A colorful fictional journey well plotted and full of exquisitely
drawn characters navigating between Chicago and New Orleans during a very tumultuous period of American history.

Many thanks Netgalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read this ARC prior to its release date

Gosh, I wanted this to be a lot better than it was. Sometimes with historical fiction, if the story isn't well done, I just think what was the point? Obviously the author did a lot of research to write this book but that didn't make it good. I almost didn't finish but kept hoping something would turn. Even if you love New Orleans like I do, I don't think I would recommend this one. Hope you have better luck!

The Seamstress of New Orleans comes out next week on May 31, 2022, and you can purchase HERE.

At first thought of following him, fear so overwhelmed her that she had to remind herself it was only a thought. But that thought persisted, beyond and over her fear, luring her like a child provoking a dog with a snatched-away crust of bread. Now Constance was prepared. A menswear suit lay on her bed, waiting for her. Today she would follow him, would hopefully relieve her rising anxiety under the burden of Benton's penchant for secrecy and his persistent demands for money from her trust. She would not wait longer to expose his secrets. She had her suspicions, but she needed certainty.

Between the description and the cover I really wanted to like this story, but sadly did not enjoy it. The style of writing and voice didn't suit me.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed The Seamstress of New Orleans. It is a story of resilience and friendship. Constance and Alice live very different lives. Constance, in New Orleans, lives a society life with a housekeeper who cares for her two children. Alice lives in a small apartment in Chicago reliant entirely on her husband to support her simple life. Both women are married but calling it happy would be a stretch. A series of events leaves both women without their husbands. Constance is dealing with the aftermath of her husbands questionable dealings and Alice is trying to figure out how to support herself without her husbands income. Somehow fate brings them together, in. more ways than one.. This story is one of friendship and discovering your strength to overcome adversity.

Frustrating, beautiful, repetitious -these are the thoughts that come to me when I try to think of how to describe this book.

Ms. McPhail is a lovely wordsmith but lacks a little something in knowing when enough is enough department. Repetition, or 'the beating of a dead horse/horses,' becomes somewhat tedious after about the first third of the book.


The authors' descriptions of the making of the gown are exquisite, but the mystery/s are quickly figured out in the first quarter of this book. I kept reading, though, at times, I wanted to DNF. I needed to see how everything was resolved, which says something about this novel. I was a little disappointed with the ending; there was one huge secret that never came out. I would have loved to see how this secret could have come to light and what changes it might have on everyone's relationships.

For me, this was a good read that had me doing a lot of skimming---but I think most people will love this book for many different reasons. I learned a lot about the era and what women were doing to change them. Of course, these were wealthy women, and the ways they tried to change things seemed a bit frivolous to me. A Mardi Gras Ball? However, what the women were doing for the orphans and half orphaned girls was an exceptional storyline.

*ARC supplied by the publisher #Kensington Publishing Corp, the author. and #NetGalley.

This is a Historical Fiction Mystery. I normally do not read historical fiction books that take place in the 1800's/early 1900's, so this book is not the normal historical fiction book that I go for. I put off reading this book for awhile because it scared me, but the storyline had me wanting to read it. I am so glad I picked this book up because I loved it so much. This book was so well written, and it took me on a great ride full of intrigue. I love the secrets that are slowly revealed throughout this book. I loved all the characters, and the two main characters are strong women that learn they really do not need a man. The cover of this book is so gorgeous and fits the storyline so well. I loved everything about this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Kensington Publishing Corp. A John Scognamiglio Book) or author (Diane C. McPhail) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Although I found the plot interesting since it mixes plenty of New Orleans culture into the plot, I found it entirely too long and a tad predictable. If it was heavily edited to keep things moving along, I think it would be a great read. I am usually a sucker for historical fiction with strong female characters, but I am only about 1/2 way through it and am tempted to table it, which is a rare for me.

This was a wonderful historical fiction based in New Orleans about two women whose lives enter twine. Both are widows. Both our mothers two sons that died as babies. The sewing of address for a Mardi Gras celebration bring these ladies together. As the sewing of the dress comes along, the secrets come out. will the secrets keep them apart or pull them closer together? Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book for my honest opinion.

Bonding over sewing with some serious hidden secrets!

I really liked the bond that developed between Alice and Constance. Both recently widowed and had gone through similar tragic circumstances. The designing and sewing a ball gown together added some lightness to all of the darker elements.

What I didn't like was the fact that I had figured out the big secret early on and it seemed like it took forever for the characters to get there too. The eerieness of the Black Hand added some suspense, but not enough to keep anyone from figuring out the secrets.

As a mystery, this book didn't have enough suspense, but as Historical fiction, it was definitely enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

The book was wonderful and the connection between Alice and Constance was interesting. However I figured out the secret 17% through the book and was waiting until they figured it out through the rest. It was written as a historical fiction but i would say it was more of a mystery set at the turn of the century.

Fine historical fiction. It's 1900 New Orleans and both Constance and Alice have lost their husbands, as well as a child, and they bond over the creation of a dress- but there's something bad lurking out there. Alice's husband disappeared in Chicago and she makes her way to New Orleans in search of work as a seamstress and a new life. Constance, whose husband owed huge gambling debts, meets Alice at the orphanage where she volunteers and takes her home. She also enlists Alice to make her gown for a big Mardi Gras party but it's their relationship that is the important creation. This is slow in spots but the atmospherics are good and I found myself rooting for the women. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Constance and Alice are two women in 1900 who are drawn together after the death of their husbands. Constance is a socialite who lives in New Orleans and her husband is up to his ears in gambling debt to the Black Hand when he is killed. Alice lives in Chicago and is forced to find a new start when her husband disappears while on a business trip. She arrives in New Orleans finding a place teaching sewing at an orphanage. She and Constance cross paths as the women of New Orleans begin to plan a Mardi Gras celebration. They bond as they design an epic dress for the event.

This story has a mystery at its center, but the reader knows where it is going the whole time. We simply get to watch as Constance and Alice come to grips with their realities. The bond that forms between the two is lovely and refreshing to see two women who are not rivals but supporters of one another in their hardest times. My favorite aspects were, of course, the historical ones - pre-voting era women pressing for control of their lives, New Orleans at its height, the glamour of Mardi Gras, the reality of survival in a harsh world. But the designing of the dress was also a lovely highlight, I loved the mythology and history these women brought to the design.

This is a perfect historical fiction novel to pick up if you want something a little different for a summer read.

Thanks to Netgalley for advanced access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

This story focuses on two women, their struggles overcoming 1900's male conventions, and the mystery of a missing husband. I was really interested in the mystery. I liked where it went, and I was interested in how it all unraveled. The two women's growing relationship was my favorite part though. I loved the time period, and how their work together breaks the expectations of the time.

Alice and Constance become friends through a dress Alice is sewing for Constance and her Mardi Gras ball. I wanted more of this part of the story. I loved the details, and I could have just stayed in this part for so much longer!

This is a great story for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a female focus!

The Seamstress of New Orleans caught my attention as it is a piece of historical fiction, set in the early 1900s and centers around an all-female Mardi Gras krewe. In this story we meet two women, Alice Butterworth and Constance Halstead. The book starts quite strong, with Constance being on a train, as she trails her husband Benton, in a rather pulse-racing scene. We learn that Constance continues living her life with her two daughters, even though Benton does not return from said train journey. She volunteers in New Orleans' society, particularly at he Poydras Asylum for orphan girls. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Constance is waiting for her husband, Howard, to return from his business trip. Yet he never does. With dwindling funds and a baby on the way, Constance sets out to find Howard, ultimately ending up in New Orleans, where her sewing skills lead her to the orphanage, where the two woman meet. Over time, in sewing a dress for Alice to partake in the ball hosted my the female krewe Les Mysterieuses, the women build an incredible bond...

Now, as beautiful as the cover is, and as interesting as the premise of an all-female krewe set in historical New Orleans sounds, this book fell a little flat for me. While, as said, I enjoyed the first few scenes of the book, my attention started dwindling pretty quickly afterwards. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Alice and Constance, but I found the women to be rather similar, and not all that interesting. My connection only came much later in the book, when the bond and connection, as well as the differences, between our two MCs became more pronounced. I had also hoped for more insight in the actual ball and the Mardi Gras and generally the setting of New Orleans. Don't get me wrong, the few glimpses we do get were absolutely stunning and clearly well-researched, but I suppose my expectations were just... more. Finally, the connection between the two women was not quite as unexpected as could have been, and some of the unresolved pieces didn't quite make a lot of sense to me.

I guess we can chalk this one up to high expectations and a book that only half-delivered. The writing is detailed and paints interesting pictures and makes us 'see' the world Alice and Constance inhabit. Ultimately a story about two women finding each other and supporting each other, it is an okay read that I would rather have seen classified as women's fiction vs. historical fiction.

I was really looking forward to this book and the setting of New Orleans and Mardi Gras in the early 1900s. Maybe my expectations were too high but it just wasn't what I expected. We don't get a lot about how New Orleans was during the time period or learn a lot about the all female krewe for Mardi Gras. The twist was EXTREMELY obvious by chapter 2 which was really upsetting. It made the book less enjoyable knowing exactly how the women are connected. Also the women fell flat, their alternating chapters read in the same voice so it made it difficult to differentiate between them. I couldn’t connect with them and found them passive and whiny. Really disappointing considering how excited I was based on the blurb and cover plus how much I love the historical fiction genre

The Seamstress of New Orleans by Diane C. McPhail is Historical Fiction set in New Orleans. This story is really about two women and their strange connection.Highly recommend this book, it grabbed my attention immediately, a few pages in the story became very mysterious and I couldn’t stop reading.
I thought there were a few loose ends and I would have liked to know more about Dorothea and her power over the criminals in New Orleans, the orphanage, and felt it was sad that Alice did not share her complete story with Constance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars

This was absorbing historical fiction with mystery mixed in. I liked the setting as well as the time period. I found it hard to put down.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This stunning cover totally drew me in and I'm huge historical fiction fan. Set in 1900 this story follows two lady protagonists Alice and Constance. Both in dire straits. The story was good although I did find my mind wandered occasionally and it wasnt as gripping as I wished it to be, but I did enjoy it. Ultimately it's a novel empowering women

With The Seamstress of New Orleans Diane C. McPhail gives the reader an interesting read about life around 1900 in the United States. Constance and Alice are the two main characters who end up meeting each other and each offering the other something needed at the time. I want to thank Netgalley and Kensington Books for an early copy to review.

Interesting story of a woman whose husband goes missing, her search leads to New Orleans, where she gets a job teaching sewing in an oprhange. very good read.