This was a sugary confection of a book. I love a good You've Got Mail retelling and this was a charming, breezy version of a storyline that already makes me think of comfort. Gracie is a fairy tale loving romantic who is trying to keep her family business afloat. She has an online friendship ,that also contains a dash of flirtation, with someone she refers to as Sir. It is the closest thing to romance in her life when Sebastian crashes in trying to encourage her to close up shop. He is all business but she can't help but notice his aqua eyes and how his company is less abrasive over time. Full of warmth and wit this book is like watching your favorite romcom with you best friend.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

2 1/2 stars. This modern retelling of You’ve Got Mail was sadly a disappointment for me. I cringed at the frequent fairy tale references and I couldn’t understand how they fell in love over their messaging when it was so breezy and shallow. I just wasn’t a fan of the writing or dialogue and the whole thing felt too cheesy. It could make for a cute hallmark film though.

Gracie Cooper, who runs a champagne shop co-owned by her sister and brother is single and too busy to date. She has signed up on a unique dating app that does not reveal names nor pictures of its clients. Gracie has been communicating with a person she calls "Sir." There is a definite connection between the two. In her "real" life, she bumps into and meets in person her nemesis and landlord, Sebastian Andrews. He has been trying to convince her, by mail, to vacate her space in his building. Between the emails sent back and forth to Sir and the interactions with Sebastian, Lauren Layne has given us a hot fudge sundae on a hot afternoon. Sweet and satisfying, a real treat.

Gracie Cooper is looking for the kind of love that exists in a Disney movie. Cue singing animals, fluffy dresses, and a handsome leading man and you had her at "hello". Sadly, now in her 30's and managing her family's champagne shop, love is not that easy to come by. But Gracie has a gift, the ability to find joy in the moment and to enjoy the people in her life even if they happen to be the perfect man with a very imperfect secret. Throw in a dating app, unexpected meetings, laugh-out-loud dialogue and you have all the makings for the perfect book. Lauren Layne does it again with To Sir, with Love and continues to prove to this reader that she is a master of her craft. A must read worth picking up again and again, this is a summer read that will leave you feeling like all things are possible, maybe even singing animals.

This book was a delight. As a fan of You've Got Mail, this interpretation felt like I was sitting back with a bowl of popcorn and reliving my favorite movie. The characters were close but not too similar to the movies, but their back and forth chemistry was unrivaled. It was a great beach read that I would recommend to any romance, fun, flirty book lovers. Highly recommend this for a fun read that'll make you want to believe in a fairy tale love story.

Lauren Layne had me at a modern day You've Got Mail. To Sir, with Love was a sweet story.

Gracie owns a champagne shop and Sebastian is offering to buy her out of her lease. Gracie instantly feels a rivalry and vows to prove to Sebastian that she can turn her business around. The connection between the two of them felt real. I loved that Gracie was able to get closer to her family again and had honest conversations with her siblings about what she wanted.

Meanwhile Gracie is having honest conversations with a mysterious man, Sir, online. Ones that discuss fear and are honest about their feelings and desires.

I enjoyed watching Gracie struggle with feelings she was developing for both Sebastian and Sir. I will say that I was surprised that Gracie didn't connect dots sooner. I also wished that Sebastian had initiated the second time that they had met so that it wouldn't feel so much like Gracie was putting in all of the effort. I wish we had gotten a little more of the two of them together, but overall this was a great slow-burn.

I recommend if you're looking for slow burn rivals to lovers with some flirty messages thrown in.

5 out of 5 stars1 out of 5 steam level

You should know, going into this review, that this was my 8th Lauren Layne. I randomly read a book of hers from my library and then went into a deep dive. So I was thrilled to get this book early from Gallery Books. This book is a spin on You’ve Got Mail. (If you’re a true YGM fan…which I am… you know that it was actually a spin on a previous movie starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. Shop Around the Corner, anyone?) There were so many easter eggs for you’ve got mail. Gracie’s dog being named Cannoli? I mean, so great!

I was basically in love with the heroine. There’s so many things I could say about her, but I guess I’ll start by saying that I would 100% be friends with her irl. She had high expectations for her love life (some would say unrealistic), she worked hard, she tried to be generally nice, and she was quirky. I kept waiting for moments to mirror YGM perfectly- and the good news is that it is not an exact replica of the movie. This made it fun to continue reading, being pleasantly surprised as I turned the pages. Sebastian, our hero in the novel, was very likable as well. I think readers will be cheering for him.

The only thing I didn’t love about the book was the culmination of the assessment of the characters feelings (no spoilers) regarding irl vs online.

This is a low to no steam book. I think romance readers will love it as well as readers who are nervous to dip their toes into the world of romance.

while reading this book you should":

listen to: I’m a Fool to Want You by Frank Sinatrawatch: you’ve got mailresearch: The 1973 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo

thank you to the publisher (gallery books) for this advanced readers copy

happy reading,

dux

“Because you said you loved him. Because you deserve your fairy-tale ending. And because I’d do anything for you, Gracie Cooper. Even if it means letting you go.”

Title: To Sir, With Love
Author: Lauren Layne
Type: Standalone
Genres: Adult, Romance, Clean Adult, Contemporary Romance

The very best thing a romance can have is good writing and a good plot. The steamy scenes and the characters are a big plus, but for me the writing NEEDS to be good. Without good writing and a good plot, romance stories become a bit underwhelming. The ones that have sex in them become just porn or enjoyable for the steam, and the one's that don't and also lack good writing really are just a fan fiction. To Sir, With Love regretfully does not have steamy scenes (sad as it would have made the story dashingly better since our main character is so delightful to look at), but the good writing makes up for that and the lack of an incredible plot.

Don't get me wrong, the plot is great. It is fluffy, a true romantic comedy, a fantasy and a little princessy. However, we don't get big plot twists, we really don't get much angst, and the whole mystery is really all very obvious. BUT, no matter how cliche it was or how predictable the story was I found myself really really enamored by the writing and the whimsical narrator that I enjoyed the ride.

Gracie is a lover of all things romance and has been waiting for her Prince Charming - well all her life really. She has had no luck, yet she continues looking (in vain) for THE ONE. She has a whole list of qualities and attributions that make him the one, her family thinks she needs to give this idea of finding the perfect man and try out the field. However, this is not the only one of Gracie's problems. Her job is on the verge of collapse as a very sexy (yet unobtainable) suit type of guy wants to buy her property since she is almost going bankrupt. Seeing her family's legacy closed makes her eyes water and she does not want to give this up as well. To make matters worse the only guy she seems to be interested in, is one she hasn't even met. Using a new dating app she continues messaging her SIR back and forth, but he is also not available, but that doesn't stop her heart from fluttering for the two men she cannot have.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the book was the characters. Gracie is basically a real life princess or she wants to be, and although many people would find her a bit weak I found her intriguing. She was sweet and very pink, and sometimes its good to hear about the type of woman who struggles to find her voice. Yet when they do, they're invincible. I loved her journey in finding "the one" and ending up wanting to fight for her own dreams not the dreams other had for her. Through it all it was more of a "her" journey, and not only a romance story.

--- 3.5 stars ---

Listen, I love a good Meg Ryan Movie. While When Harry Met Sally is one of my all-time favs, You’ve Got Mail is definitely up there. So, when I read that TO SIR, WITH LOVE was a modern retelling of You’ve Got Mail - with an app instead of AOL email - I requested it immediately. And, instead of a bookstore, we have a family-owned champagne store, Bubbles & More.

This was just an incredibly sweet read - we love a good enemies to lovers, especially when the heroine is ambitious and a bit headstrong. And the ending? Swoon.


TO SIR, WITH LOVE publishes on June 29th! Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for the eARC to read and review.


CW // grief; death of a parent

A modern day retelling of You've Got Mail by Lauren Layne? Sign me up!! I loved everything about this book, from the initial meet cute, to the drunken checklist phone call, the adorable messages back and forth between Sir and Lady, to the hilarious cooking lesson (anyone imagine themselves ruining each course like Gracie and Sebastian or was that just me?!), the gallery opening and everything else in between. Gracie and Sebastian were such fun, loveable characters, as were their friends and family. Another winning book from Lauren Layne- can't wait for more!

Great Rom- Com. I love Lauren Layne's books but this is one of my favorites. I loved watching Gracie quit trying to please everyone and finally believe in herself.

3.5 stars ⭐️
First time reading a Lauren Layne book and was not disappointed..This book just gave me You’ve Got Mail vibes and it made it very enjoyable..

You know exactly what's going to happen, once they say its a 'Got Mail retelling and once you start reading it. However, You've got mail is one of my favorite movies, so I was all in for the ride. I really enjoyed the characters, they had depth and their connection is believable and very well described. Bonus points that most of the story happens in a champagne store! I thought the ending was very well done. I loved the correspondence and would actually have liked to see more of it. One of my favorite lines, and one that i might apply is the "cinderella mode" - what she calls having high standards. Another great line: Wine isn't about science. wine, especially the sparkling kind, is about the moment. A 10 dollar sparkler sipped out of plastic cups to celebrate an engagement beat the pants off a three hundred dollar bottle of Crystal sipped from a crystal glass by someone bored by life."

You Got Mail retelling Yes Please! i really love Lauren Layne's writing. This book was super slow burn with a kiss at the very end which felt very Nora Ephron-esque.

Lauren is going to be a guest at the What to Read Next Podcast on publication week.

I really enjoyed this cute contemporary romance! Gracie was such a fun, likeable main character and I loved the atmospheric setting of New York City. Definitely a slow burn, low steam romance. I enjoyed the side characters and family dynamics also at play, and it managed to make me smile and cry in this rather short read.

I will say that the love interest wasn't my favorite. I really think we would have benefited from his POV instead of Gracie's alone as I missed seeing some of his reasoning and a bit more character depth. We jump into when she has already fallen for the 'Sir' on the app, and the conversations between them are so short that it feels like I didn't buy her love of him as much as she stated. Sebastian's little looks and descriptions of his facial expressions though were just ♥

Overall I recommend!

3.5 stars. It was a super cute read, but Gracie was very much stuck in the Disney fantasy. I'm grateful it was pointed out in the end, but it seemed odd to have her hold so tightly to a physical ideation of her dream man? Sebastian was wonderful and I almost wish the story was told from his perspective.

I would include a TW for infertility, which is not always solved with miracle pregnancies.

Such a great modernization of You’ve Got Mail. I am a huge fan of epistolary romance and that whole “loving someone for what’s on the inside” first.

Gracie has two potential love interests: one who wants to steal her business, the other she’s never seen. This story poses a few interesting questions - Can you love two men at the same time? And should you love either?

Gracie learns to face some hard truths about herself with help both of these influences. And, I really enjoyed that even the most powerful men can be vulnerable about admitting their feelings.

I loved how there were so many facets to these characters. Just when you thought you had them figured out, some new side emerged to give more depth.

I’m also happy that their wasn’t a lot of subterfuge in the story. That one didn’t know the real truth significantly longer than the other.

Overall, this is a great romcom with lots of swoony moments to melt your heart!

Thanks to NetGalley and Galley Books for the advance copy of the book. These are my honest opinions.

Gracie Cooper has spent her entire life holding out hope for that fairy tale ending. After her father passes away, Gracie puts all her dreams on hold to take over the family business. Unfortunately, a small champagne shop in Manhattan isn’t all that profitable and Gracie finds herself struggling to make ends meet. When a giant corporation proposes a buyout, Gracie knows she should take it, but she can’t bring herself to throw away her father’s dream to the frustratingly handsome Sebastian Andrews. Not wanting to admit to her family how overwhelmed she truly is, Gracie turns to “Sir”-- the faceless mystery man she met on a blind dating app. Despite never meeting or even seeing one another, Grace and Sir connect on so many levels and the flirty messages they’re constantly trading have Gracie falling hard and fast. But what happens when they finally meet and it turns out Sir has been closer to Gracie than she thought?

The moment I saw this was compared to You’ve Got Mail, I was sold. It had all the charm I was hoping for and then some. Gracie had such a vivacious whimsy to her that I thought was so infectious and I admired her positive outlook on life. Sebastian came across as this gruff broody guy, but you could tell he had a soft squishy side underneath. I think they complemented each other really well, and their chemistry felt very natural. I loved seeing their relationship blossom both through anonymous messages and in real life. The side characters also brought such a nice dynamic to the story. They were all so quirky and supportive of Gracie. If you’re looking for an unbelievable sweet less steamy romance to binge in one sitting, pick this us.

Love is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail in this super cute read. Gracie and Sebastian know who each other are through unfortunate professional circumstances. Gracie is trying to run her family’s small business, and Sebastian is trying to buy the space from her. Gracie and Sebastian have also met on a dating app. A dating app with no pictures and no names, so they don’t know it’s each other. While feuding in person and falling online, what happens when they both start falling for each other in both spaces? How do you choose?
This book was absolutely adorable and super easy to read. I found myself finishing this book in one sitting and wishing there was more. The main characters are enjoyable and make the book that much better. In all, this is a very swoon-worthy romcom!

I've never seen any of the adaptations of To Sir, with Love's source material (most recently You've Got Mail) but now I'm pretty sure I don't want to. This book is a quick read that attempts sustenance but feels more like champagne drunk on an empty stomach. Readers know going in that Gracie's MysteryMate match is the same man as her buff, discerning landlord, but I still held out hope that Sir stayed in her app notifications. I'm very fond of online dating but thought Gracie's rose-colored "but we're just friends!" view of her "non-romantic wink-wink" correspondence with Sir while she knows he's in a relationship unappealing. (If she really thinks she could fall in love with him over text, that's pretty much emotional cheating!!) I really wanted Gracie and Sebastian to get together because they liked each other IRL and not because they realized they'd found an emotional connection online. Most of all, though, I wanted Gracie to actually learn that "those sort of long-distance flirtations are well and good... but they aren't the real deal" (yes, this was the only quote I highlighted because it seemed to be the only good advice).

To Sir, with Love feels perfect for readers who enjoy breezy romances where everything seems to work out and there's a textbook HEA at the end—and maybe as a movie, this story is more appealing—but this Grinch prefers her romances with a bit more bite.