The Dress Shop on King Street

This book is absolutely heart breaking and amazing. With the references to Jane Austin and Gilmore Girls, it stole my heart right from the first chapter. I need to read the rest of these once they are out! The two main characters, Millie and Harper will feel like family when you're done

The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark is a great historical fiction novel that is the first in a series titled: Heirloom Secrets. It is a wonderful dual timeline story that weaves together the separate stories of two women: Harper and Millie and weaves those heartfelt stories together seamlessly to create a memorable story full of love, loss, heartbreak, lost chances, new beginnings, second chances, overcoming obstacles and hurdles, and finding hope and faith against it all.

There were wonderful secrets and mysteries sprinkled throughout the storylines that added a wonderful touch and complexity to a great, memorable story that will stick with me for a long time. This is the first book that I have read from this author, and if the future works from her are anything as excellent as this story, we are in for a real treat.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

The Dress Shop on King Street is the first book in author Ashley Clark’s Heirloom Secrets series. This time slip novel is filled with deep emotion, heartbreaking moments, and hope for the future. Ashley Clark intricately weaves the past and present together in this compelling tale of following our dreams, while incorporating beautiful messages of God’s faithfulness and purpose in our lives.

The Dress Shop on King Street focuses on the present-day storyline and the historical storyline beginning in 1946. However, the brief glimpse back to 1860 in Charleston completely broke my heart, with the anguish that Rose, a young slave and mother, experienced. In 1946, dark moments in the past led to the difficult decision of hiding part of her heritage as Millie Middleton struggled with the implications of her racial identity in Charleston. Both storylines were well written, but the historical storyline definitely captured my interest. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

The Dress Shop on King Street is recommended for readers of romantic women’s fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

I have read many nice little clean romance stories and that was what I expected this book to be--a sweet Christian romance set in the magical towns of Charleston, SC and Fairhope, AL-- but it was way more; it was literature. It is the story of several generations of bi-racial women in the Deep South. There were many heart-breaking moments especially at the beginning of the book but, as I continued to read, themes of hope and redemption broke through. The only thing I would change about the book is that I would like more at the end of the book--more of the "happy" and more of the love between two of the main characters. Perhaps we will see those things in the sequel that is hinted at in the notes at the end of the book. I loved The Dress Shop on King Street and can't wait to gift copies to my daughter and sister. Highly recommend!

From beginning to end this book is a page-turner, and you will not be disappointed.
Millie is a spunky young woman when this story begins and we follow her into her 90's, and what a life she has had. Not many could have withstood the heart aches, but she has hung in there, and we journey with her in deep south Alabama. Hate and prejudice abounds here, but how she deals with it, such grace and a few chuckles.
Millie's heart desire is to open a dress shop and she has a kindred spirit in Harper, a young woman she has know from Harper's childhood on.
There are surprises here, and how the facts unfold, we don't get to see the justice that should have happened, but we get to know Millie.
This is an eye opening, heart wrenching read, that you don't want to miss.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.

This book is incredible. It very delicately touches on racial issues and decisions you could not possibly imagine having to make. At the very beginning I was a little lost with the introduction of characters, but after the third chapter when all the main characters in the family line were introduced, it was much easier to keep them all straight. The author effortlessly takes the story line between two time periods, only to weave an incredibly beautiful story of hope and ultimately redemption. There are a lot of deep emotions in this book, heartache, loss, but also an amazing hope. The way the author weaves Harper and Millie's stories together will keep you turning the pages until the very end. I found myself reading slower toward the end because I did not want this book to end. This did not feel like a fiction book, but more of a true story. It will make you feel all kinds of things. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a very well-written, engaging fiction. I think whether you are a historical fiction fan or not that you will enjoy this story. This is one that I will remember for a long time. Thank you to Bethany House Publishing and Net Galley for making it possible to read this book. All opinions are entirely my own.

A vintage gown, two antique buttons, and an embroidered flour sack are the only clues to a mystery involving a biracial slave girl sold away from her mother at the age of 9, a young woman in the post-WWII South trying to pass as white, and a present-day college student trying to make it as a fashion designer. Two sweet love stories and heartbreaking family secrets make this a tough book to put down. (Netgalley review)

What a beautifully written, sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes heartwarming story beginning in Charleston, SC in 1860 when Rose prepares to send her 9 year old daughter, Ashley, to be sold as a slave. She sends a bag with her which contains some pecans, a cut off braid of her hair and 2 matching butterfly buttons. The story fast forwards to downtown Charleston 1946 where Millicent "Millie" Middleton whose mother is Black and her father is Italian realizes that she can pass for white. Millie's father is killed because he married a Black woman and her mother encourages her to leave Charleston and head to Alabama where maybe she can fulfill her dreams of having a dressmaking shop if she passes for white. Millie is torn with this idea as she is very proud of her Black heritage. When Millie is on the train, she sees a young man hopping the train and he eventually ends up in the train where they meet. The dual timeline begins in Charleston 1946 to Fairhope, Alabama modern day and then as the years pass and secrets are revealed ends up in modern day. I was fascinated with both timelines and all the very interesting characters and their secrets.

Thank you NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for the ARC of this wonderful book that captured my heart in exchange for an honest review. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series by Author Ashley Clark.

Harper Albright wants to be a fashion designer and when her dream seems impossible to achieve she returns home to Alabama. She arrives at Millie’s boarding house a place where she’s always made to feel welcome and she and Millie are kindred spirits. Both Millie and Harper have a shared interest in fashion, sewing and both dream of having their own dress shop. Despite the age difference, they decided to give it a go and plan opening their own shop together.

The Dress Shop on King Street has a dual timeline; it goes between present time and back to 1946 when Millie was a young woman.

In 1946, Millie Middleton made the choice to leave Charleston, her mother and her heritage behind. Her mother encouraged her to leave, racial tension was dangerously high, Millie could pass as white and it was a very difficult decision for her to make. On her way to her new life, she's extremely nervous, she meets a charming man called Franklin Pinckney on the train; she has no idea she has just met her future husband and do you believe in fate?

Set in America’s south the book is full of descriptions of the old buildings, beautiful vintage dresses, fabrics, buttons and sewing notions both women use. All rather fascinating and It’s also about family secrets, heirlooms, friendship, love, loss, choices, guilt and regret. The Dress Shop on King Street is the first book in the Heirloom Secrets Series; I’m so looking forward to reading the second book and five stars from me.

THE DRESS SHOP ON KING STREET is a lovely, heartfelt dual timeline story recommended for fans of historical fiction and women's fiction. I found myself equally captivated by both timelines and I especially enjoyed the author's wholesome - almost old-fashioned - story-telling style. She does a great job at immersing the reader in the setting and scene. Also, the character development is a delight. I will look forward to more from this author.

The Dress Shop on King Street
by Ashley Clark
Bethany House
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 01 Dec 2020 | Archive Date 12 Jan 2021

This is the first in a series and I can't read to read the next one. Ashley Clark has hit it out of the ballpark. Great book! Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for the ARC. I will recommend this book to our readers.

5 star

This is a beautifully written story about Millie, a biracial child growing up in Charleston, South Carolina in the 1940-50s. Her Italian father was murdered because he was the father to this beautiful child. This story went back and forth between those challenging years for people of color to the present time. As Millie grew into a lovely young woman, her mother sent her away where she would have a chance for a better life, and fulfill her dream of opening a dress shop. She sent Millie off on a train with a satchel that was a family heirloom containing 3 handfuls of nuts, a braid cut from the mother's hair, and some very special buttons passed down from generations before.. While on the train, Millie observed from the window, a "train jumper" who ended up on the train when most eyes were looking outside at a disturbance on the other side of the train.. Franklin, the jumper, a handsome young white man, sat right down next to Millie.

Moving on to the present, Harper, having just graduated from a prestigious design school in Savannah, is enthusiastic about finally having her dream come true.since she was a young girl of having her own dress shop. Her dream is quickly shot-down when she turns in her final senior project, a beautiful vintage dress.. The comment that the dress could be found at any Anthropologie store killed her dream and her confidence in herself.

This is Ashley Clark's debut book and what a lovely story it is.. She brings together the different generations and time together beautifully, as well as the past and present relationship of Millie and Harper. Not wanting to give away any spoilers, I'm not going into too much of the story. I do however, highly recommend this heartfelt, beautiful book.

Harper is a little girl when Millie teaches her to sew. Now grown, Harper's dream is to open a dress shop. She doesn't know that Millie has had that same dream her whole life. Mile let go of the dream. She was busy being a wife and raising her daughter. What few people knew was that she actually had twin daughters. Both of the babies are beautiful. The thing is while one is white with light hair, the other is much darker with curly dark hair. Millie is biracial. She has had to hide her black parentage. At that time people who were biracial were killed or beaten. Her mother made her hide that. Now she must again choose between two cultures, both of which she loves. To protect her child she sends her to live with her husband's mother. The other they raise. If questioned the child is to say that she had an Italian grandfather.
This was a horrible time in history. The dress shop was put on hold. The dream was not forgotten.
Great book, enjoyable read!

This is the first book I read by Ashley Clark so I wasn't sure what to expect. What a pleasant surprise!! The book is beautifully written going back and forth telling us Millie's story. I was just as invested in her past as I was in the 'modern time' with Harper and Peter. It was also a breath of fresh air to read a historical fiction book not based around WWII.

Thank you NetGalley, Ashely Clark, and Bethany House Publishers for this ARC.

The Dress Shop on King Street is a heartbreaking yet beautiful story. Racism is the main theme here and I commend Ashley Clark’s bravery in writing such a novel and doing so with such diplomacy. This was a dual time period novel, one beginning in the 1940s and the other in present day. The historic storyline will move you and is a sobering reminder that such events really didn’t happen all that long ago. But this novel will also bring you joy. The contemporary storyline ties in well to the old, however, I did preferred the historic one as it had a lot more depth and felt more realistic. But overall, this was an excellent story, thoughtfully and creatively put together. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it.

This is an interesting portrayal of how a young woman must deal with her biracial background in the 1940’s. It’s a story of a mother’s love and sacrifice for her family. I’m not a seamstress, but I loved how the author wove this art into the story. Every handmade item has a story behind it, and it is up to us to learn that story and cherish it. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Ashley Clark’s books.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I liked the way the author kept switching back and forth from past to present. Strong characters and described the south well during troubling times especially when referring to blacks passing as white.

This is a beautiful story about Millie Middleton, the child of an Italian father African American mother. After her father was killed by racists her mother realizes that Millie could pass for white. Millie is sent away to start a life where no one would know her heritage.
A wonderful story of passion , love and hardship. But so much more!
Will look for more of this authors books. This book does not disappoint!

I requested to read and review this book for free from Baker Publishing Company. This is a powerful story about love, forgiveness, race and hurt, anger, determination. Millie, Rose, Ashley. This story takes place at different times some in present time and other time is 1940s, 1960s, 1980, 2000s. The main setting is the South. It starts a time when slavery was ok and how through the years it was better but not great. Never judge someone by their appearance. What a powerful story about how you have to be strong and fight for what you want. Sometimes the fight has to last for a while but in the end its worth it. This story is for any type of reader.

Wow! What a wonderful story. The Dress Shop on King Street captures the tension of the time period in the 1940s-60s, then slips on to modern day to tell an incredible story of courage, despair, and hope. I absolutely love Millie and Franklin's story as Millie traverses the world of a white person, whose heritage speaks differently. At times Millie's story breaks my heart and makes me angry because of the unfair world she lives in, but she perseveres. Harper's search for the future she dreams of leads Millie and her into Peter's life. The story that tumbles out of the past and crashes into the future is one filled with untold secrets, regrets, and hope, always hope. I also enjoyed the sewing references and the tale of the buttons. I'd love to see Harper's gorgeous creations. Ashley Clark did a beautiful job stitching the eras together and giving Harper a clear understanding of what it takes to follow your dreams. 5+ stars. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Dreams are what keeps us alive and it is the hope of achieving them someday is what makes us keep going. I believe this book gives a very vivid idea of what a dream looks like, and how you'd give away almost all of it just to fulfill the ones of you love. The paths we chose and the decisions we make are meant to take us somewhere, because then we won't be doing what we are doing now and we won't be living the life that we were meant to live.

This book is full of emotions and I'd say it out loud it made me cry. There were tears of happiness, sadness, satisfaction and many other feelings. The author has done a very beautiful work by making the story that could melt the readers heart. I loved the way author took the story forward, as it was an exciting way which kept you wondering what happened next but you'd have to wait to read what did actually happen next. I search for cliffhangers in stories and it makes me fall in love with the story, but this book made me fall in love with it as many times as there are chapters in the book.

Thank you Ashley Clark for such an amazing book. Will surely like to read more of your work. Just keep writing we are here for you.

I LOVED this book. Ashley Clark seamlessly weaves this multigenerational story together in a book that is a joy to read. The characters are rich in depth and detail in a way that the I feel like I know them as real people. Even though the part of history the story is wrapped in is dark and ugly and hard, the story is full of light and redemption. The Dress Shop on King Street is the kind of book I was so immersed in that I was compelled to keep turning pages, at the same time wishing the story would not end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a fascinating book! Author Ashley Clark does a fantastic job of weaving current day with the past, showing the early days of Millie's life and mingling it with Millie's life today. Characters from Millie's past weave together with characters in her world today, explaining how past decisions influenced today's actions. This book is well-written, holds your attention from beginning to end, and doesn't downplay the difficulties of life in the south as a bi-racial individual. All of this with a bit of sweet romance from the past into the present. Great story! I can't wait to read more books from this author!

I was drawn to this book because of the cover and the Charleston setting, but what I got was so much more. I was immediately sucked into the worlds of Harper and Millie. Their stories were compelling and the Charleston location was just an added bonus. It was so interesting to read about a biracial character coming of age pre-Civil Rights Movement. It is heartbreaking to read the lengths that people had to go through in order to protect their own families, but this is/was the reality for so many people. I appreciated the detail the author went into regarding historical restorations and family heirlooms. I loved this book and was excited to see that it is the first in what will be a series.

