I loved the premise of this story and even the different POV's but the execution made it fall a bit flat for me. There isn't a lot of emotion in this story which I was a bit surprised given the context of it revolving around a wedding dress. The most intriguing part was following the story of the actual dress being made. The others just felt rushed or unfinished.

I had high hopes for this Fri-story line book. It was just ok for me. Long repetitive storylines in parts of the book led to a rushed ending. And I mean rushed! The characters were all searching for something, lacking some big part of themselves and full of uncertainty. Their journey to becoming more confident and self-loving seemed pretty superficial in all three stories.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing #TheGraceKellyDress to read for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story more than the writing, which often felt filled with cliches. Also, it's a pet peeve of mine that writers should never describe a character by saying s/he resembled [insert famous person]. That aside, there is certainly quite a bit of charm to this tale of 3 brides and their families. The Grace Kelly dress is character as well and the story of its design and construction is one of the strongest aspects of the book. There's supposed to be a plot twist but honestly it was what I had assumed all along.

Not really historical fiction (it doesn't really give one a sense of the eras covered) not really a family drama (you don't get to know the characters well enough to understand family dynamics, other than those directly laid out), and not really that interesting. The concept -- three generations of women who all wear the same wedding dress, one modeled on the Princess Grace's dress -- is quite interesting, but it falls flat.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. I've read every one of Brenda Janowitz's books. The Grace Kelly Dress is a refreshing departure from my usual mystery thriller and YA's. Three generations of women about to marry, in 3 very distinct decades are depicted: Rose in the 1950's (1958); Joanie in 1982, and Rocky (nickname for Rachel) in 2020.

Rose is a seamstress for a legendary fashion /wedding dress designer in Paris. She gets a unique opportunity to help design a "Grace Kelly " style wedding dress for a wealthy young woman.

Joanie is a college student and sorority sister at NYU, who is newly engaged. She is still mourning her older sister's death.

Rocky owns her own video game company and ia engaged to a great guy, despite being hate at first sight. She's non traditional, but fits in well in Brooklyn. Her fiance is adopted and wants to find his birth mother in South Korea, but was adopted and raised Jewish. Rocky has tattoos, colors her hair different colors, and wears motorcycle boots.

The three women are brought together by one dress, all worn different ways to celebrate love. I enjoyed the back and forth chapters, as it kept me interested. Kudos for the LGBTQ representation as well for supporting characters. I reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys women's fiction.

This beautifully written novel is about a wedding dress and three generations of women who wore it. It's a story about tradition versus individuality all reflected through the wedding dress and the three women who wore it.

Paris, 1958. Rose is a seamstress at a popular shop where the elite have their wedding dresses made. The wedding dress that Grace Kelly wore several years earlier is still very popular and many women want a wedding dress just like hers. Due to an unforeseen circumstance, Rose becomes the main designer but then she almost loses it all by falling in love with one of her wealthy bride's brothers.

In the 1980s, Joanie (the daughter of Rose) wears the dress for her wedding but changes the sleeves to be more like Princess Diana's dress.

In present day, Rocky (Rachel) is getting married. Her mother wants her to wear the family dress but the problem is that she doesn't wear dresses and that she just doesn't want to wear this dress. She is the CEO of a tech company and is covered with tattoos and a dress designed in the 1950s doesn't reflect the person that she is. She knows that her mother will be heartbroken if she doesn't wear the dress but she also knows that won't be true to the person that she is if she does wear it.

I enjoyed all three story lines but I wish there would have been more about Joanie and her initial feeling toward the dress that her mother designed. Overall, it was a great read and an interesting well written book.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Lovely. I'm a fan of multiple timelines that carry you through different characters' experiences and values, all connected by a single item or ideal. I did find one of the storylines to be just a bit shy of the others', but I have no complaints here! A sweet story that sings along wonderfully. Very visual and very charming.

I love reading historical fiction, particularly about famous royal women such as Grace Kelly, so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I was left with mixed feelings after reading.

What I liked:
I enjoyed the split timelines focusing on the three generations of women who would wear the wedding dress. Rocky's story was my favorite and I enjoyed Rose's, but Joanie's fell a bit flat for me. It was fun to read about each woman as they planned their wedding, or in Rose's case made the wedding dress, and I enjoyed seeing the differences between each woman's experience and her unique relationship to the dress.

