YEARNING. That is the theme of this book and good god was it incredible. The way Julie Soto writes just speaks to me and I find little bits of myself in each of the characters in a way that makes me so deeply invested in the story. The way the music and love story was discussed in this book was down right beautiful and tugged at my heart constantly. I love a man who is just absolutely yearning for a woman and I love a woman trying to find her path in the world. This book is definitely landing itself as one of my favorite reads for 2024

Gwen is a violinist who has had to struggle for everything in her life. Despite her natural talent, she did not have the pedigree of her peers at the Manhattan Pops. Xander is a cellist with a secret past. He is arrogant and has everything he could ever want. The two sit across from one another in the Pops, and despite their differences, sparks fly! I loved the depth of this story, I loved the supporting characters, and the main characters sizzled!

This was a fun and quick read. I loved the dynamic of the main characters. I only wished the plot had more tension as I feel the problem between the main characters was too expected and there wasn’t much going on in terms of overcoming difficulties. However I really liked Julie Soto’s writing style and she did a great job developing the main characters. Overall would be a 4.5 star read.

Julie Soto strikes again! I want to cuddle these two to bits. My new favorite thing is MMCs who fall head over heels for the FMC on the basis of (very much literally) her talent. I would describe this not such much enemies-to-lovers as rude-boy-to-simp IMO. Which should also be a trope. :)

Various thoughts:
I very much liked the interludes of his POV sprinkled throughout. Not so much a dual POV as giving the reader more insight into his past experiences and psyche.
Strong vibes of talented young people falling under the control of selfish, lame adults. I also really appreciated the dual crisis. As in, it's not just her life that's been turned upside down and he's there to help her fix it, but they are both facing the very real problem of "how did I get to this point in my career? is this what i want, or just what [insert authority figure here] wanted, so they can profit and/or live vicariously through me?"
The sprinkling of cameos from Forget Me Not makes me wonder... will Julie's next book be in the same "universe" touching on related characters? I like.

JULIE SOTO DOES NOT MISS.
I am simply obsessed. I loved Forget Me Not, it was one of my top books in 2023 and I’m pretty sure Not Another Love Song is going to be my top read for April (it’s going to be hard to beat that).
“A cello fell in love with a violin”
The romance and the spice were phenomenal. I enjoyed both characters. The banter was great. I like that we got little visits from Ama and Elliot from the first book. The way she wrote the MC’s music scenes was breathtaking. I love everything about this and HIGHLY recommend!

Not Another Love Song is an absolute delight! Julie Soto has once again created characters with such depth and complexity. Their love of music and passion comes across on every page.
The chemistry between these two is vibrant and the sexy scenes are 🔥🔥🔥

I've already read it twice and I know this is one that I'll pick up over and over in future!

Great story, after this book and her first book, Julie Soto is now an auto buy author for me. I liked the setting involving Queens, NY and I thought the symphony part of the story was new and unique in the romance genre. I definitely recommend this book, it’s a romance novel done right but also a bit differently than the typical books in the genre.

I had a great time. Therefore… five stars.

No but really, my favorite part was the whole first half because the PINING! Give me tension or give me death. A man who is absolutely a GONER for the FMC? Sold. Thank you. This was such a wonderful read. I’m already wanting to reread. Highly recommend!

Not Another Love Song was filled with angst, passion, and spice! The tension and anticipation had my heart racing, especially that composing scene! It’s inspired me to go to the orchestra, and you can bet that I am going to be picturing Gwen and Alex. The added element of not knowing who to trust, her mentor, her boss, etc… had me on the edge of my seat and just did not stop reading until I was done! One of my favorite reads so far this year!

This was utterly phenomenal, the tension between the main characters was exquisitely done, and oh the piningg!!! Who knew that string musicians could have this much sexual tension. Not the mention that cello scene😮‍💨😮‍💨

*** 3.5 stars ***

I love a good slow-burn romance and appreciate that the author took her time developing solid backstories for each of the characters before jumping into the romance. I also really loved the facts and details about classical music, strings instruments, and the inner workings of an orchestra. I like when I actually learn something while reading for entertainment. I am not the intended target for this book because I literally have no idea who Reylo is and I don’t find Adam Driver attractive at all, so that kept taking me out of the story a bit and I found the last quarter of the book to drag. I skimmed to the end at that point, but overall I liked this author’s writing style and I’m reading her first book now.

thank you to grand central publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review

I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. Admittedly, I was underwhelmed by "Forget Me Not" (mainly due to the grumpy x sunshine trope, Ama's inability to want to date because her serial bride mother) and I wasn't sure if Julie would be the author for me, but I was so pleasantly surprised at how I ate up "Not Another Love Song".

The tension between Alex and Gwen is off the charts from page one and I loved the peak behind the curtain to the world of professional orchestra's and all the politics involved. Romance and spice lovers will love this, as I was texting my friend that it has one of the most sensual chapters in a book I've ever read (but then I remembered that ACOMAF chapter when Feyre first goes to the Court of Nightmares, this scene rivals!)

All in all, pick this one up when it releases in July! I would read "Forget Me Not" first as there is some overlap, but it still could be read on it's own.

4 stars

I loved this musical romance novel! It was so cute and an addicting read. I will definitely be recommending this to my friends and reviewing this for my bookstagram page!

This second offering from Julie Soto did not disappoint. Set in the competitive world of professional musicians in New York City, Gwen and Alex have an electric connection that turns them quickly from rivals to partners. As their love story unfolds, there is both passion and tension from their past. Enough so, that the reader is worried that they will end up together. With cameos from her first book, this one kept me reading when I should have been doing other things. Can’t wait to see what Soto has next.

Another amazing book by Julie Soto! I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of Not Another Love Song and it was a great read. From the start, Gwen & Alex’s chemistry is through the roof! And let me tell you, this book is spicyyyyyyyy. THE CELLO SCENE. Iykyk!! So so good! There were so many things to love about this book: the theme of found family, Ama & Elliot making cameos, the chapters in Alex’s pov. I was really going back and forth between giving this five stars. Part of me wishes I didn’t read this immediately after Forget Me Not because I found myself going back and comparing the two couples, which wasn’t the best thing to do. I think I just really truly loved Forget Me Not and Ama & Elliot, nothing was going to compare. But really, Not Another Love Song is a wonderful book with great characters and I totally recommend!

I am going to be thinking about this one for a while. Julie Soto has a way of writing romance that feels as though it was written specifically for me. Her characters are deeply relatable, flawed, and funny in a way that will have you giggling through every page. Mix that with Soto’s masterful way of merging music, need, PASSION, and sex in an absolutely stunning way….when I tell you my jaw was on the floor. If you’ve ever made music, if you love music, or you just love LOVE…READ THIS. You will not be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book and give it 4.5 stars! It is so beautifully written and I fell so in love with both Gwen and Alex. This is one of those books that sucked me in so hard that it was difficult to put the book down at times, and when I did my mind just kept drifting right back to it!! There’s a few typos here and there but not enough to be bothersome. There is also quite a bit of musical terminology, which of course is to be expected in a book where the characters are playing musical instruments. It made it slightly hard for me to keep the reading flow going at times, but that’s only because I would get a little lost on what was happening due to not knowing what a lot of the terms mean. However, this did not affect my ability to understand the plot as a whole and enjoy it! It actually made me want to learn more about music because of how lovely and compelling the writing is. All in all a really great book and I can’t wait to read more from Julie in the future!!

Is there anything better than getting completely caught off guard by an incredible book? I mean, shit. I was not expecting that. I grabbed this ARC because it was easily accessible and also Ali Hazelwood told me to, and I listen to Ali Hazelwood. Let me tell you - SHE DID NOT LEAD ME ASTRAY. I absolutely loved this. The characters, the music, the story development, every part. I even loved the third act break up - something I never thought I would say. And the cello scene? I mean 🥵

Highly highly highly recommend. This makes me so excited for future books by this author!

Julie Soto has been a favourite writer of mine for a long time. She now has two traditionally published novels out and it's such an amazing thing to be able to watch her grow and get recognition!

Not Another Love Song is wonderful. It had a wonderful balance of humour, character progression and love. It could've been a simple enemies to lovers love story, but the depth of Alex and Gwen and their own journeys we were able to accompany made it so enchanting. It teaches about loss, growth, and the complex nature of friendships and relationships and the navigation of that.

The writing and pacing of the book made it so engaging as well! I was up until 3am finishing it up because I couldn't put it down! Julie's prose is unmatched. 5/5, will recommend to anyone and everyone I can. :)

You don’t have to know classical music to love this book. I fell in love with this story. Gwen and Alex had great chemistry. I think anyone would enjoy this story. I loved seeing some of the character from Julie’s other book as well., as Alex made an appearance in their story. Thanks NetGalley and Forever for an early look at this charming read.