Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

When Cressida Westcott is awakened in the middle of the night with explosions and fire all around, she realizes the War has finally come into her life. A famous fashion designer in London, she has mostly continued her life, regardless of WWII raging all over Europe. With Paris shut down, London has become the center of European couture, and Cressida is one of its shining lights. But now both her home and her workshop have been destroyed and she is forced to flee to the country - to a house she left over 20 years ago and a family she doesn't even know.

Her brother is dead and his son, Hugh< has inherited the house and seems bent on continuing all his father's practices, including doing as he will with the village and the grounds. His son is expected to marry an heiress to keep the homestead going, and his daughter, Violet, MUST marry a title, no matter who.

To say the arrival of fashionable, glamourous Cressida upset the balance of the household would be an understatement. In fact, she shakes up the entire town, possibly the county!!

It's a feel-good book. Sometimes you want to shake some of the characters, and the insight into everyday life in England during WWII is informative. But, like a good book does, everything works out in the end.

This was a charming book about three women, WWII in Britain and true love. Yes, it is a light read, but well told. Grace, daughter of the local vicar and childhood friend of Hugh heir to the manor house in their small village, is engaged to marry Lawrence, a vicar with the goal of advancing in the church. Violet, Hugh's sister, has never thought more about the world, who she is or much of anything but fulfilling her deceased father's expectation she marry a man with a title. Hugh, since childhood, was destined to marry Astrid, daughter of a wealthy family. Cressida, renowned fashion designer, is an independent single woman, whose great love died in WWI. She is Hugh and Violet's aunt, but they did not know her because she was estranged from their father. Got that? Cressida's home and studio are destroyed in London bombing and she moves to the manor house, needing her relatives to help her. She meets Grace, who is trying to assess whether there is a way to save her mother's wedding gown. A local sewing circle, a renowned designer and creative collaboration save the gown and start a fast friendship among the women of the sewing circle and, in particular Grace, Violet and Cressida. There's plenty of talk of true love with unexpected turns in each woman's life. Each faces the need to be true to herself and take significant risks. I am a fan of historical fiction, so the information on strict clothing and material rationing and the extremes the government went to to control even the sale of second hand clothing was fascinating. My generation certainly heard of the shortage of stockings, the invention of nylon and that women painted stockings on with a line included for a seam. However, this was more a metaphor for much more drastic shortages of all clothing. Clothing today is often cheap and plentiful with much of it ending up in landfills and rarely recycled. While this story is about finding a way to make wedding dresses available to women to use in wartime, when purchasing them was impossible due to a lack of required coupons for both new and used clothes, it is really a tale of resourcefulness, finding a path to normalcy in very unusual times and bringing something special to people in wartime.

The wedding dress is a magnificent story about a group of women who came together in the worst possible times during the war when all their dreams were stolen away making them believe that they couldn't celebrate the happiest day of their life their wedding.

This is the story of three women whose lives and stories come intertwine by destiny but also for a shared dream and aspiration.

Cressida Wescott lost her home during the war, she lost everything her work, and her most precious things now moving to her niece and nephew's house she is ready to start all over again not really knowing what her new life will entitle she meets a few ladies who had a seeing group and are helping in some way the people of the village to survive.

Violet, used to be so entitled and afraid to live, always under the shadow of her brother and father now she has a new propose since she met her aunt. a bold woman who will help her finally find love and break all her fears away.

Grace, is a beautiful woman who is ready to get married to the wrong man and also at the wrong time. she also meets Cressida a woman who will also change her life and take charge of her decisions.

Hugh is a stubborn man who is only following traditions and laws that are not making him happy and are destroying his dreams and aspiration under the shadows of his terrible dead father.

The wedding dress sewing circle was a great book telling the story of how all these wonderful women started a sewing circle helping other women with their wedding dresses borrowing them to other brides so they could get married with the perfect dress. after a while and after so much success many women across the UK and other areas decided to help and send their own wedding dresses so many others could have a proper dress and wedding during those terrible ww2 times.

it is a book of hope and kindness but what I really love about this book is the sense of sisterhood, company, and friendship all these women had, they all empowered each other never sabotaging or doing anything wrong. I really love the feeling while I was reading I wish more women were like this


Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle in exchange for my honest review.

