A vicar's daughter, a fashion coutourier, and a spoiled young aristocrat come together during WWII and join the local sewing circle. With clothes rationing, the group decides to collect old wedding dresses and redesign them for use by brides throughout the area. This book was delightful! I loved the growth of the women, the friendship they forged, and the resilience they showed during a difficult time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

This was such a great story told from alternating perspectives of 3 different women in England during WWII. I really loved all 3 women's stories, how everything wove together and the fresh and uplifting perspective that it brought. This is such a difficult time period to read about, but this story provided hope and love and resilience and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

I want to start off by saying that I don't usually read historical romance. There are a few that I have read that were phenomenal, but this wasn't one of them.

I felt the dialogue was a bit boring. The description was so promising to me, but I just could NOT get into it.

Thank you publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Good, but felt a little too long. The dialogue also felt too formal with long explanations that didn’t seem realistic for actual conversation.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Ballantine Books

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time (and I read a lot of books)! It is an incredibly heart-warming story of a group of women who come together in a small village in WWII England. One of the members of a sewing circle finds her mother’s moth-eaten wedding dress, and asks her friends if they will help her repair it for her upcoming wedding—and that she will lend it to any of them if they do. This sets in motion the gathering, mending and exchanging of wedding dresses for brides who do not have dresses. Given the fabric shortages, clothing rationing, and “mend and make do” dictums of the period, the women inspire a large-scale wedding dress exchange so that every woman can have a special wedding day. Along the way, these women develop deep friendships, discover their brave inner selves, throw off outdated conventions, and find true love. The stories of sacrifice, resilience, and community shine through in this moving and beautifully written novel, and the discussions of fashion, fabric, and style create a wonderful backdrop. I love novels set during WWII and this was one of the best. A highly-recommended book that I hope finds a large audience.. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

"Sometimes it's just the simplicity of sitting with others, together in spirit and endeavor, that makes life feel right."

A beautiful historical fiction about rationing clothing and the lack of supplies during wartime. The story follows 3 women and their connection to a sewing circle that mends, adjusts, and shares wedding dresses to the women of the community in a time where fabric was difficult to come by and used for only necessary clothing items. Each chapter is from alternating points of view of the 3 women and their roles during WWII rural England. I typically steer clear of wartime novels as they carry stressful, depressing themes, but was pleasantly surprised by the lightness of this novel. Looking forward to checking out more of Ryan's novels.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan
Posted on April 13, 2022 by Carol Early Cooney

“Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional…

An essential element of historical fiction is that it is set in the past and pays attention to the manners, social conditions, and other details of the depicted period.[1] Authors also frequently choose to explore notable historical figures in these settings, allowing readers to better understand how these individuals might have responded to their environments…”

Wikipedia

I selected this week’s book with my eyes open. I read the description and thought it sounded interesting even though it was yet another historical fiction book. I am truly at the point where I would be happy never to read yet another historical fiction book based during the Second World War. There would need to be a good hook to get me to read another. ( I think I have said this before and look how that turned out.)

And this book sounded interesting enough for me to want to read it. I was given a copy in exchange for my unbiased review.


The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle starts during the London Blitz. Cressida Westcott loses her design studio and her home all one night of bombing. She is left with nothing. The only option she can see is to return to her ancestral home and hope that she can be taken in by her niece and nephew. She and her older brother did not get along and she has not been home in years. Her brother is dead and she hopes she can stay there while she tries to find a new place to live and work.

Cressida is famous in the world of fashion design. Her studio was quite an accomplishment for a woman in those times. She never married and she worked hard all the time. She arrives at her old country home with a coat over her nightdress. That is all she has with her. Her niece and nephew welcome her to their home.

Cressida’s niece, Violet, feels that her only purpose in life is to marry well. She wants to marry an aristocrat and settle down. She doesn’t really have any ambition beyond that. She attends some of the Village functions but is never really any help to anyone.

Hugh is Cressida’s nephew. He and his father did not get along but he is trying to take on the role that his father played in the town and carry out the directions that he his father left. He is a reluctant landlord. He did not like his father very much but doesn’t see that he can break with his Father’s ways.

Grace Carlisle is the vicar’s daughter. She selflessly gives to the people of the parish. She runs most of the events and visits the sick. Her father was devastated by the death of his wife and Grace has stepped in to fill the void. She is engaged to be married and the Vicar goes to the attic to find Grace’s mother’s wedding dress. He does find it but it has moth damage in several parts of the dress.

Grace takes the dress to the parish sewing circle to see if they have ideas on how she can fix the dress. The night she brings the dress, Cressida comes to the sewing circle for the first time. In looking over the dress, the women start discussing that the wartime brides in England cannot get wedding dresses or even white dresses. The women start thinking of ways that they can help by fixing up dresses and sharing them among the brides.

