Review: Dictatorship of the Dress by Jessica Topper

Dictatorship of the Dress
(Much "I Do" About Nothing #1)
Author: Jessica Topper
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Source: Berkley
Review by: Jenn

As the dress-bearer for her mother’s wedding, comic book artist Laney Hudson has a lot more baggage than the bulky garment bag she’s lugging from New York to Hawaii. Laney is determined to prove she’s capable of doing something right, but running chores for her mom’s fairytale nuptials is proving to be a painfully constant reminder of her own lost love.

So when she’s mistaken for the bride and bumped up to first class, Laney figures some stress-free luxury is worth a harmless white lie. Until the flight crew thinks that the man sitting next to her is Laney’s groom, and her little fib turns into a hot mess.

The last thing Noah Ridgewood needs is some dress-obsessed diva landing in his first-class row. En route to his Vegas bachelor party, the straight-laced software designer knows his cold feet have nothing to do with the winter weather.

When a severe storm leaves them grounded in Chicago and they find themselves booked into the last available honeymoon suite, Laney and her in-flight neighbor have little choice but to get better acquainted. Now, as her bridal mission hangs in the balance, perhaps the thing Laney gets right is a second chance at love.

4 stars out of 5 stars

*I received an early copy of this title from the publisher but it did not influence this review in any way.*

This book was the perfect Christmas read for me. I started it on a whim, not expecting to really have the time to get into the story because it was the holidays and there is always something to be done. However, I was completely sucked in just from the first page. 

Dictatorship of the Dress follows the story of Laney and Noah, two strangers, as they both share a flight from NYC to Chicago where they will then separate and go on with to their final destination. Or so that was the idea. Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided to intervene and change their plans. What follows next, had me unable to put down this book and more than once had me with a huge smile on my face.

I've been in a contemporary romance reading binge lately and after a while, story lines tends to blend in together. However, with this book, I feel like it had a nice balance with being sweet and predictable  and with being unique. Laney's career choices and how well the angst was handled with humor will be something that I will always remember this book. The way the story was done, it captured my attention and I was invested because we learned so much about Laney and her past. Ms. Topper created such a well developed history for both her characters and it the reason why I am so invested in her novel.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I feel like I got to know these characters so well and I feel sad to finish their story. There were so many times that I laughed out loud at Laney's sarcasm and Laney's and Noah's slow friendship was so fun to read about. I did feel like the ending was a little unrealistic with how Noah handled his fiance and how Laney and her mother came to a truce. I feel like it was a bit rushed and not how I thought things were going to end. However, I can moved past it because the book as a whole was just so good.

Jessica Tooper did a wonderful job in attracting my attention with her storytelling and I can't wait to follow the story of Danica James, Laney's best friend. She is a lot of fun and a great friend to Laney so I look forward to getting to know her better.