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.

This book is dangerous. Seriously, unless you have the time and money to drop all of your responsibilities and go to France and enjoy great wine and a more laid back way of life… then I would suggest to approach this book with caution. Because it will undoubtedly force you to double check your passport to make sure it hasn’t expired yet, and check to see how much flights would cost.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never read a romance book where the female character was over the age of 30. In this one Lucy is closer to 50 and I loved seeing the representation of ladies not in their 20’s finding love. Most women in romances over 30 are widowers or are desperate to find a life partner. Not Lucy. She has one thing on her mind: help restore a 300 year old hotel in France and gain back her reputation. I really did enjoy Lucy as a character and this is absolutely the type of book I would recommend to my mom and she would love it tremendously.

This book feels a little more “chick lit” versus a romance but I still think the very understated romance was a sweet one. It was more of a secondary plot line but it still filled a crucial role to the story and made the story that much more charming. Bing and Lucy were fun to read about and see how differently relationships are viewed depending on the age of the couple. For most romances I read the passion is the number one driving factor. However with this one there was a lot more done looking at compatibility beyond just sex.

There were some slow spots in the book that really affected the overall pacing. The ending was great and the beginning was well written. There was some lagging in the middle where I wanted everything to speed up a little to get back to the characters and how they were all progressing. The details of the hotel were impeccably written and I thought the descriptions were beautiful. Overall this was a very enjoyable book.

The cover of this book captivated me from the start. This is a dreamy tale of a woman who packs up and moves to France for some life changing experiences. It was well written, just not exactly the type of book I enjoy. The main characters were a bit too old for me and the ending (which has a MAJOR plot twist) felt super rushed. Overall it’s a good read, specifically for fans of France or second chances. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

3.75 rounded to 4.

This isn’t my typical read, but I’m happy I read it.

The author did a fantastic job showing us Lucy’s struggles and I felt very emotionally connected to her. The romance was great as well. Very well done!

I devoured this book. This is my first read by Dee Ernst, and it was adorable! I hung on to see what was next and just could not put it down. One eye roll moment when the love interest said “you could love me.” But honestly, I didn’t care, I was cheering for them all along.

We love an older female protagonist faced with starting over an a new, exciting locale don't we folks? Some of my favorite romances and light-hearted reads over the last year have featured leading ladies over the age of 40 - I am only 35, but sometimes I can relate more to the mental state of women over the age of 40 (in particular those that don't have children) than I can women under the age of 30... am I alone here? On top of all of that, I have been dreaming of traveling to France over the last year (including paying up for Duolingo premium to brush up on my francais!) so this really scratched that itch for me. I loved this book and Lucy's story - would recommend for all fans of another recent favorite of mine, A Season for Second Chances. Five stars!

Lucy Checks In follows Lucia Gianatti, a 49 year old woman who has had her life turned entirely on it's head.

Lucy has gone from running (and living in) a fancy schmancy hotel in NYC to broke, unemployed and living in her old bedroom at her parents house. The speculation around why she lost her job means it's damn near impossible for her to find another, until an opportunity in France appears!

Lucy may have bitten of more than she can chew though... Imagining herself riding in a town car through the picturesque countryside of France on her way to her new job running (and living in) a luxurious hotel for the well-to-do, our dear Lucy is rudely awakened when she arrives in the city of Rennes and finally lays eyes on the old, dilapidated Hotel Paradis.

I really enjoyed the characters, they're mature and real and flawed and that's what makes them great. By far, my favorite part of this book is the mental picture it paints of the French countryside. This was a fun, light read that I would gladly recommend for a friend. The end feels a little rushed, as though there were a few too many things that needed wrapped up all at once.

After a scandal involving Lucy’s boyfriend and job, Lucy finds herself at almost 50, living at home with her parents and a damaged reputation despite being cleared from any wrongdoing. When an opportunity in France comes her way, she jumps at the chance to get back into her job getting an historical hotel back up and running. Once there, things are not at all what she expected but by working together with the owner and full time residents, they are going to do what they can to make this hotel a success.

Things that I loved about this -
A 49 year old female main character! Yes, please.
A love interest in his 50s! Even better.
A quaint setting in France and beautiful descriptions of places and food! It makes me want to go find this hotel and check in immediately.

Things that didn’t quite work for me -
The pacing was a bit off and it was slow going.
Lucy’s whole family was kind of awful other than her nieces.
A few of the characters and their decision making.

Overall this was a quick read although definitely not the rom com I was expecting based on that adorable cover. There were some deep topics in this one too.

I am here for all the mature romance though and love that they didn’t try to have the two characters acting the same was as their younger counterparts in romance novels. As a 40 something woman, I appreciated the honest take!

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP Romance for the advanced copy!

This was such a fun read. It spoke to my love of travel, diy projects and romance. A lighter read, it still had enough of a storyline and variety of quirky characters to add depth. Lucy/Lucia was an imperfect character looking to prove herself and find her new home at the same time. The obstacles she comes up against and the trials of moving to a new country and renovating an old beautiful property provided a fun story I found I could not put down.

Thankyou to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was wonderful to see the female character being 50 years old instead of 20 or 30. Struggling with common things that we all go through and finding herself through a new journey in life. Who doesn’t love a story set in France?

Absolutely loved this one! Loved all the scenery and the protagonists journey of starting over! It felt like watching a movie instead of reading a book. I highly recommend it and can’t wait to read more from the author. 10/10