I love this book!! Its actually quite different from the other books I’ve read and I love that. Lucy is so head strong and her characteristic are amazing. When she gets her mind to something she keeps going until her work is completed. Even though she has bumps in the road she continues to move forward to make sure she is successful. Claudine is definitely one of the funniest characters and very confident. And the part where Bing tells Lucy about him and Karl going out and taking plants from peoples yard, one of my favorite parts.

I loved that the main character was a middle aged woman seeking a fresh start.

I found this second chance story charming, refreshing, and welcome. The characters were all well fleshed and this read smoothly.

One thing I didn’t love, because I feel it’s misleading, is to brand this solely as a romance, it’s more women’s fiction. This wasn’t a detractor for me, but I can see how it would be an issue for someone choosing to read this based on the “romance” aspect.

I did enjoy this one and feel it would pair nicely with summer reading near the beach or a pool. And maybe a nice glass of something chilled too.

Lucy has to start over in her late 40s. This book follows her journey and it’s a lovely trip. A hotel management professional, Lucy finds that her finances and professional reputation are in tatters (even though she was innocent in the financial scandal that ruined her) and so she’s happy to be offered a job managing a historic hotel in Rennes, France. When she arrives there, she realizes that the job is restoring a historic hotel, not just managing it! And that means she’s going to have to do a lot of the work herself, painting, etc.

Dee Ernst seems to have a knack of writing wonderful stories about women in their 40s. I loved the other book of hers that I’ve read (Maggie Finds Her Muse), so I was delighted to see a new book by her.

You will fall in love with the locals who live at the Hotel Paradis and you will root for Lucy to succeed in turning the hotel into a showplace. Along the way, you will also root for her relationship with Bing, an artist who lives in the hotel, but the romance is a bonus and not the main point of the story, in my opinion. (And for those who care about these things, this is definitely a closed-door sort of romance.) So along with the idea of a second chance, we also have the theme of “found family”, one of my favorite themes.

Rennes is absolutely now on my list of places I want to visit!

(One quibble about the cover - it makes Lucy look way too young.)

Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst

This book was just a lovely little holiday. Lucy has had a couple tough years after her boyfriend runs away, ruining not only her relationship but also her career. She jumps at the chance to start over by managing the redesign of an old family run hotel in France.

This one was pretty drama free, which I actually really appreciated. No silly miscommunication storyline, just mature adults dealing with life! How refreshing! I read most of this in one day, it was just so lovely and fun, I hope you all love it as much as I did.

Also, moving to France to redesign a hotel has now become a dream of mine. I’ve been to Paris and I absolutely loved it, would go back in a second.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my copy! This book came out yesterday.

What’s the last book you read in 1 or 2 days?

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*2.5 stars*

To start with, I would say this should definitely be categorized as more of "women fiction" than romance. Our FL Lucy, is in her late 40s when life happens and she decides to change it up. The book follows the usual beats and I did enjoy the hotel descriptions and food, but ultimately it landed a bit flat for me. Even the romantic angle didn't truly work as I didn't get that spark from the ML and FL.

A huge thanks to the Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

Lucia Gianetti was involved in a giant FBI scandal entirely not of her own making, resulting in her losing her fiance and her job as a lucrative hotel manager in one fell swoop. Unable to find work in her industry after her reputation is marred, she accepts a position to help repair and manage a dilapidated French hotel and restore it to its former pre-war glory. Along the way, she finds her confidence and potentially a man who won’t implicate her in an embezzlement scheme . . .

I liked this book. It was fine. There were parts of it I found extremely easy and fun to read, and the backdrop of Rennes, France was a nice touch (expanding beyond Paris was lovely, though I have nothing against Paris). This story didn’t grip me and it didn’t leave me necessarily wanting more. The writing was fine. The characters were fine, though there wasn’t a ton of development and the romance plotline felt a bit lackluster and rushed at the end. For those reasons, it took me about four days to get through this one, which is super long for me considering that it was a decently short book. The length of time made it feel draggy at points, and it was hard for me to care enough to get settled into the story for extended periods of time. My fault, and probably wouldn’t be an issue for most people, but it grated.

Overall, would recommend to a specific type of reader, but not everyone.

Read if you like: French hotels, found family, mid-40s ladies starting over, a dash of grumpy x sunshine, family drama, and short-but-easy reads that don’t require too much effort to follow.

Lucy needs a fresh start. She’s 4, jobless and moneyless, she needs that fresh start to happen now. She was once hotel manager at a highly glamorous NYC hotel, but when that job hits rock bottom with the owner peacing out and taking millions with him, she realizes it’s time to plan her life differently. So what does changing plans entail.. taking a job at a new hotel in a new place, France to be exact. She plans to help turn this hotel into the perfect tourist trap.

This was a fresh relief book. A second chance at making yourself into something else to enjoy. I love that the author made it an older woman rediscovering herself story, because you don’t see many of those, and it’s honestly nice and heartfelt.

The story made me laugh and made me feel like I was really on this journey with Lucy. I loved her character and storyline. It’s the perfect light read with a heartfelt meaning of second chances.

After a nearly career-ending scandal, Lucy finds herself starting her second act at what she believes to be a boutique hotel in the heart of France. Instead, she walks into a space that has sat dormant for decades and is in need of TLC to get to a point where they can welcome guests.

Taken aback by Bing, a permanent resident on the property who seems to have no confidence in her abilities, as well as the expectation that the work will get done despite skilled labor or the proper budget, Lucy gets her hands dirty and leans on the permanent guests for assistance.

This book was such a pleasant surprise for me. Over-40 rep, second act, redemption, found family, and romance swirled together to ensure I never put the book down once I picked it up. I really felt for Lucy who was juggling her past hurt as well as the shock of Hotel Paradis. The supporting characters were a joy, all endearing in their own ways. (Shoutout to Napoleon!)

Lucy Checks In is such a delightful read. I highly recommend it for those looking for a fast-paced read with a driven, over-40 FMC, a fantastic cast of characters, and a touch of romance.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

Thanks so much to @netgalley for the digital arc of Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst, published this week!

Forty-nine year old Lucia Giannetti was once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel and intimately involved with the hotel’s owner. What a glorious future awaits! But then the owner disappears, taking millions of dollars with him, Lucy’s life crumbles.

Tired of living in her parents house, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis, which hasn’t been updated much since before the war…that is 1938.

This was a great escape. I’m a fan of “do-over” stories both for physical places and people. The details of Rennes and the characters who are permanent residents of the hotel were delightful. Add in a touch of romance and this was a nice break from the day-to-day business of the end of summer/start of school.

If you enjoyed Ernst’s Maggie Finds Her Muse last year (which I did), I think you’ll enjoy this one as well.

Sweet story, loved the middle aged woman at 49 getting a second chance at life! I thought the hotellier part of the book was fascinating, and of course FRANCE! Started a little slow for me, but ended up really enjoying it.

I simply adore the cover for this book. It capture the French charm of the book, though it does make Lucy appear much younger than her 49 years. Lucy was the manager of a high end hotel in New York before the owner stole everyone’s money and left her the subject of a federal investigation and disgraced in the industry. She takes a job in Rennes, France managing a small hotel but when she arrives she discovers that rather than taking over managing an existing hotel she must essentially create one from scratch. With the help of the buildings eccentric permanent residents, she restores both the hotel and her reputation.

This is a women’s fiction book with a romantic sub-plot, so I’m not sure why it is being marketed solely as a romance. The book was enjoyable enough and a quick read. I enjoyed all of the side characters who at times stole the story and were more entertaining than Lucy. However there were moments that had me questioning whether any of the people, other than Lucy, had ever been inside a hotel because of their cluelessness about how one functions and the basic needs of a business. I loved that Lucy was a comfort eater and wonderful french food was always mentioned and described, which made me really want to return to France.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful second act, women's fiction story full of a cast of quirky secondary characters as Lucia Giannetti travels to France to help renovate a new boutique hotel after her career and love life in NYC went up in flames.

