I was attracted to the cover of this book and then got invited to read it, so decided to take the plunge. This is a story about a young woman rebuilding her life after a devastating shock and loss. She throws herself into an activity called geocaching, an outdoor recreational activity, sort of a treasure hunting game, where you use a GPS to hide and seek containers along with other participants. She travels to another state on this quest and randomly interacts with a guy who is also dealing with trauma and loss and its resultant grief. Ultimately, through another potential calamity on the geocaching trail, these two collide and wind up teaming up for a week on the geocaching quest.

As the story unfolds, they slowly share the details involving their grief, find solace in each other, but have to decide if they have long-term potential as they live in different states and still have emotional growth to navigate. When Wren returns to her hometown of Ohio, she is immediately met with a further life-altering complication. Wren is a pleasing character, a young woman who has the strength to confront some very hard life events, self-supporting and independent, intelligent and strong- but never afraid to cry.

This was a low-key work of fiction employing topics that pull on the heartstrings. It was a quick, easy, and enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves, out 3.26 this will be one you want to add to your TBR for sure!

Wren Waters life threw her two curve balls on the same day, and she was plunged into grief. Grief for what she lost and for the life she thought she would live. She finally stumbled an activity to her her out of bed and outside, which eventually led her to Oregon on a search to find a piece of herself. Marshall Hendricks is also grieving, and looking to find a new normal, after a traumatic event. After bumping into each other they decide to team up and hike together, not knowing they will be exactly what the other needs.

By the synopsis I wasn’t sure what I would think going into this book. But man, I absolutely loved Wren and Marshall. I found myself wanting to hug each of them and just listen to their stories. Their story didn’t feel rushed or out of place, the way it unfolded was perfect. I loved the realness of it all.

My only wish, that it was longer. I didn’t know it was the end until I saw the acknowledgements page sneak up on me. I would love a sequel, an epilogue … anything to continue the story.

Thank you St Martin’s Press for this eARC copy to read and review.

The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves
Narrated by Eric Meyers; Kate Handford

When Wren Waters and Marshall Hendricks meet each other on an Oregon trail, each has recently suffered enormous tragedy. We learn of Wren's first and her tragedy has changed the way she sees the world. She can no longer trust a man, she's determined to survive on her own, she wants to need no one ever again.

Marshall's tragedy comes out slower and actually takes some searching by Wren to uncover more than the very basics. Wren feels like Marshall is holding back and because of what has happened in her life, Wren almost kills their burgeoning relationship due to the demands she puts on Marshall. But then circumstances have Wren holding back from Marshall, too, and she hypocritically justifies it. I guess I spent much of the story not feeling too happy with Wren's POV, because she expects so much more of others than she is willing to give herself.

But overall, I liked the slowness of this story and how it is given time to develop. The characters are given time to feel what needs to be felt, to get the help they might need from the places that can help them. After their first meeting and their fling/hook up/whatever it is while knowing each other for just a week, pulling back seems like a really good idea, and not a good time for Wren to put demands on a guy she has just met. BTW, this is very much an open door no holds barred fling in that first week, for those who like things spicy.

I was able to both read the ebook and listen to the audiobook. I love the title of this story and it especially hit me at the very end of this audiobook, when the music plays at the end of the story. Kate Hanford does the majority of the story narration and she does a great job. When Eric Meyers does his part, it's very meaningful because we are getting at what the character of Marshall has not been able to share earlier. I like how the story goes and even accept that Wren's gut instincts might have led her to a good place in life, after an incredibly not so great year for both her and Marshall.

Publication March 26, 2024

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I wanted to love this book but I just solidly liked it. It has a lot of great elements, and the way it approached grief was very realistic and tender. I thought it featured at times very good communication and expression of feelings between characters.
However the characters never came to life for me. Wren was almost too reserved and inside her head. I wanted more emotion between the characters. I wasn’t sold on the major story change more than half way through either. I’d give this book 3.5⭐️

Tracey Garvis Graves is a special author. From her firsts words you are sucked into the story and its characters. This is such a sweet story and I couldn’t put it down. Thank you for this opportunity to read this book. I highly recommend it!

