HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG by Tracey Garvis Graves has a great cover and reads fast. I loved the music references, the school drop off scenes, and really enjoyed Josh and Layla’s characters and their interactions. I just had an issue with the dual storytelling and flashbacks and the way they impacted the overall flow of the storytelling. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Heard it in a Love Song is a wonderful finding love again read. Layla is a talented singer/musician who is getting by as a elementary school music teacher. She is coming off an unhappy scam of a marriage and is gently being pushed to get back out there again. Josh a separated father who hasn't been happy in his marriage in sometime is doing everything he can to keep things normal for his daughter. Josh is a sweet heart and as you are reading this one you are going to love him. There is such wonderful chemistry between Josh and Layla that just slowly grows as this one goes on. I love how supportive Josh is of Layla's music. Neither are them are in a place where they can fully move on to the next steps or fully found closer. You will go through the ups and downs of marriage ending and new start on life. You are just going to love Layla and Josh so much. This one may be a little slow to start but you will love all the words Tracey Garvis Graves brings to the pages. Go and one click this one.

Heard It in a Love Song was one of my most anticipated novels for 2021. As a big fan of this author’s writing, I knew that she would take me on a captivating and emotional journey.

The story alternates between Layla and Josh’s perspectives. I was invested in the characters. They were normal, relatable, and vulnerable. Both of their marriages are over, and they are each navigating single life again. While we are witnessing them in their present-day lives, we also get flashbacks into their pasts. I enjoyed this aspect of the book. It gave me an insight into what pivotal moments had impacted their lives, hopes, dreams, and marriages.

Heard It in a Love Song is not an overly dramatic novel. While I was engaged in the story, I felt a quiet, introspective nature to it. I got to know the characters, got to see what their lives were like, understand what they wanted out of their new normal, and see how their marriages faltered. It was a realistic story with realistic characters, and that’s what I enjoyed the most about it.

This is a story of second chances, realizing what you want out of life and taking control. Layla may have abandoned her dreams, but she never forgot them. Music lit her up inside. Performing, singing, and playing guitar were her true passions in life. By letting that all go, she let a bit of herself drift away with it, but she was slowly regaining what she had lost as she maneuvered through her new life as an independent, single woman.

Josh married his high school sweetheart at the age of eighteen. They had enjoyed and basked in all of the beauty and newness of young love, struggled through the meager years as they tried to make ends meet, found their passions, and were raising a young daughter together. But even though they shared a past and many years as a couple, the luster and spark had fizzled, leaving them feeling alone in their relationship.

I liked seeing Layla and Josh’s relationship blossom. It was mature, but they still had all of the fluttering and excitement that you feel when you begin falling for someone. Just like them, their relationship wasn’t perfect, but it was a work in progress, a “relationship with potential.” This was a time for them to realize what they truly wanted out of their lives and make it happen.

Heard It in a Love Song was filled with hope, second chances, inspiration, and music. It’s just another example of why this author is high on my list of must-reads.

*4 Stars

After having read The Girl He Used to Know... I squealed with excitement when I received a copy in the mail of her newest book!

The simplicity of this story is what makes is so beautiful! This is a story about two people that find one another through a transitional place in their lives. They slowly build a connection with one another and fall in love.

It's a second chance at happiness, self growth, building your dreams, and finding a love that makes your heart swoon.

But, the blooming romance is not the focus of this story. I was a bit confused about having a lot of flashbacks in the story about the characters' past leading up to their present life. But, there were some that were just thrown randomly in the story and it threw me off a bit and was confused.

This was a definitely unique and refreshing look on a romance story.

Overall, Tracey has such beautiful writing and is so well crafted. She is quite high on my love of authors!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

Pub date: 11/9/21
Published to GR: 10/31/21

Layla Hilding is a 35-year old elementary school music teacher who is recovering from her recent divorce. She’s still trying to get her equilibrium, come to terms with the choices she made during her ten-year marriage and determine what it is she wants for her life. Josh Summers is a 37-year old electrician and father of 5-year old Sasha. He’s in the middle of his divorce from his wife of twenty years (she was his high school sweetheart) and they share custody of their daughter. He’s clear he wants to end a marriage that wasn’t working for either of them but never envisioned being with anyone but Kimmy. Josh is comfortable with his direction but does long for some companionship. He sees Layla every morning when he drops Sasha off at school and a friendship begins to bloom.

