“Exactly the type of book I love: charming, smart, and brimming with heart.”–EMILY GIFFIN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted “Fast paced and entertaining from beginning to end.”–KRISTIN HANNAH, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale Two years after Grace Kelly’s royal wedding, her iconic dress is still all the rage in Paris–and one replica, and … 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.
Paris, 1958: Rose, a seamstress at a fashionable atelier, has been entrusted with sewing a Grace Kelly–look-alike 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.
*Don’t miss The Liz Taylor Ring, Brenda Janowitz’s next novel. On sale February 1, 2022 and available to preorder now!
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A great read!
This book is told in three different POVs over three time periods. My favorite was the dress designer in Paris, who was working on a wedding dress smilier to Grace Kelly’s. How gorgeous is this cover?
I loved the way the author kept us guessing until near the end when all the pieces fell together. Lovely generational story involving a wedding dress that ended just as it should!
I didn’t want to put it down! Wonderful story of a family of women and one wedding dress. One of the best books ever.
Very enjoyable.
Great story! I really enjoyed how the book switched to all three characters & told their stories! Each character was in a different era, very interesting! I highly recommend this book!
Delightful, whimsical story about a dress that brings three generations together, allowing choices along the way. Loved the development of the story that kept you guessing.
A perfect distraction when you’re looking to escape your woes and just want to focus on a good story instead.
A beautiful 3 generational story that will leave you filled with hope and love. I loved how it showed the importance of honoring our past. Our past helps make up who we are today whether we realize it or not.
My favorite storyline was the bride’s mother. There were many surprises that when revealed tied so much together and made the story.
The title is what drew me to this book as I remember reading a paperback over and over again throughout middle and high school about Grace Kelly. The cover had a picture of her in her wedding dress. I wish I still had the book.
This book is for all romance, fiction, and fans of weddings.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Harlequin – Graydon House Books through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above reviews are entirely my own.
This is the first book I have read by Brenda Janowitz but will definitely not be the last. I loved her writing style and am eager to discover some of her older writings.
This is a “feel good” story of family, love, and tradition. Three generations of women…one remarkable wedding dress. The dress was designed shortly after the wedding of Grace Kelly, when brides everywhere were enthralled with the princess’ wedding dress.
The writing reflected the culture of each generation and the struggles each woman encountered – the struggle over the right person to marry or how to make the dress unique to each generation. The author beautifully presented the three different timelines in a manner that seemed to flow effortlessly. I loved every moment as the story slowly unfolded. I was fascinated with the description of the evolving design and construction of the dress. I could feel the love that went into all the hours of work to create such a masterpiece.
If you loved Jennifer Robson’s “The Gown”, you will love “The Grace Kelly Dress”. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
Brenda Janowitz took us on a deeply sincere and contemplative journey in her generational sweeping novel “The Grace Kelly Dress”.
It was truly sentimental, touching, and inspirational! I love books that wrap stories of friendship, love and family around a cherished item. This was magnificent! We forget how important our wedding dresses are to us, and what they symbolize. Thank you for this sincere and beautiful reminder.
As I was reading I was so full of nostalgia for my wedding dress…sitting up in a box, carefully preserved, as Joan’s was so that it stays in pristine condition; to pass it down to a loved one.
Now I must decide my wedding dresses adventure!! It’s time.
I snapped up an ARC of this book from NetGalley based solely on its title and cover. A book about Grace Kelly’s wedding gown? SIGN ME UP!
As I started reading, though, I realized that what hooked me and engrossed me was the concept of this book more than its actual writing. You have three women, united through a dress designed to look like Grace Kelly’s. Generational challenges, romantic challenges, personal challenges. A seamstress hired to create a replica of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress falls for the bride’s (also engaged) brother. A mother is desperate for her tattooed, purple-haired daughter to wear this Grace Kelly dress, and the daughter cannot figure out why.
I wanted more of an emotional attachment to this book, I think. I kept waiting for that moment when I felt connected to Rose, Joan, and Rocky, and it didn’t happen. I did keep turning the pages, though, because Brenda Janowitz made me want to solve the little mysteries in her book. I enjoyed how Janowitz used the dress to connect three generations of women, and I love how she showed the emotional significance of this wedding dress. I just wanted a bigger emotional payoff.
In The Grace Kelly Dress, Brenda Janowitz seams together a delicate and beautiful story of family, love, fate, and yes, fashion. Fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner should say ‘yes’ to this tale of three generations of women whose lives are touched by one iconic dress. I loved it!
This story is told by three different narrators. Rocky is the daughter set to wear the dress in present day. Joan, “the mother of the bride, as a bride herself” as the book titles this section. And the Paris seamstress who originally made the wonderful creation.
I enjoyed reading about Rocky and her situation. Rocky is a rebel. She does not conform to the norm. She is a successful, powerful woman. Her mother, Joan, is adamant she wear the Grace Kelly inspired dress, which has been handed down through the family. Well, this dress is not at all what Rocky envisions for her big day. As a matter of fact, she and her mother are on two very different pages about this wedding.
