This book was such good historical fiction, that I didn't want it to end. Laura Bradshaw wants a happily ever after romance. The letter tree began when Laura wrote a letter with poetry and put it into the tree. She returned and sometime had written her back! Years went by.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing.

The Letter Tree
by Rachel Fordham
Narrated by Kira Fixx

I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this audiobook through Netgalley.

The Setting: Buffalo, NY, 1924

Isaac Campbell
Laura Bradshaw

This book is a mixture of You’ve Got Mail, Romeo and Juliet, The Lake House, and Pride and Prejudice.

Young Laura Bradshaw, heir to Bradshaw Shoes, writes a poem and stuffs it in a tree for later retrieval. Young Isaac Campbell, heir to the competition - Campbell shoes, finds the poem, and writes a letter in response, and leaves it in place of the poem.

The next 7 years go by with Laura and Isaac writing each other letter after letter. They pour their hearts out, share pivotal moments, and lean on each other for support, and they do so anonymously.

Laura tends to leave her letters in the morning, and Isaac at night. It isn’t until there is a change in Laura’s life that the two meet again. Childhood friends, then enemies and secret letter friends, and now meeting again as adults.

I LOVED this book - everything about it. I loved every character, setting, interaction, all of it.

I really hope others read this book and love it too. And, I hope to one day see it on the big screen. This is a story that the world needed. Enjoy!

This book had my attention from the beginning! I started reading the physical book and then requested the audio as crazy life, and I wasn't able to pick it up for a few days.

The concept of the book - having a pen pal for years by leaving letters in an old tree at the zoo - is just wonderful to me. I loved having pen pals and writing notes as a child. Finding out that the mystery writer is the son of the family your father has feuded with for years... icing on the cake. I love a good feud.

This book had drama, mystery, and a little bit of clean romance to all work for me.

This book was a heartfelt love story between two young people that you just couldn’t help rooting for. There were animals, books, letters and family secrets! What more could you want? I will definitely be picking up other books by this author. Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Letter Tree was like a warm hug. This is the perfect book to read after reading something intense like a thriller or heavy historical fiction. I could see it being made in to a Hallmark movie. It was a sweet romance. I loved the characters and watching Laura grow and stand up for herself. It is a cross between You've Got Mail and Romeo and Juliet. I love how the author used letters in more than one way in this book. I also enjoyed the little bit of mystery. If you are looking for a sweet, non stressful book this is it.

This book was just ok for me. I enjoyed listening to it in the background while doing other tasks, but I didn't find myself dying to need to know what happened. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and there wasn't much that I found memorable about the story. The narrator had a nice voice that was easy to listen to, but I think a male narrator would have been better Isaac. I really enjoyed Mrs. Guskin.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. I typically hop around between music, podcasts, and audiobooks to break up the monotony while doing chores throughout the day, but with this one I didn’t need or want to.

The premise of Laura and Isaac exchanging letters anonymously through an old tree was just adorable. It’s a breath of fresh air when I read a romance and I’m rooting for both of them. They were equally matched and equally enjoyable characters that grew throughout the story. At its core, this is a clean, sweet, beautiful romance, but there’s a little conflict and mystery to move the plot forward. Nothing groundbreaking, but definitely endearing and enchanting.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator did a great job at making the story flow enjoyably as well. Overall this was an easy 5 stars for me! A big thank you to NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

You Will Not Want To Put This Book Down!

I was so mesmerized by this story. I did not want to put it down. It was so fascinating and trying to puzzle through certain pieces of this puzzle was entertaining.

I look forward to searching out more books by Rachel Fordham.

Audiobook: Narrated by Kira Fixx
I enjoyed listening when I couldn’t sit down and read. Kira Fixx did not distract me from the book with her reading.

I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a lovely book.

The story of Isaac and Laura's love story was just very mellow and sweet.
There's a family fued, other woman, other man, But there's an endearing friendship that works its way through the book.

The audiobook was well done. Emotions came through for the both the main characters, I read it at 2.5x speed and that worked well for me.

A long standing feud between former business partners stands in the way of both families healing and a journey to love.

Laura Bradshaw, daughter of the Bradshaw shoe company, and Isaac Campbell, heir to the Campbell Shoe Company, live completely separate lives from one another, shadowed by family secrets and a deep seeded hatred for the other family. Neither one realize that they have been unconventional penpals for years, sharing their deepest pains and desires to one another. Is the draw on an unnamed penpal enough to deny a need to move forward with their lives. What will come of them
If they knew to whom they were writing?

The Letter Tree is a wonderfully written book that allows readers to immerse themselves into the 1920s scene. The setting of Buffalo during the rise of daredevil entertainment, and new business ventures is so immersive. We also venture into the newly finished zoo filled with exotic sights, sounds, and smells, and is also the home to a maple tree that holds the hopes and dreams of Laura and Isaac. The characters drive this story o filled with secrets, mystery, and family drama. Each character was so intentional and necessary to the storyline and created a cast of lovable and (sometimes) perfectly despicable personas.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio, for the audiobook in exchange for and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a beautiful story of a young boy and girl growing up friends, then ripped apart by their families’ feud.

