Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves was so good! I loved the writing and characters; it felt like a character study of real people with real-life problems and complexities which is one of my fav tropes. It didn't have senseless misunderstandings, unnecessary angst, or 3rd act problems like many romance novels but instead, it boasted a character study of what life looks like for complicated adults in complicated situations and I loved it. The narrator and audio were spectacular! This was my 2nd Tracey Garvis Graves book and she is quickly becoming one of my favs. Oh and that cover.... come on! Just gorgeous!

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I loved this! I alternated between the audio and book format and both were excellent. I love a story with a slow build. Multiple POV and timelines made this multi faceted. Just a great story. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review.

I really really tried to like this one. The main character just wasn’t for me.

The story was a little slow for me too. Maybe if I was in the mood to read this one I would have liked it, but I just found myself struggling to get through it.

This was just ok to me. I found myself bored with both Josh and Layla. It was hard for me to stick with this book, and in the end was glad when it was over.

This was a boring, unsatisfying audio book. I could not handle the narrator. Or the plot. No twists that were amazing.

I just realize that quite a few books that I’ve reviewed other places and thought I included here as well, haven’t been reviewed here. I apologize for the delay. This isn’t normally my kind of book, but I just felt like I should give it a try, and I was so glad I did! I was captivated early on and read it very quickly. I already recommended it to my followers and I feel I will include it in an end-of-the-year round up, as well. Thank you so much for the advanced copy!

The narration was wonderful! The story was an adult love story and I think everything you would expect from that, messy, unsure, and bringing in the past because you can't avoid it when children are involved.
It is easy to pick up and put down, not a book that you feel you can't put down though. Overall good read! As an educator, I would not use it for any of my courses but as a reader, I enjoyed it overall.

What a book of pure pleasure. Nothing earth shattering but a book of two people starting again and finding their way.
This is an adult love story. Layla is divorced, feeling burnt out and empty and yet music is in her soul, she is currently teaching.
Josh is in the middle of a divorce, He's a single dad, and there is a dog too! Why do animals bring such heart to a story.
As they two become friends, we see there is something growing. This love story isn't full of extra garbage, it feels mature and the joy it brings just feels so good.

Tracey Garvis Graves is an author I'll keep looking for. I enjoyed her previous book, The Girl He Used to Know.
Andi Arndt is the narrator and she did a wonderful job of capturing the characters in this book She has quite a nice library of books she's recorded, definitely a narrator I'd like to listen to again

This was a cute love story that took some time to get into. I enjoyed the characters, but felt there was some unnecessary details in this book. The audio was good and the narrators helped me enjoy this book more than I think I would have just reading it.

3.5

Layla is recently divorced and living on her own for the first time in years. Having previously given up her dreams of singing in order to appease her husband and do her part in the marriage, she's trying to get back to who she was before. In the meantime, she's teaching music to grade school children and refurbishing her new home with a place to play music.

Josh is recently separated from his wife whom he married when they were still teenagers. They share a young daughter. It's been so long since Josh has been single that he doesn't really know what it is he wants out of his changed life. The main thing is that his daughter is well cared for by both her parents.

Josh and Layla meet in the drop-off line at his daughter's school. Turns out, Layla will be her music teacher. There's an attraction that comes with meeting another single 30-year-old. But neither Josh nor Layla knows what they would want out of a new relationship. Starting out as friends with the potential for something more, it quickly dawns on both of them that there's more here than just friendship. But are they building something that will last, or only rebounding?

First off, Andi Arndt is a narrator that I've listened to previously, but I didn't immediately recognize her voice. I thought it was an interesting decision to have Arndt voice both Josh and Layla instead of split into dual narrations. I think this kept things more consistent throughout the story, and if I'm being honest, I was much more drawn to Layla's journey of finding herself, and I think Layla is a little more front and center in the story as well so I think choosing her "character" to take the lead so to speak makes sense.

The story itself moves at a languid pace. Honestly, I started this book months ago, set it down, then only recently picked it back up to finish it. It's not that I didn't like the story or wasn't pulled in, but it's certainly the type of story that you can take your time on reading and, like me, even set aside for a bit, but still come back to and pick up right where you left off with no problems. You cannot do this with all books.

I feel like the romantic elements of the story are just the tip of the iceberg. What I really think this book deals with is two people finding their sense of self after the breakdown of a marriage. How marriage comes to define us, but what happens to who we are when that marriage doesn't work?

I like that both Josh and Layla are in similar circumstances although not everything about their marriages is the same. The story switches between past and present oftentimes abruptly, but ultimately I felt like Tracey Garvis Graves handles this relatively well giving a pause before either Layla or Josh begins to reminisce. It's through these times that we see the build-up of how both Layla and Josh's relationships ended.

I don't know that the slow build was necessary. There weren't really any huge revelations. Instead, it's a story of two people who want to find themselves again after the dissolution of their marriages. Whether or not their include each other in that quest is to be found.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I think I enjoyed Graves's previous book A Girl He Used to Know a little bit more.

The author has such a captivating lyrical prose that is so smooth.
If you enjoy Woman’s fiction, you will enjoy this one

I listened to Tracey Garvis Graves's The Girl He Used to Know a few years ago and enjoyed it. The cover of HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG immediately drew me in and I was hoping it would be similar to Daisy Jones and the Six with its focus on music and love. It wasn't similar to Daisy, but it was a story of finding oneself again and returning to our passions, and figuring out what we want and what makes us happy.

It took me a few tries to get into this book, but once I was invested in the characters, I wanted to keep listening. This was a solid three stars for me. I enjoyed it, but I didn't feel a deep connection to the story or feel that all issues were explored as much as I would've liked. Particularly, I felt like there was a lot of explanation of people's feelings and not so much showing how people felt or reacted to things. Would recommend to readers of character-driven stories, people who love music and the music scene, and people who want a story about loving again after broken marriages.

The audio worked better than the physical book but still just felt slow and plodding and pointless at points. Still disappointed with the overall execution of the writing itself.

Tracey Garvis Graves is such an amazing author! I knew I was going to love her newest book just as much as the last one I read. I was so excited to read this one. I couldn’t put it down once I started it! I loved how the story was told through music and flashbacks from the characters. It was such a great and realistic story. I highly recommend checking it out! It was really great on audio as well.

This is a well-written novel with good character development. The author gives us the backstories of the main characters lives by alternating stories from their past with stories in the present - Great way to get to know them. I loved the incorporation of the love of music into the story - the idea that a rock musician can also be an elementary music teacher adds fun to the story. This is an enjoyable and entertaining read!

I really enjoyed this look at relationship after divorce. The dichotomy of Josh and Layla's past relationships was thought provoking and really made me take a look at my own marriage and the dynamic between my spouse and I. I will say the flashbacks were sometimes hard to follow, but overall a pleasant story.

Thank you to #netgalley for an advanced listening copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I will be honest, it took me a while to get interested in this book but I am so glad I stuck with it! You have to pay attention when listening or reading this book because in this middle of a conversation the main characters will suddenly fade off into “memory land” and be telling you a story about what happened in the past. Those stories help explain who the current characters are and why they behave the way they do. I do admire Josh for standing his ground at the end with his wife.

Don’t you love it when a book is relatable? I was a bit of a disaster after going through a divorce and facing the idea of dating again. In this novel, Layla and Josh are both in that situation and I felt it with them, especially Josh as a single parent, and thoroughly enjoyed this story.
Have you read it yet? What did you think?
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This was the first book I’ve read by Tracey Garvis Graves. I’ve had a couple of her earlier books on my TBR list for a while now, but something shiny kept distracting me from getting to them. I’ve moved them up on my priority list after reading Heard It in a Love Song.
Going in I wasn’t sure whether it was actually classified as a “romance”, and at times I was tempted to check on that, because as I listened to this audiobook I was really pulling for the two main characters, Layla and Josh, to find their way to happily ever after. But I refrained, because I wanted it to unfold as written, and it definitely could’ve gone either way. We learn about their respective pasts in flashbacks - occasionally it was a bit disconcerting as their memories would kick in. But their past relationships and heartaches definitely inform their present feelings about love and commitment and how each of them wants - needs - to live their lives. It was a nice journey, past and present, that Graves takes us on with this book, and I look forward to reading more of her novels.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Although I am more of a historical fiction reader then a romance/ women's fiction book reader, I was totally attracted to the cover of this book, so I was thrilled to receive a copy of Heard it in a Love Song, to review. Also, I read Tracey Garvis Graves" previous book, and really enjoyed it, SO,I was not surprised, that I loved this story!
Add it to your list if you are interested in reading about how people move forward after the trauma of divorce. Author Tracey Garvis Graves does a great job and narrator Andi Arndt brings the story to life!! 5 stars!!