Ah, The Perfect Dress one I wouldn’t normally pick up but in the end a fantastic feel-good read.
I’ll be honest, I picked this up because I myself am going to be buying my wedding dress soon (eek!) and it seemed like a fun book with a bit of mystery and intrigue added in as well as not being too taxing while reading. I was all of that and more. I completely and utterly fell in love with the character of Fran and only wanted the best for her throughout.
I didn’t expect the fantastical element to it, the magic that is felt by Fran as she encounters each dress. I wanted to know so much about the brides of the past, the dead grooms that Fran is so fond of and more than anything, I wanted to see Fran happy! It was clear through the way in which Fran was written a lot of research was done into dresses, the history behind certain dresses and their place in fashion history, in fact, I really want to hunt down a few books on wedding dresses through the ages for my own research!
While Raph did give me Mr Darcy vibes and there were a few times I wanted to shake some sense into him I think that he was needed in this book. His scepticism and past really added to the novel and kept it from being too overly sweet the whole time – which I did adore but I also thought he was a good balance throughout.
This novel is an uplifting and fun read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a pick me up. I also found that I couldn’t put it down, I came to really care about Fran and Raphael, who they were and their relationship. I think the only thing I would change is to make it longer! To get to know more about them separately, particularly Raph’s relationship with her younger sister.
Overall I gave this 4 stars a really enjoyable read.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Chloe Metzger 
Hallo, Hallo Chloe,
What an unexpected delight of a treat! 🙂 You started to follow me via Twitter, I popped over to your lovely book blog and found a Magical Realism novel being presented! I like how you said the dress had the essence and lives of the previous owners attached to it; I was curious – is this a time slip novel or just Magical Realism? Where there is a boundary being crossed between the past and the present – through touch or sensory sight per each encounter with the dresses themselves and/or is it something more? You truly have me intrigued!
I love stories which have a bit of am ambigious edging to them – where you are ever quite certain which is the reality of the story and which is that murkiness betwixt and between the narrative where the Magical Realism elements can interplay with the direction of the plot. I also agree sometimes we find certain niches of joy within these plots and we are sometimes disappointed other facets of the story are not outlined or explored.
Did you still enjoy the trajectory of the story without those additional moments with the past grooms & brides? I was curious if their introductions were gently nuanced and added in to where you were dearly more curious about them and would have benefited from a slip in plot and timeline or if as it was laid out as it were everything made better sence by the concluding chapters and all was right as it were?
Thanks for tipping my hat towards a new author & story!
And, thanks for following me on Twitter! I hope you’ll enjoy my bookish feeds, my ruminations on Jorie Loves A Story inasmuch as consider joining us sometime for @SatBookChat on Saturdays. Have a bookish delighful weekend!
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