Set in the 1920s, this book is a little bit of You've Got Mail meets Romeo and Juliet. Laura Bradshaw and Isaac Campbell grew up together, but after their father's company split, a feud broke out and Laura and Isaac were forbidden from seeing each other. During this time, Laura Bradshaw lost her mother and her father became overbearing. One day Laura hides some of her poetry in a tree in the park across from her house only to come back for it later and find a letter written to her in it's place. Laura and this mystery pen pal decide to not reveal their identity to each other for many years, but continue to write frequently. Isaac is tired of living in his father's shadow and wants to do something for himself, but his mother just wants him married. Isaac can't help but compare the women he meets to his mystery pen pal. Will he and his mystery pen pal ever meet? Will Isaac ever figure out what called the Bradshaw-Campbell factory to split and cause this terrible feud? This book is a wonderful story filled with romance and mystery. Highly recommend this book!

Oh the love of a Rachel Fordham story…her turn of phrase and writing style always places me right into the middle of the story…the time, the setting, the fashion…just the stories would be enough to capture my interest but the way she puts pen to paper makes them so much more memorable and inspiring.

Slow burn, emotional, forbidden love, coupled with letters that bear the very heart of the scribe, meld perfectly together to create a memorable love story. Include both shady and endearing secondary characters, perfect pacing and a search for answers to the past and you have another excellent tale to read and reread. This story will be my favorite until Fordham releases another.

This book is suitable for teens and older with no inappropriate intimate scenes and no bad language. I received this book from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.

I've always been a fan of Rachel Fordham so when I heard she was changing publishers I wondered if there would be any noticeable differences in her stories. The differences are there but probably only noticeable by those who have read and loved all her books. The biggest difference being the lack of depth and Christian content that Revell is so well known for, a difference I expected but was disappointed to find. The other change is the new historical era this is written in, I've never been much of a fan of the 1920s era. The fashion is so awful. This is very much a coming-of-age story, the characters are so young and made me feel very old. Their problems are very first world and I felt like lecturing them to stop whining and do something about their problems. They did eventually and the story definitely got better by the end. I've never liked the Romeo and Juliet storyline but at least this one has a happy ending. Rachel Fordham does write wonderfully swoony romantic moments. I'm very well aware that a lot of my dislike for this book is based on personal preferences rather than story quality, which is very good, but some books just aren't your particular cup of tea and this is one of mine. But what one person doesn't like, another loves so by all means do give this book a try.

I loved all the mysteries that twined themselves together in this read. It kept me enticed and engaged the entire way through. Seven years ago, Laura Bradshaw lost her mother in a freak accident. Since that horrific day, her life has been turned upside down. Her father becomes unrecognizable angry stranger. Right before her mother's accident their shoe company split. She has no idea why and what made her father and his friend turn into mortal enemies. The only aspect of her life that truly keeps her head up are the letters her and a stranger have been writing to each other. When they both find out that they have been writing to each other, they are terrified of how their families will react. But their feelings for one another cannot be silenced.

The characters did it for me. I loved that Laura was a woman ahead of her time. Wanting to work with animals and determined to do any work to make that possible. Isaac a man of his word and willing to chase down the mysteries of their lives. There are a few questionable characters that make you sit up and take notice. Thank you to Rachel Fordham and Thomas Nelson for this beautiful read.

This is a *Must Read* book!! It's a beautifully written story that holds your attention from the first page until the last. I loved everything about this book!
I received a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham is a sweet historical romance. It’s a Romeo and Juliet tale with an episilatory slant.

I loved the writing of this story, and the letters mixed in added to the layers. I loved seeing the two main characters interact. Watching their romance grow was so sweet.

If you enjoy sweet historical romance with a touch of mystery, then grab yourself a copy of The Letter Tree. It’s a sweet story.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book.
I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.

It's the 1920's in New York. A girl has lost her mother and starts writing letters and leaving them in a tree. A young man finds them and they begin a friendship. What will happen when they come face to face?

