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.

Fun read but not a lot of depth. I never really connected with Lucy as a character. The setting was wonderful, however.

A very straightforward book - no real plot twists or turns of events. I kept waiting for it to become like Hotel Nantucket, but never really got to that level. I enjoyed this book similar to how I would enjoy an HGTV show, very even and mindless.

This was a delightful women's fictional story with a full of wonderful secondary characters. Lucia Giannetti travels to France to help renovate a new boutique hotel after her career and love life in NYC went up in smoke. Caught up in a scandal with the hotel she managed in New York City Lucy found herself in need of a second chance. That chance was given to her when she is given an offer to manage a hotel in France. This was a quick read which I found very enjoyable.

I did not know how badly I needed to escape (virtually) to France until I read LUCY CHECKS IN. Lucy is 49 years old and once had a successful career in hotel management, until her lover/boss disappeared with millions of dollars in investors' money and employees' retirement savings. After a two-year-long legal battle, Lucy is exonerated of all charges, but still unemployable and tired of living in her childhood room. She accepts a job managing a family inn in Rennes, France, but is shocked to learn she will be personally overseeing (and participating in) the renovation of a building that has been largely vacant for over 50 years.

A ragtag group of residents lives in the hotel full-time, many of them investors and/or casual employees. Soon Lucy finds herself invested not only in the Hotel Paradis but also in the lives of those who reside there, especially the occasionally irritating artist, Bing.

This is a fantastic novel about second chances and finding yourself and all sorts of profound things, with a heaping dose of fun and entertainment. #LucyChecksIn #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review!

This almost hit the mark for me, it wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t amazing. Just kind of average! Nothing wrong with that, but it didn’t fully sell me on it.

Lucy was great and I loved the renovation portions of the book. That felt very HGTV, which I loved. The chapters, however, were way too long and held a long list of side characters to keep track of. Definitely a fiction book rather than a romance.

3 stars.

This is a cozy and heartwarming story about a woman at mid-life who needs to reinvent herself. After her professional life blows up and she ends up living back at home, 49-year-old Lucy heads off to France to forge a new life. This is a pretty slow burn, as we watch Lucy creating a new life and considering falling in love again, without any major drama throughout most of the book. The big twist comes late in the story, and the ending made it for me - I loved it.

Great setting - made me want to visit Lucy's hotel in France. The portrayal of the neighbourhood and market felt spot-on. A nice cast of characters in the hotel to support the main character.

I wasn't entirely sure how I was going about this book going into it. The description read like it be a little old for me and I wasn't sure I was in the mood for it, but boy was I wrong. I needed this book, it was the hug I didn't know I was looking for. I flew through this book in two days and already know that I'm going to have to own my copy. I loved this story of a woman starting over and finding her worth and finding love. It makes me want to move to France, which isn't bad either. Overall, definitely recommend this book, especially for fall. It just has that fall, cuddle in a sweater and drink tea type of vibe.

So fun!

I enjoyed Maggie Finds Her Muse by Dee Ernst last year, and this was also an enjoyable read! Her books always remind me of holiday reads, taking readers to a new part of the world, discovering it alongside the main character, in this case, Lucy, a 49 year old woman who is rebuilding her life in France!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.