Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the gifted book that I read along with the library audio.

Cressida Westcott is a clothes designer, forced back to her family manor she hasn't been to in years after her home and design house are lost in the London Blitz.

Violet Westcott is a socialite who is thrilled her aunt is coming to stay in this dreary village. Things have gotten quite dull with all the men gone and the parties cancelled.

Grace Carlisle is the vicar's daughter and is engaged to a man of the cloth. Her whole identity is wrapped up in the work she does to support the men in her life.

These three women's stories become interconnected as they each face what clothes rationing means for their lives and they interact through a wedding dress sewing circle which repurposes old garments to those worthy of celebration.

I loved this book. It fits into what my friend @FortWords has dubbed "uplifting WWII fiction." Despite being set in a horrible time period, it celebrates the tenacity and resilience of humanity and the good that can be found when you have to dig a little deeper. Each of these three main characters is loveable in their own way while not being without fault. And the side characters add such vibrance to the plot that they should be celebrated as well. What a delight of a reading experience.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

Having recently finished the previously published “The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle'' by Jennifer Ryan, I am happy to have had the chance for the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books!

This was a different kind of World War II story, that focused on friendships discovered through mending and sharing of wedding dresses as a different kind of contribution to the war effort. By salvaging donated gowns the women of the sewing circle formed a community of compassion during the hard times and rationing that was occurring throughout Great Britain. It was also a novel about discovering your own path, and finding your place in the world. Considering the time frame of the story, the ladies' paths included love and a HEA outcome for all three of the women, but that didn’t take away from the spirit of this story.

“It takes a great deal of bravery to defy the label people try to give you, forge ahead on a different path, becoming something new.”

This is a very entertaining read. I especially love the resillance that these women must endure in a horrific time.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House - Ballentine Books for this advanced readers copy.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is my first by this author, and I enjoyed it. I takes a slightly different perspective on WWII by focusing on the domestic war efforts at home as told through the stories of three women from different worlds who find their lives intersecting.

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

Over the past several years I have become quite a fan of Jennifer Ryan’s books. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was the third book I have had the pleasure of reading by her and I enjoyed it very much. It took place during World War II in London and in a quaint village called Aldhurst that was located near Kent. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, like Jennifer Ryan’s previous books, portrayed strong, innovative and determined women during World War II. It was definitely a character driven book that was well plotted. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle examined the concepts of clothes rationing, the motto of “ Make do and mend” and the introduction of utility clothes in England during the 1940’s. It was based on women’s accomplishments during World War II in England. I had not been aware that a coupon system existed for clothes during the Second World War until I read this book. The number of coupons needed for a particular item of clothing was based on how much fabric was needed to produce the garment. I also never thought about how difficult and how disappointing it must have been for brides not to be able to walk down the aisle in a new white wedding gowns. What bride does not want to wear white on their wedding day?

Cressida Westcott grew up at the Manor in the quaint village of Aldhurst. The love of her life was killed shortly after World War I began. Then both of her parents had died. Her older and domineering brother took charge of her life. When he married and he and his young wife started a family, he thought that it was a fine idea for his spinster sister to help his wife with the day to day responsibilities of running the manor and helping her with the children. Cressida could not tolerate the insensitive actions and pompous attitude of her brother. She escaped her brother’s wrath and now twenty years later found herself living in London. Cressida had become a famous and respected fashion designer. She never got over loosing the love of her life so she never married. Cressida emerged herself in her business. She built it up and she became quite successful. All she needed was her business to fulfill her. Both her home and design studio were in the heart of London. One night during The Blitz, all was destroyed. The German bombs destroyed both her home and her place of business. She had nothing left. Cressida had nowhere else to go but back to the manor in Aldhurst. She swallowed her pride and called her nephew, Hugh, who was now in charge of the manor with her brother’s death. Cressida arrived at the manor with only the clothes on her back and her purse. She swallowed her pride and hoped for the best. At least this arrangement would be temporary she thought and it would allow her to get reacquainted with her niece, Violet, and her nephew, Hugh.

