I thought Forget Me Not was my favorite, but Not Another love story takes the cake. I love a good Grumpy-sunshine trope, but the chemistry between Alex and Qwen is what really sucked me in. Don't even get me started on the cello scene and all those heart melting moments between these two. Julie is one of my favorite authors because of her ability to create these stories and characters that warm your heart and give others hope of finding their own real life love story. Also brownie points on having those fun discussion questions at the end!

4.5⭐️

This was brilliant, delightful and well written. This is a love story that everyone should read. The author held my attention from start to finish.

It is full of angst, tension, passion, dedication and love. I enjoyed the seamless journey from their ‘first’ meeting to the ‘epilogue’.

The characters were amazing and delivered what was expected of them. I loved how the author portrayed Alex’s point of view.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the musical scenes and you will certainly fall in love with classical music. I really wanted to listen to the compositions.
I will never see a Cello in the same light again (if you know you know)

If you love NYC based books, classical music, workplace romance and rivals to lovers then you will enjoy this.

I received an advanced copy and the review is mine and voluntary.

"Not Another Love Song" by Julie Soto is an engaging read featuring a grumpy-sunshine romance between violinist Gwen Jackson and rock star cellist Xander Thorne. Their chemistry sizzles amid sharp banter and deep emotion. Xander's attitude contrasts with Gwen's quiet passion, making their interactions electric. When Gwen is offered the first chair in the orchestra, their hostility intensifies, but so does their undeniable attraction. Forced to collaborate, their connection grows, leading to captivating performances. The story's slow burn and perfect pacing make it a delightful read for fans of romance and music. I highly recommend it for its engaging plot and dynamic characters.

Julie Soto DELIVERED again and I ate it up! The chemistry between Gwen and Xander had me hooked immediately, before they were lovers or even friends. Julie has absolutely perfected the simp MMC and I will follow her to the ends of the earth.

I love a rivals to lovers trope, so add the musical element (as a former pianist) and it's beyond anything I could imagine. The tension and passion, found family, grumpy/sunshine, he falls first (and he falls HARD), and the spice!!! I swoon.

Let’s talk about the passion – and I don’t just mean for each other. The way Gwen and Xander are passionate, fixated, borderline obsessed with their music is clear from the beginning. They live, breathe, and feel their music. So when that passion is then turned on each other…PHEW something us mere mortals could only dream of experiencing. Sign me up for cello lessons with Xander/Alex!

I noticed themes of music were present outside the plot points, too, and echoed in Julie’s writing itself. The delicate and robust nature of music (practice, performance and creation) was artfully and skillfully woven into the writing. Perhaps getting a bit too meta, but this parallel had me feeling not only like I was reading a story, but experiencing a symphony in its own way.

This was truly such a gift to read and probably my favorite book of the year so far. I was giggling, screaming, biting my fist, smiling and maybe even blushing during some scenes.

Big thanks to Forever Publishing and Julie for the ARC. It was such a treat and I cannot wait to reread and listen to the audiobook when it’s officially released!

Huge 5 stars from me! Julie Soto is an auto buy author for me. This is her second book and she just knows how to write a freaking amazing romance book with all the tension, all the hate, and all the love. You've got two musical prodigies who despise each other but who make beautiful music together. And then he falls hard!! This book was everything I wanted in a rom com. Nerdy musicians. He's got the bad boy image going on. It's a perfect match. I need more Julie Soto books!!

I didn’t think it was possible for Julie to top Forget Me Not, but I completely devoured Not another love song! As a former orchestra member myself, Gwen’s story was so relatable and the chemistry was scorching off the pages. Gwen and her love interest start off as enemies who are both incredibly gifted musicians who find that making their own music leads to music being made on and off the stage. Both main characters encounter their own professional and personal struggles, but you will be rooting for them all along the way. Immediately reprioritize your TBR, and pick this novel to be your next read. You will not regret it!

This was... this was magic. I binged it so quickly, and I didn't want to put it down. I should have been working on my class project, but... I've never been good at putting first things first, lol.

Gwen Jackson is a self-taught violinist. And she's really, really good. She works for the Manhattan Pops and does some gigs on the side. When a mix-up puts Gwen in the wrong instrument on a gig, it also puts her in the path of world famous Xander Thorne. Who's also in the Pops. And who never noticed her until this wedding. And they'd been playing together. For a year.

Gwen doesn't believe she's in the same sphere as him. Even though she knows everything he brings to the table (besides his amazing playing). But there's some misconceptions about how she really is.

Gwen's circle is very small (and as someone who's in the same boat, it really really hit home to me), and she's wary about making big changes. It is soooo understandable because if something fails, who's there to make sure you can bounce back?

Xander has his own legacy to live up to. And he has some major complexities that's been keeping a tight reign over him.

But the music they make together? It's pure magic. And with the new proximity, it brings an attraction that's electric! I kid you not. I won't give the percentage away, but when it hit, it HIT HARD.

I loved being in this music world. I knew nothing about it, so it was so neat to delve into it. The side characters were all really great. Gwen has some amazing people behind her.

I hope you give this one a try. I was entertained with the growing relationship between the two of them.

I read because I want to feel something. Sometimes it’s laughter, sometimes I need a good cry, sometimes it’s tension or angst or yearning. And most of the time it’s love. I am in awe of Not Another Love Song because of how it made me feel. Amazingly I think I felt all of those emotions while reading about Gwen and Alex. The final line of the book sums up the story entirely, and without spoiling anything (by all means, flip to the end yourself, but don’t blame me!) it’s a story about falling in love.

This is such an original setting and cast—expert classically trained musicians who perform at the highest levels of orchestral music, and yet I think everyone can relate to Not Another Love Song because everyone can relate to music—especially music that makes you FEEL. So while I was amazed at the amount of research Julie Soto had to do to make something so technical (writing about music!) sound so effortless, I simultaneously felt the range of emotions that the right combination of notes when played in a specific order can have on your heart and soul. This book moved me. It made me gasp, it made me cry, it made my heart soar and swoon, and it made me hot under the collar—the way Soto can write a “look” through eye contact alone…. So if you want to feel something, just pick this one up. I know it will stay with me for a very long time.

And now for my favorite bits:
🎼 Mei—I laughed at all of her scenes
🎻 the sight reading scene that surprises Gwen—tension that pays off!
🎼 The moment Alex says those three little words
🎻 All the times I Googled/YouTubed pieces so I could hear what was being written
🎼 The way Gwen and Alex play together as a form of communication. It’s breathtaking to read.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟(+++)
Steam: 🪭🪭🪭
Number of times some form of “F&ck” is used (and Soto doesn’t use it unless it FITS): 4️⃣6️⃣
I received an early copy from Forever. All opinions are my own.

Do you ever read a book that touches you in ways you didn’t expect? For me that’s this book. This book is about two musicians yes and at first you think I’ve heard the story before but what I love about this book is it takes a love story about two talented musicians, and it gives you a book with a lot of heart and feeling, the desire for connection between both characters is visceral. You have funny moments, you have moments that make you swoon you have moments that make you teary-eyed and you have moments that have you jumping for joy. Some of these moments in this book between Xander and Gwen will truly leave you breathless. It is one of my favorite books of the year and I want everyone to read it. I hope it touches everybody’s heart like it did mine. I hope you fan yourself at the sexy bits . I hope you develop an addiction to vanilla lattes but mostly my wishes for every reader to see how much heart this book has. In my opinion, it takes a story of the arrogant male musician and challenges it. It does the same thing for the standoffish girl not another love song is a book That touched my heart. I hope it does for future readers to come..

You'll feel their music in every single cell of your body 🎻💗

If you want the perfect definition of a rivals to lovers, with immaculate tension, and where he falls first, this book is definitely for you!
I was kicking my feet and smiling so hard at my Kindle because of how good it was.

I also have never felt this immersed in a book before! I am no musician whatsoever, but while reading Not Another Love Song I was literally feeling the music created by the main characters. It was such an insane feeling because, while I have absolutely no clue what the melody could sound like, I innately know how it feels. It's hard to describe, and I guess you have to read it to understand, but this story truly moves you.

Oh and yes, the cello scene really deserves all the hype 🙂‍↕️

I devoured it!
5 ⭐️
Can't recommend it enough!

Thank you Julie and NetGalley for the ARC!

Gwen and Xander were a grumpy/sunshine masterpiece. I genuinely enjoyed the orchestra setting despite having no musical ability. Gwen irritated me a little with her hero worship of Ava despite Xander's intentional distance from her. But other than that, standing ovation.

Not Another Love Song was a roller coaster ride for me - quite a few ups and downs. I really enjoyed how the focus on music and composition tied into the writing from start to finish. I loved the premise of this story, and the way the dual POV was presented worked for me. Despite Xander having far less POV by word count, I felt like his character was better developed. Gwen altogether was a tricky female main character for me. The things that happened and doors that opened for her were so unrealistic, it was hard to find any progression in her as a character. It was one thing after another, and as a result, I struggled to connect with her character. But overall, it was a solid read and I look forward to seeing more from this author.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

4.25 stars

Oooo, this is talent crush / competency kink at its <i>finest</i> and I'm here for every second of it!

