Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I'm apparently on a streak of putting books down and that sucks. I so wanted to love this but it felt like I've read this book before. I think I need to stop reading romance for a while 😱

I truly want to love this book. Most of the book I did love. The romance, the beach setting, the save the small town story, brothers best friend. All things I love in a book.

BUT. There is a side plot where Quincy's son Monrow is potentially going down the path to get an autism spectrum diagnosis. Which I love the representation. I have been Quincy, I could feel her thoughts and concerns through the page. I however could not stand Alana's treatment of Monrow and Quincy. She is disregarding to this diagnosis and getting "testing for special ed" and then tells Quincy to not bring him to a party. Despite all this, everyone remains friends with her. I could not tolerate a person like that in my son's life and even a fictional character like Monrow I want to wrap up in a bear hug that he would probably hate. For a family such as with Quincy and Peter, they are all about family, yet they seem to prioritize Claire because she is small, quiet, cute, and easy to deal with. Peter even has crib in his house for her. Favoritism just seeps off these characters. Honestly if I wasn't a mom to a young autistic boy and recently felt how Quincy was feeling I probably wouldn't catch onto all this subtext/plot, but I do and it bothers me so much that I after finishing the story I can't even fully enjoy the good parts of it anymore.

Having just been fired from her job in New York, Millie decides this is the perfect time to get away and visit Quincy, her best friend from college who lives in Peacock Bay, California. Quincy's life seems perfect (at least on Instagram) and it's just an added bonus that her older brother Pete, who Millie might've have a tiiiiny crush on, will be there, too. Once she gets to Peacock Bay and tries her own hand at becoming an Instagram influencer like Quincy and everyone in her circle, Millie realizes that reality may not always be as picture-perfect as it looks on social media. I liked this book, it was a cute little beach read once I got into it but it did take a bit. I also kind of found the dress somewhat unnecessary and I did tire slightly of all the Instagram talk. Overall I found it to be a decently good read albeit nothing too exciting or new.

I received this as an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was super cute. Growing up can be pain and when you're in your mid twenties, your life can pretty much head in any direction.

The lifestyle in this seemed super lavish, but as you get a closer look, it's actually much more modest. This book describes exactly what living your life on social media is like. While you may think everyone is living these perfect lives, no one actually has anything figured out.

Millie and Pete's relationship is super sweet. I love the fake dating trope, and they seem to have real chemistry. I also love the whole "we've loved each other for a long time, but we were too scared to admit it" type.

The only gripe I had about this entire book was that the relationship between Millie and Pete, at least for the first 80% of the book, seemed to be unrealistically to good to be true. They were very much happy to be together in this fake dating scene, but there was no troubles between them. It was mainly spicy scenes, and very little true emotional connections. Only when Millie heads to LA do they start to have the emotional connection part, but it still seemed a little unrealistic to me.

All in all, I throughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what other projects this author comes out with!

This was such a fun read, and one that I didn’t want to put down! I flew through most of it in one day; I love fake dating, so I was really excited, and the “in love with my best friend’s brother” is another favorite trope of mine.

This absolutely made me want to become a surfer girl and rush out to California! The setting of this book was so beachy and unique, I really liked learning more about surf culture.

I felt like the fake dating reasons could have been presented and executed a little stronger, and the chemistry between the main two didn’t feel as strong as I hoped. Not to mention that Alana sort of drove me crazy - by the end, I understood her behavior more, but I wanted to see someone stand up to her.

Overall, this was a cute beach read that I really enjoyed! If the premise and tropes sound interesting to you, I’d recommend you give it a try. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title before publishing!

This book took a moment to find its groove, but once it did (*swoon*). This is an author to watch, my friends!

Millie’s story is one that I think will resonate with so, so many. She struggles with ADHD, and she is fighting an uphill battle with her family and friends expectations of her after having always been the “impulsive” or “irresponsible” friend. Enter: the king-time crush on the best friend’s swoony older brother.

The chemistry with these two takes a minute to sink in. I think of this as a common debut problem, where the pacing is just ever so slightly skewed, and the couple goes from “yeah I mean I guess they have some chemistry” to some sort of swoony, tension filled moment that feels entirely out is place in terms of what the story has looked like thus far. This book definitely suffered this problem. BUT. Every moment after this was wonderful and believable and genuine.

I particularly enjoyed the commentary on social media and “influencers” in this book. There are a lot of nuances to this topic, and this does a good job of diving into some of the most obvious controversies. However, I found myself being really preoccupied with how much Alana… sucked. As a person, as a friend. It took me out of the story in a big way, especially as every one of Millie’s other friends really were supportive and loving in a very real way. The only “redeeming” moments we got of Alana were of her friends talking vaguely about how she’s “such a supportive friend even though she seems intense!” But frankly, that’s not enough for me as a reader. I found her commentary on Quincy’s parenting struggles and Sage’s relationship problems to be super problematic, and I wish I had seen more from the author on what wasn’t okay about this.

All of this said, this is a solid 3.75 star read for me. I can tell that this author is going to be amazing in the future, and I plan on following her closely!

Sweet story once it gets going but it did take me a bit to really get into the story. Will make a decent beach read.

This was a cute, first person POV book reminiscent of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Fans of those books and movies will find enjoyment and comfort in the adult version involving a dress. The characters were distinct and funny, the setting was adorable and charming, and the plot was unique and top tier.

I loved Millie's personality. A little quirky, a little awkward, a little forward, but totally herself. The angle of her not knowing what she wanted to do will resonate with a lot of readers. Her trying out being an influencer after a couple of her college friends found success was time appropriate and really interesting to read about.

It's a fast paced, quick, cute read that isn't quite second chance but is definitely fake dating. It's perfect for a beach read over Spring Break or in the heat of July. And it is definitely worth your time.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love myself s good fake dating trope, and this one was fun. There was an emphasis on Instagram and being and influencer, as well as ADHD (which I do not have, so I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it sounds like what my.husband says so). It was a bit slower at first as the story was established but once I was able to get into it. It was fast.

"We all know this dress really isn't magic. It's just a connection to our collective histories and friendships. But there's magic in that. Something to remind use we're never really going it alone when we reach our lower points."

Take navigating-yours-20s, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" with one narrator, city along the coast, Instagram influencer antics, surfing, and influencer blog moms and you get this beach town read.

Millie just lost her marketing job in New York and escapes to the beach town of Peacock Bay to visit her college best friend, Quincy. She also gets to see her longtime crush, who just so happens to be her best friend's older brother/local hotel owner, Pete.

While starting anew in Peacock Bay, Millie decides to start a new Instagram account to try her hand in becoming someone that can make a living online. That plan takes a quick turn with a rising follower account when local mom-influencer, Alana, posts a photo of Millie and Pete with a misleading caption about them being together, lighting the rumor mill on fire. One thing leads to another, and Millie's dreams have finally come true: she's dating Pete. The only catch is that it's for a month and is only meant to bring attention to the tourism scene of Peacock Bay, but will their feelings get in the way of their monthlong plan?

I had a tough time fully immersing myself in this one. I was about enjoying it, but I didn't feel fully invested until about halfway through the book. Once Pete and Millie started to interact more, I felt more invested in their dating master plan.

Something I didn't enjoy about the book was Alana. She felt a little too inauthentic to me. (I felt this sense of false authenticity was definitely done on purpose, as to show that not everything online is posted with 100% authenticity, but just a stretched out version of the truth. What a person is presented on social media is a sliver of a moment.) She's an Instagram mom that does everything she wants and needs with exact purpose to benefit her branding in order to benefit the town. Her intentions were there, but I didn't enjoy how she treated other characters.

Overall, a cute read. I enjoyed the relationship between Millie and Peter growing overtime as they spent more and more time together.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story. It has some of my favorite tropes: friends to lovers and fake relationship. The story never felt slow or bogged down. It was a fun read and I would definitely recommend.

SUCH a good book! I loved the friends-to-lovers storyline, fake-turned-real dating, and all the Instagram references. Fun romcom, for sure, and shows that life isn’t always as it seems on social media.

Also, I love a good series and I’m guessing there is going to be a book for Kate coming out next. Can’t wait!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for the grown-ups who loved that when we were teens. Although, not gonna lie, I struggled to get into a book that took me through the gory details of Instagram influencing. But then the characters and their honesty about their insecurities fully got me past it, and I stayed up until 2am last night finishing the book. Plus, the details on surfing took me into that world, and now I want to learn more!

Four Ways to Wear a Dress took a while to draw me in, but once it did I mostly enjoyed it.

Synopsis: Millie Ward has been fired. Again. She’s tired of feeling like a failure, and she refuses to blame her ADHD the way her parents do every time she hits one of life’s speed bumps. This time, she’s going to let that speed bump actually slow her down, and jumps at the chance to visit her best friend—and Instagram influencer—Quincy in California. And she wouldn’t mind if that invitation also involved getting closer with Quincy’s brother, Pete.
When her best friends Kate and Bree help her pack, they rediscover the little black dress they shared in college. This dress brought each woman who wore it a bit of luck and confidence. Whatever comes during Millie’s next chapter, this dress will help.
But Peacock Bay is full of mega influencers who have perfected the look of the surf lifestyle, and a minor misunderstanding has Millie and her magical dress joining their ranks. Now she has to convince her crush Pete Santana that pretending to be her Instagram Husband will help bring new business to his struggling hotel and help her launch her influencer career. But maybe posting all her failures isn't the best way to win Pete’s heart, no matter how good it is for his business. When she reveals her biggest screw-up of all—their fake relationship—there’s a good chance she could lose not only her new following, but Pete as well…

This book does a great job of selling the small surf town aesthetic and showing the nuances of social media. Where I found it lacking was in the writing style, the development of the secondary characters, and the resolution of the conflict.

