The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a fascinating novel by Jennifer Ryan. The plot is set in the English countryside in 1942 and the story is told alternately by three remarkable women. When famous fashion designer Cressida Westcott's London home and office are destroyed by bombs, the only place for her to go is her ancestral home, Aldhurst Manor. Although she hasn't been home for twenty years, Cressida returns to Aldhurst to live with her niece Violet and nephew Hugh. Grace Carlisle is getting married and remaking her deceased mother's wedding dress becomes a project for the local sewing circle. As this idea grows to include many dresses and brides, deep friendships develop among the women. Cressida's influence changes the direction of Violet and Grace's lives. Although this is a war novel, at the core of the story is friendship. What the women of Aldhurst achieve with support from their friends is remarkable. The Wedding Dress Circle is very insightful and entertaining.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was such a good book, I didn’t want to put it down! World War II historical fiction has been hot for quite a few years, and quite frankly, I was getting a little burned out on the theme despite the variety of stories and settings. But that changed when I met Violet, Cressida, and Grace. The setting of a small village in the country with an estate and a group of women joining together for the war effort was written in such a charming way, it almost made you forget that the war was real.

But that same reality hits when Cressida’s home and business are bombed by the Germans, leaving her homeless. She reaches out to her nephew and niece who are living at the family manor and asks for refuge. This isn’t easy, as Cressida had never gotten along with her father or brother, who wanted her to marry well and be a typical lordly wife. You see, Cressida fled for France the first chance she could when she was of marriageable age and learned design. Eventually she relocated to London and had a thriving business, but she never kept in touch with her brother or his children. But they begrudgingly agree to let her stay with them until she can secure new lodgings and a new business front.

Grace is the vicar’s daughter, raised by him alone since the death of her mother some years before. Grace is a dutiful daughter, who helps her father with many things. She also takes care of her father in a way; since returning from World War I and seeing his best friend killed, he’s been a changed man, someone who at times can not cope with the world. Grace is set to marry another vicar, an ambition one who’s being talked about as becoming a deacon, and she’s set up to be the perfect vicar’s wife. As she meets Cressida at the weekly village sewing circle, an instant friendship is born in the task of repairing Grace’s mother’s wedding dress in time for the big day.

Violet is a pampered rich young lady who is appalled that she becomes conscripted into the local service to help with the war effort. But seeing as her arranged marriage has fallen through due to the man’s death in the war, she’s got nothing but time on her hands. Service life is a rude awakening, but she decides to make the best of it and becomes a skilled driver and mechanic, hoping to reach officer status eventually.

The goal to repair Grace’s wedding gown becomes a village-wide effort to help brides wear a nice white wedding dress on their big day because rationing means most women can’t afford to spend their ration coupons on a wedding dress. Soon dresses are donated, word is spread to other towns and villages, and Vogue magazine becomes interested enough to do a story on the wedding dress sewing circle.

I cannot imagine the rationing that our parents and grandparents and great grandparents had to do. Forty coupons a year for clothes (according to the book, but some other sources I’ve read had differing amounts), and something like a dress were 11 coupons, shoes 5, stockings 2. You could maybe get three outfits a year out of a ration book, but you could also buy second hand clothes. And there was a big push for fashion designers to streamline fashions using as little material as possible. Cressida, with Grace’s help, enters a contest featuring more utilitarian styles.

And yes, there’s romance for all three women in this book, and done in such a thoughtful way, showing how these women were making these choices because of how the war had changed them. Violet is no longer a spoiled brat looking to marry a duke or an earl, Grace realizes she doesn’t want to be a vicar’s wife, and Cressida realizes that while she’s been a great success professionally with her life, she was missing something, and finds that with Grace’s dad, the vicar, who also happened to be the best friend of the man she was engaged to when he was killed during World War I.

There were no huge surprises in this book, although the war was brought home during a bombing raid where Grace is trying to get a young boy to the shelter (she’s a warden) and a bomb hits and collapses the house so they’re buried in the rubble a short while. And that just made me remember the devastation England suffered during World War II. It was a very sobering moment.

If you’re looking for a good historical fiction novel, love an English countryside setting, like strong female characters, and one that’s got a little romance, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is for you.

