When I read Forget Me Not last year, and adored it even though it was a second chance romance, I instantly thought: okay, let's keep an eye on that author's future work, because I have a good feeling about this. Which brings us here. And well, I was so right to think that because now this book! THIS BOOK! I had no idea classical music could be so hot…

READ IF YOU LIKE:
Rivals to Lovers
Celebrity musicians
Angst
Banter
Reylo fanfic

"It's simple, really," he said. "It's about a cello who fell in love with a violin."


It is official, Julie Soto made it to my list of auto-buy authors. I am head over heels for this book, I have so many scenes living rent free in my head, my gosh, it was fantastic! Julie Soto's writing is so poetically beautiful, moving and full of humor at the same time, and I just can't get enough. The scenes are easy to picture, like you are there, and you can feel the emotions so well.

Gwen and Alex are two music prodigies that don't even grasp how lost they are until they find each other. Getting into this new relation pushes them to learn more about themselves, what they truly want from life, who they really are, and it is heartwarming. There are ups and downs, there are heartbreaking moments, but they are understandable and that made it all fine for me.

The chemistry going on between our main characters was honestly fascinating. Right from the start, their moments were full of tension and lust, and I was melting already. Their love for music and the way it was all described was perfection. There is just something really enthralling about characters that are so passionate about something, about someone, that it is borderline obsessive and Julie Soto's conveyed that passion magnificently with her words. There is no need to be a music fan to understand the characters' love for that art. I enjoyed seeing the orchestra’s life, I was so in the mood for something in that setup. I don't know if it's because we kept talking about our orchestra days with my dad recently, but these descriptions brought back memories for me, and it was an instant feel-good read.

Julie Soto writes male characters like no other. I always fall for them in seconds. There was just something so raw and wild about Alex and I was obsessed from the start. The way he couldn’t help being fascinated by Gwen, the way he needed her like his life depended on it, I just adore these things so much. And he was quite a cutie once you get through that tough exterior, and I just loved him even more for that. And I adore that Julie Soto always includes small bits from the MMC’s point of view in her books. It is that little something that makes a difference for me. I can survive single POV books, but they are not my favourite. Getting those little peeks inside Alex’s mind is all it takes for me to be 100% happy while reading! I love getting another perspective and learning more about the character through these. No matter how short these parts are, it makes the story so much more complete and I’m thankful for it.

So yeah, as you can see, I loved this book so much and I definitely recommend it! I can't stop thinking about it. (Yes, I already had a huge crush on Kylo Ren so are we surprised I'm obsessed with this? No. But still, you'll be as obsessed, so go read it!)

Huge thanks to HBGCanada and the author for my copy of the book. All opinions are my own

“When Gwen was in high school, she studied a line of Shakespeare that said music was the food of love.

At sixteen, reading this for the first time, Gwen thought maybe her love life was on the right track then. Already five years into her violin studies and halfway through the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, she would go to Juilliard, fall in love with another musician, and—as they say—make sweet music for the rest of her life.

Now, after eleven years of nothing but violin and exactly zero great love affairs, she realized that Shakespeare might be full of shit.”

LOLOL I laughed out loud at this first page and immediately knew I was in love with this story!

Chapter 1… was all it took… for me to be… absolutely HOOKED.

Xander Thorne is a cellist and a rock star. Not only did it take Xander a year to notice that he and Gwen both play in the Manhattan Pops, but he also always seems to have the perfect cutting criticism about her technique. When Gwen is offered the role of first chair of the orchestra, something Xander has secretly coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. Yet, despite her best efforts, Gwen can’t ignore the sizzling chemistry between them.
           
I didn’t know how I was going to feel about a romance based on musicians… but Julie took my breath away. This book is beautiful, intelligent, purposeful, and loving.

“If you worry about who’s listening, you’ll never be fully playing”

I love the way Gwen and Xander come together in this story. They both have parts of themselves they’re holding back. I love that there’s always kindness between them even when things are uncomfortable and they’re peeling back each other’s layers.

