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 