okay wow wow wow! i loved “forget me not” so much especially that first read and this one blew me away! it had so much passion and tension and juiciness! i was absolutely kicking my feet and giggling bc wow this shit was HAWT! i dont know much about classical music but these two were making it seem mighty interesting i will tell u that much. i lowkey feel like xander’s band fame was kinda a lot for an instrumental rock band??? but idk it isnt my genre so perhaps this is more popular than i think. either way, this is a must read! i flew through it! thanks to netgalley for providing an arc on this—this is my honest review. im so happy i didnt have to wait a few more months so if this isnt on your book release list, add it asap!

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD IM SO HONORED FOR MY COPY!!! i haven't read a julie soto book yet but i have been meaning to and im so glad i got this one!! it was the perfect step into her writing, a perfect mix of romance with silly banter and lots of feelings and the spiciest tension! i was obsessed! loved the progression of their relationship, altho would've loved to see more depth here and there. but again its just a romcom, not expecting jane austen level expertise. i thought this was fun, fast-paced, a little spicy, a little sweet, and everything in between. definitely unique (musicians are something i rarely see in romance) and am so excited to get into more julie soto!!! LIKE THIS WAS SO FUNSIES!!!

This story was incredible. This absolutely trumps my love for Forget Me Not, but I enjoyed the small cameos!
Julie captured the essence of music and explains it so vividly that I feel in love with instrumental music by just reading this story.
I did not know you could capture a love this way but BRAVO Soto did!

I love that it was not cliche. Gwen was discovering herself and in the process there was so many voices that tried to sway her in unfavorable positions but she stuck to her core gut instinct and morals. She taught Xander in a way too.

I know Soto LOVES Taylor Swift so I cracked up from the underlying tone of Swiftie. The correlation of Xander's master to Swift's was icing on the cake. I ACTUALLY predicted this. Especially since they reference Scooter lol.

I was dying to read this and was lucky that it was not an April Fools joke to read this.
It's been almost three months since I devoured a book in a day but WOWZER get ready for July everyone!

This is a MUST TBR read

I absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Julie Soto for making it available for everyone to read. I loved their sizzling chemistry and their appreciation of each other and their talents. I loved all of the musical descriptions of the pieces they performed and the way those musical descriptions were also included in describing them falling in love and making love. This was my first Julie Soto book and I will definitely be reading more.

I suspected pretty early on that this would end up being a 5 star read, and I was not wrong (I also stayed up way too late finishing the book, but what's life without a few bad decisions?)
The tension was delicious, delectable, unputdownable. I honestly love everything about this. The characters leapt off the page, and maybe it's the fact that I have a little musical background myself, but I felt every imaginary note down to my core. What do you mean, none of this is real? Yeah, I refuse to believe that.
I'll be very, very surprising if this book doesn't make it into my 2024 favorites.


Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

I can't thank Julie and her publisher enough for making this e-ARC so widely available because I was having a bad day and I absolutely devoured this book. This was an excellent romance novel and ticked all of my boxes:

✅ Great character dynamics
✅ Excellent smut
✅ Interesting plot (so much orchestra drama 😂)
✅ Good plot-to-smut ratio
✅ Emotional payoff
✅ Fantastic cast of characters
✅ The conflict didn’t hinge on any of my pet peeves (like secondhand embarrassment or endless miscommunication)

Anyway, Julie Soto is rapidly becoming my favorite romance author and I can’t wait for her next one 🥺💖

4.5/5
Really enjoyed this book. The slow burn between the characters was worth the wait. My only critique (and maybe because I have an ARC) was that the flashback scenes needed to be a bit more set apart. It was sometimes a little difficult to discern if the character was in the present or the past.

Thank you NetGalley and Julie Soto for letting me read this book early!!

I had extremely high hopes that this book would be as good as her previous book, Forget Me Not, and I was not disappointed. Julie has a way of writing that makes the characters jump out of the page. I loved Xander and Gwen! I laughed and cried and felt every tense and awkward moment through them! They both grew so much throughout the story. And the name drop was so satisfying! I can’t wait to reread it when I get my physical copy!!

Thank you NetGalley and Julie Soto for the chance to read this book.

Julie Soto does it again. She takes my heart, she runs with it, hurts it a little, and then heals it right back up.

I know zero about music, orchestras or instruments, but this book puts you right into that environment and you get lost in it. Everything about this book was beautiful and I am in love.

Alex, I love you.

What a masterpiece (wink wink). I haven't squealed, giggled, screamed, kicked my feet since I read my last 5-star book.

We have Gwen who was promoted to First Chair in the orchestra and while Xander who was vying for the same position was casted aside. However, they both formed an inevitable connection through their music and much more.

I’m no expert when it comes to music, classical or otherwise but I felt so connected to the story and the music, it felt like I was listening to whatever they were playing. The whole tension, their banter and chemistry felt so raw and powerful. It really made me feel like I’m inside the book.

I understand the significance of the book cover (iykyk) and it literally made my jaw dropped. The cameo from Ama and Elliot is so nice to see.

I know Julie Soto can do no wrong, and may I say this is so much better than Forget Me Not. I love this book sm. I literally woke up from my bed to download this book from NetGalley lol.

Will def reread once the book officially came out.

<i>4.25/5 stars</i>

Thank you x1,000,000 to Netgalley, Forever, Julie Soto, and every person ever to allow me to have an early copy of this book.

If you don't know me: Hi, my name is Emi, and romance books and me don't really vibe most of the time, even though I want us too sooo bad. But Julie Soto and me? I think we're soulmates, actually. Forget Me Not is one of my favorite romances ever. And this book? Ahhhhhhhhhh.

