Okay, okay, I see you, Julie Soto. Killing it over here with the romance comedy's that nobody needs to be missing out on. Go buy this one and read it today. We love Julie Soto and all of her books. An auto buy for me, for sure.

4.75/5 Stars

This is the ultimate romantic comedy for anyone who has once heard a cello playing and thought, "That's hot." Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this advanced copy!

If you were even a maybe on this book, please do yourself a favor and pre-order. I've never read a non-romantasy with tension that cut this thick. This is the summer romance of 2024; I DON'T MAKE THE RULES. Julie Soto is now an auto-buy author on my list, and she should be on yours too.

This book is about Gwen and Xander, who happen to play in the same orchestra together. However, Gwen is a fourth-chair violinist, and Xander is part of an internationally (nationally?) popular band who do covers of popular songs (Think Vitamin String Quartet). So clearly he hasn't ever paid attention to her. Until he hears her playing at a wedding, that is.

Put this in your cart and pre-order it now. Put your name on a list on Libby. This is now required reading for all my romance lovers out there.

I finished Not Another Love Song 2 weeks ago, and I have not stopped thinking about this book. It immediately was added to my "favorite books of all time" list and I have an itch to reread it already. I was only about 20% through before I was preordering it to have a physical copy.

It is quite literally a perfect romance in my eyes--sweet moments that make you giggle and kick your feet, sexual tension in spades that has you on the edge of your seat, and the spice is a perfect level.

I have already recommended this book to so many people, and it's not even officially released yet. I don't think I will ever stop talking about it. Julie Soto, you're magic. Keep up the amazing work!

This was so. fucking. good. You're going to want to add this to your tbr immediately. What originally sold me on this book was the cover. I have never read a romance where the two love interest are musicians. If you don't know me well, I love classical music, I love attending the orchestra -- so reading this was a whole new experience for me and I loved every single thing about it. Over time when you read romance books, they all start to blur together, you feel like you're reading the same thing but with different characters. This was not the case with Not Another Love Song! It felt new and fresh and omg...there is one scene in this book that will be forever imprinted on my mind, iykyk. Lets just say that I don't think I will be able to look at a violin or a cello the same way. I adored both of the main characters. Especially Alex, the MMC, he gave me major Kylo Ren vibes which made me love him even more. This book gets all the stars, and I cannot wait to see what else Julie Soto has up her sleeve!

Go read this when it comes out on July 16th!!

Thank you so much NetGalley for this earc! <3

Many thanks to @Netgalley @stmartinspress and @casey.mcquiston for the opportunity to review this lush, stunning, deeply romantic, and quirky second-chance love story. McQuiston’s Red, White and Royal Blue is the book that revived my love of reading, so this was a special one to have the opportunity to read in advance. Here is my honest review…

Four years ago, Theo and Kit broke up on a transatlantic flight to London, where they were supposed to start a dream European vacation. They’ve pieced their lives back together on separate continents, not having seen each other since that fateful flight. They each have non-refundable tickets with the tour company that must be used within 48 months. When Theo shows up only to find Kit has booked the same tour, they must face heartbreak and regret. But as their guide and quirky fellow travelers traverse Europe, exploring art, architecture, food, and wine, Kit and Theo find themselves slipping into familiar patterns that only come from a lifetime of love and friendship. As the ice thaws and they talk about what broke them up, they begin to discover the people they’ve become in their time apart and wonder if there are some people that you will always love.

I felt this book in my chest - full of beauty and excess. Kit and Theo both work in the restaurant world, and their passion for food and drink is evident on every page - wine pairings, pasta, bread, pastries, sandwiches, cheese, olives, grapes - this book is a tribute to the romance of a great meal. As they travel city to city, you witness Kit and Theo evolve, and Casey has one of the most effective uses of dual POV I’ve ever encountered. Their love story is unique, and the story makes you feel these people who grew up together, helped each other through dark times, and (despite years apart) still know each other better than they know themselves.

This captivating tale of rival cellist and violinist turned lovers had me on the edge of my seat! While the musical jargon initially threw me off, once the story hit its stride around 15%, I was hooked. The dynamic between Gwen and Xander was electrifying, and Julie Soto skillfully crafted palpable sexual tension and longing between them. And that cello scene? Absolutely breathtaking! Soto's ability to ignite such passion between the characters left me utterly spellbound.

Julie Soto will be an auto-buy author for me from now on! I can't put my finger on why but I always fall in love with her characters almost immediately. I think it's because I love the way they describe being and falling in love.
I do wish we got more of the MMC's POV; a couple chapters sprinkled throughout the book are not enough! I remember feeling the same when I read Forget Me Not, I wanted more Elliot.
Loved Gwen & Alex's love story and hope they make a small appearance in the next book. Also dying to know who the next book will be about!!!

Not another love song was a sweet story of a cello who fell in love with a violin. As someone who’s is musically challenged I had a hard time connecting with the musical portions of this book, which made it hard for me to connect with the characters, Now this isn’t the authors fault and she was still able to write two distinct and complex characters who are able to see those differences and fall in love despite them. It was so hard for me to see Alex and Gwen being constantly manipulated and used by Nathan and Lorenz. I’m sure this is a common thing true musicians deal with and added a realistic drama to the story,

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Is Julie Soto a sleeper romance hit author for me? I’ve been in an on-off relationship with the contemporary romance genre (bar Emily Henry) because I have a strong preference for substantial B stories to buy in; but happy to report, Julie Soto hits! I love how Soto builds immersive, almost neurotically detailed professional backgrounds for her FMCs (violinist here, wedding planner in Forget Me Not) with compulsively propelling pacing.

The tension is great; rival musicians vying for greatness in their respective instruments? I’m sat. We follow Gwen, a violinist with an untraditional music background, and prickly cellist, Xander, from a prestigious musical heritage, as they vie for head of the Pops Orchestra in New York. Were there corny references to musical motifs to describe their romance? Absolutely, but I salute the commitment to the bit.

Perhaps the only things I was critical of was the third act conflict could’ve been more fully baked and sometimes the internal logic behind their attraction didn’t 100% pull me in? Like I’d ask myself, does he just like her because she can play music well? Could I tell you what exactly about her personality draws him in? I’m not sure, but this is on the nitpicky end.

Altogether so much fun and will likely pick up her future works! Highly suggest reading Forget Me Not first to get the full experience of the cameos.

I've had Forget Me Not on my shelf for so long but haven't had the chance to get to it. After reading Not Another Love Song, I'm moving it to the top!
I love romances with classical musicians but they're hard to find. Gwen and Xander/Alex were so swoony, the growth we got to see from both of them was just right, and their story had the perfect amount of angst/conflict and connection.
Absolutely loved this reylo. I'll admit I'm a sucker for them but damn...it was good lol

Julie Soto is a new to me author, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read Not Another Love Song! Right away, I loved being immersed in the world of professional musicians, an area where I have absolutely no experience. Gwen and Xander are both exceptional string musicians with complicated backstories....and a healthy dose of disdain for each other. I flew through every chapter and loved seeing the characters develop. Once I finished this book, I immediately jumped into another Julie Soto title - I'm hooked!

LOVED THIS!! This was my first time reading about classical musicians and it was a beautiful love story. The music just added so much intensity and passion to the story! I couldn’t put this down and was often times blushing at how hot these two were!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend reading it.

Gwen has a natural ear for music and was taught by a music store owner. Xander was born into a classical music family. They both play for the Pops Orchestra but Xander has never noticed Gwen until he hears her play at his friends wedding. They are both fighting for the first chair. Their chemistry and music are magical.

Music has torn people apart in this book and then brings them back together.

This author has become an guaranteed read for me. Some authors are not able to change up their books with original plot lines and keep the same writing value. Thankfully this is not a problem for this author and I am excited for her future works.

If you love a good tension-filled romance with overachieving main characters, this book is for you!

I found this wildly addicting and I had a hard time putting it down. Romance lovers rejoice because the sexual tension and chemistry is red hot! I found myself rooting for both of our main characters throughout.

Spoiler alert: there is a third act breakup, but thankfully it’s not due to any miscommunication troupe.

I recommend this to anyone looking for spicy romance with an interesting external conflict as well.

I loveddddd this book! Gwen and Xander are truly such a wonderful couple. I love the dynamic between them and how they complement each other musically. Their love language is music and Julie did such a wonderful job incorporating it into their love story. The chemistry in this book was off the charts. The spicy scenes were written beautifully. Enemies to lovers is easily my favorite trope but the way that Julie Soto wrote these characters into this trope is so unique and different. It didn’t feel stereotypical to me which I appreciated. I also enjoyed how we got to see Gwen grapple with her future and how she was being pulled in multiple directions. Getting to witness her character development and watch her follow her gut and heart was one of my favorite parts of this book. Highly recommend this read! Easily one of my favorite romance books in the last two years.

Gwen & Xander are such a perfect pairing - they will steal your heart and take you along on their beautiful love story. Diving into the world of music and especially classically trained musicians was such a surprising delight and I loved the passion they both bring to their music. This book is beautifully written and will be one you'll want to read more than once!

Oh, and a few favorite characters from the Soto-verse pop in just for that little extra fun!

This is already my favorite romance read of 2024. It was excellently executed and totally charming. Julie Soto will continue to be an instant-purchase author for me.

Excuse me Ms. Soto?! This book was absolutely amazing and was just as good as Forget Me Not! Gwen and Alex's story is a lot about self discovery and deciding what they want out of their music careers as well as their personal lives. This book is steamy with lots of tension between Alex and Gwen and the spice is definitely there. 100% recommended this to any fans of Tessa Bailey, Lana Ferguson, or Meghan Quinn. 5 out of 5 stars and I can say with confidence that if Julie Soto writes it, I'm going to read it.

I didn’t know if I would love this book since the other reviews talked so highly about it, but I was very wrong. I devoured this book in 48 hours and absolutely loved it. A rivals to lovers book that was chefs kiss. I highly recommend checking this one out when it comes out. Now excuse me while I read Julie Soto’s other books.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.