Wartime brings communities together in ways that would normally shock the patriarchs and matriarchs of society. One’s reliance on routine and dependence on social norms quickly shatter when armies congregate in masses: this fact is especially true for the women of 1940’s English communities.

Ryan superbly writes about these exact issues in The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle and how unprecedented times change the lives of three specific women from varying walks of life.

While the sewing circle is the one element that ties the trio of extraordinary women together, the reader sees each character struggle with class systems tearing apart to make way for new war time norms.

In my opinion, Cressida, steals the show. As a highly recognized fashion designer, Cressida finds herself in need of a new place to call home after the Blitz. While I greatly enjoyed the other two characters storylines, Cressida was the highlight of the book. Knowing that a woman in her 40’s with a prominent role in society can start her life over truly gives the book a standout plot. She is fierce, ahead of her time and doesn’t allow the world to tell her no. At the same time, she swallows her pride when certain activities (like knitting and appearing at community functions) are seemingly beneath her. This storyline in and of itself separates the novel as a whole from the many WWII novels written in the last few years.

Each character changes and steps into her own as the novel progresses. It’s a story of change, of friendship, of love and taking hold of life.

While the book is called The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, there was one too many weddings for my taste. The overarching theme of finding love in unexpected places is well penned, but I don’t think each love story needs to detail the nuptials in order to prove the point.

Overall, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a heartfelt read, full of robust female characters and just enough drama for a small English town to handle. Readers who enjoyed the Last Garden In England and The Rose Code will find this to be the perfect summer read.

a story of 3 women during the war in Britian, really enjoyed this story, it was especially interesting about the wedding dresses.

This was a sweet, cozy, and quick read book.

Pros: The characters are well fleshed out and endearing. Focuses on a different element of life during WWII for women in England that is commonly portrayed.

Cons: The story drags a bit, despite being a quick read. The story is extremely predictable. The amount of set up was a bit frustrating (but this could be a pro if you aren't too familiar with the time period).

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC!
Expected Publication: May 31st, 2022

England 1942 Amid clothes rationing, Grace Carlisle is about to get married and hopes that her mother’s moth-eaten wedding gown can be salvaged for Grace’s big day. She’s a natural helper, aiding the parish since her vicar father has never recovered from his wife’s death and suffers from shell shock from the first war. She’s eager to marry a dull deacon so she can continue to be useful and to recreate the family she had when she was young. Grace reluctantly takes the gown to the village sewing circle for help.

Solitary Cressida Wescott, renowned evening gown designer, has to turn to her niece and nephew in Kent after the Blitz took both her home and her livelihood. She’s estranged from her family, obsessed with work and prestige, and revolts at the idea of living in the country.

Violet Wescott is a shallow clothes horse whose greatest concern is how to attract a man in a dowdy military uniform. Make do and mend is getting in the way of attracting a wealthy peer who can afford her. If only so many weren’t inconveniently dying in Europe.

Her brother Hugh Wescott has inherited the estate but has abandoned it for his work in London at the war office. He certainly has no interest in introducing his sister so she can make connections or helping her dodge her conscription. He’ll eventually marry a woman he doesn’t like and take care of the manor with her fortune because “he’s supposed to”.

The story assumes the reader knows little about wartime England, who Hartnell was, that clothes were rationed, that women moved planes, etc so I was a little bored with some of the setup. Other readers might think it atmospheric and helpful. It was typically shown and not told, which I like; I just didn’t need it.

The women’s interconnected histories slowly unfold as Grace’s wedding approaches. All three women have their own arc. I found Violet’s attitude a little extreme, but the other two were more relatable. Grace’s fiancé was a caricature, like St. John Rivers, as were a few other secondary characters. Since there were three main characters, some of the internal reflections and growth felt a little rushed.

The themes of changing fashion and changing attitudes comes through strong. All three women have to reevaluate who they are and what they want, and their relationship to clothes during the war is a metaphor for that. This one is predictable but still manages to be charming.
3.5 stars

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a cozy historical fiction novel centered around three women in a small village in Great Britain during WWII, with the focus being primarily the rationing and shortage of clothing at the time, which forced women to be creative in their use of materials.

Grace, Cressida, and Violet are our three narrators, but we are introduced to a cast of characters from their various perspectives. Grace is a vicar's daughter, Cressida is a London based fashion designer, and Violet is the wealthy and spoiled daughter of the estate holder in the village, she is also Cressida's niece. All three women have their own unique voice and perspective on the events of the war and life in the village. They all develop nicely and grow as individuals over the events of the book, and each has her own romance as part of the plot.

This is, as I said, a fairly cozy novel, in that while at various points the women are in danger, there is no significant loss or tragedy during the events of the book. That said, I found this new perspective on WWII fascinating, as I have always been very keen on ladies fashion in the '40s. I loved the little hints on how fashion rules and guidelines changed due to necessity but never went back, such as corsets being replaced by brassieres.

I would recommend this to other lovers of historical fiction and vintage fashion.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the electronic ARC copy of this novel for review.

When Great Britain gave coupons for clothes, the women had to "mend and make do," even for their weddings. Grace, the vicar's daughter in Aldhurst was getting married and wanted to wear her mother's wedding dress, but it was in bad shape after being stored in the attic for so long. She planned to take it to the Sewing Circle in her village to see if they could repair it.

Cressida Westcott was a fashion designer in London who refused to evacuate until both her home and her business were bombed. She was forced to move back in with a nephew and niece, from Aldhurst, she had not seen in years. She went to the sewing circle to have something to do.

Violet was Cressida's niece who was concerned only with finding a man with a title to marry. She thought herself a pretty, privileged, princess who was head of the Aldhurst sewing circle in name only. Cressida's arrival changed everything for Grace, Violet, herself, and the women of the sewing circle. They started a wedding dress swap so women could have a white dress inspire of clothes rationing.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan is a different look at WWII. It shows how women made do with what they had and worked to share with others. Women grew to be more independent in one way, and yet depended on one another for strength to get through the war. I don't often give five stars to books, but this one deserved it. I was allowed to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

Jennifer Ryan does it again! I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful novel and the characters. Every book that Ryan writes focuses on lesser written details of the war. This one focused on the clothing rations and how the women in the community came together to restore wedding dresses and loan them to those in need. I love the historical facts included, and her characters are, as always, so likeable. I highly recommend this. I have not read a Jennifer Ryan book that I haven't loved! Her writing always keeps me interested, and I look forward to reading more of her writing. 5 stars! A big thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC.

World War II was difficult for the women left at home because they faced the daily threat of airplanes dropping bombs on their cities and trying to live frugally with ration coupons. But the most devastating situation was not to be able to marry in a white gown. In the small village of Aldhurst, a group of women form a sewing circle to try to remake wedding dresses from gowns donated or from spare pieces of fabric. When renowned designed Cressida Westcott is bombed out of her London home, she returns to Aldhurst and suddenly the wedding gown remake circle is expanding when the demand for gowns booms and donations pile in. This sweet, charming book will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart and a much better appreciation for the simpler things in life.

