Another delightful title by Jennifer Ryan that once again depicts village life during WW2. Historical fiction at it's best gives you characters, context and something to root for. Ryan delvers on all counts. Country life is never boring.

Jennifer Ryan has become my go-to author when it comes to stories of women who pull together during WWII. These women feel like friends by the end of the story and I don't like saying goodbye.

Grace Carlisle, the vicar's daughter, is trying to repair her mother's wedding dress in preparation for her own upcoming wedding. She shows the dress to the sewing circle, a group of women who repair and repurpose clothes during a time when everything is rationed and money and availability are short. The women feel the dress is beyond their skills.

Cressida Westcott loses everything in a bombing blast in London. She returns home to the village hoping her niece and nephew will welcome her. While finding her footing, she becomes part of the sewing circle. What unfolds is the repair of Grace's mother's dress and many lessons learned along the way.

Violet Westcott is Cressida's niece. When Violet is conscripted she tries everything she can think of to get out of it and to make it as easy on her as possible. The growth and change in Violet through the novel is one of the best storylines in the novel.

Reading about these women pulling together in good times and hard times is something we can all relate to, even without living during the time of a world war. As they support each other, they each learn lessons about what is truly important in life and what happiness truly means It is often not at all what we think it is. Often what it takes to be happy is so simple and it was a joy to watch each woman discover what that meant for her.

Readers of historical fiction with will enjoy this novel. I enjoy novels that rotate between characters in the telling of the story and this one does a fantastic job.

I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House. All views expressed are simply my honest opinion.

Moving, engaging historical fiction about small-town life during wartime, and how the women of this particular village come together through a sewing circle to support one another, pursue their dreams, and make a difference in other people's lives.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is an enticing story of World War II England as well as a happily-ever-after romance story, well, several really. I don't know that an American, certainly not one of our generation, can imagine what being in England during the war was like, between the privations, the loss of life, and the fear. Everyone in England had to do their part, many of them enlisting in some form of formal public service. It didn't matter if you were nobility or dirt poor. Many had to live through bombings: primarily England but other places as well, where there was something of historical significance to destroy or just happened to be on their way back to base after bombing London. Cressida Westcott was a clothing designer of some renown, based in London. In one night of bombing she lost her business and her house. She was wearing a nightgown under her coat as she fled to her brother's home in Kent. He had died but her niece and nephew still lived there. She was not welcomed with open arms as her brother's dismissal of her was still carried by her nephew but she was allowed to stay. Stay she did and helped changed the climate of the place as well as the lives of many as she became part of the community, which was a new experience for her.

An unlikely group of woman became friends, as women are wont to do, particularly in time of travail. From the sewing circle grew the idea of loaning wedding gowns to brides as there was no room for new ones in the rationing of clothing. They started with one and grew to having more than they could keep track of and being emulated all over England. Some they made, many they refurbished. Along with the wedding gowns, people changed and romance flourished. Cressida's formerly snobbish niece grew into herself when she joined the military and became a driver for an American; Grace, the vicar's daughter when she opted out of a potential marriage to someone who looked upon her as a parish worker and not much more; and Cressida, herself, when she discovered that love was more important than he cold and lonely life in London. It was a wonderful story with so many lessons it is hard to know where to begin. Loved it!

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Ballantine Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #ballantine #jenniferryan #theweddingdresssewingcircle

I am picky about my WWII historical fiction novels. My personal opinion is that there are many other important historical events that should be written about. Ryan, however, is a unique WWII historical fiction author. With each one of her books, she approaches the war from a different angle. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle examines the lives of three very unique women as they struggle to adjust to the dearth of new clothes. The story rotates through the eyes of Grace, the vicar’s daughter, Cressida, a renown clothing designer, and Violet, a spoiled society young woman. All three women do their part for the war by arranging jumble drives, clothing swaps, and a wedding dress exchange.

Ryan’s writing is captivating and delightful. This book reflects the joy and hope so many people must have felt despite the horrific war that was tearing apart their lives. I loved that she focused on how scarce clothing was for people in England during WWII. This was something I did not know about.

I would highly recommend for people who are looking for a unique WWII novel. While there are intense scenes, for example the Blitz, much of the book is set in the relatively quiet countryside.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!

This novel follows these three women, Grace, Violet and Cressida. Cressida is a dress designer. Her shop and her apartment were completely desiccated in a bomb. So, she has to bite the bullet and head to her brother’s estate. She has not seen her brother or his family in years. He did not approve of her life choices. So, when she arrives, she meets her niece and nephew for the first time in their adult life.

Cressida’s niece, Violet, is very sheltered and has no idea about the real world. Then there is Grace. Grace is the local vicar’s daughter. She is struggling to be exactly what everyone expects her to be. With the onset of the war, all three have extreme changes in life and their plans for the future.

Now, at the beginning of this book, I was not a big fan of any of these characters. But, they began to grow on me and I found all three amazing in the end! I especially love Cressida.

This story is a great tale about resilience, strength and hope. I enjoyed everything about this novel! I especially love how all three of these characters come into their own.

Need a great WWII novel with strong women characters…THIS IS IT!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I ended up liking this book a lot more than I was expecting. I was expecting yet another WWII story that would be similar to others that’s I've read, but this story managed to find something new and unique all its own and different from the other for me to read about.
Thank to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

Reading this book is like drinking a big glass of sweet tea on a hot summer day. It is that refreshing!
The book centers around three ladies: Grace, Violet and her aunt Cressida. Cressida is a well-known fashion designer who has devoted her life to her craft. When a bomb destroys her studio and her home in London, she seeks refuge in the English countryside in her ancestral home. Her nephew is now the lord of the manor and her niece Violet also lives there. There are several more minor characters, but they all contribute very nicely to the story. The group comes together during WW2 when fabric is rationed, Grace is getting married and discovered her mother's wedding dress is moth-eaten. Can the sewing circle save Grace's dress? What does this dress end up meaning to the whole community and beyond?
This is a heart-warming story about family, friendship and the true meaning of life. Don't miss this one!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer Ryan’s books are truly some of my favorites. This book focuses on a sewing group who come together to help Grace to save her mothers wedding dress so she can wear it at her own wedding. This was important because during WWII you could not buy a white wedding dress due to supply issues. So there were groups all over England who would repair and coordinate wedding dress borrowing for women to have a special day. Through the book we also meet Violet and Cressida who both have important roles in Grace’s life. The book is told in the three women’s perspectives. My only wish was that we would have had chapter numbers instead of just alternating points of view.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

9780593158838

411 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballatine Books
Release Date: May 31, 2022

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Friendships, World War II, England

The story is centered around three very different women during World War II, England.

Grace Carlisle is the vicar’s daughter. She is planning her wedding to Lawrence when her father hands her an old box containing her mother’s wedding gown. Unfortunately, the moths have been feasting on it and it is in bad shape. She hopes the women’s sewing circle will be able to help her restore it.

Cressida Wescott is a well-known fashion designer in London. When her fashion house and home are destroyed in a bomb raid, she is forced to move back to the country and her family estate.

Violet Westcott, Cressida’s niece, is privileged and narcissistic. Just barely out of her teens, she wants to marry and have a title. When circumstances suddenly change, she is forced out of her comfort zone.

This is a beautiful story of a women’s circle. It shows that no matter who you are or where you are from, friendships can be formed. The story is written in third person point of view with multiple perspectives. Each woman brings her own personality to the story and shows inner strength. I absolutely loved this book and wish I could give it more than five stars. If you like historical fiction with strong female characters, you will enjoy reading this book.

I love a cozy, British, historical fiction novel. Give me a group of lovely characters, coming together in the face of adversity, and enjoying a spot of tea while they’re at it. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle had those exact vibes and I was here for it.

The book follows three women, a fashion designer, a society maiden, and the vicar’s daughter as they work with the other women in the town to form a wedding dress exchange program. Due to fabric shortages, it was nearly impossible for women to get a new wedding dress during WWII. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle collected donations of wedding dresses and lent them out to brides on their wedding day.

I enjoyed learning about fashion during the war, and the Mend and Make Do movement. I also really enjoyed the characters in this book and their accompanying love stories. I have now read 3 Jennifer Ryan books and I’ve liked them all! Thank you to Ballantine Books for the early copy, which I read on my Kindle!

What a beautiful story!
A story about coming together, helping each other and others.
Three women, Cressida, Violet and Grace end up together during World War II. Together they help redesign wedding dresses from old or cast off wedding dresses. In the beginning, the three women really do not have anything in common. As the story progresses, their friendship brings them together as they work with other women in the village. This is how they become to be known as the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. Along the way they each discover heartwarming friendships and beautiful romance.
A truly enjoyable read!
Jennifer Ryan has based this story on actual events. Reading the authors notes about clothing rations was eye opening,.
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a heartfelt story about community, friendship and family.

I loved this incredible historical romance novel.

There was a large cast of characters in this book. There was quite a few different personality types and I had fun getting to know each one of them. I take that back, there was one woman that I truly couldn’t stand. Every book has to have at least one like that though.

Cressida, Violet, and Grace were the main characters in this book. They alternated having chapters from their view points. The journeys that they each took growing and developing throughout the story were vastly different even though they were interconnected. I loved seeing how they stepped up to help each other and the whole community. They were truly resilient along with the whole county of England.

The plot of this book really demonstrated the strength of nation. I enjoyed finding out how they were able to gather the number of wedding dresses that were needed to meet the demands. The women of England still wanted to have the white weddings to celebrate the start of their new lives. Yet they were stuck with all the restrictions of the clothes rationing that had to be implemented to meet the needs of the military.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

I liked this book. I have an interest in wedding fashion and found the premise of this story to be very interesting. I was not previously familiar with wedding dress exchanges that occurred in England during WWII. I found the research that went into the novel more interesting than the set of romances and characters that formed the plot. The aristocratic young woman who had to join the service was a particularly unlikable character as was the aristocratic fiance of one of the men. The woman who joined the service turned into a different person too quickly and easily to be believable.
Overall, the romances felt ordinary, but they were placed in a unique setting. The author created atmosphere and gave me a feeling for WWII on the British homefront. There has been a huge number of WWII novels published in the last few years, and I am rather tired of them, but this author found something new to create an enjoyable setting and fresh perspective.
At about 60%, the romances became a little more engaging, though they all remained predictable. People who read sweet romantic stories will certainly enjoy this one.
I recommend this book to romance lovers, people who enjoy homefront WWII fiction, and anyone who wants a light, fun read with a bit of a twist.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Could not stop reading this novel of female resilience, courage and friendship set in WWII Britain. Romance also played a big part. Would make a great movie. Now I want to go back and read Jennifer Ryan’s earlier historical fiction. Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheWeddingDressSewingCircle for advanced digital copy.

LOVED this book. Jennifer Ryan’s The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was such a great story of three extraordinary women who paved their own way during a time when women had such a hard time doing so.

Violet, Cressida, and Grace all found a way to make their lives meaningful by taking a chance on something unexpected and unconventional. I admired each woman’s courage in their unique situations. I enjoyed how each woman found a loving partner to share in life’s adventures with. Their path to live sure was meandering, but they got there.

The idea of sharing a wedding dress and the close bond of the sewing circle was just so cool to me. I loved this aspect of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a WWII-era historical fiction that tells the story of a Sewing group in a little village in England. You will enjoy all the various characters and their adventures. Happy Reading!

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review.

I received a complimentary ARC of this historical novel from Netgalley, Jennifer Ryan, and at the invitation of Kathleen Quinlan at publisher Penguin Randomhouse. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

Jennifer Ryan writes a fine historical novel, this one set in Aldhurst Village, England, during World War II, beginning in 1942 with the severe restrictions experienced by the British public. We share with these three women the isolation, comradery, and generosity that was prompted by those hardships and see the ability of the human mind to find compensation in sharing life's ups and downs during times of woe. This is a novel I am happy to recommend to friends and family. This story is told by three very different women.

Cressida Westcott is a well-known and in-demand couturier in London before the bombing of her Chelsea home and her downtown London design house sent her reeling back to collect herself at her childhood home of Aldhurst Manor. Cressida had a strained relationship with her father, and then with her brother before his death, so she has had little contact with his young adult children.

Violet Westcott is Cressida's niece, pretty and smart, but spoiled and self-centered. Violet is a lovely girl, but for her, the war is a minor inconvenience - until the German bombers begin coming out her way.

Grace Carlisle is the daughter of the pastor of the Aldhurst village church. Reverend Ben Carlisle has been immersed in a state of debilitating mourning since the death of his wife several years ago and Grace has taken over a lot of the 'chores' carried out by the church - visiting the ill, helping parents and siblings bury and mourn the deaths of their soldiers, collecting clothing and food for the destitute, raising the money needed for medicine and arranging clothing swaps for children who need larger clothes or need smaller clothes passed down. She has been raised to be the helpmate of the church head - her mother was an excellent church wife to model her own life on - and is currently affianced with Lawrence. a staid man twice her age and the reverend of a church several trains stops away. Feeling herself waltzing into spinsterhood, Grace is grateful that Lawrence proposed to her. Her main concern is if her father will rally and take back those chores she has covered for him for so long, and she hopes that Lawrence will mellow out, smile more, and that love will grow between them over time.

It is for Grace's wedding that the attic searching begins, as she would like to wear her mother's wedding dress next month when she marries Lawrence. She proposes altering her best suit at the weekly meeting of the local sewing circle where old clothes are mended or re-fashioned to meet the growing need for simple outfits as time and work-worn garments cannot be replaced because there is no cloth to be found in England. Cloth and wool are earmarked for the soldiers. If she can't find her mother's dress, her best suit will have to do. And she is far from alone in her wish for a white wedding - many women in England wish for the same, but enough fabric to make a traditional wedding dress in the fashion wanted by her generation would take about two years of ration points to make - if the material could be found.

This was a very readable and interesting story. Kind of a live story, but also a story about friendship and surviving tough times. Enjoyed learning that this was lightly based on truths about fashion during WWII. Thank you Netgalley and Bantam Books for opportunity to read this book pre-release for honest review.

This was such a wonderful historical fiction! I enjoyed the female-centric story. The characters were great. I liked them, and I was invested in their stories. I really enjoyed the story of wedding dresses, and the history within the story!