DNF @ 50% or so. Just was so boring. No connection to the characters and barely any plot. I think it’s similar to a lot of other fiction and could be better done.

Lucy is enthusiastic to start over. She’s looking to the future not the past. I like that she’s honest when she realizes the job isn’t what she thought. So much good description of the architectiture that I felt like I was there. But the overall romance fell short for me. I can’t explain it but it was a bit dull.

In this novel, Lucy is an almost 50 year old former hotel manager whose life is in shambles after a scandal at her last job. She gets an offer to help reopen an old hotel in Rennes, France, and takes it without ever even visiting since it’s pretty much her only option. Of course when she gets there it’s a lot more work than she realized, but she gets to know the quirky people who live there and meets an intriguing man as well.

Having read Dee Ernst’s last book, Maggie Finds Her Muse which was a romance featuring a woman in her late 40s, this one was not quite what I expected as it was a little less romance than I thought it would be. Id say it was two parts hotel renovation, one part personal and professional reinvention, and one part romance. And the romance somehow managed to be simultaneously a slow burn enemies-ish to lovers and yet also insta-love. That being said, I actually really enjoyed it! I read it during a busy and somewhat stressful week during which I did not have a lot of reading time, and I wanted to read something light and easy to follow which I could read just a little bit at a time, and this totally fit that category.

I wouldn’t say it’s a must read, and I did prefer Maggie Finds Her Muse, but if you enjoyed Trish Doller’s The Suite Spot and want to read more about hotel renovation, or if you like books featuring middle aged women as protagonists, this was a cute one. Loved the France setting as well.

3.75 stars

What a sweet book. I am someone who is instantly interested in any book that involves someone uprooting their life and moving abroad. If you are also like me this book would totally be for you! Something that sets this book apart from other moving abroad books is the main character is 50! I feel like that is so rare in books like this.

Lucy is a 50 something hotel worker who finds herself without a job after a major scandal at her last place of employment. She takes on a job at a French Hotel and uproots her life. When she gets to the French Hotel she gets a rude awakening about her duties and learns to love the people and life that France creates for her.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend to girl friends who like a romance read without the spice.

This was a cute story about a woman finding herself again after a break up, career break down, and family tragedy. Lucy get a job in Paris helping a small hotel get back in the market. What she found was nothing like she expected. I liked that she didn't dwell too much on the past. She fully accepted her situation and even though it was tough she took it as a personal challenge!

I liked the hotel setting and the characters within. It find of reminded me of a hotel rescue game I used to play as a kid lol so that was fun. Anything HGTV style is a win for me.

Romance was minimal. Although there was a romance in the story, it wasn't the main focus.

I had fun reading this book. Was it my favorite? No. Was it cute and enjoyable? Yes! I would recommend if you are looking for a finding yourself, new chance at life, kind of story!

I found this to be a cute book. It is a slow burn romance book for sure, which I am not a huge fan of. I did enjoy reading a book about a middle aged women, I thought it was a good change of pace. The story was well written and interesting, I just didn’t love it. I wasn’t a big fan of the characters or how slow the relationship developed. I did enjoy the setting of the book and the hotel renovation plot! I know others loved this book, so I recommend checking their reviews out too!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

1.5 ⭐️

After spending the last couple of years trying to clear her name from a huge scandal that occurred at the famous hotel she worked at, Lucy decides to head to France, to the only hotel who will give her a chance to start over in the industry she loves. Upon arriving and encountering many things she doesn’t expect, Lucy and a group of people living at the hotel try to put it, and her life, back together.

I read the first 30% of this then kind of skimmed and skipped to the end. I just found it so boring. I didn’t connect with Lucy or the other characters, I don’t think they were developed enough. Lucy’s constant talk about her weight in a negative way bothered me. The story at the beginning was overly detailed about the hotel and so slow moving, then the ending was very unexpected. I wasn’t a fan of this. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

This was so charming and an incredibly sweet read. I felt transported to Rennes and finished feeling like maybe I wanted to operate a small chalet hotel in France. I will be looking out for more from this author for sure.

