Tracey Garvis Graves never disappoints, and The Trail of Lost Hearts was no exception. It was a beautiful and sometimes sad romance about experiencing immense grief and coming out of it on the other side, learning how to work through the pain and discovering that trust others with your broken heart can be truly healing. The twist at the beginning was shocking and I did NOT see it coming. Now I want to try geo caching!

34 year old Wren sets out on a solo trip after the loss of her fiancé. She heads to the Pacific North West to do some geocaching, where she happens to run into Marshall, a fellow geocacher, on the trail. Marshall is amidst his own grief journey, after the loss of his brother and dissolution of a six year relationship. Despite her initial hesitance, they end up traveling together for the week and develop a friendship/romance along the way.

I loved this story. I was so excited when I started reading and Wren was a geocacher! Geocaching is such a fun way to get outside and explore! It's free and takes you to some amazing sites along the way. Wren and Marshall have both been hurt in the past and their past relationships have made them hesitant to be vulnerable to someone new. They are able to help each other heal from their past traumas and now know what they need to be successful in a relationship.

4-4.5 stars

Sometimes in life we experience the "wrong place, wrong time" moments. Those moments where if one thing had been different, tragedy might have been avoided.

Wren and Marshall are no strangers to this, both having experienced loss and the grief, doubt, and guilt that can follow. Their chance meeting could be the antithesis to the above notion that has plagued them. What if they were put in each other's life in the right place, at the right moment?

I really enjoyed this book. Straddling the line between contemporary romance and women's fiction, this book was hopeful and optimistic and healing.

Wren could be symbolic of any woman and her experiences were unfortunately relatable. I loved how Marshall was the healing balm she needed to start shedding her spiky outer protective layer. Marshall was a gem, but most of all he was a good listener, a selfless person who was good to his core. Working through his own trauma, we sort of glimpse the difference between men and women and how they handle and work through grief.

I enjoyed the characters growth and evolution throughout the story and was left with a feeling of felicity upon finishing. I did not realize the On the Island easter egg so I'm gonna have to ponder some to see if I can figure that out! Would recommend for those looking for a more mature/uplifting read!

Don't let the cover for this one fool you, it's amazing. TGG books are so addicting and the characters are so real and you feel like you know them! I laughed, I cried, I rejoiced and was sad when it was over. I hope this one gets all the hype it deserves, i can't wait to recommend it.

The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves
Narrators: Eric Meyers, Kate Handford
Rating: 4.5 stars
Steam: 1 chili
Pub date: 3/26

Still reeling from not one but two shocking revelations that completely upend her life, Wren decides to take a trip and do some geocaching on her own. She almost immediately gets into a frightening situation but is saved by Marshall, a fellow geocacher and psychologist who is also traveling alone.

This love story of companionship, adventure, and healing took me completely by surprise. Graves portrays Wren and Marshall as flawed yet endearing characters, making their journey together feel genuine and relatable. There were quite a few twists I didn’t see coming, and my heart was pounding during a few suspenseful moments.

While the story tackles themes of grief and healing, it never feels heavy-handed. Instead, Graves delicately explores these topics while infusing humor into the story to keep things light. Wren and Marshall are both mature in age and emotionally, which is refreshing and sets this one apart from most romance novels.

I also listened to this on audio, and Kate Handford does an incredible job with the narration. There are a few interludes with Eric Meyers, but Handford narrates the majority of the book.

Overall, this is a captivating and uplifting read that will resonate with anyone who appreciates a tender romance with substance. I enjoyed my journey with Wren and Marshall and I’m looking forward to whatever Tracey Garvis Graves does next. I highly recommend it to those seeking a heartfelt story with a sprinkle of adventure and a dash of romance. Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for my digital and physical copies, and thank you to Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook.

Read if you like:
*Wild by Cheryl Strayed
*geocaching
*older MCs
*friends to lovers
*mental health rep
*a few open door scenes
*single POV

A heartfelt romance from the ever-talented Tracey Garvis Graves, dealing with themes of grief and rebuilding after loss, The Trail of Lost Hearts is another five star from one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The Trail of Lost Hearts is a wonder novel about two heartbroken people coming together and helping each other heal. I’m not going to lie I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. I read the whole book in one sitting. I feel it could help many people who are trying to heal from a painful experience.

