well, i’m officially a julie soto fan. forget me not was my first five star read of 2024, and one of the few second chance books i didn’t loathe. not another love song is joining the ranks of my 2024 favorites as well.

alex/xander’s point of view was sprinkled in just enough to get a better feel for his character since he wasn’t exactly verbose, and gwen was just great. it took them forever to figure it out, but the tension was stifling and i enjoyed it so much. these characters LIVE by their music, and they also screw by it too. my brief stint as a flute player in middle school band didn’t adequately prepare me for the way they spoke of the music, but context clues were enough to get by without taking away from the story.

5 ⭐️

I absolutely loved this book! The chemistry between the characters was electric, and I was hooked right from the start!

The story follows the journey of Gwen who is a violinist at Manhattan Pops (loosely based of the orchestra The New York Pops). Enter Alex, also known as Xander, who first notices Gwen when she performs at a wedding planned by Ama Torres from the previous book. Never mind that Alex has been performing with Gwen for almost a year at Manhattan Pops.
While Gwen has always been a fan of Xander's music, she is not a fan of his attitude. After their interaction at the wedding, Alex is so captivated by Gwen and her music that he can't seem to get Gwen out of his mind.
Things become even more complicated when Gwen is offered the first chair position, a role that Alex also covets.

The book is mostly written from the Gwen's POV with intermittent chapters with Alex's POV. Despite this, it is evident that Alex is utterly consumed by his feelings for Gwen. The longing and the yearning is palpable throughout the story

I think I found this book to be even better than the first one. It is incredible to think that this book was rejected 50 times as mentioned by Julie Soto. If you have lived in NYC you will love this book even more. Hats off to Julie Soto for capturing the vibe of the city so beautifully. The references to subway trains, traveling on New Jersey Transit, and iconic landmarks such as Brooklyn's Botanic garden, and neighborhoods of Upper East side , Washington Heights, Queens painted such a vivid picture of the city <3

Positively addictive! Loved our protagonists Gwen and Xander who are flawed and complex but all too relatable in their struggle for professional acclaim and deeper connections. The way Soto weaved their growing relationship left me breathless. I was laughing, I was crying, I was feeling EVERYTHING right along with them. As someone with no musical talents, this book had me desperately wishing I could listen to the original symphonies dreamed up by these characters myself. I know I’ll be yelling about this story for years to come!

From the moment I started Not Another Love Song; I knew I was in for a ride. Xander and Gwen, our two main characters, are talented string players whose shared passion forms the backdrop for their charming romance. Reading about Gwen’s character felt like I was reading about my long-lost twin. She was so relatable, and that was one of my favorite parts of this book. This story unfolds like a beautiful symphony, filled with passion, tension, and undeniable chemistry. It was spectacular!

This was my first novel by Julie Soto, and I am immediately going to be picking up Forget Me Not!
Thank you, Julie Soto, and Forever Publishing for giving me the chance to read this ARC!

*My review will be posted to Amazon on publishing day.

10/10 official Julie Soto stan! I wasn’t sure I could love these new characters like I fell in love with Ama and Elliot in ‘Forget Me Not’ but man was I wrong! So beautifully written and the character development was maybe my favorite part! 😍 absolutely cannot wait for the world to fall in love with Gwen and Alex like I did!

BIG thank you to NetGalley for the arc of one of my most anticipated reads.

Julie Soto has done it again. Forget Me Not was one of my favorite contemporary romances that I read last year and when I saw the cover reveal and blurb for this, I was ecstatic. This definitely lived up to the expectations that I held for this.

Alex and Gwen had amazing chemistry, the banter, the PINING, please.

What a slay.

When I saw this was a one day option on NetGalley...pretty much cancelled my evening plans! Loved this book and Alex and Gwen were equally as amazing as Ama and Elliot (chefs kiss for the cameos in this one). Julie does such a great job of taking these professions that could be trite or trope-y and wrote a great story (with musical accompaniment based on what she mentioned). I only wish that Fugue 1 really existed.

