This was a slowww read and it took a lot of time to get involved in it. I also felt that the main character had mostly everything just work out for her and had little issue which would not be the case when renovating a building that old. 3.5/5 for me

I felt mislead by the cute cover and description of the book. I thought this would be such a fun and sweet romance but this book was none of those things for me. I enjoyed the French setting of the book and the idea of renovating and bringing an old hotel back to life but the book did not live up to what I was expecting.

The characters, most of whom range from 50-80 years old, came off as immature and flighty, especially the main character Lucy. I was expecting to fall in love with all the unique characters who lived at the hotel, but did not fell like any of the characters were developed enough for me to form any attachment to them. I also did not care for the romance in the book and had trouble seeing the chemistry between the two characters.

I probably would have rated this book as 3 stars if not for the ending which felt rushed and like the author was just trying to tie up loose ends. I did not find that what happens at the end of the book was handled with care and was angry with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this beautifully written tale of Lucy and she looks to rebuild not only her professional reputation, but her very essence as she recovers from a devastating betrayal. The "scenery" in Rennes, France is rendered in glorious detail and I'd book the next flight there if I could. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!

I loved the "Under the Tuscan Sun"-ness of this book! It was a fresh, fun "woman of a certain age rebuilding her life" story focusing on the titular character, Lucy. By reasons out of her control, she loses her position at a luxury 5 star hotel in New York and is blacklisted by the industry. In an effort to turn her life around she accepts a position running a boutique hotel in France. Only, her expectations are high and reality doesn't quite match up. Lucy and her coworkers work hard to bring life back into the struggling hotel and meaning and purpose to their lives.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for a copy of Lucy Checks In!

Rating: 4/5 stars

What’s it about?
Lucy is looking for a fresh start after being screwed over in her prior hotel manager role, so she takes a job in Rennes, France. The hotel is charming, but run down, and wants to turn it into a tourist attraction, so she’s got to get to work. This hotel becomes her home, but can she completely turn it around?

I love romcoms with the theme of a fresh start. I think at one point or another, we’ve all found ourselves in the spot that Lucy is in after her life takes a downward spiral and she wonders what and where to go to next. I loved that Lucy is nearly 50 - mid-life looking for a new start, this was a breath of fresh air.

A lovely little romance that reinforces that it's never too late to start over and find love. Honestly, my favorite part about this book is that the characters are flawed and growing. Plus, I love a good slow-burn.

I requested this book specifically due to the synopsis. Who wouldn’t love starting over in France restoring an old hotel?!? I absolutely loved the setting and I couldn’t love the restoration of the hotel more. Unfortunately where the book fell flat for me was the romance. It was cute, but predictable.

This book is a quick and easy read perfect for a Francophile and HGTV lover.

I want to thank NetGalley, Dee Ernst and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

Rating: 3/5
Steam: 1/5

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I think because I had been warned, I don’t think I fell completely into the mismarketing of this book. The character on the cover depicts someone in their 20-30s however the FMC is nearly 50 and described with gray hair. I loved seeing a woman in the middle of her life getting a second chance, so that was a beautiful aspect of this story.

My biggest criticism of this book as that it didn’t truly have a plot until near the end of the book. It was a delight to listen about the found family and renovation of the hotel, but didn’t anything really happen throughout the course of the book, no. The romance was lackluster and was more tell than show. More women's fiction for sure.

I appreciated how everyone in the hotel contributed with their own skill set and they were so invested in the success of the property. I did love the relationship Lucy had with her nieces and how the ending tied things up.

DNF. It's giving false advertisement. The character on the cover depicts a 20-40 something woman with her back turned, however the main character as described in the book is 49 with gray speckled hair. Gray speckled hair where?

For some reason I thought this was following a 20-30 something woman trying to recreate herself after small issue ruined her career, but then it turns out this follows a 49 year old who has been under investigation by the FBI and hasn't held a job in almost two years. I have no interest in continuing on following a middle age crisis hotel renovation.

