Thank you to @readforeverpub for the eARC! Julie Soto, you are my new queen! This book *smacks hand on table* was almost too good. The chemistry between the two leads was electric. I have never wanted to learn to play an instrument more in my life. THAT scene, iykyk. I loved the characters and I very much enjoyed their growth throughout the ovel. This had me enraptured immediately and I could not put it down. I loved it, one of my favorite recent romances for sure and has made Julie Soto an auto-buy author for me!

the beginning of this romance felt slow; took me a bit to get into. but I really loved the ending! Gwen really grew into her own and Alex was so smitten with her! I loved his little POVs. There was some great depth, with both characters, and I loved seeing their little connections.

I don't know much about playing instruments, so some of the references & verbiage felt lost on me. but overall, another solid romance from ms Julie Soto!

I thouroughly enjoyed this story from Julie Soto. Not Another Love Song has all the makings of a great love story-enemies to lovers, competitive musicians, and sleazy side characters doing their best to keep them apart for various reasons. Gwen and Alex at first seem like polar opposites but soon discover that they have more in common than music. They have amazing chemistry and the will they won' t they end up together kept me engaged. I will admit it took a little while to get into the story but once I found out Alex's true identity I was hooked.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this arc.

I had the pleasure of reading this a year ago and it lived up to every expectation I had after falling head over heels in love with Forget Me Not. The tension between Gwen and Xander was phenomenal. The way you felt it in the scenes of them performing music was electric and as someone who played in an orchestra for over 10 years, the terminology was so appreciated. Love love love.

This book took everything Mozart in the Jungle started and completely elevated it.

In Not Another Love Song, Soto masterfully weaves together tension, intrigue, character evolution, chemistry, and perfectly balanced pacing. It's been a long time—if ever—that a book has made me feel so immersed in the story as it unfolded. I could feel the music, the hope, the fear, the pain, the humanity. What’s even more refreshing is that this love story didn’t rely on the usual tropes of playing games or characters with the emotional intelligence of a child. Instead, Soto taps into past hurts and youthful naivety, making the story feel far more authentic and relatable than many of the clichés in this genre.

Incredible. Julie Soto is officially my new favorite author.

Well, what can I say? Julie Soto has done it once again! I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting.
This book was absolutely captivating and extremely well written, I enjoyed how absolutely romantic this book was! The chemistry between Alex and Gwen was UNMATCHED! The angst was everything, the tension, the character development, just ughh everything!!!
Julie is definitely one of my autobuy authors I want to scream from the rooftops about how good this was.

This was a decent enough romance - the main characters did have great chemistry. But I didn’t love it as much as Forget Me Not. I can’t decide if it’s just the Sacramento factor. I would definitely continue to read more from Soto, though!

This book had me FERAL. The tension between Gwen and Xander was the pinnacle of angst and yearning. How they used music as a means to communicate with one another, both emotionally and physically was such a unique aspect that I gave personally never read in a romance novel before. I devoured this book and will forever be reading anything written by Julie Soto.

Thank you to the publisher, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever, for this eARC to review!

5/5 stars!

Julie Soto is now an automatic auto-buy author for me. Both Forget Me Not and Not Another Love Song were SO consuming, I was immediately wrapped up in the emotions of the main characters, and the plot had the perfect amount of pacing and drama. There were never any lulls or moments of "why are we even here/why is this happening?", and every character contributed something meaningful to the story. There was also a perfect balance between fun moments and humor, with the drama/sad moments throughout the book. Just like Forget Me Not had me suddenly interested in flowers, Not Another Love Song had me suddenly interested in music compositions and orchestra performances (had me reminiscing over my 6th grade era of playing the violin). I was genuinely sad when the story ended, and there were several moments where small cameos occurred with characters we didn't know much about, where I was thinking "please let this be a bread crumb to another new character set for the next book"!

As someone who grew up playing violin, Not Another Love Song hit all the right notes for me—pun intended. Julie Soto masterfully captures the passion, tension, and intensity of the orchestral world, making this rivals-to-lovers romance utterly captivating. I absolutely loved the authenticity of the setting and the complex interplay between ambition, artistry, and love. I’m officially on the hunt for more orchestra-themed romances—this one set the bar high!

