Not even the power of music could save this book from how awful it was. I’ll try and keep this review succinct since I already wasted too many minutes of my life reading this that I can’t get back!

I’ll start off by acknowledging the fact that clearly I’m a hater since the majority of people love this book so, take my thoughts with a grain of salt I guess. Anyway, let’s get into it.

If you’re looking for a romance book where the characters actually get to know each other and there’s real depth to the relationship, keep looking because you won’t find it here! Alex and Gwen absolutely break up 6 months after this book ends and actually, I hope they break up sooner. It’s amazing to me that throughout the course of this book they barely had any real conversations. Add in an absolute inability to communicate about anything properly to the foundation of the relationship made of saltine crackers and that is what this “relationship” is. What we could’ve, and should’ve, had were more actual relationship building scenes between the two and conversations where they work through their flaws and insecurities in order to progress and grow the relationship. Instead, we were given a bunch of repetitive sex scenes.

I understand that time passes and the couple spends quite a bit of time together so sure maybe we can assume they’re solid and that some of these things were discussed but we don’t get to see any of that on page. Instead all I see is how fundamentally wrong these two are for each other but ✨the power of music✨ keeps them together I guess 🤪

If Gwen has no haters I’m actually dead. You cannot convince me that she’s twenty three, she acts eighteen and it was so incredibly frustrating to be trapped in her POV for the majority of the book. I appreciated the few Alex POVs we were given as a brief reprieve from my suffering. She is so incredibly naive it was painful to read. Additionally, she has no idea how to communicate. Watching her spiral and assume the absolute worst of Alex for no reason and then proceed to treat him like shit for an extended period of time and THEN have the audacity to be shocked when he gives her attitude right back was a remarkable experience.

Even when she is GIVEN the opportunities, MULTIPLE opportunities, to just ask a question or say how she really feels, she refuses. I was hoping to see some growth in this regard but truly there wasn’t because time and time again when faced with a choice Gwen chooses to make assumptions and flees. This continues to the third act conflict where she literally just flees the state after a fight instead of being a normal human being and speaking to him. If I’m Alex she’d be blocked, reported, and unfollowed!

The way both characters handled the third act conflict was ridiculous and the resolution was handled so quickly and there’s barely any follow up afterward. What drives me absolutely crazy is how so much is left unresolved between the two, they barely talk about the issues that are so clear and are bound to happen again unless properly dealt with but all we get is a grand gesture, some apologies, and another sex scene.

I liked Alex and he was one of the only positives of this book. Even then, though, there isn’t anything special or remarkable about him that makes him stand out from any other romance novel on the shelf. He just knew how to communicate between than Gwen (and the bar is in hell) and can play an instrument.

The majority of the side characters are two dimensional and didn’t add much to the book, although I did enjoy Jacob and Declan. The pacing was off, and some of the scenes in the book were just absolutely ridiculous and made me cringe. I considered DNFing this book a few times, but I pushed through. It wasn’t worth it and I wish I had saved myself!! Anyway, the evil is defeated and I’m free from this book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this eARC

Gwen is a violinist that has a seat in the Manhattan Orchestra. She has done this the hard way, without a formal musical education, but instead was taught by a musical shop owner. Xander is also in the orchestra but plays cello. He had a formal music education, is also the leader of a very successful band where he writes and performs to thousands. Gwen is a huge fan and might have a little crush. Xander doesn’t even know she exists until one day when Gwen is hired to perform at a wedding that Xander attends. He takes notice! From that point the story develops into a political drama at the orchestra when Gwen is given the coveted first chair. Xander continues to watch Gwen and begins to insert himself into her orbit. She sees him as an arrogant ass at first but as they perform together sparks fly.

This was what a romance should be. Full of tension, conflict and dare I say, sensuality. This was without a doubt one of the best romances I have read this year. Loved the music references, the drama and the character development.

5 ⭐️

Welcome to the world of professional orchestra. The FMC, Gwen is something of a child prodigy on the violin. Her talent has landed her at a prestigious orchestra in NYC. Her nemesis in the cello section is none of than her teen idol, Xander Thorne, recording and performing artist and musical bad boy. He both irritates and fascinates her. He starts to notice her, but can she trust him? And what does he know about the politics of her orchestra?

I loved the two main characters. They both had so much passion for their music. And each other. And it shows! Those spicy scenes were spicy! There was a lot of good character development and growth too. They both helped each other.

The music industry was on display as well. Orchestras and touring, side gigs and recording. All added to the story.

This one is an interconnected standalone with Soto’s first book. You will see some familiar characters! I thought this one was even more passionate than the first. Julie Soto is quickly becoming one of my must read authors!

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for my advanced copy.

DNF @ 35%
I'm sorry I just couldn't get into this. I really wanted to enjoy this since forget me not is one of my favorite reads.
I felt like I was dragging myself to read this.
The only time I actually felt like I enjoyed this was when ama and Elliot would have their cameo.
Couldn't really connect with the characters.
Maybe I'll give it a try some other time.
Thank you netgalley for this arc.

Gwen & Xander are both musical prodigies, but each has had very different paths to success. Xander was born into classical music royalty, while Gwen had a natural ear for music that was nurtured by a kind shop owner. After Gwen performs at his friend’s wedding, she’s mortified when she realizes Xander has no clue who she is—despite having worked together for a year at the Pops Orchestra. But she’s more furious that he arrogantly critiques her performance.

One thing you can certainly expect from Julie' books is the tension between the main characters. So much tension, so much angst, & so much brooding.

Gwen & Xander's romance was intense, all-comsuming, & fulfilling. I loved their relationships with violin & cello. Same, yet different in so many ways. I really loved the initial hate-to-love vibes they had going on. But I was glad that Xander was the first one to express his feelings in every way.

Along the romance, it was kinda intriguing to learn about the manipulating, coercing, & cunning industry behind. Although I really enjoyed this one, "Forget Me Not" still stays on my number 1 position.

<i>Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.<i>

4.5 stars rounded up.
I was so excited for this book after loving Forget Me Not and Julie Soto did not disappoint with this one.
Rivals to lovers ✔️
Music prodigies in NYC ✔️ (who knew Cellos could be hot)
Found family ✔️
He falls first ✔️
Single pov from our fmc with “Cello Suite” chapters for a little pov from our mmc keeps the pacing and fills the void for readers like myself who love a dual pov.
The banter and tension between Gwen and Alex was chefs kiss.
The surprise little cameo with character from Forget Me Not was a welcome surprise and where I’d make note to read Forget Me Not first if you don’t want character spoilers.
Thank you to NetGalley for this free digital arc copy in trade for an honest review

I love Soto’s work and throughly enjoyed this romance. She has become a must read author. The main characters were great together and their chemistry was off the charts. Loved every second of this book.
Thank you for the ARC!

I am apparently one of the few who has not read Julie Soto’s “Forget Me Not,” so “Not Another Love Song” was my first exposure to her writing. I was not disappointed. Gwen and Alex’s story is full of delicious tension and a mutual passion for music. Are many aspects of the book completely unrealistic? Yes. But there’s a reason why this is called fiction. And the cello scene is worth the suspension of disbelief.

The third-act breakup, however, kept this from being a 5-star read for me. It was silly, out of character, and abrupt. And it made the book’s ending feel more rushed than I would have liked. Even with this flaw, I still overall enjoyed this read. It was a fun way to spend some reading time.

4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

Wow! This was better than her debut. These characters are not only deep but likable. The chemistry is off the charts, and something I appreciate in a romance is even when I need to suspend my belief due to shenanigans of a plot. I was still gripped.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Julie Soto is amazing. Not Another Love Song captured me from the start, and I realized what a mistake I made beginning to read the book when I was busy. I wanted a day to devote to nothing but reading this, so I am planning that for my first re-read.

Alex/Xander plays the cello, and Gwen is an up-and-coming violinist in the Manhattan Pops. And wow, the musical references were on point. And the music composition scenes get steamy.

The book is told in third person with a tight focus, typically on Gwen but occasionally switching to Alex. I felt it was beautifully done and kept me knowing just the right amount of info about each and the plot.

I loved that we got cameos of Ama and Elliot! The new characters in Gwen and Alex's life similarly added a lot to the book. And I loved the deeper emotions of this book. So many great themes were explored, and we saw such character growth. There were parts of the third act that bugged me, but I still walked away enjoying this book so much.

4.25 stars

4.5 Stars. Gwen is a violin prodigy who worked her way up from playing in subway stations to the New York Pops Orchestra. When she fills in playing at a wedding, she captures the attention of Xander a famous cellist who joined the Pops earlier that year but wasn’t aware of her. When Gwen is offered the first seat, she and Xander, whom she comes to know as his true self, Alex, begin working together their connection musically and physically reaches a new peak, but egos, contracts, and family threaten their new found relationship.

What can I say, I had a good time. I liked both Gwen and Alex (Xander). There were some very hot steamy scenes between the two of them and I really liked got quit a bit of them in an actual relationship in the book. You know I’m a sucker for a he-falls-first romance and this book was no exception. The tension between the two leading up to their relationship was palpable which I always appreciate. While some of the metaphors were heavy handed, you could tell that Julie knows the music world well and the depiction of the petty rivalries felt very realistic. There were moments that crossed into soap-opera territory, but honestly it fit the world so I can’t be too mad about it. My biggest issue with this book was how much manipulation there was and the withholding of information to an extreme degree. I did enjoy seeing the characters from Forget Me Not again in a few scenes and hope future books will continue to be set in this same world. I did not know this was reworked Reylo fan-fiction until I finished the book and was looking at other reviews. Looking back I can see it, but it isn’t like some other fics turned novels where the source material is extremely obvious. I am very excited for whatever Julie writes next.

Thank you to Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time with this one. I really don’t prefer third person POV, which makes it hard to keep my interest. The chemistry between the characters was good, I feel you don’t vet the full spectrum of emotions in third person.

I really enjoyed Soto’s, Forget Me Knots (July 2023) and looked forward to this book. Xander Thorne is a famous gifted cellist. He meets Gwen Jackson when she performs at a wedding. He doesn’t recognize her as someone who is in the same NYC Pops Orchestra as him for the last year. She is a naturally talented violinist. Honestly, he is really a jerk to her and she is so non confrontational that she literally flees from him several times.

But they have instant longing and lust which makes for steamy times. I didn’t love their musical world very much. And the fact that there are actual villains in the story makes me like it even less. It is still a good story, it just didn’t work for me as much as her previous book. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review. (3.5 Stars)

All the emotions in this book!!! I loved every minute of it. Alex was so taken by Gwen as soon as he noticed her at the wedding and then literally just wanted to be around her in any capacity. Gwen was very naïve and that was probably the most frustrating part of the book. Her mentor, who was like a second mother, told her to be careful and she pretty much ignored her. I loved Mabel’s character and Jacob and Declan too. I also was so excited about the cameos from Ama and Elliot! Julie Soto is easily an auto-buy author for me now. Would highly recommend!

I don’t know much about music, but the musical chemistry between Gwen and Xander was totally believable. Gwen is the somewhat naive and not totally confident violin player given a chance to be first chair of a pops symphony, much to the dismay of cello player/rockstar Xander. He’s got the overconfident arrogant attitude that rubs Gwen the wrong way, until he rubs her the right way. He’s both broody and yearning all at once, which is fun to read. While most of the book is told from Gwen’s point of view, we get interludes from Xander’s perspective every 5 chapters or so. Tons of flirting and steam and external machinations from all the grown-ups in their lives, which made me keep reading to find out both backstory and what would happen next. Overall, a fun and emotional read.

This was fun, I buddy read it with a friend, and it was truly like when you’re sitting at a restaurant and you see two best friends in deep conversation, leaning into the table, gasping and out loud going “No way!” “Way!!”.

Things I liked:
-the tension was 100% about their mutual admiration and almost intimidation of each other’s talent and potential, it wasn’t rivals in the way that they were shaking fists and purposefully poking at their ribs. They challenged each other and that made it so much better.
-ALEX/ XANDER POVs, I understood him deeply.
-MABEL.
-JACOB, DECLAN, MEI
-The setting reminded me of the movie, Raise Your Voice, just a room full of talented people, reacting according to the opportunities given and not given to them
-the male antagonists. They did the job right; I did not like them.

