Three and 3/4 stars for this one.

Sophie Nicholls was kind enough to send me this book to read and review. Thank you Sophie!

The Dress starts out as a sweet, gentle story of a vibrant, exotic mum who opens a vintage dress shop, and her self-conscious teen-aged daughter - the new kid in town who is having trouble figuring out where she fits in. The first half of the story continues in this vein as we get to know Fabbia and Ella. Enjoyable reading.

About half way through things take a slightly darker turn and in the end we learn more of what has shaped the lives of Fabbia and Ella.

It reads as if it is a period piece yet it is set in modern day.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.