Happy Tuesday, friend! Back at it again today with yet another review of a book that released today – The Wedding Dress by Danielle Steel.

*Disclaimer – I received a copy of this eBook for free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

You’ll find my personal review and star rating down below – but first you’ll see the description provided by NetGalley. Thanks for taking the time to read.

Description :

In Danielle Steel’s epic new novel, the lives of four generations of women in one family span fortune and loss, motherhood, tragedy and victories.

From the glamorous San Francisco social scene of the 1920s, through war and the social changes of the ’60s, to the rise of Silicon Valley today, this extraordinary novel takes us on a family odyssey that is both heartbreaking and inspiring, as each generation faces the challenges of their day.
 
The Parisian design houses in 1928, the crash of 1929, the losses of war, the drug culture of the 1960s—history holds many surprises, and lives are changed forever. For richer or for poorer, in cramped apartments and grand mansions, the treasured wedding dress made in Paris in 1928 follows each generation into their new lives, and represents different hopes for each of them, as they marry very different men.
 
From inherited fortunes at the outset to self-made men and women, the wedding dress remains a cherished constant for the women who wear it in each generation and forge a destiny of their own. It is a symbol of their remaining traditions and the bond of family they share in an ever-changing world.

My Review :

I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. For me, Danielle Steel novels were books my mom always had at her bedside, so I figured I’d be too young to enjoy it.

I’m so happy to say that I was wrong. The premise of this book drew me in initially, but the plot kept me turning the pages.

We start with a young Eleanor, and travel with her through the crash of the economy as her family loses all they have. Newly married, and pregnant – she vows that she and her husband Alex will make it through.

Now enters Camille – their daughter. She wants nothing to do with the grandiose lifestyle her parents had grown up in and wanted to lavish on her as much as they could. She was a rebel and it cost her everything…but not before her daughter was born.

Enter Ruby, smart and sophisticated, she’s more like her grandma whom she now lives with. Married young to her best friend, she thinks she’s in for a life of happiness and luxury. But Zack isn’t willing to be faithful, so while they remain married, theirs is a loveless marriage just for the sake of the kids.

Nick and Kendall could not be more opposite as we first come to know them. Nick has his mother’s gentle spirit, while Kendall has her father’s ruthless attitude. But after a bad break up, and misfortune of witnessing her father with a mistress, she realizes that she doesn’t want to end up like him…even if he is a genius.

4 generations of women – 3 of whom wear “the dress” down the aisle. I so enjoyed getting to know each of these characters. A love of gardening, and the realization they each made that while money is nice, it certainly can’t buy you happiness. This novel felt so real, the way that Ms. Steel writes plots and emotions is in depth and engrossing.

I really enjoyed this book, and if you’re looking for something to dive into while you’re stuck at home – you might, too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️