I loved this book with my entire heart. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me swoon.

The biggest thank you to NetGalley and to Forever Publishing for the eARC.

4.5🌟 this book was CRAZY (positive) in the way that it had me running laps around the room because WHEWWWW! the angst and tension and pining, just writing this review has me in need of a re-read🫦 this truly would've been a 5 star read if the third act breakup was believable... just know, MY alex would never do all that!

* thank you netgalley & forever publishing for the eARC!

What a beautiful story!
From the moment we start reading this book, it's honestly impossible to put it down. Julie Soto has such a unique and special talent with words that feel like a warm hug and hit us right in the feels.

This book is nothing like I read before, and I didn't think I could love a classical music themed book as much as I did.
The tension between Alex and Gwen made my heart beat faster. The rivals to lovers was executed to perfection! This book is so delicious, sexy, and it gave my romantic heart everything I could've hoped for, and more.

I received an ARC of this book and while I am SUPER late on this, I was highly anticipating it and it was worth the wait! I adored Forget Me Not and just knew Soto was going to knock this one outta the park too! I was excited to read a romance centered around musicians in the classical/orchestral realm and I was not disappointed. The characters were rich and well rounded, the plot has depth and some mystery to it, the romance was relatable and so poignant, and the tension was top tier! I scored Xander/Alex and the duality that came with that—his complicated past and present dueling with his expectations and family traditions with making his own way and name—it was very compelling! Then we also have the complicated and rough backstory of Gwen and her talent and dreams compounded with the force of nature that is Mabel. The backstory between Mabel, Nathan, and Ava kept you wondering, as well. But, I think what I loved the most was the love story of Gwen and Alex/Xander and how the music was a language of its own—how they connected, expressed, created, came together and were torn apart, and were innately shaped by their talent and passion. Beautifully written and super enjoyable!

What a great book! Set in New York City, Gwen and Xander embark on a music journey that eventually intertwines as they get closer to their goal. It is pretty evident they are both driven people, who will give it their all to get what they want. Having an amazing chemistry on-stage, they have to battle their feelings to each other off-stage. What I loved most about it, is the tension the readers get to witness in every interaction.

A beautiful story. Julie has a way with words that feel like a warm hug. This story was so unique. Unlike anything I’ve ever read. It was sensual, mysterious, amazing. I loved all the music references. I loved watching Gwen and Alex connect and grow. The ending made me cry. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful love story.

Really enjoyed this one from Julie Soto. Loved the music and orchestra background. The attraction was a little too quick to be an enemies to lovers but I loved the romance anyway. I will definitely read more from Soto.

as a fellow orchestra girl, I freaking loved this!!!! had so so much fun reading. and hello - this is the sexiest cover EVERRRR! these two had such great chemistry!

Thank you so much readforeverpub and @netgalley for the copy of this eARC!

This was my first Julie Sotos book and I absolutely enjoyed it and her writing was beautiful. This book is about rival musicians in an orchestraI. I enjoyed all the music references. I had no idea that a cello and violin could be so sexy! That cello scene it's gonna live rent free in my mind!

Let me start by saying Xander did not impress me at first…..but then I fell in love with Xander and Gwen intense romance. It was beautiful and romantic. I love how they brought out the best in each other. Their chemistry was everything and the spice in the book was really caliente (hot). 

Now i really want to go read Forget me not adding it to my TBR.

P.S. I love the cover is so magical

I’m actually sad to say, I was left disappointed.
Did I find this book entertaining at times? Sure, sometimes I had a good chuckle and that can be a nice thing.
Was it a good quality book? Absolutely not. If anything, I really had to suspend my disbelief just to get through it.

I was pretty excited about this book because of how many people I’ve seen say good things about it, but it was a bummer that this book basically had the same structure as Forget Me Not did. There are two main characters who hardly have any other characteristics about them other than what their occupations are, and from the beginning of both books the reader can easily tell who is going to be the antagonist.

Honestly I wish this book was perfect because I would love nothing more than to read a well researched romance on two people in an orchestra setting. As someone who has played an instrument, has sight read music, and has had to transpose music, it was incredibly irritating to see even the music portion of the book described. Sight reading and transposing are incredibly hard already, so you're telling me that Gwen can sight read and transpose at the same time all in her head, but she can't be thinking too much in her head or too much about the music because then she'll sound bad? That's just unrealistic brother.

