I received this audio arc from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

This was an okay listen. I felt the characters were very one dimensional and surface level. I’m sure it’s hard to write a book revolving around social media and make the characters have depth. I wasn’t really rooting for the characters to get together because they never felt fleshed out enough to want that.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I've never wanted to go to California more than I want to at this moment. The way that this book really brought you into the story and made you part of Peacock Bay was magical to say the least. I loved the aspects of surfing and the way that Millie really connects with it. It was so evident that it was helping her grow and heal, and that was really fun to watch happen for her.

The women in this book were incredibly annoying, but I think that was intentional. I did like the growth that happened for Millie and the way she learned to love herself, but the other women didn't cut it for me.

I loved the neurodivergence in this book though! Millie navigating her life with ADHD was amazing, and she was super inspirational, just like she is online. I also loved the autism representation and adored the way that they were all learning acceptance and ways to advocate for those with additional/different needs in their lives. If you're looking for diversity, this is the place to go!

If you're a romcom lover missing the days of the sisterhood of the traveling pants, this is definitely the book for you!

I requested and was chosen to listen to the ARC audiobook version. I don’t like giving bad reviews. I always feel bad, but this wasn’t my cup of tea and I want to be honest. Some may say it’s me and not the book. I am okay with that.
The description of the book says Millie has ADHD and all of these issues with feeling like a failure. This is what intrigued me. I was excited to see a diverse character deal with struggles while having a mental illness.
The author barely scratched the surface on what an ADHD person truly battles with. I’m lost as to why it is mentioned in the book at all. I know this isn’t a self-help book, but ADHD was highlighted. I am sad that ADHD was only mentioned when it was convenient for the character. It was used as an excuse for when she messed up or hurt someone’s feelings.
I’m also lost with the “dress” concept in this book. The author tried to keep it going but it didn’t mesh well at all. I did enjoy Millie’s friends. I did enjoy Pete. I did enjoy the town. I would love to live in a location like that. Sadly this one didn’t hit the mark for me.

This story had such a strong start- the lucky dress, the friends, the chemistry and pining between Millie & Pete… but unfortunately, once social media moved front and center in the story, I struggled. Everyone was putting their hopes and livelihoods at the feet of influencers, and it was not my favorite.

Definitely an interesting concept given our culture’s obsession with social media, but it took me out of the story a bit.

There was a sweet ending for Pete & Millie.

Here is the spoiler bit: Alana was horrid! I wanted to remove her from the book. I wish there was a scene that took her down a peg. Everyone let her be queen of the town and I couldn’t stand her.

Four Ways to Wear a Dress by Gillian Libby and narrated by Erika Schindele is a fabulous rom com audiobook. Overall, I thought this book was well done, with an interesting cast of characters and important messages about being different and about the role of social media in our lives. However, I think the excessive cussing and sex scenes really distracted from what would have been a strong, compelling story. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This is filling my 36 year old Sisterhood of the Traveling pants needs!! What a fun debut by Gillian Libby. I went into this one a bit blind and loved all the tropes, dating best friends brother, fake dating, dating for convenience. The setting I think was my favorite part. A small coastal California town full of influencers. I was here for it and wanted to visit. Millie is the main character who I felt relatable, she battled wanting to use her platform to gain followers but to also use it in a powerful way! I loved that she wanted to shed light on woman in the surf industry and really all she stood for! I’m excited to see what Gillian had up her sleeve next.

This book hit all the right cliches and honestly I loved it. I don’t typically enjoy books with spicy scenes but these were so good. It reminded me of an early 2000’s romcom, which might be why I enjoyed it so much. 4.5/5 stars

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: When Millie Ward is laid off from her job in marketing, she’s desperate to escape the big city — and her parents’ disapproval. The chance to visit her old friend Quincy, and Quincy’s brother Pete, in California is too good to pass up.

Peacock Bay is filled with Instagram influencers depicting the surf/beach lifestyle, and Millie quickly finds her place among them. When Pete agrees to pose as her Instagram husband to their mutual benefit, things seem to be going exceptionally well…until they’re not.

My Thoughts: Overall, a cute story! Definitely made me want to visit a small beachside town. I felt for Millie and her struggles. The one aspect I found frustrating was how naive/oblivious/insecure Millie was when it came to Pete. It was so obvious how they both felt, but she continued to deny it to herself. After awhile, it felt like she was just being totally obtuse. Still, I enjoyed the story and the audiobook version was lovely! Quick and fun read!

🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

WOW I did not expect to absolutely fall in love with this audio book when I got an ARK from Net Galley! I started listening this morning at work and listened all day until 10 pm.

Millie is a 20 something year old who recently got fired from her Marketing job in NY. I felt like I could really relate to the character; she’s from Nantucket- I’m from Cape Cod, Im a Social Media Manager, and I also have ADHD which is something the main character talks about- a lot. Overall the romance was way better than I could have imagined and it was the perfect balance of steam and plot. I found myself smiling pretty much throughout the entire audio book, the narration is witty and I found myself laughing at a lot of the dialog. This is a must read.

Yes, finally I found a contemporary audio I could give 5 stars! Millie was laid off from her marketing job in NYC and when left with no job prospects she decides to pack up and go to California to visit her college roommate, Quincy. The deciding factor was Quincy's brother Pete added in on the chat that she needed to come so she took that as a sign that she had to. While packing up her belongings she and her friends find "the dress" from college and a la tales of the traveling pants, this dress goes a long way to getting her what she wants. Not only does she wear this on her plane trip and Pete just happens to pick her up at the airport but she wears this dress when she on her "date" with him. This one was part fun, part sweet, part snark, part eye roll, and all feels. Definitely a summer hit! I recommend this one.

When Millie is let go from her marketing job, she absolutely can't go back to live with her parents - especially with how they always blame her ADHD for the speed bumps in her life. So when an invitation to visit her best friend(and lifestyle influencer), Quincy, in California arises, she's swapping her New York life for a surfboard, the beaches and social media gurus of Peacock Bay. Her roommates insist she bring the lucky little black dress they all shared in college, but it's luck may have run out - between her failures to get back to surfing, and the accidental fake relationship with Quincy's brother that sparks up interest for his hotel and the local scene, she's not sure she can handle any more "luck".

I thought this was really cute! As an ADHD book influencer who shares a decent amount of her life online, I felt a kinship to Millie, especially in her posting philosophy(sharing the imperfect moments alongside the highlights). Explicitly stated representation for ADHD is so important, and you can see her ADHD through her character, even when it is not explicit.

It was an interesting look at what blogging and being a lifestyle influencer can be, especially when the pressure is on. The amount of pressure that is put on each of the influencers to portray their perfect lives is astronomical, both from a numbers standpoint, and the leadership of Alana for the group in Peacock Bay. Alana was A LOT, but when you need to keep up appearances of having an easy and perfect life, it wears on the soul and affects how you act. This is their job, so the stakes are higher, and this takes place after the pandemic when lots of tourist spots had been hit so hard.

Overall, I enjoyed myself, and hope there will be more neurodivergent leads in romance novels for years to come!

Thank you Gillian and NetGalley for the advanced audio copy of this!!

Omg, this sucked me in from the very beginning. It was entertaining and tugged on every heart string that I have. I LOVE the best friends brother trope and this didn't disappoint.

I listened to the audio book and really liked the narrator . IT is very very refreshing to see someone own her insecurities with her mental health. I do kind of get sisterhood of the traveling pants vibe .. Overall I think it is a great debut novel and cant wait to see what this MD comes out with in the future.

Wow! I didn’t go into this book thinking I wouldn’t like it but I definitely wasn’t expecting to be absolutely SWOONING! This was just such a cute story!

I absolutely loved Millie. She was quirky and adorable and a solid rep for mental disorder with her ADHD. Following along with her as she tried to get her life back in order was so enjoyable. I also loved the “sisterhood of the traveling pants”-esque plot line with the little black dress. That was SO fun! Not to mention I also loved all the surfing in the book. I don’t know much about surfing but this book made me really want to hit a beach and try it out. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE! I can’t forget the romance! Phew - it was a real treat. Pete was a SOLID book boyfriend, even they were fake dating. 😋

I truly can’t say enough good things about this book. I am so happy I requested this through Netgalley on a total whim. Big thanks to them and Dreamscape Media for the ALC. Four Ways to Wear a Dress drops June 7!

I listened to the audiobook, which was really fun! I loved the discussions of mental health and neurodiversity, and one of Millie’s moments of doubt was written so well I nearly cried. Millie and Pete’s relationship is great, and I love fake dating stories. My fellow rom-com fans should check this out!

What a wonderfully fun debut novel. Millie has her issues and has always felt less than as a result of them, though she absolutely wasn’t less and it was a little heartbreaking that she did feel that way. Her parents and brother did zero to help her feel like she mattered and was a relevant part of the family. With her parents being so “helicopter’s” it was no surprise that she didn’t want to go back to their home, live above the garage and “help out” in their business. When she lost her job, a bit of her fault but only to find out that her significantly less qualified male counterpart got her job she boogied to the other side of the country to get away from it all and spend some time with friends. She left behind her east coast BFF’s for an adventure. She discovered that no matter where you live there are bullies, mean girls exist at every age, reality isn’t reality and that when you let go of everyone else’s expectations you can finally stop the noise and listen to your own heart and head to be who you are and finally learn to love yourself.

I loved this story! It was refreshing to see a neurodiverse character openly face the challenges she has. I would love to visit Peacock Bay. Millie is delightful, I loved the dress angle, and what a great group of friends. A timely read for any summer T-B-R list!

This was a cute romance novel with a bit of grumpy vs sunshine energy, though it was more original, since those roles changed at times.

Millie just lost her job at the sustainable toy company Butterfly Bridge. They’ve axed the hardworking marketing team. She’s at a crossroads. She doesn’t want to disappoint her parents or have them think her ADHD is making her not be able to be independent, lest they pressure her to do real estate back in Nantucket.

Her best friend Quincy, an influencer, lives in California and Millie has an open invitation to stay at Quincy’s family’s hotel. Maybe this is the right time to take them up on their generosity? It would be nice to reconnect with her best friend.

Oh by the way, Quincy’s brother Pete is Millie’s longtime crush so she’s excited to see him too since he doesn’t have a social media presence. She decides she will go and document the experience online.

Her NYC besties are helping her pack and as a box almost gets thrown away, they discover their lucky little black dress. They’ve shared it over the years and worn it on dates and interviews. They suggest Millie take it for luck and post online mostly wearing it.

The dress starts putting in work immediately when Pete picks her up at the airport and takes her to a lovely secret cove where he surfs.

Millie immediately starts to fit in with the Peacock Bay crowd. It seems like they need a marketing expert after the pandemic ravaged small businesses and the town’s entrepreneurial spirit.

She finds she has a lot to add and give to the community but Alana, a bigger influencer in town, seems to bully people to bend to her will. She thinks a fake marriage between Millie and Pete will help town revenue. I think Pete mostly needs someone to assure him he doesn’t need to blow out payroll in an overheated economy but who am I to judge?!

With things getting more complicated and feelings getting involved, will Millie make the right choices and find a home there or will she be running back to the concrete jungle? Can she find happiness for herself, no matter how it looks to her parents?

This was a lot of fun. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen and review.

As the warm spring weather is slowing giving way to hints of summer, this book was just the thing to put me in the summer spirit with all of the beachy places and events throughout the book. I enjoyed the ADHD representation in this story as well as getting to see what that looks like for an adult in the working world. My heart went out to her when her parents wouldn’t take her seriously or diminished her goals. I appreciated the strong female friendships in this story and the romance with her college crush (and bff’s brother). While the heroine seemed a bit on the immature and selfish side to me, I did appreciate the growth and mature insight she gains throughout the book.

Read this if you love:
💛 Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (but make it a dress!)
💛 ADHD representation
💛 positive female friendships
💛 best friend’s brother love interest
💛 small town
💛 beach vibes
💛 surfing scenes

The narrator of this audiobook did a fantastic job on this audio recording. Many thanks to netgalley, Sourcebooks and Dreamscape audio for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Content: loss of employment, starting over, some emotional neglect from parents, multiple open door scenes

Four Ways To Wear A Dress
By Gillian Libby
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A touching 5 star summer debut novel by @gillian_libby. Thank you @netgalley for this gifted Audio Arc…a steamy, heart warming beach read!!

After getting fired from her marketing position, Millie accepts an invite to visit her influencer friend Quincy and hot brother Pete in California at the family surf hotel.

She takes the lucky college LBD dress she shared with her best friends. Memories of the confidence the dress created makes Millie face her fears of the future, she’s tired of blaming her ADHD and falling into expectations of a conventional lifestyle.

Peacock Bay is perfect…a seaside lifestyle depicted by many local influencers on social media. Then Millie gets caught up in an accidentally social media post and must convince Pete to be her pretend husband that will help her social media influence activity and increase tourism at the family hotel.