I am a big fan of everything Tracey Garvis Graves has written. However this one was not as engaging as her other books. I felt the characters were a bit flat and the story moved quite slowly. I will still look for her books to read, but this won’t be a favorite.

I loved "The Girl He Used to Know" by this author, and I was looking forward to reading this one. This story focuses on Layla and Josh. Both recently divorced and having a hard time at this point. Layla is the music teacher at Josh's daughter's school. Josh walk his daughter to school every day and gets to talk to layla and they both start to feel a connection with each other. The story is told through tge alternating POV of Josh and Layla each chapter. I really enjoyed it that way because you slowly see their relationship and their feelings towards eachother grow from each of their perspectives. I really loved the characters in this one and was rooting for them to have this second chance at happiness. I love the way this author tells a story and I will definitely pick up her future books!


Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

Review posted on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Sometimes Love Can Be Found in the Most Unexpected of Places.

Layla is an elementary school music teacher who is newly divorced and is trying to make a fresh start.

Josh is a single dad, who is recently separated from his wife of twenty years.

Every day, Josh walks his daughter to school, and every day, he chats with his daughter’s music teacher, and each day Josh and Layla wonder about each other until the day one soul reaches out to the other.

A relationship that builds like a slow song until it reaches the crescendo.

Told in alternating chapters by Layla and Josh, “Heard It in a Love Song” by Tracey Garvis Graves, allows you to get to know each character in the past and the present while each develops feelings for the other.

If only this had led to my caring for the characters. For some reason, however, the way this story was told didn’t lend itself to my feeling invested in either Layla or Josh’s life stories or in their romance and I cannot put my finger on exactly why that is. All I can say is that, in the end, something was missing. That said, while I didn’t enjoy the romance, I really liked the musical aspect of the story and was wholly immersed in it. This was the 7th book that I’ve read by Tracey Garvis Graves and I will be anxiously awaiting her next release.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Tracey Garvis Graves for the arc.

Published on Goodreads and Twitter.

Layla became empowered throughout the entirety of this book whether it be through the expression of her emotions through music or determining what she needed and deserved with Josh. She was loneliest with Liam than without. What was important is that she loved performing rather than being a star because that is where she truly came alive. Teaching gave her satisfaction but in the life she decided to create herself after the divorce, is when she truly found her purpose.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley for review purposes.

Heard It In A Love Song was an engaging novel with interesting characters. I didn’t love it, but a lot of people will. The timeline shifts pulled me out of the novel, but it made me think of This is Us. Honestly, the whole time I was reading I thought, this would make a great movie. I think I would love the story as a film. I liked Layla’s journey, and you can’t beat someone who loves RUSH. Lol.
The reason I asked to review the book was the cover, which is phenomenal.
Overall the book is enjoyable.

I loved the description of this book and really wanted to like it. But there were way too many cliched descriptions and endless backstory dumping . It read more like an early draft than I book just a few months out from publication. On a positive note, the characters were likable, particularly Layla.. I just wish the story didn’t jump between them so frequently. Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to net galley for advanced reader copy. I love this author and was so excited to read this book! I felt like I was able to connect with the characters and it’s a different feel than her other books. Can’t wait to read more of this author!

I really enjoyed this book. Both Layla and Josh are feeling the pain from marriages that didn’t work. . Meeting each other helps them both grow and learn how to build their next chapter.

Two broken hearted, vulnerable characters who have been gathering through hell to hold each other for having their second chance of happiness: this is quiet brief summary of this beautiful, heart breaking story which brings out ugly tears of yours! Don’t forget to stock lots of napkins, paper towels and any kind paper products to clean your running noses and ruined eye makeup ( trust me you don’t like look raccoon. )

There are two things are a little bothering for you:

If you wish to read a heart wrenching, angsty, intense love story, this book is not great choice for you! It’s more like second chances of happiness, self growth, pursuing your dreams, lost opportunities and rekindling hopes story!
Both of the characters were well crafted, genuinely portrayed but their blossoming romance is not the main subject the book is focused on.

