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Best april fools gift. I will devour everything that Julie Soto writes without question. You are bound to laugh but also cry and feel all the feels.

You know what? Playing cello is sexy and Julie Soto has now become an auto-buy author for me. If you are looking for the love interest down bad special, a la Ali Hazelwood, Julie Soto is the author for you. I didn't think a romance set the classical music world could be romantic but Soto pulls it off and I continue to think about these characters months later. I am so glad I picked up Julie Soto last year and can't wait to read anything written by her.

Simply one of my favorite authors ever! This book was such a delight and every word is intentional and perfect. I highly recommend.

I really need to read more musician romances. This was so good. The spicy scenes!? LOVED. I really enjoyed the heroine's journey towards moving her way up in the orchestra and how her relationship developed with the hero! I can't wait to see what Julie Soto writes next!

This was much better than Forget Me Not, fortunately (although not that hard to do).

Unfortunately, it was pretty forgettable. It was fine in most ways, but nothing stood out besides the continual super-cringe of the spicy scenes. I have never been more disgusted by sex than I am reading these scenes.

Overall though, I did mostly enjoy the plot and I think the author has grown in her capabilities with original characters. These characters were leaps and bounds better than in her previous book.

While I still didn’t love this as much as many other things I read, I think it’s much more likely to land with people than FMN. It’s vastly more enjoyable and I did not want to pound my head against a wall for almost the entire book. Pretty average but with the track record, it’s still quite an improvement.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!

I did enjoy this book but at times just felt there was something missing. I enjoyed the plot and thought some of the minor details were really cute (Alex’s Version). I just wasn’t as invested as I wanted to be. I absolutely loved Julie’s debut novel and some of her fanfics so with this being middle of the road I definitely plan to see what else she has in store!

Anything by Julie Soto is an automatic read for me and to be able to read this early was such a treat. Her main characters are always so full of depth and the plot/problems they go through feel real and emotional. 4 stars, would for sure read again and recommend

What a fantastic, well-written romance! Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto really was that book. It's filled with chemistry, tension, angst, with an interest musical angle that had me entranced.

If there's something I appreciate and love in romance novels is the TENSION! And Gwen and Xander had it in spades! I also love when vulnerability and sweet moments are equally spaced with spicy moments, which Julie Soto did a fine job of balancing. I looooved the connection they both shared towards music. As someone who grew up playing the piano, I totally got where they were coming from and how much music meant to them. It goes far deeper than people think.

- rivals to lovers
- he falls first
- found family

This book was long-winded in a lot of ways, but Julie Soto has a way of making you hang on to every single word. Some of the music aspects were over the top for me, but I absolutely adored the romance part of the story and the realness of the characters - both friends and family. After absolutely LOVING Forget Me Not, this didn't quite live up to that standard for me, but it was still a really enjoyable read and I would absolutely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Julie for the ARC opportunity .

I throughly enjoyed reading this book and as always Julie’s writing style is just so beautiful. I felt the story had a slow start but once tension between the MCs started going I was only invested further. Julie wrote Gwen’s struggles and having to make bigger decisions at a young age very well. I really enjoyed Gwen’s character development even though at times I was frustrated with both MCs and some decision making. Chapter 10 and that cello scene, Holy smokes. I felt the book balanced the music intrigue & references, plot, and spice in a way where it did not feel like too much in any aspect. The spice in this book especially towards the end was *chefs kiss.* I truly loved the character development overall and how they both found what they needed in each other. Moments where I was rooting for both of them together and equally separated. Also, I enjoyed the side characters so much (especially Jacob). Xander was all about Gwen, and when he finally made his choices and decided to be all in, he delivered. I am in love with their ending and wished I had more.

“Because if he wrote down the melody that swam in his veins every time he remembered her parted lips, her quick gasps as the bow tumbled, her eyes darkening as they sank into his. . . If he admitted that entire symphonies had unfurled in his mind when they played together. . . It felt like the music wouldn’t be his anymore.“

What to expect:
Rivals to lovers
Musical prodigies
Tension, Angst, and Spice

Overall rating 4.25!

I adored this book!!! the tension, the rivals to lovers story, how the ending wrapped up everything perfectly! this was absolutely incredible and had me gripped from the first chapter! this was my first Julie Soto book and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future! thank you netgalley and forever books for the arc!

