Book Review: Not Another Love Song
Years ago, I came across a Reylo fanfic where our two leads were musicians in a Pops orchestra in New York. I loved it. I blew through it in an alarmingly short period of time. And then I…lost track of it. I couldn’t for the life of me remember the title, or the author, just that I had adored it. It was my fanfic Roman Empire, if you’ll forgive the now-dated reference. So imagine my surprise - and outsized reaction - when I was sitting front row at a NYCC publishing panel, with two of my beloved friends that I met through Reylo, only to hear Julie Soto announce her next book: a story of two characters who sit across from each other…at a New York Pops orchestra.
I apologize to all, to Ms. Soto in particular, for the undoubtably ridiculous noise of excitement that came out of my mouth.
So to say I was excited for Soto’s newest book, Not Another Love Song, would be a gross oversimplification. Not Another Love Song is easily one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I am glad to say it doesn’t disappoint. This is a tricky one to review as a “first time read” however, since it’s not strictly the first time I’ve read it. That said, if its any indication of just how much I enjoyed this book, I absolutely flew through it in one sitting.
The story, as I mentioned above, the story follows Gwen and Xander, two musicians at the Manhattan Pops who sit across from one another in the orchestra - her with the violins, him with the cellos - and do not get along. Or rather, he doesn’t get along with her. She’s actually a huge fan of his work with his band Thornes and Roses. But it quickly becomes clear there’s a lot more going on than just simple dislike.
Beyond being a sweet and steamy romance, Not Another Love Song has a deep appreciation for the true hard work that goes into being a professional musician. It also dives into the political side of big orchestras, which I also found fascinating. But because this is a romance novel, and the HEA is a given, I always appreciate when a book makes us work for it, or at least wonder how all the external stuff will resolve in order for the couple at the heart to find their way to their HEA.
Not Another Love Song hits shelves on July 16. Special thank you to Forever Books for the advance copy for review purposes.
