Thank you to NetGalley and Julie Soto for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

This book was a lot of fun. As much as I love FanFiction, this author’s work included, I am a pretty vocal hater when it comes to FanFic-turned-traditionally published work. While I could definitely tell that it started as a Reylo fic due to the characters being heavily inspired by Reylo, it didn’t turn me off the way that kind of thing often does, and I owe that entirely to Soto’s mastery of the art form. I could probably knock off a star for how quickly the conflict wrapped itself up in the end, but I didn’t because it still felt largely organic. Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I will absolutely be reading anything and everything Julie Soto releases in the future!

The Reylo fanfic to contemporary romance book pipeline keeps serving unique and enjoyable reads and I love it. This was my first Julie Soto book and I really enjoyed it, especially since the premise was nothing like I had read before! Real rating of 4.5.

An orchestra-based spicy romance book? It's a fresh take on romance and I breezed through this book it was so much fun. I'm honestly not very knowledgeable in music, but I found it easy to follow along with (although I certainly cannot attest to the musical accuracy of it). I did think that Gwen got promoted awfully fast to first chair (I know, I know. There was a purpose for the company, but it still felt unrealistic). With no formal education, it just felt like her getting all the opportunities she did was a stretch (let alone being able to easily switch between cello and violin with little to no practice), but alas, maybe that's my lack of musical knowledge showing.

If you like broody male main characters (this is a redone Reylo fic after all), then you'll love Xander. And if you love unique spicy scenes and a man who uses you as his musical muse even after dissing you and your talents for the longest, then this is the book for you! He's got the rockstar vibes and I loved how he was with Gwen, the "I hate everyone but you" vibe. Gwen's story was really cute and I adored Mabel and how everything connected. It's truly such a great book!

Overall, I loved my first Julie Soto book and I know this will be a hit with romance readers everywhere! I love when music and books merge to tell a beautiful story and this is one that would do incredible on a movie screen. If you like rivals-to-lovers, sunshine/grumpy dynamics, a cast of fun and supportive side characters, and of course, the concept of main characters being in an orchestra where music is the thread between them, then you need to check out this book!

Julie Soto wrote such a heartwarming novel with Not Another Love Song. The descriptions of music and falling In love were so special and dare I say lyrical. I flew through this book not just for the sweet romance, but because of how much information I learned about the world of classical instruments. Soto did such a good job of weaving this information in for music dummies like myself. I could really understand and for lack of a better term hear what the characters heard and felt in their music.

Gwen and Alex are such a cute couple and my Heart swooned during the courting phase of their relationship. This was just really good.

While I didn’t love this as much as the author’s first book, I did really enjoy it. I loved how the relationship between the two main characters developed and evolved. The steamy scenes were well-written. And overall, I loved all the characters. Julie Soto is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me.

Is 30 too old to learn how to play the violin? The story of Gwen and Alex is the amazing, it’s by far one of the best stories I have read. Ever. The romance, the build up, the banter, there is not one single flaw in this book. With every page I loved these characters more and more and understood them more and more. The passion for each other and their music so strong you can feel it with every word. I loved learning about Gwen’s and Alex’s story of falling in love and their time in Pops. Julie Soto never disappoints and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Xander and Gwen had amazing chemistry 🌶️😍 it was a slow start for me but once it got going, I was definitely invested. I only wish we had more of a 50/50 dual POV from both characters. Also Jacob is one of my favorite best friend/roommate characters ever. Lastly, because I got an arc of this, it did have the authors note beforehand which mentioned it was based on an ao3 reylo fic. Personally I would’ve preferred that note at the end since it does set some preconceived notions and expectations as a reader, so I’m hoping in the finished version it’s at the end, especially for those that may not be reylo fans personally, but could still really enjoy this enemies to lovers, he fell first and harder, romance.
Thank you to Forever for an arc of this book! All opinions are my own.

I think this was a fun book! It was definitely interesting with a quick yet exciting plot. I did really enjoy the music aspect and the violin. That our main character is striving to prove herself time and time again because of her education level and she’s orphaned. It had a lot of sweet moments but also quite a few aggravating moments. The love interest made me grate my teeth a bit.

