Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
Rating: 5/5
Release Date: 4 July 2024

Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne, both gifted musicians, have traveled vastly different paths to achieve their musical prowess. Xander, born into a family of classical music elites, has enjoyed a life of privilege and opportunity. In contrast, Gwen's musical talent was discovered and nurtured by a compassionate shop owner, shaping her journey in a unique way.

Their worlds collide when Gwen performs at a friend's wedding, only to realise that Xander, despite having worked together for a year at the Pops Orchestra, doesn't recognise her. To make matters worse, Xander's critical remarks about her performance fuel Gwen's fury.

Tensions escalate when Gwen is offered the coveted role of First Chair of the orchestra—a position Xander had secretly coveted for years. Their already strained relationship intensifies, but beneath the surface, a mutual admiration for each other's musical abilities simmers. Their on-stage chemistry becomes electric, drawing attention and admiration. Yet, as their feelings for each other deepen, they find themselves navigating a delicate romance amidst the glare of the public eye, with the looming threat of a publicity stunt threatening to overshadow their genuine connection.

"NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG" is an absolute gem of a romance, brimming with beauty, allure, and pure excitement. Gwen and Xander's journey is an exquisite blend of passion, heartache, and sizzling chemistry that will leave you utterly captivated.

Julie's masterful storytelling not only draws you into the lives of these characters but also ignites a newfound interest in music, thanks to her vivid portrayal of their musical world. Even if you've never considered picking up an instrument, Julie's narrative will inspire you to do so.

This was an absolutely captivating read and I highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, and the author, Julie Soto, for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a fan of Julie Soto's work for years, and the original fanfic from which this book is based is a huge favourite of mine. I was a little worried that "Not Another Love Song" would not have the same effect on me as "The Food of Love," but I'm happy to say I was not disappointed.

Gwen is a highly-skilled, self-taught violinist who has worked for the Manhattan Pops for years, and finds herself thrust into the role of first chair violinist and concertmaster to help financially aid an ailing orchestra when the donations start to dry up. Xander is a musical prodigy, and the son of an accomplished violinist. He is taciturn, quick to anger and stubborn, but he falls in love with Gwen the first time he hears her play.

"Not Another Love Song" is a charming, sexy, unforgettable book with incredible characters and a chemistry that is off the charts. I am very much looking forward to Julie's next novel.

Gwen Jackson plays violin for the Manhattan Pops orchestra and plays at weddings to supplement her meagre earnings. One day a last minute wedding at a huge mansion creates a drama - the bride wanted a cellist, Gwen has played cello (a very little) but wouldn't call herself proficient, and her music is for the violin. To add to the disaster, one of the guests, Alex, lends her his cello - Alex is none other than Xander Thorne, first cello in the same orchestra and member of the hugely successful electric strings band Thorne and Roses, who Gwen may have had a crush on, until he joined the Pops orchestra where his contempt for the other musicians and the musical arrangements made his look like a jerk. But here he is, watching her butcher the music on his cello.

Xander can't believe his eyes and ears, this woman admits to not being a cellist but is sight translating the violin music into cello music, and doing a pretty good job, when he hears that she is also in the Pops orchestra he can't believe he hasn't noticed her before.

After the wedding Gwen seems to see Alex/Xander everywhere, she can only think he is mocking her, trying to get her to embarrass herself so that he can expose her somehow. But the truth is, Alex is mesmerised by someone who is truly a musical prodigy, not just the product of intense training since he was three years old. Dominated by controlling father figures, Xander has lost interest in composing, until the day he met Gwen, since then there's a melody running through his head which he can't get rid of. But when professional rivalries spill over and lines are blurred will their burgeoning romance be able to withstand the truth?

I loved Forget Me Not so when I saw this cover and realised it was by the same author I jumped at the chance to read it. Whilst being a totally different story it had the same vibe, or maybe its just the FMC struggling while the MMC is hugely successful. Anyway Ama and Elliot also make an appearance, they are involved in the wedding where Alex meets Gwen properly.

