5⭐️

I had no idea what to expect going into this as it was my first Julie Soto book, but I loved every second of it. First off, let me just say that when there’s a movie that involves music especially violins or cellos, you can sure bet I’m going to watch it, and I’m going to LOVE it. Therefore, this was right up my alley. I felt like I was literally in one of those musical romance movies, and I ate every bit of it up.

Not Another Love Song is a love story, but not just any love story. It’s a love story sparked through a musical connection. Does it even get any better (or hotter) than that?

Also, can we talk about the chemistry, tension, and banter between these two characters?! 😫 INCREDIBLE. This is exactly what I seek for in a romance novel.

Alex’s character was beyond perfect, and he had me pleasantly surprised. I was a bit hesitant about him from the start, but the love and compassion he showed towards Gwen had me dazed (in the good kind of way). Not to mention he was incredibly hot in the way he handled himself. And you’re telling me he’s not even real? 😩

Not Another Love Song will have you FEELING something for the two main characters. Not just because their connection was so incredible but also because you’ll want to see them happy and get the ending they deserve. When you truly care about the characters is when you know a book is good. 😌💞

Read if you love:
- Rivals to lovers
- A MMC that is obsessed with the FMC
- Books based in NYC
- Musical romances
- Cello/violin
- Incredible banter

P.S. if you’re looking for a good musical romance movie to watch, I highly recommend High Strung. It’s one of my favorite movies ever, and Not Another Love Song reminded me of that nostalgic feeling I get every time I watch it. 🥹

Thank you for Netgalley and Forever publishing for the arc! 🫶🏼

This was an enjoyable book!. I found this was to be a fun, delightful read. I would read other books by this author. I would recommend this book to others.

THIS IS A LITERAL MASTERPIECE. I do not have one negative thing to say. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Xander & Gwyn, they are living rent free in my mind and I never want them to leave. Seriously, where is Margot Robbie so she can produce this into the most incredible movie?! Julie Soto is absolutely fantastic, I will buy all her books forever. Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel!!!

A stranger to Julie Sotos' writing, I received 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴, and was unsure what to expect. I never would have anticipated placing this book amongst some of my favorite reading experiences.

Popping in my earbuds and setting my phone to a continuous rotation of the 2 Cellos (I highly recommend reading this book this way), I found myself completely engrossed in one of the most sensual romance reads I have (quite possibly ever) experienced. From settling into a beautiful calm, to experiencing the feeling of my heart racing, I am not sure I will every fully be able to explain the connection I felt and the disappointment I had as I turned the final page. I didn't want it to end.

The most magical moment occurred when, to my utter shock, one of the songs that began playing in my ears was the exact song that was referenced during a pivotal point in the book. I had to rewind and flip my pages backward, just to experience it for a second (and a third) time.

This rivals to lovers romance is filled with beautiful friendships, complex family dynamics, and a unique connection forged between two musical prodigies. Xander and Gwen play off each other's strengths while supporting each other so perfectly through their own individual struggles, and I was cheering for them the entire time. I loved the energy and personalities of the sub characters, and I think they added the perfect amount of support to the storyline.

If you are a lover of instrumental covers particularly those created with strings or an orchestra, a dark and mysterious MMC, and the found family trope, I can almost promise you will quickly get lost within the pages of this love story. ❤️

Thank you to Julie Soto and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Forever (GCP) for giving me an arc.

What a spectacular read! The characters in this novel were imperfectly perfect and carried so much depth. Julie did an amazing job at showing the challenges and growth, Alex, Ava, Gwen and Mabel all had to work towards throughout this story. I can say that the musical portion in the story was also phenomenal I felt entranced by the performances and it definitely brought back my musical passion.

I would recommend highly recommend 'Not Another Love Song' to anyone looking for their next read.

4.5/5 stars!

Gwen is a 22 year old violin prodigy living in NYC an entering her fourth season with the Pops, across from her rival and esteemed cellist, Alex Fitzgerald, also known as Xander Thorne- badass leader of the band “Thornes and Roses.” This book follows the pair as they go from rivals to lovers and navigate the world of music both together and apart.

I loved this story so much and found it to be the perfect blend of sweet and spicy.

I would have preferred first person POV as I found the 3rd person felt unnatural while reading. Additionally, I wish Alex and Gwen interacted more in the first 50% of the book and built their emotional connection up a bit more.

