So I'll preface this by saying I've never read a book like this before, so I had no idea what I was getting into this while reading.

As someone who did choir in high school (it was my life), I knew some basics of music, but I was COMPLETELY out of my element with this book.

I enjoyed the read, sometimes the story was a little "meh," and I found myself skimming the book at times when there was significant details about how they fingerplucked and using the bow, however if detailed reads, classical music, or string instruments are your thing, I do wholeheartedly believe you'll love this book!

The steam however; was steamy and original! I love that the cover is a spicy scene in the book and literally made that scene 10x better!

I had a blast reading this ARC!

Am I contemplating picking up an instrument? ... Maybe.

✔️Rivals to Lovers
✔️Rom-Com
✔️He falls first
✔️Musical 🎼 (duh)
✔️Miscommunication/misunderstanding

thank you netGalley and forever publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

i've previously read the author’s debut and liked her writing, which has become a rarity for me when it comes to contemporary romances. i was eager to dive into this one when i heard about it because it seemed like it would be right up my alley, so getting an arc was exciting.

one aspect i particularly liked was the incorporation of music and orchestra into the story. although i'm not an expert when it comes to anything music-related, the integration of it into the plot and characters was quite interesting to read. It felt like an integral part of the narrative rather than mere background filler. I also appreciated that the characters were somewhat interesting, they didn't blow me away but it felt nice to read about their passion for music and their musical evolution outside of the romance.

however, my main criticism was that i felt it could have been stronger in terms of developing the relationship between the characters. it seemed a bit rushed, and i wish there were more significant interactions between them so that when they got together, it would feel less like insta-love. despite this, there were some tension moments that compensated for it. other than that, the breakup in the third act felt very tiresome, as someone who completely loses interest when there is one in any romance book.

overall, i found this to be a nice romance read. i didn’t get obsessed with it, but it also didn’t bother me, and it was very easy to read and kept me entertained. i will look out for more upcoming books from the author.

From the moment I picked up this book I was absolutely hooked! I found this story so unique and different that I just couldn’t put it down! I loved the idea of an enemies to lovers that sit right across from each other in an orchestra, and seeing their relationship pan out was just such a joy!

One thing I absolutely love about Julie Soto’s books is the writing! I don’t usually like books when it’s in 3rd person, however, something about the way she writes has me completely hooked and there’s so often I had butterflies on my stomach while reading this! I love how most of this book was in Gwen’s POV, with little glimpse into Alex’s perspective at what I always thought was the perfect time!

The story was so unique and fun and sweet,, and at times emotional and I almost shed a few tears a couple times while reading this! I loved the characters, and I also liked their development throughout the book as they get to know one another. I really liked their relationship and the tension that was written between them was absolutely perfection! I really enjoyed Gwen and I liked her right away; she was such a sweet character and I loved her history and how she fell in love with violin and her found family. I also really liked Alex (or Xander) from the beginning as well despite him being a bit of a jerk. I grew to love him more as the sorry went one, especially when we found out how hard and fast hw feel for Gwen! I felt like their communication could have been better at times, and at times I felt like they didn’t talk a lot, but you felt the love and pining they had toward each other despite their lack of communication at time! Despite the, the overall story was really great!

If you’re looking for a sweet romance that’s unique and bursting with music (it is a book about two people in an orchestra after all!), than this is definitely the book for you!

4.5⭐️

Thanks Julie Soto and Forever Publishing for an ARC of this book, out July 16th!

Easily a five star book. I adored Julie Soto’s last book, Forget Me Not, so I couldn’t not wait to jump into this one. (Side note: loved the cameos of Ama and Elliot.)

I could not put this book down. Their chemistry was palpable. I couldn’t get enough of the scenes with them together, especially when Xander was throwing her longing glances from across the room. Admittedly I know basically nothing about instruments but Julie Soto’s writing held me captivated the entire time.

Although I do wish we had gotten more chapters in Xander’s POV. Just a personal preference, I like to be in the mind of the male POV more to see how he is feeling throughout the developing relationship. Plus I loved him and the way he loves Gwen & I just wanted more of him all the time.

I will be immediately preordering this book and I cannot wait to have it in my hands and on my shelf.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite romance read of the year so far… Alex and Gwen are so talented and so hot! Felt like I was at these concerts! The cello scene will haunt me (in the best way). I will be reading anything Julie Soto puts out, based purely on this book! Her writing style is so fun and so descriptive without being over the top or cheesy.

I read this book so quickly I already know I'm going to have to read it again to truly take in all the amazing details and nuances of the story. First pass, I LOVED it. It was such a fun concept, I adored our main characters, was feral for more of Xander's POV, melted at the fact that he was enamored with Gwen's talent, and desperately want to hear the compositions that were described in the book. Julie Soto can do no wrong.

I was absolutely captivated by this book, I could not put it down. This book had me all up in my feelings and by the end of it my heart felt so full yet so empty because i reached the ending of this masterpiece. I absolutely loved the writing of this book. It gave great detail to the main characters, side characters, and plot of the story. Everything flowed together really nicely and there were no points where I felt rushed or lost as to what was happening. The chemistry and tension between these two characters was to die for. I was literally giggling, kicking my feet, and screaming constantly whenever they were together. The scenes where Xander is watching her play had me swooning. But the scene in his music room? Oh. My. God. It lives rent free in my head. These spicy scenes were not only hot, they were lyrical and poetic. I can not get enough of the writing style and how the musical references just brought it to a whole different level. Not only were the spicy scenes to die for so wash the romance, the chemistry and the main plots, and the sub plots. I loved watching Gwen and Xander helping and healing each other. It’s wonderful to have characters who care about each other and want to push them to their fullest potential, even if they feel like they are not good enough. This story also talks about some hard talks, parental loss, found family, estranged family. I really respect that those topics were mentioned as well. It definitely added depth, intensity, and the ability to relate and empathize more into the more story. Too many stories are just light and fluffy now a days. I really appreciate that Julie Soto was able to keep the book fun and easy to read while still addressing some important topics. I also really enjoyed the Easter eggs she threw in this book, they were definitely a surprise I was not expecting. Overall I really enjoyed this book, I am beyond grateful and excited that I got an eARC of this book because I think I would have combusted if I had to wait until publication day. Thank you NetGalley, Forever, and Julie Soto for allowing me to read an eARC of this. I can not wait for release day to have this on my shelf.

The sexual tension in this was so good omg, it carried the book. After the slow start, I really enjoyed this one, and it's my favorite Julie Soto as of now. I loved the orchestra stuff and how the author made it so sensual and chemistry-filled. The writing was good and easy to read, I flew through the book. I loved how the romance went from rivals to the mmc being down bad obsessed with having the fmc. There wasn't an abundance of spice but the ones we got were chefs kiss. The third-act breakup seemed abrupt but I loved the music/orchestra scene that came out of it and how it led to them coming back together. Overall this was a good read and I'm excited to see what Julie writes next. Thank you Forever for this arc for an honest review.

Read for:
- Music prodigies plot
- THAT CELLO SCENE
- Rivals to lovers
- So much tension
- Rom-com
- He falls first

I was so excited to be granted an ARC of Julie Soto's next book. I loved 'Forget Me Not.' This one did not disappoint. An easy five-star read. I read this one in one sitting. The way that Julie wrote the tension in this book, I thought it was real life tension. So good!! This book was super cute and funny, and will live rent free in my head! Highly recommend!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed Julie Soto's first novel, 'Forget Me Not', but I LOVED 'Not Another Love Song!'

I devoured this book. I thought about this book when I was not reading it. I stayed up way to late to finish it. It was even better than I predicted- and I went into it with high expectations! Julie Soto you are my queen.

The TENSION in this book!!!! I loved it and I will be recommending this book to all of my friends. Do yourself a favor and pre-order this book ASAP. You don't even need to read the synopsis. Just trust me.

I’m always apprehensive to read books that used to be fanfiction, especially when I’m familiar with the original work. This book exceeded my hopes and expectations. I loved it. Absolutely positively loved it. The story itself is fantastic - the flow, the pacing, and the musical interludes. I love the characters, every single one (including some we’d seen before!). I love the way music bleeds into every crevice of the story, flowing through the reader the way it flows through Gwen and Xander. It’s so vividly described it’s almost personified; it’s really incredible. The spice is top notch and features one of my favorite scenes EVER. The ending is wonderfully satisfying. My only complaint is Gwen’s refusal to use Xander’s chosen name felt disrespectful to Xander. I understand why it was done but it doesn’t carry the same weight in the real world as Rey calling Kylo, Ben. But overall, an absolute triumph and I’m dying to read whatever comes next.

If I ever go to an orchestra, this story will live rent free. It was so cute, great banter, and had me laughing out loud. The way the author writes, it’s so easy to feel as if you can feel the music she is describing (and I have never played an instrument in my life). Our character Xander, a broody famous cellist. lead band member with an…interesting past. Then there is Alex. A musical genius and perfectionist, who struggles with the pressure he’s put himself under. Lastly Gwen, our FMC who had a hard start in life, and found her safe place in a violin. I loved the tension between the two. There were quite a few little twists I didn’t see coming. As someone who read a lot of spice, I’d rate it a strong 3.5 🌶️ with some excellent scenes (that will absolutely be sticking in my head. ) My only downfall is that once Gwen and the mmc got together, I wish the relationship didn’t go so fast. Which in fairness was still after 50% of the book, it was quickly lovers and soon the L word was being dropped. However even with that little side note, I still give it 4.5 stars.

