When I heard this was a Reylo fanfic, I instantly knew I would enjoy this.

Musical prodigies Xander Thorn and Gwen Jackson are a part of the same Pops Orchestra, only he doesn't know she exists. What happens when she is part of piano/strings duo and he can't keep his eyes off her? but is it judgement or something else.

Julie Soto does it again. She creates these amazing characters and shows you their lives - past and present to become an enriching story of love, family, and redemption. Some of the secondary characters added so much to the story, that I wanted to know more of their story as well. Julie Soto is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

3/5. I wasn’t crazy about this book unfortunately. First of all, some of the dialogue was awkward and unrealistic to the point that it took me out of immersion in the story. As an example, Ama, the love interest from Soto’s previous book, said that she “shipped” the main characters, which felt forced and weird to me. The character development for both of our main characters felt rushed, as did their relationship. After Xander did the things he did in the first act of the book, I was shocked that Gwen was willing to hang out with him, much less to entertain an actual relationship. As is the pattern with many of these bad boy love interests, I find that he changed his vibes entirely once he and Gwen got together. He was all growls and creepy stalker-y interactions until they got together. And to be fair, Gwen did make clear that the things he did weren’t good before they got together, but they did still get together without much difficulty. Personally, I would have preferred either a slightly longer book, if it meant more character development.

Now, for what I did like! I thought Soto did a good job with the descriptions of the music. I thought the repetition of certain phrases that she used helped to evoke the music she was discussing. And I definitely got the love of music that our main characters felt throughout the book. I also think she set out doing what she set out to with the initial image of the imagined tension between first violin and first cello in an orchestra. Those scenes were fun (though I think we could have lingered in them longer, but I understand why we didn’t for the pace of the book). Overall, decent, but not my favorite!

Not Another Love Song is a love story of two music prodigies who come from two distinctive musical background. Gwen Jackson, who came from humble beginning strives to build her music career as a solo violinist and Xander Thorne, a cellist, whose privileged life afforded him many musical opportunities. When a chance of a lifetime brings Gwen into the spotlight at her orchestra, she is now within sight of the resident broody Cello player.

My final thoughts for this book, I rate this 3.5 stars. The tension between Gwen and Xander were palpable through the pages. Their intensity for music showcased their passion for the craft. There were great moments in the book, but I didn't feel the emotional connection that bridge together the main leads. While the physical connection was great, at times it overshadows the relationship a bit. To me, the whole relationship felt surface level as their obsession and attraction dominate from making real connections with one another. My musical background is very basic, and I got a bit lost with most of the technical lingo of the orchestra which slow me down from devouring the book. The plot started off strong, but towards the third act, it didn't stick the landing as well as I thought it could have been.

Nevertheless, the book cover is gorgeous, and it would have caught my attention in a bookstore for me to pause and take a chance to read it. I like the book, but I wish I would have love it more.

Overall, if you love music and spice roll into one, this would be a great summer read!

**Thank you NetGallery and the author for providing me this digital copy in exchange for an honest review. **

Thank you Grand Central publishing and netgalley for this egalley. All opinions are my own.

This was my first Julie Soto book and I have to say I am absolutely hooked. Her writing is so easily digestible, it’s like being able to see a movie play in your head.

The romance was cute and loveable. Although I found that it developed quite fast!I was so interested in learning about the instruments and reading about our two main characters play cello and violin together.

The one thing that I didn’t necessarily vibe with was the miscommunication trope, I totally understand that books need conflict and solutions but I just wish people talked to each other! It would solve so many issues

i think what makes a good story especially about something you know nothing about is the authors ability to make you understand how it works. I know way too much about cellos now thanks to Julie Soto hooking me and making me google everything about the instrument.

Definitely not my last Julie Soto book! I totally recommend it.

**Not Another Love Song** by Julie Soto is the second of her books I've read, and regrettably, it continues the trend of disappointment. While the premise of musical prodigies Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne navigating rivalry and romance had potential, the execution fell flat.

Soto's exploration of the intricacies of orchestra life, particularly the nuances of cello and violin, is commendable. However, the lack of authentic connection between the main characters undermines the story's foundation. Gwen and Xander's relationship feels contrived, lacking the depth and chemistry necessary to engage readers.

