Elissa Sussman does it again! This time, she takes on Broadway and washed up pop stars. Specifically, what happens when a pop star with a ruined reputation agrees to star in a musical being directed by the man who aided in ruining her reputation. I loved the story, and thought the flashbacks were fitting and very appropriate to provide the context for what was going on in the present. I thought it felt pretty realistic, with the rehearsals and the entire Broadway workshop process, though I wish we'd had a bit more conflict with the press. I thought that was missing a bit. Either way, fun and quick read!

Once More With Feeling by Elissa Sussman was a great read and strongly reminded me of Funny You Should Ask, but I enjoyed it more than FYSA. Both feature the "then and now" timelines which slowly reveal more to provide the context needed, but I felt it was better executed on OMWF than FYSA. I also enjoyed the reimagining of the role of the media around celebrities, particularly as it related to women and fame. I think you'll enjoy this book if you like musical theatre, celebrities, and/or enemies to lovers or second chance tropes.

Thank you so much to netgalley and random house publishing for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book more than Sussman’s first, which I didn’t think was possible! A great story with a great ending - definitely recommend.

i want you to imagine a one direction fanfiction with a camp rock backstory, except the musicians get old and decide to give musical theater a go.

while that combination of ingredients will likely entice some people into reading this, I was in no way enthralled.

the tension in Funny You Should Ask kept me interested until the end, but i had made up my mind about this book at the 30% mark. i was getting whiplash by the back and forth flashbacks from different timelines. the storytelling felt so disjointed.

as for the characters, what do these people even look like? how old are they? i only ever got descriptions of grey hairs on both the fmm and mmc. Kathleen's character was flat and unlikable, and Cal's character was so underdeveloped that I found myself simply wanting to throw him away.

i also did not appreciate the portrayals of female characters in this one. it is 2023. it is possible to write complex, rich, three-dimensional female characters without falling for harmful, overused stereotypes. it is also possible to include a queer Black female character that has complexities and doesn't get forgotten about for the majority of the book. do better.

i also personally do not enjoy drama and miscommunication just for the sake of it in my romantic comedies. this is a perfect example of a enemies to lovers that should've stayed enemies

thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the ebook

I was a big fan of Funny You Should Ask and was very much looking forward to reading Once More with Feeling and it did not disappoint!

The book follows Kathleen and Cal through their introduction at theater camp, when they reconnect as Pop Star Katee Rose and boy band member Cal, and in the present when the two have reconnected once again after a falling out in their Pop Star days. The present follows Cal and Kathleen as they work to help bring Kathleen’s best friend Harriet’s Broadway show to life. The book covers these three timelines and jumps seamlessly from past to present. The chemistry and tension between Kathleen and Cal had me eager keep reading and learn what had transpired between the two. I also really enjoyed that we see Kathleen and Harriet’s friendship in all three timelines. This was such a great book and I only wish that I could have spent more time with these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

<i> four stars! </i> ʚïɞ

elissa sussman is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary romance authors bc she does second chance romance sooooo well. i love the fact that this book is reminiscent to <i>funny you should ask</i> in the sense that both novels are second chance and centered around celebrities/former celebrities. the hollywood/famous aspect in these books makes them soo much better imo, and i live for all the drama and everything that comes with it!

i was so stoked for this book, and i’m so happy that it did not disappoint!! unfortunately, i am not a music theater person (although lowkey sometimes i wish i were) so i feel like personally i didn’t connect to this as much, especially with all of the show references and whatnot, but honestly i still really enjoyed it! seeing the work that goes on behind the scenes of shows like that was really interesting and definitely brought a level of entertainment i wasn’t expecting!

as for the characters, i adored kathleen sooo much! i loved that this book had a lot of past chapters, so we got to see her as a teen (and as katee rose, aka the world’s biggest popstar) and how that affected her as a grown up. the transition from pop star to broadway star was really interesting, and i loved that she did the transition with the people she started her journey with; harriet and cal. their friendships were so sweet, even if strained at points, but the feelings and history was definitely there and they were quite meaningful.

the romance was also genuinely so sweet. cal and kathleen first met when they were teenagers at a summer camp that resembled ‘camp rock’ in a lot of ways. after that summer, they wouldn’t see each other again for a few years, when kathleen transforms into katee and cal himself is a member of a high rising boy band. and the present focuses on cal directing the play that kathleen is in, so we get to experience their relationship from all angles and ages, and they were a really cute example of the childhood friends to lovers to rivals to lovers again trope, if that even is one lol. there was so much drama and so much angst and tension between the two, and the chapters from the past really added to the emotional connection between the two.

this was such an amazing and lovely read, and i’m so glad i got to experience it before it hits the shelves! i loved every page of this, and i can’t wait to add a physical addition to my shelves, bc i’m obsessed with this cover scheme sussman has going on!

<i> thank you so much to netgalley and random house publishing for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review! </i>

While I had trouble connecting with these characters on the same level, Once More With Feeling has the same emotion and wit as Elissa Sussman's Funny You Should Ask, a sensation on social media, and it is hard to imagine this won't have the same reaction all around. A well written feel good story for anyone looking for a beach read, reminiscent of not only Sussman's debut, but Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones and the Six or Curtis Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy.

Do you love second chance romance, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and a slow burn?? THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!

This story follows the then and now of Kathleen Rosenburg.

THEN. Katee Rose is living the dream as the number one pop star, selling out concerts, and is dating the hottest member of boy band CrushZone: Ryan LaNeve. Her life seems perfect but soon she starts to feel overwhelmed by the pressure and expectations of stardom. That's when she finds herself in the arms of another CrushZone, Cal Kirby. One eventful night is all it takes to blow up Katee's relationship with Ryan, her career, her whole life...

NOW. Kathleen Rosenburg is living an ordinary life out of the spotlight until Cal Kirby offers her an opportunity to be the starring role in a Broadway show which he is directing. Kathleen and Cal haven't been in contact till now since they both blame each other for the destruction of their careers. Kathleen agrees to the Broadway show but will her and Cal get along? Is there still some unfinished business and tension happening between them?

I was quite a bit nervous going into this book because I loved and adored "Funny You Should Ask." This book definitely met my expectations. I am a huge sucker for second chance romance with the couple starting as friends to lovers to strangers to enemies and then to lovers. THE TENSION between Kathleen and Cal was actual perfection. Elissa Sussman KNOWS what she is doing with the slow burn!!! She executed it perfectly for me! I immediately became attached to all the characters in the book! Also, don't get me started on CALVIN KIRBY!! He has officially made the top of my book boyfriend list!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!! Probably won't shut up about this book!

Sussman’s second Hollywood romance definitely does not disappoint. Kathleen’s story hooks you in and you root for her from the beginning. Cal is incredibly charming (I’m realizing the key to my heart is a MMC who loves deeply). I loved the unique musical / theatre backdrop and creative storyline (leaves you wondering what it’s based on .. Britney / JT?!). A new must buy author for me. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is out in May!

I feel kind of guilty about this but this didn't work for me. I can't even figure out why it didn't, but I think there was too much stuffed in here (it's about musical theater! but it's also about pop stars) and the chemistry between the two mains didn't hit. I enjoyed Elissa Sussman's prior book but this one just didn't land for me.

I really, really liked this book and read it as quickly as my day-to-day life would allow! While I personally have no experience with being a performer of the arts (much less one who is well known), I found that I could still very much relate to Kathleen. She and Cal had an undeniable connection and I enjoyed the push and pull between them. I also liked the relationship between Kathleen and Harriet—it really rang true to me.
I’m usually averse to books that rely on flashbacks, but they’re admittedly sometimes necessary and the ones here were done well and were sparse enough that they didn’t detract from the story in the present. The little glimpses of the making of a musical were fun and made the story really fascinating to me. This is the first book I’ve read by Elissa Sussman and her writing style is right up my alley; I’ll definitely be checking out her previous books and eagerly waiting for her future works!

