I’ve always been obsessed with the art of composing music and more so, instruments even though I don’t play any, hoping to learn in the future. With that comes the fascination with anyone, child prodigy or not, who beautifully speaks the language of music with instruments.
All of these drew me to start this book and the appreciation for the art is x100 more.
Music evokes profound emotions in me that sometimes I can’t put into words. This book did that. That was my connection to Gwen and Alex.

“If music be the food of love, play on.”- William Shakespeare

This was the phrase that popped into my head after I saw the stunning cover of this book and I’m so glad I took the leap.

Gwen and Alex come from different worlds, she’s a self-taught violinist just trying to build a stable career and he’s a cellist and a rockstar living his dream but their musical connection is undeniable. I loved their banter, the tension when they were in the same room?! Insane!!! the passion?! so palpable. Being able to connect with someone on such a deep level is an awe to witness, more so through words. Pushing going to see an orchestra live to the very top of my bucket list! I loved that despite the internal conflict on both ends, they couldn’t deny that what they had was special. They found a home in each other without realizing they were looking. Tropes wise, I’m now a sucker for musical rivals to lovers gonna need more books to feed this 😂 I always mention when a third act breakup happens cause most of the time I feel it’s pointless…but in this book, it made so much sense and I loved how organically it was weaved into their story.

Cannot wait to share more in-depth thoughts closer to the pub date. I flew through this book, I laughed, aww-ed, stayed frozen in admiration, kicked and screamed at the beauty of music. If you are a music lover, this story will make you feel all the feels.

Don’t walk, runnnn on July 16th when this gem is out in the world. Julie Soto has a new fan!

I absolutely adored this book! It was heartwarming and different from other musician centered romances i’ve read.

Violinist, Gwen Jackson and cellist, Xander Throne come from two completely different worlds. While Gwen started playing on her own at 11 with help from Mabel, Xander’s career began at just two years old. However, they may have more in common than they originally thought.

I LOVED Xander and Gwen’s dynamic through the story. While their personalities are difference their inner selves are mirrors! Because of that, they understand certain parts of each other that are often overlooked.

When the orchestra’s hierarchy begins to shift, Gwen is offered the position of concertmaster something Xander has been secretly pining after since his childhood causing tensions to arise.

As someone who has played violin for over a decade, positions such as concertmaster, first chair, and section leader are highly coveted. It was a brilliant and completely believable idea to implement this as one of the story’s conflicts.

Despite the tension, these two can’t seem to stay away from each other. Their passion and love for the music they can create together, keeps them from completely disregarding each other.

Overall, I loved reading Gwen and Xander’s story. Soto does an amazing job of conveying the emotional power of music and that it’s so much more than just notes on a page.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this E-Arc!!

Julie Soto has once again delivered a captivating story that truly resonates! "Not Another Love Song" has swiftly become one of my favorite romances and easily my favorite romance of 2024. Enriched with some of the BEST tropes. If you're enamored by Ali Hazelwood’s STEM romances or captivated by the rivalry found in Emily Henry’s "Beach Read," then this book is an absolute must-read!

Despite my limited knowledge of classical music, extending only as far as the "Bridgerton" soundtrack, I found myself pleasantly surprised. Soto masterfully weaves classical music into the narrative without alienating readers unfamiliar with the music genre or jargon (I do have to admit I did need to look up a few words). If you are a music savant then I am sure you will get a kick out of this book since some of the music related jokes went over my head.

Gwen and Xander are portrayed as robust and multifaceted characters, a feat not easily achieved for both the female and male leads in a romance novel. Often, once the main characters come together, romance novels lose their charm for me. However, this was not the case with "Not Another Love Song." Initially, I believed I was thoroughly enjoying the book, but the final 20% kept me so engaged I could hardly put the book down and elevated this rating to a solid 5-star rating in my eyes.

Julie Soto has unequivocally become an auto-buy author for me. I eagerly anticipate devouring anything she writes.

Thank you to Read Forever Pub and Julie Soto for providing me with an advanced reader copy through NetGalley.

This book was amazing, even better than Forget Me Not. I'm a sucker for a romance book that involves music, especially when both main characters music make it together (and not it just one way). And loved that we see a small cameo from Elliot and Ama.
Longer review to come
4.5 stars

It's 2AM, and I have work in 4 hours because I couldn't put this down. I needed to know how it ends. It's crazy to me how I can read so many romcoms and I'm still blown away by really good writing.