But let’s talk about geocaching. Before this book I have never even heard of it. Looked it up and thought my daughter would love it. So yesterday evening my daughter and I found our first cache. Thanks Tracey Garvis Graves for introducing us to geocaching.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy for my honest review.

I read Heard it in a Love Song last month by the author, so I was excited to read The Trail of Lost Hearts. I loved it so much!! I read it in one sitting, could not put it down. Five big fat stars. The characters, the emotions, everything - absolutely perfect!

Wren has recently had a couple of events and revelations her personal life that have completely shattered her emotions and her trust in her own judgement. To get her out of her grief, her best friend drags her out on a hike where she discovers the sport of geocaching, searching for caches that others have hidden, sometimes in plain sight, other times requiring hikes and other outdoor activities to get to. In order to start rebuilding her faith in her own abilities, she decides to take a solo geocaching trip in Oregon from her Ohio home.

Right away, she suffers a scary incident out on a hiking trail, but this leads her to meet Marshall, a local therapist who also loves geocaching and has his own reasons for wanting to get away from his life for a bit. Marshall suggests they team up, and in spite of Wren's general wariness, she does some research, determines that Marshall is trustworthy and agrees to join forces with him for the week of her vacation. For Wren, it starts to seem like the universe really is sending her exactly what she needs as Marshall helps her move forward on her healing journey. Unfortunately, the more she moves forward, the more clear it becomes that Marshall is completely stuck and unwilling to take his own steps forward.

This was a quiet and lovely book about healing, and rediscovering love and joy after your faith in humanity has been shaken. Marshall and Wren were both sincere and likable, the kind of people anyone would be happy to be friends with. I loved that they were both in their 30's and acted like it. They thought before they acted, and were were able to communicate honestly even though Marshall was resistant to opening himself up. Also I felt like the book spanned a long enough period of time that their healing and their HEA was realistic. I'm very glad I was given a chance to read this. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I loved this book! What a beautiful love story formed from two people overcoming loss and finding each other. I felt so many things while reading this one and the ending was perfect. I love this author and look forward to reading more from her.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Y'all.

My love affair with Tracey Garvis-Graves's writing goes back a long way. But this? This was something special. There were a lot of reasons I was prepared to not connect with The Trail of Lost Hearts. Stories revolving around grief can be a challenge for me - often I find that the heaviness of grief weighs the book down and leaves me feeling too sad to really enjoy it. I can't stress enough: that is not the case here .

Garvis-Graves infused some sort of magic between these pages. This story was told so carefully, with such warmth and gentleness, I was drawn in immediately and fell deeper and deeper in love with these wonderful characters the further I went.

Let me be clear: I ADORED MARSHALL AND WREN SO MUCH.

SO. SO. SO. MUCH.

I don't know how Garvis-Graves managed to give me two emotionally unavailable characters, and still make them so warm, loving, and likeable. I don't know how she managed to turn a story about grief into something that felt a lot like hope and joy and beauty. I don't know how she managed to take this big story (so much bigger than a romance) and still pack it full of sizzling chemistry, and an ever-sparking slow burn. I don't know how she did any of these things - but she did them, and I enjoyed every single moment spent with these characters I came to love so dearly, in this story that completely stole my heart.

I am already missing the warmth of this story, and the joyful company of Wren and Marshall. The Trail of Lost Hearts was an effortless five-star reading experience for me. This is the kind of book magic I find myself chasing every time I crack a new one open. I adored this story, I adored these characters, and I cannot recommend the reading experience highly enough!

An enjoyable but emotional read, the story of Wren and Marshall who meet after both experiencing loss. Looking forward to more from this author.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmilliam Audiobook for the advanced copies of The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves.

This book is about two lost souls finding love again in a beautiful book. The dual narration of the audiobook was wonderful and helped bring me more into this story.