I loved “Funny you Should Ask” and was excited to read this one! The titles and cover designs for both of these books are super catchy. I enjoyed this breezy story but wasn’t as sucked in as I was with the previous title. I think I found the main character harder to like in this one—she was so hard on Cal and even though we find out why through flashbacks, I didn’t find the dynamic as believable this go around. Same with the Ryan—I couldn’t see what Kathleen ever saw in that dude.

I loved Funny You Should Ask and had high hopes for this one! Overall I’d say my hopes were met and the author delivered another fun read with what feels to be an inside peek into the real lives of celebrities.

This story was a bit slow at times and took me awhile to understand the formatting, but I love a good now and then and I’d bet it is a lot clearer up front in actual print compared to an ebook.

I had a hard time gauging the characters current ages which I think is part of the reason why I didn’t feel invested right away - am I reading about a 55year old or a 35 year old?

Either way, I loved the the story once it came full circle and am excited to read more from this author. Def a fun and easy read!

Thank you to Dell NetGalley for this ARC!

After reading Elissa Sussman’s book ‘Funny You Should Ask’, I knew she was an author I would read everything she would write; She is such a wonderful story teller. Once More With Feeling was just as well thought out and enthralling as FYSA.

I loved the time jumping and how each time life coincided with this. All of the characters with diverse and detailed, and I fell for Kathleen, Cal, and Harriet.

Can’t wait for Elissa’s next story!

Elissa Sussman does it again! I so thoroughly enjoyed “Funny You Should Ask” so I was thrilled to received an ARC of “Once More With Feeling”. All of my memories of theater in high school came right back (I was a dancer, with just an ok singing voice, much like the leading man, Cal!) I so enjoyed the relationships between Kathleen and her best friend and between Kathleen and Cal. The slow burn was perfect! Second chance romances can be hard to pull off, but this was a win in my book.

Run, not walk when this book comes out in May!

Thank you Net Galley and Random House for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Congrats to Elissa Sussman on another sensational romance!

Elissa Sussman has done it again - writing a book that feels like it was specifically written for me. This book was the perfect Jewish romance between two theatre nerds. Normally I don’t always love stories that flow between the past and present - but both timelines kept me hooked. The romance felt believable and real. My favorite read so far of 2023!

I really enjoyed reading Funny You Should Ask so when I saw that Elissa Sussman was releasing another book it went straight onto my TBR! Once More with Feeling did not disappoint and I enjoyed it just as much. The story features a former pop star, Kathleen, whose career bombed out spectacularly following a scandal that she (unfairly) bore the full force of. Now, many years later she is back in the spotlight with a chance to make her and her best friend’s dream of a Broadway hit a reality. However, this second chance at fame will also involve working closely with the man that was at the heart of that scandal so many years ago, and they have not spoken since.

The tension and chemistry between the characters was electric and had me hooked! I’m a fan of multiple timeline stories and second (third!) chance romances. This book really ticked those boxes for me. I also enjoyed that the main characters were older and portrayed realistically for their ages.

I look forward to reading more Elisa Sussman books!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending me this book for review consideration.

Okay wow, this is book was it for me! Was in a major book slump and I didn’t realize how much I needed Kathleen’s and Cal’s tension, banter, and love story to bring me out of it instantly.

A story of friends to lovers to enemies to lovers was the perfect backdrop. I’m also in my Hollywood / famous couples trope and I’m loving it ✨ 💕

Elissa, I can’t wait for more amazing stories by you!

Release date: May 3

⭐️: 5
🌶️: 3

Thank you NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy! Sussman crafts a stunning follow up to Funny You Should Ask, which was easily one of my favorite reads from last year. Her formulas work: celebrity romance, alternating timelines, vibrant side characters. etc. making Once More With Feeling, as good, if not better than her debut novel. The Broadway setting was fun and I appreciated that Cal and Kathleen were flawed and messy!

Once More with Feeling was fun and nostalgic in all the best ways! The pop flashbacks took me back to my fan-girling years (*NSync > BSB).

Kathleen & Cal’s history & tension kept me interested the whole way through. Flashbacks aren’t always my favorite, but it is done well in this book (with music being the connector) that it had me rooting for them!

I highly recommend and look forward to reading more from this author!