The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
by: Jennifer Ryan
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books
pub date: May 31, 2022
genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

The written words of author Jennifer Ryan are as lovely as the cover of her new book, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. I was drawn in by the cover of three women intently working together on a wedding dress. I stayed for the compelling story of these three interesting women in a setting of wartime Britain.

Fashion designer Cressida, her niece Violet and local vicar's daughter Grace come together to mend wedding dresses as an act of service during a time of clothing rationing. Ryan's writing flows beautifully and smoothly in a tapestry of finding love and beauty among the sadness of war. This book was a wonderful introduction for me to the historical fiction works by exemplary writer Jennifer Ryan.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books
for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.

Jennifer Ryan tells the story of three women trying to make the most out of very little in England during WWII. Cressida is well known fashion designer who has lost her London home and design studio during the Blitz. Unsure of the welcome she will get she has no choice but to seek help from her estranged niece and nephew. Violet...Cressida's niece is conscripted as a driver for the army. Grace is planning on marrying a curate ànd is desperate to repair her mother's wedding dress. With Cressida's help the local sewing circle takes on the task of repairing the dress. Told in alternating POVs this story is so much more than repairing a dress. It's about repairing and rebuilding relationships. During her training Violet learns she is so much more than a society darling and with Cressida's gentle guidance Grace comes out of her shell and becomes stronger than she thought possible. I REALLY enjoyed this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..

Another World War 2 book. But wait, this one is different. It’s primarily about life in a small English town during the war. No daring resistance fighters or soldiers — an aristocrats daughter, a dress designer and a vicars daughter. Their experiences and close calls are the centerpieces of the book. This makes the book so relatable to todays readers. Just ordinary people caught up in a war zone. Well worth a read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Jennifer Ryan is an auto-read for me! Her books are a comforting, hope-filled & enlightening looks into civilian life during WWII. 5 stars every time.

World War II is hitting England hard as the bombs are dropping and the rations are impacting everyday life. Grace Carlisle is a vicar's daughter who is on the verge of being married. Her only white wedding dress option is a hand me down that badly needs repair and alteration. When she bring it to the village's sewing circle, it sparks a chain of events that brings together a group of women who may not have crossed paths and becomes something bigger than any of them could have imagined.

This was a sweet story of women supporting women as they navigate the immense changes in their lives due to the war. I really enjoyed all of the characters, and the plot moved quickly enough that I stayed interested. This was a fun read. It doesn't have a lot of depth necessarily, but it also doesn't need to. I liked seeing how all the characters grew, and the ending felt satisfying to me. All in all, a great read for anyone who enjoys lighter WWII fiction.

A big thanks to Jennifer Ryan, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was a sweet story about a group of ladies in WWII England who come together to support each other and assist in the war effort. This was really interesting as I was not aware there were clothing rations at this time. As they could not purchase many new clothes, groups would come together to mend old clothes or repurpose them. The sewing circle helps one of their own with her mother's wedding dress as her own nuptials approach. Their work on the wedding dress does more than build friendships, it helps the ladies grow and realize what they truly want out of life.

I loved the overall message of not living in fear, of not living your life according to other people's expectations.

I really loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. In the midst of WWII, cleric's daughter Grace, who is to be wed soon, finds her mother's wedding dress in the attic and comes to her village's sewing circle to look for help repairing her dress. Fashion designer Cressida has returned to the village after many years after her London home and design studio were both destroyed in the Blitz and takes an interest in the sewing circle to pass the time until she gets back on her feet. Cressida's niece, Violet is just biding her time until the war is over and she can find the highest ranked husband to fulfill her family's notions of duty and participates in the sewing circle out of obligation.
Grace has the idea to mend her mother's wedding dress for her upcoming wedding and then lend it to used by other war brides so they have the option to wear a white dress instead of whatever nice garment they can find with the limited options that the war rations provide. Cressida offers to help her repair it and discovers that Grace would make a talented designer, so she offers to take her on as her protégé for an upcoming design competition for the war effort. This leads both Grace and Cressida to re-evaluate what their purpose is and what they are meant to do with their lives. Meanwhile, Violet is conscripted to the army and becomes a temporary driver for an American military officer who pushes her buttons and makes her reevaluate everything about what she is supposed to do with her life.
While this book was a little predictable on who our 3 heroines end up with, their journey to happiness was anything but and I had a hard time putting this book down. While there is some romance, it was The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was a cozy read that provided strong female characters that were able to hold their own, and the fact that they were able to find their happily-ever-afters was just a satisfying bonus, I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that is part page turner and part warm hug.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House/ Ballantine for providing this eARC for my review.

