Name: shiya's review of To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne
Item: To Sir, with Love
Rating: 5
Author: shiya

Lauren Layne

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.

To Sir, with Love

Emilee 

when life gives you lemon, make lemon sorbets.

shiya

arwen

Ena Kalkan

i inhaled this book in one day. even if the plot is pretty easily predictable (i mean who hasn't watched the iconic 'you've got mail'??), i still couldn't put the book down because i wanted so desperately to know how it all turned out in the end. needless to say, i absolutely enjoyed this book.

p.s. the slow burn in this is *chefs kiss*

The eARC provided by Gallery Books via Netgalley in exchange of honest review. 

4.5/5 

You know when a story so beautiful it makes your heart aches? That was I feel when I read To Sir, with Love. 

The yearning between Gracie and Sebastian, or should I say, between Gracie and Sir is very very sweet and powerful and off of the chart, everything I wanted from a romance book. 

Gracie Copper believes in fairy tale, love at the first sight and happily ever after. So when she laid her eyes at Sebastian Matthews that day, she feels their connection, even when he’s the very opposite from her idea of Prince Charming. Turns out he's the man that had been mailing her and wanted her wine shop, her nemesis. So here's the story of their golden banters. 

I found Gracie is a relatable character, how she became the glue in her family business mainly, the one sacrificing everything, even when she have her own dreams. I also found it endearing that she believes still and won't let go on fairy tales and prince charming and HEA, even if she may look strange. It's part of her uniqueness. 

Sebastian is definitely a swoon-worthy character, cool and bold exterior but also so tender and soft. So soft, you should prepare yourself because you definitely will fall for his character. 

Last but not least, To Sir, with Love is one of a kind, a very well written and thoughtful romance with dashes of fairy dust and magic that will suck you in from the very first page.

lexie

Elaina 

It’s so cute! Imagine “You’ve Got Mail” but as a book. Loved it!

mercy

arc kindly provided by netgalley and gallery books. 

to sir, with love was a perfectly fine book for me. 

everything about the beginning of this book was charming. the set up for the romance (pen pals to lovers AND enemies to lovers? yup.), the settings of new york and gracie’s champagne shop, the almost fairytale-esque vibe of the book—i was ready to completely fall in love with the story. but then, my initial enjoyment started fading away because everything got old pretty quickly. 

i don’t think any particular aspect of it was bad, but i also don’t think it was anything groundbreaking. i liked the story enough because gracie is a likable main character and sebastian is a likable love interest, but that’s pretty much it. this is mostly a personal preference because i do expect at least a sprinkle of angst in every single love story i consume. and this one was pretty low stakes in my opinion.

that being said, i think this book is one that so many people will adore—especially those who are looking for a story reminiscent of late 90s/early 2000s romcoms that they can inhale in a matter of hours.

Ashley

big MEH.

didn't feel any strong emotions, the chemistry and connection were missing.

i feel like the book isn't actually about Sebastian and gracie. there were too many distracting extra stuff

chichi lewis

Arianna M

I received an ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book immediately felt like watching a good 90s romantic comedy. I felt that excitement and anticipation, and I loved that Gracie's struggles felt real — both her workplace problems, and her (lack-of) relationship problems. Her friendships and family ties take up an important portion of the book, so this isn't just romance all the time—although the romance is there and it's good! Swoon-worthy in some places, even. Again, reading many scenes I felt like I was watching a feel-good romcom, which is the perfect mood for this genre, in my opinion. No spoilers, but one involves aprons and disastrous cooking.

“Nobody wants a relationship as much as me, you guys know that.”
“Maybe that's the problem,” Robyn suggests. “You've built it up so much in your head that you're afraid the reality won't measure up, so you keep everyone at arm's length. It's also probably why you're so attracted to a guy you've never met. It lets you preserve that dream.”

The problem with the dream, however, is that her messages with Sir are uncomplicated by real life and they both let themselves be more open under the mask of anonymity, which leads to them feeling incredibly connected to the other person—it's understandable why Gracie would have a hard time giving that up, and I like that she is seriously conflicted about this.

I only wish this had a longer “enemies” part for the “enemies-to-lovers” trope, and perhaps a longer epilogue, but apart from that, this was a delicious, bubbly escape into a contemporary fairytale romance.

rowan !

Jennifer Eggleston 

Isn’t Romantic …

A fairytale come to life. So very gosh darn sweet …a very sloooowww burn but no heat, no steam however a HEA set in Disney dreams. A departure from my usual reads but a good read that kept me invested. The reveal was very swoon worthy!

i NEED miss lauren layne to start making pov's of their mc

shar

Inês Filipa

~4,5 stars✨ 
this was so cute, I can’t even cope

mahi

"i'd do anything for you Gracie Cooper. Even if it means letting you go."

this was such a cute and heartfelt book. gracie and her fairytale life >>

soph

Laura

Sebastian Andrews is THAT MAN. The romance and yearning between those two were ASTRONOMICAL. A great feel good romance book.

marie

the ending was a treasuuuure!!! ♡

i was actually going to rate this 3.5 stars as i didn't feel the chemistry between sebastian and gracie or sir and lady. but with that last few chapters? miss layne compensated it. uno reverse card achieved.

4.25 ☆

Maria

Forgettable, it was cute but predictable 

Tameka Young

4.5 stars and one of my favorite books I’ve read so far this year. You’ve Got Mail is one of my favorite films, so it makes sense that the plot and pacing of this book would feel so wonderfully familiar. Literally all of the warm and fuzzies once I finished it.

This book was cute!! A light, fun, easy read.

Skye

A sweet story with a fun cast of characters and major You’ve Got Mail vibes, this book is perfect for romcom lovers everywhere! 

To Sir, With Love is a quick read that covers life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. As a modern take on a timeless tale, you’re sure to be smiling the entire time! 

Thank you Valentine PR for gifting me with an advanced copy!

lizbet koval

i was making up my own ending as i was reading. trying to guess something unexpected. trying to think that the ending would be something i was never thinking of from the beginning. but unfortunately. well, no. i liked the way i got what i expected. not necessarily what i wanted. 

i never know how to react to the cute-ish cliche-ish moments. but they add up to my impression of the book. it being on a slightly negative side, since i am not only expecting and predicting what i am reading, i am also as if rereading a repetition of an earlier works of fiction.

Emilee &
To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne

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To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne