Scan barcode
readwithria's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Four Ways to Wear a Dress took a while to draw me in, but once it did I mostly enjoyed it.
Synopsis: Millie Ward has been fired. Again. She’s tired of feeling like a failure, and she refuses to blame her ADHD the way her parents do every time she hits one of life’s speed bumps. This time, she’s going to let that speed bump actually slow her down, and jumps at the chance to visit her best friend—and Instagram influencer—Quincy in California. And she wouldn’t mind if that invitation also involved getting closer with Quincy’s brother, Pete.
When her best friends Kate and Bree help her pack, they rediscover the little black dress they shared in college. This dress brought each woman who wore it a bit of luck and confidence. Whatever comes during Millie’s next chapter, this dress will help.
But Peacock Bay is full of mega influencers who have perfected the look of the surf lifestyle, and a minor misunderstanding has Millie and her magical dress joining their ranks. Now she has to convince her crush Pete Santana that pretending to be her Instagram Husband will help bring new business to his struggling hotel and help her launch her influencer career. But maybe posting all her failures isn't the best way to win Pete’s heart, no matter how good it is for his business. When she reveals her biggest screw-up of all—their fake relationship—there’s a good chance she could lose not only her new following, but Pete as well…
This book does a great job of selling the small surf town aesthetic and showing the nuances of social media. Where I found it lacking was in the writing style, the development of the secondary characters, and the resolution of the conflict.
The good:
- I really loved seeing ADHD in a romance novel! I could definitely relate to some of those traits in Millie.
- Millie's character growth is really incredible, she truely comes into herself throughout the book.
- I loved the setting! Peacock Bay felt like a real place and Libby's descriptions made me want to go visit.
- I appreciated the differences between the four content creators. I think that those differences highlighted the ways that social media can be used as a job, and how people can accomplish the same thing in different ways.
Things I wish were different:
- Some of Millie's internal dialogue pulled me out of the story, especially early in the book and at the beginning of the fake relationship. There are a few sentences that I think could have been left on the cutting room floor and would have improved the flow of the book. It sometimes felt like Millie was talking to the reader, which I found disorienting and made it easy for me to want to put the book down. Also, I think the references to the pandemic started off a little heavy-handed for my taste.
- I wasn't really able to connect to most of the secondary characters. They all felt overly archetypal, especially Kate, Bree, Sage, and Alana. I wanted to get to know them better, and unfortunately, I don't think that I did.
- I think the conflict was mostly based in miscommunication/unwillingness to communicate, and that's one of my least favorite tropes. Also, the resolution of the conflict didn't feel all that romantic to me??? Maybe I've just been reading too many romance novels recently but it was given the weight of a grand romantic gesture without being particularly grand or romantic.
All in all, this was an entertaining book but not one of my favorites. I think it would be a great book to read on the beach for people who loved Beach Read by Emily Henry. 3 stars.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Millie Ward has been fired. Again. She’s tired of feeling like a failure, and she refuses to blame her ADHD the way her parents do every time she hits one of life’s speed bumps. This time, she’s going to let that speed bump actually slow her down, and jumps at the chance to visit her best friend—and Instagram influencer—Quincy in California. And she wouldn’t mind if that invitation also involved getting closer with Quincy’s brother, Pete.
When her best friends Kate and Bree help her pack, they rediscover the little black dress they shared in college. This dress brought each woman who wore it a bit of luck and confidence. Whatever comes during Millie’s next chapter, this dress will help.
But Peacock Bay is full of mega influencers who have perfected the look of the surf lifestyle, and a minor misunderstanding has Millie and her magical dress joining their ranks. Now she has to convince her crush Pete Santana that pretending to be her Instagram Husband will help bring new business to his struggling hotel and help her launch her influencer career. But maybe posting all her failures isn't the best way to win Pete’s heart, no matter how good it is for his business. When she reveals her biggest screw-up of all—their fake relationship—there’s a good chance she could lose not only her new following, but Pete as well…
This book does a great job of selling the small surf town aesthetic and showing the nuances of social media. Where I found it lacking was in the writing style, the development of the secondary characters, and the resolution of the conflict.
The good:
- I really loved seeing ADHD in a romance novel! I could definitely relate to some of those traits in Millie.
- Millie's character growth is really incredible, she truely comes into herself throughout the book.
- I loved the setting! Peacock Bay felt like a real place and Libby's descriptions made me want to go visit.
- I appreciated the differences between the four content creators. I think that those differences highlighted the ways that social media can be used as a job, and how people can accomplish the same thing in different ways.
Things I wish were different:
- Some of Millie's internal dialogue pulled me out of the story, especially early in the book and at the beginning of the fake relationship. There are a few sentences that I think could have been left on the cutting room floor and would have improved the flow of the book. It sometimes felt like Millie was talking to the reader, which I found disorienting and made it easy for me to want to put the book down. Also, I think the references to the pandemic started off a little heavy-handed for my taste.
- I wasn't really able to connect to most of the secondary characters. They all felt overly archetypal, especially Kate, Bree, Sage, and Alana. I wanted to get to know them better, and unfortunately, I don't think that I did.
- I think the conflict was mostly based in miscommunication/unwillingness to communicate, and that's one of my least favorite tropes. Also, the resolution of the conflict didn't feel all that romantic to me??? Maybe I've just been reading too many romance novels recently but it was given the weight of a grand romantic gesture without being particularly grand or romantic.
All in all, this was an entertaining book but not one of my favorites. I think it would be a great book to read on the beach for people who loved Beach Read by Emily Henry. 3 stars.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, and Sexism
More...