This was one of the cutest stories I have ever read and I loved every single second of it. It definitely had fairy tale vibes, but for me it was just the perfect story with the right amount of everything. The perfect modern twist of You've Got Mail! I loved that Gracie was able to start living her life how she wanted and to follow her dreams before finding her happily ever after. This was a clean romance with no steam, but I wasn't even wanting it because the story was just that good. LOVED LOVED LOVED IT!
Everyone needs to go read this! It was just the happiest, most heart warming love story I have read in a long time!

To Sir with Love is a sweet romantic tale of two people surrounded by serendipity. Gracie is a small business owner struggling to keep her parent’s dream alive. Sebastian is a big corporate VP intent on gaining the location where Gracie’s “Bubbles and More” shop occupies. So immediately we get Gracie’s ire towards Sebastian. Is he really the villain or is he a means to kick Gracie into following her daydreams?

The story starts out with Gracie on a dating app that is only a means of communication with potential mates – no pics! As she converses with this “Sir” they gain an emotional connection but he delays setting up a meet-cute. Gracie is a Disney princess aficionado and won’t settle for anyone less than her ultimate Prince Charming. AND as she tussles with the gorgeous Sebastian with aqua blue eyes, she begins to pine for time with him. So, what to do when you are in love with two guys both sticking her with unrequited love vibes?

All the supporting characters are just as wonderful! My fave must be good girlfriend and catering chef Keva. Every scene she is in is hilarious! Our author also provides us with a deeply close family dynamic of Gracie’s with her siblings. Pop open a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and soak up all the feels with this sweet and bubbly story. Cheers!

ARC provided by Gallery Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was just such a sweet and feel good, fairy tale type read! I enjoyed every single second of it. Was it predictable, yes, but it was exactly the happy ending that I needed and the story deserved. I loved Gracie's personality and Sebastian was just oh so dreamy. I really loved the "You've Got Mail" aspect to it also. Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC!

When I sat down to read To Sir, with Love, I was hoping it would be an enjoyable book to pass the time with. I knew it had a You've Got Mail feel to it and was interested to see what unique twist Lauren Layne would use. What I definitely didn't know was just how much I would fall in love with this book. I"m not even kidding....I adore this book!

The banter between Gracie and Sebastian was top notch. They are instantly placed at odds when he is the "big bad corporation" trying to buy out the building where her little family run business is struggling to survive. It might be a familiar storyline, but it is given some updated, modern twists that make it relevant in many ways. For one, adding in the online friendship (which is more like flirting) between Sir and Lady, there is much needed irony for the p[ot...it just has to simmer for a while. It also shows how the current generation often defers to technology for everything and often forgets to just "experience life.". To enrich the story even further is the wonderful cast of characters that includes Grace's friends and family. They add so much to her life and thus the book. It was an absolute pleasure to read this little gem.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This was a wonderful novel by Lauren Layne. I enjoyed the characters and this held my interest through the entire book.
This was my first book by this author and I am excited for future books.

I was given a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for fair and honest review.

A nod to the well-known romance classics The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime and You’ve Got Mail, Lauren Layne’s modern adaptation of this classic tale is fun, fresh and entertaining. Regardless of whether readers are familiar with the storyline, or whether they are experiencing the story for the first time, Layne’s adaptation will surely bring delight to many.

To Sir, with Love is filled with visual writing that easily captures the reader’s attention; and the quick, witty dialogue readily engages one’s interest. Besides the frequent sparing sessions between Gracie and Sebastian, Gracie’s friends, co-workers and family also add unique character and depth to this story.

Astute readers will be able to figure out when the moment of “recognition” occurs. However, this moment arguably enhances the reader’s attentiveness, i.e., wanting to see how the added drama of this sudden realization will be incorporated and used to help arrive at the outcome that readers want. The plays may be subtle, but they are well designed to support the relationship developing between these two main characters.

The book is truly well done, and potentially like other readers, would love to see it played out in film.

