This was such a cozy read; I really loved it!

I enjoyed getting to know each of our three leading ladies and their uniques stories, and it was fun to watch them grow, fall in love, and even find their dream careers.

The tightly knit (please excuse the pun) sewing circle was a wonderful component to this story! I always love positive female friendships, and this book had great ones. It was a joy to get to know each woman and see how they supported one another bravely and without condition.

This book became an instant comfort read. I’m excited to buy copies for friends when it publishes!

First sentence: "I found it!" the Reverend Ben Carlisle's voice called from the attic. Grace felt her breath catch as she dashed across the vicarage landing to see him come down, a long, flat box ceremoniously in his arms, a bittersweet smile on his face.

Premise/plot: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants only with wedding dress(es). I jest mostly. Set in 1942, The Wedding Dressing Sewing Circle is set in a small village, Aldhurst, and stars three women. Grace Carlisle, whom readers meet first, is engaged to be married. But it isn't a love match--not really--and she's more excited about the wedding than the wedding night or the marriage itself. Perhaps because of her social class, perhaps because of her mother's death, she suffers from low self-esteem, the idea that ANY man would actually ask her to marry him boggles her mind. But she has her mother's white wedding dress and that's a start. Cressida Westcott is a London fashion designer that seeks refuge in her brother's home--her former home--after a bomb destroys her apartment and shop. Violet Westcott, Cressida's niece, is thrilled that her fashion savvy aunt has come to stay. But devastated at the idea that she'll be forced into doing war work. How can she find a super-wealthy TITLED man to marry if she's off working? These three unlikely heroines star in this historical romance.

My thoughts: This one is based loosely, loosely on true-ish events. A village did start collecting wedding dresses to lend out to war brides during the Second World War. So the concept of women donating their wedding dresses--from all ages past, all styles, all conditions--to be mended, tailored, and redesigned is true enough.

If you are able to go with the flow without putting much critical thought into what you are reading, this one is pure delight. It is a satisfying read offering readers three love stories.

I was able to enjoy this one--mostly. I was. Part of me wants to sweep all other little doubts and observances aside. But. I also want to be honest. The characters transition--particularly Violet and Cressida from HORRIBLE characters to sweet-as-pie angels with absolutely no catalyst or motivating factors. How do you go from narcissistic, vain, snobbish, rude to considerate, compassionate, selfless...in just a dozen pages...with no TEXT evidence supporting such a change. WHY does character A go from behaving this way to that way? What happened internally or externally to change her character??? Readers are left clueless. The first 30% of the novel, two-thirds of the heroines are HORRIBLE human beings that you'd never want to be around to saints and angels.

Grace transitions as well. But we're at least given reasons for that change. As her friendship blossoms with Cressida, she discovers that she's BEAUTIFUL and WORTHY and destined to be either a a) model b) fashion designer or c) shop owner. Definitely she does not want to be a vicar's wife stuck in a loveless marriage with someone who only values her if she's a selfless shadow of a human being.

I really enjoyed this one! It was very unique and I really enjoyed the story. It also gave me more perspective on things, which I always love. Highly recommend!

The Wedding Dress Circle is pure romance and escape set in World War II England where rationing means that most women can’t we’d in a white gown or even a new dress. Violet, the privileged and flighty aristocrat, grows up when she’s called to serve. Cressida, Violet’s aunt, a top London Couturier, finds friendship when she moves to the family manor after her home is destroyed in the zblitz. Grace, the quiet helper to her Vicar father, comes out of her shell when the village women meet to mend and remake clothing including wedding gowns. All find unexpected romance. While somewhat cliché, and predictable, it’s still enjoyable.

After renowned fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both her home and her design house in the London Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago. Praying that her niece and nephew will be more hospitable than her brother had been, she arrives with nothing but the clothes she stands in, at a loss as to how to rebuild her business while staying in a quaint country village. Her niece, Violet Westcott, is thrilled that her famous aunt is coming to stay—the village has been interminably dull with all the men off fighting. But just as Cressida arrives, so does Violet’s conscription letter. It couldn’t have come at a worse time; how will she ever find a suitably aristocratic husband if she has to spend her days wearing a frumpy uniform and doing war work? Meanwhile, the local vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, is trying in vain to repair her mother’s gown, her only chance of a white wedding. When Cressida Westcott appears at the local Sewing Circle meeting, Grace asks for her help—but Cressida has much more to teach the ladies than just simple sewing skills.
Before long, Cressida’s spirit and ambition galvanizes the village group into action, and they find themselves mending wedding dresses not only for local brides, but for brides across the country. And as the women dedicate themselves to helping others celebrate love, they might even manage to find it for themselves.

