Not Another Love Song has me in a complete chokehold. I was enamored by Julie Soto's debut, Forget Me Not, but when I heard that her sophomore romance involved musicians? My excitement was next level. (I'm married to a man who plays multiple instruments--including cello.)

Gwen Jackson is a talented young violinist, and she catches the eye of Xander Thorne, dark, brooding, and a genius on the cello. Something about the way she loses herself in the music captivates him, and he can't stay away from her. They are opposites in almost every way, but when they play together, something magical happens. Their initial antagonism gives way to respect, and an unlikely attraction blooms between them.

I can't find the words to communicate how much I loved this book. As a musician and music lover married to another musician, there is something so absolutely authentic about that connection music can forge between two people. Singing with my husband is still one of my favorite things, even sixteen years into this crazy ride together. Gwen and Xander's story was just *chefs kiss.* 10/10. No notes. And that cello scene will forever live rent-free in my head.

THIS BOOK WAS PHENOMENAL. I binged it in under 24 hours and I never wanted it to end. Who knew that playing the cello and violin could be so sexual?! This book had tension, it had emotions, it had spice. This book had absolutely everything that I wanted. Perfection. Cannot wait to see what Julie Soto writes next because I have no doubt that I will devour it.

ARC REVIEW

This book follows Gwen and Alex (Xander) and their relationship. Gwen is playing for the Pops of Manhattan, when she is presented with an opportunity of First Chair..that's when she encounters Xander Thorne, and from there their relationship blossoms.

I love how Alex was so gone for Gwen the whole time, and didn't deny his feelings for her. I loved reading this book through the lens of a professional musician. As someone who used to play instruments, this was a fun call back to that part of my life.

This was an easy 5 starts for me, as I kept thinking about the book and wanting to keep reading, even when life was getting in the way.

Definitely pick this one up if you haven't already!

I enjoyed this book so so much! It was everything I wanted in a romance and more. The writing was divine, the characters delightful, and the spice, banter, and tension were absurdly delicious. Xander & Gwen’s love story was tender, emotional, and beautiful. I already can’t wait to reread it. Thank you so much for the ARC, NetGalley!

Workplace romance
Rivals-to-lovers
Angsty slow-burn
Found family
NYC setting

I fell in love with Julie Soto's writing when I read Forget Me Not last year. I was very excited about her new book, Not Another Love Song. In this book, two rival musicians, Xander Thorn and Gwen Jackson, compete for the coveted role of the First Chair of an orchestra while battling their chemistry and growing feelings for each other. I loved Xander and Gwen's slow-burn, rivals-to-lovers romance. They have a sizzling chemistry, the book is steamy, with one particular scene involving a cello is super hot.

However, Not Another Love Song is not just a steamy romance, the book touches on some heavy topics, and Gwen and Xander's relationship has a lot of depth.
I loved Gwen's relationship with her music mentor, Mabel, and her best friend, Jacob. And I was excited about the guest appearances by Ama and Elliot, the couple from Forget Me Not.

Not Another Love Song is one of my favorite reads of 2024, and I cannot wait to read another book by Julie Soto.

I didn’t love the first book of this interconnected series and I was willing to give this second one a chance. But I did not enjoy it as well. I feel like this author may not be for me.

Immediately need more book recs where the main characters make music together because DAMN 🥵

Knowing that this was previously a fanfic made me nervous at first. I haven’t read a ton of fanfic and didn’t know what to expect. Happy to report that I frequently forgot the story’s origins and just enjoyed it as the full novel it is now.

This was a really fun, cute, and HOT read. Any scene where they were playing together was just absolute perfection.

5⭐️ 3🌶️

I read Forget Me Not earlier this year and was surprised how much I loved it but, this was even more surprising on how much I loved this! I could not put this book now and I felt myself really feeling for Gwen near the end.

Tropes:
🎶 contemporary romance
🎶 found family
🎶 rivals to lovers
🎶 he falls first
🎶 tension 🥵
🎶 musicians

“I want to be clear. I want you in every way. I want to see you. And fuck you. And play music with you. Tell me you want even one of those things.”

“A few of them, yeah.”

Gwen and Alex “Xander” will capture your heart from the beginning. He’s a superstar cellist who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Gwen is more of a wallflower, stand in the back and go unnoticed type of gal. She isn’t really sure what she wants but she knows she loves playing violin and is pretty good at it.

There was a lot of musical references that I didn’t know, but that didn’t deter me or make it hard to understand the book.

The character development in this story was written beautifully. They are both characters with several flaws and things they each needed to work through, which they continued to do throughout the book.

The tension was 🔥! This was probably one of the best tension filled stories that I’ve read in a long time! The tension lead up to giving us some 🌶️ that was not disappointing! The cello scene 🥵 and it wasn’t just spice okay, it was so beautifully written that it really fed into their love and romance together. They used music in a way to progress their romantic relationship that I haven’t read before.

Xander and Gwen were literal soulmates. That’s all I have on that one because you’ll need to read it to truly understand!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Julie Soto for providing this eARC. I truly loved this book and can’t wait for more of your work! ❤️

Julie Soto has officially made her way into my auto-buy list. I love her writing and storytelling so much. And her spicy scenes are top notch.

I haven't read many books with an instrumental aspect in it so this was a very fun read for me. I enjoyed the romance and both of the main characters were great. This book definitely made me want to leave how to play an instrument even though I know I don't have a musical bone in my body. Highly recommend checking this one out if you're looking for a fast paced romance!