The book centers on Cressida, Violet, and Grace and the changes that they go through over the course of the book. Cressida encourages the women in the sewing circle to be independent and is there to help Grace and Violet when they are in doubt. I liked the way the story progressed and the character development. The story moved along well and held my interest. The characters are believable and interesting. I recommend it.

By the way, Jennifer Ryan also wrote The Chilbury Ladies Choir, which I have read and enjoyed.

Thanks for reading.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and I believe all her books will be on shelf soon. It’s such a cozy read and you still stay up all night til you finish it. You will love these characters!
I highly recommend it.

A lovely tale, but predictable and quick to come to the inevitable conclusions. I have read all of Ms. Ryan's books, and though enjoyable, this wasn't my favorite. It seemed rushed.

I’ve read a lot of books set during WW2 and this one touches on something I wasn’t aware of. I hadn’t really thought about fashion shortages during the war especially wedding dresses.
This book is about a group of women who manage to do something about the shortage. They also find true love along the way.
This book was really good, hard to put down. I loved it!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I think Jennifer Ryan books will be auto-buy for me. I have loved all of the books I have read. This is an uplifting book despite the fact that it is about World War II in England. Yes, the difficulties of war are experienced in this book, but we also get to see life on the home front. One of the slogans in England at the time was "Keep Calm and Carry On". This is a big theme in The Wedding Dressing Sewing Circle and her other books.

In this book, we experience the world of London fashion during the war. Clothing was rationed but couture designers were encouraged to keep designing for the export business. Cressida is a famous London fashion designer who is forced to move back to her brother's manor house in a small village after her home and fashion house are bombed in London. When she arrives she gets involved in helping the villagers with their sewing circle. They start with helping the vicar's daughter repair her mother's wedding dress. At the time, the only way to have a "white wedding" is to borrow a dress. Otherwise, the government encouraged women to wear their best dresses. As time passes, the sewing circle gets involved in many weddings and begins a project that helps many women borrow a white wedding dress. People in the United States, including Eleanor Roosevelt, are prompted to get involved with donations.

Cressida the fashion designer, Violet her spoiled niece, and Grace, the Vicar's daughter are the main characters who we follow in this book. They experience growth and change as they face changes in class, women's rights, and their role in society. Three romances are also part of this book. Throughout the book, I am just amazed at how Englanders continued to try and live as normal a life as they can despite the horrifics of war. The government put on contests, encouraged people to continue to look their best, and give a cheerful and hopeful face.

I would love to spend more time in this village or another one like it. I hope Ryan continues to find more stories to tell.

I knew when I read the summary that "The Wedding Dress Circle" would be a delightfully heartwarming and feel-good book. I was not wrong. If you're not in the mood for any depressing historical fiction, you can definitely count on this book. That in itself is a gem. The three main characters were all distinct and interesting. My main complaint is that the main moment of development for each character happens off stage. There is a lot of telling throughout the book and it doesn't do the work to develop those moments or relationships. I wondered while I was reading if this bothered me and the answer is yes and no. It bothers me because I was taught to expect more, but it also didn't because the book is what it is. It delivers on being cute and exactly what you expect from it based on the summary. It's a Hallmark-level historical fiction, but I think there's value in that and I'm interested in reading some of the authors other books.

Told from the perspective of 3 women, this is the heart warming story of how they helped British women to keep their spirits up during the war years by gathering wedding dresses to share

This was such a cozy read; I really loved it!

I enjoyed getting to know each of our three leading ladies and their uniques stories, and it was fun to watch them grow, fall in love, and even find their dream careers.

The tightly knit (please excuse the pun) sewing circle was a wonderful component to this story! I always love positive female friendships, and this book had great ones. It was a joy to get to know each woman and see how they supported one another bravely and without condition.

This book became an instant comfort read. I’m excited to buy copies for friends when it publishes!

First sentence: "I found it!" the Reverend Ben Carlisle's voice called from the attic. Grace felt her breath catch as she dashed across the vicarage landing to see him come down, a long, flat box ceremoniously in his arms, a bittersweet smile on his face.

Premise/plot: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants only with wedding dress(es). I jest mostly. Set in 1942, The Wedding Dressing Sewing Circle is set in a small village, Aldhurst, and stars three women. Grace Carlisle, whom readers meet first, is engaged to be married. But it isn't a love match--not really--and she's more excited about the wedding than the wedding night or the marriage itself. Perhaps because of her social class, perhaps because of her mother's death, she suffers from low self-esteem, the idea that ANY man would actually ask her to marry him boggles her mind. But she has her mother's white wedding dress and that's a start. Cressida Westcott is a London fashion designer that seeks refuge in her brother's home--her former home--after a bomb destroys her apartment and shop. Violet Westcott, Cressida's niece, is thrilled that her fashion savvy aunt has come to stay. But devastated at the idea that she'll be forced into doing war work. How can she find a super-wealthy TITLED man to marry if she's off working? These three unlikely heroines star in this historical romance.