I love timeslips because they give you the best of both worlds - a little contemporary and a little historical. Many times when I read a time slip, I end up liking one story more than the other. In this case, I was equally enthralled by both. Honestly, because Harper and Millie’s stories are so intertwined in the contemporary part of the novel, I almost felt like this was more of Millie’s life story.

Millie and Franklin’s story was equally as beautiful as it was heartbreaking. Several times while reading their story, it kind of broke my heart. After I read the authors note in the back of the book, my heart really did feel broken. While I loved their relationship, there was one thing I wish Millie would’ve handled a bit differently even though I understood that, for her, it seemed like the only choice. There was also a life changing decision that I wish both her and Franklin would’ve somehow been able to come to a different conclusion for because of the many lives it affected.

The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark is a story that will definitely touch your heart and one I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Told from multiple perspectives, and in multiple timelines, this book will suck you in from the very start and hold you rapt through to the last page. Harper's story is all told in present day, but Millie's story follows the timeline of her life until both of their stories converge. You'll feel the humidity of Charleston, the hopelessness of the post-Depression South, the constant flux of emotions of a mixed-race person growing up in this place and time, and the heartbreak of a mother... You'll stay up all night long, wanting to know how their stories end.

Millie has a dream of owning a dress shop but sometimes dreams will take a lifetime to accomplish. Harper also dreams of owning a dress shop but every attempt fails. The author does a wonderful job of intertwining the lives of these two women to create a story of love, sacrifice and determination. I appreciated Peter's love of history and wanting to preserve it through restoration. Harper's love of repairing vintage clothing and protecting the history is a gift. Millie's story is an important one and is quite intriguing. Recommended!

The Dress Shop on Kings Street
Ashley Clark

*"God’s timing don’t always match ours, and that’s okay.”*

Oh if I had a penny for every line I quoted in this book I'd be 1k times more richer 🤭 because this book was thaaaaaaat good and people who know me will know how I work but new followers be warned that when I love something I gush and fangirl about it a lot and this will be one of the books that will stay in my heart for a very long time 💙

Giving up dreams is easier showing all the reasons why you can't do it but oh the result is so worth it and this story is all about fulfilling your dreams and to say that I was inspired and touched is an understatement. Dreams are worth the pursuit and time you spend on it, just because ten doors slam in your face or just because you've preached twice dry bones don't come to life it all comes together when God breathes life into it and makes our dreams reality

This novel does not follow a linear narrative or a chronological order but the story is told as a series of episodes or scenes that flip from the past to present depending upon Millie's nostalgia and surrounding occurance. The scenes being moved from past to present in a constant swing it still flows like a river and bends and twists and I love that in a book being unpredictable and with many plot twists!!

The book starts with Millie as a teen who has to move away from her mama just because she told Harry that her grandma was sold as a slave long back and yeah also she's partially black not so much in color but of race. She goes to Alabama as her mom said and lives her life forgoing her dream to own a dress shop one day, she's wealthy alright but with an unfinished business.

Harper Rae is a beautiful young girl with dreams and she's ready to take on the world with her vintage dresses but not everyone sees the diamond in the rough right so leaving all hopes of starting up a dress shop she runs to Fairhope to her father who is the man who is her rock throughout the novel.

Peter is a historian who is addicted to history and digs deep till he finds what he wants and now after years of searching he's finally found a heirloom from his mother's family side and wants to know more and when one domino falls the other falls into place right,..... Yeah not really

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster at the last hundred pages because of its brilliance and the way the author has used scripture from the Bible and linked with the characters was simply....... Oh I don't even have a worthy enough word for it!

If you ask me if this book is worth your time? Is the writing good? Are the characters faulty and humane? Is it a real story?
YES to all of the above!!!


And yes it's kinda a historic fiction and surprisingly I loved it because history and me don't have a very good relationship but this book was the BOOK and I'm gonna be waiting with bated breath for "PAINT & NECTAR" Book 2 of the series 💙

Clark wrote a lovely story. The narrative alternates from the 1940 to modern day. Readers receive bits and pieces of the story and begin to sew together the full picture. I liked how the author brought the two parts together. There were a few surprising turns in the book. I liked the sewing part. It's soothing to read about although I have no seamstress skills at all. Millie was my favorite character and a very strong person.

This book was difficult to get into as the first few chapters were a bit confusing to me. But I’m so thankful I continued on! Millie’s story is one of incredible heartache, a big dream that took lots of detours along the way, and the strength of this woman in her incredible journey. This is an incredible story weaving love, dreams, and God’s grace seamlessly.

Oh my goodness what an excellent debut novel!!! I could not put this book down, and I loved not knowing where the story would take me. A beautiful multigenerational story, The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark, seamlessly weaves together the past and the present, heartache, and joy in this fantastic page-turning story.

The story of Millie Middleton, the great-granddaughter of a slave (Ashley) who was sold at age 9 and forever separated from her mother Rose in 1860. Rose gave Ashley a flour sack containing an old dress, three handfuls of pecans, and a braid of her hair, and two butterfly buttons that continue to appear over the generations.

The story of Millie, a beautiful young woman, the daughter of loving parents, a black mother and an Italian father begins in 1946 when inter-racial marriages were banned and attitudes completely against biracial marriages were sadly incredibly prevalent. Millie's father dies trying to protect her from racist people who did not want her playing with their children. Millie's mother wants her to leave town to find a better life. Because of Millie's light skin, her mom wants her to pass herself off as a white woman to pursue her dream of owning a dress shop and having a better life far away from where she grew up. Millie loves both sides of her heritage and struggles with trying to hide one of them.

"But here on this train between home and new ground, God settled how very deeply she was loved, even as her grandparents before her had been, and the generations before them, She would embroider Rose and Asley's story on the satchel when she got situated in Alabama. Maybe that would bring some closure about the life she had to leave for the life she wanted to live. The hidden heritage that still caused her to ache with pride, regardless of where she called home."

Millie later says of her hero of a husband "Well, I can't speak to what he was trying to find, but what he did find was me, and I'll tell you, that changed things for both of us."

Millis is simultaneously vulnerable, tough, and funny. She & Franklin are very easy to love. "Sometimes life gives us those moments. Like the very first flutter of a butterfly's wings. Moments that are so profound and so purely beautiful, you try to capture them so that you can come back to them later."

In the present timeline, Millie reconnects with her former neighbor and sewing student Harper, who is at a crossroads in her life, and she also connects with a handsome young man Peter who Millie has known for many years. Peter has a great love of history and is trying to unravel his own family history one clue at a time.

Later in life Millie reflects:
"How do you do right by your child when you don't even know what that is or looks like? At times, I was convinced I'd allowed fear to make all my decisions and done everything wrong. other times, some awful act of racial violence would be in the paper, and I'd feel justified."

The themes of the resurrection of hope and dreams, family past and present, and striving towards your dreams, come full circle in this very compelling story. I highly recommend The Dress Shop on King Street!

Thank you to Bethany House and Net Galley for allowing me to read an early copy. I loved it! All opinions are my own.

The Dress Shop on King Street is the debut novel by Ashley Clark. It was a book that I talked about to others even before I had it all finished. The book was a wonderful weaving of stories from slavery to modern day and from South Carolina to Alabama.
The author creates a character in Millie that is totally believable, and you get caught up in the emotions of the moments and what she goes through. The cast of characters that are introduced are very vivid with details that you can just see in your mind. The way that the author describes circumstances and feelings make this book a page turner. Even though it is a modern-day story, the author tells you where in time the memory takes place which weaves the story fabric even stronger with more depth and belief.
The other main characters of Harper and Peter are strong characters the author uses to further tell the story of Millie. She tells of how God puts people in places and circumstances to weave His story. Perhaps this book resonated more with me because I am a sewer and quilter, or perhaps because I am a daughter and mother, or perhaps because I am a lover of history, or perhaps because it is a GREAT penmanship of words.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. #NetGalley #AshleyClark #TheDressShopOnKingStreet

Two beautiful butterfly buttons, tucked into the bag of a little girl who is being taken away from her mother, become heirlooms and connect a young man to his grandmother. Ashley Clark weaves a beautiful story showing the ultimate triumph of truth over lies as we pursue our dreams and God's purpose. Millie and Harper share a dream of opening a dress shop. Both have felt the pain of a dream deferred. We follow their paths in Millie's past story and their present connection. Millie's struggles with her biracial heritage and the racism of her day are heartbreaking and a jarring reality of the work we still have to do. Harper's struggle with self-doubt is a reminder of our daily spiritual battle against the enemy. Using beautiful metaphors with buttons, seams, butterflies, water, and more Clark gives us all a reminder of our Maker and His love in the midst of the toils and troubles of this veil of tears.
There were times when I felt the seams were unraveling a bit regarding the plot, but the writing is beautiful and I look forward to Heirloom Secrets #2.

Thank you to Bethany House and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. All my opinions are my own.

This was a well written book involving three time periods. It dealt well with the issue of race in America through the years and of true character.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

I do not always care for books that swing between different time periods but Ashley Clark intertwined these two stories beautifully. I kept wanting to know more about each character. I was invested in Harper, Millie and even Peter. Highly recommended!!

Charleston is one of my favorite places in the world so I loved getting to read about it in the current day and in the past. The way this story tied together, almost immediately if you were paying attention. I really liked Ashley Clark's writing and this story as a whole just felt comfortable even though it dealt with uncomfortable topics. This would be a great book club book.

This book grabbed my attention almost immediately. The characters are easy to understand and relate to. They all are overcoming a challenging situation in life.
I really enjoyed the way the story was told during different time periods and that they intertwined as the story went along.

This is the first book I have read by Ashley Clark and I look forward to reading more of her books!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. These words are my own opinion.

Wow. What a book. As a person who enjoys sewing, I was initially drawn to the book on those grounds. The early chapters speaking to the horrors of the personal toll of slavery were very emotional for me, and reading the personal strength through the generations and how they found their way was uplifting. I loved how small tokens of heirlooms tied the story together and gave clues to the connections.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley.
I like books about dress shops since I majored in Fashion Design for a time in college and the fashion world still appeals to me. That isn't the main focus of this book, but it does weave together the stories of the two main women characters--Millie and Harper. Millie is half black and half Italian, but she can pass for white which leads to both joy and sorrow in this book about protecting those we love from the unjust systemic racism that abounds. A very good read.

The story just took my breath away! This dual timeline story captured me from the opening paragraphs and had me enthralled to the very end. What a poignant story of loss and second chances. The author weaves the stories of Millie and Harper (and Franklin and Peter) together beautifully. Millie’s racial identity has a transforming influence on all her choices. I found myself feeling deeply her agony as she felt she was continually prevented from living out her dream. Harper’s feeling of failure in achieving her life dream also resonates. She is crushed and withdraws into herself. It is only through helping Millie achieve her dream that she finds a way to achieve her own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

With a refreshing new voice, Ashley Clark's debut novel is sure to win the hearts of many readers. This dual timeline story of long buried secrets coming full circle is one of my favorite story tropes that never grows old. Especially when such dazzling characters come to life and populate the pages, their stories tugging at my heart. Ms. Clark has designed a heroine who faced a moral dilemma and was haunted by a choice that would affect those she loved for generations. Her prose is melodic, rich with images that transported me to another place and time, holding me captive. Laced within is a wonderful faith thread that will resound with readers. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Reviewed for www.compassbookratings.com

The Dress Shop on King Street is a sweet Southern tale of finding family and following dreams. Written by Ashley Clark, this well-crafted historical fiction alternates between two characters--Harper and Millie. Millie's story ranges from her youth to old age and is particularly poignant. She gracefully navigates challenge after challenge, while always working on her dream of owning a dress shop. The story is fraught with mystery, romance, and jumps between several time periods. The Dress Shop's strength is in Clark's use of vivid descriptions and detail. Readers will feel like they are actually in Fairhope, Alabama and Charleston, South Carolina. A major theme in the book is race and passing for white. Clark includes Book Club questions to allow groups to have meaningful discussions. The Dress Shop on King Street is a delightful read!

Review of Digital Advance Reading Copy

For full content analysis, go to www.compassbookratings.com

A well written Christian novel set in Charleston South Carolina and Fairhope Alabama, two of my favorite places to visit. A story linked by two buttons and a family secret of passing as a white person in the 1940"s. What secrets the family must keep close to protect the ones they love. Will recommend and I think that this would be a good book club choice..

I just loved this book. It was written non-linear in time and person, but very well done. This dealt with being black in the early and mid-1900s. The characters were very well developed. The story kept my interest and had nice twists and turns in the plot to keep you guessing.
The story is Christian, but not at all in a preachy way. In fact, you really don't know it's Christian until the end. It is a clean, well-written book.
Editing is very important to me and this is very well done.
This is Ashley Clark's first book.
I highly recommend this book and give it a strong 4 out of 5-star rating.

This was a beautifully crafted split-time novel following the lives of two very different women with two different stories who ultimately share the same dream— to one day own a dress shop.
There’s the historical storyline that tells Millie’s story which begins right after The Great Depression, starting when she is a only a teenager.
Then there’s the contemporary storyline that follows Harper’s story as she pursues her dream of being a seamstress and opening a dress shop, a dream she almost gives up on... until she becomes friends with the elderly woman, Millie.

This story was heartbreaking yet filled with hope. The characters were well-done and felt real. They were also complex and interesting, each one unique.
Millie was such a strong, inspiring character and watching her life play out was really special and heartfelt.
Franklin was one of my favorite characters. He was wonderful.
Harper was a likable, relatable character but I really, really liked Peter! He was a favorite for sure.