The letter tree brings Romeo and Juliet and you’ve got Mail together in a charming roaring 20s era story. Isaac and Laura grew up as childhood friends. Their parents were in partnership, and they dreamed that their lives will always be connected. But when tragedy occurs, all connection is broken. Laura is devastated. Her mother has passed. Her friend has betrayed her, and her father has become a ghost. She finds her self sitting by her favorite tree. Writing her poems, when someone comes along, she worries that they will find her poems silly, so she write hides them in a small opening in the tree. This is the beginning of her many years of letter writing, and the stranger that writes back.
This is really a lovely story of devotion, faithfulness, and true compassion. It is full of intrigue, suspense and sweet romance. The characters are well defined, and have spirit and determination.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham is a heartfelt romance. Under her father’s watchful eye Laura Bradshaw shares company and with only her family’s housekeeper and a parrot. Her secret is that she is able to exchange letters with someone in a tree. Isaac Campbell is the bachelor that everyone wants to know in Buffalo. But Isaac is thinking about the person he is exchanging letters with in an oak tree at the zoo.

If you take You’ve Got Mail mix it in with a redemptive Romeo and Juliet tale and a dash of mystery you will have The Letter Tree. I felt myself lost in this delightful character driven story that shines a light on unforgiveness and how it destroys us. It was a pleasure to watch the beautifully written characters transform in the story, and I enjoyed walking through life with them. It was a pleasure to learn about the animals in the Buffalo Zoo, flag pole sittings, and Niagara Fall stunts from the 1920's. Such intriguing historical information. Isaac is a wonderful hero who learns to stand on his own and sacrifice for love.

This is a beautifully written, redemptive, heartfelt story. I was all in from the beginning to the end. I highly recommend!
I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a review.

The Letter Tree is a very endearing love story between two people whose families have been feuding for years. Laura Bradshaw and Isaac Campbell are the children of each family and have no idea why they can't speak or see one another. Their families used to be friends and business owners of the Bradshaw Campbell Shoe company until they went their separate ways. Now each family is forbidden to speak or see the other family. Employees are also forbidden from the same with the threat of being fired if found out.

Laura Bradshaw started writing her thoughts in the form of poetry. She began hiding them in the maple tree in the park near her house. The park was turned into the Buffalo Zoo and now she gets to visit the animals. Shortly after writing her thoughts and placing them in the tree a man found them, and they then began a multi-year letter writing to each other. Her father controls her life and keeps her at home except for when she escapes to place her letters in the tree. At the age of 21, Laura wants to break free and make her own choices, but she is afraid of further angering her father.

Isaac Campbell, heir to the Campbell Shoe company, is a bachelor who have never been interested in any of the women who try to catch his eye. He only has thought for the woman he writes to everyday. His life is troubled in spite of being next in line to run the company his father gives him little to do at work. The feud wears on him since he has no idea why he is supposed to hate the Bradshaw's. He believes there is more to the story and wants to solve the mystery. But he also wants to find out who his mystery woman is.

This is a wonderful love story between Laura and Isaac. It has all the feeling of You've Got Mail and the Hatfield's and the McCoy's. Watching them find out each is the person they were writing to and solve the mystery of the feud was a well woven story.

I really loved this story! I have not read many books in this time period or in this location, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The zoo setting was really fun! The Romeo and Juliet meets You've Got Mail theme was delightful. I loved every minute of this story!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed every minute of The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham. This is a truly delightful story that I devoured in two days! I was engaged from page one, and hated whenever I had to put this book down. I very much appreciated the nod to Romeo and Juliet. I like that Fordham captured the best aspects of Shakespeare’s play and utilized them in a manner that isn’t depressing or violent. I love Laura and Isaac the best. Laura, the heroine, often refers to herself as Rapunzel — locked away in her tower by her very controlling and very angry father. The way Laura’s father treats her really made me sad, but I love how Laura makes the best of her present circumstances. She gets knocked down a lot in this story, but she always picks herself back up. I enjoyed watching Laura find her inner strength and power. I love when a character grows into herself and realizes that standing up for herself is perfectly OK. Some of my favorite moments with Laura are when she is working hard at the zoo. It takes quite a strong woman to do the things Laura is tasked with. I definitely don’t want to work at a zoo. LOL! As far as Isaac goes…what a great hero. He is kindness and compassion personified, and he always strives to do what is right even when what is right is the difficult thing to do. Isaac is all the best qualities of a man. He is strong and courageous and valiant and smart and handsome. In many ways, he is the perfect Prince Charming to Laura’s Rapunzel. I really loved following along as Isaac and Laura reconnect and strengthen their long-lost friendship even though their childish fathers want them to hate each other. I did enjoy their journey to romance very much, but what I loved even more about these two is how they strengthen one another. Laura is strengthened by Isaac to believe that her dreams matter and that she should not hesitate to reach for the stars, and Isaac is strengthened by Laura to hone his writing skills and take a chance at publication. The way these two characters encourage one another is my favorite aspect to this lovely story. Honestly, how they supported one another is quite inspirational.

