Embark on a journey with Wren and Marshall, two individuals burdened by their painful pasts, as they seek solace, affection, and reconciliation. While I found their story compelling, an intangible element needed to be included, like a puzzle piece left out. Despite anticipating an emotional rollercoaster, the experience fell somewhat flat, failing to fully engage my emotions.

Nevertheless, the unexpected twist in the latter part injected a delightful charm into the narrative. However, the rapid progression of Wren's pregnancy felt rushed, throwing her character development off balance. Wren undergoes a significant change as she transitions into motherhood, yet exploring this transformation feels lacking.

Similarly, Marshall's journey toward healing is well-portrayed, but his decision to commit to Wren and her child feels somewhat underdeveloped. While the ending wraps up loose ends adequately, it leaves me wishing for a more profound resolution, a deeper dive into their journey of growth and love.

I enjoyed reading this book for many reasons, one I have geocached for a lot of years, and as I read the story, I kept saying I can relate to this, it is like the universe is in control here, which I love when it does it for me, and two lost souls meet, and begins the journey the universe is giving them.
The journey they are on, they know how the other is feeling because of the loss they each have. It is going to take courage to make it through the grief, but these two lost souls, might just make it by working through it together.
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley, and I want to thank Tracey Garvis Graves for writing the story, it uplifted me, reading this book, because if you trust the universe it will bring you exactly what you need.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Trail of Lost Hearts is the first book I’ve read by Tracy Garvis Graves, but it won’t be the last. A poignant, beautiful written story about two people piecing their hearts back together, while trying to recover from their own grief checked all the right boxes.

Humor, heart, heat and real raw feelings written so wonderfully, shown and not just told was what I was craving after several books that didn’t feel quite connected to the reader’s heart.

Definitely a recommended read and I’m off to find some more backlist titles to devour in one sitting.

The Trail of Lost Hearts is a combination of romance and a woman's journey of self-discovery. The story starts with Wren in the Pacific Northwest, doing a geocaching trip after losing her fiance. A brush with several men with bad intentions leads to a rescue by Marshall, and the two decide to partner up during the remainder of Wren’s trip. The two have an immediate chemistry, and Wren finally finds someone that she can talk to about how complicated the situation was with her fiance. But Wren isn't the only one grieving; Marshall lost his younger brother in horrible circumstances. As happy as Wren is during her time with Marshall, she decides she isn't willing to pursue a relationship with him if he can't be open with her about his loss. So she goes home only to realize that there's an even bigger surprise about to change her life. This makes the book feel a bit disjointed, because it completely pivots the book in a different direction than the first half of the story. I ended up enjoying it, and Wren and Marshall’s story isn’t over. Wren has a lot to deal with in this story, and it’s often messy, but Wren is a character to root for that has learned to respect herself. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: women’s fiction
Setting: Oregon, Ohio
Format: 📖
Release Date: March 26, 2024
Length: 304 pages

This is my nineth book by Tracey Garvis Graves and The Trail of Lost Hearts in my opinion is her best and my favorite work of hers to date. I loved everything about this story.

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

*Wren Waters life was going great; her social media business was successful and allowed her to work from anyplace, she was engaged to a wonderful man and had supportive friends and family. Wren was living the dream when her universe fell apart, when two gut wrenching events sent her life into turmoil, deep in grief and heartache and destroying her trust men. With the help of her friend Stephane, she realizes how much she missed the outdoors and discovers geocaching.

During her first planed geocache solo trip to Oregon she meets up with Marshall Hendrick. Marshall is psychologist, he is handsome, charming, a kind man that comes to Wren’s rescue. And when Marshall proposes that maybe the being a geocaching team would be fun and safe .. Wren agrees. Little does Wren know that Marshall is harboring his own guilt and grief, that he too is suffering from a major loss in his life.

Will each finally discover who they are and what they want the rest of their life to look like? Will Wren and Marshall be able to help each other to overcome some mayor hurtles on the road to healing and self-discovery?

Tracey Garvis Graves writes this beautiful and emotional yet hopeful story about two brokenhearted souls and their fight to heal, overcome grief, guilt, and hurt to attain the life they both wanted and deserved. Each character has their own inner journey and treat each other with patience and respect. I especially loved Wren’s discovery that the path to her heart was with honesty, tenderness, and respect for herself to not settle for not anything less that she deserved.

Thank you, Tracey Garvis Graves, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on March 26, 2024.

Was really excited for this one and It did not disappoint! This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

4.5 stars

Ugh. Love is an understatement. This book was beautiful, and felt like it could just cure any broken heart. Wren is lost in life and dealt a horrible hand when she decides to go on an adventure. A sort of eat pray geocache scenario. She meets Marshall on the trail and they help eachother with just about everything. Marshall is the definition of a mature self aware man. I love Marshall! I love this story and I love the ending!!