A historical fiction set during WW2 in a Village outside of London.There are 3 primary characters, Cressida, Grace and Violet. Each Chapter in the book focuses one one of these women.This style of writing . worked extremely well. Cressidais a well known fashion designer who loses her dwelling and business in a bombing and moves back to her " home" .She is the woman who would fix another woman's crown, without telling the world it was crooked. She also is surprised to realize that life is for living not just working. Grace is a "My Fair Lady" character coming into her own. Violet realizes life is not just about being pretty and looking for a titled man to marry. She trains in the Military and does very well there despite initially wanting to go home.The premise of the book is availability of Wedding dresses during wartime. This is extended to address clothing rations in general as well as re making old and worn clothes into new fabrics even using parachutes.
This is a very positive , heartwarming read of a group of women in a sewing circle that will grab your heart. It is about friendships. True friends that help each other, work together and together help other women in the time of war.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Ball engine Books, NetGalley and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle follows three smart, driven women during World War II, as they celebrate love by bringing repaired and renewed wedding dresses to local brides as well as brides throughout England. Cressida is a famous designer evacuated from London due to the bombings, Grace is the town vicar’s daughter, planning her own arranged wedding, and Violet is Cressida’s niece trying to find a proper society husband while doing her war work. Together they bring hope to others for a beautiful dress even with the clothing rations existing during this war. And if they are lucky, Each woman might even find her own chance at love and happiness.

Although touched by some sadness and loss, this historical fiction was full of love and light. It was uplifting, entertaining and spirited. The bond of female friendship shines throughout the pages, keeping me interested and anticipating the ending. Lovely book!

This was my first book by Jennifer Ryan and I really enjoyed it. This book combined historical fiction and women’s fiction and drew me right in with interesting and relatable characters. Cressida Westcott loses her home and design business location in the London Blitz and returns to her family home she had left years ago to stay with her niece and nephew. Through the local Sewing Circle meetings Cressida, her niece Violet, the vicar’s daughter Grace and others this inspiring group of women through wartime bring hope, happiness and love to the village while mending wedding dresses for local brides, and find themselves dedicating their time to helping brides throughout the country. I appreciated the fact that this story taught me about the sewing circles during wartime and the ways women found to work together and be friends. This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

A historical war time read bringing 4 women together through the sewing circle.

I enjoyed the storylines of all 4 women even though I didn't connect with any of them that strongly.

Another solid read for Historical Fiction WW2 lovers.

An historical fiction novel set during WWII in Great Britain.
No spoiler here, as the title tells you, it's about a sewing circle in a small town.
There is one very special wedding dress. And then, there are lots of others.
The deprivations of WWII in Great Britain were a centerpiece of the story.
Being an American, I had no idea how bad it was. Yes, there were bombings and destruction.
But also, there seemed to be shortages of so many things (that we take for granted today).
The people of the town worked hard to "make do".
The characters were clearly drawn; you'd want to be their friends.
Yes, a sad period of history, but a warm tale of a town pulling together.

World War II fiction it’s a genre that I slip on like a glove. Most of it involves women and usually is inspired by a specific woman or a group of women. Some however are lighter and fluffier like this one. Not inspired by anyone in particular. It sheds light on how clothing rations during the war in London impacted the women. How even women who weren’t directly helping in the line were doing their part at home.

The wedding dress sewing circle was a group of women who made it their mission to make sure that women had a beautiful wedding dress to wear on their special day. They took in donations, and mended and redid the dresses.

Predictable yet charming. Spoiled little rich girl. Hard-working woman making it in a man’s world. Haughty estate owner living in his dad’s shadow. You can see the end a mile away but that’s OK.

If you like all your I’s dotted, your T’s crossed and happy endings all around this book is for you. It was just what I needed, with the constant bombardment of bad news after bad news on the TV. I received an ARC of the book.

I loved this book! It was such a great story with amazing writing. It was great to read a WWII book not necessarily focused around the war itself!

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was a lovely World War II Britain setting book that was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed following to three characters of Cressida, a fashion designer from London, Violet, Cressida's niece who lives in the countryside and is looking for a titled potential husband, and Grace, the vicar's daughter who has an upcoming marriage. While the events of the book center on Grace's wedding dress, which had been her mother's and later they find was probably originally Violet's mother's dress too, it is also about women's fashion during World War and friends new and old.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

If you think you’re tired of reading novels about World War Two, you are not alone. However, this one is different and I enjoyed it thoroughly, just as I did another of Jennifer Ryan’s books, The Kitchen Front. Once again Ryan has found an interesting aspect of the “home front” in England to explore as the basis for a book. In this one, we find out about clothes rationing during the war and how it impacted everyone’s lives, with a special focus on wedding dresses. We have three women whose POVs carry the book: Cressida, a high-level couturier whose London home and workplace both get bombed out, and so she returns to her home village in Kent; Grace, the daughter of the local vicar; and Violet, the niece of Cressida, who is intent on marrying someone with a title.

