Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy for my honest review!!

This was a cute book! I enjoyed the characters and the setting! I however really didn’t love how long the chapters were. Gosh they were really long. There were a lot of regular side characters to keep track of. There was a lot of repetition of Lucy’s past and describing the French work contracts. And honestly, I thought Lucy was a young woman until she mentioned she had gray hair and her age. She comes off very immature and inexperienced in life except for the hotel business. I didn’t love that there was a last second love story thrown in. Then the last part of the book where she all of a sudden becomes her nieces legal guardian and uproots them to France seems pretty out there for me. I mean I have two kids and thinking about taking them from what they know to a foreign country seems very outrageous. He ghost was so random too.

I did however love the driver, Georges, and the chef Stavros! They were such sweet side characters! I will say though, as much as this book wasn’t for me, I loved the images created of this old historic hotel and seeing it rise through the ashes! It made me want to stay there! Very beautiful image building of the hotel!

This book was definitely more chick-lit than I expected. Although, I did quite enjoy this read! I really liked that Lucy basically started her life over at 49. That gives me hope that if she can do it, I know I would be able to.

I really enjoyed the side characters the most though. They each had their own little story and I adored it.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Almost 50 year old Lucy Giannetti is starting over in France managing/fixing up a hotel. But it isn't quite like she expected. Even though this was pretty predictable, this book was a quick and easy read.



Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for an honest review.

This is very entertaining, slow burn love story. Lucy is known as the woman who could turn any hotel around. She worked for a wealthy hotel owner who embezzled millions and left the country. No one believes Lucy when she tells them that she knew nothing about his scheme, but she is left disgraced.

She ends up in France, faced with the task of turning a run around house into a hotel. There’s quite a cast of characters who already live there, and as she stays longer and longer she becomes part of their family.

One of the residents is a sexy man named Bing. Bing and Lucy spend a lot of time fixing up the rooms, and the two get closer and closer. Their attraction for one another is undeniable, but Lucy is not sure if she wants to get involved.

Can Lucy turn the Hotel Paradise into a 5 star hotel? Can she and Brad find a little paradise for themselves?

This was such a fun book to read, I highly recommend it. 4.5 stars.

Synopsis:

Dee Ernst's Lucy Checks In is a delightful work of romantic comedy about a disgraced hotel manager who travels to Rennes to rebuild a hotel and her own life in the process.

Lucia Giannetti needs a fresh start. Once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel and intimately involved with the hotel’s owner, Lucy had her entire future planned out. But when the owner disappears, taking millions of dollars with him, Lucy's life as she knows it falls apart.

Two years later, forty-nine years old and unemployed, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis. She pictures fur quilts and extravagant chandeliers, but what she finds is wildly different. Lucy is now in charge of turning the run-down, but charming hotel into a bustling tourist attraction. Between painting rooms, building a website, and getting to know Bing, the irritatingly attractive artist, Lucy finds an unexpected home. But can she succeed in bringing the Hotel Paradis to its former glory? 

Witty and heartfelt, Lucy Checks In is an inspiring and feel-good novel about reclaiming your life, finding love, and creating a home in places you never thought possible.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a fun novel about second chances with a little bit of romance. Lucy takes a hotel job in Rennes, France, after being investigated for embezzlement by the FBI after the owner steals a boatload of money and disappears. What she thinks will be running it is actually helping to get it in running order. We go on a lighthearted journey as Lucy figures out her new place and meets a bunch of great characters.

I must note that Lucy is forty-nine years old and it was refreshing to have the second chance not be about a young person with their whole life ahead of them. While not really laugh out funny, I smiled often and adored Lucy and her new coworkers and hotelmates. If you’ve ever needed a second chance, you’ll like reading about Lucy.

This book was a fun. I enjoyed seeing a book where the heroine was a little older than most people are in romance books. I loved all the HGTV vibes. This felt like a classic Hallmark movie and it felt like a really interesting story. I probably wouldn't have picked this up without the description and some of the other early reviews. But I'm glad I did.

Classic Rom-Com! Super positive and light. Easy read and the author does a good job making the reader feel like they’re actually in the book. Very inspiring. I thought it was a little long but I loved all the characters and their quirky personalities :)

Thank you NetGalley, author, and publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review. Loved Dee’s first book so I was excited to read this one! Easy and heart warming story. Loved it!