Thank you netgalley for this earc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness, what an absolutely beautiful story. I felt like reading it healed a piece of my heart and I loved witnessing Wren’s beautiful journey to heal her soul, while loving Marshall who did the same. It was just such a romantic, captivating, and moving story and I am so sad that it’s over! The audiobook narration was also excellent!

“Anger is just sadness coming out sideways.”

Wren has had a real shitty few months. After she gets blindsided with two traumatic events, her friends push her to get out of bed and back to living. When she starts geo-caching, she finds she really enjoys it and decides to take a trip to the PNW. After running into Marshall during a very scary encounter, the two decide to team up and travel together. Both have things they are running from, and the sparks start to fly, but can they share their traumas with each other?

So if you told me I would love a book that is a lot about geo-caching, I would have questioned you. But love it I did! The traumas that both Wren and Marshall had faced were absolutely heartbreaking, and I can’t say I wouldn’t have been in the same position as them had I gone through those things. I loved the somewhat slow burn of their relationship and how it grew over the book. That said, I was 100% with Wren when she left to head back home. This book threw out a few things I did not expect, but I enjoyed every second of it!

The story grabbed me right away, as Wren gets herself into a sticky situation almost immediately. Thankfully a knight in shining…errr…ummm hiking boots saves the day.

It was fun to see the relationship in the book develop and to see the characters grow as individuals because they are both processing some serious trauma.

I didn’t see the stuff with Wren coming but it def tracked after seeing how she was treated by a certain male character. It made me so mad.

I was absolutely invested in the story and attached to all of the main characters.

Also, now I want to go geocaching. I downloaded the app and everything.

The Trail of Lost Hearts surprised me right off the bat. (This is what happens when I don't read blurbs because I like surprises.) The premise is simple: Wren, at age 34, is healing from the death of her fiancé, but her grief is complicated by his betrayal, which she only learned about after he died. She finds herself in Oregon, on a weeklong solo geocaching trip in an attempt to jumpstart the healing, but on her first trip out, she barely escapes a violent assault, thanks only to a fellow hiker who jumped in to help. Marshall is dealing with some grief of his own, and he suggests they team up for the week--for both safety and companionship. A friendship blooms on their road trip around the pacific northwest, and before she flies back home to Ohio, it turns into something more.

That's only the first part of the book because once she returns home, she's faced with another life-altering predicament and romantic entanglements take a backseat. Eventually, though, they do reconnect, and the ending is utterly sweet and tender and worth the wait.

This is a SLOW BURN. And it's closed door. This is definitely less of a romance and more an exploration of grief and loss and love and how they're all connected. But it's so beautifully written and super tender. Tracey Garvis Graves hasn't let me down yet; all her books are absolutely wonderful.

My mom's best friend actually went through a situation very similar to Wren's in her thirties, and it was devastating for her--like Wren, it was difficult for her to trust in the aftermath of such a total deception. I feel like Tracey did a phenomenal job of holding space for her characters to process their emotions.

Kate Handford (and also Eric Meyers) delivered a great performance. The audiobook was a great way to experience this book. (Even if I was maybe crying in my car. No biggie.)

Just finished reading Emily Henry's Funny Story, which is a book about second chances, and I'm so happy to read yet another well done second chance romance. Being a PNWesterner myself, I loved reading about the main leads' outdoor adventures. Really fell in love with the setting and the love that is so apparent (both romantic and platonic) in this story. Highly recommend!

The Trail of Lost Hearts is my fourth book by Tracey Garvis Graves. The first two, On the Island and its novella Uncharted, were amazing five star reads for me. So much so that I started buying her backlog and couldn't wait to read them all. I began with The Girl He Used to Know but it just didn't do it for me. Like to the point I was like are we sure this is the same author?! I was hesitant to try more but the blurb for this book really caught my attention so I decided to give it another go. So glad I did! This one is a winner!

Wren Waters has been dealt some earth shattering news & is having a bit of an eat pray love moment and can't get off the grid, and as far from reality as possible, quick enough. She has picked Oregon and geocaching as a means to leave it all behind and test her limits. Solo. It doesn't take long for things to go haywire when she encounters two men who seem to be on the hunt for much more than a cache in the middle of nowhere. Enter Marshall Hendricks. Marshall is also running from grief, also geocaching, and just so happens to be in the right place at the right time. A knight in hiking pants, if you will. The two quickly bond over their similar situations and decide to turn their individual solo trips into a week long buddy adventure. In doing so Wren slowly feels herself healing...and Marshall becoming more closed off. But the undeniable connection is there. Can these two help heal each other or is the pain so deep that it can't be healed without hurting others in the process?

