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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed Funny You Should Ask but this book was a bit disappointing. Overall cute and easy to read but it just didn't do anything else for me
I love, love, loved this!! I’ve heard great things about Elissa Sussman’s writing and was so excited to dive into it. Every character was so beautifully developed. I was iffy on Kathleen - she was relatable in some ways, but she also annoyed me with her celebrity persona. She was also a terrible decision-maker, but it drove the storyline in mostly a fun way. Now Cal - oh Cal, I love him. He is so warm and sweet - from the start he was a perfect character. The then-and-now perspectives gave great insight into each of the characters and allowed Kathleen and Cal’s relationship to build into something believable. I actually preferred the past scenes, they showed young love and indecision in an engaging way!
Overall, it was such a great and engaging story that I didn’t want to put down!
Thank you Elissa Sussman, Netgalley, and Random House Publishing for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Overall, it was such a great and engaging story that I didn’t want to put down!
Thank you Elissa Sussman, Netgalley, and Random House Publishing for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I was loving so many parts of this but I almost removed a star because the MFC got on my nerves a bit toward the end
The writing and non-linear story line gives carley fortune vibes and tugs at my heart in a similar way too
I felt for the characters and I was definitely rooting every single character
except for you Ryan
You deserve to have an itch that you can never scratch
The writing and non-linear story line gives carley fortune vibes and tugs at my heart in a similar way too
I felt for the characters and I was definitely rooting every single character
except for you Ryan
You deserve to have an itch that you can never scratch
I really enjoyed that this dealt with the Broadway world. I didn’t love the past timeline as much as the present and I felt like a lot of the drama could have been avoided but overall I enjoyed this!
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like maybe I have to accept Now/Then storylines are very hit or miss with me, because in this case the format didn't really add anything for me. It drew out forever and ever what actually had happened 'then' and why that made the 'now' so complicated, and I kinda wish it hadn't because knowing it would have made empathizing a bit easier.
That said. I like the characters, I like that they were flawed, I enjoyed the setting a lot, and the end did make me happy-tear up.
If you haven't read her books yet, I would recommend Funny You Should Ask over this one.
That said. I like the characters, I like that they were flawed, I enjoyed the setting a lot, and the end did make me happy-tear up.
If you haven't read her books yet, I would recommend Funny You Should Ask over this one.
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Once More With Feeling left me a bit cold to be honest. While a story going between musical theatre and the pop/boyband craze should be fun, it felt a little thin when it came to plot and chemistry. Perhaps it’s a better midweek read when things are busy than when you have time to ponder it all.
The story is pretty simple. Kathleen is the former pop sensation Katee Rose, but after a scandal involving her boyfriend’s band mate she was dumped by her manager and hated in the media. But now her friend Harriet has written a play with a part just for her that could realise Kathleen’s dream of being on Broadway. The only problem is that the director is Cal, who she had a quick fling with before she was cast to the judgment of social media. Kathleen is determined to hate Cal, but they have shared a lot and the spark is still there. Will they speak about their feelings? Will they be able to move forward?
The story is told in ‘then’ and ‘now’ sections. The ‘then’ sections include Kathleen and Harriet meeting Cal at summer theatre camp and then jump to her career as popstar Katee Rose, touring the world with her boyfriend Ryan and his boyband, CrushZone (of which Cal is a member). At times I felt these were the stronger parts of the story, as Katee/Kathleen is more open (to the reader at least) about her feelings. But overall the characters were just flat. Cal sounds like he could be a good guy, but he’s not much more through Kathleen’s eyes than someone to love/hate. Plus, there were a lot of communication barriers between the two. You would think that both main characters, having a lot riding on the play, would be able to be professional but it just didn’t happen. Harriet’s concerns about the two of them getting together also fell flat here – there isn’t enough substance for the reader to see the potential passion that Harriet does. (And Harriet is hard done by as a character too – despite being a talented songwriter and playwright, she’s left to wither while Kathleen takes the spotlight).
Given the lack of emotion between the characters, it’s hard to see Kathleen and Cal starring in a romance. I felt more of the focus was on the musical theatre and performing aspect, so I would class this more as general fiction except for that the book is really about their relationship over time. There isn’t much in the way of subplots. I feel it would have been helpful to the reader to see how Katee was treated after the scandal to show why she was so angry and hadn’t moved on. There isn’t a lot of personal growth here, and the reader doesn’t know Cal well enough to see if he has grown either. The story is pleasant enough, but lacks depth to be memorable.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The story is pretty simple. Kathleen is the former pop sensation Katee Rose, but after a scandal involving her boyfriend’s band mate she was dumped by her manager and hated in the media. But now her friend Harriet has written a play with a part just for her that could realise Kathleen’s dream of being on Broadway. The only problem is that the director is Cal, who she had a quick fling with before she was cast to the judgment of social media. Kathleen is determined to hate Cal, but they have shared a lot and the spark is still there. Will they speak about their feelings? Will they be able to move forward?
The story is told in ‘then’ and ‘now’ sections. The ‘then’ sections include Kathleen and Harriet meeting Cal at summer theatre camp and then jump to her career as popstar Katee Rose, touring the world with her boyfriend Ryan and his boyband, CrushZone (of which Cal is a member). At times I felt these were the stronger parts of the story, as Katee/Kathleen is more open (to the reader at least) about her feelings. But overall the characters were just flat. Cal sounds like he could be a good guy, but he’s not much more through Kathleen’s eyes than someone to love/hate. Plus, there were a lot of communication barriers between the two. You would think that both main characters, having a lot riding on the play, would be able to be professional but it just didn’t happen. Harriet’s concerns about the two of them getting together also fell flat here – there isn’t enough substance for the reader to see the potential passion that Harriet does. (And Harriet is hard done by as a character too – despite being a talented songwriter and playwright, she’s left to wither while Kathleen takes the spotlight).
Given the lack of emotion between the characters, it’s hard to see Kathleen and Cal starring in a romance. I felt more of the focus was on the musical theatre and performing aspect, so I would class this more as general fiction except for that the book is really about their relationship over time. There isn’t much in the way of subplots. I feel it would have been helpful to the reader to see how Katee was treated after the scandal to show why she was so angry and hadn’t moved on. There isn’t a lot of personal growth here, and the reader doesn’t know Cal well enough to see if he has grown either. The story is pleasant enough, but lacks depth to be memorable.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This could be classified as a bunch of tropes (second chance, hate-to-love, etc), some of which I like and others I don't. Unfortunately, I didn't like how important back story for the romance was kept from the reader until almost the end, and then I didn't really buy why they HATED each other and couldn't be civil in the present day. Also the main character annoyed me with how she refused to communicate, causing most of her problems.