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A review by marimoose
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Was this rating a surprise? Not really, no. Fanfic or otherwise, I am a ride or die Julie Soto fan. I absolutely loved Forget Me Not. But did I somehow love this book more than Forget Me Not? Yep. Yes. Now that. That's a SURPRISE.
I want to say musicians aren't really my thing, but I think even not knowing the terminology or being super engrossed in the music industry, this book resonated so much on the theme of creativity itself. There is a lot of the story undercurrent here that talks about creativity being marketed to eff-all, and how creatives are resorting to catering to the masses instead of creating just for the need to do so, just because there is a niggling in their brain that needs to come out and be expressed somehow.
And that's what I related to the most. Not the music (though honestly, after THAT CELLO SCENE, I can definitely see the benefits of jamming sessions hint hint wink wink), and certainly not the toxic greed of the managers/agents. (The Taylor Swift allusion did make me giggle a bit, not gonna lie).
Lord almighty, that got heavy real quick, right? I did NOT think this book would get this heavy!
But let's talk about the actual romance, shall we?
I loved loved loved LOVED Gwen and Alex. There was definitely a pull of attraction between them, and it was fun watching their banter and general interactions. The tension was absolutely palpable, and every single time they played in front of each other during concerts or even in practices, I felt like the crowds watching them pretty much just got pregnant because of how much sexual energy they were bringing out as they watched each other play their parts. I may not be the biggest fan of string instruments, but hey, Alex can definitely play me like a cello and I wouldn't mind one bit.
Don't even get me started on the spice scenes. Plural. Forget Me Not had its charm and it definitely had its spice, but phew. Not Another Love Song was on a different tier entirely. There wasn't just spice. There was MEMORABLE SPICE. The cello scene will forever live rent-free in my head. Which is going to be absolutely terrible and great, especially when my morning work commutes always take me past a music store...with a cello displayed at the window.
And the last line? It ate. IT ATE.
Frigging loved this book.
Was this rating a surprise? Not really, no. Fanfic or otherwise, I am a ride or die Julie Soto fan. I absolutely loved Forget Me Not. But did I somehow love this book more than Forget Me Not? Yep. Yes. Now that. That's a SURPRISE.
I want to say musicians aren't really my thing, but I think even not knowing the terminology or being super engrossed in the music industry, this book resonated so much on the theme of creativity itself. There is a lot of the story undercurrent here that talks about creativity being marketed to eff-all, and how creatives are resorting to catering to the masses instead of creating just for the need to do so, just because there is a niggling in their brain that needs to come out and be expressed somehow.
And that's what I related to the most. Not the music (though honestly, after THAT CELLO SCENE, I can definitely see the benefits of jamming sessions hint hint wink wink), and certainly not the toxic greed of the managers/agents. (The Taylor Swift allusion did make me giggle a bit, not gonna lie).
Lord almighty, that got heavy real quick, right? I did NOT think this book would get this heavy!
But let's talk about the actual romance, shall we?
I loved loved loved LOVED Gwen and Alex. There was definitely a pull of attraction between them, and it was fun watching their banter and general interactions. The tension was absolutely palpable, and every single time they played in front of each other during concerts or even in practices, I felt like the crowds watching them pretty much just got pregnant because of how much sexual energy they were bringing out as they watched each other play their parts. I may not be the biggest fan of string instruments, but hey, Alex can definitely play me like a cello and I wouldn't mind one bit.
Don't even get me started on the spice scenes. Plural. Forget Me Not had its charm and it definitely had its spice, but phew. Not Another Love Song was on a different tier entirely. There wasn't just spice. There was MEMORABLE SPICE. The cello scene will forever live rent-free in my head. Which is going to be absolutely terrible and great, especially when my morning work commutes always take me past a music store...with a cello displayed at the window.
And the last line? It ate. IT ATE.
Frigging loved this book.