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Tailor-Made

Yolanda Wallace

3.69 · Rating details · 225 ratings · 73 reviews

Before Grace Henderson began working as a tailor in her father’s bespoke suit shop in Wiliamsburg, Brooklyn, she established a hard and fast rule about not dating clients. The edict is an easy one for her to follow, considering the overwhelming majority of the shop’s clients are men. But when Dakota Lane contacts her to commission a suit to wear to her sister’s wedding, Gr ...more

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Published December 1st 2017 by Bold Strokes Books

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· 225 ratings · 73 reviews

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Nov 25, 2017 Lex Kent rated it liked it

Shelves: f-f-bsb-romance

3 1/2 Stars. This was better than Wallace’s other two books she released this year, but wasn’t as good as some of her older work. I like Wallace as an author and I also like that she writes many main POC’s. I’m always happy to read books with some diversity in them. I enjoyed this read but had a few issues with it.

Dakota is a model who is well known for her androgynous look. She models and wears mostly men’s clothes. With her sister’s wedding approaching, Dakota decides to get a suit professiona 3 1/2 Stars. This was better than Wallace’s other two books she released this year, but wasn’t as good as some of her older work. I like Wallace as an author and I also like that she writes many main POC’s. I’m always happy to read books with some diversity in them. I enjoyed this read but had a few issues with it.

Dakota is a model who is well known for her androgynous look. She models and wears mostly men’s clothes. With her sister’s wedding approaching, Dakota decides to get a suit professionally tailored to truly fit her body. Grace is a tailor who works for her father’s business. When Dakota enters their shop, Grace is surprised to find herself attracted to Dakota. Grace normally prefers feminine women with curves. Do the more free spirted Dakota and the reserved Grace have a chance at a relationship, or are they just too different?

I really enjoyed Dakota as a characters, she was extremely likeable. Grace was a little harder to connect to as she seemed to be all over the map with her thoughts and feelings. The secondary characters are where things fall a little flat for me. They were not fleshed out well enough and didn’t really help with the story.

The romance went at a pretty good pace. I was happy it was not insta-love. The characters actually got to know each other, which I appreciate. The sex scenes were decent, not the best but above average.

The biggest issue I really had were parts of the story were really rushed, especially the ending. As others have mentioned, the ending was almost too HEA. I like happy endings but the complete turnaround of both families was a little unbelievable to me; especially with how one of Grace’s sisters always treated her. I just didn’t find the ending that realistic.

As I mentioned before, I think this was the best book Wallace has released this year. I was not crazy about the other two and this was an improvement. I still like her older books much more, but this book is more on track to what I expect from Wallace. This has a few bumps, but it was an enjoyable read.

An ARC was given to me from BSB, for a honest review. ...more

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Nov 15, 2017 Rosi rated it liked it

This book is a kind of fairy tale, by the way it is developed and especially by its end and there are some things that are not quite coherent. It is clear that many of the characters in romantic novels are very stereotyped, but I believe that in this case, Dakota has too many topics. Also, does not it seem that her behavior is absolutely credible, being a top model and working as a bicycle messenger? Fairy tale. Then, the doubts of Grace and her changes of attitude towards Dakota seem somewhat a ...more

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Nov 12, 2017 MJS rated it really liked it

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story was just straight-up charming. I loved both characters, although Grace did annoy me a little, especially towards the end. I was worried this would be one of those ‘player keeps on playing whiled she decides if she can settle down’ books, but Dakota was far from that, and I confess to being half in love with her myself by the end of the book.

The chemistry between Grace and Dakota was immediate but this is a slow burn, althoug ...more

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Nov 12, 2017 Xan West rated it it was ok

Shelves: meet-cute, romance-with-poc-mc, give-it-a-try, enby-char, lgbtqia-rom-by-poc, author-of-color, queer-poc-novels

Note: I do not recommend this book to trans and/or non-binary readers, or butch readers.

A copy was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to read this because it was a romance with a Black MC who was a tailor of bespoke suits. I was excited for all the tailoring details, and that it centered around a long-time Black-owned Brooklyn family business in a neighborhood that was gentrifying (Williamsburg). It promised complex family dynamics and a bunch o Note: I do not recommend this book to trans and/or non-binary readers, or butch readers.

