Jennifer Ryan can do no wrong! I LOVE her books and this was no exception!!! I thought the characters were so well done and I cared so much about the plot. I read it all in under one day, it was just that good. I really loved it. It left me feeling empowered, warm, and fuzzy. What more can you ask for in a book?!!

I have enjoyed Jennifer Ryan's other novels, and this one is just as good as the others. It is well written, with excellent character development, and the story moves along. There are a lot of WW2 books out there, but I think this one is one of the best in that genre that I've read recently.

This is my first read by Jennifer Ryan and I really enjoyed it, fully. This is the story of three women, it takes place in a small village in England in the year 1942. We have Grace the vicars daughter, Cressida who left London after her house and company is bombed in the blitz and we also have the hoity toity Violet, Cressida's niece. This story is told from the point of view of all three women. The writing was so lovely, using such words as ebullient, buoyant and congenial. Such beautiful language that really spoke of England in the forties. I really loved the author's use of words. I was pleasantly surprised how this book conveys the way women can teach each other how to be strong and independent, not just someone's arm candy but truly their own person, in her own right. The sense of time and place was clear and I loved how patriotic the village was, true to their country and the village itself. The romance side of the story wasn't easy wishy-washy and was like real life. The war itself wasn't front and center, it was the village and its population that had the story to tell. Such an uplifting read that takes place during a time that wasn't.

Jennifer Ryan has a flair for writing about the hope and perseverance shown by women through difficult circumstances. She returns with another engaging and uplifting book set in England during WWII. “The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle” follows three strong women, as well as a few of their good friends, who learn the value of love and friendship as they “Mend and Make Do” with one white wedding dress.
I loved the premise and really enjoyed “The Kitchen Front.” While the characters in this book had interesting situations and decent-if-predictable storylines and character growth, I struggled more with Ryan’s voice in this book. All three main characters had finished their redemption arcs by 60% of the way into the book and slipped from woebegone women to moralizing speech-makers. While it took longer to realize the happily ever afters for each character, there was little doubt the women would end up where they did. I started skimming around 70% because the speeches and dialog just ended up feeling repetitive and didactic.
If you like feel-good fiction and WWII hope and perseverance, this is a lovely book. But where I gave Kitchen Front a 5, this felt like a 3.5 at best.

In London, WWII brings 3 women together: Cressida, a fashion designer from London, her well to do niece Violet whom she’s never met, and Grace, a plain but helpful vicar’s daughter. Along with the ladies of the local sewing circle, these three women work to repair Grace’s late mother’s wedding dress for Grace to wear at her own wedding, and along the way learn something about themselves and what they want from life. I’ve read many WWII books but this was the first that described the work of the conscription office and some of the specific jobs women were required to serve. I also knew very little about the wedding dress shortage and donation efforts. My favorite thing about Jennifer Ryan is that she is able to take me back to war torn England without making me cry. Her stories remain sweet and uplifting and yet she doesn’t leave out the true details of war. I’m able to learn about a sad historical time without being left in a pool of tears. And once again, in The Wedding Dress Seeing Circle, she finds and shares the stories of hope and community during these difficult times.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review.

Set in wartime Britain, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is historical fiction, based on actual happenings.. Women from all walks of life were being called upon to take on tasks not normally done by females at that time. They became mechanics, factory workers, and helped save lives as bombs fell.

This book tells the stories of three different women, Cressida, a fashion designer whose home and business have been bombed, Grace, a shy vicar's daughter, and Violet, a somewhat spoiled 'lady'. Their paths become intertwined when Cressida returns to her family home in the country. Grace is due to be married and trying to refurbish her mother's wedding dress. Cressida steps in to help and the ladies of the town sewing circle join in. With the cloth shortage and rationing, the traditional white wedding dress is just not available for brides. The women end up starting a movement that spreads throughout the country to collect and repurpose wedding dresses so the war brides can wear a white dress. All three women are changed by the work and the war and their lives take on new direction and meaning.

A little romance, a little history, and a good read!

