When Alicia Silver faces spending her first Christmas without her fiancé, Bo, she knows that the only way she can manage through the season is if she has a little divine intervention. She is grieving his death, so she heads to the snowy Smoky Mountains to visit the Noel Bridge, hoping to reach her fiancé somehow. When she arrives at the bridge in the midst of a snowstorm, she encounters Leo Whitaker, who is looking for his father. He has been missing for five days, and he is very worried. Alicia grew up in the area, so has some ideas of where he might have gone. Spending time together, she realizes what a special person, Leo is. She meets up with some old friends and does some volunteer work at the local hospital while she is there. She begins to feel peace for the first time since she lost her fiancé.

This is such a sweet story. I know that first Christmas after losing a loved one can be emotionally draining, and as her family was away, she is alone. Taking the step to head back to where she grew up and wish on the bridge took a lot of courage. Leo is a great guy. He moved his father to the small town and opened a restaurant, to help him deal with his aging and memory issues. I was so worried about his father and whether they would ever find him. The characters were very relatable and realistic. Sometimes to have a fresh start and new beginning you have to move, and in this case, Alicia had to go home again. This was a heartwarming story that left me smiling at the end.

This holiday story is the perfect escape, filled with heartwarming moments, love, and a touch of Christmas magic. It had me believing in the power of miracles and the healing nature of love. If you're a fan of cozy, feel-good small-town romances with a holiday twist, this book delivers just what you need to get into the Christmas spirit. It's the kind of book that makes you want to curl up by the fire with a cup of cocoa, believing that anything is possible.

Alicia has returned home at Christmas looking for healing because of the myth of the covered bridge. What she doesn't expect is to run into Leo who is also looking for something or really it is someone, his grandfather is missing. He has returned home to take care of him and he has gone missing. With the storm and as cold as it is it is dangerous outside and they join forces to work together. I really enjoyed this story and they both found healing in ways.

Another excellent story written by Jenny Hale. Perfect for the Christmas season! Jenny does it again!

Thanks for the opportunity to read this story!

"The Noel Bridge" by Jenny Hale is truly heartwarming. This reminds me of the feeling I get from reading Nicholas Sparks books.

In this one, the story starts with the main character, Alicia Silver, grieving the loss of her fiancé, Bo. When stories about the bridge in her hometown start spreading, she decides to go back to visit. The Noel bridge is said to grant wishes, and she decides to go see if her deceased partner's spirit will talk to her. Really, she wants to start to feel human and whole again.

Alicia meets diner owner Leo Whitaker, and they feel like they've known each other forever. We find out his father has been missing for several days. Her childhood best friend, Evelyn, still lives there, and they reconnect. They both help search for Leo's missing father.

I easily felt Alicia's grief and hope. The story is so very well written that I really enjoyed it! I was inspired and uplifted by the end of this one! I highly recommend it!!

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 4/5 by Emma Love
Cover - 5/5
Overall - 37/8 = 4 5/8 rounded up to 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Select - Harpeth Road Press, and Jenny Hale for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I did not know the "power"covered bridges are thought to have and I loved learning about it through this book. The narrator was great and really let you feel the emotions of the characters.
It's a great read if you are looking for perfect cozy, heartwarming holiday read about second chances, family, healing and magic of Christmas.

I loved this super sweet holiday romance set in the Smokey Mountains. A very heartwarming closed door story. This was my first book by this author but I will definitely be reading more! Small town cozy Christmas read that leaves you feeling good.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Holiday Christian romance. Magical realism. Closed door.
Alicia Silver knows the old bridge in the Smoky Mountains is not magic but being back in Noel has changed her all the same.
Leo Whitaker’s father has wandered off into the woods with the beginning stages of Dementia. His father is an experienced outdoorsman, but the weather is getting worse and its been days. It’s snowing and searchers aren’t having any luck. Leo can only worry as the days slip by. He bumps into Alicia on the bridge, both knowing that a miracle wish is unlikely but it’s the Christmas season and hope and companionship is something they can hold onto.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook version of this story narrated by Emma Love. The reader can easily hear Alicia’s sadness and Leo’s desperation in the narration. The story flows smoothly from Emma’s feelings of loss to her looking deeper and then meeting Leo, a stranger, who allows her to think outside herself. We follow her renewed feelings of life and reengaging with old friends.
The performance is wonderfully engaging, romantic, hopeful and filled with faith.
I listened at a speed of 1.5 which more closely matches my reading and conversational comfort.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley

Alicia Silver lost her finance and is having a hard time. She decides to visit her hometown in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee to try her luck with the bridge that is supposed to make wishes come true. She has tried to wish on the bridge in the past, and it didn’t work out for her. But she is determined to try again. When she gets there, she meets Leo, a man who has his own wish….to find his missing father. It was a joy to watch their friendship start up as they work together to find answers as to where Leo’s father went. I also enjoyed watching Alicia reconnect with her childhood best friend. Time heals all.

I consumed this via audiobook and enjoyed the narration.

Bottom Line: This was a heartwarming novel, set in an adorable town and not overly cheesy Christmas. Read it.

**I received an audio copy from Netgalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.**

If you could take a Hallmark movie and snap your fingers and it would be a book. This is it!! I’m a sucker for sappy holiday movies with a touch of magic. The magic in this story is just a covered bridge that folks places wishes on. With so many having success with their wishes, Alicia can’t help but head back to her hometown to make one of her own right before the holiday. Alicia’s fiancé passed away and she’s hoping the bridge can work its magic so she can reach out somehow to him. The grief has taken over her life and she needs to find a way to move on. The magic of the season, old friends, and of course a snow storm, help make the magic of her wish (To Feel whole again) come true!

