5 stars -- The way this book altered my brain chemistry! I was unable to put this down and read it within less than 24 hours. I was there in the days when this started out on AO3, but didn't realize it was the same story until I saw the cover and was like "THE CELLO SCENE!!!" It is even BETTER than I remembered it and I ate every single word up. Julie Soto left no scraps here. This might be my favorite romance read of the year so far, full stop.

The tension between the characters was top notch. It is a scorching slow burn, but it is oh so delicious when we get there. Gwen is a bit solitary due to her circumstances in life, but expresses herself by playing violin in the Manhattan Pops. When she clashes with popular cellist Xander (Alex) by getting the first chair, the romantic, sexual, and professional sparks between the two make for a story that you will NOT want to put down (Read: I stayed up until 5 am because I wanted to read just one more chapter).

If you like it when the male MC is down BAD for the female MC and isn't afraid to show it? You'll like this. If you like characters with walls up learning to lower them for each other through shared interests and song-writing? Read this. If you want two idiots who are clearly in love with one another in NY and enjoy classical music and workplace romance? You'll eat this up. If you want a found family that feels earned? This is it.

Prepare to be sick of me when this book releases because it just really was so scrumptious. Like, the Cello scene alone was so good. And the fact that it made the cover is just perfect for this book. This comes out July 16th, 2024!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy. This did not affect my review in any way!

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Julie Soto for an advanced copy of this book! I loved this book and all the characters, but especially Mabel. I think there’s something about an older person being an integral part of one of the main characters’ backstory and current rock that gives an extra dose of attitude and drama to the story. There was a good amount of spice, drama, and emotional ups and downs throughout. I liked finding out how different people were connected and how small some of their circles of influence really were. I played an instrument in school and didn’t understand all of the musical references by any means, but I don’t think I missed anything as far as plot points with all the music terms/references/situations.

Thank you to Julie Soto and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this E-ARC via Netgalley.

I absolutely adored Julie Soto’s debut novel and immediately knew I wanted to pick up her next work. Not Another Love Song follows Gwen and Xander and their careers as musicians in a New York classical orchestra. I loved this book. I really liked the tension between the characters. I wouldn’t describe it as enemies to lovers. I would describe it as “Enemies but he actually secretly admires and thinks about her but he has a resting bitch face and a former child prodigy so he has trouble communicating his emotions to Lovers”. The tension between was so palpable and I had to constantly put down my book because I couldn’t handle it. I love a male main character who is brooding but secretly on the inside all he thinks about is how amazing the female main character is and how much he admires her.

I really enjoyed the characters they felt very real and tangible and they all had their own flaws. I really liked the side characters, especially the little cameos of Ama and Elliot. The plot was reminiscent of an early 2000’s rom com in the way that it was cheesy and predictable but still enjoyable. I will say that the ending felt a bit rushed for me I would have liked for there to have been more development and conclusion to the characters. But overall I’m giving this one a solid 5 stars because I had a fun time reading this. I will be patiently waiting for Julie Soto’s next book.

If you liked Ali Hazelwood’s Check & Mate then you will for sure love this one.

This book is phenomenal. The story is beautiful and captivates you from the beginning. I finished this book earlier today and have not stopped thinking about it. As soon as I finished it I just wanted to read it again.

It’s a rivals to lovers story between a violinist (Gwen) and a cellist(Xander). The chemistry, banter, and tension between Gwen and Xander was perfection. I think they compliment one another and are perfect together. Xander remembers the small details like how she likes her iced coffee. Gwen puts him at ease and as their story progresses you can see how comfortable he feels around her to be his true self. They’re one of my favorite book couples now.

There were a few chapters in Xander’s pov which I really enjoyed reading!!
I absolutely love every bit and piece of this book. I could feel their passion radiate off the pages. Not Another Love Song is a gem and I cannot wait for others to read this book. As soon as this book is out in stores I will be getting my physical copy. This is one of my favorite reads of the year so far! Excited to read other books by Julie Soto.


Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC!

(3.5)This started so strong for me. I loved the voice and the writing immediately. Somewhere around 40% it started to lose me a bit. I was intrigued by the tension and the almost rivals aspect, loved the proximity but it started to feel like there was so much juggling going on. And I could tell early on it was going to blow up in a way that didn’t work for me. The flip from Xander being a complete jerk to basically a drooling dog over her was too quick for me. He almost read as two different characters, which yes I know he has his whole persona but idk it just didn’t work for me. Other than Jacob and Mei, I struggled to like any of the characters outside the two main ones. I think the writing was great, the premise was fun and unique, but I wish we could have had more of some bits and less of others to balance out the story more. Especially the last 15%, that pacing bothered me the most. I’ve heard such excellent things about her first novel so I’m excited to go back and read that one and I’m interested to see what she does next

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever for early access!

This digital ARC was obtainable via NetGalley for an honest review.

"Not Another Love Song" was better than I expected. I really enjoyed the story of Gwen & Alex. This description of music makes you want to learn how to play an instrument. I even found myself trying to find playlists that matched what I was reading. I'm glad to have given this author another chance and I can't wait to read their next book!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Centra Publishing) for the earc.