There is some spice in this book that is so intimate. Like… intimate enough my ears were burning… I was on the floor. I needed to be resuscitated.

Julie made me feel like I could hear the music through her words alone… such a testament to how well this book was written.
“It was a rhythmic dance - swooping low to catch each other, breathing through the rests, and twirling around each other’s melodies.”

I could feel every character’s emotions and I could feel myself floating with the beautiful melodies. This is a book I won’t soon forget… and… probably now my favorite contemporary romance of all time.

THIS BOOK was EVERYTHING. Julie Soto just delivered on the enemies to friends to lovers, the pining and tension, the MUSIC, Alex and Gwen were just so incredible together and I could not get enough. I just loved the way that the music interacted with their story and as someone who loves music and romance, this just scratched my brain the right way- in a way that made me think that this book was written just specially for me.

Everything about this book made me so happy. I loved the relationship between Gwen and Xander. I loved how they shared their music and got to know each other through their music as well. I loved how authentic the characters felt, they just felt so relatable as characters and I just loved it so much.

I really liked the character growth for both Alex and Gwen through this book. I really appreciated the way they learned from each other and grew together- through their music and just being with each other. I really liked the way their music played such an important role in their relationship because it is such a big part of their lives and it makes sense that they’d fall in love sharing such big pieces of themselves.

I could scream about this book forever, I just loved it so damn much.

4.5 🌟

this book currently has me in a CHOKEHOLD! I loved Forget Me Not so much and didn’t think this would top it but WHEEWWWWW was I wrong!!

I loved the premise of this story and thought the tension between the two mcs was perfect! the CELLLLO COMPOSING SCENE ARE YOU KIDDING!!

In all seriousness, I really enjoyed the character development of both Alex and Gwen independently as well as their chemistry as a couple

I can’t wait to shout this one from the rooftops

💜 thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

4.5✨

This book was so good! I loved the premise, the plot, and the two characters so much. In the beginning of the book, it was a bit slower moving but once you get past the first 20% it was so good! I loved how realistic the characters felt and how many side plots are happening in the book.

Gwen was such a loveable FMC that was so enjoyable to follow. She has a wonderful energy and I was rooting for her the whole time!!! Xander (as this is a Kylo Ren-inspired book) was initially mysterious and quiet, but his personality was wonderful. These two had phenomenal chemistry!

I'm genuinely blown away with how much I loved this book! I've read a lot of great romance books this year but this is absolutely up there among my favorites! The writing was incredible and funny and filled with amazing tension. I loved the use of 3rd person pov. My mans was DOWN BAD AND PINING for her and it came through in the writing. Love to see it!

I simply can’t get over the tension in this book! This is how you do rivals to lovers/ slowburn/ chemistry! Normally I’m not the biggest fan of the “one of us is famous” trope but it was done SO well in this book in my opinion.

Huge thank you to Forever books for the digital arc, I am so obsessed with this book! Julie Soto's other book, Forget Me Not, is getting bumped up on my TBR and her romantasy debut in 2025 is not a want but a NEED.

This book was my most highly anticipated read of 2024, but unfortunately, it didn't quite meet my expectations. The lack of chemistry between Gwen and Alex left me feeling disconnected from both characters. It's disappointing that I didn't find as much enjoyment in this book as I had hoped for.

If you were a fan of the first book, Forget Me Not, you will love this one! I loved the first book and somehow loved this one a bit more. You do not need to read the first to read this book. Although, there are some appearances from the first book and maybe some slight spoilers.

One of the things I enjoy about Soto’s writing is that it’s fast-paced. I flew through this book, which helped me out of a reading slump. I would tell myself that I would go to bed after I finish this chapter… several chapters later, I would go to bed. I don’t know how she did it, but she managed to make musical instruments and make music sexy. Having a musical background will help you get more of the jargon. I don’t have much knowledge but some classical after-school program stuff. I still found myself kind of glazing over the jargon. It was never boring, and that’s what I was afraid of.

