Cover Image: The Wedding Dress

The Wedding Dress

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Once I realised that this was essentially three novellas in one, with a common theme running through them, I settled into reading a lot quicker and whizzed through the book.

I enjoyed all three ladies stories, but I think Bella's was my favourite and will stick with me the longest.

The descriptions of everything she is going through were so vivid I felt as though I was there with her.

I did also really enjoy Suzanne and Mandy's stories, but in different ways.

It was a clever way to present the book, and by having each lady in a separate part it was a lot easier to connect with each of them, than had they been alternating chapters.

All resolutions put smiles on my face, and this was just a really wonderful book to read.

Another fantastic bit of storytelling from Dani Atkins.

Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Was this review helpful?

LOVE DANI ATKINS!! This was 3 short stories in one about 3 women who wear the same wedding dress but have very different experiences with their wedding....
Apart from now being slightly terrified of rollercoasters, I loved this book and all the characterisers in it.
I love Dani's writing style and it sucks you in from the start.

Was this review helpful?

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely loved this. Three fantastic strong characters each with their own little lives going on. Really gripping and easy to read

Was this review helpful?

The wedding dress covers three stories, as one dress passes from bride to bride, I really enjoyed the way the dress seemed almost magical in bringing these people and their stories together. It was the perfect read and the author seamlessly threaded the tales together. Wonderful

Was this review helpful?

This was a really sweet read, but not my favourite from Dani Atkins. Rather than a novel, it’s three separate stories linked by one wedding dress. It was a lovely read and I did enjoy it, but I prefer the full length novel format by this author.

Was this review helpful?

I didn’t get a chance to read this before it was archived but I plan to purchase the book. Review coming soon!

Was this review helpful?

I was really excited about this, I loved the idea of a single dress bringing together so many people.

However I didn't love the writing style and found it dragged a bit at the start for me.

Was this review helpful?

An emotional, intelligent and enjoyable romantic read, readers will love Dani Atkins’ latest novel, The Wedding Dress.

Suzanne is engaged to her Prince Charming and is busy planning their nuptials. Unfortunately though, Suzanne soon realises that the path to true love is anything but smooth. As she lurches from one crisis to another, Suzanne’s dream wedding becomes a nightmare of epic proportions. Will Suzanne get her happy ending? Can she uncover the truth about her fiancé in time? Or is she about to make the biggest mistake of her life?

Bella thought that she had life figured out. She thought she had everything she had always wanted – until her hen party makes her realise that her entire future was going to be built on a lie. With everything having been turned on its head, will Bella have the courage to let go of the past and build a new life for herself where she is the one calling the shots? Is happiness ever going to be possible for Bella? Or is romance simply not on the cards for her?

Mandy’s grandmother has fallen in love, but rather than being happy about this wonderful turn of events, her family are absolutely aghast – except for her granddaughter who is determined that her gran will have a wedding she will never forget. As she begins to plan this wedding in secret, Mandy is adamant that she will pull out all the stops for her grandmother – starting with finding a fabulous wedding dress.

Suzanne, Bella and Mandy’s lives are all about to be changed – thanks to a beautiful garment that will make them see that the possibilities for happiness are endless…

Dani Atkins’ The Wedding Dress is lighter in tone than many of her previous novels, but it’s certainly not missing any of the magic, intensity and heart that have become this talented writer’s hallmarks. A wonderful tale about hope, second chances and life’s unexpected blessings, The Wedding Dress is full of terrific characters readers cannot help but warm to and cheer for.

A delightful read that will brighten up every reader’s day, Dani Atkins’ The Wedding is charming treat not to be missed.

Was this review helpful?

I found this to be very unlike Dani’s other books. She is a writer that makes me cry through the emotion of her stories, this time I didn’t cry but I enjoyed it immensely.
We are told about three different women, whose stories are completely different from one another. The only connection is the wedding dress they all fall in love with. Each woman’s story draws you in, I found myself intrigued and instantly charmed by them.
With drama, emotion, romance and true love – this is a uniquely written novel that I would recommend.

Was this review helpful?

A wonderful tale of a wedding dress and 3 wonderful women.

I love the style of Dani Atkins writing, this is again a great story. Very well written, very relatable and a page Turner
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion

Was this review helpful?