I just really enjoyed this story. Very rarely do I find a book that I just want to be home and read well this one was really one of those. Plus the characters felt like they became friends.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

In 1942, Cressida Westcott, a celebrated fashion designer, finds herself homeless after her London house and business are destroyed in the Blitz. With nowhere to turn, she heads to the country village of Aldhurst and her family manor, which she left long ago after choosing a life of independence rather than a restricted one of duty. She is welcomed by her niece Violet and nephew Hugh. While Violet is excited to meet her famous aunt, she is preoccupied with marrying a man with a title and Hugh has inherited his late father’s rigidness. The local vicar’s daughter Grace is preparing to wed another vicar and is hoping to repair her mother’s badly damaged white wedding gown. Once Cressida meets the women of the local sewing circle, she not only helps Grace with her dress but she is able to bring a new unity and sense of purpose to the group. They band together to create a wedding gown exchange enabling women to have the wedding of their dreams during a period of severe rationing. Together Cressida, Violet and Grace, three very different women, learn more about themselves and the possibilities that could lie ahead including finding true love.

While set during the height of World War II, Jennifer Ryan’s appealing book is about community and helping one another during a time of hardship and sacrifice. While the threat of bombs and death are all around, this is a book that celebrates the human spirit. The story of the wedding gown exchange is based on a true-life effort that spread across England. I have enjoyed reading all of the author’s books as they are filled with spirited women full of gumption and resilience. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a charming, uplifting story. A nice change from some of the heavier, gut-wrenching wartime novels I also read.

This was a book I was surprised I enjoyed so much. It revolves around the life of three women during the height of World War two. Cressida is a designer who is forced to leave London and return to the family manor in a small village. Her niece Violet is a pampered young woman who suddenly finds herself conscripted in the armed forces and gains newfound confidence and independence. Grace is the vicar's daughter who isn't quite sure if her fiancé is the right man for her, especially when her heart belongs to another.
These women lives intersect when they begin to repair and update an old wedding dress. What starts as a small project spreads through all of England. The story was uplifting and I loved that it was based on true events. I received a complimentary ebook from Netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Jennifer Ryan's latest story, THE WEDDING DRESS SEWING CIRCLE, is a spirited, lush plunge into Britain during World War II. Disasters large and small unite an unlikely trio of women into a powerful force for good. No one would have expected the changes rippling from the night a bomb flattens the house and business of accomplished couture designer Cressida Westmount. With nowhere else to go, she retreats to the countryside manor from which she fled years ago to live the life of her dreams. There she discovers her niece Violet is more than vacuous upper crust husband hunter and meek, mild, retiring Grace is a powerhouse of design, passion, and intelligence. However, Cressida may be the spark, but all three of these women change, love, expand into their fullest and most radiant selves. Providing wedding dresses to war brides desperate for a white wedding, this trio and friends create an ingenious and wonderful way to make the world a more beautiful place during an impossible time. I felt like I knew the characters and the village, the life and times. A wonderfully researched and beautiful story. I received an advance copy and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan, makes readers feel warm and cozy all over. It is historical fiction based on true events. You will absolutely fall in love with the brave women in this delightful story. Jennifer Ryan, writes the right amount of romance without graphic sex scenes. The talented author visually transports you into the heart of her books.

1942- During the London Blitz:
Cressida Westcott is a famous fashion designer. Her clothes are sought after designs often featured in Vogue magazine. She is ultra successful until her home and business are destroyed during a bomb raid. Cressida survives the attack, but is forced to go back to the family home where she was raised. There she becomes reacquainted with her nephew Hugh, niece Violet, and a delightful group of women in a sewing circle.

With the help of an incredible young woman named Grace Carlisle, Cressida and the spirited women in the sewing circle soon begin redesigning used wedding dresses into beautiful works of art. These gorgeous dresses are used by brides of that era to help create the wedding of their dreams.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction. This book is the perfect example of brave people during war stepping up in hardship to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. That is what love, hope, and strength are all about. Jenner Warner nailed it in her outstanding new book.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is available on May 31st. (4.75 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for the honor of reviewing this inspiring look back in history. It inspires me to reach out and grab life! Chin up and eyes forward!

I love a good historical fiction. Add in a little romance, wedding dresses, and a fashion show... I was hooked. I learn so much from historical fiction. I didn't realize that not only was food rationed in WWII but clothing, too! I think I am taken in by the friendship of the women in this book. As a girl who dreads groups of people, I'm a little jealous of the connections formed by this group of women.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is WWII historical fiction. This novel was well researched and with the kind of details that readers enjoy. I absolutely loved this novel.