I absolutely adored Julie Soto's debut, Forget Me Not, so I had to request this one the second I saw it and the gorgeous cover. One of the prettiest I've ever seen. The set up for this book was fantastic, the main character was relatable and likeable, sharing real fears about her life and career while navigating a brand new job. The romance in this was phenomenal and unbelievably sexy, with how the two connected through their love of making music together. The mentions of characters from Soto's previous book was such a lovely addition to the story as well. Loved this one, would absolutely recommend to those who enjoyed her first book - and to those who love a rivals to lovers romance set in the music industry.

🎻Not Another Love Story by Julie Soto🎻

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5:

“Tell me I can see you again…for music or anything else”

I absolutely loved this novel! It is a short novel compared to others but the pace of the book is well done. We are given a rivals to lovers trope and we also get the MMC falls harder trope!!! Cue me screaming 🤭 The tension that we get with these characters is everything!!!! And omgshhh when you guys read the scene from the cover!!!! 😳It was eveeythingggg, the tension, the chemistry!!

I loved how we were able to see the change in Xander and Gwen’s relationship. We see them through their insecurities and struggles and we get to see them overcome them. But what I loved most was the support system that Gwen had throughout the novel. The biggest takeaway I got from this book is that you can say no. You have the ability to draw boundaries in your work place or in any area of your life. I absolutely loved this book and I felt connected to Gwen’s character because I have trouble drawing boundaries.

I’m glad that I was given the opportunity to read this!!

This was the first book I've read by Julie Soto, and I really enjoyed it overall. I'm always a fan of romances centered around music, despite not being the least bit musically inclined myself, so it was exciting to be so fully immersed in Gwen and Xander's world. While I definitely think the chemistry the characters had was palpable and had my swooning, I do think it moved too quickly and at times Xander felt manipulative, which was off-putting. It was nice to see development on both character's parts, though I think the development could have been deeper. Overall, this book was fun and very romantic, I'm looking forward to reading more books by Julie Soto in the future.

This was a nice read, 3 stars. The characters were intriguing enough, the tension kept me wanting more. I really enjoyed how the music was almost it's own character and the way the music was written into the story.

I would definitely read more from Julie Soto. Her writing style works for me.

Thank you for the arc!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC! This book had some spice and I love a grumpy/sunshine trope! The plot being deeply engrossed in the music/symphony world was refreshing and I thought it was a fun listen when you need a romance book. Some of the sections were a bit out there, but that’s what fiction is all about so I enjoyed it!

This was so good. I loved their whole dynamic and how she was like a muse for him. I enjoyed that they connected over their mutual love for music. The chemistry was great and this was such a fun read.

This was adorableeee. Also. I never thought a cello was sexy until I read this book. This was the second book I've read by Julie Soto and she's now one of my auto-buy authors. This rivals to lovers romance and the perfect tension that was believable and well cultivated. It wasn't instant and it wasn't cringer like so many enemies-to-lovers romances are. This was perfect. I admit, I didn't have to take a break at the climax from all of the second hand embarrassment, but that just goes to show how great the writing is that I was genuinely feeling similar emotions.

I have been a huge lover of the cello since I was a little kid. This book combined my love of the cello with the most tension filled romance. Who knew playing the cello and violin could be SO HOT! The chemistry was off the charts! A Reylo fan fiction at its finest.

Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. There was so much tension. I had to see what was going to happen next. This book really drew me in, and I loved every second of it.

I love that we got tiny little snippets of Xander’s pov. Those little glimpses into his thoughts added so much to the story.

I definitely recommend this book, especially if you like a lot of tension!

A book set in NYC featuring two musical prodigies fighting for center stage while trying to deny their attraction for each other? SWOON.

I absolutely loved this. Growing up I always had bigger crushes on musical artists than I did on actors because I felt like musical artists pour their hearts out with their real emotions in their music, whereas actors are pretending to be something and someone else. The way this story revolves around music was so awesome.

I appreciated the pop culture references and had synchronistically just seen Lindsey Stirling in concert right before starting this book. I found myself looking up many of the classical pieces mentioned to further immerse myself in this world.

The mixing of passionate musical intimacy with sexual touch was so hot. But above all, the way music was a language for and between them, was to die for.