I don't know why, but I could not connect with this book. I really tried. It's a cute premise, there is nothing especially wrong with the characters, the language is clean, but I felt distanced from everyone and everything that was happening. I would've liked to have seen deeper conversations that lasted longer. Instead, I'm reading about inanimate objects, painting, plastering, and unloading furniture. The people at the Hotel Paradis need to be fleshed-out more. And whenever Lucy's family reappears, it just isn't that interesting.

Lovely woman’s fiction with a touch of romance.
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Sometimes you are looking for a light read. Nothing too heavy but in-depth and interesting. A fun story to get lost in. Well, if that sounds like you, this is a great choice.

As mature women, many of us will find something in common with the main character. Working like crazy and then the worst thing hits you from nowhere. Forced to move back home?? UGH

But from the ashes rises a new woman by taking a leap of faith. With hard work and a dream job in France what seems to be a crazy situation becomes an amazing story.

Ernst gifts us with wonderful characters and a very slow to grow romance that bring a delightful ending. The descriptions of the area will make you want to hop a plane and immerse yourself in the culture. Lovely and inspiring story.

The character was like able, but also kind of a drag and a little boring. However, despite the flaws, her arc was redeemable which I much enjoyed!! I enjoyed the romance, plus really liked how the focus was a middle aged group instead of a younger age character range (always fun to read those. overall, great story and I liked the writing style!

Lucy is left loveless and jobless after her lover/boss disappears with millions. Years later she takes a job in France. With dreams of extravagance, she gets to the hotel she will be managing to find a rundown yet charming place. During the journey to fixing up the hotel and her life she also found a little love.
This is a fairly short story. That reads fast and leaves you with a happy heart. It is never to late to find your home and be happy.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Lucy used to manage a stunning hotel in the heart of NYC but after some very disappointing setbacks she finds herself needing to start life completely over. Her new start takes her to France, where her new job at a failing hotel is much more than she bargained for.

What I absolutely loved: A middle aged protagonist, an endearing "starting over" story, and settings that are an auto-read for me, NYC and France. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a story with a main character starting it over. It reminded me in the best ways of the film starring Diane Lane, Under the Tuscan Sun!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, St. Martin’s Press and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A lovely read from the view of a woman starting over.

After her life in New York falls apart in spectacular fashion thanks to her con-artist boyfriend, Lucy takes a job revitalizing a defunct hotel in Rennes, France without truly understanding the enormity of the task ahead of her. She finds herself in a hotel that's been unused for years in need of major renovations well beyond the minor changes she had imagined. She quickly befriends the residents of the hotel, including Bing, the artist with a complicated romantic history with the owner of the hotel. It's a charming story about a woman rebuilding her life.

Release Date: August 16 2022

📖📖📖📖📖

Lucy was on top of the world as the general manager of a plaza-esque hotel in NYC, until her boss and boyfriend stole all of the hotels and employees money. While Lucy is acquitted of know anything about the plot she is also persona non grata in the hotel industry. Lucy leaps on the chance to run a French hotel in the countryside but when she gets to the hotel and find it to be less than what she imagined, can she find it in herself to reinvent the hotel and maybe, just maybe, reinvent herself as well?

This book creates such a rich beautiful world that when I was done, I had to remember that I wasn’t actually in France. I enjoyed this book immensely. I have two small complaints; one is that Colin just sort of disappears after his talk with Lucy and is not mentioned again. Like at all. Even the ghost gets a shout out toward the end of the book but no Colin. My other complaint is the cover. Lucy talks at least twice in the book about her gray curly hair…so who is the girl on the cover? It’s not Lucy. Marie Claude has blue hair so is it Claudine? Doubtful. The cover should be fixed. Neither of these effect the story and I would highly recommend this book! But also where did Colin go?!?

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#bookstagram #netgalleyreads #bookrecommendations. #deeernst #Lucychecksin #stmartinspress #romancebookstagram

I was drawn by this cover and excited to dive in. I loved the setting in Rennes and the storybook French getaway plot and think this book has a lot of appeal. In practice, though, I struggled with the pace of the book, and did not finish the book. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

LUCY CHECKS IN
by Dee Ernst
St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin
Pub Date: Aug 16

Such a heartwarming and fun story about Lucy Giannetti, starting over again at 49.

Before, she was a respected manager of a stunning New York hotel. After the owner runs away with millions, she's left with only one choice: Accept a job in Rennes, France, to turn a rundown hotel into a glam tourist magnet.

Can she do all the hard work needed to redo Hotel Paradis? Can she traverse the tricky relationship with Bing, the handsome artist who might become something more? Can she find home "in a place she's never been before?"

No spoilers here. But romance lovers take note: This is one swoony second chance tale you won't want to miss. Enjoy!

Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#LucyChecksIn #DeeErnst #StMartinPress #StMartinsGriffin #NetGalley #NYCHotelManager #RennesFranceHotelParadis #secondchanceatlifeandlovenovel
#romanticfictionnovel
#bookstagramcommunity

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! I loved having an older protagonist! There was a lot going on in this book and multiple romances. I loved the setting and thought the author did a great job taking us there.

