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

Gah!! This book was so masterful! The descriptions of the orchestra brought me back to seeing the orchestra play in Seattle at the Seattle Symphony. 🎻 The scenes that Julie Soto painted were so beautiful, I felt like I was there. The tension between Gwen and Alex / Xander Thorne was so palpable and their intimate moments were definitely 🌶️ 🥵 (you've been warned 😉😂).

I love enemies to lovers so much! I loved the redemption of an old friendship and the relationship between mother and son. This book has so much depth and the Christmas scene had me tearing up; again, I felt like I was there watching it all unfold.

Bravo, Julie Soto! 👏

Thank you, NetGalley, for my eARC. 🤩

I was excited to find this as a read now on NetGalley. I’ve read some of this author’s Dramione fanfic and have been meaning to read her published work.

This read like a fanfic to me, which is not a bad thing. It kept me flipping the pages despite some issues I have with the book. The male love interest is a little too obsessed with the female love interest in a way that’s just unbelievable, unrealistic, too fast, and kind of weird. I’m also tired of the mean love interest trope. There were also way too many sex scenes for my personal preference. I know others will disagree with me, but I really think one or two is best. Anything more than that feels excessive unless it’s just really central to the plot progression. There were also a few plot points that didn’t feel well thought out, and parts of the plot were a little melodramatic.

I’m rating this 3.5 stars. It was a fun, quick read, but I’m not sure that I would want to reread it. I would recommend to fans of Ali Hazelwood.

I really enjoyed Forget Me Not, so I was super excited to receive an e-arc of Soto's new book, Not Another Love Song! I enjoyed this one even more than her previous book! I loved the characters and the storyline, honestly I loved everything about this book! Gwen and Xander's relationship starts off as at a relative slow-burn, but the second there is a spark between them, flames instantly catch fire. I devoured their relationship and I thoroughly enjoyed the music aspect as well. The two characters growth as people and professionals in their field was also enoyable to witness and there were some lovely and entertaining side characters as well. I cannot wait to see what Soto writes next!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early, and because of that I have learned that Julie Soto’s work is just not for me

I devoured this book! I basically read it in one sitting. Loved Gwen and Alex, their relationship was 🔥. The story was entertaining and fast paced and I loved it. Definitely would recommend it and will be grabbing a copy when it comes out!

I just am obsessed with Julie Soto. I read my first book by her last month and now this! Bravo!!

Spice, chemistry, and the love of music. I couldn’t ask for anything better. The characters are amazing. I couldn’t put this one down. Love it soooo much!! Thank you so much NetGalley!

Ok, I can’t lie!! I read the original fanfic version back when it was posted a few years ago and completely fell in love with Julie’s writing!! I was so beyond excited to find out that it was being published as its own original work! It is such an amazing book, Julie’s ability to writing romance is like no other! I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy and annotate it! I can’t speak highly enough of this brilliant book! The chemistry between Gwen and Alex is perfectly delicious (hello, no one could make playing classical music this sexy)! I loved seeing so much of the original story still intact along with all the changes Julie made that show how much her writing has grown these last few years! I can’t wait to read what she has next in store🎻

This is my first Julie Soto book and all I can say is wow. She might be the queen of sexual tension. The chemistry between Gwen and Alex was palpable (hello, cello scene, iykyk). Soto wove their passion for music throughout the book in various aspects—their connection, chemistry, and how they see the world. Honestly, it made me want to be a musician. I wish I had a playlist of all the songs they played in the book!

Gwen is a classic people pleaser and I saw myself a lot in her. I could relate to her wanting to make everyone around her happy and how she didn’t always stand up for herself because she was thinking of the right way to say something. At her core, Gwen is an honest, genuine person who believes the best in people—even when she shouldn’t. I enjoyed watching her learn and grow throughout the story.

Alex/Xander is the definition of “looks like he’ll fight you but is a cinnamon roll on the inside.” He appears cool, calm and collected on the outside, but he’s a total sweetheart. He’s the perfect foil to Gwen. He’s been where she is and learned he doesn’t need everyone else’s approval, only his own. Music has been his main focus and he’s been told he’s the best his whole life. Once he hears Gwen play he realizes she could grow to be better than him and soon he finds himself enthralled by her and her music. 

Things to expect:
- Rivals to lovers
- He falls first
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Forced proximity

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG [thank you to @readforeverpub and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★☆☆

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are both musical prodigies with contrasting backgrounds: Xander comes from classical music royalty, while Gwen's talent was nurtured by a kind shop owner. When Gwen realizes Xander doesn’t recognize her despite working together for a year, and then arrogantly critiques her performance, she’s furious. Their rivalry intensifies when Gwen is offered the coveted First Chair role, a position Xander secretly wanted. Despite their hostility, their undeniable musical chemistry leads to a fragile romance that is threatened by a looming publicity stunt.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
After reading and loving Soto’s book last year, I was really looking forward to seeing what she came out with next! But something about this romance didn’t hit the right notes for me. I appreciated the angst and the pining, the spice was pretty well written (if kind of a lot - I may not look at a cello the same again), and I liked the characters…but I just didn’t believe the characters together. I felt like Xander had a lot more work to do and Gwen needed some more self confidence if they were going to give it a go. Even still - I flew through this book and I can’t wait to see what Julie comes up with next!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Celebrity Romance
Grumpy/Sunshine
Open Door Romance
Rivals-to-Lovers
Reylo Fanfic

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 4.43 ⭐️
# of Pages: 384
Pub Date: July 16, 2024

Stunningly, beautifully brilliant, this is a romance that is going to stay with me for a very long time. It's so incredibly written, making me wish I felt the music in the way that these two characters do. I couldn't put this book down - and more than that, I really didn't want to.

Thank you to the publisher for granting a review copy

This one is for the music girlies!!! especially those who are musicians and love classical music. One thing about me is that I've ALWAYS wished I could play the violin (maybe I should see if I can find one on FB marketplace and start some youtube lessons LOL)

This book has --
-NYC setting
-rivals to lovers
-characters with big goals and dreams who happen to be quite flawed
-the dramaaa (who knew there was this much drama in an orchestra!)
-steam + spice (but tbh it just didn't hit like I wanted it to)

Overall I enjoyed this book! I think Julie Soto is an awesome author and writes highly addictive books. I really enjoyed Forget Me Not, and I think this book was crafted with more skill than her debut. I'm excited for her next book (which is a dramione fan fic!!!)

I devoured this book!! Julie Soto is a genius.
Gwen and Alex’s story is beautiful with shadows of heart break from the past. Gwen has pushed through a tragic past to become accomplished and successful. Alex or Zander is cocky and self assured at least until he meet Gwen. Their story is beautiful and melodic. This is a definite must read!

This is not a love song...

Anti-love songs are always better (Numb, Creep). Gwen is a true musical prodigy. Truly. She's measured and intuitive. At first, I was confused, cuz she was supposed to be sixteen, then later, she was an adult in the first chapter. Once I got past that, I was very engrossed. Alex, aka Xander, is a tall, hot, cello player. Gwen already sort of knows him, as she plays violin in the Manhattan pops with him. He notices her at a wedding he is in and she has to play cello on the fly.

Gwen lives in her head with music and her best friend, Jacob.
Xander is in a string quartet that's sort of popular as well as in the Manhattan pops with Gwen.
I really liked that Gwen got first chair. I would have stopped reading if they gave it to Xander, who is arrogant and kind of a jerk. Everything comes easy for him, whereas, Gwen has to work for everything. Turns out, this is a love song, after all.
Recommend.

Some novels are pretty perfect, right down to the cover, and Julie Soto’s Not Another Love Song is one of those novels. Honestly, I could write a novel-length review detailing everything I liked about this book. But I will try to be as concise as possible.

Gwen Jackson is on the cusp of everything she’s dreamed of in her career as a self-taught violinist when she’s offered first chair in the Manhattan Pops orchestra. The only person standing in her way is Xander Thorne, the broody cellist and rockstar who also wanted the job. She’s noticed him for years, but he’s never seen her. Until now. Thrown into each other’s orbits, the music they create together surpasses their shared animosity. And the more time they spend together, the thinner the line between love and hate becomes.

From the beginning of the text, the energy between Gwen and Alex (Xander’s real name) is electric. In the author’s note, Soto writes about how these characters were born from Reylo fanfic. And this book is a fantastic example of how impactful the world of fanfiction can be, and why it shouldn’t ever be denigrated as an art form or seen as “less than.” Had I not known that this text was Reylo-inspired, I might not even have made the connection, even though there are certainly shared tropes.

“[He] realized that if she ever got out of her head long enough to play violin like that… [t]he rest of his life would be spent chasing her, trying to catch up.”

Not Another Love Song skillfully utilizes third-person dual POV throughout the narrative, though Alex’s perspective is seen much less and his chapters tend to be shorter than Gwen’s. This helps create a little mystery as to what he’s thinking and how he’s feeling which is effective for the story as a whole.

And, oh my goodness, the cello scene is going to live rent-free in my brain forever. I want to send the author a thank you note just for that, because, YES.

This book will be making my top 2024 reads list this year.

A solid sophomore work, even if it was originally written first and reworked from Reylo fanfic. This wasn't quite the rivals to lovers plot that I anticipated, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and its characters. While I would have preferred for the presentation to be more balanced between Gwen and Xander's perspectives, I liked how his fleeting chapters are scattered throughout the book and emerge at pivotal moments, providing insight into why she has such a huge effect on him and subsequently turned his world upside down. Although there are many satisfying steamy moments, the scenes that feature Gwen and Xander collaborating musically are perhaps even hotter and speak to their undeniable connection. My favorite feature here is the peek into the minds of musical prodigies as well as the complicated inner workings of orchestras, even if the plot beats aren't always realistic. The conflict in the third act is a little silly with the villains fairly obvious early on, yet for the most part I found this to be a worthwhile read and am curious to see what creative field Soto highlights next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. This book had potential. I loved the music and Carnegie Hall setting. At times, I liked Gwen and, at other times, I wanted to scream at her to grow a backbone. Xander/Alex was kind of an a-hole. I guess there were reasons for it and he redeemed himself in the end, but he was so rude throughout much of the book that it was hard to root for them as a couple. Overall, I think I would recommend this to music lovers and folks who don't mind somewhat annoying/unlikable main characters.

This had its moments when it was really good and then wham it brought up a subject that just took me out of the story. I did push through those moments and finished the story.

Ugh, so good. Can't get it out of my head.

I didn't love Julie Soto's debut novel Forget Me Not last summer, so I was hesitant to read this one, but how wrong I was! I devoured this one and a week after finishing, am still thinking about Alex and Gwen.

The chemistry between Alex and Gwen is out of this world and I loved watching their relationship develop. Alex is a complex character and I was fascinated by his story. I wish we could have gotten a little more into that.

I also loved the symphony setting, which I thought was really unique and so different from anything else I've read. Apparently this is fanfiction of Kylo Ren and Rey, which I definitely would never have picked up on if I hadn't read the author's note at the beginning. I know nothing about their story so knowing (or not knowing) that didn't have any effect on my enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC. My review is honest and voluntary.

This was my first Julie Soto book and if they’re all as good as this one, she’s going to make my auto-buy list for sure.
I was hooked from the beginning, and the best thing about this book was the off-the-chart tension and pining. The sexual tension between them was delicious and the way Soto uses music to amplify their emotions, the way music and feelings echo each other was incredibly hot and realistic at the same time.
While the heroine’s decisions are sometimes overly naive, she IS young and uncertain about what she wants in life. I liked that they both meet halfway in the end, that if she wants to sulk because she had a fight with a friend, he’s not pushing her to tell him every inner thought she has. Even the third-act break-up was not as annoying as they usually are. Yes, Alex is broody and bossy, but if you don’t like that kind of male character, then I really don’t know why you picked up this book in the first place.

🎵 NYC set—very specifically in the NYC music scene
🥵 Slow burnnnn
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Spice
🌟 Reylo fanfic-vibes
🎵 Tall, dark-haired, broody love interest
🎵 Talented main character
🎶 Lots of music-speak that made sense to me, who knows nothing about music
☀️ Grumpy/sunshine, probably?

I really enjoyed this book. The stakes felt high, the writing was quick, the spice was spicy, and the setting was fun. I flew through it, and absolutely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Julie Soto for the ARC!