As a big fan of Maggie Finds Her Muse, I was really looking forward to Lucy Checks In, the second novel by author Dee Ernst, released earlier this month.
Lucy is recruited to oversee the renovation of a small family-owned hotel in France. Lucy thought her life in the hotel business was over after her former boss (and lover) stole millions of dollars and disappeared, leaving her fellow employees, other hotel managers, and even the FBI thinking that she must have been in on his plan. Having not worked for two years and stuck in NJ without any other options and no money after paying all the lawyer fees to get exonerated, Lucy decides to move to Rennes for the job. When she arrives, the hotel is in need of lots of work and, instead of overseeing a team of professionals, Lucy finds herself charged with painting and scrubbing the hotel back to perfection. Her hard work pays off as she re-finds both herself and her faded confidence throughout her experiences in the town and her interactions with the other permanent residents of the hotel.
Sadly, there were a few misses for me in reading and reviewing this one. First, the misleading cover didn’t match the story inside. Contrary to the young woman on the cover, the MC of Lucy Checks In is a 49 year old woman with a few extra pounds, and contrary to the rom-com quality of the cover and the romance classification, this reads as women’s fiction.
Second, the pacing felt off. I struggled to keep going through the first half of the book, setting it down for multiple breaks that lasted days at a time. If it hadn’t been an ARC, I may have DNFed. But the last 35% of the book was excellent! I laughed, I cried, and I couldn’t put it down (finally!). The romance was a small part of it, but it was excellently portrayed.
Many thanks to St Martin’s Press, St Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I love stories with older (single) protagonists showing that women continue to live and experience new opportunities beyond the age of 30, even romance! I think if you’re very interested in detailed hotel renovations, you might enjoy this one throughout, not just the end as I did!

This was a very enjoyable story. A bit slow to start, I soon fell in love with the characters and thoroughly enjoyed my time.

I enjoyed reading Lucy Checks In. I think the best way to describe the book this genre falls into is “coming of age” but after Lucy experiences a devastating betrayal. Following someone as they begin life anew in a different country and have to start over can be inspiring. This book provided the opportunity to get to know all of the other special characters in the book. It taught me a bit about being willing to open yourself up after you’ve been hurt and betrayed.

I picked this book up just needing a light read something that was funny and I could just quickly read, this book definitely delivered in those aspects. I loved how lucy pursued her dream job in France and the subtle and slow romance that wasn't the main plot. However, this book was just okay and nothing super unique, it was a fun read while I was reading it but not too memorable or a new all-time favorite read.
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*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

First of all… THIS COVER! Seriously so cute. Overall I liked this book, but I did personally have a hard time connecting with Lucy since she’s 49. I think it’s really admirable how she had the courage to move to a hotel without knowing much of anything about managing such a huge project! The work she does on the hotel is really the progression she is making with self-love. And the cute artist!!! I love that he’s added in, though Lucy is really the main focus of the book. (It’s a little more women’s fiction)

I expected just a bit more from this book, but it was a cute, quirky, and heartwarming.

Dee Ernst’s LUCY CHECKS IN was a delightful read to curl up with and I enjoyed every minute of my time with Lucy and the rest of Ernst’s interesting cast of characters. It was a marvelous tale of starting over with a second act/chance at life.
Lucy was at the top of her game in the hotel industry, in charge of one of the top hotels in New York City, until her boyfriend/owner takes off with millions leaving her holding the bag. Under investigation, no one believes she knew nothing about his plans. Two years later, she’s finally cleared but her career is done, or so she thought. When she get the chance to start over running a boutique hotel in France, she jumps at the chance. The opportunity isn’t quite what she expected, and she’s forced to re-evaluate her expectations and re-discover her confidence.
Being of a similar age, it was refreshing to read about someone in their second act, trying to find the path to their future. The characters were fun, and I loved watching Lucy grow into herself and find a different dream.
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#LucyChecksIn #DeeErnst #StMartinsPress

I really enjoyed this quick read. I'm a fan of Dee Ernst's books and this one doesn't disappoint! A disgraced hotel manager moves to France for a job that she didn't pay enough attention to the details.

A romance with a long time resident unfolds as Lucy returns the dilapidated old hotel to its former glory. I liked the story of all the long time residents of the hotel, the owner and Lucy's back story in the book.

I enjoy romances with older main characters and in like that Dee Ernst's main characters are women in their 40-50s. Lucy Checks In starts with Lucy moving to Rennes, France to re-start her life as the manager of a small hotel.

Honestly, I was bored the first half of the book as it seemed to move very slowly. I didn't like Lucy - she seemed too stuck up and confused when she arrived in France about the condition of the hotel despite the owner being truthful I'm not sure why I continued reading this but I did like the descriptions of the hotel, the fixing it up and the wonderful people working to fix up the hotel too. Plus it was nice to have a book set in a smaller French city and not Paris.

This is more of a women's fiction then a romance. Honestly the romance was such a small sub plot and felt kinda forced to me.

Lucy Checks In is a deliciously satisfying uplifting story about a woman after a horrendous scandal and heartache who had accomplished so much and was now starting from scratch learns that true meaning of hard work, friendship and love.

