I was given a copy of this book on Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
My Interest

The blurb on Net Galley made this sound just plain fun in a Sarah Addison Allen kind of way! Who wouldn’t want to show in a store specializing in vintage bespoke wedding gowns? My intuition was right! Read on!

I’m confused though why my Net Gallery copy has The Whispering Dress Boutique, but it is for sale only as the Second Chance Boutique?? (I’ve also seen it as The Perfect Dress). Whispering dresses sound so much more interesting than washed-up clothes in a boutique? Just my two cents for the marketing crew who likely ordered the change from interesting to ho-hum title. If it was the author who ordered it, ok then–after all it’s her book and she likely has the perfect reason for it.
The Story

“The Whispering Dress is no ordinary wedding dress shop. There are no oversized PayHere signs. No mass changing rooms crammed with seminaked brides, all eyeing the same white satin fishtail while stealthily noting the merits and pitfalls of one another’s body types….At this shop, every gown sits apart. Every gown is different. Every gown has a story. After all, the most important dress of a woman’s life should surely have something distinct to say.”

Francesca Delany is the brain-child behind the Whispering Dress–London’s most interesting wedding dress retailer. All the gowns have been worn before–some even more than a century before. She lovingly brings them back to life and then, as a sort of “dress whisperer” she matches them to the bride who needs the energy of their past life.

“I believe my dresses carry their pasts within them, like archives of life, and that they pass this energy on to whomever wears them next.”

Fun? Oh yes! Who wouldn’t want to go to the altar in a bespoke vintage gown with a label like Norman Hartnell in it? Especially one that speaks to your own needs? Wow!

“A whispering dress isn’t just a yard of trimmed and stretched fabric, you see. It’s a story, a legacy, a lesson from history. You might even call it a talisman.”

At a house clearance, Fran finds a dress so rare she is speechless–at least until Rafael Colt and his Old Etonian effortless excellence vibe and posh vowels and fabulous car appears and causes the wedding gown of all gowns to land in a dumpster.

You can guess the rest, right? No worries, it’s worth reading this one through to the end.
My Thoughts

This is a delight from start-to-finish. No woke screed-speeches, no constant use of “A.S.” or “A.F.”, only a little bit of loving sex, a couple of minuscule pc-pokes at religion, and a couple to root for, hope for, and cheer on! When pools and beaches reopen this is the first book to grab! A sweet romance that’s just the right amount magical without any wands or potions–just an intuitive lady who knows her stuff. I loved it.

I can’t wait to read more from Louisa Leaman.
My Verdict
4.0

Second Chance Boutique: A Novel by Louisa Leaman

The Second Chance Boutique by Louisa Leaman

The premise of this story is intriguing and exciting and I was thrilled when I was given the chance to read it. However, I felt the story moved kind of slow and I had a hard time connecting to the characters.

I liked the premise, and the first chapter was promising, with a magical and cozy feeling. But, the book lost me when I found the male lead rude and condescending and was unable to make a connection with the character. The dresses and their stories-lovely. The romance-not so much.

A glimpse at the marriage announcements in the New York Times makes it very clear that, along with everything else, the way that marriages are celebrated has changed under Covid.  But no matter what, the dress for the big day is important.


This book will be welcomed by readers who enjoy knowing more about the history of dresses and their wearers.  Our protagonist, Francesca, runs a boutique where she matches prospective brides with the perfect outfit. Her gowns are vintage and she tries to only stock and sell dresses that were part of good relationship.  So...what happens with one particular gown?  Read the book to find out.


This title is a delightful one.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.

What a Charming fun book. Owner of a second-hand Wedding Dress Boutique in London, Fran, has a intrinsic neck for matching Brides to the perfect dress by their personalities. She herself has no interest in marriage. Her romantic leads name is Raphael, he's wealthy has family issues, a huge chip on the shoulder and absolutely no time for fun, love and all it entails.

I had several favorite parts of this book and most of them surrounded the wedding dresses themselves and the history that friend was able to dig up on them. The magical realism fits well with a book and doesn't detract from it at all. It just makes for a super fun read.

This is an adorable book and a quick read. You don't need to get deeply involved in anything, the author did a great job with developing her characters and sweet plot oh, so it's a fun read. Perfect for the beach! I highly recommend. I plan on looking up more of this author's books. It left me with a feel-good feeling, which is so important during these trying times. I was able to really lose myself in her book.

I would like to thank Louisa Lehman, Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The ultimate beach read! I loved the history of fashion part and all the histories of the different dresses. Made me think of my own wedding dress and if I would like somebody else to ever wear it again. I wish this boutique really existed.

Anyways, about the story - there's a fun, kind of hate to love relationship and a mystery about a dress. What's not to love about it?

This book was provided to me for free from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

HELLO THIS IS THE BEST I loved this book. I mean first of allC hello, my say yes to the dress dreams. I love dress shops so much. Always have and this book was cute and lovely and I was so interested in it from the start.

