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kirstyreviewsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The Vintage Dress Shop in Primrose Hill by Annie Darling
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley.
Blurb
Second chances never go out of style . . .
The heartwarming and romantic new novel from Annie Darling - perfect for fans of Cressida McLaughlin and Holly Hepburn!
Sophy Stevens is moving to Australia. Turning thirty has found her unexpectedly out of a job, out of a relationship, and just in need of Something Different - and Australia, where she can finally meet her grandparents and surprise them on their wedding anniversary, looks like the perfect answer . . . if she can save up the money for the plane ticket.
So when her feckless, absent dad Johnno offers her a job at his vintage clothes shop in Primrose Hill, she can't turn it down. It'll only be for a few months, after all. But the Vintage Dress Shop turns out to be a treasure trove of gorgeous preloved clothes, from a 1930s cocktail gown to a never-worn 50s wedding dress, and despite the disapproval of the snooty manager, Phoebe, Sophy starts to fall in love with vintage fashion.
And then there's Charles Radley, the debonair gemstone specialist with exquisite tailoring, cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass, and enough charm to throw Sophy's plans wildly off course. . .
My Opinion
This book was originally published in four parts, but is now available as one book. Earlier this year, I had been lucky enough to read the first part of this book and I was eager for more. When I was offered the opportunity to read the full book there was no hesitation.
Whilst 352 pages long, this book felt like a quick read - it was just too easy to keep turning the pages that I didn't realise how much time had passed. Sophy is having a bad year and is planning on escaping to Australia to finally meet her grandparents. In order to reach Australia, Sophy needs to find a job and start saving for her ticket. I don't want to give too much away, but this was a delightful read and is full of some great characters. With a lovely story and a great cover, what are you waiting for?
Rating: 4/5
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley.
Blurb
Second chances never go out of style . . .
The heartwarming and romantic new novel from Annie Darling - perfect for fans of Cressida McLaughlin and Holly Hepburn!
Sophy Stevens is moving to Australia. Turning thirty has found her unexpectedly out of a job, out of a relationship, and just in need of Something Different - and Australia, where she can finally meet her grandparents and surprise them on their wedding anniversary, looks like the perfect answer . . . if she can save up the money for the plane ticket.
So when her feckless, absent dad Johnno offers her a job at his vintage clothes shop in Primrose Hill, she can't turn it down. It'll only be for a few months, after all. But the Vintage Dress Shop turns out to be a treasure trove of gorgeous preloved clothes, from a 1930s cocktail gown to a never-worn 50s wedding dress, and despite the disapproval of the snooty manager, Phoebe, Sophy starts to fall in love with vintage fashion.
And then there's Charles Radley, the debonair gemstone specialist with exquisite tailoring, cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass, and enough charm to throw Sophy's plans wildly off course. . .
My Opinion
This book was originally published in four parts, but is now available as one book. Earlier this year, I had been lucky enough to read the first part of this book and I was eager for more. When I was offered the opportunity to read the full book there was no hesitation.
Whilst 352 pages long, this book felt like a quick read - it was just too easy to keep turning the pages that I didn't realise how much time had passed. Sophy is having a bad year and is planning on escaping to Australia to finally meet her grandparents. In order to reach Australia, Sophy needs to find a job and start saving for her ticket. I don't want to give too much away, but this was a delightful read and is full of some great characters. With a lovely story and a great cover, what are you waiting for?
Rating: 4/5
jemima_reads15's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
taisie22's review
fast-paced
3.0
I really enjoyed Ms. Darling's earlier books and was looking forward to this one, but this one was more of a disappointment. Sophy is determined to emigrate to Australia but must first earn money for passage, so she takes a job in her eccentric father's vintage dress shop. The story is about her education in vintage and her desire to move vs. her attraction to Charles, who furnishes vintage jewelry to the shop.
I was tilted because I got the edition that split the book into four sections distributed over the next month instead of the entire book at once. It felt like a bait and switch, but I got over that because maybe I should have checked the sales site better. I bring it up because I do feel that putting this book out as a serial impacted the pacing.
Sophy was a bit too whiny for me. In fact, most of the characters felt like they were trying too hard instead of acting like real people. I did like the ending, which had a good twist. This definitely wasn't as good as the Lonely Heart Bookshop series, but it was okay.
I was tilted because I got the edition that split the book into four sections distributed over the next month instead of the entire book at once. It felt like a bait and switch, but I got over that because maybe I should have checked the sales site better. I bring it up because I do feel that putting this book out as a serial impacted the pacing.
Sophy was a bit too whiny for me. In fact, most of the characters felt like they were trying too hard instead of acting like real people. I did like the ending, which had a good twist. This definitely wasn't as good as the Lonely Heart Bookshop series, but it was okay.
annie_21's review
3.0
I didn't actually know this was a four-part serial when I started reading - I thought it was a whole book, Luckily, it's not and I get to read more!!!!
This definiely has potential.
I think it's really intersting the whole shop and I like the descriptions of the dresses and the character's relationship are strange but also so intersting.
Like the whole Sophy-Charles-Pheobe relationship definitely seems like interesting. I'm glad that Pheone isn't a one-dimensional villian however she isn't exactly someone whose motivation you can understand and root for because Sophy hasn't done anything to her so it's hard to understand where her hatered comes from. I think that it's nice to see her interest in vitage fashion that definiteky makes her somewhat two-dimensional.
I would love to see Sophy and her father Johnno heal their relationship and have a nice normal father-daugghter rekationship or have a healthy wacky one (key word being healthy!).
The names (sophy, johno) are a bit weird. I can't lie, they're a bit strange and I don't really know how someone comes up with Sophie spelt "S-O-P-H-Y". Like, I have never ever seen that in my life.
This definiely has potential.
I think it's really intersting the whole shop and I like the descriptions of the dresses and the character's relationship are strange but also so intersting.
Like the whole Sophy-Charles-Pheobe relationship definitely seems like interesting. I'm glad that Pheone isn't a one-dimensional villian however she isn't exactly someone whose motivation you can understand and root for because Sophy hasn't done anything to her so it's hard to understand where her hatered comes from. I think that it's nice to see her interest in vitage fashion that definiteky makes her somewhat two-dimensional.
I would love to see Sophy and her father Johnno heal their relationship and have a nice normal father-daugghter rekationship or have a healthy wacky one (key word being healthy!).
The names (sophy, johno) are a bit weird. I can't lie, they're a bit strange and I don't really know how someone comes up with Sophie spelt "S-O-P-H-Y". Like, I have never ever seen that in my life.
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