In the spirit of her previous books--Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Spies of Shilling Lane-- Jennifer Ryan had brought to life another unknown event in WWII history. Reading the Author's Notes, you will discover that there really was an exchange of wedding dresses so brides could have a white wedding during a time when all wedding dress material was used for the war effort. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and how the characters grew and developed during the story. The author's descriptions of the countryside were so detailed that you felt that you were walking along the country roads with the characters. I highly recommend this book and thank NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read another of the author's wonderful books.

This is the story of British women who fight the Nazis at home in the midst of incessant bombing, destruction and death. Their weapons are not violent; rather, they join together to raise the communal morale of those who had to do without. Amid shortages and limitations set by coupon use for shopping, the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is created. This project, using sewing skills, dedication and creativity, provides an opportunity to bring cheer into the hard, sad, and often frightening everyday lives of people by offering a white wedding dress exchange. Cressida, a recognized London dress designer, Grace, a shy, self-sacrificing daughter of a vicar, and Violet, a member of the landed gentry in search of a titled husband, find themselves among a group of country women eager to ease the burdens of the war. Jennifer Ryan’s principal characters meet life-altering choices as the story progresses. As in her other three novels I have read, I found myself loving them and rooting for their success.

Thank you NetGalley, Jennifer Ryan and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. This is my personal review.
I have read many books with historical fiction as the theme. The cover of this one caught my eye and I immediately wanted to read it. I am so glad I got the chance to read it!
The women focused on in the book made the story flow and the bond between the charterers was fantastic. Being with them while they were sewing and watching the friendship blossom made me really care about each of them. I learned things that happened during WW2 time that I never even thought about made the story come to life for me.
The release date for this book is May 31, 2022. This is a book you will want to pick up and read.

I love the historical details Jennifer Ryan puts into all her fiction and this one did not disappoint! The sewing circle was so fun to learn about and a fun departure from her others which have focused on choirs, cooking competitions and spies. I enjoyed that she showed a new area of the war efforts, though some of the relationships fell a little flat for me. I wasn’t interested in Hugh after he brushed Grace off, and I had a hard time connecting to the passion between Violet and Landon, they just weren’t exciting relationships for me this time around.
I’ll eagerly await her next novel, and can’t wait to see what she chooses to focus on next!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

World War 2 historical fiction is probably my favorite genre so I always enjoy a good WW2 book. I love the connections the women in the story formed, both the three main characters, and the supporting characters, during the war as they bonded over sewing, friendship, and love. I enjoy learning about different aspects of the war efforts at home and found the wedding dress exchange to be quite interesting.

Love these quotes,

"In my experience, the way things are supposed to be isn't necessarily the best way. Sometimes you need to step outside the way your life has been mapped out, find your own path, your own place in the world."

"Why everyone has this notion that you have to be one type of person or another is beyond me. We're all a blend of different ingredients,"

Historical fiction always helps me learn more about a broad subject. WWII seems to be a popular subject, but I love how this books dives into that part of history and breaks down how people got through.

All the characters were fun to read and all had great backstory as to how to they got to where they are now. You can see the characters growing as you start to finish the story.

Courtesy of Netgalley I received the ARC of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan. I loved this WWII British historical novel, highlighting clothing rations. This story explained coupons, shortages, clothing design, and repurposing used clothing, especially the creativity of the used wedding dress project. The three main women characters from different backgrounds form special bonds and relationships,while developing long lasting friendships amidst new ways of seeing and achieving their goals.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is based on real life stories, of women who "Mend and Make Do" with clothes during WWII in England, due to clothes rationing. Grace, the vicar's daughter in Aldhurst Village, brings to the group her mother's wedding dress, with hopes they can save it for her upcoming wedding. When the blitz levels Cressida Welcott's design studio in London, she returns to her childhood home at Aldhurst Manor, and becomes involved in the sewing group. As the group blossoms, they soon begin gathering, mending, and lending wedding dresses beyond their small town. This is a sweet story of women finding their own strength in times of war, as well as the story of friendships, which carries them through the most trying of times. I highly recommend for readers who love historical fiction. This book is due to be released May 31, 2022. I seldom give 5 stars to my reads, but I am to this one, as I was completely swept away and entertained by this book. Thanks to Netgalley and Random house for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy reading historical fiction and I read a lot of it. This book was a little disappointing because I felt like it was more of a relationship/love story book than a historical one (except for the main premise of fixing wedding dresses up for those impoverished through the war). By the end of the book all of the main characters had been nicely paired up with their individual paramours. It was all neatly tied up with a bow, which is what made it seem a little bit too fictional. I have not read this author before, but I did enjoy her writing style and flow of the book, it was just a bit too much of a romance, albeit a tame one, in good taste, which I appreciate. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

Three women connected by love, war, family, and sewing.