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto was cute and fun. However, even if there was not a note at the beginning of the book stating it was an adapted fan fiction, I would have been able to tell it was. Everything was just a little too neat, to convenient, and wrapped up too nicely for the story to feel authentic. I enjoyed both characters and really liked the idea of the first chair enemies to lovers that was mentioned in the authors note. And the cello scene, along with their first kiss were definitely stand out scenes. While enjoyable, this book just fell a bit flat for me.

No one can write yearning and tension like Julie Soto!! This was beautiful, tender and addicting! The connection Gwen and Alex have over their passion for music made it such a hot read! I think it was pretty clear from the beginning how the plot was going to play out but the romance is what really blew this out of the water. I didn’t realize how sexy discussing musical instruments could be!!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up for platform rating purposes.
Spice level: 3 🌶️

Let me just start out by saying…your future self will thank you for adding this book to your TBR immediately! ‘Not Another Love Song’ was such an amazing read for me. I loved Julie’s debut novel ‘Forget Me Not’ so I just knew I would adore this one as well. It had me laughing, swooning, fanning myself and cheering for the MCs and their character growth. I enjoyed the found family aspect with Mabel and the tension between Gwen and Xander/Alex was absolutely delicious! I also felt like the narrative was so well-paced and I ate this book up in a matter of days!

* I will say I got more of an insta-love/attraction vibe that kinda grated on me (I feel like they didn’t have a ton of time to really get to know each other before they were throwing around the “I love yous”), but it wasn’t the hugest issue for me in the scope of the whole book.

This one is for you love:
• Found family
• Workplace romance
• Rivals to lovers
• Tension and slow burn
• Fun side characters
• Banter

So many thanks are owed to NetGalley and Forever publishing for the advanced reader copy of this book. My physicial trophy copy is already preordered! 😆

I was not a huge fan of the main characters in this book. I found Gwen annoying, I don’t like that she got first chair because she was young and pretty, albeit talented but I hate that her age was such a selling point. Not a fan of Xander/Alex. I’m all for a grumpy sunshine but he was too angsty. While not for me, it was well written and an easy read.

I loved Julie soto’s forget me not, so I was really excited to get the chance to read not another love song! Some things definitely reminded me of forget me not, in the way that it’s hard to see how the MMC feels about FMC, but there were some chapters sprinkled in that made it nice to see what he went through and how he was thinking.

One of my favorite things about this book was the side characters. Mei is a hoot and I’d love to be her friend. The roommate/best friend Jacob is also so hilarious and supportive. Mabel and how she kind of raised Gwen in her own way.

That ending too!! Almost made me tear up.

I will say there is something that feels robotic in the writing or how the characters interact with each other. I’ve come to think that this is the author’s writing style, but I still overall enjoyed this book! Can’t wait to see how rose of chains is!

I really enjoyed this. It's kind of an opposites attract, but they're both gifted musicians. I'd say this is more new adult since they're both in their early/mid-20's.

I liked Gwen and Xander. They are very different in how they get to be where they are. In one sentence: One chose the instrument and the other was handed it. It's a story about finding what you love to do, letting go of expectations from others, and finding what matters to you. Their insecurities and histories clash in the drama climax for sure, but it was a moment you saw coming from the very beginning. They had to work it out and I liked overall how it came together. Xander's little legal issue was a little quick for me, but it worked to not draw out that conflict. The people who took advantage of everyone got their comeuppance so that worked for me.

The story has a great subtle groveling in it from Xander. I loved how even though she kept saying no, he kept asking and tried to do better. The reader can see that Xander is taken with Gwen and her skill with the violin from the very beginning, even with his blunt remarks. Gwen is a little more wary of him because of the way he's handled himself in past interactions, but I overall thought their romance was built well. It was a little choppy at some points with some insta-lust, but it was okay too. I loved when Xander laid all his cards down to Gwen, though. The he falls first is always a great trope and I'd say he falls first in this one.

The spice in this wasn't a whole lot, but the scenes we get were good. THE COVER OF THIS BOOK, THOUGH. While cute and PG...This cover is a spicy scene from the book. You do NOT look at this cover in the same after you read this book and it makes you think of it every time you see the cover. Haha

I really enjoyed this and look forward to getting a physical copy when it releases on July 16!

