I shouldn't say things like "this was a pleasant surprise!" when I read a Lauren Layne book at this point, but that was my immediate reaction. I adored the Central Park Pact series and have a feeling I'll go on to enjoy many of her other romances. I don't think I was expecting to love this one quite as much as I did though. The premise is essentially You've Got Mail, so you can't go wrong!

Gracie is a romantic, obsessed with fairy tales and finding her soulmate. She's got a pen pal she's falling for on a dating app who she's never met, but she can tell they're perfect for each other. She took over the family business, a sparkling wine store in NYC, after her father passed away. Her siblings bowed out a long time ago and she never wanted to disappoint her father, even after his death. Her brother moved to New Hampshire and her sister still lives in NYC with her high school sweetheart husband; they're not as close as they used to be.

Enter: Sebastian. His company owns the shop Gracie leases and they want to buy her out of their lease. As you can imagine, Gracie does NOT want to give up the family business and the two fight constantly whenever they see each other. Enemies-to-lovers, baby.

It's very obvious to the reader who Sir (the pen pal) is - she already knows him IRL. It was wild to watch them fall in love in person and through an app. She was constantly torn up about falling for both of them without realizing they were one in the same. 

The thing I love about Layne's romances is that you think - from the summary or book cover or wherever else you get your first impression - that they'll be very romance-heavy without much else developed. However, all of her books usually have strong friendship elements in addition to the romance. In this case, there were some amazing family feels (especially the three siblings reconnecting in a natural way) in addition to fun friendships. These books always make me think I should like NYC more than I do ;) I loved reading about Gracie's art and how she was trying to find her way, now that she started to second-guess her future.

All in all, such a well-rounded and enjoyable story! Sometimes I wanted to bang some characters' heads together to get them to see what was right in front of them, but I loved reading this book.

To Sir With Love is as bubbly and fun as a glass of champagne on a hot summer day! I loved this fresh take on You’ve Got Mail.

The story follows Gracie Cooper, who has taken over her family long-standing champagne shop in NYC instead of following her dream of becoming an artist. When the shop is in jeopardy, handsome businessman Sebastian Andrews proposes a buyout. Gracie doesn’t want to admit the shop is in danger so she finds comfort and camaraderie with a man she meets online, lovingly known as “Sir.” As time goes on, Gracie realizes what she really wants out of her life, and maybe even finds love not once but twice along the way.

This story was predictable in the best way, but I got so many vibes of Sex and the City while reading this. It was my first Lauren Layne book and it definitely won’t be my last! If you’re looking for a light and fluffy summer read, this is a great choice. 🥂

In her Author’s Note at the end of To Sir, With Love, Lauren Layne admits that the premise of her love story is not an original. She just spent a while figuring out how to create her own version. If you’ve seen Nora Ephron’s 1998 movie You’ve Got Mail, you’ll understand. You’ve Got Mail was an updated version of 1940’s The Shop Around the Corner, which was based on the 1937 play Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo. The basic premise is a love (hate) story with two people who can’t stand each other in real life but fall in love as strangers. In The Shop Around the Corner (as well as the original play and a couple musicals), it was letters. Nora Ephron updated the medium to e-mails and instant messaging. In To Sir, With Love, it’s a dating app.

If you’ve read any of my reviews of love stories in the past, you will know my feeling about them. The story is the same: boy meets girl, boy and girl hate each other, boy and girl love each other, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back, and they live happily ever after. It’s a construct that works well in romantic comedy, and what makes a “new” story good and different is the execution of the story.

I’m not going to give anything away by telling you that SirNYC is Sebastian. We all know they’re one and the same. That’s the idea. Gracie falls in love with both of them, and while she’s torn because she thinks she has to choose between them, she’s thrilled when she discovers that Sir and Sebastian are both her Prince Charming.
There are a number of things I like about this particular version, with the main one being that Gracie is a great (dare I say, spunky) character. She loves the idea of a Cinderella story (to the point of signing her paintings with a glass slipper), she’s desperate to find her own Prince Charming, AND she’s a tough woman who isn’t going to get walked all over. She’s a smart business woman who understands her store’s niche, updates the brand to keep up with the times, AND is really only keeping the store open because it’s a family business and she doesn’t want to disappoint her siblings and her parents’ legacy even though her real passion is art.