I feel completely apathetic towards this book. Not bad per say, but nothing I felt extremely positive about either. It could be the age that made me not relate or get invested in the main character, but as I've read many books with much older main characters than me, I'm not sure that's it, and this is the first book it really felt like I could tell how much I was outside the target demographic, not just age but so many aspects made me feel I was clearly not the target audience. So take this review with a grain of salt, this might be amazing to someone else.

This was nice, fun contemporary romance book! Although the romance wasn't the main focus of the story I did enjoy it. I liked the settings too and the main character.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so good that even moving into a new house couldn't keep me from finishing it! I loved Lucy's journey back to herself, i loved everyone else's realized paths to happiness as well, I will definitely be recommending this one to anyone that enjoys the hotel industry as much as I do!

Outside of her control Lucy loses her highly respected position at a 5 star hotel in NYC, is blackballed in the industry, spends a few years back living with her parents and finally gets an opportunity at running a boutique hotel outside Paris. Little does she know her fantasies are so far from the truth when she lands in France.
Lucy and her new cohorts work hard to create a wonderful hotel and bring back a belief in love, dreams and a fulfilling honest life. Family is what you make it.
Loved the way this book was written, fabulous story, clever cast of characters, incredible descriptions of the town, markets,food and wine! Took me back to wandering different areas of France.
Wouldn’t really call it a romantic comedy, but who cares it was “incroyable”!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own. Thank you St Martins Press.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!

Okay but I'm obsessed with this book. I really love that it is a woman who is rebuilding her life at 49. I love the aspects that remind me of Under The Tuscan Sun (can Dianne Lane play Lucy in the movie pls?!). This book. I'm telling you is a great holiday read or if you're not ready to travel yet, let this book take you to France.

While there, Lucy is tasked with fixing up an old rundown hotel after being in the luxury upscale hotel market in New York. This book. I have nothing but good things to say about it. Definitely a must-read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! Here is my honest review.

I read the premise of this book and I was hooked, a woman who has her life fall apart because of a man (hey we've all been there!) and has to start over, and gets to do so in France? Yes please! I loved that Lucy was 49 years old, and that she and her love interest were not perfect. I enjoyed the process of working to make the hotel back to its former glory and the characters that lie within its walls. Lucy had to deal with a lot but I think she truly found herself in France.

I found this one a bit slow to get into at first, but then I didn't want to put it down, I enjoyed the ending, but Ernst left me wanting more, perhaps this could be a series?? Overall, 4/5 stars.

A charming entry in the “woman of a certain age finds a new life in a foreign country” genre. Lucy is a lovely main character who is capable, pleasant, and complex and her journey is back to confidence and love is worth the read.

I enjoyed most of Lucy Checks In.

There’s something about this book that I found alluring. The idea of a hotel manager who, unfairly, lost her good reputation (and job) because her boss/lover decided to steal everyone’s money, then blamed for not knowing about it. When Lucy decides to take the job in France, it’s great to see how Lucy’s character is a little uncertain, but came into her own over the course of the novel, as she helps a run-down hotel transform into something magical and successful.

What really stood out for me were the characters. This found family of quirky, yet lovable characters, who each have their own uniqueness, that added to Lucy’s own experience, is the highlight of the novel.

For me, it’s the last four chapters that felt out of place. I understand how Ernst set things up in the beginning regarding what happens in the end. Hinting at the inevitable, but, for me, it derailed the story a bit because it didn’t align with Lucy’s life in France. And perhaps that’s what the author intended. Though, for me at least, there should have been more interactions throughout with Lucy and her family regarding her brother and his inability to take care of his children.

I liked the chemistry between Lucy and Bing. (In all honesty I was not a fan of the characters nick name) They have this enemies to lovers feel, but eventually come around to seeing where the relationship can go. But the first romantic encounter between Bing and Lucy was rather awkward and a bit unsatisfying.

Ernst’s novel about second chances and new beginnings is a character driven novel, having a lovely found family and the occasional hints of blossoming romance peppered throughout.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

Thank you St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions expressed are my own. This review does NOT contain any spoilers. :)

☆☆ Overall

This book was okay, it had its highs and lows and there were some parts of the book that I felt super connected to, and others that just did not hit like they should have for me. I think one of my biggest issues is that I would not classify this book as a romantic comedy, or even a romance at all.

I think that if the book had been branded a little differently, I would have vibed with it more. I would have been super excited to read this book with its plot as it actually is, instead of trying to spin it as more of a romance than it is. Yes, there is a romance plot, but that doesn’t make it a romance novel, if you know what I mean. (Also going along with slight misrepresentations, the cover should match the description of the main character if that is who it’s meant to be depicting. People will buy and read a book about an almost 50 year old MC if she has salt and pepper hair on the cover - that is not going to turn anyone off from reading the book. I feel like not having a more accurate depiction of the MC on the cover is just. weird.)

My favorite part of this book was definitely the found family aspect. It warmed my heart in very good ways, but I still wish there was more romance for it to be a romance novel.