A copy was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to read this because it was a romance with a Black MC who was a tailor of bespoke suits. I was excited for all the tailoring details, and that it centered around a long-time Black-owned Brooklyn family business in a neighborhood that was gentrifying (Williamsburg). It promised complex family dynamics and a bunch of ownvoices Black characters navigating family and business in tandem. These things were absolutely the best part of this book.

Based on the book description, I was looking forward to a meet cute between a butch queer woman who works as a male model and needs a bespoke suit and her tailor. It was definitely a meet cute that I enjoyed, but Dakota wasn't a butch queer woman...I don't think? Dakota works as a male model, and generally presents as masculine of center, and is very clear its not only for work but an expression of her gender identity. Her gender identity is a bit unclear even after finishing the book. She is described as genderfluid, as butch, as androgynous, as not using pronouns, as not interested in labels (but then constantly referred to by she/her pronouns all throughout so that is what I will be using), as both a woman and not a woman. As an enby reader, I read her as enby, and MoC, and beyond that I wasn't sure if maybe she was agender or maybe she was a trans butch or maybe she was genderfluid but I didn't get to see her gender flux or if she just didn't think any of the labels fit. I don't necessarily think this is an issue, a lot of times folks aren't sure ourselves; I just wasn't sure that was intentional or just badly researched, given the rest of my issues with the enby rep in this story and the references to Dakota in the author's note.

This romance read as a very classic trans acceptance romance, in that the cis MC struggles to accept her feelings/attraction for the enby MC and that's the central conflict in the romance that doesn't resolve til the end. Her struggle with Dakota's gender is multilayered and placed at the center of the story, and is constantly referred to. Each time she enjoys Dakota's company or experiences attraction, she then pulls herself back primarily because of Dakota's gender (sometimes because she reminds herself she's only into femmes, sometimes because she thinks of Dakota's gender as a spectacle that will put her in the spotlight, sometimes because she is certain her family won't approve of her dating someone who isn't a femme woman--she's not wrong about this, her family says terrible cissexist, gender policing and trans hating things about Dakota). She does have other concerns about a relationship with Dakota that could have created a perfectly good conflict on their own, and that do come up as well, but it's the gender-based conflict that is centered.

This romance comes with some of the more classic things you might expect from a trans acceptance narrative. It centers a cis person who has never encountered trans people before and learns a lot about them in the process. It includes multiple infodumps about enby identity and trans experience that are both confusing and full of misinformation. It centers a cis persons journey towards acceptance, at the expense of making the enby character a full complex character with her own growth arc that's unrelated to her gender. Instead, we have an enby character whose every conversation, work related difficulty, daily life detail, family struggle, and relationship challenge is centered on her gender identity. And the push-pull nature of the cis MC's feelings about the enby MC mean a large amount of trans, butch and enby hating things are woven into the story; things the MCs family says, things that she thinks, arguments she has with herself about her attraction. This includes things like the cis MC talking about the enby MC as "the best of both worlds" while they are having sex. It includes the enby MC asking if she's right, that the cis MC thinks she's "not woman enough for her", and the cis MC nodding. It also is clearly written in a way that centers cis readers.

Acceptance narrative oriented romances are generally written in ways that are harmful to the marginalized folks they have the more privileged MC work through their issues to accept. In this case, this book is likely to be harmful to trans and/or enby readers (I certainly found it so).

The enby acceptance narrative at the center of this story made it so that I could not root for these characters to be together. I thought Grace was a spectacularly awful match for Dakota. She spent the entire book unable to be okay with Dakota's gender identity, and I would not wish such a relationship on any trans or non-binary person.

Trigger Warnings (view spoiler)
...more

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Dec 05, 2017 Romie rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary, queer-books, poc, could-not-finish

To put it simply : this is boring. And offensive most of the time.
I didn’t find the relationship interesting: it has this weird vibe of insta-love topped with a LOT of cheesy moments that ad nothing to the story—probably what made me dislike it so much.
I disliked Dakota’s character, I found her full of herself and though she tried to challenge what gender really means, she playing with the idea of gender, but at no moment is she presented as anything but cis.
Grace wasn’t much better to be honest ...more

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Nov 17, 2017 Stephanie rated it liked it

I liked the characters in this book. However, I wanted much more. So many of the actions of both characters just didn't make any sense. It moved too fast and didn't give this reader enough build-up.
The end was way too cliche' and way too perfect.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Apr 20, 2019 Jude in the Stars rated it really liked it

Yolanda Wallace is always a sure bet. The theme of this book (never judge a book by its cover) was cleverly treated, though the ending was a bit rushed. The characters were good, including the supporting cast of friends and family.

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Nov 14, 2017 Natasha rated it it was ok

Shelves: arcs-and-review-copies, lgbtqiap-f-f, lgbtqiap-all, indigenous-or-protag-of-colour, lgbtqiap-qbipoc

Review also on my blog

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I received an arc from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, this is going to be tricky to review. I really wanted to love this but I just... didn't. There was a lot of discussion around gender which was good but both of the leads are cis. One of them, Dakota, does say she isn't a fan of labels and is overall more androgynous but in the end, the novel seems to only present her as cis.

I should note I am cis but there were some ...more

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Apr 16, 2018 Arien rated it really liked it

Shelves: lesbian-romance, butch-x-femme, sexy-times, sexual-promiscuity, celeb

3.5 stars. A bit too fairytale like for my taste but otherwise a pleasant read. Never have I read a lesfic book that involves tailoring and it's nice to tackle new topics. Keeps me engaged.

But other than that this is a fairly typical butch x femme story. Both characters were nicely developed though Grace's wishy-washiness was too forced at times. She did a lot of 180° seemingly without much extrinsic pressure. It was also not quite clear why Dakota changed her player ways too. It's all a bit su ...more

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Feb 08, 2019 mindful.librarian ☀️ marked it as did-not-finish

Shelves: adult-reads, romance-only

I wanted to love this but DNF 50% through, based on weird feelings about the non-binary rep - this #ownvoices review solidified my decision to DNF: Review at Corey's Book Corner ...more

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Nov 20, 2017 Jess rated it it was amazing

Shelves: culture-african-american, format-kindle, genre-romance, lgbt-lesbian, topic-modelling, topic-fashion, setting-new-york, publisher-bold-strokes-books, lgbt-genderqueer, arc-netgalley

I received this book free from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

This review was first posted to Love Bytes: LGBTQ Book Reviews. It has been slightly edited here for content.

This is Yolanda Wallace’s twelfth (!!!) book and my personal favorite work of hers so far. Wallace has proven to be a varied writer who crafts diverse characters in a wide range of settings, and this take on a simple, sweet, butch/femme love story really showcases her soft writing style and fi I received this book free from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

This review was first posted to Love Bytes: LGBTQ Book Reviews. It has been slightly edited here for content.

This is Yolanda Wallace’s twelfth (!!!) book and my personal favorite work of hers so far. Wallace has proven to be a varied writer who crafts diverse characters in a wide range of settings, and this take on a simple, sweet, butch/femme love story really showcases her soft writing style and firm grasp of lesbian romance.

(Seriously, this lady is all over the place in the best ways. I've only read two of her other books and one was a modern YA-type romance involving an Amish girl (Rum Spring) and one was a Civil War historical romance (Divided Nation, United Hearts). I love that we never know what we'll get with a new Wallace book!)

Grace and Dakota’s relationship develops slowly and naturally. There might be instant attraction and easy friendship, but there’s no insta-love—these girls put in the work to prove they’re right for each other. Their realizations might not be easy or come simultaneously, but rather than make us frustrated, their slow courtship makes us fall in love along with them. And I like how they each accept the other for exactly who they are. When Dakota schools Grace a little on dated gender roles in the modeling and fashion industries, Grace makes professional changes instead of becoming offended (Dakota herself seems comfortable with she/her pronouns but would fall into more on a non-binary or genderqueer spectrum).

The side characters are also richly-written and help better characterize Dakota and Grace. We learn a lot about a person through their relationships, and watching both women with their sisters (annoying and troublesome as they can be) shows how loving each woman is in their own way.

