This book has a compelling opening that really draws you in as you arrive in France with Lucy and watch her discover that her new job isn’t quite what she expected.

The quirky cast of characters living in the future Hotel Paradis were one of my favorite things about the book. It has a lovely found family feel as Lucy gets to know them and tries to learn to trust again.

Lucy has to relearn her confidence in herself and her abilties after the events that led her to lose her previous job. I enjoyed going on this emotional journey with her and watching her slowly remember how capable she really is.

At times, the pacing felt a bit off to me. There are a number of brief time jumps throughout the book, which does make sense in some places but did leave me feeling like things slowed down quite a bit after the exciting beginning.

In particular, I thought the end wrapped up really quickly and with a pretty big event that really felt rushed and skipped over. That ending left me with a weird feeling about the book and I’m not sure I love how it was handled.

I also wasn’t sold on the romance element of the story. I rarely say this because I love a love story, but this one felt a bit forced and I think I might’ve liked the book better without it.

In all, Lucy Checks In is a cozy story about starting over, found family, and remembering to trust yourself after someone violated that trust.

This was a really sweet book about starting over later in life. And not due to the circumstances that one might expect. Lucy was a delightful character who had some bad luck. She takes a job that is the only thing available to her and it turns out to be life-changing in so many ways. I loved the eclectic characters and really would have liked to get to know some of the secondary ones even better. Maybe there will be a spinoff book or something with them. The overall story was just enjoyable all around and I am glad I came across this one!

The premise and location of this drew me in but as I read it I became bored with the characters. The romance didn’t grab my attention either. Those that like books about women figuring out their lives may find this interesting but this book wasn’t for me.

This book is the equivalent of wearing an old worn sweater as you walk an easy hiking trail through the forest in the morning. It's not quite as magical as watching the sunrise, or as intense as climbing a mountain, but it's comfortable, warm, and for the most part relaxing and enjoyable.

Lucy is 49 and being forced to restart her life, as her long-time boyfriend and boss absconded with millions of dollars of embezzled money, including hers. Finally free from the FBI, but still viewed with relative suspicion within the industry, she takes a job in France at a small hotel in need of a lot of work.

This book is the epitome of found family - the long-term residents of the hotel are a motley crew, each with their own specific interests and curiosities. I enjoyed getting to know them all and felt so happy for Lucy to have found them and a place to call home.

A large chunk of this book is hotel renovations and getting to know the various residents through the process. The dynamics of who would help, who wouldn't, who's good at what, and where all their interests lie was a great way to develop the characters and see how they fit within the story and the hotel. Through the book, Lucy is tenacious and determined as she begins this new chapter. Seeing her regain her confidence in her work and in her ability to trust and love again was beautiful and heartwarming. I truly enjoyed cheering for her as the story went on and was so happy with how the story concluded (despite the loss).

Overall, an enjoyable read that brings forth a sense of comfort and home.

TW: alcoholic secondary character, death of a parent, racism, death in a car crash due to alcohol consumption, toxic relationship

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Pacing: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by St. Martin's Griffin via St. Martin's Press

This enjoyable story takes place in Rennes, France. Lucy loses her job as a hotel manager when the hotel owner is found to have embezzled funds from the hotel and the employees. Once she is deemed innocent, Lucy accepts a position in France to renovate an old hotel, not redone since prior to the war. There are people who are also residents in the hotel, and as she begins to feel part of the group, things turn around for her. There re some dramatic moments, but all in all, a good story with French touches. Thanks to NetGalley for this delightful read.

Aweeee. Yea this was cute. If you’re in the mood for a light, feel good book check this one out.

We follow Lucy as she is recovering job gone bad as she moves to France to help renovate and revive a hotel. All the characters were great. Sure there were story lulls but overall this was just wonderful.

After a disastrous relationship takes Lucy's career in hotel management down with it, she's offered what sounds like the idyllic position to regain her footing - help re-open the Hotel in Paradis in Rennes, France. But when Lucy arrives, the hotel is anything but paradise... It more closely resembles the Happiness Hotel from THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER than the quaint chateau she'd been imagining. But with a signed contract and the challenge of proving one resident in particular wrong, Lucy rolls up her sleeves and gets to work.

It's a light but fun read, with remodeling challenges that resolve themselves like a fantasy novel, a charming cast of characters and plenty of descriptions for Francophiles to drool over. It's a refreshing change to have a mostly older cast and a heroine who turns 50 in the book. And while this is Macmillan's romance imprint, this isn't an overly steamy read. It's surprisingly pragmatic (well other than the construction schedules - those are pure fantasy!). There are some surprises to the storyline and this makes it a great little vacation read. It's my first experience with the author, and I am certain that it won't be my last!

This book made me want to move overseas and run a hotel! I loved the details and ride of rebuilding the hotel step by step... the character development was fabulous and I adored Lucy (sequel?!) Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book. I felt this book kind of dragged on and had no excitement. I did not connect with the characters. I just did not really like the romance parts in this book and felt like most of the time the author was describing in depth about the hotel.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

LUCY CHECKS IN follows Lucy to Rennes, France, where she's set to manage the Hotel Paradis. The only problem? She's gone from being the manager of an expensive NYC hotel - used to managing a large staff - to responsible for reviving a rundown hotel that hasn't seen guests since the 1930s. Reality pales to what she's built the hotel up to in her head, but this is the only job offer she's received since her former hotel owner (and romantic partner) disappeared with millions, including her pension (and she had to use her IRA for legal fees, because everyone thought she was in on the crime).

