3.5⭐ I won't lie. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but nevertheless, I was having a great time reading, lol. Was it the best writing? No, but boy, oh boy, was I entertained. Never in my life did I think I would be reading about how s*x is basically music, LOL. I liked the whole rivals-to-lovers trope, and also, who doesn't love a man who is thoroughly obsessed?

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I loved Forget Me Not so I was really excited to read Julie Soto's next book, Not Another Love Song and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I was lucky enough to get to read this one early and dare I say it might be my favorite romance so far this year! It releases on July 16 so add it to your TBR list!

Not Another Love Song is a romance about two musical prodigies. Xander Thorne was born into a famous musical family. Gwen Jackson was just a naturally talented musician who picked it up with little formal training. They both perform with the Pops Orchestra but when they meet up at a wedding where Gwen is performing, Xander arrogantly critiques her performance and she realizes he has no clue who she is. Their hostility builds over the next few weeks and months but so does their chemistry, on stage and off. But will a publicity stunt derail their new romance?

This book has everything you want in a great romance and the musical aspect takes this romance to another level. The characters connect through music and it makes the chemistry and tension between them OFF THE CHARTS! Their individual stories are emotional and will tug at your heart strings. This book has some spice and it is so well written. And the MMC is so swoony I absolutely loved this book! Devoured it! Julie Soto is officially an auto-buy author for me!

I loved Forget Me Not so I was excited to read Julie Soto’s next book, Not Another Love Song and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

Not Another Love Song is a romance about two musical prodigies. Xander Thorne was born into a famous musical family. Gwen Jackson was just a naturally talented musician who picked it up with little formal training. They both perform with the Pops Orchestra but when they meet up at a wedding where Gwen is performing, Xander arrogantly critiques her performance and she realizes he has no clue who she is. Their hostility builds over the next few weeks and months but so does their chemistry, on stage and off. But will a publicity stunt derail their new romance?

This book has everything you want in a great romance and the musical aspect takes this romance to another level. The characters connect through music and it makes the chemistry and tension between them OFF THE CHARTS! Their individual stories are emotional and will tug at your heart strings. This book has some spice and it is so well written. And the MMC is so swoony😍 I absolutely loved this book! Devoured it! Julie Soto is officially an auto-buy author for me!

If you love….
❤️ Rivals to lovers
❤️Grumpy/sunshine
❤️Found family
❤️Tension and banter
❤️Spicy romance
….don’t hesitate to pick this one up!

***Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this ARC copy of Not Another Love Song in exchange for my honest review.

dare i say- the best romance book i’ve ever read???

Not Another Love Song has officially left me speechless and then some. This book was the perfect combination of everything I look for in a contemporary romance story: intriguing characters with tragic pasts, angst GALORE, complex familial and friendship relationships, and heartbreaking moments followed up by scenes that put my heart back together.

as a former orchestra kid (hi hello, it’s me, former music major🫡), Julie captured the politics of the orchestra SO well. having a crush on a cellist was honestly so real (we’ve all been there) and Xander was the epitome of “hardcore gifted/ prodigy child who’s better than you and he knows it”. gwen was a lovely fmc who I would 100% be friends with irl. safe to say i loved these characters!

gwen and xander’s relationship LITERALLY had my heart racing, pacing around the room, sitting awestruck and overheated. This was some of the best “he falls first” I’ve read and BOY did Xander know how to use his words to make the reader fall in love. gwen, you held out longer than any of us would have. the spice was IMMACULATE, but what else are we to expect from Julie Soto?

what I usually hate about romance books is the third act breakup. Not Another Love Story did it so well, where it actually made sense on both sides that I couldn’t even be mad. Was I still screaming at both of them? Yes. Was I screaming at other forces even more, though? YES.

On top of all that, the journey of both characters healing parts of their childhood relationships was a beautiful touch. The end of this book had me in tears and I wish I could continue reading about their lives.

if you’re looking for some quick highlights:
- rivals to lovers
- slow burn & banter & angst
- he falls first
- mmc who’s REALLY good with words
- rockstar(ish) romance (trust me)
- mirrorball AND archer mmc

I read this book forever ago and read it so fast that my review is all over the place. Also it as a massive amount of Reylo mentions because as a Reylo fic reader I was obsessed with this one and it really is the most Reylo book I've ever read (and I've read the classics).