Moreover, the plot follows a predictable formula, with significant events unfolding at predictable intervals. The Third Act Conflict feels forced, and the resolution is hastily patched together, leaving loose ends untied.

In summary, **Not Another Love Song** fails to deliver the compelling narrative I had hoped for. I cannot recommend it to readers seeking a genuinely engaging and original story.

This was my first book from this author and a definite 5 star read for me. I truly could gush for an hour about how much I loved this book - but a lot of it would be a spoiler so we won’t do that! We meet Gwen, a professional musician working a side gig at a wedding. She comes across someone she knows from her full time job at the Pops but isn’t expecting. They get to know each other more and the story goes from there. It has so much surprising depth and I loved the NYC setting amongst professional musicians at the top of their game. It has beautiful romance and quite a bit of spice. But a very balanced book overall. I appreciate that her characters are flawed and relatable. Julie sends us on this journey full of growth, reveals and beautiful imagery. I love most how she worked in musical terms into her beautiful writing, That was an unexpected delight!

I am pointedly ignoring that this is a flavor of Reylo fanfiction because that's not my thing. Anyway, my thoughts are as follows: daaaaaaaaamn, Julie Soto. I see you. This was GOOD. The way musical performance was described in this story was so beautiful?? The rivalry? The pining? The CHEMISTRY? Mama Mia, that's a spicy meatball. *fans self*

3.75 STARS -

Julie Soto is going to be a household name in romance. NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG is a charming look at two trained musicians as they navigate opposing backgrounds in their careers, despite wanting the same thing. Gwen is a violinist who despite having been trained by someone, is still mostly coasting on raw talent. Xander is a rich, professionally trained, rock star musician with impeccable technique. We love an opposites attract!

Personally, something about this book didn't quote hit home the way FORGET ME NOT did. The love scenes were definitely hot, and Xander said all the right things, but it didn't take root in my heart the same way.

It is important to note that I think this falls into the insta-love category or at least fast love, and I may just not be the right reader for that trope.

Julie Soto's writing is flowery and romantic as always, which I loved.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for this ARC!

WOWWWWW.. If I didn't already love Julie Soto before this book, after this book she will be my whole personality, I want to engrain this book in to my dna.
Did I understand any of the musical references in this? Absolutely not. Did I love this more than anything? Absolutely!
Gwen is a self made violinist who plays for a NYC orchestra and works with the rock star cellist Xander. Their chemistry is great and the built up for the romance was worth it. I was kind of stressing during some parts but the drama was worth it and was a perfect touch to the story. I literally couldn't put the book down and now I'm sad it's over. The ending was a little rushed but everything else was amazing.
I love that instead of getting full chapters of Xander's POV, we got little snippets of what was going on in his head hehe, perfectly well done!

I can't wait for this to come out in July, everyone must read. Now I want to relearn to play the violin.....

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

I absolutely loved Forget Me Not so I was so excited for Soto's next book and it did not disappoint! I finished this book within a day because it was that good and addicting. The love between the two characters was demonstrated through the music they composed together, and it was like I could hear it in my head. The tension was real (especially at the start when Gwen had to learn the cello). As a lover of Forget Me Not, I also loved how Julie brought back characters from her last book. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the ending. It felt a little rushed but in all, this book was such a great read!

This book.. this BOOK.. was just. So. GOOD. I loved this book. I read it in under 12 hours. If you’re a romance reader, this book is for you. I’m not really a romance reader and yet.. this book was just amazing. I needed a break from fantasy and my god, I couldn’t put it down.

Julie Soto is a master at romance. I used to read her work in fanfiction, so I don’t know why I expected this to be any different. This is a fast paced story about two music prodigies. The story was addictive and emotional and had me crying by the end. Gwen was such a likable character and I loved her so much. Xander was hot and his POV was my favorite. The spice was.. *chef’s kiss* so spicy.

