Gwen is a talented Violinist with the Manhattan Pops. She meets Cellist Alexander Fitzgerald-who is more famously known as Xander Thorne. Xander fronts an electric strings band called Thorne and Roses. He also happens to have joined the Manhattan Pops newest season. Together they may prove to be more than partners in music as their undeniable chemistry blooms.

Julie Soto does it again! Soto’s ability to create such palpable tension between Gwen and Alex is unlike any author I’ve read. Not Another Love Song is a fun, sexy work of fiction that will have take you on a whirlwind of laughs and even some tears. Can’t wait for Julie Soto’s next work!

Five stars ⭐️!! I am OBSESSED with this book!! I know nothing about instruments and music but this book had me hooked. The characters were wonderful and I loved seeing characters from the author’s previous book. The spice level was great!! I loved how Gwen and Alex’s relationship developed through the story. Alex’s devotion for Gwen was so fun to read!

So nice I had to read it twice... no joke. As soon as I finished this, I immediately re-read it. It's that good! As a former musician, this book spoke to me on so many levels. There were several times I had the urge to go pull out my flute and start playing again. It made me miss playing in a concert band! Goodness.

But the characters are clearly the rockstars in this book (pun intended). Gwen is so utterly relatable in her awkwardness and inability to see how talented she is. She's so cute, I just want to put her in my pocket. For a rockstar, Alex is insanely sweet. There were so many soft moments between them that made me smile like an insane person, giggle, and kick my feet like a school girl. The way the tips of his ears would turn red in embarrassment was so freaking cute, too. Ugh. I just love these two. Being a huge Reylo obviously makes me love them more, but any person who is a fan of romance will adore these two.

I loved the ending and how all of the lose ends were tied up so nearly and in such a lovely way. But I ABSOLUTELY need more! What are they up to now? 5 years down the road? 10? 20? I NEED TO KNOW. That's how obsessed I am. If you read it, you will be, too.

P.S. I also loved the appearances of characters from Julie's other book, Forget Me Not (which I also adored. READ IT!).


Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this wonderful book.

Sighs & Solos

Two musicians vying to advance their career team up for a duet, both on the stage and off.
Gwen wants to be noticed. After years of playing in the middle of a pop orchestra, she finally gets the chance to shine. Xander is already famous, but has his eyes set on a new prize. That's when he can tear his eyes off of Gwen. Can he slide their rivalry aside to make beautiful music together?

I loved this book! It felt like a love letter to music and musicians. Julie has done a wonderful job describing the setting, the stakes, and the drama that goes on in the music world. The tension between Gwen and Xander was absolutely delicious, strung tighter than Gwen's bow. I appreciated the rivals to lovers trope here, it was nicely written. Sometimes this can come across as reaching but not here, I believed in both of their desire for the position, and how it battles with their desire for each other.

I'll never look at a cello the same way again.

•YES•
-the ambition
Our heroine has goals and she's not afraid to fight for them
-the Rivals to lovers
-the setting

•EH•
-mild miscommunication that was frustrating, but worked out quickly

Five stars. Hot heat. Romantic gestures. I'll read anything Julie Soto writes!

**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review**

Goodness, I absolutely adore this book. Julie outdid herself with this one. As a music lover, I really loved the music aspects of this story. Gwen was the perfect FMC and I loved watching Alex fall hard. It was also fun to listen to the musical compositions that were being mentioned as I was reading. The cherry on top was the perfect NYC setting for the book. I really just loved everything about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!

This book is sensual, beautifully written and the characters are all so fleshed out and feel like I could meet them irl.
This had so many things that I loved, a grumpy ML, a headstrong FML and found family. Every character in this book felt fleshed out and real, there were moments where I wanted to grab the characters and force them to speak LOL but I also enjoyed those moments of angst. I know nothing about classical music, but this made me want to pick up an instrument and find the LOML. hahahah
My only complaint is I wish there was more of Xander and Gwen <3

This book was heartbreakingly beautiful. Each page felt as if it was being written and torn from the heart. I absolutely adored the parallels between music and true passion. I cannot put into words enough how much tremendous of an effect this book has had on not only the meaning of love, but the true discovery of it.

Julie can do no wrong in my eyes and this is no exception!! This is so sweet and spicy and all you want in a romance! And that cello scene 😅. I’ve never loved classical music so much!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5

This book was utterly perfect. No notes, whatsoever!

I was immediately lured into this story right from the “Dear Reader” at the start. I mean, anytime the male main character resembles Adam Driver, I 👏 AM 👏 IN.

The tension was absolutely mouth-watering! Every moment Gwen and Alex spent in each other’s presence was electric. I have honestly not read tension THIS GOOD in a long time. Thank you, Ms. Soto! 🙏

This story was just so interesting to me. I enjoyed seeing the dynamics within the orchestra and how Gwen navigated her promotion and her relationships within its ranks. I was so happy for her, but also couldn’t help but urge her to see what Alex could see all along. I won’t go too in depth because this story was so great to experience firsthand.

⚠️ Spoilers maybe: Yes, there is a third-act breakup. I know, I know, but GET OVER IT because MY GOD, it is good! Both characters are being manipulated by those they wish to impress the most and neither is willing to compromise. BUT THE REUNION. Y’aaaaaaalllllllll… 🔥💥🔥

I could spend hours gushing over this book, but for now, I will just say - PLEASE add this to your TBR! You will not be sorry! You’ll also probably wonder why you never read an orchestra romance before!?

I have not yet read this author’s debut and I am honestly kicking myself for having put it off. Forget Me Not will be one of my first reads in June!