Lucia Giannetti and her wonderful life turned into a disaster. A hotel manager at a fancy NYC hotel, she lived in a beautiful apartment within the complex and had fallen in love with the owner of the hotel. Then one day the owner of said hotel disappears and along with him are the pensions of all the employees and much more, leaving Lucy to pick up the pieces and unfortunately, heartbroken, being looked at as his accomplice, and also jobless.

After fighting for her reputation, having no money and living with her parents at the age of 50, Lucy is approached to manage a hotel in France. It is a hotel in a small town called Hotel Paradis. She arrives with sugar plums dancing in her head. Unfortunately, what she finds is a pretty dilapidated hotel with a group of eccentrics living there who are employees of sorts and quite the cast of characters! The rooms need painting and beds, and she is now responsible for not only fixing up the rooms, but establishing a website, with pictures!

The owner, Claudine, who speaks no English believes Lucy is the lifeline to the hotel’s future, while the other employees see her packing her bags and fleeing! With little money, Lucy and the gang must pull together and be as creative as possible to figure out ways to improve the interior and exterior of a rundown flophouse.

But as Lucy starts to envision what could possibly be a gorgeous, cozy hotel and as she enlists the help of the workers who are beginning to accept her as a friend, one in particular who makes her blush, she soon begins to see a boost in her confidence and begins to believe she can succeed.

But her happiness and success are interrupted by a devastating event back in the States and leaves Lucy trying to figure out where her home and her heart truly belong.

Lucy Checks In is an unforgettable, feel-good story with loveable characters and powerful messages for anyone who has ever been down on their luck.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sGriffin #DeeErnst #LucyChecksIn for the advanced copy.

If you love books with little to no stress this book is for you. The characters are absolutely wonderful-a breath of fresh air. Lucy is such a relatable main character. The discussion around difficult topics was done really well and if such sensitivity. I found myself not wanting to put the book down.

This novel follows Lucy as she makes her way to France after her life crumbles in the US. The unforeseen circumstances cause Lucy to lose all trust in herself. When arriving in France, she realizes her job was a bigger project than she bargained for. As Lucy chipped away at the project, the readers are able to see Lucy build herself back up again.

The synopsis of this book felt right up my alley! Woman is going through major traumatic event and upheaval in life, woman gets a job managing an old hotel in France, woman realizes the job isn't exactly what she pictured but regroups, readjusts, revitalizes the hotel and ultimately kicks ass while falling in love!

It had all the makings of a perfect rom-com! But...and I hate that there's a but...it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I loved the characters, from the main character Lucy to the side characters like the quirky cab driver and elegant yet eccentric hotel owner! And I loved the setting, this author did a beautiful job of creating a stunning backdrop for the story. The way she described the old French hotel was lovely! And I enjoyed the relationships between the characters - from the romance between Lucy and her love interest to the bond that she has with her nieces. I also loved that Lucy wasn't a typical twenty something just figuring out her life. She's a woman around her late 40's/early 50's who thought she had things figured out but life dealt her a bad hand and she was left to figure out a new plan. I loved that the author chose to write her as a older woman who got the rug ripped out from under her instead of following the narrative that the older you are the more "figured out" your life should be, it doesn't always happen that way. Lucy showed that you can have a second act in business and in love.

However, it felt like a lot of the story was spent leading up to the climax of the book, the shocking revelation that sends our heroine on a slightly different trajectory. And it was so disappointing because I was about 65-75% of the way through the book feeling like nothing was going to happen and then boom, a huge bomb is dropped in passing and then the resolution felt rushed through the last quarter of the book.

It was disappointing because the ending could've been so much more! I was left feeling short changed but ultimately the story was light, fluffy and a good beach book!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advanced reader copy!

Lucy Checks In follows Lucy after she finds herself swept up in an investment scandal regarding the fancy hotel she managed in NYC. At 50, she moves back in with her parents to stay out of the spotlight, and while she's there, she's offered a job as the manager of the Hotel Paradis in Rennes, France. With no other options, she packs her bags and heads to France - only to find out that the hotel needs a total and complete renovation that she is fully expected to handle. As she begins to improve the hotel, she makes friends with the guests and slowly starts to improve her own life - finding a family in the French countryside.

This was a super fast read for me, but it took a little while for the characters and story to really endear themselves to me. This one snuck up on me for sure though, and I quickly found myself smitten with the Hotel Paradis and all of the people who loved it. Lucy was a great main character, but the supporting cast added so much to the story and I loved learning about each of their backgrounds. I also thought the descriptions of the hotel and subsequent renovations were a super fun added aspect!

A huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion! All opinions are my own!