Fun read that scratched my travel itch! I love the cover, I would gravitate toward it if it was on a bookstore shelf. This is a perfect, quick and fun romance when you want to escape a bit, I loved the details and descriptions of the area, it felt like I was experiencing all of these new things with the FMC, A wonderful read anytime of year but I highly recommend it over spring break or summer when you wish to get away,

I love a good renovation story plotline, particularly with a side of romance and finding yourself. In this story, Lucy has just agreed to move to, renovate, and open a hotel in the French countryside.

With a cast of permanent guests who help and cause trouble in equal measure, Lucy is able to find herself and her heart again.

This book does deal with a few serious topics as well, but nothing that should be too intense if you are looking for a lighter read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! I highly recommend this! It was absolutely adorable!

This was a very cute book. It took a little bit for me to get into it, in fact I put it down and picked it up weeks later. But when I did pick it back up and get immersed into the story I was hooked. I liked how we met Lucy as she was picking up the pieces of her old life and that we got to watch her learn and grow throughout the book. I also liked that she was an older character as I find that someone her age is not someone we see in books often, and especially not in Romance books.

I loved the set of the old hotel in France and the group of interesting characters that we got to meet when we got there.

As I grew to enjoy these characters, I also grew to enjoy the book, but the slow start made it hard to get into in originally.

This was a delightful second act, women's fiction story full of a cast of quirky secondary characters as Lucy travels to France to help renovate a boutique hotel after her career and love life went up in flames. I enjoyed these characters, and this was a fun story. We need more stories about women finding success and love later in life and this one gives you just that.

A fun and lighthearted romance about starting over and finding love later in life . After a scandal at the hotel she was managing, Lucy loses everything. When she takes a job as a hotel manager in France, she quickly realizes it's more than just a job she has stumbled upon. Lucy takes it all in stride, and not only thrives working in the hotel but finds love in the process.

Do you ever read books that make you want to instantly hop on a plane and move to another country?

This was one of those. I loved imagining a beautiful home in France being restored into a hotel. It sounded like an idyllic place to be 💜

While I loved the setting, I struggled to get invested in the characters and their stories. The MC’s love interest was an ass sometimes so I wasn’t a fan of his and couldn’t care less if they got together. I don’t know if it’s truly how French men are, but he was not my cup of tea 🥴

Overall, I enjoyed this one, but mostly because it made me daydream of vacation 😆

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was absolutely delightful! I loved the setting, the premise, and the characters. The main character was relatable and I was invested in her story from the beginning. The setting descriptions are vivid, it felt like I was swept away to France. Pour yourself a glass of wine, grab some cheese, and escape into this truly lovely story! 4.5 ⭐️

This book was a lighthearted romance that proves starting over and finding love is still possible later in life. While this is not what I would typically reach for, I loved every second of it. After getting caught up in a scandal at the hotel she was managing, Lucy loses everything. When she takes a job as a hotel manager in France, she quickly realizes she’s taken on more than she was prepared for. Lucy takes it all in stride, and not only thrives working in the hotel but finds love in the process.

I originally requested this book because I really liked the premise. An American starting her life over again by transforming an old French hotel? Sign me up. And in some ways, I loved what this book represented: a journey that was more about professional aspirations that seeking a relationship. Personal and romantic development for characters in their 40s and 50s.

But on another level, this book relies way too much on narrating the steps of renovating the hotel than really helping me feel what the characters are going through. There's only so much I need to know about the details of how to do this renovation before it gets tedious, and that really makes up the majority of the book. We know that Lucy has a complicated relationship with her family, because we are told that...but we don't really know a whole lot about it, and it ends up being the emotional climax of the novel.

I think this story had so much potential, the concept could really have taken off, but telling rather than the showing throughout derailed making an emotional connection with Lucy and the rest of the characters.

I enjoyed that Lucy was older and starting her life over. I enjoyed her backstory and her rebuilding her life along with the hotel. The hotel renos were weirdly satisfying and the supporting cast was wonderful. The one issue I had is that I found the timing of wvents in the book were a lottle hard to follow it wasn't a big deal but took away from the story a bit. Lucy and Bing's love story was cute but predictable. I do wish it all happened faster because by the time it got going the book was over. I actually enjoyed Marie Claude and Phillippe's love story more. Overall a quick simple satisfying read.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.