Julie soto is the QUEEN OF PACING. I only meant to read one chapter and suddenly I was 40% into the book. And then the next night when I read a bit I wasn't even fully aware of time. I just get sucked in and that isn't something that happens to me very often. Every scene matters and adds to the story in a way that is so impressive. 

I do think Gwen could've been a bit more developed. For me with former Reylo fics I don't need a ton of character work bc I can read between the lines and infer a lot based on my knowledge of Reylo fic / Star Wars fic. But I know this is something that people have pointed out in other fic to trad published works. 

This book gets one thing right with its depiction of the Kylo/Ben Solo character BEN IS A LOSER WHEN IT COMES TO REY. LIKE. Man is gone and is not smooth. I am obsessed with this and we love seeing a "suave" man become an absolute loser. like love a pathetic man. And Xander is obsessed with Gwen and is a fool about it (in the best way).

I feel like the cello scene was a bit overhyped bc it was great? but I would've LOVED TO BE SURPRISED. Do love that it is on the cover though. 

Gwen and Xander are WILD LIKE MAKING OUT DURING INTERMISSION!! To be fair hot and romance reasons yada yada BUT ONE COLLECTIVE BRAINCELL BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM and truly do not think they could've been presentable in the TWO MINUTES they had to get themselves together 

I loved that Gwen was a fan of Xander's band!! I'm tired of books with famous people where the love interest has never heard of them/is nonchalant about their work. like YES SHE HAD A POSTER OF HIM AND IS EMBARRASSED BY IT and LMAO when her friends were teasing her about (that being said the way she reacted when she learned about the toxicity of said band could've been more developed. 

I don't think this third act break up entirely worked, but they really rushed into certain things so them sort of falling apart and then fixing things after one convo is not my fave. But it worked because they were so emotional and dramatic about everything that it made sense to me.

ALSO WHEN HIS MOM WALKS IN ON THEM AND HE IS JUST WEARING A TOWEL . I CACKLED

Not the Alex's version and the OKAY SCOOTER moment like is that???

Overall I had a great time with this book and have already started a reread. If you're a contemporary romance reader I highly recommend this one. Also hit me up if you want Reylo fics LMAO

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
Genre: contemporary romance
Format: eARC
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Can you say new auto-buy author?! Julie Soto - you’ve done it again! I don’t know how to describe it, but she puts a level of angst into these books and I eat it UP!

🎻Musicians (violinist and cellist)
🎻Rivals to lovers
🎻Spice
🎻Allllll the tension
🎻Forced proximity
🎻NYC setting

I’ve read romances where music is involved, but this is my first book where classical music was a focus. While that may not sound the most entertaining (sorry classical music fans, don’t hate me) this book had me SO intrigued. Also the music gets… included in some spicy scenes (hello cello scene omg) and it’s something lemme tell ya!!! 🥵 Xander is also basically a rock star in the classical music world so that’s very attractive as well.

The way Xander sees Gwen’s talent and pushes her out of her comfort zone? Love. The way he remembers the little things, like her coffee order after only hearing it one time? Amazing. The way he’s absolutely enthralled with her?! Incredible.

Thank you to @readforeverpub for my eARC of this one! Not Another Love Song is out July 16th!

If Gwen and Xander have no defenders I am dead. I loved basically everything about this book, Gwen and Xander were both so flawed but so easy to root for I found myself itching to get back to reading whenever I had to take a break.

I know the cello scene is the one that is said to change lives but honestly the tension between Xander and Gwen for the entire book changed my life. One thing about me, I'm gonna eat up a man who is kind of mean and arrogant because he's in love with her! I know people say Gwen was naive and I will not say they're wrong but I do think her character arc was really well done. She was just a girl who wanted to believe people who make music do it only because they love it and not because of the profit, that people were inherently selfless and good, there will be Gwen slander allowed on my watch!!!

Xander is my favorite type of MMC in a romance. He was so jaded and arrogant and kind of mean but my man was down so bad. I ate it up!!! Watching him learn to speak for himself and not let people tell him what he wanted was one of my favorite parts of this book. I genuinely needed to hug him so bad. Xander you will always be famous!!!

I had some issues with the pacing of the book, it felt like it took a hot minute to get into the bulk of them interacting but honestly I enjoyed everything else so much that it was so easy to overlook. I wanted more of them for longer but every part of them I got genuinely made me giggle or swoon or scream or kick my feet. Julie Soto is so good at writing characters who are down bad and characters who you simply cannot get enough of!

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for this eARC!

I absolutely loved this book. Julie Soto writes in a way that draws you into the story and leaves you wanting more. I know nothing about the technical side of music, yet the way she weaves it into the story was flawlessly executed.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is set to be published July 16, 2024.

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto is a stunning romance about a violist and a cellist who fall for each other while playing in the same orchestra. Gwen is a sunshiny violin player who is granted the position of first chair in the orchestra (the youngest in history) and Xander is a grumpy cellist who has secretly coveted the position for years but is also the lead in a famous band (that Gwen might just be obsessed with). Their relationship starts incredibly tense but as they play music together and get to know each other, their relationship blooms into something beautiful.

I really, really enjoyed this! I will be honest and say that I didn't love Julie Soto's debut novel so I was hesitant going into this. Although this was technically her first novel, I think this is much stronger. The romance is believable and the chemistry is off the charts. Xander is a freaking dreamboat (who bears a striking resemblance to Adam Driver...). And the cello scene. HELLO!? Ali Hazelwood hyped up that scene so hard and let me just say, it lives up to the hype.

I will say that I struggled with the main character, Gwen. She is young, naive, and very insecure. And I do think these things make sense for her character but I tend to prefer a bit of an older/more mature lead. The final conflict also resolved a little too quickly. I think some of the strongest parts of this novel are the descriptions of music. I'm no musician but the way Soto equated the way the played music together with their physical intimacy was STUNNING.

Overall, I really enjoyed this! I think if you are a fan of Ali Hazelwood, you'll love this. And characters from her other novel pop up throughout this one and it was nice to get a sneak peek in on their lives.

The sexual tensions in this book is like nothing I have read yet. I think me being a recovering band geek made the musical elements of this story even more enjoyable. Grumpy sunshine is one of my favorite tropes to read and this one was a delight. I also will immediately love any story that has found family.

I really enjoyed this book and was surprised at how into it I got despite having no musical talent or knowledge. Who knew classical instruments could be so sexy?! Definitely a book to swoon over.

I devoured this book. The tension between Alex and Gwen was so so so so good and I will still think about that cello scene on my deathbed 🫠

I loved the musical aspect of the story and I’m very happy people get to see how hot classical instruments are. It’s the kind of book that makes me regret never picking up a violin.

The rival to lovers, but he’s actually obsessed with her was exactly what I wanted to read. I actually liked that Alex had no idea Gwen existed before the story started and then went absolutely crazy for her.

A gorgeous book and a perfect summer read. ♾️/⭐️

I. am. OBSESSED.

I need to learn violin and find me a hot cello player, who kind of hates me (not really) and is kind of obsessed with my talent. right fucking now. I want this book to be injected into my veins. I think about it daily since I finished reading. The cello scene?? Good god. The title mention?? I died.
The fact that she has a nickname for him that no one else uses?? I love that shit.
Sorry if you were expecting any coherent statements from this review, because I don't have any. What I can tell you though, is that the vibes of this book are IMMACULATE. I was laughing, I was giggling, I was swooning, I was sweating. And mostly, I felt the music and the passion that the characters have for their music. I will never again be able to listen to string music or see a violin or cello without thinking about Gwen and Xander. And I'm grateful for it.

10/10 stars and don't expect me to be available anytime soon, I'm gonna be busy reading everything else Julie Soto has written so far.

4.25!

Who knew classical music was so sexy? Actually, I did.

I love Julie Soto's debut book and was HIGHLY looking forward for her second book. I was afraid the "second book curse" was going to get her, but truly, Not Another Love Song may be even better than her first book.

This follows Gwen, a mostly home trained Violinist who is making her way up the Manhattan Pops symphony. As she moves to First Chair Violin and Concert Master, she comes to conflict with Xander Throne - musical prodigy cellist with a secret.

This book was honestly SO fun to read. I may be biased because I've played the violin for 10 years (very proud to be one of two 7th grade violinist in section in my junior high orchestra) but I didn't realize how badly I needed a book that took place in an orchestra. First and foremost, I loved the characterization of both Gwen and Xander. Their passion for music was RIVETING and made me consider picking up my violin for the first time in years. I loved seeing them compose music together and the use of musical terms to describe their relationship and emotions. Also the studio scene? With the cello? Deceased, thank you very much.

I did knock a few pegs on the point because I felt like I wanted relationship building. These two burn FAST once they got together and I would have love to explore that more.

