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A review by saylaurmoon
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto
5.0
↠ 4.75 stars ⭐️ , rounded up
This was basically stream-of-consciousness word vomit so prepare thyself.
I really enjoyed Forget Me Not, so when I saw that Not Another Love Song was available as a Read Now option for a single day on NetGalley, I ran so fast.
This is a musician rivals-to-lovers Reylo fanfic.
Do I know even a single thing about Reylo?
Absolutely not.
Do I know anything about playing or composing music?
That’s a big nope.
BUT I DEVOURED THIS ANYWAY.
Truly, this book had no business keeping me up half the night because I literally could not put it down. Which took me by surprise, because seriously, who thought classical music, orchestras, and string instruments could be THIS fucking sexy? Not me. Dead ass, I will never see a cello or violin the same again.
Not Another Love Song was such a fresh and unique romance. I mean, we have seen rockstar romance done before, but this was on a whole new level, especially with the musician rivals-to-lovers.
Plus, Julie Soto’s writing is incredible, her prose fully immersing me in the story. It was well-written and expertly paced. And the descriptions used are so visceral and poetic. You could also tell how much research went into crafting this story. While I don't know shit about fuck when it comes to music, she brought the music to life from these pages. I could easily hear and imagine how magical the compositions would sound in real life. And I'm feeling left with even more respect for the art of music. This would be amazing on audio, especially if there is background music supporting it.
The characters were phenomenal (mmm, maybe other than a select few). While I did not personally relate to Gwen or Alex, Julie Soto has this magical way of making you care deeply for and become so invested in her characters. Even the side characters had depth to them!
The chemistry between Alex and Gwen was positively immaculate. So explosive and swoon-worthy. The tension between them literally had my skin tingling, and some of the descriptions of said tension had me feeling like I was the one Alex had his eyes on—another testament to Julie’s impressive writing. The spice was delicious as all hell too. I think the cello scene literally altered my brain chemistry (iykyk). And I loved watching them learn, grow, and discover themselves together.
Were there a few things I didn’t absolutely love about this or would have changed? Yes. But I was so deeply invested in this beautiful story, so it's still getting nearly 5 stars.
OH ALSO — while this can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Forget Me Not first because the cameos are amazing.
Look, add this to your summer tbr. Now. It’s worth it. I legitimately want to reread this already, and I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy in July.
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the eARC!
₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.
Quotes
{will come closer or after release}
₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.
Check out my reviews on bookstagram
____
4/10/24
holy shit. i adored this. full review to come.
This was basically stream-of-consciousness word vomit so prepare thyself.
I really enjoyed Forget Me Not, so when I saw that Not Another Love Song was available as a Read Now option for a single day on NetGalley, I ran so fast.
This is a musician rivals-to-lovers Reylo fanfic.
Do I know even a single thing about Reylo?
Absolutely not.
Do I know anything about playing or composing music?
That’s a big nope.
BUT I DEVOURED THIS ANYWAY.
Truly, this book had no business keeping me up half the night because I literally could not put it down. Which took me by surprise, because seriously, who thought classical music, orchestras, and string instruments could be THIS fucking sexy? Not me. Dead ass, I will never see a cello or violin the same again.
Not Another Love Song was such a fresh and unique romance. I mean, we have seen rockstar romance done before, but this was on a whole new level, especially with the musician rivals-to-lovers.
Plus, Julie Soto’s writing is incredible, her prose fully immersing me in the story. It was well-written and expertly paced. And the descriptions used are so visceral and poetic. You could also tell how much research went into crafting this story. While I don't know shit about fuck when it comes to music, she brought the music to life from these pages. I could easily hear and imagine how magical the compositions would sound in real life. And I'm feeling left with even more respect for the art of music. This would be amazing on audio, especially if there is background music supporting it.
The characters were phenomenal (mmm, maybe other than a select few). While I did not personally relate to Gwen or Alex, Julie Soto has this magical way of making you care deeply for and become so invested in her characters. Even the side characters had depth to them!
The chemistry between Alex and Gwen was positively immaculate. So explosive and swoon-worthy. The tension between them literally had my skin tingling, and some of the descriptions of said tension had me feeling like I was the one Alex had his eyes on—another testament to Julie’s impressive writing. The spice was delicious as all hell too. I think the cello scene literally altered my brain chemistry (iykyk). And I loved watching them learn, grow, and discover themselves together.
Were there a few things I didn’t absolutely love about this or would have changed? Yes. But I was so deeply invested in this beautiful story, so it's still getting nearly 5 stars.
OH ALSO — while this can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Forget Me Not first because the cameos are amazing.
Look, add this to your summer tbr. Now. It’s worth it. I legitimately want to reread this already, and I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy in July.
Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the eARC!
₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.
Quotes
{will come closer or after release}
₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.
Check out my reviews on bookstagram
____
4/10/24
holy shit. i adored this. full review to come.