What We’re Reading in August 2024
CURRENTLY READING
Not Another Love Song
by Julie Soto
What would you do if you met your celebrity crush and he just happened to be everything you despised? This NYC-based workplace rivals-to-lovers, opposites attract will immerse you in a musical world of tension, talent, and tingles (of the best variety).
Get your copy of Not Another Love Song (Amazon) and read with us!
What Victoria Loved
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4.5/5
Weddings + music + workplace romance + enemies-to-lovers + NYC = add it to my TBR.
For someone who grew up around classical music and played an instrument for years, Gwen and Xander’s story was simultaneously nostalgic and inspiring because there’s nothing I love more than watching people achieve their goals — and I loved that for both Gwen and Xander.
Gwen is a self-taught violinist who has worked her butt off to make her dreams come true. And just reading about her passion for music had my fingers itching to grab an instrument and play it (sexual innuendo not intended… however, after that little cello lesson, maybe it is intended).
If you’re not familiar, Julie is known for her fanfics and it’s no surprise that her MMC, Xander Thorne, resembles Kylo Ren / Adam Driver. And while he’s not weilding a lightsaber, he can certainly handle a cello. And if there’s a book that I hope gets turned into a movie, I hope it’s this one because I so desperately want to experience this rockstar in all his glory. This is my warning to prepare yourself to swooooooon.
This was my first Julie Soto book and I immediately picked up her debut novel, Forget Me Not (Amazon), as soon as I finished it. I just needed more, you know?
Set the mood for Not Another Love Song by listening to our book playlist (Spotify).
What the Book Club Loved
FIREWORKS & STEAM: 3.25/5
While the characters were young and relatively green, the sex was anything but! We would’ve preferred if the preamble to the steamy scenes was shortened, but overall we were satisfied by the amount of action included. The build-up of tension was slow, yet it wasn’t quite a slow burn.
WRITING STYLE: 4/5
Julie’s writing style saves this book. She beautifully describes music (although some of the references were a bit too high brow and required a ton of work for the reader), and it made us wish we knew how to play instruments!
But we felt there were still loose ends and we felt underwhelmed by some details — we would’ve loved to see more of Xander’s romantic revelation (especially after peeking into the complex, intertwining of their childhood). Her world building could have been better, and for NYC natives, her description of the city and travel timings were so inaccurate, we felt anxious.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 2.5/5
A common theme among Julie’s characters is that they seem to all need therapy — they were highly dependent on others, easily manipulated, and seemed to understand and respect people’s boundaries. We’re not just talking about the antagonists, either. To that end, we were waiting for hidden depths and backstory to redeem the villains. But I suppose they just suck and that’s that.
As for our protagonists, we wanted all the characters to develop beyond the darkness and toxicity in their backstories and demonstrate growth before entering a serious relationship. Heck, we would’ve been satisfied if Gwen showed that she knew how to maintain a friendship, but she seemed to just take her friendships for granted.
THE LOVE STORY: 3/5
We wanted Alex’s POV because his infatuation fell a bit flat. Maybe it was his inability to communicate, maybe it was his own trauma. But from our POV, he didn’t really show that he was worthy of Gwen and her love. in fact, some of us were rather disappointed that they stayed together when Gwen could have very well been justified in saying, “F*ck it. I’m better than this!” All in all, their relationship didn’t give us much confidence that they would last in the long-term because they haven’t individually addressed their past and their toxic behaviors.
“I’m a bit let down [by the ending], but they’re young and what they had throughout was good. At the very least they had a lot of good sex.”
- JACQUI
If You Loved Not Another Love Song, You’ll Love These
POP STAR OPPOSITES ATTRACT: When in Rome (When in Rome #1) by Sarah Adams (Amazon)
A burned-out pop star finds herself stranded in the coziest small town in the heart of Kentucky with the grumpiest pie-shop owner. This forced proximity romance will make your teeth ache with its sweetness, and when the pressures of real life come knocking on the door, Noah and Amelia will figure out if fame holds the glamour it once did.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
MAKE MUSIC TOGETHER: The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (Amazon)
This book turned me into a Swiftie. Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka weave a love story between the main characters while they simultaneously compose a love story for Taylor Swift. This book is a beautiful homage to Taylor and what she gives of herself for her art and her fans.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5
ON MY TBR: Wild Eyes (Rose Hill #2) by Elsie Silver (Amazon)
Chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press seeks out serenity in a small town and magically falls in love with a single dad. But her life as a celebrity continues to haunt her and threatens to pull them apart. Expected publication September 3, 2024 — the perfect book to pick up after reading Not Another Love Song!
VICTORIA’S RATING: TBD
BY THIS AUTHOR: Forget Me Not by Julie Soto (Amazon)
Julie Soto delivers in her debut novel. Lovers of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us (Amazon) will love this second-chance romance featuring a wedding planner and flower shop owner. Forget Me Not unravels a tension-filled romance between two industry peers who are thrown into an opportunity of a lifetime — plan and execute the wedding of the year for the hottest influencer turned celebrity.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4.5/5
Until the next chapter!
xo, Victoria
P.S. Craving more books featuring these sub-genres, tropes, and themes? Tap the links below.
