This was a great book! It made me laugh and feel the emotions of the characters. I fell in love with the three friends, and felt their ups and downs. I'd love to read more - make this a series! ( )

After reading a couple of spicy romances (the first books of series that I want to continue), I looked for something less spicy. 'The Perfect Dress' is my palet cleaner and the right thing to read at the right time. I loved the Perfect Dress as it navigates the lives of 3 women, Jodie, Paula, and Mitsy, through thick and thin, literally and figuratively. Between pregnancy and relationship drama, weight issues, southern family expectations just being some of the few issues touched upon. I really enjoyed how she intertwined the characters' stories, the way they ended up connecting at some point.
Most of the characters are curvy girls, and the book, in my opinion, has a positive representation for bigger women. This book captures the emotions and struggles we watched without analyzing, like too many books try to do and the happiness friends and family share.
I loved Graham's daughters, Dixie and Tabby. They had a terrific relationship with their dad, who loved and supported them. Their self-confidence is a direct result of that love. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and I loved how they connected with Mitzi. It was so much fun to see their excitement overworking at the shop. I enjoyed their conversations with Graham as they tried to encourage his relationship with Mitzi. I ached for them in their dealings with their mother, who was a real piece of work.
I found a new author with an excellent amount of backlists that I can continue reading her work ( )

Mitzi Taylor has a very successful custom wedding dress boutique for women just like her, She is buxom and nearly six feet fall with bright red hair. Her clientele always come away from her shop looking like true divas. So Mitzi, along with two friends, has made a great success.

When Mitzi sees Graham Harrison again, who is shopping for bridesmaid dresses for his twin girls, she is in constant awareness. As a matter of fact, he feels it too. Mitzi has dreams, and just maybe one day Graham could be a part of it.

The Perfect Dress is a wonderful romance with the true fact that plus-sized women can be beautiful, glamorous and sexy and deserve every chance at love. I appreciated the kindness Mitzi showed to Graham's daughters, who were very much like her. She was able to instill confidence in them that teens really need in this day and age. In addition, Mitzi's friends Jody and Paula, who co-owned the shop, had chances to work through their issues.

I enjoyed this book Carolyn Brown, and have read another book by her as well. I look forward to reading much more.

any thanks to Montlake Romance and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

Okay, so at first read...I was actually worried it was going to be one of THOSE books. You know the ones...where the he/she lead and supporting cast is SO hung up on size that quite literally EVERY other sentence has something to do with them being bigger/smaller, or the hard times they faced because of their size, or how awful the world is in general thanks to their waistline or lack thereof. Now, admittedly, there is quite a bit of talk regarding weight/size here, but it's done in such a way that it's not overbearing to the story...it's in addition to it...and at some points THE actual story itself, like the bullying the girls faced, both past AND present...so readers like myself don't feel bogged down in the details.

Then we have the characters, and what a cast it is! Okay, can I just say that I love Fanny Lou's character? I mean seriously...she is a hoot! Moving forward, I was really loving these girls, individually and as a fearsome threesome! Paula is so strong and self-assured, and in the face of what's in store for her, she's gonna need that strength, but also the ability to lean on others. Joy...OMG...what Lyle did is UNFORVGIVEABLE...and let's just say if we met face to face, someone would have a new pair of earrings, while the other would be in A LOT of pain! Mad props to the twins for their "performance" ...BRILLIANT! Mitzi has definitely got some good juju coming her way, as long as she doesn't let herself second guess it to a halt before it even gets started. I was definitely ready to see the sparks fly between her and Graham.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this one in many ways. From the story slant to the drama, the powerful friendships to the relationships, the characters to the memorable moments, there's something around every page turn to watch for, follow, or belly laugh it out with. If you're a fan of Contemporary Romance, you'll certainly want to make room on your summer reading list for this one!

**eARC received for review; opinions are my own ( )

The Perfect Dress by Carolyn Brown
Source: NetGalley and Montlake Romance
My Rating: 4/5 stars

“Folks up north start off a fairy tale by sayin’, ‘Once upon a time’. And us southerners start one off by sayin’, ‘You ain’t goin’ to believe this shit’.”

Mitzi, Jody, and Paula have spent the past year building their new business, The Perfect Dress. With an emphasis on plus-size custom made dresses, the ladies spend their days making the wedding dress dreams of larger ladies become an absolute reality. With originality, flair, and a desire to see every client happy and beautiful, the woman have little time for anything other than their work.

For Mitzi, the work is everything and though she wouldn’t mind having a man in her life, there isn’t much time for such distractions. In truth, Mitzi hasn’t had much time or energy for thoughts about her non-existent love life until the day she runs into Graham Harrison, her high school crush and newly divorced dad of two who has just moved back into town. Oh boy! With Graham back in town, Mitzi is suddenly faced with many, many new possibilities and those possibilities are taking up brain space normally reserved for design and sewing.

As if encouraging her thoughts on possibilities, Graham’s twin daughters work their way into Mitizi’s life and heart in short order. With fire, sass, intelligence, humor, and a very real interest in learning Mitzi’s craft, the girls are always at the shop and that means Graham is always in Mitizi’s orbit. In short order, Mitzi, Graham, the girls, Mitzi’s family, and her partners become a tight social circle which is a welcome for Graham and his girls as they settle back into town. Being together on a regular basis creates all kinds of wonderful and welcome feelings for both Graham and Mitzi and with literally everyone in their respective lives encouraging the match, it’s hard for both to ignore the obvious. As with so many other things in life, the path to happiness isn’t always easy and for Graham and Mitzi, there are considerations beyond their own desires that must be taken into account before they can commit to one another.

The Bottom Line: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Carolyn Brown is my go-to girl in this genre!! Once again, I fell in love with Brown’s version of small-town life, endearing characters, and a plot that is just right for the genre. While this story is meant to be Mitzi and Graham’s love story, there’s so much more going on with the other characters including Mitzin’s partners, Jody and Paula, and Graham’s twin daughters. The multiple sub-plots work beautifully with the main plot line and really come together to create a more complete book full of love, friendship, and community. It’s the spirit of love, friendship, loyalty, and community that keeps bringing me back to Brown’s books. I always know I’m going to get a solid, emotionally wrought read with real problems and real issues that are dealt with by real people. This particular read has a great number of issues and problems across a variety of characters and every one of them is blended perfectly with Mitzi and Graham. Once again, an excellent read from an author who perfectly understands small town life, creating real characters, and helping each of them reach a lovely and well-deserved HEA. ( )