Good WWII story on the gentler side. Enjoyed learning more about clothes rationing, the reasons behind it, and the methods used to work within the confines of the restrictions.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan, is a beautiful story set in Aldhurst Village, England during the height of WWII. It’s a story of friendship, determination and resolve amongst a group of women set on regaining a sense of purpose and fashion, especially for those brides that could no longer have access to white wedding dresses on the most important day of their lives.

Among the women is Cressida, a well known fashion couturier, whose fashion house was destroyed during an air raid. With nowhere to go she returns to her childhood home, Aldhurst Manor, a place she escaped years ago from the suffocating presence of her brother. There’s self-sacrificing Grace, a vicar's daughter, engaged to one man, but years later still in love with her childhood friend. And then there’s Violet. Determined by duty to marry a Lord or Duke, Violet meets her match when she meets a rugged, self assured American officer. Will love conquer her heart or will duty continue to call.

These ladies and those of the sewing circle will work together to bring bridal gowns to the vast majority of brides despite clothing and material rationing by requisitioning and redesigning bridal gowns, all while sorting out their personal lives, careers and love lives during a tumultuous time in history. A truly enjoyable story for anyone who lives historical fiction and romance.

I really liked this book. I watched each woman change and grow, not only in their personal and professional lives, but their love lives as well. The camaraderie among the ladies in the sewing circle was wonderful and it was so great to watch them lifting each other up. This was such a fun read and a great novel for anyone who lives WWII fiction and books with strong female leads. It was my first Jennifer Ryan book, but it won’t be my last.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House-Ballantine books for an ARC of the The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5 Stars

The book started off with a bang with London being bombarded during WWII. I was drawn in immediately by the fear and horror the character of Cressida Westcott experienced watching her block being obliterated under fire. She was a successful clothing designer with a fashion house and an apartment, both destroyed and leaving her homeless. She wanders the streets with the other evacuees with not much more than a nightgown on her back, and we live this surreal nightmare right along with her. Luckily she hails from a gentrified family with an estate in a quaint village in Kent. It's just that she hasn't been there in ages and never expected to have to go back. She defied her father by not marrying within the titled system and escaping to London for a career. With nowhere to go, she called the estate in advance of her arrival requesting temporary refuge. With her father and brother already passed on, nephew and niece Hugh and Violet politely receive her.

One of the things I love reading about during this era is the rationing and making due with what you have. There is a shortage of clothing so garments must be repurposed, repaired and built more simply. A particular problem that crops up is the availability of formal white wedding gowns. A vicar's daughter unearths a very beautiful satin wedding gown with lacy roses worn by her late mother which she hopes to wear for her own upcoming wedding. However, the moths have gotten to it. She brings it to her sewing circle group to see if they have any ideas about how to rehabilitate it. Fortunately, with Cressida in town to lend her considerable designing talents to this group, the project is on a spirited trajectory to rehab the treasured gown, which turned out to be from a famous Parisian designer. It was very interesting to read of the ingenuity of incorporating certain fabrics (such as curtains) in lieu of lace to rehab this gown. Also, this gown was generously offered to be used by any other bride in town that needed it. It spearheaded a vigorous campaign to donate previously used wedding gowns, no matter how old, to help so many other brides. Some brides were so desperate that they utilized white silk parachutes found during the war to serve as material for wedding gowns, which was actually illegal.

I am embarrassed to say I got a bit bored around the 50% mark, but pressed on...and I'm glad I did. I was drawn in by the absolutely riveting bombing attack that occurred during a village party event, sending droves of people into shelters, packed shoulder to shoulder into subterranean concrete. It was so realistic I felt I was there, watching the lanterns bob back and forth and wondering if the brick ceiling would split apart and cave in, burying them under rubble. I am not much for WWII themed books, but this one really brought the experience home to me.

There were a few romantic conflicts to navigate in the book, and the sense that life is too short to not find actual real love and satisfaction in life, both in romance and women's careers. Overall this was a lovely book, albeit a little longish for me (over 400 pages).

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

4 Stars

Another sweet and charming British Home Front book by Jennifer Ryan.

Cressida Westcott left her childhood home in Aldhurst Village, England years ago under a cloud. Her older brother, Eustace Westcott, an autocrat and stickler for tradition, demanded that Cressida remain at home as a companion to his wife and nursemaid to this children after her fiance was killed in World War I. Not fancying a life of servitude in the country, Cressida ran off to bohemian Paris where she learned to design and make clothes; later becoming a successful couturier in London. All of this changes one night early in 1942 when Cressida's London home and business are destroyed during an air raid. With no where else to go, she returns to Aldhurst to stay at the family manor, now owned by her nephew Hugh.

