*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

After reading the absolutely amazing book that is Julie Soto’s debut Forget Me Not, I was SO EXCITED for her next book Not Another Love Song.

The vibe of this book feels different from her debut, but I loved it. The description of being a musician and feeling the music combined with these two characters falling in love had me wanting to keep on reading. And the cello scene? I didn’t know it was happening until we were IN IT, but it was beautifully written and I wish I could read it for the first time again.

“‘If you don’t want to be with me, together with me, I can understand,’ he said, and she felt her knees wobble. ‘But, 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 fuck you, then let me make love to you onstage every night because it’s the most alive I’ve felt in ten years–’”

This scene had me melting! Xander’s grumpy exterior paired with being absolutely in love with Gwen was done so well and I noticed that Julie Soto did the same thing with Elliot in Forget Me Not. And speaking of him, this book is set in the same universe as her debut novel and it was so nice to have scenes with Ama and Elliot right from the start and get a glimpse at them after the events of their book.

I did see the “villain” of this book coming pretty easily, but it didn’t take away from the story for me. I wish the ending had been extended just a little so I could see more of a happily ever after for Gwen and Xander, but I do think this book ended on a happy note.

Overall, I flew through this book much like I did with Forget Me Not and I am looking forward to other romance books Julie Soto releases in the future. This one was a five star read for me!

This played all the right notes for the rivals to lovers duet. The music they created together was *chefs kiss*!
I could not get enough of the tension, the banter, the steamy chemistry, or the passionate and sexy cello and violin duets. And the spice? I screamed!

Xander was arrogant, grumpy, egotistical, and oh so dreamy. Gwen was the opposite and a beautiful breath of fresh air. He was the harmony to her melody and I swear I could hear the music as I devoured this book. They dedicated their lives to their craft and I loved watching them evolve as individuals and in their relationships. There was typical miscommunication and pride that got in the way, but the payoff was worth it.

It was a fun change to read a romance centered around music! I grew up playing the violin and it brought back so many memories of symphonies and learning new instruments. And I loved the blend of the classical and modern pieces.

There is definitely going to be a reread in my future!

Thank you to Julie, Forever Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC! You are the absolute best!

This was my first Julie Soto romance! Her writing definitely hooked me in, and I can’t wait to read more of her books!

Instantly, I was gripped by the tension-filled rivals-to-lovers romance and the insane chemistry these two had! (Plus, the steam was A+!) I loved that the two characters connected so passionately through music.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Gosh, I just love Julie Soto. Forget Me Not, her debut romance, was a 5 star read for me, so I knew that I would love this one and it honestly blew me out of the water. The tension was actually drool-worthy. I mean, c'mon, look at that cover!!!!!

I will read anything this woman writes.

I ABSOLUTELY DEVOURED THIS BOOK. JULIE SOTO CAN DO NO WRONG. i absolutely adored the characters, the musical premise, and the spice!! Everything was written perfectly. julie makes a perfect conductor and i’m just a spectator in the crowd listening to her symphony.

Ali Hazelwood was 100% right! This book was sugar, spice, and everything I look for in a rivals to lovers romance. I'm an amateur when it comes to anything musical so I was particularly impressed by author Julie Soto's ability to make me care about the musical elements. I will always think about this book whenever I hear an orchestra again. Overwhelming enjoyed!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

As someone who really wishes they had pursued orchestral music professionally, I LOVE that element of the book. I've read a couple other books with similar musical themes, and I feel like that adds so much depth and passion to a relationship. I REALLY enjoyed this story and am already looking forward to a reread.

3.5
What a difference from the first book, Forget Me Not. I really liked Gwen and Xander in this. And that's the main thing for me in romance books: I have to like the characters otherwise I won't like the book. Gwen is a really endearing character and Xander makes a good love interest for her. They share the same passion and they both respect and admire each other. It was a sweet relationship to follow in the beginning.

It does feel a little bit insta-lust because Gwen has a crush in Xander since before the beginning of the book. And Xander is already at least really smitten with her. However this infatuation in seen through the eyes of admiration for how they play. So it didn't really bother me. I liked seeing them playing together, talking about their passion. But I did feel that once they got together, we lost a little bit of their relationship. The book focused a lot on sex and the emotional connection that they were building weakened in order to prioritize sex scenes.

The plot in itself is ok; nothing too amazing. It's pretty predictable. The main point of the book is the relationships: between the main characters, between Gwen and music, and with the side characters.

It's a good story and it made me excited to read her next books.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

"Give this a chance. The two of us. I'm not good with words. I'm not good at speaking things. I'm good with notes on a page. I'm good at music-and that's what I tried to tell you on that stage just now."

WOW this book blew me away. This was my first book by Julie Soto, and I can't wait to read more. Xander and Gwen were just so perfect!! The music in this book was a character of its own. I loved how they were able to talk to each other and relay all their feelings through their instruments.

