Author: Brenda Janowitz
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Publisher: Harlequin – Graydon House Books
Publication Date: March 2020
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Two years after Grace Kelly’s royal wedding, her iconic dress is still all the rage in Paris—and one replica, and the secrets it carries, will inspire three generations of women to forge their own paths in life and in love in this beguiling new novel from Brenda Janowitz.
Paris, 1958: Rose, a seamstress at a fashionable atelier, has been entrusted with sewing a Grace Kelly-lookalike gown for a wealthy bride-to-be. But when, against better judgment, she finds herself falling in love with the bride's handsome brother, Rose must make an impossible choice—one that could put all she's worked for at risk: love, security, and of course, the dress.
Sixty years later, tech CEO Rachel, who goes by the childhood nickname "Rocky," has inherited the dress for her upcoming wedding in New York City. But there's just one problem: Rocky doesn't want to wear it. A family heirloom dating back to the 1950s, the dress just isn't her. Rocky knows this admission will break her mother Joan's heart. But what she doesn't know is why Joan insists on the dress—or the heartbreaking secret that changed her mother's life decades before, as she herself prepared to wear it.
As the lives of these three women come together in surprising ways, the revelation of the dress's history collides with long-buried family heartaches. And in the lead-up to Rocky's wedding, they'll have to confront the past before they can embrace the beautiful possibilities of the future.
My Thoughts: This was a beautifully crafted story. A wedding dress inspired by Grace Kelly’s wedding dress is the central character that touches the lives of three women who will wear it. The chapters rotate between Paris in 1958, to Long Island in 1982 and Brooklyn in 2020. Each time period focuses on the seamstress who made the dress in Paris in 1958, the bride in 1982 and her daughter also a bride in 2020. The author does a brilliant job creating characters I immediately felt a connection to and liked. I also really enjoyed that the author adds a bit of mystery as to who the bride in 1958 is as well as who the bride marries in 1982. I do wish, though, that the reader was given more detail about the grooms and what happens to them.
I love this author’s voice and attention to detail that enhances the story instead of confusing the reader. I also loved all three time periods. This story is full of wonderful supporting characters from each time period so picking a favorite character and setting was impossible. This book also got me in the feels many times and I was rooting for all three women to achieve their dreams and goals.
I paired the reading of this book with the audiobook format and loved the narration performance by Cassandra Campbell. Her French accents for Rose and the characters in Paris was flawless and beautiful to hear. The characters and the story came to life so flawlessly, I was easily transported into the story.
My Final Verdict: If you are new to this author’s work, then The Grace Kelly Dress is a great place to start. I’ve been a fan of this author for nearly twenty years and I know I’m in good hands when I pick up one of her books. I highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance and women’s fiction.
Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin – Graydon House Books, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
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