Grace Carlisle lived in the village of Aldhurst. Her father was the vicar for the village and Grace lived with him and helped him with his duties at the church. Her father had served in World War I and had come back haunted by it. Nothing was as devastating, though, for both Grace and her father as losing her mother and his wife. Grace assumed all the responsibilities of running the house for her father and helping him with his duties as vicar. Grace saw herself as plain and had given into the notion that she would never marry. Who would want to be her husband? One day, Lawrence, another member of the clergy serving in the war, overheard Grace say her thoughts out loud and asked her if she would marry him. Thrilled to have someone want her she agreed to marry Lawrence. With her wedding approaching, Grace’s father presented Grace with her mother’s wedding dress. It was lovely but it had been in the attic for years and moths had gotten the best of it. The dress needed some repairs. Her father suggested that The Women’s Sewing Circle might be able to help restore it. Grace wasn’t sure but she was willing to try.

Violet Westcott was the young debutante of the manor. She was Cressida’s niece and Hugh’s younger and very spoiled, privileged and opinionated sister. Her late father had schooled her to expect only the best. Therefore, it was no wonder that Violet found herself only willing to marry someone with a title and money. Violet was excited to learn that her aunt, who she had never met, would be staying with them for a while. She was quite impressed with Cressida’s talents and success as a fashion designer. Just as Violet’s aunt Cressida arrived, Violet received her conscription letter. Violet saw herself above having to serve her country in the war but even with Hugh’s help she could not get out of it.

All three women, Cressida, Grace and Violet, attended a meeting of the Women’s Sewing Circle. The women in the group were immersed in turning old clothing into new ones as part of the “make do and mend project”. Some of the women were occupied knitting scarves or socks from wool they had unraveled from other items of clothing. Grace approached the group and asked if they would help her repair her mother’s wedding dress. Cressida offered her her expertise and Grace was overcome by Cressida’s kindness and resourcefulness. Grace generously offered the dress to anyone in the village that wanted to borrow it after it was fixed and she had worn it. Thus, the idea for The Wedding Dress Exchange was born and blossomed.

Jennifer Ryan is a masterful storyteller. She seems to keep discovering new historical facts about things women accomplished during World War II that few had ever known about. Her research was impeccable and parts of The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle were based on real occurrences. I appreciated how Jennifer Ryan added a touch of romance to the plot as well. The characters, both primary and secondary, were well developed and most believable. Her use of vividly descriptive prose made it easy to visualize the landscape, bombings and devastation they caused, and the camaraderie the women in the wedding dress sewing circle shared. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle was about friendship, believing in oneself, loss, love, class distinctions, discovery, community and unselfish acts. It was a beautiful heartwarming story that I recommend very highly.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for allowing me to read The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

THE WEDDING DRESS SEWING CIRCLE

Three women from different backgrounds come together in 1942 in the small town of Aldhurst Village, England in attempt to survive and cope with life changes during WWII. Vicar Carlisle’s recently engaged daughter Grace, independent and successful couturier Cressida Westcott, and pampered young aristocratic Violet Westcott each learn much about themselves and grow in different but important ways.

This is a pleasant, light and enjoyable romantic story. With strict clothing allowances and rations because of the war, a group of local women help to renovate old wedding dresses helping to boost the spirits of brides by providing a “White Wedding.” By combining their varied skills in sewing, mending, recycling, and designing, the ladies do their best to contribute to the war effort.

In addition to using those valued skills of that era, the war was also providing many opportunities for women in worlds of business, military, the high fashion industry, media and magazine publishing. Design Competitions for practical and military dress also presented an avenue for women to participate in creative endeavors. These expanding roles for women are woven nicely throughout this book.

A little sweet, a bit predictable and happy, but I still found it very enjoyable to read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Jennifer Ryan, and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Set in WW2 England, three women find friendship through their sewing circle. Supplies are short and clothing rations will only go so far. Certain fabrics may only be used for military operations but there is still a demand for wedding gowns. Based on true events, the women coordinate available materials along with donations to give every bride a dream-worthy dress. Through their regular gatherings, each woman learns to let go of old mind-sets and to follow their ambitions.. This story is heartwarming and shines a light on the dark days of war. I recommend reading the author’s note which gives a beautiful insight on the author’s connection and the global effort that went into this program.