3.5 stars

I thought this was a cute twist on the classic romcom You've Got Mail. I struggled a bit with the pacing of the first half, but once things got going, I ended up enjoying the second half a lot more. My favorite part of the story was the banter and messages between Sir and Lady. The anonymity of the app allowed them to be open in a way that they couldn't in their real lives. I did wish that the enemies aspect had been played up more between Sebastian and Gracie though. The anger felt very one sided and though I liked Gracie and Sebastian, I didn't love them. I unfortunately didn't feel that spark that fairy tale loving Gracie was so desperate for and that coupled with Sebastian's initial relationship status* made me not fully invested in their romance. Honestly, that aspect about Sebastian didn't feel necessary to the story and I felt there was enough conflict without adding that (however briefly) to the mix.

I did love Gracie's family though and her neighbor/friend Keva. They were wonderful comic relief and I would love a book for Keva in the future. The ending felt a bit rushed and it annoyed me that even though Sebastian clearly knew that Gracie was Lady, he still made her take all the risks. That epilogue had me smiling ear to ear though and was a very sweet way to end the book.

CW: death of parent (cancer, automobile accident), discussions of infertility/IVF, emotional cheating (*main character is involved with OW for part of the book, but the history and explanation for that relationship felt reasonable even if I don't personally agree)

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Updated version of You Got Mail. Grace Cooper was all set to start art school in Italy when her dad died. She was the only sibling who could take over the family business. She didn't hate it but she didn't love it. In the mix is the Andrews Corp tying to buy them out of their lease. So starts this contentious relationship. In the background is this dialogue between Sir and Lady.. Both are content to stay in the background. Each afraid that if they meet, everything will change. Life is not lived in a vacuum, it is constantly changing. As the dreams of her parents die, her paintings take off. It is at the art gallery, with family and friends that all is revealed. The ending was perfect.

This book is now at the top of my favorite rom com list. To Sir, With Love gives off so many You’ve Got Mail vibes and it’s laugh out loud funny. This book made me laugh so much and I fell in love with every character. Gracie took over her late father’s champagne shop, Bubbles and More. However, it was never her dream. Her dream was always to be an artist. She does everything she can to save the shop to make her father proud. Then in walls Sebastian Andrew’s - the handsome man with teal eyes who wants to buy out the building and effectively end the business. They become enemies, but Gracie starts to feel something more. To make matters more complicated, there’s Sir - a man she met on an app where you get to know someone without knowing what they look like. He’s her dream guy but is unavailable. Torn between Sebastian and Sir, we watch Gracie grow, follow her dreams and re-connect with her family. If you like rom coms, feel good books and laughter, pick this one up!

First of all, thank you for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately struggled to get into this one. It felt a bit like a fairy tale. Between the MC having lost a family, literally feeding and singing to animals, love at first sight, and the cliche New York attitude, I just couldn't get behind it.

I'm sure this book is perfect for someone, just not up my alley!

Hands down the cutest book I’ve read this year!

I love You’ve Got Mail and this book is such a great modern take of the enemies to lovers theme. Get this for all your friends who LOVE romcoms!!

This book is listed as "'Love is Blind' meets 'You've Got Mail'" so I wasn't sure if it would be my thing. I'm not a fan of reality t.v. or that movie but I'm so glad I read this because I loved it!

I loved all the dating app interactions so much especially as they pop up in the book after in person interactions. It was just perfect. Of course I might be biased since I met my husband on a dating website!

I'll admit Gracie isn't my favorite character ever. I was frustrated at times that she wasn't living her life. But I adored Sebastian even when he was kind of a jerk. I tend to like my heroes that way.

What I really loved though was the SLOW burn. Lauren Layne really put these two through it and I loved every second. I also adored the ending and the epilogue.

Since the back cover description tells you everything this book isn't really about the secret but about the relationship building and Gracie learning who she is.

I also loved the setting of this book. I've never been to NYC, but I felt like I was there amidst the hustle and bustle and it was wonderful.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This is the fun, HEA story of a couple who falls in love on a dating app while annoying each other in real life, but I shed a surprising number of tears, too, over the deeper themes of disappointment when life doesn't turn out the way we think it will, familial obligation, and struggling with how long to hold on to an increasingly unlikely dream. I enjoyed the story and appreciated the depth!

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. My thanks to author Lauren Layne, publisher Gallery Books, and #NetGalley for the opportunity!

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

You've got mail + Love is Blind vibes?! I'm, in!