The Letter Tree is a lovely story I won’t soon forget. If you are a fan of well-written, highly engaging Historical Romances filled with character turmoil, lots of action, and timely themes, then you will adore this book!

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Thomas Nelson, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a sweet book. Laura Bradshaw and Isaac Campbell were childhood friends. Their fathers were rival shoe manufacturers and an unfortunate feud divides the families. Laura and Isaac (each unbeknownst to the other) begin exchanging letters by placing their correspondence in a tree at the local zoo. Their families’ feuding makes it impossible for them to be together….or so they think.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend to those who enjoy sweet novels with an unexpected twist!

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Four stars.

The Letter Tree is another well thought out and beautifully delivered novel from Rachel Fordham. Laura Bradshaw found a letter inside a tree at Buffalo Zoo. The discovery led her to make an anonymous friend who helped her deal with the loss of her mother. Years later the secret friendship is threatened by Laura’s father playing matchmaker to further his business goals.

Isaac Campbell is unsettled to learn his unknown friend is being forced to court another and asks Laura to break their anonymity rule and meet. He wants to beg her to be his instead, until he recognizes her as the daughter of hid family’s greatest business rival. Even worse, their fathers were in business together until a highly acrimonious split that divided the city. How can there be any hope of love when enemy status is the only thing their families can agree on?

You’ll have to read the book to find out. I can tell you it’s a lovely story, well written, with characters that are easy to warm to. I was pulling hard for these two from the first chapter. Thoroughly enjoyable story.

I received a copy of The Letter Tree from the publisher via NetGalley. The views are entirely my own.

#TheLetterTree #NetGalley

Two families from New York in the 1920s, one shoe business, divided into two businesses that hate each other. Laura Bradshaw has been visiting her letter tree in the zoo and has no idea who her pen pal is, but she feels comfortable sharing her thoughts with him and he with her.
Issac Campbell is tired of his father not letting him be a part of the business and wants to find out what happened to cause the Campbell and Bradshaw feud but his father refuses to tell him.
A book about how hated can keep growing if you continue to feed it. I enjoyed reading this book.

I don’t always gravitate to historical fiction but in this case, it was necessary to the plot for the story to be set in the 1920s when the times were beginning to change but women still had little power in society. Some of the tropes from Romeo and Juliet as well as You’ve Got Mail were given a new twist to make for an original and engaging story. I was enchanted by the idea of a tree hollow where letters could be left anonymously for another person. What is more romantic than finding another person with whom you can share your deepest, most tender thoughts and feelings and know you will be understood and accepted? Who could ask for a better foundation on which to grow a true love and eventual marriage? The book was steeped with romance before Isaac and Laura even had their first wonderful kiss (which took a while to accomplish due to their feuding families and other obstacles in their way). It was excellent and I enjoyed it thoroughly from start to finish. This was my first Rachel Fordham book but it won’t be my last. Highly recommend! I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I thought this was a beautifully written story set in the 1920's. I love historical fiction but haven't read much in this time period. It was wonderful to get to know more about it. Two adults who knew each other well as children because their fathers worked closely with each other are torn apart without knowing what happened. Their fathers suddenly hate each other, and their shoe factories are suddenly competing against each other but these now adults, Isaac and Laura, have no idea why there is a feud. They've had to grow up "hating" the other family without a reason. When Laura begins putting a letter (poem, actually) by mistake in a tree at the zoo and Isaac finds it, it begins a wonderful friendship between the two of them to reconnect although they don't know the identity of the other! What will happen when their identities are discovered? How will the reason for the feud be found out? And, who is the mysterious villain that is part of the subplot? I enjoyed this story from beginning to end! The fathers of both main characters were awful and needed an attitude adjustment!

