Not Another Love Song
From a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a competition between a classical violinist and a rockstar cellist sparks a sizzling chemistry in this book that's perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Abby Jimenez. "100% pure magic." --Christina Lauren, bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners Gwen Jackson is a self-taught professional violinist. Xander Thorne is the exact opposite--a rock star cellist with a bad attitude. They both play in the Manhattan Pops, and their styles couldn't be more different. When Gwen is offered first chair of the orchestra (a role Xander has coveted for years), she can't help but notice a hostile sense of competition between them ... but also an electric chemistry, as they're forced to work together. As they compose and play songs together, it's clear that their powerful connection could make for a performance that will blow everyone's minds. But can their slowly growing romance survive the pressures of success?
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Community Reviews
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Not Another Love Song! Julie Soto somehow made First Chair politics, rehearsals, auditions, and all the pressures of professional music interesting without making me feel like I had accidentally wandered into a music lesson.
Gwen starts off very meek and mild, but she grows into such a strong woman as the story goes on. She has worked hard for her place in the orchestra, so getting offered First Chair should have been an exciting moment. Then, you start seeing how the orchestra is using her. I was so mad for her! They basically take something she worked hard to achieve and turn it into a marketing opportunity for themselves. Such a common situation for women! I was rooting for Gwen as she started realizing that she did not have to accept every opportunity just because someone told her she should be grateful for it. She had some fantastic character growth.
Then, there is Xander. Why are you so angry?! He comes across as a complete jerk for a large part of the book. I never really felt like he redeemed himself. I understood him better once we learned more about his manager and how controlled his life had been. That still did not give him permission to treat everyone around him like garbage. Half the time he felt like a rabid animal ready to snap at whoever walked too close. Gwen showed him so much kindness, and somehow he still managed to bite her head off constantly.
I felt like Gwen tolerated more of his behavior because being with Xander brought her closer to a level of success she wanted. Their attraction was definitely there. I liked that so much of their chemistry grew through their music. That was such an interesting way to build the romance. I still found myself wondering why Gwen was putting up with him sometimes though. Being talented and hot can only carry a man so far.
The career side of the story ended up being way more interesting than I expected. I know basically nothing about music or orchestras other than attending a few ballets. I was not expecting to care this much about First Chair politics. I knew First Chair was a big deal, but I had no idea how political it could be or how much responsibility came with the position. Julie Soto worked all of that information into the story really well. I never felt like I was getting some boring information dump. The characters were just living their lives, and I happened to learn a lot while following along.
Gwen and Xander come from completely different backgrounds, but both of them are being controlled by people who profit from their talent. Once that became clear, I started rooting for both of them to burn those professional relationships to the ground. The twist had me cheering! Xander became much more pleasant once he was freed from his controlling manager. Not surprising at all. I still think he could have learned how to deal with his anger without taking it out on everyone who cared about him. At least I understood where some of his behavior was coming from.
I would definitely read more from Julie Soto. I went into this knowing nothing about orchestra and came out feeling like I had learned so much without being lectured. Her author’s note also made her sound like such a fun person. Now I want to go find interviews with her because apparently reading the book was not enough. Pick this up if you are looking for a fun romance with interesting orchestra drama, great chemistry, and a heroine who really grows into herself.
