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.

This was a cute book about an older woman trying to find her way in the world. I enjoyed her journey to find herself. I loved the romantic moments.

The setting of this sounded so beautiful and made me want to go to France.

I enjoyed the hotel renovation and sweet side characters. This was a cozy but somewhat heart breaking read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lucy Checks in features forty-nine year old Lucy. Lucy has recently lost a job and a relationship and is ready to start over so she moves to France to manage a hotel.
I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, fluffy read. Although it's considered a romantic comedy, there's not a lot of romance going on.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy for my honest review!!

This was a cute book! I enjoyed the characters and the setting! I however really didn’t love how long the chapters were. Gosh they were really long. There were a lot of regular side characters to keep track of. There was a lot of repetition of Lucy’s past and describing the French work contracts. And honestly, I thought Lucy was a young woman until she mentioned she had gray hair and her age. She comes off very immature and inexperienced in life except for the hotel business. I didn’t love that there was a last second love story thrown in. Then the last part of the book where she all of a sudden becomes her nieces legal guardian and uproots them to France seems pretty out there for me. I mean I have two kids and thinking about taking them from what they know to a foreign country seems very outrageous. He ghost was so random too.

I did however love the driver, Georges, and the chef Stavros! They were such sweet side characters! I will say though, as much as this book wasn’t for me, I loved the images created of this old historic hotel and seeing it rise through the ashes! It made me want to stay there! Very beautiful image building of the hotel!

This book was definitely more chick-lit than I expected. Although, I did quite enjoy this read! I really liked that Lucy basically started her life over at 49. That gives me hope that if she can do it, I know I would be able to.

I really enjoyed the side characters the most though. They each had their own little story and I adored it.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Almost 50 year old Lucy Giannetti is starting over in France managing/fixing up a hotel. But it isn't quite like she expected. Even though this was pretty predictable, this book was a quick and easy read.



Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for an honest review.

This is very entertaining, slow burn love story. Lucy is known as the woman who could turn any hotel around. She worked for a wealthy hotel owner who embezzled millions and left the country. No one believes Lucy when she tells them that she knew nothing about his scheme, but she is left disgraced.

She ends up in France, faced with the task of turning a run around house into a hotel. There’s quite a cast of characters who already live there, and as she stays longer and longer she becomes part of their family.

One of the residents is a sexy man named Bing. Bing and Lucy spend a lot of time fixing up the rooms, and the two get closer and closer. Their attraction for one another is undeniable, but Lucy is not sure if she wants to get involved.

Can Lucy turn the Hotel Paradise into a 5 star hotel? Can she and Brad find a little paradise for themselves?

This was such a fun book to read, I highly recommend it. 4.5 stars.

Synopsis:

Dee Ernst's Lucy Checks In is a delightful work of romantic comedy about a disgraced hotel manager who travels to Rennes to rebuild a hotel and her own life in the process.

Lucia Giannetti needs a fresh start. Once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel and intimately involved with the hotel’s owner, Lucy had her entire future planned out. But when the owner disappears, taking millions of dollars with him, Lucy's life as she knows it falls apart.

Two years later, forty-nine years old and unemployed, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis. She pictures fur quilts and extravagant chandeliers, but what she finds is wildly different. Lucy is now in charge of turning the run-down, but charming hotel into a bustling tourist attraction. Between painting rooms, building a website, and getting to know Bing, the irritatingly attractive artist, Lucy finds an unexpected home. But can she succeed in bringing the Hotel Paradis to its former glory? 

Witty and heartfelt, Lucy Checks In is an inspiring and feel-good novel about reclaiming your life, finding love, and creating a home in places you never thought possible.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a fun novel about second chances with a little bit of romance. Lucy takes a hotel job in Rennes, France, after being investigated for embezzlement by the FBI after the owner steals a boatload of money and disappears. What she thinks will be running it is actually helping to get it in running order. We go on a lighthearted journey as Lucy figures out her new place and meets a bunch of great characters.

I must note that Lucy is forty-nine years old and it was refreshing to have the second chance not be about a young person with their whole life ahead of them. While not really laugh out funny, I smiled often and adored Lucy and her new coworkers and hotelmates. If you’ve ever needed a second chance, you’ll like reading about Lucy.

This book was a fun. I enjoyed seeing a book where the heroine was a little older than most people are in romance books. I loved all the HGTV vibes. This felt like a classic Hallmark movie and it felt like a really interesting story. I probably wouldn't have picked this up without the description and some of the other early reviews. But I'm glad I did.

Classic Rom-Com! Super positive and light. Easy read and the author does a good job making the reader feel like they’re actually in the book. Very inspiring. I thought it was a little long but I loved all the characters and their quirky personalities :)