3.5* ( )

Another sweet story ( )

British author Phaedra Patrick likes to build her stories around meaningful objects, such as the charm bracelet in her debut novel “The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.” In “The Secrets of Love Story Bridge” (2020), there are two such objects — or three if you want to count the bridge.

Mitchell Fisher, still mourning the death of his girlfriend, is a former bridge designer whose downhill career has fallen to removing the padlocks that people fasten to a certain bridge. Instead of carving their initials on trees, lovers signify the permanence of their love with padlocks, before tossing the keys into the river. The city wants the padlocks gone, and that's now Mitchell's job.

One day he sees a woman in a yellow dress attach a padlock, then fall into the river. He jumps in after her. After he saves her life, he becomes a hero, but somehow the woman remains anonymous. His daughter's music teacher, Liza, thinks the mysterious woman is her missing sister, and she enlists Mitchell's help in finding her.

Meanwhile Mitchell starts getting dozens of letters, mostly praising his heroism. And letters become the second physical object guiding the story, but not just these letters from strangers. Mitchell still writes letters to his late girlfriend almost daily, while being afraid to open a letter she wrote to him shortly before her accidental death. And then there is the letter he writes to Liza at the novel's conclusion. Letters, in the end, mean much more than padlocks.

Perhaps because of all those various objects battling for significance, this Patrick novel lacks the curious charm of her others. ( )

This was a huge disappointment. The synopsis sounded great but it did not deliver. The dialog was horrible. I hated every character in the book. Kept reading as I thought it might get better but it never did. Finished it just for the sake of finishing it. ( )

I am so in love with this book. I have to admit, though, it wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. Which is more than fine. I thought I was going to get a romance but it was so much more. I would definitely put this in the mystery genre though it easily does fit into romance. It also fits into loss and friendships, old and new. There is quite a bit going on but it unfolds so wonderfully that you aren’t overwhelmed in the least.
I love reading about someone’s journey and their growth. This does that with Mitchell. I ached at his love and loss for Anita. His relationship with Poppy is absolutely beautiful. He journey into fatherhood proves that it’s never too late to be a good parent. Then there are his relationships with Graham, Barry, Liza, Yvette and even Carl. I feel like this book could be in a genre called relationships. It is all about them. They all felt real; ordinary yet unique people. I already miss them. There is no dead body yet there is a mystery. I truly enjoyed it. This book has something for everyone.
I won an uncorrected proof of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Reviews are not required. I voluntarily reviewed this book. My review and love for this book is based upon the story. Thank you to Goodreads, the author and the publisher for making this book available in a giveaway. ( )