You’ll find yourself just as immersed in the world of menswear design as you’ll be in the romance. I learned so much about how different fashion design can be on the men’s side of things (including the tailor asking whether the suit-wearer “dresses left or right” in case they need a little extra room in the inseam for…well, I’m sure you can guess). Grace might be a gorgeous femme who wears dresses and heels, but the drool-worthy fashion in this book all comes from the suits and the sexy butch woman who gets to wear them.

This story reads easily and flows smoothly. It had me smiling from the first page, and while the ending might be a little too picture-perfect for some, I absolutely adored it. This is a lovely classic lesbian romance. I feel like I maybe liked this one a lot more than my lesfic friends here, but I don't know, it just seems so perfectly tight and concise to me. It's just a good story with a smooth arc and no nonsense mucking down the middle. ...more

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Nov 19, 2017 Pippa D rated it really liked it

Shelves: lesbian-romances

Grace Henderson works as a designer and tailor in her father’s bespoke suit shop in Brooklyn. Working in the family business has all the perks and problems you’d expect, but Grace loves the chance to create for her clients.

Dakota Lane is hired as a male model for her gender-bending looks. However, for Dakota, it’s more than just a fashion statement. Looking for a special outfit for her sister’s wedding, Dakota asks Grace to design a suit. A suit might be their introduction, but how far will it ...more

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Sep 03, 2018 Tara rated it liked it

Shelves: players, contemporary, ff, reviewed-at-tlr, read-in-2018, bold-strokes-books, celebrities, opposites-attract, fashion

Yolanda Wallace did a fabulous job of developing two complex, interesting women who I found myself investing in and rooting for. They had chemistry from their first encounter, with their relationship development including a compelling push and pull to it as both women were battling between desire for each other alongside other concerns or challenges that could stand in the way of a relationship. They both had character arcs that were very good and I so happy when I saw where they ended up in the ...more

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Nov 11, 2017 Anja rated it liked it

A solid 3, I liked Grace and Dakota and how the story played out, but in the last quarter of the book there were quite a few whys. Why did Brooke actually show up? Why did Grace qalk out on Dakota? Why are Grace's sister so superficial? ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 Heidi rated it really liked it

Liked the characters. Nothing was a surprise or really different, but still a good light romance.

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Sep 05, 2018 Velvet Lounger rated it really liked it

Shelves: traditional, romance

i vacillated between 3.5/4 on this one...

Grace is a tailor, working at the family firm her father built up, mainly taking the women and younger clients, but gradually taking over the business from her father. Her work-life and home life are great, but her dating life is a mess, constantly trying blind dates with women her friends set her up with, and rarely making a second.

When rising supermodel Dakota Lane walks in late for an appointment, needing a suit for her sister’s wedding, Grace is annoy ...more

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Dec 23, 2017 Catherine rated it liked it

It's funny when I read the blurb I wasn't drawn to the book however I do enjoy Yolanda Wallace's previous books so thought I would read it anyways. I enjoyed the story more than I thought I would which was a nice surprise. I did struggle a bit with Grace as a character who I found to be a bit judgmental. Her sisters just sounded like brats so they weren't great additions to the book.

I didn't love the book but still enjoyed it enough to finish. The characters won't stay with me. A quick light re ...more

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Mar 01, 2019 Trisha rated it really liked it

3.5 stars

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Aug 24, 2018 Harker rated it really liked it

Rep: Plus size Black Lesbian MC, Genderfluid presenting MC, supporting LGT cast, Filipino side character

CW: some homophobic comments/inferences

Tailor-Made has lighthearted moments like many romance novels, but there are many depths within this novel. There's steaminess as well, plus it touches on serious subjects such gentrification and difficulties faced by the LGBTQIA+ community.

Grace and Dakota may be the focus of the story, but once you pick up this book, you will find much more than their ...more

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Dec 23, 2018 A.W. rated it liked it

I did like that this book had an androgynous character as the main. Dakota’s character was really likeable whereas Grace was a little annoying.

The pace of the romance was good for the most part. Like others, I did find the ending to be quite rushed, which was a shame.

I quite enjoyed reading Tailor-Made but something was missing for me to say “Wow, this is a great book.”