It was alright. It felt very unique and original for what it was. I loved how detailed the music aspect was, you can tell the author is very well versed in the subject. I just didn’t feel super connected to the characters or their supposed chemistry so it fell a little flat for me in that area.

I'm a huge fan of Julie Soto's work on AO3 that's been written for the Harry Potter fandom, so I'm so excited to see published works where I can support her! I read Forget Me Not last year and loved it, and I loved Not Another Love Song too! I thought the tension and chemistry between Gwen and Alex was really well done, and I haven't read a romance featuring classical musicians before so I thought that was something new and different for the genre! Will definitely recommend this to customers looking for a contemporary romance

This review would be incomplete if I didn't first share my thoughts on the Author's Note at the beginning of the book. I have started to read more Author's Notes and I am so glad that I read what Julie had to say about her inspiration and journey to bring Not Another Love Song to life. I LOVED knowing this story was sparked after her visit to the New York Pops' orchestra and wondering about the dynamics that would play out between the first chair and first cellist. Well, Julie Soto did a fantastic job capturing the tension that this specific relationship can possess. I am a huge fan of Julie Soto's first book, Forget Me Not, and it was fun to read some character cameos. The concept behind Not Another Love Song is simple and straight forward, which I feel like helped the focus be more on the dynamic duo of this story. Plot was important, but the character development between Gwen and Xander was *chef's kiss.* Julie Soto did a wonderful job of gripping the reader's attention with tension and likable characters.

This was absolutely a five star read for me!

This book is great for lovers of:
Lots of TENSION and some spice
Forced proximity
Grumpy x Sunshine
Music

This was such a cute love story in an orchestral drama setting. As someone who grew up engaging with the arts, I constantly heard about the various dramas, especially around 1st chair, while living in my different art drama; as such, this really hit for me. It is both cute and steamy and is a great read for romance lovers.

this book was so cute!! julie soto has become one of my favorite authors after Forget Me Not & Not Another Love Song just confirmed that!!
I loved the music aspect of this book because it was so different compared to anything else i've read. i adored the two main characters and the story line!
I also really loved how this book was in the same world and universe as Forget Me Not! I GASPED when Ama and Elliott showed up in the first chapter!
The only complaint i have is that it is in third person but i quickly got over it!

So so so so so good. The original version of this story is one of my all time favorite Reylo fanfics and it was so comforting and joyful to read it now in this newer and remixed form.

The descriptions of music and the art of playing was so scrumptious and you can tell it came from someone who loves music to their very soul. It was awesome to be invited into that world.

Highly recommend.

∞/5 stars!

This could very well be the romance of the year. It was that good. Julie Soto has delivered a fresh, unique love story that will leave you wanting more. Not only will you fall in love with characters, but the artistry of music, too.

This book was so sexy. Like who knew composing music could be sexy? Gwen is a self-taught violinist. Xander is a rock star cellist. They come from very different worlds, yet they have so much chemistry on (and off) the stage. This was my first Julie Soto book and you can definitely call me a fan. Her writing was so intense, lyrical, and intimate. I felt like I was sitting right there when Gwen and Xander played their instruments. It was a beautiful composition of two people finding themselves in the world of music.

This is not a low-conflict book. There were many highs and lows. So many things are happening behind the scenes, so much drama. But I got sucked right in. It was impossible to put it down because I needed to understand the why, the how, and what would happen next. There is a third act break up, but the love song playing on their heart strings could not keep them away from each other for long. It was a lovely push and pull throughout the whole book.

To finish this review off, that cello scene absolutely rocked my world, altered my brain chemistry, changed my life. iykyk.

tropes:
🎻he falls first and HARD
🎻dark, brooding mmc
🎻rivals to lovers
🎻mutual pining
🎻spicy music making scenes

thank you netgalley and forever publishing for the arc!

Obviously, I listened to a playlist called "Classical Bangers" while reading this and patiently waited for the main characters to do some banging.

I liked it, but I didn't like it as much as the first. I couldn't connect with the characters as well, but I'm always gonna read a book when it has a look-alike Adam Driver on the cover. <3 I am definitely gonna beg for our libraries to get it and then tell everyone about it.