I really loved this book! It had amazing chemistry, the best tension, and it read like pure poetry. Julie Soto did a fantastic job with this rivals to lovers romance. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters and the gorgeous description of music and how it moves people!

Gwen and Xander were such a fun couple. The tension between the two of them was incredible and I never thought I would really like a story about two musical prodigies!

Tropes:
Rivals to lovers
Workplace romance
He falls first

Really enjoyed the book however I thought it it was super slow in the beginning and then extremely rushed at the end. Their conflict felt a bit forced and super predictable, but overall great book!

Not me sliding into @juliesotowrites ‘s DMs asking her to be my friend because I’m obsessed with not one but TWO of her novels now 🤣🙈 a lot of authors experience a sophomore slump after their debut, but not Julie. She nailed it a SECOND TIME! I’m all about this book and her romance reads, you have to give her a try if you haven’t already! I can’t wait for more from her! ❤️🎶🎻

Never have I ever wanted so badly to find a cellist…sorry hubby! But truly, Julie has a way of making previously not-hot careers into HAWT AF bad boi jobs. Maybe it’s the characters or maybeeee she just knows something we don’t?? Either way, this book was a 20/10 for me, and already skipped straight up the line for my local romance book club. I cannot wait to discuss Zander’s body er I mean grumpy-cute personality! I loved the hidden connections between everyone’s past/present and to the previous book’s characters. Cello suites are my chill down music so it was really interesting to see the mechanics behind the beautiful notes being played.

After the first book by Julie, was a bit of a miss for me (as I do not prefer situationships), I was pleasantly surprised and glad I picked this one up.

The author herself describes this as a love story where ‘a cello falls in love with a violin’. And by the end of the book, you will agree to it and feel like you went through a sensual and exhilarating evening of classical romantic music. Kudos to Julie for bringing alive crackling chemistry and musical sensuality off the pages of this book.

Gwen and Xander are two musical prodigies in their own right, who happen to be in the same reputed orchestra named ‘Manhattan Pops’. While Xander is first cello, a star cellist who also is a lead of a classical music band on the side, Gwen is a violinist who has been in the shadows too long. Though they are in the same workplace, their meet cute is at a wedding where Gwen has to infact perform a cello piece, and it is Xander’s who lends her his cello, providing her an unwelcome feedback.

When Gwen is offered the prestigious first chair over Xander, things become little complicated at work. Forces like work politics, people with vested interests, past experiences, emotional traumas - all come out to play.

The MC’s chemistry is like I said crackling and it is great to see them connect over the music, how they become each other’s muse, make music (and love) together! Though, Xander is the one who falls first, Gwen soon gives into her feelings too. For spice lovers, you will not be disappointed at all. I believe anyone following on booksta would have heard of a famous cello scene. Things like why he names his cello as ‘female’ or what is he feeling when he writes a ‘not love song’ for Gwen when he first plays with her! The sexual tension is described with the high and low notes of a love song, that you can’t hear but most likely feel.

There were a few sections which felt slow or dragged in the third act, but overall a much better time than the last book for me. Go ahead and experience it for yourself.

P.S. I will be posting review to my IG in the week of 19th August.

did not know i needed orchestra romance in my life but i did!!!!! wow loved this so much, especially with a different meet cute from the norm. julie never misses

Julie Soto is a must-read, always. I loved the setting of this book - a peek behind the curtains of an orchestra was new for me. Gwen andXander were perfect foils for each other - I do love a grumpy-sunshine story!

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto instantly grabbed my attention with the unique premise following to professional musicians, Xander and Gwen. The two have undeniable chemistry while dealing with rivalry fueled by Gwen earning first chair in the Pop's Orchestra. I really appreciated that this romance novel felt so different than anything I have read before. Major props to Julie Soto for creating such a unique plot and I found the music elements to be so well balanced, I felt like I learned more about the world of classical musicians without feeling overindulged or bored at any moment. I actually think the city setting and music elements were the strong suit of this book.

I did lack an overall connection to this book because it definitely was more physically attraction driven than emotionally driven. Typically, I prefer when romances contain a balance of both emotional and physical connection and while the tension between Gwen and Xander was amazing, I found myself wondering if they really got to know each other on a deeper level enough to where their relationship would last. I do in this case wish we got a little more of Xander's POV, the little glimpses were everything to me.

Not my favorite, but I would still recommend. Thank you so much to Forever Pub for the ARC!

What a beautiful love story. Julie Soto and five star reads seem to be a running theme around here!
What a prefect balance of romance, deep character development, and growth. Also, feeling sad no one put a violin in my hands at age three.

This is my first Julie Soto book and it didn't disappoint, I loved the chemistry between the two main characters and found myself swooning at some of the parts.

I loved the romance! they understood each and could be themselves together. The chemistry between them was amazing! I also loved the slow-burn and the sexual tension between the main characters. There were several scenes that made me blush and smile so much. The writing is beautiful and descriptive. I honestly felt like I was living in the world with the characters. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, I cried, I laughed and I smiled. This book will stay in my heart for a long time.

4.75 ⭐️

JULIE SOTO YOU ARE NOW ONE OF MY ELITE EMPLOYEES!!!!!

No but seriously though after reading both of Julie’s romance books I’m fully obsessed. I thought it would be extremely hard to top Forget Me Not, and while I’m sure it was, she did it. This was BEAUTIFUL. First of all, the cover alone convinced me to read this book, it is so HOT (and quite obvi clued me into the Reylo). The story itself is truly amazing. The way music is used as a tool of love language, flirting, and emotion is gorgeous. The characters and their arcs were done so well and while i was also swooning throughout this book i was also LAUGHING OUT LOUD. I LOVED IT I LOVED IT I LOVED IT. Julie Soto is now an auto buy author for me. TAKE MY MONEY FOREVER.

This read was a very emotional and investing read. The music aspects of the story were very interesting and went very well with the romance aspects. The two main characters were likeable and had great chemistry plus I love that the story included some back history of them.

Last week, @bookswithcait challenged me to read something from NetGalley, so I picked up Not Another Love Song. I LOVED IT!

What I liked about it:

🎵 It didn’t read like the typical romance novel. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading romance of all kinds, but different can be refreshing

🎵 You can feel the tension! When the stakes were high, my heart was racing

🎵 Music played such a big role in this story, and it never felt cheesy

🎵 The major side characters were important, relevant, and distinct—not just background noise

I absolutely loved this book! The chemistry was sizzling and I loved the tension between Gwen and Alex. I'll definitely be handselling this one to readers who want something after they've binged Ali Hazelwood!

This book was a pleasure to read!!! Julie Soto is funny and swoony in her new book. And her cello scene is truly a masterpiece. The book feels well-researched and the characters’ chemistry is off the charts. 10/10 would recommend!

Julie Soto never misses!! As soon as I heard she was releasing another book, I was desperate to get my hands on it. And it absolutely delivered!! She is the queen of romance, and I loved Not Another Love Song. Do yourself a favour and pick this up immediately!

I am such a fan of Julie Sotos first book and while this wasn’t as good as the first one I did really enjoy it. I thought the setting of an orchestra was so unique and I really liked the characters which helped me overlook some of the more eye rolling parts (would his band really be on SNL?) but overall I liked it.

this was my first julie book and i am a FAN. this reminded me a lot of ali hazelwood but more my speed. i've heard lots of good things about the audiobook too so i WILL be diving into that next and i can't wait to go back and read her other books!

Really enjoy this book by Julie Soto. I was a fan of her previous book “Forget Me Not” and delighted that this story took place in the same world with a few crossover characters. The love story was sweet and I very much enjoyed the setting and main characters. This was a 3.5 star read for me but rounding it to 4. ✨