Title: Not Another Love Song
Author: Julie Soto
Length: 384 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: July 16, 2024
Genre: Romance | Women’s Fiction
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: open door
Summary:
Violinist Gwen Jackson and rock star cellist Xander Thorne are polar opposites in the Manhattan Pops orchestra. Gwen's quiet passion contrasts with Xander's explosive emotion and attitude. When Gwen is offered the first chair, a position Xander desires, their rivalry intensifies. Despite the tension, they can't ignore their chemistry and are forced to work together. As they compose and perform together, their connection turns them into a sensational duo. However, their budding romance faces the threat of being overshadowed by a publicity stunt.

Thoughts:
OMG, can I give this book a million stars? Julie Soto's latest novel had me hooked from the very beginning. The cello scene (and let’s not forget the intermission scene!) was unforgettable, perfectly capturing the intense chemistry between Gwen and Xander. Speaking of Xander, the way he is completely gone for Gwen and how he literally begs for her time is both endearing and heart-wrenching.

The side characters (oh hey you little cameos from Forget Me Not) added depth and charm to the story, and I loved to hate the “villains” who brought an extra layer of conflict. The third act breakup was believable but still aggravating, making the resolution all the more satisfying.

I love when a book takes me into a world I would otherwise never explore, such as a Manhattan orchestra scene in this story. This is my first Julie Soto book, and it will certainly not be my last.

Special thanks to the @netgalley and @foreverpub for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

This has been one of my favorite reads this year! The story follows Gwen and Xander (Alex), two musicians who could not be any more different. From their personalities to their careers and everything in between, you feel that tension and fire right away.

Julie’s writing is beautiful and I will be pre-ordering anything she writes moving forward!

Honestly, I’m not sure what to think about it. I tried so hard to finish this book, but I kept dragging my feet.

It started off strong, but I’m not even sure when the romance began, because it was nonexistent one second and then the other, I’m hit by a truck and suddenly they’re in love. It feels incredibly unrealistic to me, and there was genuinely no reason for either of them to feel more than just plain ol’ attraction. So why was the MMC begging the FMC, telling her how much he needed her etc? It confused me so much.

I was expecting a lot from this book, but considering how I didn’t particularly enjoy the first book, either, I probably shouldn’t have held expectations.

Wow, wow, wow wow wow. I have never read anything written by Julie Soto, but she has created a lifetime fan out of me with this book. I'm about to do a deep dive to find Soto's AO3 account just to read even more of what she's written. The chemistry between the two main characters was magnificent. This was a true rivals-to-lovers romance. Everything felt paced so well, nothing felt truly rushed despite the fact that we have to move quickly in order for a romance to not be 500+ pages. As someone who doesn't read a lot of straight-out romance, I think one of the biggest things for me when I'm reading is that the people feel, to me, like they have lives outside of this relationship they're striving towards, and Xander Thorne and Gwen Jackson do. They have lives and dreams and capabilities outside of the story of their romance. And their lives are fascinating. Once I hit about the 25% mark, I knew there was no shot I would be able to put this book down until I finished it. Every free moment I had I was pulling my Kindle out.

Julie Soto can do no wrong. I LOVED THS BOOK! I finished and actually cried because I wanted it to keep going. Amazing story, amazing characters (I loved Alex & Gwen), and amazing time. I love that these are reimagined Rylo fanfics (ex: Forget Me Not) because I fell in love with Soto's writing from her AO3 days. Cannot recommend enough! Thank you #netgalley!

3.75 ⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Having previously really enjoyed the authors past work I was stoked to get this one. I thought the concept was a goldmine of possible tension and for the first half I was completely sucked in! The tension and pining was fantastic! The broody MMC was hitting. The middle of this did sag a bit for me and I was honestly living for the cameos of Elliot and Ama and they got me through some of the blander bits 😍

The conflict at the end seemed obvious from the start so it was a little anticlimactic but the resolution was PERFECT! Swoon. If you loved, Forget Me Not, I highly recommend!

i unfortunately stopped reading this book at 80% :( the spice was weird and i didnt connect to the characters!