LOVED this one! A fun setting, a cast of amazing characters, and a fun historical mystery. After her dad dies, Meg inherits his apartment building. She reluctantly moves back to Chicago to take over the building and it’s tenants. But as it turns out, this may be exactly what she needs.
This was a special book and good to read all year.

Next up on my Christmas reading list was The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole (William Morrow, 2021; 384 pgs), which well worth every moment I spent reading the book.

Meg Julliard returns to Chicago after her father's death to take over managing his apartment building, giving up her own dreams to make a name for herself in the fashion business. She walks into a host of problems, including the fact that more repairs are needed than she can likely afford. Somehow though, she cannot bring herself to give up on the place, especially after getting to know the elderly tenants and that handsome handyman who seems to always appear at the most embarrassing moments.

There is one tenant in particular with whom Meg develops a special bond and that is Ellie Wade. Ellie's daughter wants her to move into an assisted living home, worried her mother will get hurt living on her own, especially given all the problems that seem to crop up in the apartment building. As Ellie goes through her belongings in an effort to downsize, she comes across a vintage dress that holds a special place in her heart--one of love and loss. She offers the dress to Meg, hoping it will bring her better luck. Meg must promise to wear it at the building's Christmas party.

I read this book with a smile on my face nearly the entire time and often could be heard laughing as I read. I loved all the characters and enjoyed seeing the romance unfold between Meg and Logan. They both bring a bit of baggage into their relationship, and I appreciated the way they worked through the issues that did come up for them.

I liked how the author used the Christmas dress to shape the events in the novel. Any magic it may hold is subtle, left for the reader to decide. This is a wonderful and heartwarming Christmas story--a mix of romance, the power of the strength of community, and making dreams come true. I would not mind spending more time with Meg and the tenants in her building.

At a certain point, I was basically hate listening to this. It was so unbelievable that I couldn’t enjoy it. I don’t want to spoil this by listing all the things I didn’t like, but I also don’t care if I spoil it because you just shouldn’t read this. There were so many coincidences, and all the conflict was easily resolved. It just felt so fake.

Thanks to @NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for my ARC!

Finishing up my Christmas reads just in time.
I loved this one, especially because I love anything at all that has to do with the history of Chicago.
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Meg had her heart set on the fashion business, until she needs to return home to Chicago to take over her dad’s apartment building.
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With a charming cast of characters, and one dress that ties generations together and has a magic all in itself, this was a story about the magic of Christmas.
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Such a satisfying epilogue and a tie in to the Chicago historical society I loved it. Perfect Christmas book to end on.
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Thank you @williammorrow and @netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
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Although the story of the Christmas Dress is set at Christmas time, the main storyline could take place at any time of the year. Upon the death of her father, Meg leaves her job in the New York fashion industry to go home to Chicago. When Meg finds out the dilapidated condition of the Parkview, which she has inherited and where her family lived, she is appalled. Although she originally intends to sell the place, Meg soon becomes quite attached to the senior residents of Parkview, who will be forced to relocate if she sells. With the help and encouragement of a handsome contractor, the people of Parkview, and a magical dress, Meg enters a fashion design contest. She hopes to win the grand prize and to use the money to renovate Parkview.

This story also contains a mystery! Meg and her contractor boyfriend Logan, along with retired lawyer Ellie, learn more about the intriguing past history of Parkview. As they attempt to earn grants for historical restoration of the property, surprises await them!

I enjoyed this novel and found it difficult to put down. The characters are interesting, colorful, and multidimensional. The plot moves along well, with some predictability and clues to the ending. However, changes in the action and interesting twists keep readers engaged in the plot and cheering for the characters. Meg and company display ingenuity, perseverance, and genuine care for each other.

This is a clean novel without strong language or descriptions of intimacy. Readers who enjoy a rollicking good story with a happy ending will find this a warm addition to their holiday reading choices.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This book is the epitome of a heartwarming Christmas read and it's one I highly recommend everyone picking up. This book read like a Hallmark movie, which made it that much better! I enjoyed the characters and really enjoyed Courtney Cole's writing. I'll definitely be looking more into her books in the future!

