Man, Julie Soto can do so wrong. I loved Forget Me Not (and loved the Ama and Elliot cameo in this), and I loved this maybe somehow even more? And I know absolutely nothing about the music world, but I just fell in love with the story of Alex and Gwen. I read this in one afternoon, and I am sad it ended! So good.

Look, I'm gonna be honest. I did not think classical string instruments could be sexy. Holding a cello is cumbersome at best. But Julie made it work.

This book had just the right balance of drama and angst that I've come to expect from Julie Soto. Alex and Gwen's chemistry was undeniable, and the narrative pulled me in from the jump. I loved how the characters communicate through their music and the bond they develop through it.

Overall, a fun read and idk maybe Disney should take notes on how to wrap up a dynamic love story. But who am I to say?

The pacing of the book seemed a little bit fast and then slow around the 40%-50% mark. But otherwise it was a very well crafted and enjoyable read!

DNF at 40%. Am I no longer a romance reader? I don’t even know anymore but this is another that didn’t work for me. At times it felt very young and YA even though the characters are in their 20s but then with random word choices and sex scenes that definitely weren’t but felt awkward and out of place. I just couldn’t get into it and was annoyed so decided to stop. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

I absolutely loved Julie Soto's "Forget Me Not," so I was thrilled to be able to read "Not Another Love Song"! I was NOT DISAPPOINTED! I loved "Not Another Love Song" even more than "Forget Me Not." Julie Soto has mastered the art of crafting delicious tension between her main characters, and Gwen and Alex were no exception. There is nothing I love more in a romance than a male main character who is absolutely down bad crying at the gym for the female main character, who is absolutely oblivious to the entire situation. When Gwen told Alex that his lateness annoyed her and then he promptly started showing up early for rehearsals??? I was giggling and kicking my feet!!! The spice scenes in this book were excellent as well. Honestly, there was nothing about this book that I didn't like--except for maybe the fact that it didn't have a soundtrack so I could listen to the original compositions as I read!!! I will read anything and everything that Julie Soto writes, and I am absolutely buying myself a copy of this book!

4⭐️

A relatively quick and enjoyable read. The chemistry between Gwen and Xander is really great and I loved the uniqueness of the story. There is a third act breakup that I didn’t particularly like, but it does resolve in a satisfying way.

Another HIT romance from Soto. I was introduced to this author with their romance, Forget Me Not, between a wedding planner and florist last year and LOVED their portrayal of witty banter and on-page spicy scenes. I was nervous to pick up Not Another Love Song because I was worried I might be disappointed after such great early reviews. I was in a romance slump, so I set it aside for a while and now I am SO MAD at myself, because this might now be a top romance read of 2024 for me! I haven't read many romances about musicians, but I had NO IDEA how s*xy string instruments and cello players could be! The tension was dripping from the pages, the banter was bantering and my goodness, the spice was spicing. I devoured this book in two sittings and have now proclaimed Julie Soto the queen of contemporary romance! If you like romance books even a little bit, you will LOVE this one. XOXOXO

If Julie Soto writes it, I am READING the heck out of it!!! I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't get enough of it. The characters, the storyline, the spicy scenes, I couldn't get enough!!! I finished this so fast, and Soto always knows how to leave a reader satisfied. Might have to re-read this it was so good

Gwen and Xander might both be musical prodigies, but aside from that one similarity they are complete opposites. They respect each other’s talent, but keep butting heads when it comes to working together at the Pops Orchestra. Despite their constant disagreements, their chemistry is off the charts and before they know it they can’t help but explore a relationship. However, working together and being together very quickly ends up being complicated and they are put to the test.

Julie Soto has such a way with storytelling - her books have me fully invested from the beginning all the way through. Gwen and Xander’s chemistry was truly palpable and their banter was top notch. I’m not a musician, but I appreciated the rich descriptions of music. This was a book I could not put down and I loved every moment of it.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

REVIEW
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

Do not event get me started on how much I just DEVOURED this book.

My book club girlies were talking about how good this book was and I knew I’d need to finish it before our next hang!

