DNF @ 70%

I have come to the conclusion that this author just isn’t for me. After reading Forget me Not and it being so different from what I was expecting, I honestly thought I didn’t like it because I went in to that book in the wrong mood. Now I am coming to the conclusion that I am just not the target audience for this author.

This plot made very little sense, this couples’ tension and rivalry were non-existent, and the spice was mediocre at best.

I tried. I really tried with this book, but I just couldn’t take it. This was just not great writing covered up with this music is sex theme that just didn’t work for me. This is a book that is relying heavily on the “vibes” and a sexy cover to carry it, but it just fell flat in every way.

If you love this book I am jealous of you because I really wanted to love it, and now I’m sad

Thank you netgalley for the early copy

gwen and xander are circling each other as rivals in a nyc orchestra. he’s also the frontman for a band - thorne and roses - and is utterly unimpressed by everything. gwen is getting her footing after her promotion. but the two of them can’t stop coming back to each other.

I adored this book and ate it up in one sitting. gwen and xander were the angsty rivals I needed them to be!!! I loved the short additions of his pov and getting more in his head as he was straight falling on his face for gwen.

julie’s writing was stunning. from the nyc setting, I felt like I was walking the streets with these characters and on the subway (crying) with them. I know literally nothing about orchestras and music but julie’s writing let me feel like I wasn’t lost at all. it’s angsty, atmospheric and just so beautifully written.

my only complaint with this is the third act breakup. ffs why couldn’t they just HAVE A CONVERSATION. break ups because they can’t talk make me want to claw my eyes out. this one included. however the ending made up for it.

thank you so much to forever pub and netgalley for the arc!

read if you like
✨ rivals to lovers
✨ tension and angst
✨ broody obsessed mmc
✨ nyc setting

GOODNESS THE TENSION WAS HIGH!

I was high on adrenaline with this book. Xander and Gwen? Gorgeous, hot, talented geniuses. I adored seeing them in their musical elements and Lord, the cello scene that miss Ali Hazelwood kept raving on about, it's there, it lives up and exceeds any expectations I had. I was foaming at the mouth, screaming for more. How have I not read Julie's first novel, Forget Me Not, which we see those characters here! Will definitely be picking that one up soon!

I am absolutely a sucker for academic rivals to lovers, but competitive musical prodigies going for a spot they both want? FORCED to work together??? Babe, *slams my card down* I need more! Xander's so hot, he was an asshole for sure, but he certainly redeems himself. And the mouth on him?? I'm telling you this book was filled with high tensions that had me giggling and twirling my hair craving more. Also, a man who's so incredibly down bad that he can't think when his woman is around? Yes, give me ten more right now. Xander was enamored by how talented Gwen is, he was foaming at the mouth for an inch of her attention. He wanted any piece she'd give him. The way he was turned on because of her talent??? WHO HAS WRITTEN SOMETHING SO SPECTACULAR LIKE THAT? The angst in here *phew*. My girl Gwen is everything! Like yes, hold your ground, speak your truth! I think the aging in this book is perfect. It matched their way of thinking, their pacing, and the way they reacted to the environment they were put in. Julie truly wrote this book and got into their heads so well because every aspect of this book is perfection after perfection. Gwen is insanely talented and to be considered for first chair was something she deserved (and more of course) but when she starts to realize the intentions aren't what they first seemed and Xander is begging on his knees for her to believe him, things start to get rough. Why wouldn't you believe your mentors and employers? The naivety was there, but it made so much sense for Gwen to feel the ways she felt. I mean, I would too as a pathological people pleaser.

When Gwen and Xander started working together privately and composed music together, I had to take a lap around. What do you mean I-someone who has 0 knowledge of music-is out of breath from the tension seeping through my iPad??? Like that's physically impossible, but believe it happened!

Read these two musical prodigies who are affected by each other 2 weeks ago and I can not for the life of me let them leave my head. I truly adore them, Julie's writing, and NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for gifting me these beautiful people before the release day because I am obsessed.

"It's about a cello who fell in love with a violin." Okay, and what if I sob? (Side note: I did)

The sexual tension alone in this book made me feel parched. Julie Soto has such a way with words and writes complex, tender characters that get down and dirty when the time is write. I loved the rivals aspect and then him falling first, that is always *chef's kiss*. The music aspect of the book was intriguing. I am not musical and it's not something that interests me, so I was worried that I would get distracted throughout the story. While it still isn't for me, Julie's writing was still captivating and made me invested in her story and her characters. If you're an orchestra fan, this book will probably be everything you can ever want. If you're not a musical fan, I think this book still packs enough of a punch to keep you entertained throughout.

