I was thrilled to read this new book from Julie Soto after so loving Forget Me Not last year. This one’s got grumpy/sunshine, rivals to lovers and found family tropes and is my favorite romance so far this year!

It opens with a scene that had me laughing. Gwen is playing the music for a wedding where Xander is the best man and she is mortified when he arrogantly critiques her performance. She, shocked, realizes he doesn’t recognize her. He is surprised when she tells him they’ve been sitting across from each other all year, playing for the Manhattan Pops! Then, to top it off, Gwen is offered the role of First Chair of the Pops, a position Xander has secretly coveted for years. Xander thinks they gave it to her because she is beautiful and that will sell tickets but the more he hears her play the more he finds himself fascinated by her. This is Kylo and Ren inspired and is so fun!

Gwen is an orphan who lived with her grandfather until he passed away. She got her training from Maggie, a music shop owner who recognized her natural talent. Gwen stumbled into Maggie’s shop when she was eleven and Maggie started giving her violin lessons. Gwen made extra money playing in the subway and it was there she was discovered, when she was seventeen, by Ava, the first chair of the Pops! Gwen has now been with the Pops for four years and loves it. She adores the sound of the orchestra when all the instruments come together as one and the musicians feel like family to her. 

Xander is a musical prodigy who grew up in a family of musicians and had his first standing ovation when he was three. He dropped out of Julliard to play cello with a popular electric strings rock band called Thorne and Roses. Xander also plays for the Pops because he wants to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and become the conductor. But he shows up late to rehearsals, rolls his eyes at the song choices, and never speaks to anyone except the conductor and now Gwen. He is also a composer and when he is with Gwen, she inspires him. When they run into each other at a taco stand and go back to his place to eat tacos, they end up playing music together in his recording studio (in his apartment) and it gets very spicy! It’s sensual the way they share their passion and love for each other through their music. I will never think of playing instruments the same after reading this book!

Their chemistry onstage is off the charts and people have begun to take notice. There is a talent agent interested in her and both Xander and Mabel encourage her to be watchful that she isn’t taken advantage of. This adds drama to the book but it worked for me. Meanwhile, Xander’s agent for Thorne and Roses is afraid that Gwen is distracting Xander. Gwen worries that even though the Pops love her now, if ticket sales were to fall, would they replace her? They both are trying to make decisions about their careers but the only things they are sure of is their shared passion for each other and their music.

Readers who like spicy romance with musicians won’t want to miss this one. It’s special to see Ama and Elliot from Forget Me Not make appearances throughout the story. The supporting characters are caring, sweet and funny and I hope to see more of their stories in Soto’s future books. I loved this book and odds are good, it will end up being my favorite book of the year.