A moment of silence for the stunning cover. When I already thought Forget Me Not was beautiful, Not Another Love Song blew it out of the park. So romantic!

Anyways, Not Another Love Song is based in busting New York City about two musical prodigies - a violinist, Gwen Jackson, and rock star cellist Xander Thorne who happen to both be playing for the Manhattan Pops. When Gwen has the opportunity to become part of the spotlight, the broody cellist takes notice and tension builds from there.

Right off the bat, (I LOVED Forget Me Not, what a fantastic debut from the author), so seeing not only the cover of Julie's second novel but having the novel based on music had me excited! In this novel, the writing was definitely a bit more lyrical which I appreciated. Kudos to Julie always writing a delectable love scene. Oh Xander.. Also the added bonus of cameos from the characters of Forget Me Not - was a sweet treat!

However, I could not feel the emotional connection between the two. It's a me thing and I don't like insta-love... and to me this novel does fall under the trope. Don't get me wrong - the tension was there but there lacked an emotional depth that made their relationship a bit surface level. Their overwhelming attraction and obsession with each other was a bit too much. Coming from someone who has played a musical instrument, I enjoyed the musical terminology but for someone who may have no background - I could see how difficult it would be for someone to follow.

Read if you like;
- Dual POV (mainly in Gwen's POV)
- Insta-love
- Musical elements/terminology (if you're not well verse in it, might be a distraction!!)
- Third person
- Spiiiiicay love scenes

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

There is so much passion in Xander and Gwen’s story that words don’t truly cover it. Everything about this was perfect, and every part of them and their bleeding hearts need to be protected at all costs. Julie truly delivered beyond compare, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Easy 5 ⭐️ This was one of those books that I know is going to stay with me for a while. I never thought I’d be swooning over a cellist, yet here I am.

This was written really well. All of the characters have distinct personalities with identifiable traits. I enjoyed how the relationship between Alex and Gwen was built slowly and genuinely. It was a refreshing romance from many of the others I’ve been reading lately; the problems they faced felt real, the disagreements felt valid, and their relationship felt authentic. And the spice and chemistry were definitely there. I loved this and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Just absolutely beautiful, infinity stars. Julie Soto does it again.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC for an honest review!

Do I know anything about music? No. Did this book make me feel things about violin and cello compositions that would have never occurred to me otherwise? Absolutely.

Xander Thorne felt like a different kind of grumpy MMC. He felt less grumpy and just straight up intense. I love how he pushed Gwen and could see everything she could be. Their relationship was so full of love and honesty 🥹

I also really loved the sense of family that’s built. We have a lot of reconnections and honest communication that ends up happening. I cried during the Christmas scene at Mabel’s house 😭

I’m anxiously awaiting Julie Soto’s next book!!!

“‘It’s simple really, he said. ‘It’s about a cello who fell in love with a violin.’”

Here’s the thing about Julie Soto. I absolutely love her. And admire her. I knew from the first chapter I would fall in love with the characters in this story and I absolutely did. They were raw and vulnerable and flawed. I have never been one to feel passionately about music but man did this story change that for me.

Julie’s writing is beautiful. Her knowledge of music and ability to intertwine that with an amazing love story is truly magnificent. Alex (Xander) and Gwen are two people I will not soon forget. I wouldn’t call this enemies to lovers, but it definitely walked that line and I was here for it.

I loved Gwen’s found family contested with Alex’s separation from his family and I love how all those aspects of both their lives found a way to weave themselves together. The conflict was captivating and kept me flipping from page to page without being frustrating or infuriating as sometimes romance novel conflicts can be. I was as so immersed in this story it was hard to come out of the fog.

I don’t know what else to say other than give her the five stars, read this book and get ready for 2025 because I will read anything Julie writes from here on out. Her stories are love potions and I am hooked.

Beautiful, fu****g beautiful is what this masterpiece of a book is. First, the lyrical writing, the prose! Julie Soto did her thing. She must of done extensive research on Violin and Cello players, because the music lingo felt legit. Thank you for amplifying my love of string instruments 🎻. Second, the love story between Xander (Alex) and Gwen told through orchestral music, was something I didn’t know I badly needed. It was sweet, tender, emotional, and SEXY as hell. And not in a sexy because it’s spicy kind of way, even though the spice was good 👌🏼. But in a “let me make love to you on stage every night” kind of way…are you kidding me Xander? New book boyfriend level unlocked! My only complaint about this book is that it ended, I wish it would have gone on forever…I wasn’t ready to leave Gwen and Xanders world, I was fully immersed. I found myself being able to hear their compositions in my head, even though im not a musician. I could envision them playing on stage, the studio, rehearsals. Honestly this book made me forget I was reading 😊. I also really enjoyed most of the side characters, and loved the Ama and Elliot cameos. I have a feeling the next book will be about Dom (Xanders band member) and Mar (Ama’s best fiend)…and I’m not mad at it. All in all this book was amazing, and dare I say my favorite romance of the year so far 🫶🏼. It was just different, it read differently and it hit differently. Everything that the main characters went through I felt…their insecurities, their longing, their attraction, the way they supported and encouraged each other. If you want to read a book about rivals (sort of) to lovers, with good chemistry/tension that leads to a steamy two people one chair one cello scene 🥵, a book about love through music and music through love, read this! You won’t be disappointed. Thank you Net Galley and Forever for the advance reader copy, I’ll be doing a second (and third and fourth) read right away. I can’t wait for the audiobook, so I can devour the book in that format too. ♾️⭐️

