Beautifully written. What an emotional, touching story. Relatable characters. Story about self discovery after a loss and learning to move on.
I’ve read another book by this author, On the Island, I enjoyed it as well.

Tracey Garvis Graves delivers a story that balances laughter, tears, and hope. It is emotional, heartwarming, beautifully written, with strong character development. I enjoyed the themes of grief and healing, fate and connection, and its use of geocaching as a metaphor for finding purpose through life and grief. Overall, a beautiful story about starting over, and the unexpected possibilities of life.

After discovering that her now-deceased fiancé has a wife and family, Wren Waters needs a reset. She takes a mini-vacation in the Pacific Northwest, planning to geocaching a number of sites. On her first day out, she's accosted by two men who have assault on their minds, and is rescued by another geocacher, Marshall. They agree to form an alliance to help Wren feel safe, and her solo trip turns into one for two. Marshall describes her journey like Eat, Pray, Love with dirt, GPS and skinned knees. Wren allows herself to be vulnerable, and quickly falls for Marshall, who seems to be carrying a load of his own. When she asks him to share, he can't; and it's the end of the brief affair. Eventually, they reconnect, and the narrative switches to email, text, and phone calls. In the audio format, this was an abrupt shift that detracted a bit from the story, as until now it was in Wrens sole point of view.

The character development and growth is marvelous. Graves is masterful at drawing the reader in, setting a scene, and writes beautifully, whether describing National Parks or simple meals or deep conversations. You'll cheer Wren and Marshall on, and your heart will ache as they navigate their baggage.

Spoiler Alert: After accusing Marshall of withholding information and splitting up to go back to her real life in Dayton OH, (highlight to continue reading)Wren learns she is pregnant by her deceased fiancé. When she finally comes clean to Marshall and he invites her back for a visit with her daughter, his grand gesture is a place for Birdie to sleep in his office. "You can tell a single mother that a relationship is real over and over and that you’re all in or you can show her by buying a crib and assembling it, and what used to be your office."It reminds me of the time my now-husband, then-boyfriend, installed a towel bar next to the sink in my galley kitchen, taking care of needs I hadn't even expressed. Grave's writing is filled with such truths.

I received a free advance reader's review copy of #TheTrailOfLostHearts via #NetGalley, courtesy of MacMillan.

I read the ARC for The Trail of Lost Hearts and loved it so much that I wanted to listen to the audiobook and give it a review as well. Nothing has changed for me. I LOVE this book and the narration was perfect. I really enjoy audiobooks with dual narrators, in the voices of the opposing viewpoints. Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me an advanced (even though it's officially out now) copy of this book and audiobook!

So, So, So good! It 1) made me want to start geo-caching. It 2) reminded me why I love the Pacific Northwest so much. and 3) it made me really proud to see a woman stand up and set her bounds and be strong, even when she felt like melting. It was a great read that kept me hooked from the first page.

This was a story about a woman on a journey to find herself and her path for the future after tragedy strikes her life. During her journey she meets a man who, like her, is on his own journey of self-healing. Throughout this book there are a few surprises and a happy ending. I found this book interesting and thought provoking.

I've been a fan of Tracey Garvis Graves for years and one thing I know to expect from her books is lots of emotions. I went into THE TRAIL OF LOST HEARTS fully expecting that emotional rollercoaster, and honestly, up until the first few chapters, I thought I would be in for that. But somewhere along the line this book lets the foot off the gas. While I read it in one sitting and I enjoyed both the main characters, I wasn't invested. My heartstrings were not tugged the way I expected.

This is a sweet story with some emotional up and downs but I wish I could've connected more. One thing is for certain. It did feel real.

I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would based on the cover and the description. Wren Waters had two life-altering experiences and took on the hobby of geocaching to get her mind off of the past. While geocaching on a lone vacation, she runs into trouble. When a fellow geocacher, Marshall, comes to her rescue, the two of them start off on a journey of discovery together. I loved the adventure in this book. The setting in the Pacific Northwest was perfect. I would love to try geocaching one day! Both Wren and Marshall had so much pain and heartbreak from the past yet had so much to give. This was a story about finding yourself, healing from the past, and looking forward to the future.

