I really enjoyed this! The tension, the music, the perfect slow burn - it was so beautifully written and woven together. Highly recommend!

I LOVED the beginning. I could start to build an idea of Gwen, Xander, and Jacob (a side character).

However, as we go on there were some things I struggled with.

Gwen felt flat.
We learned more about other people’s struggles and their backstory, but not enough about Gwen’s.

I loved "Forget Me Not," but I am in love with "Not Another Love Song." Alex and Gwen writing love notes to each other through there compositions absolutely makes my heart swoon!

Not Another Love Song made my heart absolutely sing!

As a musician myself, this book resonated with me so much. How Julie Soto was able to convey what it feels like to perform, to audition, to play with abandon, and to be affected by the music and vice versa was so powerful. I absolutely loved it, and it made me want to grab some sheet music.

This book is for people who settled into a life they’re happy with because it’s safe, not because they love it. It’s for people who are scared to go after what they want. It’s for people who are always scared of letting people down. It’s for people who feel music, or whatever their passion is, deep in their bone marrow.

The romance is amazing, the character growth is beautiful, and I can’t wait to read more from Julie Soto. 5 stars

My review will be posted to Instagram in the 14 days leading up to publication, and to Amazon on publication day

Be still my heart! Quick, cozy read that gives all the feels. I tell you when Soto described them playing I waned to close my eyes because I swore I felt their music playing around me. Enjoyed this!

Gwen is a violin prodigy who plays for the Manhattan Pops. Xander is also a player and is also the cellist for Gwen's favorite band. Even though they've been playing together for a year, Xander has always ignored Gwen. When they cross paths at an Ama wedding, he can't stop insulting her at every turn even when that isnt his intention. Thus begins their tension-filled back and forth. Turns out their pasts overlap quite a but and people who have harmed Xander in the past may be looking to use Gwen as well.

I thought reading about music might be a little boring but I was so wrong. This book is sexy and so intense.

I want to start by saying I probably would appreciate this book more if I knew more about music and composing. A lot of the details and descriptions flew over my head. This book is very heavy on the descriptions so I found myself skimming paragraphs because I was familiar with all other musical lingo. I found the pacing of this story to be off as well. Some parts felt unnecessarily drawn out, while others were quite rushed.

Xander vs Alex is made out to be two very different people which gets somewhat confusing when it comes to how Gwen feels about him. I definitely felt the fan fiction vibes when it came to her original feels for him. Xander was so rude to her, and yet she continued to pine over him because of her childhood crush.

It felt as though conflict is solved before it really starts in the later half of the book. Then there’s the big third act breakup, whose resolution comes overly quick. Again, pacing issues that impacted overall how this reads.

I did enjoy Gwen and especially Mabel as characters. Nathan was the absolute worst, and I can’t tell you how I feel about Alex truthfully. However, if you love music, I feel like this would be your jam!

When Gwen, a professional violinist, runs into a Xander, a professional cellist, at a wedding, she's hurt that he doesn't recognize her--they've sat across from each other in pops orchestra for almost a year. When he tries to give her pointers after her performance, she's even more annoyed. But after Gwen is selected as first chair in the orchestra--a position apparently Xander had coveted--the tension between them escalates. It's a tale of two music prodigies, with two very different paths that seemingly can't help but intersect in romantic and musical crescendo.

I'm not sure why I was surprised at how truly wonderful this book was given how stellar Julie Soto's first mainstream book, Forget Me Not, was. But this book was absolutely amazing. The way Soto described the two playing, the music, and their romance was just fantastic to read. Both the sweet and spicy moments leap of the page in a tangle of beautiful prose. As a former (terrible) cellist myself, it was lovely to see the instrument highlighted and I loved where the characters ended up. No notes.

Thanks for Forever for my ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

The competitive world of music meets romance in Julie Soto’s newest book and I loved every moment of it!!

The slow burn in this book between Xander and Gwen is AMAZING and the way they bring out of the best music in each other is so sweet!! Seeing them grow and their idea of responsibility change throughout the book was one of the best parts!!

I’d recommend this book to anyone who needs a quick light romance read!!

my god, this was a disaster. I am so sad that I didn't enjoy this. i was so so excited 😭

The characters had absolutely no depth; every single one, main or side, felt like a caricature. The only redeeming aspect of the entire book was Xander/Alex's point of view. That part was well-written and actually elicited some emotion from me.