He's the grumpy famous professional cellist while she's the sunshine self taught violinist, both of them are part of the same orchestra and after a run in at a wedding.... a song has begun to be created between them. Gwen is a self taught professional violinist, she's kept to herself in the orchestra and enjoys playing music. Alex "Xander" Thorne is the complete opposite, he's the rock star cellist who is not only giant but is also grumpy and one could say, a bit of a jerk. When Gwen and Xander run into each other at a wedding, Xander begins to notice Gwen... and he can't seem to stay away. Gwen doesn't know why he's suddenly focused on her but he goes from giving her critiques on her technique to begging her for a coffee date. Things only escalate when Gwen is offered role of first chair, the one position that Xander has secretly coveted for years, their hostility only grows up.... but so does the chemistry. So when both of them are forced to work together they also begin to explore their attraction.... while composing songs and creating music together.... romance is beginning to be written out as well if only they could find a way to make the delicate song between them work without being crushed by everyone else's expectations of them. This was such a delight to read, as a musician I just adored this book so much. It gave me, if you've ever read it, La Corda De Ora vibes ( I was so obsessed with this manga when I was like 13). I had so much fun reading this one and I loved just how positively obsessed Alex is with Gwen, he fell head over heels for her music and was determined to have her as his partner. They were such a cute couple and I just had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading this and can't recommend it enough. I've been a huge fan of Julie Soto's writing for a while now and this one was just perfect, I can't wait to read her next book!

Release Date: July 16,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

“ it’s about a cello who fell in love with a violin.” 🥹

This book is amazing & you will want to pick it up. I fell into the story & honestly forgot I was reading!

It’s rivals to lovers musician edition! She holds nothing back with the spice either!

So freakin good!

If you had told me before that reading a book about enemies to lovers violinist and cello player will get me all hot and bothered and absolutely crazed so much so that I had to read this whole thing in one go, forgoing food and bathroom breaks I would have told you that you were crazy. And yet here we are and SURPRISE! I'm the crazy one because this book made me crazy.

This is the moodiness that I live for in a guy. Xander was everything I knew I needed and wanted but was sure I wasn't going to find anytime soon in a book boyfriend. (Honestly, I think he reminds me a lot of Edward Cullen and I'm a big fan) And Gwen, sweet sweet Gwen. I loved seeing her go from quiet and not sure about her talent to full blown rock star mode. What a character arc! Go girl power! And lest we forget that cello scene.... HOTNESS PERFECTION.

Honestly I don't want to say too much about this book. I think you should just go and buy it and read it, I promise you won't regret it. it was a 10/10 from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC in return for my honest review. My opinions are my own. Not Another Love Song is out now!

Not Another Love Song by @juliesotowrites is a lyrical and swoon worthy romance about a cello and a violin (IFKYK)! 💖

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Remember how I said Forget Me Not was the one of the best contemporary romance books in recent years??!?! Not Another Love Song is RIGHT UP THERE alongside it, hands down!!! As a former cellist, who hopes to play again, this book made me want to pick up my cello and whip out Viva La Vida (2Cellos version, of course). Side note, yes that is my senior year HS picture with my beloved cello, Bianca del Rio. 😜

Xander and Gwen’s chemistry is absolutely off the charts and the enemies-to-lovers vibe is IMMACULATE!!! They are honestly couple goals, and the spicy scenes are muy caliente. I about combusted while reading!!! Also, I was impressed by Julie’s immense knowledge of the music world and the terminology involved. She additionally weaves a story that is both deeply romantic and heartbreaking. The best part of all?!?! Julie including little references to both Reylo and StormPilot. It made my Star Wars heart incredibly happy!!! 💫

Not Another Love Song easily became one of my favorite romance reads of 2024!!! This book will CHANGE YOUR LIFE forever, no joke. I cannot wait to meet Julie this coming weekend and gush over Gwen and Xander’s musical love affair! Please read Not Another Love Song when it debuts tomorrow, July 16th. 💕🎻✨

A HUGE thank you to @readforeverpub and @netgalley for the opportunity to read/review this ARC! 🤩📚

🏷️: #notanotherlovesong #juliesoto #review #bookrecommendation #bookstagram

Not Another Love Song
By: Julie Soto
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gwen is a musical prodigy. Xander is musical royalty. They meet both wanting the first chair spot in the New York Pops Orchestra. Their rivalry soon requires professional respect as they learn to work together, discovering along the way the various ways in which they have chemistry.

