The Christmas Dress is the first Courtney Cole novel I've read. The pretty cover caught my eye, and a friend's positive review convinced me to give it a try.
The premise: Meg has experienced great loss in her life. Her mother and sister died in her childhood, her long-term dating relationship just ended, and now her father passed away, leaving Meg the family "home," a crumbling apartment building whose long-term residents are senior citizens. With great reluctance, Meg leaves her life in the NYC fashion industry to return to Chicago and deal with the building (and its occupants.)
When all seems dark and discouraging, two positive things happen: Meg meets Logan, the handsome handyman who is single-handedly keeping the building from collapsing, and she's gifted a beautiful green dress by Ellie, a resident of the apartment building. Both will completely transform her life.
Themes include found family and that for many, the holidays are not a happy time but a reminder of loss, loneliness, and regret. I enjoyed the older characters and their intergenerational friendships with Meg and Logan.
Overall, I really liked this novel. Did it have an overabundance of secondary "issues" in the plot? Yes. Did everything wrap up with a huge shiny red bow? Yes ... but I forgive both since it's a Christmas romance.
The premise: Meg has experienced great loss in her life. Her mother and sister died in her childhood, her long-term dating relationship just ended, and now her father passed away, leaving Meg the family "home," a crumbling apartment building whose long-term residents are senior citizens. With great reluctance, Meg leaves her life in the NYC fashion industry to return to Chicago and deal with the building (and its occupants.)
When all seems dark and discouraging, two positive things happen: Meg meets Logan, the handsome handyman who is single-handedly keeping the building from collapsing, and she's gifted a beautiful green dress by Ellie, a resident of the apartment building. Both will completely transform her life.
Themes include found family and that for many, the holidays are not a happy time but a reminder of loss, loneliness, and regret. I enjoyed the older characters and their intergenerational friendships with Meg and Logan.
Overall, I really liked this novel. Did it have an overabundance of secondary "issues" in the plot? Yes. Did everything wrap up with a huge shiny red bow? Yes ... but I forgive both since it's a Christmas romance.
