Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Grace's father gives her, her mothers wedding dress for when she gets married. She goes to a store where they can fix it and meets Cressida who she has looked up to for many years. Grace is hoping that the war will end sooner than later. This was an enjoyable read.

The setting: WWII. "Three plucky women lift the spirits of homefront brides in wartime Britain, where clothes rationing leaves little opportunity for pomp or celebration...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 from 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."

And so it goes.

Was this novel predictable? ABSOLUTELY! I saw every turn coming and all my predications were spot on.
SWEET [almost treacly]? YES. CHARMING? For sure.
Did I care? NO. Same for the occasional oy moment.

The Wedding Dress Circle is based on true events as clothes rationing meant bridal wear was challenging. The women of the village of Aldhurst band together to help Grace. Friendships and backbones develop.

A fast, enjoyable read that alternates between the stories/voices of Grace, Cressida, and Violet. And their lives/loves.

Ryan's The Chillbury Ladies' Choir is my favorite [also read The Kitchen Front] but this was an enjoyable read of people banding together in dire times [and today].

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review an advanced reader’s copy of this book. I have enjoyed several of Jennifer Ryan’s previous novels and thoroughly enjoyed this latest novel too. (The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle). This is a heartwarming historical fiction story taking place during WWII in Britain. Highly recommended !

"The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle" by Jennifer Ryan was SENSATIONAL and Extremely Memorable!! I LOVED this book, it reminded me of how my grandma taught me to sew by hand. Cressida, Grace and Violet's stories are so remarkable and unforgettable!! Set during WWII when the British had to ration clothes. The sewing circle women would gather and mend old wedding dresses into something NEW and BEAUTIFUL for the upcoming brides!! Sticth by stitch Grace, Violet and Cressida found Love, Courage, Strength and Everlasting Friendships!!

💫THANK YOU to Jennifer Ryan, Ballantine Books and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an Honest Review!!

#TheWeddingDressSewingCircle
#NetGalley
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

4.5 stars

It turns out reading about The Blitz and bombing during WWII right when Russia invades Ukraine is not an ideal time for that subject. So this book took me a bit longer to get through due to that but it's no fault of the novel at all.

This was a really engaging read mainly about a woman designer who leaves London after The Blitz and moves back home to her small hometown. It's told from her perspective and two women from the town she returns to and it is a pretty interesting change from each woman through their various lenses of the war and how it affects them.

Overall this is a VERY engaging novel and despite all of the WWII books I've read in my lifetime this offered a fresh perspective that was enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved The Kitchen Front so when I was offered the opportunity to read an advance of Ms. Ryan’s newest title, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, I accepted with gratitude.

I fell in love with this novel almost from the first chapter. We have three women, all very different, put together and coming to terms with the life-changing that they’re enduring on the homefront, during WWII, in England.

A novel of community, friendship, personal growth, and endurance, this was such a heartwarming, lovely read and I strongly recommend it.

The Wedding Dress Sewing circle is the most beautifully written book. I loved it. The characters, the setting, the descriptive words and the story stole my heart form the first few pages. I've read many WWII books, but this one is at the top of my favorites. Highly recommend!
Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Cressida, Grace, and Violet in their creation of the titular Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. Since this book follows multiple perspectives, it provides an interesting glimpse into the different ways war, modernity, and tradition impacted British women during this time period. I appreciated how every character seemed to be shaken by a different aspect of the war, with many of the protagonists grappling with complicated forms of grief. It added a sense of authenticity to this historical romance. I also loved the contrast between fashion as utility and fashion as an art form. By the end of the book, I was absolutely invested in all these characters and needed to know what happened immediately, so I read half of it in one sitting. Like other reviews have said, the emphasis on female friendships is the best part of this book (even though I loved Ben and Landon very much!)

My one critique of this book is that the opening chapters were absolutely crammed with backstory, historical context, and exposition. The dialogue felt rigid when it was just used to provide as much information about the characters' pasts as possible. This did get better as the book progressed and we became more acquainted with each person.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing an early copy in exchange for my review!

Based on real events, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle chronicles the lives of the women of a small village who decide to reuse/repurpose old wedding dresses for war brides. The 3 main characters are a London fashion designer who must return home after her home is bombed, her estranged niece, a bratty socialite and the vicar's daughter who is very busy helping everyone else to realize her own wants and dreams. Another interesting WWII story focusing on domestic life in rural England. Fans of Ryan's previous novels will enjoy her latest offering.

