ABOUT THE BOOK:
An enchanted Christmas dress brings two generations of women together for the magic of the season in this delightful holiday story from author Courtney Cole.
One Dress. Two Women. The Magic of the Holiday Season.
When hopeful fashionista Meg Julliard must return to her hometown of Chicago to manage her late father’s apartment building, she thinks her dreams of making it in the fashion business are over. Add in her father’s eclectic roster of tenants who all need Meg’s attention (ASAP!), a host of building related disasters, and a handsome handyman she keeps embarrassing herself in front of, and this has all the makings for the worst Christmas she’s ever had.
Ellie Wade, one of the building’s longtime residents, is also not feeling the Christmas Joy this year. She is preparing to move into a nursing home (reluctantly), and is in the process of sorting through her belongings to downsize. Every corner of her apartment holds memories, some good, some bad. But there’s one dress she hesitates to pack up as it represents both the best and worst night of her life.
Ellie and Meg strike up an unlikely friendship and the story of Ellie’s dress comes out. Ellie gifts the gorgeous dress to Meg, hoping that it will bring her more luck, on the condition that she wear it to the building’s Christmas party.
The dress magically fits, and while it eventually leads to the best night of Meg’s life, it also acts as inspiration for Meg to follow a life-long dream of her own, a dream that will help save the crumbling Parkview West, and restore it to its former glory, and keep it as a safe home for all of the current tenants.
The dress and the magic of the holiday season helps both Meg and Ellie find their own happy endings.
LISTEN TO AN EXCERPT:
MY REVIEW:
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole is a 2021 William Morrow Paperbacks publication.
When Meg’s father passes away, she puts her fashion world dreams aside to manage the apartment building she inherited. Her return to Chicago is met with mixed feelings by the tenants. They all seem dedicated to her father, but the jury is still out on Meg.
Despite a rocky start, Meg strikes up an acquaintanceship with Ellie Wade, a tenant with a sad past. Her story is centered around a party dress she wore to her engagement party many years ago, though the marriage never took place because of an ugly accusation and youthful pride. Ellie obviously has many regrets, and Meg can certainly identify with that.
Meanwhile, Meg learns the building is in horrible condition, which keeps her in constant contact with the deliciously handsome and very generous, maintenance guy…
This is a super sweet story with great characters, a wonderful second chance at love thread, and a wonderful contemporary story that all ties in together.
The tone is light, but the story has depth, as the characters learn to overcome obstacles to see their dreams realized and create solid relationships.
The holiday atmosphere helps give the story that little extra touch of magic.
Overall, a lovely holiday tale- recommended to all!
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Dress-Novel-Courtney-Cole-ebook/dp/B08THQHQQR/
https://www.amazon.com/The-Christmas-Dress-A-Novel/dp/B08V9G6B15/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-christmas-dress-courtney-cole/1138643148
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Courtney Cole is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling novelist who would rather write than eat chocolate. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business, but no amount of working in the corporate world could quell her urge to write.
Courtney was born and raised in Kansas, home of incredibly friendly people and the most horrendous weather on the planet. Because summer days were so hot, she grew up reading stacks of books... and when she didn't like the ending, she wrote her own.
Courtney has relocated to Florida where she writes beneath palm trees. To learn more about her, please visit her website, www.courtneycolewrites.com To sign up for her newsletter and receive exclusive sneak peeks and super-fan perks, go here: http://smarturl.it/CourtneyColeEmail