Ali was right... and I love the way Julie build the tension of both characters and the way it was missundestaing but also, there was tension...I love that the cover lived up to the scene if you know you know because hello??? Julie is an amazing writer and I can't wait to read more of her. the way this book was written made want to learn how to play instruments lol

The sexiest book with so much pining and angst. I adored these characters and their growth! Julie Soto knocked it out of the park with this book!

5 stars! ⭐️

I LOVED this book!! I absolutely loved Forget Me Not last year so I was very excited to get my hands on an ARC of Julie Soto’s latest and it did not disappoint!!

I love Gwen and Alex so much and I need to go see an orchestra ASAP!

Thanks to Forever for the eARC!

I loved and liked this better than “Forget Me Not.” But I also loved the Ama and Elliot cameos. I really didn’t expect to love “Not Another Love Song,” or to prefer it over “Forget Me Not.” One thing, it’s because it’s about two violinists/cellist, and I know nothing about either instruments or how an orchestra operates but I do love a string quartet. Just listening, not playing. Anyways, Gwen and Xander are both stubborn people but they learned how to communicate, even through music. The spicy scene in Xander’s studio though… if you know, you know. Julie Soto needs to write more books as good as this. It (should) only get better from here.

"Look, I don't know what you want from me, but—"
"Anything. Everything."

Rating: 3.75/5

- Rivals to lovers
- Workplace: violinist x cellist in an orchestra
- He falls first
- Set in NYC
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
- Mostly single POV (third person)
- Dual narration with Savannah Peachwood and Oliver Clarke

There's no doubt this is a beautifully written romance between two rivals working at the same orchestra, who don't stay rivals for long when they realise they make beautiful music together in more ways than one (IYKYK). Speaking of, the musical plot flowed lyrically into the writing style so uniquely that you can't help but be captivated.

There are also plenty of things going on in the background to keep the book going steadily, from Alex's past to his family to their connection and changing work lives. Savannah Peachwood's expert narration also ensures you don't want to put it down.

The one thing missing for me was more emotional development, as I felt like the spice often overpowered their relationship. And while we had brief glimpses of Alex's POV, I selfishly wanted more.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5 ⭐️
NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: contemporary romance
📖 380 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🎻🌆💕🎵🌮🔥🎹🌶️

𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱? 👍🏼

🩵𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🩵

Thank you @netgalley @forever for the #gifted copy!

The easiest 5 ⭐️’s to give!! I devoured it & couldn’t stop thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading. It was so captivating that I wished I could slow down just to prolong the experience. Who knew a story centered around violins could be so engrossing?! The cover & title took on a whole new meaning 🥵 , & I’ll never look at a cello the same way again 🤪

The scenes in this book were incredibly spicy 🌶️ 🌶️, @JulieSoto’s writing brought the sexual tension between the characters to a boiling point, oh the angst! Nobody writes love scenes quite like her! I found myself falling for Xander right along with Gwen 🤣 . The story is mostly told from Gwen’s POV, but the occasional chapters from Xander’s were a delightful bonus, offering a deeper understanding of his emotions & thoughts. The complicated family dynamics & the growth of both Gwen & Xander were beautifully portrayed, with supporting characters like Jacob, Declan, & Mabel adding even more ♥️ to the story.

This is much more than just a love story; it’s about starting over, choosing your own path, & doing what’s right for yourself. It’s a tale of forgiveness, personal growth, & making your own destiny. Soto is an auto-buy author for me, & I loved the brief cameo of Ama & Elliott from FORGET ME NOT 🤗 . I couldn’t recommend this more if I tried!!!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ enemies to lovers
◽️ found family
◽️ violins/cellos
◽️ having the courage to follow your dreams

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: Violinist Gwen Jackson immerses herself in her music with a quiet passion. Xander Thorne, a cellist & rock star, is the opposite, expressing big emotions & a bit of arrogance. It took Xander a year to notice Gwen in the Manhattan Pops, & he often criticizes her technique. When Gwen is offered the first chair, a role Xander has long wanted, their rivalry intensifies. Despite the tension, Gwen can't ignore the strong chemistry between them.

This was on its way to being a 4.5 for me but the third act situation annoyed me and I felt the resolution wasn’t fulfilling enough. I absolutely went feral for Xander/Alex. I loved learning about his background and witnessing his growth from his people pleasing tendencies, it was everything. I liked Gwen but didn’t love her. I felt she was too agreeable and I never got the sense of what she truly wanted. The tension was there and their chemistry was phenomenal.

I will read just about anything Julie Soto writes! Absolutely loved her debut 'Forget Me Not' last year and 'Not Another Love Song' is another hit by this wonderful author. She's got the amazing ability to balance sizzling chemistry with great character building.

Gwen and Xander are just so likeable and so different from each other. Yet, they work so well together and you find yourself rooting for this couple so desperately! This is an easy and quick read that has you hooked the entire time.

No one does forced proximity like Julie Soto and it seems to me that absolutely no one has forgotten the cello scene either! I can't wait to devour upcoming works by this author.

Thank you Forever Pub for the chance to read and review an eARC of this book!

This is my first Julie Soto book, and I don't know if I came with too high of an expectation but this book was not for me. It's not a bad book, it was just not for me. I could not find any way to connect to the any of the characters and felt like it dragged. I don't know if it would have made any difference, but maybe I would of enjoyed it more if I had a music background? There wasn't that many music lingo, but there was enough that I often felt confused/lost.

