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

First thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this arc, seriously thank you.

The first Julie Soto work I read was Forget Me Not. She instantly became a favorite author. I kept thinking how much like Abby Jimenez her writing was and that's a huge compliment. Julie is an auto buy at this point.

The sexual tension between Gwen and Alex was palpable. The way Julie is able to make the reader feel the emotions and tensions is next level. I loved this book. I loved this story. I want more.

Gwen and Alex both gifted musicians, drawn to each other. The pushed and encouraged the other. They only wanted what was best for one another. They want to see the other succeed in life. They make it through miscommunication, and people close to them who try to sabotage their relationship and use them for personal gains.

It's a fantastic book.

I loves the easter eggs and small connections to Forget Me. It was really fun to get a peak into the continued happy ending of those characters.

So, Julie, Dom and Mar next? ;)

5 🌟 all day
🌶🌶🌶

I absolutely look forward to her next 5! books in the works.

♾️⭐️

This is the most magnificent book I’ve ever had the privilege of reading. Julie Soto’s writing captures the beauty, the pain and the passion of classical music in a way I never thought previously possible.

As a classical violinist of twelve years, this book spoke to my soul in a way only those who have an intimate relationship with music can. This book deserves to be enjoyed and appreciated, please do yourself a favor and buy a copy on release day.

Thank you Julie Soto and the publishing team for the ARC - I am so grateful. Thank you for my new all-time favorite book!

I’m just a girl, standing in front of a dark, brooding boy with floppy hair and furrowed brow asking him to sit behind me on a small chair, press his thighs around me and teach me to play cello.

Alex says it best, “It’s about a cello who fell in love with a violin.”

Do I need to say more?

Ok, ok, I’ll say more.

Ladies and gentlemen, prefer to swoon. Ms. Soto knows her spice and she ain’t afraid to use it.

Gwen Jackson is a talented violinist who attacks music methodically. She plays because she loves it, yes, but also because it’s a job, stability, a place to belong. She’s meek and understated, doing her best to keep food on the table and a roof over her head after a childhood of insecurity.

Xander Thorne is the opposite. A gifted cellist who plays for no one but himself, he doesn’t need to belong, doesn’t crave stability. He’s brazen and bold, and, consequently, rich and famous, after a childhood of insecurity.

Their paths begin to cross, first at random functions, and then at the Manhattan Pops Orchestra where Gwen finds herself being offered the most coveted position: first chair.

A position she accepts.

A position Xander wanted.

The two find themselves in each other’s way, drawn together, the tension like a string on his cello, ready to be plucked.

They begin experimenting, making music together (literally and metaphorically if yanno what I mean) and find their tender relationship being put to the test by people who want to exploit them.

What I loved most? Xander falls first, falls hard, but is that dark and broody, fists clenched, squinted eye, confused sort of guy who you just know is going to melt into a puddle at Gwen’s feet.

And 👏🏼I 👏🏼am 👏🏼here 👏🏼for 👏🏼it.

There’s a lot more to this one, including a bunch of Easter eggs from her first book, Forget Me Not.

Totally enjoyable romance in which playing an instrument never seemed so sexy.

Thanks to @netgalley and @forever for the eARC. This one comes out July 16, 2024.

If you thought Julie Soto would be a one show pony with Forget Me Not, let me reassure you that is not the case.

In her sophomore novel, Julie Soto tackles a pops-centric orchestra in NYC as her setting between a violinist and a cellist, both musical prodigies in their own right. Who knew playing a cello could be so sexy!! I couldn't put this book down and faked a nap when visiting a friend so I could finish it. I also went down a rabbit hole for Vitamin String Quartet, who do the pops music for Bridgerton, while reading this too.

I am a fan of orchestral music so intrigued me right away besides loving Julie's writing. She is an auto-buy author for me since Forget Me Not. I don't think she can do any wrong and she didn't with Not Another Love Song.

I personally did want a little more from the ending, but with an appearance by characters in Forget Me Not, we might see snippets of Gwen and Xander in the future.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto is a third person dual-POV contemporary romance focused around two members of a New York pop orchestra. Gwen is a talented young violinst who picked the instrument up a bit later in life (eleven) and still has a few weak points. Despite this, she attracts the attention of cello first chair and rising star Xander, who notes her potential and finds it both maddening and enticing.

