Member Reviews

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โ„๐•–๐•ง๐•š๐•–๐•จ: ๐‘ต๐’๐’• ๐‘จ๐’๐’๐’•๐’‰๐’†๐’“ ๐‘ณ๐’๐’—๐’† ๐‘บ๐’๐’๐’ˆ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐œ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ž๐ฒ๐ž๐ฌ. ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ ๐ž๐ง๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ ๐š๐›๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฉ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐œ๐š๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐›๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง? ๐ˆ ๐ก๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐ง๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž ๐ž๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐š ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ˆ ๐œ๐š๐ฆ๐ž ๐š๐œ๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ž! ๐ˆ๐ญ ๐ก๐š๐ฌ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ˆ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ (๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž!) ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ง ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ˆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ค ๐ˆ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ž๐ž๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ (๐š๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ง ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ž๐๐ข๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐›๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ž ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐š๐ ๐š๐ข๐ง).

๐ˆ๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐š ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐œ ๐š๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐๐จ, ๐๐จ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ž๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ!! ๐€๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฐ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ง๐ž๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ๐œ๐ก๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐œ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐œ, ๐ˆ ๐œ๐š๐ง ๐ ๐ž๐ง๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐š๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ˆ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐š๐›๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ž๐ฏ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ˆโ€™๐ฆ ๐š๐ฅ๐ฌ๐จ ๐›๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š ๐ญ๐จ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐›๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐‰๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข๐ž ๐’๐จ๐ญ๐จ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐œ๐ฅ๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐œ, ๐ฆ๐š๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐›๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐š ๐ญ๐จ๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง-๐ฐ๐ข๐ง.

๐Œ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š๐›๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐›๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐†๐ฐ๐ž๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ ๐—๐š๐ง๐๐ž๐ซโ€™๐ฌ ๐›๐ž๐š๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ˆโ€™๐ฆ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐จ ๐›๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ž ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ˆ ๐ฆ๐ž๐š๐ง ๐’†๐’—๐’†๐’“๐’š๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ (๐ข๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ) ๐‰๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข๐ž ๐’๐จ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐š๐ฌ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ง!

๐’ฏ๐’ฝ๐’ถ๐“ƒ๐“€ ๐“Ž๐‘œ๐“Š ๐“‰๐‘œ ๐’ฅ๐“Š๐“๐’พ๐‘’ ๐’ฎ๐‘œ๐“‰๐‘œ, ๐น๐‘œ๐“‡๐‘’๐“‹๐‘’๐“‡ (๐’ข๐“‡๐’ถ๐“ƒ๐’น ๐’ž๐‘’๐“ƒ๐“‰๐“‡๐’ถ๐“ ๐’ซ๐“Š๐’ท๐“๐’พ๐“ˆ๐’ฝ๐’พ๐“ƒ๐‘”), & ๐’ฉ๐‘’๐“‰๐’ข๐’ถ๐“๐“๐‘’๐“Ž ๐’ป๐‘œ๐“‡ ๐“‰๐’ฝ๐‘’ ๐’œ๐‘…๐’ž! ๐’œ๐“๐“ ๐‘œ๐“…๐’พ๐“ƒ๐’พ๐‘œ๐“ƒ๐“ˆ ๐’ถ๐“‡๐‘’ ๐“‚๐“Ž ๐‘œ๐“Œ๐“ƒ.

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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.

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

And honestlyโ€ฆ I did not like this. Not Another Love Song made me feel uncomfortable and I almost DNFโ€™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. Iโ€™m not sure if it was just me and the fact that I wasnโ€™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.

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

I donโ€™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 Gwenโ€™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

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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.

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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 donโ€™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!

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โ€œLook, I donโ€™t know what you want from me, but โ€“โ€
โ€œAnything. Everything.โ€

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 Gwenโ€™s confidence and self-assuredness grow throughout the book, not only in her music, but also in herself. She learns what itโ€™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 heโ€™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 isnโ€™t the only thing worth living for.

โ€œI 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 couldnโ€™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.

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The moment I started this I knew it was going to be a new all time favourite read for me. Iโ€™m going to try my hardest to describe my feelings about this book but I still canโ€™t articulate how itโ€™s blown my mind.

There is something about Julieโ€™s writing that captures you and doesnโ€™t let you go. The way her tension literally gives me butterflies, I donโ€™t know. At some moments when they would be close to each other or they were forced to interact when they still โ€œhatedโ€ 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 itโ€™s only a book but it was written so so beautifully I donโ€™t want to think otherwise. Thank you Julie Soto for this masterpiece. I actually am so sad Iโ€™m not going to be in their world anymore.

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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)โ€ฆ 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 sheโ€™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.

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Julie Soto does it again, and this time I made sure I stayed up to read this whole book I couldnโ€™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.

