This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend to others.

“Heard It in a Love Song”, by Tracey Garvis Graves, is a beautiful story of starting over and second chances. Told from alternating points of view and different timelines, this slow burner reminds us through the twists, turns, and heartbreaks of life, that it’s important to be true to ourselves.

The character development felt real and personal with honest and relevant experiences of life challenges. Music and Minnesota have supporting roles in a way that comfortably resonates.

This is my first read by Tracey Garvis Graves, and I’m looking forward to reading more!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Tracey Garvis Graves for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. ❤️️

Heard It in a Love Song is a low-drama romance, that is sweet all around. It's all about finding trust and love again after failed marriages. I really enjoyed how this book is written - it takes you present and then to the past to get the backstory of each characters.

I absolutely loved “The Girl He Used To Know,” so when I saw this on NetGalley, I immediately requested it, and was so thrilled and thankful to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for approving! This is amazing, and so much more than a second-chance love story. It follows Layla, a recently divorced music teacher, and past rocker chic, -and single parent Josh, who’s waiting on paperwork for his own divorce from his high school sweetheart. They meet at Josh’s daughters school drop-off every morning, where Layla is her music teacher. A friendship blossoms that has them questioning if they’re ready for something more, or is it too soon. They both have the same thoughts about not jumping in to a relationship too quick the second time around. With their lives starting over post-divorce, both are coming to terms with their new independence, being alone and for Layla, -finding what she wants most in life. I enjoyed the flashbacks of Layla and Josh’s previous relationships, and the references to musical lyrics and bands that put me in mind of Daisy Jones and the Six. Not to be missed!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Tracey Garvis Graves for the ARC!

This was a cute read, but not really what I was expecting. I have a read a few of Tracey’s previous books and loved them. They were great romances! I felt like this book was much more depressing. It leaned heavily towards the story of the past and how the two main characters, Layla and Josh ended up divorcing from their previous partner, as opposed to the storyline of the present, where Josh and Layla are dating. Although there was lots of backstory and character building, I just didn’t really care about either of the main characters so wasn’t really rooting for their relationship.

All in all, this book was okay, but not great. I will still read more of the authors books in the future, but this one just didn’t do it for me.

Well. I loved this.
Was it Women's Fiction? Or a mature romance?
No idea, but I liked it a lot.

This was obviously somewhat of a slow romance thingy, especially since it's not really a typical romance at all. It's a real life story. A find-your-happiness-again-after-divorce book. Find your joy in life again. Find your passion for life again. And then ... then maybe finding love again - but the forever and ever kind this time.

I really loved Layla and Josh and the kid and the dog.
They would be such an amazing family - but of course it might take us a little while to get to that happy end.
They all have a lot of healing to do.
But the reader loves being part of that journey!

What bothered me a bit at first - and which always bothers me in books - are the going-back-in-time chapters. No idea why I don't like those. We need to know what happened in their pasts, but it always stops my reading-flow of current events. I want to know what happens now and what will happen in the future - I don't want the past to get in the way of my enjoyment of the love story!
But anyway - it wasn't too bad now that I'm done with the story. 🤣

And another tiny little thing. The cover is super beautiful... but... Without reading the blurb, I would expect some kind of hippie, Woodstock, drugs, music romance set 50 years in the past. And we get the music parts, but there's only a tiny amount of seventies music - these are eighties/nineties kids. I think the cover is a bit misleading. I would've loved to get that same woman but sitting with a guitar in her lap, photographed from behind with some fairy lights and a glass of wine next to her. That would've been Layla.
But pffft - what do I know - the cover is so pretty and the story was beautiful too!

I also wouldn't mind if Hollywood would come and made something out of this book.

HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG was such an amazing life + love story! A book so full of real life and music and healing and loving. Just beautiful! READ IT!

The quick shifts of timelines in the chapter kind of is off putting. I think personally I would like to have chapters of one timeline with that person then ahift after the chapter is finished. It feels very broken up. However I am interested in both timelines which sometimes I feel like I only am drawn towards one.

Giving me all the Fleetwood Mac feels and once again reliving my childhood dreams of being a singer. I also tried to pick up the guitar a couple years back, I sucked. Not musically incline over here but I’ll live vicariously through Layla.

When I finished this book I just hugged it. Everything about this is so beautiful. It’s a beautifully written story about finding yourself again after divorce. Finding love, and happiness again. Seeing a future when there didn’t seem to be one. I loved every second of this book.

I’m not often brought to tears but this one did. It just filled me with hope and love for the characters in the book.

BOOK REVIEW: Heard It In A Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves

Most Anticipated Books of 2021

Tracey Garvis Graves always delivers a wonderful story that transforms what could be a light contemporary romance into an exploration of why we do the things we do... Especially when it comes to love... Made even more interesting with dual narrators and dual timelines giving it an "he said/she said" insight as well... T.I.M.E. Jalapeno Rating: 🌶 (Very Mild Spicy)... ✨😎✨

Pages: 296
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Sub-Genre: Second Chance Romance Books | Divorce Fiction | Books About Music | Steamy Romance (Very Mild)
Time Period: Contemporary
Location: Minnesota (Rochester)

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: Songs In Ursa Major by Emma Brodie
Movie: Begin Again

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

The writing and the storyline are very beautiful in this one, just like this AMAZING cover! I would definitely say this is more women's fiction with romance, rather than a romance. (which isn't really my thing). I would definitely recommend this to readers like women's fiction!

I appreciate that a Tracey Garvis Graves book always puts a different spin on romance. I enjoyed the slow burn love story with a single dad and a newly single woman who is figuring out what she wants from life and romance. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance ecopy.

