Jade Beer

"The Last Dress From Paris" was a lovely novel with beautiful descriptions of Paris and the Dior dressing, bringing both the city and gowns to life. It was only after finishing the book that I learned that the dresses are real and are on display in various museums worldwide.

I enjoyed the dual timeline although I found Alice's story a bit repetitive. Lucilee's was far more interesting as she was sent to Paris to collect the Dior dress her beloved granny, Sylvie, once owned. This leads to a mystery involving eight gowns, a search around various Parisian landmarks and the revelation of family secrets.

I liked how the author loosely used each dress to tell the story and move the narrative forward. "The Last Dress From Paris" not only follows Lucille's quest but allows the reader to learn more about Alice, the woman who had the privilege to wear each of the spectacular gowns designed by Dior.

Overall, I found this a sweet read full of glamorous couture, romance, betrayal, loss, and friendship.… (plus d'informations)

A Fabulous historical fiction read that was heartwarming, heart-wrenching, and enlightening. I really enjoyed reading this one. It's got so much heart in it and so much richness from history and the settings of Paris and such.
This is written from two characters in a dual timeline, one with Lucille, who's Sylvie's granddaughter, and one with a woman named Alice who is a fashion designer/famous in the designer world, wearing Dior gowns and going to all the fashion shows. Sylvie asks Lucille to go to Paris to find out about a priceless Dior dress and what Lucille discovers is much more than just a priceless Dior dress. As Lucille goes on this trip, she meets and befriends another woman that helps her on her quest and, of course, a swoon-worthy guy that also helps. Lucille finds herself on a journey of self-discovery and re-examining family relationships and what she wants out of life as she goes on this scavenger hunt after these Dior dresses.
Alice, in the past, also finds herself on a journey of self-discovery as she finds herself in a marriage where her husband no longer finds her attractive or cares for her that much anymore. She finds herself with the help of a young dashing man who she has an affair with and then has life-altering things happen after that, which leads to where she goes with her life next and who she becomes.
All of the two timelines have a purpose and intertwine and are woven together in the end where everything makes sense and there are some great reveals. There's a lot that is great about this story, but one of the best and biggest moments is when you find out why Sylvie sent her granddaughter on this scavenger hunt, and everything is all tied up nicely at the end.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction, fashion, Paris, heartwarming, thought-provoking, and enriching stories. This was an easy 5-star read for me and one of my top faves of this year.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for letting me read and review this wonderful book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (plus d'informations)

A search for Dior Dresses from the 1950's - how fun would that be?

Louise makes a trip to Paris on her grandmother's request to find a certain dress, but it turns into a trip to search for eight other dresses.

What she finds is someone to help her, personal notes that accompany the dresses, secrets her Grandmother Sylvie kept all these years, and of course, the gorgeous, interesting dresses that have stories of their own.

We then go back in time and meet Alice Ainsley in 1952 who is the ambassador's wife and who also has gorgeous Dior dresses and a wonderful confidante for a maid, and a husband who is not who he appeared to be. He is cold, and she is lonely.

The loneliness leads to her visiting with a young man named Antoine.

Louise's chase to find the dresses leads to finding her grandmother's secrets, a love interest for her, and a longer stay and return to Paris.

Those readers who love Paris, who love fashion, the 1950's, and visiting with characters with complicated relationships will want to read this book.

A very enjoyable read with a bit of a mystery as grandmother’s life is unraveled. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)