I was a huge fan of author Tracey Garvis Graves' previous novel and could not wait to dive into this upcoming release. This friends-to-lovers story of Layla and Josh did not disappoint. I found it to be beautiful, heartwarming and enjoyed the slow burn of the romance. The music incorporated throughout via Layla's 'character was an added touch and Josh's character was incredibly likeable.

This was an entertaining read. After reading <u>On the Island</u> and <u>The Girl He Used to Know</u>, also by Tracey Garvis Graves, I jumped at the chance to read this ARC when it became available on NetGalley.

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Layla and Josh are each trying to finalize their divorces in their respective long term relationships. Layla's marriage was a sham from day one, and Josh and his wife, Kimberly, grew apart and wanted different things from life now.

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Garvis Graves takes us through Layla and Josh's journey away from their spouses - toward each other! And what a bumpy road that was. I liked that there was no "insta-love" happening here. There was definitely mutual attraction between the two, but this story takes place over a year or more: from first day jitters for Josh's little girl to the glory days of summer vacation and a bit beyond. During that time, Layla and Josh become friends, then something more, as they each overcome their emotional battle scars (and, FINALLY, with great relief, delete their online dating APs!)

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They truly like each other's company and (despite a few issues - she is his daughter's Kindergarten music teacher and his divorce hasn't been filed yet - they decide to just let things progress... slowly. Their "friendship with potential" was a fun read. You really wanted these two damaged people to heal with each other. As Layla and Josh tried to fill those lonely hours during the initial stages of their respective breakups, I kept hoping that these two decent people would get over their emotional traumas and move toward each other. They really made such a cute couple - they were so supportive of one another.

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Characterization and dialogue in this story were good, as usual, but there was a fair amount of telling and not showing in some places. There were also some scenes between Layla and her friends that seemed more like filler, but, overall, this was an interesting, well-written story. It was very topical and anyone who has had to get back out there after a broken relationship will fully relate to Layla and Josh's story. I loved all the musical references and Layla's total immersion in her performances (although I am not a big 70's fan, sorry!)

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I'm rating this one 4 out of 5 very entertaining stars! My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Girl He Used to Know and books about musicians trying to make it in the music industry, so this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. Layla and Josh have each come out of their respective divorces wiser and a little weary. When they meet there is an obvious attraction, but they both decide to take it slow having been burned in the past. Before Layla was married she was a musician trying to get her big break, but eventually quit the industry and became a music teacher. As things start to heat up between Josh and Layla, so does her music career.

Throughout the story I was intrigued and wanted to know more and understand the personal history of both Josh and Layla, and what led them to their individual divorces. It was nice to see each of them work to rebuild, and acknowledge mistakes of their pasts. It seemed like Layla really learned more about herself and what she wanted out of the music industry and life. Josh and Layla had a quiet chemistry that built as they worked to slowly establish their relationship. I appreciated that they were very mature about the way they approached their relationship, and could feel the hesitation as they worked to build trust. I would call this a mature story about two people learning to find themselves and rebuild after divorce, which I think can be inspiring to anybody starting over after a tough breakup. Thank you to NetGalley and SMP Romance for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. This is my honest review.*

My compliments on the book cover. It's like Janis Joplin posed with a batik floral piece. This is a cover that grabs attention without trying too hard.

It pains me to write this, but this book was not for me. I love all kinds of romance books and tropes, but this didn't feel like a romance novel. Further, I love stories where ordinary people do extraordinary things, or have extraordinary things happen to them. I also love stories where extraordinary people struggle with the common, human experience. This book is neither. Layla and Josh are normal people with normal lives who do normal things. Yawn.

I. Was. So. Bored. I couldn't get invested in the characters, and the momentum never picked up for me. To be fair, Ms. Graves' writing is solid and the premise has potential. However, the characters are so bland that I found myself simply not caring about any of them. It's not even that the story stalled out...it just never got up to a speed that I found engaging or interesting.

A great book and I enjoyed reading it. The characters were great and so was the storyline. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

I love the name Layla and the characters. I loved that she was a music. Teacher then pursued her career as singer. I liked joshua

* This ARC was provided to me in exchange for my honest opinion on the book. *

I know this book is set in freezing Minnesota, but it just had a really good summer read vibe to it. Heard It in a Love Song is a wonderful story centering around the idea of navigating life after a divorce, and even the eventual dipping of the toes into romance. I found myself very attached to Josh and Layla both individually and together. The dialogue between the two characters was beautifully written as their chemistry was off the charts, and I loved the presence of the side characters such as Tonya and Brian. They added to the story in a fun, but substantial way. The flashbacks to Josh and Layla's individual marital issues prior to meeting the other gave the reader more than enough context for why the two were drawn to each other. This was a very quick read and I can't wait for everyone to be able to read it!

A second-chance love story for divorced romantics and single parents that celebrates self-love and hope.

This book was somewhat of a slowburn but felt very real. Josh and Layla were adults, and acted as so, and as someone around their age i felt i could relate. their romance built slowly and carefully due to their respective divorces. their divorces were completely different and i though that was an interesting take as well. overall even though it built slowly, i still read it in it's entirety within two days.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an arc of this book! My review will be posted closer to publication date, but I can’t wait to read this!

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book! If you’ve read and liked other books by @traceygarvisgraves (On the Island, The Girl He Used to Know, Heart-Shaped Hack) then this one will be right up your alley! Dual POV with flashbacks, an easy read, a plot line that flows and doesn’t get stale - it was a perfect read on a couple of rainy days! Really enjoyed Layla’s character and the music element! Be sure to add it to your TBR - it releases in November!

