I loved this book. True chick lit. It is a story about a couple that split after 5 years together and are brought back together for their siblings wedding. The story is written in present day and also goes back over the years, so we see the characters have evolved. Well worth a read.

The Lucky Dress is the perfect summer read. It's cute and fun, and it has just the right amount of shenanigans. This was one of those cases where everything could've been solved with a conversation, but it was still an enjoyable read. Emi is a little bit of a disaster as a main character. She's stubborn, runs away from her problems, and she may be a little too reliant on alcohol to numb her feelings. Even though she has all these flaws, Emi still comes off as endearing and relatable, so it's not one of those instances where the main character will annoy you with how stupid they're being.

There were a few unique aspects that made this book stand out from your typical romance novel. Even though I was dying to find out what happened in the present day, I enjoyed the nonlinear storytelling to give us more insight into Jack and Emi's history and highlight key points in their relationship. The minor characters were also not very typical and really dynamic. I feel like the mother-in-law is always a villain, so it was quite refreshing to read about how much Jack's mother viewed Emi as her own daughter. I also really liked Hannah and Lily's characters and how supportive they were of Emi.

The Lucky Dress was a fun, quick, and fluffy read. I'm looking forward to reading about Liam's story in the next one!

Full disclosure: I didn't realize this was a re-publication of Little Gray Dress. I had read this under its previous title, and felt major deja-vu while starting this. Eventually, I did realize the title name change. That being said, even when I realized that it was the same title, and I remembered the plot very well, I kept reading and finished it again. I enjoyed the book that much. This is what I personally like in womens/chick lit fiction: a feisty, assertive, fun heroine who is brilliantly flawed. Emi is heartbroken from a devastating misunderstanding that broke her engagement days before her wedding, and is forced to engage with him once again when her twin brother is marrying her ex-fiancé's sister. There is heart in the story, and comedic timing.

The Lucky Dress by Aimee Brown
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars

For the past year, Emi Harrison has been living a lie! Oh, she tells everyone who asks, especially her best friend, that she’s crazy happy with her new life, her new business, and the extra twentyish pounds she’s packed on. She also tells everyone who asks, especially herself that she is completely over the lying, cheating bastard known as Jack Cabot, ex-fiancé. With the coming over her twin brother’s wedding, Emi Harrison is going to have ample opportunity to prove to everyone, including herself just how over Jack Cabot she is!

One plane ride later . . . .

Stepping back into her old stomping grounds is just as nerve-wracking as Emi thought it would be! Everywhere she turns, there is a reminder of her five-year life with Jack, the places they frequented, the people they liked and loved, and the promise of a happy future together. Unfortunately, that happiness was stripped away in one horrifying afternoon and evening a year ago when Emi walked in on Jack with another woman sprawled across his body; just a few hours later, she watched in horror as he left another woman into the home they once so happily shared.

Yeah, there may be some unresolved issues on both sides . . . .

Emi walks into her old life with every intention of supporting her twin brother, his ridiculous bride to be, and their wedding events! Emi wants happiness for her brother, but she is a member of the bridal party and so is her ex. With every intention of behaving herself and not causing a scene, Emi promises everyone she’ll be on her best behavior. All she must do is follow through on that promise and that quickly proves far, far easier said than done. The moment Jack walks in to the first event with another woman on his arm, Emi loses her damn fool mind and the shenanigans don’t stop until the very last page!

The Bottom Line: I read The Lucky Dress in a single sitting and laughed my way through most of this book! Emi is utterly ridiculous and the recipient of some most unfortunate luck! As it happens, that run of bad luck has been with her far longer than even she’s aware. Which leads to my favorite part of this book, the way the story is broken down and told. The chapters alternate between the present and the past with the chapters dedicated to the present moving forward and revealing a great number of truths and secrets, while the chapters dedicated to the past move backward in time tracing Jack and Emi’s relationship from the moment they broke up to their first meeting. I found this type of storytelling to be most conducive to plot, and it totally fed into my love of past meets present and loads of backstory/history! Overall, this is a delightful little rom/com that has some moving moments, some sad moments, but mostly a lot of funny/ridiculous moments that play perfectly with the characters and their respective personalities!

P.S. If you’re like me and turn every available page, then you also know the hot bar owner/fake date is getting his own story sometime next year 😊

A love story that despite the ups and downs, the heroine gets the happy ending she knew she wanted and deserved. Sweet book and a great beach read.

This novel reminds me of a Sofia Kinella or Marian Keyes with the various hilious antics that arise from Emi. Emi ran away from Oregan after her fiance Jack had his half nake receptionist on his lap. Emi also had a mean girl moment with Greta--her former boss's daughter. Greta wasted no time when she found out that Emi broke up with Jack. Now Emi has to return to Oregan for her twin brother Evan's wedding to Hannah--Jack's younger sister. To make matters worse for Emi, she is in the wedding party with Jack. During a dinner at her brother's house, Emi finds out that Jack is dating, not not dating just anyone--her arch-nemisis Greta. Greta has always gotten what she wanted. Greta set her sights on Jack and she is going to do everything she can to ensure that she gets him even if Jack's heart belongs to another. The more the wedding party spends together the more hurt Jack is for what happened between himself and Emi. He can't forgive himself for what happened--how can he expect Emi to forgive him and take him back. Emi ran away over a thousand miles away to forget him.

The big wedding day holds numerous surprises for the entire wedding party from an unexpected dye job to an orange spray tan to past secrets being revealed. Brown had me laughing and crying for Emi. This novel will be added to my repeat reading list!

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading more from this author.

This is Emi and Jack's book, Jack is an attorney and Emi is a barista. I'm just not to sure about this one! It was well written and a cute sweet story but kind of all over the place! I liked it ok but not one of my top favorite. There's no sex which was ok I usually like a little more kick to my books lol but it was an ok read! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

DNF at 60%.

I feel torn about this book. On one hand I don't want to read it any more, on the other hand I want to know what happens.

Told in alternate present day and flashbacks going backwards in time (for no reason that I could discern) this is the story of Emi Harrison. She caught her fiancee in a compromising position and broke things off then moved to Dallas where she opened up a coffee shop.

Now her ex-fiancee Jack Cabot's sister Hannah is marrying Emi's twin brother Evan and she is not only forced to attend the week long celebrations but also spend time with Jack and his new girlfriend, who only happens to be Emi's nemesis.

I don't know whether Jack really did cheat, the story from Emi's viewpoint really doesn't leave much wiggle room for a plausible explanation. Similarly, if Jack is distraught and desperate to get back with Emi why would he even allow such a nasty piece of work to hang around? I didn't like Emi's BFF Lily, she was pretty judgemental about Emi having two small airline glasses of wine - it was like she had downed a bottle of vodka - and she seems to put Emi down all the time. Hannah was also a Bridezilla and an unlikable character. Maybe, as I write this my feelings become clearer, it is just that I don't like any of the characters. Jack appears (at best) to be too afraid to say no, Emi is just wet and Lily's nemesis might as well have a coat made of Dalmatians.

I want to know Jack's excuse. I want to know if Emi goes back to Jack or starts something new with the sexy bar-owner Liam. But I don't like the characters enough to carry on reading.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Emi has to attend her brother's wedding and face her ex-fiance and his family. Their break up was sudden and very traumatic, she is not sure of her feelings and would not go if it were possible. Thankfully she has her lucky dress that gives her confidence. What happens at the wedding? You have to read to find out.

When I first read the synopsis I had entirely different ideas about where the plot was going to go. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the ending. This book is filled with loooooots of drama, and some characters felt a bit like caricatures. I think the villain was very one dimensional and not every decision was explained very well. I feel like some of the things the characters did were unnecessary and just created drama. I really liked the chapters from the past that allowed us insight into Emi's and Jack's relationship and how it came to be.
It is still an entertaining read and made me laugh. A great book to take with you to the beach and spend a lovely afternoon.

*I received a free copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

I received a free copy from netgalley for an honest review. So before I get into the story I really like the different approach this author had to telling the story. The chapters flip back and forth from present day two flashbacks from the character's relationship in the past. What's really unique about the flashbacks is that they don't go chronologically starting with the oldest but rather the newest Parts in a relationship. Jack and emi were engaged and after the engagement was called off and he moves down to Dallas however Jack sister and emi's brother are getting married and Emi has no choice but to return for the wedding. I like the story there were parts of the story where emi really started to irritate me but overall I did love story. But I think my favorite part was Liam and I'm so excited that the author included a little note that Liam story is coming out next because I can't wait for that one.

Never read a book by this author before so was a bit hesitant, was I going to enjoy it? However, I needn't have worried. It was a lighthearted and easy read with a bit of humour and some drama all thrown in to make it a great read. Characters were relatable and I loved the storyline. Will look out for more by this author from now on.