This book packs punch after punch of emotional blows, but somehow remains positive and hopeful in the process. I felt like the pacing was perfect. Nothing felt forced or over the top dramatic. Just two lost hearts looking for a soft place to land...and heal. The story is told primarily by Wren so I was excited when we got a glimpse of Marshall's POV, via electronic correspondence. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. 4 adventurous, emotional, raw, hopeful stars.

I can always count on a Tracey Garvis Graves book to be something I'll enjoy and read quickly and this book was no exception. I thought the strong focus on personal growth and healing from horrible grief was a real strength of the book. Seeing Marshall and Wren go from total strangers to friends who confided in one another (sort of...) to lovers was really special. Overall, I felt like the first half of the book was stronger than the second. The second half brought in a trope I don't love - while it had a unique twist in this instance it's still not my favorite, and I found some of the MC's decisions questionable as well. I was still rooting for everyone's happy ending!

Bonus points for so much outdoorsy content and a unique focus on geocaching, something I've never seen in a book!

Tracey Garvis Graves has done it again!!

I have read several of her books at this point, and this one might be my favorite one yet. She always creates books with unique situations and settings (much of this one centers around geocaching in Oregon), which I am always eager to dive into head-first. The characters in this novel are both flawed and relatable, there is realistic and funny dialogue, some unexpected twists, and ultimately, you find yourself cheering for the ending both of these people deserve. While I would say this book falls under 'romance,' it also deals with some heavy topics, and I liked the depth that brought to the story.

I also want to give a shout-out to whoever designed this cover. It's cute and also grabbed my attention. I like the contrast of color to black and white in it. It feels perfect for this story ... things are not often black and white or as they might initially seem.

Read this book if you like: romances that aren't cheesy, stories that have an outdoorsy element, books set in the Pacific Northwest, stories that read quickly (I read this in two sittings)!

4.25 stars!

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and provide my honest review. All opinions are my own.

When Wren’s fiancé dies she heads out to Oregon to go hiking and find herself. There she meets Marshall, a psychologist looking for his own distraction.
✅ read if you liked eat pray love or wild
✅ she’s 34, he’s 36
✅ her fiancé died and she’s out in Oregon on a trip to essentially find herself
🌶️: yes, right about the halfway point

This is definitely more woman-centric fiction and a story about grief and life after loss than it is a romance. It’s a beautiful book, and I hope you will read it.

✅Skyline Chili shoutout. No I’m not making this up.

The Trail of Lost Hearts is the story of Wren Waters and Marshall Hendricks, two people who find each other amidst their own personal tragedies on a geocaching trip in Oregon’s Cascade mountain range. TTOLH is primarily told from Wren’s POV, however, a large portion of the second half of the book is epistolary, so we get Marshall’s POV as well.

I really liked that the conflicts that Wren and Marshall face are not with each other, but within themselves. Wren is struggling to come to terms with a profound loss that leads to a blindside betrayal and if that’s not enough, she’s hit with yet another life-changing revelation. Marshall is also dealing with profound unexpected loss.

Wren’s name is very apropos, at one point she say’s “I feel like the bird I was named after. ... the wren is a harbinger of spring and rebirth. I am being reborn. I am beginning to soar.” She also cries a lot, so Waters tracks (haha). Even though Wren and Marshall are both dealing with very heavy emotional trauma, TTOLH is a story of self-(re)discovery, hope, personal growth and moving forward.

Wren firmly believes “that if you pay attention, the universe will send you exactly what you need.” If you are looking for an emotional, character driven story the universe is telling you to read The Trail of Lost Hearts. It might just be the sad yet uplifting story you need right now.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC of The Trail of Lost Hearts.

Having recently finished “The Trail of Lost Hearts” by Tracey Garvis Graves, I am happy to have had the chance for the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!

I’m so happy to have been able to read this story, cuddled up in my comfy chair while Mother Nature had frozen fun outside. I settled in, ready for a love story, but this was so much more. Geocaching took me away on a unique adventure with this amazing healing of the heart(s) tale! Do I know anything at all about geocaching? No, absolutely not. Am I interested because of the information that I learned about the sport in The Trail of Lost Hearts? Definitely, yes!!

It’s always such a bonus when I learn something new while taking myself away between the pages of a book for a while. This story had outdoor adventure, a beautiful setting in the PNW, heart-break and also heart-healing of the best kind. Starting off along the trails of Oregon and then heading back to Ohio, was a journey that I’m so glad to have taken; and also, learned from.

Dear Netflix, I am sincerely begging you to adapt this book into a movie because it is just pure goodness, and I loved reading it. Filled with adorable moments of romance and friendship, The trail of lost hearts had me squealing and swooning at every page.

This storyline ebbed and flowed in a good way. The plot started strong with Wren and Marshall, then fell back a little bit to be more introspective as Wren got back to her new normal. The ending was beautiful, as was the character development, especially pertaining to Wren.