Thank you so much to Forever Pub and NetGalley for the e-arc!

This was my first book by Julie Soto but it definitely wouldn’t be the last because I really enjoyed her writing. It was easy to read even for someone like me who has absolutely no idea about any orchestra stuff. I definitely learnt a lot about it from reading this.

I loved the characters and I also loved seeing Ama in it. I haven’t read her book yet but I am excited to get to it and any other book Julie writes in the future. The tension and chemistry between the two MCs in this were *chef’s kiss*

It wasn’t a full 5 star read for me because it took me quite a while to get into it. But I really enjoyed it when the book picked up!


I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was my first time reading a book by Julie Soto, and I am extremely happy that I picked this one up. Soto masterfully crafts a compelling narrative that is both heartwarming and engaging. The chemistry between the main characters is exceptionally well done.

Julie Soto did it again! One of the things I love most about her writing is how descriptive it is with the industry the characters are in (ie. music; Forget Me Not was wedding planning and floristry).

This story started slow at first, but then I was hooked when the pacing picked up. Gwen and Xander are the epitome of “I could feel the tension, you could cut it with a knife”. The chemistry, banter, and spice was top tier. I’ll never be able to look at the cover without remembering that scene 🥵

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing the ARC.

First off, I'm going to need a cold shower to cool off from reading this book.

Second off, wow. Just wow.

As a music nerd in my own right, watching these two musicians go head-to-head with each other was absolutely scrumptious. There was banter, there was ire, there was an intensely sexy cello scene that I had to reread a few times and then fan myself. There was an intensity to it that really kept the reader engaged throughout the entire story, something that many authors are unable to pull off. The way I absolutely devoured this book in a sitting.

This book is absolutely delicious. It is a heady, overwhelming, and all-encompassing story between two characters who have absolutely no right to be as good as they are. I cannot wait to reread this.

Thanks to Julie Soto, I will now always blush when I hear a cello. Not Another Love Song is sexy, and has just the right amount of broodiness and intensity. I loved every moment and will be adding this title to my romance recs!

3.5 stars

I’ll start with that I liked this book more than the author’s first book.

The beginning is very slow and bogged down with musical terms. It took awhile for me to get into it and for whatever romance to start between Gwen and Alex. But, oh boy, when it did…the cello scene???!!!! IYKYK It was quite a steamy read from there on, too.

Just an okay read for me, though. I actually listened to the audio after pub day. Savannah Peachwood and Oliver Clarke narrate. She is the main narrator and I thought she was excellent. I know she definitely helped me enjoy the story more.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🎶Enemies to Lovers
🎶Grumpy/Sunshine
🎶Forced Proximity
🎶Found Family

I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved this book. Julie Soto has a way with words that fully immerses you in the story. Their writing is beautiful and had me in all my feels. I devoured this book in one sitting and I didn’t want it to end! The sexual tension between Gwen and Xander was off the charts and that cello scene? Holy hotness! Who knew a book about a violinist and cellist could be so sexy? This was a fun and beautiful story and I can’t wait to see what this author brings us next!

I really enjoyed Julie Soto's first book Forget Me Not, so I was certainly excited to get started on Not Another Love Song. I really enjoyed it! I think her first was maybe better, and I did like the pop up of Ama and some characters from the first book. The steamy scenes were certainly steaming, let me tell you that. I liked the story, just felt it was a bit slower than I wanted in some parts. The Xander/Alex rockstar/violin perfectionist was an interesting take that I haven't seen often so that was fun. Gwen, the main female character, seemed a bit immature, but she was only 22 so naturally her frontal lobe wasn't fully developed yet. What should I expect? No matter, I had a fun time reading it and will certainly be reading more Soto in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

4.5 🌟

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the eArc of “Not Another Love Song” by Julie Soto.

The book was such an angsty and sweet romance full of spice. There was so much built up and slow burn and the scene the cover is referring to had me kicking my feet in my bed. I loved the way music and musical appreciation was woven between those pages. The writing style was so beautifully done. The book was one of my favourite romances of 2024 so far.

It’s always fun to buddy read with @bookishinidahome but it’s even more fun when it’s a new author for us both! Julie Soto, you’ve just found yourself a forever fan! 🙌🏼

THIS BOOK, YOU GUYS I’M IN LOVE 🤯😍🥹

The beautiful way that Julie was able to weave music, romance, spice, important life lessons & messages all into one book astounds me! Getting to witness the unique perspectives of Gwen and Xander, amidst the musical ties was so beautiful & powerful.

The dynamics that played out amongst the characters was not only funny, but filled with sentiment & truth. I loved the way in which music terminology was used to describe many different things throughout the book, which felt as though it enmeshed me in the world of music while reading.

Please please please pick up a copy of this gem of a book & read it - I promise you won’t be disappointed!

I read Forget Me Not last year and loved it, so I was thrilled to get an ARC of Julie Soto’s second book, Not Another Love Song.

Gwen and Xander work together performing for the Manhattan Pops. A chance meeting at a wedding changes their dynamic and what follows is a story full of tension, pining, and some excellent spice (the cello scene 🔥🔥🔥).

While I’m not a musical person myself, I really enjoyed the way their passion for music was such a foundational part of their relationship with one another.

As a bonus, in addition to some new loveable side characters, we got a few glimpses of characters from Forget Me Not as well!