This isn’t the kind of story with a lot of drama, angst or action. It’s one involving two adults trying to redefine their present while figuring out what their new futures are going to be. Before Layla married husband Liam, she was the lead singer in a local band that had quite a following in their small town of Rochester, Minnesota. She once had visions of being a rock star but somehow abandoned her dreams after getting married. Josh loved the life he and his wife had created but she never seemed to find her own footing or niche. It wasn’t his idea to leave but he agreed it was the right thing to do. Layla and Josh were two people who weren’t actively looking for someone, neither really ready to even explore that, but somehow settled into a friendship that gave each of them the space to find their individuality.

I adored both of these characters who never really understood how extraordinary they were in quiet ways. They were honest with themselves, which was mature and refreshing, and had no fear of being honest with each other. Layla’s musical spirit oozed out of the pages, her utter joy in performing hard to not experience. Josh chose his craft because he liked it and was comfortable in that choice, making no excuses for opting out of higher education. Both shoulder responsibility for the demise of their marriages, too. The story alternates between their points of view, with transitions in the middle of the present to past memories that were significant markers. It took a bit of an adjustment to follow along but I came to love it. I got to a point where the characters lives became so interesting I couldn’t put the book down. This is one of those thoughtful journeys with deep meaning without being heavily weighted. I loved being part of the exploration and experiencing how these two came to embrace themselves and each other.

This book was on my radar, having loved The Girl He Used to Know. However, this one was a bit of a slower start. The story meandered along slowly, but I liked that it felt realistic. It alternated POV’s between Layla and Josh, and included flashbacks from each of their previous relationships. It’s not overly deep (like at all), so it would make for a good book to pack to the beach or on a trip. Overall, I liked it! It reminded me of my days in a band, so that was fun! Plus, there was a ton of nineties music references, so that’s a win as well. I think this will appeal to a lot of readers!
I love the cover, but not sure if it's a match for the book .
Thanks @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced copy!

Title: Hear It in a Love Song
Author: Tracey Garvis Graves
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Hear It in a Love Song" by Tracey Garvis Graves

My Opinion:

"Heard It In A Love Song" was a good read where Layla is an elementary school teacher of music, her first passion—divorced how Layla will make it with her teaching job now that she doesn't have that ex around and the band she once played and sung. It was good seeing Layla, finding herself as she dedicates her time to her music.

As time goes on, Layla will meet Josh and his daughter Sasha, along with his ex. We find that Sasha attends the school that Layla teaches. What was unique about these two [Layla & Josh] was that they are both finalizing their divorces...or at least one of them was. The author gives the reader a sweet read of what happens when these two pair up, while all seems to be going well between Layla and Josh until specific facts come out that Josh and his wife are still married. What will come of that situation?

Pick up this well-written read to see how well this author brings it all out as the book will move back and forth, giving their backstories. If you like stories with ... 'seconds chances with happiness, self-growth, going after one's dreams and finally having one hopes rekindled,' then you have come to the right place for this kind of story and the strengths that both the heroine and hero gained by the end of the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Though this is the author’s ninth book, it is the first one I have read by her and I am a fan! Heard It in a Love Song was such a comfortable and easy read and I really enjoyed it a lot. I loved the writing style and the down to Earth relatable characters and storylines. I am drawn to books about families and relationships, especially with real life issues and tragedies, and this book had all of that. We are brought through the different stages of Layla and Josh’s lives, including the usual hurdles and accomplishments at each level. I liked how the parts that were of the past were in italic font to emphasize the change. I was equally drawn to reading about Kimmy and Liam as I was Layla and Josh, and I appreciated the break between the present and past - I was enraptured by both! Though somewhat predictable, I was still captivated and interested and was eager to continue reading to the very end. This is one of those books that you grab while being curled up on the couch with a cozy blanket. I would love to hear a playlist of all of the songs mentioned - I knew and loved them all!

I have never been disappointed in a Tracey Garvis Graves novel. I love the way she writes - and this is no exception. This is a love story, but it’s also about Layla finding herself after living a life she wasn’t supposed to live.

If you’re looking for drama, this isn’t the book for you. In fact, it’s pretty straightforward and simple really. The story of a woman who didn’t know who she was and figures it out along the way.

I really liked all of the characters. I thought they worked well together and had a certain chemistry that many books don’t show.

My complaint would be that it goes from present to past and back again - A LOT - and, even though the past is necessary for the reader to understand, it somehow takes away from the story for me.

If you’re looking to read a simple love story, and you like music, then this is the one.