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This book is one of my favorite books of 2022. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle hooked and reeled me in from start to finish. Despite its length of over 400 pages, I finished it in less than 2 days. What made this book stand apart for me from other WWII historical fiction books was that it focused mostly on the homefront efforts of ordinary women during the war. I loved reading how Jennifer Ryan wove in true historical facts about how women repurposed old wedding dresses all over England during the war. At the same time, I was entranced with intriguing characters and more than one love story. (However, Violet Westcott's love story was my favorite!) This book deserves 5 plus stars. I will definitely be looking for more books to read by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts expressed are my honest opinions of the book.

During WWII food wasn’t the only commodity rationed in England. Buying clothing or fabric was also limited by unavailability and government rationing. That put a strain on women who wanted to update their wardrobes, simply tried to look presentable as clothes wore out or even hoped to wear something pretty as they planned their marriage. Like the women in Ryan’s earlier novel, Kitchen Front, women were forced to be creative in managing life under strict rationing regulations. In this instance, the women of a small town near Canterbury banded together to try to re-design or re-invent wedding dresses for the young women anxious to tie the knot. Instead of waiting for the war to end, many women were ready to grasp a chance at happiness, even if only for a very short time.

Three women are the focus of the book. Grace is the daughter of a vicar and engaged to marry. She will use her mother’s wedding gown but it needs work because of significant damage it sustained from moths. Her sewing group bands together to revitalize the gown. Cressida is the sister of the deceased owner of the manor house. She fled home many years earlier and ended up a successful fashion designer in London. But when a bomb destroys her factory and her house, she returns to her childhood home which now belongs to her nephew and is the home of her niece. Violet is her niece and she has one goal - to marry a titled man (but they are in short supply.) Overwhelmed with frustration, Violet follows her brother Hugh’s suggestion to volunteer in the war effort. This leads to her training as a driver for officers and is a real education for the pampered young woman.

Ultimately, Grace, Cressida and Violet are all part of the sewing circle and they all work on Grace’s mother’s dress and many others. The book focuses on the united efforts of women to bring a little brightness to others during a time of deprivation. Each of the characters undergoes a transformation and their personal stories are the highlight of the book. This is an enjoyable novel that addresses issues such as women’s rights, following your heart and being true to who you really are. We root for the women and for the creative, collegial spirit that enabled a small group of women to work together to make special dresses during a dark time.

This is a book set during WWII. It is about how ladies in a community make and share wedding dresses. I thought it was extremely well done. It focused on a different sides of the war. I absolutely adored the book and gave it 5 stars.

Eustace Westcott was dead, to begin with. And it seems to be a relief for all concerned, especially his family. His deceased presence turns out to be a bigger blight on the lives of everyone who knew him than the war. Even the local pub still boasts “a certain ditty written in the men’s lavatory” proclaiming that “Eustace Westcott should stick his precious checkbook up a certain part of his anatomy.”

His estranged sister, the famous – or infamous in the late Eustace’s mind – fashion designer Cressida Westcott would certainly agree. She only attended his funeral to make absolutely certain the blighter was dead.

But speaking of that war, when the London Blitz takes out both her house and her design house in the same night, Cressida’s not sure where to go or what to do. She’s lost everything except the clothes on her back, the designs in her head, and a reputation in the fashion industry that she’s spent the last 20 years building. Those will see her through – but first she needs a place to live and regroup.

She never thought she’d go back home to Aldhurst. In fact, she’d sworn she wouldn’t. But Eustace is dead and she can at least hope that his two children, now adults themselves, haven’t turned into carbon copies of their not-so-dear old dad. Or that there’s still time for her to help them become functional human beings now that his oppressive influence over their lives has been removed.

