⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
✨ Angst Filled
🫶🏻 Rivals to Lovers
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🎶 Romance through Music

Who knew being a cellist or violinist was so hot?

Not Another Love Song gave me everything that I want in a romance. Yearning, angst, a grumpy hero, off the charts chemistry and so much tension with spice.

It’s been years since I was in a music world (yes, I was in band) but the way Julie is able to create such sexy moments out of describing two people playing instruments, is incredible. I was instantly sucked into this story and could not put the book down - not even for sleep.

In reading romance, if I have an issue with a book, it is usually because of pacing and this story’s pacing was perfect. The story was character driven with romance was at the forefront, with complimentary elements of found family and discovering yourself.

If I find myself in a reading slump, this is the book I’m picking up to get me out of it.

Uhhhh Reylo you say? Don't review my google image history...

I went into this read just a couple of days after finishing Forget Me Not, not knowing what to expect exactly. However, after reading Julie Soto's intro (which I smiled through) I decided to keep an open mind and see where it takes me. Caveat: I don't think I'm a fan of fanfic? Or a lot of references that might be purposely in written go right over my head.

But boy this was one heck of a ride. Things that might have annoyed other readers (okay - FMC is young and just seems perpetually scared; MMC is overbearing and angsty) totally made sense knowing who these characters were based on. But I'm never looking at the violin or cello ever again without thinking of this story so I would say it was a success ;)

This story made me smile, and gave me the same kind of giddiness that Mr. Darcy's hand clench provides. And that is a five-star read for me and the feeling I want when I read romance.

I won't hesitate to pick up Julie Soto's next book - I want to see where her next story takes me.

#netgalley

Review of Not another love song by Julie Soto
1. Love the world Soto creates, I can see how Gwen lives day to day, her love for music, her need to find a place where she belongs. It's beautiful.
2. Alex/Xander’s fearlessness is inspiring, I like how he and Gwen find missing pieces of themselves by getting to know each other.
3. I don't love adults who storm off and don't communicate. While I can understand their motivations because the story is so beautifully written, miscommunication and a third act break up are just not my favorite tropes.
4. The bad guys were really easy to hate. I love having a bad guy to hate on.
5. The leads were sexy and likable, spicy scenes were 🔥, and the HEA extremely satisfying. Read this book, you won't regret it.
4.5⭐

Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are both musical prodigies, but each has had very different paths to success. Xander was born into classical music royalty, while Gwen had a natural ear for music that 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. But she’s more furious that he arrogantly critiques her performance.

When Gwen is offered the role of First Chair of the orchestra, something Xander had secretly coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. But their respect for each other's music is undeniable, and their onstage chemistry off the scale. As they begin to explore their feelings for one another, suddenly they're box office dynamite and the fragile romance that's growing between them is in danger of being crushed beneath a publicity stunt...

🎻 R E V I E W 🎻

This book comes out in a few days. I have mixed thoughts, and I wanted to share.

Okay, I LOVED so much about this. I’m a big music person, so I was obsessed with that aspect. I heard some people say that it’s difficult to understand if you’re not a musician, but I can’t speak to that because I am in that world so much.

The way the characters communicated to each other through their music spoke to me. It made sense, and I’ll just say it—musicians are more emotional than the average bear, so the characters behaved accordingly to me.

I loved the found family. I loved the NYC elements. I loved the music references. I was listening to the songs while reading, but found myself WISHING I could hear Gwen and Xander’s versions of the songs.

Ok. Now what I did not like.

I thought the spice got a little too much for me. For the majority of the book, there was nothing and then all of a sudden it was a LOT. It became difficult to even skip the scenes because you were losing plot.

So, I’m torn. I 5 ⭐️ loved most of the book, but the amount of spice toward the end took away a little from the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever publishing for this advanced copy.

Pacing and believability issues aside, this book has one of the best steamy scenes I've ever read. I do wish it was workshopped a bit more as some of the characters are ridiculously cheesy but if you're looking for an escapist romance with some great tension this is a good one. 3.5 stars overall. Thanks to Forever pub and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Our heroine, Gwen, has just been made first chair at the Manhattan Pops, which is all she's ever dreamed of. Right? She's reached the pinnacle, where nothing can shake her. Except...for Xander Thorne. The broody and mysterious Thorne has pricked the thick skin of our heroine, despite her best efforts. He's arrogant. He's rude. And she can't get enough of him. And it looks like he feels the same way. It's cliche, but I'm going to say it: they make BEAUTIFUL music together, in more ways that one!!