What I didn't like:
The title of this book led me to believe it would be about Grace Kelly, or at least include her as a background character, but she was hardly mentioned at all. The only connection was that the wedding dress in the story looked like her's. That is probably more on me than on the author, just read the description before starting this book so you know what you are in for.

This book did not blow me away, but if you are looking for a quick historical fiction read surrounding the wedding industry, this might be one to check out.

I was of two minds about the book. Some of it was decent reading, but it seemed like Janowitz used some bizarre formula to pull it together. Facts changed, stereotypes were followed and then others were reversed. Let’s call the bride Rocky and her flirty, girly sister who is a lesbian, Amanda.

The story of 3 women and the beautiful gown they wore was just very bungled. Rose, the little seamstress grew up as an orphan in 1940’s Paris, but Janowitz fails to mention WW II, which might help us understand her personality and contextualize the setting. There are people who are relatives, then not relatives. The role of Michele is totally confusing.

Let’s add an adopted Korean, raised as a Jew to the mix...can’t leave anything out of this formulaic novel.

I had to take a deep breath and try to figure out the roles people played, how they got where they were and why so many stereotypical and unnecessary characters were tossed around.

I have liked other books by Janowitz but within a framework, full of potential, the author and editor have filled it with a mashup of types. It’s okay not to have every character type in the book. Better to keep identities stable and characters realistic.

Opening line:
"She hated the dress."

Rocky, Joan and Rose all share a couple of things in common: a wedding dress and family. But all is not as it seems with each person and how they come to grips with what they want in their lives and what they think their mothers or mentors want of them, including the wedding dress.
Rose is a successful seamstress in Paris in 1958 who falls in love with the wrong man. I really, really wanted this story to finish with who she marries and where they live, etc.
Joan, or Joanie lives in the 80's, belongs to a sorority and is engaged to a man she doesn't really love. I really wanted this story fleshed out more after Joan believes she made a serious mistake.
Rocky is a big deal in the app world, is engaged and doesn't want to wear her mother's wedding dress. Rocky's story is more complete than the other two and maybe that's on purpose with the other two ending in certain stages of their lives.
I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened to each woman and how her story ended. I was a little let down at where each one ended, or the few loose threads that I really wanted to be tied up. But, if you want a nice story about mother's, daughter's and family, this is a good book.

There is a brief non-steamy almost sex scene.
There is a gay person or couple in each era, and accepted, which really isn't true to the times.

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!

This beautifully written novel is about a wedding dress and three generations of women who wore it. It's a story about tradition versus individuality all reflected through the wedding dress and the three women who wore it.

Paris, 1958. Rose is a seamstress at a popular shop where the elite have their wedding dresses made. The wedding dress that Grace Kelly wore several years earlier is still very popular and many women want a wedding dress just like hers. Due to an unforeseen circumstance, Rose becomes the main designer but then she almost loses it all by falling in love with one of her wealthy bride's brothers.

In the 1980s, Joanie (the daughter of Rose) wears the dress for her wedding but changes the sleeves to be more like Princess Diana's dress.

In present day, Rocky (Rachel) is getting married. Her mother wants her to wear the family dress but the problem is that she doesn't wear dresses and that she just doesn't want to wear this dress. She is the CEO of a tech company and is covered with tattoos and a dress designed in the 1950s doesn't reflect the person that she is. She knows that her mother will be heartbroken if she doesn't wear the dress but she also knows that won't be true to the person that she is if she does wear it.

I enjoyed all three story lines but I wish there would have been more about Joanie and her initial feeling toward the dress that her mother designed. Overall, it was a great read and an interesting well written book.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Where are my dual timeline historical fiction fans at? Personally for me, I love a historical novel that breaks up the past with a present day narrative and theorizing how the two timelines come together is one of my favorite things to do with these novels. Well, Janowitz ups the ante in The Grace Kelly Dress with a TRIPLE narrative - and it pays off.

