I was very intrigued by the idea of this novel, the French setting and its aesthetic seemed to be very inviting. This novel has a strong potential to be a great book. I got really lost when it came to all the characters and their storylines. The only one I could truly follow was Lucia's. Even though this book was a slow burn it was way too slow and short, by the time I got to the ending I was unsatisfied. This novel felt to be more of a mid-life story about a woman rediscovering herself and not a rom-com. I would recommend this book for people who are closer in age to the main character.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this novel. I love books with French settings and the ambiance was there. However, I didn't really feel like this book delivered on all that was promised within the description. It was too short for me to truly feel connected to the characters. In addition, this novel was a little too slow-burn for me to the point where the ending didn't feel rewarding. The plot felt a little directionless for me and I really had to push through to complete this book. I wouldn't really call this book a rom-com. It's more of a journey of starting over and self-discovery as one overcomes hardships and obstacles in their life.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy is a hotel manager in need of a move. The owner and boyfriend of her last hotel disappeared taking millions of dollars with him and leaving Lucy to take the blame. Two years later she gets offered an opportunity to live and work at a new hotel in France and find a way to find herself again in the process.

This story is categorized as a romance but I would not say it was one. Yes, there was a small romance but with such a slow build that the first kiss happens 80% of the way through the story. The main focus of the book was Lucy finding and learning to trust herself again after being hurt by what was the most important person in her life.

I did like reading about a character who was older and knew what she did and didn’t like. Lucy shows you that you can start over and find a version of yourself you never knew existed and might even like better.

The atmosphere in the book has you wishing you were in France but with the Romance tag, I want there to be more chemistry and scenes of the romantic relationship. Otherwise, this was a nice, quick, clean read that if you wish you were in France gives you that feeling. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Dee Ernst has created a lovely cast of characters in this light and lyrical story about Lucy Gianetti . Lucy is a disgraced hotel executive whose life has slipped out of her control due to reasons that are completely out of her control. Trying to recover from a failed relationship with her boss who absconded with millions of dollars, Lucy finds herself in France helping to restore an old hotel to its former grandeur so that it can open to the public. Is Lucy up for this job? Can Lucy open herself up to the challenge and for the potential of new friends as well as new love? This book was a perfect book to read if you need an escape from reality! Light and uplifting with a heap of hope!

Thanks NetGalley for this arc!

I liked this book . The age of the main character was 50 which is good I’m surprised most books have young main characters.
Honestly the main character and bing wasn’t doing it for me. I didn’t feel any chemistry.

Lucy Checks In
By: Dee Ernst

Synposis: At almost 50, the last thing Lucy thought she’d be doing was starting over. After a scandal forces her out of the career that she devoted her life to building, Lucy finds herself to be a bit of a professional pariah. She takes a job at the only place that will have her- a crumbling hotel in Rennes, France.

Review: I found this book to be "just fine." There are people who will love this book. Based off the description and cover, I was expecting more of a romcom/Emily in Paris vibe but if you like more hygge, cozy romances (reminded me of something by Beth O’Leary), you may like this one.

What the author really excelled at was describing the setting. This book created the prettiest picture in my mind and it was so vivid it was like I’d been to the Hotel Paradis and was pulling from memory. It was beautifully described and the renovation wasn’t just a “fade to black” type thing. They described picking furniture and painting walls- I felt like part of the team!

What I didn’t like was the disconnect of the main character and the characters around her. I never really got to a point where they were believable or where I felt connected to them. There are so many quirky side characters, I’d like to have seen them fleshed out a bit to be more dimensional. I didn’t even know there was a romance blooming until the main character quite literally told me there was. They had talked like four times for a matter of seconds each time! Where was the deep eye contact, the accidental brush of hands- the build up? The book felt slow through the middle yet the ending felt so incredibly rushed. Honestly, the plot line thrown in about Lucy’s family was unnecessary and really only made the story less believable.

Also, the word “appartement” is in here so many times that it became incredibly distracting by the end.

If you like a cozy-style romance, a relaxing story with a gorgeous setting, an older female protagonist, and you want to spend some time imagining beautiful old hotels filled with quirky characters, good coffee, and yummy food this book could be for you.

I loved that this book featured an older female character who was looking to reinvent herself. The love story is quietly woven between a story of redemption, self-discovery, and even a ghost story. Although this seems like a lot of themes to deal with, the author touches on all of them with great care. The only downside is some pacing between events felt stilted. Overall I enjoyed exploring France and the hotel through Lucy’s eyes.

3.5 stars, I absolutely loved the setting! I didn't like that there were so many characters, I didn't really attach to any of them because there were so many. I did adore the main character, but the love interest was meh. I felt like the relationship was a bit rushed. Overall I did really enjoy this book! (received as an arc)

I loved Lucy Checks In! I enjoyed Lucy and the cast of characters around her. The author did a fantastic job describing the hotel and grounds that I could vividly picture it in my head. There’s a slow-burn romance which seemed very fitting for the involved characters. Despite Lucy being more than a decade my senior, I felt I had a good understanding of what she was going through and found her relatable. I don’t give 5 stars lightly, but I can’t find anything about this book I didn’t like.

