Jennifer Ryan is absolutely one of my most favorite historical fiction writers. She gives us characters and stories that will live in our hearts and minds for a long time to come. Impeccable research on sewing circles, coupons, rationing, repurposing help make this story one about resolve and overcoming obstacles.

Jennifer Ryan writes stories of war, but, in the midst of death and destruction, she finds moments in history that exemplify wartime spirit and communities that stood together to do what they had to do to survive and find joy in some of the darkest moments of world history. This story of war is a memorable story of caring and ingenuity. As with Jennifer Ryan's other books, the war is present and its devastation never far away.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/10/the-wedding-dress-sewing-circle.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

Cressida Westcott loses her home and her design shop during the blitz. She has nothing and feels hopeless. Her only option is to her back to her family estate, the one she ran from years ago and never looked back. She doesn’t have high hopes that things will work but she has to try. Her niece and her nephew are most hospitable then her brother and it looks like she will have a fresh start. Her niece Violet helps her get her business started up again. Even though she gets conscripted and has to do war work.. she will help. Cressida meets the vicars daughter and together with the sewing circle they formulate a plan. Cressida’s spirit and passion lights up the village and they are lucky to meet her. This is cig a sweet positive story. The characters and the story were so good. The author did a wonderful job of telling a different kind of story about WWII. This was a four star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley and Jennifer Ryan for my copy of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read & review this book. I hope you enjoy it too.

This book was a bit too slow for me. Maybe it was just too sweet for me. I enjoy Jennifer Ryan books and I will continue to read more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle" and all opinions expressed are my own. I tried to read the book. I waited quite a bit and then tried to listen to the audiobook. It just didn't grab my attention. Really just not for me. DNF.

This is the type of novel that I really enjoy: historical fiction with heartwarming love stories and interesting characters at its' heart. This was a fun read despite some heavy scenes and post war trauma. The characters were unique and diverse - from the privileged Violet, the independent and strong Cressida and sweet and unconfident Grace. It was entertaining to watch them grow and change while becoming friends with each other.

Jennifer Ryan captures the heart and resilience of her characters, all of whom are facing new challenges and rethinking the choices ahead of them. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle tells the story of three women whose lives become intertwined when they become involved in their town’s sewing circle. Learning about the repurposing of the soldier’s parachutes to make wedding dresses was uplifting, as was the story behind the wedding dress that was reunited with its missing veil. I loved reading about these three women and how their friendship helped them persevere during the war.

Grace Carlisle, the vicar’s daughter, was a sensible young woman, the kind that everyone relies on. Grace stepped into the role after her mother’s passing, recognizing that her father Ben was grieving, she was determined to do all she could to relieve his burden. She was engaged to be married, to a serious young man, a vicar in a neighboring town, who thought Grace would be an asset to his career.

With all the talk of war, and the various shortages and rations, Violet Westcott was bored and restless, with no handsome young men around to distract her. She was laser focused on marrying someone with a title, as a proper young lady brought up at Aldhurst was expected to do, but her upcoming assignment to assist with the war effort was not part of her plan. Still, she expected her brother Hugh would be able to pull strings and get her out of it.

After yet another bombing in London, Cressida Westcott was devastated to lose not only her home, but her design studio as well. Cressida had become very well-known for her exceptional clothing designs, and going home to Aldhurst was not at all what she wanted to do. With nowhere else to go, she reluctantly returned to the village.

Grace’s mother’s wedding dress is the catalyst that brings the local sewing circle together. The ladies have become quite skilled at remaking and reusing fabric, and with Cressida’s eye for design, the dress is reworked into something spectacular. Word gets out about the dresses, and the ladies suddenly find themselves with several beautiful gowns that they then redesign and lend to brides in the area. I really enjoyed this book, and especially appreciated how all the women came together in support of each other. I liked how Grace, Violet, and Cressida all became stronger and surer of themselves. Primarily set in the English countryside, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle gives the reader a glimpse into World War II’s effects on average people and their own personal courage in support of their country.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House to the advanced reader's copy. Jennifer Ryan explores fabric rations, class, gender, love, family, and friendship all during WWII England. Cressida, Violet, and Grace are an unlikely trio that start off squarely in their class with unique expectations and their worlds expand during the novel. Cressida is very independent, but had to move back to the family manor and has a tremendous influence on her niece, nephew, and the community. Grace finds her mother's wedding dress and has the sewing circle help mend it for her upcoming wedding. Violet and Grace both learn and grow so much during the war and help the sewing circle.
I didn't expect all the romance stories within the WWII novel. It's an interesting historical fiction and has great themes of friendship and community.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and Jennifer Ryan for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

While the female characters in the historical fiction book were amazingly written, I found myself struggling to stay engaged with the plot. Despite the rich historical setting and the potential for an intriguing story, the plot felt boring and predictable, lacking the tension and excitement that I was hoping for. The author's attention to detail and vivid descriptions of the time period were impressive, but they were not enough to hold my interest. However, the female characters were a standout feature of the book. They were complex, nuanced, and fully realized, with their own hopes, dreams, and struggles. The author's portrayal of their experiences was both authentic and empathetic, making them feel like real people rather than just characters in a book. Overall, while the book had its strengths, the lackluster plot prevented me from fully enjoying it.

