The Trail Of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves | Book Review

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New York Times bestselling author Tracey Garvis Graves's novel The Trail of Lost Hearts 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.

The Trail Of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves caught my eye because I love books when characters go on a transformative journey. I love when characters break the mold and try something different. Also, I am such a fan of outdoorsy characters and people enjoying the natural world. So, I gladly picked up this contemporary romance story not knowing a whole lot going in, besides it following a main character who is going through it and who is into geocaching. I am SO glad I picked up The Trail Of Lost Hearts. It had me in my thoughts and feelings while also being invested in Wren.

The Trail Of Lost Hearts follows Wren, a thirty something from Ohio who has had some real bad luck. You see, her fiance recently passed away in a car crash. While she goes to the hospital to make the decisions and say her goodbyes, she learns that actually her fiance has a whole other family. Wren truly had no idea and so the grief is a double whammy, she mourns the man who was her fiance and the fact that her relationship was a sham.

To cope, Wren takes up geocaching and getting back in touch with the outdoors activities that she loves like hiking and camping. To prove she’s healing, she flies to Oregon to geocache in a few trails and parks across the state. Unfortunately, something awful happens on her first cache hike, but she’s saved by Marshall. They pair up and it turns out Marshall is also dealing with his own grief. But, there’s also some chemistry between them. Oh, and even more drama and plot twists ensue. 

I found that I was very invested in Wren as a character. She is thirty something with a great and caring group of friends. Her parents are supportive and wonderful. She also communicates in a mature way. I liked that she wasn’t really a person that hid her thoughts and intentions but was so upfront with her needs. She goes through something terrible and awful but doesn’t turn terrible and awful herself. Wren uses what happens to help her decide what she will and will not tolerate going forward. As for the main male character, the love interest, Marshall is great. He is kind and smart. Also, an excellent listener and communicator for the most part. I did like that he was a therapist by profession and he carries those active listening skills into his interactions with Wren. There was something about this book that felt mature and evolved. I loved the backdrop of Oregon. I also loved the writing style of Tracey Garvis Graves. This is the first book I’ve picked up by her and I eagerly look forward to reading some of her backlist.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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