From all the horrors, the fires, the bombs and deaths – this is a love story during WWII. Three single women are about to change the course of their lives without realizing it.

Grace is 24 years old which makes her feel like she’s on the edge of being an old maid. She’s living with her father in Aldhurst Village of England in 1942. She misses her mom who died ten years ago. Grace finds herself desperate to have a husband and family. When she tells a vicar her wishes, he immediately asks her to marry him. Even though he is older, she immediately says yes to the proposal without the thought of love.

Cressida, at 46 years old, has a well-established fashion design business in London. When a bomb destroys her home and business, she has no choice but to go back to her childhood home that she left years ago. She had a dispute with her brother who called her an “unfortunate spinster” after the man she was set to marry was killed in the war. Her unforgiving brother had since died and she could only hope that her niece and nephew would welcome her back into the Aldhurst Manor.

Violet is a 21-year-old beauty. She lives with her brother, Hugh, at the Aldhurst Manor and all she can think about is getting married to someone with a title. But there’s only one person in the village that can fulfill this dream. He had a round face but she felt like “he’ll have to do.” She was in a hurry to find someone as married women were not required to serve in the war.

When these women were trying to maintain a sense of sanity during the WWII with great fears, they opened their hearts to the possibility of hope and love. They became connected through the Sewing Circle with the goal of remaking bridal gowns to be loaned out – white gowns which were now hard to get. Grace brought them the first pure ivory satin dress that was once worn by her mother. Moths had ruined part of it and she was hoping it could be saved.

Besides a wonderful romance that centered around wedding dresses, there was a lot of research done about how the war transformed women. Couples didn’t wait months to plan a wedding. Women started wearing trousers for practical reasons breaking the rules from the past. Violet said, “Times have changed with the war…It isn’t what we look like that’s important, it’s what we do.” While there was a tremendous amount of grief from WWII, this book pointed to a spark of goodness which lies inside.

My thanks to Jennifer Ryan, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this copy with the expected release date of May 31, 2022.

I have really enjoyed all of Ryan's books and this is no exception! This WWII novel focuses on women on the homefront in England and specifically clothes rationing. It was an enjoyable read and I also learned a lot about clothes rationing and fashion at that time.

I liked all the characters and loved seeing their growth throughout the novel. I loved how things played out for our characters in the end. I highly recommend for fans of historical fiction!

This book gave me so much Information about a side of WW2 that I had never thought about, and it done so in a way that kept engrossed in the tales of the 3 different women. They each had a different path that entertained then together and made the story a joy to read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan. I read to learn new things. What I learned in this story was about the shortage of wedding dresses during the war. How a group of friends solved the problem by altering existing wedding dresses from past years and creating a wedding dress exchange. This all toke place in Britain along with their program of mending old clothes and/or making new clothes out of them. Also a fashion contest to style clothes using less fabric to mass produce for Britain 🇬🇧 The stories of the friendships and how they helped each other while altering these wedding dresses and finding Mr. Right was sweet and enduring. Publishing date is May 16th right in line with all the summer brides!

Reading this book was like sitting down for an evening with three good friends. Set during the early days of World War II and told through the experiences of three totally different women, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle will warm your heart. Grace is engaged to be married and thoughts of her fiancé’s safety and how the war will affect her wedding dominant her actions. Famed fashion designer, Cressida, a successful businesswoman faces ruin when her home and business are completely destroyed in the London bombings. Lastly is Violet, spoiled debutante whose only ambition is to marry a title. These three women, ever unlikely to meet without the intervention of a war bringing them together in the small English village of Aldhurst, define exactly who they are when faced with adversity and like what they find. A most enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

I loved Ryan's other books so much, so I was really excited to see she had a new one. And many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!
Although this wasn't my favorite one of her books so far, it was still good. In fact, really good. I found all the information about clothing designing, the fashion industry during the war, and the wedding dress exchanges so interesting. It's an aspect of WWII that I really hadn't encountered in any of the historical fiction I've read. As for the stories of each of the main characters, they were romantic and feel good. This was really a story of transformation as each of the three main characters really undergoes a personal crisis (brought on by the war) that helps her find her true self, what she wants out of life, and how to reconcile that with her past. In all of Ryan's books she truly shows how the ordinary British citizen found the extraordinary in themselves as they did their part for the war.
The one thing I didn't love about this, compared to her others, was that I found the historical details and information a bit clunky. Too much information delivered through dialogue in a way that seemed very unnatural and only existed to educate the reader.

