The Bridge of Bradford, PA

The Eighth Wonder by Kimberly S. Young
The book at me almost speechless at its end. Once finished I wasn't sure how I was going to review this one, and even now I feel like I'm struggling. I'm not saying it was a difficult book, but more that I'm not quite sure I can capture and articulate my feelings on this.

The first summary of this book said it was a modern Bridges of Madison County, and I definitely saw the similarities throughout. This isn't to say it's the same story just told in a different time period. Instead they both explore similar theme, and both include bridges. The bridge connection can actually been scene in the title of each. The first one is obvious, the second is because of the Kinzua Bridge, outside of Bradford, PA, which has been called the eighth world wonder. (It can also be seen in the background of the book cover.) Also given the similarities, I was very curious as to whether this book was going to end the way I remember the movie ending. I won't give the ending away here, but I will say that in a way, I found it beautiful.

One aspect that really spoke to me was when the father of Nicole, our main character, passes away. The time she spent dealing with her father's loss couldn't help but bring me back to my own mother's passing just over a year ago. The emotion in those passages, and what Nicole was feeling, just felt real to me.

This is a shorter book and quick read, but I don't think it needed to be longer. It did tell a beautiful story, and while part of it is a love story, what I enjoyed more was the love story of finding yourself and discovering what you want to be doing with your life.

4/5

Disclosure: I was provided this book through Virtual Author Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.