To Sir, With Love - Lauren Layne

Perpetually cheerful and eager to please, Gracie Cooper strives to make the best out of every situation. So when her father dies just five 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 to turn the store into a parking garage. 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. (link)

Review: 3/5

I think I rated this book a three because I just... Yeah. This book was full of clichés. Don’t get me wrong, I read it really quickly, but it was just a little too predictable, for my tastes. I had a little beef with how obvious the plot line was, and it felt too “Sex In The City” to me. You’re telling me out of all the people in Boston or Manhattan or New York (wherever the hell this book is set), you run into the same guy three different times? And then you think he has it out for you because he keeps engaging with your business?

I honestly think this was one of those reads where I was really pissed off at the main narrator/character because she didn’t really have a backbone. I understand that when your parents die you want to take over their business for them and you don’t wanna let other people down… But why are you not allowing other people to help you, especially when you need it? And when you ask for help, it’s very obviously too late? Can nothing work out the way it is supposed to? Why is everything so cynical and why was this main character so cynical?

I think I get really pissed off with some enemies to lovers' books when they’re not done right because of course the guy is in love with you!!! He’s gonna be in love with you because he’s the only other guy in the book! But how are you going to narrate with this attitude where “oh he keeps coming to these work events that I’m having so now he’s plotting on my downfall.” Sorry? Why would he spend $300 to plot on your downfall? I don’t really understand the logical thinking behind that. I know that we all get wrapped up in our feelings (like I am right now) but I just don’t understand the thought process.

This character was really aggravating. Not only was it enemies to lovers on her end, but there were also so many miscommunication plot points. I was so tired of it by the end of the book that I was like “Well, I’m kinda glad that’s over.”

Not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, because it was simple and easy to read (which always makes me feel smarter), but it definitely wasn’t in my top 20 romance books this year. It would probably be 21.

I saw this book recommended on BookTok as someone’s favorite standalone romance, and I don’t know why I disagree so heavily but I do. Maybe I’m just getting bad vibes. I hope the author isn’t an awful person, but I am an empath. Maybe that’s why I didn’t like it. Don’t shoot the messenger. But in this case, I did write the letter. Read it for yourself and let me know your thoughts.

Do you have music that reminds you of a certain time and place that you haven’t been before but you have a strong connection with it? That’s the playlist that I have for this one. It's a little nostalgic, but it is really good! I would even dare say better than the book!

Spotify: LINK