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!

Another incredible book by Julie Soto!! I loved every moment reading this book! Xander and Gwen are faced with the tough realities and are forced to make some hard choices in their positions. The way Julie wrote these character's growths was absolutely amazing. I really loved seeing how they characters stood up for themselves and found themselves as an individual and musician. Not to mention the tension in this book is SO GOOD! It added so much to their relationship and the moments our main characters had together.

An inspiring violinist and a world-famous cellist find themselves working in the same orchestra and competing for centre stage, all while trying to fight the growing chemistry between them.

Julie’s debut novel, Forget Me Not, was one of my top romances of last year, so when I got my hands on this ARC of her newest book, I was beyond excited! This was such a fun, passion-filled, and tension-filled story of two artists sharing their love for music and finding their true selves with the help of each other. You’ll also learn a thing or two about violins and cellos!
Thank you NetGalley & Forever pub for the copy!

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for giving me an e-arc for review. All opinions are my own.

Julie Soto is great, but I think I adored the first book by her more than this one tbh!

Alex and Gwen are great. I really liked having bits and pieces of Alex and seeing how it grew but I found the ending rushed and a bit abrupt. I wished the book was a tad longer or they cut off some stuff. It took Gwen forever to figure out her shit but I do love her loyalty, love, and passion for her craft.

I found Alex (or Zander) to be annoying for a good portion of the book, as a love interest, I didn't see it especially at a specific sex scene. Alex should not have been fucking Gwen while he talked to his agent on the phone that was disgusting and kinda awful especially since Gwen was uncomfortable at the start ovbs.

Overall it was a good story, but I don't think I'll be purchasing my own copy.

I was completely sucked into this book. I loved the banter, the backdrop of classical musicians, and chemistry.

“It’s simple, really. It’s about a cello who fell in love with a violin.”

Ummmmm…. I feel the need to bow down at Julie Soto’s feet for that cello scene. Like oh my god ma’am, you really did that.

As a musician myself, I actually rarely reach for musician romances. But I 100000% knew I would be reading this one. Because Julie Soto + anything she writes = me reading it and knowing I’ll be obsessed with it. I absolutely devoured this book and it was perfect in every way. Gwen and Alex were everything I needed. Their chemistry was so palpable and off the charts. You could feel everything through the book. It was truly such a stunning book and I have been thinking about it nonstop ever since finishing it.

I’ve known Julie would be an auto-buy author for me ever since getting a quarter way through Forget Me Not, and this book just solidified the fact that she will continue to be an auto-buy author always. This combination of romance and music was absolute perfection and I don’t think any book could top this musician romance for me. This is *THE* music romance I’ve always wanted and hoped for.

*Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

“It’s simple, really. It’s about a cello who fell in love with a violin.”

Ummmmm…. I feel the need to bow down at Julie Soto’s feet for that cello scene. Like oh my god ma’am, you really did that.

As a musician myself, I actually rarely reach for musician romances. But I 100000% knew I would be reading this one. Because Julie Soto + anything she writes = me reading it and knowing I’ll be obsessed with it. I absolutely devoured this book and it was perfect in every way. Gwen and Alex were everything I needed. Their chemistry was so palpable and off the charts. You could feel everything through the book. It was truly such a stunning book and I have been thinking about it nonstop ever since finishing it.

I’ve known Julie would be an auto-buy author for me ever since getting a quarter way through Forget Me Not, and this book just solidified the fact that she will continue to be an auto-buy author always. This combination of romance and music was absolute perfection and I don’t think any book could top this musician romance for me. This is *THE* music romance I’ve always wanted and hoped for.

*Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Rating:
4.5/5⭐️
2.5/5🌶️

Review:

This book took me by surprise! I originally wanted to read it because I’ve heard good things about her other book ‘Forget Me Not.’

When I started this book, I thought it was a little bit slow, but once I reached the 20% mark, the pace picked up and I couldn’t stop reading! I was reading on the bus, in the car, while I was eating, and during my breaks at work. I just wanted to finish the book because it was that good.

Will this book change my life? No.
Will this book be one of my favorites this year? No.
Did I have one hell of a good time reading it? Yes.

I loved that we saw both POVs. I feel like it added more depth to the book! I also loved all the music elements. I’m not a musician, but I loved learning about different instruments throughout the book.

The characters were also very good! I loved that the female main character was stubborn (like me) and wouldn’t give in to the male love interest. She stood her ground and was vocal about things she wasn’t happy about. I love that she found even more confidence at the end of the book.

The side characters were also great! The found family aspect was wonderful, and even though I wanted to see more of her friends, I thought the relationships between the FMC, her friends, her family, and the love interest were well balanced.

Overall, I just thought the romance was cute! I love an obsessed MMC. When Xander said, “Gwen, please make music with me. I need you in my life. I need to be in your orbit in some way, and if you don't want me to touch you and kiss you and f*ck you, then let me make love to you onstage every night because it's the most alive I've felt in ten years,” I knew I was going to love this man.

And a tiny word on the spice: it wasn’t my favorite spice of all time, but it was still great and so cute!

In summary, I would recommend this grumpy x sunshine book to anyone looking for a good time! Someone who loves a tension-packed book filled with humor and music.

I really wanted to love this one because Forget Me Not is one of my new favorite books! But, parts of this felt off to me. I didn't connect with the romance as much as I had hoped I would. I loved the premise, but at times it felt a little TOO young adult for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-arc of this book to read.

If you were a fan of Forget Me Not, well brace yourself, because you are going to love Not Another Love Song even more. I loved this book so much to the point that I am concerned I won’t like her next one the same way. But in Julie Soto we trust.

This second book takes place in NYC, with both main characters being musicians who play in the Manhattan Pops orchestra (emulating the NYC Pops who play in Carnegie Hall). Our FMC Gwen, is hired last minute to play violin with her roommate Jacob for a wedding, only to find out when she arrives that they actually needed a cellist. If you know instruments, you’ll know that you cannot simply switch to playing another simply because it’s just a little bigger in size with the same strings. With the help of a groomsman who brought his cello, and a lot of luck, Gwen plays the cello beautifully. At the wedding with very little mistakes.

The groomsman so happens to be none other than Xander Thorne, our MMC and first chair cellist of the Manhattan Pops. He’s surprised by her talent while a little frustrated and jealous, and yet when he confronts Gwen about who she was and how she was able to change instruments while insulting her, she responds to him that what’s insulting is sitting across from him for over a year and him not noticing they’ve worked together all this time.

This, of course, changes the way Xander sees her going forward, and when Gwen is promoted to first chair in violin, they are both bound to work together closer than ever before.

This book had some of the steamiest scenes I’ve ever read. I’ll never be able to look at a cello the same way again. Julie Soto’s very detailed description of notes and music revealed her own history in playing instruments during her time in NYC. I loved the history she built for both characters, how she shared the politics of being in an orchestra, and how music can ignite love and forgiveness in so many ways.

This is absolutely my favorite contemporary romance book of the year so far. And I can’t wait for her third book next year.

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Romance: 4.5/5
Spice: 2.5 🌶️
Overall: 4.75 out of 5 ⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! It made me kick-my-feet giddy, and put a huge smile on my face. From the beginning to end, any moment I was not reading this book, I was thinking about the next time that I could.

I liked this one better than Forget Me Not, Julie Soto’s first book, somehow. It might be my top romance of the year so far. I’m obsessed with the book and Alex. This is not going to be a very coherent review 😂

👍
+ I don’t know about you but when I was a teen, I would daydream about running into my celeb crushes and them falling madly in love with me (obviously). This book felt like a book version of that, since Alex is a famous cellist in a rock band and Gwen is a fan.
+ Gwen is a violinist, Alex a cellist. Loved that this was set in the world of music, and orchestra. I always get excited reading books with violinists in them since I played for a bit myself. Also loved that they were both extremely talented. I love reading about really competent people.
+ Their chemistry was off the charts! The physical tension at the beginning was delicious, and their spicy scenes were top notch as well. I especially loved the cello scenes, iykyk. Beyond the spice, I liked that their connection, in more ways than one, happened through music.
+ This might sound weird but, I love characters that come off as rude, inconsiderate to the MC before they fully meet because of their social awkwardness while we all know, as the reader, what they really mean. I loved how Alex kept coming off as if he was trying to give Gwen shit even while he was trying to compliment her.
+ There’s also a good amount of found family in this that I really enjoyed as well. The side characters really added to the story.
+ Aside from the romance story, I also liked both of their individual growth and development through the book. Realizing what they really want out of life, what’s important to them etc.
+ The third act breakup actually kind of made sense?

