“Because no one works harder than a person with something to prove.”

Synopsis: Lucia Gianetti aka. Lucy spent her life working in and running hotels. That is until a scandal breaks out regarding the hotel she is currently managing and involving the man she loves. In her late forties she finds herself jobless, broke, and hating the man she once loved. Lost in life, she gets a job offer to start a new hotel in Rennes, France from the ground up. There she gets a second chance at a life she never thought possible.

Review: If you liked Eat, Pray, Love and Under the Tuscan Sun you will LOVE this book. The whole time I was reading I kept picturing the main character as Julia Roberts.

I’ve been reading a lot of contemporary romance books and new adult novels, it was nice to read something a bit different! The writing of Dee Ernst is truly wonderful. It is so witty and she gives each of her characters such a voice! Throughout this book I kept thinking of the quote, “Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.” This book does have a love story component, but it is more about Lucy coming to terms with her past, and learning how to trust and love those around her.

For me this book definitely gets 4 stars!! Thank you so much Dee Ernst for writing such a wonderful book and giving me the opportunity to escape to Rennes, France for a bit :)

This was my first ARC I have received and reviewed from NetGalley and I was so thankful for the opportunity!

This book was easy and cute, and while I enjoyed it, I found a few things misleading.

First, the cover does not give a good impression of the book. Our heroine is 49, not in her mid 20s as the cover would lead you to believe. While this did not lessen my enjoyment of the book, I did go in with the wrong expectations.

Second, while there is some romance in the story, I wouldn’t classify the novel as such. While the author’s descriptions of France (and specifically the food) were delightful, I failed to feel the same way about our main characters and their love affair. It was nice that they got together, but I didn’t have strong feelings about it happening.

The best part of this book was definitely the setting. I’ve been dying to go to France for years and this book just increased my desire! I could taste the coffee and smell the flowers as I was reading. I can’t wait to be there in person someday.

Overall, this book was nice. However, I couldn’t help wanting just a little more character development.

Lucy Checks In, written by Dee Ernst, a contemporary story with a splash of romance, might be the type of book, at first glance, that gives a reader Eat, Pray, Love vibes. And while the main character, Lucy, is a middle-aged woman in search of something to stabilize her and does that searching while in a foreign country, that’s where the similarities end. Lucy, after her hotelier boyfriend disappears with all the company’s money and has the Feds hot on his heels, is trying to put the shattered pieces of her life back together. Lucy was the general manager of the hotel, and her reputation, in the wake of the scandal, is in tatters. When she’s offered a job as the general manager of a small hotel in Rennes, France, Lucy practically jumps at the chance, and off she goes to try and mend her broken heart and reassemble her life. She leaves behind a dysfunctional family, whose problems continue to find her, even in France.

With a cast of odd-duck type characters–practically a hotel of misfits, really–Ernst gives readers a beautiful and heartwarming view of what it can be like to put one’s life back together. Lucy is stubborn, but there’s no way she is more so than Claudine, the owner of the hotel. In fact, though the hotel’s residents have all chipped in to help in whatever ways they can, none of them really think Claudine can possibly get the hotel up and running. It’s been closed down, after all, since the end of the war. With Lucy’s determination and gumption, because she most definitely has something to prove (to her family, to those who doubted her, and most obviously to herself), Claudine’s sheer force of will, and the rest of the hotel residents begrudging support, Lucy Checks In ends up being a truly wonderful story for anyone to read.

Fans of quirky, fun reads like Where’d You Go, Bernadette? and those who are pulled toward the warmth of the classic Little Women will enjoy Lucy Checks In.

Lucy Checks In is a cute quick read, but I wish it had a bit more sustenance. I like that the protagonist is in her late 40's, as that isn't super common in the genre. I also enjoyed all the scenes of her redoing the hotel (They were weirdly satisfying. I love a good makeover), however there were a few too many of them. Most of the book was just Lucy working on the hotel. There wasn't a ton of romance, and when there was some, it was a bit underwhelming. So although this book had a really nice atmosphere and premise, I wish it had a bit more than that going for it.

This book was a quick and interesting read. I enjoyed that there was an older protagonist going through the stages of life still. I enjoyed the setting of Paris as I have become slightly obsessed with the city myself. The author keeps the story interesting and engaging to the final moment, and I recommend this to anyone

I just loved this romantic comedy by this author. It was fun and entertaining.

The overall story is about a disgraced hotel manager Lucia Giannetti - who travels to Rennes to start over. In her forties, she imagines a different hotel than what she finds. She will have to turn this run-down building into a tourist attraction.

This is definitely a feel-good story leaving you smiling at the end. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Lucy checks in! This book was different because of the older heroine. I could relate to her journey in finding herself and gaining the confidence she needed to start over. Having visited France myself I loved the backdrop and thought this author did a good job immersing the reader in that setting. While the story was charming adn sweet at times, it fell flat in other ways. Unfortunately i felt at times the writing was strange/clunky and the pacing was off. I didn't really relate to the slow burn romance or believe it? I found myself skimming toward the end in order to finish it. 3/5

Love, love, loved this book! I felt a strong connection to the main character, Lucy, and the book was a breath of fresh air. I now want to pack up my life in the United states and move to France to restore an old charming hotel. The characters in this book were all very complimentary to the story and I found each subplot fascinating. This book was a perfect escape during the cold winter months.

This was a very enjoyable read. I felt like I was in France walking the streets of Rennes. We saw many sides and pieces of Lucy but the love story between her and Bing felt very slow to start and then too rushed. I enjoyed the intertwining storylines and getting to know each of the residents at the hotel, especially Marie Claude’s story. Lucy evolving, become confident in herself again was the most beautiful part of the story. I also appreciated that the main characters in the story were on the older side of life, instead of the usual 20/30 somethings in the popular romance novels, middle aged folks need love to. Overall in was a lovely story and I would read it again happily.