I enjoyed this book. I loved the way Soto uses music in Gwen and Xander’s story. Even for those who are not musicians themselves, I feel confident they would be able to feel the emotion woven in in the way the music is portrayed. Similarly to Forget Me Not, this book didn’t do anything particularly new or profound, but I also didn’t need it to do so.

I will say, there were elements of the story that felt thin and I suspect that’s where we can tell it was fanfic first - in fanfic she had character backgrounds/emotions she didn’t have to build. The pieces were there, just not particularly rich.

Also, having read the story, the cover art is *chefs kiss*.

I just loved the tension of this book. It was such a unique premise and it always felt like so much hinged on each decision that was made by the characters. Gwen and Alex / Zander have so much in common and yet are so different. Not only in their approach to music, but in their appreciation of it.

I loved how Zander was the bad boy of the orchestra and Gwen was the wallflower, and yet he was so in awe of her talent. It was amazing how he knew just what to do to bring out the best in her playing, and truly wanted the best for her.

The time jumps were an important aspect of the storyline because these two are definitely products of their upbringing. It really showed us how desperate their relationships with music truly are Gwen with her passion and love, while Alex was forced into it. These two were definitely meant to be together and make something beautiful together, because boy did they have chemistry both with their instruments and without! Uhm, that cello scene had me sweating, not gonna lie.

But the building blocks of their relationship seemed to be mostly physical, so when trust issues came up, they didn’t have the solid foundation to stand on. But I did enjoy how that issue was resolved.

This was such a great story and I really enjoyed it so much. Totally recommend.

Julie Soto could give me her grocery list and I’d read it repeatedly. That’s how much I love her writing. This is my second book by her and I have nothing but good things to say. Boy oh boy can she write a build up. Unrequited love. Slow burn. She can do it all. She puts butterflies in my stomach that so few authors do these days. Her writing is fresh and new and I love every word. I need to look up if she was a musician because if not she did her research. I also need to look up if she was once a wedding planner because her last book was well researched as well from that profession (being in the bridal industry for 9 years and a musician for 16 I can vouch). Amazing writing wow oh wow I loved this book!

This was my first book by this author, and I have heard good things about her previous book, so I was excited to dive in and start this one. The story is mostly told from the main female character, Gwen's perspective, but we are given a few chapters in the main male character, Xander's perspective as well, which is nice. The few chapters we did get from Xander helped to better understand who he was as a person and why he made the decisions that he did within the story. I don't play a music instrument, so I'm not familiar with a lot of the technical side of song writing or reading of music, but the way the author explains the characters and their love of music and how it shapes their lives is very moving and fascinating. At times when I was reading I felt like I too was playing the musical instrument and found myself swaying. And of course there was the very hot scene that everyone else is all talking about. I guess there's more than one, but the cover art is enough of a clue. I'm so glad that I was able to receive an early digital copy of this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC. I can't wait to read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(4.25)

Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne, musical prodigies from contrasting backgrounds, find their paths intertwined at the Pops Orchestra. After a mortifying encounter, Gwen is offered the coveted First Chair, intensifying their rivalry. Despite the tension, their undeniable onstage chemistry blossoms into romance, risking everything when a publicity stunt threatens their fragile relationship.

This story was just as mesmerizing as the music they played. The intertwine of their racing chemistry and angsty musicality was palpable on every page. I don’t know what kind of magic Julie put in her writing, but I was spellbound by how all-consuming their melodic romance was. As a classically trained pianist, I spent most of my adolescence wanting nothing more than to live and breathe the exhilaration you get from embodying the music in performance. If Julie isn’t a musician, I don’t know how she mastered that electrifying feeling only musicians know.

My main qualms are with the explicit romance content sprinkled throughout the entire book, not only in the open-door chapters (of which there were so many I had to skip several). I know she was trying to bridge the intoxicating feelings from both music and emerging romance, but she could have produced the same quality of attraction without it.

Nonetheless, this is a uniquely captivating romance with extremely well-developed characters and a premise that has given me new expectations for the tension rivals-to-lovers stories should possess.

