5 stars, no notes. But actually the hype was not wrong, it is such a good romance. Julie Soto is an artist. I loved the premise, which felt very reminiscent of one of my all time favorite shows, Mozart in the Jungle. There is the conflict of doing what you love but also wanting success or stability. The romance was great with an enemies to lovers premise and despite faults, the main characters were very likable. There were expected ups and downs, but other then some initial slow burn and a small third act breakup, Soto does not leave readers hanging. Will be recommending the book to everyone I know and eagerly look forward to more books from the author. Final note, don't skip the intro author's note, totally worth the read. (Thanks to Netgalley and Forever for the ARC)

This was my first Julie Soto book and I will absolutely be returning for more!

I loved the female love interest and I loved the male love interest. The biggest thing that usually knocks a romance down for me is motivation of the characters. Why are they suddenly in love with this character? Why are they doing what they are doing? And in this romance, both characters felt fully fleshed out on their own, without using their romance as their main personality trait.

The banter, the tension, the music, the chemistry, everything hit for me in this book and I devoured it in 24 hours.

If you love brooding men, music rivals, music theory, honestly music in general, forced proximity, the little moments between character, then I HIGHLY recommend!!

4.75 ⭐️

I didn't realise how much I missed Ama and Elliot until they appeared (briefly) and I was just so happy to see them, like old friends!

Something about Julie's writing makes you feel connected to her characters on a personal level that few other authors achieve.

I loved getting to know brand new characters and I feel influenced to go to my local symphony! The tension and the banter was TOP TIER. I will scream to everyone I know about how amazing Julie’s books are

Such an excellent read! The ending made my heart ache, the characters felt real, the story held my rapt attention the entire time. The pacing was a little fast at times and a little slow at time, making for a kinda jarring feeling. I wish the pacing was a little more consistent.

4.5 stars rounded up

Tropes include
✅ Grumpy Sunshine Vibes
✅ Found Family
✅ Work Place Romance
✅ Enemies to Lovers (not quite but close enough)

What a fantastic follow up from Julie Soto! As someone who has played an instrument for most of her life, I've always dreamed about looking across the band and having the connection, so it feels like this book came straight from my fantasies, Xander included. Boy, does he find the person that meets him intellectually and musically, and try to figure her out in how they can move forward.

Gwen, while a music prodigy, has lot of relationships in her life that have caused her pain since a young age due to grief, so she is slightly lost. But when she gets the opportunity to become concertmaster of the Manhattan Pops Orchestra at the age of twenty two, she now has the chance to grow into where she wants to go as a musical prodigy. Then Xander comes into her life, and she tries to figure out who he is in relation to her, his past, and his present.

The connection between Gwen and Xander is undeniable. They are true matches musically, intellectually, and romantically. I swooned everytime they were on the page with one another. They grow together on the page as they figure out their futures as individuals and as a couple. They chemistry crackles and is super steamy.

Julie Soto is starting to become an auto buy author for me! I cannot wait to get a physical copy in my hands. Thanks Forever Publishing and Julie Soto for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to Forever and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly, I was a bit let down by this. After really enjoying Julie Soto’s first novel, I thought I would love this. I suppose I did, but only for about 60% of it. I think Gwen and the story were great; I loved seeing a 23 year old act like a 23 year old (struggling through relationships and jobs). I liked how emotional and passionate Xander/Alex was. I also liked his issues with being a child prodigy.

I didn’t like how much spice there was. Don’t get me wrong, I love some spice in my romance. I’ve never really been one to complain about spice. The spice in the first 50% of the book? Amazing…The tension? Chef’s kiss. The spice for the rest of the book? So frequent it almost was distasteful. It honestly felt like it cheapened the plot a bit. I feel like if they had taken out one of two of the scenes it wouldn’t have felt so overdone.

I also wished there was more to the relationship between Ava and Mabel. I don’t know if I’m just a woman lover but it felt like there was some romantic undertones in their past and interactions and it was just never expanded on. Boo.

It was a good rivals to lovers; a great story for the first 50% but it just fell a bit flat for me. Might be 3.5 stars if I think about it hard enough.

So many thoughts lol. The tension? amazing. The chemistry? stunning. The music metaphors? love. The fact that they wrote symphonies together? I’m obsessed. Maybe I’m on a music romance kick but there’s something so intimate about composing music together and playing that for the world.

Despite the fact that this book got more and more ridiculous as it went on (no context spoiler: 2k on a flight without a phone call? girl bffr what airline are you flying on?), I was in fact giggling and kicking my feet, even at some of the taylor swift references. What can I say?