Gracie is living our her late father's wishes of keeping his champagne shop open. Sebastian is a corporate cog and is trying to buy out the rest of Gracie's lease. Gracie is struggling with giving up her father's dream and trying to pursue her own. Gracie's seeks advice on what to do from "Sir", who is someone she met on a blind dating app and have never met in person. Gracie starts to fall for Sir, but doesn't know that she's actually already met him in person and they don't get along.

I flew through this one. It was such a sweet and cute book. From the cute banter to and the family dynamic. I loved everything about this one.

Thank you NetGalley + Gallery books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: June 29

This book had me squealing throughout its entirety. With You’ve Got Mail vibes, Layne really wrote a modern-day fairytale (with an actual fairytale aficionado) AND an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story. Something I thought impossible. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Grace is an absolute utter queen, I love her so much, her life is in a messy place at the beginning, living with her middle child syndrome (which I apparently also have as an older child?) and pushing aside her goals and life in order to maintain her family’s business alive. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Sebastian is a corporate something or other that is trying to buy Grace out of her wine store’s lease in order to make a parking structure (bleh, am I right?). But then he gets to know her by attending events the shop hosts and providing her with the opportunities to pursue her dreams.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
And can I mention that Grace is part of an online dating app that matches people based on personality rather than looks, like penpals, and she ends up in love with both Sir and Sebastian? ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Ugh, I’m smitten with this story. It’s a one-sit read and absolutely perfect for the summer. Give yourself a chance to fall in love with Grace and Seb’s story the same way I did.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
One thing to note though is the lack of diversity in the story which I would have loved a little more of outside of one or two side characters. But overall pretty good.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
8/10⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review and the opportunity to read this work of art.

I have to admit, I didn't really like the movie You've Got Mail and I was a little squicked by the "To Sir" aspect but I like Lauren Layne a lot and decided to trust the story. I'm glad I did. The romance was probably a three but Gracie's growth and character development were a five. She really grows from following someone else's dreams to figuring out her own. And it's not because she's forced to but because she makes that choice for herself. Sebastian is okay but ends up being the sort of bland Disney prince that Gracie has wanted for her whole life.
Gracie Cooper is running the family business, keeping her father's dream alive. But now she's getting letters from the V. Andrews corporation asking her to give up their rental agreement. But why would she agree to that when she might just start breaking even soon? Besides, it's not like she's got anything going on in her personal life. Except an intriguing guy on this new app that allows for conversation only, no pictures.
Because this book is first-person narration for one character (with some text messages), we really do miss a lot of what is going on in Sebastian's mind. If Gracie hadn't had such growth, I might have minded more but overall my love of character development weighed more in rating this book.

Four stars
This book comes out June 29th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Gallery Books
Opinions are my own

To Sir, with Love is an adorable modern fairy-tale story mixed with enemies to lovers romance. I found myself relating to many aspects of the main character Gracie. She is dealing with the loss of her father, trying to find her "prince charming," but also maintain her independence and not settling for anything less than her prince standards. I appreciated Gracie's journey of discovering herself as she navigates the grief of losing her father. Yes, this book was predictable but I still found myself getting all the "feels". I also loved the fairy tale and Disney references.

Thank you for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. This book is loosely based on You've Got Mail which is not one of my favorites but I really liked Gracie and Sebastian. Having Gracie own a champagne shop and really trying to make a go of the family business to honor her late father's dream was a fresh occupational choice. I did like the text exchanges and there is something romantic about getting to know someone before you meet them.
The only thing I didn't like was I felt it could've been just a little bit quicker to get to the resolution but overall it was a worthwhile reading experience.

First, this was so cute, but there were a lot of typos. I really hope that they get fixed before the book is published.
I loved all of the characters and thought most of them were given great personalities. The only one that didn't seem as fleshed out was Rachel and Caleb's girlfriend Amanda/Michelle's name changed at the end. Other than small things like that I really liked this book. I've read books with the characters messaging before, but I like how this one took the approach of most of the messaging happening outside of the chapters, so we could get to know the characters outside of the app. I have read 2 or 3 other books with the You've Got Mail vibe and this just confirms that I will read anything with the You've Got Mail trope. That ending had my heart afluttering.


Thank You Netgalley and Gallery Books for this free arc in exchange for my honest feedback. ss
I will post a review on Instagram (see.girl.read) closer to the publish date.