HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG by Tracey Garvis Graves is a heartfelt and emotional novel of second chances and finding happiness by pursuing your dreams. Layla Hilding is a recently divorced elementary school music teacher trying to make a fresh start. When she married her ex-husband, Liam, she was forced to put her life-long dream of being a rock musician behind her. Now instead of the live performances that used to energize her, Layla is alone, playing only for herself in her basement studio. Having been burned once, she is reluctant to put herself back into the dating scene. Josh is the soon-to-be-single dad of one of Layla’s kindergarten students. Married for over twenty years to his high school sweetheart, he now finds himself in the confusing and demoralizing world of dating apps. Layla and Josh meet when he is dropping off his daughter and soon they both look forward to seeing each other every day. Can these two lonely and vulnerable people find a way to start new lives as friends or maybe more? As they spend time together, we learn more about both characters and what they’d been through in the past and their present journeys to self-discovery. I so enjoyed the music theme woven throughout the book. This was an engaging and entertaining novel. I look forward to reading whatever comes next from Tracey Garvis Graves. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

Another spectacular book by Tracey Garvis Graves. Learning to love again after divorce, trust again, move on. Layla and Josh's stories are different but so very similar. As someone that's been married for almost two decades, Heard It in a Love Song was so incredibly relatable as well.

Layla and Josh are both starting over after their marriages end. While the circumstances of their divorces may be very different, they are both hesitant to put themselves out there again but neither can deny the attraction they feel for each other. As they slowly get to know each other, each examines their past and has to start re-envisioning what their futures can look like, They are both really strong characters and I love that this book is about their inner journeys with no real drama.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for a Netgalley of this one!
•
Enjoyed: I liked Layla as a character overall. I enjoyed watching her development. The story was a good read and I flew through it in two sittings.

Not so much: The constant dip into the past was a hit or miss for me. I actually enjoyed reading about Josh & Jimmy’s past, but honestly could care less about Layla and Liam. And truly it’s bc that relationship was predictable.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I didn’t love it but I liked it and feel many other people will too!
•

Layla and Josh are both middle-aged and looking for a second chance at love in this book from Tracey Garvis Graves. I really enjoyed The Girl He Used to Know, so I had high hopes for this novel. Unfortunately, I was never able to connect with these characters and did not find the plot engaging. If you're looking for a slow moving read about life after divorce, this might be the book for you. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

{Huge thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress @traceygarvisgraves for this eARC}

📱BOOK REVIEW📱

•𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝙸𝚝 𝙸𝚗 𝙰 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚂𝚘𝚗𝚐-𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚢 𝙶𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚜 𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜
•𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
•𝙰𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎: 𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟷
•𝟺/𝟻⭐️

“𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚋𝚊𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜.”

I think anyone who has ever been married will especially appreciate this book. It’s a tender romance about finding yourself and second chances. These characters are so likable, yet flawed, and you want nothing more than to see them happy. I really enjoyed this one and finished it in a day! Definitely recommend!

I have loved the author’s previous books since her first one, On The Island. The cover is gorgeous and I had such high hopes for this book. For me, it was just a little slow and a little too uneventful.. I will be honest, by the end, it just felt like nothing had really happened. It was a very "normal" story of two people dealing with failed marriages and coming to terms with them but I just felt like it never dived very deep into the characters or had any real climax or resolution. I also felt like the whole music-related premise barely existed. Just when you think it may become a major part of the story and, more importantly, Layla's life, it just....doesn't.

I absolutely loved Heard It in a Love Song!

This was a well written look at life and second chances. I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a romance even though there is a lot about romance in the book. It's more of a look at how marriages can fall apart through neglect or indifference or based on very different attitudes about things. Yes, there is a second chance romance and that is sweet and special, but it's the background and of course, the music, that made this one so enjoyable, in my opinion.

I loved the music references, the descriptions of performing and the club scenes. I also greatly enjoyed the sweetness between Layla and Josh. Of course Norton was just a huge bonus. He was the best!

The story is told in flashbacks and in two different characters' viewpoints. I see a lot of people who are disappointed in this book, but I couldn't wait to start reading again once I put it down and really looked forward to finding out what would happen.

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own and happily shared.

