Girls in White Dresses

by Jennifer Close

"You never want to be the first of your friends to get married. Most people are still single, open bars are a novelty, and no matter how elegant the wedding was planned to be, it will wind up looking like a scene from Girls Gone Wild."

This story centres around Isabella, Mary and Lauren, who are college friends. It follows them to early adulthood where they try to define themselves as real adults, get jobs, scrape by with their rent payments, and still go out drinking like college girls.  They struggle with their love lives - not knowing what they want, settling into toxic relationships, and constantly questioning themselves and each other.  Soon, they find themselves in that time of their lives where everyone seems to be getting married.  They don their pastel dresses, drink in the morning to stop from being hungover, and vow that they'll never be as crazy as the bride.  

The stories of the three main women are presented as vignettes, interspersed with stories of other women in their circle of friends. Each story is about one woman's relationship with a man, whether or not he is at the forefront.  Their stories are familiar to 20somethings like myself.  There's the friend who needs to get married first.  There's the friend who is constantly single, who everyone tries to set up.  There's the friend whose live-in boyfriend buys her a dog and not a ring. And there are the friends who get their hearts broken over and over again. 

Girls in White Dresses shows the reader both beautiful and painful glimpses into the lives of these young women.  It depicts joyous moments with friends, frustration, confusion, self-doubt and growth.  And it manages to do so in a funny and clever way.  

This is a must-read for those women who are stuck between college/ university and real life, and those who feel like they are buying off a registry or going to a shower every other weekend :)

♥ Meg xoxo