The amount of books I've now unintentionally read that were originally Reylo fanfic is actually wild.....

But this has major Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood vibes!!! This was so good & I nearly squealed when I saw it was (semi) dual POV. All I have to say it this is one of the most unique romances ever and chapter 10 is the absolute best.

Alex might just be the most romantic man I've ever read about.

Gwen Jackson is a young professional violinist, scraping by in New York City. She plays for the Manhattan Pops, alongside her idol, Ava Fitzgerald, and famous cellist/heartthrob/rockstar Xander Thorne. As an orphan with no professional training, Gwen feels the need to prove herself and impress her beloved tutor, Mabel. For reasons that don't necessarily have only to do with her talent, Gwen is offered Ava's spot as first chair when Ava moves to the board of directors. Xander is less than impressed, and conductor, Nathan Fitzgerald, begins to push marketing campaigns on the duo. Xander has been insulting, broody and arrogant, but has a secret. When Gwen and Xander begin connecting - through music and romantically - their views on the future begin to change.

💭 I'm so thankful to Netgalley and author Julie Soto for this eARC! I loved Forget Me Not and this has been highly anticipated. As someone who played in several orchestras growing up and through college, this story resonated with me. I loved the idea of the concertmaster and first chair cello right in sightline of each other - the tension, pining, trying not to make eye contact. Gwen and Xander both had traumatic pasts and were working through some difficult emotions to be their best selves. As extremely talented musicians, prodigies even, there was a fine line of being showcased and being taken advantage of. They each struggled to even know what they ultimately wanted, and until they had each other, they didn't know what to prioritize. Their friends, family, and their found family, helped them to realize what mattered most. The writing was beautiful, the descriptions of the music were as lyrical as symphonies, and the love story was sweet (if not frustrating at times, ha!). This reminded me a lot of the show Mozart in the Jungle!

₊˚.༄ "... 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺..."

If only I could tell you what follows that. Or the way the scene on the cover unfolds...
Jaws? on the floor.

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴 is poetry and symphony in book form.

The story encapsulates the beautiful symmetry of two lost souls who burn bright and feverish in each other's presence and the resulting harmony solidifies a sight wondrous to behold.

Gwen is an excellent violinist and has been offered the First Chair for the Manhattan Pops - the very seat fellow colleague and famous heartthrob Xander Thorne has in sight. *Cuts to the rivals to lovers trope.

- ~ -

I AM IN LOVE... again. It keeps happening with Soto's books. They're beautiful. Intimate. And keep you engaged. Some might call it perfection.

I loved the story but all that I have to say for it will in some way or the other lead to spoilers but I cannot emphasize enough the beauty of symphonies that flowed through my mind when reading some of the scenes.

There were little snippets of Ama and Elliot from 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘔𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘵 which I loved getting to read and I can't wait for her next book which I'm hoping is about a certain 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 member!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 (𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

This was very easy to follow and a cute story.

A simple Internet search of the cost of a Stradivarius cello would tell you that it's worth well over a million dollars.

Thank you for the advanced copy

3.5.
I think julie Soto’s writing has really improved from forget me not and she succeeded in making a musical band feel sexy/desirable. But I still think this felt a little too fan fictiony and just didn’t land quite as much as I was hoping. Still a fun read and I recommend for the summer!

Wowowow this was so good!!!

Gwen is a violinist from humble beginnings. Xander is a cellist and a rock star. They realize they’ve been part of the same orchestra for a year without noticing each other. This is a rivals to lovers romance, and if you think playing the cello and the violin can’t be romantic or swoony, THINK AGAIN.

I loved it!!! I was giddy and kicking my feet for 95% of this book. The tension and angst between these two was 👌🏼. There is quite a bit of spice, and sometimes unavoidable to get the most plot you can! Speaking of the plot, it was unique and I really enjoyed both of the MCs’ journeys throughout the story. It is mostly single POV with a handful of Xander’s POV chapters scattered throughout. My only “negative” which is just my personal preference is references to Zillow, Grubhub, Instagram, and more…but they were so minor that it didn’t influence my rating. Overall I LOVED it, 5⭐️ read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!!

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto was such an enjoyable read. It really tugged on my heartstrings, and made me feel for both of the main characters and their pains, triumphs, and experiences. Their connection felt genuine and this book was so hard to put down!

I also enjoyed the guest appearances by Ama and Elliott from Soto's debut novel Forget Me Not, which I read earlier this year.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book, even more so than her debut! I'm looking forward to more from Julie Soto, and would definitely recommend her books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I LOVE JULIE SOTO!
The angst. The tension. The SPICE. This book was immaculate and it reminded me why I love Julie so much. I liked Forget Me Not, but honestly it doesn’t hold a candle to Not Another Love Song. Absolutely no question, you NEED to pick this up!