Review also posted here: https://wp.me/p4Pp9O-LN ...more

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Nov 22, 2017 Kennedy rated it liked it

Shelves: 2017-ng-okay

I enjoy romance novels and this read was sweet with some push and pull but communication is the key to navigate the challenges. I like the main characters. What interesting and unique careers they both have. The bike ride, caught in the rain, a meal in a quaint/trendy restaurant and a cute scene at a baseball game. The romantic in me smiles very big. Both characters are likeble and you want happiness and fulfillment to boil over for them. Grace Henderson has it all figured out from the business ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Megan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a really sweet story that I enjoyed quite a bit. I've read a few of Wallace's books and I'm always impressed how adept she is at switching things up and keeping things interesting- plots, settings, story lines. - and also includes a more diverse set of characters than you normally see in lesfic., Tailor-made focuses on Dakota, an androgynous model/bike courier and Grace, a tailor working in her family's business. It's a great set up and Wallace does a fantastic job with developing both ...more

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Apr 11, 2020 Rose J rated it really liked it

I did really enjoy this book. Though to be honest, I’m probably rating this a bit higher because I love reading a story that is not just about two white femme women. One main character, Grace, is a black woman and the other main character, Dakota, doesn’t fit within binary gender norms. Dakota is a male model and also plays with gender personally. There is a discussion of using “they/them” and other pronouns! There is a lot to like in the story. I enjoyed the characters and they had a slow build ...more

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Mar 16, 2020 Jessica marked it as did-not-finish · review of another edition

Shelves: library-owns, lgbtqia

DNF about 90 pages in.

I wanted to like this but I just couldn't get into it, and the gender-fluid representation didn't feel real to me -- though saying this, if the character had been billed as gender non-conforming it would have made a lot more sense to me and may have felt less inadvertently transphobic. But then again, maybe not. (view spoiler) ...more

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Nov 06, 2017 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: butch-femme, queer, romance, netgalley, 2017, published-in-2017

I received a free pre release copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. I was in the mood for a butch-femme romance and this one hit the spot! Sweet, but with plenty of sexual tension, no insta-love, but instead a relationship building over time, and interesting characters including not only Dakota and Grace, but their friends and family. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a sweet (with some steaminess near the end) contemporary romance.

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Aug 09, 2018 Martha rated it it was amazing

Hella hot, confident, grown-ass ladies with their own lives who aren't pining for a partner and don't immediately act without (for a while) considering consequences? Sign me up. And, yes, it's just as gratifying as it sounds. ...more

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Dec 05, 2018 Kay rated it really liked it

#RWLChallenge: A Lammy Award winner

A bit predictable but I really liked it. Possibly the steamiest book I've read this year. ...more

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Nov 28, 2017 JenReadsRomance rated it liked it

Shelves: f-f

What a great romance! Tailor Grace Henderson is assigned the task of measuring and designing a suit for gender-fluid model Dakota Lane. There's instant chemistry, but Grace has the voice of her conservative father in her head, warning her that Dakota is too much of a wild child. Or it just that Grace is afraid of her own feelings for Dakota, who's nothing at all like the woman she usually dates?

There's a real sense of fullness in this story, with Grace and Dakota both having rich backgrounds of ...more

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Jun 16, 2018 Pamela rated it it was amazing

Grace Henderson is a master tailor in her father’s Brooklyn tailor ship. She’s been promised her father will hand over the keys to the shop when he retires. She has a rule against dating clients, which is easy to follow since the vast majority of their clients are men. Then Dakota Lane walks into their shop. Dakota is a handsome androgynous woman with two jobs—a bicycle messenger and male model. Grace is immediately drawn to Dakota, but reminds herself of her rule against dating clients and that ...more

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Jan 02, 2018 Dannica Zulestin rated it really liked it

Shelves: quiltbag, f-f, i-ship-it, author-of-color

I finished reading this book really late at night, and I couldn't wait to review it, so I might have to edit this review later to be more precise or what have you. But I think the fact that it kept me up late reading says something about the book in itself.

