This book walks the line between omg who knew strings could be so sexy and god damn enough with the instruments already. Thankfully it lives in the former for 86% of the story. THE TENSION between these two off stage but also on stage was so high. I loved that Alex and Gwen challenged each other, to be the best versions of themselves, to never become comfortable, but mostly to grow.
I really liked the twist on Alex’s POV, there’s not a lot and they are short but they helped me get into his head enough. The pining that comes from this man- yes please. Do yourself a favor and listen to the playlist- it’s beautiful. I’ve listened to book inspired playlists before, but never while reading (I usually need quiet) so this was a new experience and one I definitely enjoyed. Between this and FMN I’ve fallen in love with Julie Soto’s writing.

For the love of all things holy—-I got an epic sunburn bc I couldn’t move from my spit at the beach until I finished this book. And now THAT ONE scene lives rent free in my head. It JS writes it, I will read it!

4.0 Stars

Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Julie Soto for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thoughts:

After not being much of a fan of Julie Soto’s first novel, I was a bit hesitant and nervous to pick this book up, but also looking forward to giving this author another chance. AND BOY AM I SO GRATEFUL I DID! Not Another Love Song was beautiful, emotional, sexy, touching, full of tension, and an overall big fat hug.

The chemistry between Gwen and Alex/Xander was… delicious! I ate up every minute. I am an avid fan of all music, but never in my life would I think there could be so much steam during orchestra practice and performances!

This will absolutely be a future reread for me! I am excited for more of what Julie Soto has to offer following this!

P.s. Was it just me or was there something going on between Ava and Mabel?? This is my petition for a book between the two of them!

Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:

E-book/Audiobook

Pace:

Fast/Medium

Cover thoughts:

GORGEOUS!!! I feel the tension between them in the cover alone!

Triggers:

Mentions of Death, Illness, Toxic Relationships, Emotional Abuse, Sexual Content, Grief, Minor hint of Classism, etc.

Super cute! My first book by this author. I am a huge music lover so I loved that aspect of the book and the romance was cute! There were some weird parts so it was not five stars for me but definitely would recommend to a friend!

I loved Forget Me Not and had high expectations for this one. I was sadly very disappointed. The first part was great, but the book quickly lost steam and by the end I found it disjointed and exceptionally contrived. I also know that this book started as a Reylo fanfiction and it was not nearly enough removed from those origins, I say that as a Reylo fanfic reader and lover. I just expected so much more out of this book and found myself so very bummed by the execution.

I’m not a big fan of romance novels but for someone who has zero interest in classical music or orchestra, I was impressed by how invested I was with this story.

Was it realistic? Not at all. Did I skim through many of the sex scenes? Absolutely (this book felt spicier than her first) but the tension and chemistry between the two MCs was taught as their bow strings.

While I didn’t love this one quite as much as Forget Me Not, NALS definitely solidified Julie Soto as one of the few romance authors I will continue to read. She does a great job of creating cute and complex characters and putting them in sweet and spicy situations.

My major critique is… someone NEEDS to get her a new cover designer cuz the cover art on both these books is SO bad… (I’m sorry Julie, don’t hate me for this 🫣)

I really enjoyed this book! It caught my attention right away and I ended up reading it in just a couple of sittings. The chemistry between our two main characters was insane. Xander and Gwen were both really well rounded characters and I appreciate that we got to see all the facets of their personalities and lives. I also really enjoyed the musical aspect of this story, watching Gwen and Xander's love unfold through music was so special and added another emotional layer to the story.

After absolutely LOVING this author’s debut (Forget Me Not - 5 stars), I knew I had to pick this one up ASAP.

The chemistry between Gwen and Xander was great. I loved the very opening of the book - the handoff of FMC lead from Ama to Gwen to keep it all in the same universe. That was a fun callback to Forget Me Not and helped place this book.

People, Julie Soto knows how to write S P I C E. Any romance she writes, I’m going to read because she’s 2/2 in my book and only going up from there. This has everything you want in a romance: he falls first, workplace relationship, drama, and chemistry off the chartsssss. There’s a lot of buzz about the cello scene and yeah… there should be.

The reason I didn’t give this 5 stars: the conflict. **spoilers ahead I couldn’t get past Gwen’s naivete when it came to workplace loyalty and who she trusted. Every important character in her life (read: Mabel & Xander) spent the whole book warning her to watch out around Ava and Nathan and that they were just using her and would drop her when it worked best for them. And when she gets the opportunity to go on tour with Xander and let her light shine and play the music she wants to play and get recognition for being amazing she’s just like… but Ava and Nathan might still need to screw me over!! Gah. Girl. I think if the point of conflict had been a little more believable to where she actually should’ve stayed behind while he went on tour, this would’ve been 5 stars for me. But that part of the book was so frustrating - like have we gotten 8 hours into this audio and you’ve learned nothing??

