This was such an easy summer read. I really enjoyed following Lucy’s new adventure and it gave me a bit of wanderlust, but there was still a serious side with the things happening in her family. I felt like the book was really balanced and I enjoyed it!

Perfect vacation read in my opinion! The descriptions really painted a good picture of the setting and I had a fun time reading.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (closed door and brief fade to black sex scenes)
Trigger Warning: death of a loved one, brief mentions of cancer and alcoholism

Lucy Giannetti has worked in hotels all her life, but two years ago her boss/boyfriend was found guilty of embezzlement. After being investigated for her possible involvement, Lucy was forced to move home in her late forties while she struggled to find work. Now her luck seems to have changed. Lucy has been hired as the manager of Hotel Paradis in Rennes, France. When she arrives, though, it's nothing like she imagined and will be a much bigger job than she's ever faced. As Lucy and the other residents of the hotel work to prepare for its historic reopening, she starts believing in herself again and finds a family of people who aren't focused on her troubled past. Perhaps Hotel Paradis is just what Lucy needed to build a successful and happy future.

Well this was just delightful! I know some people don't like women's fiction, but I enjoyed this story of found family and overcoming past hurts. I loved reading about the French culture and how Lucy was able to soak in the simple joys of her surroundings. The side characters were all lovable and supported Lucy throughout the difficult renovations. It was also really fun to learn about how they cleaned, decorated, and restored Hotel Paradis to get it up and running as a chic and charming boutique hotel in Rennes. There was even a bit of romance between Lucy and Bing that picked up at the end and was really sweet. Lucy really found herself and was in such a good place at the end emotionally, and it was nice to read about a heroine finding happiness later in life. If you like women's fiction then I think you'll really enjoy this book!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy is forty-nine years old and starting over. Two years after the owner of the hotel she managed (who also happened to be her boyfriend) ran off with millions of dollars and left her to take the fall, ruining her professional reputation and draining her savings, Lucy has been offered a job managing a hotel in Rennes, France. She has visions of a beautiful countryside chateau with opulent furnishings, but when she arrives she finds something altogether different from her expectations. Now Lucy has to renovate a charming but run-down hotel in the center of the old city and get it ready for customers, find her confidence again, while also getting to know the charming but quirky inhabitants of the hotel.

This was a charming book that felt like its own vacation. Lucy has been through a lot and she has baggage, but she also has courage and humor that make her a relatable and fun narrator. The descriptions of Rennes, the hotel, and the people she meets there are all wonderful and charming, and shenanigans that go on to get the hotel ready bring a lightness to events that could be turned into major conflicts by other authors. Instead, the conflicts in this book - while feeling authentic and honest to the characters - are never ones that create too much angst or get in the way of the overall tone of the story. This is a happy story with happy endings for pretty much everyone, and it is a perfect read for someone wanting a feel-good book. Even better, the most of the characters (and the people in the primary love story) are middle-aged, not twenty-somethings, so there is a gravity to them that comes with experience and living lives that are full but not always happy. Honestly, who wouldn't want to visit Rennes and the Hotel Paradis after reading Lucy Checks In?

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Lucy Checks In early in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

Lucy Checks In is a lighthearted read that I felt lent more towards self discovery than romance, as Lucy tries to rebuild her life and career. It was a bit of a slow start for me, but overall was a great read!

Reviews Posted: July 31, 2022
Goodreads
Storygraph

I thought this book was really cute. The romance was defiantly slow to pick up, but I think it worked for the overall story. I think our main character Lucy has a journey that many people can relate to.

The romance doesn’t really pick up till the second half, but it worked because Lucy wasn’t ready when the story began. I will say, though that the romance felt a little lackluster to me, and I just didn’t really feel the chemistry between them. It wasn’t bad, just not my favorite one.

I think the hotel was a great way to show Lucy’s journey of growth, and it was fun seeing everything come together.

So I am in my 40’s and I detest books about people in their 40’s. They always seem so old and I don’t feel old at all. This book I loved! The setting, the characters, the emotions. So excellent.

A light read with an in-depth interesting plot. Definitely more women’s fiction than romance, and I wish the relationship was stronger sooner. Loved the descriptive text for the culture and landscape. Thanks NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Lucia Gianetti is reinventing herself. She used to be the general manager at a high end hotel in NYC until the owner ran off with millions of dollars. After that, Lucy lost her job and her life fell apart.

