Not Another Love Song is Julie Soto's sophomore novel after the success of Forget Me Not. Not Another Love Song is Soto's first full-length story and the one that got her into traditional publishing, although it was published second. Originally written as Reylo fanfiction, Not Another Love Song is a love story between two members of the fictional orchestra the Pops.

Alex/Xander is the lead cellist in the Pops and the lead member of his band, Thorne & Roses, and Gwen's adolescent celebrity crush. When Gwen, a violinist in the Pops, is asked to take the role as first chair, Xander is furious that he has been passed over. Gwen and Xander keep running into each other - first at a wedding she is playing and he is attending and then at a taco shop near his house. Despite himself, Xander finds himself completely taken with Gwen's musical talent and when the two of them play together, it is magical for them and for anyone lucky enough to witness it.

When Pops leadership finds out about their budding relationship, they are eager to use it as publicity. Xander and Gwen have to struggle with how much they're willing to let their relationship be used to bring in money for the Pops and with what's most important - love or career.

There was a lot I liked about this! I'd never read an orchestra romance before, and it was such a fun premise. I liked both main characters and enjoyed the tension between them. My biggest complaint is that this felt very YA for an adult romance novel. It felt a bit like a teenager's imagining of an adult relationship, where the FMC meets her rockstar crush, he falls in love with her, and then his fans scream for her to play on stage with him. I almost wish that this had been just about the orchestra and skipped some of the celebrity romance altogether.

✅ FM music romance with spice
✅ Rivals to lovers
✅ Fanfiction to traditional publishing
✅ Third act breakup

⭐⭐⭐ - I liked it

🙏🏻 Thank you so much to Julie Soto and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

📅 Not Another Love Song will be out July 16th, 2024, and is available for preorder now!

Thank you NetGalley for the free eARC for an honest review!

I have been a fan of Julie Soto since her AO3 days and this book is just pure gold! The chemistry between our two main leads Gwen and Alex are absolutely electrifying!!! Ali Hazelwood was right....that cello scene.....PERFECTION!!!

This sappy romcom soothed my soul and made me immediately want to attend the next live orchestra near me! The amount of comedy and pure love makes the small emotional destruction moments worth it. This book is a sunny day at your favorite park eating a cinnamon roll.

Julie Soto will forever be an auto-buy author for me! <3

Julie, you’ve done it again! I didn’t think anyone could outshine Elliot but Alex is the GOAT as far as I’m concerned.

From the authors note, we know this book is Reylo influenced and typically they can skew cringe but this one was EXCELLENT. I loved every nuance and feeling that came from the Reylo interactions from the movies.

Probably my favorite part was how she wove all of the music, composing, and instruments so beautifully in. I know close to NOTHING about any of that and I could just feel the importance and impact all of her references were.

Julie Soto’s writing is like a symphony in this book and I truly felt like the entire book moved along so quickly. I did not want it to be over.

I absolutely loved this book. I enjoy the his and her narratives. I always like to have an insight into how both sides are feeling. The book followed Gwen’s growth as a person and also an artist and Alex’s growth with her and finding himself again. To imagine the sounds coming from the instruments and movements of the musicians is inspiring. I also enjoyed the repeat of characters like Alma from her Julie’s first book. Can’t wait for the next one. Keep them coming.

This book follows our main character Gwen, a seventh chair violinist for the Manhattan Pops who has her sights on a first chair violin position. Enter Xander Thorne, who is a grumpy first chair cellist who has his own challenges within the orchestra. These two characters go on their own journey of self-discovery on their musical careers and growing into their own identity.

I had a difficult time believing the love story in this novel. I recognized that Gwen had feelings for Xander as the front-man of her favorite musical group, but he did not know who she was until a few months into the story. Gwen stated she was not looking for a relationship at the time, and expressed her frustrations towards his advances, but this conflict never lead to a resolution, just went right into them being into each other. You're not supposed to know about Xander's backstory, the back and forth between Alex and Xander felt weird.

It also says at the beginning of the story that it started as a Kylo Ren and Rey fan fiction. As a result, I decided to re-watch the Star Wars sequel trilogy and found a lot of similarities. Like the male lead struggling with his name (like Ben and Kylo), having a legacy with his extensive family lineage (the Skywalkers) and the female lead having no family and having that be a focal point to her character, the FMC being "chosen one", as well as others. I expected some similarities, but it seemed like it was difficult to separate the two stories sometimes.

For pros, I really enjoyed the musical elements that were added to the story. The descriptions of the music style and the various instruments made the story more immersive. I think the spicy scenes in the book were well done and I can see them being received well. The tropes were done well, including grumpy/sunshine, found family, and some of the fame elements.

All in all, I would have to rate this book a 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.

Julie Soto does not miss!! I was always in a choke hold from Forget me not & now this book is putting me in a reading slump! I never thought I would be so attracted to a musician playing a cello? But damnnnnn Xander makes it hot 🥵 I loved this book so much. I have thought about it every day since I read it. Top tier romance

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book!)

I will read anything Julie Soto blesses my eyes with. She kills it every time! “Not Another Love Song” brought me back from the DEAD 🙂‍↕️

This book follows Gwen Jackson, a violinist, and Xander Thorne, a cellist, as they compete for center stage (and fight their feelings for each other).

All you need to know is that everything about this book is a TEN! The characters! The plot! The setting! The ROMANCE! I was completely hooked from the beginning.

I highly recommend! 🫶🏻

I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. Our two main characters are musically gifted rivals who fall for each other in a lyrical manner. There were quite a few moments in this book that gave me full body shivers in the best way possible. Julie Soto steps up her game in this book and you won't want to miss it!

Just devoured a stunning novel where talent sparks professional competition tension. Alex and Gwen's love story is beautifully penned, with characters so real you'll feel their dreams and struggles. There's something special about the way the characters experience music; they don't just hear it, they see and feel it, and it's fascinating to see how this translates to their emotions. The author has a magical way with words that brings the story to life in such a vivid way.

more in depth review to come, however Julie soto has knocked it out of the park once again. I devoured this book SO quickly that I need some more time to gather my thoughts. This was absolutely beautiful.

I read her previous novel and was so excited for this one! It was such a great story and I love this author's writing. I will defintiely be recommending this one!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Julie Soto for a copy of this book.

As someone who studied music for years and has a hard time "feeling" it, I absolutely loved this book and the struggles that Gwen had when it came to being a musician and getting caught up in the way that you think you should be. Alex and Gwen's love story was beautiful, and I love how completely gone for Gwen Alex is as soon as he truly hears her play.

Julie Soto has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. Her characters are rich and I instantly feel connected to them, their struggles, their hopes, and dreams. I wish that the third-act breakup had been explored a little more, as I feel like Gwen has some baggage around quick goodbyes that needs to be discussed, and I thought the final interview was the slightest bit cheesy. All around a great book, and if Soto wants to write this exact story from Alex's POV, I'll shove everyone over to be first in line.

I loved this one from Julie Soto! I already loved Vitamin String Quartet and I love them even more now. I imagine Gwen and Xander when I'm listen to VSQ now! Also I need a Thorne and Roses to go on tour with Julie so I can see them together. I loved getting to see Ama again too. I am a Julie Soto lover and I can't wait for her next one!!!

As someone who has never been to a symphony or even listened to much composed music, this book inspired me to do expand my horizons. I was intrigued by the way the characters could hear, see and feel the music and how that translated to their emotions. And, to be frank, a pretty sizzling love scene. I was rooting for each of them to realize where their best interests truly were and capitalize on that. After I finished this book, I immediately put another Julie Soto book on hold at the library so I can read more or her books.

As an avid music lover, this book is everything I ever wanted and more. The witty banter between the couple was everything to me and I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this when it releases

Even though I'm not musically inclined AT ALL, I couldn't put this book down. The way the characters' stories all came together gave me all the feels, and I totally understood why they did what they did. My sweet Alex who is really just a cinnamon roll and totally gone for Gwen. And that ending? It left me with the warm fuzzies. Definitely giving this one four stars—it's a must-read for anyone who loves a good love story!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Cello sex, betrayal and big life decisions. Not Another Love Song written by Julie Soto is a story about two VERY different string players resisting their chemistry to compete for the same goal. First chair in the Pop’s Orchestra. This novel has everything you want in a romantic drama. It was almost like I was watching a novella!

The themes in this novel can get a little heavy at times so I encourage you to read with that in mind. The main character, Gwen, deals with parental death but not in present times. Honestly, there are mommy and daddy issues all over with this book. Julie Soto wrote this novel with such care and it translates incredibly with the depth of these characters. They felt real and that’s all I ask for in books.

I would say, since this book is written from the third point-of-view, that at times it’s difficult to know who’s talking in the dialogue. Now, that could just be me because I'm more of a first pov girlie.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
4 Stars!

"Forget Me Not" was my favorite romance of 2023, so I have been excitedly awaiting "Not Another Love Song" since it was announced. It lived up to all my expectations! The angst, the spice, the humor; everything was perfect. I actually felt like I learned a little about music too! Another great romance by Julie Soto. I will continue to recommend her to everyone I meet.

Without giving away too much these two have tiptoed around each other in every setting. It’s not really enemies, but it’s you’re so talented you could steal my spot vibes. I absolutely adored the setting of this book. I’ve never read anything about an orchestra before let alone a romance within it. The way Julie Soto described their mannerisms while performing was the highlight of this book for me. Her descriptions told me so much about how they felt and how the story would play out. As far as characters, I think both Gwen and Xander were a little behind in figuring out what they want. In a sense that they kind of exchanged one controlling situation for another. Gwen, from Mabel to The Pops. Then Xander, from his adolescence into his career. I’m not saying they were equal in the amount of restrictions they had but it was always there in some ways. In Xanders case it led to him always wanting to be somebody. Even though his new persona didn’t have to impress anyone, deep down he always needed to be known for something outside of his last name. Gwen, her upbringing made her have a deep desire to belong. She makes relationships and holds them tight, oblivious to those who sometimes don’t have the best intentions. Long story short, I could write essays to all the discussion questions in the back. However, I’ll save everyone the time and reading, (if you skipped to the end of this review, I don’t blame you) Not Another Love Song is a symphony of found family, renewed relationships and limitless dreams.

I loved forget me not. This one didn’t make me quite as feral, but I really enjoyed it.

It did feel like there were a few too many moving parts sometimes, lots of relationships to keep track of.

As someone who played an instrument for most of my schooling, I loved that aspect. And it made for some 🥵🌶️🔥!