This book was okay. It just seemed unrealistic with the promotion to first chair that the main character received. Then the love interest did not seem believable and rushed.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Not Another Love Song” by Julie Soto. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the author, Julie Soto’s previous book ‘Forget Me Not’ and was excited to pick this one up. I don’t know how to play any instruments but I still enjoyed this book a lot. It showed an intriguing glimpse of several different musical performance worlds. I liked the NYC setting and sort of getting to see behind the curtain of the orchestra life. This really felt like it could be a movie too!

The romance was intense but in a good way. Alex falls first and he falls hard. He was so completely lost for Gwen and it was so very romantic how their music entertwined with their love story. I also liked how at the beginning Gwen couldn’t see her value and her talent and she had to learn how to recognize when people were taking advantage of her talent.

The ending felt a little rushed but overall I really enjoyed the story. Julie Soto is definitely on my list of must read authors.

4/5 stars

The way this book had me kicking my feet, twirling my hair, squealing and giggling is CRIMINAL!!! I’m not the biggest romance reader, but this book sucked me in almost immediately, and I genuinely mourned it when it was over. It’s a fantastic, realistic, modern enemies-to-lovers romance that had me thinking, “I didn’t know music could BE so sexy!?”

Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are brilliant musicians in New York City, but their feelings about success couldn’t be more different. Gwen is a dedicated violinist, climbing the ranks in the Manhattan Pops after being coached by a kind-hearted music teacher. Xander, the child of famous musicians, was bred to play, but turns up his nose at classical performances in favor of the limelight with his orchestral rock band. But when the two find themselves vying for the same First Chair position in the Pops, their musical rivalry—and their chemistry—make sparks fly.

It's not often that I find a contemporary romance that has believable characters with depth, a realistic plot with actual tension, juicy chemistry and non-cringy sex scenes. Usually, something is lacking—but not here. I felt like both Gwen and Xander had robust backgrounds, motivations and personalities that impacted the plot throughout. The story arc was satisfying, with a delightful ending. And some of the spice was positively swoon-worthy.

I loved the way music was interwoven in this story. Never before had I thought playing the cello could be so hot. But even the non-spicey parts were rich with musical appreciation, and I loved the glimpse into NYC artistic culture the book offered.

Oh, and did I mention this is Reylo inspired? You can absolutely see where the inspo comes in, but I didn’t feel like I was reading fanfic at any point. The characters were simply launch points for a rich, extremely fun story. What a good time.

4.5! This was so good! The use of music jargon to describe their sexual tension was top tier. The scenes where they made music together was so vivid and hot, I felt like I was there watching them (in a non creepy way i promise). The best way to describe this book is sexy and hot, but in a non graphic way. The storyline itself was interesting and it kept me engaged, despite my not knowing anything about music. Half a star less because i wish the tension was drawn out a littleeeee more but otherwise, no notes!

Do I know anything about music other than I like listening to it? Nope. Did I thoroughly enjoy reading about a violinist and cellist fall in love? Heck yeah I did! It was written beautifully and how the music was woven within their love story was perfection. I love a good slow burn with forced proximity and this delivered. The tension between Alex and Gwen was well done and when the spice hits? Good lord was it good. I don’t think I can look at a cello the same way again.

This was my very first read by Julie Soto and it will not be my last 💕

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed reading Gwen’s story although the storyline of how she got first chair was a bit unbelievable. It worked for the story but was hard to swallow. I had moments where I loved it and moments where I wanted to DNF. Alex was borderline abuse- yet caring. Weird.

I loved how connected the characters were to their music. I just wished we dug more into Alex's past.

I played violin for 4 years, and I wasn’t particularly good nor did I love it. If I’d known the future of strings was as tender, hot, beautiful as what @juliesotowrites wrote? I may have stuck with it.

✨Rivals to Lovers
✨He Falls First (he’s OBSESSED)
✨Slow Burn & plenty of pining
✨Musical Prodigies

Julie writes grumps with a mild obsession like no one else. Xander was capital-p pining for Gwen from the start. He’s in a band, breaking free from the legacy of his parents - exactly the type of reckless that Gwen doesn’t want. Gwen’s a violinst, trying to break free from her own (different) legacy, doing everything “right”, singular in her focus. They shared a prodigal history, but these two could not be more different. And yet…their tension and their longing was palpable.

Julie’s writing is lyrical. She brought in so much musical knowledge and made it not only approachable, but also sensual. I dare you to read the scene with the cello at and not blush over the word “legatto”. It’s one thing to talk about two characters living and breathing their profession, it’s another to have it infused in everything they do and in how they interact with one another - this wasn’t just about two musicians, it was about two people who are their instruments, who live and breathe and think music. And the way that they both find each other, see their mirror reflection in each other was brilliant.

And the POV - we got only glimpses of Xander’s. Every few chapters, we would get a glimpse into Xander’s brain. This worked - it had me looking forward to when those chapters would come. Gwen was a fantastic heroine and the story could’ve been carried with just her, but there was something so compelling about getting into Xander’s head a bit. Just enough. Just a taste.

There was so much character growth and insight into what it means to be a child prodigy and the potential downfalls. Gwen and Xander had different experiences with their gifts, and it delivered on gorgeous tension between the two but also within the orchestra. My heart broke for both of them at various points, and was stitched back together when they were able to push past it all and be each other’s anchor.

