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!

After finding out that the man she loved and trusted turned out to be a thief on a large scale and left her ‘holding the bag’, Lucy is worn out from being questioned and ostracized. When she has the opportunity to move to France to manage the Hotel Paradis, she jumps on the offer, thinking of all the beauty, charm and treasures in an older building. What she finds is very different, enough that she thinks of going home but there’s really nothing there for her anymore.

I just loved all of the wonderful characters that live at the hotel – Bing, an artist who has lived in the hotel for many years and interesting details about his life. Claudine, the owner of the hotel, is just such a lovely woman but has a spine of steel when it comes to getting the hotel ready for guests and something to pass to her son.

The descriptions of the food markets, the restaurants and the wonderful cuisine, touring various historical locations, learning about the culture and more, made me feel like I was there. All the work involved with updating the hotel, the people involved and Lucy’s special brand of magic when designing, were vividly described and I could almost visualize the spaces.

This story was a delight to read about a woman who learns how overcome obstacles, finds friends and family that loves her for herself, and finding a new home with more than she ever expected.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this new work. I highly recommend!

This was a delightful escape to France. I loved the cast of characters and how they all worked together both in personality and roles throughout the story. I really enjoyed a story focused on an older group. I feel like over and over I'm reading about people in their 20s and their self-discovery but it was refreshing to have a story told from someone who had already established themselves and had it ripped away and then finding themselves again. Overall, this was a fun read and I'd recommend.

When you want to just throw in the towel and run away to another country to start over, France is a pretty good choice! That is what our heroine Lucy does after a devastating scandal completely upends her life. She finds herself in the lovely village of Rennes and begins to rebuild her confidence and trust among an eclectic group of people. I enjoyed watching as Lucy gained her confidence back and as the Hotel Paradis took shape. It was lovely to visualize this grand hotel regaining its place along with Lucy. And I enjoyed the interactions of most of the characters, only wishing the young lovers could have had a cleaner storyline. This is definitely a book about second chances and involves characters in mid to late life which is also refreshing. If you enjoy romances set in beautiful places or have ever dreamed of living in a hotel, this is a great story for you.

GoodReads:
This is a sweet story with a simple romance. I really enjoyed the upward trajectory of getting your life back together after something totally out of your hands blew up your career. I also appreciated that the main character is in her 40s. More detailed review to come!

Check out my full review. (Link will be live August 23, 2022).

*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Book Blog:
I have a real soft spot for romances whose main character is in a “needs a fresh start” spot in life. I was further intrigued by the age of a protagonist. I can’t remember the last time I saw a main character in a romance in her forties, let alone in her forties without kids.

Lucy has a delightful character arc. She starts off seeming a little high maintenance and self-critical, but then we get some reveals that show valid reasons for her being the way she is currently. Then we see her willingness to adapt and change. And honestly it’s easy to empathize with Lucy. She’s having to almost start over from scratch at 49 for reasons way beyond her control. I suppose one could judge her for dating the owner of the hotel but it’s realistic that a lot of people do date those they work with.

Then there’s the setting. I was at first surprised this wasn’t set in Paris (seems like all of these sorts of books are) but I enjoyed the setting of Rennes. I liked the old hotel, the apartments that were once stables. It was definitely a what a cool place to live vibe. I also think the author handled reminding us of the various languages the characters were speaking like it was a movie while still pretty much always writing in English. It was smoothly done yet necessary, and I appreciated that a big mark in Lucy’s favor for this job to begin with was her fluency in French. Because…not everyone speaks English, people.

Now, I didn’t really get hot and bothered for the romance. I didn’t dislike it either. It just was. It’s reasonably done and charming enough, I suppose, but to me the big sell of the book was the setting much more than the romance. I think I also worry a bit about Lucy’s work life and personal life becoming so entwined yet again. And not just in the romance. She’s got a close relationship with the older woman owner of the hotel too. Did the woman learn nothing from embezzlementgate?