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

I was so hesitant to pick this one up because I had a rough time with Soto's debut Forget Me Not, but having enjoyed her fics, I just had to try NALS. And then I didn't touch it for two months.

Not Another Love Song was a complete surprise to me, the set-up felt fresh and despite the unbalanced POV chapters. I adored this book. Soto's writing is haunting and so immersive that I truly kept having to remind myself to breathe because the tension was so delicious, especially in the first half of the book when Alex and Gwen were at each others' throats but also intoxicatingly drawn to each other. Exceptionally well done and woven story where the music and instruments felt like the third main character. Slight ding for the predictability of the "villain" but having read this in one sitting? I'll happily let it slide.

Easily one of my favorite romances this year and maybe ever!! So unique and so steamy I absolutely adored Alex and Gwen so much.

The pacing was perfect with the development of their relationship. The tension was superior. I will be shouting about this book from the rooftops for the foreseeable future.

Julie Soto does it again with a five out of five star romance!! I loved her first book but I would recommend Not Another Love Song to anyone who wants a beautiful romance with some depth. For music lovers of any genre, Soto’s writing is delightful.

This book was a disappointment for me. So many people seem to love it. I tried to make it work and well, it just didn’t for me. The last 30% was the worst, cringy and toxic and didn’t want the couple to have their HEA. I did love the concept of the book and the FMC in the beginning. I wrote a Bookstagram review post that I have linked down below.

This was the second book I read by Julie Soto and I have to say that I liked it even better than the first! There is so much music that is mentioned throughout and I only wish I could listen to the songs composed by the characters because I'm sure it would have sounded amazing. I really liked the two main characters and I was just rooting for them to be together the whole time. I went into this knowing this is a reylo fanfic and I truly enjoyed it. Gwen and Alex were truly in their own world and everyone else was just living in it. Overall, this was an enjoyable book filled with music and angst.

I really loved Forget Me Not and I was so looking forward to this book! While this was a fun and light read, it didn't hit the same notes as FMN did for me. With that said, I am definitely looking forward to what Julie comes up with next!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc!


GUYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I ate this up BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDD. Julie Soto is becoming an auto-buy author for me. The way she writes relationships and how much the men are obsessed with the women!!!!! This book follows Gwen as she becomes the First Chair at the Pops Orchestra. I appreciated her development and choosing a path that works for her. This book was so readable and had some cute and hot moments. I love the cameos of Ama and Elliot.

This book was pure joy to read. I stayed up late reading two night it’s a row because all I wanted to do was devour this book.

The romance was smart and interesting and very spicy while the book made some understated points about class and the music industry as a whole as well as the differences contained in the city of New York. The ending was well written and wrapped up the storyline nicely without being too neat. This will definitely be in contention for my favorite romance of the year and I have already recommended it on my page as seen in the link below.

Romance has been a bit of a miss for me this year, but Not Another Love Story snapped me out of my rut. I think I read this at just the right time - fresh off of finishing The Acolyte and in desperate need of some Sith Lord inspired literature. This book had no business being this hot. The mutual pining, the “I’m an ass to everyone but her”, the cello scene! I ate this up.

I loved the romance between Gwen and Xander, and I especially loved Gwen as a character. She’s so easy to root for and quite likable. She’s been through it. I loved the found family element to this story and how that’s something both characters were able to connect over.

Thank you so much to Forever and NetGalley for a review copy. Now I’m itching to go back and reread Forget Me Not! Can’t wait for Julie’s next book.