Gwen and Xander were just perfection! Gwen is journeying to find herself and her place in the world. She’s thrown into these situations where she’s battling to be seen. At the same time, she finds herself in situations where she is being used and trying to navigate that. It’s a man’s world, after all. I respected Gwen and where she came from. Xander took a little while to fall for. I knew his “secret” from a mile away. It was predictable, and his behavior was not the best. Once things unfold and you learn more, he’s easier to understand. The enemies-to-lovers aspect was so good in this one! I found myself laughing out loud a few times. When Gwen and Xander make music together, it’s very intense. There are some spice scenes, and I don’t want to ruin that.

Overall, I loved this one! I couldn’t put it down and loved the writing. I highly recommend this one, even if you don’t know much about music. I do think you will appreciate it a little more if you do. The supporting characters are also fabulous! I cannot wait to read her next one!!

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Not Another Love Song is an impossible to put down rivals to lovers romance. Julie Soto creates an angst-filled story about talented musicians who can’t stay away from each other.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Musicians Gwen and Xander see each at a wedding, where Gwen is performing and Xander is in the wedding party. Gwen knows Xander as a fellow performer with the Manhattan Pops and as the hot, talented frontman of her favorite rock strings ensemble. But Xander is a jerk to her and appears not to have a clue who she is. He later seeks her out, and it becomes apparent that he’s obsessed with both her musical talents and his attraction to her. When Gwen is promoted to first chair of the orchestra, though, Xander is angry since he expected to get the role. As the two spend more time together professionally, can they ignore their sizzling chemistry? Um no.

This book is a super hot competitors to lovers romance, with a heaping dose of angst. Gwen is self taught and self sufficient, which is a sharp contrast to Xander’s privileged musical upbringing. Once readers see Xander’s POV, which is sprinkled throughout the story, they know he’s gone for her instantly.

It’s interesting to me that this story works so well because it’s not a romance of equals. Gwen is always a step behind Xander and the other people trying to manage her talent and her career. While Xander is borderline obsessed with her, he struggles to look at her career through any other perspective but his own. Ultimately, it’s their sizzling chemistry that carries the story—which is a great quality for a romance.

I really enjoyed this book, and managed to easily overlook some of the reality-challenging details, like how one is actually promoted to first chair in an orchestra. Like in Soto’s Forget Me Not, I had a sense of spiraling towards a point of no return, and I couldn’t put the book down until I found out what happened next. If you are a fan of super hot, angst-filled romance, you’ll adore Not Another Love Song.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Two words: SO GOOD!!

I read Forget Me Not earlier this year and absolutely loved it and am happy to report that this book is just as good (maybe even a little better??)! I did not put this book down other than to sleep and I wish I hadn't finished it so quickly.

The chemistry between Gwen and Alex was off the charts and the spicy scenes... oof! Was Alex a bit of a know it all at times, yes. And was Gwen a little naive, also yes. But they helped balance each other and complement one another throughout the story.

Now, the book did lose me a bit at the end with the conflict. I felt that both characters acted very over the top and immaturely and it made me roll my eyes several times. It also made me roll my eyes even more when they resolved the conflict by just brushing it under the rug and moving on immediately. I'm all for making amends and moving forward but they just didn't even acknowledge the actions that happened after the conflict which was weird, in my opinion.

I'm so excited to see what Julie Soto has coming out next - I'm already placing bets on which character(s) in this book may get their own story!!

Read if you like:
- Enemies to Lovers
- He Falls First
- Dual POV (kind of)
- Music/Playing Instruments
- Found Family

I thought this book was so well paced. I really enjoyed the building of the love story and was sucked in. A great romance!

If you’re a fan of August Rush, this is the book for you. Imagine the prodigy has grown up and found his match and you’ve got the love story blooming between these two innumerably talented, broken people. I laughed, I cried, and I was astounded that Julie Soto had done it again. Tropes that you love, unexpected scenes I feel I’ve never experienced in a romance book before, and even angst to make you squirm. I can’t wait to read more from Julie.