The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves
Standalone Women's Fiction/Romance, Release Date: March 26, 2024
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy for review purposes. Ana’s Attic accepts no compensation for reviews, and all reviews contain my honest opinion. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

“Anger is just sadness coming out sideways, Wren.”

The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves is a crossover between women’s fiction and romance. It’s the story of Wren, a remote social media marketer in her thirties who has just lost her fiance and had even more devastating news delivered with that blow. After mourning her life for too long, she discovers geocaching as a way to get out and hike with a fun goal in mind.

Needing more time to heal, she flies to the Pacific Northwest to go on a solo geocaching trip where not only will she find the caches, but also hopefully find herself. There is one particular cache she really wants to be the first to find, so when she meets a nice fellow geocacher on the trail who asks to team up, she turns him down. A few hours later he rescues her from a very dangerous situation, sadly proving that it’s just not safe for a pretty woman alone.

Her rescuer is Marshall, a psychologist on his own healing journey. Though her trust in men is nil, Marshall rescued her once, and given his career he is easy to talk to, so they team up to find more caches, traveling around the Pacific Northwest together.

The best part of this story is Wren’s growth in figuring out her own self-worth. This wasn’t just a love story with another person, but one with herself as well. She started so down on herself and by the end, she was brave and confident. I loved that for her.

"The heart wants what it wants, and hope is one hell of a drug."

The first half of the book was unputdownable and had great pacing and detail that kept me riveted. The second half had a twist that just changed the pacing so much it was jarring. The focus shifted from her and Marshall to the twist and then the whole thing was more generalized and then just resolved quickly.

“Rob showed me what a selfish man looks like. I’m grateful that Marshall constantly reminds me what a selfless man looks like. What a shame it would have been not to have the opportunity to see the difference.”

Likes:
•Truly wonderful writing.
•Mature couple who have had life experiences.
•The amazing character growth.
•The geocaching scenes and scenic descriptions of the PNW.
•Heartbreaking at times while still being hopeful and heartwarming.

Dislikes:
•The second half twist changed the whole pacing of the story.
•She kept a HUGE secret for months.
•I never really loved Wren.
•Wrapped up too quickly.

The Down & Dirty:
The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves was a 5-star read for the first half, but the second half had a twist and I didn’t love how it changed the tone of the book, then a rushed resolution. Still, it was emotional and heartwarming, beautifully written, and had wonderful character development.

Rating: 3.75 Stars, Almost closed door.

The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves
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There’s just something special about Tracey Garvis Graves’ writing that’s hard for me to put into words. She wrote one of my all-time favorite books, On the Island, and though I didn’t love THE TRAIL OF LOST HEARTS quite as much, I still really enjoyed the romance of this book and the way TGG has of taking a love story and “zooming out,” so you can appreciate the whole thing rather than just a moment in time. That’s the closest I can come to describing what makes TGG’s books stand out for me.

Wren is on a solo trip to the Pacific Northwest, where she plans to do some geo-caching. She’s working hard to pull herself out of a depression sparked by heartbreak and tragedy. That’s when Wren meets Marshall, a psychologist that’s getting over heartbreak of his own. Wren is cautious with her heart, but eventually, sparks start to fly. However, that’s just the beginning of this story.

Wren and Marshall - and some of the other peripheral characters - sometimes came off as a bit too perfect, and there is a trope here that I normally don’t love, but TGG does a beautiful job of making it un-yucky. This is a sweet read that will leave with all the feels!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an early digital copy of THE TRAIL OF LOST HEARTS in exchange for my honest feedback.