Also, I was confused with the whole Alex and Xander situation, at one point I asked my friend who had read this book, if Alex/Xander was mentally sane, because what the heck was going on! I don't know if I'll check out her other book, but this wasn't it for me.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto and Forever for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

I became a Julie Soto fan with Forget Me Not & am so excited that I had the opportunity to review Not Another Love Song.

I didn’t think it was possible to top Forget Me Not, but here we are. This is FOR SURE one of the best romances I’ve read this year.

Everything about this was gold. Alex (Xander) & Gwen had INSANE chemistry & as I reader, I felt all that tension. The spice level was amazing. And the music!?! If music speaks to you, this book is an absolute must read. Music is woven into every aspect of the story from beginning to end & music lovers will eat this up for that alone.

This book was so well-written, immersive & addictive. It is so bingeworthy & puts the readers through ALL the feelings.

Perfection!

I honestly can't get 0ver how much I loved this book. The chemistry, the tension, the music and that cello scene? All perfection. Easily my favorite read of the year and I immediately pre-ordered the physical copy and audiobook after reading the ARC!

I stayed up far too late because I just could not put this book down. I've rarely read a book with so much passion, not just for the romance but for music. If you like to read about creative, talented people then this is the book for you. Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne start out as competitors but when they play together - it's magic.

The two of them could not be more different. Gwen is more traditional than Xander both in how and what she plays. Xander is more like a rock star, who takes chances. There is also the mystery of why he'd stopped playing violin and played cello instead. They both play for the Manhattan Pops, where they play popular music with classical instruments. Reading this made me miss my piano, and working behind the scenes in live plays when I was in college.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Not Another Love Song was sweet, I enjoyed it more than the author’s previous book, Forget Me Not. I especially enjoyed the music aspects and overall the romance was good. My biggest annoyance was how long it took for some things in the past to unfold. When the whole story finally came out it was very anticlimactic. I’ll be interested to read Julie Soto’s next work and hope I keep enjoying her books more.

This book explored music in a whole new way with an orchestra, classical music and composing it had just as much romance and it was great. I loved all the characters connections.

I really love that Julie Soto writes and how the chemistry between love interests are ELECTRIC.
I do wish that Alex & Gwen could have communicated more instead of a "bang it out" solution to things.
Overall, the story was well write and sweet but the end felt a bit rushed.
Thank you to NetGalley & Forever Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 STARS! One of the best books of 2024!

"Not Another Love Song" by Julie Soto is incredible. It's sexy, it's hot, it's original, it's alluring, it's full of banter, it's steamy, it's sensual, it's entertaining, it's brilliant! I love this book sooooooooo much. If you love music as much as I do, you will fall head over heels for this book. I will have a hard time moving Alex/Xander off the top of my book-boyfriends list because SWOON!!!!!! My goodness, Alex and Gwen's chemistry is indelible, incredible, and intoxicating. Their banter is top-notch, their pull to each other is delectable, and the spice is chef's kiss. Ugh, so freaking good. I could not put this book down! They are the perfect book couple, in my opinion. Soto's words are alluring, and this story is like a symphony you cannot stop listening to. I was pulled in from the very first chapter. One minor complaint is the miscommunication at the end, but I can overlook this because of how good the rest of it is. I love Julie Soto's writing, and I cannot wait for her next book. It's clear to me that she puts her heart and soul into each of her characters... and it shows! Just fantastic stuff here.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This book is perfection. A Reylo fanfic turned traditionally published novel about rival players in an orchestra. He's Down Bad immediately. The spicy times are amazingggg. The pining is amazingggg. The cameos from Forget Me Not characters are amazingggg. I have no notes. If you like contemporary romance, then I think you'll adore this book!

I feel like (maybe?) people who dabble with instruments would eat this up! As someone who could barely play the recorder, I still ate this up! I wouldn’t know the first thing about a cello or violin, except for maybe their size difference, but this story was still easy to follow along with. They lost me at electric violin though — sounds cool!

This is my second ever Julie Soto book, it didn’t land quite as well as the first one, but I think that’s because of the Kylo Ren fanfic part of it. I’ve never watched Star Wars so I couldn’t draw the similarities. To me, Alex / Zander was just a selfish d-bag who was really sweet with her when they were 1:1 and was super ego-centric. He was really sweet publically, but when it’s also a publicity-stunt-looking relationship, that doesn’t say much.

We can’t help but feel proud of Gwen for getting where she’s at in life despite her life circumstances. I wasn’t sure how the book would end, but I didn’t anticipate that ending! I loved it nonetheless. Creative. :)

Would absolutely recommend this book, but I would definitely recommend Forget Me Not first. It’s set in the same universe, but not necessary to read this book! I just loved it a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for this book in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review…even though I was so excited for July 16th i went out and bought my own copy

maybe more of a 3.5 probably but rounding up for goodreads. the first half was really strong and i was having a ton of fun with it but I found the second half of the book kind of meandering and unsure of itself. gwen and xavier both could’ve used some more development as people outside of their relationship, which makes sense because of its origins as reylo fic. looking forward to seeing what julie soto does next, including her foray into ya!

I really enjoyed this read, not as much as Forget Me Not, but it still gave me excitement and frustration towards Xander many times. I’m happy with how it ended though, they were so cute together!! I didn’t love how unrealistic it was at times, but who knows, maybe it could happen! It is romance and Reylo after all!