Member Reviews
Lucy Checks In is about starting over when you have been wrongly accused. Lucy worked/ran a hotel in New York City. It was a five star hotel. She was dating the head of the hotel. He swindled money and left. Lucy was black listed because everyone thought she knew what he was doing. After two years of not working, she gets a call of running a hotel in France. She takes it and finds out it’s not what she thought it was going to be. You will love the quirky characters that live at the hotel and how they help her. In France, Lucy finds her confidence and romance. A wonderful read, it makes you want to visit the hotel. Thank you to NetGalley and St, Martin’s Press for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.
I read this book for a fun, escapist, diverting read. Not really a romcom, this is more of a slower-paced story of a woman rebuilding herself at midlife, with fun glimpses of European culture throughout. Recommend for those looking for a light read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
This book was super charming and cute - the perfect rom com read if you’re a Francophile who is looking for a quick, sweet read.
What I really found unique about this book is the age of the main character. While most rom com books seem to feature protagonists in their 20s or 30s, Lucy was approaching 50, and it was such a nice change.
The descriptions of the hotel were so detailed, making me wish it were real!
this gave me some wanderlust. I too would like to run away and stay somewhere right now. anyway, this was cute! I didn't feel to satisfied with the chemistry, but possibly I was just not in the right mood to e enjoy it properly.
Great, easy read! Cute, flirty, lovely. I would say that the cover makes it a little deceiving considering the age of the main character versus the depiction of the same character. This was so cute and a nice pick-me-up!
It was overall a cute storyline. Her character seemed young and fresh. The other characters were really unique. They worked together well and turned into such a good family, I loved the character development for everyone of them. I wish I liked Bing more than I did, as I didn't feel the passion between him and Lucy as well as I wish there would have been more storyline with Lucy's family back in the state's. It seemed almost as an after thought until the end of the book. Which is where a twist came in and made you kinda go oh okay that makes sense. Overall it was a good read, kept me intrigued, good character buildings but wish it had a better romance connection as well as a bit more plot twists.
This was a very enjoyable book - all of the characters are so unique, but also so believable. The story takes on an interesting perspective in regards to France, as opposed to cliches such as Paris. The ending was unexpected in the best possible way!
This is a super cutsey rom com, and I enjoyed every minute of it! It was adorable, and left me with the warm fuzzy feels in the end. Would for sure give to a friend to read!
4.5 stars
Lucia had it all, until she lost it all. After 2 years of licking her wounds she’s finally ready to try again but due to a scandal she had nothing to do with she is basically unemployable in her industry. Desperate, she takes the first and only offer she’s had since everything came crashing down. Arriving in Rennes, France with her entire life in 3 suitcases Lucy is faced with her biggest challenge yet and it turns out to not just be a professional one.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started this book but it was absolutely not a completely heartwarming story of love, found family and resilience. A beautiful story that truest grasped the old world feel of Rennes I felt every triumph and heartache along with Lucy. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Oh dear. Another women’s lit book mis-marketed as romance. And the cover?! Who is the chick on the cover? It’s definitely not Lucy who has grey hair! My fault for not reading the synopsis better, and for jumping in based on the cute cover. I struggled to relate to Lucy as she reinvents herself now that she is entering her 50s. It’s VERY difficult to not picture my mom when reading this, so romance was icky when present. Which wasn’t often. There’s an Eat, Pray, Love vibe going on in that Lucy has to really find herself and her happiness. There are some silly moments too that I mostly eyerolled at. A 50 year old woman has bad expectations of her new hotel. Because google earth isn’t a thing?!
That’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll watch the Hallmark movie someday. (Which maybe will actually develop the romance beyond attraction).
Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my review!
I was so excited to read Lucy Checks in and it did not disappoint! The cover is beautiful and I love a fixer upper story. In this case both an aging French chateau and the main character, Lucy, were undergoing transformation. The fact that Lucy is 49 made her character more interesting and a nice change from younger main characters.
Lucy Checks In is about an experienced hotel professional that loses her job and her reputation through no fault of her own. When Lucy is offered an opportunity to reopen a hotel in France, she jumps at the chance. What follows is a wonderfully satisfying story where we see both Lucy, the hotel, and a charming cast of characters slowly change with each other's help and support.
The only thing I would change is to describe the town in France more. The chateau and the characters descriptions are so well-written it is a minor complaint.
I would definitely read more by this author and hope you enjoy Lucy Checks In as much as I did!
