The Perfect Dress is a delightful novel. Fran has an amazing insight to find any bride the perfect dress for her special day.
Fran has to know the story she feels from each dress and this shapes the type of bride it will flatter and bring to life.
The tragic story behind the dress of dreams is very troubling and Fran embarks on a journey of discovery that changes her whole life. It's not a very serious book but it is beautiful and the whole thing comes alive when reading it.
I loved it.

The Perfect Dress by Louisa Leaman was an uplifting concoction of romance and a little bit of nostalgia for
bygone times. A little predictable but with plenty to keep you interested. I did love the premise of the dress helping shape the wearer in every way. A nice wee read

It took me a while to get into this book. In fact, I did leave it for a few days before I went back to it.

The idea of matching wedding dresses to personalities was unusual, but I found Fran to be a strange, complex character. I also had trouble connecting with Raphael, as he was so brusque.

I felt the second half of the book was slightly better, but I didn't really find their romance totally believable. They seemed completely unsuited. I was more concerned about his mothers dress, than them, towards the end.

An okay read, but not outstanding.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel, when I first started this book, I felt like this was something that I would not like at all but I'm glad to say my initial thoughts were wrong. The main reason I thought this was because the novel seemed to be all about wedding dresses and finding customers their perfect wedding dress, but the more I read this, I thought the author did a decent job with the main character Fran and how she worked with each customer. I thought the story unfolded really well and was well written, I'm glad I read this book.

I enjoyed this book - romance, mystery, psychology, reality TV stars all packaged into one book along with stories of brides and their gowns.

My favourite part of the book is when Fran matches the brides to be to their 'perfect dress' - often with interesting results.

Well worth reading - not a traditional romantic fiction book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for a free digital ARC in return for an honest review - my opinions are my own.

I liked the premise of dresses having a history and being matched to new brides to be. Unfortunately I found the characters, particularly Rafael, unsympathetic.
Not one for me.

I really enjoyed this book the descriptions of the dresses made my imagination run wild . This was a enjoyable book to read

Romance coupled with vintage wedding dresses and the stories behind them - a perfect match. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting whilst on holiday

This book is not quite my usual fare, but I couldn’t resist the idea of dresses that pass their wisdom onto the next wearer.

The story is good - the finding of a very special dress gradually leads to the unwinding of the pasts of both the dress, and the two main characters. The way the book is written is very atmospheric, and carries one along with the story.

Whilst I did enjoy this book, it is not quite too my taste (slightly too emotional, and there aren’t any funny bits), so I won’t be reading it again. However, for anyone looking for an atmospheric tale of the redemptive power of love, this could be the book for you.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an easy, nice enough read and I was intrigued by the plot. However I felt that it lacked depth and reality, I want get to get to know Fran a little better. I also felt that the way Rafael treated and dismissed her would have made me far angrier than she seemed to get! I definitely wouldn’t have been dating him! I enjoyed the small historical stories sewn into the book and reading about various weddings.
Thank you to netgalley for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

A perfect piece of escapism with a compelling love story, a heroine to root for and several beautiful dresses 👗 you will never forget!

A real mystery and romance story. An unusual storyline. Good strong characters and one of those hard to put down books. Well worth reading.

What a lovely premise for a romantic story. A wedding dress shop where the dresses are matched to the characters of the brides rather than their figures. The story is a little unbelievable at times as are the character quirks of the Fran the shop owner, but at the end of the day this is a romantic novel.

Breathtaking and wonderous are two words to describe this gentle yet elegant book
Like the vintage dresses Fran sells in her small boutique shop 'The Whispering Dress'
Fran believes every bride deserves the right dress for her special day, brides don't come in to try on lots of gowns, no they talk to Fran about their lives their personality their groom everything and then Fran matches them with the dress that she knows they will adore
Fran herself can't imagine finding love ever until one day at a house clearance she discovers an antique wedding dress and a rather arrogant man who throws said dress in a skip.
Will she go back for it delve into its past maybe even find out who the rude man was.

What a lovely story. I thoroughly enjoyed getting engrossed in this one! Louisa Leaman has written a fabulous romance, which is totally worth reading. With romance, a brooding male, wonderful wedding dresses, each with its own story to tell, you couldn't ask for more.

The characters in this romance are great Fran, the owner of "The Whispering Dress" shop was so lovely. I loved her enthusiasm to match each bride to the perfect vintage dress. Each character was so real that you felt you knew them and were part of their story.

The brooding lead, Rafael, was fascinating. His aloofness was chilling at times but he fascinated me and I really wanted to learn his story. Despite their bad start, I loved the way the author wove the story to interconnect these two and the dress that brought them together.

This is a story full of stories related to each dress, as well as the characters past stories. It was a wonderful story to read, it flowed beautifully and was so written. I love vintage clothes and their history, so this book really appealed to me. I highly recommend this story especially if you are looking for that sigh moment in a romance.

A bit of a mixed bag for me - some really lovely, charming sections and moments and it’s a great concept. However, there were points when Fran just wasn’t believable and the story ventured into the unbelievable.

I was swept off my feet by this! Full of delicious dresses, off-the-wall brides, traumatic family dramas and at its centre, the straight laced romance-cynic and the effervescent cheerleader for love. As we watch their story unfold, held together by one miraculous wedding dress, you can't help but cheer for them and their attraction of opposites. As delicious as a meringue, it melts away to leave a tingly glow of satisfaction and a craving for more from this delightful author. Delicious, fluffy and completely charming.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book. A shop where vintage wedding gowns are not just sold but matched to a prospective bride. It sounded charming and unusual but unfortunately didn't live up to its promise, mainly because of the characterisation.

Fran, the main character is someone I wouldn't want to meet in real life. I think we are meant to see her as whacky and impulsive and cute but in reality she is a pain in the neck and quite intrusive in her methods. But she meets her match in Rafael, an arrogant entitled man who is utterly dismissive in his assessment of her business. As annoying as Fran is, I doubt that she deserves to be thrown out of a car in the middle of nowhere. Hardly the actions of a gentleman. Raf is the stereotypical rich love interest. Handsome (of course), arrogant (you bet) and emotionally retarded (duh) with a playboy's reputation (are there any cliches missing?). I long to read about romance between ordinary people with none of the usual stereotypical behaviour of hate leading to love etc etc.

Other characters don't shine either. There is an element of snobbishness in attitudes to working class brides. There is the ubiquitous gay best friend, the drunken poor little rich girl and so on.

I was hoping for something light hearted.. I'm not the biggest fan of chicklit but when it's done well it can be very good indeed - Sophie Kinsella for instance. But this disappoints. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A whimsical tale of old fashioned romance and of course the most exquisite wedding dresses. I realised the ending to this story very early on but I still kept reading, the authors use of words kept me transfixed, a simple story told well. I rarely read romances but glad I chose this one.

Not usually my go to genre of choice but I did find myself getting totally lost in the tale of love and wedding dresses.

Fran owns a wedding dress shop but not a normal wedding dress shop. Her dresses have been owned before and have a history. She gathers as much information about the dresses and then after talking to the bride to be, she matches them with their perfect dress.

But will she ever find love? Perhaps a chance encounter with a dress with its own intriguing mystery will bring her love.

A charming, joy to read. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and the author for the chance to review.