4 ⭐️ I thought this book was an excellent story, with great characters and depth. The characters aren’t perfect, and they try throughout the story to work on that. The flashback chapters really help the reader see the characters whole self and how they got to where they are. They were very well written.

This was an emotional story that I believe anyone who loves the celebrity trope will love. This is my first read by this author, and now I can’t wait to read her other book, Funny You Should Ask. Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this eARC.

I have never even seen a Broadway show and my knowledge of musicals consists of Zac Efron's golf course scene in High School Musical 2, so honestly, I went into this hoping that "once more with feeling" was actually a Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode reference (reader, it's just the musical part, devastatingly, BUT the main character's last name is Rosenberg, so maybe?). So I was curious but skeptical about 400 pages of theater kid energy, especially after I wasn't obsessed with the author's first romance novel, Funny You Should Ask.

I'm still probably not big into musicals, but maybe I do understand them more, and despite my usual complaints — cheesy dialogue, bones to pick with characters who just can't learn, random pop culture references dropped in without further context so that it feels like the author just trying to prove they're Online — I did actually enjoy this book. The side plot of these characters being ex-pop stars from the 90s-early aughts boy band/solo female artist era was also fun, and that nostalgia and celebrity of it all countered the theater kid-ness enough for me that I didn't hate it, even if some of the Broadway stuff was a little lost on me.

The writing wasn't my particular favorite style: lots of sentence fragments and periods. For. Emphasis. It just got old fast and I got bored of the repetition. Maybe it was meant to be dramatic theater monologuing, I don't know! But it took up so much space that it felt like filler where I wanted more explanation and backstory.

Also, this makes 2 for 2 on Sussman's books with women who get the sense knocked into them by self-actualized men who are light years ahead of them in terms of Doing Therapy, which I don't love. It's fine that they're annoying (we all are) but why is it that they can't see the light themselves? I hope that if a third book comes, it won't follow this trope.

All that being said, I'm very certain that ex-theater kids and fans of musicals are going to love this, but it's pretty entertaining either way.

Lots of familiar romance tropes here - second chances and enemies to lovers. I was here for them all! This is the second Sussman book I read and enjoyed how she tells a story and develops characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars!

I was so excited to be able to read and review an ARC (thanks NetGalley!) of Once More with Feeling. I loved Sussman's previous novel and couldn't wait to delve into her next book.

This was a quick read, and I was able to finish it in less than a day. While I enjoyed it, it didn't live up to her previous novel, and I was a bit disappointed. I love a good second-chance, enemies to lovers trope, but I found it difficult to really connect with the characters. I did like comparing the various characters to Britney Spears, NSYNC, etc., so that was an extremely fun aspect. Overall, I think this book is worth the read, and I will continue to keep my eyes out for Sussman's future works.

I'm realizing I'm a big fan of celeb romance books. Why should I even be surprised though? I love pop culture. Once More With Feeling was another gem from Elissa Sussman. I'm so pleased to have read the advanced copy thanks to @netgalley.

First, thanks to netgalley for the ARC.
I was nicely sent a copy of this book by netgalley for an honest review!

From popstar to extinguished star. Katee Rose or Kathleen Rosenberg as she prefers to go by now, was living every little kid's dream as she traveled the world singing and dancing as a teen sensation with the perfect boyfriend, Ryan LaNeve. When cheating rumors and Ryan putting on the act of down trodden jilted boyfriend, her career was over before the age of 25. Now, Katee was once again Kathleen and after more than decade out of the spotlight, her best friend wants to take her first play to the stage with Kathleen starring and her then boyband crush, Cal, as the director. Did I mention that Cal was the guy she supposedly cheated on Ryan with?

The present: I liked the present parts in this book very much. Kathleen was such a good character even though sometimes her stubbornness got the best of her. I liked that now in her life and career she knew what she wanted and deserved.

The past: I wish we'd gotten more consecutive scenes in the past and not dragged out.
Also, the ages were a bit confusing in the past. I'm assuming camp was when they were under the age of 18 and then when they were touring maybe over the age of 21?
I adored Cal and Katee as friends and could certainly see the chemistry but we didn't get much of that. They were friends but we didn't see any pining, just friends then feelings. and not even many of those.
But i loved the scenes in the past one on one.

This was my second Elissa Sussman book that I've read. Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. I was not the biggest fan of Funny you should ask, but this to me was way better in my eyes. I enjoyed the plot, but my biggest gripe was that I don't think it screamed Romance to me. I saw it more as redemption, self love/ self forgiveness story for Kathleen with a small romance side plot. It focused more on Kathleen as a character and it wasn't dual POV so I didn't get Cal's side of the story which I wanted and thought would help the story out. It showed Kathleen's journey from child star wannabe, to pop star idol, to slut shamed has been, to Broadway star.

