5 ⭐

Julie Soto is a 10/10 author for me. Add in essentially a Reylo fanfic and I'm a sucker for it.
Gwen is hired to play a wedding, however, she needs drop her violin for the cello. She isn't well-skilled in the cello, but borrows one from someone in the wedding party - the lead for her favorite band, Xander Thorne.

They just so happen to both play for the Pops Orchestra and have a strained relationship at first. As they start to spend time together they become closer due to slight similaries in their past and experiences as musicians and prodigies in their respective instruments. I loved every part of the musical aspect, regardless of how accurate it may not be. Xander Thorne is hot and romantic, even if he's terrible at sharing his emotions with their own rocky pasts. Gwen is so relatable to me and I was just going on vibes the whole time.

THE CELLO SCENE. EXCUSE ME!!! I'M DECEASED!!!

🎵traditionally published reylo
🎵sexual tension and chemistry
🎵found family
🎵rivals to lovers
🎵musicians falling in love

Thank you to NetGalley, & Forever Publishing for the complimentary ARC of Not Another Love Song for an honest review.
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Yall it’s an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ with no notes

Just perfection.

I adored every aspect of this book! It filled me with butterflies, leaving me giddy and pleasantly flustered. The intimate scenes were nothing short of electrifying! The undeniable chemistry between Gwen and Alex was remarkable, and I loved how music and instruments shaped their perceptions and deepened their connection. This story is inspiring and imparts powerful lessons about the importance of pursuing our own paths rather than allowing others to choose them for us. This book is a must-read!

This was a difficult one for me to get through.. not sure if I’m just not the right audience for this author or if it was my current mood. Didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it.

Is there nothing Julie can do? On the face of it, the romance sounds boring - a chellist and a Base player. But in reality you have an angsty, rivals to lovers. The orchestra life is one that is full of Drama and politics and it makes for a great world to set a romance up in. Gwen is dealing with imposter syndrome and Xander indentifies her - he sees her talent and is desperate for her to lose her inhibitions and let loose with him. The cello scene will go down in romance book history. They are very aware of one another, they literally have to mark each other on the stage .They have this chemisty that really unlocks the best out of one another and they reach a beautiful creshendo with one another.

I laughed, my heart squeezed. Ugh so good. The balance of pulling you into the story, the character development and the push/ pull of their relationship was fun to read. Another great read from Julie Soto!

I’m obsessed with everything Julie Soto touches. Somehow simultaneously heartfelt and laugh out loud funny. And I never knew orchestra could be so hot?

Wow, I absolutely loved this book! This was an emotional but also a fun and swoon-worthy read! If you love reading about both music and romance, this book is for you. Gwen and Xander have amazing chemistry, tons of fun banter, and some great intense moments.
The way music is woven into the story is just perfect. It’s not just there for the sake of it—it’s everything to these characters. Gwen and Xander’s bond through music is so real, and their connection feels so genuine. Xander is a bit of a mess (in the best way) but seeing him open up made their relationship even better.
I also loved the side characters in Gwen's life, they supported Gwen in such a heartwarming way. Even when Mabel (her mentor and pretty much second mother) didn’t agree with her choices, she still showed up for her every step of the way. Mabel and Ava's previous friendship also added another layer to the story, which I really enjoyed. This was my first book by this author and It felt very unique and was a total page-turner, and I honestly couldn’t get enough. I highly recommend you check this one out if you haven’t already!