🌳 The Letter Tree 🌳
Author: Rachel Fordham

The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham is a captivating novel set in the 1920s. It tells the story of Laura Bradshaw, a young woman who is kept hidden from the public eye 👁️ by her controlling and wealthy father. Ever since the tragic loss of her mother, Laura has been forbidden from speaking to her father's former business partner, who is now his rival. With very few friends, Laura finds solace in the letters 💌she receives from an unknown pen pal. These letters are left for her in the hollow of a tree at the Buffalo Zoo. 🐘

For seven long years, Laura and her pen pal exchange letters📬, sharing the highs and lows of their lives without revealing their true identities. Meanwhile, Isaac Campbell, the son of Laura's father's rival, faces his own struggles. He must navigate his father's lack of confidence in him while deciding whether to carry on his family's hatred for the Bradshaw family.

Things take a mysterious turn when a man 👨 appears, expressing his interest in courting Laura. However, his eagerness and seemingly perfect nature raise suspicions. Laura is faced with a difficult choice: should she obey her father's wishes and marry well, giving up her cherished letter writing, or should she take a chance and reveal her true identity to her pen pal? 💌

If you're a fan of 1920s settings, enemies-to-lovers tropes, mystery, slow burn romance, and a captivating storyline, then this book is an absolute must-read. Get ready to be swept away by The Letter Tree! 💌🌳

“the children of the feud.”

“She stepped closer to the maple that was, in many ways, more than a beloved tree. It was memories. It was comfort. It was hope.”

Rachel Fordham spins a Christian historical romance novel that is at once warm, engaging, entertaining, and filled with truth for today. Her latest novel, The Letter Tree, is a mashup of You’ve Got Mail and Romeo and Juliet with touches of Rapunzel and Cinderella mixed in.

I was a little confused at first as to where
“B,” NY is. Eventually, we are told it is Buffalo, and we are there in the year 1917, when we see young Laura Bradshaw lose her mother in an accident. Ten years later, we see the effects the accident had on her father, Stanley Bradshaw, owner of a successful shoe company, and by extension, on Laura. Laura’s activities have become very restricted by her father, and she is nearly a recluse. Her one friend is a pen pal whose responses she finds in a branch of a tree at the zoo.

The magic of this story lies in the mystery of who Laura’s pen pal is; when we find out, and the two letter writers find out, what will they do with that knowledge? It could be the key to re-chart their lives or to doom them to destruction. They and their families.

There is just enough mystery, romance, truth, emotion, and suspense to make this a very enjoyable, feel-good read.
Obviously both Laura and Isaac’s characters have decisions to make that will cause or delay their growth. As the reader, we’re unsure which path each will choose.

My favorite secondary character, though, is Mrs. Guskin. The Bradshaw’s housekeeper is so much more to Laura. Her presence and advice is invaluable. She is the treasure map that helps the young people find gold in this story. How I loved her wise ways!

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher via NetGalley. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

Notable Quotables:

“You are not a game piece. And you are not responsible for your father’s choices.”

“Even apart, we battle together.”

“The dream, like all dreams, faded, replaced by reality—and the truth was, she missed her friend already.”

“The children joined ranks with their parents, dutifully rallying for a cause they didn’t understand.” So true today!!

“the avenue of if only led to nowhere but the land of aching hearts.”

“Hiding from the past wouldn’t change it.”

Thank you so much @uplitreads for the copies of this lovely story 🤍

Sometimes a book just comes right when you need it and that was The Letter Tree for me this month! It just felt like a hug in a book.

I loved that it made me feel so cozy, while still having an addictive plot and mystery. Also the swooniest romance!