I wish I could give this 10 stars, I loved it so much. So beautiful and also extremely horny.

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the ARC!

I finally got a chance to read a Julie Soto book! I really liked this one. I really felt the emotions of Alex and Gwen. And I also learned a little about music. I will most definitely read this author again!

Huge thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc of Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto.

I want to say that I’m probably being biased with this review but oh well. I’ve been reading Julie Soto’s work from AO3, to now fully published books; and I have to say I’ve loved everything I’ve read so far.

Please note I don’t know anything about music so anytime they started speaking in terms, I had no idea what they were saying but the story somehow was very easy to follow. I just can’t tell you if there’s any inaccuracies.

I wouldn’t call this an enemies to lovers story; this was more of a misunderstanding between two people who work together and don’t know each other that well going from hostile strangers-to fiends-to lovers.

I adored both Gwen and Alex. Gwen was a character who second guessed herself constantly and the actions of those around her; she was also a bit of a pushover and a people pleaser but not to an extreme. She grew into herself little by little and finally figured out what she wanted to do with her life and music wise.

Alex was my tongue twisted, speak without thinking sweetheart, who’s pinning after Gwen and is willing to take any scraps she’s willing to give him; the man was practically salivating.

“If he admitted that entire symphonies had unfurled in his mind when they played together… It felt like the music wouldn’t be his anymore’l

I loved the dynamic between Alex and Gwen and how their relationship developed. In the beginning it felt a bit rushed and out of nowhere but as they spent more time together things clicked into place.

Only negatives for me was that the “I love yous” came in way too quickly; and the third act conflict was a little far fetched and predictable.

OMG OMG OMG!!! This was the cutest most wonderful romance I’ve read this year!!! I cannot stop thinking about it!!!

The story follows Gwen (a violinist) and Xander (a cellist in a deliciously-paced enemies-to-lovers story that will have you blushing and swooning! Gwen and Xander play together with the Pops orchestra and when Gwen is promoted to first violin chair and Xander’s contract is not renewed, things start changing. Slowly as they start getting to know each other, they’ll find out that there’s more to them than what they share on the surface with others.

Since the first few pages, I was completely hooked. The characters had depth, the romance was top-notch, and the drama had me shaking my book because who dare some characters get in the way of Gwen and Alex!! I devoured this book in less than 24 hours, one of my top reads this year. I need more of Gwen and Alex!

(Also, if you read Forget me Not, get ready for lots of cameos!!). Julie Soto, the mastermind that you are!

Julie Soto, please take a bow! I refused to put this ebook down. Legs kicking in the air good. You simply fall in love with the main characters immediately. Their angst and lust is intriguing from first banter. All the characters flesh out a real New Yorker experience. The family you make is such a strong element and sweetly created. The story wraps up quickly but secretly I wish the villains deserved a bit more punishing.

So if you can’t afford a plane ticket, this book will fill your heart and mind with a city love story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the early access.

This book makes playing music so sexy, especially in an orchestra. I love the research Julie Soto puts into her books, using musical terms for describing the characters’ connection and how they feel.

I adored the characters and how they interacted. I would have rated this book 5 stars if the ending was stronger. The third act breakup felt more like the characters just needed to talk problem than them rising over something insurmountable. I wish the antagonists were more involved in the third act breakup and the big romantic gesture wasn’t so easily thwarted with no consequences to the villains.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I loved reading this book!

I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in a day! I played violin and loved reading a romance that focused on musicians. There was so much chemistry and you fall in love with the characters and their struggles so quickly. Such a sweet romance story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

I loved this story - from the first page to the last, this was music to my reader’s soul. This enemies to lovers story takes you into the world of orchestral and popular music as played on the violin and cello. You feel the music as you read the story. So moving, tender and sexy. The characters are deep and rich. A great follow up to Forget Me Not with a few cameos thrown in for fun.

hot musicians. professional aspirations. sexual tension. family history and dynamics. the scene on the cover?!

what worked for me:
- julie soto knows how to write spice!!!
- realistic conflict, and i didn’t hate the third act breakup
- the chapters from alex’s perspective provided the perfect amount of context for his character

what i didn’t love:
- story felt very “new” adult
- i never really understood gwen’s personality…
- it’s reylo fanfic (i haven’t seen star wars, so that may be a *me* thing)

final verdict: 4.25 - i will read whatever julie soto writes (as a sacramento girlie, gotta support my hometown heroes)

thank you to julie soto and netgalley for the eARC <3

This was so cute? I had such a fun time with these characters watching them come into their own. I also loved how they each had a distinct style of playing but eventually came around to see the others reason for their own style.
Can’t wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was delightful! I fell in love with Julie Soto after meeting her at an author event and reading Forget Me Not. However, I was curious if my love of the book was tied to living in Sacramento or not. Well, Not Another Love Song was based in New York and honestly, I loved it more.
The romance was top notch, the tension was chefs kiss, the pacing was fantastic. Xander comes across as rude in the beginning but smoothly transitions into grumpy and a tad misunderstood. I loved this couple so much but the character development and growth through the novel was what captured my heart. Gwen develops so much as a character through this book and I couldn’t help but cheer her on. This book made me laugh out loud, cry into my pillow and grin like a cat with a canary.
5 stars all around.

