This is a book that requires attentive reading. It is quite tough to get the characters right at the start. There are too many of them and too soon. I reached the 10% mark twice but found myself befuddled and had to go back to page 1. On my third attempt, I started noting down character appearances and their interconnections. That's when the complex beauty of the story revealed itself to me.

Told from multiple perspectives over multiple timelines, The Dress Shop on King Street is an engrossing read for most of its pages.

Millie Middleton is a sixteen year old in the post WWII period. Coming from a biracial background, Millie blends in the crowd by virtue of her white skin colour but is torn apart internally at the two halves of her identity. Her dream is to own a dress shop, something next to impossible for a 1940s woman of mixed heritage.

Harper Albright is a twenty-six year old from contemporary America. Coming from a poor but supportive family, she struggles to make her lifelong dream of becoming a designer come true. But life keeps throwing curve balls at her.

There is a connection between Millie and Harper and the story works on this bond between the two ladies and their common love for dress designing and strength in the face of obstacles. I especially enjoyed how Ashley Clark portrayed Millie's dilemmas in segregationist America.

The challenge of reading this book is that almost every character is connected to multiple other characters, whether they are from the same family or not. Forget a family tree, you need to create a character network full of crisscrossed interconnections. So to grasp the persons and their significance correctly is a struggle at the start. Once you begin to get a hand of who's who, you can definitely speed through the book. The progress is then smooth and quick till the 75% mark when the plot becomes a little repetitive and drags its pace. I guess I took the maximum time at the initial 10% to understand who's who and the final 10% because it became a bit boring. But in spite of this sluggish end, the book is enjoyable and enlightening. A 3.75 from me.

This book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It is filled with hope and love. This book was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed both characters but had a soft spot for Millie. Both timelines were interesting, but again, Millie's back story was the one that really touched me. I look forward to more books in the series and learning more about the characters and their lives.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was split between two timelines. It was a good read, and easy to follow. It’s set in history, and family and how everyone is tied together over time. You learn Olean on how everyone ties together, but that does not take away from the storyline of the book. I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend.

Harper it is a seamstress and designer who was taught by Millie in her hometown. After trying out for a special show she is rejected and decides to return home and stay with Millie. Millie has always dreamed of owning a dress shop, and with Harper it just may come true.

Ugh! Millie broke my soul!! Author Ashley did a great job broaching a difficult topic that peels away the skin revealing what truly matters, the human heart. The magnificent way human rawness is exposed in a broken world and the love of a mother had me reeling! ❤️

The Dress Shop on King Street
by Ashley Clark
Bethany House
Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 01 Dec 2020


I am reviewing a copy of The Dress Shop on King Street through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:



Harper Dupree had all her hopes and dreams on a future in fashion design. But after it all comes crashing down around her, she returns home to Fairhope, Alabama, and to Millie, the woman who first taught her how to sew. As soon as Harper rethinks her own future, long-hidden secrets about Millie's past are brought to light.




Millie Middleton, the daughter of an Italian man, and a black woman boarded train and left Charleston to keep half of her heritage hidden. She carried with her two heirloom buttons and the dream of owning a dress store. She could have never imagine she would meet a charming train jumper who changed her life forever. And she would once again have to decide a heartbreaking choice about which heritage would define her future.



Harper and Millie return to Charleston to find the man who may hold the answers they seek. As well as a chance at the dress shop they always dreamed of. But it's not until all appears lost that they see the unexpected ways to mend what frayed between the seams.



I give The Dress Shop on King’s Street five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

I feel like I have read a lot of debut novels recently and I have yet to be disappointed. This is another really good debut and I look forward to reading more by Ashley Clark. The cover is fun and vibrant. Who doesn't love a good red hat? And when you read the book, you realize how important a place that red cloche held in the story even though it's more of a subtle mention most of the time.

The theme of this book is dreams, the longing for unfulfilled dreams and what to do when your dreams fall apart. Millie runs through the whole book from the time she was 16 until she was in her 90's, but the other main character, Harper, is told mostly in the present day. While this story is fiction, it is based on truth. The story begins with a mother giving her 9-year-old daughter a satchel that contained a tattered dress, three handfuls of pecans and braid of her own hair. Why, you might ask? Because her daughter was being sold as a slave the next day and this mother would never see her daughter again. That is not a spoiler, it's told in the prologue, but how heart-wrenching is that? There truly was a sack purchased at a flee market in Nashville that had the story written on it.