WWII Ladies Fashion White Wedding Dresses for Each Other

During the London blitz, a bomb took out famous dress designer Cressida Westcott’s home as well as her business. The only place to go is back to the family manor house in Aldhurst village. She left many years ago because of her father and brother. Now she worries whether her nephew, Hugh, who inherited the estate, will accept her.

In Aldhurst, she meets her niece, Violet, who is thrilled to have her famous aunt in residence. She also meets Grace, daughter of the Vicar. Grace is engaged to be married to Lawrennce, also a vicar, and she very much wants a white wedding dress. He father gave her her mother’s wedding dress, but it’s in tatters.

The local sewing circle with guidance from Cressida and donated fabric sets out to give Grace her dream, In the process, they help other girls to have a white wedding and learn to be more independent. Each woman learns about herself and what she truly wants. It was a very up lifting book.

This historical novel is based on real events. The author did a superb job showing what wartime Britain was like for the women in the country villages. The characters were people you’d like to know. Violet starts as a spoiled snob, but becomes a much more understanding person through her wartime duties. Grace finds hidden talents, and Cressida finds that she can use her talents to make a difference in the lives of ordinary people. High couture is not the whole world.

If you enjoyed Bloomsbury Girls, or like historical novels featuring strong women, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a charming historical novel set in England during World War II. Clothes are being rationed and can only be purchased with coupons. The women in town work together to mend and sort through clothing donations so that families can be provided with new options of what to wear. Meanwhile, Grace is planning her wedding and becoming reacquainted with an old friend who is back in town. This is the book to read on a nice summer day while being grateful that times are better now. Read and enjoy!

I found this book to be a pleasant read and rate it 4 bright stars. It is set in WWII Britain. There 3 narrators in the book.
Cressida Westcott is a successful dress designer to high fashion, wealthy women in London, England. Then bombs from the Germans destroy her home and her dress store/workshop. She is lucky to be alive, escaping minutes before the bomb destroys her house.She is forced to ask her nephew, Hugh, for permission to move into the family home in Aldhurst village. She left home 2o years ago after an argument with her father, now deceased. She never married, concentrating on her work.
Grace Carlisle is the daughter of the Aldhurst village vicar. She is engaged to another church minister, Lawrence.
Violet Westcott is Hugh's sister and something of an immature woman set on marrying a lord with a title.
How these 3 women find true love and break out of the roles that that others had set upon them, makes for an enchanting read of love and loneliness in a time of war. The title is about a group of women who set about mending a used wedding dress for Grace and then decide to lend it out to other brides. Clothes are rationed in WWII Britain.
Violet quote: "Completely oblivious to how offensive it might sound, Violet declared, 'Who would want to borrow a wedding gown? I shall be ordering a new one, have no doubt about that."
Spring scene: "Outside, late spring was at its very finest, the scent of freshly cut grass seeping inside, reminding her of her childhood, the freedom, the escape."
The characters are enjoyable to read about, as they deal with wartime shortages, including using brown gravy as a stocking substitute .
I have read 3 previous books by the author, all stand alones, all set in WWII Britain. Both my wife and I strongly recommend this book to historical fiction fans. My wife also says 4 stars. I read it in 3 days. The book is based upon stories of wedding dresses being lent to brides across Britain during WWII.
#TheWeddingDressSewingCircle #NetGalley
Thanks to Morgan Hoit at Ballantine Books/Random House for sending me this eARC through NetGalley

England - 1942

Grace Carlisle lived with her widowed father, a vicar. She is engaged to Lawrence Fairclough, a curate. She has found her mother’s wedding dress in the attic. It is beautiful but unfortunately has been severely eaten by moths. Grace wants to wear the dress for her wedding and needs help to fix the destruction in time. She lives in the village near Aldhurst Manor. People are only allowed very few pieces of clothing to buy each year and the fabric for a luxurious wedding dress is not allowed. WWII has placed many restrictions on people.

Cressida Westcott, age 46, is a successful couturier and owns a Chelsea design house. She lived at Aldhurst Manor until her brother took over. They did not get along so she decided to move to London. Now, a bomb has leveled her home and her design house. Her brother has since passed away and his son, Hugh who works at the War Office is head of the family. Cressida contacts Hugh and asks to stay for awhile and he is happy for her to do so.