Ryan provides three narrators, with each woman having the opportunity to tell her own story. The history in this novel focuses on the rationing of clothing during WWIII, when German blockades made it difficult to have clothing, yarn, and fabric imported. Each person received clothing coupons that allowed her to replenish her closet. These small number of coupons were not sufficient and so women worked together to mend and repair worn clothing and to turn old clothing into new fresh designs. The three women protagonists in this novel--Cressida, Violet, and Grace--work together to help each woman in the village have the opportunity to replenish her wardrobe. In the midst of this work to provide clothing, Grace asks for help to repair her mother's moth damaged wedding dress. It is the work on this wedding dress that leads the community to donate and remake wedding dresses for every woman, who needs a dress for her wedding day. This story is historically accurate. Wedding dresses were repaired and remade and loaned to every woman who wanted to wear a white gown on her wedding day.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is captivating and a cannot-put-down story. There is no real mystery in this novel, but it is the village and the people who live there, whose stories are so compelling. There is love and romance and history, all of which work to keep the reader turning pages into the night. This is the first Jennifer Ryan book that I have read. I will definitely read more. Thank you to the author and to Random House Publishing for providing this ARC for me to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own honest thoughts about this novel. I loved it. And a big thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to another fabulous writer.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is the story of three bold women lift the spirits of homefront brides in wartime Britain where clothes rations have put a damper on celebrations, especially weddings. When renowned fashion couturier Cressida Westcott loses her home and her design house in the London Blitz, she has nowhere to go but back to the family manor. Her niece, Violet Westcott, is thrilled and awestruck that her famous aunt is at Aldhurst Manor. Life has been unbelievably dull as life is put on hold while the men fight overseas. But soon she is conscripted into service and her dull, boring routine is about to take an interesting turn. Grace Carlisle, the local vicar’s daughter, is trying to repair her mother’s wedding gown. When she meets Cressida at the local Sewing Circle, Grace asks for her help. Cressida is more than willing to help. Soon the Sewing Circle is motivated into action as they offer their services to help other brides. In a time of war, these women work hard to celebrate love. Can they even find it for themselves?
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was inspired by true events as Ms. Ryan grew up listening to her grandmother’s stories about life during WWII. From the very beginning, the mood and atmosphere captured me as the British people are striving to keep a stiff upper life and to carry on. I have read many stories about WWII and this book is the first in my memory that focused on the experiences on the homefront. Cressida, Violet and Grace are three very different women who strive for similar goals: love and a life that matters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading their experiences and their strength to rise to the challenges that wartime can bring. I especially enjoyed seeing Violet’s growth from a spoiled debutante to a capable woman who underestimated her own intelligence. Ms. Ryan is a new author to me and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future. At its heart, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is about strength in community, in individuals and strength to overall life’s challenges. I thoroughly enjoyed The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle and highly recommend it!

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
is available May 31, 2022 in hardcover, eBook and audiobook



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The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a wonderful WWII historical fiction. If your a fan of novels set in homefront Britain during World War II you'll love this book!

This is a heartwarming book about friendship, love and finding ways to uplift each other even in during times of war. When a small town sewing group joins together to update a wedding dress for one of their own they come up with an idea to update & mend older wedding dresses so wartime brides still have a special dress. Based on true events Jennifer Ryan does it again with a lovely story and a group of women you can't help but want to see succeed and maybe find love too!

Thanks to Ballantine books for an advanced copy of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle! It comes out May 31st!

Jennifer Ryan deftly captures how British women of all ages and social classes found the world tilting in directions they never anticipated during WWII. She explores how the circumstances on the homefront and beyond altered the lives of women who found themselves trying to maintain a foothold on their dreams, take advantage of new opportunities, and find new anchors to keep them balanced. Told primarily through the perspective of three women with unique viewpoints, this heart-gripping tale of a small village sewing circle brings another interesting contribution to the increasing body of excellent fiction about women in WWII.

Thank you to Random House Publishing, Ballantine, the author, and Netgalley for access to an early electronic version of this book.

A rare five star review from me. If you enjoy historical fiction set during WWII, you will love this. It is everything the genre was meant to be, well written and researched. Three women reconnect in Aldhurst Village, England, during WWII and begin a friendship that will change their lives and bring a refreshing change to the village. Cressida is a renowned fashion designer from London who loses everything during the Blitz. Violet is her niece, aristocratic and spoiled, who is unexpectedly conscripted into the British women's Army service. Grace is the vicor's daughter, preparing for her wedding by repairing her mother's wedding gown. Clothes are rationed at the time and each family is only allowed a limited number of coupons per year. She is helped along by the local sewing cirle and so their story begins. The women grow, learn from each other and learn about themselves. They find out what they want and need and take the steps to make all that happen. Jennifer Ryan is the author of other well-known books set in this era, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and Home Front. This is the best one yet! I received this ARC from Random House in exchange for my honest review. This charming book will be published 5/31/22. I loved it and you will, too.

I just really like Jennifer Ryan's stories, and this is no exception. Set during WWII England, and based on true events, this is the story of various members of a family and their friends, and how they all grow and change during the war. It's the story of women making do and still trying to live their best lives during the war. It's the story of a group of women in a sewing circle in a small town who start sharing wedding dresses so brides can have a white wedding during the war years when not just food is rationed, but fabric. But it most of all this is the story of friendship, deep and enduring friendship, and how friendships can support you at all times. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for the e-arc. I thoroughly enjoyed every page.

WWII brings tremendous change to three women in this emotional novel that is above all about friendship. Cressida, who left home years and years ago and hasn't been back because of her hateful brother, finds herself once again at Aldhurst when her home and her design business are destroyed in a single night by German bombers. Violet, her niece, an incredibly vapid character (good grief some of the things she says!) at the start finds rewarding work as a driver and mechanic for the Army. And then there's Grace. the self effacing vicar's daughter who is set to marry Lawrence, also a vicar. It's Grace's wedding dress that brings them together- it's in tatters when she finds it and the group works to made it whole. But is Lawrence her future? What about Hugh, Cressida's nephew and Violet's brother. who was her childhood friend. Each woman has an epiphany about life and love. But don't forget about the sewing! Cressida and Grace discover the latter's latent talent not only as a seamstress but also as a designer. And, these women, as well as the others in the village sewing circle, create a wedding dress exchange so that brides can have a white dress. It's a good emotional read and there are a few surprises. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Ryan's fans will be pleased and new readers will find themselves engaged and, like me, looking forward to more.

Thank you to the publishers for sending me this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

This book is about three women whose lives become entwined through the village sewing circle. Cressida is a fashion designer who loses her home and her fashion house to a bombing, so she must move back into her old family home. Cressida moves in with her niece at the old family home, Violet, meeting each other for the first time. Violet is a woman who values looks and status until she is sent to do war work that changes her life forever. Grace is a woman who needs reparations on her mother's old wedding gown, so she turns to Cressida and the sewing circle for help.

This novel is told through the perspectives of Cressida, Violet, and Grace. Each woman has a romance story that is full-fledged and unique. I love how this novel contains so much within its pages. Along with the three romances are war struggles, community togetherness, female empowerment, pushing boundaries, and meaningful relationships. Most of all, I love how the women take control of their lives instead of settling for less than perfect.

This book is well-researched and important. I learned a lot about how World War II impacted Britain and the lives of individuals. I definitely recommend this historical fiction as it is a beautiful story and is beautifully executed.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
by Jennifer Ryan

In a country village near London, during WWII, Grace Carlisle's vicar father finds her late mother's wedding dress and presents it to her for her own wedding. The once beautiful dress is moth eaten and in tatters so the local sewing club, doing everything for the war effort to provide clothing for soldiers and citizens, get to work repairing the dress with donated cloth. Doing so leads the women to create a wedding dress lending service, allowing women to get married in borrowed wedding dresses that can then go on to the next woman.

Violet Westcott's family is the owner of the village's manor and her brother Hugh oversees the manor properties and the village. Both have had it pounded into their heads that they must marry someone who will enhance the family reputation and finances. Until Huge and Grace were fifteen they were best friends but once Hugh was sent to boarding school, they rarely saw each other. Now Violet is having her world shaken by being forced to do war work.

Famous fashion designer, Cressida Westcott, has lost her lavish London home and fashion house when both places are bombed during the air raids. All she can do is drag herself back to her family home, a place she left long ago. Now that her brother is dead, the family home belongs to Hugh and she's hoping she can get along with him much better than she got along with her brutish late brother.

These three women and the women of the village, come together in the interest of repairing a tattered wedding dress but out of that endeavor comes so much more. I enjoyed seeing the changes in each woman and the men in their lives. I've learned so much about wartime London and the surrounding areas from this book and the two others I've read by this author. Now I understand how even clothing and material was rationed during wartime and afterwards. Women were getting married in their nicest worn clothes or their war uniforms. That is, until women came together and shared what they had, pieced together dresses from parts of other dresses, and used their sewing skills to make useable items out of discards and scraps. I love to learn from historical fiction and I learned so much with this one.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a Historical Fiction. I love the characters, and the characters change so much during this book which I really loved. The characters made this book so great. I loved the drama and that this book took place during war, but we are following normal UK people. I loved seeing how the war changed the regular people. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Ballantine Books) or author (Jennifer Ryan) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I found this book to be delightful! I loved living within its pages.

Set in .England during WWII, the story is largely about the friendships among a group of women who meet together to sew and mend clothing due to the war’s clothing shortages. Eventually the group’s main emphasis becomes wedding dresses as a writer from Vogue magazine publishes their story and wedding gowns are continually donated.

There are several romances within the pages as well! I found this to be a well-researched, well-written book and I’d like to read more by this author!

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Five stars!