This was my first book by Tracey Garvis Graves, and unfortunately, it wasn’t the book for me. Was it a bad book? Absolutely not! I just found myself struggling to connect with the characters and their stories. That could be largely due to the ever-changing timelines and POV the story was being told from. That being said, if you’re looking for something a bit whimsical and filled with strength, you might really enjoy this one.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second novel from Tracey Gravis Graves, but it'll not be my last.
Heard It in a Love Song has at its centre Layla Hilding, a recently divorced elementary school teacher, a lover of music who comes alive when she gets to perform in front of other people. Layla's quiet life is changed when she gets to spend more time with Josh, the father of Sasha, one of Layla's students. He, too, is a recently soon-to-be divorced man. As the two get to spend more and more time together, they come to see that there's more potential to their friendship.
I don't like reading novels about divorced people, at all. However, knowing that I liked The Girl He Used to Know, I said I'd give this one a chance. The best thing about this novel was the mature, rather slow-paced rhythm of the romance. You can tell it's a story about people in their mid-30s. I loved this aspect very much! Both characters approached the relationship with the baggage of their lives thus far, and were willing to see things objectively, not just through the lens of a new potential romantic relationship. I especially appreciated Layla's maturity and growth when she realised that she'd be OK without Josh, although she had hoped there would be more.
Another thing I liked was the work friendship Layla had with the two teachers at her school. It's always nice to read about teachers and their friendships with their colleagues.
The novel has peppered throughout it titles of songs, as music is a fundamental aspect of the story. I don't recognise many of them, but for music lovers it'd be a nice treat. I think it'd be fun to have a playlist with all the titles.
I recommend this to people who like Tracey Garvis Graves and to people who like music & romance.

Have you ever been told your dreams aren’t possible and believe it? Or used those negative words to prove you can? Sometimes you imagine your life going a certain way with a certain person and when it doesn’t you end up a little lost and desperate to find your way. I Heard it in a Love Song is a story about several people who have been told their dreams aren’t achievable and how they wouldn’t let that stop them from finding happiness.
Layla had dreams to become a music icon and for awhile her career was headed in that direction. She also though she was marrying the man of her dreams but that was an illusion and far from reality. Divorced and working as a music teacher Layla still longs for the days she could sing for a crowd and feel that amazing rush that came from doing what she loves. The man who owns the music store wants to work with Layla and start putting his original work out there in hopes he’ll get noticed as a song writer while Layla sings and gets to do what she loves. It’s slow going but her biggest fan, and the father of one of her students, will change her heart and show her what she didn’t even realize she needed.
I Heard it in a Love Song is perfect for those who dreamed of being a rockstar one day, or those who are a sucker for a good old fashioned love story.

I have been a fan of Tracey Garvis Graves, since I read On the Island years ago. Each of her books are unique, and beautifully written. This one was no exception.

The way this story unfolds, with flashbacks for each of the main characters, created a way for the reader to go on their journeys with them.

Josh and Layla have both come from broken marriages, but we get so much more. There is an abundance of hope in this book. About finding what really matters, about what we really want, what we really love. What makes us happy and full.

I could not put this book down! An extremely enjoyable read, and I look forward to the next book this author writes, whatever it may be.

I chose to read this book strictly because of the title. It is also the name of a catchy tune from 1977 (that I had forgotten about) by the Marshall Tucker Band. Strange reason to pick a book but it worked out well.

The book is about Layla and Josh. The focus of the chapters alternates between the two of them. The chapters are in the present but the present also triggers memories of the past for each one. The format is different, I liked it.

Layla and Josh are both coming out of divorces. The backstories tell what happened to their respective relationships. Layla teaches at the school that Josh's daughter goes to. Because they are both gun shy, their relationship develops at a slow burn.

Josh and Layla are easy to like. Though I don't actually know anyone that I could compare them to, they seem like people I could be friends with. They are presented as “real people” with doubts and insecurities and real jobs (electrician and music teacher) and budgeting issues. It was refreshing to read a book with characters I could identify with. Definitely, a character-driven book as opposed to action or plot driven.

There is a bit of mystery or mild suspense as the story develops. Both of the backstories suggest hurtful breakups leading Josh and Layla to be the cautious characters we meet. It seems they learned from their mistakes in their first marriages.

I loved the strength they gained by the end of the book. I loved how they grew as people.

The author mentioned the Marshall Tucker Band in the Afterward. And, the song, Heard it in a Love Song. I have read the lyrics to the song several times, trying to find the connection to this book. If there is one, I don't get it. But I love the fact the song led me to choose this book. Thoroughly enjoyable.