The historical storyline was my favorite as it was a bit more compelling but the contemporary one wrapped it altogether nicely.
Also, the faith content in this one was wonderful. I loved that!

There were times I smiled, laughed, and teared up. That makes for a good book in my opinion!

I’d recommend for historical fiction lovers as well as contemporary fiction lovers as in this one, you will get both.

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review.

Your family heritage can be an exciting adventure to explore. . .unless your heritage is mixed race at a time when that heritage can be dangerous to admit. Millie Middleton is conflicted. She has a dream, to open her own dress shop, but as a woman whose mixed racial heritage will stand in her way as long as she lives in Charleston. When she leaves town and meets a young man on the train, it appears she may have a chance to fulfill her dreams. Or not.

Harper Dupree also has a dream, to be a dress designer, but when her dream is dashed, she returns home and reunites with the woman who taught her to dew and to dream. Can they work together to accomplish both their dreams?

This is a complex story that weaves between several timelines/time periods. I found myself having to take notes as to who was when and what they were doing, but once I got it straight in my mind, I found the story compelling. I remember the racial issues of the 50s and 60s, but only from the distance of California. Reading about it from the point of view of Southern characters really brought it home to me. This would be an excellent read for a book club because there are so many topics that could be discussed.

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley. The opinion is my own.

This book seamlessly wove between two time periods, one where Millie is a young woman in 1946 and the other as a woman in her 90s that befriends a young woman that wants to open a dress shop like Millie had dreamed to do decades earlier. Millie left home in 1946 due to racial tensions and to hide that she is biracial. Her mother urged her to leave home and pursue her dream of owning her own shop. The writing of this book was so vivid that it was easy to imagine the location. I cannot wait to read more from this very talented author.

This was a beautifully-written book with lovable characters. Told in dual timelines, it follows the stories of Millie and Harper, two women from different time periods, with the same dream of opening a dress shop. The only problem I had was that I personally had a bit of a hard time following the connection between the two women, and a third character (Peter). I think the author could have made it a little more seamless, which is what kept me from giving five stars as opposed to four. .

But there were many positive aspects to this book. Millie is such a great character and we get to follow her from age 9 to 90. I loved her relationships with all of the other characters - Peter, Harper and her husband, Franklin. Also, I loved the setting of Charleston, which is one of my favorite cities. I enjoyed Clark's descriptions of the city both past and present, and the snippets of Charleston history.

The issue of racism is a major theme, without being overwhelming. Millie is the daughter of an Italian man and black woman who spends her life struggling with how to honor both sides of her heritage.. While this is a major part of the story it is handled very sensitively.

Finally, I loved the message of never giving up on your dreams! Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. I look forward to the next in the series.

The Dress Shop on King Street, by Ashley Clark, is book one in the Heirloom Secret Series. This is a story that covers several generations and the keepsakes they treasure. When Harper’s dress is rejected she leaves school and goes to visit Millie, the lady who taught her to sew. Millie is a 90 year old lady that left her home at a young age to hide the fact she is part Black. One of her ancestors was sold at just 9 years old and carried with her a pouch that contained 2 buttons. This was passed down through the family and was found at a sale by Peter, Millie’s grandson.

This is a wonderful book to read that shows the readers how it was during different times in our history for the Black people. This is a hard book to read as it shows the decisions they had to make as well as how they were treated. This story shows how Millie left her home to have a chance at a normal life. And when her twin daughters were born, she had to make the decision to separate them to keep them safe. This resulted in Peter not knowing who she really was. I enjoyed reading this story, that is based on a true person, and how the author brings the two women together to fulfill a common dream. This story is well written and very descriptive. It was easy to imagine what the buttons, dresses and the surroundings looked like.

I received an ebook copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, this is my honest review.

What was it like to be mixed race back in the war years? And what if possibly you could pass for white? What was the right thing to do?

Harper has long dreamed of having her own dress shop but when things don't work out like she'd hope she turns tale and takes herself home to the woman who encouraged her love of sewing.

Millie also once dreamed of having her own dress shop. A dress shop on King Street to be exact. And with that dream come memories. Lots of them that bring out who she was and who she is.

Can Harper help Millie achieve her dreams and also find her way? And then add in one handsome young man who is obsessed with his family history and things start getting better and better.

I loved the genealogy aspect of this novel and the look at history. History is definitely something that interests me. This book takes place in the deep south and so there is racism and segregation that need to be read about and dealt with by our characters.

And there is also a love story and a mystery that must be solved. I loved this book and really hope you give it a read as I think you will too.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

This might be the best book I've read this year!! Few times in my life have I read a book or found a story that connected to my profound, deep, intimate love of history like The Dress Shop on King Street did. Ashley Clark took my breath away with her handling of this story and her near-orchestral anthem to the power of the stories we tell. Through characters like worried Harper, salvaging her heart amidst the wreckage of broken dreams, or weary Millie, navigating a full + beautiful life with the likeness 0f two faces, or determined Peter, striving to preserve historical buildings in an attempt to connect to the history of his own family, Ashley Clark wonderfully stitches together romance, history, heartbreaking pictures of racism, faith and love.

As Harper and Millie stitch + sew the seams of vintage dreams and dresses, their stories unfold in a beautiful tapestry beneath them as we learn where their dreams came from, and what they are made of. This is a beautiful story with resonant themes, spectacular prose and remarkable storytelling. It invites readers to rediscover the magic of history through the historical setting of Charleston heirlooms, fashion and architecture. It will delight and entice you to keep reading: page after page, moment by moment, button by button. The Dress Shop on King Street captures a rare sort of feeling of coming home: a quiet, unshakable hope in His faithfulness in the past, and His presence with us in the future.

A special thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

This was such a lovely debut novel! It goes back and forth between present day and the 1940’s in Charleston, South Carolina and Fairhope, Alabama and tells the story of two women who have aspirations of owning a dress shop. It is beautiful but also heartbreaking at times. If you are a fan of historical fiction you will love this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5/5

This is a lovely dual time line story that's really the story of Millie. now 80, who was sent away from home by a mother who hoped she would be able to avoid the prejudice faced by biracial individuals of the time. The story is prompted when she opens a dress shop with Harper, who she has taught to sew. Whole Harper's part of the novel (and Peter's) is interesting, it is Millie who shines. What a saga-the distance from from Charleston to Fairhope, Alabama might not be long in miles but for Millie it was huge in effect. She's a wonderful character. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A gentle and positive read.

The young attractive lady in a red hat with matching lipstick is quite the cover that fits this book perfectly! The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark more than met my expectations. There are lessons to learn through other people’s experiences, fictional or not, when it comes to tough decisions about self, dreams, family, society, and even helping others achieve their own dreams.

In a nutshell, this book struck my heart in so many ways that it’s difficult to pinpoint where to start. When Millie was young, she dreamed of owning her own dress shop. But she lived when society was all about segregation, so as a mixed race, Millie’s mother insisted she go to Alabama where she could have better chances of reaching her dream.

Millie finds herself in another conundrum when she’s married and gives birth to twin girls, one fair skinned and one a darker complexion. It is then that she and her husband make the heart-breaking decision to separate the girls to prevent society from attacking either of their precious girls. Every time Millie saves up nearly enough to open her dress shop, something comes up where she uses some of those savings while her dream gets pushed back once again.

The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark is a book of fear, the emotional struggles, and the hope all tied into one. Millie is a fantastic main character because she stands strong to her convictions while making the best decisions for herself and her family, even when it breaks her heart to do so. She shows strength and so much character.

Regardless of what’s going on in the world, does that mean we should stop reaching for our dreams? Absolutely not! I’ve learned from this book that many of us, Millie included, are full of fears that stop us from seeking our dream. But instead of trying to control the things that scare us, we need to face that fear head on and move on. The sooner we do that, the quicker we’ll be on our way to achieving that dream.

Historical fiction brings out many issues that people and society were forced to experience. This book in particular has so much to teach about treating everyone like we want to be treated. That segregation is wrong and even though times have changed, it really hasn’t that much. This book comes at an opportune time with so much race-related hatred happening in some of our bigger cities.

A digital copy of The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark was provided complimentary in exchange for an honest review by Bethany House via NetGalley. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because it gently integrates societal issues of segregation and the emotional baggage that resulted for many while still focusing on following dreams. So what dream have you had that something stopped you from achieving?

Fantastic book.

Hannah hasn’t been able to count on many people in her life, starting with her mom. Despite living in another country from her mother Marla, one day her mom just shows up unexpectedly. She makes a shocking announcement to Hannah. When Marla was going through the stuff left behind in her own mother’s home, she found information about a house in Paris that belonged to her grandmother.

No one knew anything about Granny Ivy’s life in Paris and they sure didn’t know she’d left them her apartment.

Hannah has to take some time away from her job as a Jane Austen tour guide to go to Paris with Marla to figure everything out.

But this only leads to more questions. It seems like Hannah’s great grandmother had quite an amazing life in Paris.

Ivy’s portion of the story is told through diary entries from Paris in the 1920’s and 30’s.

Very enjoyable story. Great attention to detail. Good characters. Likable love interests. A bit of talk of delicious food, site seeing and name dropping of famous artists of the 30’s. I loved it.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you, I’ll definitely be recommending this book to others.

Lovely time slip debut!

Millie, the daughter of an Italian man and Black woman, leaves her Charleston home in 1946 to live out life as a white woman at the urging of her mother. Millie years to own her own dress shop.

In the present day thread, Harper has ambitions for a bright future in the fashion industry. When her instructor tells her she lacks the talent needed, Harper is crushed. She seeks refuge with Millie that taught her how to sew as a young girl.

This novel is about racial inequality and having dreams. I love this quote from the novel: "From the beginning, I have been working between the seams. Where you have ripped, I have mended. When you have torn, I have sewn you....Keep the fabric of your dreams."

Wow. This story was breathtaking and heartbreaking and hope-giving in so many ways. This is a story of racial tensions and resolutions spanning over 150 years, beginning with a 9-year-old slave child being sold away from her mother to the modern-day descendants of that slave child embracing their heritage and fulfilling their dreams.

I’m a busy mom who doesn’t have a lot of time for reading, but I couldn’t put this one down. I was crying on one page and soaring with hope on the next. My emotions were all over the place at the heartbreaking decisions made, the secrets kept (or revealed), and the love that developed between an innkeeper, a history buff, and a seamstress. In a word, I loved this story.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

I call this kind of book a saga. It goes across generations with a dress shop as a recurring theme. A good story that not only tells the family story but also the history of segregation in the south. I liked the overlapping stories and how they all weave together.

The Dress Shop on King Street
by Ashley Clark

Stirring, moving, and heartfelt, The Dress Shop on King Street was so much more layered than I had anticipated it would be, and I mean that in the best way possible. There were so many twists and turns throughout the book that I totally did not expect, and it resulted in a truly memorable reading experience.

I loved Millie. She was so strong and so endearing. My heart truly went out to her as I read of her trials. Life threw so much at her, but she always held her own and stood strong despite this. She’s definitely the type of character I would want to get to know in real life. I also liked our contemporary heroine, Harper. She was sweet with a good dose of tenacity and I appreciate that she didn’t give up on her dreams, even when things weren’t easy and she felt like throwing in the towel.

Clark’s writing style was completely endearing. Her words come alive and wrap themselves around your heart. I absolutely adored her style; it’s sentimental with a southern flair, but it’s also snappy and keeps you turning pages. It is definitely something readers will want to experience for themselves. All the little touches she incorporates in her story just bring the book to life; the descriptions of Charleston, the details of the dress shop and the pieces Harper and Millie reworked, it all added to the reading experience.

The Dress Shop on King Street was a refreshing novel by an author I will be following for years to come. An original in the CBA market, this is a novel that I would recommend to anyone, and it is a book that we all need right now.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is an amazing story that switches between present and past but comes full circle in the end. I found it to be beautifully written with wonderful characters. I loved this book. Most definitely it’s a keeper.

A passion for fashion over generations and racial adversity all wrapped into a lovely read! The Dress Shop on King Street was a beautiful tale of a multi-racial woman, struggling with her identity in an intolerant society. Wonderful characters in this novel filled with love, history, bravery and secrets. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-reader for review. All opinions are my own.

This is a well-written dual timeline story. Both parts are interesting. The past shows you Millie's beginnings while the present shows where she is today until the two merge at the end. It's fascinating and heartbreaking. Millie is a bi-racial woman who had to leave behind part of her heritage to stay safe and to keep her family safe. She and her husband had to make gut-wrenching decisions. It's helpful learning more about what life was like in these situations.

I LOVED Franklin. His and Millie's relationship was beautiful. He is the best of men. Harper and Peter in the present are interesting too. They are drawn to restoring what is old and falling apart so that its story shines again in beauty.

I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. I'll definitely be keeping a look out for the next book in the Heirloom Secrets series.
Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Dress Shop on King Street is a beautiful masterpiece based on history, mystery and the puzzle of life. I couldn’t put it down! Ashley Clark did a wonderful job weaving lives together through various events. I would highly recommend this book!

"How could a heritage half-denied bring a life fully lived?"

The Dress Shop on King Street is a fascinating story about two women whose lives are intertwined in ways they never imagined. It's hard to believe this skillfully crafted time-slip novel is Ashley Clark's debut!

Although they share a love of dressmaking, Millie and Harper are different in many ways. Living in the South in the 1940s, Millie was able to pass as white but struggled with feeling like she was abandoning her heritage. In the present day, Harper is facing rejection of a different kind - in her education and career. When she and Millie decide to open a dress shop together, pursuing their shared dream brings them both healing and new relationships they didn't expect. Peter was a kind, endearing hero to both Millie and Harper. I really enjoyed seeing how all the threads of the different timelines and characters came together in the end!

One of the hallmarks of a great novel is relatable characters, even when their experiences are so different from your own. Those kinds of stories remind us of the humanity we share, and that was definitely the case in this book! This story of second chances, forgotten dreams, and sacrificial love will stick with you long after the last page. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series in May 2021!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Ashley Clark’s debut full length novel does not disappoint! I was drawn to the era Clark chose to write in as well as the geographical area. We once lived in the same county as Fairhope.
I adore split time fiction, and Clark fuses the timelines together seamlessly. Character development is great as well as the pace of the plot.

I’m greatly anticipating her next novel which looks just as lovely as the first!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to give a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

A Story To Be Savored
This is a generational story to be savored. The author truly captures the different eras; the fears, ambition, desperation. Mostly, the helping hands that brought up one generation after another, each doing a bit better than the last. Striving to achieve our dreams, passing dreams on, helping others achieve their dreams are all part of who we are. This is an American story lived by all heritages, colors, and faiths. I love this story. It is so in tune with the stories I was told by my parents and grandparents. Our times may be different, but our emotions are the same. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

The Dress Shop on King Street
by Ashley Clark
Back of the Book: “Harper Dupree has pinned all her hopes on a future in fashion design. But when it comes crashing down around her, she returns home to Fairhope, Alabama, and to Millie, the woman who first taught her how to sew. As Harper rethinks her own future, long-hidden secrets about Millie's past are brought to light.
In 1946, Millie Middleton--the daughter of an Italian man and a Black woman--boarded a train and left Charleston to keep half of her heritage hidden. She carried with her two heirloom buttons and the dream of owning a dress store. She never expected to meet a charming train jumper who changed her life forever . . . and led her yet again to a heartbreaking choice about which heritage would define her future.
Now, together, Harper and Millie return to Charleston to find the man who may hold the answers they seek . . . and a chance at the dress shop they've both dreamed of. But it's not until all appears lost that they see the unexpected ways to mend what frayed between the seams.”
Impressions: I read through 11% of this book and decided the back and forth of characters was too much. I fully planned to move on to the next book but the next day I convinced myself to give this book another chance and I am glad I did. This was a wonderful story full of emotion.
Rating: Slavery: selling a child, segregation, hate crimes: murder, labor and delivery, train hopping
Liked: I loved Millie’s journey. I have no experience to any of the history that Millie and her family faced which made this book special as it opened my heart and mind to history.
Disliked: The beginning was a bit all over the place and the ending was too perfectly pulled together. Sometimes too much detail is boring and leaves too little to the imagination.
Quotes: “If God thought her life worth living without her daughter, who was she to question His timing?”
“No matter how long it takes, Harper Rae, when your Jubilee tide comes in, make sure your nets are good and ready.”
“God’s timing don’t always match ours, and that’s okay.’ She slowly blew out a deep breath. ‘Sometimes we believe a lie about ourselves is the truth because we’ve got its identity wrong. We trust it and give it far more than its fair share of our energy.”
“But if God gave you a dream you’d better listen. You just remember that God knows the how and the why though the when may be frustrating.”
“But you also can’t ignore the thing that keeps your soul alive, because I believe God puts that sort of stuff in us for a reason. That He speaks to us through it. God is faithful, and when He calls you to something, He will also give you the means, even if it doesn’t look as expected.”
“And love was not a yardstick to which she ought to be comparing. Loss was loss, and grief was grief.”
“Stop looking at all that’s going wrong and consider all that’s going right.”
“… a bloodline was like a river- changing, branching, ever flowing- until grace upon grace sweeps across history and the past begins to pull with the tide of the now.”
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the cover, loved the title, and was totally drawn in after reading the summary. This is my kind of book and I was excited to get my hands on an advanced copy. I was not disappointed. I was quickly drawn into the characters and their stories. I wanted them to succeed, wanted to find out their ending. I loved the interlacing storylines and how they all came together. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and thoughtful read. Definitely a title I would recommend to friends.

The Dress shop on King Street is Millie's journey back to those early days when life seemed to be full of dreams of owning her own dress shop. An excellent seamstress, she longed to create beautiful fashions in her own shop. Fate and circumstances changed her life forever when she left Charleston for Fairhope Alabama. Along the way, she met her wonderful husband and began a life that may have seemed temporary at first, just until she was able to open that dress shop. Then, after the birth of her daughters, she begins to straddle two worlds. As the story unfolds, so to does a mystery of Millie's true identity and links to a past that she was finally ready to rediscover.

Millie is a wonderful character and this reader wanted to learn more about her. Ashley Clark has captured the spirit of a woman who led a very private life because of the circumstances of her birth. Mysterious and beautiful, accomplished and shy. She held secrets in her heart, yet her husband loved her for who she truly was. Her signature red hat was her trademark companion over decades that brought love, pain and changes in a world that was very different than that day in 1946 when she was looking into that dress shop on King street. I enjoyed reading this book and thank #BethanyHouse and #netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

"We will live fragile lives, my dear Harper, if we avoid that which is delicate for fear it might break at the seams."

Harper Albright has dreamed of working in fashion design since childhood. She has had her hopes dashed and returns home to Fairhope, Alabama to lick her wounds. At her father's suggestion, she visits Millie Middleton, the woman who taught her to sew. There as she contemplates her future, we are given glimpses into Millie's past.

"Because I am proud of my heritage, no matter what the law and society think. I am proud of my mother and my mother's mother and all the rest who came before me. Without them, I wouldn't carry these dreams."

Millie Middleton left Charleston in 1946 to keep half of her heritage hidden. She brought with her dreams of owning a dress shop and two signature buttons. Along the way she meets a charming train jumper, and her life and dreams are changed forever.


Harper and Millie have both dreamed of owning dress shop and decide to go to Charleston to open a dress shop of their own. Along the way secrets from Millie's past will be revealed. As we learn about the past, we are also given a glimpse into what the future might hold.

“...she caught her heart before it grew wings and floated away like a butterfly."


The Dress Shop on King street is a beautiful book about two women and their dreams. It deals with various themes such as identity, race, racism, hope, dreams, love, friendship, skill, secrets, acceptance and family. Some characters are left to deal with hard choices and the consequences of making those choices. We will watch them dream, hope, experience doubt, have their dreams altered and see them struggle, overcome, love, and keep moving forward. I also really enjoyed their friendship and exchanges with each other.

This book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It is also filled with hope and love. This book was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed both characters but had a soft spot for Millie. Both timelines were interesting abut again, Millie's back story was the one that really moved me. I look forward to more books in the series and learning more about the characters and their lives.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

The character development in this novel is superb. Readers will find themselves being woven into the fabric of Harper and Millie’s stories. The theme of holding onto one’s hopes and dreams even through the most discouraging of times will encourage many a flagging spirit as Ashley Clark’s characters impart great wisdom and spiritual guidance. The theme of racial tension and violence will reach to the past and touch the present. This novel and the stories held within will touch your heart. It is one of those books you will not soon forget. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Loved, loved this tale of two women, Harper living in the present, and Millie, living in the 1940’s. The story begins with their separate storylines and then Clark deftly weaves their story lines together seamlessly and they become friends with a common goal - to own a dress shop. Their dreams are the glue that binds them together with all the obstacles and secrets that threaten to divide them. So many themes are thought provoking throughout this beautiful tale with the biggest one for me being racism. Millie is biracial in the 1940’s living in the south. Her mother convinces her to live as a white woman and she is very ambivalent about denying her Gullah roots. I couldn’t help but cringe at the realization of how horrible this time must have been for those who felt they had to deny part of their heritage to be accepted and “fit in”.
Millie is a strong beautiful woman who captured my heart right away. Her life was fraught with challenges, joy, and heartbreak. Harper has recently had her fashion designing dreams crushed and meets Millie and their bond becomes stronger and stronger. This tale had me entranced from beginning to ending and Millie actually became like family.
Many many thanks to Ashley Clark, Bethany House Publishers, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read this recently published book. I highly recommend this one.

I'm not sure I've read a better first novel. The Dress Shop on King Street is a beautiful time slip story about two women from different generations who share a similar dream. Millie Middleton, daughter of an Italian father and Black mother, we meet in the 1940s and Harper Dupree, a twenty-something in modern day. Harper is devastated when her design teacher informs her that she lacks the 'it' factor to become a great dress designer. Fascinatingly, she gives serious consideration to giving up her dream of one day owning a dress shop with her own designs.

Her wise father encourages her to look up her original seamstress teacher: Millie Middleton. As Harper contemplates her future, Millie begins to share a little of her past which still has many locked mysteries. Clark does a beautiful job weaving the ladies two stories together as they journey to Charleston, Millie's birthplace, to find the man that might unlock some of the secrets of Millie's past.

The story grapples with many different themes: dreams, identity, race, friendship and family. There's also a powerful faith message that grows through the story that has stayed with me well after finishing the novel.

Millie and Harper are tremendous characters in their authenticity and vulnerability. We see them hurt deeply, love vulnerably and courageously, surrender dreams and experience the heartache of misunderstandings and cruelty of humans. Millie's love story with Franklin, a train jumper, was beautiful to read. His acceptance of her heritage and willingness to forgive her secrets was a wonderful example of agape love.

I loved how the soul of the story developed through the pages so much so I was gripped by it and didn't really want it to end. I was also left with many questions and I appreciated that Clark left some mysteries still unanswered.

I'm excited for what is in store for we readers with the second in the series. Fortunately, we don't have to wait too long before it is released.

I received an early ebook copy of the story from the publisher via NetGalley with no expectation of a positive review.

This was so much more than a story about shared dreams of a dress shop. It's well-written, focusing on a period and place in history that I rarely see in novels--the Deep South in the late 1940's-60's.

Millie's story was not at all what I was expecting--she is a woman of mixed race in a time where races did not mix, and for safety has to hide her heritage (and make decisions that could break a weaker person). The intellectual part of me realizes that stories like hers were not uncommon, but as I've grown up so far removed from the culture of that time, it's hard to accept the reality of it. Her story is poignant and heart-breaking, yet not without joy and hope.

I do think Harper has a tendency to give up too easily--my first thought was that she should have defended her dress to her professor; how can you succeed in the cutthroat world of fashion if you can't stand up for yourself? Though truthfully I saw some of my worse flaws in her, and could see myself making the same mistakes (not a pleasant self-revelation). Like her, I love sewing vintage-style dresses, and I don't take criticism well, though when dreams are crushed and life falls apart, I hope I wouldn't go quite so far off the deep end as she does.

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark!!! It is one of the more diverse books I have read in Christian Fiction and for that I am thankful. The Dress Shop on King Street deals with the generational stigma of racism in America. It tells the story of Millie and how the racism her family encountered in the past and while she was growing up effected her family and how she raised her own family. The book told of how, at her lowest, she found strength to go on regardless because of God and that in her own way, she did not give up on her dreams-- they just turned out differently than she envisioned and had it's own timing. I loved that the author did not sugarcoat the topic racism and did the best to portray the harshness of its effects on others. The book gave the message that every one's life has layers that weave/stitch together into something beautiful, despite the roughness of life. It teaches the reader to not give up on our dream, especially if it's placed on us by God. I have recommended this book to many friends already, especially one who actually lives in Fairhope, AL. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book!!! (This review is also on GoodReads.)

I received an ARC of this great book. The story brings a mystery to light that goes back through generations. The characters are fascinating and the detail excellent. I was transported to another time and couldn't put it down!

A brilliant, brilliant piece of fiction. The author did an excellent job in picking an engaging plot, and reining in the interest of the reader from the first page. Truly one of the most thought-provoking pieces I have read this year, and that is saying much. Although I wasn't too pleased with the ending, and wished the story had stayed in the 1940s and not jumped around so much, it was a lovely read nevertheless. Kudos to the author!

The Dress Shop on King Street opens in Charleston, South Carolina in 1860. Rose, a slave, is facing a horrendous situation. Ashley, her nine year old daughter has been sold. Ashley, whose father is white, will leave the next day with a sack filled with mementos from her mother. She will never see her mother again. From there the narrative is told from 1946 to the present in the voices of Millie Middleton and Harper Albright. Even though they are separated in age by decades, they have a strong bond and share the same dream. Can it be realized?
This eloquently told story is packed with beautiful descriptions of both time and place. The author knows her characters well and they are skillfully presented. Millie is a complex woman who has made difficult choices and has often questioned her heart breaking decisions. Harper's dreams have been dashed and she questions her worth. Throughout the novel the importance of personal history plays a huge role. Painful secrets are revealed and questions are answered.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is moving, profound and memorable. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing and NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A delightful book that traces the life of a woman of mixed race who makes difficult decisions to try and achieve her dreams. A young man becomes obsessed with preserving history in the hopes of finding his own history. This is based on a true story.

This is Ashley’s debut novel and I have to say I can’t wait read her next. This book is beautifully written. So rich in narrative and she paints such vivid pictures.

Harper and Millie’s story is so powerful and so woven together. A story of forgotten dreams and dreams restored.

I will say there were times my mind kept trying to wrap itself around what was going on and who was related to who and how the generations lined up. But I eventually got a grasp on it.

If you like women’s fictions with some romance I highly recommend this book

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

In her debut novel, Ashley Clark blends the past and the present with a story the drew me in, challenged me at times, and ended with the hope of overcoming obstacles (whether set there by ourselves or by others).

The Dress Shop on King Street gives readers a true taste of the south—both in 1946 and in present day as the story shifts from Fairhope, AL and Charleston, SC (there’s even a little Savannah, GA in there).

My heart hurt for Millie and the things she experienced trying to forget half of her heritage. And Harper and Peter enhanced the overall book. I look forward to what Clark has in store for us in book two of the series.



Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This book makes me want to visit Charleston, SC, a city I've never been to. This is the story of Millie and Harper. Although each woman represents a different generation, each shares the dream of owning a dress shop. But that's not really what this is about. This is about race, discrimination, love and secrets. I was enraptured with each woman's story as the timeline switched back and forth.

Thank you for the advanced copy. I've been recommending this book.