That’s also bringing out other thing the readers may be bothered: there are too many time jumps and flashbacks in this book which makes the entire conjuncture a little complicated. In my opinion most of them worked quiet well and gave us enough clues to fix the entire puzzle, learning more about main characters’ past stories. But some of them were thrown into the equation out of nowhere and confused my mind.

But I have to admit this is one of the best books which reflects ugly face of divorce so realistically. It’s impossible not to empathize with the characters and what they’ve been getting through.

Layla hardly gathers her broken pieces, working as a elementary music teacher and after the divorce, she got used to live in her own shelf, staying away from things make her happy, making sacrifices.

Her path crosses with Josh whose kid is a student of her class, dealing with his own ugly divorce. She dog-sits to help them and their blooming friendship naturally turns into romance. The music’s magical tunes help them release their restrained negative feelings they bottled up for years and they learn to trust each other to find their well deserved second chances. The promising tone and realistic story telling of the book were its strengths I truly enjoyed.

Jumping time lines and lack of romance may be disappointing factors affect you enjoy your reading but I truly advise to take a chance on this emotional, well written story. It really shakes you so hard, awakening so many feelings and the music is real magic!

I plan to get this audibook version as soon as it releases. I am so curious about the songs and performances.

Overall: it’s great sentimental, touchy, soul shaking experience with well developed characterization which made me round up my 3.5 stars to 4 musical, divorce wars, self destruction, reborn, deserved happiness stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I absolutely loved Tracey Garvis Graves' book "The Girl He Used to Know," so I was absolutely ecstatic to be able to read "Heard It In a Love Song!" I absolutely LOVED this book!! Layla has been single for a long time. Her divorce ended badly, and she hasn't been able to do what she truly loves--singing with her band. She's now an elementary school music teacher. Then she meets Josh--a single dad in the middle of a divorce whose daughter is in Layla's music class. What starts out as Layla dog-sitting for Josh and his daughter turns into a sweet romance, as two people try to figure out where their lives are going and if they will be moving forward together. I don't know if it's because I'm close in age to Layla or because I've had failed relationships that turned nasty, but I identified with her so much more than I could have imagined. This book was sweet, emotional, and what I like to call a "real-life" book, meaning it felt like I was reading a real person's life story. I just loved this book so much, and I cannot WAIT for her next book!!

I enjoyed Graves' debut novel, ON THE ISLAND, both for its pacing (strong plot), characters (well developed), and examination of bigger issues (age disparity in romantic relationships), so I was very much anticipating HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG.

However, Graves' latest book falls flat: the plot lacks both action and tension (there is A LOT of self-examination and reflection about past choices); the characters' slowly developing relationship lacks emotional chemistry, and the back-and-forth between characters and time periods is distracting. The constantly shifting narrative is not conducive for an immersive reading experience. For this reviewer, the biggest weakness of the novel is that I didn't care enough Layla or Josh to become invested in their story.

I went through almost every available emotion while reading this book. It was at times, difficult to read about the situations that the characters had in the past, but also joyous to see them moving on to a better future.

I think the author wrote a fantastic story that had my full attention at all times. I cared about the characters she created. Some of the plot revolves around music, bands and the music industry. I found this so interesting since I have never been exposed to this world before. Although I love music, I have never been gifted with playing an instrument. Reading this book, I can understand the special feeling a person gets from performing.

I definitely recommend this engrossing book. I believe this book is more a Women’s fiction than a romance. It contains much more than the meeting of a couple. It is more about a woman attaining her self-worth and confidence.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is done freely as a hobby of mine, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

*I received this copy as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions are all my own.*
After seeing that Tracey Garvis Graves was coming out with a new book, I was really stoked. I have loved a few of her other novels, and was excited to request this one. From the description, I got a very different vibe than what the story was actually about-- which isn't always great. I wasn't entirely expecting there to be as many nonlinear/alternate point of views and timelines, a lot of looking at characters in the past, and the book started to drag on for me a little more than I would've liked. I have read two books by Tracey Garvis Graves before and loved them, so I was excited to read this one. I felt that it was a little overwhelming, and I only got through about 75% before I DNF'd the book. From what I read, I was pretty bored. There just wasn't all that much excitement, and with books like this, you have to have a little bit of conflict/excitement to really understand the essence of the book. Also, books about music can be really cheesy if you don't do them correctly and there were definitely moments where I found myself having to skip through a little bit of it.