I think this book will work best for those into home renovation stories - highlights include the longtime inhabitants of Hotel Paradis coming together to turn it into a functioning hotel. It may also be promising for those wanting to read a book about a woman in her late 40s, in which romance is a subplot.

I'm afraid it wasn't the best fit for me. Lucy gets rather indignant in response to perceived slights throughout; I understand that she's been through a rough few years but it got old after awhile. There also were a few comments that took me out of the story, like saying she looks like a "crazy person" (ableist language I cringe at) and that she used to run nine miles on the treadmill every day for eight years (in her 40s? This seems extreme and like a possible sign of compulsive exercise. For example, Olympic silver medalist in the marathon Meb Keflezighi is 47 years old and now runs 4-6 miles a day, 5-7 days a week. Maybe the exaggeration was purposeful, but as someone who loves running, it stuck out to me).

I found Dee Ernst's last book, MAGGIE FINDS HER MUSE, delightful and feel-good, so I was disappointed not to love this one. But of course, YMMV, see above for who I think this one may work better for.

another day, another review. currently sitting in the toronto airport ridiculously early for my flight to minneapolis for race weekend (!!!) and thought what better time than to catch up on a review or two? first up is der ernst’s novel “lucy checks in”.

it’s a mid-life romance about a woman who, after a scandal at her previous hotel management job leaves her reputation in shatters & her bank account nearly empty, takes a position managing a hotel in france. very quickly after lucy arrives, she realizes the job is not what she expected: not only is she expected to manage the hotel, but also manage the repairs and renovations to get it up and running again. she is quickly introduced to a colourful cast of characters who all live at the hotel full time, and are invested in seeing it succeed. can lucy bring the hotel paradis back to its former glory, all while getting to know bing, the attractive artist who also lives at the hotel?

this story was fun, and really easy to tear thru. the book is full to the brim of optimism for the characters & their places in life. the romance was sweet but not the main focus of the story; i might call this more general fiction than romance, as the story focussed mostly on lucy’s growth over her growing romance. it’s easy reading with a good heart, and worth reading for the small town depictions of france alone.

2.5/5 ⭐️
(Rounded up to 3)
I thought this book started out really strong. I liked the main character. I found the complications of losing her job and boyfriend in a spectacular and legally-plagued fashion very compelling. I also liked the redemption story arc that this book was setting, plus I was excited about the idea of a book taking place in France.
Unfortunately, this didn’t live up to my expectations, despite a strong start. I didn’t connect at all with the love interest (found him to be kind of deplorable, definitely not charming), and found the secondary characters wholly forgettable. Didn’t love the use of appart every five seconds to describe Lucy’s room and found the many pages dedicated to Reno-ing the hotel as dull as watching paint dry (literally).
Did not feel the chemistry between our main character and the love interest at all. Personally, I’m not a fan of verrrry slow burn romances (or fade-to-black scenes for that matter, which I think further contributed to the disconnect felt with their relationship).
The third act family emergency came out of left field and felt shoehorned in and unnecessary. I did not appreciate the way that this was handled in the book (and Lucy taking the girls away to a completely different country seemed selfish and not in the best interest of the girls).
Overall, this was a let down, and a miss for me. I really did want to like it.

This was such a refreshing story! I really enjoyed see the characters come together and I love how the author took the time to truly connect with the characters

This just was not for me. I can appreciate that it’s well written but the story itself just did not compel me like I anticipated it would.

What an enjoyable book! I erroneously assumed Lucy would be a 30-something girl on a quest to make a fresh start overseas in the hotel world. I was happily surprised to meet Lucy, 50-something disgraced hotel manager, and also happily surprised by the run-down but charming hotel she is tasked with renovating and managing. The descriptions of the space and the people were fantastic, I could picture ever detail of the charming and rustic French hotel, and long to visit such a place one day.

This is such a delightful book! I went into this blind and even though the main characters and storyline for this book centers around age group 50+ I read through it without getting bored at all! I loved the story, the pacing, the warmth, the Paris setting

The characters and story completely pulls you in!
This is women's fiction with light romance.
Funny, sweet and moving, I would highly recommend this book!

as much as i wanted to enjoy this tale, it really didn't connect with me in a way that made it memorable enough to remain with me after the final page.

while i did enjoy the imagery painted by the writing, the characters and their connections felt very one-dimensional. it didn't feel like any particular one was fully fleshed out. they moved, had tasks, and were given purpose, but not once could i build a picture of any one within my mind. i also couldn't find myself connected to their plights through the story.

the pacing and additional conflicts that were within the tail also felt off. the build from the very start is slow, nearly glacial, and it then sped up during the third act with a family emergency that brings the main character back down from her growth. it's in that act, that things speed up so swiftly and is packaged so perfectly, that i was left with a bit of whiplash.

i do find that as women's fiction, it focuses on lucy and her desires for a future rather than on romance and while there is a budding romance between herself and bing, it wasn't the cornerstone of her story. in saying that, it also felt like an afterthought with little build. i think it would have been perfectly fine for them to have developed a friendship rather than anything more. all said, it was a good story that needed just a bit more focus on building that connection between reader and character for me.

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.