The Noel Bridge is a charming holiday romance infused with a touch of magic and a heartwarming healing journey. Alicia, seeking solace in the town of Noel after losing her fiancé, discovers a path to healing and a deeper understanding of herself and the life she was meant to lead. While the story is a quick read and light on character depth, it delivers a cozy, feel-good experience perfect for the holiday season. If you're looking for a sweet, uplifting escape, this enchanting tale is sure to delight.

Super cute quick read I enjoyed it and have already recommended it to a few of my friends for their holiday reading

This is a perfectly quaint little book to get you in the mood for the holiday season.

It is fairly predictable and Hallmark-esque but if you go into it knowing that, there's no reason you won't enjoy it. The characters are relatable and their relationships are fun and uncomplicated.

The Noel Bridge is super cute and makes me want to read more like it. I'm not super familiar with Jenny Hale's other work, but I hope she has more Christmasy tales!

Leave it to Jenny Hale to bring us a heartwarming and emotional tale that captures the true meaning of Christmas.

They say there’s a covered bridge that heals the sick and mends the broken. Actual miracles have happened within its green clapboard protective shell. When Alicia Silver faces spending her first Christmas without her fiancé, she knows that the only way she can manage through the season is if she has a little divine intervention. So she heads to the snowy Smoky Mountains to visit that bridge, hoping to reach her fiancé somehow.
But she isn’t expecting to encounter Leo Whitaker when she gets there. He, too, is looking for answers. His father is missing. He hasn’t seen even a trace of him in five days, and with the snowstorm, every day he can’t find him the situation becomes more dire.
Under the sparkle of holiday lights and swags of greenery, the two must face the answers they’re given. Will the bridge be their Christmas miracle? Or will it uncover more than it covers this holiday?

This one is obviously a powerful story about grief but it’s also a second chance story of both life and love. It reminds us of how fragile life can be but also how those who love us will always pick us back up and remind us how cherished we are. While it’s sad, happy and every other emotion all wrapped in one, this is a very beautiful story that should be read and enjoyed this holiday season.

I also highly recommend the audio as you can HEAR the emotion of the characters in the amazing narrators voice.

I really enjoyed this sweet Christmas story. Alicia is dealing with the grief of loosing her fiancée. Noel had a bridge that some say has magical powers. She goes back to Noel to ask for help with her grief. What she find is friends, love and herself back. It was a just what a sweet Christmas book should be. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Noel Bridge by Jenny Hale
Narrated by Emma Love
Publisher: Dreamscape Select | Harpeth Road Press
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance
Published: October 15, 2024

The Noel Bridge by Jenny Hale is a standalone Christmas romance that is filled with magic and wonder.

I absolutely loved this book! It starts sad and slow and then blossoms into a beautiful story of love and miracles. I thought the characters were wonderful.

This book warmed my heart and filled me with joy.

I loved the narration by Emma Love! She has a lovely voice and I loved how she brought the story to life.

I highly recommend The Noel Bridge and I’ll be gifting this to all my book friends this year!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I wasn't the right audience for this book I had no idea there was magical realism and that tends to not work for me. The narrator was also very bland and robotic which didn't hold my attention, I had to DNF.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

Such a beautiful romance, it made me happy and sad. The possible magic in the town, the beautiful town that I think I’d want to live in too. Can you send me some caramel apple pie please. That sounds delicious. The characters and their relationships together, the Christmas season, the conversations on grief. The whole story was really well done and im definitely going to own this book in the future cause i love this story, i didnt want it to end.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 24th November and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of December.

The Noel Bridge is a heartfelt holiday story by Jenny Hale. Alicia Silver has spent the better part of a year working herself to a frazzle. It is the only way she has found to cope with the untimely death of her fiancé. As the holidays approach, Alicia’s supervisor insists she take a few weeks off to recharge. Instead of sitting around in a joyless condo in Savannah, Alicia decides to journey to her hometown of Noel, Tennessee, where the legend of the Noel Bridge has once again made waves on the news. Troubled souls have reported connecting with their lost loved ones at the bridge. Perhaps Alicia will be able to find closure at the bridge.

On her first night in Noel, Alicia arrives a bit later due to snow and is pleased to see the open sign still on at the diner. But as she gets to the door the sign goes off. Just in case, Alicia knocks loudly and the door opens slowly by Leo Whitaker, the diner’s owner, who takes pity on Alicia, sharing his meal with her

On her first trip the bridge on a cold snowy day, Alicia hears a phrase often uttered by her fiancé and the dark form of an approaching man in the bridge. Feelings are jumbled as Alicia moves from elation that maybe her fiancé is there to distress when she determines it is the diner owner with wishes of his own. Together perhaps they could make their wishes come true.

This is a truly lovely holiday offering by a seasoned author. It touches the heart and opens the mind to the possibility of what if. With well drawn characters in a winter wonderland setting, Ms. Hale has once again penned a beautiful Christmas story. I very much enjoyed this book and I very much recommend it!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I initially thought I had received an older book by author Jenny Hale because it had a nostalgic feel to it. Elements like promise rings and coffee shop dinners contributed to its rustic atmosphere. I expected it to be predictable, as some of her more recent works have been; however, this story captivated me and beautifully captured the holiday spirit.