This book was absolute perfection. Lauren Layne has absolutely outdone herself with this modern take on "You've Got Mail" set, of course, in New York City. Gracie is running her family's champaign boutique while Sebastian and his family are trying to buy out the building. The results are a meet cute x 2 that would certainly make Nora Ephron proud.

To Sir, with Love was a cute, sweet, quick read by Lauren Layne. It is set in New York City, and it was nice to read a story that brought me back to the wonders of NYC life pre-pandemic. I am a fan of Lauren Layne, but this one just did not check off all the 4-5 star boxes for me. At around 33% through, I found myself wondering where the story was going to go, because at that point, I usually expect a little more interaction and heat between my H and h. I would recommend this to anyone who is in the mood for a light, clean romance.

Second chances, secret romances, and laugh out loud goodness. Fans of Christina Lauren will enjoy this fantastic storytelling. The novel seamlessly introduces the reader to a variety of characters, each charming and relatable. This romantic comedy checked all the boxes for me, straight up rom com goodness. Don't miss out on To Sir, With Love. It's a good time.

I have a bunch of Lauren Layne books on my TBR shelf but I haven't gotten to any of them yet so this was my first read by this author. And now I'm wondering what the hell I was waiting for.
I loved this book. I loved the writing, the plot (no stupid misunderstandings to push the story forward), loved the supporting characters and most of all I loved the hero and heroine. Gracie and Sebastian were not perfect, they were flawed and they each had their personal problems to deal with but they were a joy to read about. They were eachother's oposite but still perfect for eachother. Their interaction made me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The chemistry between them was sizzling. The supporting cast of characters was great, quirky and unique. And the story was interesting and kept me reading well into the night.
Ms. Layne wrote a lovely, heart-warming love story and I loved it! It is a perfect example of everything I love about romance and I'm looking forward to reading more books by Ms. Layne.

Weeeee! It's been a long time since I've had this much fun reading a book. I loved every little detail that added to the fairytale magic of this story. It was full of humor and heartache and longing. It was a pleasure watching everything unfold. I cried happy tears when I came the final page. I can't recommend this book enough. If you love romance, this book just might be your soulmate.

One of my favorite reads of 2021. Hands down.

To Lauren Layne, With Love.

Encore!

Thank you netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the advance readers copy.

I finished this book and immediately wanted to open it up and read it all over again. The absolutely perfect sweet romance, especially for fans of You’ve Got Mail. It felt like a first kiss, a solid warm hug, and Autumn in New York all rolled up into one sugary story. It’s predictable but in all of the best ways.

I am a little sad for this one and it may just be a "me" thing. First of all, I loooove so many of Lauren Layne's books! I was so excited by the premise here, because You Got Mail is my all time favorite, and I adore any book with the secret identity trope. I wanted to love this one so much.

So--it really could be me, but I ended up DNFing, sadly. (I may return to give it another go soon, perhaps the audio).

Essentially, I had a hard time connecting. I think Gracie's relationship with Sir felt unbelievable and their messages at each present moment way too on-the-nose. I think I just needed moreeee. Even at 25%, I know almost nothing about their relationship beyond basic 'telling'. I felt nothing unique and I couldn't see WHY they liked each other online so much. We are only told that they do, not SHOWN that they do.

Beyond that, Sir has a girlfriend, so it's odd to me that Gracie practically admits to being in love with his online identity even knowing that, and when she meets him IRL (beginning of the book), it's the same story. Girlfriend! But she thinks 'oh, he is magic, and his eyes are so aqua! He is the man I've always dreamed!" in a manner of speaking.

So I guess I'm just sad. I wanted to feel their connection online. I wanted to see a glimpse of their connection in real time conversations at the very least.

BUT! If you are looking for a light hearted, floofy read, this still may hit the spot. I think I'm just at a point where I'm craving a deeper dive into character when it comes to my romance reads these days!

Yes, this has 100% You've got Mail vibes. In fact, its a You've Got Mail retelling. In fact as I was reading Gracie, images of Meg Ryan kept popping in my head.

This is an adorable book and is great for anyone who needs to get their mind off life for a while.

Gracie Cooper is running her parent's shop Bubbles without the help of her siblings. She has also been talking to this mystery guy on a dating app where they get to know one another before they can meet and see each other. Gracie is certain this is her Prince Charming, but alas, his friends put him on it as a joke and he is actually in a relationship. Bubbles is not doing so hot. They are also getting letters from their landlord attempting to buy out the lease so they can build another skyscraper in New York City. After not receiving a response Sebastian Andrews decided to stop in. His piercing aqua eyes make Gracie think he is her prince charming until she realizes who he is.

This was a very cute, fun, easy read! I finished it in a day and stayed up way too late reading it. It did seem to follow "You've Got Mail" a little too close so you knew what was coming...but I still enjoyed it!

Love Gracie and Sebastian story. Gracie has her fairy tale love all the time, she know Sebastian is the one at first sight. Sebastian too was torn between this two womens that consumed his time and dreams. They found each other and knows it but doubts was true.
I enjoy reading this book and recommended. I received an ARC from Netgalley for a honest review.

"Love Is Blind" meets "You've Got Mail". I really liked the story, the banter between the love interests, even with the obvious conclusion early on that Sebastian and Sir are clearly one and the same. It was sweet and pure and made me smile.

