I am a huge Julie Soto fan, I love this one. I think the only reason this didn’t hit quite the same as her other works was that I had some personal conflicts which dragged but my reading time and I had trouble staying in the moment, I can’t wait to read it again and get the full immersive experience.

While I do think the romance and the chemistry was phenomenal in this book, I have a hard time rating it highly. I’m concerned that the author didn’t quite do her research “musically.” Coming from a family of strong musicians, “finger picking” on a violin specifically is more accurately know as “plucking” and the “spike” on a cello is more accurately known as the “end pin.” Maybe this is just an American concept? I understand that the book is not solely, primarily focused on the technicalities of musical instruments, but as a reader who was extremely excited to see a book representing orchestra instruments, I was disappointed by this.

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

so, i really liked julie soto’s debut novel, forget me not, but i absolutely loved this one.

i’m sorry, but this book was 🔥

the chemistry, the tension and the passion combined made for such a beautiful and absolutely swoony love story.

“𝐿𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝐼 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 —
“𝒜𝓃𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔.” 𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝑜𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒶 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽.”
“𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔.”

This was ok. I loved Forget Me Not, so I was a little let down with Not Another Love Song. This had hardly any plot, which normally I don't mind, but I didn't feel like the characters were the star. Some elements felt really rushed and others dragged.

I love Julie Soto’s writing and really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect book to read right before going to a symphony concert in a beautiful outdoor venue. I loved the main characters and there was just enough angst and spice. Looking forward to Julie’s future books.

This is my first ever musicians romance and it’ll definitely not be my last! Perfect balance of emotional depth and spice. I can’t wait to read more from this author

I was so excited for this book because Forget Me Not was one of my favorite reads in 2023. Unfortunately, I had some mixed feelings on Not Another Love Song.

What I LOVED:
- The glimpses/connections to Elliot and Ama (I just love them)
- The story being centered around playing music and the passion it requires
- The tension between the main characters and their chemistry

What I was "eh" on:
- Xander was just plan rude and malicious at times making it difficult to like his character as a whole
- Gwen was naive a LOT
- I found myself drifting while reading because the pacing was a little slow

Regardless, I did still enjoy the story and am looking forward to her next book whenever that is!

I loved the witty banter and emotion in this book! I have not read many books with a musical aspect like this one so for me, it provided a very cool element to the story. Grumpy x sunshine is one of my favorite tropes, and this really hit the nail on the head. I’d like to read more by the author.

Overall 🌟 5/5
Audiobook 🎧 5/5, mostly female narrator
Spice 🌶️ 5/5 Explicit and Plentiful
Insta-lust > Slow Burn
Setting: Manhattan
Tropes: “enemies” to lovers, smart/gifted MCs, rich boy/poor girl, found family.

FMC Gwen, 22, Violinist
MMC Alex, 26, Cellist

Yes, the story would’ve been more believable if they both were 4 years older, but it’s fine. The spice wasn’t kinky, but good build up, well written.

I don’t play an instrument and I found this book to be accessible/not too high brow. I definitely want to go to a Vitamin String Quartet concert now.

I’m sure if you’re classically trained, you’d be irritated by some inaccuracies, but I’m choosing to give Julie Soto grace, because it really is an original story idea that was well written.

This audiobook quickly became one of the rare library checkouts I needed to buy my own copy of after listening to it. I’m kicking myself because I had an ARC copy of the ebook from NetGalley months ago, but didn’t get past 10%. Not the book’s fault, I just strongly prefer audiobooks these days. Everything in this review are my own opinions.

Find me on Reddit & IG. Reading_in_Bed789

I adored this book. I loved everything about Gwen & Xander. I'm a complete sucker for a story about people who are very talented/skilled at what they do. And the tension and slow build! Gah! This was so well done. I will officially be reading every single thing that Julie Soto writes from here on out.

Julie Soto has a way of making you feel so immersed in her stories without it feeling forced.

Her ability to create knuckle biting chemistry is unmatched. Even though you hope the characters will end up having an HEA, she keeps you on your toes until the very last page.

Xander is... (insert heart eyes emoji)

I simply enjoyed this book!

I love Julie Soto books so much! This is full of all the best angst and somehow makes a pop orchestra sexy.

This will be featured soon in a post, but I posted several Instagram stories leading up to release.

Julie Soto is fantastic! I devoured this and loved every second of it. She does so well with feelings - especially this angst and writing about characters that are incredibly passionate about their craft. Well done!