I rarely enjoy second chance romance, I disliked “People We Meet on Vacation,” even though I would call myself an Emily Henry stan. But I adored Julie Soto’s first book “Forget Me Not,” so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read “Not Another Love Song” early. I’m at a loss for words for how swoon worthy I found this romance. Xander fell SO HARD for Gwen. I had butterflies throughout the first half of the book from all that tension. This really propelled me through the story. I liked the setting of orchestral drama, the pacing, and I think that the author’s note at the beginning describing the inspiration for this book – the cellist and violinist across from each other – really set the stage (pun intended). I was waffling between 4 and 5 stars, but since I can’t verbalize constructive critiques, 5 stars won out. This book is definitely worth a read if you are a fan of contemporary romance!

This contemporary romance checks all the boxes. The chemistry and tension between the two main characters is undeniable. You will never listen to a fugue or concerto again without thinking of the feelings behind the composition.

I love Gwen and Alex. Their love for music and each other is inspiring and swoon worthy.
Side characters Jacob were fun supporting characters and their friendship with Gwen is so pure.

5/5 stars. Would recommend. This is a quick, easy, fun and spicy read. It’s everything!

Thank you to Julie Soto, Forever Publishing and NetGalley for making my April Fools day with a e-ARC of Not Another Love Song.

Where do I even start with this book? After devouring Forget Me Not last year, I had no idea how Julie was going to follow up such a perfect book and wow, she did it again. I couldn’t put down Not Another Love Song. I felt so connected to Gwen and Alex immediately. I was desperate to know more about their lives even after the book was finished.

Not Another Love Song is so much more than a romance. It is about finding yourself with the weight of everyone’s expectations. Don’t get me wrong, this books is romantic. Most of the book is in Gwen’s POV but you can feel how Alex yearns for her and lemme tell you, the spicy scenes are SPICY.

I am so grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early. It will absolutely be the book of the summer and everyone should preorder it NOW. You won’t be disappointed come July. Now I can’t wait for the third book (and there better be one!)

( ✩ one star )

this was the first book i read by julie soto and i’m sad to deliver the news of me not liking it. Story wise, I didn’t think there was much going on, and i didn’t understand why Xander didn’t like Gwen in the beginning. it felt like it was made up just for it to be there. it wasn’t like he found her attractive and hated himself for it (i would’ve liked that) but he never noticed her until the wedding in chapter one. + it felt like the author was really *really* trying to make this book a slow burn. the characters were clearly attracted to each other and there were like ten times they almost jumped each other’s bones like they were at the tip of that cliff but the author made them wait until the sixty percent mark which i found unnecessary. i feel like i shouldn’t have started my julie soto journey with this book because ama’s scenes in not another love song were actually making me want to read her book “forget me not.”

i don’t want all this review to be negative so i’ll say one thing that i did actually like: how Xander named the song he wrote that was inspired by gwen “not a love song.”
i just love when heroes live in denial <3

₊˚⊹♡ what to expect in not another love song:
· enemies to lovers (but with instalust)
· forced proximity
· slow burn (if you’d like to call it)

I had the best time reading this. The cello fingering scene was just as good as I remembered from the fic, and I love that it made the cover of the book.

Incoming booktok sensation!‼️
This book was *everything.* I wish I could write a love letter to Not Another Love Song. The pining. The musical talent. The love. It's truly magical. Julie Soto has done it again--this time dare I say even better! The way Gwen and Alex make playing music together read like the greatest love story ever played--onstage or in the recording studio--is a masterpiece. I felt like I was watching a movie each time--they truly made magic happen. The way Xander is obsessed with her--I'm obsessed with him. I could go on and on--thank you so much to Julie Soto and Forever Pub for making this book available to read early on NetGalley for everyone. My new favorite author and publisher! To Julie Soto--Ali Hazelwood is right--you're the next romance powerhouse! I will also "read anything you write and love every second of it." Can't wait to read your next story :)

Forget Me Not was my favorite read of 2023, so when I heard about this book coming out I was jacked. To put it plainly- it didn’t disappoint.