WOW! This book. 4.5 stars. I loved it. Set in NYC, this is a romance between a violinist and rock cellist in the Manhattan Pops, a popular music orchestra. This was a unique romance novel in a sea of super similar contemporary romance novels, of which I read many of. My friend asked me what the tropes were and surprisingly I couldn’t just rattle off several, as I often can.

Scenes in this book were sensual and erotic in the very best way. The cello scene—I’m blushing just thinking about it, and spicy books DON’T make me blush!!!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! If you have a love for stringed instruments, I would say drop everything and read immediately.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an eARC!

Julie Soto hit it out of the park again. I think I love this one even more than Forget Me Not. I love music and have played instruments for many years, so Gwen and Xander easily stole my heart with their passion for their music.

I'm not big on spicy scenes, so the first half of the book was my favorite. There were a lot of spicy scenes in the second half, but I was able to skim through them without feeling like the story lost too much momentum.

The supporting characters were wonderful and I love how everything was resolved. But Gwen and Xander were so magnetic, especially together. They just shone off the page. I really felt their fears and anxieties and dreams and it was so uplifting watching them take charge of their careers and lives.

I flew through the book in two days with a huge smile on my face the entire time. I will absolutely be reading whatever Julie Soto writes next.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for providing an early copy for review.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book. I’m obsessed. Five enthusiastic stars! The writing was fantastic, the characters immediately had my heart, and now I think Cellos have officially become the new hottest thing.

This is amazing. This novel is a horny roller coaster of emotions between these two characters and it was fabulous. It’s angsty and beautiful and it just hooked me from the first page. I was enthralled and couldn’t put this novel down.

Here’s what I liked the most:
-It’s super horny
-We get to see Elliot and Ama from Forget Me Not (I love them)
-The descriptions of the music are beautiful
-The whole premise is just really interesting: two brilliant musicians who fall in love and they both play strings instruments
-It’s so angsty. There’s so much angst and built-up.

This was everything I could have ever wanted from this novel. It has some incredible scenes that I don’t want to spoil for anyone but they’re oh so good.

10/10 and I cannot wait for the next.

Wow, julie always give you all the feels with her books, loved every page of this one, so relatable and emotional. Definitely one of my favorite from her . Already recommending to everyone 🫣

Five stars. I loved Gwen and her insecurities are relatable and believable. Her character arc was well done and made me grow fonder of her. Alex was amazing. Cocky but sweet, Closed off and with walls around himself until he starts to fall for Gwen. The pining was top tiers, one of my favourite things about the book.

Not Another Love Song is about violinist Gwen Jackson and rock star cellist Xander Thorne, who are in the Manhattan Pops together.

I know you cannot judge a book by its cover but my god this cover is stunning!!! I thought that Forget Me Not, the same artist, was also very pretty but this is next level. Speaking of Forget Me Not, Ama and Elliot both make a couple cameos along with some others from that book. I suspect some candidates for the next book appeared in here too but could be wrong.

Like with Forget Me Not, I was not a fan of how the third act conflict went down here as it didn’t make sense to me. But the book is filled with beautiful prose and the love story is sweet. I really enjoyed how it ended and the last line was chef’s kiss cute. Also, this deserves at least one whole star just for ~that cello scene ~ alone, a five star scene.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I heard this was a Reylo fanfic, I instantly knew I would enjoy this.

Musical prodigies Xander Thorn and Gwen Jackson are a part of the same Pops Orchestra, only he doesn't know she exists. What happens when she is part of piano/strings duo and he can't keep his eyes off her? but is it judgement or something else.