The Trail of Lost Hearts is a contemporary romance between two people who have faced tragedy. They meet while hiking in the forest. What begins as friendship blossoms into something deeper. Will they be able to overcome their hardships and learn to love again? If you’re a nature enthusiast and you like love stories that are complicated and emotional, you’ll enjoy this book!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🙏🏻

#bookadoration #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booktok #canadianbookstagram #canadianbookstagrammer #candianbookstagrammers #MBbookies🦬 #books #booklover #bookworm #bookish #bookadict #reading #booklove #bookreview #bookrecommendations #thetrailoflosthearts #traceygarvisgraves

This is my 3rd book by this author and while my favourite still remains to be The Girl He Used to Know (that one just really blew me away, especially the ending), I did enjoy this one as well. The dual-narrated audiobook was excellently done and I enjoyed the initial setting and the two main characters. There were many good supporting characters in this one too, and Wren's circle of friends and family were fun to read about (I love a group chat where everyone teases a bit).

I did find the middle dragged a little bit because I wasn't quite sure where the story would go, but I admired the direction the author took with the ending and I don't want to say much for fear of spoiling a couple of major plot points but I do believe readers will either love this one or have mixed feelings about it depending on preference for a couple of tropes. I appreciated Wren's character growth, the mental health representation on the part of both characters coping with different grief journeys and the positive focus on therapy and seeking help.

Mostly, I kind of want to try geocaching now - especially with my kiddos!! I never thought of myself as being a huge outdoors person but I definitely love it now in the last 10 years more than ever.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were a great match for the book. The storyline was both heart wrenching and heart healing at the same time. I loved the author’s writing style and the way she describes everything so vividly. Highly recommend!

I love a book that tugs at my heart strings and also makes me think. Tracey Garvis Graves’ books do both for me. The Girl He Used to Know is a book that I still think about years after reading it and The Trail of Lost Hearts reinforced why I love her books so much. I was rooting for both Wren and Marshall. Both were dealing with a shocking loss and their meeting was more than serendipitous. I devoured their journeys of self discovery and thought the narrators were wonderful.

Wren and Marshall have a lot in common when they first meet. They're both in their mid-30s. They're both successful in their careers. They both enjoy geocaching, which is how they meet. Most importantly, though, they're both suffering from recent life-altering, devastating losses that have left them distrustful about their judgement in their personal lives and relationships. So when they meet, they're at once attracted to each other while also distrustful of their own feelings, and they clearly have some issues to work through. A friendship grows between them, and the story grows from there. Throughout, the reader (at least this reader) is pulling for their relationship to grow and blossom. And we're encouraging each of them to "tell him", "tell her", "tell us!". But the relationship grows and falters in its own time. And I loved it. Graves created two characters that I really liked - they made me laugh, my heart broke for them, they broke my heart. She surrounded them with lovely, (mostly) supportive friends and family. Overall, I just really wanted these two characters to have their happily ever after. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Eric Meyers & Kate Handford, and they did a wonderful job of giving Wren and Marshall just the right voices.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

This is the second book that I've read by this author and her writing is so very well done. The characters meet by chance over a shared love of geocaching. They are complex and navigating some big feels about some recent events in their lives and spending time together is a bit of healing mechanism. These characters are mature and have good communication skills which was so refreshing. I was so proud of Wren taking control of her life and not backing down from anything. If you like heroes that need some TLC, then Marshall is the guy for you. I'm not sure that I've listened to these narrators before but I really enjoyed listening to them.

4.5 stars. This book was so good!! This is about our main character, Wren. Her fiance has just died and left her life in a major tailspin. She finds out more about him after his death that leaves her questioning herself, her relationships and her future. She has a social media job that allows her to work from anywhere so she decides to take a week and go geocaching all around Oregon. She gets herself in a dangerous situation and our main male character, Marshall, rescues her. He is another lost heart. He's lost someone close to him and is struggling so he took a week off to geocache as well. Despite Wren's overwhelming need to push everyone away, they decide to venture out and spend the week together. They stay in separate rooms at hotels, etc. but they go geocaching together. They become friends and eventually more, but I would say this is more of a women's fiction about Wren learning to move on. The geocaching adventure lasts for part of the book, but we also follow them after they go their separate ways and how their paths meet and converge. It has a trope that I love and it was just really good. I thought some of the ending was overly convenient and not great, but overall this is a great book.

