I was so excited when I learned that Tracey Garvis Graves was coming out with a new book, Heard It In A Love Song! This story follows Layla and Josh, two people going through divorces in their mid-to-late 30s. Each of them are slowly learning how to recognize themselves as individuals after being with their spouses for years. What makes them happy, motivated, and content in their new lives? It was both heartwarming and realistic to watch the growing connection Josh and Layla form while recapping their similar, yet different marriage experiences. This was a wonderful story full of life lessons and love after failed and heartbreaking relationships. Thank you so much for the e-ARC, NetGalley! It was such a great read!

A romance can be simple or fantasy. What Josh and Layla have is simple and realistic. Both recently divorced, or at least moving through the process, and don’t want to rush into something. Being a bit older has put their lives into perspective, older meaning upper thirties. Their story is told over the course of about a year with snapshots of their past marriages. It’s a bit of reasoning for why they’re a little gun-shy and the importance of finding themselves after being coupled for so long. I’ve read a few books by Graves and her style is easy to read and very relatable. It’s a pleasant read where I was actually more interested with their personal goals and individual story than for the romance, definitely of the slow burn variety. I was thrilled to receive an early copy and leave my review voluntarily.

WTF is this? Maybe it gets better if you’re REALLY patient with it. But I was just like, “what? Where the hell are we? Why am I here?” The characters would just meander off back in time at random with no warning, and I was only a few chapters in! I just didn’t have the patience to deal with this.

This was my first book by the author. I would love to try another, but this wasn't a favorite of mine.

I enjoyed the overall story. I loved the character of Layla, and the present day storylines we're engaging. However, I didn't think the flashbacks flowed well, and the writing in general wasn't very strong.

I recommend this book to readers looking for stories focusing on second chances.

Thank you @___ for my egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is my the fourth book I have read by Tracey Garvis Graves, and sadly, my least favorite. What I loved about her previous novels (fast pacing, a storyline that pulls me in quickly) definitely was not present in this one. While I found the premise of the book intriguing and the characters to be mostly compelling, I had a tough time getting through it. It took me a couple of weeks to read it, something that did not happen to me with any of her previous books.

While I did not hate most of the story or the characters, I found the storytelling to be poorly paced and clunky. The switching back and forth between past and present day did not fit together as seamlessly as I think Graves is capable of, and I do wonder if maybe the spacing (or lack thereof) in the ebook affected my reading experience. It felt like being tossed around in a teacup rollercoaster ride at times, with no real direction and also giving me the feeling of, “Can this be over already?”

I did find both of the main characters to be likable for the most part, something that is important for me in a novel, so Graves nailed that one. They were realistic, flawed, and human without being unbelievable.

The romance was the slowest burn of anything I’ve ever read by Graves, and while I don’t mind a slow burn, this was…barely an ember at times. I felt like I was reading a story of cousins or something. And not only was the romance itself slow, the entire PLOT of the book was slow. It read more like a family drama than a romance, and while slow pacing isn’t necessarily BAD, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.

All in all, the book had great bones, just lacked something I cannot quite put my finger on. 3/5 stars with the hopes that TGG next book is a better fit for my reading tastes!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC of this one. And thank you to the ladies over at #thesixspotlight who brought this forward as a group read which helped me to actually read it.

Synopsis - Layla Hilding is thirty-five and recently divorced. Struggling to break free from the past—her glory days as the lead singer in a band and a ten-year marriage to a man who never put her first—Layla’s newly found independence feels a lot like loneliness.

Then there’s Josh, the single dad whose daughter attends the elementary school where Layla teaches music. Recently separated, he’s still processing the end of his twenty-year marriage to his high school sweetheart. He chats with Layla every morning at school and finds himself thinking about her more and more.

Equally cautious and confused about dating in a world that favors apps over meeting organically, Layla and Josh decide to be friends with the potential for something more. Sounds sensible and way too simple—but when two people are on the rebound, is it heartbreak or happiness that’s a love song away?

Thoughts - First, this cover definitely made me think I was going to be getting a period piece as it looks very '70s, in my opinion, but it takes place in present day. I was definitely hoping for more of a love story to develop between Layla and Josh, not that it didn't but rather that wasn't the focus of the book. Flashbacks gave us more background on the previous marriages of both Layla and Josh, helping the reader develop empathy for what they had gone through. A quote that I absolutely loved was "Red flags have a way of looking pink when you viewed them through rose-colored glasses." Had I gone into this book planning for a story that was rich with character development set against the background of music (which doesn't really resonate me so that was a problem I had to overcome!), learning about how to truly learn from your past to be able to walk into your future, I think I'd be a lot happier with how things turned out. I'd still give it a solid 3.75/5, just very different from what I'd expected.