Things I was so so on:
-honestly? Gwen… I guess I just don’t understand her. I actually don’t need to like a character to like the book, but I do need to understand the why when it comes to their actions. Felt like they kept telling me why, but never followed through or showed. The drop-in about her grandfather made me put down my kindle for a bit.
-The ending was rushed and I don’t think some characters got the apologies they deserved.
-I wish we got to know Alex’s dad more

That was a spiel all to say I still will read almost everything Julie Soto offers.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the ARC!

WOW WOW WOW!! For me Julie Soto made a huge comeback with this book after "Forget Me Not". The tension and angst between Alex and Gwen was sooo good. The "cello" scene!!!! I honestly want to learn how to play the cello so I can recreate that scene with my boyfriend haha. I loved how in the end they realized that their love is so much more important than their "careers". Alex's obsession with Gwen from the beginning really had me going.

I do wish that this book was in 1st person dual POV because I feel like I could of connected better with the characters that way. Sometimes 3rd person in romance books makes it hard to connect with the characters and I just want to be inside their heads lol. If it was in 1st person dual POV it easily would of been 5 stars!

"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 f... you, then let me make love to you onstage every night because it's the most alive I've felt in ten years-"

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto is an exquisitely written book about two very talented musicians, Gwen and Xander that play for the Pops Orchestra. They unknowingly are pitted against one another for first chair. When Gwen is offered the position, Xander, music royalty that he is, is angered and quits the Pops. But there is so much more to his dramatic actions and life than one could imagine. The way I love a good rivals to lovers story.....

I absolutely loved both Gwen and Xander. More so Gwen initially, but their tension is right at the forefront from their very first interaction and it is tangible, dripping right off the page. While they are the two main characters, it is to be argued that the music is a close 3rd. And you couldn't help but be swept along with the music into their orbit. Their love, appreciation and respect for music and the instruments they played was a sort of foreplay for them which gave their story a sort of spice that was an understated sexiness to their interactions. And it is breathtaking. It was the simplicity in many things that held my attention and left me feeling wound up. Their passion in their music and creating music with one another was extremely alluring and I couldn't help but feel the magic.

Gwen and Xander are perfection. The burn is slow, the tension is vibrating and the spice hits all the right notes. Once they give in and create music with one another, as a reader, you can't look back. It was a thing of beauty and turned an acoustic story electric! #iykyk

Honestly, I didn't expect to love this story as much as I did, but the connection brought together by undeniable talent was everything. I also appreciated the way Soto included the supporting characters for not only the growth of the MCs, but also for them to bring together a past and present giving them something so much stronger. I can literally hear these two and the music they play.

If you're a music fan and love a good rivals to lovers story with a bit of grump/sunshine mixed in, don't sleep on this one. I think now I will need to listen to the audio, since I'm obviously obsessed ;)

I know nothing about making music, but I know what I like. I know nothing about writing love stories, but I know what I like. And what I liked - no, swooned over - is this gem of a book by Julie Soto. Steamy, sexy, tension filled, raw, and emotional all rolled into something that is clearly NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG.

Ah, so where to start? Maybe with our protagonists. One dark, brooding, and insanely talented. The other hopeful, uncertain, and equally gifted. Neither realizing they are incomplete until they meet the other. The attraction is instantaneous and powerful. They try to resist the pull, but everyone around them can see that together they are magic. Everyone wants a piece of them for their own selfish reasons. Only by collaborating can they realize their potential as artists and lovers. Literally, swoon.

If you like your romance novels to leave you breathless, this is your book. You’ll be on your feet shouting , “BRAVO!” and demanding an encore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely ADORED "Forget Me Not", so I had high expectations for this book. And quite honestly, it blew them all out of the water.

What I loved the most about "Not Another Love Song" was the pacing. The plot and writing all sped along pretty quickly, but the emotional rollercoaster it put you on almost mimicked the music. It was melodic in a way, sometimes slow and melancholy, other times fast and frenetic. I don't know how she possibly did that, but she did and it was amazing!

The characterization was strong, as was the character development. The secondary cast of characters were fleshed out, not just mannequins. And the romance was excellent. I also loved the cameos from "Forget Me Not"!

Highly recommend this book, I'll be forcing it on all of my friends, followers, and the bookstore I work at.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*