Totally adorable retelling of a classic tales. Really enjoyable with charming characters and setting. Well done,

I adore Lauren Layne's writing. She's the perfect romantic comedy writer and this novel gave me all the warm butterflies. Gracie is your reluctant family business owner: loves doing for others, thus why she took up the mantle of taking over the family wine shop, but she isn't happy that it isn't more successful. After the passing of her father from cancer, Gracie gave up art school, like the good middle child she is, and takes over where Dad left off. The only problem? Sebastian Andrews. Sebastian owns the building Bubbles & More, Gracie's shop, resides in and his company is dead set on buying out her lease. A chance meeting at a flower stall in NYC has Gracie dreaming about Sebastian's eyes, until he shows up at Bubbles with a letter with a buyout offer she can't wait to shred. More dismally? Gracie is single and the only hopeful contact she has is Sir, the anonymous match on a dating website where conversation, not pics, are the tools of flirtation. Soon, Gracie is on a mission to save Bubbles from an inevitable buyout, and figuring out which of the two men she's falling in love with to choose as Mr. Right. See, Gracie is an artist and a romantic, so anything less than Prince Charming won't do. But is he real, or is he just in her imagination, signing off their online exchanges with his moniker Sir?

If you're looking for a read that gives you all those warm and fuzzy feels with banter to boot, To Sir, With Love is definitely the one to pick!

Ok this was adorable...gave me all the You’ve Got Mail, 90’s romcom movie vibes (for obvious reasons when you read the premise)...I thought the author did an excellent job keeping it true to the story but making it her own. I loved the story, the characters (even the side ones... May, Lily, Alec, Keva, Robyn...all of them!)
Layne wrote the scenes characters so *seeable*—all characters in books do things like look at each other, squint their eyes, etc...but for some reason, when Sebastian would snap his head up when Gracie would mention something familiar, or when Gracie would turn and look at Sebastian and his eyes would find hers, or the scenes in Sebastian’s office... I just *felt* it, like I was watching a movie. I could totally picture Sebastian’s posture, facial expressions, Gracie’s reactions...everything. It wasn’t anything profound, I just LOVED this book.
It was romantic, funny, and overall just a delight! Highly recommend! (It got me hooked after a big book hangover, so that means a winner in my book!)

This book was so cute. If you love romcoms this book is perfect for you. I felt every emotion from Gracie and Sir. The “you’ve got mail” goes modern is the perfect way to describe this novel. I read this in one sitting because I was just in suspense trying to figure out when they’d find out. The side characters were described well without them taking over the story and intertwined with each other well. I also felt the lines about who are you actually living for? Has made me examine my own life choices. I would definitely recommend!

I loved this book!!! The storyline, the characters, the romance, just everything. Gracie is a hopeless romantic and I enjoyed her take on things. Sebastian is a hard working, stiff guy until he meets Gracie and slowly we get to see more sides of him. I love all of the characters in this story and enjoyed each of their personalities. I can’t get over how fun it was reading the messages Sir and Lady wrote back and forth and at the same time reading how Gracie and Sebastian start out as enemies but slowly become friends, it was just perfect. I liked that we also got to see parts of Gracie’s sisters life and struggles and parts of her brothers life, it was a well rounded story that covered more than just two people. The scene at the gallery was so beautiful I could not stop the tears from falling and the epilogue was magical. I have never read anything from this author but the cover and blurb drew me right in and now I cannot wait to read many more of her books. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

**I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.**
I love the premise of this book. I am a sucker for an epistolary, with the other person not knowing the identity of the other, and an enemies to lovers. I must say that I did not like the beginning where there was already a dating relationship in play. I thought “oh no we have a triangle of a situation where someone is going to be hurt. I almost stoped reading. However, the banter and the secret kept me going until I could determine the status of this “other” person.
I really liked that the heroine is conflicted about what she wants. It is very easy to get caught in parental expectations especially when that parent dies. Your dreams become entangled in their expectations and without them here, you don’t have that potential release.
I liked Sebastien, although he had a couple of moments where I really wanted to give him a wedgie and Gibbs slap him to wake him up a bit.
Overall. It’s a cute story with a great ending.

4/5 ⭐️s

What a wonderfully sweet love letter to Nora Ephron’s class, You’ve Got Mail! Lauren Layne did an incredible job of capturing the story of two strangers serendipitously falling in love twice. My quick reaction: A heartwarming, fast read - perfect for an evening curled up in your favorite reading corner!

The first few chapters had me worried I had an overly tropey read ahead of me. Gracie’s dialogue came across as stilted in its attempt to be clever, and her meet-cute with Sebastian was almost *too* fairytale-esq. Once Layne fell into the story though, it became far more nuanced and enjoyable.

I adored Gracie and Sebastian’s love story! The antagonism between them was deliciously charged, and the slow evolution from enemies to friends to lovers was so well-done. I did wish for a slight change to the ending - I was never a fan of the way Tom Hanks’ character chose to approach Kathleen Kelly in the final act of You’ve Got Mail, and that still held true here.

Special thanks for Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had really high expectations because “You’ve Got Mail” is one of my favorite romcoms. It took a couple chapters before I got into it but I really ended up loving the main characters. I would have liked to see more of their communication on the dating app, but still enjoyed the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.