Okay...first up, this is not a bad story at all. I actually felt very invested in the beginning. However, there were aspects of the story that I didn't like, and the chemistry was on and off for me. Sometimes it felt like you just wanted the two characters to kiss and be together, other times it's almost like they're completely different people. Despite that, I still finished it in one go and I do think that it's worth giving a try especially if you're into office romance, hidden/mistaken identity and slow burn.

A little bit of Love is Blind mixed with a lot of You've Got Mail. Throw in some champagne bottles, and you've got a killer beach or poolside summer read.
I loved it! You've Got Mail is my favorite movie, so this book was right up my alley.
I fell in love immediately with the characters and I ended up ignoring my kids all day on a Sunday afternoon to start and finish the book.
It's cute, sweet, and captivating, and I am looking forward to reading many more stories from the author!

I could not put this book down!! If you love the movie You’ve Got Mail then this book is for you. It’s a modern day version encompassing a champagne shop. Book shop? Champagne shop? What’s not to love?

To Sir With Love will leave you smiling and wanting more. The witty banter will keep the pages turning. The characters are all so loveable that you find yourself rooting for them all to get their happy ending. While the book was pretty predictable, it was still perfect.

This was my first book by Lauren Layne and I am now seeking out her other titles.

4.5 stars – rounding to 5 for Goodreads

Thank you to @netgalley @laurenlaynebooks and @gallerybooks for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

My friend, Dany aka the book pusher of Canada, has been after me to read a Lauren Layne book for like EVER. And I kept telling her I would give LL a try. But I had all these other books to get around to reading first. And then I saw To Sir, With Love. And I had such a GOOD feeling about it- the cover was perfection, it sounded like that cutesy type book I just crave from time to time, and so I hit that request button on Netgalley like super fast like The Flash and held my breath (well metaphorically held my breath).

And I got approved like super fast. And since i had been reading a crap ton of mystery/suspense type books and needed something to let my brain take a break from missing women-ish stories- I sat down with a bowl of Lucky Charms and this book one morning. And then I finished it that afternoon. I was SO sucked in. I even gave up on watching re-runs of Chicago PD (and I LOVE that show) to read this book.





What I Liked:

The cover! So perfectly charming.

The banter! Not only between Sir and Lady but Gracie and Sebastian (which keep up because I know they are all the same people, but the banter was a wee bit different with each persona). I love a good banter back and forth between 2 people and Lauren Layne delivered on that. Yes, she did.

The ending. All. The. Hearts.



Bottom line: Yep, this was good book. I REALLY enjoyed it. Cutesy and fun!!!!!

This book was a sweet and quick read! I loved the back stories from the characters and the aspect of the secret romance. The fact that he knew it was her he was messaging with and fighting for the store with the whole time kept me turning pages. Not to mention how sweet their romance was! I enjoyed this book!

This was such a sweet and fun rom com! A modern take on You’ve Got Mail, Gracie is falling in love with a guy on a blind online dating app, where neither knows what the other looks like. Meanwhile, in real life, she’s also falling for the enemy of her failing business – another guy she can’t have. How it all works out is obviously, but it’s a fun read, and in spite of the predictability of the premise, the characters aren’t dumb. The Manhattan setting was really fun, and I liked seeing the characters grow and change throughout the novel. Definitely recommend this!

What a joy it was to read To Sir, With Love! This is an easy book to read that will leave you smiling and wanting more. It is a modern day fairytale of You've Got Mail! An enchanting story that will make you laugh at the banter that occurs between the characters, especially Sir and Lady. All the characters are enjoyable. Yes the story is predictable and maybe not realistic but isn't that fun to read. The interesting part of this book is even though it is predictable, the writing captivates you as though you are part of the story. I didn't care at all that it was totally predictable and really wanted to see how it ended, but was sad when it ended! There is charm, entertainment, and a sure delight while reading this story. This the first book that I have read by Lauren Layne and it will not be my last.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this great book!

Wow I devoured this book in one sitting! This book is honestly the perfect version of You've Got Mail in today's dating world of apps and websites. I got swept away by Gracie and her relationships with Sir and Sebastian. Gracie gave up on her dreams to continue that of her father's Bubbles & More shop, but things start to take a turn and Gracie is determined as ever. Then we have Sir, the man she meets blindly on an app and though they ended up on her for different reasons, they can't seem to stop the friendly messaging back and forth. Then enter Sebastian, the man that holds the lease to her family's shop and determined to get her to move on and close the shop. These two go back and forth with witty banter, underlying context, and don't forget the chemistry between these two that starts burning the minute that meet. Gracie takes us on a whirlwind adventure about life, following one's dreams, and not giving up on her idea of her prince charming! I loved this story and got swept away by the connections Gracie had with Sir and Sebastian and could not put this book down until I finished. To Sir, With Love is a wonderful story that captures your heart and falling for these characters, rooting for them until the end!

