I think this one was even better than her debut. I really enjoyed it. The chemistry, tension, and spice were great. And it’s very hot when our MMCs are honest about what they want from the beginning. And he wanted anything and everything and made it very clear. The conflict was reasonable and quickly resolved. Great easy read. Definitely recommend and can’t wait to see more from Soto.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was excellent. Exactly what I’m looking for in a romance novel.
I’ve previously read Forget Me Not by this author and highly enjoyed it but loved this one even more.

I loved the Easter eggs sprinkled in from Forget Me Not

This was filled with tension, angst and incredible moments between the two love interests.

I loved Alex’s character and watching him develop through the book from Alex Fitzgerald to Xander Rose and finally back to Alex.

I loved Gwen finding herself and the found family represented in this.
I read this in one day. I could not put it down and will be recommending to family and friends.
I now want to listen to the audiobook as soon as this releases.

4.5 rounded up! I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I loved the refreshing set of a musical rivalry romance. The tension was ah-mazing, and the rivals-to-lovers progression felt genuine and not rushed. The chemistry between Gwen and Xander is unreal, and seeing it play out through music had me on the edge of my seat! Although this is self-admitted Reylo fanfic, it didn’t distract at all from the story. To be honest it was giving more Twilight vibes and not in a cringe way (sadly, no vampires though). I’ll be keeping an eye out for Julie Soto’s books after this engaging read.

Alex and Gwen are two musical prodigies and rivals who have it bad for one another.

Gwen is a self taught violinist and Alex a wealthy and brooding cello player who is instantly drawn to Gwen; even if she threatens to derail all of his plans.

While working together on the same orchestra, Alex and Gwen grow close through their mutual respect of each other’s musical talent and their undeniable attraction.

However, they are surrounded by people willing to destroy them in order to further their own personal agenda and must figure out how to overcome the obstacles placed in their way.

I like a tall, dark, and tormented hero and Alex certainly delivered. The third act breakup was a bit frustrating, but thankfully it didn’t drag on. The ending was HFN, but it was understandable when you consider the protagonists are 22 and 26 years old, respectively.

Not Another Love Song was a fun and surprisingly spicy romance (that cello scene) sophomore novel by Julie Soto and I loved it.

The title is fine, not great. I don't feel like that was the focus of the book even.

Formatting: Every ellipsis in this book included extra spacing, which made the wording clunky and awkward to look at.

I loved this book and liked the idea even more than Forget Me Knot. I do feel like the execution was a little messy. I never fully got on board with Alex. He seemed to never truly explain away how rude he was to Gwen and that was really disappointing. Maybe this is because the characters are in their early 20s and I'm in my 30s now, but I felt like they were low key toxic as a pair. I was rooting for them, but they never fully matured.

Pro: The surprise sheet music scene and the bathroom hookup was PERFECT. The pining and the steamy scenes were 10/10.

This book was so good! I love everything I’ve read from Julie Soto and this was no different.
I could not put this book down and devoured it in two days.
Dual POV
Spicy 🌶️
Fantastic character development
Emotional
Musical setting 🎸

I ADORED this book. If there’s one thing I love, it’s a down bad MMC. Alex/Xander was so obsessed with Gwen, and for good reason! They’re both incredibly talented, beautiful people and their connection developed beautifully throughout the book. I loved that Alex was able to help Gwen grow more comfortable and confident in her abilities and I loved the Gwen brought out this other side of Alex that no one else gets to see but her.

The tension and chemistry was palpable, whether it was during spice or longing looks across the orchestra and Julie Soto has uncovered this musician/orchestra niche that I didn’t know existed and now need more of immediately. Overall this was a perfect read and I cannot WAIT to read her next book.

I loved this book. I was so excited about this book and it didn’t disappoint. The characters were well established and pulled you in from the very beginning. I adored this story and it left me wanting more. The small twists and turns kept it interesting and I finished it in one day. I could not put it down.

There’s just something about a man obsessed that’s gonna get me every time. Combine that with Julie’s writing and it’s an easy five stars. I’m so impressed with the level of detail and research that I know Julie must have put into Not Another Love Song. Admittedly I don’t play an instrument but the way she describes the act of music being played truly made me feel like I was in the audience watching a performance. And the romance??? It starts out with him being very aloof and mysterious and kinda dickish (but in a hot way don’t ask me to explain) but my guy is obsessed. Like truly raccoon feral levels of gone for Gwen and honestly if it ain’t like that I don’t want it. It’s filled with yearning and admiration and passion and was balanced and paced so perfectly. And the prose???? Pls had me crying at the end there Julie send help.

