The Secret Lives of Dresses

A woman returns to her small southern hometown to take care of her ailing grandmother and her vintage dress shop in a novel that is “a pure delight” (Claire LaZebnik, author of KNITTING UNDER THE INFLUENCE).

Dora has always taken the path of least resistance. She went to the college that offered her a scholarship, majoring in “vagueness studies,” and wears whatever shows the least dirt. She falls into a job at the college coffee shop and has a crush on her flirty boss, Gary.

But just when she’s about to test Gary’s feelings, Mimi, the grandmother who raised her, suffers a stroke. Dora rushes back to Forsyth, NC, and finds herself running her grandmother’s vintage clothing store while her grandmother recovers—and meets Mimi’s adorable contractor, Conrad.

The store has always been a fixture in Dora’s life; though she grew up more of a jeans-and-sweatshirt kind of girl, before she even knew how to write, Mimi taught her that a vintage 1920s dress could lift a woman’s spirit. But why has Mimi started writing down—and giving away—stories of the dresses in her shop?

Amidst personal and professional turmoil, can Dora can trade her boring clothes for vintage glamour and her boring life for one she actually wants?

“A sweet tale, stylishly told.” —Lauren Lipton,author of Mating Rituals of the North American Wasp

“Pleasantly effervescent debut.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Romance readers and fans of small-town fiction will love this positive and enjoyable book.” —Booklist