I really enjoyed this. It's kind of an opposites attract, but they're both gifted musicians. I'd say this is more new adult since they're both in their early/mid-20's.

I liked Gwen and Xander. They are very different in how they get to be where they are. In one sentence: One chose the instrument and the other was handed it. It's a story about finding what you love to do, letting go of expectations from others, and finding what matters to you. Their insecurities and histories clash in the drama climax for sure, but it was a moment you saw coming from the very beginning. They had to work it out and I liked overall how it came together. Xander's little legal issue was a little quick for me, but it worked to not draw out that conflict. The people who took advantage of everyone got their comeuppance so that worked for me.

The story has a great subtle groveling in it from Xander. I loved how even though she kept saying no, he kept asking and tried to do better. The reader can see that Xander is taken with Gwen and her skill with the violin from the very beginning, even with his blunt remarks. Gwen is a little more wary of him because of the way he's handled himself in past interactions, but I overall thought their romance was built well. It was a little choppy at some points with some insta-lust, but it was okay too. I loved when Xander laid all his cards down to Gwen, though. The he falls first is always a great trope and I'd say he falls first in this one.

The spice in this wasn't a whole lot, but the scenes we get were good. THE COVER OF THIS BOOK, THOUGH. While cute and PG...This cover is a spicy scene from the book. You do NOT look at this cover in the same after you read this book and it makes you think of it every time you see the cover. Haha

I really enjoyed this and look forward to getting a physical copy when it releases on July 16!

Title: Not Another Love Song
Author: Julie Soto
Length: 384 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: July 16, 2024
Genre: Romance | Women’s Fiction
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: open door
Summary:
Violinist Gwen Jackson and rock star cellist Xander Thorne are polar opposites in the Manhattan Pops orchestra. Gwen's quiet passion contrasts with Xander's explosive emotion and attitude. When Gwen is offered the first chair, a position Xander desires, their rivalry intensifies. Despite the tension, they can't ignore their chemistry and are forced to work together. As they compose and perform together, their connection turns them into a sensational duo. However, their budding romance faces the threat of being overshadowed by a publicity stunt.

Thoughts:
OMG, can I give this book a million stars? Julie Soto's latest novel had me hooked from the very beginning. The cello scene (and let’s not forget the intermission scene!) was unforgettable, perfectly capturing the intense chemistry between Gwen and Xander. Speaking of Xander, the way he is completely gone for Gwen and how he literally begs for her time is both endearing and heart-wrenching.

The side characters (oh hey you little cameos from Forget Me Not) added depth and charm to the story, and I loved to hate the “villains” who brought an extra layer of conflict. The third act breakup was believable but still aggravating, making the resolution all the more satisfying.

I love when a book takes me into a world I would otherwise never explore, such as a Manhattan orchestra scene in this story. This is my first Julie Soto book, and it will certainly not be my last.

Special thanks to the @netgalley and @foreverpub for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

This has been one of my favorite reads this year! The story follows Gwen and Xander (Alex), two musicians who could not be any more different. From their personalities to their careers and everything in between, you feel that tension and fire right away.

Julie’s writing is beautiful and I will be pre-ordering anything she writes moving forward!

Honestly, I’m not sure what to think about it. I tried so hard to finish this book, but I kept dragging my feet.

It started off strong, but I’m not even sure when the romance began, because it was nonexistent one second and then the other, I’m hit by a truck and suddenly they’re in love. It feels incredibly unrealistic to me, and there was genuinely no reason for either of them to feel more than just plain ol’ attraction. So why was the MMC begging the FMC, telling her how much he needed her etc? It confused me so much.

I was expecting a lot from this book, but considering how I didn’t particularly enjoy the first book, either, I probably shouldn’t have held expectations.

