This is my first Julie Sotobook, I saw it on Abby Jimenez insta story and she was raving about it and thought good for Abby good for me, it got me from the beginning me and held on for the entire book. . I love Gwen and Alex i hope there will be more in this story i would like too enjoy their story again. first book by Julie Soto, but it won't be the last

My review was written on good reads. I’ve attached the link but I’ll also copy paste it below this.

WOAH ROMANCE AND MUSIC IN ONE BOOK. YES PLEASE 😌😉😍

I really enjoy Julie Soto’s writing style and loved Forget Me Not by her. Once I saw that this book was written based on music and love, as a former violin player myself, I just had to read it! I was able to connect with the characters and the background on the book on so many levels, so I will say that if you do not have a personal music background or in this case string instruments, it may be a little difficult to connect with the story. But if you loved Forget Me Not, you’ll be happy to hear some of the familiar names in this book. The romance is here and there’s some spicy moments 🌶️😍 for those who enjoy this also. I truly think this book will be loved by many especially those who enjoyed the first book!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this AMAZING ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gwen and Xander’s story sucked me in immediately and I had a hard time putting this book down! The third-act breakup made a lot of sense and I really like the way it resolved. I didn’t know much about orchestras prior to reading this and that part enthralled me as well. I liked the presence of Ama from the author’s first book, I like when books can be read standalone but have some interconnectedness.

Julie Soto does not miss.

Gwen is a violinist that meets Xander, a world-renowned cellist in not so optimal circumstances at a wedding. Xander is grumpy, brooding, and terse. They realize they work together elsewhere, and will have to work closer together in the future. Gwen and Xander's journey is enemies to... Well, you will see!

An ode to music, composition, expression and love. Soto knocked this one out of the park.

I absolutely loved this book! It was so angsty and gave me so many feels. Xander is desperate to have Gwen in his life, and Gwen has trust issues a mile long and doesn't trust his intentions. She doesn't give herself enough credit, and maybe Xander gives himself a little too much. But together sparks fly. Having Xander's mom be someone Gwen respects and is a mentor to her career is a nice twist since it takes a minute for her to reconcile the Xander's mom with someone who is making things happen for her in her career. But is it what she wants, or what she thinks she is supposed to want?

Julie Soto does it again! Fans of Forget Me Not will enjoy this book (peep the cameos) and I can say I was among the crowd. I wish I had more knowledge of music bc I was somewhat lost with the constant references to arpeggios and the like. I was pleasantly surprised to see there were some Alex/Xander pov which I found helpful to understanding him bc I thought he was a massive jerk to start. The spice was good and I enjoyed the way things wrapped up.
Thank you NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Julie Soto for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was my first Julie Soto's work and truly, this was actually pretty good and a great introduction to Julie's writing. The music elements in seamlessly with the romance element and made the ubiquitous romance setting (the classic NYC backdrop) into something less overdone and more unique. The romance elements, too, were well done. That said, my main issues with reworked fanfics are the thinner character development and relationship building than I would've liked to see, as most authors can simply rely on the original/canon material. Having gone into this knowing full well it is a reworked Reylo fanfic may have distorted my view and, in retrospect, I’ve definitely attributed characteristics (physical or otherwise) or expectations or even personalities to the cast of characters that were not explicitly set out in writing. If we could spend more time with developing more unique and fully-formed characters (especially with the main couple whom we spend most of our time with) further away and more distinct from the original source material, this would’ve been an even better book and has full potential to stand well alone on its own merits.

I'm excited to see what else Julie has in store for readers. It works well as a follow up to Julie's earlier work but equally well as an entry to Julie's writing.

3.5 stars ~ first off, thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with the e-arc of this book!

i want to preface this by saying that i absolutely loved soto's debut, forget me not. it's still a book i think about often. i had such high hopes for her second book, but something just felt off for me. i'm not sure if it's because i didn't understand the orchestral lingo or what, but as much as i wanted to love it, i just couldn't :(

the beginning chapters were a bit rough for me - i love that we got to see gwen's mental health struggles, but i felt that the writing of it made it feel emotionless until about 20% in. again, this may have had to do not really understanding how orchestras operate, so it took a while for me to catch up,.

i understood both character's pov and liked seeing their character growth, but i felt like their chemistry wasn't established until after they got together. the later chapters were great, but i do think that alex/xander got away with some rude tendencies with gwen, who just brushed it off instead of it actually being addressed. same feelings with the third-act breakup and how i understood why things happened, but i felt there was no problem-solving for the relationship.

to leave off with some positives though! the spice was SPICING and i really did like the plot of it after understanding how orchestras work. i've been in a bit of a rut when it comes to spice, a lot lately have just felt *meh*, but soto really knows how to write good spice scenes! and the plot twists and everything really kept me in it for the long haul, i think the plot was beautifully thought out and intricate and was a nice pace throughout the book.

overall, i wish i loved this book but i can't wait for julie's book!