Y’ALL!! This book passed the vibe check!

Initially, I was a little scared to pick this one up because I loved Soto’s first book, Forget Me Not, and I didn’t want that to have been a one hit wonder for me. However, I should definitely have had more faith in Soto, as this was just as fantastic, if not more!

What I liked about the book:
1. This was originally a Reylo fan fiction, as noted by the author. I know us original Star Wars nerds are supposed to hate the newest trilogy, which does have some glaring faults let’s be real, but this girl could just not hate on Adam Driver. I *takes deep breath* was totally on board with the Reylo thing and will inhale anything fan fiction related to it. While reading this, I definitely kept thinking of Xander as Adam Driver (not so much Gwen as Daisy Ridley) and that is NEVER a bad thing in my mind 😉

2. Having grown up playing multiple instruments, I am a sucker for anything music related. I especially loved the covers of songs throughout the book where the cover was in a completely different style. I was very big into the Pop Goes Punk movements, unlikely mashups, and many other covers, so this book hit on all of that love from me.

3. Xander was an absolute jerk but he came around. Unfortunately for me, I even liked him when he was a jerk because you could tell there was something hiding under the surface causing that to be his default. I loved learning his backstory and didn’t see many of the twists coming, which was nice. I did love seeing him trying to open up to Gwen, especially when he first started asking her to go out with him and she kept turning him down. It was fun to see him keep trying despite being shut down so often.

Gwen wasn’t anything special in my mind, but I did like how Xander basically said she was terrible until she let go of thinking too much. This made it so she wasn’t perfect, which was nice, and the story also took a realistic approach with why she got first chair at her age (pretty vs. Mary Sue talented), which was also nice. I also loved that he told her she wasn’t good before she let go because then when he complimented her we knew it was really how he felt. At the end of the day, she was incredibly talented, but she was definitely too in her head, which was great to see representation for.

4. I loved hilarious side characters Jacob and Declan, as well as motherly Mabel, and seeing all the connections through the twists. I also loved seeing characters from Forget Me Not, Soto’s first book!

5. The steam, OMFG. The steam was 98% of the reason for passing the vibe check! If you all could see my highlights, especially during THAT cello scene…yeah, just yeah. Read it for that scene alone if you must.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever, and Julie Soto for the opportunity to read this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

4.25 stars

Omg, this was phenomenal, Julie Soto, you did it again!!
I especially loved seeing Ama and Elliott cameo there in the beginning.
The author explains that this story had its start as a Reylo fic, and although you can definitely still see those through lines, she manages to take all those elements to a whole new level using the backdrop of orchestral politics.

I was so incredibly excited to receive this ARC. Forget Me Not was one of my favorite books of 2023. I truly did not think it could be topped by another Julie Book- and then I read this.

Gwen and Alex were utter perfection. Their chemistry was off the chart. You could feel through her words how life changing it was when they made music together. I can honestly say it is not like any other book I’ve read before.

I felt like I held my breath through the last 20% with tears in my eyes. The whole story was so well thought out and the execution was amazing. Will undoubtedly be one of my favorite reads of 2024.

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was my first arc, so thank you to Netgalley and Julie Soto!

Music has always been a big part of my life, and this book reawakened the feelings that stirred in me when I used to create music with others. I wasn't sure what to expect coming in, so I was apprehensive in the first few pages. However, things picked up quickly and I was so excited to continue reading. It's been a while since I've read a romance I enjoyed, but this one did not disappoint - had me kicking my feet and giggling at one point. The exploitation of some characters by others really made me wonder about the music and entertainment industry as a whole.
The only critique I had was that sometimes the writing style/phrasing was hard to follow and understand, but that could just be due to the fact that this is an arc and not the final version.

Overall, I had a great time reading this~ 4.25/5 ⭐

Julie, Julie, Julie...

I don't have the words.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Julie Soto for the advanced copy of Not Another Love Song.