I think what I really struggled with was the fact that there was hardly any character development whatsoever combined with how predictable everything was, and I genuinely think that has to do with this previously being a fanfic. I have no problem with people wanting to get their fanfics traditionally published, I think it's great, but I find that more often than not it doesn't transfer over well. I love fanfiction, but when it gets turned into a traditionally published book I don't want it to read like a fanfic, I want it to read like a good book. There was no development, no chemistry, while reading this book I probably would not be able to tell you what Gwen looked like at all without looking at the cover because there was no description, Gwen and Xander hardly had any personalities other than music, and nearly every scene in this book read like a fanfic. From the food fight, to Gwen just so happening to be a fan of Xander’s band, to the creepy villain agent, to the accidental like on Instagram; I would have thought that this was one of those One Direction y/n fanfics I read in middle school if only the man on the cover didn't look so much like Adam Driver. I think if I have to read about how Xander’s eyes darkened, or I have to hear about his Ray Bans, or him running his hand through his hair one more time I might just scream. The amount of times it was mentioned was wild.

Also, because I know it's nearing the end of 2024, I genuinely hope that in 2025 I will never have to see a book where the male love interest says that he turned his ex into a lesbian. Let's not do that, thanks.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for a gifted arc of this book. Sorry, this is my honest opinion.

I honestly wasn’t super sure about a classical music themed romance but now I don’t know why I ever had doubts. Alex and Gwen are GOALS in every single way. It was also nice to see Ama and Elliot again! Also confirmed that Julie is a Swiftie the ending of this book is absolutely perfect

I loved this book! I loved how some of the characters from the first book made an appearance. It was so sweet and perfect and I loved the characters with their faults and struggles. I will definitely be recommending this book and the first one to others. Amazing!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, to NetGalley and the publisher, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this book.

Blurb from Goodreads: “Two string players fight their attraction for each other as they compete for center stage in this spicy and emotional romance.”

This book was delicious. Absolutely delicious. I did not expect to love it as much as I did, but alas, here we are!

Julie Soto, you have created a masterpiece.

The tension between Alex and Gwen is delectable and when the spice finally hits, it is SO good.

As someone who grew up immersed in orchestral music, I found this very well-written. The experiences throughout the book were very realistic, which led to a great story.

The third-act breakup was the only thing that detracted from the story for me. I do not love them and this one was pretty rough, in my opinion. It might be because I fell in love with Alex and Gwen together, and it hurt my heart for it to happen the way it did.

A couple, making heated music together….SO HOT and something that I would love to read more of.

Quick Summary: Fire, ice, and chemistry!

My Review: Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto is an unforgettable, contemporary romance that, quite frankly, knocks it out of the park!

About the Book: "Gwen Jackson is a musical prodigy – but she fought hard for everything she now has.

Xander Thorne comes from musical royalty. He’s a genius – but it all fell in his lap.

Already tensely opposed, when Gwen takes the spot of First Chair in the New York Pops Orchestra – a position Xander has coveted for years – their hostility goes up a notch… and their chemistry on stage goes off the scale."

Two musical geniuses passionately make the best harmony together...after their initial cacophony and discord.

My Final Say: This breathtaking novel is a yes and a thank you very much to my romantic heart. I absolutely LOVED it! I cannot say enough good things about this story. Julie Soto gets a resounding ovation for this one. Bravo!

Other: This diamond is guaranteed a special place on my read often list.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Besties-of-All-Time: Yes
Status/Level: 🔥🧊❤️‍🔥

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever), and to NetGalley. Thank you so very much for providing access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. It was an absolute pleasure to review this work. I look forward to reading more from this writer.

In Not Another Love Song we follow Gwen and Xander, musical prodigies. Gwen learned how to play her instrument from a music shop owner that she worked for and was so talented that she was able to Join the orchestra at the POPS. Xander is Musical royalty Who plays in the Orchestra but also is part of a band. The position for first chair and the Orchestra is up for grabs, and it is something that is covered by Xander, but is gifted to Gwen. They cross paths at a friend’s wedding She performs and that’s where the story begins between the two of them.

This was cute. I’m not a Reylo fanatic. Not because I have anything against it, but because I don’t watch Star Wars so I don’t get the angst that I’m supposed to feel for the fanfiction. Maybe because I don’t understand the whole Reylo Thing but I wasn’t really feeling this romance. I didn’t connect with the characters, but it was overall Still a quick and enjoyable read. Kind of reminded me of the romance of the parents in August Rush.


Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you so much to Forever Pub & NetGalley for my copy of Not Another Love Song, by Julie Soto.

This was stuck on my TBR for too long, and I am so glad I picked it up as a cozy holiday week read! I grew up playing instruments/music/singing, so how I’ve gone so long without a musical romantic drama is beyond me!

This one is for the music lovers.
READ THIS IF… you were music nerd in school, love orchestral music, play/played an instrument, enjoy movies like Center Stage, love the drama & passion of artistic characters, love tension and spice

Gwen and Alex felt relatable to me. There is such a cathartic melancholic tone in this book, but I mean this in a romantic way. I don’t know if that makes sense? With music creation often comes great passion, and as someone who is familiar with that world, this atmosphere felt comforting and accurate to me.

Alex is the grumpy, brooding, cocky and established cellist, and Gwen is our timid, kind, passionate but unleashed FMC violinist. The two develop an instant feeling of rivalry, and also a pull. I loved the simmer and burn between these two. I loved seeing how they connected through the creation and experience of music. Their chemistry was off the charts. It was amazing to see how Alex was able to envision the ways Gwen could flourish musically.

I think this romance held tension, steam, amazing passion and spice, and a small flare for the drama. I can see why this vibe may not be for everyone, but it was definitely for me. Reflecting, if I had to knit pick, certain personal background storylines for Gwen I think could have been better explained to Alex in the end, but this also isn’t something I feel strongly about.

This was my first Julie Soto experience, but it won’t be my last. I am also officially on the hunt for more music based romances!!!

A deeply engaging and immersive story set inn the competitive world of classical music. Rivals to lovers raised the stakes in this beautifully written contemporary romance. Overall a solid thoughtful story.

Thanks, Forever and Hachette Audio, for the arc and ALC!

I will never look at or hear a cello the same way again, which I don't know if that's a good thing or not since I go to the theatre so much.

Also, I love both Elliot and Xander, so even though I'm late to the game, I'm claiming both.

It’s honestly been a while since I last enjoyed a romance this much! This was just so much fun, and even though I’d gone into this with high expectations because of some of my friends’ reviews, it still ended up exceeding all of them.

I’ve read books, and even romance books, about musicians before, but I think this is just one of the best examples of using music within a story to its full potential. It felt like it paralleled and mirrored the romance itself so beautifully, and it added this whole extra dimension to the story as a whole. There was so much passion in how both MCs interacted with and felt about music, and it ended up bleeding into their passion for each other as well. The tension was already fantastic, but whenever music was added to the scenes, it was somehow even further heightened!

My only small issue with this book was the pacing near the end, as I always get frustrated when the third-act break-up occurs very close to the end and it feels like there isn’t a proper amount of time for a full resolution. This often negatively affects my lasting memories of the book, though this wasn’t the case at all this time! It’s been a bit since I’ve finished now, and I’ve honestly only remembered the good parts.

Overall, this book was so much fun and I cannot wait to try more from this author!

Everyone was right about the cello scene...

"It's simple, really. It's about a cello who fell in love with a violin."

This is my first Julie Soto book and I fell in love with it. Julie’s writing absolutely flows down the page and I was immersed in its vividness. The way she wrote about music had me emotional along with the characters. I was obsessed. Julie writes about music spectacularly, it was captivating without being out of reach by a non musical person.

I immediately was drawn into Gwen’s world and I ate this up so within a day. Gwen’s love for music was reinvigorating and her journey was a great reminder that you should listen to yourself. You don’t have to settle when something seems good enough. Gwen was instantly likable and well developed. She had depth and real challenges and problems to overcome. It was a pleasure to watch her growth throughout this story. And Alex/Xander...absolutely one of my top MMCs of this entire year. He fell first and was OBSESSED with Gwen and have to say, I was obsessed with him.

THE ROMANCE!! This was a TRUE rivals to lovers and it was done to perfection. The tension was so high that my own stomach was fluttering and it had my heart pounding. I could feel it from when they were just LOOKING at each other. The romance was a great balance between hot and heavy and romantic and beautiful.

Not Another Love Song was a love letter to music. This won’t be my last Julie Soto book.