This book had me swooning and giggling and all the things that a romance book should make you do! The tension between Gwen and Xander was *chef’s kiss* and if you liked “Forget Me Not” you will not be disappointed by this book- Ama & Elliot even show up more than once! I personally love when characters from other books by the author make “cameos” in future books- it’s a nice touch.

I loved all the nods to pop songs that you probably know and love, but I really appreciated the original compositions that come to life on the page. Personally, I am not musically talented (at all!) but I felt like I was in the audience of the Pops Orchestra.

Gwen was kind of naïve and didn’t listen to all the people that were warning her of all the things that were happening, but I feel like that was due to her upbringing and her wanting to be successful in the way that she thought was right for her. Xander made me blush, more than once. I loved seeing all the different aspects of him and why he acts the way he does.

I don’t like to be overly critical of romance novels, I rate based on the vibes. This one was so fun!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for a review!

This book had me hooked from the start, even as someone who doesn't give a hoot about Reylo.

I appreciated that the enemies to lovers arc felt like it had legitimate grounding for both the enemies and the lovers, which not a lot of books get right. The ways they became infatuated with each other but also respected each other as artists was very compelling. The spice in this book is also really strong. I don't often read straight M/F romance because the gendered dynamics don't sit well with me. The sex here struck the right balance of realistic and aspirational, while being centered around Gwen's pleasure.

The tension was delicious, and made for a fast and highly entertaining read!

Cello scene…. Cello scene…. Cello scene…
I would say more but my heart rate increases and I’m suddenly melting back into a puddle of goo again. 15/10, no notes.

I'm just really glad that cellos are finally getting their due as the Hottest Instrument™️

I really enjoyed Forget Me Not by this author, so I was really excited for her second novel (both of which are very straightforwardly Reylo fanfic, which you can probably tell by the drawing of Adam Driver on the cover, but like, just in case you couldn't). And I think I might have liked this one even better.

This book follows Gwen and Xander who are at times coworkers, rivals, and collaborators. They work together at the Manhattan Pops orchestra, and genuinely, I will not describe the background and family histories at play here, but if we want an oversimplified translation you can think of the Manhattan Pops as the Light Side of the Force, and um rock music as the Dark Side. You'll get it. But really really it's about two incredible musicians who are so obsessed with each other, and maybe they fall in love.

I know very little about music (perhaps, in fact, nothing) and I still found the lengthy descriptions of technique and composition to be positively riveting. Possibly because the chemistry and tension between Gwen and Xander is so intense, I was blushing during, like, extended eye contact.

The third act conflict is a little bit silly. While the actual disagreement they have is pretty valid, the way that they are separated and why really requires a suspension of disbelief, which is really my only major gripe with this novel.

4.5/5

I loved Julie Soto's first book, so I was very eager to see this one on NetGalley! It took me awhile to pick up because I'm not a musically inclined person and the concept felt foreign, but boy oh boy once I started I couldn't stop! The chemistry between Gwen and Alex is palpable and there is a cello scene that is just....woah! While the plot was a little predictable, I still really enjoyed the writing and story. Looking forward to what I'm assuming is Dom's book next?!

A nice easy read. The characters were good and so was the plot. There was a lot of musical references so musically inclined people will love it! The pace and storyline was great :)

2.5 stars but not enough to round up

This wasn't bad, but it was not for me.
It's a very slow character-developed and driven story. While I honestly think the sensuality of the need between the two was amazing, the writing for the sexual scenes hit the spot, and the personality of the two characters lacked lustre. I found Gwen's character not fleshed out and boring and found Alex/Xander, whatever his name is as it switched between too much, annoying and extremely irritating.

I just didn't find what I liked or enjoyed about romance in this and even though I thought I would love it, I did not.
However, I know many people who will love this and I will happily recommend it.

This book was a solid 4 stars! Great characters, good story, and of course that much sought after HEA. The tension was top tier as was the spice. But this book could have not had any of the spicy scenes and the tension on its own would have made this book just as good. This was my first Julie Soto book but it won't be my last!

5 stars / 5 stars

I started this book at the end of May and finished it in June, but don't be fooled by how long it took me to read this book. Life hit me hard when I was in the middle of this book, but I insisted on finishing it because I LOVED IT. Once I continued it, I devoured the living thing out of it.

I'm in awe with this book. The writing, the plot, the connections to music, everything about this book was absolutely AMAZING. When I was reading the book, I felt like I was 12 years old reading a fan fiction about a famous guy falling in love with a regular girl, who secretly is in love with him and his band. There were certain parts in the book that screamed out "FANFICTION" because of how similar the parts are. Of course the book is not like that, but I was just getting that vibe and I truly enjoyed it.

BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE FIRST EVER SCENE IN ALEX'S RECORDING ROOM?!?! THAT WAS FREAKING HOT ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
The amount of tension Alex and Gwen had in the beginning was so good it hit the right spot for me. Once they let loose and went for one another, it was a freaking home run that I could not get enough of.
Alex and Gwen was and is an amazing match made in heaven. It was instant love for sure, but it just didn't feel like it at all, which is amazing because sometimes when it's instant love, I don't feel that connection between the MCs. What I loved about the two is that they bring out the best in one another and challenge one another as well. Being with each other helped them find their true identity. Throughout the book, it really seemed like Alex had everything figured out: he was in a successful band, he was first chair cello, he comes from a well-known family despite their relationship being rocky. It was picture perfect in Gwen's eyes before she got to know them. As for Gwen, she was still trying to figure out herself. No doubt, she's talented and had no issues proving everyone wrong, but she was still trying to figure out where she belonged: doing solos along side an orchestra or being on stage with her own band. But towards the end, they both helped each other realize a lot of things. Overall, I just love love love them.

As for the whole story, this was amazing! I loved how Julie correlated music into this. I don't really know much about playing an instrument, but the way it was described in the book was beautiful. Reading those parts in the book, I can picture it so well in my head. It was truly beautiful, I could not get enough of it.

This was amazing and I can't stretch that enough. I recommend this book for anyone, everyone!! I don't care what genre you read and prefer, but this book is one you need to read.

Thank you Netgalley, Forever, and Julie Soto for this ARC. Truly one of my favorite ARCs that I've received.

Thank you net galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is my first book by I've read by this author. It took me a while to finish it because I didnt love the main characters. Gwen seemed very naive and helpless and Xander needed lots and lots of therapy. I did enjoy the world of music but overall I just didnt connect with their story or care that much if they found their happily ever. If it wasnt for having to right a review I probably wouldn't have finished it.

I liked it!

This was my first book by Julie Soto, and overall I really enjoyed it!

It started as fanfic?? Or so I hear! Do I need to dive into the fanfic world because I feel like SO MANY of our beloved authors write/wrote fanfic.

I love a good tall, dark, brooding MMC and Soto delivered with Alex/Xander’s personality for sure. I could related to Gwen’s want for stability for sure!

Read this if you like:
🩵Reylo fanfic turned published work
🩵she falls first, he falls harder
🩵MUSIC (I feel like I learned stuff 🤣)
🩵duel point of view
🩵 You like 🌶️ (or are okay with skipping over it)

The ending was a BIT more rushed than I prefer, but overall an enjoyable read!

Thank you to Forever for giving a copy via NetGalley!

I really enjoyed this book! The pace of the storyline was great and definitely made it hard to put the book down. I loved the characters and all of their flaws and as a former musician, you gotta love a love song ;) This was my first book by Julie Soto but I have immediately added Forget Me Not to my "want to read" list.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eARC of this book.

This was so so good! It’s one of those books where you find yourself actually smiling as you read. I was sucked in pretty quickly and couldn’t put it down.

Julie Soto has become an auto-buy author for me. I would absolutely recommend this!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thought are my own.

Julie Soto made classic string instruments S-E-X-Y with this one!

WOW. I could not put this down! I enjoyed Julie Soto’s first book, but I was not anticipating to absolutely lose myself in her second book. Within the first 10%, I was hooked and anticipating this book to be one of my top reads of the year. I would have devoured this novel in one sitting if I didn’t force myself to go to sleep.

The tension and passion between Alex and Gwen was evident in every stolen glance and the way they communicated through music. The beauty of this love story is that so much is said by not being said at all. Instead, this novel relies on music to describe the feelings and desires of the characters and ultimately drives the plot of this story.

Fun fact about me… I took piano lesson for several years. I cannot read music or play the piano at all. I just don’t have it in me despite desperately wanting it at one point in time. All this to say, you do not have to be a music aficionado to understand this story.

I genuinely loved this one so much. I am already looking forward to a reread!

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

4.25/5⭐️
3/3🌶️*
2/3🦋

•My Thoughts•
I devoured this book in a day! The enemies to lovers tension, their chemistry, the beautiful musical references…I couldn’t put it down! I loved the characters and their growth. The orchestra dynamic was so interesting and I enjoyed learning a bit more of the ins and outs of that structure. I struggled a teeny bit with some developments (or a lack in certain developments) which I won’t go into for spoiler purposes but despite these, I truly had such a great time. Another book that had me feverishly listening to cello music and cello and violin duets. This book truly brought music to LIFE. There were so many swoony moments and our MCs tension was INSANELY palpable. You absolutely need to meet them and I definitely recommend!

*I gave this a 3/3 for spice and that is probably a bit high for actual number of scenes (though there were plenty, the plot was definitely supreme). I think I felt more comfortable with a 3/3 rating because their chemistry and the absolute SENSUALITY of their dynamic carried through more than just intimate scenes. It was amazingly written but would be hard to skip over and still get the full scope of their relationship. Hopefully this makes sense?