What a gorgeous and feel-good romance!!

Despite having a fair few of Dani Atkin's books sitting idly on my kindle, this is the first book I have read by her - who knows why I have left it so long but I will certainly be filling my boots with these glorious books from now on. I have fallen head over heels with her light-hearted, romantic and stylish writing, I can't get enough, I was hooked from the very first page!

I loved this story, it's unbelievable cute and leaves you feeling all the love, it's fun and charming, the characters are unbelievably likeable, like friends you never knew you wanted but yet now they're in your life you can't allow them to wander off. I loved the relationships and the banter between them all, each character brings their own sparkle to the book.

This is a very easy and lightweight book, once you start reading you won't be able to put it down you become fully immersed in the story wi=hich is laced with good humour, plenty of giggles and lots of love.

An absolute must-read!!

Was this review helpful?

This was a really enjoyable read. I've read others by Dani Atkins and this one does not disappoint. Loved how all the characters link up to the dress and how it was such an easy read.

A well recommended read for everyone especially if you want to feel loved and uplifted.

Thank you Netgalley

Was this review helpful?

I loved the structure of this romance novel, with its three different stories all linked by a very special wedding dress. This means that you meet a wide range of characters who span the generations. As you read Suzanne's story, you notice the red flags which she seems to be oblivious to. Bella's story was a more emotional story and you really felt for her as she faced some life-changing circumstances. Mandy finds herself stuck between generations as her parents and grandmother have issues to unravel. I loved her relationship with her grandmother and how she came to understand what was important in her life, with openness and honesty to the fore.

The writing is fluent and you happily go from story to story, looking out all the time for how the wedding dress might appear. It shows relationships which develop and love affairs which wither or thrive. With its three -story format, there some natural pauses in the book. If I had a favourite of the three, it would be Bella's story as her character had such courage yet at the same time, felt believable and I was never quite sure where her future lay.

In short: three stories add up to a delightful read
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book

Was this review helpful?

The Wedding Dress by Dani Atkins was the first book I have read by this ‘new to me’ author, but it will definitely not be my last! This was such an unusual book in that it was almost a book of three short stories or novellas, but it was also so much more.

These stories were of three different women with three very different love stories and all of them were connected by one very special wedding dress.

In the first story Suzanne buys her dream dress in advance of marrying the man of her dreams. He seems too good to be true, and the closer she gets to the wedding the more concerned she becomes.

The second story is about Bella who finds that the hen party ends very differently than planned. As a result there is almost a love triangle (don’t worry, there is no cheating!), as Bella reevaluates what she wants from life. I have to say that I absolutely loved this story and would have loved this as a standalone full story, let alone one of a series.

The third story is about Mandy whose grandmother Amanda has fallen in love, without the support of Mandy’s dad who does not approve. Mandy feels that if her grandmother is happy then she is entitled to that happiness and so she arranges a wedding on a very limited budget.

The wedding dress in the title is the same dress in all three stories, as it passes from one bride to the next. I adored the way the dress, and indeed the bridal shop owner had an almost magical, mystical quality, bringing the individual stories together. It was the perfect way to link three very different love stories together so seamlessly.

These magical stories of love, loss and new beginnings was such a heart-warming read that left a big smile on my face.

Was this review helpful?

Favorite Quotes:

Tall and as thin as a crochet hook, she was dressed from head to toe in black. Even her hair was ebony, the kind of shade that nature doesn’t do on Caucasian women. It was pulled back into the sort of topknot that surely had to hurt, and was neat enough to look as though it had been superglued into place. Absolutely no hairpins required.

…my mother would have been far easier to win over if I wasn’t forcing her to play happy families with the man she once claimed she never wanted to see again– well, at least not until Hell had begun offering ice-skating sessions.

Sasha smelled of sunshine and Tresemmé shampoo, mixed with an indefinable sweet aroma, which I swear exuded from her pores like a pheromone.

He believes your gran is delusional. Weirdly, he’d rather accept she has Alzheimer’s than consider she’s fallen in love with someone.’

A shiver ran through me. It was the same every time a Sunnymede resident passed away. It felt like death was a predator on the Serengeti, picking off the weakest of the elderly one by one. And every time it happened I felt as though I was one dreadful step closer to losing my grandmother.


My Review:

This was a trifecta of tales, each one skillfully crafted while equally heart-squeezing and an amusing delight. The storylines were crisply written with endearing characters, witty exchanges, and sneakily observantly and emotive insights with an eye-stinging poignancy. The main characters were lovely people I’d enjoy knowing and spending time with, who all stumbled upon the perfect bridal gown in a time of need. The mystical wedding dress was cleverly slipped into each story as if by magic, I suspect it may have contained a bit of fairy dust sewn into the hem. This was my initial exposure to Dani Atkin’s agile word skills and I believe I may have become her most avid acolyte somewhere around page two.

Was this review helpful?

The Wedding Dress by Dani Atkins is not your usual romance book. Instead of a linear story, there are three short stories that are linked by one thing.
You guessed it – the wedding dress.
The concept is interesting and makes it very easy to read because you don’t have to commit to the entire story all at once. Who has time for that these days?
All three stories are unique, and each has its charm. I don’t want to give the plots of each away. But I will say that I liked Bella’s story the most.
Suzanne’s is very straightforward. It felt “typical” even as the author had a twist up her sleeve that I didn’t see coming. That was kind of cool. And after Bella’s, Mandy’s seemed almost like an afterthought. Other readers will certainly have differing opinions.
But Bella’s story…that is the stuff a true romance is made from. I could read an entire book just on her story alone. It has all the elements that one looks for in a romance, but not in all the usual places.
Nobody is a villain, nobody is a hero (well, sort of). It is an honest portrayal of how events beyond our control can upend our lives, sending us down paths we never imagined.
Honestly, it is one of the most honest portrayals of life that I have read in a while.
Again, I do not want to give away the plot, but the catalyst for the story is surprising and effective. I would love to know where the author found the inspiration for that.
And I usually get annoyed when an author tries to keep a reader guessing by not sharing all details until the last pages, but this time it didn’t bother me. In a way, I knew deep down what Bella’s decision was, and was confident that she had made the right one. And I was right.
You could not pick a better day than Valentine’s Day to start The Wedding Dress. The author has given all romantics a treat with this one.

Was this review helpful?

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Was this review helpful?

'The Wedding Dress' by Dani Atkins was really a series of three shorter stories with the wedding dress in common, owned first by Suzanne, then Bella and finally by Mandy's gran, Amanda. It's interesting how the three part division, labelled clearly as part one, part two and part three, interferes somewhat with my ability to rate it out of five stars. For me, there was clearly one story that stood out far in front of the others, and another that I really didn't enjoy nearly so much. Therefore I will offer my thoughts on each individual tale.
Part One - Suzanne. I must admit to being rather irritated by Suzanne's story, and her wedding to the apparently 'perfect' groom, Darrell - who is very obviously 'not perfect'. To the other characters and readers alike it is clear that something is very 'off' about this wedding: even Suzanne isn't oblivious to the discrepancies in her engagement to Darrell, that are virtually yelling out to be noticed! It was somewhat of a relief to me when Darrell was finally called out at the end of part one, fortunately before the wedding to Suzanne. This, for me, was a 3 star story.
Part Two - Bella. In contrast, the opening passages of Bella's story gripped me from the first few lines. The Hen party, the visit to the theme park, the rollercoaster ride and the ensuing crash were all related with a keen eye for detail, to the point that I almost felt like I was there! The unexpected romance that develops between Will and Bella as a result of the carnage is beautiful...and of course there's the dress. This, for me, was a 5 star story.
Part Three - Mandy. The third and final story is a sweet and sentimental tale of second chances and finally finding love in old age...with a twist. Mandy's adores her gran, Amanda, after who she is named and visits her often at the nursing home where she now resides. What Mandy wasn't expecting, was for her gran to share a secret with her; a secret that could tear her family apart, but which must ultimately come out if her gran is at last to find the true love and happiness she deserves! This was just about a 4 star story for me.
The concept around which the book revolves, of the wedding dress being passed on from bride to bride, is an interesting one and makes for a good read. As a complete package, I rate 'The Wedding Dress' a 3 and a half stars.

Was this review helpful?

3 love stories linked together by the wedding dress. this was a sweet formulaic read. Overall a comfortable book by this author

Was this review helpful?