REVIEW: Not Another Love Song ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ok, Not Another Love Song was just the book I needed now. It gave me so many feelings and kept me hooked throughout. I’m actually a bit sad that it is done.

Xander Thorne is a famous cello player in a band called Thorne and Roses. Gwen is part of the orchestra Manhattan Pops as a violin player. Gwen has a huge celebrity crush on Xander, so when she sees him as the first cello chair in Pops, she is super nervous. Things start to change around Pops and Gwen is promoted to first chair violin. A rivalry begins between Gwen and Xander; how will this tension affect the orchestra?

Not Another Love Song was a great romance that really drew me in. It features rivals to lovers, insta love, and lots of sexual tension. All this together not only created a sweet and deep romance story but also brought the spice in! I didn’t know the orchestra and instruments could be so sexy. ;-) Not Another Love Song also had strong themes of self-discovery, found family, and learning not to do everything to please others. Xander and Gwen were the perfect imperfect characters. They both had realistic flaws and strengths. Plus their chemistry together was top-notch.

The only minor thing is that I wished that there were a few more chapters from Xander’s point of view. There were some, but not as many as there were in Gwen’s point of view.

I really loved Not Another Love Song. It was just what I needed: a sweet, steamy, and cute romance.

Thank you, Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Here is what I’ll say, this felt like a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”. Musicians have always given me the ick, there is something about the emotions behind music that I cannot personally understand. It feels like too much for me and since this book follows two musicians…I struggled a bit.

However, I can absolutely see the beauty in this story and the music and the love story.

I’d also say that I wish the forward of the book hadn’t told me this was a fanfic because throughout the entire story it just kept feeling like a fanfic to me. I’ve never read a fan fiction story and truthfully, I have no desire to, so I wish that tidbit of information had been in the acknowledgments after the book and maybe my feelings would have changed.

I also kind of wish we had just a little bit more from Alex’s POV. I think it could have added to the story just a bit more. He was almost TOO mysterious.

Overall though, I did think the book was cute. It was a pretty typical romance and I can see how and why some readers would love this story!


3.5 ⭐️ | 📚 | 🌶️🌶️ (1.5)

1000000000 stars.

I didn't know I needed this enemies to lovers orchestra edition romance. Once I started reading, I could not put this book down. I was giggling, screaming, gasping, blushing- so many emotions while reading. The tension, the banter, the spice! I am absolutely speechless trying to write this.

THE CELLO SCENE. I WILL NEVER RECOVER!

One of the best romances I have read. Period.

I would recommend if you enjoy

*enemies to lovers
*slow burn
* classical music
* Reylo Fanfic

Do yourself a favor and listen to the playlist on Spotify. Beautiful.

THANK YOU SO MUCH JULIE SOTO, FOREVER PUBLISHING AND NETGALLEY FOR THIS ARC!

This was a fast paced enemy to lovers story. I thought it started off slow but it picked up speed pretty quickly. It had a perfect amount of spice done tastefully. I will be recommending!

I absolutely adore Kyle and Ren inspired reads. There were a few moments that I definitely saw it in this book. But this one just fell flat for me.

"Not Another Love Song" by Julie Soto is an absolutely adorable story about two classical musicians with undeniable chemistry that will definitely get your heart tempo revved up a few notches.

Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are both musical prodigies but have had very different paths to success. Xander was born into classical music royalty, while Gwen's natural ear for music 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. To make matters worse, he arrogantly critiques her performance. The tension between them escalates when Gwen is offered the role of First Chair of the orchestra, a position Xander had secretly coveted for years.

Their existing hostility intensifies, but so does their respect for each other's music, and their onstage chemistry is off the scale. As they begin to explore their feelings for one another, their blossoming romance is threatened by a publicity stunt that could crush their fragile relationship.

This novel is a well-executed rivals-to-lovers story that incorporates some typical romcom tropes while managing to establish a romance you’ll definitely root for. While Gwen, our main protagonist, makes some questionable decisions and the classical music elements sometimes feel a bit heavy-handed, Gwen and Xander's story is compelling and heartwarming.

"Not Another Love Song" is the perfect summer read for fans of Julie Soto and Reylo fanfic, blending musical passion with romantic tension in a delightful way.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Julie Soto's steamy debut romance, 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘔𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵 and enjoyed her sophomore novel 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆 even more.

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

The main characters are Violin/Cello prodigies that are brought together by a Pops Orchestra. I loved how the author used music as a love language in bringing Alex and Gwen together. It was breathtaking. It stole my heart and I read it in two sittings.

MORE:
Reylo-fanfiction-to-trad-publishing
Rivals to Lovers
Third person from Gwen's perspective with interludes from Alex's POV.
Chemistry & heft. Tension & angst.
4 (steam level)
Complemented and challenged
Wishing there was a soundtrack

I originally wanted to give this 4 stars but to me a 4 stars is a love and I didn't really love this - more like a 3 or 3.5 stars. I did enjoy the book, but there were so many things that felt off or unrealistic about this love story. This book had a insta-love component which is just not my favorite - which is a me problem since I prefer a slow burn. I never made it past 9th grade band, but I cannot imagine a professional orchestra moving a girl up to first chair because it was "good publicity". I also just didn't really get butterflies as I read this book. There were parts I really enjoyed and I loved how it ended, some parts just really didn't make sense. Maybe it was the characters age (young 20s) but I just don't think I was the target audience for this book.