Overall loved the book and Julie Sotos stories!

This book scratched an itch I didn't know I had right now. It is an adorable contemporary romance about 2 musicians in New York, loosely a reylo fanfic (love that.) Xander is a brooding simp and Gwen is incredibly relatable in her awkwardness.
I don't love a miscommunication trope but the tension was sublime.
I might have gotten an ARC but I will 100% be buying a copy because the cover is beautiful. Also the scene from the cover is so good!
Also god bless kindle for having the ability to look up words because my musical knowledge is lacking.
I loved the concept of the book and had a grand time reading it

Julie Soto is an absolute mastermind! I was hooked on the premise of Not Another Love Song, but the chemistry and witty writing reeled me right in hook, line, and sinker. This is a phenomenal story with great pacing, well-developed characters, and utterly delicious rivals-to-lovers energy. Seriously, this book kept me up all night. And no, I have ZERO regrets. Not Another Love Song is just *that* good.

I loved the chemistry between Alex and Gwen. Two people who share the same passion. The characters were wonderfully written and well developed! Both of their growth and understanding of each other was chefs kiss. Just spicy enough as well! The story was delightful and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I read it in 2 days. Definitely a book I will be rereading.

Julie Soto…the woman that you are! Julie just cannot write a bad book. I would read her grocery lists if she’d let me.

Alex and Gwen are a cellist and violinist, respectively who are first chairs in an orchestra. Think of the tension between them staring at each other over their music stands during a rehearsal. Need I say more? This book is a love letter to the starving artist and the hustle of New Yorkers. The whirlwind rivals to lovers romance is done beautifully and Julie tastefully brings easter eggs from her past book into this story for her dedicated readers.

One thing about Julie Soto? She’ll give you a complex character and a feel good romance. I will read anything and everything she puts out.

Thank you NetGalley and Julie Soto for letting me read this book early!! I have recently read Forget Ne Not and couldn’t wait for Julie’s next book to be released.

Not Another Love Song stole my heart and made me feel ALL the feelings. How could you not when Julie creates a masterpiece where a cello/violinist are rivals to lovers and the tension was through the roof! I did find the start of the book hard to get into but once I hit the 25-30% mark I couldn’t get enough.

I Received an ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review, thank you for the opportunity.
My first read by Julie Soto but certainly not my last. This is a rivals to lovers uniquely written storyline where music is the main topic. I dare you to look at playing or listening to these instruments the same after this book ;) It has ALL the things I love and loathe in a story line. Banter, betrayal, spice, great supporting characters but also despicable villains (why are people so mean?) the jump to conclusions can't solve a life problem as an adult... insert eye roll. But regardless, worth the read :)

📣 whew!!!! 🔥 This one is sooo good!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what’s your fave long song? One of mine is “Green Eyes” by Coldplay. It was mine & my husband’s wedding song! But these days, I’m really digging Hozier & his dramatic & swoony ballads.

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto is where it’s at. I freaking adored this one! The chemistry between Gwen and Alex is unreal.

Despite the fact that I dropped out of elementary school band after a few months (RIP clarinet), my soul thinks I’m a musician. The way that Not Another Love Song approaches music & conveys the act of performing & making exquisite sound is so powerful.

You can feel the chemistry soo much when they play music together and when they’ve finished playing music. I mean, my Kindle was sweating.

But despite how blazing hot this book is, I could also feel the emotion underpinning it all, & I loved seeing initially jerk-ish Alex learn some things, & Gwen, too.

Some of the secondary characters (shout-out Mei!) add some much appreciated comic relief amid the other rich emotions in this romance.

Please check this one out—I think you will love it!

5 ⭐️. Out 07/16.

CWs: a manipulative stepdad & boss, previous loss of family members, parental estrangement.

[ID: Jess wears a purple & white striped dress with blue & green floral designs & holds the book while standing in the grass.]

