When you pick up a book by Richard Paul Evans, you know that you will read a story with beautiful well developed characters and a warm emotional story-line. His latest work, The Noel Letters, is no exception. Mr. Evans gives us a tale of a father’s love for his daughter that reaches beyond the grave to heal past wounds with the promise of love and redemption.

Noel Book has been summoned home to Utah by her father. Robert Book is dying and he longs to see his daughter one last time. He hopes to rebuild a relationship that has decayed over the past 16 years. Noel is dreading this homecoming and acquiesces only to assuage the guilt she knows she’ll feel if she denies his last request. Because she is a senior editor for a major publishing firm in NY, Noel only plans to visit for a week and then get out of dodge. Unfortunately, the reunion she is dreading never takes place. Before her arrival her father passes away leaving her with many unanswered questions and unable to confront their shaky past.

When she arrives in Salt Lake City, she finds funeral arrangements have previously been made by her father. All she has to do is bide her time, attend the funeral service, then fly back to NY. However, things become complicated when she learns she has inherited her father's bookstore, his house, rare books and a large sum of money. To further complicate matters, Noel is fired from her job in NY. With no job or a home to return to, Noel chooses to stay and assist Wendy, her father’s loyal assistant, at the bookstore until she decides what to do with her inheritance. It is here that Noel is reunited with Dylan, a love from her past and begins to receive a series of philosophical and heartfelt letters signed Tabula Rasa (scraped tablet). Each fervent letter challenges her to look deeper into her life, her heart and her future.

As Noel begins to adjust to her new circumstances, she finds herself looking forward to spending more time with Dylan. She also discovers her father’s bookstore is doing very well. Customers love the store, the atmosphere and warmth that her father has created over the years. One customer in particular by the name of Grace, seems to have known her father exceedingly well. A relationship that Noel finds rather unsettling and mysterious. And the sentiments that Grace, Wendy and her father’s friends are expressing does not compute with the father she remembers as a child. At times, emotionally unavailable and often angry, Noel finds herself more confused than ever. When a series of events occur that leave her mentally drained, Noel confronts Wendy and Grace about the letters and finds the past is not always what it seems. The father she has spent the last 16 years loathing is not the man she thought he was. Now the grief of losing a father she never knew is more than she can bear. It’s at this crossroad Noel finds the strength to embrace those who are willing to help her move forward to heal and love again.

I loved The Noel Letters. As usual Richard Paul Evans’ characters are strong, genuine and deep. I really liked Dylan and Grace’s characters. Their poise and composure lent so beautifully to the story. And although Noel’s father was deceased, I have to say he was my favorite character. I was able to know him looking through the lens of Wendy, Dylan and especially Grace. He was a kind and sensitive man. It was no secret to Robert Book that his daughter held him in contempt and wanted no relationship with him, but he continued to love her and challenge her even from the grave. As usual, I shed a tear or two, as his stories always make me do.

So, if you are looking for a feel good story that will keep you turning the pages look no further than The Noel Letters by Richard Paul Evans. It’s a beautiful story that’s sure to become one of your favorite holiday classics.

I want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced reader copy of The Noel Letters by Richard Paul Evans. “The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own”

This book grabbed my heartstrings and refused to let them go. My heart broke several times while reading it. Not only for Noel, but for her dad. He tried so hard to not tarnish her childhood, even making himself look like he was at fault for everything that happened. The love he must have had for his daughter to sacrifice having her in his life. But at the same time - I was so mad at him!!! He wasted so many wonderful years. Years that other daughters would have loved to have had with his dad. Overall, I loved this book. Emotional turmoil and all.

Wow! Where to begin.

As an angry young woman, Noel Book Post blames her father for the death of her mother. Being estranged from him for 16 years, she is notified that her father is dying. She returns only four hours after his passing. And so the journey begins.

Noel can hardly believe her father leaves everything to her. Including his beloved book store, Bobbooks. Newly divorced, and most recently fired from her editing job in New York, she battles decisions about how to move forward. When mysterious letters start arriving for her, she is perplexed who has sent them.

As only Richard Paul Evans can write, he takes us on a journey of how a young woman can only see the short comings of others and not herself. When she learns the true story of what happened to her mother, everything changes. She attempts to throw everything away. Only to find herself broken and worn.

This story is about learning how to forgive others and herself. Admitting she has been wrong about so many things. And then picking up the pieces.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love a good Christmas story year round. From getting into the spirit of the season around the holidays or just a mental break from the heat if the summer, stories like this always puts me in a good place.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to tead this book. You can't have Christmas without a Richard Paul Evans book. This book is about Noel who lives in New York, but decides to visit her father in Utah. This book eas excellent and tugged at your heart strings. Cant wait to read his next book

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley.

This was a cute, yet somewhat predictable read. I love a good, heartwarming Christmas book!

The Noel Letters

5/5 Stars!

I am giving this book all of the stars! I think I have read all of the King of Christmas's novels to date and they all give me all of the feels! This one was no different. Definitely keep tissues near by while reading this book.

In this novel, we meet our main character: Noel. She comes home after 16 years gone. Noel comes home to her estranged father who is dying and leaving her the family bookstore. Noel is coming to grips with not only her past, but also her recent divorce and life that is seemingly hanging on by a thread. All of a sudden, Noel receives letters that help our girl have a new perspective on her past, present and future!

