Book Review: The Wedding Dress

Whew, I am running behind on my book reviews! Back in March, I was able to read The Wedding Dress, by Rachel Hauck. Here is my review:

Charlotte Malone owns a successful bridal shop in Birmingham, and she's fabulous at finding just the right dress for each bride. But when it comes to planning her own wedding, Charlotte is struggling. Doubts nag her . . . is Tim really the right one? Is she even ready to get married? When Charlotte spontaneously buys an old trunk at an auction and discovers the 100 year old wedding dress inside, many questions come with it. Who did the dress belong to? How can it be that the dress is so perfectly preserved? And most of all . . . how does the dress fit into Charlotte's own past and present?

I really wanted to love this book. The idea of a 100 year old wedding dress and the history of all the brides it belonged to sounded like it would make a fascinating story. And truthfully, I did find this book hard to put down. The story was fast-paced and kept me wanting to find out what happened next, especially as it jumped back and forth between the two main characters--Charlotte from 2012, and Emily from 1912. But there were other things about the book that I just didn't care for. Too much passionate kissing, etc . . . even in 1912! Also, the author's use of the words "popped" and "angled" all too frequently throughout the book got annoying after a while. Why do people always have to "angle" to see something better? Can't they just "turn" instead? At least sometimes? There were also some symbolic elements to the story, which--while I appreciated what the author was trying to convey--just seemed a little odd at times. I did really like the symbolism of the dress, though--how it represents the Gospel, which is made to "fit" all who accept it.

So while I wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend The Wedding Dress, I'm glad I had the chance to read it. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through theBookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."