This is my second Julie Soto book and this has cemented her as one of my favorite romance authors. The chemistry was off the charts. I was genuinely sad when it ended, I loved these characters!

Julie 😭 Soto 😭 how was this and everything you write pure magic? As a kid I played violin for awhile and there is something so beautiful about how the music and your connection to it comes together when you play. I loved that this book dove into that and in addition you can’t get better than a MMC who is just down badddddd for the FMC and is like yep I love you it just is what it is. Also no one knows how to do the 3rd act breakup like JS - not me literally having the pit in my stomach sadness feeling and low key freaking out they weren’t gonna figure it out and get back together. You know it’s good when you forget that HEAs are an inevitability in romance lol. When this book comes out - go read it!!! Thank you Julie for releasing it early on NetGalley 🫶

Man, it has been a while since I got sucked into a book like I did with "Not Another Love Story." I polished that thing off in a single day, and now I'm craving more. Julie Soto nailed it with this one – it hit all my sweet spots.

My emotions were all over the place, in the best way possible. I'd jot down a thought like, "Oh, I hope this happens!" and bam, next thing I know, it's right there in the story. It's like Soto was inside my head or something.

And let's talk about the spice factor – it was chef's kiss perfect. I had to keep peeking over my shoulder to make sure my kids weren't peeking at what I was reading. That's how steamy it got!

One thing that vibed with me was when the book mentioned specific songs. I'd hop on Spotify and crank those tunes up while diving back into the story. Those moments? Pure perfection. But imagine if each chapter had a suggested song – talk about next-level awesomeness!
My only gripe was the band's name, "Thorne and the Roses." It felt too close to "A Court of Thorns and Roses," which threw me off for a second.

Oh, and can we talk about those tropes? "He Falls Hardest/First" and "Rivals to Lovers" – are classics. But, they hit differently in this book.
Overall, "Not Another Love Story" ticked all the boxes for me. If you're into quick-paced, emotionally charged reads with a side of steam, this one's a winner. 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

Julie's voice is just as powerful and memorable as it was as a fanfiction writer! Forever a fan, and captivated from the first page.

4.5⭐️
2 🌶️🌶️

I devoured this book!!! It literally had me hooked from the very first page!! I went feral for Xander. This book is rock star romance, cellist/violinist, rivals to lovers and has the best angst I’ve read in a long time!

They were beautiful together, they made beautiful music together and I loved their love! The build up was perfection and I couldn’t get enough! Julie Soto has officially become an auto buy author for me! Can’t wait to see what she has in store next because this woman can write some kick ass romance!

Thank you net galley & Julie Soto for this arc🫶🏼

I'm sure there's a really bad dad joke somewhere about how horny these musicians are (AND THEY ARE!!!) but I digress...

As someone who has never been involved with the Reylo fandom and whose only knowledge of the characters comes from watching the movie that one time when it released, I feel like this is the most reylo-y trad published Reylo that I've read so far.

But like... it totally worked for me. These characters made sense. Their backstories and motivations made sense. Even in my limited interaction with the movies, I could tell where the author pulled inspiration and I thought it was really well done. It was fully developed and we didn't just slap an Adam Driver-coded MC in it and call it Reylo. (Although, yes. The cover art definitely is Adam Driver flavored - but that hand placement makes up for it.)

I had a lot of fun with this one. I enjoyed how it was primarily in single POV (with a little interlude every now and then from the LI.) The side characters brought delightful comic relief. The antagonists were really good (I hated them.) And yes, Gwen and Xander were super horny for each other. Sometimes in inappropriate places. I loved that for them.


*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC*

WOW WOW WOW
This was such a perfect book to me!

The MMC is A DREAM (obsessed with the fact she calls him Alex 🥰)
This Enemies to lovers was SOO PERFECT.

Do I know anything about Cellos & violins? Absolutely not. Did I EAT this book up? ABSOLUTELY. I couldn’t put it down. It was all I could think about.

I will say the end was a little dull but the rest of the book was so good, I didn’t even care.

I will be telling EVERY ONE to read this when it comes out!!

Side note- I watched 2Chellos back in black and I GET IT. The way I was giddy watching them flip there hair 🤭🤭

Thank you Netgalley & Forever Pub for letting me read this masterpiece 😙👌🏼

Loved this book so much! The tension between Alex and Gwen had me squealing and kicking my feet! The story was beautifully written and it was a love story I didn’t know I needed.
This was my first romance involving music and it was perfection!!

RATING: 4.5/5

I can easily imagine “Not Another Love Song” as a movie. It wouldn’t surprise me if it became one. With the way the story flows from beginning to end, readers will become enamored by Gwen’s tenacity to achieve what she believes are her dreams of becoming a violinist. Not formally trained as her peers, she moved quickly and unexpectedly to first chair in the symphony. Though those around her tell her that she is merely a tool for better ticket sales —- Gwen is young and pretty. Is she the best violinist, though?

When Gwen meets Xander, a fellow musician and son of one, she wonders whether he is friend or foe. As they spend more time together, she learns more about herself, her music, and what is truly important to her. The spice when the two are together makes the pages go up in flames. The spice is spicin’ when Gwen and Xander make more than music.

Thank you for Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley, the gifted advance reader copy of Not Another Long Song by Julie Soto.