4.26 AVERAGE

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
emotional fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Well woven story. Couldn’t put it down. 

ymjarrell's review

5.0

If I’m being honest, the cover for this book grabbed my attention as soon as I laid eyes on it. When I read the title I instantly knew this was a book for me. I’m a sucker for a happy ending especially with a little magic is added in.

The story is set between multiple timelines, 1940’s in Nazi occupied Paris during WWII, Boston in 1976 and 1985. The chapters go back and forth between timelines and characters but it’s easy to keep up with. We follow the story of two women dealing with traumatic loses and gut wrenching heartbreak. There is an unknown connection between them. Have your tissues ready!

Soline is living in France in 1939 working with her mother in her dress shop creating beautiful “happy ending” wedding dresses. Her mother and grandmother had the power to predict happy marriages. Her mother was known as “The Dress Witch”. She used family spells and magic to sew happiness into each custom wedding dress, guaranteeing a happy ending in marriage and a life of joy. Soline has dreams of her own, wanting to make her own designs but before those dreams could unfold the Nazis arrive and everything changes. Fate would have it that she meets Anson, an American while volunteering at the American Hospital. She flees Paris and goes to Boston and opens up a shop making dresses.

In 1985, we find Rory is struggling to make it through each day. She has stopped moving forward in life, holding her breathe for news of her fiancé, whose been kidnapped while working with Doctors Without Borders. Not knowing if she will ever see him again, she awaits his return. One afternoon she walks down a familiar street but this time she gets a feeling when she passes one of the buildings. She can’t shake the feeling and decides to find out more about the building. She feels the familiar pull in her of an old dream to open up an art gallery. The building would be perfect for an art gallery. While repairing the building that used to be Roussel’s Magical Dress Shop, she discovers a box containing a wedding dress and old letters. She must find Soline and return them to her.

Some families of wealth will go to extremes to hide their secrets, protect their image. How one persons lie could effect so many and change the course of their lives. But where there is love and compassion - hope resides. Love has the power to restore.

The Keeper of Happy Endings is the perfect book for those starry eyed souls who believe in happy endings. I was captivated by their stories and enjoyed the historical moments. Soline and Rory are unlikely friends whose friendship defines cultural and generational differences. Their bond is beautiful.
emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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read_byjennifer's profile picture

read_byjennifer's review

5.0

This was March’s local book club pick, and I was late reading it, but I wish I didn’t wait so long to start.

I LOVED this book
challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
michellecornish's profile picture

michellecornish's review

5.0

This is such a beautiful story of great love and great loss! The majority of the book focuses on Soline’s story from the past; however, with Rory’s similar experiences and their unexpected friendship the past and the present become intricately woven together like the spells stitched into wedding dresses by the dress witch. The quotes from the dress witch at the beginning of some of the chapters added to the enchantment of the story. This book will make you believe happy endings are always possible no matter how unlikely they seem!
emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
emotional inspiring medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes