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raquelreads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ARC Review:
Julie Soto has firmly cemented herself as one of my favorite Romance authors. Before her, I was firmly a Sci-fi/ Fantasy reader. My last purely romance read was....over a decade ago. Now? If Julie's name is on it, I'm reading it.
Not Another Love Song is a lovely balance of humor, romance and steamy scenes. As we follow our rising star Gwen, we are swept right into New York and all its bits. I've never been, but it feels like I have after this book!
Gwen is a character who didn't quite appeal to me at first, but her growth from shyness to confidence finally endeared her to me. Musicians will likely have more to connect to than I, but that's true for much of the book. Most of the characters are musicians after all!
I loved Gwen and Xander's growth throughout the book. Watching them learn to accept love and use their voices to speak up for themselves was lovely, even as I kept wishing for them to hurry up about it already! For those wondering about the spice, fear not, Julie delivers and then some.
My biggest criticism of the book is that Mabel and Ava should have been a cannon pair and no one can change my mind. They felt so perfect for one another that I am dying for Julie to give us a bonus chapter of them finally realizing this too.
Anyone who is a fan of Julie Soto will find themselves loving Not another Love Song. I've already pre-ordered this one for myself and can't wait to see what Julie puts out next!
Julie Soto has firmly cemented herself as one of my favorite Romance authors. Before her, I was firmly a Sci-fi/ Fantasy reader. My last purely romance read was....over a decade ago. Now? If Julie's name is on it, I'm reading it.
Not Another Love Song is a lovely balance of humor, romance and steamy scenes. As we follow our rising star Gwen, we are swept right into New York and all its bits. I've never been, but it feels like I have after this book!
Gwen is a character who didn't quite appeal to me at first, but her growth from shyness to confidence finally endeared her to me. Musicians will likely have more to connect to than I, but that's true for much of the book. Most of the characters are musicians after all!
I loved Gwen and Xander's growth throughout the book. Watching them learn to accept love and use their voices to speak up for themselves was lovely, even as I kept wishing for them to hurry up about it already! For those wondering about the spice, fear not, Julie delivers and then some.
My biggest criticism of the book is that Mabel and Ava should have been a cannon pair and no one can change my mind. They felt so perfect for one another that I am dying for Julie to give us a bonus chapter of them finally realizing this too.
Anyone who is a fan of Julie Soto will find themselves loving Not another Love Song. I've already pre-ordered this one for myself and can't wait to see what Julie puts out next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Death, and Toxic relationship
roseleebooks's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
This was a decent read. It is a book featuring Gwen and Alex as rival musicians and had a lot of elements that I enjoyed and some that I didn't.
What I liked: the tension between Alex and Gwen through the beginning of the book was very well written. The pacing kept me from putting the book down. The orchestra setting was fun to read about and the side characters added to the plot and setting.
What I didn't like: the ending of the book seemed very rushed. The resolution all seemed to occur at once and there was a little too much wrapping up of loose plot points within a short number of pages. Everything was a little too easily resolved.
Overall an enjoyable read until the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Forever publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication.
What I liked: the tension between Alex and Gwen through the beginning of the book was very well written. The pacing kept me from putting the book down. The orchestra setting was fun to read about and the side characters added to the plot and setting.
What I didn't like: the ending of the book seemed very rushed. The resolution all seemed to occur at once and there was a little too much wrapping up of loose plot points within a short number of pages. Everything was a little too easily resolved.
Overall an enjoyable read until the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Forever publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity
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