Loved it, loved it, loved it. Rock star meets pop orchestra, meets poor little rich boy meets poor musical genius.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *

An amazing and delightful read! love the characters and the development! as a non musical prodigy I struggled with the musical terms and terminology but otherwise fun and spicy read! Can't wait for more books to come!

i'm not normally in for a third person romance, but this book captures all the feelings and emotions needed for a romance novel. It is a dazzling miracle and i'm here for it
Read this if you love enemies to lovers cuz you'll regret if you don't

Oh my goodness, this book! My favourite romance of 2024, and quite possibly, ever! The chemistry, the angst and the romance was just *chefs kiss* and Gwen and Xander’s love story was perfection.

I went into this with pretty average expectations, it’s marketed as a sort of opposites attract, enemies to lovers romance and it did deliver, but my god did it deliver!!!

I don’t know anything about violins, cellos or classical music but I was so engaged that I read it in one sitting. The story has spice (and it’s so goooood) but it’s also emotional and passionate and honestly just the best romance I’ve read in a really long time. I want to read it all over again, and again, and again.

Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with this digital arc.

I have just finished inhaling this book as if my very life depended on it and if I am being honest at some points it truly felt like that. I was hanging off of every word Julie Soto put down on the page. Julie Soto has delivered a masterpiece in this book, following Gwen and Alex as they fall in love and also discover truths about themselves is so delightful. The way music is filtered through the books to express so much about them - their emotions, their insecurities, their passions, is so beautiful and moving.

If I had to try and compare the experience of reading this books to some other experience the first thing that comes to mind is the breathlessness and dizziness you feel after a perfect live gig.

Masterful storytelling, a beautiful romance and positively orchestral plotting. Gwen and Alex will break your heart and then restore your belief in love all over again.

(also side-note if the trope of mc being positively head over heels almost pathetically enamoured with the fc then this is for you my dear!)

all the stars, all the stars.

I really liked this book. I was hooked from the beginning and didn't want to put it down.
I think I liked this book more then Forget Me Not.
I thought the idea of putting in a few chapters from Alex point of view was really smart and a bit different. I really enjoyed that. I appreciated that the characters weren't perfect but still loveable. You understood why the thought so differently about some things and therefore also accept that they acted the way that they did.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the opportunity to read this book.

I have read both of Julie Soto's published works and she just hits the spot every single time. She is an auto-buy author for me now.

I'll get some of the stuff I didn't like out of the way first. Towards the beginning, I really didn't like Alex - he was all very 'woe is me, I'm already famous and have all these opportunities but I hate it blah blah blah'. I also don't enjoy those little chapters from his POV. They feel really unnecessary. I much prefer when it's equally dual POV or just one POV rather than these shorted, random switches. It's always more interesting to have the MMC slowly reveal himself to the FMC, rather than just sort of dump how he's feeling on the audience, It generally feels like a copout which I know can't be the case this time because Julie Soto is so fucking talented..

Saying that, Alex did have great character development. The way in which Alex and Gwen grew together throughout the course of the book was endearing to watch. I also found great satisfaction in Ava's ending and her reconnection with Mabel. A love story, in every sense of the word.

Julie does spice really well - it's fun, there's great communication, clear consent and it serves the overall story. Using music as a way to communicate and nurture the physical and emotional intimacy between these characters was really interesting and effective.

The choice for Gwen to be a professional musician in the Manhattan pops was a really great one. It's a unique occupation or setting for a romance book that really drew me in. As I mentioned before, there was something innately intimate about Gwen and Alex playing their instruments across from each other everyday. The musical terms were all explained really well and as someone with no prior knowledge, I completely understood everything that was happening. So, I guess world building gets an A+ too.

I just enjoyed this. I loved it so much. I read it in a single sitting and every molecule of my being is telling me to go back and reread 'Forget me Not' because I just can't get enough.

All in all, I really fucking loved this and I'm so excited for it to be out in the world.

4.75 ⭐️ I devoured this book. Seriously, couldn't put it down.