Laura and Issac have known each other forever. Their families are the Bradshaw and Campbells- their heirs and competitors of two magnificent shoe companies. The families were once one large company and have since had a HUGE feud (that no one knows the real reason) and they hate each other now.

Laura is forced to follow her father’s wishes and Isaac wishes for more as his father hands him menial tasks.

Each writes letters to a special friend, by way of the Letter Tree, a beautiful maple in the Buffalo zoo.

Fordham shares the story is born from the Adidas/Puma feud a couple decades after this novel is set, along with the zoo being such a beautiful, historical element. I am now off to read more about this Puma/Adidas feud I know little about.

I loved Lara’s persistence, Isaac’s calming quality and the mystery of Alex. Ruth was NOT my favorite by a long shot, which is a true testament to Fordham’s ability to write great characters!

The audio is great (save the investigator’s voice) so I recommend it too!

What a gorgeous book! A delightful mix of 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'You've Got Mail' and after I was thinking those thoughts, the author herself confirmed those two titles in her authors note at the end!
In 1924, our star crossed lovers find themselves faced with circumstances that they did not create, that block them at every turn. Add in a con artist, a family feud, mysterious death circumstances, a rendezvous pile of dung and a vulgar parrot, and you definitely have a 5 star read.
One on my 'buy immediately' list when it is published, for sure.
I heard the audiobook and the narrator did a fine job of bringing the characters to life and a sweetness and innocence to Laura.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

What an incredible book! I truly enjoyed this wonderful story told by Ms Rachel Fordham! I will be seeking more of her work!

This was a story about two families who, thru a misunderstanding, went from being best friends to sworn enemies. They were so close at one time that they even joined their two shoe companies together. They then split their two companies and focused on trying to put each other out of business. The son of one company, and the daughter of the other were best friends as children before their fathers forbid them to even see or speak to one another.

This was a wonderful story with so much depth of character, and so much feeling. This author did a beautiful job of showing how fragile the human heart can be, and how deeply relationships can be damaged thru misunderstandings. I just loved how this story unfolded. Ms. Fordham even wove in a great evil character that tried to swindle everyone around them in the midst of all of these rocky relationships, as well as a female character that demonstrated that even back in the timeframe of this story (the early 1900's), bully's were just as prevalent as today. People can be cruel! I just loved the character development of so many characters! Even the maid had a beautiful backstory! I will absolutely be seeking for stories by this amazing author. I totally recommend this book!

Thank you to HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me this wonderful opportunity to enjoy this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. It was complex yet easy to follow. The narration was great! I love reading books set during this time period and this did not disappoint.

This was really sweet! If you like You’ve Got Mail or Romeo and Juliet, please check this out! It also has a zoo, Niagara Falls, swing dancing, and a talking parrot!

Huge thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook!

This book was so good! The plot was very different from other books I’ve read- really interesting and intriguing. Just like the description it was a mix of Romeo and Juliet and You’ve Got Mail- so much fun to read. I loved the mystery aspect of this romance it really held my interest. I also loved that this book was clean and sweet without being cheesy. This may be my new favorite by this author. I got to read this one on audio and loved the narrator. I listen to audiobooks at a 2x speed and her voice still sounded great.

Lovely! What a heartwarming novel with 1924 Romeo and Juliet style romance. This book has romance, mystery, and forbidden love,

This is a beautiful historical fiction style cozy love story with a few sub mystery plots entangled within.

“So he’d run to his tree and her waiting words - he’d come to her like a man to his vice, hoping her words would somehow fill the hollowness in his heart.

Give me a book that contains letters and I’m here for it every day. Make it historical fiction and it’s basically perfection in my eyes.

The love story that develops through letters between Romeo and Juliet-type characters was very satisfying to watch play out. Although this isn’t an epistolary novel, the inclusion of the penned words added a special touch.

I could imagine this tree in the Brooklyn Zoo where the letters were exchanged for years, so much so that the tree became a character within the story, too. This was my first, but certainly not last, book by Rachel Fordham

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Read if you like:
Sweet historical romance
Epistolary type novels
1920’s New York

What a wonderful tale of love, loss, and an unyielding desire to move forward. While I was initially drawn into this because of its historical fiction genre, I quickly became the biggest supporter of Laura! This time capsule in a book was a wonderful combination of family struggles, love, and even a little who done it!

Upstate New York in the early 1920's was a wonderful setting for Rachel Fordham's latest. I was immediately immersed in the world of the Campbells and Bradshaws, two feuding families who were once friends. I loved the letters between Laura and her secret friend and how they worked to overcome their situation. Very sweet and clean romance. Anyone who enjoyed Rachel's other books will love this one too!

It was fun to listen along while I read the e-book and while I cleaned.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audio book and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 31 October 2023