This book had so much to love- banter, humor, tension, passion- amazing. The characters were all so fun (with the exception of a few horrible ones- you know who you are) Another thing that I loved was the audio!! This book was mostly told from Gwen's POV, but every now and then we got Xander, and it was great. Both narrators did an amazing job!! I absolutely loved this one and can't wait to read more from her.

Read if you like:
*enemies to lovers
*he falls first
*grumpy vs. sunshine
*found family
*forced proximity
*musical passion (cello)

This was my first Julie Soto book and it did NOT disappoint!!! I felt like I was watching a movie instead of reading a book.

Never and I mean NEVER would I have thought that a story about two classically trained musicians would have me swooning this hard.

This is steamy, this is silly, this is a love story. Also, this is reylo, but like don’t be rude about it. This was SO FRICKEN GOOD.

Julie Soto is 2/2 so far, and having read the famous Dramione fic, The Auction, I can’t wait to read her dark, fantasy romance coming next year!

I bet she can go 3/3 with me.

Be still my heart! Quick, cozy read that gives all the feels. I tell you when Soto described them playing I waned to close my eyes because I swore I felt their music playing around me. Enjoyed this

Julie Soto's "Not Another Love Song" is an absolute must-read for fans of grumpy-sunshine romances, especially those who love a Reylo-inspired twist. Gwen Jackson, a self-taught child prodigy violinist, and Xander Thorne, a legacy musician and rockstar, are forced to work together when Gwen is promoted to first chair violin. Still reeling from their initial interaction at a celebrity wedding, things go from bad to worst as they find themselves frequently in close quarters.

The secret pining and mutual attraction between Gwen and Xander create an irresistible tension that will leave you breathless. Xander sees his musical match in Gwen and feels a strong pull to create music with her. The anticipation and tension between the two make this book impossible to put down—I was completely consumed by it. Soto impeccably writes vivid scenery and intimate details.

Can we please take a moment to love on this cover?! It is stunning, perfectly capturing the thrilling tension of their relationship. If you’re looking for a romance that will have you fanning yourself and swooning, look no further.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I devoured this book in one sitting. Julie Soto is a new (? unsure if new is the right word since I've been reading her fanfic for foreverrrr) auto-buy author for me. I know what I want when I order a romance and Soto always delivers. Her books are hot, fast-paced (even when they're slow-burn), full of angst and emotions, and gorgeous build-up to two characters falling in love that I feel like I will never forget about.

One of my favorite parts of this book was very obviously the drop-in characters from the last book. I loved getting to see my favs on the page again. But other than that, Julie Soto, writes TENSION. She puts two idiots in love together over and over again until they figure their shit out. And these two were obsessed!!!!

I also loved all the twists and turns of how these characters are tied up together getting revealed throughout the book. This book is about family as much as it is romance, and the happy ending had me in tears.

I cannot wait for more from Julie Soto, and I hope everyone is picking up ALL her books! Recommend specifically to those who want their next favorite romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

Julie Soto wowed me with the first installment of this series and I could not wait to get me hands on this. I really enjoyed this story. The push and pull of the characters felt well thought out and well written. I can't wait for the chance to read more of the magic Julie Soto writes.

This was an enjoyable read, and I'm not even into orchestra performances. I could definitely see the reylo skeleton that this once was, not a terrible thing since I read a small about of reylo before switching to dramione.... Speaking of! Julie's next offering will be a version of The Auction, her dark Dramione romance.

Anyway back to this book. It was just okay for me. Good in the beginning but then fell off towards the end. That being said, Lovebitca8 is a queen and I hope she doesn't abandon us at AO3.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley, Julie Soto and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me this ARC. I do not have a strong musical background at all, but I absolutely loved this story! It was such a sweet romantic read! I definitely have recommended this book to a few music loving friends who all thought it was amazing!

I have reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon!!

This was my first Julie Soto book, and it was really good!

I know nothing about Star Wars or Reylo. What I do know is that if a book is former reylo work or inspired by reylo, I'm going to really enjoy it. I also know nothing about classical music. Julie Soto was able to write a story about things I knew nothing about and made it easy to understand and really fun!

Gwen and Xander were great characters to get into the heads of and complimented each other really well. Gwen was a very likable MC for me, and her struggles felt realistic, and I found myself rooting a lot for her. Xander is exactly the type of guy in a band that I'd also fall for, so I totally understand Gwen's infatuation, LOL. His backstory and flaws were also done very well and felt very realistic.

Overall, I'll be keeping an eye on any of Julie Soto's future releases (and finally starting Forget Me Not like I keep planning to...)

Gwen and Xander were very hot! (Like hello THE CELLO SCENE) Julie did such a good job building up the tension between these two! From glances across the room to their banter, it’s felt in every interaction between them. I loved their chemistry, passion, and connection through music. This was such an enjoyable read!

Not gonna lie: I was hesitant to read this one since I wasn’t the biggest fan of the author’s recent book, Forget Me Not, but… I liked it!

Putting aside the whole insta love thing, it was cute—and obviously wildly unrealistic, but hey, that’s fiction, baby!

Spice was surprisingly detailed, so I’d say it was 3.5-4/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

(Thank you, Forever and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)