I have read three of Jennifer Ryan's last four novels and this has been my favorite. It is such an old-fashioned, clean, love-story that reduced me to tears at the end, but that was also intelligent and humorous. Three women are the protagonists of this story: Cressida, a famous dress designer; Grace, a widowed vicar's only child; and Violet, a privileged young lady who is 'of the manor born.' War brings the three of them together in the village of Aldhurst in Kent. Grace is engaged to be married, but because clothing is so strictly rationed during WWII, a new wedding dress is simply out of the question. Grace finds her mother's wedding dress in the attic and although it is exquisite, it has also been victimized by moths. She takes the dress to the weekly sewing circle to see if anyone there can come up with ideas for repair. Luckily for her, Violet shows up with her newly arrived Aunt Cressida and a plan is formed. From this beginning, new friendships arise and old notions of what these three ladies lives should look like are put into question. The legacy of the wedding dress also bonds two families and I just found this whole novel to be a lovely story; very satisfying and perfect for the easing away the winter doldrums. I was offered an ARC e-book of this novel from Netgalley and enthusiastically recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. During a blitz, Cressida loses both her home and her fashion design studio. The only place for her to go is to family that doesn't even know her. Her brother disowned her when she chose to move to London and make it on her own. Her niece and nephew only know her by name. When she moves to the estate for a place to get back on her feet, the friends she makes in the small town helps her heal. As a fashion designer she beings to help brides to be design wedding dress out of what they have on hand. The wedding dress circle then loans them out to brides so they will have something to wear on their wedding besides a uniform. This is a sweet concept but I feel the story drug a bit and it was wrapped into too neat of a bow. #TheWeddingDressSewingCircle #JenniferRyan

This book was fabulous! A beautifully written historical romance set in England during WWII.
A group of women form a sewing circle to recycle clothing due to rationing. Once Grace decides to marry, she brings her mother's aged wedding dress to the sewing circle and they are able to salvage it and hence the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle begins. A famous fashion designed also moves back to town and joins the group. Its just a lovely story of three woman and their paths intertwine during this tumultuous time,

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a heartwarming novel about 3 women who gather together in a village outside of London. With clothing being rationed, not only do they help each other, but help a young bride-to-be alter her mother's wedding gown. The novel is full of grit, determination, strength, and love, sprinkled generously with a fashion theme. This book set during WWII was quite different from the usual HF novels set in that time period. Loved it and would highly recommend it. In fact, I also belong to a Facebook page called Historical Fiction Book Lovers where I posted info about the story. Happy to say I received quite a few comments and "likes" indicating the interest to The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer Ryan is carving a niche out for herself in writing about the British Home Front in WWII with very appealing novels. Her latest, The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, has some similarities with The Kitchen Front as it is set in a small village in southern England and the women who are her main characters end up growing throughout the book. Apparently, contests were very popular at that time and once again there is one in this book (sewing vs. cooking) although the contest in this book is not part of the main plot.
It is 1942 and dress designer Cressida Westcott is continuing to do well with her couture business in London, at least until the night that she and her design house are bombed out. A self-made woman who became that after losing her fiancée in WWI and leaving her upper class but loveless home, Cressida is left with nothing and ends up going back to Aldhurst where she thought she would never go again. Her brother who she despised has died so she is asking for shelter from her nephew and niece Hugh and Violet Westcott who are much more welcoming than her brother ever was. In WWII, people got married quickly and another resident of Aldhurst, Grace Carlisle, the Vicar's daughter is engaged and soon to be married. All brides at that time were faced with the fact that the wedding gowns of their dreams were not available but luckily the Vicar has found the dress that her deceased mother had worn. It is beautiful but it does need some major repairs.
Thus, the plot of the book is revealed as Grace reaches out to her local sewing circle for help and this group is immensely helped when Cressida comes and joins it. The beginning of this book was perhaps a little slow but once you get past some of the characters' flaws and they begin to grow, it is as appealing as all of Jennifer Ryan's books.

I want to thank Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan. She previously wrote The Chillbury Ladies Choir.
“It’s hard to forget something that’s been drilled into you all your life. It takes a great deal of bravery to defy the label people try to give you, forge ahead on a different path, become something new.”
War certainly changes things. The chapters are headed by Cressida, a couturier from a noble background, Violet, her niece, who’s looking for a wealthy titled husband, and Grace, a sweet daughter of the local vicar. WW11 is going strong in England. Bombs are falling, the men have gone to fight, food and fabrics etc are rationed. Women from different social and economic groups join together. Repairing a moth eaten wedding dress with pieces of curtains and stolen silk from a parachute seem insurmountable.
Such a heartwarming book! Wonderful characters! I was sad when it ended.
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle publishes May 31, 2022.
Maybe there will be a sequel after the war ends!