Thank you @readforeverpub @netgalley for the eARC 💙 #netgalley

Perfect for you if you like:
Intense chemistry and angsty dynamics
Music or unique workplace settings
Passionate & well developed characters + found family

Similar to:
On-Star Romance by Laura Hankin
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Savor It by Tarah DeWitt

⛔️chapters 10, 16, 17, 19, 21 & 25 contain explicit romance scenes (open door)
⚠️explicit language, previous death of parent, strained relationship with parents, previous emotional child abuse

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto is my first book by this author and I loved it and am so excited to read more! This was an enemies to lovers romance with two main characters who are the best at what they do in their profession and were vying for the same position. When one is selected over the other, where do they go from here?

Gwen is excited to be chosen even as Xander feels it should have been his. She is more reserved while Xander is arrogant and confident. They each have things they are working to overcome individually and the tension between them was everything. Their journey was slow burning and the music in the story was an additional captivating character as well. I loved this story so much and am excited to read more from this author in the future.

Happy reading!

This was a slow go for me. It took me awhile to get invested into the story. I know nothing about music and I think that is why I struggled. I did enjoy the tension between Gwen and Alex. Loved how it built. The cello scene was fantastic. Overall it was a good story. Also loved getting some previous characters. Always a bonus.

Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Station) and Julie Soto for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Characters from Forget Me Not appear in this book but it’s not absolutely necessary to read that first although it was a great book.

This was such a unique book. The story telling was intertwined with the music being made/played. You couldn’t hear the music but the book did a great job explaining it and the emotions behind it.

I have zero music experience and I loved this however I think if you have music experience/knowledge you may like it even more.

The third act breakup and resolution was rushed for me but I enjoyed the Christmas resolution.

I loved Julie Soto’s previous book, Forget Me Not, so I couldn’t wait to read Not Another Love Song. I didn’t like this one quite as much, but I thought it was good overall, in between 3 and 4 stars. The musical scenes were described so vividly, I could almost hear it. It also gave a great depiction of NYC. I cannot wait for Julie’s next book.

Thank you Julie Soto and Forever Publishing for the opportunity to read this early.

Not Another Love Song was one of my most anticipated reads after loving Forget Me Not. This was definitely a different pace from the other book for sure. I had the opportunity to meet Julie who had mentioned to me that Not Another Love Song is adapted by her Reylo Fanfic she wrote= which I am not apart of the community (so I am learning).

I enjoyed this book but it is not my favorite- The first half of the book- was great- I loved the tension and the banter. And the way that Julie writes spice- so steamy, so sexy I am still in thinking about the Cello SCENE. I loved how she was able to tie in the characters from the last book (I thought that this was a separate book completely). What I struggled with was the connection- I couldn't connect with the two main characters. Both are essentially child prodigies- one has had formal training and the other training later in life. Alex (Xander) is recognized and Gwen is living under the shadows until she is given the opportunity to shine as "appointed" first chair (not earned). With her newly found popularity and she is having difficulty navigating who has her best interests at heart. Once the two main characters actually got together- It kind of fell a little flat for me- even the side plot involving Alex's Mom and Gwen's mentor (it was alluded multiple times but I was really waiting for the build up and it just was a miss for me).


Do I recommend it- Yes if you love spice, tension, and broody MMC.

4.75! Julie Soto does it again! I absolutely loved this book. I really liked the tension and chemistry between the two main characters. AND THE CELLO SCENE!?! The only reason this isn’t a five star for me is that I found how naïve the FMC was really irritating and the level of manipulation going on behind the scenes of literally her entire life. (I also think that this book would be better if you had any kind of understanding of classical music, which I do not. I didn’t factor that into my rating because it’s not anybody else’s fault that I don’t have an understanding of classical music.)

I had a good time with this story, but struggled to pick it up. I would have a good time while reading it, but didn't reach for it much mostly due to the pacing. I'm okay with slow burn and pining, those are some of my favorite aspects of romance books, but in this one it felt like we didn't get a view of that until 35-40% in which in my opinion is just too late. There was so much telling and not much showing of the outside factors leading up to it and what was supposed to be this underlying mystery element or drama just felt like a tease for so long. I think this story would've benefited from being written in first person POV so that we get some of Gwen and Alex's inner monologue to build the tension. If not a POV change, then maybe more interaction between Mabel and Ava.