Wartime brings communities together in ways that would normally shock the patriarchs and matriarchs of society. One’s reliance on routine and dependence on social norms quickly shatter when armies congregate in masses: this fact is especially true for the women of 1940’s English communities.

Ryan superbly writes about these exact issues in The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle and how unprecedented times change the lives of three specific women from varying walks of life.

While the sewing circle is the one element that ties the trio of extraordinary women together, the reader sees each character struggle with class systems tearing apart to make way for new war time norms.

In my opinion, Cressida, steals the show. As a highly recognized fashion designer, Cressida finds herself in need of a new place to call home after the Blitz. While I greatly enjoyed the other two characters storylines, Cressida was the highlight of the book. Knowing that a woman in her 40’s with a prominent role in society can start her life over truly gives the book a standout plot. She is fierce, ahead of her time and doesn’t allow the world to tell her no. At the same time, she swallows her pride when certain activities (like knitting and appearing at community functions) are seemingly beneath her. This storyline in and of itself separates the novel as a whole from the many WWII novels written in the last few years.

Each character changes and steps into her own as the novel progresses. It’s a story of change, of friendship, of love and taking hold of life.

While the book is called The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, there was one too many weddings for my taste. The overarching theme of finding love in unexpected places is well penned, but I don’t think each love story needs to detail the nuptials in order to prove the point.

Overall, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a heartfelt read, full of robust female characters and just enough drama for a small English town to handle. Readers who enjoyed the Last Garden In England and The Rose Code will find this to be the perfect summer read.

a story of 3 women during the war in Britian, really enjoyed this story, it was especially interesting about the wedding dresses.

This was a sweet, cozy, and quick read book.

Pros: The characters are well fleshed out and endearing. Focuses on a different element of life during WWII for women in England that is commonly portrayed.

Cons: The story drags a bit, despite being a quick read. The story is extremely predictable. The amount of set up was a bit frustrating (but this could be a pro if you aren't too familiar with the time period).

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC!
Expected Publication: May 31st, 2022

England 1942 Amid clothes rationing, Grace Carlisle is about to get married and hopes that her mother’s moth-eaten wedding gown can be salvaged for Grace’s big day. She’s a natural helper, aiding the parish since her vicar father has never recovered from his wife’s death and suffers from shell shock from the first war. She’s eager to marry a dull deacon so she can continue to be useful and to recreate the family she had when she was young. Grace reluctantly takes the gown to the village sewing circle for help.

Solitary Cressida Wescott, renowned evening gown designer, has to turn to her niece and nephew in Kent after the Blitz took both her home and her livelihood. She’s estranged from her family, obsessed with work and prestige, and revolts at the idea of living in the country.

Violet Wescott is a shallow clothes horse whose greatest concern is how to attract a man in a dowdy military uniform. Make do and mend is getting in the way of attracting a wealthy peer who can afford her. If only so many weren’t inconveniently dying in Europe.

Her brother Hugh Wescott has inherited the estate but has abandoned it for his work in London at the war office. He certainly has no interest in introducing his sister so she can make connections or helping her dodge her conscription. He’ll eventually marry a woman he doesn’t like and take care of the manor with her fortune because “he’s supposed to”.

The story assumes the reader knows little about wartime England, who Hartnell was, that clothes were rationed, that women moved planes, etc so I was a little bored with some of the setup. Other readers might think it atmospheric and helpful. It was typically shown and not told, which I like; I just didn’t need it.

The women’s interconnected histories slowly unfold as Grace’s wedding approaches. All three women have their own arc. I found Violet’s attitude a little extreme, but the other two were more relatable. Grace’s fiancé was a caricature, like St. John Rivers, as were a few other secondary characters. Since there were three main characters, some of the internal reflections and growth felt a little rushed.

The themes of changing fashion and changing attitudes comes through strong. All three women have to reevaluate who they are and what they want, and their relationship to clothes during the war is a metaphor for that. This one is predictable but still manages to be charming.
3.5 stars

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a cozy historical fiction novel centered around three women in a small village in Great Britain during WWII, with the focus being primarily the rationing and shortage of clothing at the time, which forced women to be creative in their use of materials.

Grace, Cressida, and Violet are our three narrators, but we are introduced to a cast of characters from their various perspectives. Grace is a vicar's daughter, Cressida is a London based fashion designer, and Violet is the wealthy and spoiled daughter of the estate holder in the village, she is also Cressida's niece. All three women have their own unique voice and perspective on the events of the war and life in the village. They all develop nicely and grow as individuals over the events of the book, and each has her own romance as part of the plot.