This heavily teetered between a 4.25 and 4 for me and I landed on 4 mostly because some of the plot really took me out of it in the last 25-30% and I also didn’t feel 100% grounded in the romance from the start, it felt a bit instantaneous. The steam and the chemistry was there, it just felt a little improperly built up and then the final resolution in the last ten 10% felt too easy (?) which is the same issue I had with Soto’s debut, Forget Me Not.

I also wasn’t sure how to feel about the somewhat odd summary chapters from Alex’s perspective. I wanted more about Mabel’s and Ava’s individual characters and motivations, and I wanted to see a bit more from the climax than we got—it felt a bit cartoony. I also wish we could’ve seen a bit more of class dynamics between Gwen and Xander’s upbringings, but I do recognize that’s a lot to ask of a rom-com.

In all, I think I wanted a bit more depth from this book, hence the 4 star rating.

All that is to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this. I’m in the middle of studying for finals and for the past 3 days I’ve been just waiting until I can leave the library so I can come home and read and, for someone who’s been in a reading slump since February, that’s amazing.

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a fun flirty read with a main character you can love and a relationship that will literally have you talking to yourself and kicking your feet. I love the little multiverse Julie Soto has going on (book 3 Dom and Mar??) and at up the cameos from book 1. I think this book has the lightheartedness necessary of a rom-com and, despite my critiques, I do recommend.

TL;DR
☑️ workplace rivals (?)
☑️music metaphors for love
☑️writing music together
☑️tension
☑️spice (!)
☑️people pleasing fmc finding her voice
☑️SIMP mmc

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness I loved this book so much!! Julie Soto is a favorite author of mine and this was so enjoyable!!!

This book follows a violinist and a cellist who both play for the Manhattan pops orchestra. Their lives are entertwined and the tension between the two is delicious.

I really enjoyed the way Julie gives her dual POV. It mostly follows Gwen, but I really liked how she portrayed Xander's POVs. They also weren't too much, I like a little mystery in how one side of the couple is thinking.

Pick up this book!!!!

Be prepared to be absolutely hooked – I was reeled in by Gwen and Xander's chemistry from the moment I opened the book and finished it in one sitting!

Not Another Love Song is a spicy love story about Gwen and Xander, two musicians who, from the very beginning, have a hard time fighting the chemistry that is working so hard to sizzle between them. Gwen’s and Xander’s romance was so beautifully written; they both wanted each other so.bad. These two were falling for each from the moment the story began and I loved seeing them fall harder and harder until they couldn’t fight the chemistry anymore. They felt like such realistic characters and I loved the parallels in the ways these two thought and acted as their romance blossomed.

I also loved how critical Gwen and Xander’s careers were; I don’t think this is something every author can convey on the page. In this novel, Gwen and Xander’s passion for music was at the heart of their every move, even their love and attraction for each other at times. Music played such a crucial role in the story overall and I love how much music and the characters’ chemistry seemed to go hand in hand. I know I couldn’t actually hear the music as I read, but it felt like the spicy scenes got spicier as the music built up and as their chemistry overall intensified. I think Soto was genius for being able to achieve this.

Can’t wait to grab a physical copy of the book once it’s released in July – thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I think I'm officially obsessed with Julie Soto. I was head over heels for Forget Me Not and Not Another Love Song is a spectacular follow up. AND we even get a cameo from Ama and Elliot! The chemistry between Gwen and Xander jumps off the page. I loved the pacing and the dynamic between the two characters from beginning to end. My ONLY gripe was the 3rd act break up didn't make any sense to me. Luckily Gwen came to the same conclusion I did and immediately went to remedy the situation which leads us to one of the most beautifully heartbreaking moments in the entire book. (I'm not crying you're crying) I will definitely be reading Julie's next books and already planning a reread because I need these characters in my life. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Devoured this new title by Julie Soto. The music background was so much fun and the characters were so driven and entertaining. Major Mozart in the jungle vibes and I loved it. Would highly recommend it!

Forget Me Not was a favorite read of 2023, so I was looking forward to Julie Soto’s latest release, Not Another Love Song. It did not disappoint.

Gwen and Alex are thoroughly developed characters with undeniable chemistry. The musical bits are well researched and add another layer to the book.

Read if you like:
🩵 Rivals to lovers
🩵 He falls first
🩵 Found family
🩵 Classical music

Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this eARC! Don’t miss what’s bound to be one of the best romance reads of the summer.

I enjoyed Julie Soto's debut, Forget Me Not, so I snapped up Not Another Love Song when it was Read Now. Unfortunately, this one was a DNF for me. I really couldn't stand the MMC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun romance read. Gwen and Alex’s love story was sweet and just a touch spicy. I really enjoyed the banter through the first half of the book and I found Gwen to be easily relatable.

My favorite thing however was the authors ability to keep my interest even when writing about music (I am not a musician or musically inclined) but the way it was written was enough to get the point without drowning in it.

The only downfall was that there was a point before the standard 3rd act breakup where I was bored. Thankfully it was short lived, but the storyline here lost me for a moment.

A very enjoyable modern romance that combines love and music together, with well-crafted main characters and stakes outside of just the main love story.

REVIEW✨
Not Another Love Song
By Julie Soto

This is the perfect spicy, high-level chemistry romance with lots of elements of flaws and emotions that will give you butterflies. Gwen and Xander’s chemistry is off the charts! I couldn’t stop reading! Gwen is an inspiring violinist that plays for the Manhattan Pops. When she is working a side gig with her roommate she meets Xander Thorne, the cellist for the band Thorne & Roses who Gwen loves but she also knows Xander’s reputation from playing with him in the Manhattan Pops. There meetings starts off very rough but there is a chemistry that neither of them can deny. I thought that Soto did a magnificent job writing this book, I have a very basic level of understanding music and I loved everything that I learned and I never got lost. The smút scenes were fabulously done and I may have read them a few times over.
I loved this book so much! I had a feeling that I would since I loved her first book so much! This book featured little appearances from characters in the first book but it is a stand alone novel. It was so nice to see a little bit of Ama and Elliot from Forget Me Not. I will be highly recommending this book to everyone and I can’t wait for Julie Soto’s next book.

Out everywhere July 16 2024

Romance: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Plot points: 💥💥💥💥💥
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 stars - this book was so cute. I loved the push and pull between Gwen and Alex. They were adorable in their flirting. I found myself giddy reading their love story unfold. The ending felt a tad rushed but otherwise this was a great read and I’m looking forward to what Julie Soto writes next.

I think this may have been more of a 4 or 4.5/5 but I just decided to round it up to a full 5 especially because the first half of this was just soooo delicious. Julie Soto laced this with something, I swear.

The book mainly follows Gwen's point of view but is interspersed with I think 6 shorter chapters from Alex's perspective (or Xander, as his star musician persona). Gwen is a violinist who lost her mother and then her grandfather young and was unable to attend Juilliard because she didn't have the money. She longs to make it big doing solo performances but for job security has joined the "Manhattan Pops," an orchestra that plays modern songs. She is obsessed with the band "Thorne and Roses" which just so happens to be led by an all-star celloist, Xander Thorne, an arrogant and cocky musician who also joined the Manhattan Pops but has never looked twice at Gwen. When Gwen covers a wedding gig and is asked to play the cello, who else is there to lend her the cello but Xander (obviously). From there, the two enter each other's orbit and compete for the same position: concertmaster (aka the lead of the orchestra).

The chemistry was truly unreal, and that scene with the cello playing oh my god I will not recover! I was obsessed with the first half of this book. I was surprised at how quickly things escalated, but still Xander and Gwen are perfect. I loved how Soto used various musical and lyrical terms to describe the feelings that started to develop between them I thought it was really unique. One thing that did bother me was how naive Gwen was about so many of the people around her. She was so trusting of everyone even when they had like clearly untrustworthy motivations, and yet she was the total opposite with Xander. Obviously that caused so much of the tension here, but it started to get goofy after a while because her naivete was just so extreme at certain points. And I think with so many side characters talking in Gwen's ear, it sort of took something away from Xander and Gwen's development which was otherwise great. I still loved this though and I'm glad I preordered!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Not Another Love Song releases July 16, 2024

This story takes place in the same universe as Soto’s debut novel; the wedding in the opening scene that Gwen plays at is planned by Ama, who is the main character in <I>Forget Me Not</I>.

Gwen is a 22-year-old violinist, playing for the Manhattan Pops at Carnegie Hall. After four years with them, she has just been offered the position of first chair.

As a reader who grew up surrounded by music lessons and band classes from the moment I could walk, I loved the idea here. However, I struggled to view this as a romance. In fact, take away the music, and there is no romance. Any mention of wanting to fuck Gwen was in relation to her playing an instrument, which felt cold and objectifying — it wasn’t actually Gwen he wanted, just the music she was able to play.
There was also so much manipulation and grooming involved with Nathan, Ava, and Lorenz. Their roles really overshadowed the development between Gwen and Alex.

In my personal opinion, Gwen lacked the necessary self-confidence that is imperative to be first chair. She only cared about solo opportunities, but her position is so much more than that.
Alex/Xander came off so rude and arrogant, but at least with him, you could get a tangible sense of the passion, spontaneity, and thrill towards music and his original compositions.
Though, the fact that he names all of his cello’s after women but gives his violin a masculine name because the instrument doesn’t go between his legs is pretty nauseating.

If you’re into hidden identities and people pleasers, this might interest you.

INCREDIBLE
FIVE STARS, such amazing characters, The plot was completing and the tensión was so well done.
Julie Soto a fave author from now on