#bookstagram #groupread #advancedreaderscopy #hearditinalovesong

Tracey Garvis Graves is one of my favorite go to authors. No matter what she writes, it always hits me with a punch to the chest and I know the story is going to be a deeply thought-out tale of two people who are traveling a specific path in life that ultimately leads to their happily ever after. Heard It in a Love Song, for me, was a departure from the usual, as these two people didn’t set out to embark on any kind of romance. They gravitated towards each other because of the thing they had in common: the end of a long-term relationship and their struggles in how to deal with that.

I’ve seen several reviewers make the comment that this story wasn’t really a romance, and I’m not entirely sure it was supposed to be viewed as one. Yes, the relationship between Layla and Josh ultimately leads in that direction, but for the majority of the book, that doesn’t even factor in until late in the game. This story is more about their awakenings, a sort of adult version of a coming-of-age story. Both Layla and Josh were living lives they had never initially planned on living, but life and circumstances often put us in positions we hadn’t expected. Dreams are put on hold, or squashed altogether, as was the case for Layla, whose husband was instrumental in her dream shriveling up.

There were a lot of relevant issues in this story that most anyone could relate to in one way or another. I myself stepped back a time or two after reading chapters and could liken some of my own personal experiences to what Layla and Josh have experienced in their marriages. I commend Tracey for tackling issues that many couples have dealt with at some point.

I am usually a huge fan of alternating timelines in which we as the reader get the background of the characters and what they’ve been through, but this time around I wished there had been more time spent in the present with Layla and Josh.

While I enjoyed the story, there just didn’t seem to be any energy in it. The story just kind of plodded along, and an image of Eeyore kept popping into my head, with his head hanging down while he’s slowly following his path in life. Slow and steady, eventually reaching his destination, but nothing exciting happened along the way. This wasn’t a book I read in one sitting, or even two or three. It was set aside several times, until I finally just set my mind to finishing it. When I did finish it, I had a huge grin on my face, and I was wholly satisfied with the ending. I just wished I had felt more of a spark while reading.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced review copy of this story in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I liked this story. Layla and Josh - two people starting over after divorce. I would have like a little more clarity on what happened with Liam when Layla found his messages. Aside from finding love after her divorce, this is also about Layla finding herself again and not being willing to put her wants/needs aside.

This novel isn’t flashy but it’s a grown adult love story. Meaning there’s none of this back and forth with misunderstandings but instead steeped in real life situations. Adult feelings and adult baggage. Layla is coming out of a horrible marriage and Josh is in the middle of getting divorced from his high school sweetheart but there is an undeniable attraction there.

What I enjoyed about this book was the simplistic and realistic way that will speak to anyone who reads it. Weave in music and how that can help heal, you have a winner.

Heard It In A Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves is a charming story about starting over and finding love again. Layla is a recently divorced music teacher in her mid-thirties. Her dream of becoming a famous musician was derailed during her relationship with her ex-husband. When we meet her, she is processing her marriage and rebuilding her life. We soon meet Josh, a newly single father to 5 year old daughter. He works as an independent electrician and is processing the ending of his twenty-year relationship to his high school sweetheart. They become friendly at the school drop-off line and develop a friendship. Through the novel, the timeline jumps back and forth and we learn about their personal histories. The story casually drew me in and I was endeared to the likeable protagonists, Layla and Josh. The plot moves a little slowly, but is a quick read/listen. Andi Arndt wonderfully narrates the audiobook. The audiobook could be a little hard to follow because of the time jumps, but I really enjoyed the story overall.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio for this ebook and audiobook ARC.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I'm having a hard time writing this review. Not because the book was bad because it wasn't but I'm not sure what to say. Told in dual POV and flashbacks, it was slightly hard to follow at times, especially if you didn't pay attention to the name at the top of the chapter but it mostly worked. I was amused when a memory would hit a character and the other characters would ask them where they went so it was obvious it was happening in book real time.

I am glad that Layla finally figured out who and what she wanted and same for Josh but I wish it hadn't taken SO LONG to get there. I think that's what I am struggling with because it's a will they/won't they/oh they did/but wait kind of situation and it went on entirely too long.

I love Layla's friends and Josh's brothers. I would have liked to see more of a resolution with Layla's baggage but that's fine. All in all, the book was good and a decent read.