I liked this authentic WWII historical fiction story about women who band together during wartime rationing to make a wedding dress. Each of them faces different scenarios because of the war. I love this kind of historical fiction!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I love reading historical fiction books. But this one was more of a historical romance. To be honest, I just did not connect well with the characters. I did, however, learn a few tidbits of which I was unaware. For example, I did not know that many British women were drafted during WWII. The three main characters, Violet, Cressida, and Grace make startling personality changes, and for Violet and Cressida, it appears unrealistic and unfounded. This was a meh read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I'm always a sucker for a WW2 novel, and The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was no exception. Rather than the typical battlefield or Holocaust setting, the novel takes place on the homefront in Britain, featuring a community of women leaning into each other as the war rages on.

Cressida, a fashion designer, is back in her hometown after the bombings in London force her out. Violet, her niece, is excited to receive her aunt, but quickly receives a letter requesting her service. Grace, the daughter of the local vicar, makes the third member of their group, when she enlists their assistance at the local sewing circle, repairing a wedding dress for her own wedding.

The novel, based on a true story, shows the resilience of women during the war and how communities came together in the struggle. Ryan, as usual, shares a well researched and well written novel. that draws the reader into the story and makes you want to keep reading, even long past your bedtime.

beautiful story that will have book clubs up late talking. Well paced and researched, and a very good read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers and for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was such a great book. Once I got started it was hard to put down. I loved the three different points of view of the story. Cressida, Grace, and Violet. I thought each character was very well written and I love how their stories intertwined together. This book is set during WWII and is about these three women with different stories to tell in the beginning. Cressida is a fashion designers in London and both Grace and Violet live in a small village in the country. After Cressida is forced to move out to the country and live with her nephew Hugh and niece Violet in the childhood manor she grew up in but left to chase her dreams years ago. Grace is the daughter of the local vicar. Their paths meet at the community sewing circle so the women can do a small part during the war. I loved the plot and how this is based on true events of women helping each other. I think the Jennifer Ryan did a great job writing about these women and what happened during WWII. I can not wait to read more from her.

What a lovely book! I am a huge fan of Jennifer Ryan’s The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, and this was also fantastic. I loved the three women and their points of view. I was unsure of Violet in the beginning, but she won me over. World War 2 historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, so no surprise this was such a hit. Highly recommend!

There is a special place in my heart for books set in England. :)
This was a great read about friendship and resiliency. I loved that it was based on true events and that the storytelling was warm despite it being wartime.
A great read and I’d highly recommend!

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author, the publisher for this ARC.

I don't judge books by the cover but I loved this one.

I enjoy books about weddings, wedding dresses, and WW II books so it's a great fit (pun intended of course). This book is not just about a wedding dress but about how 3 women in London who don't know each other end up becoming friends and how some are rekindling friendships years later both mostly female and male relationships.

Of course, the ending was happy in all of the relationships with Cressida, Violet and Grace.

Excellent story about a group of friends, how they support and help each other by joining forces. Working together they can achieve great things. Focusing on one main family and the father and daughter from the Vicarage, it's the story of a small village and town where the people came together during the war. One woman comes back from London where she was a famous and successful fashion designer, lending her skills to the local sewing group. When the vicar's daughter is engaged to be married, she gets out her mother's wedding dress from the attic, bringing it to the group for intense mending, and learning more of its history as the story goes along. She then decides to lend it to anyone in the group to wear for their wedding and the idea expands from there until they have many donations of wedding dresses and brides waiting to borrow them. The lack of fabric makes it necessary to make clothes with less or mend and rework existing clothes. The English government had very strict guidelines for it.

My Grandmother was a master at reworking clothes. She worked at church rummage sales, bringing home clothes and remaking them into what she liked. She had a great eye for it and did beautiful work. I inherited many of her creative talents, but never remade clothes. I find it fascinating and am thinking about trying it out now that I'm retired and on a budget.

I really got lost in this and hated to see it end. Romance, warm hearts, misunderstandings and people reflecting on their lives and who they are as a person. Because of the war women stepped up to fill jobs that they never would have had otherwise. They learned new skills and excelled in ways that would not have been allowed before. Loved this story, it's beautifully told.

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#NetGalley #TheWeddingDressSewingCircle #JenniferRyan #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #FiveStarNovel #RandomHouse

In Aldhurst, a tiny village in Kent, Grace Carlisle wants to wear her mother's wedding dress in her upcoming wedding. Unfortunately, she discovers it's been wrecked by moths. She decides to take it the the local sewing circle, hoping it can be mended. This small beginning leads into the lives of three women- Grace, who is engaged to the only man who ever asked her, Violet, the young debutante who's only ambition is to marry a duke, and Cressida, the famous London designer who is forced to move back home when her home and business are destroyed in the Blitz. This story is centered on the clothing rationing that occurred in wartime England and how the women came together to mend and recreate clothing and share it with others. Jennifer Ryan masterfully weaves a story of ordinary women with historical accuracy and a great deal of heart. I couldn't put it down. I loved how the focus remains on the women as they follow paths in their lives that weren't planned but learn to rely on each other as they become the women they were always meant to be.