The Christmas Dress: A Novel

I loved it! This was entertaining and kept my attention. Easy read. A perfect feel good story for the holidays !!

Thought the epilogue was too much. Like pouring more sugar on top of an already sweet cake. Story was sweet and enjoyable. Liked that there was multiple goals and story lines and sense of community. Everything wrapped up in a pretty red bow.

Loved this book! So much more than just a Christmas book! Ellie was my favorite! And they say the perfect dress doesn’t exist! It does in this book!!

This was a great Christmas Story and I enjoyed reading it. It melted my heart with the love stories and the thought of renovating such a beautiful place. It was fun picturing it all in my mind.

Loved a holiday story with twists and turns and a little magic. Where can I get a dress like that?

3.5 starsI am conflicted about my rating for The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole, and here’s why...I want to avoid spoilers, so I will just say that there is a specific plot line about the historic apartment building that Meg Julliard inherits that I found very interesting. I would have loved for that narrative to be an even larger part of the story with perhaps some greater suspense woven in, but this is a romance not a mystery, so I will just applaud Ms. Cole for twining that bit of history into a Christmas romance.There are many plot lines in this story, which is perhaps why after 347 pages I still didn’t feel very connected to the characters. Meg is understandably saddened after the death of her father leaves her with no family, but she spends too much time moping for someone with a building to repair and run and a design contest to prepare for. Two residents in the building were also featured, and while Ellie’s history was shared, Sylvie’s life remained mostly unknown, despite her frequent inclusion in the story.There is a scene at 30% into the book where Meg removes a dress (“I take off the dress, hanging it back on the closet door.”), only to remove it again several paragraphs later (“I think on that as I carefully step out of the dress, hang it up, and put my robe on.”) It’s a simple editing mistake, but it grates.The epilogue was similarly disconcerting for me. After an entire book told in first person from Meg’s perspective, the epilogue is told from Ellie’s point of view. It would have worked better to tell the entire story in third person instead, as the sudden switch was distracting and confusing.The ending was too tidy, even for me. Like most readers I don’t like loose ends, but the resolution for Ellie was a bit of a stretch, and the journey of the Christmas dress unbelievable.Despite my complaints, I did enjoy The Christmas Dress. There was humor throughout, the imagery of the historic building was enjoyable, and the development of Sylvie’s character from brusque to whimsical and warm-hearted was delightful. The ending is a happy one for all of the characters you care about, including the building itself.

A fun Christmas read with two things I love - old buildings and fashion. It was a little too perfect and predictable. Logan was a little over the top with perfection but this is Christmas fiction. It does make me want to start planning my own festivities and get on with my holiday sewing!

If you love a good Hallmark Christmas movie then this is the book for you! I really hope that Hallmark will make this into a movie but In the meantime it’s an easy that will put you in the Christmas mood.

The book was good , it was a re-read

I loved this book it was so sweet, such a feel good Christmas read.We follow Meg as she returns to her hometown of Chicago, she is a bit down on life after leaving a job and her life in New York.I loved Meg and Ellie’s friendship, although they were of different ages.The only thing I didn’t really like about the book was the best friend dating her recent ex.If you love a good happy read that will leave you with a smile on your face this is a book for you.It was my first read by the author and I will definitely read more in the future.

a very fun read for those hot summer days when you need the suggestion of a cooler season and cooler activities....we sometimes need a little winter and Christmas when we least expect it

Loved this book! Warm, love, friendships, fun, and emotional

Great winter nights reading. A bit of magic for Christmas.