A lovely story romance vintage wedding dresses.I loved the connection of a bride to a specific gown.Really enjoyed this wonderful book.#netgalley#sourcebooks

In THE SECOND CHANCE BOUTIQUE, Louisa Leaman shares the story of Francesca, owner of The Whispering Dress, a vintage wedding dress shop where cherished gowns are matched to the perfect bride to express, to inspire, to encourage. The owner herself has history with a dress and with love that is challenged when a priceless, one-of-a-kind dress arrives in her life and creates immediate havoc in the person of its owner and his own tangled past. In this story, the past is never past, be it for the dresses or the people who love them. While the early part of the book starts out strong with evocative description and crisply drawn characters and plot twists and turns, too soon it devolved into formulaic, predictable, clunking prose that disappointed and perplexed given the promising beginning. By 65% of the way through, I could not bring myself to finish. Disappointed in this book, however, hopeful of something more rousing, sustained, and nuanced from this writer.

Ok- I'm not afraid to admit that I really really enjoyed this book! Yes it's light, yes it's a little predictable, but it's also exactly the thing for a day when you need a lift. Francesca owns a wedding dress boutique; she matches used dresses to new brides through a sort of sixth sense. She is thrilled to discover a gorgeous wonderful dress at an estate sale but shocked when Raphael, the son of the owner is will to let her buy it. Who doesn't want to keep their mother's dress? Well, he doesn't. This starts as a sort of standoff between two people who feel a spark but can't quite get to one another and ends, well, it ends quite nicely. There's a little magical realism (not too woohoo!), a little about the fashion business, and a nice romance. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Perfect to take your mind off the news.

Awww! I loved this one. So fun and cute. I loved the concept of matching a wedding dress to the bride. Perfect. So cute!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a delightful light romantic read. I especially liked the descriptions of the vintage dresses.

I enjoyed this story, one because I love wedding gowns and two this is a sweet rom com. Francesca owns a wedding gown boutique and has a knack for matching a dress to the bride. She knows the history of each gown except one in her store and finds its secrets. It’s an easy, entertaining read. A won a printed ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark but due to shipping delays was offered an ebook copy. Thank you Sourcebook Landmark, NetGalley. This is my honest review.

The Second Chance Boutique is a fun little piece of British chick lit.

Fran owns a second-hand wedding dress boutique in London where she has a knack for matching brides to the perfect dress for their personalities, even while she herself wants nothing to do with marriage. Rafael is a wealthy philanthropist with a well-funded family foundation, an alcoholic sister, a chip on his shoulder, and no time for the frivolity of love and marriage. Since this is British chick lit, we all know what happens.

My favorite parts of the book surrounded the dresses themselves and the history Fran was able to find out about each one to do a better job matching them to her brides. I really enjoyed the wall of dead grooms, and I wish more had been said about them and their connections to the dresses and the brides who wore them. The elements of magical realism were fun, but, again, I wanted more of it, and not just with one dress that was connected to Rafael's family.

I liked the idea of the story, but often, the stakes didn't seem high enough to match the characters' reactions to events. Without giving anything away, based on Fran's reaction to something that happened ten years prior to this story, I thought it was going to be a much bigger thing than it was. Same with Rafael. He obviously hated his father and was afraid of turning into him, but, okay, what else? Even his big reveal has been very overdone and was not unexpected from very early on.

This is a cute book and a light read, and if you don't overthink it and just take it for what it is, it's a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

I started this book over a week ago and it really took a few tries for me to get into it. Unfortunately it never quite "grabbed" me, even though I did finish it.

A woman in London has a boutique in which she sells previously owned wedding dresses. However, she learns the history of woman who wore the gown so that she can match it up to the perfect customer and bring out that bride's true self. Of course this dress shop owner has her own romance as well. Then a sub-plot involving reality television comes in. It was just too disjointed for me, and I didn't really care for the characters. It just didn't mesh well for my taste.

The Second Chance Boutique, is a sweet rom-com. I love vintage clothing, especially wedding dresses. This book was an easy read and I loved the characters and the storyline. This lighthearted story was a hit with me and I highly recommend it.

A sweet story of a wedding dress boutique owner and a philanthropist who find the missing parts of their lives in each other. This was a fun book (I enjoyed reading the detailed dress descriptions!), a nice light read. There were a couple of times when I couldn't quite understand the character's actions (why did Fran leave the big charity event? Because she saw a photo of her ex?) but it wasn't enough to make me stop reading. I really did want to know how it was all going to turn out. Recommended for hard-care romantics and fashion lovers.

This was a fun, interesting story. Great characters and enjoyed reading about the vintage wedding dress angle. Thank you to NetGalley for an early read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book.

It was a cute story and a pretty easy read. I loved the storyline. The historic dresses and the semi enemies to lovers romance. If you are looking for a lighthearted rom-com with relatable characters and sweet romance and ofcourse broody heroes then its definitely for you. I wanted to read this book for a long time and though it's not like I expected it but it's a good one nonetheless.

Happy reading!

This is a whimsical book. Fran matches brides with vintage dresses in her shop. She comes across a dress that has a different history. It causes a lot of controversy and a deep rupture in Fran’s life. I liked the question answer part at the end with the author.