In Aldhurst, Cressida's spoilt niece Violet introduces her to the members of the village sewing circle; dutiful vicar's daughter Grace, vivacious Lottie, energetic Mrs. Bisgood, Mrs. Kettlewell and her responsible daughter Martha, and elderly Mrs. Todd.

The next six months brings many changes to lives of the women, triggered by the repair of an old wedding dress that belonged to Grace's mother. Clothes rationing and the large number of wartime weddings makes a new white gown beyond the reach of most brides, so the ladies of Aldhurst come up with a plan to help as many brides as they can to have the white wedding of their dreams. While bringing their plan to fruition, friendships are formed, they see the choices they've made in a new light, consider new opportunities, and change their lives for the better.

Plenty of sweet romance, a dash of humor, and interesting British home front women's history make this book a delight.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Note: I'm sure the author has been told this many times, but the movie Easter Parade with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire didn't come out until 1948. This was not part of my review.

I love Jennifer Ryan’s WWII historical fiction books. This one is well researched and loosely based on actual people and events. This is the story of a village sewing circle that has started in accordance with the ‘Make do and mend’ order. The group is primarily ladies from the village, but when the Blitz sends London fashion house owner/designer back to her family manor, things take a very different turn. It begins with Grace, the vicar’s daughter who is soon to be married. She has taken her mother’s weeding gown from the attic, and it is very damaged. The sewing circle insists that they can help mend it. This starts the movement that asks for donations of wedding gowns that can be remade and lent out to girls who would otherwise have to wear their military uniforms or a regular everyday dress to their wedding. The movement even gains the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt when a local British girl marries an American soldier. If you enjoyed The Chilbury Ladies Choir or The Kitchen Front, you will love this book. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of this book.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle gives amazing insight into the struggles and dedication of British subjects doing their part for the war effort during WW2. Clothing was at a premium during and immediately after the war because of cost and lack of materials. Anything and everything went to the war effort. Women got together to mend and remake anything they could.

I can only imagine how comforting it must have been to sit together, giving and finding encouragement, discussing how to help others and finding ways to make do. Women from different classes and situations worked along side one another with a common goal. The women may have started off with mending everyday clothing but the mending of Grace's wedding dress brought an even bigger purpose to the group. Her dress was only the beginning.

The characters in the book add a lot of color to the story. In fact, the story is a visual aid to those impacted during that terrible time in history. Different classes were affected in different ways. I have to admit I did like reading about situations where someone in high society was knocked down a peg or two. Even better was when those of high society chose to be open minded and accepting of others in great contrast to certain other characters that were just plain rude.

Romance added a wonderful feeling of joy and satisfaction to the story. Love seems to have a way of brightening up the saddest of stories. Love crossed boundaries. Love proved stronger than duty. The author had a wonderful way of adding lots of drama to interactions.

For many this book is like walking down memory lane. I will be purchasing this book for my mom for that very reason. She was one of the recipients of a borrowed wedding dress. I now have to wonder how many others wore that same dress. I will look at wedding pictures during this time period with a new perspective. Thanks to the generosity and dedication of others, a bride got to where a beautiful white wedding gown instead of a uniform or her best dress.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

This book was so good! Jennifer Ryan is one of my favorite authors She always writes such interesting stories with lovable characters. This story takes place in Britian during the war. Grace Carlisle wants to wear her mother's wedding dress, but when she unpacks it, it is ripped and full of holes. So starts the great idea to mend wedding dresses for brides in their small village. The brides cannot buy a new dress because the clothing is being rationed. With the help of Violet and Cressida Westcott, as well as other ladies in the village, the business grows and helps lots of brides during wartime. Of course, there's also some romance! I really enjoyed this book!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Really enjoyed this book a lot. I love the fashion side of the story. I also love the cover!

This was such an enjoyable book and fulfilled my strong historical interest: namely WWII Britain and how “regular” people coped with wartime shortages. Further, the author explained wartime government rules relating to clothing coupons and how they affected what people could buy, when items were even available. I had never heard about so many things covered, such as how valuable downed parachutes were, nor that the government had outlawed their personal use for clothing; likewise, government banning of icing on cakes due to sugar shortage was news to me. Nor did I know there had been such an item as “liquid stockings” or cheaper substitutes!

As to the characters, Cressida, Violet, Grace and Hugh show beautiful and heartwarming changes for the better. The “do your duty to the family” mentality of wealthy patriarchs in terms of marriage evinced by both Hugh and Violet illuminated an area I had not learned about previously. The on-the-scene description of the Blitz of London early in the book was extremely evocative and I felt I was truly there.