Jennifer Ryan does such a good job in this story of giving the reader a strong sense of the difficulties and suffering of the British people at all levels during WWII. She shows how friendships and cooperation helped people to survive the destruction, privation and death. She also explores the arrival of the American troops in England. There is plenty of history and romance in this well-told story. Strongly recommended.

This is simply a feel good heartwarming story. I liked the way each character was introduced in their own chapter and I looked forward to returning to each character as the story progressed. A light read set during a very trying period in history.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This isn't your typical WWII novel. The setting is a small village in England in 1942 and mainly highlights the lives of three different, yet very resourceful, women and how they deal with the circumstances of their past, their present, and the outlook for their future.

I think that this book did a wonderful job of covering this time period when women began to have more opportunities and more freedom. It also celebrates the resilience and ingenuity of the women left to keep the home fires burning while their fathers, brothers, sons, husbands and sweethearts were sent to battle. These women had to bravely maneuver the hardships of rationing and bombings while also grieving the loss of loved ones. They pulled together and supported each other in a myriad of ways, along with doing acts of charity and kindness for others.

There is not much guesswork needed to know in which direction these character's hearts are going to lead them, but it is still fun to join them on their journeys. I would recommend this book to all readers who love a happy ending.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Delightful tale of friendship and love in the midst of WWII. Historically accurate with loveable characters. Great entertaining read.

4.5 stars

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan was one of those books that just jumped out at me by the title. I love WWII historical fiction and it being about a sewing circle was intriguing to me.
Because of the war, there were rations on food AND clothing. This included rations on fabric as well. Any silk was to be used for parachutes only. This book tells the story of 3 women, the main characters, whose lives are touched by the war. The restrictions forced them to come up with new ideas and their ambitions to help other women wear a wedding dress for their wedding became their passion.
These women in the sewing circle figured out a way to use donated wedding dresses, take them apart and remake them for brides. I loved that so much!! This story shows their resonance in making their idea a success.
It's a really such a great story. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

A heartwarming story based on true events during WW2 with three women creating wedding gowns. Beautifully written characters, great plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing an ARC of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows three main characters. There is top fashion designer who lives in London, Cressida Westcott, her niece Violet Westcott, who starts off spoiled and shallow, and selfless vicar's daughter Grace Carlisle. The London Blitz brings the three women together when Cressida's London home is destroyed and she is forced to stay with her niece and nephew, Hugh, who live on a country estate.

I've read most of Jennifer Ryan's other books and I enjoy how she shows women coming together to do their part during the war, namely WWII. Cressida, Violet, and Grace come up with an innovative way to help other women, since goods are scarce and/or very expensive, by using their individual talents to create a wedding dress exchange and mend clothing that is close to tatters. I liked learning about the clothing rationing/coupons during the war and also how coveted a silk parachute was.

All three women were likable and evolved from the people they were at the beginning of the novel. Cressida learned to not be alone, Violet matured and let go of her frivolous cares, and Grace gained confidence. Jennifer Ryan does a good job of showing the camaraderie amongst women and how every woman has a valuable talent or skill to offer.

A very light, rosy view of a small group of women in an English village during WWII. The tragedies of this narrative happen off the page, mostly before the story begins, leaving several interwtined happy stories for these characters. I wondered if I should be bothered that there wasn't more discord between these women or in their lives, but really, who needs that right now? I was happy to just get sucked in to this English village and get to know these ladies, view their friendships and romances, and appreciate their creative solutions to the difficulties of the war.