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The WAY this book has altered every cell in my body. Julie Soto just became an auto buy author for me. I LOVED โ€œForget Me Notโ€ last year but never in a million years did I expected to love something by Soto this much. Is it too much to say itโ€™s my favorite romance read this year??

The way she wrote these characters, the chemistry between the two, the complex dynamic in the Orchestra was phenomenal! I have no musical background but Soto made it so easy to understand and to relate to. I was eating it all up within a day or two! No notes, seriously just perfection.

Okay maybe, one note. The tempo (get it?) and flow of the book seemed to change about 60% of the way through but I couldnโ€™t really put my finger on what it was?

I canโ€™t wait for this to be out in the world. I will come back to post my review closer to pub day! Thank you, thank you for the advanced copy!!

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I really enjoyed this book, and I definitely think I was biased because I play violin. I enjoyed the musical elements, the characters, and the story. It was such a fast paced book. There was honestly nothing that I disliked. If youโ€™re in the mood for a light, quick read, then I think youโ€™d really like this one too. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC of this book.

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Omg, I loved this! It was cute and sweet, but it had a lot of other things (outside of the romance) going on that held my interest. When I read a romance book, I have a hard time staying invested with predictable plots and the same type of characters and conflicts. This one was different in that it focused a lot on the aspirations of a musician along with family drama.

I loved the romance portion and found the spice level so perfect! That studio scene was perfection!



โ€ข

Thank you so much to Julie and NetGalley for this ARC!

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Alex and Gwen are the perfect fit! I really enjoyed watching them play and compose together. Their chemistry is off the charts! Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review! I canโ€™t wait for everyone to meet Gwen & Alex in Not Another Love Song.

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Wow, so I am nottt a contemporary romance girl, but I am a Dramione girl so when I saw that Julie was traditionally published I had to request this Arc on NetGalley and wow Iโ€™m so glad I did.

This book had me giggling and kicking my feet from the second they locked eyes in the orchestra. It took a bit for the tension to build, but once it did WOW. So freaking good. This book is definitely super niche and one for music lovers, I think if I was in the music world and fully understood every music reference (and there are a lot itโ€™s like 50% of the book) I would have easily given this a 5 stars.

Overall the vibes were great, I think the story flowed really well and I will definitely be reading her other contemporary romance.

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I was really enjoying this in the beginning, but the last 30% started to drag a bit. The tension was very strong, but I didn't feel the romantic chemistry. It felt a little rushed and sudden to me. I thought the plot was interesting and it's not like any book I've read before. I enjoyed the tension and the musical elements, but the romance fell flat for me. I can see this book becoming a big hit though!

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Wow, this was a fast burn but the chemistry , I felt it deep in my bones! The spicy scenes were so good, tender yet so hot. Sizzling hot!
I love that Gwen and Alex love music and that they fell in love through music as well. I also love Jacob and Declan, they were so sweet to Gwen!
Thank you for the e arc netgalley! I had a wonderful time reading this one!

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I really liked this one! I confess to never having seen any of the Star Wars movies, so I went into it a little perplexed on the tropes but really enjoyed the mutual respect the characters clearly had for each other.

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โ€œItโ€™s simple really,โ€ he said. โ€œItโ€™s about a cello who fell in love with a violin.โ€ -- Alex Fitzgerald

Gah!! This book was so masterful! The descriptions of the orchestra brought me back to seeing the orchestra play in Seattle at the Seattle Symphony. ๐ŸŽป The scenes that Julie Soto painted were so beautiful, I felt like I was there. The tension between Gwen and Alex / Xander Thorne was so palpable and their intimate moments were definitely ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ ๐Ÿฅต (you've been warned ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‚).

I love enemies to lovers so much! I loved the redemption of an old friendship and the relationship between mother and son. This book has so much depth and the Christmas scene had me tearing up; again, I felt like I was there watching it all unfold.

Bravo, Julie Soto! ๐Ÿ‘

Thank you, NetGalley, for my eARC. ๐Ÿคฉ

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I was excited to find this as a read now on NetGalley. Iโ€™ve read some of this authorโ€™s Dramione fanfic and have been meaning to read her published work.

This read like a fanfic to me, which is not a bad thing. It kept me flipping the pages despite some issues I have with the book. The male love interest is a little too obsessed with the female love interest in a way thatโ€™s just unbelievable, unrealistic, too fast, and kind of weird. Iโ€™m also tired of the mean love interest trope. There were also way too many sex scenes for my personal preference. I know others will disagree with me, but I really think one or two is best. Anything more than that feels excessive unless itโ€™s just really central to the plot progression. There were also a few plot points that didnโ€™t feel well thought out, and parts of the plot were a little melodramatic.

Iโ€™m rating this 3.5 stars. It was a fun, quick read, but Iโ€™m not sure that I would want to reread it. I would recommend to fans of Ali Hazelwood.

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