Book Review: Little Black Dress by Susan McBride

Let me count the ways in which I loved Little Black Dress by Susan McBride! Books like this one are the reason I love to read! Little Black Dress is a book about family relationships along with a magical twist on the story that I loved. I was literally enthralled with this story and the pages just flew by. I became so invested in the characters lives that I have to say I was very sorry to see the book end. Isn’t always those books that you love that you find just too short!

Antonia Ashton is in charge of her life. She’s worked hard to build up a thriving business as a wedding planner and she’s finally in a steady relationship but still she can’t help but feel things just aren’t right when her boyfriend asks her to move in with him instead of proposing. In an instant though her life is unhinged when she gets a phone call that her mother has suffered a massive stroke forcing her to head home to Blue Hills. She hasn’t been back in years, not since her father passed away, and she’s not looking forward to it at all.

Antonia’s mother Evie has always seemed distant to her but she does love her. After seeing her mother in the hospital, Toni heads to the old Victorian house she grew up in. She is stunned to learn that her mother hasn’t been keeping up with things very well. Even more surprising than the clutter is the attic full of secrets. Toni has always avoided anything to do with her family history but now she’s finding that she wants to know more and she wants to unravel all these family secrets that are casting shadows over everything.

This novel is told in alternating chapters which encompass the past and the present. In the past we learn about Evie and her sister Anna and all the turmoil between them, we learn of Evie and Jon’s love and the interesting way in which in Toni is born. In the chapters about Toni we get to know her hopes and dreams, how at forty-six she still longs for the dream man and wedding. While her mother is in a coma Toni spends her time trying to unravel the past and, in doing that, begins to learn more about herself and what she truly wants from her life. Interwoven in both the past and the present is the little black dress with the power to change lives.

Little Black Dress is such a well told story. The characters are so real and you just can’t help but love them and hope that all turns out well for them. The journey that all the women take – Evie, Anna, and Toni – is complicated at times but ultimately love of family and their connection together brings them all back to each other. I also really enjoyed the mother/daughter aspect of this novel. While Toni and Evie didn’t always see eye to eye Toni knew that she still wanted more time with her mother to mend fences and her mother felt the same. This novel is just a great family saga and one really worth reading! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I read Little Black Dress by Susan McBride for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure to pop into the other tour stops to see what they thought of the novel and visit Susan McBride’s website to learn more about her work. You can purchase your copy of Little Black Dress here in the US and here in Canada.

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

My copy of Little Black Dress by Susan McBride was received for review from TLC Book Tours and the Publisher.

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