It’s a heart-warming tale, filled with personal growth and transformation. There are three women and (unfortunately) I could see the three romances coming a mile away. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book, but I wasn’t surprised at how things turned out for each woman. I loved the concept of women getting together and re-working clothing (wedding dresses as well as other items) so that they could be re-used in those hard times, when new fabric was virtually impossible to get (partly due to the war effort itself and partly due to shipping issues due to the war).

Reading this book reminded me that both my mother and her sister wore the same wedding dress in 1945 and 1946 (in the United States). Good ideas go global.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I’m a bit late to it. While I received the eARC from NetGalley, I wound up mostly listening to the published audiobook by Random House Audio, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, Sophie Roberts, did an excellent job with the many voices and accents. All opinions are my own.

Set in a small village in Kent during WWII, the novel presents a clear picture of the home front in England. Cressida is a well known couturier in London until her home and design building get bombed in the blitz. With nowhere else to go, Cressida travels to her late brother’s estate after years of being estranged. Hugh, her nephew, is now the lord of the manor, and his sister, Violet, were brought up to think they had to uphold the family heritage. Violet evolves as she realizes the societal changes that are occurring, for women in particular. The third main character is Grace, a shy vicar’s daughter who changes the most in the story. The sewing circle starts out with mending Grace’s wedding reds before moving on to more “Make and Mend” projects. I really enjoyed this view of the English home front, reflecting the changes in society as the war continued. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

In general, recently I have been a bit burnt out on historical fiction, but I ended up really enjoying this one. The story is told from the perspectives of three women, Cressida, Violet and Grace, who are all affected by the war.

When famous fashion designer, Cressida Westcott's home and design studio are bombed in an air raid she returns to her ancestral home where she gets to know her niece and nephew. Said niece, Violet has lived a sheltered life focused on finding a wealthy man to take care of her, but she gets conscripted to aid the war effort and learns a lot along the way. Grace is the vicar's daughter and is set to marry a clergyman more so out of duty/security than love.

I appreciated that this one felt different in an oversaturated market/book genre. I loved each of the MCs and appreciated their different journeys! There was something about the story telling that gave me pride and prejudice vibes which is a win in my book. I am not always very good at mentally casting characters, but I could very vividly see Cate Blanchett playing Cressida in a movie adaptation....she's plucky!

I fell absolutely head over heels for The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. I recently started teaching myself how to sew, so my first draw to this novel was the title, as was the lovely cover. I never could have imagined, based on a title and a cover, that this narrative was going to be so immersive! I was captivated from the beginning, immediately invested in Grace, Cressida, and Violet as they try to continue on with a semblance of a normal life as World War II is raging.

Vivid imagery and wonderful world building puts you into the lives of these three women, each dealing with their own personal struggles amid a tense British backdrop, bringing to light personal insecurities and hidden desires. I was enchanted from the first chapter and practically read the entire novel in one sitting, despite its length.

I have read a lot of historical fiction recently, especially since the market has been positively saturated lately, but The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle highlighted something I haven’t really thought about. Violet is from polite English society and during the war the social class lines had started to blur, which she brings up multiple times, as she wants to marry because of a title and not love. Though I’ve read plenty of regency novels I’ve never thought about the transition from regency to modern society, and it’s definitely something I want to explore further.

Being a heavily character-driven novel, I admired the development of each character in their own rights, both the main character and the supporting characters as well. Each have to face their own personal issues, and while they each deal with the hard situations they each find themselves in, none of them are having to deal with these issues alone. There is such grace and personal growth and all the characters find the strength to do things they would’ve never dreamed, both in love and otherwise.

As far as relationships go, Ben and Cressida’s friendship and adoration for one another was one of my favorite parts of this novel. I’m not sure if it’s because I am closer in age to them than I am to the other characters or just the overall vibe they gave, but the scenes of the two of them together were truly touching and absolutely tugged on my heartstrings.

There is a lot of truth in this novel, like the clothing shortage, and other heartbreaking yet resourceful details that were a part of life in England during the war, which I also found utterly fascinating. Even though there is a lot of historical fiction surrounding the second world war I am pleased to still be learning things that I didn’t know before.

As you can see by this incredibly long review I can’t say enough about The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. It is a clean read that doesn’t lack passion, heart, or the strength that can come from love and friendship, and I cannot recommend it enough!