I was so happy to see Julie Soto make the arc available to everyone for a day. I loved this book so much. It was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Gwen and Alex are great together - I absolutely adore an obsessed male love interest. Like I said, it was a quick read but I still felt fully invested in all of the characters. If you have ever read any of Julie's fanfics then you'll know this reads like one of those.

Wow! Julie Soto does it again! I really loved the idea of two musicians finding love and she gave us that and more. The romantic tension built up so well as you read and the ensemble characters were so lovable too. This story very aptly flowed like music and it was a story I could just not put down. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thoughts:
This was such a sweet and romantic read about two complex individuals from very different backgrounds. Gwen is a compassionate and self-taught music prodigy trying to find her place in life as a musician. Alex, who is also a music prodigy, is rude and overly critical, which juxtaposes well with Gwen’s personality. Born from deep insecurities placed by their early upbringings, Alex and Gwen clashed.

Their differences paved the way for a beautiful romance to grow in the confines of a very unique setting. Music provided a freeze in time in which both Gwen and Alex relied on each other’s cues, supplying both of them with an unspoken avenue to connect with and deepen their love for one another in a vulnerable, poignant manner. As their relationship moved forward, I loved that both main characters were depicted in a sweet, new light as they explored their magnetic pull and love bubble, despite multiple adversaries at play. The pining and steamy scenes were very satisfying.

One hang-up I have is that I wish the conflict resolution was longer. The intricacies of the presented conflicts deserved more detail.

Overall, I would recommend this book to any fan of romance novels. The build-up is sweet, and the setting is unique, making it worthy of a read for any romance fan.

Thank you to Julie Soto, NetGalley, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for allowing me to read this title early in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book so much! The character development of the main characters, the romance, the angst! Every single bit of this book was perfect. If I could read it again for the first time, I would devour it as quickly as the first time.

What an amazing love letter to music and finding your soulmate. This book expressed just as much emotion with the way the author described the music the protagonists played together as she did with their actual intimate scenes. I also loved that the main conflict did not center around trivial misunderstandings or miscommunications but delved deeper into the pressures of performing and finding your passion. This was a great read and perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood or Emily Henry. A spicy romance with depth!

First of all I love the cover of this book, it's beautiful. I enjoyed how captivating the writing was and the elements of music. The tension between Gwen and Xander is intense.

Rating: 5/5
Steam: 3.5/5

Thank you to Forever for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm obsessed. Completely. Unwell. This book is EVERYTHING.

Did I think I needed an orchestra romance? Not really, but yes, I really did need it. Since the author's note, I knew this book would be special.

Okay, first off, this sexual tension was 10/10. You could feel it; it was palpable, and you were just waiting on the edge of your seat. The music, I felt like I was there even if I wasn't there. But really, you felt the passion they had for creating music. The writing was brilliant, the pacing kept you engaged, and I didn't want it to end. I adored the little peaks into Xander's point of view.

Here's what I didn't like: I really didn't know who to trust. There were a lot of potential villains, and I like Gwen, I struggled with that.

Overall, I wish I had more things to say, but really it was that this book was amazing, and I can't wait for her next

Thank you for this ARC copy. 4.5 stars!

I loved Julie Soto’s last book (forget me not) and could not wait to read this one. I was so shocked to learn I also read her fan fiction!

Her writing has a way of getting you lost in the characters lives. I don’t know a thing about music, but could feel the passion the characters had for it in her story. I loved the imagery of the orchestra and music. I loved the spice in the book too! I will keep reading her works for sure!

Julie has done it again!
Poetically written, the characters and their emotions come to life.
Gwen and Alex are relatable, likeable. My two favorites.
You can feel every high and ever low. Found myself smiling a lot of times, and hoping for more.
The intimate sex are beautifully written, literally a love song.

A sexy follow-up to Forget Me Not that will immerse you in the orchestra world. Couldn't put it down.

Julie Soto once again proves her storytelling prowess in "Not Another Love Song." After being captivated by her previous work, "Forget Me Not," I eagerly delved into her latest creation and found myself thoroughly immersed once more.

The narrative unfolds around a talented violin prodigy who finds herself thrust into a career-defining opportunity, only to be confronted by the presence of a renowned cello virtuoso. Soto masterfully crafts a palpable tension and angst between the protagonists, driving the pacing of the story with expert precision.

While the characters may at times be frustrating, they possess a depth and authenticity that compels the reader to cheer for their success. The chemistry between the main characters crackles with intensity, adding layers of complexity to their interactions.

Filled with heart and angst, "Not Another Love Song" kept me engaged from start to finish, leaving me eagerly anticipating Soto's next literary offering.

Umm, sign me up to read everything Julie Soto ever decides to write. I enjoyed Forget.Me Not, but this one was on a whole other level - the music, the tension, the MUSIC, the spice. This was SO GOOD. I have been listening to cello music non stop and loved Xander and Gwen's chemistry. The first thing I'm doing on July 16th is buying myself a physical copy because I already want to read it again.