This was a pretty quick read, albeit some what predictable and not particularly realistic for the times. The characters were interesting, the references in Paris, fun, and basically another fairly tale version in triplicate of modern day Cinderellas.

Set in Paris, we meet three different women: Claire who steps in to run the family brasserie, leaving behind a promising career. Gina who runs back to Paris from America when a relationship ends badly. Finally Margot, from Australia, who runs from a bad marriage. They all are in a bad place in their lives, when a Dior gown brings them together and their lives turn around. A bit slow to get going, this is a well crafted story and the characters are likable although they are not as well-developed as I had hoped. The pacing could be better - the happy ending felt very rushed, but was satisfactory.

This book transported me back to the glitz and glam of Paris in the 1950s. It follows a group of three friends (Claire, Gina and Margot) and how Dior brought them back together. As a lover of couture and designer brands, this book really resonated with me. I loved how the book talked about Monsieur Dior and what he must’ve been like. Out of all the designers, you can really tell that Dior loved women with how he made them look and how they made them feel. As the reader, I can feel myself putting on the gown and having those feelings. I also loved how Claire is a chef and as a patron of fine dining establishments, I can hear and smell what was going on in her brasserie. This book came alive in my hands and I am still processing the emotions I felt reading about love, fashion, food and most of friendship. This book was a delight and it’s meant to be savored. .

The Paris gown is a beautiful, heartwarming story of how 3 women are connected through their lives and the impact a Dior gown has on each of them in their own individual major life events. The love, humor, heartache and sisterhood of these women is engaging and so thoughtfully rolled out throughout the story. Following the 3 main characters on their journey through life and how they were able to reconnect after a lot of time enhances and reinforces that tight bond that sisterhood can encompass. The history of Dior and Paris woven throughout is also informative and well thought out.

Thank you to William Morrow books and to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review. As someone who doesn’t read a ton of historical fiction, the subject and time period of this book caught my eye. Set in 1950s Paris, three women reunite after half a decade apart and navigate post war Europe and the changing role of women at this time. The author does a great job of framing this story around one vintage Dior gown, and how each of the characters needs/uses it.

I really enjoyed this novel and found myself connecting well with each of the three main characters. Each of their stories was well thought out and allowed them to stay true to themselves and what they wanted. I’d recommend this one for any historical fiction fans.

A Dior gown means something special to three best friends - Gina, Claire and Margot. Claire, her family owns Le Chat, a brassiere in Paris. Gina, a socialite from the states, an aspiring novelist engaged to marry an up and coming politician, and Margot, a free spirited socialite from Australia. They met at cooking school, where Claire was the only one who actually wants to be a chef. A few years later, Gina winds up on Claire's doorstep having run away from her life back home. How does this Dior gown keep these three friends connected through life changes, relationships and aspirations?

I love a feel good almost sisterly friendship story. Set in gorgeous Paris at the height of Dior fashion.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

3.75 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this as an ARC. If you’re in the mood for a charming historical novel set in a gorgeous city, then this is the book for you. Three women, good friends but had grown distant, are reunited by circumstance and fate in Paris, 1955.
One is a chef in her family restaurant but longs for more, one is hiding away, working at the House of Dior, and the last is running away from NYC and her father’s disgrace.
I really enjoyed the friendship amongst the three women. They are strong women, in an era in which strong women weren’t welcomed by society. They are loyal to each other and have each other’s backs. They are all trying to live life on their own terms. It was nice to read a book about female friendship and how it changed each character’s lives. This was an entertaining fast read.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. The Paris Gown is a fast read about 3 women in 1950's Paris. It gives a little bit of "Emily in Paris" vibes. Because it is a quick read, the plot lacks complexity and the story is predictable. If you are a light reader, like cooking and fashion, then you will like this book.

Paris - 1950

Claire, Gina, and Margot loved to walk the Paris streets looking in the atelier windows admiring couture gowns. Dior is their favorite. Claire is an apprentice chef from a middle class French family. Gina is from a rich Connecticut family. Margot’s family made money in the Australian wool trade. They met when they were taking classes at the Cordon Bleu. Gina and Margot were taking them as they were part of finishing them before they married. Claire has dreams of running a Michelin star restaurant. Another big dream is for her to own a Dior gown.

Paris - 1956

The three friends are back in their homes and Claire is working at her father’s brasserie. After her mother’s death, her father has just faded and cannot run the restaurant without her help. She has not heard much from her Gina and Margot so when a wedding invitation arrives from Gina, she is thrilled but knows she cannot afford to go to her wedding but Gina says she will be honeymooning in Paris and will see her then.

Things have changed for Gina and with the loss of her father’s money, her engagement is off. She has fled to Paris and she and Claire luckily are able to use the apartment of an American woman they have known for a while. The woman was to have a Dior gown made but now wants Claire to have it. Gina gets a job at a bookstore and writes her book in the early hours. It’s when they both see Margot working in Dior and hiding from here past which she doesn’t want to reveal to her friends. But eventually the three gals are staying together and working through their individual problems.

This is a delightful book of close friendships that can span a lifetime. The trials that these women faced were difficult and only exacerbated by the fact that this took place in the 1950s where there were still a lot of restrictions put on women. Do read and enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book, set in Paris in the mid-1950's, was full of French food, friendships, and fashion! The story follows Claire, Gina, and Margot in their separate (yet woven together) stories as they all are trying to pursue their dreams when life doesn't always end up the ways they had hoped - and navigate their love lives as well. And of course as the title suggests, there is an important Dior gown that plays a part in all of their lives.