The story revolves around not only the local Aldhurst Village Sewing Circle, how it evolves into the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle (and such circles did actually exist) but also that women such as single Violet were conscripted, something I did not know but found interesting. The work of the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) personnel is also elucidated.

The narrative of each character’s story developed well, and there is no shortage of conflict and romance both. As I mentioned earlier, characterizations are superb.

This was the first book I had read by the author, but will not be the last. My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine, for an advance copy.

This is a story set in war time. Most of the women are single and they began by fixing a deteriorating bride's dress for one of their own. Then they began gathering more bride's dresses and fixing them up for whatever woman would like to borrow one.
Ballentine Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on May 31st.

The women helping try to please their families with the men they date and plan to marry but it's not going well. They fall in love with others. Friends in the past. Now their loves. Will they marry who they should or will they follow their hearts?

I knew that sewing was going to be a big part of this story as it is called “The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle,” but it opened my eyes to a whole part of WWII in Britain that I knew nothing about - clothing rationing. I’ve heard of food rationing, but never considered that fabric and buttons would be in short supply as well. I appreciated the author’s attention to every detail and her thorough research of the period. I was not surprised to read in her comments at the end that she had a family connection to WWII fashion.

Told from the POV of three very different women: Cressida, Grace and Violet, this is really a story of connection and how the people that surround you can change your life. I thought the characters, including a vibrant cast of side characters, were well drawn and believable and really appreciated their different arcs.

Thank you to Netgalley and Jennifer Ryan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

History with JR's backlist: Really liked Chilbury Ladies' Choir, LOVED The Spies of Shilling Lane, DNFed The Kitchen Front. As for The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, I liked it A LOT. 4.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because it was SO CLOSE to full 5 star love.

Multiple POV historical fiction continues to be a favorite and I think this book used the narrative device so well! Three very different women who all help one another to grow in substantial ways, surrounded by the backdrop of a town and further group of women that will warm your heart.

The only misgivings I had was in how some of the changes in the characters came about - they were *totally believable* that these changes would happen over time, but I felt like I was told more than I was shown. I was able to look past it, but those that need really strong character development in a "show don't tell" way might get a little irked.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle would best be read during a crisp autumn evening, wearing an oversized knit sweater and knee-high socks, sitting on a comfy worn-in plush chair in front of a crackling fire, with a nice charcuterie board and an old fashioned glass filled with something red - Sangria, Manischewitz, Malbec, Concord Grape Juice - any would do the trick.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by jennifer Ryan was such a delightful read. It checked all the boxes for me ~ wonderful characters, small-town setting, people coming together to make their little corner of the world a better place, and several HEAs.

This book, about a small-town sewing circle reworking worn clothing to extend the life or restyle it into something else was heartwarming and the personal growth several characters experienced was uplifting and a pleasure to read about.

In light of everything going on in the world today, I think a lot of readers are looking for an escape and this is the perfect book for that. Yes, there is adversity and it is set during WWII, but it's joyful and heartwarming just the same. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a beautiful, easy-to-read escape from the reality of 2022.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

Sometimes you just want to immerse yourself in a good story and The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle definitely fits the bill.

Set in England during WWII, author Jennifer Ryan follows 3 women in a small English village -- Cressida Westcott, a fashion designer who flees London after both her home and design house are bombed; Violet Westcott, Cressida's niece, who has lived a very privileged and pampered life; and Grace Carlisle, the local vicar's daughter who's engaged to a dull man whom she doesn't love.

These three unlikely women begin to form a strong friendship along with the other ladies of the sewing circle when Grace brings her late mother's wedding dress to be repaired. Riddled with moth holes after being stored in the attic for so many years, Grace wants to wear the gown for her upcoming wedding. With each chapter focusing on one of these three women, we get a good perspective of village life during the war as well as how this core group of women start to bond. Cressida, Violet, and Grace have each gone or are going through romantic heartache, and it soon becomes evident early on how the story will progress.

Despite the predictability of the book, I still enjoyed the story. Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for providing me with an ARC of #TheWeddingDressSewingCircle.

This was the first book I’ve read by Jennifer Ryan and It was fantastic. We meet three women who connect through a wedding dress, since this is WWII and fabric, like just about everything else, is hard to come by.