& THIS WAS NOT A DISAPPOINTMENT

🎻 Gwen is a talented musician who falls for a grumpy emotionally unavailable and cocky cello player, Alex/Xander
🎻 Gwen steps in at a wedding and the coordinator mistook her for a cello player—a wedding Xander was in attendance at.
🎻 Gwen is offered first chair in the orchestra and her interactions with Xander became much more intertwined.
🤍 Their musical talents as a duet and chemistry is undeniable!

The supporting characters are so lovely— I adored Mabel! And loved the appearances from our beloved characters from Forget Me Not

This book has you wanting to find the best and most intoxicating violin/Cello duets on Spotify

Readers know it is a 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ read (in my opinion!)

BUT also a 5 star in my book too! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Julie Soto nails it again! She manages a perfect balance of angst and light-heartedness, and delivers characters we love and root for.

4.5 stars
OH THE ANGST. OH THE TENSION. I need more books like this asap please and thank you. The male main character in this book is everything to me. Broody, yet caring when it comes to our protagonist and SO SASSY. I didn't know I needed this specific trope in my life and I will be on the hunt for more books like this one.

I have always been a fan of Lindsey Stirling and had a love for listening to cello music. Violin and cello music has always been the type of music that I've played in the background to relax or wind down. It's simply been enjoyable background noise. However, this book made string instruments sexy and incredibly hot! I'm not sure I'll ever listen to music like this the same again. I know I'll for sure always have "that cello scene" front and center in my mind. Holy heck that scene was incredible and something that would be memorable for all romance reader fans. I found a playlist on Spotify for this book and it made the reading experience even better. I even found a few new string artists and songs that I will continue to listen to in the future. Gwen and Alex/Xander's story was a joy to read. I loved how Julie Soto weaved the story and connected it altogether really well in the end. The characters had enough depth to keep me invested and enough spice to make me dread putting the book down. It's a fast and fun read. I plan to go back and read Forget Me Not now. I've heard some of the characters in Not Another Love Song carried over from the author's first book. I'm definitely going to keep Julie Soto in my pile of instant reads for the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

honestly the way Julie Soto writes is so encapsulating! I loved every second of this book, it truly makes me want to pick up a violin lol. Now not sure what this was missing but to me it’s wasn’t fully a 5 star even though I loved it so much. In a way, I felt like the connection between our characters was a little rushed and didn't feel as fully fleshed out as her first book but I still really loved it.

I loved this book SO MUCH. So much might actually be an understatement. Julie Soto so beautifully captures this story between Xander/Alex and Gwen in a way that is so lyrical and moving and surprisingly, packs a real punch. At times, I had some issues with the pacing but the insane chemistry between our two main characters made it so worth it. I loved the way Julie Soto was able to weave the musical language through the book but not go overboard. Alex and Gwen had their own struggles to deal with but I love how ultimately, their love story triumphed past the people that just wanted to use them for their talent and they were able to stand their ground as well as build and rebuild relationships with the people that mattered most to them, all while falling deeply in love with each other.

Julie Soto does it again. Her characters are so fully formed and it's difficult to do anything but love them. If you love a he falls first / rivals to lovers story, this is for you!

The vibes and tension was off the charts with this one! The use of music and craft as a vehicle for the love story was perfect.
I know this has an orchestra backdrop and not dance, but it gave me the same feels of Save the Last Dance and how much I loved that movie as a teen. I need Julie Soto to release Fugue No 1 ASAP!

4.5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley, Forever & Grand Central Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I ate this book up! Being a music nerd myself I loved the whole vibe of this novel.

I don’t care that it’s instalove and I don’t care that the characters continue to get unrealistic opportunities. It’s the tension for me, it’s the writing that made me not be able to put this book down.

Sometimes we just need to step away from our own realities and do that with the cello that fell in love with the violin.

Loved loved Not Another Love Song! I was not a big fan of the author's previous book but this one was so good! I loved Alex and Gwen, they were just perfectly written and felt so true to life!

A contemporary romance set in NYC in the world of professional orchestra and symphony made this novel a winner! Julie Soto expertly opens up this unique world with all of its drama and posturing, fundraising and workplace dynamics. The main characters Gwen, a violinist, and Xander, a cellist, play off each other brilliantly. Not Another Love Song is an open door, steamy enemy to lovers situation, with some family secrets and suspense. I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to Forever publishing and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.