Overall a 3/5 for me. I read it and enjoyed it, but was fine putting it down for a while too. The main character was a bit hard to like for me, and the now/then storyline didn’t flow as well as I would’ve liked. I was well over 50% before we were even close to finding out the issue the 2 main characters had with each other, which was a bit annoying. Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read and review via an arc!

Man oh man did I enjoy Once More With Feeling--it hit lots of my favorite things: Broadway, musicals, and lots of angsty history between our two main characters: Kathleen (Katee) and Cal. We get to know why they're so antagonistic towards each other through the flashbacks woven throughout their present day narrative. We learn that they were young, touring popstars that had incredible chemistry, which was problematic since Kathleen was dating Cal's bandmate, Ryan. One night blows up all of their relationships and Kathleen's career, explaining why she's so suspicious and angry with Cal when he shows up years later to offer her a shot at Broadway; he walked away from that disaster fairly unscathed and she was the pariah of the popstar community, ruining any chances she had to move from popstar princess to a more mature performer.

Since this is more than a short story, obviously she takes him up his offer and over a series of months their run ins with each other are pretty ugly and show us a side of Kathleen that isn't great. She comes off as snarky and stubborn and sometimes just ridiculous--all things that I actually really appreciated. She's far from perfect and I found her reactions and actions to be really relatable in that many of us would feel and do the same things she did, even when it seemed to be so self-sabotaging. I felt like her pain and hurt and suspicions were accurate and anyone would've felt the way she did--so her acting out seemed right and made her transition into someone a little softer and more open to being vulnerable with Cal that much more rewarding. All of that being said, even though Cal didn't always stoop to her level of shenanigans, he also came off as arrogant and smug which doesn't exactly make him a shining star. Getting to understand him a little more through his dialogue and the flashbacks helped make their getting together make more sense, as well as made him seem less like the dick I originally thought he was.

This was such a fun novel to read--the slow burn, the intensity of their feelings, the evolution of their characters from young adulthood to adulthood, and the behind the scenes look at a Broadway show coming to life made this an entertaining and very quick read. I'm looking forward to reading more of Elissa Sussman and can't wait to see what she does next.

To say I loved this story would be an understatement. It is easily one of my favorites I’ve read this year. This a second chance romance done right! I loved the history between Cal and Kathleen and reading about them in different stages of their careers. This was such a wonderful unputdownable romance! All the stars for this one!

This one was made for the theater girlies and I ate it UP. Every reference felt like an inside joke that I loved being in on (Grease 2 doesn’t deserve the hate it gets, there I said it). I enjoyed Funny You Should Ask, so I had high hopes for this one, and it delivered and then some.

Kathleen’s rise and fall from fame and her anxiety surrounding her past was treated with dignity and care, and I appreciated that she acknowledged where she messed up in the past and where she needed to give herself some grace. Cal had gone through his own internal battles, but they made it easy to root for their happiness together.

The second chance, friends-something-something else-enemies-friends-lovers being told through the then and now timelines was done so well! I loved learning about the past through the future and vice versa. I was so hungry to learn everything about the fall out, I didn’t stop reading for 5 hours straight. (The flashback scene after the candy in her dressing room made me squeal with delight!)

I will gladly be recommending to every one I know that has any association to theater, 90s boybands, celebrity gossip, etc. Thank you NetGalley for an early copy!

This book.

I've been disappointed by some of the romances I've read recently and Once More With Feeling was a breath of fresh. Elissa Sussman's writing crackles on the page. The banter, the best friend, the swoony moments...it's just perfection.

Fifteen years ago Kathleen Rosenberg used to be Katee Rose, a wildly successful pop star with the perfect boyfriend, Ryan, who was in the boy band CrushZone. But her world came crashing down when the press found out she cheated on him.

Now she teaches dance to kids in her basement. She's fine with her life out of the spotlight, but her big dream is to be on Broadway. Her best friend Harriet has written a musical with the starring role made just for her. And, Harriet even got a director! But to Kathleen's dismay the director happens to be Cal Kirby. Cal also was a member of CrushZone. And was the person she hooked up with all those years ago when things ended horribly for all parties. Well, not so much for Ryan because he totally capitalized on the jilted boyfriend role and is now a Hollywood superstar.

Cal and Kathleen both want the show to be a success, but can they set aside years of resentment and bitterness to finally get to Broadway?

This second chance love story is great at alternating with scenes from the past and present. Before he joined CrushZone, Cal actually met Kathleen at theater camp when they were teenagers and even had a duet together. He had the dance moves, and she had the voice.

I was rooting for these two musical theater nerds all through the book, and their chemistry is "chef's kiss".

