A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I picked up this ARC as this novel’s description seemed to be a good combination of some of my interests - the lives of women, fashion, and emotional explorations of the lives of others. On the whole, the story is interesting, and the broader strokes of the protagonist’s life are interesting. I did appreciate the detail that went into researching the history of fashion and trying to align this story through multiple large events in American and world history.

The reason why this book lost some stars for me had to do with the quality of the writing. I caught a few syntax and grammatical errors in this electronic ARC that I hope are removed before publication. I also found the dialogue to be a bit clunky in some places and the characters using modern day parlance and vocabulary that does not fit the time period. But beyond that, there were portions of the work that tended to rely on a lot of telling the reader what happened rather than showing them through experience. A lot of devastating and emotionally disturbing events occur in this protagonist’s life and they’re just told to us instead of them truly being unpacked and showing us how and why they were so emotionally fraught for the protagonist.

I also had qualms about the ways in which minor characters who were people of color were written. The protagonist’s Premier in her cotoure house is an African American woman who seems to be injected into the story as a sort of blind support for the main character in her expeditions, or subservient role. There were passages where I felt like the character in question (Oti) was extremely one dimensional and only there to serve as a wing woman for our protagonist. There are quite a lot of passages actually that seem to just be a lot of virtue signaling and attempts of our white protagonist to be a girl boss or champion against bigotry and racism in a performative manner.

Ultimately, while I think the overall plot and bones of this work are good, there were some issues I had with the delivery of the writing and quality of it that meant that this novel just didn’t work as well for me as I would have liked. I do think that this is worth reading if you are interested in learning about fashion throughout history and how the rise of couture houses came to be.

A great read, perfect for a long flight home. A strong female lead who took on the world and succeeded. Really interesting to see how the world of fashion worked in the 1920's and beyond. Many likeable characters.

Annabelle Marx delivers in this beautifully written historical fiction novel that integrates history and fashion in a thought provoking and entertaining read. Beginning in Scotland in 1902, Maisie McIntyre is the daughter of a poor widow who struggles to provide for her 2 daughters. When her mother is injured by the son of her employer, Maisie and her sister Netta are forced to become the providers for their family and work in laundry service for the wealthy of Edinburgh. Maisie's mother uses her injury and subsequent disability to becomes a well respected seamstress, often clothing the finest women in town and teaches Maisie her skills . In 1910, when her mother dies, life becomes more complicated as Netta becomes the mother to multiple children and Maisie is working even harder to provide for their growing family, all while continuing to sew and design. One day, as Maisie is dreaming up designs and imagining a better life for herself, she finds a hidden stash of money in their tenement. She takes the cash and goes to a shop, intending on splurging on lush fabrics and embellishments to create the frock of her dreams. While being overwhelmed with such extravagances, Maises steals a beautiful swatch of fabric and decides to take the rest of her found money and take a boat to New York, where she will start a new lie for herself.

With a first class passage booked, Maisie disguises herself as a widow and embarks on her first class voyage across the ocean, While on ship, she befriends a wealthy newlywed, Mrs. Rex Marshall, someone who becomes valuable to her once she reaches New York. Maisie finds herself a job working in garment factory, where she works many hours with little pay. There she befriends Rosa, an Italian immigrant and talented embroiderer. Maisie also finds herself introduced man named Aiden, who helps her get her own little shop started while she works in the factory. Maisie soon reaches out to Mrs. Marshall and sells her on commissioning a dress to update her work. With wild success, Maisie's fashion side hustle begins to bloom and she decides to embark on her own fashion house, Maison McIntyre with Rosa being her right hand woman. The two can finally quite the factory and live a better life. Only their dream is crushed when there is a fire in the factory, and Rosa does not survive.

Overcome with guilt, Masie does not know how she will go on without her best friend. She tries her best to stay connected to Rosa's family, but the relationship is strained. She is saved one day with the introduction to a striking young man, Joseph, who quickly becomes her friend and architectural tour guide of New York City, Their friendship turns to romance , and also must be kept a secret, as Joseph is black, Joseph introduces Maisie to his sister, Oti, who is a talented seamstress. Maisie hires Oti, and other women of color to work behind the scenes as Maison McIntyre continues to expand and becomes wildly successful.

As Maison McIntyre continues to grow, Maisie expands her growing empire in both physical space and manpower, hiring Rosa's adult daughter Nina. She is soon dressing the finest ladies who are travelling far and wide to wear her attire. Maisie also begins a love affair with a married congressman, named Tori, spanning several years and resulting in pregnancy. Maisie also longs to reconnect with her older sister Netta, who she hasn't seen in over 20 years. Maisie reaches out and convinces Netta to come to New York and help her care for her child. Her lover turns out to be working with the mob and is assassinated, prompting her to take another career opportunity in Los Angeles, as a film costume designer, bringing Netta and her daughter with her.