This was a super fun, easy, fast paced book.the characters were all likeable, and each so different. I can see this being a great beach read, it goes by super fast.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the author for a very entertaining evening, with an ARC.
Lucy Checks In is perfect for one of those days when you need a light read. It wasn’t emotionally over bearing or taxing. It didn’t have any major thrills or hurdles that instilled anxiety. Instead, it felt like the calm one has when they sit upon their favorite chair, snuggled up warm and cozy.
This novel wasn’t about romance in the traditional sense. Instead it was more about loving oneself.
A delightful light read perfect for summer reading.
Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC.
This book just wasn’t for me. It was well written and the story was interesting but I just couldn’t get into it.
Genre: Women’s Fiction (to me the romance is secondary)
Synopsis: After Lucy’s partner (in both the hotel business and in bed) flees with millions, leaving her reputation disgraced, she receives a second-chance employment opportunity at a quaint but run-down hotel in France.
Review: This is definitely a quieter, gentler story. The first half moves quite slowly, but I don’t want to imply it’s boring, as I found myself flipping pages and enjoying myself despite the lack of tension. I absolutely adored Lucy. As an older (49 yo), no-nonsense protagonist, she was quite refreshing! There’s also a quirky cast of characters and enough layers that I found myself tearing up at the end (and a shout out to Bing who turned out to be rather awesome!).
Overall, a very pleasant read about a woman reclaiming her life after hardship.
Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Lucy Checks In is a contemporary women's fiction with a slice of romance. The story takes places in New York City (a personal favorite setting for me). It is not a straight up rom-com, but I appreciated the romance we were given and enjoyed her character. Would recommend this book.
Lucky Checks In was a fun weekend read, that reminded me of European travels. The setting is well crafted and the characters seem real and entertaining. yes, it was fairly predictable, but I didn't mind that, and thought it was a cute, charming story that offered some much needed escapism.
Lucy Checks finds herself forty-nine years old and unemployed. After she has a setback from falling in love with her boss only to be betrayed. She needs a fresh start. We follow her behind the hotel management scene. I've always thought hotel life was a nice topic to read about. Lucy accepts a job in France. She now has the chance to manage the Hotel. To get a fresh start Lucy has to learn to let go of disappointment, trust, and find out who she is. We get the representation of a family scene that isn't perfect. Sometimes things fall apart in life and we have to pick up the pieces even if people around us don't change.
This is another winning romance book with a smart woman as the central character. Lucy (Lucia) Giannetti has worked in hotels for years. She knows how they work inside out and has worked at many across North America. But her last job ended in a very surprising way when the hotel owner, who she was also romantically involved with, disappeared with a lot of money, including the employee pension fund. Due to her position, and her relationship, Lucy ended up in a legal fight to defend herself and found herself without a job, back living with her parents.
Two years later, and finally cleared of all wrongdoing, she knows she can't continue living with her parents, although she's enjoyed spending time with her young nieces, and so when she is offered a job to renovate and manage a hotel in Rennes, France, she jumps at it.
When she gets there she finds the situation different than what she expected. The house hasn't been used as a hotel in decades, and is sadly rundown. There is no money for workers, so Lucy must take on much of the work herself, from painting rooms to building a website. And not all of the long term residents of the Hotel Paradis are on board.
As she finds herself working harder than she's ever worked before, she is buoyed by the support of her best friend back home, the changes that she can see in the hotel, and the enthusiasm of the elderly owner. She also finds herself strangely attracted to Bing, the artist and children's book illustrator who lives in the attic.
This is a story of a woman getting a second chance at her career, calling on all her knowledge and skills to make a go of it, and also finding that maybe she also has a chance at love, if she can trust a man again.
I loved the character of Lucy, in her late 40s and setting out on an adventure more ambitious than she imagined. She's worried about family back home, about whether she can make the hotel a success, and about recovering her reputation. Many of the other characters at the hotel were equally interesting from the elderly man who loves to garden to the young woman in a marriage that seems rocky.
This book was fine. It is marketed as a romance, but it's really more women's fiction. It could be that I am not the targeted demographic of this book seeing as the lead is 50, so I struggled to relate. The supporting characters were absolutely charming and easily the best part of this book. The author also writes lovely descriptions of the decor at the hotel the lead is remodeling. The hotel remodel was complete by 50% of the book, so I really think it should've been stretched out further. Overall, the book was fine.