This was a cute story. At first, I didn’t know that Lucy was in almost in her 50s, but I wasn’t really concerned about that. It was nice reading about people starting over and being able to because they simply want to, especially finding your passion later in life. I liked reading about the setting of the book; I thought it was beautiful. I really enjoyed reading about the characters and their personality.

Lucy’s life has been turned upside down by scandal, but she is looking to turn over new roots managing a hotel in Rennes, France. Only the managing turned into more of a restoration along side the residents that currently live on the property. Now in her forties, Lucy is starting over in a new place with a new challenge.

Lucy Checks In, is the perfect small town setting that seemed absolutely picturesque. The hotel sounded charming, and made me want to visit as a guest. I loved the electric group of people living on the hotel property. They added so much to the story, and I loved seeing glimpses of their life and history. I adored Lucy’s love of her nieces.

As I finished, my immediate thought was how much I would love a sequel. I want to know more about the second phase of renovations at Hotel Paradis and how Lucy continues to adjust in Rennes. But I also think this book would translate so well to screen. HGTV meets hallmark.

This is the first book I have read by Dee Ernst, but I would definitely look into reading more. Thank you St Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for this eARC to read and review.

Lucy is in need of a reboot. Her ex has left her unemployable. With blinders on she accepts a position overseas. Upon her arrival she realizes that she allowed herself to get seriously bamboozled by the owner of the hotel. With no choice as she sees it, she bucks up and gets to work if for no other reason than to prove something to herself. It was a nice story of a adult person finally discovering who they are, what they are made of and living their best life.

The premise of this book and its main character, Lucy, are both very appealing. Unfortunately, the telling of the story focuses too heavily on the details of hotel renovation and not enough on the connections between Lucy and the people whom she meets in her new job. I ended up abandoning thie book after a few chapters because it was just taking too long to get going.

Lucy needs a new start - and fast. For the last two years, Lucy has been unemployed living with her parents. Previously, she was the manager of one of the most sought-after hotels in New York City, dating the owner of the hotel, and living the dream. But all that came crashing down when financial scandal hit the hotel with her boyfriend ran off with millions of dollars and Lucy being blamed for all of it. Lucy ended up coming out of the scandal innocent, but that didn't stop public opinion so now she was jobless with no prospects until Hotel Paradis. Hotel Paradis wants to reopen its doors and it needs help, and quickly, so Lucy quickly accepts the job and relocates to Rennes, France, to help the hotel. What she thought would be similar to her old job leading people top-down turns into one that, quite frankly, was an all-encompassing one-man-only show. Lucy is painting, creating a website from scratch, cleaning all the unused rooms, and drumming up media attention. Along the way, Lucy meets the people who have dedicated their time and money to help Hotel Paradis become a leader in hospitality. While she has no idea what exactly she's getting into, Lucy has checked in and is ready to go.


Lucy Checks In is a quintessential meet-cute, feel-good book. You want to root for Lucy from the beginning because, let's face it, being almost 50 and starting over has got to be tough. While I love that Lucy and the characters in this book are older, at times it felt like they were all in their early 20s being dramatic, not speaking to one another, etc., to the point where it felt very immature. Alongside the unexpected immaturity, the book was just really long and kept going back and forth and back and forth and so on. I really didn't connect to any of the characters aside from Lucy, mostly because they were barely developed. I would've loved to have gotten to know Bing and Claudine better. Overall, though, Lucy Checks In does not come with any twists or turns, it's straight-forward once you get through the back and forth, so it doesn't keep you guessing. All in all, this is a fine book - I won't remember it but I certainly don't regret reading it.


2/5


Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for an advanced copy of Lucy Checks In in exchange for an honest review.

What is the first thing you do when you feel you've hit rock bottom (as in you lost your job and your lover...) You run! Run for the hills! Or in this case, France. But what you find is that there is still a mountain to climb. This book didn't really do a lot for me. I found myself skipping parts here and there. Not because the writing was bad or anything of the sort. It just wasn't enough to keep my ADHD brain from wandering.