All and all, this was a GREAT read. As always, I look forward to whatever Julie puts out.


Thank you so much NetGalley and Julie Soto. for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I need to still read Julie's first book, but I enjoyed this book. I could see the elements of fan fiction that inspired it while reading, but felt like it was it's own story and characters. The plotline was a little predictable, but the villains in the book were sly about what they were doing until near the end when everything came to a head.

I thought the plotlines with the orchestra and making music together quite enjoyable. I used to play in orchestra and it almost made me want to dust off my old violin and give it a whirl after 20+ years. I think that Gwen and Alex meshed well once they finally started communicating together. It took a bit to get used to Alex and his way of voice his opinions, but I think he did a good job trying to get Gwen to relax and really feel the music.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads and Julie Soto did not disappoint!! The way that you could FEEL the angst and the chemistry between Xander and Gwen was so beautifully written. He was so obsessed with her and wanted her SO bad

The scene where they create music together the first time was EXPLOSIVE (in more ways than one 🥵)

💙Rivals to lovers
🩷Forced proximity
💙Grumpy X Sunshine
🩷 He falls first

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Julie Soto can do no wrong, she’s sooooo good with tension and buildup it actually drives me crazy (in the best way). This was so binge-able and sexy. Need more books from Julie asap

book rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
&& yes i did mean to put 6 stars hehe

mini book review:
i just finished not another love story a few days ago && i still cannot formulate sentences for a full in-depth review🙈 let me tell you…i GOBBLED it uppppp!! literally my new personality!! if you ask me what my favorite romance book is right now, i would 1000% say not another love song by julie soto because wowowowowowowow!!! literally need to figure out words to say how invested i am with this story & these characters!! the tensionnnn in the book could not have been cut with even the sharpest of knives as it was so thick!!

also, i was a music major for most of my college career & i have always been heavily involved with music…so when i tell you that i feel like this is such a great depiction of the music scene, i mean it. literally didn’t realize how much i craved a rivals/disdain to lovers from a first violin & first cellist pov. wowowow i looooved it. also, yes…this is a reylo fanfic i believe. anyyyywaaayyyyy…

pls pls pls do yourself a favor & read this book when it comes out july 16!! mark. your. calendars!!

4.5 stars

Another adorable win from Julie Soto. Her brand of funny + emotional + medium-stakes drama really works for me, apparently. (Even if I'm getting pretty tired of the 'published Reylo fanfiction' element of romance books these days.)

Writing: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★

Not Another Love Song is for us musician girlies. You know, the ones who were too involved in their high school band or orchestras—or maybe even those of us who made it to college-level bands or orchestras too, or even beyond that.

If you don't love the lifeblood of being a concert musician, I don't think this novel will hit you quite the same. But for those of us who remember those days...

Gwen Jackson is a early 20s violinist for the Manhattan Pops, an orchestra group that plays non-classical orchestra arrangements. She's be a respectable member of the violin section, never standing out yet never flopping, for years. So when she is unexpectedly given the first chair / concertmaster seat, Gwen's floored.

Xander Thorne is the bad boy of the Manhattan Pops, arriving late and barely practicing each piece. He's a musical prodigy and the headliner for a popular rock-strings ensemble (think Vitamin String Quartet) that tours the world. He's too good for the minor leagues, and the worst thing is he knows it.

Obviously, Xander and Gwen are going to butt heads with Gwen's recent promotion and Xander's absolute fixation on Gwen's performances. There's something about Gwen's raw sight reading that calls to Xander in his blood, and he must know what it is. (Gwen has no idea what he's talking about, but she's pretty obtuse in this arena.) And the two of them find themselves fascinated by the other for various reasons.

Fans of Ali Hazelwood and other "Reylo" fanfiction tropes will automatically recognize the arcs of this story. Aloof yet smart, hulkingly large dark-haired man with tiny, smart yet seriously situationally stupid pretty girl fall in love with the miscommunication trope. I'll be brutal, that's what this—and apparently every other Reylo story in the canon—is at its basic level. It either works for you or it doesn't, and for me, I'm in the "it works" camp for at least a little longer.

I look forward to more Julie Soto—but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that her next read freshens up the tropes a bit. (Even someone who enjoys the Reylo archetype gets tired of it.)

I can't even put my words together other than I just don't picture Adam Drive as this character lol It was sexy, well done and the conflict made sense for once. Even though it drove me crazy, the miscommunication trope was handled better than most romance novels these days