I can’t wait to read more from Julie. This is going to be one of my favorite books this year. A strong 5 stars from me. Thank you Netgalley, Julie Soto and Forever Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

wow, this was the loveliest, steamiest, tenderest story! while I loved FORGET ME NOT by Julie Soto, this story absolutely delivered in every possible way :)

Gwen is such a lovely character who goes on the realest journey of self-acceptance, shedding her imposter syndrome and anxieties about her talent in order to become so much more comfortable in her self, her dreams, and her relationships. I loved seeing Gwen find her self-worth and her happiness in this story. and Alex has his own growth in this story as well. I loved seeing him become Gwen's biggest support and motivator to make her become her best self. he is such a sweet and tender boy wrapped in a cynical and untrusting shell built from years of heartbreak and betrayal. I absolutely loved seeing his pov in the few chapters throughout the story so we can see the loveliness in him before Gwen does.

overall, Gwen and Alex have the loviest, rhythmically romantic story I've ever read. the plot and character development was unique and completely wonderful. an absolute joy of a read from Soto, thank you so much for the arc :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-rivals to lovers
-horny music nerds in love
-found family
-he falls fast and hard
-falling in love with you is the symphony

Gah what a book. The aboslutely poetry of prose that just tosses you livewire into a musica. Julie Soto's writing is absolute poetry, you can just feel the msuc, her words weaving a gorgeous love story, in a backdrop of fame, power hungry figures and two horny idiots who just need to figure out what they want out of this world rather than what everyone tells them they should want.

Music brought Gwen family as an orphan her guiding light as she navigated life. But she's bumping up against Alex/Xander and suddeenly in the first chair position he wanted. I adored how Julie played with dual POV in this book I won't say much but it was so unique. I loved how Gwen had power in this story but also was making mistakes, figuring it out, and still figuring herself out.

BUT ALEXANDER 'JUST KEEP PLAYING THE CELLO HONEY' THORNE just wow. Gruff, a bit of a jerk, and just becomes obsessed with Gwen. How he saw how talented she was, and wanting more of her always. I lvoe a man obssessed and gosh was he, doting on her, wanting any piece of her he could, and every consent check in was just so hottttt. How he needed Gwen to reconsider where he was in his life and what he should fight for, and how much her talented turned him on.

Put your favorite music on, get comfortable because you won't be able to put this one down. Another masterpiece.

I absolutely devoured Not Another Love Song. I’m a huge sucker for rivals-to-lovers slow burn, and this book did not disappoint!

The tension and chemistry between Gwen and Alex was incredible. Julie Soto’s captivating writing fully immersed me into the world of classical orchestra to the point where the music itself was almost a character.

This was my first time reading Julie Soto and a week later I’m still thinking about it, like a song stuck in my head! I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book.

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Julie Soto could write a grocery list and I'd read it. I loved the musical aspect of this novel. The tension was very good between the two MCs. As always, she writes a very hot brooding man. We got cameos of our favorite characters from Forget Me Not. All in all, it was a great book.

4/5 ⭐
1.5/5 🌶️

This was 4 stars for me!

I love Julie Soto and everything she has written is straight gold.

The story of this is so magical and musically beautiful. I almost felt like I could hear music through the pages. The dynamic between the MCs was well developed and I really enjoyed their chemistry.

Absolutely loved this story!

I loved the setting of an orchestra in NYC. A violinist and cellist feeding off of each others' energy was delicious. I wanted more from their emotional connection. I still enjoyed it a lot!

Goodness, Not Another Love Song brought out all the feels l've been craving since finishing anothet contemporary earlier this year. Julie knocked this one out of the ballpark.

I loved her debut Forget Me Not, but I LOVED Not Another Love Song! Alex and Gwen had me in a chokehold from beginning to end. Safe to say Julie is a new autobuy author for me

I adored Forget Me Not so I jumped at the chance to read this one and boy was I not disappointed.

I LOVED it. It is immediately going into my comfort read rotation. If you enjoy Ali Hazelwood books and/or liked Forget Me Not this is a great choice for you.

The relationship was adorable and I loved how well researched the musician parts of it seemed (I'm not a musician but it seemed like it was all intensely accurate lol)

Also, THE CELLO SCENE. The blurbs and posts about it were not kidding. I was not prepared and it was *amazing*. You'll wanna read it for that scene alone lol

Honestly Julie has yet to disappoint me and after this book she's definitely now an auto-buy author for me

I really loved this one. Maybe even more than her first novel? The music component was perfection, and the realistic connection between the leads gave allllll the butterflies. It never bogged down like so many romances do and stood out amongst all the other contemporary romances.