Henrietta Wegner hasn't been home for Christmas in years, much to the consternation of her family, whose entire livelihood 365 days a year revolves around the holidays. Instead, she's been climbing the corporate ladder of a mergers and acquisitions company. When her new boss puts her in an uncomfortable position, she's left with a difficult choice to make: help convince her parents to sell their business or lose her job.

But as she returns home to try to convince her family that the sale would be good for them, she's reminded of all the things (and people) she left behind in her small hometown and what truly matters in life.

In a crisis of conscience, she decides she must navigate her way through a challenging position to do what's right.

While there was a lot that was quirky about the little town of Frankenmuth that the story is set in, I found it to be a charming place to enjoy some time in. And as Henri was reminded of the depth of her friendships and the length of her history there, it was heart-warming to see her priorities shift.

Thank you to Viola Shipman, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

The last few years I've read a holiday Viola Shipman book and they're always a great read. Though I enjoyed past books more than this one, I am still glad I read it.

Loved this feel good holiday novel by Viola Shipman. This book doesn’t disappoint and causes the reader to reflect on their own life as they process the novel. Well done!

Thank you for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you need a good Christmas/Hallmark-ish, feel good book, The Wishing Bridge by Viola Shipman will not disappoint you!

Henri, a career oriented woman, comes home to try and convince her parents to sell their family owned Christmas store. While home, Henri realizes that family is more important than any corporate deal she could ever make.

What I loved about The Wishing Bridge is its message that you can always come home. I loved the small-town atmosphere and the predictableness of the plot. Personally, that's what I needed to read. Something with struggle, but also with a happy ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for the opportunity to read this heartwarming tale!

Viola Shipman is the best at writing books that feel like a Hallmark movie. If that is your thing this time of year, be sure to pick up The Wishing Bridge.

Henrietta Wagner returns home to Frankenmuth, MI to convince her parents to sell their Christmas store. It is her last option in order to save her own job. But Henrietta finds herself reconnecting with her family and the town she loves and questions whether the merger and keeping her job is really the best choice.

I have talked about Viola Shipman’s books frequently here. Wade Rouse writes these stories using his grandma’s name as his pen name and they are so full of heart and love. Every story is set in Michigan and it makes me add to my list of side trips when we spend the summer in MI so I can visit all the cute towns he mentions.

I highly recommend his sweet stories so be sure to fit this one in this season.

This book was so emotional.

My favorite thing about Viola Shipmann books is probably the setting. I never thought before of what Michigan is like but Wade Rouse always makes me fall in love with it. The quaint shops he mentions really make the towns come alive. This book is set in Frankenmuth, Michigan and takes place largely at a Christmas store. The store sounded wonderful, as did the cheese shop, the candy shop etc etc.

I’ll admit that I struggled with this book at times because of Henri. Henri comes from this wonderful, loving family. They are the ones who own the Christmas store. It’s one of the great loves of her father’s life.
Henri moved away from her small hometown because she wanted to pursue her own path and her own dreams. That’s fine. But I definitely can’t understand how she could even consider betraying her family by selling their Christmas store.

Henri goes home at Christmas time for the first time in a very long time. And her intention is to try to talk her parents into selling their store. She feels like she has to do this to secure her own job. Her boss is the absolute worst.

I knew going into this book that I’d struggle with this storyline and that I might enjoy the book less because if Henri. But I can’t resist a Viola Shipmann book! And I always have all the faith that a Viola Shipmann book will end happily. In this book Henri definitely feels like Scrooge or the Grinch and of course we want them to see the light and make better choices too.

This was well written and nice and Christmassy. I hope the next book is happier though.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thank you!

This was definitely not my normal type of book but I absolutely devoured it! I highly recommend giving this one a chance and you won’t be disappointed

Henrietta Wegner grew up in Frankenmuth, Michigan, a Christmas wonderland. Her parents, beloved by the town, opened a Christmas store that was legendary. Henri, wanting to forge her own way in the world, fled her small town life after graduating from college with no desire to return to small town living.

Returning many years later and for the first time at Christmas, Henri is faced with a dilemma. Will she fight for her job or fight for her family.

This was only my second book by Viola Shipman. I needed a good distraction from reality and this book delivered. Despite it being a bit predictable at times, I did enjoy it.

I will say that now I would like to visit Frankenmuth and see what this town is like.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Henri has been working at a corporate job for years, but finds out that her boss is going to fire her. So she makes one last ditch effort to save her career. Henri’s parents & brother have a Christmas store in Michigan, and Henri tells her boss she will get them to sell it. Henri returns to Michigan, after a long time, and attempts to collect information on her family’s business. She also runs into Shep, her old boyfriend, and finds out that he is recently divorced. A sweet Christmas story. Took me longer to read than normal, but a cute holiday story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for my honest review. #booksbyashleynicole

I adored this book! Set in Frankenmuth, Michigan, this story follows Henri Wegner is a middle aged ruthless businesswoman who fled her hometown after college and rejecting a proposal from her boyfriend.
Back just before Christmas, she is rediscovering the charms of her hometown of Frankenmuth, a Bavarian-inspired ed town and her family's store "Wdgner's Winter Wonderland," inspired by the real Bronners Christmas Wonderland, favorite store of mine from my childhood with visits to Frankenmuth.
This book made me nostalgic and I also connected with Henri and reconnecting with her past and imagining what she wants next in her life.