5 f*cking stars ⭐️ Julie soto’s best work!

What to expect:
✨ contemporary romance
✨ musicians falling in love
✨ he’s an arrogant, superstar cellist
✨ she’s a wallflower and talented violinist
✨ rivals to lovers
✨ he falls first
✨ insane sexual tension
✨ 4/5 🌶️
✨ found family

My Thoughts:

I am absolutely, positively, unequivocally obsessed!!!! Once I picked this up, I couldn’t put it down! I’m legit in safari in Africa and I was reading this in the damn car during game drives because I was so enthralled!

The MCs, Xander and Gwen are perfection! They are well developed characters with flaws and issues they learn to overcome in this story. And everything about their progression as characters felt natural. I really loved Gwen and wanted the best for her, and I was in love with Xander 💕

The romance was everything! And the sexual tension was to die for! This is one of, if not the best, tension filled stories I’ve ever read! My stomach was fluttering and heart was pounding during so many chapters! The romance was gripping from beginning to end! Bonus, it felt believable. I loved that while Xander and Gwen’s romance is hot and heavy, it was also beautiful and romantic. And while they had some complications, it wasn’t overly or unrealistically complicated. Just enough to make my heart hurt for a little with the knowledge everything will be just fine.

I am obsessed with the music aspect. I don’t know if it’s because I played classic piano since I was 8 and love to sing, but I understood the way music affected them. Gwen and Xander are the definition of soulmates and seeing their love story unfold through music was breathtaking. I just wish I could listen in real life to the music they wrote together.

The spice was spicing! Good tension always makes the spice better. And that was the case here. Every single kiss had me hot and bothered. The way Xander plays Gwen’s body. . . the freaking cello scene!!! 🥵And I loved that these spicy scenes really reflected their deep love and admiration and need for one another. It was intimacy on a whole different level.

I haven’t felt this obsessed about a book in a while. Bravo! Favorite book of 2024!

4.5 stars! ⭐️

Julie Soto writes tension between characters so well. Two musicians who are rivals, in a way. Gwen, who is a violinist for the Manhattan Pops and Xander Thorne, cellist in Gwen’s favorite band who joins the Pops for a season. Xander has no idea who Gwen is until they run into each other when she’s playing at a wedding. Except people at the wedding are calling him…Alex?

They continue to cross paths and connect from there. You get glimpses of Alex’s POV throughout the novel but it’s primarily written from Gwen’s perspective. Alex has always been looking to make a name for himself and Gwen has always been in search of security and stability but they continue to connect over the music.

The tension between them is delicious! Alex is a grump but totally down bad for Gwen. The setting of New York and musicians is intriguing. Seeing the characters really wrestle with their mistakes, regrets, and desires is compelling. However, the story fell apart a little bit at the end for me with the agent/producer.

Overall for the vibes it was a fun book!

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝑨𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧? 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞! 𝐈𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞!) 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧).

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐨, 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮!! 𝐀𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐧-𝐰𝐢𝐧.

𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐆𝐰𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐗𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰) 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧!

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒥𝓊𝓁𝒾𝑒 𝒮𝑜𝓉𝑜, 𝐹𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 (𝒢𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒞𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓁 𝒫𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔), & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

A Reylo inspired professional orchestra enemies to lovers with a fully formed cast of lovely characters.

Gwen is a *almost* 23-year-old violin player for a pop orchestra in NYC. She is on her way to living her dream, she thinks, when the orchestra asks her to take the first chair and concertmaster role after her idol retires. The only issue is Xander Thorne the first chair cellist and band member in Gwen's favorite musical group. For some reason that Gwen doesn't understand, Xander becomes singularly focused on her. As the orchestra's season progresses so does Xander and Gwen's relationship.

I should really take a few points off of this book because they only mention the oboe 3 times but I'll let it slide. As a member of a community orchestra I LOVED this novel. Soto did a great job doing the research to make the orchestra aspect of the novel accurate and believable! This book is heavier on the romance than Soto's last book but I didn't think it was too much.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

And honestly… I did not like this. Not Another Love Song made me feel uncomfortable and I almost DNF’d multiple times, however I felt obligated to finish it. The last ~10ish% was really my favourite part of the book. I was not interested or invested in the main characters, Gwen and Xander/Alex, nor was I interested in their story. I’m not sure if it was just me and the fact that I wasn’t enjoying this book, but it felt flat and like it jumped around very abruptly and chunks were missing. It took me 10 days to get through this and I dreaded picking it up.

I love Julie Soto. She absolutely got me with forget me not and she’s done it again. I love her story telling ability and how unique her stories are.

I don’t think that I had considered the cello or violin sexy before, but I feel like I need to watch some orchestra performances.