What she finds in the old family pile is a second chance. A chance to get to know the village and its people – and become one of them. A chance to find family again by helping her niece and nephew see that their father’s ideas and influence are holding them back from living their own lives instead of repeating all the restrictions of his.

All the restrictions he tried to impose on Cressida and utterly failed at.

Cressida has a chance to explore a bit of the road not taken and let herself have as much of it all as could ever be possible – not in spite of the war but because of it.

Escape Rating A: I was looking for, not exactly a comfort read as most of my comfort reads start with murder, but rather a comfortable read for the end of this week. It’s kind of surprising that led me to World War II, not exactly a comfortable time for ANYONE, but this actually fit the bill quite nicely. I adored one of the author’s previous books, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, and was expecting more of the same – interesting characters who grow and change in a heartwarming story of the British homefront during World War II. And I was expecting a female-centric story because, well, the war.

And all of that is exactly what I got. With bells on!

The story revolves around three women, Cressida Westcott, her niece Violet Westcott, and the woman cressida mentors in Aldhurst, Grace Carlisle. All of their lives have been knocked off their original courses by World War II, but the war also gives each of them a chance to change a course that they thought was set. Hopefully for the better.

Cressida’s change is a driving force in what happens, which is fitting because Cressida herself has always been a driving force in her own life. While her return to Aldhurst allows her to see the place with fresh eyes, her trip back home doesn’t change who she has become in all the years between.

She’s still a driven woman, determined to be in the top echelon of fashion design – and succeeding on her own terms. What her return to Aldhurst allows her to do is to open herself up to new experiences and new friendships. She is still who she has always been, but becoming part of the village – something she was not allowed to do when she was growing up – reminds her that in addition to making a living she also needs to make a life.

Violet and Grace are both in their 20s, and each has planned a certain life for themselves based on what they’ve been taught, what they’ve been told, what they’ve always believed in the “right thing to do.” Violet is honestly a selfish, self-involved little bitch, an upper class twit who believes that marrying a title is her due and that she’s entitled to all the privileges that come with her family’s wealth and status without ever working for them.

Grace is her opposite, the daughter of the local vicar, selflessly devoting herself to the village and parish work, never asking a thing for herself. She’s been shouldering much of her father’s caretaking of the village in the years since her mother died, and everyone else’s need for her has become her life. To the point that she’s planning to marry a clergyman herself, believing that it’s her best chance of recreating the happy family that raised her before her mother’s death.

Violet just needs to grow up – and for that to happen she needs to break out of a role that is designed to keep her childlike and uneducation. Conscription into war work forced Violet to see herself and the world around her with her own eyes, and it’s the making of her.

But it’s Grace’s transformation from colorless drudge to fashion design apprentice that gives the story its heart and its heartbreak. Her involvement with Cressida begins with her engagement, and her desire to wear her mother’s rather moth-eaten wedding gown on her own ‘special’ day.

It’s not just a wish out of love and nostalgia, it’s a necessity. Under wartime clothing rationing, there is no material available for new wedding dresses. There’s little available for repairing old ones, either. But with Cressida’s vast design experience and Grace’s eye for the best ways of ‘making mend and making do’ there’s a chance to make it happen.

Even though the process of design and exploration finally makes Grace wake up and realize that it shouldn’t happen for her – or at least it shouldn’t happen for her with the man she’s currently engaged to marry.

Whether Grace gets to wear the dress herself or not, out of her mother’s old dress both a new dress and a grand idea, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle of the title, are born. The dress that Violet’s mother gave to Grace’s mother eventually becomes THE dress for many young women of Aldhurst and beyond, in an act of sisterhood that is carried not just around the country, but all the way back home to where it began.

The dress is beautiful on every woman who wears it. And the story of how it came to be is every single bit as lovely.

This book is so good! It is full of heart, moving, emotional, powerful, heartbreaking, hopeful, and so much more. Whenever I picked up "The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle", I was whisked back in time, and went on such an emotional journey with this novel.

