This beautifully written, musical story caught my attention and captured my heart.

Gwen plays violin for the Manhattan Pops, and she has been offered the role of first chair, the youngest first chair in their history. Xander Thorne plays cello in the Pops, and when the pair play together, they create musical magic. That chemistry translates into a physical relationship, and they begin to explore that attraction while composing new songs.

The sections describing their music were my favorite parts. The author shows so beautifully how music can be everything from a dark storm to an enchanting harmony as Gwen and Xander pour all of their emotions into their playing. She clearly knows her music terminology and her instruments, and the rush of perfectly playing a song, and these sections were just incredible. Throw in an insanely hot spicy scene with the music and I’m all in!

While I did enjoy the storyline, I felt like the pacing was a bit off at times, where I would fly through some sections and then took forever to read others. I grew frustrated with some of the actions of the characters, though on Gwen’s part that could just be her youth and inexperience showing.

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

There's something about Julie Soto's writing that sweeps you into a story. I truly don't think anyone can write angst like her, and as someone who infamously failed recorder and can't read a sheet of music to save their life, I was swept away in this novel.

We have Gwen who's fought for everything she has and uses music to survive and happens to love it, and Xander who has had music twisted into a weapon and become something he can not find the balance with. They both have that spark and find the other infuriating and captivating while navigating the NY Pop's Orchestra. Their banter was fun and engaging, but much like string music this whole story ebbed and flowed and swayed through the plot, I truly could not put it down.

I'm so happy to have read this. I've read reylo-inspired novels before but this rises above them all by creating my favorite new trope: old protégé vs new protégé. The craft in Julie Solo's world building is phenomenal. Layer by layer, the personal histories and grudges are revealed in a way that deepens the story.

Anyone who grew up in the 2010's will slip back easily into the Lindsey Sterling and Glee-powered era of mixing pop and classical music. I was fondly reminded of all the hours I spent watching youtube videos of The Piano Guys and Peter Hollens mash ups. A time when you used to send your favorite covers to your friends and compete to see who had 'discovered' the best talent.

Xander Thorne is the old protégé in this novel and he took the internet by storm with his cello covers of rock anthems. But when a self-taught violinist Gwen stumbles into his circle, she discovers his best kept secret: Xander is the heir of classical music royalty. Less of a secret - Xander is a total ass. He's late to everything and constantly critiques her playing. But when Gwen is offered the chance to play first chair instead of him, the rivalry officially begins.

Practicality would have you believe that they can't fall in love. But that's the thing about the incredibly gifted - they're the two people in the best position to understand the most important part of each other. Xander may be a bit of snob and Gwen may be a bit too trusting. But it also means that he pushes her to expect more from life, and she challenges him to give intimacy another chance. I also fan-casted her gay bestie immediately as Ncuti Gatwa.

The reviews were not kidding when they said there a Patrick Swayze moment like the cover teases. It goes from zero to ten real quick! But I loved the spice and very domestic relationship that follows. The finale is layered and a gratifying conclusion to several story lines. I definitely recommend picking this one up.

Only one question remains: Is Mabel meant to be Luke or Yoda?

Oh my goodness how I loved this! A musical rivals to lovers with AMAZING tension & chemistry, I loved the musical references throughout the story & the love for music was so evident in the characters & plot (as someone who’s been singing her whole life & also did chorus in school, my heart was happy 🩷)

Gwen & Xander’s interactions were filled with amazing banter & sexual tension, I was GIGGLING like a fool the whole time! And the cello scene??!! When the cover of the book clicked??!! My jaw was on the floor!! Like she really did that & I love her 🤭

I don’t normally like books in 3rd person POV’s but this was written so well & her witting is just truly so good. I was fully engaged & fully invested in this story!

Tropes:
- Musical rivals to lovers
- Forced proximity
- He falls first (& harder)
- Lots of tension, angst & mutual pining
- Dual POV (3rd person)

Final rating:
4.5 ⭐️
2.5 🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, this is my honest review! ✨

My thoughts: As someone completely ignorant about music and instruments, I found this pretty easy to understand. I was able to follow along and not get confused. I really enjoyed it. I’m also someone who thinks the violin is such a beautiful piece of instrument , I love how it sounds and I wish I knew how to play, especially after this book! It was a beautiful and very steamy romance! I’m in love with Xander/Alex whatever he wants to be called 😂 Now I can see why girls are obsessed with the artistic type 🤣 Yeah he can play me like an instrument anytime. but back to the book 😅 This was my very first Julie Soto book and it definitely will not be my last after this one. The characters were INCREDIBLE together and the chemistry was written so good. I definitely felt it off page. One thing I did find lacking was how unrealistic it was, but besides that I really enjoyed this one. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the cello or violin or with or without any music knowledge like me.

