cover image To Sir, with Love

To Sir, with Love

Lauren Layne. Gallery, $16 trade paper (228p) ISBN 978-1-982152-81-9

Layne (Marriage on Madison Avenue) crafts a gleefully shameless homage to Little Shop Around the Corner and You’ve Got Mail that sparkles like champagne fizz. Onetime aspiring artist Gracie Cooper reluctantly took over her family’s Manhattan champagne shop, Bubbles & More, after her father’s death. The “more” includes an art corner where she pedals her whimsical prints of colorful cocktails and New York City scenes—which bring in the only revenue keeping the struggling business afloat. Gracie’s flirtatious, text-based relationship with “Sir,” an anonymous and unavailable guy she met on a dating app under her own moniker, “Lady,” keeps her spirits up—so she’s conflicted by the instant zing of attraction she feels upon meeting Sebastian Andrews, and even more so once she learns that he’s a developer looking to buy out her lease. Rom-com fans will see the resolution of this love triangle coming from a mile away, but it’s so fun that they won’t mind. Layne grounds her Manhattan fairy tale by surrounding Gracie with supportive friends and family who advise her to step out of her comfort zone and take a chance on love. This is a delight. A[em]gent: Nicole Resciniti, the Seymour Agency. (June) [/em]