If you are looking for a warm hug of a book with lots of heart, nostalgia, wisdom and Christmas traditions you may enjoy this one.
I loved the;
father/daughter relationship
Grandma's wisdom
beautiful faith elements
1970\80's nostalgia and Sears Wish book
older main character
romance is an underlying story not that main focus
Author's note
No crass content

Things I didn't love:
I will admit that it took my awhile to read this one because when I began reading I wasn't wanting a touching story of family and Christmas. I know that many readers have a very hard time during the holidays and these kinds of stories do not help their feelings of hopelessness, loneliness and regret so there is a time and place for this book. If you are ready for a book to wrap you up in beautiful memories of past Christmases, love, faith and family then I highly recommend this one, especially on audio, it is read with alot of heart!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read it in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Viola Shipman is a go to author for me, especially when it comes to stories set in Michigan with personal growth, new beginnings, community and romance. Henrietta Wegner grew up in Frankenmuth, Michigan, where her family runs Wegner's Christmas store. It wasn't what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, so after graduation she gets a job in Detroit working for a mergers and acquisitions company. She is one of their top executives, but the young up and comers are gunning for her job. Worried that she will lose her job in the new year unless she can close a big deal, she tells her boss that she can convince her father to sell to a company that has wanted their store for awhile. She heads home to try and convince him, but once in Frankenmuth, she begins to help the family make the company more profitable. Old friends, her brother, an ex and her conscience might change her mind about the store and her hometown.

The Wishing Bridge is a beautiful story with wonderful characters and themes. I love the theme of life balance, being happy with what we do and being able to live with ourselves. That is one important part of this story. The title of The Wishing Bridge is about an actual bridge that Henri walks and wishes on, but I also see a metaphorical bridge. She has to bridge the divide she has with her family, her old friends and her hometown. There is a sweet romance, second chances, but that is a bi-product of the other parts of this story. I really liked seeing Henri's characters grow, ask for forgiveness and accept it as well. I always love the small town settings where it seems everyone knows one another and inevitable there are some issues from the past that need to be dealt with. This book has lots of festive activities and Christmas cheer. Throw in some Christmas Magic and Henri realizes that you can go home again. When I read a story that I can personally connect with, I always enjoy it more. I live about an hour and a half from Frankenmuth and have spent many days and weekends browsing their stores, eating at the well known family restaurants and perusing Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store that Wegner's was based on, so I think that made this story even more of a winner for me.

This is an enjoyable holiday read! I really like holiday books that take place in small holiday oriented towns. This town is based on an actual place in Michigan that embraces Bavarian culture.

Although there were times during the book that I didn't like the main character, Henri, she came through in the end. This is a story about family, loyalty, forgiveness, and the holidays.

Quick easy read. Highly recommend. Thank you to Viola Shipman, the publishing company, and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest opinion.

The snow fell gently on this silent night, giving a peace to the season and a pristine landscape to admire. She walked down the main street of town, the lights twinkling around shop windows and the light poles adorned with rich green garland. It was a holiday wonderland and her home sweet home. She had just needed to find her way back.

The Wishing Bridge is a holiday story following Henri who is returning to her home town after many Christmas’s away. She has an ulterior motive to be back, but when the love of family makes her realize all she ever needed was this small town and the magic of Christmas… she has a change of heart.

This story was wholesome, magical, cozy, and everything you want in a holiday read. A spin on Scrooge, this book made its way into my heart and made me feel all the warmth the holiday season can bring. It reminds you how important family and close friends are and that everyone is deserving of a second chance.

If you’re looking for a contemporary holiday read with all the Christmas magic… definitely add this one to your list!

THE WISHING BRIDGE - Viola Shipman

WARM and CARING - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Home for the holidays has typically meant a obligatory quick visit for Henri, then back to Detroit. So turning up at Wegner’s in early December raises some eyebrows: from her delighted, if puzzled, parents to her suspicious brother and curious childhood friends. But as Henri fields impatient texts from her boss while reconnecting with the magic of the store and warmth of her hometown, what sounded great in the boardroom begins to lose its luster in real life. She’s running out of time to pull the trigger on what could be the greatest success of her career…or the most awkward family holiday of her life.

Writing - 4 stars - This is a new-to-me author, and she drew me right into the story from the beginning. She built some very relatable characters, especially Henri, and I enjoyed the Christmas warmth she made me feel.

Characters - 4 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Henri is a successful woman, at least as far as her job goes. But she's made sacrifices to get there, and now (in her 50s), she's starting to realize what those sacrifices have cost her. I imagine most everyone could empathize with her ambivalence of being with her family vs going out on her own. She wanted to prove herself, but perhaps she also lost what she hadn't appreciated when she had it.

