Book Review: The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole

 


The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole | 3.5 Stars 

I enjoyed my time with this book! The first 60-70%, along with the conclusion, resonated with me the most.  It's a happily ever after type Christmas read and I always enjoy those. This particular story falls under the category of clean romance—no explicit language—and overall, it delivers a positive and uplifting narrative.

We follow New York fashionista Meg who returns to her hometown of Chicago to manage her late father's apartment building. She lost her job and starts a new journey to take care of all the disasters going on in the apartment building where she meets the handsome handyman, Logan. They start to form a romance together as she tries to gain the approval of the very entertaining tenants and her father's unpaid assistant there. Then Meg meets a resident there, Ellie, who has a Christmas dress from days gone by that hold many memories. The dress give Meg inspiration for a new dream she has to help save the crumbling apartment complex to restore it to its former glory and keep it as a safe home for the tenants.

This book will leave you with so many feels! We see Meg deal with grief from the loss of her sister many years ago and the recent loss of her father. She regrets not being there for her Dad over the years and being so involved in her job. Along the way, as she meets the tenants and gets to know them, we really see her start to change as a person and realize how much she cares for them and she wants to continue the legacy her Dad started! That's the part of the story I loved most - seeing her growth as a character.

On the flip side, the relationship drama introduced toward the end, involving Logan's ex-girlfriend, felt somewhat intrusive and detracted from the overall narrative. Personally, I found this subplot annoying and out of place. While I appreciated the romance between Logan and Meg, the recurring "ex" dynamic, including Meg's ex and her best friend, felt awkward.

Despite these reservations, I found the story enjoyable and would recommend it as a heartwarming, clean Christmas read.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6089297482
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3RDSY3L
YouTube Review to come.

*Amazon links are an affiliate link and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

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