I also loved reading about the seamstress in Paris. This narration is set in 1958 and it is all about the creation of this lovely gown and the people who made it happen. The different ideas and how this gown made such a huge splash and why, is a very interesting part of this novel. The author created a unique aspect of this dress.
The narration “the mother of the bride, as the bride herself” was blah. I actually skimmed this section. There were many places where I rolled my eyes and just went “WHY!” This part of the story may appeal to many romance readers out there. So please forgive me. I found it very elementary and one dimensional.
So, two out of three narrations is not bad. I did enjoy this novel. It was a quick read and Rocky is a character I loved. She is the reason the book works!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
The Grace Kelly Dress, by Brenda Janowitz, is available at booksellers 3-3-2020. Grace is my first experience with Ms Janowitz work and I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book; I’m definitely interested in exploring more of her work. The story of 3 generations of women and their experiences with a lovely, special wedding dress was a delightful read. Each of the ladies story was individual and at the same time connected by family ties and the dress. They were very different personalities and time frames which enhanced the journey to the sweet conclusion. The ladies lives were messy, believable, and complicated. Their relationships with each other are complicated too, as is the usual case with families.
My favorite character was Rose, the grandmother & 1st experience with the dress. Grace Kelly comes into the picture with her recent wedding and the fantastic original wedding dress that the world fell in love with. Ladies everywhere wanted that dress or something similar. That’s our dress. One thing I didn’t like was the way each story was chopped up, I’d have liked a little more of each before the next started. Moving back & forth between the ladies was a tad difficult to follow & keep the plots straight. I won’t say it was a fun read, it was too emotional for me to consider it fun. It was heartfelt and enjoyable.
#Netgalley #BrendaJanowitz #HarlequinBooks #TheGraceKellyDress #Romance #FamilyDynamics
Sentimental, heartfelt, and enchanting!
The Grace Kelly Dress is a sweet, captivating tale that takes you on a journey into the lives of three main characters. Rose, a young Paris seamstress employed by the esteemed Madame Michel in the late 1950s to handcraft dresses fashioned after the one worn by Princess Grace; Joan, a college student at NYCU in the 1980s who is struggling with the loss of her sister and a new engagement; and Rocky, an independent, tech CEO whose modern-day, upcoming nuptials are marred by the pressure to wear the family’s heirloom gown.
The prose is well turned and intriguing. The characters are resolute, independent, and multilayered. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel into a charming tale of familial dynamics, drama, emotion, secrets, love, loss, duty, heartbreak, introspection, passion, and tradition.
Overall, The Grace Kelly Dress is a nostalgic, absorbing, uplifting tale by Janowitz that highlights the complex ties that bind us as a family and reminds us that happy-ever-afters come in all different forms but rarely resemble those found in fairytales.
A poignant and delicious novel about how a dress can define a family, and how family can lovingly reinvent itself. Told with Brenda Janowitz’s characteristic humor and insight, The Grace Kelly Dress is a winner.
I thoroughly enjoyed this multi-generational story. I liked how the author wove the three stories and drew the parallels between the women. I also thought the settings were unique but still tied together. I did think that there were a few loose ends and unanswered questions, and one was pretty major. But there were also a few surprises, lots of emotion, and even a few tears. It should be easy for anyone to find something to like about this book. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for a digital, pre-release ARC of the book.
From the stunning cover to the beautiful story inside, I devoured this book! The Grace Kelly Dress is about so much more than a dress…the love of family that is passed from generation to generation. Love, love this book!
WOW! Brenda Janowitz, Author of “The Grace Kelly Dress” has written a memorable, heartwarming, enchanting, captivating, riveting and entertaining novel. The Genres for this novel are Fiction and Historical Fiction, and Romance. This is a layered story, and like pieces of a puzzle, they ultimately fit together. I love everything about this novel, and Brenda Janowitz is an amazing storyteller, who vividly describes her characters, events, and landscape. There are three timelines in this story and three sets of characters. This is based on Grace Kelly’s wedding dress with its’ intricate patterns. As I was reading this book, I kept thinking of the song “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof. The author describes her colorful characters as likable, and memorable. Each character does have her own set of problems.
Can you imagine one wedding dress, that three generations of women in the family each use? It is more than a dress. It is almost like a layer of their own lives in their own timeline, and their traditions and memories passed to the next generation, and so on. What is so special is that all three women get to participate and actually be apart of this history. I appreciate that the author discusses the importance of family, support, love, friendship, and mother-daughter relationships. I am an emotional reader, and I did shed some tears and laughs with the characters. I loved that each woman made the dress part of her personality.
There is almost a magical, fairytale feel in this story. Doesn’t everyone want to feel like a princess, and special on their wedding day? I would highly recommend this beautiful and feel-good story to readers to readers that enjoy Fiction and Historical Fiction