I absolutely DEVOURED this book! The dynamic between Gwen and Alex was so good. The sexual tension was delectable! I love an animosity to lovers so much and the payoff of this story was just so good. Julie Soto’s attention to detail on the music and instruments was fantastic.
Soto is definitely becoming one of my favorite romance authors.

I’m still trying to figure out what the magic sauce is that makes me love a contemporary romance instead of finding it boring—but Julie Soto absolutely nailed it! She made the perfect sauce with Not Another Love Song.

I was lucky enough to snag this e-ARC during the 24 hours it was open to everyone on NetGalley, and I’m so glad I did. This story centers around music—specifically a cello and a violin—and even though I don’t have any personal experience with orchestras like that, I thought the way their connection built through music was so beautiful. Gwen and Alex’s chemistry was fantastic, and I actually liked that the miscommunication trope showed up earlier than usual. I usually really struggle with that trope, but here it felt intentional and well-timed, and it gave the story room to grow in other ways. The pacing felt just right, and I genuinely enjoyed spending time with the characters.

This book reminded me why I keep coming back to the romance genre, and I can’t wait to read more of Julie Soto’s work!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

Julie writes chemistry like no other and delivers once again with this novel. Plus, I loved all the Easter eggs referencing the characters from Forget Me Not scattered throughout!

Julie Soto, the way you write romantic tension is unmatched!

I absolutely loved this book, and the way I was starving for the POV shifts was unreal. Do I wish there had been more in there? Absolutely.

But really, this was such a good book. I wanted to go to every single one of these orchestra performances. The LOOKS these two were giving each other across the stage.

Anyway, the cello playing scene is as good as everyone says. Thank you for your service, Julie.

Whew, this book was great! Julie Soto did a magnificent job of building the tension. Gwen is a self-taught violinist and Xander is a cellist from a family full of classical musical talent, and when Gwen gets the coveted First Chair position, animosity and a simmering tension ensues.
I personally am not musically inclined, but Soto's writing really brought the musical elements of this story alive and paralleled with Gwen and Xander's growing tension was absolutely great. Can't wait to read more by Julie Soto!
Thank you Forever for the copy through NetGalley.

I fear that I am now in love with a fictional man named Alex. I don’t know how Gwen even survived. He had me blushing just reading this. I love him so much. The way he flirted and showed his feelings with music… I can’t 🤭🥰
I’m kind of sad it took me this long to read this. This was such a great read! I really love how much music was involved too. I love when people (even fictional people) are incredibly passionate about something like music, dance, or art. I like how this book showed two different journeys in this cutthroat world. So good! Oh, and the spice was spicing 🔥 if you like romance, read this if you haven’t!

I think Julie Soto has officially become a one-click author for me!

I really enjoyed this. Gwen and Xander were perfection and I eat UP the arrogant mmc/wallflower fmc combo. Loved their progression and growth as characters and the tension was chef's kiss!

I'll definitely be recommending this one. Thank you so much for the ARC!

I spent days thinking about this book after I read it. The cello scene is indeed a steamy stand out but can we talk about how obsessed Xander is with Gwen? This man is frothing at the mouth. These two musicians, gifted and talented in different ways, want the same thing but in different fonts. It causes friction, banter, belligerent sexual tension, and musical scene descriptions that are just beautiful, sensual, and immersive. I never knew I needed a romance about two rival strings musicians until now. I literally read this in one sitting.

tropes: rivals to lovers, he falls first, belligerent sexual tension, workplace romance, found family

5 ⭐️
4 🌶

This book was so sweet and cute and I loved it. This was my first Julie Soto book and I will be reading the others asap. I also will be getting a physical copy and recommending to everyone :)

My first Julie Soto but it will not be my last! I found this story to be very compelling and I very much enjoyed the balance between the plot and the romance development. The character journeys felt realistic for their age and experience. There is a scene with a cello that will now live rent free in my mind! I’d recommend this book to my friends, especially those familiar with the show Mozart in the Jungle!