4 - "It's you... It's always been you." Stars!

I have to admit the blurb of this one was what sold me on it. I love the film You’ve Got Mail and To Sir, with Love has more than a passing resemblance to it. I’ve not really enjoyed much of Lauren’s writing of late, but Gracie and Sebastian’s story was as good as some of her earlier stuff(even without the sex).

Life feels real when I’m writing to you…

No surprises with the story, but I really liked both of the leads, and the communication that Gracie has with ‘Sir’ gave you a little insight into who Sebastian was when he wasn’t the villain in her life, I do think the book would have benefitted from a few chapters in his POV as well though.

"I’d do anything for you… even if it means letting you go."

Sweet, clean romance, that literally anyone could read, with plenty of interesting secondary characters and a swoon-worthy ending, almost but not quite as good as Tom and Meg’s!

Thank you for making me believe in Fairy Tales again at the ripe age of 32.
My heart was pulled in two different directions the entire book! The romance, writing style and wit in this book is second to none. I have nothing but praise for this book.

A sweet gentle romance that is an homage to you’ve got mail and it’s predecessors. Gracie and Sebastian meet virtually through a dating app and so don’t know what the other looks like or their real names. When they meet again it is a strained relationship and so they navigate their way online and offline but the online romance was a little lacking for me, didn’t seem to be enough to equate falling in love but their IRL relationship was very cute and typical, certainly romance story worthy.

To Sir with Love has a great legacy to live up to in The Shop Around the Corner to You’ve Got Mail, and it does not disappoint.

Gracie and Sebastian are a wonderful combination of enemies-to-lovers and idiots-to-lovers who eventually find their way to each other with a lot of angst along the way. I genuinely love Sebastian’s kind heart and Gracie’s love for her family. Gracie goes on an important journey of putting her wants and dreams ahead of everyone else’s expectations.

I devoured this book in a single morning, and I can’t wait to reread it.

3.75 stars.

This was such a feel-good, easy read! I’m a sucker for a rom-com AND enemies to lovers so this book had me smiling from beginning to end.

Despite being able to easily guess who ‘Sir’ is early on; the inclusion of the dating app messages into the chapters was such a nice look into the light hearted, easy flow of the conversations between the two of them - a stark contrast from real life.

The familial relationships were so special to read, I adored May and her eccentricity (especially with her earring choices), and I appreciated the fairytale references and watching gracie grow into her dream.

I much prefer a slow burn and longer read to really invest in the characters and storyline (which is where I think this book fell short for me), BUT I think the length of this book allows for the quick and lighthearted read that so many people love to get lost in for an evening.

Three and a half stars.

When a book is billed as Love Is Blind meets You've Got Mail, is it wrong to feel slightly disappointed that there are no surprises in the story?

Gracie is a romantic. She's got a picture in her head of The One, he's got long floppy hair and a Dad-bod. To keep the family champagne shop running she gave up her dreams of art college in Paris and now she's barely keeping the business above water, while her sister and brother pursue their own dreams. She has been conducting a relationship of sorts with a man she was matched with on a dating app, one which doesn't provide photos. The man is question was signed up by his friends as a joke at a bachelor party and has a girlfriend. Nevertheless the two of them have discussed likes and dislikes and developed a friendship. It's a pity that this man, who Gracie refers to as 'Sir', is in a romantic relationship because otherwise he feels perfect.

Then Gracie runs into a gorgeous man in the street with the most amazing Tiffany blue eyes. She feels an immediate frisson which is then dampened by the appearance of his beautiful girlfriend and later by the realisation that he is Sebastian Andrews, the property developer who owns the building where her shop is located. Sebastian is trying to buy Gracie's shop out of the five remaining years on the lease. So now she has two men in her life, both off limits for different reasons.

Just as in the films, Gracie confides in Sir about the trials and tribulations of her life, often about the run-ins she has with Sebastian, who steadfastly refuses to stay in the villain-box in which she has put him. Since we have all seen You've Got Mail at least once a year in the 20+ years since it was released, we are all aware that Sir is also Sebastian - Lauren Layne has a a clever work around to explain why Gracie doesn't put two and two together (although now I wonder why Sebastian didn't?).

Anyway, the fact that this is a retelling of You've Got Mail is both the good thing and the bad thing about this book. Bad, because I already know the story and changing a bookshop to a champagne shop and emails to messages in a dating app is just tinkering around the edges. Good, because Lauren Layne does change what I felt was the cruelty in You've Got Mail, that Tom Hanks knew that Meg Ryan was his secret correspondent and that he toyed with her and forced her business to close and gives Gracie some more backbone.

Also, maybe in keeping with its predecessors, this is a very PG-rated book, no raunchy one-night stands for Gracie.

Recommended for fans of You've Got Mail (or those too young to remember wanting to be Meg Ryan, or at least have her hair).

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Lauren Layne never disappoints. I had so much fun reading this sweet and adorable romance. Think ‘You’ve Got Mail’ but in 2020/2021.

Gracie is a lovely, headstrong woman who’s stuck between keeping her father’s dream alive and pursuing her own dream. Then add Sebastian to the mix, a man who embodies everything Gracie despises, and we have a swoonworthy romcom with a lot of witty banter, oh, and a cat named cannoli!

What an absolute delight of a book, I really cannot recommend this enough. A perfect summer read. Thank you to netgalley for providing the arc!

Great read!
Gracie lives in New York, running the family business that was never her dream. It doesn't stop her fighting to keep it when a property developer tries to get her to close down.

She wishes she wasn't so attracted to the man who is trying to close down the business, especially when she has her on-line flirtation with Sir, a man she has never met.

Will she have a chance with either of them?

Gracie Cooper, champagne shop owner, Disney loving daydreamer, hopeless romantic and watercolour artist. In her quest for love (she knows what her dream man will look like) joins a dating app. One where instead of matching on looks (there are no photos and real names) you build a connection through messages. And she is building a connection, with “Sir”. But then irl there’s Sebastian, with his aqua eyes, who she’s drawn to but can’t stand.

This is a sweet little romance, the perfect summer read. Gracie is likeable and has a nice chemistry with the other characters. There are some lovely moments with her friends and family alongside the romance. Personally I would have liked to have had a bit more of Sebastian in the book earlier on. It’s lighthearted story but there were a couple of moments which made me a bit emotional.

I wasn’t sure if the reveal at the end of who “Sir” really was was supposed to be a surprise, this is how it seems to be written, as it was already given away in the description.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley and all options are my own.
Even before recieveing this book, it was on my TBR list as a must read for this year as I had heard great things about this story. This book truly lives up to all the hype and love surrounding it. It reads like a modern fairy tale and is perfect for those looking for a sweet and heartwarming read to transport them. I devoured this book in days as I had to find out how things worked out and I really liked the two MC's and hope there is more from them.
A great read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a romantic escape from reality.

If you loved you've got mail, this is the book for you. The storyline is basically a modern day refresh of the movie, but still manages to come across really well, despite it being obvious how things will play out. The characters come across as very likable, and the overall feeling from reading this book is like being enveloped in a warm hug from that special someone in your life. I'd definitely recommend

*Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Eternal for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

My 100th book for the year and all I can say is YES!
I loved it. Finally! I've been waiting for this book to come out for a long time.
I had a good feeling and I was right.
It reminds me of her older books I still re read one of my favourites Walk of shame.has the same feel..No one writes starchy guys in suits like Lauren. Aka Sebastian. In saying that I do miss a bit of an old Lauren Layne's spice. But still , Lauren Layne's wit and charm beats everything.
Thank you kindly for the ARC I truly enjoyed it.