When I tell you the only reason it took me two days to read this is because I literally passed out at around 3 am... I'm not exaggerating. I loved this book. It was nothing like I expected it to be -but then again, the same thing happened to me with Julie Soto's first book, so I guess there's a theme here. I always love her books so much more than I thought I would. I had decently high expectations for this one, and wow, what a way to meet them -and probably surpass them if I'm being honest!

Gwen Jackson fell in love with the violin at the tender age of twelve. She was lucky enough to receive private instruction from the owner of a little Music shop in Queens she found while wandering around, and she's never looked back. Now, playing as the fourth violin in the Manhattan Pops, she finally feels like she's making somewhat of a living with her music. She also doesn't frown to playing at weddings, which is how she finds herself with a cello in her hands, and Xander Thorne staring at her from blank-point range. Xander, aka Alex, is a musical genius. He's known since he was three years old. He's been told since then, too. What he doesn't expect is to find himself entranced by the violinist who's butchering "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring". But the thing is, she's not butchering it the way a simple violin player who's never played cello in her life should be.

I loved this book so unbelievably much, and it might be because I love music as much as I do, but the whole snobbery, highly important, trained classical musician thing didn't bother me at all. I thought Xander a bit much at first, but by the 75% mark I could not get enough of him. And Gwen, as much as I wish I could say I loved her, it felt like she was praying for her own downfall half the book! Still, I love the ending and the different ups and downs these two take to get where they do in the end.

It's a slow, slow burn, but it's so worth it! I want to say so many more things, but I don't want to leave any spoilers before the book is officially released. What I can, and will say, is that I 100% recommend any romance reader to pick this book up. I already can't wait to see what Julie Soto does next!

🌶🌶🌶/ 5 - I really liked the spice in this book. Not too much, but not too little. Really great, open-door scenes, with a lot of emotional depth to them.

This review has already been uploaded to Goodreads!

4.5 Stars

Oh my gosh!!! my heart is so full right now, I've never felt so in love with a romance story like I did with Gwen's and Xanders. The fact that this took me a day to read, speaks volumes of not only how good the writing was, but how the story just really captured me in and made it hard to put it down.

I absolutely adored 'Forget Me Not' by Julie Soto, so when we got a small little cameo from Xander near the end of the book and to then all the snippets and teases on Instagram. I knew that this book was going to be for me and I physically could not wait to get my hands on a copy to read. I loved getting to know Gwen and to then knowing Xander and how off the charts their chemistry was, both on stage and off. Oh boy, did Xander Thorne really make me feel some type of way in this book, if I thought my love for Elliot was anything thing to go by I was not expecting for Xander to take over to number 1 position.

The rivals to accquaintances to lovers really had me feeling some type of way throughout the book. I had no idea what most of the music references were but with the way the story was written I felt like I did know and could understand their frustrations. For me, there were so many stand out moments both swoon worthy and heart wrenching.

I geniuely cant wait to see where Julie Soto will go next with her books, I loved how so far there are small interloping connections between Forget Me Not and now Not Another Love Song. There are obviously some great people to pick from next but I'd be interested to see what it is.

Thanks so much to Harper Collins, Julie Soto and NetGalley for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

Soto had me hooked from the opening chapter, the way the characters are tethered from their first encounter, the delicious tension, it honestly had me captivated from the very beginning. The rivalry, with the rich music backdrop was excellently executed, such a sweet, powerful and tender metaphor for the love story that unravels.

Gwen Jackson and Xander Thorne are polar opposites in every sense, both in their approach to music and their personalities, but the way they couldn't keep themselves out of each other's orbit. Xander or 'Alex' was truly obsessed from Gwen's opening performance, and his insistence had me giggling at every turned down opportunity Gwen threw his way. The intitial animosity and rivalry heightened their eventual relationship.

I loved how Soto created successful and talented characters, and showed the way in which each fought for their discipline, against manipulative and talent grabbing people. The romance was excellent, I devoured this book in one sitting.

Soto's portrayal of the competitive world of classical music is authentic and more importantly enthralling, crafting a world where passion and talent collide. The premise was excellently executed and the symphony of instruments and the way it was writtened heighted the romantic element.