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐞
🎻Rivals to lovers
🎻Hate to love
🎻Forced proximity
🎻Workplace romance
🎻Opposites attract
🎻Musical Prodigies

Ughhh, so I absolutely hated Forget Me Not. I was very hesitant to try this one, but it was slightly better than Forget Me Not, mostly because I enjoyed the music/orchestra world better than the wedding vendor world of Forget Me Not. Will I try more of Julie’s forthcoming books? Possibly? But I just don’t think I’m a fangirl like so many people I know. I wish I was, because I’ve seen Julie speak at events and she is SO funny and SO sweet. I want to be her friend, but I’m not a lover of her books.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I don’t know how Soto does it, but she does it again in Not Another Love Song. Have I ever been in an orchestra? No. Do I play an instrument? No. Do I know how to read music? No. Was I absolutely obsessed with this story? YES. The way she is able to delicately educate the reader on a topic most of us know nothing about without boring us, while simultaneously making us burn and yearn?! It’s magic. I also loved seeing beloved characters for Forget Me Not pop up. So special!

I read this book a couple months ago. I don’t know why I have not sent a review, but I absolutely loved this book. It was one of my favorite reads of last year. I love the musicality incorporation in this book, both the main characters bounced of each other so well. The tension was everything I needed it to be and more. I had a really good time

🎻Not Another Love Song🎻
By Julie Soto

Pages: 375
Rating: 4️⃣.2️⃣5️⃣
Book Goal 2025: 14/130

✨Have you ever played an instrument and if so what kind?✨

This book was so cute! I started it a while ago but I guess I wasn’t in the mood. I finally gave it another chance and it was adorable!

I really liked both of the characters and the development throughout the book. The plot follows both of the main characters as they try to figure out their work relationship together and how to balance the pressure of being leads in the orchestra. I loved the musical setting, the banter, the self discovery.

Overall a cute book for hopeless romantics with musical interests.

Oh my goodness, I loved this book. Julie Soto has had me since her fan-fictions, and she still has me today. Gwen and Xander were everything, and I'll always consume a rivalry dynamic in fiction, whether on screen or on paper. I could feel the chemistry through the page, or rather, my kindle. Nonetheless, even as individuals, I found them to be characters I rooted for. This is how you write a good romance book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the arc!

(4.75 stars)

This book was so good and I would recommend it to all my friends. The tension, the angst, the emotion, made everything so good and I loved every bit of it!

4 ⭐️
4 🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for an ARC on Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto.

Wow, I knew music is powerful but boy, it's POWERFUL when someone is playing an instrument. This power duo is magic and individually, Gwen and Xander or amazing! If I were able to hear their music, it would be divine. Xander was such an asshole in the beginning! Gwen was just trying to get by. I loved how they were able to work together and fall in love. The Cello scene...WOW!

FIVE MASSIVE STARS! i loved this book so much. i thought the musical elements were so creative, unique, and beautiful. the way the music was both real and metaphorical was so cool and made for such an interesting plot. alex and gwen’s love story was everything: two insanely talented people with wildly different backgrounds and a lot of difficulties to overcome falling in the most exquisite partnership of love and collaboration. and it was enemies to lovers so HEYYYY! and he falls hard for her. like- my man was infatuated. also! insanely sexy — these scenes were angsty and HOT! i haven’t really read a book written like this before and i just enjoyed it immensely. i was rooting for gwen and alex on individual levels and as a couple, for their love and their careers and their joy. a great story for romance lovers!

To me, this book is perfect. Julie Soto can do no wrong. And the cello scene was insane. I was committed to their relationship from the beginning and loved the growth that they both showed

Absolutely loved this book! It was so well written! The characters were amazing! I just adore everything from Julie!! I can’t wait to read more from her! Highly recommend!

absolutely loved this! I was instantly hooked and wanted to read in all my spare time! I loved the characters and their chemistry - the tension, angst, and tenderness between them was so so good. ugh the pining!!!

Julie Soto never misses!
Xander is one of my top bookish boyfriends for sure. The way that Soto weaves Gwen and Xander’s love story together makes it so easy to imagine in my head.
This book is really tender and romantic! You want to root for them together but also root for them both individually as well. Their characters are so well written and I wish we got more of their story!

Thank you so much for the arc! This book was so beautiful and unique and I’m really intrigued by this author’s writing. I had heard so many great reviews about this book and I can say this book 100% lives up to its reputation.