Friends/Enemies to lovers with music is one of my favorite kinds of books. Kathleen, Cal, and Harriet met when they were teenagers at Curtain Call Summer Camp. After the camp, Kathleen and Cal got their big break as teen pop idols. Kathleen was Katee Rose pop princess and Cal was in a boy band with Katee's boyfriend, Ryan, called CrushZone. They toured together and all was great until Katee cheated on Ryan with Cal. Hurt feelings of both boys and negative publicity ended Katee's career and her friendship with Cal and Ryan. Forward 10 years and, Harriet, Kathleen's BFF and songwriter, has written a musical with a part written for Kathleen. Kathleen's excitement turns to horror as she meets the Director, Cal. Can Kathleen work with the man she betrayed years ago? Will he forgive Kathleen? The ups and downs of their relationship made this a fun read. However, at times it was too much. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the friends/enemies to lovers trope. ( )

I enjoyed this. I like this author. The heroine was chock full of terrible mistakes, and I couldn't get enough of seeing the fall out and cheering for her anyway. ( )

Ten years ago Katee Rose was the biggest pop star in the world. Then, a scandal broke that ended her career.
Now, Kathleen Rosenberg has the opportunity to live her life-long dream, to star on Broadway in a part written specifically for her by her best friend Harriett. The only hitch is that the show is to be directed by one Calvin Tyler Kirby.
Cal was there for Katee's fall from grace and didn't offer the support she desperately needed. Instead he saw his career flourish. Now, Cal holds Katherine's comeback in the palm of his hand. It's a position she doesn't want to be in, but too good of an opportunity to turn down.

They're both professionals, they can keep their animosity at bay for the sake of the show. But being back together day in and day out brings up feelings and emotions once pushed aside in the face of scandal. Can they face the past while trying to make their show a success?

I'm a big fan of second-chance stories (mainly in the romance department) and Once More With Feeling certainly counts - in my mind - as a romance, but to me I was more interested in Katherine getting a second chance at her dream. The story is told in multiple timelines. Present, of course, then the past filling in the the blanks leading up to the scandal, and then further back still showing readers where Katherine and Cal, and Katherine and Harriett started. Because of course you can't have second-chance without the past informing the present state of things. I thought that Elissa Sussman balanced all these timelines perfectly. The message is conveyed without taking away from the forward momentum of the story.

I really wanted Katherine to succeed. She was dealt an unfair deal ten years ago. She certainly didn't deserve to lose her career over it, but you can tell she's grown wary in the years since and could very well be her own obstacle to resurrecting her dreams. But in that regard I also appreciate that she's very, I suppose, weathered by celebrity. She knows her involvement in the show will draw attention and scrutiny of her person, but she's at the point where the worst has already happened to her and she survived through it.

Once More With Feeling is such a love letter to musical theater. If you are or were active in theater then you'll feel the love of this craft just leaping off the page. The hard work and the talent it takes to perform, the risk in hoping that the show you love will be beloved by the audience.

If anything I wish we had gotten just a little bit more from the Katherine/Harriett dynamic. Their friendship is undeniable, but there were times I felt like it was too over-shadowed by that of Katherine/Cal.

Speaking of, I loved how kind of unassuming the relationship between Katherine and Cal is at first. We know he played some part in the scandal, there's hints that they have known each other for along time, but as we connect the dots and are filled in on exactly how connected they are in the past, it really enhances their interactions in the present, and makes what happened ten years ago all the more heartbreaking.

I had not read Elissa Sussman's previous book (although it is on my TBR list), but I already can tell she will be an author I will read more of in the future.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I was totally immersed within Katherine's story of growing up in the public eye but still trying to live your dreams. ( )

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. ( )