Wow, wow, wow wow wow. I have never read anything written by Julie Soto, but she has created a lifetime fan out of me with this book. I'm about to do a deep dive to find Soto's AO3 account just to read even more of what she's written. The chemistry between the two main characters was magnificent. This was a true rivals-to-lovers romance. Everything felt paced so well, nothing felt truly rushed despite the fact that we have to move quickly in order for a romance to not be 500+ pages. As someone who doesn't read a lot of straight-out romance, I think one of the biggest things for me when I'm reading is that the people feel, to me, like they have lives outside of this relationship they're striving towards, and Xander Thorne and Gwen Jackson do. They have lives and dreams and capabilities outside of the story of their romance. And their lives are fascinating. Once I hit about the 25% mark, I knew there was no shot I would be able to put this book down until I finished it. Every free moment I had I was pulling my Kindle out.

Julie Soto can do no wrong. I LOVED THS BOOK! I finished and actually cried because I wanted it to keep going. Amazing story, amazing characters (I loved Alex & Gwen), and amazing time. I love that these are reimagined Rylo fanfics (ex: Forget Me Not) because I fell in love with Soto's writing from her AO3 days. Cannot recommend enough! Thank you #netgalley!

3.75 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Having previously really enjoyed the authors past work I was stoked to get this one. I thought the concept was a goldmine of possible tension and for the first half I was completely sucked in! The tension and pining was fantastic! The broody MMC was hitting. The middle of this did sag a bit for me and I was honestly living for the cameos of Elliot and Ama and they got me through some of the blander bits 😍

The conflict at the end seemed obvious from the start so it was a little anticlimactic but the resolution was PERFECT! Swoon. If you loved, Forget Me Not, I highly recommend!

i unfortunately stopped reading this book at 80% :( the spice was weird and i didnt connect to the characters!

the reylo fanfic to traditionally published romcom just does it for me!!

i'm on my hands and knees for gwen and xander and their nerd flirting via string instruments!! they are truly the hottest (and horniest) classical musicians to ever grace the pages of a romance novel. and the cello scene??? can confirm is epic.

i loved that we got to know gwen and xander beyond just their relationship with each other and it just made me connect even more with them and their love story.

also, i know this may be hasty, but out of all the kylo ren mmcs that i've read about, xander is the most kylo ren mmc that has ever lived and i just want one just like him! be prepared to want to love him and protect him forever!

the only thing for me is that the pacing was a little off for me in the first 30% of the book, and the ending felt a little rushed and leaned a little cheesy for my taste.

overall, julie soto has a fan for life!! so looking forward to her future novels

thank you forever publishing and netgalley for this earc, it comes out 7/16!!

Read This Book If…you love fated mates in your fantasy reads!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

Please note: this was an ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: romance
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: NYC
POV: single, 3rd person, past tense
Tropes: rivals to lovers, celebrity, longtime crush, workplace, he falls first, found family

My Thoughts:
While fated mates doesn’t really exist in contemporary romance, these two have such insane chemistry and them becoming each others’ musical muse was so romantic and really reminded me of that trope!

I liked getting in-depth into a different industry (a la Ali Hazelwood’s books) and the world of music was so interesting!

Since I typically prefer dual POV, getting a brief look into the MMC’s head every once in a while was really nice.

I love reading fanfiction-turned-published authors because they have mastered the art of tension and electricity between their characters and I was truly unable to put this read down. I really liked Julie’s debut novel, but this one was even better!

Memorable Quote: “Maybe she liked love songs after all. As long as she was playing then with Alex.”

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
Pub day is 7/16 🎉

Unputdownable. I am such a huge Julie Soto fan!

I seriously started raving and recommending this at about 7% in. It's the writing style, the characters, the tropes--so expertly done. . .I love this book.

Absolutely love the intensity of the hero--he is so, so gone for her and that is truly what we love to see!

I love when an author can make me care about something I wasn't previously into at all. This book made me want to see an orchestra performance. I, too, would like to imagine the first chair violinist is making heated eye contact with the first cellist!

I love the way Julie Soto writes steamy scenes. Forget Me Not was such a standout for me last year, and one of the reasons was that it didn't feel cookie cutter at all. The same goes for this one--the steam fits the characters and the story. It's so beautifully written!