The author did a great job of creating characters who you could really imagine being friends and being with each other through ups and downs of life. I also loved the author's note at the end that added to the history of this time period, connecting to events in the story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and found a really enjoyable story of three young friends. They are reunited in Paris year later. Claire is toiling away trying to become a Michelin starred chef. Her dream is to own a Dior gown. Madame Vaughn, who lives above Claire's family restaurant suddenly leaves Paris and leaves Gina her apartment and a gift of Dior gown.. Gina arrives in Paris nursing a broken heart and engagement.. Not giving away the plot, let me say that Claire is not the first to wear the beautiful gown. The characters are well developed an easily relatable. This book really shows the true value of friendship

The Paris Gown
By: Christine Wells
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Historical Fiction
•Couture: Dior
•Multiple POVs
•Family Dynamics
•Women’s struggles after World War 2

————

The Paris Gown was kindly provided as an ARC by NetGalley and William Morrow. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

In The Paris Gown, we meet 3 women who were best friends, but lost touch after World War 2. Some time passes, and these 3 women are reunited, all with their own secrets.

Wells does such an amazing job of weaving their friendship, family dynamics, and of course, fashion, into this story.


If you want a historical fiction read that isnt based solely on a war, then check this one out!

It’s a beautifully rich story of three friends and the turns their lives take. It dips into the world of French cooking, fashion design, and publishing. There are hard situations, life changes, and long distances that are handled well by the author. Towards the end it put on a weird anti-men vibe that felt forced and out of place, but the rest of the story really focused on the women & their relationship with each other. The characters were like-able, relatable, and overall a nice light read.

Three friends in 1950’s Paris experience life and love, as well as a beautiful Dior gown. They had previously gone to school together in Paris, went their separate ways, and have now reunited in 1957.

Claire is trying to make it as a chef in the male dominated world of Parisian cuisine. She works at her family’s brasserie, Let Chet, but dreams of working for a fancier sit-down restaurant. When her father sells the family business to her old nemesis, what will she do? Will she be able to move on to a new restaurant where she can shine?

Margot is hiding out in Paris disguised and working at Dior. She had an abusive marriage and has fled from Australia to Paris, where she had her happiest memories. Will her husband find her? Will she realize her dream of becoming an editor?

Gina’s father has lost her family’s fortune, and she has broken her engagement to the love of her life to protect his political career. She has escaped to Paris to realize her dream of writing the great American novel. Will she reunite with her love? Will she finish and publish her novel?

My thoughts on this novel:
• I loved the relationship between the three women and how they are all able to support each other.

• The Dior dress was fabulous. It was give to Claire by a friend who had to leave Paris suddenly. Claire shares it with her friends for their special occasions. The descriptions of Margot working for Dior gave me “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” vibes. I loved it!

• The beautiful cover of this book shows a real Dior gown.

• The descriptions of the food were exquisite as well. It gave me a glimpse of what eating in Paris would be like.

• The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that I felt like the storyline with Margot’s husband was left unresolved.

• The book was an interesting look into compromises. What would you give up for who you love? Should you give up your dreams?

• The storyline was very engaging and pleasant. I enjoyed this book.

Overall, The Paris Gown was a great story of friendship, dreams, fashion, and food all set in 1950’s Paris. It was a very enjoyable read.

STUNNING COVER!!! I learned that it is a real DIOR! I couldn't wait to dive into this book! While I did enjoy each of the storylines, I wish each chapter focused on a single character instead of 2 or 3 stories within (but that is just me!!). It's not that the book fell flat for me, but something was off about it that I was ok putting it down and not stopping my entire life to read (if that makes sense :)).

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. I am not a reviewer who will retell the plot, just my feelings towards the book as the reader can look up the plot themselves.

3.5 Stars

Paris in the 50s. Three friends with dreams and secrets; one wants to be a chef, another a writer and the third trying to outrun her past and figure out her future. All are hoping to find love.

I found this to be a light read, loosely centered around a Dior dress gifted to one, worn by all. I was expecting more of a One Dress, Nine Women vibe but that didn't happen. The friendship is honest, extremely close and supportive of each others dreams. As was the sign of the times, love is a focal point. I had hoped for a little more depth through each story, and just when I thought it would happen, it was tied up neatly. Each woman was strong in their own way. So much was left unsaid. If you are looking for a lighter read, friendship focused and just a little drama, this book is for you. This book gives a look into what it was like to be a female in the 50s.

Thanks to William Morrow for this NetGalley book. This is my honest opinion.

Ooh la la, an entertaining story of three friends set in Paris in the 1950’s. Claire is a French chef, working in her father’s brasserie until he sells to a former colleague of Claire’s. Gina is an aspiring novelist, escaping to Paris after breaking up with her fiancée, as she was not thought to be appropriate for someone with electoral goals. Margot is also escaping from Australia to Paris, leaving a cruel husband who had gaslighted her into thinking she was useless. As the three reunite in Paris, at the heart of their friendship is a love for Dior, and the acquisition of a Dior gown. This was a quick read, and was quite enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved The Paris gown from the beginning. Three friends brought back together after years apart. The sharing of a Christian Dior gown brought them closer together after love and loss. Wonderful heart felt story.

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and Christine Wells for the ARC.

I enjoyed this story of how one Dior gown connected three friends on different paths. Kind of like Sisterhood of the Traveling pants but less magic and more adult drama.

What a magical read. I absolutely loved The Paris Gown. It is the story of how one gown can shape dreams, hardship, friendship, love, and intrigue. The story is set in Paris and features Gina, Margot, and Claire each with their own story. The multiple viewpoints help to weave the magic of the story and how important the people in our lives can be.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC.