Absolutely inpbe with this one. Julie Soto is so dang talented! Perfect buildup of chemistry and longing, woth so many rich moments of character development. This was fantastic.

🎼 Musical Rivals to Lovers
🧪🤯 Amazing chemistry + tension
👩‍❤️‍👨 Dual POV
🌶️🌶️🌶️
✨ Read this if you like — rivals to lovers, musical themes, he falls first, forced proximity, NYC setting, found family

Happy freaking pub day to Not Another Love Song! 🎼🎻♥️

UM what?? This book had NO business being this freaking GOOD! Julie Soto does it again y’all! I was thrilled to get an ARC from NetGalley after how much I loved Forget Me Not!

I’m not a classical music girlie, but I ate this up. Gwen + Alex (Xander) were ✨chef’s kiss✨. Two rival musicians in a Manhattan orchestra from two different backgrounds: one self taught violist playing in Subways + one cellist playing in a rock band!

The tension. The chemistry. The spice. The way he feels about her!! 🥵Um bump this to the TOP of your TBR! I could not put it down especially after the half way mark! This is will def be one of my favorite romances of 2024 and will live rent free in mind! 🙈

Inside every man is two wolves-One of those wolves is always late for rehearsal and wearing Ray-Bans. Julie Soto humbly gives us an insanely good novel about rival musicians that I ate with the ferocity of a contestant defending their title in a State Fair pie- eating competition.

Whew. I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this. Currently sitting in the number one spot of my Best of 2024. Grabbed me by the collar in a Mariana Trench of a book hangover and hoisted me into the sunlight like some sort of literary Superman. The storyline is gripping, characters vibrant, prose is not overly lyrical but smooth and easy to read (the Pringles of prose styles), a slow burn but the bater is BANTERING and the spice is SPICING (exCUSE ME with that intermission scene??), the lens into the politics of orchestral professionals was accurate, and yes, ladies and gentlemen, I teared up at the Christmas scene- and if a book makes me tear up it gets nothing but a rave review from me. Those are the rules.

The main conflict was resolved too quickly, and I could have done with a little more ending, maybe a second epilogue (checks pulse, feels forehead, checks pulse again) which is the first time I've ever said that. Certain nefarious characters could have used a kneecapping or two (they've got two kneecaps each, so my vote is kneecappings, plural). Resolution complaints aside, this was so immersive. A really... edible? book. There's a different word for that. Binge- worthy! That's it. You don't need to read Forget Me Not first, but there IS character cameos if you have! This is an advanced reader copy review, you can expect to find it on shelves and in Bezo's overgrown bookstore on July 16th!

"... 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—"

Gwen and Xander have been playing in the Pops Orchestra together for years a fact Xander seems oblivious to but, when Gwen unexpectedly has to play Xander’s cello at a wedding, she finally catches his eye (and his ear). Unfortunately, Gwen then earns his ire when she is offered first chair, a place Xander has coveted his entire life. Now, there is a mix of serious tension between the two that is laced with a respect and passion that’s moving toward crescendo.

The TENSION between Xander and Gwen is intense from their first interaction to the last page. The passion of two musicians for their art and each other is PALPABLE. The realism of the music scene was the perfect setting for the growth, self-exploration, and collaboration of these two characters. Their appreciation for one another’s talents was front and center as that appreciation grew to something more. This book is written with an understated sexiness that was captivating and a dramatic friction that kept me engaged. Enjoyed this one and would recommend!

4.5/5 Stars

I loved Forget Me Not so my expectations were high but this one still blew me away! I loved how Julie Soto managed to incorporate music into every aspect of Gwen and Alex's relationship. I also loved watching Gwen grow up and find herself. This book is dual POV but centers around Gwen in a way I really liked. I wish more authors who choose single POV would do something similar to this instead.

I loved Gwen and Alex's connection. Their chemistry was electric and Alex fell for her so hard! It was really fun to watch them figure out their feelings and how to incorporate such an intense relationship into their daily lives. Additionally, the steamy scenes in this book were top-notch! No spoilers but the first one is super creative and perfect for them.

If you loved Forget Me Not, like enemies to lovers, or he falls first this is a must-read! This book is also a music lovers' dream! I cannot wait to see what Julie Soto writes next!

Absolutely adored this book. Gwen and Alex felt so perfect together and watching their lives intertwine and their love for each other grow was everything. The epilogue was pure perfection and I am so grateful I read this book.

I enjoyed Julie Soto's first foray into non YA stories (Forget Me Not) but this one really had me hooked. I found myself looking up the music mentioned in the story and just "seeing" the orchestras sitting there playing. I was raised with musicians and while I no longer play, had my own foray into being part of a high school orchestra. I've always loved going to watch my sister and her husband play and of course local Pops (Boston) always enthrall me. I feel like I actually got some insight into the mechanics of how Pops and orchestras in the professional world work and I truly enjoyed the journey. The intimate moments between Alex and Gwen were just wow!! I could feel the chemistry and everything that Gwen was feeling. I wouldn't hesitate to read anything else this author brings my way! Take a bow Julie

What an incredible story! I'm a big fan of Julie Soto after reading Forget Me Not. I ran to get this ARC and boy it did not disappoint. I couldn't put down this book and finished it in 1 day. I think this book may be another strong contender to book of the year for me. This story tells the story about professional musicians/former child musical prodigies Gwen and Alex who started out as very tense rival in their orchestra before falling madly in love.
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First of all, I LOVE how the musical references are intertwined in this book. Every key moments have music involved and it's so glorious. Honestly this even got me back to classical music again because I thought the professional musician aspect was so immersive. Music is definitely the 3rd main character here. If you enjoyed Nodame Cantabile, you'd enjoy this so much too.
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Their meet cute was so memorable. This first part really sets up everything so well and describes both Gwen & Alex's character and genius in music. In the process, we see the intense push and pull; throughout the story the tension is so palpable! They grudgingly respect each other's skills but desperately don't want to fall in love with each other. However, they can't deny that their music is so compatible and it's just so satisfying to see how they create beautiful music together. Oh yeah, also have to point out the insanely sexy scene that was depicted in the cover. This cello scene will live rent-free in my head.
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Some criticisms I have mostly centered on how Gwen seemingly had it too easy in the professional musician world (which is notoriously cutthroat) and a couple of concert scenes which made me go "I really don't think that will fly in reality". It takes some suspension of disbelief, but at the end I chalk it up to Gwen being a music genius and necessary creative liberty. 2nd part dragged a bit for me and felt a bit anticlimactic. However, overall I still give this a solid 5 stars and a strong recommend.

“It’s simple really. It’s about a cello who fell in love with a violin.” ♡⋆.˚ 🎻✩ 𝄞 ₊˚.

Happy pub day to Not Another Love Song @juliesotowrites!!! 🫶🏼🤧

Oh wow you guys, okay so in honor of this baby releasing today, I want to share my review because Julie has done it again! I’ve shared my love for Ama and Elliot in Forget Me Not and she does NOT disappoint with Gwen and Xander!

Not Another Love Song follows Gwen Jackson — a musical prodigy who scores the opportunity of her dreams as First Chair for the Manhattan Pops and Xander Thorne, musical prodigy with another path set in his mind. The two went through some hostility at first, but a mutual connection through their undeniable love for music brings them… closer to say the least.

Julie absolutely brings it with the banter and tension! There is so much emotional investment between the two characters that whether the intimacy involves spice or making pancakes, or playing music, you’re right there with them. I loved how raw every character was and how much depth there was in each of them and the relationships they had with each other. Some of my favorite parts (without spoilers of course) include:

☁️ the pining!!! the tension!!!
☁️ he is so down bad it had me giggling every other chapter
☁️ the relationship between Gwen and Mabel
☁️ the. cello. scene. THE CELLO SCENE! the freaking cello scene!!!! Whewww good lordy
☁️ musicians falling in love through their craft (and falling even further in love WITH their craft)
☁️ the small, yet impactful found family element

Thank you so much NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Julie Soto for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review! 4.5 stars hands down 🌟

o livro tem um passe muito gostosinhoooo e aaaaaaaaaaaaah eu amei, eu acho que eles super combinam um com o outro e assim é maravilhosooooooooooooooo. eu amei a escolha do tema, e como a soto fez as coisas ficarem redondinhas e perfeitas e tudo faz muito sentido dentro da obra S2S2

oq acontece aqui: temos uma violinista num casamento, mas que na verdade era pra ser um violoncelista, ai ela simplesmente pega o instrumento emprestado do cara que senta na primeira fileira da osquestra que ela toca (mas nunca viu) que tbm tem faz parte de uma banda (que entrelinhas grita "artista mais ouvido do meu spotify") e ai é isso, o resto é historiaa

esse livro é para as meninas que cuidadosamente moldam sua retrospectiva no spotify, para as que amam nao tem que pensar muito pq o cara assumir o controle (nao de uma maneira obscura) e tu pode relaxar ja que esse serzinho te conhece e sabe oq tu precisa sem precisar pedir... par as meninas que tem playlist pra tudo e para as que virariam para a ali hazelwood e diria "ok, make spicier", para as meninas que leriam 342394329 fios no tt sobre os masters roubados da TS e sempre escolheriam a taytay

review sincera em troca da copia avancada ofertada pelo netgalley

Holy moly, I’m obsessed with this book! 🔥

Not Another Love Song was absolutely everything I needed it to be and more. The tension was TENSION-ING, the love story felt real, fun and oh so sexy! While also having a plot that kept me engaged - the book was unputdownable.