This was a quick, easy and enjoyable read. Loved the setting of the book and the characters where all great.

I enjoyed this book. I love how Dee portrays life in such a realistic way. Life can be messy no matter how old you are in life and her books always remind me of this.

Lucia has been caught up in a scandal she had no knowledge of and after two years she's finally landed a job working at a hotel in Paris. When she gets to Paris and finds out the job is a little less like the grand idea she had built up in her mind, she starts to wonder if she's made the right choice.

The characters are well developed and I loved the setting. I definitely recommend this one, especially the audiobook. I can't for more of Dee's books!

Lucy Checks In • Dee Ernst ⭐️ - 2
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I thought this book was beautifully written and a beautiful setting but found it to be repetitive and I wish I DNF’d it.
I felt indifferent most of the time towards the main character but I really started to dislike her when one of the side characters reached out to the main character for help and the MC continues to shut her down and refused to help.

Thank you to @NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a honest review

3 out of 5 stars - It was ok

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

"Lucy Checks In" is about Lucia Giannetti, once a hotel manager of a luxurious hotel in NYC, and how she's rebuilding her life after her boyfriend (owner of said hotel) runs off with all the money. In order to find a new job, she takes an offer to start up a hotel in Rennes, France. When she gets there, it's not quite what she expected. Instead of overseeing staff and workmen, she is expected to jump into some of the grunt work herself, like painting, building a website, and finding ways to bring back this hotel to it's former glory.

One thing I really liked about this book was that, for once, it wasn't a story about a late-20s, early-30s woman who keeps claiming she's "past her prime". Lucy is 49 years old and never married. I enjoyed getting to know her and the other characters who lived in the hotel. The major part I wasn't a fan of was how the story ended. It just seemed all so unlikely, even if it was a semi-happy ending.

While most people will try to claim that the family dynamic in Lucy's family is unlikely, it's one that I can relate to in a way. So, that wasn't my issue with the ending.

This is the second book by this author. I really like the older characters and settings. I wish the romance was better - older characters deserve to have fabulous romance books!

I was intrigued by Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst; the story of a woman whose life was turned upside down and now at 49 is starting over in France on a much smaller and different scale from what she’s used to. She just has no idea how different until she arrives, but determination and a bit of stubbornness keeps her there and in return she begins to see her life from a different perspective. She becomes part of a “found family” despite trying not to and she faces relationship demons and a life changing event she never imagined. From the first chapter until the last I was completely immersed in this story of life and love.

Lucia (Lucy) Giannetti never imagined she’d have to move to France in order to find a job in the hospitality industry, but after her former boss and lover embezzled billions and left her holding the bag and facing an FBI investigation and the backlash of her former employees and the entire industry. Her name might have been cleared but she still is persona non grata except to Hotel Paradis in Rennes, France where the generational hotel needs an update and a dynamic manager. She has grand expectations of what she’s walking into, but upon arrival she finds a rundown once hotel, a band of unusual residents, and many “investors” excited about her arrival.

I wasn’t sure at first if I was going to like Lucy as she came off as spoiled and a bit selfish, but she redeemed herself as she rolled up her sleeves and began the process of taking charge to bring the hotel back to its former glory. Each of the residents had such unique personalities and Bing, an American who had been living in France for decades and is famous children’s author and illustrator, challenges her at every turn. There was some interest and even some chemistry there, but Lucy didn’t trust her judgment and Bing seemed in no hurry to press the issue realizing she needed time.

Throughout this book we gain insight into Lucy’s strained relationship with her family except for her twin nieces whom she adores, in addition we learn about all the residents and their connection some of which are surprising and interesting.

I loved that despite some issues and some interesting ways of getting what they need to bring the hotel back to its prime, they accomplish that and watching it come back to life and welcome guests was a joy to see.

Lucy Checks in was an uplifting and enchanting book that I found impossible to put down and is one of my favorite books of 2022.