After many years of success LA, WWII falls upon the world, forcing Maisie to shift direction of her career and Maison McIntyre once again, returning to Scotland where she revamps her business to fit the needs of the new world adapting to war. Her fashions become more practical, fitting the needs of those affected by the war, while keeping her business afloat and her employees paid. When the war ends, Maisie makes one final move home to New York, where she is dealt with a progressive illness that ultimately forces her to hand over the business to her daughter, Jessica.

This book takes the reader on a journey through time, spanning many decades and dealing with progressive issues of the times. Beautifully written and engaging until the very end,

Couldn’t put this down! I loved the characters and also learning about the fashion industry and history in New York. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

in 1910 Edinburgh Masie is devasted at her mother's death. she steals a bold of cloth and some money and heads to America. she becomes a great seamstress.

I have loved historical fiction books since I was young and this had everything I love of these kind of books. I can't say I am particularly interested in fashion but I have been interested in historical fashion. This book did such a wonderful way to portray every single outfit and it was done to the details! For some reason I was not very bothered by these smaller details like which fabric or how what material the button would be made of. I felt that this just added an extra layer to the story and made it so much more believable. Something else I did enjoy was how the author came with Maisie's designs! They felt so genuine and unique and it's just a shame that this is a book and not reality. The author did an excellent job with that! I am impressed over the amount of details of every design Maisie made and that made this book a wonderful read.

As for the story itself I throughly enjoyed it. I loved Maisie's journey. I liked how she stood up not only for herself but also for her friends. I loved her friendship with Oti but also with the other seamstresses that worked for her. She saw the person for who she was and not the color of her skin. That cannot have been easy in those days and especially in the beginning when Maisie just started her journey as a fashion designer. But she never backed down from her principles and she always put herself first and that cannot have been easy in those days.

We follow her from her early teens to her sixties and this book spans over decades. Sometimes I felt the story a little bit dragging but I did like how the author never stayed so much during one time. Like weeks could gone by, even years. The author did stay in certain areas but the story kept moving and I liked that. I did find, however, the last part a little bit weaker than the first.

Except from the last part of this book, I might have wished for more romance. However, it was very clear that Maisie wasn't that kind of woman and she made her own way through life even though the pressure of getting married must have been strong. But I loved her courage for taking her own path in life and love might not have come from a man (I won't spoil anything about the love interest) but her love was the clothes she designed and that was fun to read and it made everything worth it in the end.

"The Rebel of Seventh Avenue" is the life story of a poor girl from Edinburgh with dreads of becoming a great couturier. She learns needlework skills from her mother but fails to make the best financial use of them in her home city.

Maisie is a strong character and makes things happen, although it is love and family that tend to suffer. Maisie lives through the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, the Great Depression, the Golden Age of Hollywood and two world wars, mostly in New York, but partly in her native Scotland. Her morals are occasionally suspect, but overall he heart is in the right place.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow. This book was INCREDIBLE and one I will be thinking about for a long time to come. To see Maisie flourish from the tenement in Edinburgh to being queen of fashion in New York was just phenomenal. It was a fascinating period of History anyway, to see her navigate the war, the depression, the age of Hollywood, love, racism, suffrage- I mean the list goes on and on. It was beautifully written and I felt so attached to all the characters and was very sad to finish it. Would highly recommend.

As someone who loves sewing, fashion and fashion history this book was always going to be a hit with me. Add to that a cast of strong female characters and it’s a 5 star review. I look forward to reading more from this author

I loved everything about this book and it kept me reading non stop. The period about which it is written is always a favorite of mine and the heroine of the story had such a colorful and rich life. I especially enjoyed reading about the various fashions and changes that led to her ever-changing life on both coasts of the United States as well as Europe. The underlying story of the issue of race throughout the story was also interesting and timely. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the era and the world of fashion. I loved every page.

This story started out strong. Interesting main character and backstory, New York City on the horizon, and detailed discussions of fashion. I'm not a fashion type of person but the way different fabrics and sewing techniques were discussed were interesting, even to me.

However, the second part of the book dragged on and on, with detailed explanations of situations and historical events. The reader needs a bit of room for their own imagination and interpretation of the story, but this started to feel more like a history textbook than a novel. I was increasingly bored and started to dislike most characters. For some reason, they lacked depth and started to change too much in the second half of the book.

Overall, not a bad book, but maybe this just wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc.

A tragic incident leaves Maisie McIntyre's mother unable to continue working as a servant. The mother's employer brings her a sewing machine so she will be able to have an income which changes Maisie's life. After her mother's death, Maisie finds a lot of money that her mother had hidden away. Maisie takes the money and a stolen bolt of cloth, jumps on a ship, and heads to America. There, she builds a fashion empire.

