who wouldn't want to be on this set to see all fireworks that happen. A good read and you should read it as soon possible.

When I read an ARC I am aware that I am handling someones book baby. Their aspirations and their joy are on the page and I do not take that lightly whether it is an established author or a debut. This story has great potential and some great elements that just didn't come together cohesively. A solid line edit to diversify the range of adjectives (our MMC towered 3 times in two chapters, while her ass was referred to as juicy on 4 occassions in two chapters) and to hone the musical language would be fantastic. There was some solid work in the duet rehearsal scenes beginning to build the characters attraction to each other. But overall I couldnt get into this one. Maybe I have a preconveived notion of the langauge and behaviours of professional adult musicians?
With thanks to NetgalleyUK for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.
DNF at 60%

"Vying for You" was a decent read, but it didn’t quite sweep me off my feet. It had that familiar, feel-good romance vibe — the kind that’s comforting but also very predictable. The connection between the leads was there, but I was hoping for more tension and a slower, more satisfying burn. It's pitched as a rivals-to-lovers story, yet the rivalry barely scratched the surface, making that dynamic feel a bit shallow.

One thing I did enjoy was the classical music aspect — it’s not a setting I often see in romance book, and it brought a touch of elegance to the story. Still, I wish it had been explored more fully. Overall, it’s a pleasant, low-stakes read, but it didn’t leave a strong impact.

Vying for You did not live up to my expectations. As a fan of enemies to lovers, I was expecting to love this book, but it fell so short. The overall writing style was not for me. I found it to be immature and cringe-y at times. I refuse to believe these characters were 25 and 30. The writing also did a lot of telling but not a lot of showing. The relationship developed in the blink of an eye and was not believable at all. The spice was lackluster and neither Anton nor Samira were fun to read about. Overall, this book read like a Wattpad story but not in a fun way.

2.3 ⭐️ This one missed for me. The enemies to lovers didn't really enemy enough. They both were attracted from the start, but have tempers. The story was very fast paced due to the short length of the book, which made their relationship (or whatever they were doing) feel so rushed. Honestly this felt like a wattpad story with the sex scenes written like porn to me. Which a lot of people enjoy, I just personally don't. I think the pacing was the biggest issue

Arc review

I really wanted to like this book, i love music romances & enemies to lovers so I was so excited for this book.
It's a short book so I knew it would be a bit fast paced, but I kind of missed the enemies to lovers concept.
They are ''rivals'' for the same spot, but that's as far the enemies goes..
It was an okay read, I just hoped for more.

2.5/5 rounded upwards.

Thank you to everyone involved for the arc!

I wanted to love this book but it was just okay. The pacing of this one really threw me off. It’s really short, so it’s a VERY quick read but everything happens SO quickly even though it spans months. It’s marketed as enemies-to-lovers, but it really isn’t. Samira and Anton are rivals, sure, but there’s insta-attraction on both sides, and it feels like they only butt heads for a few pages before it turns into complete lust. The promise was there, it just wasn’t properly executed.

im a mixed back about this. i didnt think it would be quite so abrupt in lots of ways. the relationship and turn around felt too sharp and didnt quite matched what i thought would come from a book filled with the beauty of music. but maybe that is telling of the cost of ambition and this is what i was feeling more. and having seen part of this world myself maybe it was just to raw and jarring to me.
that said i think the two characters were both really well described and i felt for both of them coming to the journey and love the way they did and feeling the tug in all directions for both their passion for music and growing passion for eachother.
its a good book. and i always feel cruel when i dont gush about someone hard work! because each book is brilliant simply for being written. but this one for me didnt quite hit home. but again i want to add how in awe i am for anyone who writes. and maybe this book is a me issue.

2.5 stars.... I really wanted to like this but the execution didn’t quite deliver what I had hoped for. While the rivalry between Samira and Anton had potential, their connection felt more told than shown, and the shift from antagonism to romance came off abrupt and unearned. Though the book shines in its Philharmonic setting and explores the cost of ambition, the romance lacked depth and the pacing in my opinion suffered. While I didn't like it very much, if you're a fan of forced proximity, music vibes, and HEAs, this might be a good fit for you.

It was for the music romance angle that I really wanted to read ‘Vying for You'. Yet the basis of this enemies-to-lovers romance didn’t really quite materialise for me, not when there wasn’t enough of a proper reason for it to start that way. Insecurities overcompensating with arrogance and over-confidence new girl meets grumpy, seasoned member.

Anton and Samira are both touchy and set each other off, mostly deliberately. But what I really thought was that the antagonism between them lacked a compelling foundation—his seasoned grumpiness colliding with her insecurity-masked confidence and their initial hostility never quite generated the spark necessary to make their eventual connection satisfying. Instead, I think it was more of their practice sessions together--which is more said than shown--that we're told they find an unspoken connection.

Still, their relationship development had pacing issues, and stayed at a frustratingly superficial level until a contrived night out suddenly brought on their intimacy. This abrupt shift read as convenient rather than earned, and the anticipated emotional crescendo never really came. Maybe I thought there was going to be a bit more insight into their music, into how they were each into their craft. But another side is shown instead—we’re instead closeted in the high-pressure, repetitious world of petty politicking that both Anton and Samira live in. There’re too many discordant notes here for me, sadly with a rather abrupt resolution, a bewildering time-skip and then it’s an HEA that left me so, so wanting.