“I want to be clear; I want you. In every way.”
Xander’s desperation to be near her, bites fist

I am a former violin player and probably would have enjoyed my time more in Orchestra if there was anyone as remotely attractive as Xander Throne 😉

Julie Soto is 2/2 with HOT and engaging reads. This book has so much tension and yearning; the chemistry is exquisite on and off the stage. The music component is weaved seamlessly into the story to create something unique. This is the first romance I can remember reading with a classical musician vs. rock/ pop stars and I am here for it.

Things & Tropes
•Dual POV (mostly FMC)
•Violin FMC & Cello MMC
•Grumpy/ sunshine
•A recovering perfectionist
•Complicated family dynamics
•A reappearance from Ama Torres and Hazel Renee
•Wide open door
•NYC setting

I rated this book 4 stars. It wasn’t a perfect read for me due to the large number of characters between (orchestra members, band members, friends and family) and all the drama at the end of the book. However, I did still enjoy my time reading it. My favorite parts were the NYC setting, the music component and watching Gwen and Xander find found family and each other.

THIS BOOK IS ITTTTTT

She is the moment, she is hot, she is new, she is iconic. This book was SO fun to read. It was so refreshing to read a book that was a romance book format but so different and unique. This book was made for music nerds i'm telling you. But as someone who quit the honors band in eighth grade this book was still SO fun and interesting. I eat up a book that slips in education about a topic without it feeling like I'm being lectured. Julie Soto did a phenomenal job of educating readers on the way orchestras operate and the ins and outs while keeping it fascinating. I would recommend this book to any romance reader, it was such a delight!

Thank you netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review!

I am a huge Julie Soto fan, I love this one. I think the only reason this didn’t hit quite the same as her other works was that I had some personal conflicts which dragged but my reading time and I had trouble staying in the moment, I can’t wait to read it again and get the full immersive experience.

While I do think the romance and the chemistry was phenomenal in this book, I have a hard time rating it highly. I’m concerned that the author didn’t quite do her research “musically.” Coming from a family of strong musicians, “finger picking” on a violin specifically is more accurately know as “plucking” and the “spike” on a cello is more accurately known as the “end pin.” Maybe this is just an American concept? I understand that the book is not solely, primarily focused on the technicalities of musical instruments, but as a reader who was extremely excited to see a book representing orchestra instruments, I was disappointed by this.

“𝐼𝓉’𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝑒, 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎,” 𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝒾𝒹. “𝐼𝓉’𝓈 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒶 𝒸𝑒𝓁𝓁𝑜 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒻𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒾𝓃 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶 𝓋𝒾𝑜𝓁𝒾𝓃.”

so, i really liked julie soto’s debut novel, forget me not, but i absolutely loved this one.

i’m sorry, but this book was 🔥

the chemistry, the tension and the passion combined made for such a beautiful and absolutely swoony love story.

“𝐿𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝐼 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓂𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 —
“𝒜𝓃𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔.” 𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝑒𝓎𝑒𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃 𝑜𝓃 𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒶 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽.”
“𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔.”

This was ok. I loved Forget Me Not, so I was a little let down with Not Another Love Song. This had hardly any plot, which normally I don't mind, but I didn't feel like the characters were the star. Some elements felt really rushed and others dragged.

I love Julie Soto’s writing and really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect book to read right before going to a symphony concert in a beautiful outdoor venue. I loved the main characters and there was just enough angst and spice. Looking forward to Julie’s future books.

This is my first ever musicians romance and it’ll definitely not be my last! Perfect balance of emotional depth and spice. I can’t wait to read more from this author

I was so excited for this book because Forget Me Not was one of my favorite reads in 2023. Unfortunately, I had some mixed feelings on Not Another Love Song.

What I LOVED:
- The glimpses/connections to Elliot and Ama (I just love them)
- The story being centered around playing music and the passion it requires
- The tension between the main characters and their chemistry

What I was "eh" on:
- Xander was just plan rude and malicious at times making it difficult to like his character as a whole
- Gwen was naive a LOT
- I found myself drifting while reading because the pacing was a little slow

Regardless, I did still enjoy the story and am looking forward to her next book whenever that is!

I loved the witty banter and emotion in this book! I have not read many books with a musical aspect like this one so for me, it provided a very cool element to the story. Grumpy x sunshine is one of my favorite tropes, and this really hit the nail on the head. I’d like to read more by the author.

Overall 🌟 5/5
Audiobook 🎧 5/5, mostly female narrator
Spice 🌶️ 5/5 Explicit and Plentiful
Insta-lust > Slow Burn
Setting: Manhattan
Tropes: “enemies” to lovers, smart/gifted MCs, rich boy/poor girl, found family.

FMC Gwen, 22, Violinist
MMC Alex, 26, Cellist

Yes, the story would’ve been more believable if they both were 4 years older, but it’s fine. The spice wasn’t kinky, but good build up, well written.

I don’t play an instrument and I found this book to be accessible/not too high brow. I definitely want to go to a Vitamin String Quartet concert now.

I’m sure if you’re classically trained, you’d be irritated by some inaccuracies, but I’m choosing to give Julie Soto grace, because it really is an original story idea that was well written.

This audiobook quickly became one of the rare library checkouts I needed to buy my own copy of after listening to it. I’m kicking myself because I had an ARC copy of the ebook from NetGalley months ago, but didn’t get past 10%. Not the book’s fault, I just strongly prefer audiobooks these days. Everything in this review are my own opinions.

Find me on Reddit & IG. Reading_in_Bed789

I adored this book. I loved everything about Gwen & Xander. I'm a complete sucker for a story about people who are very talented/skilled at what they do. And the tension and slow build! Gah! This was so well done. I will officially be reading every single thing that Julie Soto writes from here on out.