Can’t Wait Wednesday: THE TRAIL OF LOST HEARTS by Tracey Garvis Graves
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about. It is a meme that I have loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.
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My selection for this week is THE TRAIL OF LOST HEARTS by Tracey Garvis Graves. I always enjoy reading this author’s books, but I especially love them when I’m in the mood for a heartbreaking but hopeful read and it sounds like this one will definitely deliver in that respect.
THE TRAIL OF LOST HEARTS by Tracey Garvis Graves
by St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: March 26, 2024
New York Times bestselling author Tracey Garvis Graves takes readers on a life affirming journey, where two lost souls find the unexpected courage to love again.
Thirty-four-year-old Wren Waters believes that if you pay attention, the universe will send you exactly what you need. But her worldview shatters when the universe delivers two life-altering blows she didn’t see coming, and all she wants to do is put the whole heartbreaking mess behind her. No one is more surprised than Wren when she discovers that geocaching―the outdoor activity of using GPS to look for hidden objects―is the only thing getting her out of bed and out of her head. She decides that a weeklong solo quest geocaching in Oregon is exactly what she needs to take back control of her life.
Enter Marshall Hendricks, a psychologist searching for distraction as he struggles with a life-altering blow of his own. Though Wren initially rebuffs Marshall’s attempt at hiker small talk, she’s beyond grateful when he rescues her from a horrifying encounter farther down the trail. In the interest of safety, Marshall suggests partnering up to look for additional caches. Wren’s no longer quite so trusting of the universe―or men in general―but her inner circle might argue that a smart, charismatic psychologist isn’t the worst thing the universe could place in her path.
What begins as a platonic road trip gradually blossoms into something deeper, and the more Wren learns about Marshall, the more she wants to know. Now all she can do is hope that the universe gets it right this time.
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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂
Top Ten Tuesday – Books I Meant to Read in 2023 but Didn’t Get To
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Books I Meant to Read In 2023 but Didn’t Get To. This topic actually made me chuckle when I saw it because I actually have a list of 50-60 books I meant to read last year but couldn’t fit in. The ones I’m sharing today are books that I’m most hoping to get to sometime in the next few months.
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Books I Meant to Read In 2023 but Didn’t Get To
1. DIVINE RIVALS by Rebecca Ross
2. THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES by Suzanne Collins
3. INDIGO RIDGE by Devney Perry
5. HOME FRONT by Kristin Hannah
6. THE HOUSEMAID’S SECRET by Freida McFadden
7. THE WISHING GAME by Meg Shaffer
9. ROCK BOTTOM GIRL by Lucy Score
10. THE CONNELLYS OF COUNTY DOWN by Tracey Lange
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What books are you hoping to read soon that you didn’t get to in 2023?
Romance Review – THE BREAKUP TOUR by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka @berkleyromance
The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka Also by this author: The Roughest Draft
Published by Berkley Books, Berkley Romance on January 23, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka are one of my favorite author duos. I really enjoyed the realistic and angsty vibes of their last two adult romances and so was curious to see what they would do with their latest novel, The Breakup Tour, which I’ve seen described several times as being perfect for Swifties. How intriguing is that?
Riley Wynn is a rising star in the music industry, who is catapulted to mega-stardom thanks to her latest album, which chronicles all of her relationships which have ended in breakups, and especially thanks to its unforgettable lead single about the one who got away. That song was inspired by Max Harcourt, Riley’s college boyfriend and fellow musician. When Riley’s narcissistic and very toxic ex-husband starts telling everyone that song is about him, Riley approaches Max, even though she hasn’t spoken to him in ten years, and asks if he would be willing to go public as the inspiration behind the song. Max isn’t entirely comfortable with the idea but he eventually agrees to go on tour with her and perform the song at each concert.
I wasn’t entirely convinced that this was a realistic scenario but after watching Riley and Max interact, I decided I didn’t care, haha. I’m a huge fan of second chance romances and it was clear from the moment, Riley and Max first reconnect after a decade apart, that they still have major chemistry. I enjoyed watching them reconnect against the backdrop of the concert tour, and I especially enjoyed watching them interact as they learned to play together once again.
Now, this was definitely a slow burn romance as both Riley and Max have some personal baggage that they need to work through before they could even begin to consider a future together, but I was definitely invested enough in their journey to wait for them to figure everything out, especially since the authors write those angsty, emotional scenes so well.
When I read this, I alternated between the e-arc and the ALC (thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio). The writing flows smoothly, making the e-arc a read that I breezed right through, while the ALC, which was narrated by Dan Bittner and Brittany Pressley, was a great choice too. Bittner and Pressley beautifully capture both the chemistry between the characters as well as those angsty, emotional moments, really drawing me into the story.
I think whether you’re a Swiftie or not, if you enjoy slow-burn, swoony second chance romances and are interested in a behind-the-scenes look at a concert tour, you’ll definitely want to check out The Breakup Tour.
Thanks so much to Kristin Cipolla for the opportunity to take part in the blog tour!
About Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka met and fell in love in high school. Austin went on to graduate magna cum laude from Harvard, while Emily graduated magna cum laude from Princeton. Together, they are the authors of Always Never Yours, If I’m Being Honest, Time of Our Lives, What’s Not to Love, The Roughest Draft, and Do I Know You? Now married, they live in Los Angeles, where they continue to take daily inspiration from their own love story.