REVIEW: "To Sir, With Love" by Lauren Layne (Romantic Comedy)

TO SIR, WITH LOVE by Lauren Layne
	Publisher: Gallery Books Genre: Romantic Comedy Publication Date: June 29th 2021 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Enemies to Lovers, Alter Ego, Creatives, Digital Meet-Cute, Nice Guy
Other Books by Lauren Layne
Description from Publisher:
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.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
I am an absolute sucker for stories where people communicate online/through letters/texts without quite realizing who they are talking to. When I saw that this involved two people falling in love with one another, twice, I had to request it on Netgalley! This is a story of Gracie, a woman who has been running her family's champagne shop basically by herself, with little help from her brother or sister (with all of the pressure of keeping it going and few perks). She quit persuing her dream of being an artist to take it over, making the stress that much harder. The only thing that she really gets to do for herself is create alcohol-inspired art to sell in a section of the shop, hoping to turn more of a profit. A joy in her days is also sending messages with the man she met on a dating app, known only as Sir, who is only a friend since he is in a relationship. Enter Sebastian. Big Box competition looking to buy her family shop out. But she doesn't know that when she meets him on the street... feels a connection... and then meets his gorgeous and friendly girlfriend. It's only later, when he comes into the shop that she realizes who he is. From then, these two butt heads several times, and the banter is a lot of fun. They have fantastic chemistry and you just want them together. Sebastian keeps popping up places, and into the shop, and Gracie can't help but start to actually like the guy. I loved them together, as friends, and the "Sir" part was also a delight. The moment that Sebastian realizes what's happening is pretty cute, as are all of his actions from then on. He's definitely not the alpha male type (anyone who has read my reviews knows the Nice Guy is my favorite!), and you seriously can't help but swoon a bit. He gives advice to Gracie about what to do with her feelings for Sir, and then is just really a sweetheart. This has a very "You've Got Mail" vibe, but I'd say it works well standing on its own.
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About the Author: Lauren Layne
Lauren Layne is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Hot Asset, Hard Sell, and Huge Deal in her 21 Wall Street series, as well as her Central Park Pact series. Her books have sold more than a million copies in nine languages. Lauren’s work has been featured in Publishers Weekly, Glamour, the Wall Street Journal, and Inside Edition. She is based in New York City.