I cannot recommend this enough. 4.75 stars.

This was SO good! I devoured it in less than 24 hours

Not Another Love Song centres around Gwen Jackson, a talented violinist who plays for the Manhattan Pops, an orchestra which plays pop/contemporary music, and her relationship with the cellist Xander Thorne/Alex, also part of the Pops and lead of a sort of rock band called Thorne and Roses. She has been aware of who he is since he first joined the Pops, but he only notices her when she finds herself playing at his friends' wedding. They are both incredibly gifted musicians and their chemistry is off the charts, both musically and romantically.

I loved this book! I liked this one way better than Julie Soto's other book, Forget Me Not (which I did like!). With that said, I wish the side characters had been more developed because in some moments they felt really one-dimensional. For example, I would have loved to have seen more of Gwen and Mabel's (her sort of mentor/surrogate mother) relationship play out, instead of just being told that she was the closest Gwen had to family and tidbits of how they met; Nathan and Lorenz were perhaps too close to archetypal villains; and it would have been nice to have a scene from Alex's point of view discussing his relationship with his mother/upbringing, or at least a full-on conversation about it between Gwen and him. To sum up, I wanted more of it, ok? I'll admit! (...and this book had 400 pages, so what does that say about me?)

Thank you so much to HarperCollins/HarperFiction and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

Gwen is a self taught violinist playing for the Manhattan Pops orchestra. She’s damn good at it but she’s missing that final burst of emotion and passion that would take her to the next level. Xander is the exact opposite, a cellist, rockstar and natural talent to convey emotions thru music. With that talent comes a big attitude. It took him a year to finally notice Gwen when she was offered first chair the position he’d coveted his entire life. Their existing hostility towards each other goes up a notch and their entire relationship starts to shift. Despite her best efforts Gwen can’t ignore the sizzling chemistry between them.

This was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases and I’m beyond thrilled that I got an arc. Forget me not set the bar high, it’s an iconic debut novel and Julie Soto did it again! I LOVE everything about this.

It was so fun getting to know the inspiration behind the plot beforehand. More authors should include that as well as potential triggers in the first couple of pages.

The characters have a lot of depth and a compelling story to tell. The musical genius who rebelled but wants to get back in touch with his family versus the young woman who’s still working to find her footing in the business. They learn a lot from each other and by the end they’ve considerably grown for the better.

Xander is the driving force, the one pursuing something with Gwen whether that’s a relationship or simply working together is up to her. We love a man who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Book boyfriend goals! The scene with them in his music studio is one I’ll never forget.

There is a third act breakup which is not ideal but it’s what makes sense considering the meddling antagonist’s actions.

I don’t hand out 5 stars to just any book so trust me when I say Not another love song has that special something. Romance readers get ready to run to the bookstore on July 16th to get your copy!

This story was an absolute delight! The cover is gorgeous and once you read the story it has a whole other meanings, both emotional and sensual.

The chemistry between the Gwen and Alex was undeniable. Gwen was already a fan of him as 'Xander Thorne,' but getting to know him as Alex Fitzgerald made her really fall for him. Alex was intrigued by her and you could see that she was a of muse for him. I really enjoyed the musical aspect of the story and the way they helped each other and made music together was just magical. The descriptions of how the music made them feel was beautiful. It was very poetic and it made me long to hear the music they created together.

They both had their particular insecurities and issues which they needed to figure out on their own but they were best when they were together. The side characters were great and always support the story. Some characters from Forget me Not, the author's debut made some appearances in this story so this was a nice little Easter egg.