Women’s fiction is a genre that has my whole heart. The Trail of Lost Hearts was a deeply moving read about a woman mentally recovering from a sudden tragedy and navigating the complicated feelings that transpire after death when there is unresolved emotions. I love me a good grief story and this one really set itself apart from others. I also really loved how the romance was a subplot that took a backseat to the MC Wren’s growth. This one had a trope I’m not particularly fond of it but it actually worked incredibly well here so I’m not going to mention what the trope is, as to not deter others since I think this deserves a chance. Speaking of romance, the love interest Marshall is TOP TIER folks.

I found this very comparable to Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center, but more serious and less romcom (though Wren is a clever character and I found her witty inner dialogue very charming). Highly recommend to fans of books like Marian Keyes.

Wren is struggling with the death of her fiancé and needs to get away. She flies to Oregon to go hiking, where she meets Marshall. For safety reasons, Marshall pitches her on them teaming up to travel and hike and geocache together. Wren is skeptical at first, but finds she enjoys Marshall's company. Will they be able to open up to each other and learn to deal with the traumas they're both reeling from?

I am not a hiker, but I enjoyed the scenery and especially the look into geocaching in this story. I loved that they dealt with deaths in a positive way forward and even though I didn't completely love the main character, Wren, I liked this book. This one is a little Wild/Happiness for Beginners.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Such a sweet and heartwarming story! Wren and Marshall find each other by pure accident on a Pacific Northwest trail while both out geocaching. Both of these lovely humans have experienced major life traumas that they are each working through. What starts as a distrustful partnership grows into so much more. I really love reading stories set in my neck of the woods and I enjoyed the whole premise of using nature as a healing tool. I loved all the characters and watching them grow through the past traumas while keeping up with the curveballs life throws into the mix. This is my first book by Tracey Garvis Graves, but it won’t be my last! She writes a women’s fiction story with so much warmth. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 26,2024

I loved this book! It was so emotional and raw; diving deep into the emotional journey that both Wren and Marshall were on when the universe threw them together! Their independent stories were devastating, but their healing and their path to finding each other was beautiful! I loved every moment! I truly loved Wren's strength and perseverance. Marshall was also a very strong personality and had a healing heart and character (even though he couldn't quite see it for himself), that ultimately spoke to Wren.
I really enjoy the writing style of the author, this is the second book I've read of hers and I can't wait to read more!!

This was a perfect no frills romance, that was just the right amount of heart wrenching. I would recommend it to my family and friends who are looking for a love story that is more serious than funny/cheesy.

The emotional intelligence of the characters really made the plot shine. Hello characters that are self aware and don’t make me want to talk some sense into them. Hello MMC who is a psychologist!!! But who also let the FMC have her space and did not try to over analyze her.

At some point near the middle I was not sure that it was really going anywhere, but boy did it go somewhere. What an emotional twist, that really takes the reader even deeper into the character’s emotional turmoil.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you Tracey Garvis Graves and St. Martins Press!

“Grief is a bill and until you pay it, life puts a lien on everything else.”

Such a beautiful story of love after loss and the pain of grief. Marshall and Wren come into each other’s lives for a reason. Both are striving to move beyond devastating tragedies. Their chance meeting on a trail in Oregon while both geocaching will set into motion the beginning of the healing process for both of them.

Deciding to team up together after Wren encounters some trouble on a hiking trail, a friendship forms between the two grieving characters. Wren will learn to open up and disclose her feelings and Marshall will be a safe and kind shoulder to lean on. But Marshall doesn’t give Wren the same open honesty as he still finds it hard to talk about his struggles.

As the two part ways in Oregon, Wren goes home and has to face another challenge in her life. Through emails and texts Marshall begins to open up to Wren and this is how his healing process begins. But things have changed, life has gotten a bit more complicated and it is questionable if they can find a trail that leads them back together.

I really enjoyed this story and the journey both Wren and Marshall take together and most importantly, on their own. This book is filled with heartbreak, emotion and love as two lost souls learn to live fearlessly.

“It’s like the rusty gears of my life have finally started moving. It feels good.”

