invested in this story. Was I stressed? Yes. Could I put this book down? No. This is the Britney Spears/JC romance that never was and that is basically my dream storyline. Sussman has crafted a truly addicting and heartfelt romance novel and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a big fan of celebrity romance books, I was so excited to receive an early copy of Once More with Feeling - especially since I adored Funny You Should Ask. I'm so happy that it did not disappoint! This dual-timeline story follows Kathleen, a former pop star, and Cal, a former boy band member, and their friends to lovers (Then) & enemies to lovers (Now) relationship.

Kathleen is a strong and stubborn protagonist, and I loved the spunk she brought. In some moments she was a bit unlikeable - but, to me, that made her character more relatable. Cal and Harriet were great, as well. And I enjoyed that the book also featured Kathleen and Harriet's friendship throughout the years along with the main romance.

This was a solid book that I would recommend, particularly if you enjoy musicals and/or theatre and second chance romance. I'm so excited for it to publish next month on May 30!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for a review!

I enjoyed this romcom of a book! I’ve read Elissa’s other book and found this equally loveable. I adored the young flashbacks of Cal and Kathleen and musical summer camp and how they found their way back to each other on Broadway where both their dreams lived.

It was written well but nothing about the plot really stood out to me. I think it’s a good book but there wasn’t enough to set it apart from other books in its genre.

this is exactly what i’ve been looking for in a long while.

the theater/hollywood second chance romance that i needed it. it had drama, it had plot, it had that cute and heartwarming romance. characters with personality and not just wanting to be annoying. and best friends drama that always makes you tear up.

in general i loved it but i do think it needed maybe more revelation in the whole drama, i expected more of a big apology and reason why Cal acted that way but it was all very simple and fast. i love Kathleen and her big personality and big star dreams and i do feel like she needed a bigger apology from everyone but i guess that’s not how hollywood works either so i get it. i also wanted more revenge on Ryan but again life not always work that way.

it was a very light read and very cute and fun. this definitely works to get you out of a slump so add it to your list.

☆☆☆☆/5

thank you netgalley for proving me this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Elissa Sussman is so good at writing comeback/reunion type stories. Her book Funny You Should Ask was one of my favorite’s last year and I was thrilled to get my hands on Once More with Feeling.

I was never a theater kid, but I love attending musical theater productions. Everything about these characters felt real to me. I loved the flashbacks that gave clues to how Kathleen and Cal’s story began. I do wish we’d heard more from Cal’s POV. Not that it was hard to tell what he was thinking, I just wish he’d had a part in the story telling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

2.25/5 stars! I loved the cover of this book and the premise sounded fun, so I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, there were just too many flashbacks/time hops for me. It felt hard to stay on top of when/where we were in the story. I just didn't buy Cal and Kathleens chemistry and found myself losing interest pretty early on in the story.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I immediately fell in love with this story. It had a Britney Spears vibe going, but honestly, many young female stars could be eluded to here. I was so invested in this comeback tale with a touch of second chance romance. It was packed with humor, and I found myself rooting for this woman to live her dream, for the show to be a success, and for her to give the finger to all the naysayers. I also wanted her to get some closure with respect to her previous scandal, and I DID! And Sussman sure knows how to do these reunion type romances. It was wonderful learning about Kathleen and Cal's past while getting to see them fall for the grown-up versions of each other.

I had stupendous time reading this book!

4.5 — Delightful!! I love Elissa Sussman’s writing so much. Her characters feel so imperfectly real, and the romance sucks you right in and doesn’t let go. If you love musicals you’re going to absolutely devour this book. I was hooked at the end of every single chapter and had truly such a good time reading this. Kathleen and Cal forever! TY to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy!! 💙💙💙

I loved this book! Elissa Sussman writes such fun books with adult characters that feel real. If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six, you will also love this book!

This charming, funny romance is an ode to musical theatre that had me smiling and swooning from page 1. Our characters first meet at theatre camp as kids become friends, find fame, various kinds of sparks infamy ensues, and they end as sworn enemies. Or do they? I loved the boy band banter, the nods to Britney & Justin, and the love of music and dance that weaves throughout. Highly recommend! Releases May 30th.

I liked this but didn't think the romance was the "star" of the book - less romcom, more women's lit. The constant switch between timeframes was a little jarring and might have been an easier read if more was told chronologically.

Read Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman if you like musical theater, second chance romance, boy bands and pop stars. That is the Venn Diagram of all my interests! This book was so perfectly readable, I could have finished it in one day! I loved the flashbacks that took us from summer camp through stardom because we got to see so much more of the characters personality and their growth. I am a huge musical theater fan, so I loved all of the small nods and obvious references to different musicals. I enjoyed Sussman's other adult romance Funny You Should Ask and I think I enjoyed this one even more!

I like Sussman's writing about famous pop and movie icons in both of her romance novels. I liked her previous title better, but both deal with second chance love and have a cast of interesting characters. Here I felt the relationship between best friends had more drama than the two main characters.

Once More with Feeling was a delight! I loved Funny You Should Ask so I had high hopes for this book and it delivered. In fact, I think I might even like it more than Funny You Should Ask.

Like FYSA, Sussman writes about the characters in the present day and also in the past. In Once More with Feeling, she takes us all the way back to theatre camp, back to what I'm assuming is the early 2000s pop era, and present day. I was dying to know what happened in the past so I could better understand what was going on in the present day and that made this book so hard to put down. Once I got into a reading rhythm I finished this in just a few days.

This would be a great book for anyone who loves musicals or musical theatre, or anyone who grew up watching the pop stars of the late 90s/early 2000s and the Britney and Justin drama unfold.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and NetGalley for this digital ARC.

A theater kid romance! Love Elissa Sussman's sense of humor and am excited to see what she writes next.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

I rate this book a 4/5 stars. I really liked the premise and the storyline even though I’m not really a super fan of theatre. I wouldn’t say that second chance romance is my favorite romance trope but Elissa Sussman does a great job writing second chance romances. I could definitely see the chemistry of between Cal and Kathleen, but I was wishing for more content on their romantic relationship. I guess I just wish the book was a little bit longer. Overall, I liked all of the characters of this book (minus Ryan lol) and I will be reading more of Sussman’s books in the future.

I absolutely loved this book!! I was a theater kid growing up and this brought back so many wonderful memories. I loved the characters and the romance was perfect!

This is a beautifully written and emotional story about childhood sweethearts that I highly recommend you don't miss. I really liked Funny You Should ask so I was so happy when I got the chance to read this book. This was a pretty quick read for me. I would highly recommend this book especially if you liked Funny You Should Ask.


Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballanite for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.