Sometimes “present Josh” didn’t seem to jive with “past Josh” - they seemed to almost have two different personalities, but with the flashbacks you could see how he became the person he was today.

This story starts with a prologue that is actually the end of the book. We see Layla Hilding playing her guitar with a man, on stage, and finally happy with her choices in life. She finally has the answers to the words from the song she is singing, “What do you love? What do you really want?” Tracey Garvis Graves creates a beautiful love story. I loved discovering the emotional journey of Layla and Josh from their own perspectives.

Layla Hilding is a newly divorced music teacher, even though she would like to be a never married Rockstar. Her first marriage has left her financially insecure and with trust issues. She had to become a teacher in order to keep her and her husbands life afloat. When Josh comes into her life, she wants to dismiss it. She wants to reclaim her life, as her own. Josh didn't really want a divorce and thought him and Kim should work through their issues. As Layla and Josh start spending more time together, thanks to Josh's daughters wish to have her teacher dog-sit for them, they begin to wonder about their original goals.

After their ups and downs, Layla realizes she has already reclaimed her life. She isn't miserable as a teacher, she can be a teacher and still perform on her own terms. Josh realizes Kim and him have been over for a longtime and needs to figure out his own needs. Will their needs bring Josh and Layla back together or will they keep them apart?

I was expecting Heard It in a Love Song to be more of a romance and even though it WASN'T I enjoyed it immensely! This is a story about overcoming, finding your way, and falling in love again. It's a story that focuses more on the individuals rather than their budding romance. It's also a story that gives readers faith! Tracey Garvis Graves does it again and pens another winner in this book.

Heard It in a Love Song is a sweet romance story. Layla is a divorced music teacher, who in her younger days was in a band. Josh is an almost divorced father to a kindergartner who goes to Layla’s school. Josh married very young and does electrical work. The book goes back and forth from past to present and delves a little into who Layla and Josh are. It’s a sweet love story. Enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

Heard It in a Love Song is a great romance about starting over and second chances. It tells the stories of Layla and Josh and what happens as they grow to care about each other. They meet at a school where Layla is his daughter's teacher and they hit off over time. Both are going through a divorce and kind of unsure how to navigate things. The story is told with alternating points of view which I really enjoyed. I also enjoyed the flashbacks which show how they grew apart from their spouses. The MN setting is spot on and the characters are fantastic. This is my first time reading this author but it won't be my last.

Heard It in A Love Song is a realistic, touching look at lost love, found love, and the heartbreaks in between. Josh is the cute, newly single dad who is adjusting to life with his daughter, an affectionate older dog, and three brothers who want him to reenter the dating world ASAP. Layla is the recently divorced music teacher who greets her students warmly - despite the freezing Minnesota weather - outside of school every morning. Will Josh and Layla find a lasting connection, or will their quests to find themselves take them in opposite directions? You'll find yourself rooting for Layla and Josh in this beautiful story about love, music and second chances.

Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves is a lovely book about personal growth and living your dreams.

Layla Hilding is a 35-year-old recently divorced music teacher in an elementary school. Her divorce left her lonely, but determined to re-capture her love of music, and playing music for herself. She transforms the basement of her home into a soundproof studio where she can play and sing to her heart’s content.

Her duties as a music teacher involve helping the students and parents in the morning to greet students and parents and direct the traffic in the drop-off zone. Here she meets Josh, also recently divorced and the father of one of Layla’s students. Every day, he walks his daughter to her classroom and stops to talk to Layla, his daughter’s favorite teacher.

Both Layla and Josh are still reeling from their divorces, and are hesitant to dip back into the dating pool. Josh got married right out of high school, and never had to do the typical dating that most men have had to do.

I enjoyed this book very much. It started a bit ordinary, but later in the book, we find out more about Layla’s past as a musician in an up-and-coming band in Rochester MN. I enjoyed the growth of her character from the wife of a domineering husband, to finding herself and reigniting her passion for music. I loved reading about Josh’s love for his daughter and his tentative start into the world of single people. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this book, despite it not falling into romance and more into women's fiction. Loved how they related to one another and the friends to lovers with more adult characters. The dual timelines were a bit confusing in moments, but didn't ruin my overall feeling about the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

***Some mild plot spoilers ahead.***


My first book with this author and a pretty decent introduction.
Admittedly, I'm a sucker for writers who make music a big part of their stories and to be honest, I heard the Marshall Tucker Band song in my head as soon as I read the title.
Layla and Josh are really solid characters - they’re trying to figure out who they are now that they’re no longer in their respective relationships. Navigating that while feeling the pull of something new is where the story is headed but I kind of struggled with the route we took to get there.
The timeline jumps around quite a bit - you spend a lot of time in each character’s head as they hash out things from their pasts in flashbacks. While it’s not something I wrestle with as a reader, it seemed to me that the larger part of this story is told in this form...which means the time together as a couple working on them being a couple or working towards being a couple just didn’t stand out. In fact, a lot of this book was about Layla reconnecting with her music - which I feel makes this more of a women;s fiction story than a romance. Nothing wrong with that at all, but it’s pretty clear that Layla working on herself is the main story.
Josh’s story is mostly told in the disintegration of his marriage to his teenage sweetheart - the about-face of Kim was kind of predictable, with the custody drama floated like a trial balloon that just...popped with no big effect. And the pseudo-drama with Layla’s ex Liam - after all the flashback build up - was anticlimactic. His behaviour indicated a “big bad” but he was a sheep in wolf’s clothing and there could have been a better payoff there on the page.
Ultimately, I did like HiiaLS - I guess I just like a more definitive HEA in my romance fiction - a relationship win, while the characters have their own individual wins too.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.