This was interesting to me because I don't know about a lot of instruments outside of piano, and never in a orchestral setting. I do love a good enemies to lovers / forced proximity setup though, so I was here. for. it. and maaaaan the tension between these two! The chemistry! So good!

Read if you like:
-Grumpy x Sunshine
-Rivals to Lovers
-Coworkers
- Famous MMC
- He Falls First
- Found Family
- Third Act Break Up
-Third Person POV

I had high hope for this one but i never really got into it.

Even though I wasn't a big fan of the first Soto book (I found it to be fine), I was willing to give another try because so many friends RAVE about her. I don't believe her books are bad... but after reading this one she is definitely not the author for me.

I have never picked up an instrument so my knowledge on the subject is minimal.. and that's kind of how I felt about the author's writing on this subject! The reader is supposed to believe the FMC had no training and gets first chair at age 22??.. there are a lot of other examples like this found in the book and it really took me out of the story. I found it to be cheesy, cringy and read like a fan-fiction.. and Soto really unrealistically portrayed the "struggling artist" trope.

Quite simply, I found the book to be pretty boring and it simply dragged. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and the chemistry? WHERE? There was nothing compelling about this story and I didn't care if they ended up together or not.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC and chance to read and review. All opinions are my own**

Julie Soto’s Not Another Love Song was my first book by her, and I wasn’t sure what to expect—but let me tell you. I devoured that book. My little fingers couldn’t swipe fast enough on my kindle. I was reading it everywhere!

The characters were intense and moody and exactly what I wanted from this type of book. Xander’s backstory was nice and complex and unfolded well. Also Xander and Gwen have really hot names, so it worked for me and their chemistry seemed authentic.

As a trained violinist, I really appreciated how Soto captured the feeling of getting lost in music. She translated that experience beautifully, making it feel as powerful on the page as it does in real life. This book was so good I listened to Apocolyptica and then Yoyo Ma for like 5 hours after. Amazing!

Julie Soto does it again! I couldn’t put this book down!!!! She is now an auto-buy author for me! I love the amount of thought and detail that goes into her books. It is clear she does her research. This really helps draw the reader into the story and makes you feel immersed in the characters’ lives !

As a music-lover whose favorite date nights tend to include going to see musicals and symphony orchestra performances (especially pops concerts), this book was right up my alley! I found it very romantic and full of passion. Music (epically orchestral music) can be very moving and can express moments and feelings in a way that words cannot. This book captured that concept well. Plus, Strings have always been my favorite! Like her last book, Forget Me Not, this book hit a sweet spot for me. I loved it!

The story was told in 3rd person, mostly following Gwen’s POV; however, I loved the mini-chapters sprinkled in that followed Alex’s POV! I loved that the MMC was completely mesmerized by the FMC and that she was his muse. The tensionnnnn. The yearninggggg. 😍 This book had me swooning and blushing. The spice scenes??🔥🔥🔥

Both the MMC and FMC felt relatable to me in some ways, especially struggles with perfectionism, people-pleasing, and learning to pursue their own happiness. This book also had interesting side characters! I also enjoyed the brief cameos of Ama and Elliot from Forget Me Not!

*Sidenote: This was another Reylo inspired story and I am so here for it! How fitting it is that I finished reading this book on the same day my husband booked us tickets to see an orchestra play Star Wars music on May 4th haha. 😉

I was SO thrilled to receive this ARC!!! Thank you to Julie Soto, Netgalley, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review! 💗

This was my first Julie Soto book and honestly I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into this but I absolutely loved every minute of reading Not Another Love Song and immediately added Julie Soto to my auto buy author list.

This book was so beautifully written, with flawed characters and a slow burn that is worth the wait!

Gwen and Xander's story is soft and tender but also angsty and their chemistry was insane.

I loved the entire premise of this book. Despite having zero experience or interest personally in classical music, Soto's writing kept me genuinely interested from beginning to end.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!!!

Listen to the audiobook, it was amazing! Highly recommend. I only wish I could hear all the beautiful music they were creating.

This is my favorite Julie Soto book to date.

Julie Soto has an incredible way of writing romance stories that feel so incredibly real, raw with substance. I love her writing and her story telling. I know this is a romance story but I felt like the romance was woven in so delightfully to the actual plot of the story that it was like a movie playing out.
Every character, even the background characters were so well done, and I felt like I was living out the story alongside them. 10/10, this is amazing and I recommend it to everyone!

One of my favorite things about Reylo re-writes is that the MMC will never not be Adam Driver. Which is good, because otherwise Xander was about to catch these hands. I will say I had a good time. I love Julie’s writing and her steamy scenes are /chef's kiss. But I do think these character’s could of benefitted from a bit more fleshing out. I think this suffered a bit from fanfic pulling from pre-established thoughts on the characters. Without that background, Gwen and Xander didn’t really seem to have an emotional connection and believable romance. There was definitely attraction, but not enough for either to completely change their future plans for the other. The Ama cameo was cute, but a little too much. If someone hadn’t read Forget Me Not, it would seem very strange for her character to become so involved with the main character’s like that. Still had a good time, still recommend it as a read, I just wish there was more behind the development behind the main character’s.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

I was very excited when this book was announced that it was coming out because I was a big fan of Julie's other book, Forget Me Not. However, somethings with this one just did not hit the mark for me.

The writing did not feel the same as her other book (and I understand this was her first book she was attempting to publish previously) but it just really missed the mark. I loved the idea of rival musicians falling in love and that idea had so much potential.

However, I enjoyed all of the orchestra/cello moments as they felt familiar to when I was playing the violin for a bit.

While the writing was not my favorite - I did enjoy the plot and seeing where these characters took us!

4/5 stars

Not Another Love Song is an absolute triumph—romantic, heartfelt, and beautifully composed. Julie Soto brings the world of classical music to life with remarkable accuracy and depth, making every rehearsal, performance, and quiet musical moment feel real and resonant. As someone who appreciates the nuances of music, I was so impressed by how authentically it was portrayed.

The romance? Utterly swoon-worthy. It’s the kind of slow-burn, emotionally rich love story that sneaks up on you and completely takes over your heart. The chemistry between the characters is electric, but it’s the vulnerability and emotional growth that truly make it unforgettable.

At its core, this book is also about finding your own voice—artistically, emotionally, and personally. Soto captures that journey with tenderness and insight, making Not Another Love Song not just a romance, but a powerful story of self-discovery.

I loved every note of it.

This book was amazing! It flowed seamlessly and I loved the banter between the FMC and MMC I will definitely be reading anything Julie Soto writes. I received an arc copy in exchange for a honest review.

This kind of felt like fanfiction of her other book? The main characters fell flat for me and reminded me of the characters from her last book too. They weren’t very dimensional. I do think she writes spice well but I just didn’t feel connected and didn’t enjoy this story.

Julie really did it again. She just knows how to write a yearning man!! This was a highly anticipated read for me that did not disappoint!

This one had me rooting for the main characters the whole way through! I was completely invested in their passion for each other, and music. The orchestra was a unique and exciting setting for their love story, and I can tell this is one I'll come back to again in the future.

Oh my gooooooosh! This book was so freakin good!

Let me back up. The funny thing about Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto is that I got the arc on Netgalley aaaages ago and then for some reason had a mental block when it came to this book and never wanted to read it. It published last summer and I still never read it.

I finally tackled it this past week and it’s probably the best contemporary romance I’ve read in the past year.

So let me tell you what you are getting into: it’s got a brilliant broody virtuoso cellist as the male love interest. He’s a bad boy in the world of classical music, but for some reason he’s joined the Manhattan Pops as their lead cellist, where our heroine plays violin in the fourth row. She’s been a fan of his music but he didn’t know she existed until she plays at a wedding he’s in. Now he can’t get her out of his mind, but she thinks he hates her and is judging her.

Thankfully, we get chapters from his POV that are pretty much there just for the YEARNING. And this book has so. much. yearning. And angst! These two characters are wrong for each other on paper but when they are together it is MAGIC.

Gah, just writing this review makes me want to re-read it all over again. Just take my word for it and read it.

OMG.
So I am NOT saying that I took up cello because of this book, but I’m not not saying that.
I kid.
Kinda.

This intensely romantic, musically driven book is so much fun. Anyone I’ve spoken to about it has fangirled with me, it’s just that good.

I loved Gwen, child prodigy and classical violinist. She was strong and talented and yeah, she had some issues but I liked her more for them. She was a well rounded person, whose self consciousness and insecurities made her a fleshed out heroine. Xander is broody, talented and super sexy. And of course he’s drawn to Gwen. Sparks fly and it’s a sexy read that also weaves a lot of classical music and emotional high notes into the story. (Pun intended.)

I really love how Xander and Gwen pull back and forth. The reader can see how they match, one making the other stronger in different ways, causing them to be a power couple. And how fragile that initial bond is at the start. I also love the musical aspect. It was just enough that made it believable and not overbearing.
I’ve worked in the music industry my entire career and honestly, when books come out about music and then they dive in too deep or they get stuff wrong, I get really annoyed and usually have to put the book down.
This one was perfect. It was a part of their lives and characters in a strong, solid way and all of the interactions and uses of the instruments and music were pretty accurate. No hurdling the book across the room for me!

Overall, a strong and hot romance. I liked Soto’s first book too, but this one? This one is my favorite. I read it on vacation and I recommend it to everyone. (Also my cello lessons are going well, thanks. I really do love the instrument, besides the book.)

This was such a fun little read! I love a love hate relationship! The beginning was a bit slow, there was a bit of orchestra info which I actually loved. I throughly enjoy this one!

A new favorite book unlocked! There was so much I adored about this book. It hooked my attention from the very beginning with the plot. I found it so interesting and intriguing the way that music was woven in to this book and used as a vehicle for driving Xander and Gwen's relationship forward. Xander was so down bad for Gwen and I loved how we got glimpses into his journey of being a child prodigy and now his life as a rockstar cellist. We also got such a good understanding of Gwen and her loneliness and how she feels that void with music. I loved seeing her find her voice and confidence as a musician. I could feel the intimacy between these two characters as well. I really felt like we saw their bond formed and see them become their own family. I loved how they pushed each other as people and musicians. Ultimately this book was so steamy, passionate, and romantic. I couldn't put it down!

I’m not sure why I picked up Not Another Love Song, to be honest. I didn’t like the cover, the title seemed a bit trite, and I don’t remember loving the blurb. I wasn’t even familiar with Julie Soto. But now I am.

This is a book I thought about long after I finished it, and I know it will stay with me. The story isn’t as realistic as, say, Abby Jimenez, but it’s not as preposterous as Lauren Asher either. It’s a story with deeply feeling characters, full of complexity and an abundance of love, which will always be a winner for me.

At this moment, I can’t even recall the level of spice (that’s what I get for writing this review so late), but what I can recall is the feeling of falling in love with Gwen and Xander. The way they inspire, challenge, and show up for each other is going to stick with me for a long time.

I received an advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley—thank you to them! All thoughts and opinions are my own.