"Lucy Checks In" by Dee Ernst is Contemporary Romance - Women's Fiction!

Forty-nine-year-old Lucia Giannetti has worked in hospitality management forever. That is until NYC luxury hotel owner, Tony Fielding, her boss and boyfriend, stole millions and disappeared leaving Lucy looking guilty and feeling vulnerable. Is this what can happen when you mix business with pleasure?

Fighting litigation and unemployed for two years, flat broke and living with her parents, Lucy accepts a position to manage a luxury boutique hotel, in Rennes, France. The opportunity is appealing!

What she imagines is not what she finds when she arrives at Hotel Paradis. Lucy sees a building that's been dormant for decades and herself in charge of breathing new life into this run down, centuries old piece of history. The opportunity is...overwhelming!

Then there's Bing - an attractive, irritating, and arrogant artist-writer who lives in the hotel as one of the half dozen long-time residents.

What has Lucy gotten herself into?

My second read from this author, like her previous book, hooks me in quickly. I love her knack for creating strong, independent, mature female main characters. It's refreshing to discover a contemporary romance author that doesn't cater to New Age demographics.

I love Lucy's persistence and determination to carve a new beginning on her own terms and her first-person POV solidifies this as 'her story'! She rolls up her sleeves to dive into things she never thought she would. And her snarky exchanges with her 'love interest' Bing is one of the best parts of this story.

The bounty of primary characters, some a bit grumpy, all quite quirky and definitely set in their ways, pull together to make Lucy's renovation project their project, too. They welcome her as one of their own.

A 'second-chance' story with picturesque French settings, mouth-watering cuisine, and centuries of historical landmarks and culture. Humor mixed with new friendship-family, minor bickering mixed with romance and heartbreak, and an ending that feels right for this story and seems to leave room for more from Hotel Paradise!

An enjoyable second read I definitely recommend and I'm looking forward to more from this author! 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 'second chance' stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Dee Ernst for a free ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

I’m not sure why, but this just didn’t work for me.

This read much more as women’s fiction than it did as romance, and I strongly prefer romance. While the overall story was good, I feel just a little let down.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Lucy Checks In.

I was expecting a romance based on the premise and how it’s categorized. I definitely found this to be more of a self-exploration and general fiction.

I liked the setting and plot. Lucy as a character was hard for me to relate to but I appreciated the chance to stretch my thinking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I enjoyed Lucy the middle-aged heroine and her journey to Rennes, France, to redefine her life. It has a little romance, although I would classify it more as women's fiction, a good bit of charm, and a nice cast of eccentric characters.

Mostly this book made me miss France and start planning my return trip.

As someone who would love to pack up and move to France to live my best life, I loved this book. It was whimsical and nostalgic in a way that left me happy and sad at the same time.

There are very few things I like more than a book that can transport me to a different city or country. Reading Lucy Checks In, not only did I get to meet amazing characters, but I felt like I was walking down the streets of Rennes, buying food at the market and getting to know France and its people.

I enjoyed the plot and the characters and overall it was a brilliant read. However, I wish Dee had been a bit more careful with the way she described Lucy's problems with her body. Literature influences people in an imaginable way, and I wished she had made Lucy a bit more empowered with her curves and dips, instead of treating them like a problem, or something to hide from the world.

Cute book, but not what I expected at all from the cover. Thought it would be a romance, but book is definitely more contemporary/women’s fiction. Main character wasn’t my favorite though,

This boom had a fun premise, but fell a bit flat for me. Lucy was a bit if a difficult character fir ne to like. Also, this book was more Women's Lit than a Romance. We didn't really get a deep dive into this couple.

DNF @~10%

I liked the idea of this story, a 49-year-old lady moving to France to run a hotel and finding herself and possibly falling in love.

My problem was mainly Lucy. This book is in first-person POV and being in Lucy's head was super annoying. I didn't like her as a character at all. The pacing was slow and kinda clunky. We're thrown right into the story with no real explanation of what's going on and most things just didn't make sense to me.

Lucy Giannetti needs a fresh start. She once managed a glamorous hotel in NYC, but when the owner disappears with millions of dollars, she's left alone with everything falling apart. To fix her reputation, she takes a job in Rennes, France to oversee the renovations of the Hotel Paradis. But when she arrives, she gets more than she bargained for.

I have to say, I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved that the protagonist was in her late forties and having her "second act." So many romances leave out older women, and I loved that the Lucy was 49. The supporting characters were also so wonderful. The group of people that lives at the hotel want to see it returned to glory and all help out with the renovations. Lucy is so determined to succeed and proves to be an inspiring character.

Lucy also has good chemistry with Bing and it's a lovely, slow-burn romance. It's more of a subplot, so the build is exciting. We don't get too deep into their relationship, and I wish there was just a little bit more of them. This is classified as a rom com, but I think it's more "chick lit" since this romantics story is on the back-burner while Lucy's growth is in the forefront. But I do love a good character growth story!

The only issue I had was that the ending felt a bit rushed. Some major things happen in the last third of the book, but they are wrapped up a bit too cleanly and quickly. I think there were some things left unexplored that could have added a bit more depth and emotion to the story, but overall this was a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.
This book was so fun and a lighthearted read. I loved it and it got me out of my book slump!

4.5/5⭐️

I loved this one! This was my second book by this author.

Lucia is a disgraced and heartbroken ex high-end hotel manager in NYC when she, in desperation to move out of her parents’ home, accepts a job in Rennes, France (sight unseen). She thinks she is hired to update a very old hotel but is shocked and dismayed to discover just how much work needs to be done just to open. She is aided by the owner and several tenants who live in the adjacent converted stables.

This is a sweet, feel-good story about 180-degree changes in life, regaining one’s badly shaken confidence, letting others in when you’ve been burned and figuring out what it is YOU want in life.

The supporting cast are all so wonderful and lovable, and there’s humor as well as a simmering bit of a “mature” romance (late 40s, early 50s) to swoon over as well. My favorite takeaway? Watching as Lucia comes into her own and takes back her mojo. Recommended.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Griffin for providing the free early arc of Lucy Checks In for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Lucy Check In follows Lucy, a hotel manager who is duped by the man she loves who owns the hotel company she works for. He takes all of her and other employees hard earned investments and flees the country. An investigation is ongoing but Lucy's name is now tarnished in the hotel industry. A phone call and job opportunity in France arises and Lucy jumps at the chance. However she is not expecting what she finds. The hotel is rundown and in need of multiple repairs and paint jobs. The owner lives in the hotel along with a handful of lively characters and they need Lucy's help to spruce the place up and get the hotel back in business. Lucy ends up falling for Bing, a children's author who also lives in the hotel. Back in the states, Lucy gets horrible news and must decide what's best for her.
The story is more of Lucy finding her way in life and bettering herself. The characters were okay. The romance wasn't until the end of the book and it's slow burn. So if you're looking for a cute romance, this really was more of a self discovery book.

A lively story about finding love and yourself.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

When work and love leaves middle-aged Lucy jilted, she chooses the most effective form of therapy: a project. A ginormous project. A renovate a country hotel in France kind of project. This book is a gem for anyone interested in decorating and interior design; there's a lot of that. Lucy's focus on creating is mentally therapeutic, but it takes a bit longer for her heart to heal. A romance barely simmers for 75% of the book and then finally begins to bloom. Lucy Checks In has an enjoyable cast of characters, a slow-moving storyline, and a sweet, believable ending.

I adored this story! It was so much fun to see Lucy's journey unfold right before my eyes. At times, I did feel a bit overwhelmed by how wordy the book was, but I appreciated the details of the backstory. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to read this before it was published. I want a copy of this book when it releases to the public.

I have never been to France before, but I want to visit after reading this story. The descriptions were so beautiful and charming. A few warnings before going into this book are: alcoholism, emotional cheating, and death.

This is more of a feel-good novel, than a romance, there is a hint of romance, but it comes secondary to the whole hotel transformation and Lucy's changes as well.

Read this book if you like to travel, stay in hotels, and love French culture.

This novel will be published on August 16, 2022. Run to pre-order this book now on Amazon!

Rating: 4/5 Stars ★★★★☆

We love a story about women taking back the reins when they start to feel like their life is no longer in their control. This was delightful.

This is the second book I've read and loved from this author. I love that her books feature middle-aged women who aren't matronly or old. They have been around the block but also don't have it all together and that is okay! It's nice to see a woman in her forties and fifties discover new love, feel beautiful and sexy, and have a passionate love affair while also making changes professionally. I found Lucy to be a very relatable character. Her struggles with trusting herself and others made so much sense given the circumstances and despite tragedy, I was happy to see her have it all - passionate love, family (blood and found), and a thriving career.

I also read some of the reviews where people say they were misled by the illustration of the woman on the cover because she looks young. You can't even see her face! And she is described as having gray roots - not a full head of salt and pepper hair. When my own gray hairs come in at the roots of my brown hair, you can't see them from the back either. I just find it a really superficial thing to complain about. If you read the blurb, you'd know it was about a middle age character.

This was a great airplane read! Finished it in one sitting… a little predictable but still sweet and fun in its characters and story. If you love Hallmark movies, this one is for you! The perfect light read for summer or an escape!

It is a charming novel about second chances in life.
Set in beautiful France with ugly delicious vegetables and the best food, old building, flowers - this book is a nice escape and "reading travel".