“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.”

Is it hot in here? It’s hot in here.

Read this for:

🎻 Reylo (✅) rivals to lovers(✅) he falls first(✅) slow burn (✅) between a violinist and a cellist

🌶️ a symphony of music and love and sex

🎶 compelling characters navigating self-doubt, fame, and passion

This one hits all the right notes (🤪 sorry, I couldn’t help it!) It’s artsy, brooding, emotional, and sexy. Dual POV repackaged Reylo always delivers, and this is no different.

*Not Another Love Song* is, in fact a love song. It’s a love letter to music and love and lost souls.

With characters facing deep insecurities, the pressures of fame, and the price of pursuing their passions, Sparks fly as two musical prodigies’ competition on stage turns into undeniable chemistry offstage.

If you’re a fan of intense romance wrapped in music metaphors, tension that builds like a crescendo, and a love story that’s as captivating as the music it centers around—this one’s for you. 🎶

While I absolutely loved my first Julie Soto book, this one did not hit the mark for me. At all. I think the first problem is that I am too close to the professional music world to read this book - there are way too many logistical inaccuracies that border on ridiculous. A little bit of research can go a long way, and the lack of research made it feel very much like flat fanfiction that it started out as - not a fully fleshed-out novel. The FMC and MMC could be so interesting, but they weren't, which to me feels like a broader problem of Reylo fics in general. The side characters get so little face time, but they are much more entertaining and unique. I also wasn't a huge fan of the excessive musical metaphors and use of figurative language overall in this one.

That said, this book has the makings for a fantastic movie. And Julie Soto... the girl can write that spice. Woof.

Would I read it again? No. I still think about Forget Me Not a year after reading it, so I just know that this particular book wasn't written for me. But for readers who want an easy, fluffy Reylo fic based in the music world and don't care about the details, I would definitely recommend Not Another Love Song to them.

I really enjoyed Forget Me Not. This was ... ok. I really liked the music/orchestra plot. - I enjoyed it in the same way I enjoyed all of the flower references and writing in FMN. I feel like the FMC and MMC had chemistry that fell sort of flat. Alex/Xander doesn't know Gwen even though they work together and a chance meeting has them falling in love over the course of a couple of months? The writing was too emotional and dramatic. I like and appreciate fanfic, and the cover gave me Reylo vibes but I didn't want to believe it. Then Soto confirmed it and I just couldn't get Adam Driver out of my mind and it made everything annoying. Soto, however, is consistently good with the spice, which I appreciate, dialogue and character development didn't really do anything for me though.

Thank you to Forever publishing for this copy!

I haven't read any romance for 8 months. This was fantastic. I have a particular love for orchestra, so it hit a soft spot for me. Also, if you say Reylo fics, I will take notes ✍🏻 speaking of notes, I have none. This was fun. Go read it.

This book had me in a chokehold. I ended up listening to the audiobook on a road trip and didn't want to get out of my car because I just wanted to keep listening. I loved the way that music intersected with the story. It gave the story a tempo that really made the reader feel the story. The cello scene was *so hot.* I really liked that both characters were flawed in different ways and had to come to realizations about themselves by the end of the story, so it wasn't a one-sided third act breakup. Sign me up for everything Julie Soto writes!

Thanks to Forever Publishing for the free E-ARC of this book. Here are my honest thoughts!

3.75 ⭐️’s (rounded to 4 for Goodreads!)

This is my first Julie Soto book. I am still intending to read Forget Me Not, but I read this book first. I know they’re not connected so IT’S FINE. However, I have very mixed feelings about this book.

The first 100 pages or so are slow. We get limited interactions between the main characters, more than one were negative interactions. I do realize that it’s set up for the rest of the book, but it was very hard to get into. They didn’t really get to know each other before she was just living at his place for their breaks between shows, which I found very strange.

The interactions we get between our main characters within the first 100 pages were…odd. They have like three encounters, two of which are him basically insulting her, with the third time ending up in a very intimate situation. I found that to be really rushed? They go from zero to one hundred so quickly, and it was very difficult for me to believe their chemistry there.

I really enjoyed the middle portion of this book, once they decided they were together. I loved how Down Bad Alex was for Gwen and how unafraid he was to show it. I LOVE the side characters in this book too. Mabel, Jacob, and Declan really shine.

Now for the part I disliked the most. I despise the third act breakup/conflict in this book. It was so juvenile and frustrating. Their reactions to the other person and the situation were so aggravating. I didn’t like that it was created and resolved within the same fifty pages, because at that point WHAT IS THE POINT?? Why write so much conflict and anger just to resolve it immediately?? I’ll never understand.

If you’re trying to make me believe that these characters are mature adults who can communicate through arguments and manage to compromise, having them break up and get back together so quickly is not the way to do it.

I feel like there was a lot of unresolved or underdeveloped character backstory? Like we see in Gwen’s head and learn from her that she had issues with people leaving her, and she needs the stability that the Pops provides. But we never see her communicate that to Alex, even after they break up and get back together. Like they don’t talk about the actual reasons that they broke up in the first place! They just admit to the other person being right without explaining or communicating why they may have reacted the way they did.

Overall, I’m still planning to read other books by Julie Soto, but this one will not be a favorite.

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto is a delightful exploration of love, music, and self-discovery. The story follows a talented young woman grappling with her feelings for a fellow musician while navigating the complexities of her dreams and insecurities. Soto’s writing is vibrant and engaging, capturing the passion and struggles of her characters. With its witty dialogue and heartfelt moments, this novel resonates with anyone who has ever faced the ups and downs of young love. A must-read for contemporary romance fans!

Phenomenal romance- loved seeing two main characters working in music! The spice is wonderfully written, the tension is perfect, the side characters are loveable, this is all around one of the best books I’ve read all year.