The story was well written, and TGG does a really good job of explaining characters and personalities in a really great way. This book missed the mark for me, but I encourage you to read it if you're looking for a book that isn't necessarily a romance, but more of a coming in your own, what it looks like after divorce, how it affects you, and learning to love yourself again. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC! #HeardItInALoveSong #NetGalley

I am SUCH a fan of Tracey Garvis Graves writing. On the Island is still one of my go-to recommendations to fellow readers!

There was definitely a lot to enjoy in Heard It in a Love Song, the fact that I got to see both the past and the present through Layla and Josh's eyes in the aftermath of their respective divorce is one of those things. I enjoyed getting to know the characters both through their actions in the present, and their reflections on the past.

However, the story was a little slow at times, possibly because of the switch between the past and the present - and while the story unfolded over quite a bit of time, the pace was still fairly slow.

The dual points of views worked well for me, because the characters kept a lot of their thoughts to themselves, but the reader is still privy to it all. I also found it interesting to read about the reasons why Josh and Layla's marriages failed - because there was no one single thing that made things go wrong - and that appeared very realistic to me.

I received this book "Heard It in a Love Song" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed reading this book. I found both Layla and Josh to be relatable characters. When she was singing and playing her guitar I would have enjoyed it being an audio book just to hear all the songs.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. I very much appreciate it! All opinions here are my own.

I really enjoyed this story. The characters and their struggles and their sweet love story felt very real and I found myself rooting for them. I would have given this book 5 stars, but I didn't like the structure of the book. It was told from both the heroine and hero points of view, but then also both present day and past tense. Switching between those 4 story lines got a bit annoying to me, but overall, the book was great. The musical references were a lot of fun and the warmth of the characters quickly won me over.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley. What drew me in was the title and cover art. I haven’t read any books by Tracey until Heard It in a Love Song. I was playing the songs in my head when they were mentioned. Magic Man by Heart and her comparison to Ann and Nancy Wilson is realistic. The lives of Layla and Josh are parallel and intersecting. Being true to yourself, becoming a responsible adult, and loved for yourself are important themes. Friendships and families help both of them grow. This story sucked me in! I highly recommend it!

I adored the author's "Girl He Used to Know" so very much, that I just couldn't wait to get my hands on her latest, "Heard It in a Love Song"... sadly, I feel a it let-down. The "friends to lovers" trope is a favorite of mine, and here we have Layla, a music teacher/musician and Josh, a single Dad... interesting characters. But I really did not care for the "dual time-line" that spent so very much time dissecting their details of both their previous marriages - just too much info there that took away from the "romance angle" story. Nonetheless, it was also a refreshing women's fiction" story. Overall, it was worth the time. Think I will try the author's back-listed "On the Island" soon. My thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for this ARC.

Layla’s and Josh’s stories are ones of love, heartache, betrayal, redemption, and learning about oneself. Each has their own set of baggage when they meet each other. Each needs to figure somethings out. I loved the slow burn build up of their relationship. Their banter is adorable. I liked seeing how marriage separations come in different packages. (Personally, I love that I share a name with a character!)
I did struggle with the timeline jumps of the stories. It works well for the story; it’s just difficult for me to keep the timelines straight. I think it took me longer to read this because the times jumps.
Overall, I highly recommend this book! I can’t wait to purchase a hardcover on release day.
Thank you NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Tracey Garvis Graves for allowing me to read this book. This is my honest review.

This was so boring. Nothing happened and I didn't care about any of the characters. Layla and Josh's past relationships could've been the seed of a compelling romance, but I never got invested.