That being said, it’s my pretty much only complaint. I liked Xander’s little asides and appreciate that his POV wasn’t the whole book. It gave his character some context but let Gwen gain her confidence and shine, like the way he knew she could. Their love story was sweet and I’m rooting for them.

Giving this book 5 stars feels so wrong because there’s not enough stars in this world to contain the multitude of emotions this made me feel. 5 stars is insulting to the absolute poetry this novel was.

♾️⭐️ 3🌶️

Where do I even begin this review? Do I start with the fact I have been reading this for over 2 months now and only allowed myself a few chapters every so often because I couldn’t bear to finish it? Or maybe with the fact this is one of the top romances books to have come out of 2024? Or that I haven’t been this captivated by fictional characters in this magnitude in such a while now?

Maybe I should start by going outside and touching some grass because the desire to run off and join an orchestra, find a man, and have a deep emotional connection and palpable chemistry from a mile away is so strong I’m starting to feel lightheaded.

This book is poetry on page. This is one of the hottest, most sensual books I have ever read and there is no kink, no super spicy scenes, there is no dirty talk, no “good girls”. They pull you in, they make you feel like you’re so deep in their world, in their story, in their music that you feel the tension. You feel the lust and the desire and love and you start to move when they move. I didn’t read this book, I saw this. I am as seeing it all play out as if I was in it. It was the craziest part about this experience. It was like the feeling I get when I go to a live orchestra show and the music feels like it’s coming from within me, like I am the music and just get to sit there and let it all flow.

Since this book was announced I have been screaming into the universe that this is the hottest book cover of 2024. I can now confirm that the scene out of which the cover is based is also one of the hottest scenes I’ve read all year and this says a lot coming from someone who thoroughly enjoyed the Throne Scene in Honey Cut by Sierra Simone this year. I want this cover, that scene, Alex Fitzgerald, and Gwen Jackson tattooed onto my soul, my DNA.

Chemistry chemistry chemistry!!! This book was pure chemistry and sexual tension, GOD THE SEXUAL TENSION. It was palpable. They would look at each other across the room and I would get shivers running through my body. I’ve never wanted to be an object more than I’ve wanted to be Xander’s freaking Stradivarius Cello all throughout this book. What Julie Soto did with these characters would have gotten her executed in 1692 for being a witch. A witch with a delicious brain and a laptop.

I could go on and on and on. But let me put it into simple worlds… when I win the lottery I won’t say a thing. But there will be signs because I will personally pay to produce this into a movie.

Go read it. Now.

“…hearing her play the cello part filled in all the gaps inside himself he’d been missing.”

Julie Soto has done it again! One of the most romantic, sensual, and emotional romances I’ve read. I was in love with this from page 1 and I could not stop reading.

I have NO WORDS??? This story is filled with a comforting depth that you don’t find in all romance. I absolutely loved the incorporation of music into their love story. Truly, this was beautifully and inspiringly written.

I absolutely loved this book, but I do have a complaint. This do not stop this book from being a 5 star, it's just a one thing I would have liked to see.
I LOVED THAT AMA AND ELLIOT ARE IN THIS BOOK!!! :D

This story follows Gwen, a self-taught violinist, and Xander, a cocky, better-than-you cellist, as they work together at "the Pop." Gwen has known Xander personally for a year but had followed him through his band "Thorn and Roses" for years.

Throughout the story we learn that Xander is actually a violinist prodigy and had been playing violin since he was 3 and only switched to cello when he wanted to step out of his moms limelight and become his own person. Xander and Gwen first start to have a growing friendship which quickly blooms to a relationship. One night she goes home with him and she just never goes back to her apartment.
The relationship starts to fall apart after Gwen performs with Thorn and Roses in Boston and U2 wants them to go on tour together. Gwen is in contract with the Pop and doesn't want to disappoint anyone and Xander wants them to say forget it and go on tour. They get in an argument and Xander just walks away to shower and Gwen ends up leaving their hotel room because she felt as though they were over and Xander had dismissed her. Xanders agent convinces him to block Gwen's number and go on tour. Gwen decides to go to LA from New York to try to work things out with Xander. Her boss ends up finding out about her plan and has Xanders agent intercept her and threatens her with a restraining order if she doesn't leave Xander alone.
I think the part that I start to dislike it just how fast they forgive each other and move past their fight. They are supposed to be separated for weeks and they just apologized and both agreed to move on with basically no conversation. I would have liked to see some better communication and some more dialogue to get through the issues.
Honestly other than that though, it was great.

