This effervescent tale is a delight! A sweet heartwarming romance reminiscent of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail, with conversation taking place through a dating app rather than dial-up email. I loved the characters and the fresh take on a modern fairytale.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing this ARC for an honest review.

This was such a cute read. Perfect for summer. When they compared it to You've Got Mail, they weren't kidding! It gave you the same feels as that movie. It has a kind of sweet enemies to lover trope to it. I loved Sebastian as Sir. Gracie I adored! After her father passed away she took up running his champagne shop, pretty much giving up her own dreams. She was well developed and really likable.

Gracie still looking for the "one", signs up on a dating app and matches with Sir. Sir explains that his friend signed him up as a joke and he has a girlfriend. As they keep talking they have a fun, easy banter and find out they don't want to stop talking.

Gracie's shop is in jeopardy and Sebastian is out to buy it from her as well as other stores on that street. Gracie is not impressed with Sebastian but is still being pulled to him which confuses her.
She's now caught in a love triangle and being pulled in two different directions.

All in all, I really liked this book. It was sweet, predictable, a clean read, and just made you feel good reading it.

I love Lauren Layne and her fun, RomComs set in NYC, but TO SIR WITH LOVE did not work for me. When you re-write a classic story like this you need a fresh take, an element of surprise, something new. Sadly, we don't get anything new in this retelling.

TO SIR WITH LOVE is a cute, frothy, and sweet read. It hits all the marks of its predecessors, most recently You've Got Mail, and the 4-5 film iterations before that. But where Norah Efron added an updated, modern take this story feels like a retelling in a very slightly different setting that doesn't ever try to be new.

The correspondence between the leads, which is meant to be the foundation of their love story, is incredibly sparse. These exchanges are no longer than 3 sentences each and the reader gets to the end thinking, "Wait. They are deeply in love? After exchanging 2 sentence opinions on ice cream vs. sorbet? No chance." This book never takes the secret text exchanges to a deeper place than very surface opinions and it made me wish there had been so much more.

This is a cute beach read, for sure. But it's very slowly paced and gives a single kiss at the end. If you are looking for a sweet, easy read then you might love TO SIR WITH LOVE. But be aware that this is a re-telling of a classic tale and not a re-imagining of it

To Sir, With Love is a modern retelling of You’ve Got Mail. Swapping dial up for a dating app, it tells the timeless story of a couple that falls in love twice - once in person and once in letters/emails/texts/app messages/insert new tech here. As YGM’s #1 fan, I jumped at the chance to read it early and share it with the world. While the book is fantastic, one part in particular fell flat for me and kept it from being a true blue 10/10, 5-star read. It’d still recommend it to ALL You’ve Got Mail and/or rom com fans!

Let’s get the small critique out of the way first - the app messages sent between Lady and Sir lack substance and depth and basically say nothing of import for the vast majority of the book. How did they fall in love through the app with messages like this? There’s absolute nothing to them! For the first third of the book, this really bothered me. By then, I was charmed despite myself because of Sebastian snd Grace’s chemistry in person.

You already know that I LOVE the general storyline of YGM, so I was delighted when the story referenced Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan in The Shop Around the Corner (the movie that YGM is based on). I also loved the scenes reminiscent of specific moment in YGM:
- Grace mentions feeling like she’s saying goodbye to her dad all over again (see: Meg Ryan missing her mom when her store is closing)
- Lady (Grace) waxes poetic to Sir (Sebastian) about not having answers to life’s big questions, like “What sort of person do I want to be” and “What sort of of life do I want to have?” (See: Kathleen Kelly’s “goodnight dear void” email to Joe Fox).
- Sebastian wants to “have what she’s having” (okay, this is more Nora Ephron/Meg Ryan and less YGM, but still on theme)

Overall, I loved this book. I sat and hugged my kindle when I finished it and couldn’t get into another book for days after (hello book hangover!). 9/10 would recommend!

Gracie Cooper has a a fairy-tale of what her dream man should be. He’s out there for her, but she just hasn’t met him yet. She signs up for a blind dating app where she (“Lady”) is matched with “Sir.” Sir is only on the app because a friend of his took his phone and set up his profile for him AND he has a girlfriend. They continue to message each other, though.

Gracie owns and runs a champagne shop in NYC. She loves her life, even if it isn’t the life she had originally envisioned for herself. Gracie wanted to go to art school. Her father’s dying wish was for the store to remain in the Cooper family. Since her older sister and younger brother didn’t seem interested, Gracie felt like she had to.

Now, the store is barely surviving. Sebastian Andrews has been after her to sell her remaining lease space to them. She has ignored him so far, but soon there may not be much choice. She considers him her enemy, at first, but as she gets to know him, she realizes he is a good man with good intentions. (AND doesn’t have a girlfriend) But, she’s still messaging and falling for Sir, while falling for Sebastian. What’s her heart to do?