The romance is gorgeous, but the plot outside of the romance was also so wonderful...dreaming big, advocating for yourself, discovering what you want in life, reconciling two different parts of yourself... so many lovely themes! The way Xander's backstory was slowly revealed and then healed was perfect.

Thanks so much Netgalley and Forever for the e-arc!

Julie Soto knows a good premise. Loved the classical music element, the *scene that we glimpse on the cover is perfectly executed. I don’t really enjoy Romances with young main characters because I’m like, “you think this is forever? Your prefrontal cortex is barely fully formed.” And across the board band names in novels make me want to sink into the floor. But these are me things, not necessarily problems with this book. Will still happily hand sell it.

I absolutely adore this book. Not totally appropriate for a classroom setting, but it touches on so much that is relevant to those studying musicians that it will likely become an off-campus suggestion.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Not Another Love Song is another solid romance from Julie Soto. While not quite as emotionally compelling as her debut, the magic she crafted there is absolutely hard to top. But this story has its own magic, and I love how she once again has taken something as ubiquitous as Reylo fanfic and transplanted it into a new interesting niche, this time the competitive world of classical music.
I love that Gwen and Alex’s backgrounds and how they ended up getting into music impact their perspectives on it. Both are prodigies, but for Gwen, it comes naturally and she’s very subtle in her displays of emotion, yet her passion comes through. Alex, as a contrast, is big and bombastic, both in his performance and in his personality.
While he did have his moments where he was a tad off-putting in his arrogance, I generally liked how their competitiveness and mutual passion for music, even if expressed differently, translated into an attraction to one another. And Alex is also someone you get to know a lot more over the course of the book, as you understand his history through flashbacks, and what led him to adopt the “Xander” persona. This and their professional goals, play a role in the conflict keeping them apart, but their relationship up to that point felt believable enough that I was invested in whether they would figure things out.
This was a sweet, heartfelt read, and I’d recommend it to readers interested in contemporary romance with musicians, or to those who enjoy published “Reylo fic.”

Not Another Love Song is such a joy! Julie Soto intertwines music and intimacy beautifully. Gwen and Xander are complete opposites, but share a deep love for music. I love how it brings them together. And the chemistry and heat between Gwen and Xander is perfection. Julie can really write a swoon worthy MMC!

We also have angst, secrets, a NYC setting, and CAMEOS! I highly recommend reading this one!

This was my first Julie Soto book and honestly it was fun! This was a refreshing trope and relationship compared to what I've been reading lately. I love artistic relationships and bonding over something they both enjoy and the musician/orchestra setting was a unique twist. It was a bit of insta-infatuation and a whole lot of he falls first AND harder. If that's your vibe then this is definitely for you. Although I thought the ending was super sweet and offered closure it felt a bit rushed compared to the pacing of the rest of the book. Overall I thought it was a fun take on rivals to lovers, forced proximity, and found family.

4.5/5 stars

Not Another Love Song is a spicy contemporary romance between a violin player and cello player.

Gwen plays the violin for the Manhattan Pops Orchestra. Xander Thorne is the talented lead band member of Thorne and Roses.

I know very little about either of these instruments. But I was mesmerized by the musical parts of this book. All of these scenes were written so beautifully. And I found the fact that Gwen and Xander were both professional musicians to be so fascinating.

There are also supporting characters that made this book so special. I found that Mabel (Gwen's mentor), Ava (the reigning diva of the Manhattan Pops), Jacob (Gwen's roommate) and a bunch of others added so much to this book.

Overall, the cover is the absolute perfect cover for this book (you will understand after you read it). What a beautiful and very sexy story!

“They’ve been keeping you hidden,” he said. “Ordinary. When you’re anything but.”

I’m not sure what to write…sometimes I just want to write a review that says

EXCUSE ME READ THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT WAS AWESOME

But I know that is useless to pretty much everyone, sooo

5 stars of cinnamon roll, dirty talking, music playing cuteness

“Extraordinary. Absolutely— fucking gorgeous—”
“Can’t believe you did that,” she hissed.
“— something so beautiful—”
“I could have embarrassed myself in front of all of Carnegie Hall!”
“— like we were made for each other, Gwen.”