The Grace Kelly Dress is set in 1958, the 1980s & 2020 - each time period focusing on a wedding, a family and of course, a wedding dress. Janowitz seamlessly (see what I did there..seamstress, seamlessly...) weaves the stories of Rose, Joanie & Rocky together while also establishing each of the women in their own right.

The Grace Kelly Dress had me captivated, smiling and even tearing up at some points and ultimately, closing the final page wishing it wasn't yet time to bid farewell to these strong women and their lives, as they truly felt like they had become friends.

This book is about 3 different women all tied together by a replica wedding dress of Grace Kelly's. It was a very enjoyable and fast read and I loved how all three stories were tied together. All 3 women went through their own issues as planning a wedding never goes smoothly. I loved the characters and it was great way to spend a day cuddled under a warm blanket with a good book! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

The Grace Kelly dress is, of course, inspired by the beautiful wedding gown that Grace Kelly wore although this story is not about Grace Kelly. Rather, it is about three women and one wedding dress that was inspired by the one worn by Princess Grace.

Rose's story begins in the 1950s in Paris. Rosee is an orphan who works in an atelier as a seamstress. The very talented Rose makes a wedding dress for the lovely Diana and, while doing so, they become friends despite the class barriers. Rose is attracted to Diana's brother Robert but he is engaged to someone else. What will happen?

In the 80s, Joan seems to have the perfect, if conventional and guarded life. She is engaged to someone who is perfect on paper but...is he the right one for her? What is the story of her sibling who died?

Unconventional Rocky, Joan's daughter, is conflicted about wearing her mother's wedding dress although not about her fiancee. Can she make it into something that makes sense for her?

Around these primary characters, there are many others whose stories are also told. The emotions, mistakes, regrets and decisions that these characters make form the basis of the novel as each makes the dress her own.

The Grace Kelly Dress is women's fiction with conflict and fairy tale. Try it on for size if you would like a light read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

A story as timeless as the Grace Kelly dress itself. It's beautiful, and stunning and I loved every minute of it.

This book was received as an ARC from HARLEQUIN - Graydon House Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was mesmerized by this book of the magic and history Brenda Janowitz incorporated throughout this book with the stories of Rose and Rachel. All of the plots had to do with love and the conflict that comes with it all because they want to recreate the magic that was once Grace Kelly's wedding dress. I was speechless and intrigued by the structure of the book and loved how each piece was put together. This book is a definite share with our library community and I know they will love it as much as I did.

We will consider adding this title to our Adult Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz follows three generations of women and a dress inspired by the iconic wedding dress of Grace Kelly. This is a charming and heartwarming story; it moves seamlessly between the lives of a grandmother, mother and daughter. Each woman has a captivating and unique voice but I enjoyed that the three women had the same spirit. While their love stories were all different, the wedding dress has a clear impact on all of their lives. The author handled three different narratives and timelines effortlessly. Despite multiple characters and three distinct time periods, her short easy chapters made each storyline easy to follow. I really enjoyed the journey of each of the women and I loved how she tied everything together in the end.

Three women, of three different generations are tied together in this story by a wedding dress.

Rose made the wedding dress, it was inspired by Grace Kelly’s wedding dress.

Joanie wore the dress in the 1980’s. The dress was her mother’s wedding dress.

I’m 2020, Rachel AKA “Rocky” is to wear the wedding dress. She doesn’t like the dress. She respects the tradition and she doesn’t want to hurt her mother or grandmother’s feelings but she does not like the dress.

Each of the woman’s story is told. They fall in the for the first time. They plan their weddings. They deal with family dramas. They think about “the dress”.

I really enjoyed this.
It’s historical fiction with a touch of fashion, with family drama and love stories. It cover all of these things for all three women and I thought it did a beautiful job of it.

I got to read an early copy from NetGalley. I tore through this book in one day.

I loved this book! The author weaves a tapestry of three timelines and three women’s lives. They all have a wedding dress in common. The characters were realistic and enjoyable.
Many thanks to Harlequin Graydon Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Three generations will wear a dress originally made in a small atelier in Paris. Rose, her daughter Joanie, and granddaughter Rocky will all fave losses and challenges in their lives, altering the dress just enough to fit their personalities. The tradition of an heirloom and its meaning for this family is at the basis of the story. The book was just okay for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC