Book Review THE WISHING BRIDGE Viola Shipman

Thank you to the author Viola Shipman, publishers Graydon House, and TLC Book Tours, for an advance paperback copy of THE WISHING BRIDGE. Thank you also to NetGalley for an accomanying widget. All views are mine.



Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I grew up in Ohio and visited Frakenmuth with my family more than once. A year-round-Christmas town is definitely a magical place and it makes a wonderful setting for a cozy book like this one. I remember some of the places the author writes about, like the giant Christmas store, even if the names are different! It makes for a joyful read!

2. I appreciate so much that one of the important themes in this story is sibling rivalry. It feels good that Henri works so hard to resolve her conflict with her brother, and the anecdotes are heartwarming. But I wish I didn't feel like she only only worked so hard to reach out to him just so she could make her huge business deal.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Second chance for a fifty something woman is such an unusual choice for tropes. It really works. As a forty something female reader, I relate!

2. Shipman befuddled me at first about the meaning of "glockenspiel" which I believed to be a musical instrument somewhat like a xylophone, but seemed, from her usage, to be some sort of moving clockwork that plays bells. After a prolonged rabbit hole dive, I learned so much about this interesting musical and cultural phenomenon!

Rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄 Christmas traditions
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Nov 6 23
Format: Paperback, TLC, Digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🎁 Christmas stories
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 family stories, family drama
❤️‍🩹 second chance romance
💇‍♀️ women's coming of age
🤝 underhanded scheming 

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