Heard it in a love song

Music teacher Layla Hilding-Cook's rock star dreams died during her marriage, but, post-divorce, she is getting back into playing guitar and singing. Josh Summers' daughter, Sasha, is one of Layla's students, and he and Layla develop a spark of something at the morning school drop-off. Josh is in the middle of his own divorce, and neither are quite ready for a new romance, so they decide to be "friends with potential." The more time they spend together, though, the more they like each other, but they both bear scars from their failed marriages. The narrative alternates between Layla and Josh's perspectives, both in the present and the past as readers watch them fall in and out of love with their spouses. Both are appealing, sensible characters who have good banter, and it is especially satisfying to watch Layla's journey back to her rock-and-roll roots. Graves' latest (after The Girl He Used to Know, 2019) is a quiet, romantic novel that delves deeply into how relationships fall apart and how love can blossom again.

Graves (The Girl He Used to Know) takes an in-depth look at the pain of divorce and the work it takes to build a new life. Layla Hilding and Josh Summers first meet at back-to-school night, Layla as a welcoming music teacher and Josh as the father to nervous kindergartner Sasha. The two become friendly through conversations at morning drop-off, and their relationship deepens as they connect over their recent divorces. But both come with wounds that are still fresh: Layla's messy split with Liam, a status-hungry salesman with a spending problem, has left her with trust issues, while Josh copes with co-parenting with his ex-wife, Kimberly. Both Josh and Layla use their single lives as a fresh start: Layla rediscovers her love for performing and Josh searches for his own identity and desires separate from Kimberly. As their connection grows, they'll have to put aside their hesitations for a second chance at love. Extensive flashbacks to Layla's doomed relationship with Liam and Josh's civil but passionless marriage to Kimberly tend to distract, though, making it difficult to invest in the present relationship. Still, Graves has a sure hand with depicting the complexity of dating after divorce. This will please readers looking for a realistic spin on taking a second chance at love. (Nov.)