Cressida is a designer, who has to go back to her family’s home, now owned by her nephew Hugh, after her London home and shop is destroyed in a bombing. We meet two other women, Violet who is Cressida’a niece and is serching for a titles wealthy man to marry, as well as Grace who is engaged to a local chaplain. When the three become part of a local seeing circle and Cressida offers to re-design Grace’s mother wedidng dress, the story really starts with a tale of romance, occasional heartbreak, friendship and watching as these women start to come into their own and break of out of the confined roles women had at that time.

I always love a good book with strong females leads, and we have that here. What I really enjoyed the most is although it’s centered around a wedding dress, the romances really take a backseat to the friendship and sense of belonging these women feel.

I can’t wait to go read other books by Jennifer Ryan now!

This is my first time reading something by Jennifer Ryan, and it definitely will not be my last. I loved the multiple POVs of the characters, as well as the characters themselves. I felt like they were SO well-developed and SO realistic - every time there was dialogue, the character (especially Violet) said EXACTLY what I thought she should be saying. That's such a hard thing for a writer to do, and Jennifer Ryan nailed it. Other reviewers have noted that they wished they could be friends with the characters, and I wholeheartedly agree! I thought the Author's Note at the end was super interesting as well, mostly because I'm a nerd for research.
Overall, this was a wonderful story of friendship and overcoming obstacles and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this sweet story about a group of women trying to deal with the struggles of life during the war. Told from multiple perspectives, the story centers around a group of women in a small village who all face a challenge to the life they thought they wanted.

After a bomb destroys her London home and workplace, Cressida, a famous clothes designer heads to her family home in the country side. Cressida decides to help the local women's group to 'Mend and Make Do" as they are encouraged by the government.

Cressida's spoiled niece Violet is conscripted into military service, and she learns much more than how to drive a car.

With war rationing making it difficult to find a wedding dress, the ladies of the sewing circle help Grace, the local Vicar's daughter to restore a beautiful dress that belonged to her mother. That dress begins a circle of friendship and community service in this quaint country village.

Much more than a typical war brides story about WWII, this story shows the everyday life of British citizens and their commitment to the war efforts.

Historical fiction fans will enjoy their charming story.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book..

I never tire of WWII fiction, and this one is a unique story line. Cressida has a successful career as a fashion designer in London when both her home and design house are destroyed in a bombing raid. She is homeless, so goes back to the family manor that she left so long ago when she decided not to carry on the traditions that were expected of the landed nobility. She clashes with her brother, now the head of the clan, but she literally has nowhere else to go. Her niece, Violet, part of the nobility who strives for nothing more than marrying well, looks forward to Cressida's return because of the clothes she'll be able to acquire. Grace, the vicar's daughter, part of the local sewing circle, encourages Cressida to join, and the group takes on the challenge of repairing Grace's mother's tattered wedding dress for her own upcoming nuptials. Severely restricted clothing coupons mean that brides cannot buy wedding dresses, or even fabric. The 3 women bind together, and the sewing circle starts acquiring and repairing old wedding dresses for loan to brides. The business grows by leaps and bounds, and the three women are also changed by their association with each other. Cressida and Violet have new found respect for people in other social strata, and Grace starts to question her own goals and life's path.

I really enjoyed this book, and the author places us in England, with bombs dropping and building crumbling. We are given a set of characters that we soon care about, and we begin with famous dress designer Cressida Westcott, a women who gave up the nobility life and forged a path of her own.
We travel with Cressida back to her roots, and with no other place to live she ends up in her childhood home. From here her life is set on a new track, a niece she didn’t know Violet, an old friends daughter, he is the Vicar, Grace, and a town of giving people, end up changing the lives of many.
This page turner of a read gives us a taste of community life, those who give all to make a special day more enjoyable for young brides, throw in a bit of romance, and dark times become brighter.
A book that once finished you would love to continue with!
I received this book through Net Galley and Ballantine Books, and was not required to give a positive review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my fourth Jennifer Ryan read and her WWII fiction is top notch. The female characters are always ones that I wish could be friends and by the end of the reading that is what they have become. Seriously, there has to be a streaming service producer somewhere that could turn these novels into fantastic mini-series.

In this novel, Ryan takes us to a small English village where a women's sewing circle band together to help each other during a time of war. The novel is narrated by three main characters0 dressmaker Cressida Westcott, the black sheep of a local family that is forced to end her exile and return home, her niece Violet who desires to get married to uphold the family name and just wishes the war would go away, and Grace Carlisle, the daughter of the local vicar who is readying to get married. The novel touches on the topics of female friendships, duty, love, and finding oneself.

This will certainly be among my favorite reads of 2022!


Expected publication 31/05/22
Goodreads review 08/05/22
#TheWeddingDressSewingCircle #NetGalley.