How do you reconcile living in a time when to be black meant no contact with whites or you could be killed? And when you carried black heritage in a white body, what do you do? And that is all I am going to say about that because I don't want to give away more of the story, but the decisions that Millie made throughout her life were not easy and yet they were made with the deepest sacrificial love you can imagine.

Harper was simply afraid, afraid to move ahead with her dreams, believing she was incapable and unqualified. But all she needed was a little tweaking of her dreams and little stepping out of her fear to make a new beautiful reality.

"The secret, my sweet Harper, is we stop fearing shadows when we see the sun that makes them. Instead of cowering, we shift into the sunlight, and the shadows disappear." This has a much deeper meaning than just the sun and shadows, but when we are willing to step out of our fear and into God's light, the shadows disappear.

And one last quote that I think is so eloquently written: "Sometimes life gives us those moments. Like the very first flutter of a butterfly's wings. Moments that are so profound and so purely beautiful, you try to capture them so you can come back to them later.

I received this book from Bethany House via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is perfect for lovers of Christian fiction that is beautiful and inspirational but not preachy, as well as those who love a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps success story” with a liberal amount of the history of the Southern United States following WWII thrown in for good measure.

It follows the lives of Millie Middleton, a mixed race woman now nearing her 80’s, who has spent most of her life “passing for white” and Harper Dupree, a young woman with hopes of becoming a renowned dress designer as well as the men who play an important part in their lives.

THE DRESS SHOP ON KING STREET is compelling and evocative as it seamlessly toggles between decades and characters while managing to remain consistently engaging throughout. Although Clark writes of a time decades in the past, readers will feel a very real sense that these events have much to say about our world today.

The Dress Shop on King Street took me on a journey that I was not expecting. The story begins with a young slave girl being sold away from her mother, never to see her again; and continues with this little girls ancestors as they journey through a life that was not kind to them. We meet Millie, a bi-racial teen who faces hard decisions about how she will choose to live out her life, the love she finds along the way, the heart wrenching choices that must be made, and the dream she never allows to die. Intertwined in Millie's story is a college student named, Harper, her own dreams dashed, she returns to her roots and to Millie, together the two find renewed faith, hope, and a chance at the life they have always wanted.

WOW! This is such a beautiful story. It is a multi-generational novel that takes the reader from before the Civil War into the present day.

Millie is a woman who is half white and half black. Her mixed heritage gives her more freedom to live in the white world. Her story begins before Martin Luther King changed life for many black people.

Her life is threatened when a white young man learns of her mixed heritage. In order to protect her, Millie's mother puts her on a train to move to an area where she can pass as a white woman.

The story "packs a punch" as injustice is described. Millie has a love story that is beautiful, but her heart is broken when she becomes a mother. To me, it is unfathomable the way that people in the black community were treated. It is because I have never experienced it, that I have a hard time wrapping my head around it.

While there is a lot of pain, there are good times too. The story really is one of hope. It comes full circle when dreams are realized and that generations following have more opportunity.

I cannot give this book a higher recommendation. This will remain in my head and heart for a long time to come.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book. The characters are so endearing and I enjoyed both timelines. It is about hope; friendship, family, secrets,.... and brings forth an array of emotions. I love to sew and the theme was very special to me.
Many thanks to Bethany House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

While it may not sound like it means all that much mid January to say that this is the best book I've read all year, believe me when I say that I don't say this lightly. This book was absolutely fantastic... and beautiful on the inside as it was on the out (and let's be honest, it was the beautiful cover that first drew me in)!

The Dress Shop on King Street is a story that introduces us to two women with a shared dream of owning a dress shop. In the current day, we meet Harper as her dreams seem to be crashing around her and she finds herself rethinking her future. She turns to her childhood neighbor and sewing teacher Millie and through this beautiful dual timeline, we learn the tragic story of Millie's past. A past filled with heartache, racial inequality and the search for identity.

While I may know nothing about the topic at hand, I couldn't help but feel deeply for Millie's character. The author portrayed her story in such a way that I couldn't help but connect with her, to grieve with her, to hope with her. I loved seeing the way that their stories were sewn together, and the beautiful messages of faith throughout. This is certainly one of those books that will stick with me for many, many years to come. If you love historical fiction or a good dual timeline read, this is one not to be missed. I love it.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Do Dreams Always Come True?

This story begins in the 1860’s and ends in the modern day. The story revolves around Millie, a green-eyed beauty that can pass as a white person.