The only issue I have with the book is the cover. It looks like a cover from the 1970s. I know they say that you shouldn't judge a book by it’s cover. But, often, the cover is what draws me to a book. In this case, it was the the title. But, perhaps, the cover was chosen because Heard it in a Love Song was from the 1970s. Either way, I’m happy to have read the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I took a chance on Heard It in a Love Song when I requested it because I loved Graves' novel, On The Island so much. I am a huge music fan, and the cover of this book just gave me bohemian, Stevie Nicks, Woodstock vibes for some reason. However, I wasn't a big fan of this novel. I found myself getting very bored with the story, so much so that I started skimming the chapters. I didn't really feel a connection to Layla or Josh. When I do read romance, which is not often, I love to feel the angst and developing passion between the main characters. I just did not feel this between Layla and Josh. I did love the mentions of many songs by my favorite artists/bands from the decades, but I just could not connect with this story. It was a just a tad too predictable for me and meh. I'm sorry to say that I just give this one 2.5 to 3 stars.

I can not recommend this book enough! I read Heard It in a Love Song in one day. This book is one of best books of 2021.. I appreciate net gallery and selected publishers for this early copy

I loved this book! A story of love, loss, and what could’ve been if different choices had been made in the past. But what about the present and the future? This was an easy to read, page-turning book about second chances and sometimes even third chances. Thank you to #NetGalley for this requested ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an eARC of Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
4 stars! I enjoyed reading about Layla and Josh. The story is told in both past and present, so you get to know the character's backstories. The cover is stunning as well. Highly recommend!

Sighhhhh, I love TGG’s books. She’s a master of slow building emotions and interesting, right in the feels, real stories.

Layla, recently divorced and a music teacher at an elementary school is reminiscing about her glory days in a band, right off of college. Shooting for stardom but mostly enjoying the live crowds. Her marriage didn’t turn out to be her fairy tale dream relationship, but instead a passive aggressive, might I add somewhat abusive emotionally, husband that just didn’t have the same wants as her.

Josh is a single, almost divorced dad to Sasha, a little girl in Layla’s music class. Sasha grows a little attached to Layla who makes her feel more at ease in the new environment, and the two adults begin a relationship as friends who just want someone to hang out with, a companion with no expectations.

It’s clear to all that expectations are slowly building, as is an attachment that basically transmits straight from the words on the page and into the readers heart, the unfulfilled tension between them. It’s slow building, it’s tender and it makes even a reader who’s not in a similar situation, identify emotionally with the feelings.

Exes and other factors are making things difficult, naturally. Close friends are helping with unconditional support. A plot that ties together in a splendid, heart-clenching way.

I always feel like I’m a part of a best friend’s life when I reading any of Garvis Graves’ books.

I already can’t wait for her next release.

Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance adjacent
Warnings: divorce, infidelity
Steam: 1/5
Tropes: second chance romance, friends to lovers, single parent

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Heard It in a Love Song will be published on November 2nd.

I have heard so many positive reviews of this book, I fall somewhere in the middle. I didn’t hate it or love it but I did like it. This was my first Tracey Garvis Graves book, I have a few of her others in my TBR so I was excited to get this ARC and can't wait to read her other books.

Here’s my hold up, I was about 75% in and wondering what was the actual plot, we got dragged down with flashbacks from the past (which were a lot) and I wish I had more time with the couple. This wasn’t a romance, this was a love story and a story about two people navigating life after divorce and figuring out their identity. So go into this with that in mind!

Things I loved: I genuinely liked the characters. I liked how their relationship evolved, it felt really natural and you could feel them making a connection. I did like how they were reflective on the past and were learning from those experiences, growing and figuring out who they wanted to be. They were in their mid-to-late 30s! I loved the morning drop off antidotes. The online dating was so relatable and funny to read about. We did get some Daisy Jones vibes will all the music and I loved seeing Layla do that for herself again.

Things I didn’t care for: Some of the mini conflicts with their former spouses in present day. Too many flashbacks for my liking and they didn’t always add value.

I really love Tracey Garvis Graves and when I found out that she had written another book, I was thrilled when I was able to receive an arc of it. On The Island and The Girl He Used To Know, both blew me away.

I really enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it. It felt slow at times and I wanted to be more invested in each of the characters than I was. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never really did.

Do I think this is a bad read? NO! It shows you how life can go so unexpected and how life can change in an instant. I also think this gives insight into life after divorce and how much of a struggle it can be to find yourself and move on from past relationships.

Good book, beautiful cover!