3.5⭐️ - I enjoyed the world this was set in, and always enjoy reading about musicians. There was a lot going on and it felt like a little too much at times. I enjoyed the way the MCs connected on a musical level and the exploration of musical and personal identities.

We’ve decided to review this book for our bi-weekly podcast. My initial review for this book is that this is a well researched, sexy, and strong enemies to lovers novel set in the classical music world. This is a Reylo Inspired star wars AU set in the New York orchestral scene.

Breaks my heart to say that I didn’t love this…

My biggest problem was the pacing. I struggled so much with it. It was hard to keep interest in the long chapters and how they dragged on for what felt like forever. The entire first half of the book Gwen and Alex barely interacted, which made the jump into their mutual interest in each other feel strange to me. I ended up not being absorbed by their relationship, but I definitely enjoyed some parts of it towards the end. I also loved the music! It was beautifully written and felt real which was very enjoyable. I think Julie nailed it there!

Though I didn’t love this, it was still an okay read and I’m grateful for the opportunity!

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A thing about me is, if there’s a grumpy seemingly mean character who is not so secretly obsessed with another, unaware and somewhat naive character then I’m gonna be obsessed with them. Luckily for me, with the seeming ubiquity of published Reylo fanfic, my cup runneth over.

The latest addition to the oeuvre, Not Another Love Song, hooked me from page one. Gwen, the scrappy ingenue violinist, is about to be awarded first chair of the Manhattan Pops, much to the chagrin of chelloist and renowned bad boy of the string world, Xander Thorne. This isn’t really the rival musicians book that was advertised but instead we get an invisible string (pun intended) almost fated mates story about finding your creative equal and creating sweet music with them.

I love the attention to detail here with all of the music and the way music and intimacy are juxtaposed is unbelievably hot. Gwen at times reads a little naive and the Xander/Alex dynamic is sometimes a little silly but together they both really hit the perfect note.

I sort of wish I didn’t know this was once Reylo fanfic as I personally find it a bit distracting matching all the characters to their galaxy far far away counterparts but by the end I was able to just really enjoy the romance and did I mention the ridiculously hot sex scenes??

Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really did enjoy this book!
I think the tension was absolute chef's kiss, the romance was swoon worthy, and it had an extremely lovable cast of side characters. Also, ALEX?! He was one incredible mmc. I loved the dynamic he brought to the story and especially enjoyed the small parts that gave us his perspective.
However...oh my goodness, it was very difficult to root for Gwen. I was so disappointed because initially I loved her character! But then she made naive choice after naive choice, admitted to letting her grandfather die alone (oh my gosh??? He had to call his own ambulance? What type of person could ever let their loved one be alone during that time?), and expected Alex to come around his family after she knew what type of awful situations they put them through. Between Gwen and Ava, I was begging either of them to have a backbone when it came to caring for the people around them. Ava pondering whether or not to stay with Nathan and not just outright leaving him when all of his doings came to light? Hard thing for me to get past.
I will say the setting, premise, and side characters (Jacob, Mable, and Mei especially) really solidified the four stars for me. But there were a lot of things about the main character that made me struggle with fully enjoying the novel.

I was beyond excited for Julie Soto’s second novel since I fell hard for her writing and love story in her debut, Forget Me Not last year. Overall I think this book shows that Julie has some significant writing chops and she will continue to be an automatic read for me into the future.

It was a very well written book about some amazing musicians that deserved one another but there were definitely some mixed feelings along the way while reading it.

With a rivals to lovers set-up, I thought this book had a great opening with Gwen finally becoming someone on Xander’s radar after playing at a wedding. I found things slowed a bit for the next several chapters and focused a lot on Xander’s reactions to Gwen.

I’m not sure if his social awkwardness and poor communication were just arrogance or a fact that he was a musical genius and wasn’t adept at social interactions given his history and upbringing but it made it hard to connect with him at first and to believe that Gwen would fall for him so quickly.

But I also had to remember how young they were (Gwen was only 22) and that they really didn’t have any solid parental or adult guidance from people who truly had their back. That really broke my heart for both of them. I’ll give some credit to Mabel but I had to remember their backgrounds to better understand her naivety and his crassness.

When I finally got to the point where they get together – the novel really changed for me and it was INCREDIBLE. That initial scene will be burned into my brain forever. And Xander’s about-face with his actions and words toward Gwen made me finally fall for the man.

Overall, I was fascinated that this book centered around an orchestra, the music and some incredible musicians as well as they crazy politics, and selfish behavior that probably goes along with it. I only wish I could follow along with some music while I read so that I could understand what a vibrato or rallentandos or the other musical terms were.

I am looking forward to Soto’s romantasy to drop next!


Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This was such a quick read for me. I found myself giddy and smiling and blushing throughout. This one was a little spicy. I need more stories that feature music, I especially loved that it was about classical instruments. And oh yeah, this was a love story. The relationship between Gwen and Alex/Xander started so quickly and at times felt a bit unrealistic and immature, but Gwen was young. The ending was somewhat rushed, and relationships were mended quite quickly. I’m glad there was a happy ending though. Overall I enjoyed reading it and recommend to anyone who loves a musical theme, grumpy MMC and instant love. Rating it 4 stars. Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

5 -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"They've been keeping you hidden...Ordinary. When you're anything but."

Not Another Love Song is an adult contemporary romance following two musicians fight the attraction growing between them as they compete for prized positions on stage.

Gwen has spent her life learning music any way she could and after earning her place in the Manhattan Pops Orchestra four years ago she never imagined she would receive an opportunity to be first chair so early in her career. Yet with all the excitement she comes to find the musical prodigy, Xander Thorne, also covets that same chair...on top of the fact he has the nerve to critique her and not even realize they have been working together for the last year. Beneath the rivalry, though, is a profound love and appreciation of music that awakens something in them...can they find a rhythm together or be crushed beneath the pressures of the stage?

This book had me grinning so hard.

Gwen is a character that I think we can all relate to in some capacity which makes her so easy to fall into. She is so talented but is constantly worried about how others will perceive her. She flourishes under friendship and seeing her with Xander highlights that passion she has when she can be free. She gains such confidence over the course of the book that draws you in because she finds herself and what she truly stands for.

Xander is a character that had me by the chokehold. He has a duality that is fun to explore with this rock star image but also a musician who just wants to be perfect in a world where nothing is. He is absolutely enamoured by Gwen and I loved every minute of him trying to find out what that means for him and him trying to have any part of her.

This book does contain spice. I would say 3 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. Spice begins around the 40% mark with was rounding of bases (a very fun cello scene) and then pauses for a bit while the characters figure things out. I would say there are a few spicy scenes spread out. They are explicitly detailed and have plenty of dirty talk. I found these scenes really highlighted the passion and chemistry of these two characters. I will say their relationship escalated very quickly but I felt the first 40% really helped pave the way for why.

"If you don't want to be with me, together, with me, I can understand...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...then let me make love to you on stage every night because it's the most alive I've felt in ten years...

The story itself was not one I expected. It is a character driven novel with a primary focus of Gwen figuring out what she wants to do and what she stands for while dealing with the pressures of her new position and how they want to use her - the guilt they put on her! We do get Xander's POV sprinkled throughout and I really enjoyed his POV as it highlights the tug o' war he is experiencing between his band and the orchestra. I found the slices of life to be absolutely adorable and seeing these to explore music together was the best part for me. The tension in the climax was expected (not a fan of those kinds of twists) but it did resolve itself in a way I felt was so soothing. I really fell in love with the story.

If you are looking for a passionate contemporary romance where people find love through music despite the pressures of the world around them this book is for you!

Thank you Forever Publishing for this arc!

Thank you @readforeverpub for the digital ARC.
Not Another Love Song is a beautiful story about love and forgiveness. Despite starting off hostile towards each other, Gwen and Xander have an amazing connection through their love of music. Julie Soto does a wonderful job of writing the feelings and emotions that Gwen and Xander feel when they play music. If you’ve played an instrument, you will relate to their experiences on some level, but even if you’ve never played an instrument, her writing is so detailed and thorough that you will appreciate their love for music.

There is so much back and forth tension between Xander & Gwen and there is a part of the story that musically represents this and I absolutely loved that! There are some great side characters to love and hate, but Gwen and Xander’s enemies to fellow musicians to much more is a captivating story. Personally, I found this book to be pretty spicy, so if you prefer no/low spice, this may not be the book for you.

I read Julie’s explanation about how this book began and apparently it started as Reylo fan fiction. Also, she attended a performance and watching the 1st chair violinist and 1st chair cellist made her curious about an enemies-to-lovers to story with these characters. I’m so glad she came up with this idea because I loved this book so much.

Forget Me Not was one of my Top Ten reads of 2023 and Not Another Love Song is so far one of my faves of 2024. Julie Soto knows how to write a love story that will grab your heart and take you on a remarkably fun journey.

I loved Gwen and Alex! I knew when I was about 15% in I would really like this one. Two people fall in love from something they love. Gwen was a musical child prodigy playing the violin and Alex a child prodigy playing the cello. They meet at a wedding reception and the rest is history.

I loved seeing their progression to love and how we are given their backstory to getting to where they end up at a HEA. Gwen’s life story was a much harder path to becoming the first chair violinist at the pops orchestra. Alex was a generational musician where his mother and father played in the orchestra so his life story seemed easy, but nothing is easy following in the footsteps of his musical parents. You can tell that Julie Soto knows music with her musical references throughout the book! I loved that too. I’ll also add, this one was in the middle on the spice meter and was done well!