I got vibes from the movie, "P.S. I Love You" while reading this book and I was able to connect deeply to Evan's well-curated characters throughout the story. I laughed, I cried, I pondered life and its importance - all the standard things when reading one of Evan's wonderful novels.

Whether you are a loyal Richard Paul Evans fan or just picking up one of his novels for the first time, you will not want to miss this cozy, feel-good story! It is out on 10/27/20 - mark your calendars!

A

I always look forward to Richard Paul Evans' Christmas stories, and this one was exceptional. This is a story of forgiveness; forgiveness of others and yourself. Noel and her father had not seen or spoken much in the last 20 years. She had her reasons. But this Christmas she is heading home because her father is dying. On the flight home she is struggling with this trip and how she will react when she sees him. She arrives in Salt Lake City and she is met by her father's employee, Wendy. Her father has passed away before she made it home. What happens next is Noel is having to find some answers from the past on her own. The father she thought she knew is not the man he was. She spends her days working at his bookstore and slowly uncovers the truth. But will the truth come too late. Will she stay in Salt Lake or go back to New York where she has lost her job, her husband has left her and she has no place to live? Or stay here and continue to learn more about her father, run the bookstore, and maybe even find love again?

The Noel Letters is a wonderful story about a woman named Noel Book who travels home when her dad becomes sick. It is a story about forgiveness, growth, family, a love for literature, and how sometimes we perceive things wrong. It takes place at Christmas and that really flows through the book nicely. I do not want to say too much and give the story away. I really enjoyed it and even shed a few tears. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good Christmas-themed feel-good story. It is a quick read that you will not soon forget.

I love Richard Paul Evans books, especially his Christmas Books. The Noel Letters, does not disappoint. Christmas, books, and family whats not to love. I loved this book. The Characters name Is Noel, the book is mainly stationed in Utah, Utah in the winter is a beautiful place. I loved the characters in this book.

This is the story of a young girl who has lost control of her life, and her purpose, and her journey back to the truth. There are many sad parts about it, but that's what helps the character to grow. Ultimately, it is about the love between a father and a daughter, and how it can overcome space and time. An excellent holiday read that ends on an uplifting note!

4.5 Stars

Opening a Richard Paul Evans book is like slipping into a pair of your favorite shoes – a comfortable, perfect fit. I always enjoy his writing style and his storylines address the universal themes of love, loss and redemption. They portray what it means to be fully human. I appreciate especially that Evans delivers his inspirational messages without being preachy.

The Noel Letters is the fourth offering in the Noel Collection. Each one is a short, stand-alone book with a Christmas theme.

Noel Book, a senior editor at a major New York publishing house, is returning home to Salt Lake City at the request of her father who is dying of cancer. She has not seen him in almost two decades due to her anger and bitterness over events of her childhood. Unfortunately, he passes away shortly before her plane arrives at the airport. Much to her surprise she learns that, despite their estrangement, he has left her everything – his home, car, insurance policy and bookstore. All of this occurs as Noel struggles to address her life choices, which have left her divorced, jobless, and without friends.

Initially, Noel is not a very sympathetic, nor a likeable character. She is guarded in her emotional responses, using her anger as a shield to protect herself from feeling vulnerable. After some messy encounters with several of the other characters, she finally begins to realize that her worldview has been colored by a child’s perception of occurrences beyond her understanding. All this may sound very heavy, but there are moments of humor and wise insights that relieve the tension. The resolution may be predictable, but it left me satisfied.

My thanks to the author, Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

384 pages

4 and 1 / 2 stars

This is a heartwarming tale of self-discovery. Noel Book Post returns to her hometown of Salt Lake City after a long absence. She is an angry young woman, primarily believing that her father killed her mother when she was a mere child. Noel doesn't have a clear memory of what happened that evening, but she has been very angry at her father for most of her life. She ran away to New York to work as a book editor. She quit dancing. She refused to speak to her father.

By the time she gets to Salt Lake, her ailing father has died. Noel inherits everything: the house, the bookstore and the life insurance. She meets a variety of people and is often harsh to them.

Noel begins to receive short letters signed by “Tabula Rasa.” Thinking they are from her new romantic interest, little does she know who they are really from.

Very slowly, she begins to realize that she has been so very wrong. She is ashamed and contrite. She grows up quite a bit.

I want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review.

As always Richard Paul Evans did not disappoint his readers with this story. Overall it was what I consider "easy read" - did not require much thought and the characters were easy to keep track of. It's pretty much on the same pattern as his past books - just an easy read with some emotions tied into it.

I am usually a huge fan of Richard Paul Evans books but I am on the fence with this one. I did not care for Noel at all. I am giving it three stars because I did enjoy the ending.

Once again, Richard Paul Evans hits it out of the park. I reread his Christmas books every year, so was thrilled when i was approved to read this. It was wonderful! Makes me long for Christmas! The characters in this book were people we could all relate to. I will be reading this again along with all his others once it's released.

Oh man this book had all the feelings in it. I wasn’t expecting a tear feast and that’s exactly what I got, keep tissues near by while reading this book. In this story Noel has come home after 16 years because he estranged father fell ill and now has to come to terms with what really happened in her childhood. This story made me laugh and cry and I loved it. It reminds me of PS I Love You, and you get the same feelings too. I couldn’t stop reading and man do I wish we could have seen the story through her fathers eyes, but I’m not sure I could handle anymore crying. Everyone should read this story and maybe call their parents afterwards. I know I am.

The Noel Letters is a lovely and poignant holiday story of love, loss, and friendship. I highly recommend this beautiful book.