Julie Soto se ha convertido en una de mis autoras favoritas, sabe como escribir un romance y establecer relaciones haciendo que uno como lector sienta todos esas emociones, me la pasé todo el libro con mariposas en el estómago. ❤️
Este romance tiene todo lo que me gusta, estoy obsesionada!
-Música
-Rivales a amantes
-Slow burn
-Diferentes POV

La química y tensión que tienen Gwen y Xander es increíble. Gwen es una violinista y Xander en un violonchelista que tiene su banda de rock. La historia de amor combinada con la música, la música combinada con lo spicy 1000/10
Los personajes secundarios son muy buenos y los pequeños fragmentos que tiene los protagonistas con personajes del primer libro me encantaron.
Es un libro que muero por tener en físico. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gwen is a young violinist living in NYC playing at weddings to make ends meet while also playing as 4th Chair in the Manhattan Pops Orchestra. When she shows up at a wedding and learns they expect her to play the cello, she must borrow a cello from Xander, who is in the wedding party. Xander Thorne from Thorne and Roses. Xander also happens to be First Chair in the cello section of the Pops, but doesn’t even recognize her. He tells her afterwards she shouldn’t be playing weddings.

Wow. Julie Soto does it again. Not Another Love Song flows perfectly after Forget Me Not. The build-up with Xander and Gwen was perfect. The found family. The absolute poetry describing the composing. The hustle and question of how to maintain stability early on in your career felt so genuine. Now I’ll just be wishing Thorne and Roses was real so I could listen.

“THIS IS SOME GOURMET LOVE STORY SHIT.”
Mei might be one of my favourite side characters for sure. I love Julie’s writing and the detail she puts into each character. I love Jacob and Gwen’s inside joke role playing. How relate-able Gwen is by liking a video of Alex (Xander) from 2021. The little details. He put “squeaky” on her sheet music. The call back at the end to why he was walking and getting tacos. Absolutely love that characters from her first book spill over into this one. And love the added detail of Gwen observing a certain florist’s ass get squeezed.
I am also thankful that we get some chapters with Alex’s perspective as well. Obsessed that “that scene” is the chosen cover for this book. “Didn’t Mabel ever tell you never let a girl get in between you and your instrument “. I also appreciate the subtlety of the villain introduction. You know something’s UP with them but you don’t know the full extent.

I really dislike third act breakups. BUT I think what makes me dislike them is the miscommunication that is usually involved and there was none of that here. So I found I wasn’t frustrated at all, and I was really just rooting for them to figure things out on their own and come back to each other.

I was laughing, crying and really regretting never learning an instrument before the age of 12.
Alex is the enemies to lovers grump we all love.
✨“You’ve been watching me?”✨
✨“I want to be clear. I want you in every way”✨

Julie Soto was an auto-read for me after I borrowed Forget Me Not from the library. I was devastated when I found out I would have to wait until JULY for the next. Thank you NetGalley and Julie for putting out an ARC so I could consume it in less than 48 hours.

Yet another solid romance book from Julie Soto! Much like her first book the strength is the chemistry between the characters. Somehow unintentionally all of the romance books I’ve enjoyed recently have been Reylo inspired and we can add this one to the list. I will say though in the beginning I did not like the male main character he was too dark and grumpy without having a clear reason. Once you get to know his backstory better it makes a little more sense but still in the beginning I really did not like him. I enjoyed the way all of the music was described since it was so important to the characters. Overall a really solid romance novel. If you enjoyed her first book, Forget Me Not, you’ll probably enjoy this one just as much.

I absolutely LOVED this book. After devouring Julie Soto’s first book and now this, Soto is a must read for me. I could hardly put this book down and needed to know everything that would happen to Gwen and Alex/Xander. I loved everything about this book.

Not Another Love Song is a beautiful romance story written by the amazing Julie Soto. It was an absolute pleasure to read this book.

This book FLOORED ME. I was hooked from the very first page and was in it for the entire kit and caboodle. I love Julie Soto’s writing and the way she creates these characters that you want to see through it all.

The tension in this book had me squealing and when she does wet blanket moments it’s seriously like someone dumped ice cold water over you. I love it.

I had never read a book where the two mc’s are string players and the way Julie worked that into her writing was magnificent!! The choice of language just added to everything and I felt like I was being swept away in a song the entire book. I did take a little pause to look up a cover of ‘smells like teen spirit’ on stings so I could really picture the scene. 10/10 would recommend.

Okay specifically speaking on the characters I love the way Alex loves Gwen. It’s all encompassing and watching these two go back and forth in a ‘are we real enemies or do we want to play music and rip each other’s clothes off?’ was a truly magical experience.

I was giggling and kicking my feet, suspicious of certain characters, and positively crying tears of bliss and joy at the end. I’m a sap for a romance with heart and lots of emotion and this will go to the top of my favorites list.