Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

3/5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD

This was cute enough. I've never really played an instrument so I was worried that I might not understand a lot of what was going on throughout this book, and while that was true at times, I never felt fully removed from the story. I listened to this on audiobook and I finished it in one sitting, so I definitely think that says something about the storyline. I did start rolling my eyes and zoning out a bit in the last 20ish percent though. The first 80 was really great, but then we started getting a little too unrealistic and overly insta-lovey.

I struggled a little bit with Gwen, because while she was relatable at times (accidentally liking one of his old Instagram pictures because I know we've all been there), I found myself getting so annoyed with her. The whole idea she has that Xander was trying to spend time with her and showing her interest and practically begging her to go on a date with him was just some ruse to, what... distract her so she loses first chair? I don't know, it was all a little bit dramatic and I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at her. She had no reason to believe that he was manipulating her outside of a couple of, albeit incredibly rude, comments and his being a less-than-professional member of the same orchestra she's in. A few interactions and she automatically jumps to sabotage? And she spent the first half of the book running away from him or ignoring him completely, and then getting upset when he would ignore her back. I was actually physically cringing when she ran away from the hotel and got on a bus alone at 2am instead of being proud of this man she's sooo in love with for getting a dream job. The dramatics were unbelievable. It was very high school. 

Alex is such a dick to her in the beginning too, telling her that she's terrible and useless and whatnot but then can't stop thinking about her and then poof they're in love. I must say though… the scene where he's teaching her cello… I might have fallen in love with him too because that was a good one. 

I was incredibly confused how getting first chair would somehow get Alex out of his "Xander Thorne" mess of a contract with Laurens…Lorenz? I don't know I listened to it. There were just some things with his whole dual life that didn't really make a ton of sense to me. There were almost too many characters for me to keep track of and too many different plots going on at once. The whole Nathan and Ava mommy drama, and the Mabel/Ava drama (which was less juicy than it could have been), whoever Ama and Jonathan were (was that even his name I don't remember). The only side characters I really liked were Jacob and his boyfriend and we barely got any of them.

Where they started losing me was when it started feeling like I was reading the storyline of a Disney Channel original movie. The entire scene of Gwen going onstage with "Thornes and Roses" to play her violin because miraculously the entire crowd knows her name and is chanting for her to perform and everything goes perfect was just way too over the top for me. And the fact that "Thornes and Roses" seems to be a strictly cover band was weird. No cover band is going to amass such an insane following and then be asked to go on tour opening for U2. Like please be so for real. I'm really good at suspending my disbeliefs in fantasy or sci fi books, but if you're going to be a contemporary romance book it has to be at least a little bit believable. Unless you want to sound like a Disney Channel original movie.

The first 80 percent felt like a well-produced romantic movie, and then a quick plummet to that exact scene in the Cinderella movie with Selena Gomez when she gets up on stage and dances and they kiss in front of the crowd. Just kind of goofy for a book like this. Also, "Thornes and Roses" is a stupid name. So is Xander, sorry. I accept no retort that I'm fine with Xaden because it's Xaden, and honestly I think it's a stupid name too. 

And then came the fatal flaw most recently attributed to Abby Jimenez's "Say You'll Remember Me" - both characters quitting their careers that they love and are passionate about in order to be with the person they've been so madly in love with… for a matter of months. I want to shake them both because what the actual fuck. I was SO mad at Gwen for expecting Alex to turn down a world tour because he made a commitment to an orchestra that could easily find a replacement for him. She whines so much about how she can't leave the Pops because of money so she has to turn down a world tour that she was invited to go on. Make that make sense… I don't know they both just came across incredibly toxic but Gwen came off worse. Asking him to give up a dream for her but her not being willing to do the same for him was just about as selfish as it gets. 

I will say there were some very sweet moments, like Alex asking what kind of shampoo and soap she used so he could buy it and keep at his place for her and them realizing that it was Alex that Qwen heard playing the violin all those years ago at Mabel's that made her fall in love with it. 

The more I sit with it the more meh I feel about it, but it did get me through a long day of work and kept me interested for the first chunk so I feel like that's a solid 3 stars. I'll probably read Julie Soto again because I remember enjoying Forget Me Not.