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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Thanks so much to @netgalley for the digital arc of Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst, published this week!
Forty-nine year old Lucia Giannetti was once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel and intimately involved with the hotel’s owner. What a glorious future awaits! But then the owner disappears, taking millions of dollars with him, Lucy’s life crumbles.
Tired of living in her parents house, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis, which hasn’t been updated much since before the war…that is 1938.
This was a great escape. I’m a fan of “do-over” stories both for physical places and people. The details of Rennes and the characters who are permanent residents of the hotel were delightful. Add in a touch of romance and this was a nice break from the day-to-day business of the end of summer/start of school.
If you enjoyed Ernst’s Maggie Finds Her Muse last year (which I did), I think you’ll enjoy this one as well.
Forty-nine year old Lucia Giannetti was once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel and intimately involved with the hotel’s owner. What a glorious future awaits! But then the owner disappears, taking millions of dollars with him, Lucy’s life crumbles.
Tired of living in her parents house, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis, which hasn’t been updated much since before the war…that is 1938.
This was a great escape. I’m a fan of “do-over” stories both for physical places and people. The details of Rennes and the characters who are permanent residents of the hotel were delightful. Add in a touch of romance and this was a nice break from the day-to-day business of the end of summer/start of school.
If you enjoyed Ernst’s Maggie Finds Her Muse last year (which I did), I think you’ll enjoy this one as well.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a huge letdown for me. I love the cover and it’s what drew me to the book initially! I thought the description sounded cute and the setting sounded fun. I think this book has the potential to be a really fun read but it just fell flat for me.
It was classified on NetGalley and Goodreads has a romance but while there is a romance, it’s found it more to be a side plot than a main plot.
I found the cover a little misleading because I feel like the girl on the cover seems to be in her 20s to 30s but the main character is in her late 40s turning 50.
I didn’t love Lucy as a character. I just didn’t connect with her much. There were some parts of the book I just found her annoying. I didn’t really like the love interest much either. He didn’t believe that she could turn the hotel around at the beginning. I didn’t think the two of them had much chemistry and thought and the end their romance felt very rushed.
I found the ending very rushed and felt like the author tried to squeeze way to many things into the last few chapters.
The main things I did like about this book was the description of the French countryside, the culture and the food.
Overall, I just found the pacing to be slow and the romance lacked chemistry. I ended up listening to this on audio where I was able to listen to it on a higher speed. I honestly think I would have DNF this had I not listened to it. I don’t think I am the target audience for this book which is why I didn’t like it. This was a weak 2.5 for me, rounded down to two.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
After being falsely accused of swindling the large hotel she managed, Lucy is forced to start her career completely over. Eager to begin her bright new future at the elegant Hotel Paradis in Rennes, France, Lucy is devastated when the hotel is in less than pristine condition. Although she is in over her head, Lucy has never been one to shy away from difficult situations and she is determined to restore the Hotel Paradis to its former glory. Along the way, Lucy realizes that you can’t always do things on your own and that letting others in is what truly makes life magical. I really loved getting to see Rennes through Lucy’s viewpoint and it felt as if I was right there with her uncovering the French heirlooms for each guest room. This is a second chance and life and love story, so Lucy along with the love interest are in their late 40s. I gave this book a 3.75 overall because I absolutely loved the setting and the plot, however, I did feel a bit as though the story moved slowly in parts and then was too rushed in other parts. Lucy didn’t have as much of a developmental arc as I would have liked until the very last chapter, but overall I enjoyed this delightful read.
I requested this book on NetGalley as a recommendation from a friend. She thought the book was really sweet, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.
The book was a quick read and had all of the right elements to make a good book, I just could not get into it. It felt like there were too many moving pieces that just came into play for what seemed like a moment to serve what the author thought was needed. I would have liked to see fewer side story arcs that were more in depth.
I will say Lucy gave me a cute Emily in Paris vibe at first. But over the course of the book, that faded for me.
I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.
The book was a quick read and had all of the right elements to make a good book, I just could not get into it. It felt like there were too many moving pieces that just came into play for what seemed like a moment to serve what the author thought was needed. I would have liked to see fewer side story arcs that were more in depth.
I will say Lucy gave me a cute Emily in Paris vibe at first. But over the course of the book, that faded for me.
I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.
This book had an older leading couple than my usual read, but it’s very cute and has great heart. I loved the French hotel as a backdrop for the story, and the characters were likeable. Not totally my taste but not a bad read.
3.5. Pretty basic storyline. Loved that it wasn‰ЫЄt a woman on the verge of 30 making a big change in her life. Loved the atmosphere and being in Rennes. A little too wrapped up with a bow on top. But very sweet.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After a nearly career-ending scandal, Lucy finds herself starting her second act at what she believes to be a boutique hotel in the heart of France. Instead, she walks into a space that has sat dormant for decades and is in need of TLC to get to a point where they can welcome guests.
Taken aback by Bing, a permanent resident on the property who seems to have no confidence in her abilities, as well as the expectation that the work will get done despite skilled labor or the proper budget, Lucy gets her hands dirty and leans on the permanent guests for assistance.
This book was such a pleasant surprise for me. Over-40 rep, second act, redemption, found family, and romance swirled together to ensure I never put the book down once I picked it up. I really felt for Lucy who was juggling her past hurt as well as the shock of Hotel Paradis. The supporting characters were a joy, all endearing in their own ways. (Shoutout to Napoleon!)
Lucy Checks In is such a delightful read. I highly recommend it for those looking for a fast-paced read with a driven, over-40 FMC, a fantastic cast of characters, and a touch of romance.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.
Taken aback by Bing, a permanent resident on the property who seems to have no confidence in her abilities, as well as the expectation that the work will get done despite skilled labor or the proper budget, Lucy gets her hands dirty and leans on the permanent guests for assistance.
This book was such a pleasant surprise for me. Over-40 rep, second act, redemption, found family, and romance swirled together to ensure I never put the book down once I picked it up. I really felt for Lucy who was juggling her past hurt as well as the shock of Hotel Paradis. The supporting characters were a joy, all endearing in their own ways. (Shoutout to Napoleon!)
Lucy Checks In is such a delightful read. I highly recommend it for those looking for a fast-paced read with a driven, over-40 FMC, a fantastic cast of characters, and a touch of romance.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.
This one almost hit 4.5 stars.
This is honestly just a book about an almost 50 year old who after being blindsided by the love of her life, gets a once in a lifetime chance to reinvent a quaint little hotel in Rennes, France. Being a hotel manager for years and years, she thought she would be running a staff for any renovations etc. But no, the hotel owner does not have money to hire staff and is expecting Lucy to do most of it herself. With the help of the 6 people that live in some of the hotel apartments, Lucy makes her vision for the hotel come true and learns to trust herself again.
We start out learning that the man Lucy had loved who worked with her at one of the largest hotels in NYC stole millions of dollars from his employees and vanished. Lucy spends every penny she has for lawyers to prove she didn't know he was going to do it and hardly anyone believes her. It paints such a great starting point for the journey Lucy is about to go through. She has no trust in herself or really in anyone else. When she moves to the hotel in France, we get to meet the people who live there. Claudine, hotel owner, Bing, children's book author and know it all, Marie Claude and Eliot, married couple, Karl, old man who loves to garden and Vera (who doesn't get much page time). They are such a great bunch of extremely different people who make up the cutest little found family. I really liked all the characters who lived at the hotel.
Like I said, this book was basically just Lucy renovating the hotel. I never got bored though, there were little side adventures and mishaps that made it fun. We do get some of the -after the hotel is open- stories which really leads into what happens at the very end which I don't want to spoil. I do wish that the hotel renovation part had been shorter to allow more time to explore what happened at the end. It felt a little rushed and I wanted there to be more.
Overall a really fun journey about an -older than usual- character restarting her life and refinding her faith in herself.
This is honestly just a book about an almost 50 year old who after being blindsided by the love of her life, gets a once in a lifetime chance to reinvent a quaint little hotel in Rennes, France. Being a hotel manager for years and years, she thought she would be running a staff for any renovations etc. But no, the hotel owner does not have money to hire staff and is expecting Lucy to do most of it herself. With the help of the 6 people that live in some of the hotel apartments, Lucy makes her vision for the hotel come true and learns to trust herself again.
We start out learning that the man Lucy had loved who worked with her at one of the largest hotels in NYC stole millions of dollars from his employees and vanished. Lucy spends every penny she has for lawyers to prove she didn't know he was going to do it and hardly anyone believes her. It paints such a great starting point for the journey Lucy is about to go through. She has no trust in herself or really in anyone else. When she moves to the hotel in France, we get to meet the people who live there. Claudine, hotel owner, Bing, children's book author and know it all, Marie Claude and Eliot, married couple, Karl, old man who loves to garden and Vera (who doesn't get much page time). They are such a great bunch of extremely different people who make up the cutest little found family. I really liked all the characters who lived at the hotel.
Like I said, this book was basically just Lucy renovating the hotel. I never got bored though, there were little side adventures and mishaps that made it fun. We do get some of the -after the hotel is open- stories which really leads into what happens at the very end which I don't want to spoil. I do wish that the hotel renovation part had been shorter to allow more time to explore what happened at the end. It felt a little rushed and I wanted there to be more.
Overall a really fun journey about an -older than usual- character restarting her life and refinding her faith in herself.