Lucy has worked in hotels all her life. At her last exclusive hotel, she fell in love with the owner who disappeared with millions of dollars and Lucy is disgraced. When she can refurbish a French hotel, she sees it as her last opportunity. She moves to Rennes to make over Hotel Paradis and her life. She never realized she would be painting and plastering walls, cleaning out gardens, and digging through old furniture. With little money, all the repairs are to be done by those who live and work at the hotel.
I loved the characters who are critical to the hotel. They take their jobs seriously and are truly invested. Karl loves to garden, Claudine owns the hotel and is set on bringing it back to its glory days, and Bing, a renowned painter and children’s author, is attracted to Lucy; waiting patiently for her to trust. I felt like I was in France, experiencing the food, wine, marketplace, and the grounds of the hotel. Watching the relationship of Bing and Lucy develop and seeing her with her twin nieces were heartwarming. Great book with lots of humor and love.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!!*

Lucy Checks In follows a middle aged woman, Lucia Giannetti, who has no other choice but to travel to Rennes, France for work after her previous boss (& lover) left her bankrupt and broken-hearted in a huge scandal. Lucy must transform an aged family-owned inn into a beautiful tourist attraction. What she doesn’t know, is that she is going to have to do more hands-on work than what she is accustomed to.

This book was such a breath of fresh air. Truly, it was a lighthearted read that I needed very much after two heavier reads. I really adored the setting of Rennes, France, and Hotel Paradis was such a dreamy place in my head. I have now added Rennes to my travel bucket list!! There was also a sense of community & friendship that just gave me all the feel-good vibes that I love. Despite long chapters, this book was a very quick and easy read for me.

Overall, it gets 4.5 stars from me. Lucy Checks In will be released August 2022 & I think it would be such a great summer read for chick-lit lovers!

As she is nearing 50, living with her parents and fallen from grace in the hotel world, Lucy gets a job remodeling and reopening a small boutique hotel in France. This is a story of second chances and finding out what truly gives you happiness.

I enjoyed the Lucy character and the descriptions of life in France. This book made me yearn for good food, good wine, and a slower pace of life.

I didn't care for the "romantic" storyline, as there was zero chemistry on the page and I honestly didn't care whether the characters ended up together or not. I also didn't care for the complications Lucy's family added to the story. The story felt forced, fake., and unrealistic.

I wanted to love this book and it's older-than-the-norm protagonist, but I just tolerated it instead.

I loved the characters in this story. It was paced incredibly well and such a quick read. I absolutely could not put it down once I started it. It was slightly hard to relate with the older characters in the story but I enjoyed it none the less.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for this book as I was looking forward to reading about the main character living in France. I was a bit bored and had a hard time getting through this book. The main character was a bit immature in my eyes, forgetting that she was nearly 50, not in her early 20's living in a foreign country. This one wasn't my favorite and was definitely a slow, slow burn.

This novel was a little difficult to relate to as someone in their 20’s. It’s hard to understand exactly what the MC is experiencing. The slow burn romance is nice, but a little too slow for my taste. Nonetheless the novel is well written and Lucia’s character develops from the beginning to end. Not a bad piece of work, just not my favorite.

Absolutely loved this book! Cute light and fun. Reminded me of the new show on Netflix, Emily in Paris. All of the characters are well written and it makes me want to go to France and drink wine. Lucy accepts a job renovating an old hotel in France. When she gets there, it’s more than she bargained for. A great story of “starting over”. I highly recommend it. This is the first book I have ever read by Dee Ernst and now I want to read everything else written by her.
I received this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press book to read in exchange for an honest review and I loved it!

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

I really struggled to get into this at first, I'm not entirely sure why but it took me considerably longer to get through this than it typically takes me to finish a book. However, I'm happy that I did finish. I really enjoyed this book.

Lucy is a well-known hotel manager who lost her job and fame because the man that she fell in love with stole all of the money from their famous hotel and ran away. Unable to find another job in America she jumps at the chance to work at a hotel in France and goes there with high expectations. Unfortunately, the hotel was run down and didn't exactly offer her the same amenities that she was used to receiving. Despite feeling lied to about the condition of the hotel she decides to stay and help renovate the hotel and in the process begins to grow and open up to new possibilities in her life.

I did go into this thinking it was a romance and while the romance that was present was nice, this is not a romance book (slow burn romance is sprinkled into the story here and there). Despite that, I did enjoy this. Reading about the progression of the hotel and seeing Lucy begin to open up was really heartwarming and lovely. I also really enjoyed the relationship she had with everyone and just how much they were like a tight-knit family. It was also really interesting reading about an older mc when I'm used to reading about teenagers or people in their early twenties. (and Bing, I absolutely adore him despite his moments where he's a pain in the butt lol). I will probably read this again, especially since it's a fast-paced book, and I'm already adding it to the list of books I need to purchase when they're finally published.

(3.5/5 stars)

This was ok. I was looking for more of a Romcom than what this was, but it was still fine.

I liked that the main character was almost 50 years old. I also liked the premise of having to start over, and finding a more accurate version of yourself in the process.

While I did feel the found-family atmosphere in this book, the romantic aspect just didn't do it for me. I didn't feel Lucy and Bing had much chemistry, so I found it really hard to keep looking for that to work out better.

I will say, I now want to go to France and do nothing but eat bread and butter and cheese because of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I review above is my honest opinions.

3 stars!

Escaping the States to move past a scandal, Lucy agrees to manage a hotel in France. Hotel Paradis leaves much to be desired, and the same could be said for her fellow co-workers. Can Lucy help transform Hotel Paradis and move on from her past?

OMG I fell in love with that place and the people. What a delightful story to counteract the gloom of the current world situation. I wish I was Lucy. Received as a complimentary copy from the author and netgalley in return for an honest review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4519193202