I switched between an e-book and audio format mostly because I couldn’t stop reading (I meant what I said - unputdownable!!!) and thoroughly enjoyed both formats! The narration was extremely well done.

I had so much fun reading this one and cannot wait to read more from Soto! Hands down the best romance I have read this year (so far)!

I adored Forget Me Not when I read it last year but this one blew me away, this is definitely Julie’s best work yet. I don’t know what she put in this but I was addicted, I couldn’t put it down.

Honestly, I didn’t think playing the cello or violin could be hot but this book proved me wrong. I was not a band kid so a lot of the more technical music references went a little bit over my head but the way Julie wrote them, I definitely felt like I didn’t miss much.

Alex and Gwen’s chemistry was INSANE. The tension? God tier. THE CELLO SCENE?? My jaw was on the floor. Please Julie, never stop writing, I’d cry.

Loved seeing the Ama and Elliot cameos <3

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed Julie’s writing style in this book. I read her debut novel. It was good, but something about this book drew me in much more quickly. I was eager to keep reading. Romance is not my go-to genre, so some of that was lost on me. However the non-romance side of the plot was very interesting and kept me reading until the end.

I loved this book!! We got boy obsessed which is gonna do it for me every time. It’s one of my favorite romance books of 2024! 🎼🎻💜

The tension and passion between Gwen and Xander was palpable!! Literally from their first interaction I was excited for these two.
This man was composing music for her!! The only musical instrument I ever played was the trumpet and even though I wasn’t any good I’m wishing I had my own Xander Thorne.
I also thought this was a unique love story between two musicians. The storyline about their musical careers was also entertaining and I was invested in it just as much as I was in their relationship.
Thank you to Julie Soto, Netgalley, and Forever publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

I got this as an ARC from Netgalley. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever publishing for letting me get an E-ARC.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!! This has become one of my top 5 reads of the year!

Gwen Jackson is a violinist and had been in the Manhattan Pops for four years. Xander Thorne (Alex Fitzgerald) had been part of the Manhattan Pops for 1 year. Gwen was a fan of Xander Thorne’s band, Xander and the Roses. I loved Gwen and Alex relationship so much! This book made me cry, laugh, and smile!!

4.5⭐️

I’ll start by saying my only experience with musical instruments was a failed attempt at flute in the sixth grade band. My only musical talent I have is the useless ability to remember 90’s song lyrics. So all the technical musical aspects went right over my head. But- that didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the story at all.

Xander is a famous cellist with a band and Gwen is a violinist. They both end up playing for the Manhattan Pops orchestra at the same time, but he is unaware of her until they cross paths at a wedding. It’s a whirlwind for both of them once they discover who they are. I loved all the nods to NYC and the way these two were interconnected. Both gifted musicians go through such growth in the story. Gwen and Xanders chemistry jumped off the page. I loved the family & found family. I feel like parts of this played in my head like a movie montage. I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to Forever for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I cannot express just how much I loved this book! The orchestra back drop was absolutely perfect! The chemistry between Gwen and Alex was top tier! The way Alex and Gwen played music together (with all that eye contact!!!!) was so intimate and captivating. Those moments were one of my favorite parts! Julie Soto can do no wrong!

This felt like a classical music version of Center Stage - if you liked that movie you will LOVE Not another love song!!!!! I was OBSESSED with Julie Soto's debut, Forget me not, last year and this follow up did NOT disappoint!!

I love a he falls first, dual POV romance and learning more about the classical orchestra music world was a pure delight! The Cello love scene is this book was SMOKIN' HOT - like out of this world steamy, burn your undies off SPICY!!

I devoured this book and couldn't get enough. Both Gwen and Alex were exceptional and unforgettable main characters with ELECTRIC chemistry. Julie Soto is officially an auto-buy author who I will drop everything to read when it comes across my greedy little hands!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review! If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading one of her books you are MISSING OUT!!!!! I cannot recommend Julie's work enough!

A great enemies to lovers story set in the music world. Xander and Gwen are both musical prodigies who perform for the Manhattan Pops playing violin and cello. There are some fun twists and turns in the book that held my attention. This book is full of banter and very steamy!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC!

DAAAAAMN THIS BOOK IS SEXY!

Julie Soto really is the master of writing deliciously tense and compulsively readable stories. This one was impossible to put down. And who knew string instruments were so hot?! *fans self*

I love the characters that Julie creates, and I was chomping at the BIT to experience their love story. There was so much captivating tension, and I was really invested in Xander (Alex) and Gwen, and their ultimate growth arcs. Great plot and setting, and beautifully written.

Gahhh this was just so enjoyable and so hot. LOVED.

The end was a resolved a little too quickly for me, so it was a bit unsatisfying after such a tense journey, but overall, such an addicting read.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG is out now!