I would classify this more like women’s fiction, with some slow burn romance. Main characters have a lot of growth and become friends. My first Tracey book, and while I enjoyed the writing, it just took too long to get to what I wanted from the characters.
If you enjoy well written stories that focus on the backstory and growth of a person. I would definitely check this one out.

Heard It In A Love Song is part romance, part women’s fiction. Music teacher Layla Hilding is trying to move on after her recent divorce. She is struggling with acknowledging her past but also allowing herself to have a future.

“Layla had spent way too much time ruminating on the time-machine thing, which was stupid, because time machines didn’t exist and the past was in the past.”

Josh Summers is sort of stuck in limbo while waiting for his divorce to go through, trying not to live in the past but not sure how ready he is to navigate a new reality.

“Now he was a single dad in his late thirties who was starting over, and he felt like a tourist in a strange land trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together.”

It took me a while to get used to all of the ‘flash-back’ scenes that at times felt a bit random and maybe a bit too often.
But I really enjoyed this story.
-4 Stars-

I liked this book - - but not as much as I loved "The Girl He Used to Know". This is a sweet, predictable story with likeable characters. It's enjoyable - but not remarkable.

A sweet, simple love story featuring incredibly likable characters. Their vulnerability and authenticity was refreshing. Two people, each with a past, coming together and learning to trust again. A lovely, sweet, charming story. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I had such high hopes for this since The Girl He Used To Know is one of my all time favorite books. But this one just fell flat for me. I just didn't feel a connection to Layla and Josh. The slow burn was also just too slow.

I really enjoyed the audiobook narration of this book, but overall, the plot felt a little discombobulated at times and I didn't connect with it nearly the way I would have liked to.

I really liked getting to know this book's the two characters — Layla and Josh. Layla is a music teacher and former performer out of a bad marriage and Josh is the soon-to-be divorced father of Sasha, one of Layla’s students. The two seem to have some chemistry and the book flashes back a lot through each of their marriages. It’s a really sweet book but I wish more had happened. It was really just a story on two people fresh out of complicated marriages and not expecting to find anything real.

So so so sad to say that this just wasn’t for me. As much as I’d like to say I was disappointed I couldn’t get into the story, I still appreciate and acknowledge Graves’ wonderful and spirited writing. I loved THE GIRL HE USED TO KNOW, and I look forward to reading more of Graves’ books.

I love a book that grabs me, not letting go until I turn the last page. Heard it in a Love Song from Tracy Garvus Graves held me steady until the final word. Josh's and Layla's journeys were heartfelt and familiar to me or, I'm sure, anyone who has found themselves in the second part of their lives. While these two wonderful characters faced upheaval due to divorces, Heard it in a Love Song is a book for everyone who's found themselves at a crossroad or even just reflecting on where they are on their own journey.

i was very excited about this book. divorced 35 year old who was married to a dipshit? she gets a happy ever after? life moves on? yes please!

unfortunately, it really fell flat for me. i wanted more. i was not emotionally invested in either character, alone or together. i wish it wasn't full of flashbacks. a few, sure, but, i'm sorry - are we trying to fit 3 romances in this book? i did not want or need to see the two people getting together with their exes and then splitting up, just so the main characters can also get together. i wish we'd had less time in the past and more time focused on the present. that, on top of the very, very, very slow burn nature of the romance meant that i never really connected to them or their relationship.

also, something that josh did/said/thought when he went on his first date with a woman really, really, really annoyed me. sure, probably realistic, and not annoying to people who haven't had to date in their 30s/40s. but gah. rage. just the way they talked about dating after marriage/dating at this age was really depressing.

I enjoyed this book & how the characters came off as very realistic. Layla is a fierce woman learning to spread her wings after divorce from a tough marriage. Josh is an everyday man trying to navigate the process of divorce with a child involved. The development of them together & apart makes this well worth the read. Highly recommend this book.

It’s been a good long while since I read a book where I simultaneously didn’t want to stop reading...but also didn’t want to keep reading because then the book would be over. I owe a huge thank you to Tracey Garvis Graves for pulling me out of my colossal reading slump!

Heard it in a Lovesong is a heartwarming, uplifting story about finding a new path in life when the one you thought you were on takes a hard left off a cliff. Both the hero and heroine found themselves divorced, wondering what steps will move them back to happiness. Watching them figure it out together was delightful and sweet.

So often the conflict in romance stories is caused by a perceived incompatibility in the characters' life circumstances (ie one is ready to move on after their divorce but the other’s isn’t quite final), and that’s a realistic issue. But I LOVE characters who don’t spend chapters and chapters lamenting how things aren’t lining up just right for them to be together right now and thus they will NEVER be able to be together. Alas, it’s wonderful to read characters who can be patient and mature and play the long game to be together. No games, no dramatics. Just honesty and openness. I love reading stories about mature people who use their heads as much as their hearts. This couple found a way to live a life that made their hearts sing as beautifully solo as well as when they're a duet. (That was cheesy. Sorry. This story was just begging for musical analogies!)