We meet Cressida who owns a fashion design house but has to go back to her family home since her shop was bombed, Violet who is her niece and who was conscripted, and Grace who is engaged to a vicar.

We follow the lives of these three women.

All three join a wartime sewing circle. Grace is in need of someone to help her repair her mother's wedding dress and is thrilled to hopefully have someone to help.

Since clothing rations are limited to what types of cloth can be used for clothing, Cressida agrees to fix Grace's dress since she loves doing that and has the talent with any fabric. All the women join in and start a "share your wedding dress with others" campaign.

So enjoyed learning about this...the "sharing" did happen during the war.

THE WEDDING DRESS SEWING CIRCLE is as cozy as the cover and has characters that you will love and characters that will show you how to have compassion, how to not give up on what you want, and how women gather together for support and to help one another and others.

A lovely read and another historical fact I was not aware of...enjoy!! 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this dive into history with Cressida, Violet, & Grace. The intertwining narration made for an interesting storyline and I found myself reading through chapters, eager to hear how things would play out. I loved the evolution of the characters and the historical details woven into the plot. This is a great book for fans of WWII era stories, the English countryside, and Downton Abbey. The only thing I find odd is the cover - it is the exact same cover of another book I read that was also published this year (Until We Meet), they just edited what the women are working on in their laps. I find that so odd & wonder how two books can have almost identical covers.

It’s an overall good book. It is set in wartime UK and described the courage of the wooon the home front during that time
thanks for letting me review this book to Netgalley and the publisher

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a feel-good story of wartime Great Britain and the people who sacrificed and made do for the war effort. The intertwined stories of the characters was well done and one couldn't wait to see what would happen next to all of them.

Once again Jennifer Ryan focuses on the home front in rural England during World War 2. Her topic is clothing rationing, and the local village sewing group tasked with mending and repairing old clothes to make them usable again. The nominal leader of the group is local aristocrat Violet Westcott but she is uncomfortable among the lower class villagers. Grace Carlisle, a vicar's daughter and soon to be vicar's wife, is a hard-working member of the group who brings her mother's old wedding gown to the group to see if it can be mended for her own wedding. Violet's aunt, noted couture Cressida Westcott, is bombed out of her London flat and shop and unexpectedly joins the group. She takes an interest in Grace's beautiful dress and a plan is evolved to repair the dress, make it available for other brides to borrow, and create a collection of dresses that can be loaned to other brides. With clothes rationing and fabric shortages, purchasing dress or fabric to make a dress is impossible so this is a huge morale booster for the women of England.

The plot is fascinating and based on true stories, but the character development is this novel's biggest flaw. Violet is snobbish and stuck up at the start but learns to live with and accept women she considered beneath her after two weeks of army training. Grace is meek and spineless but suddenly is able to stand up for herself and what she wants which is not to be a vicar's wife, and Cressida leaves her city ways behind and becomes a fan of small town life. All three have fairy tale endings to their romances and the men are little more than stereotypes. I would find the book more believable if the characters didn't go from one extreme to another, and not every fairy tale had a happy ending, unfortunately.

This is an interesting plot but the character development is not realistic and marred my enjoyment of the story.

Much like her book The Kitchen Front, Jennifer Ryan shows another aspect of how British women survived on the home front during World War II. This time, she shows the terrors of the nightly air raids during the Battle of Britain. She also shows how women did their part for the war effort. Women participated by joining the military; working with the newly arrived American forces; working in factories; and by mending and redesigning clothes as part of the "Make Do and Mend" initiative. This is a another compelling story by Ryan showing an aspect of the war not often seen. There is much to recommend for those who love WWII novels and for those who are interested in sewing and fashion design.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
by Jennifer Ryan
Pub Date: May 31, 2022
Ballentine
Thanks to the author, Ballentine, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. As a heavy historical fiction reader, I was kind of burned out on WWII books. I almost missed this one, but I'm glad I didn't.
* British Literature * Historical Fiction *
Three plucky women lift the spirits of home-front brides in wartime Britain, where clothes rationing leaves little opportunity for pomp or celebration—even at weddings—in this heartwarming novel based on true events, from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is based on true events – when clothes rationing during WWII leaves young brides in challenging situations, a group of women comes up with an idea to start a charity to give out white wedding dresses. In the process, they lift spirits and learn resilience. I highly recommend it.
5 stars