This is the first book I have read by Jennifer Ryan, and it certainly will not be my last. Ms. Ryan's writing is detailed, visceral, vivid, and her passion for writing is so incredibly clear. I can only imagine the amount of research Ms. Ryan must have done for this book, as I often felt so immersed in the stories being told that I forgot I was reading, and it seemed like I was right there with the characters. History truly jumps off of the page, and I was pulled in from the first page to the last.

This book surrounds three women during World War II: Grace, a young vicar's daughter, Cressida, a famous fashion designer, and Violet, a young woman from an aristocratic family (and she is also Cressida's niece). Though the three women seem different, they are alike in many ways, and are brought together through the village sewing circle. I do not want to say too much about the plot due to spoilers, but, I will say, this book is a MUST-READ! What the sewing circle does with creating wedding dresses that can be worn by many women is absolutely beautiful, and this story truly has so much in it: strong friendships, growth, love, and so, so much heart.

I highly recommend this book if you like historical fiction. I look forward to reading what Ms. Ryan writes next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I LOVED this book. I love how Jennifer Ryan can take little known stories from history and create such a wonderful emotional heartfelt novel. I loved the characters and how the book ended. I can’t wait to read her next one! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title. It was a most charming read.
Historical Fiction author Jennifer Ryan takes us back to when clothes rationing occurred during WWII ---who remembers when Queen Elizabeth purchased the material for her wedding dress with ration coupons--many young brides weren't near as lucky as the Queen and had to make due.

We meet three amazing young women in this novel who made a real difference in World War II. Each woman has her own set of obstacles and setbacks, but together and in a sewing circle they create---they begin to offer wedding gowns to young brides who are not as fortunate as Queen Elizabeth.

I would also recommend the historical fiction tale of Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress-The Gown by Jennifer Robson.

I thought this story was really sweet and well written! The author clearly did her research and the story was touching.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a fabulous, heartwarming book set in WWII England. The accounts of the war and what everyone needed to do to survive and support the forces was extremely poignant and detailed - this kind of historical fiction helps other generations gain a deeper understanding of the hardships endured in a way that history books and history class never could.
The story follows Cressida from a fabulous life as an independent fashion designer in the city to the countryside after a terrible bombing by the Axis that destroyed her residence and her workshop. She reluctantly returns to her family home and encounters old issues, troubles and loves.
Excellent book that is engrossing, entertaining and educational.

Really good book. The plot was well-written and engrossing. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A renowned fashion designer returns to the family manor house she fled decades ago with nothing but the clothes she stands in. A spoiled rich girl in search of a suitably aristocratic husband is conscripted into war work. The local vicar's daughter tries in vain to repair her mother's gown, her only chance of a white wedding. Three different women, three love stories, and a village group rising to the challenge of making brides’ dreams come true.

This was my first book by this author, and I enjoyed it immensely! The story has some surprises, but even though I guessed at the outcome for each of our three main leads, each of their journeys was interesting. It did take some time to warm up to the spoiled rich girl, but I did like her development as a character.

The entire cast of characters were enjoyable, and I found the details of the time more interesting than I expected. I especially liked where the fictional story intersected with historical fact. It was well written and well researched.

Readers who enjoy World War II fiction will definitely enjoy this one.

LOVED this!!! Jennifer Ryan has skyrocketed up to one of my favorite authors despite me not being madly in love with WWII historical fiction like so many are. She is my favorite author to anticipate and I find myself so impatient for her new releases. This is partly because she is a great storyteller, centering women in a part of history that feels very dominated by the bravery of our male service members. I also adore her work because it is somehow lighthearted and fun, with quirky characters and charming settings.

This book felt most like Ryan's The Kitchen Front which is my favorite of hers to date. The group of ladies in the story aren't rationing food-they're rationing clothing and fabric!! I honestly had never given any thought to rationing fabric before reading this book, but what a tough thing that must have been. And so interesting! The women in the Sewing Circle come together in friendship so beautifully, with a common purpose, and the villagers are just lovely. Yes, there is war going on in the background, but it never overtakes the story. This book warmed my heart, just like all of Ms. Ryan's others have.