A breathtakingly beautiful love letter to both music and New York. As a former violist, I loved the care with which Soto wrote Xander and Gwen and their musical passions. I won't watch an orchestra without picturing the bows as lightsabers and the tension between first chair and first cello again.

My first Julie Soto book and certainly not my last. This book was so fun, with some emotional moments, humour and so much more. I really enjoyed the music aspect. I didn’t know how I would like it when I first started reading because of the musical terms but it turned out so well.

This ended up being such an easy read with a nice flow. I loved seeing how the music brought them together and how the music brought out such strong emotions. The tension was so good too, I loved how he was pining so hard over her and kept attempting to speak to her only to be rejected. I also loved how Gwen handles herself and how she held strong. This book also had such hot moments that I really did not expect and it just added that much more to the story. I highly recommend this one.

amazing, show stopping, wonderful, perfect! this was truly such a fun read, but i loved the depth of the relationship that we were given between the fmc and mmc. this was actually one of my favorite romances from 2024! highly recommend this one, especially for the found family and supporting characters as well.

I decided not to finish this book at 80%. If you love Julie Soto's first book I think you would love this one as well. I'm just more interested in rom-coms than angsty/emotional romances at the moment.

This book is very readable, but never really convinced me that these characters are falling in love, It's very fast and feels a bit too surface level for me. Most of the tension or interest between the characters is sexual or about music and never really about the actual person.

I will say though, I did really like everything to do with playing in an orchestra and all of the scenes where characters were playing instruments. That aspect of the book was a lot of fun.

i really was enjoying this story, the musical components of it. I felt like I kept getting more pieces of Alex's story but not much of Gwen's. I wanted more depth to her character. I loved how these two characters started coming together until things started getting intimate. I don't have a problem with intimacy, I do with the fact that now one of the characters "performs" better because he/she never had that kind of experience 👀 I get relaxing obviously helps but I seriously thought that was ridiculous. Him popping up in the oddest places, Jacob could've been a better support character in this story and in general the way he was approaching it all was just weird.

4.5 ⭐️s

This book was so good it put me in a massive slump! I am so obsessed with Julie Soto’s writing so much! The tension in this book got me foaming in the mouth. They're both so hot and the chemistry was so insane.

Julie Soto has done it again in this musical masterpiece.
The tension between these two is is tighter than a Cello string.
I hope we can get another story from this world she has created.
If you are looking for a quick, spicy read, this is it.

5 ⭐

Julie Soto is a 10/10 author for me. Add in essentially a Reylo fanfic and I'm a sucker for it.
Gwen is hired to play a wedding, however, she needs drop her violin for the cello. She isn't well-skilled in the cello, but borrows one from someone in the wedding party - the lead for her favorite band, Xander Thorne.

They just so happen to both play for the Pops Orchestra and have a strained relationship at first. As they start to spend time together they become closer due to slight similaries in their past and experiences as musicians and prodigies in their respective instruments. I loved every part of the musical aspect, regardless of how accurate it may not be. Xander Thorne is hot and romantic, even if he's terrible at sharing his emotions with their own rocky pasts. Gwen is so relatable to me and I was just going on vibes the whole time.

THE CELLO SCENE. EXCUSE ME!!! I'M DECEASED!!!

🎵traditionally published reylo
🎵sexual tension and chemistry
🎵found family
🎵rivals to lovers
🎵musicians falling in love

Thank you to NetGalley, & Forever Publishing for the complimentary ARC of Not Another Love Song for an honest review.
****
Yall it’s an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ with no notes

Just perfection.

I adored every aspect of this book! It filled me with butterflies, leaving me giddy and pleasantly flustered. The intimate scenes were nothing short of electrifying! The undeniable chemistry between Gwen and Alex was remarkable, and I loved how music and instruments shaped their perceptions and deepened their connection. This story is inspiring and imparts powerful lessons about the importance of pursuing our own paths rather than allowing others to choose them for us. This book is a must-read!

This was a difficult one for me to get through.. not sure if I’m just not the right audience for this author or if it was my current mood. Didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it.

Is there nothing Julie can do? On the face of it, the romance sounds boring - a chellist and a Base player. But in reality you have an angsty, rivals to lovers. The orchestra life is one that is full of Drama and politics and it makes for a great world to set a romance up in. Gwen is dealing with imposter syndrome and Xander indentifies her - he sees her talent and is desperate for her to lose her inhibitions and let loose with him. The cello scene will go down in romance book history. They are very aware of one another, they literally have to mark each other on the stage .They have this chemisty that really unlocks the best out of one another and they reach a beautiful creshendo with one another.

I laughed, my heart squeezed. Ugh so good. The balance of pulling you into the story, the character development and the push/ pull of their relationship was fun to read. Another great read from Julie Soto!

I’m obsessed with everything Julie Soto touches. Somehow simultaneously heartfelt and laugh out loud funny. And I never knew orchestra could be so hot?

Wow, I absolutely loved this book! This was an emotional but also a fun and swoon-worthy read! If you love reading about both music and romance, this book is for you. Gwen and Xander have amazing chemistry, tons of fun banter, and some great intense moments.
The way music is woven into the story is just perfect. It’s not just there for the sake of it—it’s everything to these characters. Gwen and Xander’s bond through music is so real, and their connection feels so genuine. Xander is a bit of a mess (in the best way) but seeing him open up made their relationship even better.
I also loved the side characters in Gwen's life, they supported Gwen in such a heartwarming way. Even when Mabel (her mentor and pretty much second mother) didn’t agree with her choices, she still showed up for her every step of the way. Mabel and Ava's previous friendship also added another layer to the story, which I really enjoyed. This was my first book by this author and It felt very unique and was a total page-turner, and I honestly couldn’t get enough. I highly recommend you check this one out if you haven’t already!

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐞
🎻Rivals to lovers
🎻Hate to love
🎻Forced proximity
🎻Workplace romance
🎻Opposites attract
🎻Musical Prodigies

Ughhh, so I absolutely hated Forget Me Not. I was very hesitant to try this one, but it was slightly better than Forget Me Not, mostly because I enjoyed the music/orchestra world better than the wedding vendor world of Forget Me Not. Will I try more of Julie’s forthcoming books? Possibly? But I just don’t think I’m a fangirl like so many people I know. I wish I was, because I’ve seen Julie speak at events and she is SO funny and SO sweet. I want to be her friend, but I’m not a lover of her books.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I don’t know how Soto does it, but she does it again in Not Another Love Song. Have I ever been in an orchestra? No. Do I play an instrument? No. Do I know how to read music? No. Was I absolutely obsessed with this story? YES. The way she is able to delicately educate the reader on a topic most of us know nothing about without boring us, while simultaneously making us burn and yearn?! It’s magic. I also loved seeing beloved characters for Forget Me Not pop up. So special!

I read this book a couple months ago. I don’t know why I have not sent a review, but I absolutely loved this book. It was one of my favorite reads of last year. I love the musicality incorporation in this book, both the main characters bounced of each other so well. The tension was everything I needed it to be and more. I had a really good time

🎻Not Another Love Song🎻
By Julie Soto

Pages: 375
Rating: 4️⃣.2️⃣5️⃣
Book Goal 2025: 14/130

✨Have you ever played an instrument and if so what kind?✨

This book was so cute! I started it a while ago but I guess I wasn’t in the mood. I finally gave it another chance and it was adorable!

I really liked both of the characters and the development throughout the book. The plot follows both of the main characters as they try to figure out their work relationship together and how to balance the pressure of being leads in the orchestra. I loved the musical setting, the banter, the self discovery.

Overall a cute book for hopeless romantics with musical interests.

Oh my goodness, I loved this book. Julie Soto has had me since her fan-fictions, and she still has me today. Gwen and Xander were everything, and I'll always consume a rivalry dynamic in fiction, whether on screen or on paper. I could feel the chemistry through the page, or rather, my kindle. Nonetheless, even as individuals, I found them to be characters I rooted for. This is how you write a good romance book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the arc!

(4.75 stars)

This book was so good and I would recommend it to all my friends. The tension, the angst, the emotion, made everything so good and I loved every bit of it!