Thank you to Julie Soto, Forever and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book releases July 16th, 2024.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read this entire book in one day. I’m obsessed. I already want to read it again, I felt every emotion possible while reading this book.

I know absolutely nothing about music or instruments apart from being an avid listener- but the way Julie Soto writes about it was magical. I felt connected to the music, even if the terms flew over my head. The way music is so embedded into the story is breathtaking, music always spins me in a whirlwind of emotions, and so did this book.

Alex and Gwen are perfection. Alex may be the best FMC I’ve ever read about- his growth was phenomenal and the way be CARED for Gwen was honestly… envious. I wish someone would treat me the way that man doted on Gwen.

I could gush about how perfect this book was all day, but just read it yourself. I’m probably about to reread it right now.

— 2 stars ★

Thoughts Ꮺ
— I wanted to like this so bad. I loved the idea of a romance novel with two people that play strings and thus fall in love. I used to play the viola growing up, so I really had my heart set on this. The idea is really good - two musical prodigies go from rivals to lovers.

I was left so disappointed. The beginning of this book was really slow, but helped provide background to the male main character. There was also a LOT of music talk in this book. I've been out of the strings/reading music scene for a very long time but I had no idea what they were talking about. The main character would talk about parts of a song being played and how it felt and I was left questioning all of it. I'm sure it makes a lot of sense to someone that knows music terms but for someone that doesn't, I feel like this created a disconnect for me.

For a bit, I thought that this sounded like something I'd read on Wattpad or Ao3 when I was in middle school. Then I learned that it was originally written on Ao3... as a reylo fanfic. With that, the pacing just felt off and the characters felt super juvenile despite being in their 20's. I really didn't see how the characters fell in love and why they began to like one another. It felt like it happened out of nowhere. Then the conflict + resolution was crazy, more specifically the resolution. Things were quickly smoothed over by some spicy play and a couple of words... like... please communicate more!!!

On the brighter side, I really enjoyed xaden/alex's point of views. There were only like three of them but they provided depth to his character that we would otherwise not have had without it. The chapters were well-written and made the character more mature and complex.

Overall Ꮺ
— Essentially, this book just wasn't for me. I might try to go back and read Soto's first book, since I have the physical copy of that thanks to a blind book date.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

Gwen and Xander are both musical prodigies who are competing for center stage. Xander has no idea who Gwen is even after a year of working together and then after she performs at his friend's wedding he critiques her. Gwen is offered first chair or the orchestra which is something Xander has wanted for years. Despite being competitors they have undeniable chemistry and respect for each others music.

Gwen and Xander's chemistry is so good and they definitely pull from that opposites that attract romance. I have not read many romances about music players except some rock star romances but I really enjoyed this one and how it really pulled in the act of playing an instrument. The story is about more than just romance it is also about music, family, friendship and finding ones self. Due to Julie Soto's writing style you feel like you are right there with the characters experiencing the things they do. The pacing is also really good it is fast which keeps you involved but not so fast that you feel as though it is unrealistic or rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced e-copy of Not Another Love Song, in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Soto's 'Not Another Love Song' will transport you into the world of classical music, where the tension between two rivals will keep you glued to this story. We meet Gwen and Xander, two highly skilled musicians who find themselves drawn to each other despite their competitive nature.
The chemistry between Gwen and Xander is palpable from their first encounter. Soto masterfully creates moments of longing, frustration, and undeniable attraction, creating a simmering tension that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The cello scene, in particular, is a testament to Soto's ability to evoke raw emotion and sensuality. It's a moment that will leave readers breathless and yearning for more.

Beyond the romance, 'Not Another Love Song' also explores themes of ambition, self-discovery, and the complexities of love and art. Gwen and Xander must navigate their feelings for each other while pursuing their individual dreams, leading to both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments.

Overall, I highly recommend 'Not Another Love Song' to fans of contemporary romance, music-themed stories, and well-written characters with depth and complexity. Julie Soto has crafted a compelling and unforgettable tale that will leave readers wanting more.
This was a 4.75 Stars read for me!

Review posted to Goodreads and StoryGraph on 6/14/24. Review will be posted to amazon on release day.

Okay okay. I know that I am one of the number one Reylo fanfic turned into book haters buuutttt this one was pretty alright. It felt more like we were fancasting Adam Driver as Alex aka Xander Thorne. The tension that this book managed to achieve was impressive. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a first chair cellist and first chair violinist kind of didn’t like each other but kind of wanted to bang and had to stare at each other every single practice and every single concert, this book is for you. It was fun to see characters from Forget Me Not pop up in this one too. I will say what kept this at a 4 star for me and didn’t push it to a 5 star is the third act break up and then reunion felt rushed and no one really had to apologize/grovel/repent for their side of the break up. Overall it was a fun read and I’m looking forward to Julie breaking away from Reylo for future books.