I highly recommend giving picking this one up today and fall in love with Gwen and Alex’s story! I now need to read Julie Soto’s previous book 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑀𝑒 𝑁𝑜𝑡!

4.5 rounded up!

“Please make music with me. I need you in my life. I need to be in your orbit in some way…”

Julie Soto has done it again. I absolutely loved this book. A delight! Not sure how she’s managed to capture a perfect romcom lightheartedness mixed with conflicts that feel believable to the plot and characters all while keeping the cringe to a minimum but I am seated for anything and everything she decides to publish.

I loved Gwen so much. Thoughtful and dedicated to her craft, it was a treat to see her explore her creativity and find balance between passion and stability. Xander… my my. I don’t think I have ever read a MMC who was that down bad. So many times I just wanted to yell at Gwen to give 👏🏼 him 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 chance 👏🏼 because my man was simping so hard it was painful to watch.

I loved their dynamic and chemistry. I loved their musical scenes. The banter, the butting heads, the tension, the cello 😏

Only thing keeping it from a solid 5 star was the third act breakup. I don’t even feel the need to preface that with a spoiler because it’s so commonplace in books like this WHICH IS FINE. There needs to be some sort of major conflict that they overcome for the relationship to find a believable footing but it’s a shame it can be seem from a mile away.

I love love love romance novels and if you do too I highly recommend picking this one up 🎻

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto is a romance novel following Gewn who is a violinist and Xander who is a cellist. They are both musical prodigies but due to their different upbringings, they have followed different paths into the musical world. This was one of the best contemporary romance novels I've read ever. The writing had me hooked from the first page and then the dynamic between Gwen and Xander had me obsessed. Their relationship starts bumpy in the beginning, but you can feel the tension. I loved the way they got to know each other and broke down barriers to help each other become better people. One of the best things about this is how the music is part of the love story. It's hard to explain if you haven't read the book but the way they created together and the descriptions of how they felt while playing was stunning. I loved every second of this book and Julie Soto is an auto-buy author for me!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Going into the book, all I knew was that it started as Reylo fanfiction (at times this is pretty obvious) and that it featured a violinist and cellist. I was excited for the musical aspect and I do think it’s the part that shines through the most to me. A lot of Gwen and Xander/Alex's communication is through their music and they are in a constant conversation when they’re creating and performing with one another and I thought that was so well done.

I don’t think I realized our characters, particularly Gwen, were going to be so young. Like I get that she’s 22 and that in the context of the story she needs to be young and naive for the plot to progress the way it does and for the villains to exploit her the way they do, but it just left me frustrated and wanting more growth from her.

But what completely threw me was the 3rd act breakup and its pacing. I felt like it came in pretty late into the book, so the conflict and its resolution are rushed and not satisfying.

While it was not my favorite read I do think my reading experience (listening to its playlist as I read) played a big part in my enjoyment of this book and its ultimate rating.

When I first read the blurb, as an ex-band kid, I was not sold on Julie Soto's ability to make orchestras/music rivals sexy. I am so happy to announce that I was wrong! I knew she had me hooked before the book started with the explanation that the idea came from watching an orchestra and was Reylo inspired. How was I supposed to not love this?

For those concerned about the Reylo inspiration, it's there if you look, but Xander and Gwen are so deeply their own people. And I adore them. The way they challenge and uplift each other? So beautiful.

Julie not only does an amazing job of making orchestras sexy, but also explains them in a way that I think the terminology is accessible to most people. The tension and chemistry were delicious and had me holding my breath at points. I didn't put this one down until it was done... well past my bedtime. There's amazing character development and oh so much drama. The way the story unravels is immaculate.

This is my first Julie Soto book and she's immediately going on my auto-buy list!

💙 P.S. Should I buy tickets to the orchestra?

🎻 Book Review 🎻

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
🎻
I loved Forget Me Not, and I was SO excited when I found out this book was coming out. And then I learned that it is Reylo fanfiction about a cello and violin player, and I almost passed out. This book grabbed me from the very first sentence and didn’t let go. I devoured it in less than 24 hours and I sacrificed sleep to finish it. I had butterflies in my stomach and my hands tingled literally the entire time I was reading it. The TENSION was immaculate and my heart was pounding in the lead up to Xander and Gwen getting together. Most of the book is from Gwen’s POV, but we get a few from Xander’s POV, and they were extraordinary. I loved this book with my whole heart and I want to reread it immediately. Go read it right now!
🎻
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🎻
Read if you like:
▫️violinist x cellist (musical prodigies)
▫️grumpy x sunshine
▫️forced proximity
▫️soulmates
▫️found family
▫️dual POV
🎻
Thank you to Forever Publishing, NetGalley, and Julie Soto for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.