A truly lovely historical romance. This is a story of lost love, second chances, and community. Having previously read The Chilbury Ladies Choir , I was excited to read The Wedding Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan and boy it did not disappoint!
Set during world War 2 in England, three women deal with the changes in their life brought on by the effects of the war. Having lost her home and fashion house during a London bombing, Cressida returns to her country family home after having left years before, running from the confines of her family. Cressida, the fashion designer, surprisingly finds a sense of home and takes a special interest in Grace (who is aptly named) as together they draw out the best in each other. Her niece, Violet is a very spoiled young miss who feels that her goal in life is to marry a Lord and give parties, who is truly vexed with the limited availability of eligible young men due to the War. Violet is conscripted into service and learns to rethink her perspectives on life with the help of a handsome American soldier. Grace is the village vicar’s daughter, soon to marry a man of faith, older than she, to be the perfect helpmate and seeks to always serve others. Grace, hesitant to marry, struggles with what is expected of her and who she used to be when she reconnects with the boy who once was her best friend and is now lord of the village. Together they have in common The Women’s Sewing Circle in the village which tries to contribute to the war effort by remaking clothes to help others and is also a welcoming and friendly gathering place. When Grace brings her mother’s wedding gown to see if they can help restore it for her wedding, the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is born as it evolves with the goal to remake white dresses for brides to share for their special day rather than getting married in flour sacks and everyday clothes.
This is a joyous book of women discovering that they are stronger together and have so much to give. Going against the societal norms that have changed due to the war, they show they are amazing women as they throw off the limits of their birth and societal status. I loved this book. The writing is beautiful and the characters well developed as they evolve. You can’t but help cheer for them as they face the everyday challenges of war but come together to find what really matters and survive. This is a great story how war affected everyone, no matter the class you were born in to, and finding that sense of community.

Many thanks to #netgalley #theweddingdresssewingcircle #jenniferryan #randomhouse for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I found this the perfect book to be immersed in to escape the pandemic. I've read and loved all of Ryan's previous books, and this one was a great read as well. I was transported into the British home front during WWII, this time focusing on the shortage of clothing and how it was handled. I grew to love all the characters and how they evolved. It was a great combination of historical fiction and romance. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from the author. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy.

What a lovely book. Yet again, Jennifer Ryan has done a tremendous amount of research and written a historical novel of life in WW II England. This book tells the story of how the very strict rationing of clothing affected life for a group of women in a small rural village. Not only every day clothing items were rationed but it was almost impossible to obtain a white wedding dress. And the women so wanted to wear a white dress to be able to suspend the difficulties for war for just one day. With ingenuity and hard work this group of women put together a lending closet of donated, repaired wedding gowns to loan out. Along the way several of the women in this sewing circle find love and fulfillment. As with all of Jennifer Ryan's historical novels I am reminded of how truly difficult the war years were for the people of the British Isles.

“The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle” by Jennifer Ryan is a WWII historical fiction book set in England. The book follows three main characters - Cressida, Violet, and Grace. Cressida is a fashion designer in London, who returns to the family house after she loses her home and shop in a bombing. Upon returning to the house, Cressida renews a relationship with her niece, a rather vain Violet. Violet is the figurehead for the town’s sewing circle, but has no interest in it, the people, or the town. One of the town members is Grace, who wants to restore her mother’s wedding dress in order to wear it for her own upcoming nuptials. Over the course of six months, things change for all three women.

This book is about community, loss, hope, friendships, and things not turning out the way one expects. I liked the idea of Ms. Ryan showcasing the history behind these “sewing circles” because while clothing rationing in the UK was known, what isn’t necessarily known is how people “made do with less” and how they went about doing that (for instance, I didn’t know that the new clothing rations went into effect on a Sunday, when the shops were closed, to prevent people from stocking up). I enjoyed learning about using parachutes for clothing and the way the women bonded over not only donating wedding dresses and making them more modern, but also willingly paying it forward to strangers in order to ensure anyone who wanted one was (possibly) able to borrow a wedding dress. The Author’s Note was an extremely interesting read - and while I’ve been to one of the museums Ms. Ryan mentioned, I had to go through photos to see if I’d seen the posters/display that she’d commented upon.

While I enjoyed the history in the book, it took me a really long time to warm up to a few of the characters and, while not unexpected, the romance parts were predictable and, sadly, a bit flat. I did enjoy the community of women - along with Cressida’s fashion forays.

Oh my goodness, Jennifer Ryan never disappoints me with her heart-warming stories about women's lives on the World War II homefront. This was a story about the importance of friendship and being part of something bigger than yourself and finding hope in the midst of challenging times. Throw in 3 sweet romance stories, and the result is perfection! What a charming, sweet novel!

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a wonderful WWII-era historical fiction that tells the heartwarming story of a little village in England and all of the amazing inhabitants within and their involvement surrounding the local Sewing group. I just loved it!

I have enjoyed several books by Ms. Ryan in the past, and this book is a great addition. It is told in alternating chapters/viewpoints between Grace, Violet, and Cressinda. All three women are tied together by the same small village and some also by relation. All have gone their separate ways and have distanced themselves from their shared past. All are brought together again during the unique circumstances of the war, and through their new and initially “forced” interactions, they begin to bond, form friendships, and join forces within their own Sewing Circle and it ends up becoming so much more.

Yes, this book does contain lost loves, romance, and luckily amongst such times of devastation and distress, some happily ever afters. But this story is also about community, helping others, finding your purpose in life, and the strong friendships that are forged between this group of women. I loved reading about the changes, progression, and self-awakenings of the three women. I also truly loved seeing all of the activities and plans that the group participated in to help with mending, designing, donating, and helping others in these times of rationing and scarcity. It was beautiful to see the plans with the central wedding dress as well as the creation of the “pay it forward” in regards to helping other women as well. It was creative, beautiful, and touching.

What I love the most is the Author’s note to help let us know how much of these ideas were real, and actually happened. So wonderful!

I highly recommend this book.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Ballantine Books/Random House for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/31/22.

Jennifer Ryan does it again! This book, like her other Historical Fiction books, is set in England during World War II. This time the book centers around wartime shortages and clothing coupons. With the majority of materials going to the war effort, clothing and material are rationed. The War Office is requesting that the English "Make Do and Mend." The village women have a sewing circle where they do just that. Old clothes, donated clothes make their way to the sewing circle where they are mended and re-used. Old clothes that are too tattered are used to patch other clothes. The story has wonderful characters, dialogue and is wonderfully researched.Unlike her other stories, there is no mystery to solve. I believe it will appeal to all Jennifer Ryan's fans. I give it 5 stars because this will appeal to fans of Historical Fiction. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the Kindle version of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Preparing for a wedding during a war when clothing rations are tight means you have to get extremely creative. Is it possible that a displaced fashion designer, her society niece, and a vicar's daughter can find a solution?

This story follows three women who pull together the skills and resources of their village and outside connections to create and re-create wedding dresses for local brides. In the process they build friendships and learn to encourage one another in difficult circumstances.

When the story began I found none of the main characters likeable, but they did grow over time as they encouraged and sacrificed for one another. Unfortunately the romances they experienced were presented as shallow and underdeveloped. The story's redeeming quality was ultimately in the friendships between the women and how they learned to trust and encourage one another.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.