But for a romance book, it did not feel romantic at all. where was the chemistry? The romance felt so forced. & the spice? UGH I hated how many musical terms were included in the spicy scenes; it completely threw me off and bored me. By the end, I couldn't even understand what brought these two characters together. They barely had any proper conversations. Every time he tried to talk to her after the cello scene, she'd run away like a child. There was no character or relationship development. they decided they wanted to fuck, they fucked, they decided to date after. & just kept fucking. every other chapter was just them getting hot and heavy, i was YAWNING & literally rolling my eyes so hard i developed a headache.

Gwen read like a 13-year-old to me-so juvenile and devoid of personality. The blandest food you can think of has more flavor than her.

As for the side characters, there are Asian and gay side characters, but for what purpose? They felt included just for the sake of diversity without any depth. The Asian character was annoying, grating, and just horny, while the gay character was a walking stereotype. that just rubbed me the wrong way tbh.

this might be vaguely spoilery so proceed with caution: the whole treating Xander and Alex as two different people made me incredibly uncomfortable, and I can't even articulate why. i understand that some people will find depth in the situation and appreciate the complexity & initially i did too but it just made me uncomfortable after a while.

also the third act was not it at all. where was the resolution? it was so messy, they literally just had sex & made up. no real conversation, no addressing of emotions, no sign of maturity absolutely NOTHING.

I genuinely couldn't stand this book, but I'm going to stop now. I need to meditate this book out of my mind and move on.

thank you to forever publishing & netgalley for an e-arc of this book. all thoughts are my own and not influenced in any way.

Let me tell you something, Julie Soto has officially solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me! Listen I loved forget me not but WOW this one really ate down and is my new favorite of hers. I loved the progression of their relationship and how they started off hating one another to slowly becoming something more. You know when people say “oh yeah it’s enemies to lovers” but the MMC is barely even mean? Well this man was MEAN in the beginning, I was gagged I won’t lie. But what I loved is we get little glimpses into his POV and what he is thinking and it starts to make sense little by little. I thought she paced everything so well and I was invested the entire time. Also they’re SO hot holy shit, like the cello scene?!?! Iykyk🤭 definitely recommend picking this one up once it comes out!
Thank you to Netgalley and Foreverpub for the ARC<3

I don't know if it was just my perception but in this book the music was like a third character for me, I don't think I've ever had that happen in a book, but I loved it.

The characters were amazing, totally different from each other in terms of musical education and social classes, but their chemistry was palpable from the first moment.
It's an Enemies to Lovers story that made me laugh and sigh a lot, mostly sigh.

The book overflows with love, and I loved it from beginning to end. I devoured it in a matter of hours.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This is the first book I read from Julie Soto and I was excited about it because a few TikTokers I follow really loved it. The story takes place in NYC and follows Gwen Jackson, a violinist at Pops and Xander Thorne, a cellist in a band who also Plays at Pops. Enemies to lovers, we know how this goes. I felt like their romance was too rushed and felt more like lust. The spicy scenes were spicy! I did enjoy those! It took me a bit to get into this book because of all the musical terms used and the long chapters (I enjoy shorter chapters more). I’m not at all familiar with the musical terms but overall I think it was enjoyable.

This book was amazing! As someone who had orchestra in their life for about four years, I played violin and was obsessed with the band Apocalyptica and still am to this day. This book resonated with me like no one‘s business. My orchestra girly heart was singing!

The story follows Gwen and Alex and how they are in different points of their career as a violinist and cellist and overall seem to be forces against each other, but really it’s a force to push them together and so they can play beautiful music. This book dragged me in and kept me there and I’m obsessed with it and highly recommend.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I devoured this book. If you're looking for a great contemporary romance that delves into the world of classical/instrumental music and the competitive nature of the arts, this book will hit the mark. The main characters, Xander and Gwen, are both gifted musicians who approach music with very different attitudes. While playing in the same pop orchestra, they can't quite keep their distance, but their mutual connections make things complicated in ways they won't foresee.

Soto writes strong supporting characters and situations that will make you feel all the joy and pain of her characters. I think this was even better than Forget Me Not, the companion novel.

4.5⭐️ rounded up

🎻Musicians Romance
🎼Rivals to Lovers
🎻Musical Prodigies
🎼Family Drama
🎻Pining and Angst
🎼Ama and Elliot (Forget Me Not) Cameos
🎻Reylo Fanfiction
🎼Spicy

Why do I have such a hard time writing reviews for Julie’s books?!? Her writing, storytelling, characters, and chemistry make me feel so many emotions that are very hard to describe. The journey I went on so wild; I laughed, I swooned, I panted, I got angry, and I cried (sad and happy tears), and I finished this book just really happy.