The banter is great, Some of the inside jokes make me laugh, and I love that she brought it back to the first book she wrote "forget me not"


✅ rivals to lovers
✅moody MMC
✅ found family
✅ Taylor Swift reference

No notes - this book was amazing and I will definitely read it again. Julie Soto's writing was so descriptive and beautiful. I felt like I was totally absorbed in the world she created and I was totally immersed into the music through her descriptions. Normally, when music/songs are described in books, it can be hard to imagine what it would sound like in my head, but I could totally hear it in this book.

Xander is the epitome of the tortured artist with a soft spot for Gwen. He's been shaped by harsh life experiences. It was such a joy to see him fall first/hard for Gwen. THE TENSION between them!! And I LOVED Gwen: even though her life was not where she wanted it to be, she carried herself with respect and dignity, and I admired that. She wasn't afraid to think things over for herself and even though she describes herself as a people pleaser, she wasn't a total pushover with other people's opinions and demands and wasn't blindly following other people's directions. Xander and Gwen really fit like two pieces of a puzzle, and the music that they created together was magical! They were such a good couple, supportive of each other, and weren't afraid to call out the other person.

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Grumpy/Sunshine

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

it’s honestly poetic how everything is compared to song especially the love. julie soto always putting me in my feels making me feel smiles in my toes


“ But don’t let anyone tell you what you’re capable of. Even if it sounds like a compliment.”


“ “Tell me I can see you again,”

“It’s about a cello who fell in love with a violin.”

JULIE SOTO, THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE.

I inhaled this book in less than 24 hours.

HOW COULD SOMEONE MASTERFULLY WRITE THAT LEVEL OF TENSION IS BEYOND ME.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Julie Soto's first book "Forget Me Not," but I think that between the two, this one became my favorite.

For me, the highlight of this book is the connection that the main characters manage to find through music. This connection that appears between them allows both Gwen and Alex to grow as people and as musicians. The tension between these two in the first 55% of the book had me at the edge of my seat. There came a point where I was ready to throw the book (my poor tablet) across my bedroom if these two idiots didn't kiss once and for all.

Gwen is such a sweetheart, I loved her character so much and all the growth she has in this book. I wasn't very sure about Alex at first, but as the book progressed and he became more and more crazy about Gwen, I was rooting for him.

One of the few problems I had with the book is that the first time they have sex, the author resorts to using musical terms, and at first, I thought it was okay, but then I just cringed too hard. Aside from that, I loved all the scenes between them when they become a couple. It happens more often than not that I lose interest after the first time the protagonists have sex, but this time I was living for all the comfy scenes. I loved having the opportunity to see them being a couple and composing and creating music together.

I didn't completely like the last 20% of the book if I'm being honest. I felt that their discussion was quite valid, but the way they both handled things was very stupid. Not only that, but the reconciliation seemed very poor to me. But well, I was very moved by the final scene where everyone plays together.

So, overall, it was a great romance book that I will be recommending nonstop. Julie Soto has become one of my auto-buy authors.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

When I saw that this book was listed at "Read Now" on NetGalley, I rushed so fast to pick it up and start reading it. The speed in which I finished this book is incredible. I simply devoured this book. There's no other way to say it.

The sexual and romantic tension between Gwen and Alex/Xander is SO GOOD.

And can we just talk about the cover real quick? Because we see that scene played out and OMG. When I first saw the cover, I thought it was so beautiful, but reading the characters in that scene put me on Cloud 9.

My favorite trope is hate-to-love relationships (not in real life, of course. This is only acceptable in fictional stories). And Julie Soto did NOT disappoint in delivering a perfectly hate-to-love relationship. And if you're annoyed about third-act break ups, don't worry because even though there is one, this one makes sense to the story. (Because don't you hate when the hero and heroine break up for really no reason??)

Also, having music as the theme of the book was just another amazing way of adding to the complexity and beauty of the relationship.

I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!

I absolutely devoured this book. Julie Soto is becoming an automatic buy author for me. The characters are well developed and genuinely interesting. I love the evolvement of Gwen and Alex’s relationship and that the third act breakup was not for no reason or miscommunication but truly because of things that had already been happening in the relationship

While I enjoyed Forget Me Not, I think Not Another Love Song might have just edged it out. The scenes of Alex and Gwen playing and composing together in his studio were so romantic. I devoured this. Sometimes Alex was a bit frustrating, as he did kind of seem like he felt he knew best and Gwen should be told. But he seemed to get over that by the end.

I received access to the netgalley book on April 1st. I was intrigued by the premise and was looking for something to read.
I read 80% of this book in one sitting and stopped only cause I had to work the next day. I just finished, and read any chance I had while at work.
From here on out, this review may contain spoilers:

I absolutely loved Gwen and Alex’s chemistry. All I wanted was to see them finally together and I was happy we didn’t have to wait til the very end for that.
I am not a fan of the unreliable narrator, but that’s mostly because I prefer first person POV when reading romance novels.
I loved to learn more about the world of professional musicians in their league. I also really liked how relatable some of the things Gwen goes through or thinks about throughout the book.
I do have some issues with how things were resolved because I really wish Nathan and Lorenz should have met a more satisfying ending than what we had. I needed vindication for what they did to Alex and Gwen and Mabel and Ava. But I was ok with the ending given.
I would still give 5 stars because I absolutely loved seeing these two on page and dreaded the chapters they were apart.
Will continue to read as much as possible available from Julie Soto!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Julie Soto is an absolute master of her craft. I first fell in love with Forget Me Not, so much so that I got Amaryllis flowers tattooed on my skin to forever be reminded of Elliot and Ama.

Not Another Love Song is no different. This story was beautiful. Absolutely stunning, I’m at a loss for words. These two characters brought me something and somewhere I didn’t know I needed to be. This love story was one for the record books.

The spice was beautiful. Can you say beautiful about 2 people coming together in perfect harmony? Absolutely you can. The way it was described on page.. made me FEEL. It was magical. Alex (Xander) and Gwen were perfect for each other. They overcame so much together and created beautiful, moving, heart racing music together. It was lovely to watch their story unfold.

I also learned a lot about music, the cello, violin, and the Manhattan orchestra.. which you might say “Courtenay, that wasn’t the point..” but really it made the story just that much better.

I can’t wait for everyone to be able to read and appreciate this book. It was everything I could have asked for. Going to cry now.

🎵 Rivals to Lovers
🎵 Musical Romance
🎵 Slow Burn
🎵 Spice
🎵 Forced Proximity
🎵 “Rockstar” Romance

I loved Forget Me Not, so I was excited to see another book by Julie Soto. Thank you to Julie, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC just in time for spring break!

The writing was just as good as Forget Me Not, and overall I liked the time the author took developing the relationship between the two characters. The chemistry she creates between them is addictive, and the backdrop (as dueling members of an orchestra) is delightful. I devoured this book in a sitting.

There were a few things that bother me in hindsight: the lack of communication on both main characters' parts, leading to a third-act breakup (one of my least favorite tropes). I also know this started at Reylo, but sometimes it was just a little too much Reylo and I had to work to not just picture those actors in this story. All told, I still think the fun I had reading this book was worth it. I will absolutely be returning to Julie Soto's books again with enthusiasm.

OMG OMG OMG. I DEVOURED this book.
What an amazing story! I seriously loved all of the music references as I play piano myself, but I do think for someone who doesn’t play an instrument, those could be kind of confusing. I loved the main characters, both were so complex with such an unknown interconnected history. And I just loved Declan, he was my favorite side character.

I had a list of approximately eight things I needed to get done yesterday and I did zero of them because I read this in one sitting and could not be stopped. Someone could have been giving away free trips to Cancun outside my window and I would not have noticed. Even the 3rd person POV, normally a deal-breaker for me, was an absolute slam dunk. The minute this man started providing her with iced vanilla lattes I knew it was a 5 star read, ok. I'm a simple gal. I like vanilla iced coffees. I do not understand people's obsession with Adam Driver but frankly it doesn't matter.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this, it was one of my most anticipated of the year and definitely lived up to my expectations. A lovely start to April!

I need a man like Alex in a way that’s concerning to feminism and this revelation came as a surprise to me.

Here’s two reasons why I’m surprised I loved this :

#1 : I’m not a Star Wars fanfic girly or a Reylo shipper.