I loved this story and it was a really enjoyable read. Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

solid four stars!

let me tell you i was DESPERATE for this arc (thank you netgalley!!), and for good reason: julie soto has knocked it out of the park yet again. not another love song is the excellently written rivals-to-lovers story of gwen jackson, a talented violinist trying to establish a musical career in nyc, and xander thorne, prodigy cellist and frontman of a successful electric string band (of which gwen may or may not be a fan). they're both members of the manhattan pops, a new york-based pop orchestra, but there's no love lost between them — at least, not until gwen plays a wedding where xander is a member of the party, and he can't get her out of his head. as you can imagine, what follows is a lot of sexual tension, career shenanigans, and musical collaboration <s>(among other less family-friendly activities. look, they're in love, your honor)</s>.

soto is very good at writing the chemistry and tension here (as always), and though i'm by no means familiar with how the music industry works, as a layperson i think she did a very good job of bringing it to life as a setting and creating realistic conflicts within it, leaning into both the artistic side of music as a theme and a passion that brings our main characters together, as well as the petty/real-life complications of careers, money, and industry. there are villains, there are friends, there are secrets and jealousies and grudges.

i will say that xander as a character gets a bit less depth and exploration than does gwen, and sometimes comes across as less his own person than an amalgamation of character traits and tropes that have been grafted together to form an ~intriguing tiktok-able bad-boy~, not for any character-driven reason but just for reader appeal. also some of the moves gwen makes and the people she trusts don't make much sense and as the reader you're like <i>girl. use your brain pls</i>. but in the end it works, and their story together is both believable and gratifying, fulfilling the promise of its premise.

another little qualm i had is that the occasional miscommunications that happen throughout the story never get cleared up — at least not on-page, because our two horndog main characters are a little too focused on other things. the resolution sort of skips over the talking bit, and as a result felt a little bit rushed. i would have liked to see them work through those issues just to be reassured that these two are capable of healthy communication in the future of their relationship. but also this is a romance novel, so i suppose i can assume they rode off into the sunset together and will be busy playing sexually-charged string duets to the end of their days.

~~

pre-review: cute cute cuteee

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!!

This review has been posted on Goodreads.

Not Another Love Song follows Gwen Jackson who is offered the First Chair in the New York Pops Orchestra. Xander Thorne also plays in the pops but has wanted the First Chair for years so there is tension between Gwen and Xander. They start playing music together and discover they have both romantic chemistry and musical chemistry. They have to decide if they can build a lasting romance whilst deciding what they want to do with their music.

This first 22% of this was enjoyable and I was loving the set up of this romance. It was intriguing with the music element and it felt new in that way. However, I did start to lose interest when they had their first sexual interaction because the chemistry was just lacking for me. The romance came out of nowhere and I just wasn’t feeling it. I am giving it 3 stars although I would recommend it if you are a fan of Julie Soto or are intrigued by this story.

I devoured Not Another Love Song.

It was written with so much love for music and it was such a magical experience reading it.

Some parts were kinda predictable and cliché but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I'd have liked to read more about the friendship between Jacob and Gwen and in my opinion, there could have been more scenes with Xander and his mom. But the family drama was very entertaining, I have to say.
The romance was actually quite good. I loved all the tension and the steamy scenes were not bad either.
Seriously, I could not put this book down. The pacing was truly perfect and the story was addicting.

4 ☆ stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading a Julie Soto book and I immediately fell in love with her writing : it was fluid and instantly transported me into her story.
I could tell that there was a cameo from the previous couple and now I really want to read their story as well!
After reading the very first chapter, I knew I was going to adore this book : the tension was already sizzling and I was grinning like an idiot.
But when we got Alex’s point of view for the first time, it was a confirmation that this book is amazing !
Also, I personally didn’t know much about classical music and it’s inner working and I found it very fascinating and I loved learning about it through this book.
I am pretty confident that Julie Soto is now on my automatic buy author list, this books was just that great!

♾️/5 stars
I’m never going to see classical music the same way.
I can’t quite explain what this book and its cover has done to my brain chemistry. Maybe it’s too early in the year to say this, but I think this will be my favorite romance of 2024.
The writing, the tension, the romance, the spice, the use of music talk as foreplay, the conflict, everything was just perfect. I felt like I could listen to Gwen and Alex’s compositions while I read their story, even though I know absolutely nothing about music, much less classical music.
I honestly don’t know how to put into words what I felt while reading this book, you will have to pick it up to understand…

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc! This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, and I feel so lucky that I got to read it before publication date.