Thank you again to Julie Soto (@juliesotowrites) and Forever (@readforeverpub) for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

wow wow wow! 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 is a stunning second release from soto. i had high hopes for this after loving soto's debut 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 and boy, did it deliver. featuring two beautifully gifted musicians who are flawed in their own ways, gwen and xander fall deeply in love with the music they compose together while also falling deeply in love with one another as well.

soto really nails building up the tension between the two and creating such a strong connection through their musical backgrounds. each scene that features them playing their respective instruments is dialogue in itself; from each note that is delivered to the way the look at each other as they perform, everything is so intentional. couldn't stop squealing and kicking my feet as i read their scenes, i couldn't get enough.

julie soto is an autobuy author for me and i already am anticipating her next release! 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘶𝘣 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

A very easy 5 stars! Julie Soto hit it out of the park with "Not Another Love Song." As someone who grew up playing instruments and loves music, it was really awesome to read a book with characters who are professional artists and this is easily in my top 5 books of the year so far! Alex and Gwen are both fantastic characters and I flew through this book in one sitting.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for honest review!

I really enjoyed Soto’s debut, Forget Me Not, so I was very excited to get my hands on her next novel! Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work for me. I’m not sure if I couldn’t take the very young protagonist seriously at this point in my own life, but I didn’t feel like the love story felt super believable. Their only bond was music so I just struggled to find the connection. I did really love the descriptions of music though and the steamy scenes were great (there’s one in particular that I still think about). This didn’t turn me off from Soto’s future work by any means but wasn’t a hit for me overall.

i think two of the biggest issues for me with this is simply i dont have enough music knowledge to understand everything fully and the plot ended up falling pretty flat for me and by the end i just didnt really care much anymore. combining these things made this a pretty unenjoyable read unfortunately

Overall another good love story from Julie Soto. God I really do love her fanfics so it’s such a joy she is now being published. Excited for whatever she comes with next.

Honestly speaking, I do enjoy classical music but am not too into it but with this book, the author manages to make readers understand emotions from the different musical performances simply by her writing. Both Gwen and Xander are flawed characters and yet have some redeeming features for readers to root for. It is definitely steamy so be prepared for it. They have amazing chemistry constantly that is simply crackling without a doubt. There is a third act breakup which felt really too late. This rivals to lovers story will be a huge fan favorite for sure!

Another Julie Soto masterpiece!

What to expect:

🎻Rivals to Lovers
🎻Musical Prodigies
🎻NYC Setting
🎻Grumpy X Sunshine
🎻Found Family
🎻Forced Proximity (workplace)
🎻He Falls First

Full thoughts at the link below!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7MLi_erKxN/?igsh=MWI5OThqb2Q2a3B0NQ==

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Can I just say this book was so precious. I genuinely didn’t think I would get approved for an ARC but I am so glad I did.

Not Another Love Song focused on our main character Gwen who plays the violin for an orchestra. She meets Xander who almost immediately becomes infatuated with her musical talent and the story takes off from there.

I thought this book was the most precious thing ever written. I love Julie Soto’s writing and read Forget Me Not, which is her first book. I also really enjoyed seeing her other characters make a couple cameos in this book. It always wakes me heart. I loved the way this story was told, how everything unfolded, and just how perfect Alex and Gwen’s relationship developed.

Overall this book was amazing. I would give it more than five stars if I could and I’m so grateful that I was given the chance to read it.

Give me a story featuring a brooding musician with a devastatingly handsome face ANY day, and I will eat it up. I absolutely devoured this book in one setting.

Julie Soto has an amazing talent of creating delicious tension between her characters without making the plot feel unrealistic. The setting of the competitive orchestral world was a new one for me which made the sparks flying between the two characters that much more exciting and novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don’t really know what to say, it’s been forever since I’ve written a review. I loved Forget Me Not so much I had to read this.

I just finished this and I know for sure that this is one of those books that remind me why I love reading romance. It’s like a breath of fresh air. Makes me feel like I’m reading for the first time again. It swept me away.

I adored Gwen and Xander, watching them grow and love and the chemistry these two have. I loved all the secondary characters and we get to see Ama and Elliot from “Forget Me Not”. I would recommend reading that book first.

I’ve never really listened to classical music and have never seen a live orchestra, but after reading this book I’m definitely more interested now. I’ve taken to Spotify and YouTube to look up bands to get a taste of what Thorne and Roses would sound like. It’s now part of my daily playlist.

I don’t want to say much about the actual storyline you should just read it. If you love music, romance and found family then I think you’ll love this book. Julie Soto is definitely a favorite author of mine now.

P.s. there is one scene in this book that lives rent free in my mind and you’ll know when you read it. You definitely don’t want to miss it.

thank you to forever publishing & netgalley for the arc!

Julie Soto has done it again!!! I fell in love with Forget Me Not, and Not Another Love Song is truly remarkable!!! Julie’s writing in this is poetic & beautiful, the way she incorporates music into love and vice verse is so lovely & really pulled on my heart strings (no pun intended).

I loved both Gwen & Alex’s characters so much! They both carried so much depth, development, and relatability. Two people who love music so deeply and have let that shape their lives in two different ways. Getting to see both of them grow as musicians & artists was so beautiful and made me SO HAPPY!! I was rooting for them the entire time!!! I LOVE THEM!!!

Gwen and Alex’s relationship is beautifully developed and full of so much tension, chemistry, tenderness & care. It was palpable how much these two wanted each other. I blushed, swooned, and squealed while reading their love story. The spice in this book is SO well done, per usual with Julie Soto, and felt so intimate and raw in the best way possible. Their connection was so genuine, you could tell just how much they understood and SAW each other for who they were—not for who everyone else wanted them to be. UGH. SO GOOD!!!!