No one writes tension and longing quite like Julie Soto! All hail the queen! When you pick up Julie’s stories, you know to buckle up because your heart is in for a hell of a ride…. But you’ll promptly thank Julie at the end because the HEA was worth the pain. The chemistry between Xander and Gwen was fantastic and there was so much depth to their intimacy on the page that the emotion in their scenes was palpable.

There are so many layers and politics at play in this story that it could have easily been overwhelming and distracting, BUT Julie seamlessly unites all these threads together in perfect harmony and keeps you on the edge of your seat to where you cannot put the story down. The tension from Xander and Gwen’s rivalry and chemistry was exquisite, and couple that with the politics of the symphony, greedy opportunists, and lots of competition for limited, highly coveted opportunities and you’ve got a dish of delectable, delightful drama. And I just have to mention - the push and pull between Gwen and Xander leading up to *that* moment was HOT.

You can tell while reading that this book is not only a love letter to live music and the artists who pour their hearts and souls into creating and sharing their craft, but it also felt like a love letter to New York City and the endless possibilities and magic the city provides. I adore stories where NYC is a featured character and I loved how Julie has readers view the city and its opportunities through these artists’ eyes and memories.

If Julie writes it, I will read it no questions asked! I had the best time reading this and can't wait to reread soon!

This was such a fun and unique read!

I have NEVER read a story like this about a cellist and a violinist. Two musical prodigies trying to find their way in life and meeting each other

I could truly feel the chemistry between Gwen and Xander on these pages. I was hooked from the beginning. I loved all of the connections they had to each other throughout their lives without knowing. The story played out so nicely as everything fell into place with them!

I didn’t know much about violins and cellos prior to reading, but I found myself so drawn in and wanting to learn more! The author did such a great job at writing about a niche subject in a way we could all understand and be interested in!

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Publishing), for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

-Musical prodigies.
-Violinist and cellist.
-Chemistry.

I thought there was no way Soto could top Forget Me Not but I was wrong! I am absolutely obsessed with Not Another Love Song. Musical prodigies, enemies to lovers, workplace romance amazingness. I was immediately hooked from the first chapter and couldn’t put the book down if I tried. The Cello Suite chapters were fantastic. I prefer single POV in romance most of the time, but I thought those chapters were a great way to incorporate insight for the love interest. I loved how both main characters were dealing with childhood trauma and how it added so much emotion to their relationship. I love me a grumpy love interest who only cares about you. I just honestly loved every single thing about this book and have not one complaint. One of my favorite romances this year. And that cover? To die for! I loved that scene and loved seeing it brought to life.

Highly recommend to fans of emotional romances, musical characters, enemies to lovers, tension up the yin yang, workplace romance, Forget Me Not, and spicy reads.

In both this book and her debut, I was incredibly impressed at the way the author writes the interconnection of work and self, and in this book in particular, the way that music was written into every facet of characterization and action. My personal feeling is that this is barely an enemies to lovers or its lesser identified rivals to lovers romance, but something more like like-calls-to-like, which won't sell as many books so I get why no one uses it. But really enjoyed my reading experience overall and cannot wait to see what the author chooses for her next work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC.

I think I’m in the minority who absolutely loved the first half of this book, with all the tension and possibilities, but lost a bit of interest around the 60-70 % mark. I do mainly believe it’s more of a me thing though, and I’ll go into some details later in my review.

I thought the way the author incorporated the music into the book was excellently done. I’m no musician so I can’t speak of the accuracy of terms and such, but I could really feel the music as it was being played and the descriptions were truly wonderful. It also made my own appreciation for musicians skyrocket.

A writing choice that I think worked very much in the favor of the story was the use of a very limited Xander POV. I appreciated getting to spend some time in his POV and getting his history that way, but having the story told mainly from Gwen’s POV and being in the dark with some of his reasoning just worked really well. I also prefer third person POVs, which is so rare in romance books, so that was also a win for me.