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
This book was super cute with the perfect amount of non cringy spice. Julie Soto really can write a scene that gets you all in the feels. If you have read this one then you know the exact scene I’m thinking of! There is a lot of music talk, which for a person who knows nothing about music (me🙋🏻‍♀️) can go over your head a bit, but it did not takeaway anything from enjoying the story. I loved all the characters, especially Mabel! And the chemistry between Alex “Xander” and Gwen was jumping off the pages. Sign me up for every book that Julie Soto writes from here on out please!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💕Rivals to lovers
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻Forced proximity
☀️Grumpy x sunshine
🎻Musical prodigies
🌶️Steamy
📈Character growth
🎭Family drama
🏡Found family

🎻𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🎻
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E : “𝒥𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝑜𝑒𝓈𝓃’𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜 𝒾𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Julie Soto for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

Julie Soto is officially a must-read for romance fans. Love her characters, the fascinating worlds behind their professions, and that tension building! The spice is spicy.

Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite books of all time!!!!!!!!! I truly loved everything about this- the tension, the angst, the plot, the TEA!!! "Forget Me Not" was one of my favorite book of 2023, so I have been highly anticipating this one and it gave me EVERYTHING!

Alex is the hottest man I have ever read about and I'll die on that hill. An angsty cello player, yes please!! Gwen is so incredible and I truly love her. BUT GWEN AND ALEX TOGETHER??!!? Absolute perfection. The way Alex is completely obsessed with Gwen had me screaming and kicking my feet. I really really loved the orchestra setting, with them sitting across from each other as first chair violin and cello. All of the music talk made really did make me want to go see a live orchestra. I loved how they talked to each other through their music. The scene with his solo and her joining in honestly had me in tears, it felt that beautiful.

Julie Soto - the author that you are!!!!!!!!! I will read ANYTHING this woman writes. Thank god she has a background in fanfic and i can now binge that.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review. Best arc of the year!!!!

Obsessed with this in every way.

The enemies to lovers hits so hard in an orchestra setting, who knew??

Every beat was well played (pun!) and the romance and build up was 10/10, no notes.

Just impatiently waiting for Julie’s next book!!!

Ms Julie Soto has got to be the queen of writing the hottest people, I swear it.

When I tell you I was foaming at the mouth for both Gwen and Xander omg?! I do not know if I want to be them or be with them. The tension was absolutely crazy; the chemistry was coming right off the page! Literally felt like I was holding my breath during certain moments because the tension had me going that insane.

Okay but on a different note, I loved the careers of both Gwen and Xander and how they were both thoroughly explored. While I am not a musician myself, it felt like Julie knew and studied this world to get it just right. This book quite literally had me wanting to quit my job and become a violinist. I'm sure that's a reasonable course of action, no? I also loved the NYC setting. I love when cities feel more like characters in the story rather than a one-dimensional setting.

There was one piece of the book that I felt went a bit fast, but other than that, I truly loved this story. Cannot wait to see what Julie does next!

4.5 stars!! This books started off a little slow but once it got going I LOVED it!!! The romance was SO good! There was an insane amount of tension that the slowburn really hit. The spice moments between them were so HOT! 😩 The love declarations were also everything and more. The way Alex was just utterly obsesssd with her from the first time he heard her play was the cutest.

I also loved how there was a major focus on character development. They pushed each other to find the best possible version of themselves and to stop living for others approval. This was shown through their career and I loved how they both left what was comfortable and pushed for what they truly wanted.

**big thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with the arc of this book**

3.5⭐️

I wanted to love this book so so much, especially since I flew through the first book but honestly this one didn’t have me.

