This was such a fun read! Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for gifting me an e-arc for this honest review! 

Not Another Love Song tells the collision of Gwen, a violinist of the Manhattan Pops Orchestra, and Xander Thorne, cellist of rock band Thorne & Roses and the aforementioned orchestra. Julie Soto hits all the right notes in this quick read romance. 

As a classically-trained musician—albeit piano (one can dream about playing the cello) and whose day job is a music therapist—Gwen and Xander’s life and the world- building felt authentic. The character’s descriptions of music was evocative but didn’t come across cheesy or inaccurate. I rather liked how the main duo sometimes expressed themselves using musical terms occasionally. The proper use of music terms and real-life musicians I recognize showcases Soto’s research. 

The story had steady pacing for the majority with good chemistry and tension between Gwen and Xander. I wish the ending conflict and resolution was delved into more; it resolved quickly like a rubber band snap-back. I wanted more meat in the impact. 

Also I didn’t realize until after finishing that this story started off as a Reylo fanfiction. This read cleanly and understandably as a separate entity.