Every time I see a new book is coming out by Tracey Garvis Graves, I just get excited. And then on top of that, this has one of my favorite covers of the year! I couldn’t wait to start reading it. Ms. Garvis Graves certainly delivered a book that I couldn’t put down.

Told in dual timelines, we get to meet our main characters Josh and Layla. Both currently divorced. Layla used to be an aspiring rock star in a band waiting for their big break. Now she teaches music instead. Josh married his high school sweetheart and built a life for his family, improvising along the way. Now, he’s a single father sharing custody of his daughter. Both are maybe ready to look for love again. But is it the right time and have they learned from their past mistakes?

I really liked both characters a lot and I enjoyed seeing their journey’s in the past and now. From where they came from to where they are. I especially wanted Layla to go for her dreams and I think this was handled in a great way in the end too.

There’s something a bit more subdued and less flashy about this story and it didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment of it. I read this in one sitting. While I still consider this a women’s fiction novel, it does have a substantial thread of romance that will keep romance fans happy. This one is perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Sarah Jio.

New day. A new review. I’ve been busy over here which means I’m not posting 🤦‍♀️ I need to get back to it. #hearditinalovesong #traceygravisgraves is a story about a woman who is recently divorced. Lives alone. Used to be a singer in a little band. Then she met someone who charmed and dazzled her. Now she’s a music teacher at an elementary school. Slowly coming out of the divorce fog. Where she meets Josh. His daughter. And. His soon to be ex-wife. It’s a beautiful story about love. Heartache. Heart break. And. Where life takes us. I really enjoyed this one. #netgalley #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #netgalleyarc #read #bookishfollowloop

Heard It in a Love Song is a wonderful story of a woman coming into her own. I really enjoyed the characters and the slow burn romance. I related to Layla so much. Morning duty references were very accurate. This is a great addition to the author’s works. Thanks St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

An interesting read surrounding the lives of two heart-broken characters, who each are trying to find their way after divorce or seperation. Layla is recently divorced and a music teacher, with dreams of making it big in the music industry. Josh recently seperated from his high school sweetheart is coming out of a 19 year marriage. These two have plenty of baggage, and it will take time to sort through all that baggage. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read, and would recommend it to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Oh man, this kind of story is my favorite trope. I love me a good second chance at love. I feel like those are the most authentic love stories, and Tracey did not disappoint with that in this book. Just like her previous book I read, “The Girl He Used To Know”, he characters are so well developed and multi-layered. It’s always such a joy to read her books because of that. While their love story was a slow burn, I felt it completely necessary in this book. What I did struggle with, and tend to do so in many other books, is the alternating chapters between the character’s viewpoints. It wasn’t as seamless as I had hoped it would be. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book.

Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves is a love song in itself to second chances.

Layla Hilding knows what it's like to fall in love with a man and to fall in love with a passion. Playing music for an audience is what fills her heart, but time and circumstance took her away from her purpose.

In finding a friendship with one of her student's parents and a bit more, Layla is able to find her voice again and prioritize what makes her happy. What's best about this book is that Layla leads with what makes her most fulfilled - with her heart and her music.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This book is going to be hugely popular. Sweet story. Great writing. Solid plot and character development. A steady, slow-burn romance. But I thought it was just ok. This was my first book by this author. I’ve read such rave reviews about her previous work that I expected to be really wowed by this one. I think “fine” is the word I’d use to best describe it. It didn’t evoke any strong feelings for or against it. At just over 300 pages, it felt like a much longer book to me.

Two recently divorced characters find their way to each other. There were a lot of flashbacks of their previous relationships, highlighting why their marriages didn’t last. It’s a story of self discovery and second chances at love. Fans of happily ever after stories will love this one.

What I like most about this was how the relationship between Layla and Josh moved at a slow realistic pace. They were smitten but it wasn't some wild burning sexual story, but a relationship that grew and developed naturally - both giving time and import to the place they were in in their lives and the experiences that brought them to the present. This is second chance at love and happiness for both and you'll want it as much for them as they do themselves.

Layla used to be a guitar playing singer in a band. They played at a local pub for several years. She later married Liam, finished college, and now teaches music in an elementary school. After some years, Layla and Liam divorced. While he made good money over the years, he always spent too much of it leaving their finances uncertain at times. Layla could no longer live with that.

Josh is an electrician and in the process of getting a divorce from Kimmy. They have a little girl named Sasha who is a new kindergarten student. Josh and Kimmy share custody of her. Sasha enjoys the music she is learning from Layla. Layla is fixing up her home and made a music studio in her basement where she can play and sing all she wants.

Josh has met Layla at school and sees her when he drops Sasha off for school. When a customer of his passes away, Josh adopts the man’s dog, Norton, because Sasha has been asking for a dog and Kimmy is allergic. A couple of times, Josh asks Layla to dogsit and she is happy to do so. In return, he has done some electrical work for her in the house she has recently bought. They soon become friends.

This story explores the ups and downs of marriage and the things that can happen to bring a marriage to an end. We see characters who are hesitant to allow a new person in their lives because they know how tenuous a relationship can be and they don’t want to make a mistake. Josh and Layla are a couple who have taken their time to get to know one another and hope they can have a solid future together. The book is nice and if you enjoy music and are up-to-date on various songs and musicians, I’m sure you will enjoy this one. I guess one needs to be a big music lover and perhaps the victim of a failed marriage to really “feel” this book. For me, it was just rather vanilla.

Copy provided by the NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I don't usually love a mostly character driven novel, but this is an exception. While I would have liked to see a bit more of Layla trying to live her dreams, I was ok with the path we took with this story. I loved the characters and really wanted the best for them. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I recommend for fans of The People We Keep.