I am sooooo gone for this couple!!! This enemies-to-lovers books is DELICIOUS. DE-LICIOUS!! I loved the tension. The slow burn. The many insanely steamy and yet emotionally deep love scenes. The way our author unwrapped each character, layer by layer. PERFECTION. I adored the cameos made by characters in the first widely published novel by Soto: "Forget Me Not". The way our initially prickly hero took care of and became vulnerable to our heroine was EVERYTHING.

I know very little about music, but I was still riveted by the way the author described the music scenes. The behind-the-scenes aspect of the music industry was fascinating, especially for orchestras, which was completely new to me. Additionally, this story was inspired by the Kylo Ren and Rey characters story in the Star Wars movies, and a real treat for anyone shipping that couple, for sure!

I'd like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Honestly I didn't have a lot of confidence in the fact that Julie Soto could make two members of an orchestra hot and steamy but I was Wrong!
The chemistry and slow burn between Gwen and Alex was amazing The way the spicy scenes were written in conjunction with the music building was something I have never read before.
Alex's fascination and admiration of Gwen was so touching.
Such a sweet ending! Can't wait to read more of her books!

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto made me giddy with joy. I absolutely loved Gwen and Xander. I fell in love with them as they fell in love with each other. Their tension was palpable.

I was so excited to receive this Julie Soto book because I loved her debut novel. Not Another Love Song, is now my absolute favorite of hers. I don’t know how Julie did it, but this love story focuses on the Manhattan Pops, and while I didn’t know most of the melodies and music being played, I could hear them as I read the book.

While there this story had a bit of instant love, it didn’t bother me and made me root for Gwen and Xander harder. I couldn’t put it down! I cant wait to read what Julie writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh. My. God. I’m having major bi panic and will need 3-5 business months to process all of this.

Just from the cover alone, you just KNOW the story is going to be phenomenal…and horny. I couldn’t put this one down if I wanted to. You’d have to pry it out of my hands but I may bite back because Gwen and Alex (Xander) mean EVERYTHING to me!! You have workplace romance, forced proximity, rivals to lovers and beautiful chemistry around music, like what more would you want from a book?? Alex is so obsessed and down right bad for Gwen, I loved every second of it. The progression of their relationship was written so well and I love how two characters who, don’t initially get along well, love doing the same thing like playing music. It brought Gwen and Alex together and their chemistry is off the charts.

Julie Soto knew what she was doing when writing this book and I don’t think I’ll ever recover from the cello scene. This is easily a top read for me this year and can’t wait for everyone. Thank you Forever and NetGalley for a gifted arc on exchange for my honest review!!

My first Julie Soto book, and definitely won’t be the last! Read this as an ARC. I know Forget Me Not is technically the “first” in the series but the fact that this revolved around music very much intrigued me. Julie Soto writes tension SO well. This was kind of “rivals to lovers”— and I eat it up every single time. And the cello scene?? (Got me sweating lol).
It did get more spicy as the story progressed, so I would’ve liked to see more dee, heart-to-heart conversations between Alex and Gwen to feel more invested in their relationship, I wasn’t really a fan of how the third-act conflict came about either, and how that was handled. Third person POV for contemporary romance isn’t my favorite, but regardless this was still written so well! I’m for sure adding Forget Me Not on my TBR :)

Not Another Love Song is a magnificent and moving masterpiece of romance.

When Gwen Jackson is orphaned at the tender age of eleven, playing the violin is the only thing that saves her. But for Xander Thorne, music is his curse as much as his gift. As these two extremely gifted musicians fall into each other's orbits, sparks fly and cymbals clash. Gwen is passionate and opinionated, dedicated to her career at the Manhattan Pops. A career that has finally paid off as she is asked to become first chair! Xander is arrogant and self assured, often waltzing in late despite his insanely lucrative rock career with the band Thorne and Roses and holding a seat with the Pops as first cello.

But as their circles draw nearer and nearer and they begin to learn more about each other, Gwen and Xander will find themselves making beautiful music together. Their chemistry both on stage and off stage becomes undeniable, leaving them to navigate their blossoming romance as well as their quickly complicating careers. But will the complications that arise leave the chords of their romance hanging in mid air? Or can the issues be resolved, perfectly reaching the tonic at the end?

Words cannot express how much I loved this book. Gwen and Xander are now solidified as one of my favorite romance couples of all time. Coming from a musical background myself, I very much enjoyed the setting. To be following Gwen and Xander as they navigated their musical careers, spending time in rehearsal, playing gigs, and composing, all felt like home.

Xander in particular is such a passionate character. Arrogant for sure. But passionate. The way he is able to bring the same out of Gwen is beautiful. They really do complement each other. The perfect partners locked in the most stunning duet.

The emotions Ms. Soto is able to elicit from the reader with her prose... When I tell you that I about threw my kindle in rage at some of the events towards the end of this book. I won't spoil anything - you'll just have to read this for yourself. But man, I was positively shaking.