Jennifer Ryan, author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Kitchen Front has opened a window into the WWII English countryside to give us another charming tale. The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle introduces Grace, Cressida, and Violet, whose lives merge at Aldhurst Village in 1942 as Grace prepares for her wedding to a vicar. The strict limitations of clothes rationing were creating difficulty for young war brides who could no longer purchase new white wedding dresses, or even find fabric to create their own. Cressida Westcott, a London fashion designer who has just lost her business and her home in the fiery bombing raids on London, has reluctantly returned to the village of her childhood and is invited to the local sewing circle by her young niece, Violet Westcott. When Cressida volunteers to help Grace alter and repair her mother's wedding gown, a true friendship begins to grow that helps each of the women find their place in a changing world. Along the way, a wedding dress exchange and sharing program is born and love blooms in Aldhurst.

Jennifer Ryan is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books are full of positive relationships, female friendships, historical accuracy, harrowing situations, and gentle humor. I adore her work!

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is an incredibly enlightening and romantic historical fiction novel starring three unlikely friends Grace, Cressida, and Violet, opposites in so many paths in life but the most charming of book characters for this novel. The community in Britisn during World War Two teams up to survive all the rationing coupons especially the clothing shortage. With the help of the Sewing Circle clothing is revamped and repurposed for community necessities--one being wedding dresses. This book educates us to the lives of those during those dismal years in the most delightful way. I loved Jennifer Ryan's offering.

I want to thank Random House, Morgan Holt and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to review this book as an ARC. Historical Fiction is my favorite Genre these days. I must admit, I had recently told my husband that I had read way too many books recently where a plucky young heroine single handedly defeats the Nazis. ( I only exaggerate a little).Then I see the blurb for this book-"Three plucky women lift the spirits of home front brides in wartime Britain"- and I was hooked. They had me at plucky.This is a lovely, delightful book. It follows 3 women in a small village outside London.There is Cressida, who lost her fiancee in WWI, and became a fashion designer in London. Cressida left her manor home in her small town , and never planned to look back, until she lost her London home and design studio during the bombings. Violet is Cressida's niece and is the daughter of the late Lord of the Manor. She was raised to marry wealth, and is devastated when she is conscripted to work as a driver for American Military personnel. Grace is the Vicar's daughter . Her mother died 10 years ago and she has been helping her father tend to the needs of the parish. She is engaged to Lawrence, also a vicar. Lawrence is a good man, but there is no passion or spark in the relationship. Grace once had feelings for Hugh, Violet's brother and new Lord of the Manor, however Hugh is promised to Astrid, whose family is wealthy. As Grace plans her wedding to Lawrence, she finds her mother's wedding dress. She wants a white wedding dress but fabric and clothes are being rationed. She will need to use her mother's dress , which is in poor condition. Grace is joined by the ladies of the town sewing circle, who initially meet to help mend and re use old clothes to help the townspeople. The ladies join together , along with Cressida and Violet, to help Grace with the gown. The story goes between the 3 main protagonists, as they spend several months together. The book is focused on the women in England during the war, and how they had to change and grow to help the country, each other and most importantly themselves.All of the characters are well written and the background is well researched. I really enjoyed this book.

A well-known London designer, her spoiled niece and the local vicar's daughter make up the main characters for this story set in the midst of WWII. Clothing rations were impacting weddings and this little village decided to do something about - they started making over old wedding dresses to loan to new brides to wear. It's an interesting story - including some romance. It's a little predictable, but its a sweet story - and the sewing circle ladies are all so interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

This was a quick read that I really enjoyed. Cressida Westcott, a high end fashion designer, loses her house and everything she owns in the London Blitz. After realizing that she has nowhere to go, she returns to the manor where she grew up. Her niece and nephew take Cressida in and let her stay with them. She decides to visit a local Sewing Circle meeting and ends up making friends for life. Cressida ends up mentoring these ladies and shows them all how to sew. This group of ladies ends up mending old wedding dresses for new brides to be. This was cheerful book that made me want to continue reading. Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.