As a take off on The Shop Around the Corner and You've Got Mail, To Sir, With Love was a fun story. I liked Gracie, Sir and Sebastian. The "dislike" between Gracie and Sebastian was interesting to watch as it turned into more. Sir is so sweet with Gracie. Everything Sebastian is not or Gracie refuses to see.

Gracie's barely hanging on to her dad's business. Her dream to be an artist has been overshadowed by trying to make a dated business successful. Sebastian's company is willing to buy her lease out but Gracie feels selling will be dishonoring her dad's wishes so she repeatedly ignores his offers. Sebastian is the ultimate no-nonsense businessman. He sees something in Gracie and his online crush both.

The story was very well written and the characters rich and interesting. I enjoyed it all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne is a romantic comedy that is basically an updated version of You've Got Mail. Gracie Cooper has taken over her family's champagne shop after her father's death. Sebastian Andrews wants her building and offers her a buyout, but she isn't interested. Gracie has connected with "Sir" on a blind dating app and soon realizes that she's fallen in love with him. Will she sell to Sebastian? Will she meet "Sir" and still love him? This story was delightful, and I would highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a really fun, sweet, and sexy read – whilst it has a You've Got Mail vibe, it is a good story in its own right. I liked that Gracie's reason for keeping the business going was to honour her parents. Her siblings had moved on, and she was somewhat stuck holding her life on pause to maintain the dreams of her dad. It was really engaging to see how her team did their best to do enough to make it work.

Obviously we can see the two parts of Sebastian, but somehow there is enough that is appealing about him, that we give him the chance to make Gracie's life better and for her to get the chance to fulfil her desires and plans, rather than love those of others. That means giving up some of the past, but the future looks a lot brighter by the end of the story.

“To Sir, with Love” by Lauren Layne follows Gracie as she tries to save her family’s legacy, a champagne shop. The company is losing business, and a corporate office is looking to buy out the building. Gracie is left to consider a blaring question; “what do I want to do with my life?”

“To Sir, with Love” is a sweet, predictable, yet entertaining romantic comedy. Gracie has a bit of character development, but most of it is expected. I thought it took her a surprising amount of time for Gracie to make the big discovery, but it didn’t take away from the story's plot.

Finally, I wish that I could have had more time with the couple as a couple. It seemed like a long-winded book that left much to be desired in the relationship aspect. This is an unfortunate aspect of the novel, considering it is first and foremost a romance.

Thank you, Lauren Layne, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed how atmospheric this NYC felt, but it was overall just okay to me in both characters and story.

Gracie put her plans for the future aside to honor her father by taking over his champagne business, but she wasn’t prepared for the challenge she was facing when she found out the company wasn’t as viable as she thought. While she tries to turn the business around the one bright spot in her life is the man she has been corresponding with online even though they haven’t seen pictures of each other let alone never met.

If that wasn’t complicated enough, she now has a corporation trying to purchase the business she doesn’t want to sell. From their first meeting she and Sebastian lock horns as they are both firm in their very different positions but as they spend time together, she begins to wonder if there is more to the arrogant businessman than she first thought and what does that mean for the man on the dating app who holds a piece of her heart as well?

Fun and flirty I enjoyed the slow building romance between Sebastian and Gracie. The characters are relatable and there is a great cast of secondary characters that draw you in as well.

Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book! I am a HUGE fan of You've Got Mail and She Loves Me, so this book instantly drew me in. But it didn't feel like just a cheap update of the classic story. It was just as magical and thrilling as all that has come before it. Really pays true homage to the legacy it is contributing to!

It's been a while since I've read a <a href="http://bookbinge.com/reviews/authors/lauren-layne/">Lauren Layne</a> book and I'm happy to report that <em>To Sir, with Love</em> was another fun one that took me no time at all to read from beginning to end. Layne writes such witty, fun, and charming romances and this was no exception. This wasn't my favorite of her books but it was still a good one and I expected no less from Mrs. Layne.

This book follows our heroine, Gracie Cooper, a wine shop owner, and, Sebastian Andrews, the guy who wants to buy her shop space as they fall in love. Gracie isn't a fan of Sebastian's because, at every turn, he's trying to run her out of the shop space where she runs her family wine shop. Sure, the wine shop isn't doing as well as she would hope and sure, the wine shop was more her Dad's thing than hers but for the time being, she was running the shop and out of love for her father, she kept his dream alive even long after he was gone.

She doesn't have much of a love life but she does have a fun and flirty online relationship with a man named "Sir" and even though she's sporting a mean crush on him, it's not going to go anywhere because Sir is already taken. Their online friendship will make more sense if you read it but I thought it was cute. I also enjoyed seeing Sebastian and Gracie circle each other in real life and then being the complete opposite online without knowing it. Lauren Layne does humor really well in her books and it's showcased here in this book.

Overall, this book was a light, fluffy romance that made me smile throughout. Gracie and Sebastian ended up being a great couple and their story was a fun one. Sebastian was a swoony hero and Gracie was a strong heroine who went through a lot to finally be able to stand on her own two feet and live her own life without the strings of family obligations. I was glad for her and loved seeing her and Sebastian fall in love. The secondary characters added more charm to this story and I really loved the relationship that Gracie had with her siblings and her friends. Gracie and her siblings didn't have the perfect relationship and Gracie had some resentments that she was working on but I enjoyed seeing how much they cared about each other and how supportive they were of each other as well. I definitely recommend this book if you're already a fan of Lauren Layne because it's a great addition to her backlist but if you're also looking for a sweet romance with humor, this one fits the bill.

<strong>4 out of 5</strong>

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. The storyline was a modern take on “You’ve Got Mail”. I love Lauren Layne’s style of writing and this one didn’t disappoint. A very quick read and perfect for the beach!

This is a very sweet recasting of You’ve Got Mail (and all the others like it which are laid out really sweetly in the Author’s Note at the end). It’s a little slow to get started and I wanted a lot more out of the message exchanges between Gracie and Sebastian to really buy into that epistolary love. I really enjoyed the side characters and the family dynamic wrapped up in Gracie’s shop.

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I'm sure it will be a great beach read at some point, but I'm not on a beach (sadly) right now.

Be prepared for no intimate times at all in this book. I always want to know so here is my warning for anyone who might expect sexy times. However this is still worth the read.

If you are a lover of romantic comedy movies, specifically You’ve got mail, then you will love this book. I love any book that has texting, emailing or letter writing. There is something about getting to fall for somebody that way. The mystery and getting to know a person for who they are.

Gracie is the perfect example of a middle child with the parents guilt and all. She is a people pleaser who always dreams of her perfect man. She wants the fairytale and has to learn how to live in reality. I absolutely adored the family dynamic in this book.

Sebastian is such a good guy you can’t help but fall for. He’s supposed to be a bad guy but at his core he could never truly pull it off. There connection and chemistry is instantaneous.

I did miss the steam a bit but loved the flow of this story. I wanted more letters too.

J'ai passé un très bon moment de lecture avec ce roman pétillant comme tout et qui saura nous faire vivre un agréable récit avec des personnages passionnés . Bien entendu , nous devinons tout de suite de quoi il s'agit et le déroulé de l'intrigue mais j'ai apprécié tous ces échanges.

Gracie Cooper est une jeune femme qui aimerait vivre son conte de fées et c'est pour cela qu'elle s'est inscrite sur un site de rencontres où seuls les échanges comptent car les candidats ne disposent pas des photos de l'un l'autre. Elle tombera sous le charme de la plume, qui peut sembler désuète, de cet homme qui est arrivé sur l'appli par hasard mais qui saura tisser un bon lien d'amitiés avec notre héroïne. Gracie doit mener de nombreux combats sur divers fronts et elle ne se laissera pas abattre . Conserver son entreprise de champagne ne sera pas une mince affaire et elle porte sur ses frêles épaules cette responsabilité. Elle a fait une promesse à son père et elle compte bien la tenir. Mais le marché est rude et quand on lui fait une proposition qu'elle ne devrait pas en théorie refuser, la colère va vite monter. Elle a abandonné ses rêves et elle ne peut donc pas subir un nouvel échec. Même si elle ne semble pas insensible au charme de cet homme arrogant, elle ne reculera pas devant l'adversité et trouvera du réconfort dans les lettres de ce Monsieur hors du commun.

Sebastian Andrews est un héros que nous ne pourrons découvrir que par le biais de notre héroïne étant donné qu'il n'a pas voix au chapitre. Il sera certes très maladroit dans ses propos mais il faut aussi dire que Gracie ne lui laisse aucune chance de s'expliquer. Elle aimerait croire que cet homme est sympathique et agréable comme lors de leur soirée commune mais elle ne peut s'empêcher de se dire que c'est lui qui causera sa perte. Sebastian va tout faire pour conquérir Gracie et on sent bien que tout cela ne fait pas partie d'un plan pré défini. Il va aussi vite comprendre que cette jeune femme n'est autre que cette lady avec qui il converse quotidiennement sur son appli de rencontre. Lui même a en quelque sorte une responsabilité familiale puisqu'on l'a dès la naissance poussé à épouser son amie Genevieve. Il sait que cela n'aboutira à rien mais a t-il seulement le choix?

Bref , une petit comédie romantique sympathique et mignonne qu'on prend plaisir à déguster lentement pour en apprécier toute la saveur. Malgré quelques évidences , on se délecte de cette histoire et on a hâte de voir le dénouement final : nos héros auront ils droit à une fin heureuse comme dans les contes de fées ou la réalité reprendra t-elle le dessus?

What a lovely romance! This re-do of the rom-com classic You've Got Mail hit all of the right beats. I loved the flow of the story. I loved the enemies to lovers feel of the couple. I loved the way they were able to stay anonymous to each other. It all just worked for me.
Though it didn't blow me away, I had a great time reading this book. If you are a fan of You've Got Mail, then you will love this take on it.

To Sir, with Love was just a delight -- and may be my favorite Lauren Layne yet.

Gracie has a crush on Sir, a man she's only been interacting with on a dating app, when she has a meet-cute with Sebastian. Just one problem: Sebastian has a girlfriend. Oh, and... he's trying to buy out the lease for the champagne shop that's long been her family's business. That's right: This book is a modern take on You've Got Mail.

I'm a sucker for epistolary elements in romance, so I loved the inclusion of some messages between Gracie and Sir. The deal with the particular dating app they met on is that you're supposed to decide whether someone's right for you by getting to know them, not based on how they look -- meaning there are no profile photos. I could see both how she could have such a thing for someone she's yet to meet, and how she'd question those feelings.

I also liked the introspection regarding Gracie's career, and the NYC setting. The writing felt a bit awkward or clunky at times, but I was hooked on this story. It was so fun to read.

DNF @ 16%

I feel like the entire summary of this book was deceiving.

Gracie is trying to save her deceased father’s business while a corporation, by way of Sebastian, is trying to buy her out to build a parking garage. Around the same time, she’s quickly falling for a guy she met on a dating app but she’s never even seen a picture of him nor learned his name; she only refers to him as Sir (which is full of cringe). I’m sure you can guess who Sir ends up being. The part of the summary that was deceiving was the fact that while she’s chatting with Sir, he’s got a girlfriend and she knows it. I recently DNF’d another contemporary romance that also had a cheating subplot. There’s just no justifying this for me and I don’t want this a part of any of my romance reads. Hard pass.

I received this book free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

If a book is even the tiniest bit inspired by the classic rom-com You’ve Got Mail, I will read and love that book. That being said, To Sir, With Love may be my favorite “retelling” yet. Lauren Layne included so many of my favorite things about You’ve Got Mail, as well as The Shop Around the Corner (the equally amazing 1940 classic). From the music references to the nods to famous Nora Ephron lines, this book was as adorable and romantic as the films.

To Sir, With Love tells the story of Gracie and Sebastian. Gracie is an artist, but feels obligated to run her family’s champagne store to honor her father’s wish that it stay in the family. Sebastian is part of a corporation trying to buy out her shop’s lease and essentially put them out of business. Gracie and Sebastian immediately become adversaries. However, neither know that they are falling in love with each other on an online dating app where matches get to know each other through messages before exchanging real names or photos.

Like You’ve Got Mail updating the storyline with email, To Sir, With Love is appropriately centered around a dating app. I loved reading Sir and Lady’s messages to each other, especially following interactions between Gracie and Sebastian. The banter between the two is perfection. Gracie is a whimsical romantic who you immediately love, while Sebastian has all of the “brooding, but secretly sweet” vibes. I love how different, yet similar they are to Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox. The supporting characters are just as endearing and Layne included plenty of sweet friendships between women, as well as between sisters.

Overall, To Sir, With Love is an excellent You’ve Got Mail-inspired romance that every Nora Ephron fan needs in their life.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 cutesy tinker bell stars

The description as a You've Got Mail-esque storyline is spot on. I was worried it would be too similar to the beloved movie but the author has tried to put a modern spin on it by having the two MC's correspond over a dating app where the catch is there are no photos.

It took me a while to get into the style of their correspondence as it's very formal (with no real explanation as to why they are so formal) but the tone of the book overall settles into a very cute/sweet read. I enjoyed Gracie's family dynamic and as the book went on really warmed up to the cast of secondary characters. There isn't a ton of romance between Sebastian and Gracie as they spend most of the book wondering if they like each other but they obviously have good chemistry and the ending and chapters leading up to it definitely make you smile. A HEA any romance reader can get behind.

Delightful and adorable, quick moving romantic story. Grace Cooper lives and works in Manhattan but her dream life is a fairytale. When her real life and fairytale life start to collide it makes for a charming You’ve Got Mail romance. Happy to read this work from Netgalley and Gallery publishing. If you like lovable characters and want to see that happy ending this is the book for you.

Modern day retelling of "You've Got Mail" and I loved it! Gracie runs the family business and like all businesses, they get approached to sell. She does her best to follow her heart and has run ins with the person's company who is trying to buy. Don't want to give much away but its a must read!