Julie Soto does it again. She creates these amazing characters and shows you their lives - past and present to become an enriching story of love, family, and redemption. Some of the secondary characters added so much to the story, that I wanted to know more of their story as well. Julie Soto is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

3/5. I wasn’t crazy about this book unfortunately. First of all, some of the dialogue was awkward and unrealistic to the point that it took me out of immersion in the story. As an example, Ama, the love interest from Soto’s previous book, said that she “shipped” the main characters, which felt forced and weird to me. The character development for both of our main characters felt rushed, as did their relationship. After Xander did the things he did in the first act of the book, I was shocked that Gwen was willing to hang out with him, much less to entertain an actual relationship. As is the pattern with many of these bad boy love interests, I find that he changed his vibes entirely once he and Gwen got together. He was all growls and creepy stalker-y interactions until they got together. And to be fair, Gwen did make clear that the things he did weren’t good before they got together, but they did still get together without much difficulty. Personally, I would have preferred either a slightly longer book, if it meant more character development.

Now, for what I did like! I thought Soto did a good job with the descriptions of the music. I thought the repetition of certain phrases that she used helped to evoke the music she was discussing. And I definitely got the love of music that our main characters felt throughout the book. I also think she set out doing what she set out to with the initial image of the imagined tension between first violin and first cello in an orchestra. Those scenes were fun (though I think we could have lingered in them longer, but I understand why we didn’t for the pace of the book). Overall, decent, but not my favorite!

Not Another Love Song is a love story of two music prodigies who come from two distinctive musical background. Gwen Jackson, who came from humble beginning strives to build her music career as a solo violinist and Xander Thorne, a cellist, whose privileged life afforded him many musical opportunities. When a chance of a lifetime brings Gwen into the spotlight at her orchestra, she is now within sight of the resident broody Cello player.

My final thoughts for this book, I rate this 3.5 stars. The tension between Gwen and Xander were palpable through the pages. Their intensity for music showcased their passion for the craft. There were great moments in the book, but I didn't feel the emotional connection that bridge together the main leads. While the physical connection was great, at times it overshadows the relationship a bit. To me, the whole relationship felt surface level as their obsession and attraction dominate from making real connections with one another. My musical background is very basic, and I got a bit lost with most of the technical lingo of the orchestra which slow me down from devouring the book. The plot started off strong, but towards the third act, it didn't stick the landing as well as I thought it could have been.

Nevertheless, the book cover is gorgeous, and it would have caught my attention in a bookstore for me to pause and take a chance to read it. I like the book, but I wish I would have love it more.

Overall, if you love music and spice roll into one, this would be a great summer read!

**Thank you NetGallery and the author for providing me this digital copy in exchange for an honest review. **

Thank you Grand Central publishing and netgalley for this egalley. All opinions are my own.

This was my first Julie Soto book and I have to say I am absolutely hooked. Her writing is so easily digestible, it’s like being able to see a movie play in your head.

The romance was cute and loveable. Although I found that it developed quite fast!I was so interested in learning about the instruments and reading about our two main characters play cello and violin together.

The one thing that I didn’t necessarily vibe with was the miscommunication trope, I totally understand that books need conflict and solutions but I just wish people talked to each other! It would solve so many issues

i think what makes a good story especially about something you know nothing about is the authors ability to make you understand how it works. I know way too much about cellos now thanks to Julie Soto hooking me and making me google everything about the instrument.

Definitely not my last Julie Soto book! I totally recommend it.

**Not Another Love Song** by Julie Soto is the second of her books I've read, and regrettably, it continues the trend of disappointment. While the premise of musical prodigies Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne navigating rivalry and romance had potential, the execution fell flat.

Soto's exploration of the intricacies of orchestra life, particularly the nuances of cello and violin, is commendable. However, the lack of authentic connection between the main characters undermines the story's foundation. Gwen and Xander's relationship feels contrived, lacking the depth and chemistry necessary to engage readers.

Moreover, the plot follows a predictable formula, with significant events unfolding at predictable intervals. The Third Act Conflict feels forced, and the resolution is hastily patched together, leaving loose ends untied.

In summary, **Not Another Love Song** fails to deliver the compelling narrative I had hoped for. I cannot recommend it to readers seeking a genuinely engaging and original story.

This was my first book from this author and a definite 5 star read for me. I truly could gush for an hour about how much I loved this book - but a lot of it would be a spoiler so we won’t do that! We meet Gwen, a professional musician working a side gig at a wedding. She comes across someone she knows from her full time job at the Pops but isn’t expecting. They get to know each other more and the story goes from there. It has so much surprising depth and I loved the NYC setting amongst professional musicians at the top of their game. It has beautiful romance and quite a bit of spice. But a very balanced book overall. I appreciate that her characters are flawed and relatable. Julie sends us on this journey full of growth, reveals and beautiful imagery. I love most how she worked in musical terms into her beautiful writing, That was an unexpected delight!

I am pointedly ignoring that this is a flavor of Reylo fanfiction because that's not my thing. Anyway, my thoughts are as follows: daaaaaaaaamn, Julie Soto. I see you. This was GOOD. The way musical performance was described in this story was so beautiful?? The rivalry? The pining? The CHEMISTRY? Mama Mia, that's a spicy meatball. *fans self*