The side characters were a delight. Mabel was such a favorite of mine and her interactions with Gwen were the parts of the story that touched me the most. I really thought the story was building up to a Mabel x Ava ending, so was rather disappointed when that didn’t happen though. I also loved the Ama and Elliot cameos.

I loved both main characters from the start and every interaction they had was gold. What lost me at around 60-70% though was just how very sweet (and a bit boring) everything got with Gwen and Xander as an established couple. I am finding this to be a pattern when I’m reading though, hence why I think it’s a me thing and not the book's fault. However, after this there were also some choices that I struggled with. In general, I thought some reactions and events were just a bit too much, I personally would have enjoyed the story more if the extremes were taken down a notch and had more of the vibe of the earlier part of the story. One such example was when Gwen used all her savings for a one-way flight ticket, because while framed as a desperate and romantic gesture, it just felt so out of character.

I did like Gwen gaining her confidence, the character growth for both Gwen and Xander, and the general theme of not letting others dictate your life.

In summary, the first half of the book was a crystal clear 5 star read for me, but I was disappointed by some choices in the second half of the book and so landing on a 4 star. I will definitely pick up the next book Julie Soto releases.

"Not Another Love Song" by Julie Soto

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (rounded to 5 stars)

Our story follows Gwen Jackson, a violinist prodigy hired to play at a wedding with her duet partner. After a mix-up, Gwen finds herself holding Xavier Thorne’s cello—an instrument she has only played a few times and one that belongs to the lead musician of one of her favorite bands. Surprising everyone, including herself, Gwen quickly picks up the cello, catching the eye of Xavier, a musical prodigy in his own right. Realizing they've been working together for the past year in the same orchestra, Xavier becomes determined to learn more about Gwen. But when Gwen is offered the role Xavier has spent his life waiting for, the tension between them skyrockets, blending rivalry and romance in a symphony of emotions.

Could this possibly be one of my favorite books of the year? MAYBE. "Not Another Love Song" by Julie Soto is a beautifully orchestrated romance that hits all the right notes. The tension between the characters is spectacularly written, drawing readers into a world where musical rivalry ignites a passionate and compelling love story. The Cello scene is hottttt.

Tropes to look forward to:
Grumpy/sunshine
Musical rivals to lovers

Thank you to Julie Soto and the Forever Romance team for gifting me this ARC.

This was magical. I loved it and now I’m sad it’s over. I only want to read her books now and I’ll be thinking about it for days. (Big dreamy smile) The romance was beautifully done and made me emotional and happy. I couldn’t put it down. The written was unique and special. The MC’s chemistry was to die for. The intimacy (sigh). And I’m just going to mess this up trying to tell you how wonderful the rest was so you’ll have to read it for yourself. But just so I’m clear, I loved everything! The side characters. The cameos of Ama and Elliot. The highs and lows and the beginning and the ending. All. Of. It!
Julie Soto, you’ve made a lasting impression on me and when I visit N.Y. you’ll be on my mind.
Thanks Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley.

I love it, it made me cry, laugh, gave me butterflies, mad, and annoyed. It made me want to listen to classical music again. I don’t want to spoiled the book, but for sure it a must read.

This is my first Julie Soto book and I was delighted! I enjoyed the romance between the two and loved the sprinkles of POV we got from Alex. The book does exactly what it sets out to do and I have no complaints. I liked Gwen and Alex's attraction, their buildup, their romance, and how they overcome the obstacles in front of them by facing their own demons.

I need to go read Forget Me Not now.

“It’s about a cello who fell in love with a violin”

This was amazing, 4.75/5. Love it even more than “Forget Me Not” and I really loved that book. You felt the passion not just between the characters themselves but in the music that they brought to life. Their tensions were written amazingly . Enemies to lovers/ grumpy/sunshine are some of my favorite tropes and this does both justice

Do yourself a favor and preorder this literal masterpiece.

Thank you Julie, Forever publishing & Netgalley for the ARC!

Love, love, love!! I have been a bit of a romance binge recently - lots of Tessa Bailey and Emily Henry - and this felt so fresh in comparison! The approach to the development of the relationship felt different to anything I’ve read before. And Julie Soto perfectly interweaves the music terminology without it being so overwhelming that it’s alienating. Excellent! I’m already looking forward to my reread when my physical copy of this book arrives!