At first, I honestly considered DNFing this book, I just couldn’t get a grasp on it. I thought maybe it was the musical politics of it, I’m not knowledgeable on those types of things but after about 20%, I found it a lot easier to read.

this book became easy to read, pretty quick - just like the first one. I wasn’t super attached to this one, but I did enjoy the story. The way Xander/Alex was an absolute douche to her - really turned me off and I know it’s probably part of the “enemies to lovers” vibes but it just made it so hard for me to see their chemistry and become deeply invested in them.

Overall, I do think the story was really good and the characters were definitely likable (Alex delivered with time). It was enough to keep me reading, I found myself wanting to pick up the book regardless of how much I liked it AND the spicy scenes were absolutely SPICIN’ and also the cover?? Lowkey love!!

I think Julie's writing is so easy to read, her format is perfect - I will say, I wasn't a fan of the longer chapters but once I was invested in the story - it was easier to tolerate for sure

I would recommend this book absolutely

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6495882439

I loved this book even more than Forget Me Not! Clearly because I stayed up till 4am to finish it!

It gave me an insight into the world of orchestra, which was so cool and interesting.

It made me wish that I had attended a concert at Carnegie Hall during my NYC birthday trip.

The foreplay with musical instruments was so hot! 🔥

And the nod to Taylor Swift at the end! 🙌🏻 💀☠️💀

I hope this book gets optioned too as it would make a great movie!

The biggest thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to receive an ARC of this masterpiece. WHEW. This story. Gosh I am still reeling from the love, the music, the tension, the growth. It was such a treat. Julie has written these characters flawlessly, allowing them to complement one another as a violin complements a cello. I fell in love with Gwen. I swooned for Alex. I melted at their love story. It was such a joy to peek behind the curtain and see the love and loss of classically trained musicians. Julie has conducted a masterpiece with this book. Every sentence flows like a symphony. Every page like an encore. Every chapter, like a pause in the music as you try to catch your breath. I will be inviting so many people to read this book and get front row seats to the artistry of Julie Soto!!

4.5 stars rounded up.

First of all, this cover artist deserves a raise.

Second of all --- DAMN. This book was taut, fraught, and freaking HOT!

Gwen is a twenty two year old violin star who stumbled into playing by chance and found solace in music when her mother and grandfather passed away, leaving her without family at a young age. Xander Thorne is the stage name for a musical prodigy and son of one of the greatest violinists to play at the Manhattan Pops. The two are set on a crash course when Xander joins the Pops hoping for a shot at first chair -- and Gwen is shockingly given the position.

Gwen isn't sure that this is the dream she had for herself, but she isn't in a position to turn down any sort of job security. The two continue to glare and stare at one another from their perfectly opposed positions within the orchestra but neither can deny the pull they feel towards one another. Once they get past the bumps of their initial meeting(s), they realize that together they create something special -- on their instruments and as romantic partners. But both will have to decide where their true dreams lie and if being together is a part of that dream, no matter what the cost.

This was SEXY and lyrically beautiful at the same time. Julie Soto is a new favorite! I only wish we got more than a view snippets of Alex/Xander's POV because that man can PINE like no one's business.

Great plot, great characters, and music that you could practically feel as you read. A masterpiece!!

If you're a fan of Ali Hazelwood-MMCs that fall in love with the FMC at first sight (or first musical note in this case), brood a lot in a hot way, and treat the FMC as equals even while basically worshipping them, you will love this book! Xander and Gwen have unbelievable chemistry, and, even without knowing anything about classical music, I was able to feel the tension and emotions in their musical scenes together. I also loved that the barriers between them actually made sense in the plot and it wasn't just frivolous miscommunication to create discord. The characters were well-developed enough that both of their perspectives during conflicts made sense. This book has made future books by this author instant-buys for me!

This is my second Julie Soto book. I read Forget Me Not last year and didn’t love or hate it. I thought I would give this one a go and see if I lIked it better. I loved the story between the two main characters and the unique storyline of two music prodigies that were similar in so many ways. I was loving everything about the banter, the peer dynamic, and the “hidden” identity take on Alex’s character. Everything was going so well, I knew I needed to prepare myself for the inevitable third act conflict. Third act breakups are usually a given but it was really hard for me to get past the reasons that led to the breakup. I didn’t feel like it made sense for how the characters relationship had been written and felt like it was just there for the sake of having a conflict right at the end. Overall, it was a decent read and had potential to have a higher review but I couldn’t get past the reasons for the breakup.