I loved these characters! This was such a fun story. Highly recommended if you enjoyed One Italian summer but wanted more of the mom's story or liked the movie, The exotic marigold hotel. We need more stories about women finding success and love later in life and this one is excellent.

Great on audio too narrated by Gillian Vance and perfect for fans of Maggie finds her muse (also by Dee Ernst). Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Much like Ernest’s last book, the setting of this book will hook you right away, then the vulnerable characters and supporting cast will keep you reading! Definitely more women’s fiction than romance, it was a fun change of pace for me!

•More mature in age character restarting and rediscovering her life.
•The setting! Rennes, France sounds incredible! I’m read for a trip!
•A hotel renovation!! I’ve read so many renovation books lately and you know I love it!
•Sweet side characters
•Touch of romance. Of course, I would have liked more, but the story was about Lucy’s personal journey.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the last book I read by Dee Ernst - Maggie Finds Her Muse - so I had high hopes for this one. And they were all for naught.

This book loses itself in the renovation of Hotel Paradis. It drags and focuses more on the physical changes and less on the relationships that develop. The richer emotional life from Maggie is totally absent here. We don't experience Lucy's struggles with her self-confidence and trust, we're told about them. And the end feels a bit deus ex machina to me.

This feels like a draft, not a complete story. I'm not sure why I finished it. I guess I kept hoping it would improve?

As it stands, I won't be recommending this one.

If you’re looking for an uplifting read with some romance grab this one. It’s a cute, quick read when the FMC who is down on her luck, out of options, heads to France to take a new job. She is hired in hopes to turn a struggling hotel around. Overall I enjoyed it.

At first, I really struggled to get into this one. However, I did end up enjoying it in the end.

Lucy is a hotel manager who had lost her job because the man she had loved stole all of the money from the hotel and ran away. She moves to France for a fresh start in her industry. However, the hotel is very run down and is very different from what she is used to. Despite this, Lucy stays on to help renovate the hotel.

I went into this thinking it would be more of a romance, but I would say it's more of a women's fiction.

Overall, I didn’t really feel connected to any of the characters or the storyline, and some plot lines just did not seem realistic. There were also times where the dialogue felt choppy, but this may also be because they were supposed to be speaking French.

In regards to the romance, to me it felt very surface level and I didn't really feel like they were truly in love by the end of the story.

However, I loved reading about the renovations of the hotel and the transformation it underwent (probably because I'm an HGTV girly lol). I also loved watching Lucy grow and open up to new possibilities throughout the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this story of Lucy and her starting over in France. I loved hearing about the interesting cast of characters that she encountered when she ended up in France. I could picture the hotel Paradis and all of the rooms they redid and changes they made. I also enjoyed the little bit of romance with Lucy and Bing.

4.5/5 stars

Lucy Checks In is my second book by this author (I really enjoyed Maggie Finds Her Muse). I would categorize it as women's fiction with some romance.

This book follows 49 year old Lucy (1st person POV) to France as she tries to re-build her life. She is hired as a hotel manager in Rennes. But when she gets there things are not what she expected.

I was not sure what to expect from this book. I went into it not realizing that it is being marketed as a rom-com. There are some fun and funny parts and there is some romance. But to me the romance is not the main focus of the story.

The supporting characters are everything in this book! And the setting was amazing. I absolutely loved everything to do with the hotel and I really liked the romance. The last part of the book was so good that overall it just made me feel so good about this book!

4.5/5

Thoroughly enjoyed Lucy's journey to Rennes, France to not only help rebuild the Hotel Paradis but to also rebuild her life after being blindsided by her lover back in the states. The story was charming, delightful, and funny, and I loved the quirky characters in the story. This was a great escape to France from the comfort of my favorite reading chair. Dee Ernst has become a favorite author for me. Can't wait for her next book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the review copy.

I thought this book started a little slow but picked. up as it went on. I found that once Lucy got started overseeing the hotel renovations in France, it picked up. The characters that live in the hotel are interesting & fun to get to know. Lucy's development was delightful to read as well.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review