Soto does a great job of weaving together two part of the story. The romance portion, and Gwen’s self identity and exploration of who she wants to be in her career. I thought it was beautiful both in the romance and self discovery.

I will continue to read whatever Julie Soto puts out

What does she put in these books!! If Julie writes it, I simply can't put it down.

- violinist x cellist
- workplace
- rivals to lovers vibes
- steamy

I was so hooked by this story. There was something about the feeling of music mixed with their budding emotions for each other and the way they fit together so seamlessly that was just intoxicating. Gwen and Alex challenged each other and made each other better versions of themselves and as musicians.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was my first Julie Soto book and I really enjoyed it. I admit, I don’t know the first thing about playing a string instrument so most of the terminology/technique went right over my head, but the love story was beautiful. Tons of spice, the chemistry between Gwen and Alex was delightful. Also huge fan of Jacob and Declan. Actually I really loved 95% of the characters, you know who the losers are.

Not Another Love Song releases July 16!

“Look, I don’t know what you want from me, but –”
“Anything. Everything.”

Gwen and Xander are both vying for the spot of First Violin of the Manhattan Pops orchestra all while trying to fight their growing attraction to each other.

I have no idea why I have slept on this author for so long, but I can tell you right now, as soon as I finished Not Another Love Song, I added all her other books (past and future) to my TBR immediately.

Not Another Love Song is a beautiful story about two music prodigies who find love in each other while learning to brush off the demons from their past. This story grabbed me right from the very first page. I was hooked. It is beautifully written in a way that makes it seem that, while it is a love story about two musicians, it is also a love story about music itself.

I loved watching Gwen’s confidence and self-assuredness grow throughout the book, not only in her music, but also in herself. She learns what it’s like to let go and truly trust herself in the music process. Xander encourages her to let the emotions in as she's playing and truly turn her music into an art form.

Xander is almost the exact opposite of Gwen. He knows how good he is and has no problem letting others know. In the beginning he’s pompous and arrogant to a fault, knowing people need him more than he needs them. That is until he meets Gwen who shows him that music isn’t the only thing worth living for.

“I want to be clear. I want you. In every way. I want to see you. And f*ck you. And play music with you.

Gwen and Xander together show you what a true partnership looks like, both in the professional life and in their romantic one. They both learn how to lead and follow, give and take, and fight for themselves and each other. Overall, this book was amazing. Sweet and spicy, loving and angst filled. A perfect balance of everything. I couldn’t put it down.

A very big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The moment I started this I knew it was going to be a new all time favourite read for me. I’m going to try my hardest to describe my feelings about this book but I still can’t articulate how it’s blown my mind.

There is something about Julie’s writing that captures you and doesn’t let you go. The way her tension literally gives me butterflies, I don’t know. At some moments when they would be close to each other or they were forced to interact when they still “hated” each other, had me in goosebumps and just waiting for something to happen.

This is the first time I actually could envision the whole book like I was actually in it. Experiencing it like it was a moving. Julie just wrote everything so vividly I felt and saw every moment in my mind. There were moments I actually felt like I could hear the music they were creating together.

Their love is something people dream of, and yes it’s only a book but it was written so so beautifully I don’t want to think otherwise. Thank you Julie Soto for this masterpiece. I actually am so sad I’m not going to be in their world anymore.

Everything is music; except music, which is sex.

As someone whose first language is not English and who has never played an instrument in her life - except for a butchered flute during middle school -, when I tell you this is the most complicated and easiest narration I've ever read, you have to believe me.
The way JS describes how Gwen senses the music, how she feels it running through her when she plays with Alex, all those terms that I don't really know what stand for (and I had to look up to be sure)… I FELT IT. I WAS THERE. I WAS PLAYING AND LISTENING AND FREAKING OUT WHEN THESE TWO LOOKED AT EACH OTHER.

But, unfortunately, two on two, she keeps losing me with the ending.
No one wants a happy ever after more than me, but there's a thin line between what it's plausible to happen and what we dream could happen.
While in her previous book, the ending was just too rushed and lacked an explanation for the ones who didn't live inside the characters' heads, here not only does the same thing, but it just doesn't sit right with me. If your mother hasn't cared for you in the twenty-six years of your life, do you honestly think one day she’ll see how subtly bad your stepfather is and leave him? Just like that, so she can finally have a relationship with you, and you're not even pissed at what she made you endure.

I'm gonna clarify it one last time, for the sake of it: I'm obsessed with her stories, her characters, her narrations, and the things she makes me feel, especially the ones I lack.
Julie Soto, if you don't have any fans that means I'm dead, and that cannot happen until your next book.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Julie Soto does it again, and this time I made sure I stayed up to read this whole book I couldn’t get enough. I loved Gwen and Alex. These two had chemistry from the JUMP, and the steamy scenes and how they just CLICKED, and I was here for it. I was never a fan of classical-orchestral-live music and now because of this book I will tap into that for the summer in NYC.

I will say if you loved her book before this one, Ama crosses over and the connection made me love this book even more. I wished their story never ended.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book.