Lucy has a brother with alcoholism. The book handles the relative with kindness, but also there’s constant wine drinking because it’s France. Lucy drinks with lunch and dinner on a seemingly daily basis. It seems like questionable behavior, but she never stops to consider it. Something that I would have hoped she’d have done at some point over the course of the book given her brother. Like even just a hm, maybe I should cut back to one glass of wine with dinner thought toward the end of the book would have been nice.

Overall, imagine this as Emily in Paris but with a 40-something main character who can actually speak French, set in Rennes, and with a focus on hotels/architecture instead of fashion. If that appeals to you, then I encourage you to pick it up.

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This is like Emily in Paris if she was 49 years old, was fluent in French, and worked in hotels instead of fashion. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

#bookalicious #booksinthewild #avidreader #bookaesthetic #whatimreading #bookrecs #bookishcommunity #emilyinparis

This was a bit slower to start for me, but I hit my stride once I got into it.

I enjoyed reading a book with an older FMC, and the setting was *chef’s kiss*. I love a book set in Europe. Overall a sweet book with a hint of romance.

I did hate Bing’s name though. Why is his name Bing? It annoyed me so much and I couldn’t get past it.

To be completely honest I think I wasn’t the right fit for this book, I’m in my early 20’s so I had a really hard time relating to this story, however I did think the writing was very compelling and I definitely will be recommending to my mother for I think it will be a better fit for her.

Having read several of the author’s previous books as well as the synopsis for this one, I was expecting (correctly) that it would be more women’s fiction than romance even though it’s being marketed as a rom-com. The publishers are doing a real disservice to the book with both the marketing and a cover featuring a young looking woman as it’s actually a delightful story about a 49 YO woman forced to start over at a time in life when many people have already achieved personal and professional success and are reaping the benefits of their earlier efforts.

After building a high-powered and successful career in hotel management, the MC, Lucy, has lost everything in her professional and personal life thanks to her misplaced trust in her former lover, the owner of a popular NYC hotel who embezzled several million dollars from investors and employee pension accounts, including Lucy’s, and skipped town leaving Lucy broke and in a heap of trouble with the FBI even though she knew nothing about his scheme. Two years later, she’s finally cleared of wrongdoing, but with her professional life in ruins, she is forced to accept the only position she’s offered, to renovate an aging boutique hotel in Rennes, France.

The hotel and the position turn out to be nothing like her initial daydreams, but as she (somewhat reluctantly) rolls up her sleeves and plunges into the required renovations, she starts to fall under the spell of the beautiful old building, its determined owner, and the hotel’s long-term occupants, all of whom have invested in the renovation to various degrees and are determined to see it succeed. There is also a fun romance subplot featuring Bing, a long-term hotel resident who is a well-known children’s book author and artist who turns out to be perfect for Lucy, even though he’s initially skeptical of her ability to pull off the renovation. Much of the book follows the renovation in detail, which made my HGTV loving heart very happy, and I really enjoyed seeing Lucy open up to her neighbors after her trust in her own judgement was so shattered. The setting in Brittany, that is rarely featured in books for the US market, was wonderful and brought back great memories of my trip there. I also read and loved the author’s previous book, set in Paris, Maggie Meets Her Muse, and I’m hoping there are more books to come. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I really loved this sweet story and found myself hooked by the likeable heroine and strong sense of place. I would love to hear more from Lucy! Thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of this enjoyable read.

Another fantastic book about a middle aged woman getting a second chance to truly live by Dee Ernst! I loved last year’s Maggie Finds Her Muse, and I was not disappointed by her latest. Funny, sweet, and moving, I found this to be the perfect summery read. Ernst has such a talent for transporting the reader to another place. I truly felt like I was at an old hotel in Rennes, France, consuming all the delicious bread and wine! In addition to the vivid setting, I loved that the protagonist is an older woman and the found family of characters at Hotel Paradis. My only small gripe was that I didn’t feel a ton of chemistry between Lucy and Bing, and their romance went from zero to sixty in a way I found hard to believe. This book was a true delight that will have you ready to book a trip to France!