Two years later Lucy is heading to Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis. Lucy expects to find a luxury boutique hotel just in need of a few tweeks to get it in running order. Instead she finds a run down, dilapidated hotel that's going to need quite a bit of work in order to turn it into a tourist attraction. As Lucy begins working on the hotel with Bing (an incredibly attractive artist) and the 5 permanent residents who live there, the hotel begins to feel like home. But will Lucy be able to return the Hotel Paradis to its former glory?

What an amazing novel! The setting was so vividly written. I can imagine myself in Rennes and inside the Hotel Paradis. It was like I was right there inside the book with Lucy as I was reading. Lucy is a strong protagonist. Despite everything being thrown at her, she pushes on and doesn't give up. She's incredibly successful in her career field and she isn't afraid to let others know that. However, after being burned in a past relationship, Lucy became afraid of opening up her heart and falling in love again. The secondary characters are written with just as much care as Lucy. I enjoyed reading about each of them and their backgrounds. This novel is about fresh starts, finding a new home, finding new friends and family in unexpected places, and opening your heart back up to love. I really did not want this novel to end. I honestly wish it had at least 100 or so more pages because I was so engrossed in Lucy and all of the other character's stories. Excellent, excellent read.

3 stars

Lucy, Ernst's m.c., is a very typical character living under atypical circumstances, and she features nicely in this pleasant example of women's fiction.

Readers meet Lucy in the midst of an interesting upheaval, and the book really does center on Lucy's mid-life (titular) check-in. Lucy, who has worked in the hospitality industry for her entire life, has somewhat recently found herself embroiled in scandal by association, as her former professional associate has been convicted of white-collar crime. This makes her unfairly connected and mostly unemployable, and that is how she ends up taking what sounds like a dream job at a boutique hotel in France. Since readers are not under the same wishful thinking centered delusions as Lucy, it's easy for us to know what she is shocked to learn; this commitment will not be what she thought. Predictably, it becomes a worthwhile endeavor personally and professionally despite the changed expectations.

There's little that's surprising in this novel, and while that makes for a somewhat basic read, it's also the right vibe for readers who want an uncomplicated summer adventure. There are some difficulties that come up toward the end of the novel that I found a bit distracting, but even those are somewhat easily mitigated.

While there is a romantic subplot, it is definitely not at the center; this is squarely women's fiction, in my mind, and not really a romance by the traditional genre conventions at all. I preferred Ernst's more action-packed predecessor to this quieter French voyage, but I still enjoyed the read and will look forward to more from this author.

This one was ok. The storyline was interesting but the main character was not. I felt like the writing/dialogue was immature for a character pushing 50.

I was excited for this one. I heard it was about self discovery and I love when there is a strong character arc for our female protagonist.

First off, this is not much of a romance. It's definitely more women's fiction so if you are looking for a big sweeping romance this isn't for you.

I liked that Lucy was older. She was turning 50 in 3 months. But I found it strange that she has grey hair yet the cover looks like it has someone younger. Why not embrace the main character and her age?

Something I did really like about this book was hearing about the hotel restoration. I wanted to stay at the Hotel Paradis. I would definitely want to stay there. It was also lovely to hear about France and the food and the drinks. It really transported you to Rennes.

I did like the small amount of romance. I didn't feel a ton of chemistry between Lucy and Bing, but I did ship them. I wanted Lucy to trust and find love again after it was obliterated with Tony.

I was not expecting the conflict at the end. It was intense and emotional and I feel like maybe the book should have been longer to accommodate it.

Overall, it was a sweet and interesting read.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC!

Lucy Checks In is a women’s fiction novel focused on Lucy, an almost-50 hotel manager whose reputation is in shambles after the hotel owner took all the money and ran. While she wasn’t involved, it’s prevented her from getting a job… until she gets an offer to rehabilitate a hotel in France. There, we get a lovely hotel renovation story with found family and a side of romance. It did feel a little shocking and rushed toward the end of the book compared to the slower and more lackadaisical first half. But, my favorite part of this book was Lucy’s relationship with her nieces and they ended up in a great place at the end so it all worked out.

3.75 ⭐️ rounded up to 4.
Definitely what I would put under the category of women’s fiction with a side of a love story, Lucy Checks In might be what you need if looking for an escape with a close knit bunch of French eccentrics. Having to leave the United States for reasons beyond her control, Lucy accepts a job in Rennes, France as the general manager tasked with revitalizing a pre-war hotel. The majority of the book revolves around the hotel renovation and the inhabitants of the hotel that live there permanently. Rennes as a city seemed to be a character itself and Dee Ernst does a wonderful job of illustrating setting as a key component of the book. It was nice to experience a city other than Paris and get a feel for the people of France. I enjoyed the descriptions of food and hotel interiors and could imagine being in this very place. The various hotel inhabitants are delightful to read about and the relationships between each of them and Lucy naturally unfold into one of true friendship. As a love interest, Bing did not disappoint, but this is definitely a closed door book and the main plot of the story is more about Lucy settling into herself than an actual romance. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fairly light read with a bit of escapism. CW: alcoholism, death of a family member
Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy is a 49 year old who has gone through some major unfortunate life challenges recently. She takes a job renovating a hotel in France and ends up renovating her own life while she’s at it!

While I loved the concept and story line of this one (its’ cast and setting reminded me of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movie!) and I loved the fact that Lucy is an older woman who gets to have a love interest, this one was a bit slow for me. I wasn’t super eager to keep reading; it was just ok! Towards the end it picked up quickly with a lot going on at once, but then it seemed to end abruptly and had me thinking, wait that’s it?

I really enjoyed some of the smaller things like Lucy’s relationship with her nieces, her best friend. And I loved how passionate some of the people who lived at the hotel were about certain things they tended to. Also the talk of French food, yum and the way they got the garden and planters for the hotel was hilarious 😂 but it still left me wanting more!

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

Lucy Check In by Dee Ernst was a joy to read. Lucy is almost cleared by the FBI for a scandal involving her last hotel. One of the only jobs she receives after this is one to help revitalize an old hotel in Rennes, France. When she arrives she realizes the job is not exactly what she had envisioned and the adventure begins.

It was a pleasure to read Lucy’s narration of the story and watch her become a better version of herself as the story progressed. The author did a nice job weaving Lucy’s past and present together making for a lovely read. The hotel is filled with quite a cast of characters, and I enjoyed meeting them and learning their unique stories. Reading about the hotel renovation was similar to watching HGTV, and I found myself becoming quite invested in everything coming together to open.

Lucy Checks In eloquently tells the story of Lucy and how she makes a new life after devastating life events. It was a good reminder to me that you can choose to make your life better, and to hope in the future. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this one more than I did. After being caught up in a scandal, Lucy (who is innocent!) snags a job working at a French boutique hotel. But the hotel needs to be completely renovated.

For a woman edging 50, Lucy was awfully immature. I was just mostly bored in this one and found myself skimming the book just to finish. It didn’t do it for me. But if you’re a fan of HGTV and renovations, than you might like it!

Also the cover model doesn’t match Lucy, and that’s a huge pet peeve of mine!

I started Lucy Checks In blindly. I had no idea what I was reading and was just lured by the beautiful cover. Well I wasn’t disappointed. Much like the work that Lucy puts in the hotel she also puts in to herself and rediscovering her happiness.

It’s a heartfelt second act story that everyone can enjoy.

This one ticks a lot of boxes for me: a vicarious excursion to France, a middle-aged woman starting over after a gut-wrenching professional failure, and a delightful cast of secondary characters who rally to accomplish a substantial goal. The pacing slowed a smidge in the middle, and I didn't love Bing as a character (excessive laughter distracted me) but I'm glad I finished reading the novel because overall it's quite enjoyable.
Other reviewers have stated that this isn't really a rom-com and I agree. This is women's fiction, featuring the protagonist's journey as she figures out who she is and what she wants, and navigates obstacles along the way. There are challenging dynamics, both personally and professionally, and yes there is a romantic subplot but this is not at all a rom-com.
Finally, some readers have expressed frustration regarding the cover art. The illustration on the cover does not accurately represent the heroine in the story. Based on description, the heroine is clearly middle-aged and I am all for it. So refreshing to see characters who aren't in their 20's and 30's.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

This was such a great story. I loved reading about a.n older women still finding her place in the world, finding friendship, love, family, and a place to belong. Such a fun read that I throughly enjoyed.