Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves

Heard it in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves – 304 pages 

ARC from St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an honest review

Book Blurb:

Heard it in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves created Layla Hilding, who is thirty-five and recently divorced. Struggling to break free from the past—her glory days as the lead singer in a band and a ten-year marriage to a man who never put her first—Layla’s newly found independence feels a lot like loneliness.
Then there’s Josh, the single dad whose daughter attends the elementary school where Layla teaches music. Recently separated, he’s still processing the end of his twenty-year marriage to his high school sweetheart. He chats with Layla every morning at school and finds himself thinking about her more and more.
Equally cautious and confused about dating in a world that favors apps over meeting organically, Layla and Josh decide to be friends with the potential for something more. Sounds sensible and way too simple—but when two people are on the rebound, is it heartbreak or happiness that’s a love song away?

My Review: 4 stars – Guest Review

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Heard it in A Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves is a realistic, well-told, “friends to romance” story, which deals with much more than just romance. I have loved many of Tracey Garvis Graves’ books, especially her last one, “The Girl He Used To Know”, so I was eagerly anticipating this one. The story deals with two people who have recently ended relationships, either through divorce or separation, and are trying to navigate how they want their future lives to look like. As most of this author’s novels, the story focuses more on the heroine, and her search and discovery of the things that bring her joy (in Layla’s case this is her passion for music and performing). 

This is a slow-burn, second chance at love story, but it is not your usual boy meets girl, where manufactured obstacles keep them apart. I love the fact that in this novel there was no over the top drama or gimmicks. The story is told in Layla’s and Josh’s dual points of view. It is also told through flashbacks where both of their backstories are revealed along with how their marriages had failed. The strength of this novel is in the authentic, likeable, vulnerable and complex characters that Ms. Graves is known for creating. Layla and Josh were so relatable and easy to empathize with. I loved them both, was invested in their happiness, and was always rooting for them. The story was quietly told, moved along slowly, and I enjoyed getting to know Layla and Josh, and how their characters and relationship grew as they gradually took a second chance at happiness. This was more contemporary fiction than a romance novel. I thought of it as a coming-of-age story for two adults as they try to navigate their lives after divorce. The author is so skilled with integrating a real-life feel into her stories. The depiction of the disintegration of two marriages, and the pain of divorce were extremely realistic in terms of how the emotional baggage can impact moving forward. The story deals with themes of self-growth, pursuing your dreams, lost opportunities, trust, resilience, the healing power of music, and the emergence of hope.

There were a lot of flashbacks in this book that appear randomly in many of the chapters slightly slowed down the flow of the story. At times, I wished that the story had fewer flashbacks, and focused more on the present day. I understood and appreciated why the author spent so much time on the backstory, in order to show how the characters’ pasts tied into, and affected their actions in the present. The parts of the novel that dealt with Layla’s passion for music and performing were great. The original music and references to bands and musicians were a nice touch. By the way, the cover of this book was spectacular!

This book did not deal with as many complex issues as the author’s last book, but the simplicity, honesty, and down to earth feel of this story was refreshing. I think anyone who has ever ended a relationship and has wondered how to forge ahead will appreciate and relate to the story and characters. Tracey Garvis Graves will always be a “go to” author for me. Review by Guest Fairy Ronna W.

Quotes I liked:

…red flags had a way of looking pink when you viewed them through rose-colored glasses.”

“It was odd how much time you spent getting to know someone at the beginning of a relationship…But you learned a lot more about a person at a relationship’s demise than you ever knew about them at its inception, including how badly they could wound you with their words”

“The first person you get together with after a breakup is like a practice relationship, like a job interview for a job you don’t really want so you can work out all the kinks before the next one.” .

“Sometimes it took awhile to figure someone out even if that person was yourself.”

“…if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”