This book feels MUCH more fan fiction to published work than her debut, Forget Me Not. I feel like I noticed the Reylo much more heavy handed in the beginning where we’re learning about the setting and backstory of both Gwen and Xander.

#2 : They’re rivals and rivalries tend to seem unreasonable to me in contemporary romance.

THIS was valid. Every issue the two of them had with each other had so much merit and I could understand exactly why either of them felt the way they did. Their rivalry is well founded and it creates a tension that is so juicyyyy and delicious.

Gwen is a great representation of a talented woman who gets imposter syndrome. Alex feels like a genuinely pained man going through an identity crisis related to his ‘gifted child’ syndrome. Because of this, Julie Soto has become an auto-buy author. I look forward to seeing her work progress even further out of the fan fiction trope space and into the truest iteration of her style.

Also, the Ama and Elliott cameos had my heart.

So thankful to have gotten the chance to read one of my most anticipated books early! Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this <3

thanks so much for the ARC!!
sophomore novels always make me nervous but i enjoyed this book by Ms. Soto! i adored ama and elliot and therefore really enjoyed their early cameos :) also as a reader, it was a gentle introduction to a new couple - as a romance reader i *love* getting to see what my fave couples are up to now (also why i adore epilogues!!)

anyways.

angst was soooo good. i loved the pacing of the book. and gwen's relationship w her roommate/bestie.

what didn't work for me were the music metaphors during the spicy scenes... 'twas a bit cringe. parts of it read a lil too esoteric which is not my vibe. there was a lot of lust but no relationship development? i don't understand why they like eachother

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley. Honest review incoming

This book was the equivalent of falling in lust with that hot guy at your job

The chemistry? Off the charts. You could feel it off the page.
the tension? Some of the best I have felt in years.
The cello scene? Could have been cringe but was hot.

but in the middle everything becomes mid. There is no in depth conversations outside of work or their mutual hobby. I pressed on because the first 60% of the relationship was so wonderful the ending and the climax have to be worth it, right?

Instead it becomes so bland and lackluster I started to find minor annoyances, the man never becomes grand just stays stuck in an emo teen syndrome.

The banter is lost, the tension is faded. The duels I were promised never happened.


Gwen: Loved her but her personality disappeared half way in.

Alex/Xander: he felt so hot at first, but became way to emo to me. Rich boy stuck in some kind of mood he cant leave since his teen years.

They never had a conversation longer than 20 minuets, zero depth, and mostly listen to my tragic backstory (not so tragic). There wasnt really a plot either, and the third act-you-know-what was so laughable. Like a relationship built on passion and obsession's this left me with nothing but broken promises and disappointment.

4.5 ⭐️

I've gotten much pickier about romcoms in the last couple years, and Julie Soto's writing reminds exactly what it is I love about them when done well. The balance of angst and lighthearted giddiness and self-indulgence—and horniness—strikes just right in Not Another Love Song, and the chemistry between Gwen and Xander makes this book incredibly binge-able.

This story is very visibly an adapted Reylo fanfiction, not just in its characters' physical descriptions, but in their characterizations, but I think this books really succeeds in taking those archetypes and adding a level of depth that makes them feel very real and very human. It doesn't fall into the trap of leaning too heavily into the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, nor did it overemphasize the "tall/smol" dynamic that often dominates Reylo. These physical features are still present, but they didn't feel particularly fetishized.

I had some concerns about the way Gwen and Xander perceived each other through much of the book, where it felt like they weren't fully understanding one another—particularly Gwen making a lot of assumptions about Xander. I worried that this would carry through to the ending, but it wound up being handled in a way I found relatively satisfying, although I wish it had been addressed more thoroughly. There is a 3rd act break up, which I'm generally very picky about, but I think it was executed well here, in a way that addressed my concerns and ultimately made their relationship more convincing.

There were a few things that were a bit faster than I expected. Xander and Gwen say "I love you" much earlier than I expected, but it definitely doesn't fall into the insta-love category and I wound up actually enjoying reading a romance between characters who (eventually) make an actual effort to communicate with one another. I also found the resolution to the larger conflict to be a bit fast, where I would've loved a bit more time talking through what went down and what they need from one another moving forward. Ultimately though, none of this hampered my enjoyment of the book.

This book was an absolute delight and Julie Soto unquestionably remains one of my auto-buy authors.