Soto has a way of writing characters that hooks me everytime and Xander (Alex to his friends) and Gwen are no exception. I would have finished this book in less than 24 hours if I didn’t have a toddler who ruins all my fun. Gwen and Alex are both musicians, one struggling to figure out her place in music, and one who’s a prodigy and been in the spotlight since three years old. They both have to figure out what’s important to them while navigating their true passions. Very rivals-to-lovers/enemies-to-lovers-esque. (Which I have to say is my favorite trope and she did it very well)

I thought the amount of spice and buildup in this book was PERFECT. If I had to rate with peppers I would say 3.5-4🌶️. I never thought I would be turned on by a cello but here we are. The balance between plot and romance was *chef’s kiss*
I continued to fall in love with the characters the whole book through and it gave me all of the fun butterflies. I have a background in music so I especially loved all the musical lingo woven throughout. However, it was written in a way that even if you don’t have a musical background you can easily follow along with what’s going on.

I already recommend Forget Me Not to anyone who enjoys romances and Not Another Love Song will be added to that recommendation easily. 5/5⭐️

Ugh, another beautifully written book from Julie Soto. The tension is *chef’s kiss*. The men are emotionally intelligent. The women are powerful, sensitive, and so likeable, which shockingly isn’t the case in many romances. Please never stop writing, I will always keep reading.

4.5 stars

This book honestly had no right being this hot. Who knew I could blush this much reading about fictional characters playing instruments somewhat near each other?

I loved Julie's debut, Forget me Not , and was so excited to see where she would go next. She definitely delivered with this one. It had a fun, unique setting and amazing side characters just like her first book, but her main characters felt even more fleshed out and realistic.

If anything, I struggled a bit with feeling like Gwen was basically vulnerable and primed to fall in love with the first person who would be willing to offer her any sort of commitment due to her very difficult childhood. Fortunately, no one in the history of the world has ever been as down bad as Alex. I honestly don't think I've ever read a more obsessed MMC in a contemporary romance. He was absolutely gone the second she pressed a bow to his strings, if you know what I mean. These two arguably need each other to an unhealthy degree, but it sure does make the chemistry stupid good.

I could not put this book down. It hooked me from the very first page. New York + a violinist + a cellist = my new favorite romance. You do not have to be a classical musical lover to enjoy this read. Alex and Eve were great characters. Mabel, Ava, Jacob, and Declan were loveable supporting characters. This story had me obsessed. His secret pining for her.... and THE TENSION. It was so thick it could suffocate. I laughed out loud. This spice was just enough without being too much. This was an easy 5-star romance read for me.

Thanks to net galley for the advanced copy :)

I was truly shocked at how fast I read this book, how invested I was, wild character development, insane chemistry, my love for Alex… like honestly best book of 2024 so far.
Btw I highlighted like 8 lines that I want a guy to say to me

When I saw this was available to "read now," I RAN to download it!! I loved Julie Soto's debut, Forget Me Not, and was so excited to read this one. It did not disappoint. The tension, the chemistry, the "from two worlds" of it all, the MUSIC — I really enjoyed this book. And not just for the spice, but for how these two characters were like magnets to each other. Julie also did a great job with the various characters in this book — I was rooting for some while simultaneously rooting for others to fail (or maybe get what they deserve is more accurate). The wedding scene at the beginning of the book immediately drew me in and I couldn't stop. I literally wish I could hear the music Gwen and Alex wrote together. The third act was a little tough to get through, and it surprised me in some ways. I understand why it was set up the way it was, but I think there should've been a stronger resolution between some of the characters. All in all though? Excellent book, loved reading it the whole time.

I read this in one sitting. I physically could not put it down. I am obsessed with Julie Soto and the characters she writes. The chemistry, tension, and romance is on a whole other level. This had me literally giggling and kick in me feet. These characters are so real, raw, flawed, and struggling with their own internal wars which makes them impossible to not relate to and become attached too. I loved the way music was talked about in this book. Truly incredibly romantic I will never listen to the violin or cello the same way.