I liked this book so much more than the first one. The characters are more dynamic, more interesting. Their struggles are easier to understand and relate to. And the musical plot is compelling. I love twists on classical music or edgy original compositions. I want to hear all the songs they played. I'd probably be Thorne and Roses biggest fan!

Alexander and Gwen are both musical prodigies. What might seem like insta-love (which I hate) is actually a love an appreciation of talent. That's what they bond over initially. It's easy to believe that two young, wildly talented individuals would blur the line and start a romantic relationship. And those steamy bits were wonderfully done!

The only reasons this didn't get 5 stars is a) the 'villains' were BEYOND obvious and b) the note at the beginning explaining its fanfiction origins ruined some of the early twists. I would've preferred to be surprised.

Still, I highly recommend it! I mean, how can you not want to read it with a cover like that?!

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Forever, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

To say I’m infatuated with this story is an understatement. The characters are incredibly developed and realistic, Gwen and Xander are real people with flaws and problems and it was refreshing to read about. I loved the way Julie described how they felt their music, it was like their love story was written within those emotions during their songs.

The tension was palpable! You really earn the spice scenes here and as hot as they were they also showed how much the characters admired one another.

Not to be a drama queen but I’d jump overboard for this story. Five gazillion stars ⭐️

Wow! I was absolutely blown away by Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto. Sometimes there is a book that you have a feeling is going to be good, but when you read it, it is at a totally different level and that is exactly what this book was. This was a rivals to lovers story like I've never seen one told before. It's so, so good!

Gwen Jackson is a violin prodigy who plays for the Manhattan Pops. She is a good member of the group, but she isn't someone who has ever really stuck out. When she earns the first chair unexpectedly, she is stunned, along with everyone else.

Xavier Thorne is also a member of the Manhattan Pops, however he is also a headliner for a pop-strings group that tours the world. He's never on time to anything, barely rehearses and still manages to be amazing due to his musical prowess. He knows how good he is and he's got the ego to show for it.

With Gwen earning first chair, it's clear she and Xavier are going to butt heads, however there is also a mutual fascination between the two as well. They are drawn to one another for various reasons and it is fascinating to watch them interact.

This story is so well written and I was so captivated by the way it was told. It was a fresh new way for a romance to be written utilizing music and I was drawn in from the outset. It's absolutely one I would recommend!

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

4.25 ★

First of all, thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing this ARC!

I know this one won’t be up everyone’s alley, but that’s okay, because it was up mine! As someone who is usually a fan of a slower burn, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, but this kind of torrid, confusing mess worked for me. This story had less of the modern romantic feel of Forget Me Not and more of the inexplicably chaotic and desperate tumble into romance from a historical novel or an artsy flick. I think you have to be in this one for the long haul and push past some of your own expectations, but I ended up really enjoying it.

This book was so nerdy but also so sweet and sexy- I was twirling my hair and kicking my feet fr. I kept having these moments where my brain was like “this is kinda dorky” but then the next second I was like …omg. I would say who knew that orchestral music could be so indecent, but, well, a lot of people did.

I would describe their dynamic as an artist and a muse, but they’re both artists and each other’s muses. Both of the main characters felt immature at times, but I think it kind of worked with the drama of the story. One of my requests would have been to add a little bit more banter, because the bits of it we did see made their relationship feel so much rounder and more developed.

I would recommend this one to fans of You, Again by Kate Goldbeck, Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman, or Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood (but this would be the adult version).

I cannot begin to express how much I loved this book! Being lucky enough to read this book before release thanks to NetGalley. This book made me feel giddy and heartbroken, even a few scenes where my stomach did the fluttering feeling. In my opinion, both characters felt flawed and real making the story feel so easy to fall into. Hands down one of my favorite books I’ve read this year, a five star for me!

Julie Soto writes men who have it down bad!! & I’m here for it because i have it as bad for them!! I was never interested in the violin or cello but that cello performance was hot. The cellos will always make me think of this book. I must now see the NY Pops. I wasn’t sure what to expect when reading this but it got me out of my reading slump. I will be purchasing it.

I absolutely loved this entire story. I loved the dynamics between the FMC and MMC, and LOVED having the few concerto chapters with the MMC’s pov because it really enhanced the story.

This was another hit from Julie Soto. I enjoyed this romance set in the world of professional musicians. I have zero musical talent but that didn’t keep me from being drawn into the story. Xander and Gwen have chemistry from the beginning and it builds to the crescendo in the most satisfying of ways. I also really felt the NYC setting was its own character in this novel, and really helped create a vibrant setting for the story. Another fun find was getting to see some of my favorite characters from Soto’s Forget Me Not make cameos in this book! I recommend this to fans of Soto’s other works, fans of music or romance in general. Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the eARC!