Thank you Bonnier Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to review thus book
The story is set in York, just up the road from my home, so I immediately felt at home inside the pages. It felt so magical and I adored the characters too. The book is well written and charming.

I adore the cover it looks so dainty.
My blog is : https://thereadingshed.wordpress.com/ ( )

This story is mainly told through Ella's eyes. She's a teenager and has just moved with her mom Fabia. They open a special little vintage shop and Fabia also does some alterations and designing of her own. They both have a bit of their family's magic, Fabia's magic is something she uses in her designs.

But Fabia keeps her past very secret. She fears for her safety and Ella's.

I read this book fairly quickly but I struggled to get very involved in the story.
It's a magical dress shop, why didn't I love this?

Well, it's sadder than I expected. Bad things happened in Fabia's life and begin to happen in Ella's too. At the risk of this sounding to spoilerish, why does there need to be a creepy guy leering at Ella?

Maybe it's just me, but I like a magical realism book that's light.
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"The Dress" was a gentle novel, although a fairly slow read, and each chapter felt like a little story in itself. I enjoyed how the plot was woven around vintage fashion. Thanks to Fabbia's knowledge of clothes and with a touch of magic, she was able to make the women who entered her shop feel special. In this way the book reminded me of "Chocolat". Overall, a light, forgettable Chick Lit novel. ( )

Three and 3/4 stars for this one.

Sophie Nicholls was kind enough to send me this book to read and review. Thank you Sophie!

The Dress starts out as a sweet, gentle story of a vibrant, exotic mum who opens a vintage dress shop, and her self-conscious teen-aged daughter - the new kid in town who is having trouble figuring out where she fits in. The first half of the story continues in this vein as we get to know Fabbia and Ella. Enjoyable reading.

About half way through things take a slightly darker turn and in the end we learn more of what has shaped the lives of Fabbia and Ella.

It reads as if it is a period piece yet it is set in modern day.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. ( )

I really enjoyed this book about a woman struggling to make a living as a dressmaker, while raising her daughter on her own. The story is written from the point of view of the daughter. I received this from a Librarything giveaway.