NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG - Julie Soto

4.5 stars

Another adorable win from Julie Soto. Her brand of funny + emotional + medium-stakes drama really works for me, apparently. (Even if I'm getting pretty tired of the 'published Reylo fanfiction' element of romance books these days.)

Writing: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★

Not Another Love Song is for us musician girlies. You know, the ones who were too involved in their high school band or orchestras—or maybe even those of us who made it to college-level bands or orchestras too, or even beyond that.

If you don't love the lifeblood of being a concert musician, I don't think this novel will hit you quite the same. But for those of us who remember those days...

Gwen Jackson is a early 20s violinist for the Manhattan Pops, an orchestra group that plays non-classical orchestra arrangements. She's be a respectable member of the violin section, never standing out yet never flopping, for years. So when she is unexpectedly given the first chair / concertmaster seat, Gwen's floored.

Xander Thorne is the bad boy of the Manhattan Pops, arriving late and barely practicing each piece. He's a musical prodigy and the headliner for a popular rock-strings ensemble (think Vitamin String Quartet) that tours the world. He's too good for the minor leagues, and the worst thing is he knows it.

Obviously, Xander and Gwen are going to butt heads with Gwen's recent promotion and Xander's absolute fixation on Gwen's performances. There's something about Gwen's raw sight reading that calls to Xander in his blood, and he must know what it is. (Gwen has no idea what he's talking about, but she's pretty obtuse in this arena.) And the two of them find themselves fascinated by the other for various reasons.

Fans of Ali Hazelwood and other "Reylo" fanfiction tropes will automatically recognize the arcs of this story. Aloof yet smart, hulkingly large dark-haired man with tiny, smart yet seriously situationally stupid pretty girl fall in love with the miscommunication trope. I'll be brutal, that's what this—and apparently every other Reylo story in the canon—is at its basic level. It either works for you or it doesn't, and for me, I'm in the "it works" camp for at least a little longer.

I look forward to more Julie Soto—but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that her next read freshens up the tropes a bit. (Even someone who enjoys the Reylo archetype gets tired of it.)