Title - 4 stars - The local covered bridge is mentioned several times, but I think the bridge in the title is more metaphorical than physical. Henri crossed the bridge out of town when she left to "find herself," and now she needs to decide whether or not to cross back into her town and family.

Cover - 4 stars - The cover is snowy and beautiful and definitely sets the mood for a wintery story.

Overall - 4 stars - This has been an enjoyable and cozy chick lit as we follow Henri through her thoughts and reminiscences about home. We know, going in, that she's having second thoughts right away about the offer she promised her boss. And we can certainly all relate to making a decision, then wondering about it for days/weeks afterwards. Although she had always wanted to get out of her stifling hometown, she finds, this time, that it feels comfortable and warm, and she begins to appreciate anew all that her family has always offered her.

My favorite thing about this author is that through his story telling he paints such a beautiful picture for the reader. The stories are filled with lots of close family ties and usually food is talked about a lot ;)



I loved the special traditions that The Wegner's had for the Christmas season. The love that they have for their company and those around them was amazing. I enjoyed reading in the present and then slipping back into the past to see how circumstances had changed the characters. Sophie, Shep and Mable were my favorite characters.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

This is the quintessential Christmas novel that I can see being turned into a lovely Hallmark movie! Henri grows up in small town Michigan and has a family that epitomizes Christmas at all points in the year. She moves to the big city and enters the business world leaving behind much of that small town. When she finally returns home at Christmas for the first time in years she must make some difficult decisions. Can she reunite with her family? Will her return destroy the family? Will the Christmas spirit save them all? Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the wonderful Christmas read.

The age-old question, what matters most? Is it the career she gave up everything to have or the family whom her late grandmother said was everything? A cut throat acquisitions executive is about to find out.



The Wishing Bridge is my fourth Viola Shipman book and I’ve discovered something to delight in from each one. In this case, I was especially anticipatory of the latest Christmas themed novel because of it being set in my part of Michigan. I adore Frankenmuth and Bronner’s so was tickled to see this special place become a fabulous extra character in the story. And, this story… ahhh, so much feeling. The way it captures the magic of Christmas for a child and shows a woman who has lost her way that she can come home and try for those Christmas wishes she had so long ago.



In truth, I was never down on Henri for her desire to leave her town and go for a career even if it meant saying no to her high school love. I was glad her dad didn’t make it tough on her, though, yes, he had his druthers about wanting her to stay and make it a family business. My struggle was when she wanted to come back and did it under false pretenses. It was down to the wire and I was caught up with so many feelings to see her struggle with deceiving her family about planning to sell their beautiful store or whether she’d be able to see her way clear that would be best for all involved.



There is a second chance romance and it was sweet and heartwarming with some complications because of what came between the pair, but as usual with Shipman’s books, I was more focused on the internal struggles and the family situation. But, I can’t forget the feelings elicited about a place and a holiday season, too.



All around this was a well done abso-fabulous holiday season read that would put a Grinch in the mood for Christmas. Chick Lit, Women’s Fic, and Holiday Sweet Romance fans should definite give The Wishing Bridge a look-see.

Another good holiday read from Viola Shipman. This one brings us to Frankenmuth, MI and as always, it's almost a love letter to Michigan. Henri Wegner is 53 years old and close to losing her job with a prestigious company she left her hometown to join right after college. Her last ditch effort to save her job entails her dangling the thought of selling her family's business to another company that will outsource everything and turn it into another big box retailer. But when she returns home, she finds she can't bear the thought of the store becoming like that and losing everything that makes it special. She finally breaks down and confesses her plan to her friends and family, and as always everything ends up working out in the end.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the store in this book, it really reminded me of a store in Pennsylvania, Kraynaks which does a huge holiday display. I also enjoyed a lot of the family interactions and the romantic subplot between Henri and Shep; however, I thought her friends were a little shallow and I ended up speed reading through those sections because they weren't that interesting. Another part that slowed down my enjoyment was the time jumps, sometimes it would time jump to the past and I'd be left wondering what happened.
This is still a good story, but I don't think it's as strong of a story as last year's Christmas book from Shipman. It's a heartwarming tale, but just needs a bit more finessing with some of the secondary characters to really bring it fully to life.

What a heart warming story of a family business in a small town. It begins with Henrietta (Henri) Wegner living in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Her father's dream is a Christmas store all year round. Henri's dream is to have a career that doesn't involve Christmas.

Henri promises her boss to get her family to sell their store to him so she returns to Frankenmuth to get her father's signature on the contract. But her brother Finn sees through why she is home and she also runs into her ex-fiance. Between Henri's guilty feels, her feelings for her ex, her assistant telling her to pay attention to her feelings and her BFF telling her the same thing, Henri rethinks her future.

Working again in the store shows her all the reasons why she should return to her family and help her brother keep the store when her parents retire.

The descriptions of the store, the town and the depth of all the characters, make this a warm-hearted read.