I love the way Gracie and Sebastian developed into a couple. Sebastian is the type of character that would make my daughter say, “I don’t like him,” and my response would be, “You’re not supposed to.” Gracie doesn’t like him either. Over time, as Gracie defends her business and Sebastian continues to push to buy out the lease, we get to see Sebastian on a more personal level – the Sebastian who Gracie falls in love with.
Layne does a great job with her characters. The situations are believable, especially how Gracie really gets in her own way because she’s so focused on preserving her family’s legacy that she sees the subtle changes in Sebastian but she doesn’t let herself embrace them. I could totally see this as a movie, either on the big screen or the Hallmark channel. I would watch it either way.

The only thing that knocked this down to 4 stars for me is that we don’t get to see enough of the interactions with Sir. That’s kind of the best part of these types of stories is the development of both relationships. By the time we meet Gracie at the beginning of the book, she’s really already in love with Sir, but I would have liked to see more robust conversations between them, maybe some real-time messaging in the app.

All in all, a great new and clean romantic comedy that would make a fantastic beach read. This was my first read of Lauren Layne and likely won’t be my last. She has written a whole host of series and runs the gamut from PG- to R-rated, depending on your preference.

To Sir, with Love is such a cute unique meet cute read. I got a lot of those awe moments while reading this one. I love Gracie's spirit and spunk. Her family means everything and you will just love how she tries her hardest to hold onto it. You feel the love and passion throughout this one when it comes to Gracie and her fairytale love. Sebastian at first it was hard to get a feel on him. But as everything begin to unfold you are so drawn to him. You are pulled in every time Gracie and Sebastian have a run in. There are so many sweet moments that you are just going to fall in love with. I fell hard for Sebastian and Gracie. I could not get enough of this one. Go one click now.

You would think that I would be sick of reading You've Got Mail "type" books, but you would be wrong. Not only was this book exactly what I needed, it was so flawlessly done. Do you believe in fate? Do you believe in just knowing when you found the ONE? I do and I love reading books about it even more.
Gracie is a thirty something small business owner living in NYC. She believes in the fairy tale and won't settle for anything less. She has signed up for a dating service where you don't see a photo of the person you are talking to first, you just have conversations to see if you are compatible. She meets a man she calls "sir", but the only issue is, he has a girlfriend and his friends signed him up for this app as a joke at a bachelor party. She knows this man that she has become close friends with could be something more, but will just be happy as friends for now because she is not one to get in the way of someone else's happiness.
One day she meets a man at the farmer's market. He chases down her twenty as it blows away in the wind. When he hands it back to her, she is bowled over with just one look. "You." She just knows this man is her soulmate, until the pretty girl he is with comes over to greet her. If that isn't enough, it turns out he is the big developer, Sebastian Andrews, that is looking to buy her store to turn it into another skyscraper. This man is obviously not for her.
As she becomes closer with Sebastian though, she sees he actually cares about these owners and he is just looking to make her an offer to make her life better. They become friends, all the while she is talking to her "sir" relaying all of the issues she is going through. In true You've Got Mail fashion, she is last to realize that the two men are one in the same.
True to Lauren Layne fashion, she makes me swoon with just a kiss. Her style of writing had me devouring every word until these two found their happily ever after.
Thank you to Lauren Layne, Netgalley and Gallery Books for an early copy of this book.

To Sir, With Love is a charming modern take on You’ve Got Mail!!

Thank you Netgalley, Gallery Books and Simon and Schuster Audio for the complimentary digital galley and audiobook in exchange of my honest opinion!

Two people sharing their lives on two different level..understanding and hot chemistry online and arrogance and rivalry offline! Gracie and Sebastian’s relationship, banter, rivalry, understanding and hot chemistry is super enjoyable, laugh out loud, fun, adorable story!

This is a very fast paced book, that I read and listened to in one sitting which filled my my heart with love and happiness!! I will check out other books from Lauren as I really enjoyed this book!

Rachanee Lumayno and Shaun Taylor-Corbett were amazing narrator and they kept the story crisp, fun and entertaining! I highly recommend this book when it releases on June 29, 2021

Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me this ARC for my objective and honest review.

I requested this book because one of my favorite authors, Jill Shalvis, gave it 5 stars. Though my opinion is not quite as enthusiastic as hers, it was still a delightful New Yorky romance and I'm glad I read it.

So the story started out a little slow and I wasn't sure for the first few chapters if I even liked the main character. However, after that the story got better and better and I totally enjoyed the last third.

So, bottom line, worth the time to read.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.
This is the first time I'm reading any book by Lauren Layne. I'm really interested inot reading more of her books.

"To Sir, with Love" is a nice modern homage to You've Got Mail, a romance which should be a movie (really following the book and not changing a thing).
I enjoyed it because it reminded me to all those sweet and romantic movies from the 90's, which gives you faith in love and relationships.

Gracie Cooper is a woman who thinks she's happy about her life, running her family's Champagne store in Midtown Manhattan, till the day she meets Sebastian Andrews and her world becames upside down. She's a daydreamer who likes to paint in her free time, but doesn't want to accept that her store is not doing so well, and that selling champagne is not her passion, but she wants to do it because it was her late father's dream.

Besides that, she has a secret friend from a dating app, someone who has become bery special to her, although she doesn't know his real name and how he looks like, but she feels he's her soulmate, till Sebastian Andrews starts to get involve in her live.

This is one of those books I really want to have as soon as they're published.

I had high hopes for this one, especially since I’ve read other books from this author and loved them. This one fell a bit short. I think the biggest turnoff was that it felt like the plot moved too slowly. I liked the characters fine, but it was hard to stay focused on the story when it felt like it wasn’t moving quick enough to keep my attention.

"To Sir, with Love" by Lauren Layne
A Perfect Sweet Clean Contemporary Romance
I know you read the description and now you are wondering if you should read this story. The answer is YES because I loved it. But only if you really like true romance, the kind worth dreaming of and waiting to make your own. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.
This review is my honest opinion.

This book is perfection and I’m obsessed.

Gracie owns a champagne shop that she inherited from her parents who have both passed away. Although she loves the shop, her true dream is to be an artist, but she knows she can never follow that passion. Instead, she spends her days working long hours, seeing friends, and trying to find her Prince Charming. The closest she has found to her prince is a guy she calls “Sir” on a dating app that doesn’t let you see what your matches look like until you decide to meet up. However, Sir isn’t currently emotionally available (long story) so the only other prospect is Sebastian Andrews...the guy trying to get her to sell her shop. And in perfect You’ve Got Mail style, Gracie has no idea this grisly, pompous man is actually Sir and Sebastian doesn’t know this outgoing, stubborn shop owner is his “Lady.” Bum bum bummmm!

I immediately felt a connection to this story because love of champagne runs in my family, as well. My grandmother gave her love of bubbles to my mother who passed it onto me, and it has become a tradition to open a bottle whenever the three of us are together 🥰🥰

I am such a sucker for the whole enemies-to-lovers & grumpy/sunshine tropes, which is probably why I also love this book so much. Gracie is a very relatable character who pushes aside what she really wants to help her family. Sebastian, too, is in a profession chosen for him from his own family but has a tender, empathetic heart beneath his pressed suit. The two of them together have so much chemistry and passion, and I was screaming at Gracie to open her eyes to his potential!

The plot is fast-paced and character-heavy, which I also adore. I was so sucked into this one, I didn’t want to put it down and couldn’t stop thinking about it. This is the ultimate summer read—while there are some serious matters discussed, this book will mostly make you smile and feel warm.

Go pre-order this one—it’s out June 29th!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to NetGalley and the Published for this Arc!

This was my weekend activity!! If you love (I may be showing my age 🤣🤣) You’ve Got Mail this book is for you! The author even notes at the end of the book that she wanted to write her own version of the classic story that had been done a few times. 🙂
On the love front, Gracie meets a man on a dating app. The thing is she has never actually met him since his account was started by a friend as a joke and he has a girl friend. They just chat. On the work front, Gracie is having to fight for her family business against Sebastian Andrews who is trying to propose a buyout. Gracie is in for a surprise!
This was a fun way to start my summer reading. I loved the authors note at the end when she explained a little about why she wrote a book. Everything clicked into place for me when I read it. Like I said if you loved You’ve Got Mail or The Shop Around The Corner, check this one out. (I have loved all of these authors books so do yourself a favor and check out a few 🤣.) It comes out June 29! Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for a chance to read it.

Lauren Layne's To Sir, with Love was a great modern day update to The Shop Around the Corner and the more recent You've Got Mail. Gracie is an amazing character - adorable, sassy, stubborn. Sebastian Andrews is used to people doing as he asks in the business world. But even a rich developer has a heart - he goes out of his way to make favorable deals for those whose property he buys and even helps them get back on their feet. Sebastian definitely meets his match with Gracie Cooper and the banter between the two is amazing!
Because the book is from Gracie's perspective - you have a huge cast of entertaining characters in her life making appearances - from her brother & sister, to the entertaining staff at Bubbles & More, to the various girlfriends that she has in NYC. But you don't have the same in-depth look at Sebastian's life and the people in it - only his perspective through his notes to Gracie through the MysteryMate dating app. I found myself wanting to know more about him and see a bit of his life. But overall, the novel was highly enjoyable to read and I look forward to reading more from Lauren Layne.
Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book!

A charming and delightful romance. An remake of an old story which has been updated several times previously. Love them all. Fun to follow along knowing that eventually the truth will be revealed leading to a happily ever after.

To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne is the hilarious and beautiful story between Gracie Cooper, owner of the Midtown Manhattan champagne shop and Sebastian Andrews, head figure of a cooperation that means to buy her out. As these two adversaries battle it out—readers eagerly watch them grow closer together with delicious tension and feelings that become further complicated when they are each also corresponding with and falling for an anonymous person on a dating app. If you have read any of Lauren Layne’s novels—you know that she is an expert at creating interesting characters with dynamic relationships that get readers so invested in the story. The in-person and online relationship between Gracie and Sebastian is so honest and heartfelt. To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne is a lovely and entertaining story that will keep readers coming back to read it over and over again to relive the magic.

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

5 stars. 10 stars. A million stars!!! I loved this so incredibly much. This had all the delicious romantic tension and fun secret messages to love from You’ve Got Mail.

This is type of book to leave you feeling full and satisfied. Highly recommended.

To Sir, With Love was a cute story similar to You've Got Mail but with a twist. Gracie has been running her family's champagne store after her parents' passing, but the store is struggling. Sebastian is head of the company that owns the building the shop is in and is wanting to buy out the lease, in which case the shop would close.

I enjoyed the back and forth messages Gracie had with her Sir on the messaging app she was trying in her quest for her happily ever after fairy tale. There was some great banter and witty quips and they genuinely seemed to connect very well while messaging.

I think the story was interesting and showed promise. It was cute and fun and a little different from the norm which was nice.

Lauren Layne's newest book does not disappoint! It has all the feels and I love the nod to "You've Got Mail". I absolutely loved this book! There were so many aspects of this story that was so relatable as someone who is also in their early 30's still looking for "the One" and having high standards and fairy tale-like hopes and dreams. The artist in Gracie Cooper also spoke to me as my creative artistic side is only used as a hobby in my life, but would never dream I could ever make a successful career out of it. Sebastian Andrews' "Darcy-esque" qualities will definitely make you swoon over him and I only wish we could have read his POV. The messages that Gracie (Lady) and Sebastian (Sir) sent to each other were so endearing and the final ones we read in the epilogue are so sweet and a perfect way to end their story. This book is definitely now on my all time favorites list by LL and I can't wait for her next release!

Gracie Cooper has always been the people pleaser in her family. So when her father passed away and left the family champagne business to his three children, it was Gracie that decided to hold off on her dreams and take charge. Gracie had other ambitions, but wants to preserve her family legacy.

That is until Sebastian Andrews starts sending notices to buy out the family business. You see, Sebastian is the landlord of the shop and profits for the shop haven't been doing so well. But Gracie isn't one to back down without a fight! Let the games begin.

To complicate matters further, Gracie has been corresponding to a man known as Sir on a dating app. They're both not looking for anything serious and not in the right place for a relationship, but their interactions online have become meaningful to Gracie. She frequently turns to Sir when her interactions with Sebastian leave her frazzled. Will they ever meet? And the more Gracie and Sebastian start spending time together - would she rather not meet Sir and pursue Sebastian instead?

To Sir, With Love was a unique twist on the classic You've Got Mail It was a charming book. I do feel like the romance perhaps took a bit of a backseat in the book at times. And while I did love the secondary cast of characters, I couldn't help but maybe want something more from the relationship between Gracie and Sebastian. Perhaps some more angst, longing or more chemistry between the two.

Overall I would give To Sir, with Love between a 3 and 3.5 stars.

4 Learning To Really See Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
Lauren Layne is an automatic click for me. She has given me many many hours of reading enjoyment. Her talented crafting allows her to give us all sorts of life lessons along with humor, insight, and heart. Oh, and let's not forget the heat.

To Sir, With Love highlights how handy it can be to communicate with someone we haven't met. The internet has provided this option. Faceless, judgment-free communication can lull us into being more open and willing to strip away all the walls we put up to protect ourselves.

The other added benefit to this form of relationships with these faceless people is they can become your support system, your allies when in your Real Life you may not have that outlet for your frustrations.

Ms. Layne has taken these concepts, married them with "enemy to lovers", and a dash nod to "You Got Mail", and made sure it all added up to a winning Layne book.