The Premise
Grace is a tailor running the family business. She's a lesbian who only dates feminine women, and never dates customers. Dakota is a...well, as she says, "whatever I feel like on any given day", or in simplest terms possible, an and I finished reading this book really late at night, and I couldn't wait to review it, so I might have to edit this review later to be more precise or what have you. But I think the fact that it kept me up late reading says something about the book in itself.

The Premise
Grace is a tailor running the family business. She's a lesbian who only dates feminine women, and never dates customers. Dakota is a...well, as she says, "whatever I feel like on any given day", or in simplest terms possible, an androgynous lesbian who works as a male model. And now she has come to Grace as a customer because she needs a suit made for her sister's wedding.

Grace is attracted to Dakota, but really, she couldn't date someone like that, could she? Dakota's not her type--and she attracts too much attention, and she doesn't do "serious". There seem to be a hundred reasons for them to stay apart, and yet none of them are good enough whenever they're together.

My Thoughts
I enjoyed this book largely for very personal reasons. Really I just loved Dakota, and I felt like I related to her a lot. I also like girls, and I like to dress and appear androgynous despite identifying as a woman, and I felt like a lot of her experiences corresponded with mine. For example, I love a book that shows how dealing with a conservative family isn't as straightforward as it seems--even when you and your family disagree on such essential matters as "is it okay for me to like girls" or "is it okay for me to dress as a guy", you still love your family and want them to approve of you. Both Dakota and Grace had multifaceted relationships with their families, and that was something I loved.

And then, on a very basic level, just...the suits, man. As I read this book I couldn't stop craving a nice suit. Every time Grace started talking about how she needed to cut the fabric a certain way or Dakota started talking about how to dress so that she appeared androgynous and her gender remained ambiguous I just straight up died. I was jealous of Dakota for her lovely suits, but I was happy to live vicariously through her. Imagine being at the level of androgynous beauty that you, a woman, can get work for thousands of dollars as a male model! The dream...

Grace kind of frustrated me, though, because of her self-imposed rule of dating feminine women. I could definitely empathize with Dakota's frustration with that rule since again, that's something I've definitely experienced. I did like how Grace was slowly won over by Dakota, seeing her personality over her appearance and then eventually admitting she liked her appearance as well. And Grace's plot arc was also interesting to me because Grace in this book is learning more about transgender, gender fluid and nonbinary individuals--for example she starts serving more transgender men at her tailoring business during the book, and thinking about what pronouns she uses. At one point she actually asks Dakota if she's incorrectly assumed Dakota's gender identity, which for me meant that she had begun to care about Dakota on a level above how much most people would care. So Grace is trying. But still, it was frustrating to me to read a love interest who couldn't accept Dakota as she was--or on some level even felt like she shouldn't.

In general, there is a certain amount of cisgender bias in most characters' approach to gender here--for example a minor character says to Dakota, "If you had a penis, I'd fuck you" and this is basically treated as a joke because the person speaking is a gay man and assumedly Dakota wouldn't be interested anyhow. Still, Dakota, despite saying she is gender fluid a couple times, is basically treated as a woman. This didn't bother me as much as it might have, because although it was frustrating in a way, it did feel like a reflection of the real world--and also because I felt like Dakota's feeling gender fluid in a way but still identifying as a woman felt real and again, I could relate. But it still kind of stung, and it might bother someone else more than me.

Another thing I felt iffy about in this book was that at times it just feels a bit too slow paced, but on the other hand I can appreciate a slow burn, and with a hesitant character like Grace, you need some time to warm her up and bring her to a boil.

Overall
I'm not sure I'm the most objective person to review this book, as I'm currently blinded by visions of suits and unable to think about it critically. But if you're like me and you like some androgynous female protagonist in your f/f romance, and a little slow burn mixed with lots of tailoring and modeling, I would recommend...with the qualifications noted above. Now I should probably go to bed.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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About Yolanda Wallace

Yolanda Wallace

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Yolanda Wallace is not a professional writer, but she plays one in her spare time. She has written seven novels, and her short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies. She and her partner live in beautiful coastal Georgia, where they are parents to four children of the four-legged variety — a boxer and three cats.

Yolanda Wallace also writes under the pen name Mason Dixon.
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