This page turning tale will keep you glued to the story while experiencing the dangers and heartache suffered by people forced to deny their true selves. Millie’s life is traced from just after WWII to present day, including the loss and lack of understanding she experienced just by trying to live life.

Harper enters the story in modern times, while she tries to fulfill her lifelong dream. Just when she feels like everything is over for her, Millie and Harper come together. The two discover both of them have a connection to a man named Peter, something that will ultimately shape their future. The two women collaborate to accomplish something with Peter, but end up doing so much more.

Will Millie be able to confess the truth to Peter, and will he react with anger and shut her out? Why has God placed this desire in Harper's heart if she is going to fail every time?

The 5-star tale will tug at your heart, hoping something wonderful will happen for these two women. They will have to travel through many twists and turns before they are both satisfied. Faith in God plays an important part in this story. Throughout it all, two butterfly buttons will have a vital role in this tale. Those interested in history and finding your calling in life will enjoy this book.

NetGalley has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, The Dress Shop on King Street, for the purpose of review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

A very interesting story, one reason being that it's about a subject that I didn't know much about. It's a bit sad overall, but ends well. The one drawback is that the story kind of takes a long time to tell. Ashley does write some complicated/interesting characters.
My favorite quote is this:
"From the beginning, I have been working between the seams. Where you have ripped, I have mended. When you have torn, I have sewn you. Stitching death to resurrection, failure to dreams, hurt to healing. I never throw out a fabric because it needs repairing. You’ve spent your life on the other side of the seams , thinking all the if-only’s. But there will always be another section to piece . Another hole that needs mending. So long as you live, you will have loose stitches— don’t avoid them. Come and exchange them for strong seams. Keep the fabric of your dreams."
Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance e copy! The opinions expressed are my own.

It is a rare occurrence to find a debut novel that gives the impression that the author has been published for decades, but The Dress Shop on King Street is just such a book. Complexly plotted with settings that came alive for this reader, its characterization is what won me over. I could not get enough of Millie and Franklin and Harper and Peter. Set against the backdrop of the American South in the 1940s to the present, the book grabbed me from the get-go and refused to let me go after the last page was turned. What a great way to start 2021!

The Dress Shop on King Street is a dual timeline novel. It follows Millie Middleton a biracial woman who passes for white. Clark does an admirable job of re-creating the racial tensions/violence that followed Millie from the 1940s to the present. Stuck between two heritages, Millie does her best to live up to the promises she makes to her mother when she leaves Charleston for the safety of Fairhope, Alabama. I loved Millie’s character so much. Clark made her experiences personal for this white woman of 2021. All of the main characters are wonderful, though, with each having very endearing qualities and very real flaws. Charleston and Fairhope were vividly described in their past beauty and ugliness and their present-day reality. Identity is a big theme — what makes us who we are and our response to our heritage. Dreams and aspirations are also explored, as characters grapple with going ahead and letting go. A faith message is subtly woven throughout the narrative. One passage late in the book really grabbed me. Millie has a hard time believing that God is more capable of managing her life than she is. I can really relate to that!

If you are looking for an excellent way to start out your new year reading, then consider The Dress Shop on King Street. I loved that 2021 started out with a 5-star novel!

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

This book seemed as though it took a long time to read, but it was interrupted by holiday reads and other book commitments. The story really touched my heart. It was about two women whose dream it was to own a dress shop, but their dreams took a long time to materialize. There were lots of puzzles, twists and threads to follow, but it was put together in a really interesting way. The experiences of Millie, a biracial woman passing for white most of her life, yet holding on to her black heritage as best she could, were put forth with such understanding and empathy that I had to check to see whether the author was a person of color. I really loved the book and I loved Harper and Millie and my heart broke for Harper when she had her review. I see there is another book in this series and I can't wait to read it.

Loved, loved, loved this story! A story of present time and flashbacks to a much earlier time where the two come together at the end.
Millie and Harper both have dreams of owning their own dress shop. Millie's dream has been for a very, very long time. Her great sacrifices for her family have delayed her dream, but she has no regrets.
Harper's dreams are crushed when her professor harshly criticized her work of art, and basically tells her to find another occupation.
Both women take vintage clothing and bring them back to life. They believe each item has a story.
I loved Millie and Franklin's love story. The writing made me feel as though I knew them, and felt their joys and heartaches along with them. The racial injustices and decisions that were because of it made for much heartache and pain that carried through their entire lives, and affected generations after them. The writing made their pain so real.
Then, there's Peter and how he ties with with Millie. Absolutely, wonderful!
I was given a complimentary copy by the publisher, Bethany House and Netgalley. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review.

