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

I really enjoyed Lucy Checks In as a story about personal growth, navigating the ups and downs of life, and some romance sprinkled in. It was refreshing to read a story like this focused on a woman in her 50s. I really bought into Lucy's inner life and character development, and thought many of the supporting characters came to life on the page. The only part(s) that fell a tad flat were the romance plotline - which needed fleshing out - and the weaving of her family in the States back into her life at the end of the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

I liked this book! I haven't read many romance novels about women over the age of maybe 35, so this was refreshing and fun! The characters are all likable and the plot is breezy and very cute.

When I began Lucy Checks In, I didn’t know how a story about revitalizing an old shut down hotel was going to hold my attention. But Dee Ernst makes this story so much more than a hotel. It’s about new beginnings, life changes, redeeming yourself and dealing with a not-so-perfect life.
The story begins with Lucy moving to France, to redeem herself, after getting herself in the middle of a hotel scandal. While there, she meets an eclectic group of people who are more like family members than friends. Despite her family drama back in the States, she is able to push through and turn the old building into a beautiful hotel.
I enjoyed Lucy Checks In and would recommend it.

This book's story line was cute and entertaining if not altogether relatable. The descriptions of France are dreamy and from Lucy's descriptions of things around her, you feel like you may have been transported there too. As Lucy focuses on restoring the hotel, I find myself wanting to check in. But after rich descriptions, the book falls flat. The story moves slowly, little seems to happen, the main character, Lucy, feels a little one dimensional and I find I don't care what happens to her. The book is easy to put down and hard to pick back up.

This was an enjoyable, feel-good book. Lucy has had a major career setback in America, and moves to Rennes, France to manage a hotel. When she arrives, she discovers the hotel is not nearly in the condition she assumed it would be, and in addition to managing the process, she will be doing much of the work herself, painting walls, etc. The hotel has a handful of international, quirky residents, who are all charming and prickly in their own ways. I would have liked more on some of their back stories, especially Karl and Vera. I liked that Lucy is solidly middle aged, and yet there is no question of her being able to have romance and adventure. And in this time when we've all been stuck at home for so long, the description of a small town in France has me salivating to visit. And all the food and pastries - yum!