Violet Westcott lives with her brother, Hugh, at Aldhurst Manor. Her fiancé was shot down and killed. She has always wanted to meet her aunt Cressida but her father had forbidden it. Violet loves fashion so she is thrilled when she learns that her aunt will be coming to live with them.

When Cressida meets some of the women of Aldhurst, they decide to form a sewing circle to exchange ideas of how to remake old clothes as cloth rations are so sparse. Here, they become good friends. One thing they work on is Grace’s damaged wedding dress. From there, and with the shortage of lovely materials, they form a wedding dress borrowing service so women can feel like a true bride on their special day. Along with these female friendships, we see them each find the love of their life.

I know I have given away what may seem like spoilers, but it’s just the bare plot and you must read the whole book to discover the depth of each character and their interactions with one another. A great book and a historical document as well. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a gentle and nostalgic home-front WW2 historical slice of life romance by Jennifer Ryan. Released 31st May 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 432 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out in summer 2022. It's worth noting that the e-book format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of e-books with interactive formats lately.

This is a delightful fictionalized story based loosely on actual events. It's told through three alternating third person narratives: famous haute couture London designer Cressida Westcott, her niece Violet, and a village vicar's daughter named Grace. The book revolves around the privations of war, the creativity and camaraderie of the women in wartime, and their sacrifices and resilience trying to build lives amidst chaos.

The author does a good job of recalling the stringent conditions of wartime Britain as well as the terror and uncertainty of the blitz in London, even for the wealthy and well connected. Forced together by circumstances, the three women find an important rapport and use their considerable creativity and emotional strength to grow and help one another and their families.

It's very much a nostalgic read, and will no doubt be popular with fans of the genre. Folks who enjoyed Bloomsbury Girls, Call the Midwife, and Lilac Girls will find a lot to love here. The romance subplots don't overshadow the well told story in my opinion.

Four stars. It's a very well told and engaging story.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a character driven novel about how three women are changed by World War II. Through unexpected means, each grows into a stronger, happier person. Along the way, their sewing circle starts a program to provide Wedding gowns free of charge. From a historical point of view, it was interesting to learn of clothes rationing and fabric shortages during the war.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a heartwarming historical novel. The story is told from the perspective of: Cressida, Violet, and Grace. I thought The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was well-written with realistic, developed characters. I enjoyed getting to know Cressida, Violet, Grace, Hugh, Ben, Landon, and the other characters. The village women were kind and quirky. I liked getting to see the main characters learn and grow from their experiences. We get to see the ladies come into their own. The women were resilient and creative amid such hardship. I enjoyed the author’s descriptive writing which brought the story alive. I could tell that the author did her research. She included details that made the story authentic. The people in England endured so much during World War II (bombings, rationing, loss of loved ones). The rationing of clothing was a complicated system (I do not know how they figured it out). I love how the women came together in the story to help brides have a white wedding gown. They were a supportive group of women. I thought it was interesting to learn that it was unpatriotic to be idle. If you were sitting and listening to the wireless in the evening, you should be knitting, crocheting, or sewing. If you were not knitting something for a family member, then you should make socks for the troops. There are some dark moments in the story, but there are many light ones as well. It was important to enjoy the good times. To live and use what time you had because you never knew what tomorrow would bring. Despite the war, the people were optimistic and hopeful. You did not have to do something on your own as one of our characters learned. There were others there willing and able to lend a hand. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was a little bit of a slow starter, but I soon became involved in the story. I just loved the ending. I appreciated the author’s note at the end. It provided some interesting information. I liked that we get to see that it is possible to have a career (do work they loved) and be married. It was a new concept for women at this time. Some of the themes in the story are friendship, family, rationing, life choices, danger from war, and romance. I liked that we get to see that no task is impossible if people work together. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a heartwarming, positive story that will leave you smiling. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is an uplifting tale with a waging war, make do and mend, bursting bombs, ration regulations, wedding dress worries, firm friends, and rare romances.

This is a beautifully written historical fiction story told from the viewpoint of three women. I will admit that historical fiction isn't one of genres I read regularly, so I found it hard to become invested in the story, but once I did, I enjoyed the story. Grace is the daughter of a vicar, who is planning a loveless marriage to a fellow vicar. Violet is Cressida's niece, who is kind of hard to like, because she was raised to marry for status not love and some of her beliefs are hard to accept. Cressida is successful but is forced to move back home, where she has very unhappy memories, when her business and home get bombed.
All of these women become part of the town sewing circle and learn how to help each other along the way. Each grows and changes for the better throughout the book, and they find love along the way. As I read this book I truly felt like these ladies became my friends and didn't want the book to end. I am glad I didn't give up on this book, because it was very well written and the characters were endearing by the end. I received an ARC and am leaving my honest, voluntary review.

Enjoyed this WWII story from the viewpoint of the women from the country village and manor house. Liked the multiple POV stories.

I love historical fiction, especially those that are based on true events. Although the British women, knitting socks and scarves for their fighting men has been covered extensively, the refurbished wedding gowns, donated and recreated by sewing groups in villages across England, was a new concept for me. I loved the teamwork and the patriotism that went into their effort.
Cressida, Violet and Grace are all participants in the sewing circle, when Cressida, a noted designer returns home to Canterbury when her home is bombed in London. She motivates the other women to expand their efforts and soon the entire village is working to provide dresses in a country that now needed material for the troops.
I enjoyed the book because it showed the tenacity of these people, to make the best of a horrible situation. Jennifer Ryan is a wonderful storyteller, with wonderful, likable characters. Her research was extensive in order to recreate the story of these patriotic women.
My thanks to NetGalley, tge author and Ballantine Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own. This is a five star effort, and I loved it.

I got invited to read this and was not familiar with the author. I am glad I took a chance. I love historical fiction as I like to learn new things. I was not familiar with the clothing situation during the war in Britain so I am thankful to now be better educated. As a sucker for romance that was a great addition to the story. Glad for the strong female characters willing to go against society norms. Seems so important in today's climate.

4.5 Stars

Thanks #NetGalley #BallentineBooks @RandomHouse for a complimentary eARC of #TheWeddingDressSewingCircle by Jennifer Ryan upon my request. All opinions are my own.

“Make Do and Mend”

In The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, women come together during the WW11 years to mend, repurpose, and recycle clothing. Led by three spirited women, the sewing circle project to repair a wedding gown grows into mending wedding gowns for local brides and for brides across the country.

“The Wedding Dress Exchange is our way to show that we might be losing our homes, our families, and our normal way of life, but there are some traditions that live on in spite of the Nazis–that romance and hope and love can flourish, no matter what our ememies do. It is a reminder that the most important parts of us…our hearts–will always be free.”

Told from multiple viewpoints, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a delightful, uplifting, and gently-told story of the power of friendship during wartime. I grew to love the characters and their unique personalities. I love reading stories about women working together and finding ways to thrive during the difficult days of WW11. A slow-burn romance (closed door) rounds out the story.

I greatly appreciated the lovely and thoughtful themes of finding your voice, finding your true self in spite of expectations from parents and/or society, true love/soul mates, tradition, women empowering/supporting women, family loyalty, problem solving, and friendship.

“In a good family, you’re loved simply by being part of it, and whatever happens to you, wherever you go, you will always know that you’re loved. It doesn’t matter how successful you are, how beautiful, or how rich. The only thing that matters is that you’re you and that you belong…”

“Friendship always sees you through. If you have friends, what more do you need?”

“Friends provide more than just company. They form an invisible net that is so strong and wide that it can catch any of us if we fall.”

Enthusiastically recommended for fans of women’s fiction with substantial themes and for those who love stories of independent, inspirational women. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle will appeal to readers who appreciate a story set in England and features women making the best of it during wartime. Fans of Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and The Kitchen Front will love Ryan’s new release!

Pub date: 5/31/22
Genre: historical fiction
In one sentence: Fashion designer Cressida is devastated when her design house is destroyed in the Blitz - but she turns her frustration into a wedding dress sewing circle, making white weddings possible for brides across the country.

I loved Ryan's previous book The Kitchen Front, and this one did not disappoint! I loved the three women's stories and how Ryan made them so human and relatable. There's Grace, on the eve of a marriage without love, Violet, an aristocrat conscripted into the army, and Cressida, who's always put her career first. The women supported each other through trials and tribulations, showing the power of female friendship even in the hardest of times. The wedding dress was a beautiful symbol of their perseverance and ingenuity. I recommend this one to historical fiction lovers, especially if you're looking for a different kind of WWII story.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.