Lauren Layne is one of my favorites. While some of her books can be steamy, this is definitely not one of those. It is a sweet, feel-good, charming romance! I loved Gracie and Sebastian and I loved the secondary characters, too. I especially love how the author made me feel something for Gracie’s sister and her husband’s situation.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was charming enough, but since it's based on a movie I watch multiple times a year, the comparison is inevitable... I think this suffers for only being from the perspective of the heroine. You've Got Mail works so well in part because it's dual perspective and you see both characters' lives, reactions to their relationship, and processing of information they learn about each other. Otherwise, I think she captured the spirit of the story and it was very sweet.

A tender enemies to lovers romcom reminiscent of the movie “You’ve Got Mail.” A beautiful depiction of NYC and a plot that unfolds slowly through movie-like moments and kismet circumstances. Charming and totally bingeable! I read this in two sittings!

Gracie is struggling to keep her father’s champagne shop open and when businessman Sebastian Andrews wants to buy her out, Gracie puts up a fight, leading to lots of run-ins with the sexy and mysterious Sebastian. Little does she know that the man she’s falling for online is her enemy in real life.

This one had a snowball affect on me. The more I read the more I got into the story and I fell completely in love with the setting, the unfolding between the letters and the in person chemistry, and the sweet gestures of these incredibly adorable characters. This romance feels timeless with its sweeping brushes with fate and its hopelessly romantic words. This felt like reading about an old friend and it’s the perfect specimen of a romcom!

I absolutely adored this book! It is my first by Lauren Layne, an author I have been wanting to read for a while. I am so happy I did and can’t wait to read more from her. This enemies to lovers story with some You’ve Got Mail vibes was lovely and heartwarming. Sebastian and Gracie made me smile and believe that dreams can come true.

It’s not often I cry happy tears after finishing a book but.. this book! 😭😭😭😭🤧

I’m in awe/love/other words I can’t come up with in regards to this book. I’d previously read some works by this author but I wasn’t until I started this one that I realized that I had previously read and adored Lauren Layne’s writing.

To Sir, with Love hit it out of the ballpark though. Gracie the female lead was the Disney fairytale loving part of every girl (or boy) whose once dreamed of a happily ever after straight out of a Disney film. So when she signs up for a dating app that seemed to have come out of Jane Austen’s brain her goal is to look for “Mr. Right” (or in this case “Sir”)

Enter Sebastian, the broody business man whose “cold heart” begins to thaw the more time he spends with Gracie while her business is floundering. Since Sebastian would benefit from this directly, Gracie of course feels some type of way about him.

With hilarious dialogue, amazing friendships and not one but two different men who she believes she has to choose between this book has it all and then some. As a reader, I was captivated through the end, near biting my nails off wondering what Gracie would decide.

This book is a MUST READ. To Sir, with Love will easily become one of my favorite books of the year and I cannot wait to see what else this author has in store for her readers.

I really enjoyed this read. The start was a bit slow for me, but redeemed itself quickly once all the pieces started to come together, and I could see where it was leading. The secondary characters were great additions to bring in the dynamics for family, friends, and working relationships. Just an all around feel good, slow build, falling in love journey for Gracie and Sebastián, but not without a few bumps in the road. The bits of humor are always my favorite parts, no matter the scenarios.
A great, clean, summertime beach read that wull leave you with a happy, contented sigh ending!
I received a copy for early reading thru Netgalley. I am giving my own honest thoughts on To Sir, With Love.

4 Stars!
Gracie Cooper is a New Yorker living in Manhattan. She's a positive happy person that loves life and can make the best of any situation. When her father passes away she gives up her art dreams to take over the family business. She's now the owner of a champagne shop across from Central Park. It's her legacy and she's determined to give the shop her all. Then she learns it's in financial trouble, and a big corporation is swarming. She will do anything to keep it afloat, including clashing with the ridiculously handsome Sebastian Andrews.

While struggling with the business Gracie finds a safe place to vent. She begins an online friendship on a dating app with a man she's never met. They anonymously connect and she spends way too much time thinking about him. He makes her smile and quickly becomes important to her. She develops a crush on her pen pal, and has no idea she's already met him in real life and can't stand him. Will her mystery man be the hero of her story or the villain? She wants the kind of romance you see in the movies. The whole fairytale and happily-ever-after. Has she finally found her Prince Charming or is he unattainable?

To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne is a sweet, romantic, enemies to lovers, rivals romance full of chemistry, humor, and fabulous banter. It's a wonderful heartwarming story about chasing your dreams and following your heart.

4.5 Stars
I loved the characters in this story, I loved the whimsical romantic feel.
It’s a nod to You’ve Got Mail and older movies that inspired that movie, it’s a really enjoyable retelling.
The secondary characters are integral to the fun of the story and they add a lot of the emotional moments. They are all quirky and big personalities.
I loved Gracie, she’s a romantic who’s determined she’ll meet her perfect Prince Charming.
She meets “Sir” on a dating app that’s based on personality, likes/dislikes and not pictures/appearances.
His friends put up the profile, he wasn’t actually in the market. So, they become friends who message and share musings and things they don’t tell their closest friends. They seem to vibe very well, Gracie develops deeper feelings.
Sebastian is trying to buy out Gracie’s family business’ lease. They have the enemies chemistry happening. Lots of banter and heated exchanges between the two.
It’s also a story about choosing your life versus going along with what you think is expected.
It’s extremely slow burn and the romance is a big part of the story, yet it happens quite slowly and late in the story. It’s romantic, not hot and steamy.
That’s usually not my cup of tea, it worked for me in this book.
Gracie is conflicted over feelings for two men that she’s not sure she even has a chance with.
There’s a fun twist.
I adore all the characters.
It was a cute, fun and satisfying read.
The ending was adorable and perfect for this story

Lauren Layne had become one of my go-to authors for closed door, sweet romance. I love the NYC setting in her books. Her books really transport me back to a 90's-esk rom-com movie date.