A heart wrenching family history.
Present Day - Harper has dreamed of owning a dress shop since she was a little girl taught to sew by Mrs Millie. About to graduate from design school, her senior project is rejected by her advisor. Lost without her dream, Harper returns to Mrs. Millie. Mrs Millie convinces Harper to take her to Charleston to fulfill her own dream decades old- owning a dress shop.
After WWII, many families struggled to fin work. One family struggles with finding peace as a biracial family. Millie is sent from home by her mothet as a teenager, passing as white to fulfill her dream of owning a dress shop.
Emotional. Amazing family history. Loved the perspectives of both time periods. Loved the characters- especially Millie. Oh to have such a love, such strength.
Great story.

Thanks to Bethany House for the free book. All opinions are my own.
This was a wonderful debut. I enjoyed how Clark the romance, Harper's struggles, and Millie's decisions. Millie's chapters were my favorite because of how the author chose to show her struggles. They were incredibly difficult, yet Clark handled the topics with grace and dignity. Millie is also a part of Harper's story set in modern times, and so there was lots of wisdom given based on her story told in the past timeline. I also liked how she showed how Harper was listening to so many doubts and fears instead of focusing on what God was calling her to do. I felt like I could relate to her inability to quiet all of the voices in her mind.

These two timelines weave together so well, and I could not stop reading because the buildup was so well done, and I had to know what was going to happen next. I also enjoyed how this book series is focused on an heirloom and how that one piece ties everything together.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishing for a gifted copy of The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark. All opinions are my own.

The prologue to this story was heartbreaking. It is the story of Rose and her daughter, Ashley, who is sold at nine years old in 1860. The story continues while alternating between Millie's story which starts in the 1940s and Harper's story which starts in the present. Their stories intertwine and come together as the stories continue.

Millie has lived her life feeling that she has two parts. Her skin is light like her father but her heritage is also shared with her grandmother, Ashley. At the age of 16, Millie's mother pushes her into the world by herself so she can have a safer life and be able to fulfill her dreams. Millie is torn between her heritage and staying true to her mother's wishes. Her mother wants her to have her dream of owning a dress shop.

Harper has always wanted to have her own dress shop. After losing her mother at a very young age she struggles with her dreams and what she is meant to be doing with her life.

This book is heartbreaking at so many turns. The choices that a mother makes for her child is not always easy or clear-cut. Millie's ancestors, her own mother, and her choices as a mother make this book hard to put down.

I loved the aspect of items (clothing, furniture, houses, etc.) having stories and the importance of history today. Have you ever looked at a vintage item and wondered where it came from? Who did it belong to? What did it mean to that person?

One of my favorite parts of historical fiction is author's notes. I appreciated the author's notes in this book which let the readers know the historical accuracy of the stories.

Christian
Women's Fiction
Release Date: December 1, 2020

The Dress Shop on King Street is a dual timeline story set in the post-WWII American South, and in the present day. In the present, Harper Dupree’s hopes for a career in fashions have been dashed, so she returns home to Alabama, to the older woman who taught her to sew. Here she meets Peter, an unlikely property developer. Millie Middleton is an expert seamstress who has always wanted to open her own dress shop, but life kept getting in the way. Now she might just achieve her dream, with Harper and Peter’s help.

The past story is Millie’s and takes us from her initial dream through the many reasons why it never came to pass. It’s obvious from the beginning that Millie has a secret, and not just that she’s a mixed-race woman passing as white in 1960’s Georgia, where the “one-drop rule” is a thing. (I had to look that up. For those of us who are not from the USA, it meant that a person with just “one drop” of non-white ancestry was considered black, and therefore treated as a second-class citizen).

Harper’s story and slow-growing romance with Peter was the bulk of the story, but the impact and the heart of the story belonged to Millie. It forces us to face the injustices of the past, and ask ourselves what we can do to atone for those in the present, and to make sure they don’t happen again. It also shows that some injustices have consequences that last years or even decades. Some injustices can never be fixed or made right.

2020 has been a year of outstanding debut novels in the Christian fiction genre. The Dress Shop on King Street is one of the best. It’s a novel about identity—our racial or cultural identity, but also our identity as Christians, encouraging us to chase our God-given dreams, no matter how old we are.

The Dress Shop on King Street is a novel that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. Recommended.

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.