I cannot fully describe how much I enjoyed this book! The way I swooned for Xander/Alex! I was feral by his need to be in Gwen’s life in any way. I don’t think he even realized Xander was/is a mask. She was breaking down his walls! She was always what he needed and wanted to be happy and content. And she soothed all his hurt and anger and gave him the peace he’d always searched for.Alex was able to help Gwen free her from her mind and insecurities. He is everything she needed to fully feel her strength and potential.

The spice in this book was freaking hot! The way Julie wrote these scenes, they were not just sexual but so full of emotion and a deeper intimacy. And the way the music was so sexually and emotionally charged! I will never be over the cover/cello scene or the bathroom scene!

I love music and appreciate its beauty. But I’m not at all familiar with music at this level, however the way the music is described in this book, I was completely in those moments and imagining music in my head.

Forget Me Not is still one of my ♾️ star books and I loved the Ama and Elliot cameos. NALS is overall a beautiful story that I hope others will enjoy.

Coming July 16, 2024, this upcoming release is swoony, romantic and spicy. The story follows two classical musicians, who are in vastly different places in life, coming together and writing a most charming love story.

Xander is a cellist and leader of a popular musical group, and he is a guest performer of the local Pops orchestra. Gwen is an up-and-coming violinist, who is on a meteoric rise in the orchestra. Once Xander notices Gwen, he cannot resist wanting to know everything about the talented musician.

I love so much about this book from the tropes to the delightful side characters, to the despicable villains. The camaraderie of the orchestra made me long for the feeling of being a part of something so beautiful. The cross-over appearances from Forget Me Not was also an unexpected joy. I am grateful to the author, Forever Publishing, and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I mean, what can I say? I inhaled ‘Forget Me Not’ last year and Julie Soto became an automatic must-buy, must-read author.

Gwen has been playing violin ever since she got her hands on one at eleven years old, and is now part of the New York Pops orchestra. She’s also been obsessed with Xander Thorne, whom after playing with for a year, she comes face to face with when playing his friends wedding.

Xander is fascinated by Gwen and her ability to adapt between cello and violin, sight read, and riff. Their relationship develops the more they play together, and they explore what exactly they each want for their careers in this industry.

I love Gwen and her sheer motivation to be the best, even if it means going about it in less conventional ways. She is incredibly aware of her surroundings and she is loyal to a fault which is quite the Achilles heel. Xander is pigeonholed into believing he is stuck in a life based on decisions from years ago when starting out.

This book was delicious and made me kick my feet in the air constantly. I loved that the both of them grew as individuals so that they could better complement each other as a couple. It just solidified for me how talented Julie Soto is, and I loved the cameo’s from her last book showing us that she’s creating her own universe within her works.

Today I’m reviewing Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto. In this contemporary romance, we follow musical prodigy violinist, Gwen Jackson. When an opportunity of a lifetime opens for her, she decides to take it. But Gwen isn’t ready for the all consuming force that is Xander Thorne, also a musical prodigy and fellow celloist, who falls first with the lovely Gwen, and is in it for keeps.

Soto is back!!!

Okay, firstly, let’s celebrate that characters from Forget Me Not make special appearances in Not Another Love Song!!! It was so fun to see Ama and Elliot in this one as I absolutely LOVED Forget Me Not.

As for Not Another Love Song, I enjoyed it. What stood out was Xander's intensity. He has interspliced chapters from his POV throughout the novel. They aren’t long, but it was nice to have his perspective, which added to understanding why he is so intense. Side note, I am always a fan of dual point of views. As for Xander’s intensity it makes perfect sense for someone who is a musical prodigy. That everything he experiences is at a level that surpasses most. Except for Gwen. She is his missing puzzle piece. And even when they don’t see eye-to-eye, he’s still in it for keeps.

A rivals-to-lovers, musical prodigies, and OMG that cello scene, romance readers get ready for another deliciously romantic ode to New York City and flooded with musical notes by two musical talents who create something more than a love song.

Julie Soto, I'm in love with your mind.

"Because Alex had traveled the entire world by the age of twenty-six, and Gwen Jackson was the first person he'd found who could actually do what he did. And possibly do it better."

Not Another Love Song is so full of life, and really embodies a love of music and the emotions they can invoke. Honestly, music felt like another main character in the book and I loved the attention to detail and the level of care and love that was shown. The characters were beautiful, and I especially felt relatable to Gwen and her downfall of being a people pleaser. I loved seeing her character grow and make choices that were solely for her. I felt slightly unsure about Xander, but quickly fell in love with his confidence. He also becomes obsessed with Gwen which I'm a sucker for. I love them I love them I love them. Their connection had so much chemistry, tension and respect for each other. I will scream about the scene on the cover for the end of time as well (!!!!!!!!)

One single thing that I didn't like was the third act breakup but it wasn't horrible and I still adored this book. 4.5 stars.