(I'm terms of me rating books, me rating a romance a 4.25 is equvilant to me rating any other book like 7 stars)

The characters? The tension? The music? I need a moment to collect my thoughts because they are all over the place. But I loved it, sooo much.

There was like one scene that was so cheesy and Y/N, which took me out of the book just a bit, and right before that, I was starting to wonder if something was going to happen. But the rest of it? You'll love it. Read a Julie Soto book.

well, i’m officially a julie soto fan. forget me not was my first five star read of 2024, and one of the few second chance books i didn’t loathe. not another love song is joining the ranks of my 2024 favorites as well.

alex/xander’s point of view was sprinkled in just enough to get a better feel for his character since he wasn’t exactly verbose, and gwen was just great. it took them forever to figure it out, but the tension was stifling and i enjoyed it so much. these characters LIVE by their music, and they also screw by it too. my brief stint as a flute player in middle school band didn’t adequately prepare me for the way they spoke of the music, but context clues were enough to get by without taking away from the story.

5 ⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! The chemistry between the characters was electric, and I was hooked right from the start!

The story follows the journey of Gwen who is a violinist at Manhattan Pops (loosely based of the orchestra The New York Pops). Enter Alex, also known as Xander, who first notices Gwen when she performs at a wedding planned by Ama Torres from the previous book. Never mind that Alex has been performing with Gwen for almost a year at Manhattan Pops.
While Gwen has always been a fan of Xander's music, she is not a fan of his attitude. After their interaction at the wedding, Alex is so captivated by Gwen and her music that he can't seem to get Gwen out of his mind.
Things become even more complicated when Gwen is offered the first chair position, a role that Alex also covets.

The book is mostly written from the Gwen's POV with intermittent chapters with Alex's POV. Despite this, it is evident that Alex is utterly consumed by his feelings for Gwen. The longing and the yearning is palpable throughout the story

I think I found this book to be even better than the first one. It is incredible to think that this book was rejected 50 times as mentioned by Julie Soto. If you have lived in NYC you will love this book even more. Hats off to Julie Soto for capturing the vibe of the city so beautifully. The references to subway trains, traveling on New Jersey Transit, and iconic landmarks such as Brooklyn's Botanic garden, and neighborhoods of Upper East side , Washington Heights, Queens painted such a vivid picture of the city <3

Positively addictive! Loved our protagonists Gwen and Xander who are flawed and complex but all too relatable in their struggle for professional acclaim and deeper connections. The way Soto weaved their growing relationship left me breathless. I was laughing, I was crying, I was feeling EVERYTHING right along with them. As someone with no musical talents, this book had me desperately wishing I could listen to the original symphonies dreamed up by these characters myself. I know I’ll be yelling about this story for years to come!

From the moment I started Not Another Love Song; I knew I was in for a ride. Xander and Gwen, our two main characters, are talented string players whose shared passion forms the backdrop for their charming romance. Reading about Gwen’s character felt like I was reading about my long-lost twin. She was so relatable, and that was one of my favorite parts of this book. This story unfolds like a beautiful symphony, filled with passion, tension, and undeniable chemistry. It was spectacular!

This was my first novel by Julie Soto, and I am immediately going to be picking up Forget Me Not!
Thank you, Julie Soto, and Forever Publishing for giving me the chance to read this ARC!

*My review will be posted to Amazon on publishing day.

10/10 official Julie Soto stan! I wasn’t sure I could love these new characters like I fell in love with Ama and Elliot in ‘Forget Me Not’ but man was I wrong! So beautifully written and the character development was maybe my favorite part! 😍 absolutely cannot wait for the world to fall in love with Gwen and Alex like I did!

BIG thank you to NetGalley for the arc of one of my most anticipated reads.

Julie Soto has done it again. Forget Me Not was one of my favorite contemporary romances that I read last year and when I saw the cover reveal and blurb for this, I was ecstatic. This definitely lived up to the expectations that I held for this.

Alex and Gwen had amazing chemistry, the banter, the PINING, please.

What a slay.

When I saw this was a one day option on NetGalley...pretty much cancelled my evening plans! Loved this book and Alex and Gwen were equally as amazing as Ama and Elliot (chefs kiss for the cameos in this one). Julie does such a great job of taking these professions that could be trite or trope-y and wrote a great story (with musical accompaniment based on what she mentioned). I only wish that Fugue 1 really existed.

I rarely enjoy second chance romance, I disliked “People We Meet on Vacation,” even though I would call myself an Emily Henry stan. But I adored Julie Soto’s first book “Forget Me Not,” so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read “Not Another Love Song” early. I’m at a loss for words for how swoon worthy I found this romance. Xander fell SO HARD for Gwen. I had butterflies throughout the first half of the book from all that tension. This really propelled me through the story. I liked the setting of orchestral drama, the pacing, and I think that the author’s note at the beginning describing the inspiration for this book – the cellist and violinist across from each other – really set the stage (pun intended). I was waffling between 4 and 5 stars, but since I can’t verbalize constructive critiques, 5 stars won out. This book is definitely worth a read if you are a fan of contemporary romance!

This contemporary romance checks all the boxes. The chemistry and tension between the two main characters is undeniable. You will never listen to a fugue or concerto again without thinking of the feelings behind the composition.

I love Gwen and Alex. Their love for music and each other is inspiring and swoon worthy.
Side characters Jacob were fun supporting characters and their friendship with Gwen is so pure.

5/5 stars. Would recommend. This is a quick, easy, fun and spicy read. It’s everything!

Thank you to Julie Soto, Forever Publishing and NetGalley for making my April Fools day with a e-ARC of Not Another Love Song.