I finished this book a few days ago and it’s still making me think about it. This is a debut novel from the author. I was brought to tears at the beginning. And then I was brought to tears at different scenes throughout the book. Millie has so much happen during her life. Ups and downs and the struggles she has with who she is, due to her heritage. She is torn between two cultures. Harper is an aspiring fashion student. She has struggles of her own. When the two come together, they grow and help one another through their friendship. The historical tidbits and setting in both Charleston, South Carolina and Fair Hope Alabama make the book even more interesting. The love of clothing and vintage clothing is a passion of both characters. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the next book written by this author. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All views stated here are my own opinion.

I appreciate the social issues explored in this dual time novel. The earlier time in the U.S., 1946, was a time when mixed marriages were not accepted. The children of such a marriage would have difficulty fitting into society, white or Black. Clark has done a good job of giving us a sense of the difficulties of the time without any gruesome scenes.

The narrative alternates between 1946 and the years after and the current day. I felt the prologue a bit unnecessary and would have preferred that information included in backstory presented early in the book. I was also a little unclear about the missing generation, between Peter and Millie. And Millie's mother seemed absent so I was a bit surprised when she appeared later on in the book as if she had been there all along.

There is good historical detail. I loved the descriptions of architecture and fashions of the day. I was a bit surprised with the Charleston historical buildings as I thought much of the city was destroyed in the Civil War and the 1865 earthquake. I would have liked to know a bit more about that aspect of Peter's work, such as which parts of the city survived. I really appreciate the historical note Clark adds at the end of the book, identifying the factual details of the human side of the story.

This is a good novel about women who have had their dreams dashed. It is also good for readers who like to express themselves through creative endeavors, in this case sewing. There is a good budding romance included and a good spiritual message of hope in God.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

An adorable book. This story is about Harper Albright, who has pinned all her hopes on a career in fashion design. However, one day she feels that her future is in danger, so she returns to her home, Fairhope, Alabama. This return is for Harper an opportunity to be with Millie, the woman who taught her to sew. On the other hand, the author narrates Millie's life in Middleton during the year 1946. Millie arrives in Charleston, a place where she will surely live many adventures. I liked this book because of the two narrated timelines. Life was not easy in the 1940s, and the challenges Millie faced were many. I loved the importance given to the dress store. Besides that, I have always thought that clothes have intriguing stories. It is the first book in this series. I will be looking forward to the next books. I thank NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The cover made me pick up this book and look inside. Then the book blurb grabbed my attention. I was excited to dive into author Ashley Clark’s historical debut novel. Honesty I felt a little lost. and it was slow-going in the beginning as the author takes her time in introducing characters past and present. It took me a few chapters to get a grip on who was who and where this story was headed. After that, the story flowed easily, and it began to soar as I became emotionally invested in these brave women’s lives.

This is an impressive, beautifully written story, rich in history, that takes readers into a depth of emotion you do not often see. This author does a remarkable job of having the reader walk alongside Harper Dupree and Millie Middleton as they go through some inconceivable situations. Each of these women are faced with choices that are beyond themselves, things build in the story until the end when the reader is anxious to have all secrets revealed.

This is a tearjerker that switches from present to past seamlessly giving readers an up-close and personal view of Millie and Harper, their courage, and their weaknesses. I was fascinated by both timelines as these women are in pursuit of a dream and how they keep their families safe in the process. This is a heartbreaking, endearing novel filled with encouragement, hope and love. Millie’s story with her husband, Franklin, young white man, the train jumper was incredible I admired this daring woman seeking out her identity in a turbulent world. I appreciated the honest, natural faith thread.

Harper’s dad tells her…”God’s timing don’t always match ours, and that’s okay.” She slowly blew out a deep breath. “Sometimes we believe a lie about ourselves is the truth because we’ve got its identity wrong. We trust it and give it far more than its fair share of our energy.” Harper’s Dad is trying to encourage her to stay at the Inn she always wanted to when she was a child. He thinks it will help her re-group. He says,… “Sometimes you have to look for the next good thing. Maybe this is yours. Give you something to look forward to.”

The author is not afraid of tackling hard topics and themes like finding your gifts, following your dreams; deals with turbulent times of racism, hopes, seeking real love, friendship, secrets, acceptance for what was and what could be, and family. The author also deals with second chances, forgiveness, forgotten dreams and sacrificial love. This is a thought-provoking story that will touch your heart; and stay with you long after you close the book.

This book would make a great book club pick there is so much to discuss. I am excited to read the next novel in the Heirloom secrets featuring Lucy and Eliza.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

"We will live fragile lives, my dear Harper, if we avoid that which is delicate for fear it might break at the seams."

What a debut! I thoroughly enjoyed the dual storyline. Talk about tears in the first scene!!! The author did a beautiful job communicating the Millie's hardship in Charleston in the 1940s. I instantly LOVED Millie and Franklin. Their relationship was a tender one that made my eyes water on several occasions.

I also really liked the contemporary thread with Harper and Peter. Both these characters had believable struggle en route to achieving their dreams.

The shifts between eras were seamless. The narrative was gorgeous. And the spiritual theme that despite perfect loves drives out fear is so relevant and inspiring.

*I received a copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Dress Shop on King street is a beautiful book about two women and their dreams. It is written in two different time frames yet in the same time era. A heartwarming story of what a person will do for love and to protect those whom they love. Even at a very great cost to their own happiness. Millie Middleton, daughter of an Italian father and Black mother, was sent out into the world as a young teenager. This was in the ’40’s. As her father had been murdered for marrying a black, her mother felt that this was best since she looked white but lived with blacks and this was inviting more trouble and she feared for her daughter’s safety. Then we have Harper Dupree, a twenty-something year old in modern day, who has become discouraged in her aspirations. Both shared a love for dress making and someday having their own dress shop. This story of second chances, forgotten dreams and sacrificial love will tug at your heart strings. This is Clark first novel and it reads like a seasoned author. Look for her name to be among those receiving awards. I was most impressed with this book……..I received an early e-book copy of the story from the publisher via NetGalley and this review is in my own words

This is such a beautiful, powerful, and heartbreaking story. I loved the past/present format (though the past was definitely better than the present) and the beautiful way the author tied everything together. I will definitely be looking out for more books from this author!

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for an advance readers' digital copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written dual timeline novel that told the story of Millie Middleton, from her life as a young girl through her nineties. The multi-generational novel alternated from current day back to the 1940s and blended Millie's story with the hopes and dreams of young Harper Albright. Both women are talented designers with exceptional sewing skills, and both have dreams of owning a dress shop. They met when Millie taught Harper how to sew when she was just a youngster.

Millie's secrets are embedded into the novel via two special one-of-a-kind buttons, family heirlooms that end up providing connections and revealing family relationships.

This engrossing debut novel contains themes of faith, family, difficult choices, following your dreams, fashion and sewing, architecture, southern history/racism, and a bit of romance, too.

This book offers a story to immerse one’s self in and it is also a novel to make one think. What does it mean to deny a part of one’s heritage? How does a person carry their life forward with that knowledge?

This story takes place both in the 1940s and today with some time also spent in the slave owning south. Heritage and history matter as this story makes clear. It also shows a deep and caring relationship between protagonists Harper and Millie. Both seamstresses, will they achieve their dreams?

Read this novel of loss, pain, hope and two antique buttons. It will move you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

The Dress Shop on King Street,Charleston,S.C. Holds a special place in my heart,I'm from there and this story is the best of the best and you will see! You have adventure,sorrow,happiness in this amazing story of a woman of mix blood wanting to open her own dress shop but sometimes things get in the way. Follow their lives and adventure as they try to make these dreams come true,you can go home but you can't run and hid! Received from Net Gallery

“Buttons may be tiny. Delicate, even. But they fasten together the fabric of an entire garment. The fabric we wear day in and day out, the mundane cotton blouse and the lacy wedding dress. The fabric, the seams, that cover us, warm us, protect us. Binding dream to dream, story to story, but mostly, death to life. And with each memory came a different sort of fabric—some soft, others coarse, some floral, others with predictable stripes and patterns. But life had sewn each of them, stitch by stitch, together.” These words written in the story by the author are a fitting description of this novel.
This story starts with Mille and the fascination of her mamas’s two buttons and with dresses and the stories of the women who wore them. Two buttons that brings you into the lives of Millie and Harper and their dreams of owning a dress shop. But these were times when a drop of African blood meant you were all black, and because of this, many light colored blacks passed themselves as white to get a better life. When in actuality they were both. So Millie had to put her dream aside and make decisions that change the course and history of those she loved.
I found this a beautiful interwoven story in historical fiction. I had the chance to receive an ARC of this book through #NetGalley and #Bethany House, but the review I have written was not influenced by this opportunity.

A wonderful debut book by Ashley Clark! I loved this story to the fullest!
A time slip novel that drew me in from the start. I didn't want it to end!
From wonderful characters, their dreams and a good plot to go along with it? Well.... what more could one want in a book!
I'm sure that most of us can relate to the dreams part and what we want out of life.
Mille and Harper were women before their time. I admired them so much!
Such determination! I really appreciate these two women who were ahead of their time.
This novel will touch your heart in more ways than one.It did mine.
I finished this book around 4 in the morning it was so good! I'm going to add This one right along with Book of Lost Friends and The Edge of Belonging.
A book that is worth rereading
5 stars for a cool subject and for keeping my attention.
Highly recommend. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

The Dress Shop on King Street, by Ashley Clark, was a wonderful story of love and connections through several generations. Ms. Clark does a fabulous job of weaving a clear story throughout the generations. It was easy to read and hard to put down. Sometimes love means making the hard choice, as one of the characters discovered.

This was a lovely story with a series of interesting characters in three different time frames. Millie, from the central time period, is the daughter of a black mother and an Italian father, and after suffering the consequences of that union in South Carolina, leaves that life behind. In Fairhope, Alabama she forges a new life passing as white. Harper, from the present time, dreams of designing dresses and seeks to make that dream happen by studying design in college. The racism affecting the characters in the book is heart-breaking, and is such a sad commentary on the times, but totally realistic. It is all about following your heart, finding your dreams, and not being afraid to live. There is an interesting thread connecting the times and the characters involving some buttons shaped like butterflies. I thought the book was very well done, and enjoyed it a lot.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bethany House for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Hopes, dreams, and a desire to belong fill the pages of The Dress Shop on King Street.

Hauntingly beautiful and of great depth, this is made to savor. I often get frustrated when I only have snatches of time to read a book, wanting to consume most in a single sitting. Yet I found as I read and had to put the story down to do real life, I was glad for the opportunity to ponder the things I had read.

The characters were richly developed. I was able to experience Millie's fear of discovery and understand why she would keep her secret from the one who loved her the most. I ached for Harper as her dream slipped out of her hands and she scrambled to make sense of her life. And hoped for Peter to find the heritage he sought so diligently as he brought other people's history to life. And Franklin. Oooh! He captured my heart from the very start.

The author's sensitivity and insight about the racism that was so prevalent not very long ago in our country were astounding and I gained a new understanding of the pain inflicted on so many for far too long. While racism was the reason for the story and provided the motivations, The Dress Shop on King Street is about having the courage to follow your dreams, even when it looks like they are impossible. And about having hope in the darkest of circumstances.

The pacing of the story was perfect, especially the rate at which the mystery of Millie's life was revealed. Just as the next tidbit was going to be shared, the story jumped ahead to the contemporary part, leaving me anticipating finding out the rest!

I am so glad to see that the next book in the Heirloom Secrets series, Paint and Nectar, is already available for preorder, ready to be released in May! This series is not be missed!

What a lovely debut from Ashley Clark! I'm a sucker for split time stories and this was such an enjoyable read. Both Millie and Harper tugged on my heart and I was thoroughly intrigued by the plot. Plus, there was such a feeling of warmth and heart to this story—and it had a thoroughly Southern feel to it as well. I get the sense that Ashley Clark has handed her heart to us in this novel and I'm eager to see what she writes next!

Harper Dupree moves back to the South after a career in fashion is derailed. She moves back in with Millie, an interracial woman who taught her to sew. A dual storyline tells the compelling story of race and struggle during the time of blatant racism. Beautiful descriptions of Charleston as the two move there to rediscover the past. A beautiful novel to enjoy.

The Dress Shop on King Street is a dual timeline story set in the post-WWII American South, and in the present day. In the present, Harper Dupree’s hopes for a career in fashions have been dashed, so she returns home to Alabama, to the older woman who taught her to sew. Here she meets Peter, an unlikely property developer. Millie Middleton is an expert seamstress who has always wanted to open her own dress shop, but life kept getting in the way. Now she might just achieve her dream, with Harper and Peter’s help.

The past story is Millie’s and takes us from her initial dream through the many reasons why it never came to pass. It’s obvious from the beginning that Millie has a secret, and not just that she’s a mixed-race woman passing as white in 1960’s Georgia, where the “one-drop rule” is a thing. (I had to look that up. For those of us who are not from the USA, it meant that a person with just “one drop” of non-white ancestry was considered black, and therefore treated as a second-class citizen).

Harper’s story and slow-growing romance with Peter was the bulk of the story, but the impact and the heart of the story belonged to Millie. It forces us to face the injustices of the past, and ask ourselves what we can do to atone for those in the present, and to make sure they don’t happen again. It also shows that some injustices have consequences that last years or even decades. Some injustices can never be fixed or made right.

2020 has been a year of outstanding debut novels in the Christian fiction genre. The Dress Shop on King Street is one of the best. It’s a novel about identity—our racial or cultural identity, but also our identity as Christians, encouraging us to chase our God-given dreams, no matter how old we are.

The Dress Shop on King Street is a novel that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. Recommended.

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

With The Dress Shop on King Street, Ashley Clark has crafted a novel that is steeped in both heart and history. Beautifully written in seamlessly stitched together split-time, the stories of Harper Dupree and Millie Middleton unfold and intertwine as they each, in their own way, seek to untangle the threads of the past and weave a bright new future of their own determining. This is a story of love and sacrifice, of redemption and restoration, of dreams deferred and dreams come true. This is a story that will linger in your heart and thoughts long after the last page is turned.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Story of a woman who “had lived her life stuck at the seams of the in-between”
I have never paid so much for an ebook…ever! That is the reason for the 4.5 star rating. Having said that, this was a wonderful book. The writing was beautiful, kept me enthralled by flashing to the past and back to the here-and-now thereby filling in the gaps. So many parallels and intersecting of the lives of these characters. It is not until you are well into this book that you can see how many times their lives almost met/touched.
Millie Middleton is the lynchpin of our story. She has lived as a white woman although her mother was black and her father was Italian. (Poignant: Her mama “held her darker forearm against Millie’s. ‘You see this? You’re luck, Millie.’ ‘Lucky?’ Because she didn’t quite belong anywhere? Black folks thought she was privileged, and white folks had to be tricked? Lucky when no one would accept her wholly, honestly, as one human being with two distinct parts of her heritage?”) Millie’s story is so beautiful, sad, scary that I sobbed at parts and wistfully sighed at others. The intersection of Millie’s story with Harper’s young life will keep you reading until the end. Millie’s and Harper’s hopes for their futures unknowingly coincide many years before we get to their Dress Shop. For those readers who like romance there are two very sweet albeit sometimes sad love stories: Millie and her train jumper, Franklin Pinckney along with Harper and Peter. Their interactions will give you warm-fuzzies.
I haven’t felt this way about a book since I read “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” many years ago. You must read the notes at the back of the book, ALL of them to get a sense of this story. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley and predict that this book will one day become a classic in Christian romantic literature.

An incredible story that is a richly woven tapestry of textures and designs. Love. Racial tensions and difficulties. Family. Friendships. And so much more.
Harper was such an intriguing heroine. Her lifelong dream of owning her own dress shop is what has kept her going. Then, when that is dream is quickly snatched away, she's left without purpose, not knowing which way to turn.
This book takes place in several different time periods.
There's the current day one, with Harper. Then there's the historical one with young Millie Middleton, the wearer of the red cloche.
Ashley Clark beautifully pulls these two time periods together, one intricate piece at a time, leaving you with bits and pieces of the puzzle to solve as you read.
Millie was also an inspiring character. She saw some hard things in her life, and had to make some seemingly impossible choices, because of love.
This story is just an all-around beautiful tale, and I loved it from the beginning to the very end.
In the midst of all the hard times, there are those bursts of hope that carry the story through, and keep it moving ever onward.
Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

I really enjoyed this book! I will admit that some parts were really hard to read, racism isnt pretty, but its important to tell those stories and understand. So while some things were hard to read I appreciated them and the insight and ability to learn from someone else's experience and perspective.

Ever since she learned to sew as a child, Harper Albright had dreamed of owning a dress shop, full of beautiful gowns and fine fabrics. Her dream led her to design school in Savannah, where her final project, a dress she had designed and crafted, was dismissed outright by her instructor. Broken-hearted, Harper left Savannah to return home to Fairhope, Alabama, where she knew Millie would welcome her back.

Millie Middleton left Charleston in 1946, terrified of being found out, and knowing that her Mama was doing what she could to keep Millie safe. Before the train could leave, there was some commotion about train jumpers, and Millie looked out the window to see a handsome young man hop on board, and soon he made his way over to her. Millie and Franklin began talking, and found themselves at a boardinghouse in Fairhope, where they pretended to be a married couple in order to stay there. As time went on, Millie and Franklin fell in love and married, and continued to run the boardinghouse after Mrs. Stevens grew too old.

I loved Millie and Harper, and admired the strength they projected even as their dreams were shattered over and over. Millie’s long-held dream of opening a dress shop coincided with Harper’s, and even though Harper had reservations about their idea, she continued working on the dream. The story is rich in the history of the South, including its less than flattering aspects, and paints a picture that comes full circle for Millie and The Dress Shop on King Street. This book, Heirloom Secrets #1, is a delight and has me eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

The Dress Shop on King Street is a story that brings together the unified dreams of a young girl and her mentor.
I had heard so much about this book, I finally decided to request a copy to read and I’m happy I did. This time slip novel (weaving the past with a contemporary story) is an interesting survey of living in the South during the 40s and 50s, up to present day. The heroine is of African and Caucasian heritage in a place where she has already lost a father due to hatred. Her father was murdered because he had a child with an African woman. Millie is faced with a choice her entire life – hide one of her heritages and speak to no one of where she comes from.
The sensitivity to which the author tackles this issue is commendable. It takes the reader back to a time when hatred was left unpunished and people of mixed heritage were forced to choose which one to embrace. If one chose unwisely, s/he would suffer what no one should go through. The author brings the inner struggle of Millie to light, which begs the reader to ask themselves a simple question. What would I have done in Millie’s place?
She is able to hide her heritage until she gives birth to fraternal twins – one who is white, and the other who is darker skinned. Millie and her husband make a desperate choice which takes her to the end of the story to find redemption.
The contemporary story sees a much older Millie mentoring a design protégé who reminds Millie of herself. Harper’s story will be intricately woven with Millie’s by the end.
It was a challenging read in the sense of the issues tackled in this book. It was an enjoyable read for the ability of the author to bring the reader into Millie’s world.
I’m glad I listened to the recommendations of others and look forward to reading more from this author.
I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Dreams of careers in fashion. A dual timeline. Harper in the present in Fairhope, Alabama and the back story of Millie (1946) in Charleston, South Carolina. The racially divided South. Fabrics, secrets, heritage, heirloom buttons. Very enjoyable and easy to follow story. Seems it is #1 in a new series. That is intriguing! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

This book seemed as though it took a long time to read, but it was interrupted by holiday reads and other book commitments. The story really touched my heart. It was about two women whose dream it was to own a dress shop, but their dreams took a long time to materialize. There were lots of puzzles, twists and threads to follow, but it was put together in a really interesting way. The experiences of Millie, a biracial woman passing for white most of her life, yet holding on to her black heritage as best she could, were put forth with such understanding and empathy that I had to check to see whether the author was a person of color. I really loved the book and I loved Harper and Millie and my heart broke for Harper when she had her review. I see there is another book in this series and I can't wait to read it.

Loved, loved, loved this story! A story of present time and flashbacks to a much earlier time where the two come together at the end.
Millie and Harper both have dreams of owning their own dress shop. Millie's dream has been for a very, very long time. Her great sacrifices for her family have delayed her dream, but she has no regrets.
Harper's dreams are crushed when her professor harshly criticized her work of art, and basically tells her to find another occupation.
Both women take vintage clothing and bring them back to life. They believe each item has a story.
I loved Millie and Franklin's love story. The writing made me feel as though I knew them, and felt their joys and heartaches along with them. The racial injustices and decisions that were because of it made for much heartache and pain that carried through their entire lives, and affected generations after them. The writing made their pain so real.
Then, there's Peter and how he ties with with Millie. Absolutely, wonderful!
I was given a complimentary copy by the publisher, Bethany House and Netgalley. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review.

A heart wrenching family history.
Present Day - Harper has dreamed of owning a dress shop since she was a little girl taught to sew by Mrs Millie. About to graduate from design school, her senior project is rejected by her advisor. Lost without her dream, Harper returns to Mrs. Millie. Mrs Millie convinces Harper to take her to Charleston to fulfill her own dream decades old- owning a dress shop.
After WWII, many families struggled to fin work. One family struggles with finding peace as a biracial family. Millie is sent from home by her mothet as a teenager, passing as white to fulfill her dream of owning a dress shop.
Emotional. Amazing family history. Loved the perspectives of both time periods. Loved the characters- especially Millie. Oh to have such a love, such strength.
Great story.

Thanks to Bethany House for the free book. All opinions are my own.
This was a wonderful debut. I enjoyed how Clark the romance, Harper's struggles, and Millie's decisions. Millie's chapters were my favorite because of how the author chose to show her struggles. They were incredibly difficult, yet Clark handled the topics with grace and dignity. Millie is also a part of Harper's story set in modern times, and so there was lots of wisdom given based on her story told in the past timeline. I also liked how she showed how Harper was listening to so many doubts and fears instead of focusing on what God was calling her to do. I felt like I could relate to her inability to quiet all of the voices in her mind.

These two timelines weave together so well, and I could not stop reading because the buildup was so well done, and I had to know what was going to happen next. I also enjoyed how this book series is focused on an heirloom and how that one piece ties everything together.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishing for a gifted copy of The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark. All opinions are my own.

The prologue to this story was heartbreaking. It is the story of Rose and her daughter, Ashley, who is sold at nine years old in 1860. The story continues while alternating between Millie's story which starts in the 1940s and Harper's story which starts in the present. Their stories intertwine and come together as the stories continue.

Millie has lived her life feeling that she has two parts. Her skin is light like her father but her heritage is also shared with her grandmother, Ashley. At the age of 16, Millie's mother pushes her into the world by herself so she can have a safer life and be able to fulfill her dreams. Millie is torn between her heritage and staying true to her mother's wishes. Her mother wants her to have her dream of owning a dress shop.

Harper has always wanted to have her own dress shop. After losing her mother at a very young age she struggles with her dreams and what she is meant to be doing with her life.

This book is heartbreaking at so many turns. The choices that a mother makes for her child is not always easy or clear-cut. Millie's ancestors, her own mother, and her choices as a mother make this book hard to put down.

I loved the aspect of items (clothing, furniture, houses, etc.) having stories and the importance of history today. Have you ever looked at a vintage item and wondered where it came from? Who did it belong to? What did it mean to that person?

One of my favorite parts of historical fiction is author's notes. I appreciated the author's notes in this book which let the readers know the historical accuracy of the stories.

Christian
Women's Fiction
Release Date: December 1, 2020

It is a rare occurrence to find a debut novel that gives the impression that the author has been published for decades, but The Dress Shop on King Street is just such a book. Complexly plotted with settings that came alive for this reader, its characterization is what won me over. I could not get enough of Millie and Franklin and Harper and Peter. Set against the backdrop of the American South in the 1940s to the present, the book grabbed me from the get-go and refused to let me go after the last page was turned. What a great way to start 2021!

The Dress Shop on King Street is a dual timeline novel. It follows Millie Middleton a biracial woman who passes for white. Clark does an admirable job of re-creating the racial tensions/violence that followed Millie from the 1940s to the present. Stuck between two heritages, Millie does her best to live up to the promises she makes to her mother when she leaves Charleston for the safety of Fairhope, Alabama. I loved Millie’s character so much. Clark made her experiences personal for this white woman of 2021. All of the main characters are wonderful, though, with each having very endearing qualities and very real flaws. Charleston and Fairhope were vividly described in their past beauty and ugliness and their present-day reality. Identity is a big theme — what makes us who we are and our response to our heritage. Dreams and aspirations are also explored, as characters grapple with going ahead and letting go. A faith message is subtly woven throughout the narrative. One passage late in the book really grabbed me. Millie has a hard time believing that God is more capable of managing her life than she is. I can really relate to that!

If you are looking for an excellent way to start out your new year reading, then consider The Dress Shop on King Street. I loved that 2021 started out with a 5-star novel!

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

I loved this book. The characters are so endearing and I enjoyed both timelines. It is about hope; friendship, family, secrets,.... and brings forth an array of emotions. I love to sew and the theme was very special to me.
Many thanks to Bethany House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

While it may not sound like it means all that much mid January to say that this is the best book I've read all year, believe me when I say that I don't say this lightly. This book was absolutely fantastic... and beautiful on the inside as it was on the out (and let's be honest, it was the beautiful cover that first drew me in)!

The Dress Shop on King Street is a story that introduces us to two women with a shared dream of owning a dress shop. In the current day, we meet Harper as her dreams seem to be crashing around her and she finds herself rethinking her future. She turns to her childhood neighbor and sewing teacher Millie and through this beautiful dual timeline, we learn the tragic story of Millie's past. A past filled with heartache, racial inequality and the search for identity.

While I may know nothing about the topic at hand, I couldn't help but feel deeply for Millie's character. The author portrayed her story in such a way that I couldn't help but connect with her, to grieve with her, to hope with her. I loved seeing the way that their stories were sewn together, and the beautiful messages of faith throughout. This is certainly one of those books that will stick with me for many, many years to come. If you love historical fiction or a good dual timeline read, this is one not to be missed. I love it.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Do Dreams Always Come True?

This story begins in the 1860’s and ends in the modern day. The story revolves around Millie, a green-eyed beauty that can pass as a white person.

This page turning tale will keep you glued to the story while experiencing the dangers and heartache suffered by people forced to deny their true selves. Millie’s life is traced from just after WWII to present day, including the loss and lack of understanding she experienced just by trying to live life.

Harper enters the story in modern times, while she tries to fulfill her lifelong dream. Just when she feels like everything is over for her, Millie and Harper come together. The two discover both of them have a connection to a man named Peter, something that will ultimately shape their future. The two women collaborate to accomplish something with Peter, but end up doing so much more.

Will Millie be able to confess the truth to Peter, and will he react with anger and shut her out? Why has God placed this desire in Harper's heart if she is going to fail every time?

The 5-star tale will tug at your heart, hoping something wonderful will happen for these two women. They will have to travel through many twists and turns before they are both satisfied. Faith in God plays an important part in this story. Throughout it all, two butterfly buttons will have a vital role in this tale. Those interested in history and finding your calling in life will enjoy this book.