This is, as I said, a fairly cozy novel, in that while at various points the women are in danger, there is no significant loss or tragedy during the events of the book. That said, I found this new perspective on WWII fascinating, as I have always been very keen on ladies fashion in the '40s. I loved the little hints on how fashion rules and guidelines changed due to necessity but never went back, such as corsets being replaced by brassieres.

I would recommend this to other lovers of historical fiction and vintage fashion.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the electronic ARC copy of this novel for review.

When Great Britain gave coupons for clothes, the women had to "mend and make do," even for their weddings. Grace, the vicar's daughter in Aldhurst was getting married and wanted to wear her mother's wedding dress, but it was in bad shape after being stored in the attic for so long. She planned to take it to the Sewing Circle in her village to see if they could repair it.

Cressida Westcott was a fashion designer in London who refused to evacuate until both her home and her business were bombed. She was forced to move back in with a nephew and niece, from Aldhurst, she had not seen in years. She went to the sewing circle to have something to do.

Violet was Cressida's niece who was concerned only with finding a man with a title to marry. She thought herself a pretty, privileged, princess who was head of the Aldhurst sewing circle in name only. Cressida's arrival changed everything for Grace, Violet, herself, and the women of the sewing circle. They started a wedding dress swap so women could have a white dress inspire of clothes rationing.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a different look at WWII. It shows how women made do with what they had and worked to share with others. Women grew to be more independent in one way, and yet depended on one another for strength to get through the war. I don't often give five stars to books, but this one deserved it. I was allowed to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

Jennifer Ryan does it again! I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful novel and the characters. Every book that Ryan writes focuses on lesser written details of the war. This one focused on the clothing rations and how the women in the community came together to restore wedding dresses and loan them to those in need. I love the historical facts included, and her characters are, as always, so likeable. I highly recommend this. I have not read a Jennifer Ryan book that I haven't loved! Her writing always keeps me interested, and I look forward to reading more of her writing. 5 stars! A big thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC.

World War II was difficult for the women left at home because they faced the daily threat of airplanes dropping bombs on their cities and trying to live frugally with ration coupons. But the most devastating situation was not to be able to marry in a white gown. In the small village of Aldhurst, a group of women form a sewing circle to try to remake wedding dresses from gowns donated or from spare pieces of fabric. When renowned designed Cressida Westcott is bombed out of her London home, she returns to Aldhurst and suddenly the wedding gown remake circle is expanding when the demand for gowns booms and donations pile in. This sweet, charming book will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart and a much better appreciation for the simpler things in life.

I have read three of Jennifer Ryan's last four novels and this has been my favorite. It is such an old-fashioned, clean, love-story that reduced me to tears at the end, but that was also intelligent and humorous. Three women are the protagonists of this story: Cressida, a famous dress designer; Grace, a widowed vicar's only child; and Violet, a privileged young lady who is 'of the manor born.' War brings the three of them together in the village of Aldhurst in Kent. Grace is engaged to be married, but because clothing is so strictly rationed during WWII, a new wedding dress is simply out of the question. Grace finds her mother's wedding dress in the attic and although it is exquisite, it has also been victimized by moths. She takes the dress to the weekly sewing circle to see if anyone there can come up with ideas for repair. Luckily for her, Violet shows up with her newly arrived Aunt Cressida and a plan is formed. From this beginning, new friendships arise and old notions of what these three ladies lives should look like are put into question. The legacy of the wedding dress also bonds two families and I just found this whole novel to be a lovely story; very satisfying and perfect for the easing away the winter doldrums. I was offered an ARC e-book of this novel from Netgalley and enthusiastically recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. During a blitz, Cressida loses both her home and her fashion design studio. The only place for her to go is to family that doesn't even know her. Her brother disowned her when she chose to move to London and make it on her own. Her niece and nephew only know her by name. When she moves to the estate for a place to get back on her feet, the friends she makes in the small town helps her heal. As a fashion designer she beings to help brides to be design wedding dress out of what they have on hand. The wedding dress circle then loans them out to brides so they will have something to wear on their wedding besides a uniform. This is a sweet concept but I feel the story drug a bit and it was wrapped into too neat of a bow. #TheWeddingDressSewingCircle #JenniferRyan

This book was fabulous! A beautifully written historical romance set in England during WWII.
A group of women form a sewing circle to recycle clothing due to rationing. Once Grace decides to marry, she brings her mother's aged wedding dress to the sewing circle and they are able to salvage it and hence the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle begins. A famous fashion designed also moves back to town and joins the group. Its just a lovely story of three woman and their paths intertwine during this tumultuous time,