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.

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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.

Dee Ernst is a master of writing stories about mature ladies looking to start over. Lucy was funny, likable, and this story takes readers on a trip to Paris where you root for Lucy and hope for her to find love. Check this out if you were a fan of Maggie Finds Her Muse. I received a free copy on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a good book to transition you into warmer weather, Lucy Checks In feels like the perfect story to do just that. It’s a story filled with sunshine and new beginnings and promising things to come, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I love traveling, and since I’m not able to do much of that right now, it’s great to be able to do it through the books I read. I’m a sucker for books that take place in France, and if you are too then you need to read this. The descriptions of Hotel Paradis, and Rennes, with its quaint buildings and busy markets had me aching to visit.

I loved following Lucy’s journey to bring Hotel Paradis to life, and really adored the cast of characters she works with and encounters while working at the hotel. I felt at times like I could really picture the hotel’s progress and see how each character contributed to it. At times the story gave off major Under the Tuscan Sun vibes, since both stories revolve around women nearing their 50s, working to gain back their independence and build newer, better relationships, all while renovating old, almost decrepit buildings in need of major TLC.

While I agree with some other reviews I saw that I expected a bit more of a romcom, I still felt bits of it in the relationship between Lucy and Bing, and some of the other characters loving relationships with each other as well, both romantic and platonic. The family aspect was also very heartwarming, between Lucy and her parents, but also with her brothers and two adorable nieces living at home in the US.

The last bits of the book made me very happy, despite the heartbreaking and challenging situation Lucy finds herself in towards the end. Everything comes together nicely and makes this truly a feel-good story that I think a lot of people will enjoy.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy!

Lucy Checks In was a joy to read. It’s the sweet story of a woman who has had the rug pulled out from under her who then starts over to create the life she was meant to have. Lucy moves from the States to France when she lands a job as general manager of an old shuttered family hotel. She thinks her job is to oversee a renovation crew to bring the hotel back to life but it turns out she, along with a group of family friends of the owner are the renovation crew. And it’s the type of renovation we can only dream of in our supply chain plagued days. The author has such a way with words…I wanted to live Lucy's life. To be in the rooms and gardens she describes. To eat the food and walk the streets of the historic French town. This book reminded me of a Rosamund Pilcher book in all the best ways.

I zipped through this book very quickly. It was very refreshing to have a book that dealt more with emotional conflict and not so many major conflicts in her surroundings. Every time something new happens, I almost feel a little stop in my heart that something bad is going to happen but most of the time it all goes smoothly. I didn't know if I liked the time jumps throughout the book but by the end, I got used to it. I didn't need to hear what happened every day for 6 months.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I generally just read romcoms but, although there was a bit of romance in this book, it was more about friendships and starting over when you’ve lost your way. And I loved it! It was just such a nice storyline, and it makes me want to 1) read more by this author and 2) visit France.

I loved this book for its charming setting--a 1700s chateau in France's Brittany region--its older (middle-aged) heroine, and a diverse group of hotel residents that come together to help the protagonist turn her life around.

Lucy had found success as the manager of a luxury hotel in New York City and a loving relationship with its owner. But she was blindsided along with other hotel employees and investors when her lover absconded with millions of dollars, leaving her behind to fight a 2-year legal battle that exonerated her but took most of her life savings and ruined her professional reputation. The only job she can find is at the Hotel Paradis in the aforementioned French chateau, and it it not at all what she had envisioned. The hotel is in ruins, hosting only six permanent residents, and her job is to restore it by tourist season to a potentially successful business.

It didn't take long for me to be all-in on the delightful story and eccentric characters, not to mention a very slow-burning romance with a man who has to learn not to be obnoxious. The writing is sharp and the plot is engrossing and uplifting.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sr. Martin's Press for affording me the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Lucy Checks In is the perfect book when you need a sweet getaway!

Lucy works in the hospitality industry and moves to France to rebuild a crumbling hotel. The side characters as hotel guests were so much fun and I was truly invested in their lives and the hotel going ons. I am 30 years old and loved reading about a mature heroine restarting her life.

This was my first Dee Ernst book but certainly won't be my last! Thank you to NetGalley, Dee Ernst, and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Lucia is having a riches to rags moment in her life after her alleged involvement in a scandal at the hotel she managed. Down on her luck after basically being blacklisted in the hotel industry, she heads to France for a fresh start managing an also down on her luck boutique hotel. In attempt to bring the hotel back to life, she also finds a life for herself.

I really loved this story. I felt so much empathy for Lucia and was rooting for her the whole way through. I fell in love with the characters in the story, each with their own unique story themselves. It made me want to immediately travel and experience the small town French life. Highly recommend this book, especially for Francophiles!

Lucy goes to France thinking she's going to be the new manager of Hotel Paradis. When she arrives at said hotel, she finds out she's going to be way more than that, because the place is pretty chaotic and she is the one who has to set it right - and that includes painting!

Lucy's journey is really interesting. She had nothing and ended up with so much. A new job, new friends and a new family.

Her relationships with the other characters were my favorite part. But Lucy and Bing deserve a special mention in this review because I love slow burns and theirs was just so nicely done.

I also loved the ending of the book. I thought she was going do something and then she didn't and that made me extremely happy. (I'm trying not to give too much away!)

Overall, Lucy Checks In was a fun and enjoyable read and I finished the book wanting to go to France so I could stay at Hotel Paradis.