NetGalley has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, The Dress Shop on King Street, for the purpose of review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Ugh! Millie broke my soul!! Author Ashley did a great job broaching a difficult topic that peels away the skin revealing what truly matters, the human heart. The magnificent way human rawness is exposed in a broken world and the love of a mother had me reeling! ❤️

The Dress Shop on King Street
by Ashley Clark
Bethany House
Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 01 Dec 2020


I am reviewing a copy of The Dress Shop on King Street through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:



Harper Dupree had all her hopes and dreams on a future in fashion design. But after it all comes crashing down around her, she returns home to Fairhope, Alabama, and to Millie, the woman who first taught her how to sew. As soon as Harper rethinks her own future, long-hidden secrets about Millie's past are brought to light.




Millie Middleton, the daughter of an Italian man, and a black woman boarded train and left Charleston to keep half of her heritage hidden. She carried with her two heirloom buttons and the dream of owning a dress store. She could have never imagine she would meet a charming train jumper who changed her life forever. And she would once again have to decide a heartbreaking choice about which heritage would define her future.



Harper and Millie return to Charleston to find the man who may hold the answers they seek. As well as a chance at the dress shop they always dreamed of. But it's not until all appears lost that they see the unexpected ways to mend what frayed between the seams.



I give The Dress Shop on King’s Street five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

I feel like I have read a lot of debut novels recently and I have yet to be disappointed. This is another really good debut and I look forward to reading more by Ashley Clark. The cover is fun and vibrant. Who doesn't love a good red hat? And when you read the book, you realize how important a place that red cloche held in the story even though it's more of a subtle mention most of the time.

The theme of this book is dreams, the longing for unfulfilled dreams and what to do when your dreams fall apart. Millie runs through the whole book from the time she was 16 until she was in her 90's, but the other main character, Harper, is told mostly in the present day. While this story is fiction, it is based on truth. The story begins with a mother giving her 9-year-old daughter a satchel that contained a tattered dress, three handfuls of pecans and braid of her own hair. Why, you might ask? Because her daughter was being sold as a slave the next day and this mother would never see her daughter again. That is not a spoiler, it's told in the prologue, but how heart-wrenching is that? There truly was a sack purchased at a flee market in Nashville that had the story written on it.

How do you reconcile living in a time when to be black meant no contact with whites or you could be killed? And when you carried black heritage in a white body, what do you do? And that is all I am going to say about that because I don't want to give away more of the story, but the decisions that Millie made throughout her life were not easy and yet they were made with the deepest sacrificial love you can imagine.

Harper was simply afraid, afraid to move ahead with her dreams, believing she was incapable and unqualified. But all she needed was a little tweaking of her dreams and little stepping out of her fear to make a new beautiful reality.

"The secret, my sweet Harper, is we stop fearing shadows when we see the sun that makes them. Instead of cowering, we shift into the sunlight, and the shadows disappear." This has a much deeper meaning than just the sun and shadows, but when we are willing to step out of our fear and into God's light, the shadows disappear.

And one last quote that I think is so eloquently written: "Sometimes life gives us those moments. Like the very first flutter of a butterfly's wings. Moments that are so profound and so purely beautiful, you try to capture them so you can come back to them later.

I received this book from Bethany House via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is perfect for lovers of Christian fiction that is beautiful and inspirational but not preachy, as well as those who love a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps success story” with a liberal amount of the history of the Southern United States following WWII thrown in for good measure.

It follows the lives of Millie Middleton, a mixed race woman now nearing her 80’s, who has spent most of her life “passing for white” and Harper Dupree, a young woman with hopes of becoming a renowned dress designer as well as the men who play an important part in their lives.

THE DRESS SHOP ON KING STREET is compelling and evocative as it seamlessly toggles between decades and characters while managing to remain consistently engaging throughout. Although Clark writes of a time decades in the past, readers will feel a very real sense that these events have much to say about our world today.

The Dress Shop on King Street took me on a journey that I was not expecting. The story begins with a young slave girl being sold away from her mother, never to see her again; and continues with this little girls ancestors as they journey through a life that was not kind to them. We meet Millie, a bi-racial teen who faces hard decisions about how she will choose to live out her life, the love she finds along the way, the heart wrenching choices that must be made, and the dream she never allows to die. Intertwined in Millie's story is a college student named, Harper, her own dreams dashed, she returns to her roots and to Millie, together the two find renewed faith, hope, and a chance at the life they have always wanted.

WOW! This is such a beautiful story. It is a multi-generational novel that takes the reader from before the Civil War into the present day.

Millie is a woman who is half white and half black. Her mixed heritage gives her more freedom to live in the white world. Her story begins before Martin Luther King changed life for many black people.

Her life is threatened when a white young man learns of her mixed heritage. In order to protect her, Millie's mother puts her on a train to move to an area where she can pass as a white woman.

The story "packs a punch" as injustice is described. Millie has a love story that is beautiful, but her heart is broken when she becomes a mother. To me, it is unfathomable the way that people in the black community were treated. It is because I have never experienced it, that I have a hard time wrapping my head around it.

While there is a lot of pain, there are good times too. The story really is one of hope. It comes full circle when dreams are realized and that generations following have more opportunity.

I cannot give this book a higher recommendation. This will remain in my head and heart for a long time to come.

Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

A beautiful story that entwines divergent timeperiods in a time slip that will tug your heart. Rich characters and the sense of place is wonderful. I loved this book!

#Bookeview: The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark 5 stars

This book got me out of my reading slump. I just couldn’t get into the two other books that I started. This is a great historical fiction, clean Christian romance and timeslip novel. As soon as I started reading Rose’s moving story in the 1860’s, I was hooked. Then came Millie in 1946 and the prejudices due to her heritage is heartbreaking. In the modern day, I wasn’t sure how Harper’s life intersects with that of Millie.

I appreciate how the past and present are seamlessly woven. I enjoyed the anticipation each page brings. The big secret is unraveled nicely. I expected a big bang but thinking about it afterward, it goes along with the whole story. It is slow burn and once it ends, Harper, Millie and Peter become a family to the reader. So familiar and it’s like you know everything about them. Unforeseen revelations later on bring more depth to the story.

Millie and Franklin’s story is atypical and promising. I also enjoyed the touch of love story between Harper and Peter. They seem to be destined together. I love the message of hope, love and family all over this book especially those given by Millie and Harper’s father. I laughed and smiled and I didn’t want the book to end yet. I look forward now to the second book in the series.

Thank you Bethany House and #netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It is filled with hope and love. This book was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed both characters but had a soft spot for Millie. Both timelines were interesting, but again, Millie's back story was the one that really touched me. I look forward to more books in the series and learning more about the characters and their lives.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was split between two timelines. It was a good read, and easy to follow. It’s set in history, and family and how everyone is tied together over time. You learn Olean on how everyone ties together, but that does not take away from the storyline of the book. I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend.

Harper it is a seamstress and designer who was taught by Millie in her hometown. After trying out for a special show she is rejected and decides to return home and stay with Millie. Millie has always dreamed of owning a dress shop, and with Harper it just may come true.

Steeped in history and brimming with long-held family secrets, The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark is a captivating first book in a new series. Modern day Harper feels her long-held dreams of being a seamstress and opening her own shop may have been dashed after one of her design school professors gives her lackluster feedback. When she visits the sewing teacher of her youth, Millie, she never anticipates that in unearthing the past, she’ll discover the path to her future.
The story jumps back and forth in time, beginning with Millie’s young adulthood in the 1940s and skipping ahead to the present day for Harper’s perspective. Despite their drastic differences in life experiences and upbringing, there is a similarity between the two women when comparing their inner strength and patience for seeing their life goals come to fruition. Neither one has an easy path, both coming across stumbling blocks that many would view as a sign to quit.
At times heartbreaking, this book exemplifies everything that makes a historical fiction story resonate with contemporary readers. Aspects of the not-so-distant past come to life with lush imagery, characters who could just as likely be people on your own family tree, and gripping, emotional scenes. I wanted nothing more than for Millie and Harper to both find their happiness and peace by the story’s end as I became completely invested in their intertwined tales.
Apart from the slowly revealed secrets, what made this book even more enthralling was learning it was inspired by an actual letter and the artifacts that accompanied it. The author has taken her extensive research and turned it into a timeless and heartwarming story.
Thank you to Bethany House for the complimentary copy. This did not impact my review.

This captivating debut novel displaying Ashley Clark’s excellent storytelling skill is a winner! A well-structured, intriguing plot; strong, endearing characters; sweet, slow-building romance; and relevant spiritual truths of God’s faithfulness, grace, and purpose combine to create a beautifully woven story of dreams, family secrets, friendship, difficult choices, and belonging. I applaud Ms. Clark on her amazing execution of the complex yet easy to follow dual timeline. Both storylines are compelling, but I was especially moved by the historical one featuring Millie which evoked a myriad of emotions. I like Ms. Clark’s fluent expressive style and the use of symbolism which enhances the story. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next book in her Heirloom Secrets series.
A favorite quote: “God is faithful, and when He calls you to something, He will also give you the means, even if it doesn’t look as expected.”
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Dress Shop on King Street is a sobering yet hopeful tale that I fell head over heels in love with. Showing the passing of time in both the past (the 194o's) and the present, the reader witnesses the simple, yet fascinating life of Millie Middleton, the daughter of an Italian father and African-American mother, who is forced to hide her heritage in hopes of a better life, and ripping her family apart.

Millie carries this secret for years, hiding her true self from those closest to her, and the mental torture she endures while dealing with the prejudice of the times is unimaginable to me. My heart was torn apart as I witnesses the blessings and curses that Millie endured through her life, several moments bringing tears to my eyes at the unfairness of it all, and yet Millie herself was the light of the story, a woman filled with such love and grace, and touching my own heart.

Harper's story, which is told in the present, was also a joy to read, and not just because I loved reading all the details about the vintage dresses that she repaired. Though she has a hard hit to her ego at the beginning of the book, you get to behold her and Millie together fight for their dreams, and discover the satisfaction of fighting for your hearts desire.

Reading The Dress Shop on King Street filled me with unexplained nostalgia, thankfulness for all the unknown blessings that I take for granted, and hope that maybe someday my greatest dreams could come true. It is apparent that the author poured her heart and soul into this novel, and for that I am grateful, as Millie's story truly evoked deep emotions within me, reminding me of lost dreams of my own that I would love to one day see come to fruition. It's a great reminder that it's never too late.

There are so many parallels between the past and the present that are so eloquently stitched together, creating a beautiful tapestry of family, love, fighting the struggle, and finding the truth to be who you were meant to be and not giving your reverie away to fear. To see a family torn apart by prejudice and then to witness it be mended together again was so poetic. I truly loved every aspect of this deep and eye-opening novel and is another MUST READ of 2021 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy of this book I. Exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Beautiful history of a woman in the south growing up as biracial and what that meant for her hopes, dreams and family. Set against the beautiful backdrop of a dress shop in Charleston Sout Carolina, this story had everything I love - vintage clothes and shoes, history and strong female characters who face adversity and make good and bad choices, showing they are human and can eventaully overcome all that is put in their path.

I definitely recommend this book and I look forward to Lucy and Eliza’s story.

This book was like candy for a historical fiction nut like myself! I love the way the author wove the story of the butterfly buttons, the embroidered bag, and other heirlooms into a family story that reached through many decades. This was a debut writing, and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series! Way to go, Ashley Clark!

*I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

Harper is finishing her design course and is hoping to open a dress shop. While in Charleston, she meets Peter, who owns an old building that would be perfect for a shop. Later she goes to visit an old mentor, Millie, who runs a boarding house in Alabama. Millie has secrets from her past, but she too had always wantd to run a dress shop. Together they go to Charleston and contact Peter. This story flips back and forth from the past to the present. Millie's ancestors are explored throughout as well as Millie's early life. It is a poignant picture of the old South from slave days to modern times.

There is a lot of historical detail here and a lot to absorb about the culture of the South. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good historical story.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Oh wow, this was such a beautiful story and one at quite a high standard for the author's debut.

Millie's life was one of heartbreak, love and hope. Even through her struggles, she found a way to find joy in her day and make the best of her circumstances. There was a few times when she went through "the valley of darkness" and when she had all reason to be depressed and lost, she rose above her circumstances.

The modern day story was also sweet, but Millie's grabbed at my heartstrings.

Fans of dual time novels will find a new favourite author to follow. Looking forward to the author's second novel, which I'm afraid I have high expectations for.

The Dress Shop on King Street is a dual timeline story set in present day and the 1950s and united by a dream to open a dress shop. The characters draw you into this heartfelt romance. Clark tackles the difficult topic of passing as the characters live in a racist South in South Carolina and Georgia. It is the first book in the Heirloom Secrets series, and I look forward to subsequent additions to this series.

I enjoyed this split time novel a great deal. It's unusual for me to enjoy both time periods in a split time equally, I tend to prefer one story line over another. But with this one, I found myself looking forward to both. Millie's history was unique and new to me. The characters were all engaging. One aspect I particularly liked about this story was how the history of things was learned and passed on with the item. I love when something I now own comes with a history. One part of the story even surprised me in a "WHAT?!" kind of moment. I won't give spoilers, but it was a good surprise. There's some romance that takes place throughout the story as well, but it wasn't the primary focus. It was the perfect amount in my opinion for the overall feel of the book. I look forward to the next in this series!

A fascinating, well-written look into the struggle to find your own identity and stand for your future.

The Dress Shop on King Street deals with the struggles of racial tension and the impossible choice faced by a young woman with two heritages in a world that didn't want to accept her as belonging to either. I felt the author handled the storyline and difficulties with tact and care, and I appreciated the fact that she didn't paint the story with broad strokes, but delved into the intricacies and heartbreak faced by so many different people during this time. While I am usually not the biggest fan of time-slip novels, this one was handled very well, and I appreciated the look into the characters' lives through several eras.

The characters were lovely, and while Harper wasn't my favorite, Millie DEFINITELY was--so much spunk, creativity, and vibrancy in one powerful character. I really enjoyed how all the individual stories intertwined so beautifully and connected over the passage of time. Of course, the vintage/dressmaker aspect was also a fabulous treat for this vintage nerd. :)

Four stars for an enlightening, encouraging read! I'm excited to read more by this author!