Wren has just had two life-altering blows and is finally getting on the other side and starting to relive her life again when she discovers geocaching. She decides to take a week-long geocaching vacation in Oregon as a way to take back control of her life. She meets Marshall, a psychologist overcoming his grief and guilt, while on the trail in her first spot and he comes to her rescue so they decide to travel together. Over their few days together, their friendship starts to deepen over the week but what will happen after?

This was a beautifully written book about grief, with a few emotional punches and seeing two people sharing and coming together. I loved that both of these characters were in their 30s. I liked the first half of the book more and while I understood the second half storyline, I didn't like how it played out as much.

I do recommend this book, especially the audiobook. It was complex but beautifully written!

This was a quick and enjoyable read but not my favorite by her. Both Wren and Marshall have heartbreaking events happen to them and both are still reeling when they meet geocaching on the Oregon trail. An event binds them but will it be enough?

Wren and Marshall are both grieving. When the universe puts them in the same space, they almost immediately face a scary situation that results in them forming a bond. Geocaching has brought them to the area, and they decide to work together and, along the way, begin to work on healing from their grief. This was a sweet story that was not predictable, but was heartwarming and simply wonderful! I especially loved the ending!!!

When's life falls apart twice, once when she receives a phone call telling her her fiance is on life support after a car crash, and again later that evening when his wife shows up. In her grief, she starts geocaching and meets Marshall, who is also grieving.

4.5 stars

My love for Tracey goes back to On the Island, and I have read every one of her books since then. I know her writing will be spot on, good and relatable. I always breeze right through and want more at the end. And honestly, The Trail of Lost Hearts was all of these things. When I got to the acknowledgements I was expecting another chapter, so I’m bummed about that. But honestly, the ending was perfectly fine. I just wanted more!

I would recommend any of Tracey Garvis Graves books, especially this one that releases on March 26!

***Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published March 6, 2024.

This is my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was immediately engaged because the main character Wren was geocaching in Eugene, Oregon. As a native Oregonian I love that this book took me to many of my favorite spots: Crater Lake, Tumalo Falls in Bend, Lost Lake near Mt. Hood and of course Portland.

But besides the geographic references I loved that both Wren and Marshall were dealing with grief in their own way. It’s not your typical rom-com due to the issues they were both facing (no spoilers here!) but they were able to help each other heal.

I love the cover and I discovered a new favorite narrator: Kate Handford.

There is a really funny line about “crrinkles and sprinkles”.

“I’m happier when my birds are here in the nest.”

The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves is a new book coming out next month. Tracey Garvis Graves is a new author for me. I found her writing and storytelling wonderful. The characters she wrote were multifaceted and interesting. I loved hearing the main character’s voices as the story moved on.

The Trail of Lost Hearts was a wonderful story of loss and and found. Both Wren and Marshall have suffered a loss when they first met on a hike for a geocache. Wren was in an unsafe situation and Marshall saved her. They decided to hike together to find the other geocaches. Marshall and Wren found a rhythm to hiking and each other. Wren was able to start her healing journey, but Marshall seemed to be stuck. Marshall and Wren’s story continued after the hiking was complete and their tentative relationship grew slowly as they started to find their new life.

The Trail of Lost Hearts was a good read. Wren’s philosophy of “If you pay attention the universe will send you exactly what you need.” made the book interesting to me. I found the plotline did have some unexpected twists, which added to the interest level. Despite the tragedy around both of them, the book is hopeful and uplifting. The Trail of Lost Hearts is a book I would recommend.

4.5 stars!

I am a huge fan of Tracey Garvis Graves, and was ecstatic to receive an early copy of The Trail of Lost Hearts. As expected, this book was hard to put down. I flew through the short chapters and was swept up in the budding romance between Wren and Marshall. There were a lot of surprising twists throughout, that kept me engaged. I rooted for Wren as she dealt with unexpected and difficult events. I didn't think I would enjoy a story so focused on geo-caching, and I learned a ton about the activity! What a great read!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.