This book was a no-brainer for me the moment I knew it was going to be released. I loved Forget Me Not so much, and I still can’t believe that these two books are Julie Soto’s first published works. I’m not one of the Kylo Ren fanfic girlies, but I enjoyed it just the same. I know nothing about the Pops Orchestra world, but my lack of orchestral knowledge wasn’t enough to spoil the book for me. Some of the characters weren’t fully flushed out to me (or not in the way they could/should have been) but that’s a very minor complaint. Xander’s parents were super gross to me, but that’s all part of what made him so complicated. The resolution felt rushed and wasn’t the best in my opinion, but again, minor complaint that would not keep me from reading the book again.

So steamy! I loved this book. The main characters journey independently and together was spectacularly done, how their wants/needs/purpose changes as they have grow and time goes by, circumstances change and people come and go is so validating. The inclusion of the instruments was so hot, intimate and beautiful. This is the new type of romantic expectations/standards I will now live by, thank you, Julie Soto.

I read a lot of romance novels, and if I’m being honest, I enjoy most of them. I’m easy to please–if there are likable characters, realistic conflict, and a happy ending, I’m sold.

But every so often – like maybe once a year – there comes a book that is just sooooo mind-blowingly perfect, I can’t stop thinking about it. Days, weeks, months pass and I’m still thinking about that book and its characters. Previous books that have held this title include The Love Hypothesis, Happy Place, and Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships. And I can say with confidence that Not Another Love Song will hold that title for 2024.

I don’t think I have space to list all of the things that I loved about this book, but the pacing was at the top of the list. Soto excels at building tension and every beat of the story was perfectly plotted, which made all of the emotional moments hit so hard. The relationship between Gwen and Xander grew in exactly the way I wanted. It was a little bit of a slow burn and a little angsty, but the payoff in the end was incredible.

I’m also always a sucker for romances that have a unique setting or premise, so I loved the fact that Not Another Love Song took place in the world of classical music. Soto made sure that no detail was missed, to the point where I felt like the music was coming off the page.

I already know this book will be on a lot of ‘Best of 2024’ lists (it’s 100% on mine), so do yourself a favor and pick it up now. I guarantee you’ll love it!

Not Another Love Song is out now. Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m having a hard time reviewing this book because the beginning was 5 stars for me, but the ending went downhill.
I had a great time at the start, the tension between the main characters and the external plot outside of the relationship was interesting to me.
I had someone tell me this read like 1D fanfic and I did get that at times. There were some moments where I got secondhand embarrassment. If I were hanging out with famous people you would have to torture out of me that I knew obscure details about their personal lives, and Gwen was out here giving that information away for nothing.
I think the real reason I had to drop this down to three stars is because I think the MCs, especially Gwen, made some really annoying decisions towards the end of the book. I don’t want to give anything away but the ending seemed really naive and stupid to me.

THAT BEING SAID,
I still trust Julie and she will now be an auto buy author for me even though this did not hit nearly as well as Forget Me Not.

Not Another Love Song really showcases how much Julie Soto has leveled up her writing. I enjoyed Forget Me Not, but I absolutely loved Not Another Love Song. There's just the right balance of humor, heartache, and depth of character that I devour. It has a fantastic formula of rivals to lovers, found family, and a full cast of well fleshed out characters. And the spice? Holy smokes that cello scene lives rent free in my head! If you're looking for a well rounded contemporary romance with a cocky rock star book boyfriend & a sassy level headed female lead, look no further!

This book was a piece of art. It belongs in a museum. Classes should be created in college for this. Julie's writing should be talked about, studied, and celebrated. I am in love.

Like, just thinking about how much I love this book my tongue gets tied. It was beautiful. It was mesmerizing. The parts with Gwen and Xander playing their instruments? It just spoke to me on another level. And then both of them together??? Aghhhh, I need more of them. It's a love story that everyone needs to read. It should be a classic.

Julie Soto's writing is mesmerizing and sensual. The harmony she crafts in this book by creating such an atmospheric experience of music and emotions was sensational. The romance was refreshing but the writing is the real star and I cannot wait to see what other symphonies Soto creates for us next!

Not Another Love Song was my first Julie Soto book & I loved it! It was so steamy and the chemistry was off the charts. I also found it relatable as someone who lives in New York City and works in the theatre industry.

Some may think it's unrealistic that Gwen becomes first chair for publicity sake, but shady stuff like this happens all of the time.

I am looking forward to reading Forget Me Not and am so thankful I received this E-Arc.