This was a story about healing oneself. Both Wren and Marshall have experienced something that has caused them to question themselves. In an effort to move forward, they each went on a geocaching quest.

Wren and Marshall enjoy geocaching because they love the outdoors, the hiking, and the challenge of finding the cache. It also provides them with the opportunity to be alone and think about all that has transpired. In a twist of fate, their solitude is what ended up drawing them together, and together is how they were able heal, although not without some bumps in the road along the way.

I liked that Wren and Marshall were able to help one another, but ultimately, they each healed themselves.

It was fun to read about geocaching in this book. I used to geocache, but it has been many years since I have done so. It almost inspires me to get out there and go again. Perhaps I’ll meet my own Marshall!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The Trail of Lost Hearts” is the story of Wren and Marshall, two brokenhearted people who meet while geocaching in Oregon. Set on a solo quest, Wren initially rejects Marshall’s attempt at hiker small talk. But when Marshall saves her further down the trail, she is grateful and agrees to partner up with him to find more geocaches. The two set out on a geocaching adventure in the Pacific Northwest and quickly bond over their similar situations.

This was my first Tracey Garvis Graves book, and I will definitely be reading more! The first half of the book was my favorite. I really enjoyed Wren and Marshall’s hiking adventures, and I now want to try my hand at geocaching. Their relationship was believable, and it was refreshing to read about two characters who seemed so genuine, with real problems and flaws. Their healing journey was very touching and made this story a tear-jerker. After their hiking expedition ends, the story takes quite the turn with a huge and unexpected twist. I did not like this half of the story as much, but I cared so much about Wren and Marshall that I kept reading. Overall, a heartwarming and emotional story with excellent character development, a fun plot, and a picturesque setting.

And this is why we should never judge a book by its cover!! 👏🫣🤪

I’m officially a big TGG fan!! Her stories are just so emotional + beautifully crafted and this is no exception! 🥹

✨two wounded hearts coming together
✨the ULTIMATE character growth
✨geocaching! (I had no idea this was a thing - super cool!)
✨later in life characters (I feel like everything I read is characters in their 20s?)
✨MATURE ADULT COMMUNICATION - we love to see it!!
✨overcoming grief + anger

I don’t want to say too much about the plot but if you’re looking for an emotional + inspiring romance that’s more than just a romance - put this release on your radar!! 🫶

I'm a fan of TGG and this book didn't disappoint. I wasn't sure if a romance set in the realm of geocaching would hold my interest but it definitely did. Loved the PNW setting and found the characters and their relationship to be really relatable.

I have many mixed feelings right now. I LOVED the first half of this book. I was all in on Wren and Marshalls relationship, their journey, and the growth and pain each was going through. And then...my least favorite trope happened. I will keep this all spoiler free, but it really just ruined the book for me. Not to mention Wren keeping it a secret from Marshall after she complained about him being secretive?? Girl, what?? It was enough to really just taint the whole thing. And then it was all too easily resolved afterward. Definitely had to suspend my disbelief on this relationship. Overall, honestly, probably just a 2.5 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Tracey Garvis Graves for an advance copy of The Trail of Lost Hearts in exchange for an honest review. My god you guys, this book was everything I wanted and more & I can’t recommend it enough! First off, the theme of geocaching is something I’ve never seen in books so that was super fun! Wren was the perfect main character and we followed her through so much (grief, loss, gains, etc) in this book. I also absolutely adored Marshall and how their paths intertwined. You absolutely need to get this book on your radar and pre order it, I’m definitely adding a copy to my library! You can pick this one up on March 26th!!

Both Wren Walters and Marshall Hendricks are dealing with life altering events. When Wren
meets Marshall on her sol geocaching trip, they join forces and continue the trip together, Along the
way, both start to deal with what sent them on this road. While Wren is willing to talk about what
happened, Marshall is still closed off. They part ways but keep in touch. Will they have a future together?
Touching story.
#TheTrailofLostHearts #NetGalley