**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.

Not Another Love Song follows violinist Gwen and celloist Xander, two coworkers at a New York small symphony as they clash and come together as collaborators and in love.
Gwen is an orphan with almost no friends, content with a small existence playing in the orchestra. Xander is a superstar is the world of classical music, a childhood prodigy and the lead in a rock opera style band. When Gwen is hired to perform at a wedding that Xander is attending he finally notices her and her untapped potential after not even realizing that she is in fact his coworker. He convinces her to collaborate with him as sparks fly. This is more like academic rivals/coworkers to lovers than enemies to lovers. Once they finally come together spicy and music become intertwined.

Thank you for Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for my honest review. I am giving this book 3.5 stars. While I did enjoy the first half of the book (the angst, the tension) the second half of the book (while spicy) started to fall apart. Their actual relationship was just ok, the fight leading to the third act breakup felt forced and not a natural part of the story. I was satisfied by the resolution, but it was only in the first 50% of this book that I found much enjoyment. This book is (again) Reylo fan fiction by this author. I did enjoy her first book, but probably wont read any more books by this author until they step away from writing things of this nature and start to broaden their horizons,
I will post video reviews of this book to my social media (TikTok and YouTube) closer to the release date in July.

Julie has done it again! Her writing is addicting and the little cameos from Ama and Elliot from Forget Me Not had me squealing!

This story follows Gwen Jackson as she gains notoriety as the youngest first chair violinist playing with the Manhattan Pops (inspired by the New York Pops). We see increased tension between her and the famous Xander Thorne, bad boy cello player and the lead of her favorite band, Thorne and Roses, and there's nothing I love more than Rivals to Lovers. There were parts in the middle that dragged for me a bit but ultimately the story kept me interested and at the edge of my seat as the romance progressed. Majority of the book was told from Gwen's perspective but every 60 pages or so we got a small chapter from Xander's perspective and I think it was just enough to round out his character and I actually loved that the book wasn't completely duel POV. I think a lot of people will see themselves in Gwen and the struggle she went through with pleasing the people around her and trusting her gut to know what the right thing is for herself.

One thing Julie KNOWS how to do is write a romance! The tension and yearning these two characters had for each other was so consuming and it was hard to set the book aside once they came together. I meannnn once you read the scene that inspired the cover I think you'll also be foaming at the mouth to devour the rest of the story. There is a third act breakup but this was one I actually didn't mind. It made space for both Gwen and Xander grow as individuals and gave them the change to make decisions that weren't completely dependent on their relationship.

I really loved this book and I'm excited to see what Julie comes out with next!

"he was staring down at her like she was the sun. like she was an answer to a question he’d been asking his whole life.”

Thank you NetGalley and Julie Soto for giving me the chance to read this early!

This is my first book by Julie Soto and I can easily say it will not be my last. The book for me moved from a slow to medium pace although it is dual POV you get a lot more of the FMC than you do the MMC. I would have liked a little more of the MMC POV in present time but I definitely appreciated the past POV scenes from him. I thought the romance was good there is some spice but honestly at a point I skimmed through it which I usually don't do and this is really because I wanted to get back into the story and see what was happening next for the MCs. I loved how much I could identify with how bad a broken heart hurts. I wish I could see a clip of this scene in real life !
Overall this was a great read for me , it was romance but also found family and good character development. I would give this book 3.5-4 star rate

When I tell you I LOVED this book. This contemporary romance novel has it all: dark and brooding mmc, strong fmc, music, passionate love, and fun side characters.

The relationships, both platonic and romantic, in the story were beautiful and realistic. The triumphs and flaws of each of the characters were shown in their interactions with each other, and I love how much they were developed. Mabel was my absolute favorite. She was an incredible role model and lovable side character.

When I first started Not Another Love Song, I was very skeptical of the mmc, Alex due to his behavior toward Gwen at the beginning of the novel. Things quickly changed as his hard exterior melted away and he began to realize that insulting Gwen was not the way to her heart. While Gwen seemed to know a lot about who she was and wanted to be, Alex showed an incredible amount of character development and I LOVED watching him grow as a person.

Last, but not least, the spicy scenes in Not Another Love Song were so good (I mean the cello scene are you kidding me). I really loved this book - it had everything that you could hope for in a romance novel.