I will read anything and everything Julie Soto writes. This book was exactly what I wanted. All the pining and the tension and the perfect pacing.

10/10

Julie Soto’s *Not Another Love Song* is a heartfelt romance that hits all the right notes. The story revolves around a rising singer-songwriter, Angie, who’s determined to make it big without losing her artistic soul to the music industry. Along the way, she navigates the turbulent waters of love, ambition, and self-discovery, with Soto weaving an engaging tale of passion and vulnerability.

What makes this book stand out is Soto's ability to create characters that are not only relatable but human. Angie is a wonderful protagonist—strong, determined, and refreshingly flawed. Her journey toward balancing love and ambition feels authentic and rooted in real emotional stakes. The chemistry between Angie and her love interest is palpable, yet Soto avoids cliché, bringing depth to their relationship that feels real and earned.

The novel also excels in its portrayal of the music world. Soto vividly captures the highs and lows of pursuing a career in the arts, from the exhilaration of success to the fear of losing one’s identity in the process. The balance between romance and Angie’s professional journey is handled masterfully, making the story about much more than just love—it's also about staying true to oneself.

A must-read for those who appreciate a strong, independent female lead and a story with heart and substance. Soto has crafted a book that is as much about finding love as it is about finding yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc!

This is my first book by this author, and I’m definitely interested in reading others!

Gwen is a dedicated violinist working in an orchestra. She also does weddings on the side, and one gig in particular ends up changing her life. Gwen shows up to a wedding ready to play the piano, only to find out that she is expected to play the cello. Gwen hasn’t played the cello in years, but she’s willing to give it her best shot because she can’t afford to lose the money from the gig. Only, Gwen has a violin with her, not a cello. Luckily, a member of the wedding party has a cello she can borrow- belonging to none other than Xander, a musician in one of Gwen’s favorite bands. Xander also happens to be a member of the same orchestra Gwen works for, despite him not remembering or recognizing her. Gwen is of course nervous to play the cello in front of a cello prodigy, but her performance definitely gets her noticed by him, for more reasons than one.

Xander sees Gwen’s potential and recognizes her rising talent. However, when Gwen is offered the coveted position of first chair in the orchestra, the basically non existent relationship between the two changes. As Xander and Gwen get to know each other better, they connect through their art and even help each other become better musicians. Their connection grows personally as well, revealing intense feelings that complicate things. At the same time, Gwen learns more about the orchestra she works for, discovering that things are not completely as they seem.

I really enjoyed Gwen and Xander’s story, and I liked them together but also as individual characters. Gwen was a likable character with a unique background, and Xander’s life is interesting and surprising as well. I always tend to enjoy stories that center around music, but it’s been a bit since I’ve read a book where the characters are violinists or cellists instead of members of a wildly successful group. There were some charming supporting characters too, like Maggie, who started off in Gwen’s life as her violin teacher and ended up being essentially a guardian, definitely a part of Gwen’s life and possibly the only one she’s had looking out for her for a long time.

I would describe this book as having grumpy/sunshine, and I think anyone who enjoys that trope should pick this one up. Even if you aren’t a fan of grumpy/sunshine, this one has plenty of other aspects that would be enjoyable to any romance fan.

I really wanted to like this book more but I just didn’t feel invested in the characters. The love story didn’t feel developed to me, and it seemed a lot like mostly lust, which didn’t read bad at all, but I just wasn’t as invested. The spice was well done, but I didn’t feel the emotional connection to the characters. This was enjoyable but just wasn’t my favorite. The relationship felt so focused on one aspect of their lives, music, which was a very unique connection.

I loved this book so much! The scenes where Gwen and Xander were playing music together it was very moving. There's definitely an emotional connection between the characters. As the reader I felt connected to them and was rooting for them all the way. I loved Gwen and Xander's chemistry and their musicality really outshine when they're playing together. Highly recommend!

Loved!!! I never knew I was so into string instruments, but here we are. I loved these characters and their story, there was so much tension I almost died. I would say the pace was a little wonky - I flew through the first 75% and then the last bit slowed down a lot. But overall, amazing 4.5 stars

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off: THIS COVER?! This cover is perfection.

And second, Julie Soto made me want to play a string instrument hard core. This woman can write ‘em y’all.

The tension. The pining. The spice. All fantastically done! Please, I beg of you, pick this baddie of a book up! Just make sure you fan off after