SPOILERS AHEAD: Wren realizes shes pregnant with her ex fiance's baby as soon as she gets home. Her fiance was lying to her the whole time and he had a wife and 2 kids and a whole life without her. Marshall's brother was killed in a gas station shooting while he was in the car filling up so he has a lot of guilt about it. He goes through a lot of therapy and she goes through a lot of self reflection and growth in the pregnancy and eventually they end up together. The part I didnt like is that she goes to the ex wifes house and shows her the baby and basically says our kids need to be apart of each other's lives. The wife agrees and they become friends and it felt cheesy. It also all worked out really well and easy for her to move to Oregon with Marshall with no real consequences or choices needing to be made, but that was good.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"Anger is just sadness coming out sideways "

"Please be kinder to yourself."

There are many words of thoughtful wisdom and kindness in the romantic contemporary fiction The Trails Of Lost Hearts by prophetic author Tracey Garvis Graves.

Wren, 34 years old, has suffered an immense loss that has left her angry, sad and in self doubt, so she tries to get out of her head by taking a plane to Oregon to do a solo geocaching trail. Geocaching is the outdoor activity of using GPS to look for hidden objects. As a homebody this isn't my kind of fun but I get the outdoors helping clear your head. When she has a dangerous encounter, another geocacher, psychologist Marshall, comes to her rescue.

Marshall is dealing with his own devastating loss but he sees the pain in Wren and soon they are experiencing the trail, their finds, and their hearts with one another. But distance, fear and heartbreaking loss keep them apart.

Told mostly from Wren's perspective, voiced by supreme actress Kate Handford (currently starring in the award winning Poor Things), I was thrilled to get a dual point of view from Marshall, portrayed by talented actor Eric Meyers, more towards the end of the story.

This is a beautifully written character driven story about mature adults at a crossroads. Their realistic communication with another, their ability to see the need to heal their hearts before trusting them to someone else again, was a breath of fresh air to hear. It was more romantic than romance. It wasn't about sex, though there are some intimate moments, it was about healing, breathing, and trusting in yourself before sharing a life with someone. It's a trail we all should take before losing our hearts to another.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinion are my own.

Graves always puts her characters in the most interesting situations that are unpredictable. I wasn’t sure where this book was going to go after the first few chapters, then when the twist was revealed, I was pretty shocked! The way her characters have to navigate their way through these uncommon problems is always so fun to watch. This book is filled with so much heartache, and redemption and love. It is a book that is good for the soul! About finding your own way in life, when life has given you more than you think you’re capable of handling. To persevere and find your new normal when your life gets turned upside down. I would recommend for anyone looking for a great read! The narrator’s did such a great job with this book! I listened to it in a day and could have listened longer! It was beautifully done.

The Trail of Lost Hearts is the 10th novel by Tracey Garvis Graves. After suffering a traumatic loss coupled with the reveal of a shocking secret, Wren Waters is slowly digging herself out from under a cloud of despair. With the help of her best friend, hiking, and geocaching, Wren is beginning to see the light. This spurs Wren on to do a solo geocaching trip to the Portland, Oregon area. However, trouble ensues on Wren’s first outing. If it weren’t for the chivalry of Marshall Hendricks, Wren has no idea what might have become of her.

Marshall Hendricks, practicing psychologist, is on his own journey coming to terms with great loss. Geocaching is also his way of focusing outside himself as he tries to heal. Wren and Marshall join forces for safety and company on their travels. Wren completely opens up to Marshall and shares her experiences. However, while Marshall does confide some, he never completely opens up. Even with the attraction that zings between them, after what Wren experienced before she has promised herself she will never settle for anything less than full disclosure again and she wings her way back to Ohio. But that is far from the end of the story!

This is such a well plotted story with extremely well drawn characters. There are quite a few surprises along the journey that add to the heart felt tale being told. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

I love Tracey’s books and they just keep getting better, this story captured my heart completely. Powerful, emotional and moving. I think I have a new favorite from her. All the stars.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for this gifted copy.

Macmillan Audio ALC
I adored this book. It was my first one by Graves, and I’m now so excited to go back and read her backlist. This book was chock full of emotions and characters with depth. I was instantly intrigued by the geocaching plot. This was such an interesting way for characters to connect. I liked how Wren’s story was told slowly through her hike. I appreciated the way she grew throughout this story. I also fell for Marshall. While guarded, I could tell he was one of the good ones. The way these two slowly learned to trust and open up again was vulnerable and touching.
Both of the narrators did a fantastic job. I am so glad there was someone for the Marshall parts when needed. Both captured these characters wonderfully.