I enjoyed the premise for the story. I enjoyed the characters. Yet it became a little confusing for me since it jumped back and forth between time-frame. If I had sat and read at one sitting would have enjoyed more. It dealt well with issues of race. I will read this author again.
#netgalley

Timeless and thought-provoking. This story accurately depicts the racial tensions of the 1940s, especially in the South, but many of the issues are still relevant for us today. While we no longer have separate entrances, separate bathrooms, different schools, etc. for POC, there is still racial profiling. For Millie, one of the primary characters, to pass as white, it was a huge risk. Yet staying true to both identities while also staying true to herself as a wife and mother also provides some of the tension in the story. Millie has had her dream of owning a dress shop delayed by various life events, but she holds on to the dream.

Harper, the young lady in the story, has been attending design school with the dream of owning her own dress shop in mind. However, her dreams are dashed as well, so she retreats to Millie's boarding house in Alabama to re-evaluate her next steps. The two women are brought together by Peter, a strong young man who has connections to both.

This is a story of surprises, racial tensions, of living with the consequences of decisions, of delayed dreams, of pursuing dreams despite the cost. At times the pace becomes a bit bogged down while Millie and Harper have debates with themselves about the next course of action and it may seem a bit whiny. However, many of us have these internal struggles while determining our next course of action. Overall, this is a wonderful read. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an impartial review.

The Dress Shop on King Street is the story of two women. Harper Albright dreams of owning a dress shop and being a designer, but her dreams are dashed by a professor at SCAD in Savannah. Millie Middleton is Harper's lifelong friend and mentor from Harper's small town in coastal Alabama. Millie also has had a lifelong dream of a dress shop. This novel tells their stories -- both in present day, and Millie's story in the 1940's, when she chose to pass as white after her father was killed. There is also a man in Charleston named Peter who restores old places and who is connected to both women.

I wanted to read this novel because I was interested in the Charleston setting, Millie's story, and the vintage/historical artifacts theme of the book.

The Dress Shop on King Street is one of my favorite reads of the year! The writing is beautiful, and Millie's story is sensitively told. I found it incredibly moving and will be recommending this read to friends.

An example of the descriptive language in this book:

"But as she slipped the dress up and over her head, a sea of old emerald brought waves of fragrance. The smell was familiar and immediately elicited every manner of flashing memory—from a vintage dress Daddy bought her to the torn fabrics she’d found at estate sales and repurposed, and even the lonely nights spent in Savannah, trying to perfect her work. The smell was an open door to a hallway of memory. She would never know the original dress owner, this woman who had probably zipped the waistline with ease, or what the pockets carried. She would never know her, and yet the fabric was the same. A shared intersection of this mystery woman’s story and her own. The thought of all that meeting at the seams gave Harper chills, as emotion pulsed through her veins. Hope, namely. Fascination and determination and the bliss that only comes from one’s deepest dream. Dust mixed with old fabric. Not a particularly complicated sort of smell. But a powerful one. It was the smell of old books. Of old houses like the ones Peter loved. The smell of untold stories leading up to the next chapter, and the smell of home. Fabrics that have been worn day by day, sometimes accumulating dust, until the day by days begin to take on the scent of one another, a scent that is as recognizable as fabric, sewn stitch by stitch into a gown" (eBook location 3968).

The characters in this book were remarkable - Harper, who loves sewing and sketching but also finds joy in mending old treasures; Peter, who has a similar love of history and the past; and Millie, who is so important to both of them, who imparts wisdom and also grows and changes over the years.

Millie is my favorite book character in recent reads. She is a lovely, warm, creative person who changes everyone's lives that she touches. Her family history - with a grandmother sold into slavery and the choices she herself feels compelled to make through her life - was heartrending.

There is an inspirational element of this book, deftly handled in a way that imparts meaning without overwhelming the storytelling.

I highly recommend The Dress Shop on King Street for fans of historical fiction and dual storyline novels -- most especially anyone who is interested in Charleston, southern history, racial identity, and all things antique and vintage. Five very enthusiastic stars!

Thank you to Bethany House Publishing and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
I liked this story, especially the setting of the dress shop. The cover is beautiful This is the story of Harper and Millie-Millie's story starts in 1946 and Harper's story is present day. The author does a great job of tying both time periods together. This story contains history, Christianity, romance and it is just a good story. It has something for all readers. I also liked the description of the vintage clothes and shoes-that is an interest of mine. I would recommend this book to all readers!

I loved this book! Definitely could be a movie.
Harper Dupree wants a future in fashion design, but it’s not happening. She returns to Fairhope, Ala., arriving for a visit at the boarding house with Millie, who first taught her how to sew.
Millie has secrets. She is the daughter of an Italian man and a Black woman, and in 1946, on the advice of her mother, leaves Charleston to move to Fairhope, hiding the secret of her heritage. She meets and marries a wonderful man, but often wonders if she made the right decision in hiding her past.
Harper and Millie have both dreamed of owning a dress shop, so they start making plans to open one in Charleston.
The author seamlessly blends the past and present together, complete with historical detail.

Author Ashley Clark’s debut novel is a timely story that will make you think about how you see people. Are we making decisions based on appearance? Her characters are well developed and engaging. I really loved Millie and I think you will too.

I was impressed with this split time novel. Being Clark’s debut, she did a really good job of seamlessly moving from past to present and back again. The characters are so interwoven into each other’s lives without even realizing it; it’s brilliant. And it will keep your attention from beginning to end.

Grief, broken dreams, love lost and found, there are so many emotions in this story along with hope and dreams fulfilled. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it.

I am looking forward to book two in the Heirloom Secrets series; Paint and Nectary.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

A debut novel by Ashley Clark released date on Dec. 1, 2020. If you enjoy Christian and Women’s Fiction, in dual timelines with strong Southern history this book is for you. The book centers around a biracial young girl, family secrets, hope and love. It was so good! Thank you #NetGalley, #BethanyHousePublishing and #AshleyClark for the advance readers copy for my honest review.

A heartfelt novel of dreams, loss, love, heartache, and the history that makes us who we are.

Tracing forwards and back lingering on pivotal moments in Millie's life, as well as the stories of Harper and Peter, as they entwine in the past and present day. A beautifully immersive read, with captivating characters that tell their stories and search for answers. Even though the story wends its way through various points in time the lines of the story were easy to follow, and I didn't find myself getting confused and enjoyed watching the pieces come together.

This book explores various themes, from the pain of racism, casting two shadows, the ties that bind you to your past, and following your dreams, all infused with faith that shines hope into the darkest days. Millie is an extraordinary woman, full of wisdom, gumption, and faith, and I loved following her through the turning points in her life, as well as her relationship with Harper and how she encourages her in her dreams and love. Peter is a man with big dreams too, he loves reviving pieces of history to preserve their history, while searching for the answers to his own.

Overall, a gorgeous blending of past and present, taking inspiration from real life heart rending choices that many had to make. Romance, heartbreak, and dreams realized, I loved everything about this novel. Highly recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Imagine being unable to embrace half of your ancestry for fear of being harmed because of the tone of your skin. Beautiful story of how prejudice can force people to make decisions that will impact their life and future generations. Interesting and realistic characters brought together by their love of vintage clothing and historic properties. Great read with an impactful story line.
Thank you for sending me a complimentary copy, the opinions in this review are my own.

Oh what tangled webs we weave! This story is heartache and dreams mixed all into one! A family's secrets and history...recalling the "Old South" mixed in modern day reality. A must read!

The Dress Shop on King Street tells the story of two women: Millie in the 1940's, and Harper (with a much older Millie) in the present day. Their stories are interwoven, of course, with the fullness of their connection not revealed until the end.

I was partial to Millie's story line (just by a bit), but I also enjoyed Harper's. And the connections between Harper, Millie, and Harper's love interest Peter were so fun to uncover!

Also, it was heartbreaking to read about Millie's struggles as a Black woman passing as white. The choices she had to make were unfathomable. The way those choices - which she made to the best of her ability - impacted the rest of her life and her loved one's lives ... I just wanted to give her a big hug!

I can't really say more without spoiling anything, and this book is one where the secrets are best uncovered as you go! But trust me when I say that fans of historical novels that deal with tough topics from our nation's history will find much to love here.

A wonderful, beautifully written book that flawlessly weaves time periods together to make a beautiful story. These are not characters that you will not soon forget. This author’s debut book will earn her many fans. I’m already looking forward to reading more from her.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark is a Bethany House publication.

Such a wonderful uplifting story!!

In 1946 Millie, a young woman of mixed heritage is leaving Charleston by train, with a couple of heirloom buttons and the dream of owning her own dress shop, when she meets a train jumper who changes her life…

In present day, Harper Albright has returned to Alabama after her dreams of a career in fashion are dashed. Here she reconnects with Millie, the woman who first taught her to sew. Millie senses Harper needs some time to regroup and offers her a place to stay at her boarding house.

This string of events will merge the past with the present, as Millie’s story is finally revealed, possibly leading to an opportunity for both she and Harper to realize their true dreams.

I loved this story! It’s so sad and heartbreaking, but is also moving, inspirational and heartwarming. As is usually the case with multiple timelines, the historical side of the story was the most effective, in my opinion. Millie’s journey is riveting as she navigates through treacherous waters, finds true love, but faces the most heart wrenching choices along the way.

The characterizations are rich and vivid, and the story is teeming with tension, and joy, highs and lows and triumphs and failures. It’s about life and the unforeseen curveballs and trials, and a reminder that we don’t have to carry our burdens alone and, that maybe things work out best in God’s good time.

The author does an incredible job of handling sensitive topics, incorporating a gentle message, and creating such a beautiful story, it lingered in my heart and mind for long after I turned the final page.

Overall, this is such a refreshing story and an impressive debut!! Will read this author again!

The Dual timeline story set in 1946 and present day will keep you reading. The story doesn’t shy away from the prejudice that was prominent in 1946. I loved the story that was steeped in hope and courage. The family heirlooms that connect it all. The search for family and the truth behind it all.

"The Dress Shop on King Street" by Ashley Clark was an excellent read about a woman who passed as white at a very dangerous time in the US history in the south. Due to that history there are twists and turns in her family's history that come out much later in her life. You feel the pain Millie, the main character whose life story is told in the novel feels at various times in her life where tough decisions need to be made. The time line alternates between her younger years and where she is later in life as a widow.

She had a dream to own her own dress shop earlier in her life. Instead she spends most of her life running a boardinghouse. During the time she runs her boardinghouse she meets a young girl Harper who she teaches to sew clothing. Harper is a major part of her life in the story as Harper has just graduated from design school and had her dreams crushed for having her own dress shop and designing clothes.

These two women and a man named Peter come together to help Millie as she may finally realize her dream of having that dress shop she always wanted.

I really enjoyed this book though the storyline is hard to read at times as well as it tells harsh truths about what happened to African Americans in the south and how interracial marriage was viewed in the early to mid 1900's.

This book is about an interesting and sad part of history. I loved learning more about the southern parts of the country it is set in. Well done!

Ashley Clark is a wonderful storyteller. As a lover of Charleston, I was drawn to this book by the title and the image. I read the book in just a few days, because the story was so compelling. It merged historical fiction with modern day stories in a way you don't come across very often. Highly recommend.

This story flipped back between past and present fluidly and the two main female characters were beautifully written. This book brought up a lot of emotions, I will definitely read more by this author. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Oh my! The dual timeline story capture my attention and kept it. I would love to see this as a movie! The characterization is excellent, as is the balance between the two storylines. Looking forward to her next book!

The Dress Shop on King Street by Ashley Clark is a compelling debut novel that weaves two storylines together across two different timelines. It's a story that covers deep topics like race and class and colorism.

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

Beautifully written. Well developed characterization. Heartwarming. Emotional. Inviting cover art. Savor this novel. You will not be disappointed. Five stars.

The Dress Shop on King Street
Heirloom Secrets #1
By Ashley Clark

Harper Dupree's dreams never seem to come to fruition and she is constantly disappointed. But when she joins her dream with Millie it seems that finally, both women will see a long-held dream come true.

Millie Middleton has a secret, a secret that could cost her everything if the truth came out. A secret that made her choose who she would be. And it cost her the family she dearly loved. To deny part of oneself was not something she did lightly, but the world refused to accept her for who she was.

For more than 50 years Millie has had to deny the truth but as her long-held dream comes closer to reality she has a chance to reveal the truth. But revealing a long-held truth isn't as easy as it seems.

The Dress Shop on King Street takes the reader on a journey through history with a pivotal moment occurring in the prologue which is set in 1860's Charleston, South Carolina. The story offers a back-and-forth in which Millie's story is presented (starting in 1946) and Harper's which is present day. This back-and-forth slowly unfolds a story that is both beautiful and heartbreaking. And then there is Peter Perkins who could very well hold the key to what both Millie and Harper want. But sometimes what we think we want is so different from what we need and this is a truth that needs to be discovered personally.

I was provided a complimentary copy with no expectations but to provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

What a sweet and heartfelt story. I love the multiple timelines of this story.
This was a quick, historical read that will make your heart smile.
Thank you NetGalley!

This book was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The book is just beautifully written and I read it in one sitting. The dual timelines and the characters kept me totally engrossed in this beautiful story.

Due to a family illness, and unexpected events, I am very far behind in writing my reviews.I found my self reading one book after another without writing the review -- that was a big mistake. I did enjoy this book very much,. I happily give it 5 stars.

This was a great look into history in the south. I can't imagine what life might have been like for Millie or for her daughters. I loved following her all throughout her story. She really never felt like she fit in anywhere, black or white. She isolated herself make sure there was no way she could be found out. What kind of life that must have been for her. I love when Harper also finally finds her true calling also and how everyone is actually connected.