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a historical fiction novel with some romance in it. However, it is much more than that. It’s the story of three women, the changes they go through and their impact on others during World War II.

One of the things I adored about ‘The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle’ is that is based on true events. During World War II clothes rationing was mandatory. This rationing not only left all of England in a bind but it certainly left all of England’s young brides in a very challenging situations.

This story focuses on three unique women and their strong sense of helpfulness, community spirit and kindness. These three women characters belong to a sewing circle which exemplified the ‘make do and mend’ spirit. The camaraderie, working toward a common goal creates a sense of friendship, support and a strong sense of belonging to this group of women. These women come up with an idea to start mending and altering wedding dresses. All the wedding dresses are donated and the sewing circle brings new life to them. At it’s completion each dress was worn and then passed forward to the next bride to be. This idea not only lifted the spirits of the women sewing the dresses, they lifted the spirits of future brides and everyone learns resilience during a time when this would all be out of reach.

This book is delightful from cover to cover. Jennifer Ryan has written a masterpiece showing the reader what women can do when they work together. As you will find in her Author’s notes, she has a personal connection to the work that is shared in this book. Come meet Grace, Violet, and Cressida. You may not like all of them at first but by the end you will be rooting them on as if they were your friends. Well Done.

I would like to thank Jennifer Ryan, Random House Publishing – Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not a typical historical fiction story but a story of friendship, love and life. I loved seeing how the fashion industry impacted the war but I enjoyed the stories of the three women even more. They are strong women who through their sewing circle, find love and happiness. I really liked how the wedding dress is almost a character of it's own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for an advanced copy of this ebook.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is another wondrous historical fiction book by Jennifer Ryan. As with The Kitchen Front, this also covers rationing in England during WWII, bu this time with fabrics and clothes.

At first, wedding dresses were prohibited because most were made of silk during that time frame, but silk was reserved for parachutes. Even if one found a used and damaged parachute it was illegal to use the fabric and must be returned to the military to use for other parachutes. Makes sense, but most brides were disappointed to get married in an old dress or suit. Military couples were forced to get married in their uniforms!

Jennifer Ryan describes an ingenious program that allowed brides to borrow old wedding gowns, donated by their owners, The Sewing Circles would volunteer to alter the dresses for the new bride. Many in England donated their dresses, including women from the U.S.

Clothes were rationed up to 1951, as England started the long process to recover from the war. Food was rationed up to 1959! The 'Make Due and Mend' program gave tips on how to repurpose old clothes into something 'new.' For example, they would demonstrate how to make a skirt out of men's trousers.

The story follows three women: Sarah, a reverend's daughter, set to marry her father's former assistant, rather than her childhood friend, Hugh, Lord of a nearby Manor. Violet, Hugh's younger sister who starts off as a spoiled and shallow young adult, but eventually matures and finds her own true love. And finally, Cressida, a famous fashion designer and Aunt to Hugh and Violet, is forced to move to the Manor when her home and business are bombed in London. Cressida joins forces with the Sewing Circle to help the brides and others.

It's a fabulous story of women helping women during the War. I loved it. Jennifer Ryan does her research thoroughly and includes an informative, Author's Note.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine Books, for this galley.

4.5/5

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was a book I actually hesitated to read for a couple of months. Neither the title or the cover really drew me in, but with so many great reviews of this book I took the plunge. I am so happy that I decided to read this book! Such a great piece of historical fiction, with a lot of information about the lives of women in England during WWII. Following three main women, Violet, Cressida, and Grace the story gives a look at the lives of women of different classes during the war.

I was really impressed with the character development in this book. Violet was a little hard to stomach at the beginning, but she turned out to be one of my favorite characters. Each woman had their own personalities, flaws, and skills and they came together as friends to create a very unique cast of characters.

Like the title, the three main characters as well as members of their village come together to create, mend, and loan out wedding dresses to women during the war. With cloth being scarce and everyone on clothing coupons, many women could not afford any outfit, let alone a white dress, to wear to their weddings. This "circle" of women come together to support one another and help out their fellow man.

Cressida, Violet, and Grace all have their own love developments and each of the men brought in additional perspectives to the whole story. I am just really happy that I read this book. Full of emotion, romance, and strong female characters. Although I do not think the title or cover do the book the justice it deserves, the writing is definitely strong! For historical fiction lovers, this is a fresh WWII perspective!

Thank you To NetGalley and Ballantine Books for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I love this author and have read all her previous books and they have all been unputdownable. Have been unable to review due to illness. Review coming soon! This novel looks fantastic and I highly recommend this author to everyone! Can't wait to read this one!