My thoughts: This one is based loosely, loosely on true-ish events. A village did start collecting wedding dresses to lend out to war brides during the Second World War. So the concept of women donating their wedding dresses--from all ages past, all styles, all conditions--to be mended, tailored, and redesigned is true enough.

If you are able to go with the flow without putting much critical thought into what you are reading, this one is pure delight. It is a satisfying read offering readers three love stories.

I was able to enjoy this one--mostly. I was. Part of me wants to sweep all other little doubts and observances aside. But. I also want to be honest. The characters transition--particularly Violet and Cressida from HORRIBLE characters to sweet-as-pie angels with absolutely no catalyst or motivating factors. How do you go from narcissistic, vain, snobbish, rude to considerate, compassionate, selfless...in just a dozen pages...with no TEXT evidence supporting such a change. WHY does character A go from behaving this way to that way? What happened internally or externally to change her character??? Readers are left clueless. The first 30% of the novel, two-thirds of the heroines are HORRIBLE human beings that you'd never want to be around to saints and angels.

Grace transitions as well. But we're at least given reasons for that change. As her friendship blossoms with Cressida, she discovers that she's BEAUTIFUL and WORTHY and destined to be either a a) model b) fashion designer or c) shop owner. Definitely she does not want to be a vicar's wife stuck in a loveless marriage with someone who only values her if she's a selfless shadow of a human being.

I really enjoyed this one! It was very unique and I really enjoyed the story. It also gave me more perspective on things, which I always love. Highly recommend!

The Wedding Dress Circle is pure romance and escape set in World War II England where rationing means that most women can’t we’d in a white gown or even a new dress. Violet, the privileged and flighty aristocrat, grows up when she’s called to serve. Cressida, Violet’s aunt, a top London Couturier, finds friendship when she moves to the family manor after her home is destroyed in the zblitz. Grace, the quiet helper to her Vicar father, comes out of her shell when the village women meet to mend and remake clothing including wedding gowns. All find unexpected romance. While somewhat cliché, and predictable, it’s still enjoyable.

After renowned fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both her home and her design house in the London Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago. Praying that her niece and nephew will be more hospitable than her brother had been, she arrives with nothing but the clothes she stands in, at a loss as to how to rebuild her business while staying in a quaint country village. Her niece, Violet Westcott, is thrilled that her famous aunt is coming to stay—the village has been interminably dull with all the men off fighting. But just as Cressida arrives, so does Violet’s conscription letter. It couldn’t have come at a worse time; how will she ever find a suitably aristocratic husband if she has to spend her days wearing a frumpy uniform and doing war work? Meanwhile, the local vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, is trying in vain to repair her mother’s gown, her only chance of a white wedding. When Cressida Westcott appears at the local Sewing Circle meeting, Grace asks for her help—but Cressida has much more to teach the ladies than just simple sewing skills.
Before long, Cressida’s spirit and ambition galvanizes the village group into action, and they find themselves mending wedding dresses not only for local brides, but for brides across the country. And as the women dedicate themselves to helping others celebrate love, they might even manage to find it for themselves.

In the spirit of her previous books--Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Spies of Shilling Lane-- Jennifer Ryan had brought to life another unknown event in WWII history. Reading the Author's Notes, you will discover that there really was an exchange of wedding dresses so brides could have a white wedding during a time when all wedding dress material was used for the war effort. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and how the characters grew and developed during the story. The author's descriptions of the countryside were so detailed that you felt that you were walking along the country roads with the characters. I highly recommend this book and thank NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read another of the author's wonderful books.

This is the story of British women who fight the Nazis at home in the midst of incessant bombing, destruction and death. Their weapons are not violent; rather, they join together to raise the communal morale of those who had to do without. Amid shortages and limitations set by coupon use for shopping, the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is created. This project, using sewing skills, dedication and creativity, provides an opportunity to bring cheer into the hard, sad, and often frightening everyday lives of people by offering a white wedding dress exchange. Cressida, a recognized London dress designer, Grace, a shy, self-sacrificing daughter of a vicar, and Violet, a member of the landed gentry in search of a titled husband, find themselves among a group of country women eager to ease the burdens of the war. Jennifer Ryan’s principal characters meet life-altering choices as the story progresses. As in her other three novels I have read, I found myself loving them and rooting for their success.

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Ryan and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. This is my personal review.
I have read many books with historical fiction as the theme. The cover of this one caught my eye and I immediately wanted to read it. I am so glad I got the chance to read it!
The women focused on in the book made the story flow and the bond between the charterers was fantastic. Being with them while they were sewing and watching the friendship blossom made me really care about each of them. I learned things that happened during WW2 time that I never even thought about made the story come to life for me.
The release date for this book is May 31, 2022. This is a book you will want to pick up and read.