The good:
- I really loved seeing ADHD in a romance novel! I could definitely relate to some of those traits in Millie.
- Millie's character growth is really incredible, she truely comes into herself throughout the book.
- I loved the setting! Peacock Bay felt like a real place and Libby's descriptions made me want to go visit.
- I appreciated the differences between the four content creators. I think that those differences highlighted the ways that social media can be used as a job, and how people can accomplish the same thing in different ways.

Things I wish were different:
- Some of Millie's internal dialogue pulled me out of the story, especially early in the book and at the beginning of the fake relationship. There are a few sentences that I think could have been left on the cutting room floor and would have improved the flow of the book. It sometimes felt like Millie was talking to the reader, which I found disorienting and made it easy for me to want to put the book down. Also, I think the references to the pandemic started off a little heavy-handed for my taste.
- I wasn't really able to connect to most of the secondary characters. They all felt overly archetypal, especially Kate, Bree, Sage, and Alana. I wanted to get to know them better, and unfortunately, I don't think that I did.
- I think the conflict was mostly based in miscommunication/unwillingness to communicate, and that's one of my least favorite tropes. Also, the resolution of the conflict didn't feel all that romantic to me??? Maybe I've just been reading too many romance novels recently but it was given the weight of a grand romantic gesture without being particularly grand or romantic.

All in all, this was an entertaining book but not one of my favorites. I think it would be a great book to read on the beach for people who loved Beach Read by Emily Henry. 3 stars.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

Four Ways To Wear A Dress is one of the greatest books I've read in a while.
Millie and Pete were phenomenal characters.
The friendships here were amazing.
I thought this was an interesting storyline and it was written extremely well.
Truly a fun, exciting new read.
Libby has a way with her writing that he'd me captivated till the very end.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for this approved eARC.

OK DREAMY ROMANCE!!! wow is all i am saying. You are going to want to put this on your TBR immediately for when it's released. I adored this book so much. Dreamy romance, FUN read and i feel like Millie can connect with so many people through her character and having ADHD. I know she was able to connect with me. I enjoyed the aspect of the book and touching on real life topics such as our current state of culture with how social media influences people so much. This book shows real lives behind the scripted life for everyone else. I can't wait to read more from this author.

"Four Ways to Wear a Dress" - Gillian Libby 4.5 ⭐ / 5

Millie and Quincy have been friends since college, and Millie has had a major crush on Quincy's older brother, Pete, for just as long. Millie has reached an impasse after being fired from her marketing job, and she takes a chance on visiting her friends' hometown (and Influencer hot spot) Peacock Bay to take a few weeks away from the real world in their family hotel. Millie and her friends share a dress that instills self-confidence, which is exactly what she will need when she is going to be constantly near her biggest crush. While she's there, Millie tries her hand at becoming an Instagram influencer by sharing her unfiltered life, including her experience with having ADHD and her love of surfing. When a local Influencer does Millie a "favor" by implying that Pete is Millie's man, the two decide to fake it for a month to boost the hotel's online image. Pete and Millie's relationship heats up while Millie tries to figure out what's a part of their deal and what Pete's true feelings are.

"Four Ways to Wear a Dress" was such a fun read!! I truly connected with Millie and her ADHD diagnosis. I know nothing about surfing, but I was still interested in the parts of the book that focused on it. There is a lot of focus on Influencer culture and how so much of it is for show. This novel does a great job of showing real lives behind the likes and lenses of Instagram and explores the stigma of mental illness and being a woman in a male-dominated sport. The pacing of this book is great for a debut author and I can't wait to read more from Gillian Libby in the future.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Sourcebooks Casablanca and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A fabulous debut novel perfect for book clubs and beach readers.

I loved this book! I love the strong friendships between the four friends and I hope this is the first in a series. The author used good humor, often by using modern references. I love the concept of the book and calling out social media for what it is, but also showing how influencers can be beneficial. I love the relationship between the two main characters; it feels authentic and not forced. Overall, cute and funny story.

Millie Ward has been fired. Again. She's tired of feeling like a failure. She visits her best friend-and Instagram influencer-Quincy in California hoping for a brand new start.
When her best friends Kate and Bree help her pack, they rediscover the little black dress they shared in college that helped them during first dates, exams, and job interviews....

But Peacock Bay is full of mega influencers who have perfected the look of the surf lifestyle, and a minor misunderstanding has Millie and her magical dress joining their ranks. Now she has to convince her crush Pete Santana that pretending to be her Instagram Husband will help bring new business to his struggling hotel and help her launch her influencer career.... Will their fake romance turn real and will it last?

I like how this book talks about ADHD and how the heroine shows that it doesn't have to be an issue. I enjoy the friendship storyline and the character's self-growth. A sweet and charming story.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.