Oooh Julie Soto has given us another steamy sweet love story full of pining and a lush anchor point, this time in music rather than flowers, and I ate it up.

I loved that the chemistry between Gwen and Alex is palpable from the jump- his obsessive possessive brooding vibes honestly really did it for me.

I don’t think it’s quite as polished as Forget Me Not, but it doesn’t need to be to still be a really good time!

Julie Soto is a must buy from me. Her characters, as always, are loveable and complex, and her stories are fun and spicy. I'm excited to see where her craft takes her in the future.

This book was just FUN to read! It was smutty and music-filled and just a great time! Basically, you have two child prodigies who grew up and then he meets her and hears her play. Then he’s obsessed. He’s obsessed with playing music with her and her in general. But in the best way. It has a draw and engaging writing style that is great for those in a book slump!

I'm gobsmacked. It feels like this book has changed my brain chemistry. I actually let it marinate in my brain for a couple days before writing this review, and I feel even more strongly that this is one of the top releases of 2024. It's written in 3rd person POV, and while it's been a while since I've read anything but dual 1st Person POV, I didn't mind it. The way this story unwinds is everything. The relationship between Xander and Gwen is tender and wild at the same time. Neither of them are easy people. This is not an easy love story, but in my opinion it's all the better for that. Everything is not served up on a silver platter with a bow to the reader. I wouldn't consider this to be a book I could read while watching TV, or out in public where I felt the need to split my focus to remain situationally aware. This is the perfect book to tuck into your coziest reading spot with your snacks and beverage (or two) of choice, and delve in for the long haul. I'm glad I read it in basically two large chunks, because all the breadcrumbs along the way might have slipped past me if I didn't have the thread fresh in my mind. Discovering the author's background in playwriting and fan fiction makes perfect sense to me. This story is so sensual. Once I was a few chapters in, I turned on a playlist of Vitamin String Quartet pop covers, and it was a sensory delight I suggest you try too!
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Julie Soto, and Forever (Grand Central) for the ARC opportunity!

Two talented musicians in New York whose paths cross, introductions (re-introductions?) are clumsily made, misunderstanding ensues. And then they find themselves working together, which as it turns out, they had been for awhile (ahem, Xander). 
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Gwen and Xander both have complicated, difficult backstories and that affects their relationship in a realistic way. It didn’t feel too coincidental or contrived. The story is mainly from the FMC’s perspective, but I love that the MC has a few chapters interspersed throughout the story. The cast of characters around Gwen and Xander acted as intended, moving the story along and providing that extra layer of background information and humour.
4.5 stars. Would recommend.

This is my second Julie Soto book and I absolutely loved it. I am officially a fan of her writing style. This story was just so lovely. I didn’t want to put it down. Rivals to lovers, I loved the music aspect of this book. Growing up playing piano and being in a marching band this was delightful.

So far, this is my favorite romance of the year, hands down. It's bright, funny, relatable, and deeply moving. The connection to the main characters is almost immediate(and if you read her previous book, some of the characters make appearances). I got an E-ARC of this and want to thank the author and publisher. I hope we get to see more of these characters in future works because they will stay with me a long time.

Absolutely inpbe with this one. Julie Soto is so dang talented! Perfect buildup of chemistry and longing, woth so many rich moments of character development. This was fantastic.

🎼 Musical Rivals to Lovers
🧪🤯 Amazing chemistry + tension
👩‍❤️‍👨 Dual POV
🌶️🌶️🌶️
✨ Read this if you like — rivals to lovers, musical themes, he falls first, forced proximity, NYC setting, found family

Happy freaking pub day to Not Another Love Song! 🎼🎻♥️

UM what?? This book had NO business being this freaking GOOD! Julie Soto does it again y’all! I was thrilled to get an ARC from NetGalley after how much I loved Forget Me Not!

I’m not a classical music girlie, but I ate this up. Gwen + Alex (Xander) were ✨chef’s kiss✨. Two rival musicians in a Manhattan orchestra from two different backgrounds: one self taught violist playing in Subways + one cellist playing in a rock band!

The tension. The chemistry. The spice. The way he feels about her!! 🥵Um bump this to the TOP of your TBR! I could not put it down especially after the half way mark! This is will def be one of my favorite romances of 2024 and will live rent free in mind! 🙈

Inside every man is two wolves-One of those wolves is always late for rehearsal and wearing Ray-Bans. Julie Soto humbly gives us an insanely good novel about rival musicians that I ate with the ferocity of a contestant defending their title in a State Fair pie- eating competition.

Whew. I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this. Currently sitting in the number one spot of my Best of 2024. Grabbed me by the collar in a Mariana Trench of a book hangover and hoisted me into the sunlight like some sort of literary Superman. The storyline is gripping, characters vibrant, prose is not overly lyrical but smooth and easy to read (the Pringles of prose styles), a slow burn but the bater is BANTERING and the spice is SPICING (exCUSE ME with that intermission scene??), the lens into the politics of orchestral professionals was accurate, and yes, ladies and gentlemen, I teared up at the Christmas scene- and if a book makes me tear up it gets nothing but a rave review from me. Those are the rules.

The main conflict was resolved too quickly, and I could have done with a little more ending, maybe a second epilogue (checks pulse, feels forehead, checks pulse again) which is the first time I've ever said that. Certain nefarious characters could have used a kneecapping or two (they've got two kneecaps each, so my vote is kneecappings, plural). Resolution complaints aside, this was so immersive. A really... edible? book. There's a different word for that. Binge- worthy! That's it. You don't need to read Forget Me Not first, but there IS character cameos if you have! This is an advanced reader copy review, you can expect to find it on shelves and in Bezo's overgrown bookstore on July 16th!

"... Gwen, please make music with me. I need you in my life. I need to be in your orbit in some way, and if you don't want me to touch you and kiss you and f*ck you, then let me make love to you onstage every night because it's the most alive I've felt in ten years—"

Gwen and Xander have been playing in the Pops Orchestra together for years a fact Xander seems oblivious to but, when Gwen unexpectedly has to play Xander’s cello at a wedding, she finally catches his eye (and his ear). Unfortunately, Gwen then earns his ire when she is offered first chair, a place Xander has coveted his entire life. Now, there is a mix of serious tension between the two that is laced with a respect and passion that’s moving toward crescendo.

The TENSION between Xander and Gwen is intense from their first interaction to the last page. The passion of two musicians for their art and each other is PALPABLE. The realism of the music scene was the perfect setting for the growth, self-exploration, and collaboration of these two characters. Their appreciation for one another’s talents was front and center as that appreciation grew to something more. This book is written with an understated sexiness that was captivating and a dramatic friction that kept me engaged. Enjoyed this one and would recommend!

4.5/5 Stars

I loved Forget Me Not so my expectations were high but this one still blew me away! I loved how Julie Soto managed to incorporate music into every aspect of Gwen and Alex's relationship. I also loved watching Gwen grow up and find herself. This book is dual POV but centers around Gwen in a way I really liked. I wish more authors who choose single POV would do something similar to this instead.

I loved Gwen and Alex's connection. Their chemistry was electric and Alex fell for her so hard! It was really fun to watch them figure out their feelings and how to incorporate such an intense relationship into their daily lives. Additionally, the steamy scenes in this book were top-notch! No spoilers but the first one is super creative and perfect for them.

If you loved Forget Me Not, like enemies to lovers, or he falls first this is a must-read! This book is also a music lovers' dream! I cannot wait to see what Julie Soto writes next!

Absolutely adored this book. Gwen and Alex felt so perfect together and watching their lives intertwine and their love for each other grow was everything. The epilogue was pure perfection and I am so grateful I read this book.

I enjoyed Julie Soto's first foray into non YA stories (Forget Me Not) but this one really had me hooked. I found myself looking up the music mentioned in the story and just "seeing" the orchestras sitting there playing. I was raised with musicians and while I no longer play, had my own foray into being part of a high school orchestra. I've always loved going to watch my sister and her husband play and of course local Pops (Boston) always enthrall me. I feel like I actually got some insight into the mechanics of how Pops and orchestras in the professional world work and I truly enjoyed the journey. The intimate moments between Alex and Gwen were just wow!! I could feel the chemistry and everything that Gwen was feeling. I wouldn't hesitate to read anything else this author brings my way! Take a bow Julie

What an incredible story! I'm a big fan of Julie Soto after reading Forget Me Not. I ran to get this ARC and boy it did not disappoint. I couldn't put down this book and finished it in 1 day. I think this book may be another strong contender to book of the year for me. This story tells the story about professional musicians/former child musical prodigies Gwen and Alex who started out as very tense rival in their orchestra before falling madly in love.
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First of all, I LOVE how the musical references are intertwined in this book. Every key moments have music involved and it's so glorious. Honestly this even got me back to classical music again because I thought the professional musician aspect was so immersive. Music is definitely the 3rd main character here. If you enjoyed Nodame Cantabile, you'd enjoy this so much too.
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Their meet cute was so memorable. This first part really sets up everything so well and describes both Gwen & Alex's character and genius in music. In the process, we see the intense push and pull; throughout the story the tension is so palpable! They grudgingly respect each other's skills but desperately don't want to fall in love with each other. However, they can't deny that their music is so compatible and it's just so satisfying to see how they create beautiful music together. Oh yeah, also have to point out the insanely sexy scene that was depicted in the cover. This cello scene will live rent-free in my head.
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Some criticisms I have mostly centered on how Gwen seemingly had it too easy in the professional musician world (which is notoriously cutthroat) and a couple of concert scenes which made me go "I really don't think that will fly in reality". It takes some suspension of disbelief, but at the end I chalk it up to Gwen being a music genius and necessary creative liberty. 2nd part dragged a bit for me and felt a bit anticlimactic. However, overall I still give this a solid 5 stars and a strong recommend.

“It’s simple really. It’s about a cello who fell in love with a violin.” ♡⋆.˚ 🎻✩ 𝄞 ₊˚.

Happy pub day to Not Another Love Song @juliesotowrites!!! 🫶🏼🤧

Oh wow you guys, okay so in honor of this baby releasing today, I want to share my review because Julie has done it again! I’ve shared my love for Ama and Elliot in Forget Me Not and she does NOT disappoint with Gwen and Xander!

Not Another Love Song follows Gwen Jackson — a musical prodigy who scores the opportunity of her dreams as First Chair for the Manhattan Pops and Xander Thorne, musical prodigy with another path set in his mind. The two went through some hostility at first, but a mutual connection through their undeniable love for music brings them… closer to say the least.

Julie absolutely brings it with the banter and tension! There is so much emotional investment between the two characters that whether the intimacy involves spice or making pancakes, or playing music, you’re right there with them. I loved how raw every character was and how much depth there was in each of them and the relationships they had with each other. Some of my favorite parts (without spoilers of course) include:

☁️ the pining!!! the tension!!!
☁️ he is so down bad it had me giggling every other chapter
☁️ the relationship between Gwen and Mabel
☁️ the. cello. scene. THE CELLO SCENE! the freaking cello scene!!!! Whewww good lordy
☁️ musicians falling in love through their craft (and falling even further in love WITH their craft)
☁️ the small, yet impactful found family element

Thank you so much NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Julie Soto for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review! 4.5 stars hands down 🌟

o livro tem um passe muito gostosinhoooo e aaaaaaaaaaaaah eu amei, eu acho que eles super combinam um com o outro e assim é maravilhosooooooooooooooo. eu amei a escolha do tema, e como a soto fez as coisas ficarem redondinhas e perfeitas e tudo faz muito sentido dentro da obra S2S2

oq acontece aqui: temos uma violinista num casamento, mas que na verdade era pra ser um violoncelista, ai ela simplesmente pega o instrumento emprestado do cara que senta na primeira fileira da osquestra que ela toca (mas nunca viu) que tbm tem faz parte de uma banda (que entrelinhas grita "artista mais ouvido do meu spotify") e ai é isso, o resto é historiaa

esse livro é para as meninas que cuidadosamente moldam sua retrospectiva no spotify, para as que amam nao tem que pensar muito pq o cara assumir o controle (nao de uma maneira obscura) e tu pode relaxar ja que esse serzinho te conhece e sabe oq tu precisa sem precisar pedir... par as meninas que tem playlist pra tudo e para as que virariam para a ali hazelwood e diria "ok, make spicier", para as meninas que leriam 342394329 fios no tt sobre os masters roubados da TS e sempre escolheriam a taytay

review sincera em troca da copia avancada ofertada pelo netgalley

Holy moly, I’m obsessed with this book! 🔥

Not Another Love Song was absolutely everything I needed it to be and more. The tension was TENSION-ING, the love story felt real, fun and oh so sexy! While also having a plot that kept me engaged - the book was unputdownable.

I switched between an e-book and audio format mostly because I couldn’t stop reading (I meant what I said - unputdownable!!!) and thoroughly enjoyed both formats! The narration was extremely well done.

I had so much fun reading this one and cannot wait to read more from Soto! Hands down the best romance I have read this year (so far)!

I adored Forget Me Not when I read it last year but this one blew me away, this is definitely Julie’s best work yet. I don’t know what she put in this but I was addicted, I couldn’t put it down.

Honestly, I didn’t think playing the cello or violin could be hot but this book proved me wrong. I was not a band kid so a lot of the more technical music references went a little bit over my head but the way Julie wrote them, I definitely felt like I didn’t miss much.

Alex and Gwen’s chemistry was INSANE. The tension? God tier. THE CELLO SCENE?? My jaw was on the floor. Please Julie, never stop writing, I’d cry.

Loved seeing the Ama and Elliot cameos <3

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed Julie’s writing style in this book. I read her debut novel. It was good, but something about this book drew me in much more quickly. I was eager to keep reading. Romance is not my go-to genre, so some of that was lost on me. However the non-romance side of the plot was very interesting and kept me reading until the end.