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meigothic's review against another edition
3.0
There are some books that feel like movies, and not in a very positive way (but don't get me wrong, I def. love movies, and rom com movies... just on my own terms, for lack of a better way to express it?? LMAO), and this is one of them to me. My definition of "books that feel like movies" in this case is where it feels like I'm only getting the surface level of characters and not much depth, and that the pacing of the events are akin to those of a movie, rather than a book. On top of that, dialogue feels more like a crafted screenplay than natural speech. It makes sense. To Sir, With Love is an homage to You've Got Mail, and it's one of my favorite movies and tropes which is why I picked it up in the first place. These kinds of books that "feel like movies" to me are always kind of hit or miss. And here, it was a bit of a miss.
There were definitely some cute moments. It's got a funny and unfortunate meet cute, it's got some epistolary romance vibes -- but again, the tone and even diction of their texts didn't really feel natural to me. Even all of Gracie's dialogue with her siblings felt a little stiff. To be honest, I also just didn't really feel the chemistry most of the time, and that definitely hurt it. One of the best things about epistolary romances is that the text messages/letters, etc. give a lot of insight to the characters and also build up a great camaraderie and just pure attraction through the vulnerability, but here, the messages didn't really add much to those vibes for me at all. Gracie and Sebastian's best moments were obviously in-person, but the buildup didn't really add up. It kind of felt like there was just an awkward jump from the enemies to lovers simply because of Gracie's preconceived notions of "finding the one" and her believing it was him immediately. Which is also kind of the point BUT STILL.
There were definitely some cute moments. It's got a funny and unfortunate meet cute, it's got some epistolary romance vibes -- but again, the tone and even diction of their texts didn't really feel natural to me. Even all of Gracie's dialogue with her siblings felt a little stiff. To be honest, I also just didn't really feel the chemistry most of the time, and that definitely hurt it. One of the best things about epistolary romances is that the text messages/letters, etc. give a lot of insight to the characters and also build up a great camaraderie and just pure attraction through the vulnerability, but here, the messages didn't really add much to those vibes for me at all. Gracie and Sebastian's best moments were obviously in-person, but the buildup didn't really add up. It kind of felt like there was just an awkward jump from the enemies to lovers simply because of Gracie's preconceived notions of "finding the one" and her believing it was him immediately. Which is also kind of the point BUT STILL.
annnu_bubble's review against another edition
5.0
Lauren Layne's books are my go to when I'm in reading slump. Non spicy but makes your heart flutter with every page turning.. I really love her writing style. She's able to keep you edge of your seat with her every book and this one is no exception too.
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Simply spectacular!
Everything I’ve come to expect from a Lauren Layne book and more.
Gracie, our heroine, is incredibly likable. She's smart, strong and sweet.
Sebastian was oh so swoon worthy! Definitely one of my favorite Layne book boyfriends. The writing here was tight, sharp and fun.
They were awesome together. I loved their verbal sparring and chemistry, seriously, so entertaining!
The supporting characters in this book were great, I would love Keva and Grady book.
Another well-written and clean-plotted book from Ms. Layne with characters you cannot help but fall in love with and root for.
Special thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster and Gallery Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.
Everything I’ve come to expect from a Lauren Layne book and more.
Gracie, our heroine, is incredibly likable. She's smart, strong and sweet.
Sebastian was oh so swoon worthy! Definitely one of my favorite Layne book boyfriends. The writing here was tight, sharp and fun.
They were awesome together. I loved their verbal sparring and chemistry, seriously, so entertaining!
The supporting characters in this book were great, I would love Keva and Grady book.
Another well-written and clean-plotted book from Ms. Layne with characters you cannot help but fall in love with and root for.
Special thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster and Gallery Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.
luchikreads's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
readwithkiekie's review against another edition
DNF’d after the first chapter.
Why Lauren felt it was okay to call a couple of months old baby a “ladies man” for being breastfed I don’t know, but keep that heteronormative shit to yourself. It’s vile and super uncomfortable. She also calls boys assaulting girls in playground and school a way of them showing they like a girl.
Why Lauren felt it was okay to call a couple of months old baby a “ladies man” for being breastfed I don’t know, but keep that heteronormative shit to yourself. It’s vile and super uncomfortable. She also calls boys assaulting girls in playground and school a way of them showing they like a girl.
ellielot's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
i wish there were more chapters when they got together
_bookfates_carla_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
suzyq436's review against another edition
5.0
Woo! Slap me silly and colour me all colours of the rainbow! This book was amazing.
It was fun yet angsty (oh my the angst). I will never think about aqua blue eyes the same way again.
I adore the pen pal trope, albeit digital, and this one had it in spades. The banter between the main characters was on point and plop a good dose of angst on top of all of that and I could not get enough.
Props to Lauren and her writing. Her descriptions truly create the atmosphere and had me wanting to buy some of the paintings described in here.
It was fun yet angsty (oh my the angst). I will never think about aqua blue eyes the same way again.
I adore the pen pal trope, albeit digital, and this one had it in spades. The banter between the main characters was on point and plop a good dose of angst on top of all of that and I could not get enough.
Props to Lauren and her writing. Her descriptions truly create the atmosphere and had me wanting to buy some of the paintings described in here.