I'm going to have to go back and read Ms. Soto's first book because when I tell you I just finished this book and I already hunger for more, it's the darn truth. This book is a ten out of ten. A perfect symphony. Brava, Ms. Soto. Brava! Encore!

This was my first Julie Soto read but won't be my last! I enjoyed this one thorougly, and it gave me the August Rush vibes I love. Two classically trained musical prodigies are thrown in each other's paths, professionally and personally. Neither are perfect and both definitely have their issues, but overall I loved the characters and their story. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more Julie Soto books!

This is a rivals to lovers story and the tension was so so good. I loved this book and was so into it that I read it in 2 days. It did take me about a quarter through it to get really interested but once I did I just wanted to keep reading it. I loved her other book Forge Me Not and to me this one is even better. The Cello scene! Hello chemistry! Also the cover is absolutely beautiful. I loved Xander and Gwen's love story. I think I will definitely have to pick up both this and Forget Me Not physical copies.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This gets a solid 3.75 rounded down to a 3.

I really enjoyed Forget Me Not and thought I'd feel the same about this one. Unfortunately, I did not love this one but it was ok! It's not bad, I really liked the moments between Gwen and Alex. I feel like the spice was a solid 4 but the drama leading up to it was a poor 2. Gwen and Alex took way too long to realize what they should do with their own predicaments; I wish I should just grab em by the shoulders, shake em, and be like CMON! I also really loved all of the songs mentioned and the beauty of reading a book about playing instruments. Even though this wasn't as good as Forget Me Not, I will continue to read more of Julie Soto's writing! I wonder who the next couple will be!

Thank you NetGalely, Julie Soto, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for this ARC!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me, even though I enjoyed Forget Me Not. The plot was boring and not compelling enough, and the main characters would have unrelated storylines during the book that didn't go with the rest of the plot. Gwen was not an interesting protagonist to me; Alex/Xander was slightly more interesting but still insufferable. The pacing was rather slow at uneventful moments but then would be too fast at potentially exciting parts. It seemed like some scenes were chosen first, and the rest of the book was written around those. The dialogue is also overly unrealistic, especially when Gwen meets Alex's friends for the first time.

I did like that Gwen quit the orchestra; I personally liked that ending choice. Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Julie Soto for the ARC!

Thank you netgalley and forever publishing for the earc
Thia book has my whole entite heart i loved every bit of it. A friend asked if i would buddyread with them and i am soooooooo glad we did what an absolute delicious book. I needed a trophy for my sehlf and have already preordered it. The enemies to covers the steamy scenes were absolutely perfection..i am.obseaaes with rhe characters and book. Standout 2024 read for sure!!

I wish signed copies were options for Canadians.

5/5☆

This is the second book that I have read from the author, I am thankful to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me early access.

I think that Soto's books are a fine time. But for whatever reason, they never really stick with me. I think that the writing style and I do not connect well.

I also think that the plot just did not hit for me this time. Overall it was very forgettable and I would recommend other books of hers before this one.

‘Not Another Love Song’ by author Julie Soto is a joy. This book sucked me in from the start, and I was sad when I ran out of pages to read.

As is the case with a number of contemporary romance novels, the romance between Alexander and Gwen was inspired by the chemistry and tension between Kylo Ren and Rey, or “Reylo” (from Star Wars for those who don’t follow pop culture.) This is the first book I’ve read where the parallels between the two stories are delightfully obvious, yet ‘Not Another Love Song’ is undeniably its own work of art.

I loved the connections between Alexander and Gwen. There were so many threads tying the two together. I loved how those threads were revealed throughout the story. They also had undeniable chemistry.

Of course there’s also the fight between good and evil. Determining who, and what, is good is a bit of a challenge for Alex and Gwen. These two are surrounded by a great cast of characters - many of whom are multidimensional.

Perhaps my favorite Star Wars tie-in though is the way the music acts as the Force. Readers can hear and feel the music as it flows through the characters and off of the pages. The emotions expressed through the music, the tension, the hurt, the confusion, the love - it’s all incredibly tangible.

Oh goodness, how I love this book. It’s rivals to lovers at it’s finest!
I read the OG version of this many moons ago and this story still pulls me in every single time.

The chemistry between Gwen and Xander is sooo good- they are quite simply MAGIC together.
Gwen feels like an old friend, and I found myself rooting for her at every step. It was a joy to watch her find her identity, it is truly inspiring to me. Dark rises and light to meet it. Xander had his own journey to self discovery and watching him struggle with his demons was just as inspiring. Also the spice was pretty great lol! This is my second time reading Julie’s work and she is definitely an auto buy author for me. I cannot wait to see what she has coming next!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and my pals at Forever Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!