This was a delightful read! Lucy felt like such an everywoman, and her success felt personal to me. I loved the ragtag little family she finally let herself be a part of when she opened up to the possibility of belonging.

Lucy, a down-on-her-luck former hotelier who, at 49, has been forced to move in with her parents gets what feels like the chance of a lifetime when she has the opportunity to renovate and manage the Hotel Paradis in France. While the job turns out to be a bigger headache than expected, it also comes with the benefits of a found family and a second chance at love.

The most magical part of this novel is the depiction of the Hotel Paradis itself, and the setting of the city in Rennes, France—an inspired choice of location, as it appears much less frequently in fiction than Paris (although Lucy does take a quick trip to the capital because, who wouldn’t?).

Lucy falls in love with the city and the hotel more quickly than she does with her love interest—an irascible author and artist named David Bingham—Bing for short. Although she is viscerally attracted to him, their relationship is more of a slow burn, which is all the more satisfying for feeling very grounded and true-to-life. It is particularly enjoyable to not only see a heroine who is about to hit 50, but also a hero who is described as relatively short and not terribly handsome, but still deeply desirable.

Both Lucy and Bing also have various family dramas to contend with—including a sudden tragedy in Lucy’s family in New Jersey that sends her dashing back to America—but there is a refreshing steadiness to the development of their relationship that doesn’t waver in the face of challenges. For readers who want a little bit of escapist travel fantasy combined with the promise of a mature, adult relationship, Lucy Checks In hits the mark.

This book felt like watching a Hallmark movie, in the best way. It was short, sweet and fun to read! The characters were deep, strong and lovable, Starting over can be such a hard thing but leads to a self-discovery and to a growth that would've been impossible otherwise, this novel perfectly illustrates that. This was a contemporary fiction type of plot with a slow-burn romance that fit perfectly in the plot! almost a coming of age story, but with adults. I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a sweet and short read filled with emotion!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this novel!

I thought this was a cute story, but I don't think it should be classified as a rom-com. The romance really took a backseat to the overall plot of Lucy trying to turn Hotel Paradis around. It read more like a women's fiction/contemporary fiction if anything. I also felt like the plot was very slow at times and I didn't really like Lucy's personality at the beginning of the book which made it hard to continue reading at times. However, I did love the atmosphere the book gave of France and the French countryside, the food, and the culture!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love Lucy! And I loved this book. The hotel setting, France, mature romance, complicated relationships and all. This was a fast fun read that I will definitely purchase and recommend to my romance lovers.

This is a new to me author and I am really glad I took the chance. I loved this story. I envied Lucy getting the chance to prove everyone wrong and to start over in another country. The author brings life to the characters and you feel like you are right there with them in the story and you are rooting for them. You can imagine what the hotel looks and feels like. It sounds like the perfect place to live and work. I loved the ending but will not spoil it other then to say it was perfect.

Lucy has worked in hotels her entire adult life. It’s what she knows, and does best. But when she and her beloved place of employment are victims of embezzlement, Lucy becomes persona non grata in the hotel world in America. She takes a job rehabilitating an old French hotel which is completely out of her comfort zone, but could it be the key to finding her footing and her happiness?

This was a really interesting and unique story of self-discovery featuring a mature main character. Lucy starts the book completely floundering and out of her element, but it was wonderful to watch her hit her stride and find success, happiness, and belonging. Dee Ernst has created quite the community of characters in this book, and it is a lovely treat for us to be introduced to these people and to watch their lives and relationships unfold with the growth of the hotel. Like the hotel that is featured at the forefront of this book, there are many parts to this story that help to make it what it is. Often times I find a story with a lot going on to be chaotic, but in this one, it works. Every element of this story seems well thought out and complements the main plot points. This is a lovely story of second chances that proves you’re never too old to find your place.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s press and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is so cute! Delightful doesn't even begin to cover it - Once upon a time, main character Lucy was the fabulous hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel. Then shit hit the fan (excuse my french) and the hotel owner took off with millions of dollars. Now, exiled from the U.S. hotel world, Lucy takes a job in a town a few hours outside Paris. When she arrives, she thinks she'll be managing the restoration of a historic hotel. Well, manage is an operative term. Lucy has to actually restore it, along with the other 6 "permanent" guests" at the hotel.

With this motley crew of workers all having a stake in the hotel's success (accommodation, jobs, etc.) and in the process of rebuilding the hotel, she rebuilds her life. Throughout the book, you fall in love with Lucy, Bing and the other inhabitants of the hotel.

This is a typical, feel-good romance that dives into finding yourself again, finding love, and creating a home. Plus, the escapism in France is next level (I want to go visit right now after reading this book).

Thank you, Dee Ernst, NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the early look at the book.

cute one! even though the book entitles itself as a romcom, it didn’t feel that way for me but you can see more about lucy’s journey and that she is reconnecting with herself. her development and the ‘starting over’ plot is really good, there is a little bit of romantic part going on but is not the big focus. overall, it’s a enjoyable read, if you’re looking for something nice and quick, just go for this one.

It starts off a little slow, took me quite awhile to make it to the halfway mark. Lucy is a bit difficult as a main. She’s spoiled and kind of a brat at first. She didn’t really act like a 40ish year old woman. Once the second half of the book began she started to change and thankfully became a better person and less judgey. If youre into a slower paced read definitely give this one a look. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this.

I liked this book and I would read future books by this author! It was a really cute book about new starts, second chances, and finding love where you least expect it. This was a cute book to read before bed and was a welcome distraction from our crazy world.