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A holiday book rec! Thank you to the tagged publishers for my gifted review copy of THE CHRISTMAS DRESS by Courtney Cole - out now!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much! A grief element, a woman returning to her father’s home, a vast of wonderful side characters and a magical dress.

The audio for this one is fantastic! It’s always good when I find myself calm in traffic because I’m enveloped in my book!

If you’re on the hunt for a heartwarming holiday book that isn’t too Christmasy - this one is a winner!

The Christmas Dress was a beautiful and unexpected story. I obviously knew it was going to be about a gorgeous gown, but o didn’t expect the back story. This one definitely got in the feels!

Meg Juilliard inherits an apartment building in Chicago after the death of her father. Not only is she still grieving, but she must help manage a run down apartment building and all it’s quirky residents. Some are more helpful than others, and some tell her she’s going to fail. She meets Logan, the handsome handyman and thinks things are looking up until she looks at her father’s accounting records and see they have no money.

In Meg’s old life, she was an aspiring fashion designer who lived in NYC. She still dreams of making it big when she meets a resident named Ellie who is cleaning out her apartment to move into a nursing home. Ellie has this incredible green gown that was worn on the best night of her life until it was all turned upside down. She gives the dress to Meg hoping she has more luck with it and asks her to wear it to the building’s Christmas party.

There’s much more to this story including the historical aspect of the building and Meg’s bff dating her own ex boyfriend (Meg says this is okay, but no girl code??). I was just wasn’t expecting this fascinating story.

Thank you to @williammorrowbooks @courtneycolewrites and @netgalley for my copy of the book. The Christmas Dress is on sale now!

4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was an incredible story! A lot of heart, some romance, and a little magic make this the perfect Christmas read. Meg has to go back to her hometown to take over the building (and tenets) that her father left for her. Dealing with her grief, she struggles to help it limp along with the help of a kind, and good-looking, handyman. Meg finds Ellie, one of the long-term residents, is also dealing with a lack of Christmas cheer because her daughter wants her to move out of the building into senior housing. Ellie is cleaning out her apartment to move and brings out a dress she had worn decades ago. Meg loves the vintage style and Ellie gives it to her along with the story of the night she wore it. This is when Meg's own love story begins. She finds joy with not only a man, but in the friends she makes into a family. Laughter, tears, and surprises abound in this delightful novel not to be missed.

This is definitely one of my favorite holiday stories this year! I smiled, I laughed, I got teary… I just finished it and I feel very satisfied. I’m sad to say goodbye to the characters. For me, that’s a sign of a great book- just keep telling me about their day to day life- I don’t want to say goodbye!!

There are themes of loss/grief, found family, romance, and second chances. This is a wonderful book!! Somehow the cover and synopsis made me think it was going to have a historical aspect- it doesn’t in the way I thought. The timeline is consistently present day with one main character. The side characters are well-developed and lovely, but Meg is the lead. There is some history in the book that is very interesting but only one timeline.


Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This festive, feel-good read will put you in the holiday spirit. The story weaves in the narrative of a vintage dress that impact the love stories of a number of women. You'll be verklempt, so have some Kleenex on hand.

The Christmas Dress is a stand alone novel by author Courtney Cole. Meghan Juilliard is called home to Chicago from her job and life in NYC when her dear father suddenly passes away. As the only heir, Meghan has inherited the age old Parkview West Hotel in Chicago. Meghan has worked long hours at ground level on a fashion and style magazine trying to work her way into the design field, but finds it a stress she is willing to forfeit even if her designer dreams stay with her.

The large building she inherited has seen better days and is being kept running on a wing and a prayer plus the skill and knowledge of a young handyman, Logan Scott. It is also being somewhat managed by a feisty elder lady, Sylvie Reinhart, who does not immediately click with Meghan making things initially more difficult.

Then there is Ellie Wade, an elderly retired attorney whose daughter is trying to convince her to leave the Parkview West for an assisted living home. Ellie doesn’t want to make the move but her daughter’s insistence is such that she relents and begins packing up her belongings. One of the items she is packing is the dress she had worn on the best and worst day of her life, thus bringing her great joy and sorrow simultaneously. However, Ellie had kept the beautiful dress and now gifted it to her new friend, Meghan.

As Meghan tries her best for her residents, were it not for the local handyman Logan, the place would be falling apart. It is imperative for Meghan to devise a way to bring in money besides the meager rents to do all the repairs and updates needed, but how? Sylvie, Ellie, and another resident named Tom become the impetus for Meghan to take chances, put herself out there to take care of the residents and hotel, and perhaps even find connections along the way.

This is a delightful holiday story well woven with bits from the past, a lovely present, and a peek into the future with a bit of magic thrown in for good measure. I very much enjoyed this book and wholeheartedly recommend it!

Charming story. I enjoyed how Meg connected with all of the residents of the building she inherited. The secondary characters were so good. Great idea to have the dress connect the past and present and also give Meg an opportunity to succeed in her chosen field. I recommend this book.

A Sweet Christmas story that was a little hard to read for me. As my dad is my only surviving parent it's hard to read books in which the dad is the deceased parent. But I think others will find this one worth a read. While it was a good read it will not be one that ends up on my to reread Christmas list.

Sometimes a burden turns into the best kind of blessing.

When Meg’s father unexpectedly passes away, she inherits the apartment building he owns…along with all of it’s problems. Inside the building that holds many of her happiest memories, she finds a furnace on it’s last leg, an easy-on-the-eyes handyman, and a whole cast of residents who have their own stories. But with a bit of determination, luck, a special dress, and some holiday spirit, what once felt like a burden turns into the blessing Meg needed most.

What I Liked
I loved the cast of characters and I could see this majestic, if not a little weathered, apartment building. I love the character journey for Meg as she learns to stand on her own two feet and trust the world a bit. This book has it all, love, friendship, hardship, and laughs. With just enough magic, history, and holiday twists, this book is the perfect winter holiday read. In fact, I could totally see this book being turned into a Hallmark movie. When that happens, you’ll find me with a cup of cocoa and a pair of warm jammies right in front of the screen.

For it’s wonderful sense of community, the unexpected history, and the sprinkle of holiday magic, this book earns four bright shiny stars from me.

Its a cute Christmas story that tried to cram too many flavors in a recipe that ended up getting muddy. Some things going for it: its a very quick and engaging read, I love all the tenants from the building and the whole architectural storyline is cool. What i think didn't do it for me is that it tried to get too many storylines in a short story. the "magical" dress could have been the only storyline, but you add to it a building falling apart, reconstruction of the building, ridiculously quick romances, jilted ex lovers etc. and its just a lot of story to go around, even though each individual storyline is quite interesting. All together it just seems a bit far fetched and veers on my Christmas ranking on Predictable but naughty.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

I got an ARC from NetGalley in August and wish I had waited to read it until the holiday time. This is an adorable book that is perfect to begin the holidays and get you into the Christmas spirit.

Meg heads to Chicago to deal with her father’s affairs after his death. One of the things to deal with is his condo that is really not her favorite place to be but something changes when she meets the people of the building and Logan who comes to help with what Meg can’t deal with (which is a lot).

But Meg decides she is going to enter a contest for the winnings to help get the condo building back in shape. And to do that she needs to design a dress. The dress itself has so much character if that doesn’t sound nuts to say.

I hope Hallmark or Lifetime hears about this story. It is perfect for the season.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was really probably more of a 3.5. I rounded up. I did enjoy the story quite a bit. It was sweet, but maybe a little too much saccharin. Everything was wrapped up in an adorable little Christmas bow. If you like books like that, you're in for a treat with this one. It has a bit of Devil Wears Prada element to it. The history of the apartment building that Meghan inherits is interesting. Her relationship with Logan is just a bit too quick and unrealistic for me. Not bad, a nice holiday read, but not amazing.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

What a delightful quick Christmas read. I want to surround myself this holiday season with warm, heartfelt Christmas books - and the Christmas dress delivers! While predictable as to the plot,i appreciated that the book had only low level angst and drama. You knew the characters were going to make it together as the plot unfolded. Just what I needed!

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. I would definitely recommend to others.