Okay, first things first – Ama and Elliot – hi my lovelies, it was nice to see you again

“Keep going.” He shifted behind her as she moved into the next section— less wild than the first but still a whirlwind. And then he was behind her. Fitting into the space between her back and the back of the chair, sitting with his thighs on either side of her, his hands steadying himself on her hips.

Second thing: That quote above? THAT WHOLE SCENE *internally combusts*

Third Thing:

Alexander Fitzgerald.
Xander Thorne.
Alex.

"He stared at her, like he’d lost his train of thought, and she watched him lick his lips. “Can I see you? After rehearsal? Any day. Or morning.” A hand shoved through his hair. “See, I can be on time.”" (Give him praise, Gwen!)

This man was the definition of a tortured soul. I was living for all of their interactions, literally screaming during THAT SCENE. The cover scene. You’ll scream when you get to it too. Trust me. See quote above and combusting.

"He sent her a shaky smile, quickly pressing his lips together."

He was so soft for Gwen lmao. He was this grumpy, tough person to everyone, he only ever had acquaintances (or partners as he called them) but with Gwen he was this little ball of mush, buying her tacos and coffee and asking her out all cute-like. Okay, that’s enough

“If you don’t want to be with me, together with me, I can understand,” he said, and she felt her knees wobble. “But, Gwen, please make music with me. 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 fuck you, then let me make love to you onstage every night because it’s the most alive I’ve felt in ten years—”

I had such hatred for Nathan and Lorenz by the time we got to the end. I mean, I knew they were manipulative, arrogant assholes, but phew, they were the worst. And Ava…I didn’t like her either. Basically, everyone in Alex’s life was shit and used him and it turned him into this egotistical monster who had no care for anyone else (obviously until Gwen, but also, like a while after Gwen too). He really had everything stacked against him (but also had everything going for him too).

“Look, I don’t know what you want from me, but—”
“Anything.” Black eyes looked down on her, and he took a shaking breath. “Everything.”

Gwen and her “I don’t like long goodbyes or love songs” also lost a lot and just wanted security and stability. I relate to that – having stability is sometimes the only thing on your mind.

“I want to be clear,” he whispered, as she focused on the rose-colored smudges around her lips. “I want you. In every way.” She swallowed, and he watched her throat move. “I want to see you. And fuck you. And play music with you.”

The spice

"He pulled back long enough to whisper against her lips, “I’m gonna fuck you until you scream tonight.”"

THE SPICE

“Take off the robe.” Gwen swallowed, feeling a chill run across her skin. Oh, yes, how silly of her to forget. They’d had sex last night. They were now people who had sex. With each other, specifically.

Okay, I’m done. This was a mess.

When I say this book is filled with sexual tension I mean it’s FILLED like to the brink. I was kicking my feet screaming for them to just kiss already damnit! I loved the development of their relationship so much and their chemistry as a couple in music and beyond was so palpable. The bit that’s where in Alex’s pov really added to the intensity of their story. Something about this book just in raptured me and I couldn’t put it down. Julie’s writing is truly just magic and hits every emotion. I found myself wishing the book was 500 pages longer and that I could know these character irl. I can’t wait to read whatever Julie writes next.

Geez talk about a romance that sucks you in and does not let go until the very last page!!

This book was an easy five stars. Gwen is a violinist with the Manhattan Pops Orchestra, where the music idol of her youth, Xander Thorne, is lead cellist. After playing at a wedding where Xander is one of the bridal party, her once-invisible status is no more. He absolutely will not leave her alone.

BUT THEN!! Gwen is offered the position of first chair, a coveted leadership role within the orchestra—one Xander was aiming for. Their orbit brings them ever closer, the chemistry and tension between them hovering unspoken. How long can they last before something gives?

I’m not kidding when I say even typing that makes me want to open the book and start reading it again 😅 IT WAS THAT GOOD. THAT ADDICTING. Easily cements Julie Soto as a favorite romance author of mine.

This book is out July 16! Definitely add it to your tbr 👀

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing a free digital copy in exchange for my honest review ❤️