This book was a quick and easy read! I loved the main characters and the writing style. Perfect beach read.

I enjoyed To Sir With Love by Lauren Layne. Thank you for the gifted copy!

Love Is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy following two thirty-somethings who meet on a blind dating app—only to realize that their online chemistry is nothing compared to their offline rivalry.

Perpetually cheerful and eager to please, Gracie Cooper strives to make the best out of every situation. So when her father dies just months after a lung cancer diagnosis, she sets aside her dreams of pursuing her passion for art to take over his Midtown Manhattan champagne shop. She soon finds out that the store’s profit margins are being squeezed perilously tight, and complicating matters further, a giant corporation headed by the impossibly handsome, but irritatingly arrogant Sebastian Andrews is proposing a buyout. But Gracie can’t bear the thought of throwing away her father’s dream like she did her own.

Overwhelmed and not wanting to admit to her friends or family that she’s having second thoughts about the shop, Gracie seeks advice and solace from someone she’s never met—the faceless “Sir”, with whom she connected on a blind dating app where matches get to know each other through messages and common interests before exchanging real names or photos.

But although Gracie finds herself slowly falling for Sir online, she has no idea she’s already met him in real life…and they can’t stand each other.

Gahhh I am such a sucker for dating app storylines. I met my husband on a dating app and let me tell ya, some of the guys I met on there were bizarre. This was your typical storyline where the FMC is falling in love with the MMC online but doesn't realize it's him. I don't care how many times I read that type of storyline, I will always be down for it.

I really liked how the FMC owned a champagne shop though. I am getting so tired of the sweet FMC's owning bakeries at this point. It is so played out. This was definitely refreshing and I may have had to grab a drink while I read.

I really wanted to love this book, but it feel a little flat for me. Very cute storyline, but I wish it included more. I love a good romance and this was a feel good read for sure. I just needed more in regards to the characters.

Cute enough, but took me awhile to get into and was incredibly predictable with not much going for it. Even though I knew how it would end, it ended up being a quick read with cute enough characters that I pulled through. Still, this book just didn’t do it for me. 2.5

This was a cute, quick read but showcased nothing new within this "You've Got Mail" trope. Both of the main characters were likable but not necessarily lovable and they left me feeling "meh" regarding whether they would find love in their relationship. I did find the champagne shop to be cute.

📚 Book Review 📚

I’m only 8 months behind in reading this book, but that’s honestly the story of my life 😂. This was a delightful little rom com gem.

I thoroughly enjoyed this homage to You’ve Got Mail. (Anything that’s an homage to a classic rom com, you can immediately sign me up for) I loved the chemistry between Gracie and Sebastian as well as all the supporting characters.

The author’s note points out how timeless this storyline is, and I completely agree whether it’s letters, emails, or app DMs. My only minor gripe is I wanted just a bit more from the story. With how short the story was, every transition in the story felt too quick and sudden and there was little room for anticipation/buildup.

Definitely a fun, quick read if you’re looking for something more lighthearted.

While this book mentioned You've Got Mail in the blurb, the troupe was present, as was one of my favorite hate to love troupes, but something about this book didn't hit right with me. It wasn't a bad book, by any stretch, at all, but it didn't stand out to me either. I was very much looking forward to enjoying a book version of You've Got Mail and this just didn't do it for me.

This is classic Lauren Layne and was a fun read. I enjoyed reading about Gracie who runs a family champagne shop and Sebastian the developer who wants to cancel her lease. This was a great modern take on a classic story! I love recommending it to my friends and followers.

I’m not sure what I didn’t like about this book but I disliked enough to not want to finish reading,

Oh my god, I loved this book. This is a top romance of 2021 for me, and everything about it works so well. If you like a NYC setting reminiscent of You've Got Mail but in a CHAMPAGNE SHOP (I die), a main character finding her passion/her way in the world, a pen pal romance, enemies (who aren't really enemies) to lovers, whimsy, love at first sight in a more realistic way... this is the book. This is THE ONE.

The only thing I wasn't thrilled with is the use of the term "sir" as like, the nickname of the man our heroine is writing to. I don't know why, but I hate it when she says "my sir". Absolutely hated it.

Otherwise, a strong 5 stars. This is so good, friends. I recommend this to all the rom com and Nora Ephron lovers in my life.

I did not care for this book as much as I wanted to - it was heavily predictable and staunchly boring at times. I found myself skimming ahead to see what happened instead of immersing myself into the story.