What an original idea for a romance novel. I know next to nothing about playing musical instruments or the composition of music, let alone anything specifically about violins or cellos, but I loved reading about it! I felt like I could FEEL the music. Definitely picking up Forget Me Not next!

Ohhh my god, Julie. Wow.

First, thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for access to the ARC of this via NetGalley. I'm FOREVER (see what I did there?? ;) hehe) grateful. These are my honest thoughts.

TRULY, this book was so beautiful and I could hardly stand putting it down for IRL nonsense. DON'T YOU KNOW I'M READING JULIE SOTO, RESPONSIBILITIES? I loved how we jumped right back into Julie's Universe (now affectionately called JU's) with Ama, Elliot, and crew showing up RIGHT AWAY.

We're introduced to Gwen straight away as a musician, playing at one of Ama's weddings, and we instantly know how magnificent of a musician she is because, well, Ama makes her play an instrument that's not *her* instrument. Instead, it's that cello guy's cello from Julie's first book, Forget Me Not (truly one of my favorite books of 2023; Elliot Bloom forever, go read it). We know from that book that Xander Thorne is pretty gruff. You can absolutely read this book as a standalone, but the little cameos throughout will be more special if you read Forget Me Not first!

ANYWAYS, Gwen uses Xander's cello, and low-and-behold, they're actually colleagues at the Pops Orchestra in NYC. She of course knows this, yet he's clueless. Things evolve and devolve from there... family drama, orchestra drama, and so on.

Yet the connection between Gwen and Xander seems almost otherworldly. They have this impact on each other when they're in the same room, and the chemistry and tension is INTENSE. This translates in the way they play music together, the way they challenge each other, and the intense way that Xander wants to experience Gwen as a musician, playing literally anything.

The way their love story becomes a composition of flat and sharp notes, the bittersweet with the tender, the tension with the relief, the building up and the quieting, the choices made my musical artists to emote feelings... that's exactly what Xander needs in order to express more through his music.

There's a bunch of other truly wonderful stuff in this story that I loved:
- Found family (Mabel and Jacob especially)
- New York neighborhoods and city life, which I am all too happy to experience in books but would prefer my suburban lifestyle IRL (lol)
- Street tacos and invitations to "jam"
- The movement of bringing classical instruments into modern music
- ALLLLLL OF THE CAMEOS; bless you, JU's, for being amazing and making me want MORE MORE MORE of these characters
- The stories of forgiveness, some of which are multilayered and span more than a decade
- The stories of self - JU's focuses a lot on discovering and chasing dreams, but she also perfectly exams how it feels when you start to chase a dream or when you're given exactly what you maybe thought you wanted, and how it's absolutely okay to get what you thought you wanted and have that not be the *thing* that is the most important or is no longer the dream
- The fact that both main characters are processors - I, too, can't always process events or feelings in the moment, even though there is oftentimes pressure to know exactly how you're feeling at all times. I appreciate that both characters make choices that aren't always "right" or "ideal" because they need a moment to process
- The challenge of "home" and what that means to different people
- Did I mention the Elliot Bloom cameos already?
- THE EASTER EGGS FOR WHAT'S TO COME..... I WANNA GUESS WHICH BOOK IS COMING NEXT BUT THERE'S A FEW CHARACTERS I'M EXCITED TO SEE IN THE FUTURE

If you didn't notice, I loved this book and thought it was simply beautiful. Different from Forget Me Not but an amazing piece of work for this sophomore novel out of JU's. I'm here for the long haul. Five stars. Infinity stars.

Julie Soto does it again! I loved the rivalry and the main characters. I haven’t ever read a story of competing musicians. This book was definitely those I binged from start to finish in one day.

Julie Soto has done it again. I cannot stop telling my friends about this book and how they need to read it when it releases. I literally know absolutely nothing about musical instruments or how an orchestra works but that did not stop me from immediately reading (and spoiler... LOVING) this book. I don't know that I've laughed and smiled and genuinely looked forward to reading a book more than this in a long time. There was music, there was friendship, there was romance and there was spice... lots of spice and like throughout the whole book but not like in a here is just a spicy spice spice book kinda way, just the right amount at the right time. Basically this is the romance book to beat in 2024.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I laughed…I cried…I had to fan myself. 😉 This is the second Julie Soto book I’ve read and this one was definitely spicier! She does a great job of describing every spicy scene without it being cringe. I absolutely loved this love story. First, it’s enemies-to-lovers. Then, it reminded me of movies like Center Stage and Save the Last Dance. Finally, there were some pop culture references (Alex’s Version 😉). There was a good balance between fun, romance and realistic turmoil. You must read this!

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, thank you NetGalley.

I feel this book is a love story to music and how much music can have an impact on one’s life. I love that one of the main characters in the story is the music itself. It was present throughout the entire story not just at the beginning or the end or just mentioned here and there. It was part of each character. The musical terminology was fun for me (I had to look up some of the terms used to know what the author is talking about) Also I know it’s silly, but this story made me feel like I want to go see a ‘Manhattan Pops Orchestra’ show.

