Love. Love. Love. ❤️🎶

This book has now made Julie Soto one of my favorite romance authors now! I absolutely adored this book and could not put it down. I was actually sad to finish this because I just wanted to keep reading Gwen and Alex’s story.

The opening of the story was amazing and drew me right in as we have Gwen and her best friend hired for a wedding to play their musical instruments only the bride wanted a cello and not a violin, which is what Gwen plays. Who other than the infamous Xander Thorne (one of the greatest and well known cello players), to loan her his cello. The story kept getting better and better! The way that Alex (Xander) secretly admired and respected Gwen and her talent was unmatched. He was always looking at her like she hung the moon and she had no idea.

This reminded me a lot of the way Ali Hazelwood writes her stories and I was all for it!

5 ⭐️

ARC Review

This was genuinely incredible. Julie Soto infused this with so much tension throughout the book that my chest physically ached for the characters. So much angst and constant fear of both who the bad players actually were and then what it was they could do to Gwen and Alex. The book has a masterful amount of angst that kept me gripped start to finish. This book has a lot of characters that you don’t know if you can trust and ultimately I spent most of it screaming for everything to work out for the couple.

Julie Soto also had the task of translating musical experience and sound through text, which I was a little skeptical of before diving in. I was shocked by how she used words to make the reader feel the music as if we were in the room with the characters - whether that was in an apartment or Carnegie Hall.

One of my top reads of the year by far. If I could give this more than five stars I would. When I pick up a romance this is what I’m hoping it will be.

Julie Soto never fails! Loved this book so much! Loved how the characters from Forget me Not appeared in this book too. This is definitely one of my top romance reads this year. It stole my heart and made me feel all the feelings!

I absolutely loved this! Julie Soto will definitely be an auto-buy author as both of her books have been 5 stars for me! The writing in this was beautiful, and I couldn't bring myself to put this book down.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. THIS WAS SO GOOD. I'm just getting into my contemporary romance game, but Julie Soto is automatically an instant-buy author for me. I love her characters, the storyline and the TENSION. So authentic feeling, nothing feels forced, and everything has such an organic progression. Can't wait to read Ms. Soto's next book, and can't wait to add this one to my physical shelf!

This wasnt good until it was and then it wasnt again... LOVED the music parts although it could be a bit overwhelming at times how like when you read a sports romances and its literally so sporty and you just wanted jerseys and locker room sex???? YEA it was like that but with cellos and violins. He was definitley down bad for my girl. The middle really did carry but Lorenz really pissed me off and I feel Like Xander couldve dropped those big ole balls I'm sure he has and stood up for himself. But it was defintley a fun read. If Teddy Hamilton narrates Ill listen and see if i change my mind.

It's an adult romance, so not the best fit for a high school library, but it was cute, full of that beautiful anticipation that Soto builds so well, just like the flawless music the two main characters are creating together. Fun read.

I've never wanted to play the violin or cello so bad in my life! I was hooked from the start with this book and I loved that the main characters are musicians but not in the normal way books tend to write about musicians. I love that we got to see multiple sides on what it means to be a musician and where your path could take you.

The tension, woooweeee, the tension was GIVING. You could literally feel the sexual tension as you were reading the words and things were getting spicy. I think a lot of people who like spice, music and a medium burn will devour this book.

It is a three star for me because I did not connect deeply with Gwen or Xander but I did enjoy their story and I would recommend this.

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.