In this book, we follow Gwen as she begins progressing through the ranks of the Manhattan Pops orchestra and connects with Alex (or Xander), the arrogant first celloist (and also the heir, so to speak, of the Manhattan Pops).

Julie Soto is a master at character building, setting, and tension, and this book is just another example of her mastery. The tension between Gwen and Alex was incredible, not only as potential musical rivals, but as lovers as well.

Five stars. Infinity stars.

Julie Soto is our resident Queen of Steam, and her sophomore novel is an ode to music that none of us will ever forget!

Two concert musicians unite in this layered story about breaking away from one's past to forge a new path. I’ve never read a hotter book about a cello, and I don’t think I ever will.

Julie Soto is an auto-buy author for me after this one and should be for all romance readers.

PS Ali Hazelwood is totally right, the cello scene IS life changing:)

Thank you so much to Team Forever for this arc copy.

The way I devoured this book every chance I could get. The only reason I didn’t finish it in a day was because I was busy all weekend. But that didn’t stop me from eating this up any chance I could get. The way I folded for Xander so fast. I never thought I’d be into classical musicians, but here we are. Is this the best book I’ve ever read? No. Is it entertaining as hell? Absolutely. The only reason it’s not getting a 5 from me is because the ending miscommunication irked me. That was the definition of a classic third-act breakup that wasn’t handled maturely.

Also, I know you’re probably supposed to read Forget Me Not before this to recognize some names that make an appearance. Luckily, I got about 10% into that book a few months ago and put it down because I wasn’t in a romance phase yet, so I at least knew who the cameos were. But in case you want to read this one, I’d read that one first!

Whew, these two have CHEMISTRY; the kind that snaps, crackles, and holds you hostage while you devour the pages. I binged the first half before I even realized I was doing it, and I couldn’t wait to see how things would play out in this delicious love story. I loved how fresh and different it felt, with a focus on the music that ties this couple together. They’re both talented musicians who push each other to be better, and that connection felt so strong. I loved how off-balance the hero gets around his girl; he truly doesn’t know what to do with her. She’s a game-changer. There’s some major swoon and a sense that these two are meant to be together, which made this a satisfying read. There were a few minor weaknesses exposed by the third act conflict, but I had such a fantastic time with the story that they fade into the background. It’s incredibly engaging, and an easy 5-star rating for me - I loved it!

The story follows Gwen (22), a woman who has worked to earn her spot playing violin for the city’s Pops orchestra. While supplementing her income playing music for a wedding, Gwen runs into Zander/Alex (26), the cellist for one of her favorite bands. Though Gwen has loved Zander’s music for years, she’s not so enamored by the arrogant man in real life - he joined the Pops a year ago, and he doesn’t even recognize Gwen. But watching Gwen play at the wedding sparks something in Zander, and suddenly he’s everywhere. The two clash and bond over their shared love of music, until one day their fighting feels like something else entirely. Gwen can’t get a read on Zander, but she loves the glimpses of Alex she sees lurking under the surface. As they navigate their working and personal relationships, Gwen and Alex form the kind of connection that only comes around once.

I enjoyed Forget Me Not and I’ve heard nothing but good things about this one, so I was incredibly excited to dive in - and it lived up to my very high expectations. The sexual chemistry was electric, with such good sexual tension from the start and some seriously memorable spicy scenes. Let’s just say that it’s not focused on the spice, but the heat is impactful and so revealing. I loved that Alex just didn’t know what to do with himself when he met Gwen - she truly changes his world in such a major way. They’re perfect complements to each other musically, which forms a rock-solid connection. I do think the smaller time jumps throughout the story did a disservice to the romance - after puzzling each other out for a while, they seemed to jump into something serious very quickly. The messy third act conflict exposed a few weaknesses in their relationship, and I’d have liked a few more scenes from Alex’s POV. But everything else about this was so, SO good that those minor issues don’t bother me. It’s a true showcase of Soto’s talent, and I can’t wait to see what’s next from her.