The characters were likable, however I felt like he fell for her way too quick. They are in the same group but he didn’t now she was there, Then he saw her at an event they were both at…now he can’t stay away or get her out of his head (she, of course, knew him).

Overall enjoyable and would recommend.
Also if spicy is not your thing this might not be for you. The spice is abundant.

Thanks again to NetGalley.

Amazing book! This book really made me feel all the emotions, exactly what I’m looking for in a romance. Did not know what to expect going into it, but it was an amazing read. Highly recommend

Thank you Julie Soto and Forever for an ARC of this book via NetGalley!

Hello and welcome to the people pleaser support group, where we encourage each other to set boundaries, one no at a time. May I present to you Gwen. She had the qualities many of us can relate to. The tendency to adopt others' desires as our own, the need to fall into line to gain acceptance and, perhaps hardest of all, the belief that that acceptance is our salvation. Throw in some self-doubt and suddenly we find ourselves trapped in a cage. And that's why I felt so invested in Gwen's journey. I loved watching her interrogate what she thought she knew, confront the people she thought had her best intentions at heart, and finally choose herself above all. Bc the moment she did, there was a sense of freedom and immense relief from the weight of others' expectations. And suddenly her options were endless.

Now Xander? He was a bit gruff. He had a complicated history and his roughness was all in the name of avoiding that cage. And with it, we got direct contrast between him and Gwen, encouraging us to empathize with both of their situations before we declared one better than the other. And what I loved about Xander was that while Gwen's journey focused largely on moving forward, his journey required him to look backwards. In evaluating his present, he had to reflect on his past to decide whether the sacrifices he made were worth the gains he achieved and whether those gains were still worth fighting for.

Naturally, the juxtaposition of Gwen and Xander meant they clashed. Hard. SO MUCH TENSION that burned so hot, we MELTED AND SWOONED. Then that intense fire erupted in HEARTBREAK. Until it was coaxed into a flame that gave us the WARM FUZZIES. 😊

CN: open-door romance, complicated family relations, past death of family members

OH MY GAAAAAWWWD

First of all I’m gonna need a playlist for this book ASAP

SECOND OF ALL, why did this book have to end?? I mean cmonnnnn.

I love everything about this. The chemistry between Alex and Gwen is UNMATCHED. Julie has a way with the spicy scenes that make me not cringe 🥵

I think I loved this one more than Forget Me Not, but I loved the cameo of Ama.

Anyway, I’ll be waiting patiently for someone to make a playlist on Spotify and also for Julie’s next books.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for my eARC!

An instant classic.

“Not Another Love Song” was my first Julie Soto book, but after finishing this ARC, I immediately went to buy another and preordered this one for my shelf. 

Gwen and Alex, both musical prodigies, are connected by strings - both the visible/orchestral kind and the invisible strings of their pasts that they discover as the story progresses. 

Romance readers: I have never seen tension done so well. 

Never. 

I promise. 

Some of the hottest scenes I’ve read in any romance novel happened when these characters weren’t even NEAR each other. 

And, it’s clear that Soto took her musical theme to heart with regard to the pacing of this story. Beautifully done. Believable. Balanced highs and lows. 

Lastly, I adored the reader’s note included at the beginning of this novel - hearing about the inspiration behind this story made me instantly invested and altered my reading experience in the best way. It made me want to love this - and I did. Bravo! I’d love to see more authors “take a cue” from Soto on this.

The last line of this novel? Are you kidding me? What a simple, perfect TONIC, And, yet, I find I can’t wait for Soto’s encore.

I was so excited to receive this arc as I LOVED Forget Me Not. Set in the same world, I loved the little nod to Ama and Elliot. I was frustrated with a lot of the choices in the last quarter of the book and I felt that the ending was a bit rushed which dropped me to a four overall but I did really enjoy this one. I know Xander is meant to be a grumpy jerk but I just found him a lil too much of a grumpy jerk at times (but he did mildly redeem himself at the end). The tension between Gwen and Xander for the first half of the book was *chef’s kiss* and the spice was spicing. I’ll definitely be recommending this to a lot of people! Thank you to NetGalley & Forever books for the arc!

I loved Julie’s first book, Forget Me Not, and was so excited to read an early copy of Not Another Love Song. I loved Gwen & Alex’s story and the way they supported each other’s growth. The ways each of them expressed their feelings through their music was beautiful. It was such a fun new way for me to grasp what each of them were feeling in different moments.

4.5 stars!!

I’m floored by how much I enjoyed this. The way Julie Soto was able to make violins and cellos so sensual in something that I read with my eyes and not ears was incredible. The ending and all the loose ends wrapped up a just a little too quickly for my taste, which bumped it down a half star, but I thoroughly enjoyed almost every aspect of this!


Thank you Forever and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Everything in this book felt like it was made, especially for me. The two main characters had such sizzling chemistry. I was actually actually blushing after the scene that definitely inspired this cover… I am so excited to recommend this book to everyone who will listen to me it is my new obsession.