I loved Maisie's character. She was strong, determined, ambitious, and unafraid to challenge gender stereotypes. Although this isn't a true story, Maisie's character is representative of women who broke down barriers and paved the way for other women. The story begins in the early 1900s and takes us through various incidents in history--the Shirtwaist Factory fire, the suffrage movement, and two world wars. If you love fashion, you will love this story. There were lots of dress descriptions (especially at the beginning of a new chapter), but I wish there were some pictures of them included to give a visual. The only thing that really annoyed me was her relationship with Joseph. Joseph was black, and an interracial relationship was frowned upon at that time. Although she had feelings for him, Joseph knew their relationship would never work. However, she spent a lifetime pining over someone that she was close to for 5 minutes and never even kissed. It just didn't make sense to me. Overall, it was a really good story.

An enchanting story of a woman who lived to create in New York, inspired by the story of Coco Chanel. Impossible to put down, from start to finish.

This was a beautiful historical fiction following a poor girl from Scotland and how she became a famous couture designer. I enjoyed the ups and downs, the triumphs and the tragedies. The FMC was resilient and came up with creative ways to survive wars and the great depression. A must read.

Maisie McIntyre is born into poverty in Edinburgh, making a meagre living alongside her mother as a seamstress. She is devastated when her mother dies but an unexpected find presents her with the opportunity to escape to build a new life in New York. She embarks on a voyage of discovery. She is independent, ambitious and driven and not afraid of taking risks.

Love, friendship, and loyalty are strong themes. Maisie experiences heart rendering losses of close family members, supportive friends and more. Each time though she rebounds and becomes stronger, building a successful fashion business surrounded by fiercely loyal friends and family. Maisie grows her business whilst tackling head on the challenges posed by two world wars, the US depression, racial discrimination and women’s independence.

The emergence of new fashions against the backdrop of real life global events is told in delightful detail and the richness of the dialogue gives a real sense of place and time. The characters are strong and the narrative really drew me into the story. A very enjoyable read with lots of relevant historic detail.

This was wonderful historical fiction, with vibrant characters facing real life issues. Maisie McIntyre dreams of better things and she makes it happen. The portrayal of race issues in America was well done, as was the way the major world events impacted her life. The philanthropy throughout the book was good to read about, and of course , the fashion was fun. Although sad in places, there was a lot of joy as well. As it covered a long timeline, there were lots of changes in attitudes and habits, which were also a pleasure to read about. A thoroughly entertaining book, many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing an ARC.

A young girl travels from Edinburgh to find a new life in New York. Maisie McIntyre learn that hard work and determination will get her to a place in life and become a high-end fashion designer.. We see Maisie build her business from nothing to become this high end, designer to prominent women, and she also tries to build a life with a forbidden love. Maisie also brings together different women from different backgrounds to help build this empire. Along the way this forbidden love that she has for a particular man is thrown away, and she becomes this hard pressed woman who can only think about work. This book also shows Maisie through the years, how her world changes through the decades. Her ups and downs, finally finding a true love only to lose it in a tragic way finding herself lost and confused when something she never thought she’d want shows up in her life. This is when she reaches out to her sister who she hasn’t seen in years to help her navigate this next chapter in her life . Maisie is a hard-working woman up until the end. This novel took us through her life and the people that were in it.

I did like this book because I love the whole fashion storyline. I loved many of the background characters that helped Maisie along the way. It took me a long time to really like Maisie. She was very hard to get a feeling for. With her being the central character, the story sometimes dragged. She was a hard character to like, but she understood why she had to be who she was. This is a story of hard work determination and at times. This was a time when women were not able to be the boss, especially only property owning a business, especially a successful one and not be married. Maisie showed everyone that you could have what you want, but there were things you did have to give up.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book about a woman who works hard and is determined to get what she wants. So thank you Annabel Marx for beautifully written book. Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

Unfortunately, this book gets a 2⭐️from me. I am not personally a professional or knowledgeable when it comes to the fashion world, so I found the intensity with which the author hyper fixated and went into detail about materials and the process itself to be monotonous. The pace of the overall story was very slow, it lacked intrigue, emotion, and passion. The characters were one dimensional and the relationships fell very flat. Even when speaking about how her mother stitched her up and yet never displayed a sense of outward affection, or bonding moments struck me as odd. Her true love and match, Joseph, was lack luster and basic, and we only know that he meant so much to her from actual sentences so its inferred, not something that we experience. We seem to speed through her life and pivotal life changing moments are a blink of an eye so we cannot even appreciate them. It was a dreary read and I almost didn't finish it to be blunt.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

What a great read. We begin the story at the turn of the 20th Century in Edinburgh.
Dressmaker Maisie leaves her sister and her family in the dingy flat and sails to New York.
On board the ship Maisie recreates herself when she meets fellow travellers.
Soon Maisie establishies herself in the fashion world, but the world doesn't particularlyike her friends as they are non-white.
Throughout this book we have a lot of British and American social history, World Wars, forbidden loves, secrets but above all friendships.