This was an awesome follow up from Elissa Sussman's adult debut from last year, Funny You Should Ask. Thank you to Random House Publishing Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Wow wow wow! The theatre kid in me loved this. The romance lover in me loved this. The pop music lover in me loved this. If you can’t tell, this book truly checked every box for me and more!

Katherine and Cal were amazing to read about. Past and present, I loved watching their relationship grow. I also loved Katherine’s friendship with Harriet (even though a certain part of it annoyed me, but for the sake of spoils I won’t dive into it because it’s my own preference and not an actual story issue.) I honestly hope we get more from these characters, and the other characters mentioned in the story, because this universe was perfect and gave me everything I could possibly want!

Things I love: the early 2000s, pop culture, and musicals. This book has all of these things with so much nostalgia. It was so fun to read!

I was a big fan of Funny You Should Ask. This follows the same format, switching between present and slowly revealing events from past. This was the enemy to lovers trope with a side of comeback, and I’m here for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an early copy of this book.

Last year, I read this author's debut novel after it went viral on Tiktok. I enjoyed Sussman's writing style and looked forward to reading more of her work. This book follows a former pop star who gets the opportunity to pursue a personal dream of acting in a broadway play. However, she has to work with the person who contributed to her downfall during her popstar days. This novel has many romance tropes combined with musical theatre references. Personally, this book had a lot of things I liked with the aforementioned. Unfortunately, I just felt like this book was missing something to propel it higher. The male lead is lacking in depth and can come off as very stiff in comparison to the female lead. I found myself rooting for Kathleen's personal growth more than the romance. Overall, I still think this book is enjoyable and would recommend it to fans of Sussman's previous work. I will be getting a copy on publishing day as well.

All the stars! There’s nothing I hate more than instalove or meet-cutes, so finding such descriptive history between these characters was such a welcomed surprise. I find peak interest in rivals or enemies to lovers. Better yet, if the main characters share a hatred for one another or have a dramatic past, I feel far more invested.

Did Elissa Sussman poll me in my sleep about my favorite tropes and sense of humor? Because it sure feels like it. If you don’t usually go for romance or theater-themed books or famous people - read it anyway. The banter. The pining. The flashbacks to their past. This is all I need in romance. Put a fork in me.

🌶️ 1/5 light spice, but so perfectly written and timed!

I loved following these two characters in the past and present! Their bickering was perfect to lead to the big kiss in the dressing room. THAT KISS!! I can’t wait to suggest this book to friends and patrons. Thank you for allowing me to read it early!

Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman is a romcom about a bunch of musical theater nerds and teen stars who grow up to develop a Broadway musical together, reconciling some unfinished business along the way. I really liked this book; it was fun and witty and really sucked you in. As someone who also loves musical theater, I thought this was such a fun premise; I really appreciated the deep appreciation that was  so clearly evident from author Sussman. That said, I think this would be enjoyable even for those who aren't all in on musicals. The characters themselves were likeable but also make mistakes, like real human beings. All in all, I'd definitely recommend this book!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I'm sad but mostly just perplexed by some of the choices made here. The love interest Cal doesn't get a personality or an arc, so it really felt like trying to root for a romance with a brick wall. But what bothered me the most is how easily the book wants to forgive Cal and gloss over its own premise: Kathleen and Cal don't have any real conversations about his complicity in the misogyny that destroyed her career and spared his. A baffling omission that made the rest of the book, and romance, feel moot to me. Plus there's other stuff I disliked, like how badly Kathleen treats her best friend Harriet, and how these adult characters can't have one single, mature conversation. 1.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of "Once More with Feeling"! This is my third Elissa Sussman book & I think it's her best yet! I completely absorbed this book in just a couple of days. Now to be fair - a rainstorm keeping me inside helped out with that, but I must give Elissa credit for such a smooth and delicious read. I often find reading a struggle, until I find something great that I can't put down. Cal and Kathleen are so fun to read - their banter was addictive, and the story conflicts worked well for me. I don't always love a time-hopping story, but the choices made on time-hopping felt appropriate and I felt like the unraveling of their history was exciting and worked very well. I liked Harriet as well, and all the subplots about the Broadway show. I'm a huge Broadway/musicals nerd, so this felt like being in a candy store full of so many great references. It's a great tribute to everything I love about Broadway and the rom-com. I'd say if I'm being picky, the only little odd thing that stuck out to me was how one-note and sorta pointless Rachel felt (she is slightly an antagonist). I would have loved if she had come back into the story with a little more purpose. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed this story - and really hope it gets to be a movie someday so I can listen to the pop song & Broadway song soundtrack. Thank you again NetGalley for the ARC, it was a worthy read! :)

I really wanted to love this one! I enjoyed Sussman’s debut, but this was a much different experience for me. The pop star aspect felt cringey, and I never really believed that Cal and Kathleen ever really had chemistry.