I can’t express just how much I LOVE Tracey Garvis Graves. Her stories and writing always pull me in and keep me engaged. But I have to agree with several other reviewers - the flashback sections in this book kinda slowed things down. Yet they were necessary to fully understand where Josh and Layla were coming from. I also think I just really, really wanted as much of Josh and Layla as I could get.

TGG is one of those authors I wish would publish books more frequently - her last book was two and a half years ago. But it’s hard to be too disappointed when everything she writes is so, so good!

* thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was such a good book. Layla is an elementary music teacher but she thought she wanted to be a rock star at one time. She's now newly divorced and the back story is told in flashbacks. How she met her husband, Liam, when he came to watch her and her band perform.

Then there is Josh. He is the parent of one of Layla's students and Lyla sees him every morning as she and her fellow teacher are outside trying to control the drop off line.

What starts out as a request of little Sasha for Layla to watch her dog when they go out of town. This becomes a common occurrence and Josh - who is in the process of divorcing Sasha's mom - is attracted to Layla. They eventually get together.

I loved that Layla took the time to figure out what she really wanted in life and ended up really happy for it. Great read!

Second chance romance and single parent trope in one beautiful book. Tracey Garvis Graves is an underrated romance author and everyone should read this book.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book going into it, but I enjoyed it very much!

A book about starting over, taking risks, and second chances, Heard It in a Love Song follows Layla, a music teacher who is recently divorced, and Josh, a parent to one of Layla’s students, also recently separated. Layla also dog sits the dog Josh and his daughter inherited, and through this, texts, and dropping off his daughter at school, they decide to be “friends with potential”. In a world full of dating apps, they are both trying to navigate their freshly single status.

It was simplistically delightful, with complicated characters. I enjoyed all of the main characters, and it was a lovely read. Loved the musical aspect of the entire story. I’d really love another novel with Kimberly’s perspective as well, as she was a great character. I thoroughly enjoyed their stories, and it shows that starting over in your mid thirties isn’t all that bad after all.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ Short chapters. ⁣
◘ It was also on the shorter side and it didn't take me long to finish.
◘ I enjoyed learning more about Layla’s past rather than her present. ⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ The story itself was rather simple. Almost too simple. Two adults going through a divorce. I expected more to happen, more tension, more emotion for Layla and Josh. Very character-driven. ⁣
◘ Not a lot happens. The timeline flip flops from present to past and I definitely had to go back a few times when I realized my confusion meant I wasn’t paying attention well enough. Liam and Josh aren’t similar names but I sure did confuse them multiple times.⁣
◘ I figured there would be some romance. Some steam? It was the epitome of a slow burn, but slower than normal. ⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:⁣⁣⁣⁣
★★★☆☆⁣⁣
This was kind of a bummer. After loving The Girl He Used To Know, I expected 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 romance! I think this was such a realistic story, but I was missing a connection to the two characters. Toward the end, I realized I didn’t care either way if they ended up together. This definitely wasn't the worst book I read, but it wasn't a favorite. I will still buy from TGG always and she'll still be a favorite author of mine. But this one just seemed to miss something and was a bit too simple for my taste. I do think others will probably enjoy it more than me.

I loved everything about this book!
The Characters, the story, the musical references and even the cover.
A really feel good read that was no pressure or expectations.
I like the way it was written with the backstories being italicized and injected at the right times.
My first read from this Author and won't be my last.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press and the Author, Tracey Garvis Graves for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars.

I have loved Tracey Garvis Graves's other books, mostly for the somewhat over the top drama, especially in On the Island. This book could not be more opposite from that - it was hyper realistic, to the point it was almost a little boring. I liked both of the main characters fine, and I liked them together, but there really wasn't any conflict. On one hand, it's nice to see a representation of a real relationship, and I appreciate the lack of forced third act conflict/reconciliation, but it also didn't grab me in any particular way. Basically, this is a simple story about two people recovering from divorce who enter into a mature and healthy relationship with each other. If that sounds like your thing, then you'll probably enjoy this book.

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend to others.

“Heard It in a Love Song”, by Tracey Garvis Graves, is a beautiful story of starting over and second chances. Told from alternating points of view and different timelines, this slow burner reminds us through the twists, turns, and heartbreaks of life, that it’s important to be true to ourselves.

The character development felt real and personal with honest and relevant experiences of life challenges. Music and Minnesota have supporting roles in a way that comfortably resonates.

This is my first read by Tracey Garvis Graves, and I’m looking forward to reading more!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Tracey Garvis Graves for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. ❤️️