Coming into this book as a BIG fan of Forget Me Not and this book did not disappoint! The camp from Ama and Elliot was so great. Julie Soto writes amazing layered characters and she really nails the connection between them, building it up until it’s palpable to the reader. The way they challenge each other, the way music is built into their relationship, highly recommend listening to a Spotify playlist made for this book while reading. Highly recommend this one and Forget me Not as well this is an auto buy author for me!

5 stars. I LOVED Forget Me Not, and somehow I loved this one even more. The chemistry between Gwen and Alex is so good! I loved how this book tackled more deep connection and communication, I feel as though this one had more of that than Forget Me Not. Alex is DOWN BAD for Gwen and I always love a mmc who is just a total simp. I can never look at a cello the same way again!

This book is a beautiful slow burn. Musically talented, chemistry is there! The main characters compliment each other in this rivals romance story!

I had never read anything from Julie Soto before and let me just say it did not disappoint. The writing just sweeps you completely into the story and characters until you're lost in it. The chemistry between the FMC and MMC is so complex and intriguing, I genuinely couldn't put this book down! I understand why Booktok never stops talking about this book

I absolutely loved this book!
First of all music rivals may be a hotter trope than sports just saying! Gwen was a perfect imperfect, main character, her growth throughout the book was just incredible and also very human and realistic. Alexander had a very different journey of finding himself but is also l very real and human and the two of them together created such a perfect couple that challenged each other with while meaning, love and support. A

I love Julie Soto - I devoured her debut and this one was no different! The tension was amazing and I loved how refreshing it was to have musical rivals instead of coworkers. I already want to reread this, listen to the audio, and buy the physical copy.

I ate this one up! Gwen and Xander had so much angst that I really enjoyed.
Xander was down bad for our girl, but she was down bad for him too, so reciprocity.
I loved all the orchestral shenanigans, the found family backstory and watching Gwen and Xander get closer and confess their feelings for each other.
The family dynamics regarding Xander and his mother was so sad to see, but happy that they worked it out.
Definitely recommended this one if you're looking for something not too heavy, but with some substance regarding the backstory of our MCs.

Absolutely loved this book. The banter between the two main characters was fantastic. I have a huge love for the strings so I may have been a bit bias going into this book but it lived up to expectations for sure!! The playlist for this book is also now my favorite playlist to read to. LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST WHILE READING. It just makes it that much more fun!

Plot: Gwen is a big fan of Xander's band, but doesn't necessarily have the same respect for him in "real" life, where he is the chronically late cellist who doesn't seem to know that she exists. But once they manage to connect and unravel some of their misconceptions of one another and make music together, she starts to see another side to Xander. Meanwhile, there are also career happenings in the orchestra and the plot weaves a tight web around Gwen and Xander, creating an emotional and vibrant environment for these two to come together.

What I Loved: Julie Soto's sophomore novel was so well-crafted and as a lover of books about music, I really enjoyed all of those parts. This book keeps the focus narrow, but in a way that still feels large, which I think can largely be attributed to the overlap of secondary characters shared by both love interests. I think technically Not Another Love Story is really well done.

What I Struggled With: The plot provided the tension, but I didn't always get the emotional beats the way I prefer. There were things we learn about each character's backstory where I can guess what an underlying fear or motivation of a later action might be, but I never quite felt it because it was more stated than shown.

Who I Would Recommend Not Another Love Song to: People who like books about music and are in the mood for a melancholic book.

this book got me into music the way the love hypothesis got me into science -- just enough to now find those jobs sexy af

Okay wow, I am blown away by this book. It's so touching and the music. I have never read a story this impactful before. As a music journalist, it is rare to read about this trope with classical music. I want a sequel now.

Another stunner from Julie Soto! While I didn't love this book quite as much as her first, I did still really enjoy it.

I really loved the relationship between Alex and Gwen and felt like the character development was really spot on. That is the thing I think Julie does really well. She builds really strong internal conflicts in both of her main characters and is able to really build on those throughout the book. Both main characters end up overcoming something major that is really holding their life back, and those changes are brought about by the strong feelings they have for each other and wanting to be with each other. Love really does conquer all in Julie's books, and I absolutely love that.

Again, I really fell for all the side characters and relationships in this book, and the easter eggs throwing back to Forget Me Not were phenomenal. I love when books are in the same canonical universe. I really hope we get a book about Mar in the future! She's one of my favorite side characters. Mabel was another of my favorites in this book though - the fact that she had a relationship with both Alex and Gwen, before they even knew each other, was a really fun plot point.

I feel like there could have been a bit more plot in this book. What was there was fantastic, and the tension did really shine through. But there were a lot more spicy scenes in this book than in Forget Me Not, and I'm not sure they had as much of an impact. They felt almost a bit too frequent for what was going on. Some scenes were definitely needed to establish the relationship and even some of the conflict (hello, cello scene!). But some just felt a bit unnecessary and didn't really serve to advance the story at all. I think a lot more plot could have been developed if they had been cut back a bit. Some more scenes from Alex's POV would have been nice, maybe some more flashbacks to his childhood and schooling and transition from Alex to Xander. I can appreciate that maybe Julie didn't want to do a lot of flashbacks to differentiate a bit from her first book, but I think they could have served a purpose here. Or perhaps more conflict with Alex's agent and Nathan working together. Something needed to be added to elevate the story beyond the spice.

I definitely don't think this was as strong of a story as Forget Me Not, and that makes sense given it sounds like this story was written and submitted to agents first. I will definitely say Julie's traditionally published romances are better qualified by Forget Me Not than this story, but I love her writing and it still did this book justice. It was an addictive and fun read, and I will definitely be looking out for more from Julie in the future.

*I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*