You've Got Mail has been reinvented as Gracie Cooper can't help but fall in love with a man she's never met. Except he's not single and she only knows his by his messenger name of Sir. Besides her terrible luck of finding her one true love, Gracie is in a battle to save her family shop from the greedy corporate hands of Sebastian. This enemies to lovers romance was utterly perfect and I flew through it in one day.

As an admitted rom com afficionado, I have watched Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan answer the AOL siren call many times in Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail. I knew it was based on a classic and have promised myself a viewing of the 1940’s The Shop Around the Corner. To Sir, With Love, brought that same romantic feeling to 2021 with of course, an app. The delicious fantasy that we develop when we spend time in our own imagination, fueled by words of kindness and understanding, is perfectly portrayed by Lauren Layne’s Grace/Lady and Sebastian/Sir. Setting it in a Champagne shop in Manhattan extended the fantasy for those of us who have always dreamed of New York, but know it belongs firmly there, in our dreams.
You will love these characters, even though you have a pretty good idea of what will happen. Thanks Lauren, for a delightful escape in these serious and weary times.

Thanks to the publisher, Simon and Schuster, and Net Galley for giving me this break! To Sir, With Love was published today, June 29, 2021.

This book is such a great romance! I loved the setting of New York City and Gracie is such a great narrator! The story is described as “Love Is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail” so if that’s not enticing enough then I don’t know what is!?! What this book lacks in steam is made up for with its sweetness and it combines the best of slow burn romances with enemies-to-lovers. Readers will be flipping page after page to see how this story will unfold! It’s fun, flirty, a bit sad, and overall such a sweet love story!

You guys already know how much I love a good romcom so trust me when I say that this is one to add to your TBR!

You've got mail.

Or, a message on your app.
Gracie is floundering as she attempts to take over her father's shop. Online, she finds herself connecting to Sir over an app. In real life, she doesn't like Sebastian, who is Sir. So, IRL enemies, online, flirting.

This book is a You've Got Mail for the current age. It is the latest version of stories with similar themes that started with a Hungarian play called Parfumerie in 1937 and continued with the movies The Shop Around The Corner in 1940 and In the Good Old Summertime in 1949 and the stage musical She Loves Me in 1964 before even getting to You've Got Mail in 1998. In this version of the story, Gracie Cooper is struggling to keep the family wine shop she inherited from her father afloat when all she wants to do is paint. She meets a man only known to her as Sir on a dating app. They began exchanging texts. She begins falling for him, but even though he really seems to like her too, he is reluctant to meet her in person. In her real life, she meets Sebastian and is drawn to him immediately. When she finds out he is the man who has been trying to purchase her family business, she tries to shake him off but she can't quite get him out of her mind. He seems to keep putting himself in her path which doesn't help, but still, she keeps finding reasons not to trust him. Plus, she still can't get Sir out of her mind. If you are familiar with any of the aforementioned stories and even if you're just a fan of romance novels, you'll probably know where this story is going from the get-go. However, that doesn't make it any less romantic and sweet nor does it makes the big revelation any less satisfying. It just makes you want to read the book that much quicker to get to the heart-melting conclusion that much faster.

This book was such a FUN CUTE QUICK read. The moment I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I loved all the banter between Gracie and Sebastian. Their chemistry literally seeped through the pages and lete tell you, I was here for it🙌

I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a cutesy romance ♥️

I look forward to reading more from Lauren Layne. Thank you so much net galley & Lauren Layne for gifting me this book on exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an e-galley of To Sir, with Love.

This book had all the warm, fuzzy feelings one wants in a rom-com. Gracie has always been the peace keeper in her family. When her father unexpectedly passes away, she steps up to take over Bubbles and More as neither of her siblings express any interest. However, she's living most of her life via daydreams as the real world isn't all it's cracked up to be. With mediocre dates becoming the norm, Gracie matches with Sir on a dating app - one with no pictures, just a bio about interests and dislikes. In her head, this is the Prince Charming who will sweep her off her feet. In reality, Sir is in a relationship. As Gracie navigates making her daydreams a reality, she wonders if true love might be on the horizon as well.

I love "The Shop Around the Corner" and I was excited to read a book inspired by the classic movie. "To Sir, With Love" had much of the charm of the original movie. Gracie was a great romantic lead, and Sebastian was a wonderful romantic foil for her. The weakness of the book is the format which makes the romantic relationship feel rushed. I enjoyed Gracies and Sebastian's interactions and would have happily read hundred more pages if there would have been more flirty interactions.