A delightful, feel-good book that still has depth to it. The characters were vibrant, and I loved Lucy's personal growth throughout the book. I really liked how the characters were a little older in this book, which allowed for more to explore with each of them. There were a couple spots that felt a little slow for me, but it was a great read overall!

This is a sweet story about a middle aged woman, Lucy trying to find her way after a big scandal that left her penniless and shamed in the hotel industry. She accepts a job in Rennes, France. It wasn't what she expected, but she had no other choice.

The book follows Lucy and a handful of people on their journey to fix up an ancient hotel. The way the author paints the story is beautiful. Although, a slow start for me, I couldn't put it down after the first few chapters. I loved how she eloquently intertwined the characters and how each character developed over the course of the story.

My favorite line is the book is the second chapter, "Because no one works harder than a person with something to prove."

Thank you publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Dee Ernst for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Lucia “Lucy” Gianatti is packing up her life and moving to Rennes, France after her boss at a swanky hotel in New York embezzled over a million dollars without anyone knowing. While everyone was quick to put blame on her, Lucy used up the last of money to prove her innocence. When an offer to move to France to reopen an old hotel was presented to her she jumped at the opportunity!

Although once she got there, she quickly realized that not everything is as great as it seems, including her actual role in getting it up and running.

Hotel Paradis needed more love than Lucy thought but luckily a group of misfits who have been living at the hotel are all pitching in to make it a destination stop! This include David “Bing” Bingham who is our love interest in this story.

Okay, like Lucy I think I went into this story with slightly different expectations than I got. The cover made it seem like this was a 20-something rom-com! But in fact the main characters are in their late 40’s (which is the average age of all characters it seems) and it was harder for me to connect with them like I would if they were closer to my age.

I also mentioned I was expecting more of a rom-com. While there was the romance between Lucy and Bing, it was different from a romance novel I’m used to. All very clean but it also seemed that they didn’t have very good chemistry with one another. If anything it was a slow slow burn.

The biggest thing I didn’t enjoy was how rushed the ending felt. With how much emphasis there was put on world building and setting the scene, I felt like some things could have been introduced sooner as to not feel so rushed.

All in all this was just not the book for me but that’s not to say that it’s not for someone else! Good book, wrong reader!

I would like to thank NetGally for an ARC of Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst.

This story follows Lucy a boss scandal in the US she leaves! This story has drama and romance. The main character is in her 40s. It took me a while to get into it but I did finish it! It’s a good book for getting over a book slump.

A once successful NYC hotel manager finds herself jobless after a scandal involving her boss and partner stealing millions from the hotel. Lucia Giannetti finds herself heading to France to manage a fancy and extravagant hotel or so she thinks. Hotel Paradis as it turns out needs some improvement and Lucy is just the one to do it. As time moves on Lucy must make sure Hotel Paradis succeeds all while making the best of her second chance.

Ernst does a good well in describing the assortment of characters that all reside in the Hotel, as well as giving detailed descriptions of locations. While the book seemed to be advertised as more of a romance novel the focus is more on Lucy’s second chance as she gets her life back on track.

It took me a few chapters to start enjoying the story and to get all the characters straight but it eventually pulled me in. Overall I enjoyed the book and was pleased with how it all wrapped up in the end.

This story follows Lucy as she flees the US after a scandal involving her last job. She is to be the new manager of a rundown hotel in France with a crew of unpaid but passionate residents, all while juggling family drama back home.

This was definitely a slow burn and minimally spicy. I loved that there was some age diversity with a female main character in her late 40s and I enjoyed the starting over storyline. The description of the hotel and surrounding areas was so realistic that I felt like I was there. I definitely cried at parts in this book and now I want to visit Rennes!

Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reading copy!

I was surprised by now much I liked this!!! I loved reading a romance between a nearly 50yo woman who has been Going Through It and a somewhat douchey but charming man and it all made me want to go to France. Found family! Baguettes! Charming and eccentric old lady! TW for brother death but you do see it coming and it's not a huge portion of the story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Checks In is about Lucy, a middle-aged woman trying to rebuild her life as a hotel manager after a major scandal left her questioning her own intuition. I actually really liked that the main character was in her late forties, as most of the contemporary romances I've read are about women in their 20s-30s. Lucy definitely isn't likable at first - she comes off as entitled and whiny, and I found myself not caring much about her. But as the story progressed, so did her character growth, and I really liked reading about a woman who had to learn to trust both herself and others again. I do think that there were some other character aspects that frustrated me because they felt unnecessary - Claudine very casually mentioned that Raoul was racist, which specifically affected one of her close friends, and yet there was no further commentary about this. Raoul was portrayed as a good friend to many in the group, so I'm not really sure what the point of this was other than to show that these characters didn't care about Raoul's blatant racism?

Though this book is categorized as a contemporary romance, I will say that I didn't feel much romance or chemistry between the two main love interests. There are definitely more elements of found family and self-growth in this than romance. I'd also say that this book goes fairly into the details of hotel renovation, so if you're not interested in reading that then this book may not be for you. Overall, this was a pleasant read, and I would give it 3/5 stars.

This was a quick, light read with a dreamy setting in France. Very much a fixer-upper story, both the physical elements of the hotel, and Lucy's professional and personal life. If you're in the mood for a happy-ever-after with a side of fromage, baguette, and vin, this might suit you.

For me personally, there wasn't anything particularly memorable about this book, and some things just felt off. Lucy is meant to be nearly 50 (so similar in age to me) and sometimes her character sounded and acted much younger, and sometimes she sounded and acted much older. I also know we were meant to understand that much of her conversation was in French, but for someone who had never been to France and had only studied it in school and used it in a business context many years prior in Montreal...I found her seemingly instant resumption of fluency a bit hard to believe. I enjoyed her overall journey to bring the hotel to it's potential, and I bought the slow burn romance. Look, I'm firmly on Team HEA, but I felt like everything wrapped up a bit too neatly, easily, and quickly at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this light read, the latest by Dee Ernst. I loved the redemptive story of Lucy. I enjoyed watching the transformation in her character, as well as the hotel she was renovating. There was not an overwhelming amount of love and romance, but just enough to keep the spark alive during the read. This was a great, progressive story! Cannot wait to read more from Dee!

Even though this story was super cute and I loved it, the repetitive writing kind of took me out of the story at times. Sometimes we were told the same thing not very many pages apart and it made me want to skim through them. Overall, it wasn’t bad if you are looking for a quick read set in France. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

This book was a delight to read! It was charming and the main Character in this book Lucy was strong-willed and refreshing. I love that it was set in France which made me feel as if I were there myself. Great Read for sure!! .

I smiled all the way through Dee Ernst's newest book, Lucy Checks In. Lucy is a protagonist for readers to live and to pull for. Along with a delightful supporting cast. I could see this growing into a series maybe . . .

Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst is a charming gem of a story about new beginnings, friendship, trust and France. Lucy, once a respected legend in hotel management has been a piriah since her last boss absconded with his employees’ savings. The offer to revitalize a small hotel in France was her last resort. The characters Lucy meets are unique and interesting as are the situations in which they are placed. I loved every minute spent reading the story. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Lucy Checks In is a charming story set in a picturesque town in France following Lucy's journey. Lucy was caught up in a scandal with the hotel she managed in New York City and found herself in need of a second chance. That second chance comes as she is given an offer to manage a hotel in France. Lucy accepts the job but after arriving in the town of Rennes, realizes that she is taking on more than she ever imagined. While I enjoyed the writing style, I found the story to be quite slow. It took me quite a while to get into it and I usually read books rather quickly. I kept coming back to the story though because I did enjoy the characters. I do wish that we saw more interactions with and depth from a few of the characters but overall, this was an easy and cute read.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

I just couldn't get into this one because I simply found it... boring.

Lucy is a 49 year old woman who is down on her luck after losing her highly successful career and boyfriend. This is written like she is almost 20 years younger (which is actually a phrase mentioned a few times, if I was 20 years younger...) If it wasn't for the fact that her age is stated a few times I really would have gone on imagining someone much younger.

It centers around an old family hotel in a city in France. Yes there were some French things mentioned but I almost felt like this really could have been set anywhere and the author chose France because it will seem more like a woman reborn kind of story. I wish I could envision this city and this should be beautiful hotel but the writing just didn't give that to me.

I also felt disconnected from some of the situations. An at large criminal just taking all the blame and willingly giving all the money back? Taking guardianship of children and just up and moving them to another country like it's not a big deal? Not believable. I also found the ending pretty predictable as well.

This might be a great book for someone else which is why I gave it two starts instead of one but it was not for me.

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C'est Magnifique. Lucy Checks In, written by Dee Ernst, is a magnificent and cozy romance novel. Our lead protagonist Lucy has been unemployed for two years after her unparalleled career running one of New York City’s most luxurious hotels until it is embroiled in a case of fraud. She is not guilty of any criminal activity but is believed guilty by association. At 49 and living with her parents, her life seems ruined. Enter a hotel owner in Rennes, France, who hires Lucy to renovate her 1740’s château called Hotel Paradis. Lucy is so eager to take any job that she arrives only to find the charming place in ruins, making her dreams come crashing down. Over time, her can-do spirit, along with the help of a great cast of characters and a slow-burn romance with an American writer/resident, turns her life around. Sometimes when things seem hopeless, a light shines in unexpected places. I liked this story because it is more than romance; it is refreshing to have a 49-year-old heroine with romance written realistically, the charm of locating the story in France, and an excellent cast of supporting characters that make this book so charming. Lucy Checks In will be published in August 2022, and I encourage you to buy this one. Ce livre est Charmant. #Netgalley #Lucychecksin #cozyromance #adventure #love #family #france @netgalley @stmartinspress @dee.ernst.7
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Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins for the opportunity to read this book which was amazing.
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This was an okay read, unfortunately not really memorable.

I didn't really empathize with Lucy's character. She travels to France to take up a job at a small hotel, after a life changing incident back at home. It was comical that she didn't read more into the job she was taking in another country, but plot device.

There was somewhat of a romance, but I didn't feel much chemistry between the characters.

Quick read overall.

france. growth. development. a protagonist on a journey of self discovery. if any of these things appeal to you, you might enjoy lucy checks in! this book follows lucy, an adult who is forced to restructure her life after a situation goes down at her previous work place (to say the least, the owner of the hotel she worked at wasn’t the best person). an opportunity eventually presents itself for work in france, so lucy jumps at the possibility and makes a huge change in her life. as she attempts to improve a run-down hotel in rennes, she embarks on finding herself (and encounters some romance and a new home along the way).

i think the premise of this book was wonderful; i loved the setting of the book, and i enjoyed reading about lucy. however, there were sections of the book i wanted more of. i wanted more romance (the book is marketed as a romance, despite this being a definite subplot). i wanted more about lucy and her personal journey, instead of unimportant details. i wanted a faster paced plot, with even development throughout the entire book, instead of sections of quick development to further the previously slow plot. all in all, this was just an okay read. 2/5 stars!

thank you so much to netgalley and st. martin's press for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for offering this book to me in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the locations in this book and the way the author described them in detail.
This was an easy read about perseverance and the challenges of starting over. The main character has her struggles but she remains strong and pushes through for a better life.

I also like that the main character was a bit older as well, showing that you can start over at any age.