I would love more romances set in situations like this: orchestras, dance groups, artist circles. There's a lot of fun that can be done with how art is both a community and a private activity and Julie Soto explored those aspects quite a bit. How he participates in the musical world is very private to Xander, particularly in relation to his famous violinist mother and his history as a child prodigy while Gwen’s relationship with music is intertwined with her status as an orphan and how she used music to buy groceries and pay bills. The orchestra and the demands of the higher ups definitely play a part and add tension.

The pacing and voice both kept me engaged. Xander’s occasional chapter shed light on his decisions and how he views Gwen, which adds further complexity to his attraction to her. I'm personally a big fan of dual-POV romance novels and always want to see more of all parties’ inner worlds so it was much appreciated to get those insights.

Rivals-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes in contemporary romance and I liked how it played out here, with Gwen and Xander being rivals but for completely different reasons. Xander sees Gwen as his competition because of her raw talent, realizing that if she honed her skills, she could be better than him which he's never dealt with before. Gwen believes Xander is after the first chair position of the Pops’ orchestra and is determined to keep her position as the youngest first chair in America.

I would recommend this to fans of contemporary rivals-to-lovers, readers looking for a romance set in an orchestra, and those who want a sexual tension-filled romance novel

I was super excited for this book, and it didn’t disappoint at all. The connection between Alex and Gwen was beautiful. I loved seeing their relationship develop throughout the book. And the musical aspect seriously brought me back to my younger years when I was a musician for 9 years. Everything was spot on and it made me miss it! This book seriously gave me all the feels. I also loved the subtle nod towards characters from the earlier novel Forget Me Not. This book is one of the only 5 stars I’ve given all year. I highly recommend this book to anyone needing a truly moving love story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Julie Soto for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

This book was a lot of fun. As much as I love FanFiction, this author’s work included, I am a pretty vocal hater when it comes to FanFic-turned-traditionally published work. While I could definitely tell that it started as a Reylo fic due to the characters being heavily inspired by Reylo, it didn’t turn me off the way that kind of thing often does, and I owe that entirely to Soto’s mastery of the art form. I could probably knock off a star for how quickly the conflict wrapped itself up in the end, but I didn’t because it still felt largely organic. Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I will absolutely be reading anything and everything Julie Soto releases in the future!

The Reylo fanfic to contemporary romance book pipeline keeps serving unique and enjoyable reads and I love it. This was my first Julie Soto book and I really enjoyed it, especially since the premise was nothing like I had read before! Real rating of 4.5.

An orchestra-based spicy romance book? It's a fresh take on romance and I breezed through this book it was so much fun. I'm honestly not very knowledgeable in music, but I found it easy to follow along with (although I certainly cannot attest to the musical accuracy of it). I did think that Gwen got promoted awfully fast to first chair (I know, I know. There was a purpose for the company, but it still felt unrealistic). With no formal education, it just felt like her getting all the opportunities she did was a stretch (let alone being able to easily switch between cello and violin with little to no practice), but alas, maybe that's my lack of musical knowledge showing.

If you like broody male main characters (this is a redone Reylo fic after all), then you'll love Xander. And if you love unique spicy scenes and a man who uses you as his musical muse even after dissing you and your talents for the longest, then this is the book for you! He's got the rockstar vibes and I loved how he was with Gwen, the "I hate everyone but you" vibe. Gwen's story was really cute and I adored Mabel and how everything connected. It's truly such a great book!

Overall, I loved my first Julie Soto book and I know this will be a hit with romance readers everywhere! I love when music and books merge to tell a beautiful story and this is one that would do incredible on a movie screen. If you like rivals-to-lovers, sunshine/grumpy dynamics, a cast of fun and supportive side characters, and of course, the concept of main characters being in an orchestra where music is the thread between them, then you need to check out this book!

Julie Soto wrote such a heartwarming novel with Not Another Love Song. The descriptions of music and falling In love were so special and dare I say lyrical. I flew through this book not just for the sweet romance, but because of how much information I learned about the world of classical instruments. Soto did such a good job of weaving this information in for music dummies like myself. I could really understand and for lack of a better term hear what the characters heard and felt in their music.

Gwen and Alex are such a cute couple and my Heart swooned during the courting phase of their relationship. This was just really good.

While I didn’t love this as much as the author’s first book, I did really enjoy it. I loved how the relationship between the two main characters developed and evolved. The steamy scenes were well-written. And overall, I loved all the characters. Julie Soto is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me.

Is 30 too old to learn how to play the violin? The story of Gwen and Alex is the amazing, it’s by far one of the best stories I have read. Ever. The romance, the build up, the banter, there is not one single flaw in this book. With every page I loved these characters more and more and understood them more and more. The passion for each other and their music so strong you can feel it with every word. I loved learning about Gwen’s and Alex’s story of falling in love and their time in Pops. Julie Soto never disappoints and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Xander and Gwen had amazing chemistry 🌶️😍 it was a slow start for me but once it got going, I was definitely invested. I only wish we had more of a 50/50 dual POV from both characters. Also Jacob is one of my favorite best friend/roommate characters ever. Lastly, because I got an arc of this, it did have the authors note beforehand which mentioned it was based on an ao3 reylo fic. Personally I would’ve preferred that note at the end since it does set some preconceived notions and expectations as a reader, so I’m hoping in the finished version it’s at the end, especially for those that may not be reylo fans personally, but could still really enjoy this enemies to lovers, he fell first and harder, romance.
Thank you to Forever for an arc of this book! All opinions are my own.

I think this was a fun book! It was definitely interesting with a quick yet exciting plot. I did really enjoy the music aspect and the violin. That our main character is striving to prove herself time and time again because of her education level and she’s orphaned. It had a lot of sweet moments but also quite a few aggravating moments. The love interest made me grate my teeth a bit.

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto was cute and fun. However, even if there was not a note at the beginning of the book stating it was an adapted fan fiction, I would have been able to tell it was. Everything was just a little too neat, to convenient, and wrapped up too nicely for the story to feel authentic. I enjoyed both characters and really liked the idea of the first chair enemies to lovers that was mentioned in the authors note. And the cello scene, along with their first kiss were definitely stand out scenes. While enjoyable, this book just fell a bit flat for me.

No one can write yearning and tension like Julie Soto!! This was beautiful, tender and addicting! The connection Gwen and Alex have over their passion for music made it such a hot read! I think it was pretty clear from the beginning how the plot was going to play out but the romance is what really blew this out of the water. I didn’t realize how sexy discussing musical instruments could be!!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up for platform rating purposes.
Spice level: 3 🌶️

Let me just start out by saying…your future self will thank you for adding this book to your TBR immediately! ‘Not Another Love Song’ was such an amazing read for me. I loved Julie’s debut novel ‘Forget Me Not’ so I just knew I would adore this one as well. It had me laughing, swooning, fanning myself and cheering for the MCs and their character growth. I enjoyed the found family aspect with Mabel and the tension between Gwen and Xander/Alex was absolutely delicious! I also felt like the narrative was so well-paced and I ate this book up in a matter of days!

* I will say I got more of an insta-love/attraction vibe that kinda grated on me (I feel like they didn’t have a ton of time to really get to know each other before they were throwing around the “I love yous”), but it wasn’t the hugest issue for me in the scope of the whole book.

This one is for you love:
• Found family
• Workplace romance
• Rivals to lovers
• Tension and slow burn
• Fun side characters
• Banter

So many thanks are owed to NetGalley and Forever publishing for the advanced reader copy of this book. My physicial trophy copy is already preordered! 😆

I was not a huge fan of the main characters in this book. I found Gwen annoying, I don’t like that she got first chair because she was young and pretty, albeit talented but I hate that her age was such a selling point. Not a fan of Xander/Alex. I’m all for a grumpy sunshine but he was too angsty. While not for me, it was well written and an easy read.

I loved Julie soto’s forget me not, so I was really excited to get the chance to read not another love song! Some things definitely reminded me of forget me not, in the way that it’s hard to see how the MMC feels about FMC, but there were some chapters sprinkled in that made it nice to see what he went through and how he was thinking.

One of my favorite things about this book was the side characters. Mei is a hoot and I’d love to be her friend. The roommate/best friend Jacob is also so hilarious and supportive. Mabel and how she kind of raised Gwen in her own way.

That ending too!! Almost made me tear up.

I will say there is something that feels robotic in the writing or how the characters interact with each other. I’ve come to think that this is the author’s writing style, but I still overall enjoyed this book! Can’t wait to see how rose of chains is!