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lindseysbooknook's review
2.0
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
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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
lkenyon2015's review against another edition
3.0
Super mellow, loved the perspective of the quiet French life. Easy read, no twists and turns.
emily_loves_2_read's review
4.0
Lucy Checks In
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (Rounded up to 4 ⭐️)
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/16/22
Author: Dee Ernst
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 288
Goodreads Rating: 3.67
TW ⚠️: Alcoholism and death of a loved one
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a digital advanced readers copy of the book for me to read for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: Lucia Giannetti needs a fresh start was once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel. Two years later, forty-nine years old and unemployed, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis. 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?
Thoughts: The book is a slower burn type book. This book has been classified as a romance but feel it is more contemporary fiction or women’s literary fiction as the romance is sprinkled in here and there. It was more about Lucy’s journey. I wish more time had been spent with the couple’s courtship, that would of upgraded the book to the next level. The author does a great job of describing this small city in France, it makes you feel as if you are transported there, with this journey with Lucy. The characters are well developed, however, the depth is only explored to the surface and the chemistry is lacking. The ending feels a little rushed. Overall, a good read and I would read other books by this author.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (Rounded up to 4 ⭐️)
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/16/22
Author: Dee Ernst
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 288
Goodreads Rating: 3.67
TW ⚠️: Alcoholism and death of a loved one
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a digital advanced readers copy of the book for me to read for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: Lucia Giannetti needs a fresh start was once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel. Two years later, forty-nine years old and unemployed, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis. 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?
Thoughts: The book is a slower burn type book. This book has been classified as a romance but feel it is more contemporary fiction or women’s literary fiction as the romance is sprinkled in here and there. It was more about Lucy’s journey. I wish more time had been spent with the couple’s courtship, that would of upgraded the book to the next level. The author does a great job of describing this small city in France, it makes you feel as if you are transported there, with this journey with Lucy. The characters are well developed, however, the depth is only explored to the surface and the chemistry is lacking. The ending feels a little rushed. Overall, a good read and I would read other books by this author.
readingwithjessica_w's review
4.0
3.75 ⭐️ rounded up to 4. Definitely what I would put under the category of women’s fiction with a side of a love story, Lucy Checks In might be what you need if looking for an escape with a close knit bunch of French eccentrics. Having to leave the United States for reasons beyond her control, Lucy accepts a job in Rennes, France as the general manager tasked with revitalizing a pre-war hotel. The majority of the book revolves around the hotel renovation and the inhabitants of the hotel that live there permanently. Rennes as a city seemed to be a character itself and Dee Ernst does a wonderful job of illustrating setting as a key component of the book. It was nice to experience a city other than Paris and get a feel for the people of France. I enjoyed the descriptions of food and hotel interiors and could imagine being in this very place. The various hotel inhabitants are delightful to read about and the relationships between each of them and Lucy naturally unfold into one of true friendship. As a love interest, Bing did not disappoint, but this is definitely a closed door book and the main plot of the story is more about Lucy settling into herself than an actual romance. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fairly light read with a bit of escapism. CW: alcoholism, death of a family member
Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
theamyleblanc's review
2.0
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the last book I read by Dee Ernst - Maggie Finds Her Muse - so I had high hopes for this one. And they were all for naught.
This book loses itself in the renovation of Hotel Paradis. It drags and focuses more on the physical changes and less on the relationships that develop. The richer emotional life from Maggie is totally absent here. We don't experience Lucy's struggles with her self-confidence and trust, we're told about them. And the end feels a bit deus ex machina to me.
This feels like a draft, not a complete story. I'm not sure why I finished it. I guess I kept hoping it would improve?
As it stands, I won't be recommending this one.
I loved the last book I read by Dee Ernst - Maggie Finds Her Muse - so I had high hopes for this one. And they were all for naught.
This book loses itself in the renovation of Hotel Paradis. It drags and focuses more on the physical changes and less on the relationships that develop. The richer emotional life from Maggie is totally absent here. We don't experience Lucy's struggles with her self-confidence and trust, we're told about them. And the end feels a bit deus ex machina to me.
This feels like a draft, not a complete story. I'm not sure why I finished it. I guess I kept hoping it would improve?
As it stands, I won't be recommending this one.
booklover1974's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this feelgood story about Lucy, who's almost fifty and that needs to do a restart of her life. I loved the setting which is in a town in France and started thinking about moving there
lifeasmrsbaker's review
4.0
This is a cute read about Lucy who hits rock bottom and travels to France to find herself. I really enjoyed the character development.
Read if you love: slow burn
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Read if you love: slow burn
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
legorski2009's review
2.0
This was my first ARC I have received and reviewed from NetGalley and I was so thankful for the opportunity!
This book was easy and cute, and while I enjoyed it, I found a few things misleading.
First, the cover does not give a good impression of the book. Our heroine is 49, not in her mid 20s as the cover would lead you to believe. While this did not lessen my enjoyment of the book, I did go in with the wrong expectations.
Second, while there is some romance in the story, I wouldn’t classify the novel as such. While the author’s descriptions of France (and specifically the food) were delightful, I failed to feel the same way about our main characters and their love affair. It was nice that they got together, but I didn’t have strong feelings about it happening.
The best part of this book was definitely the setting. I’ve been dying to go to France for years and this book just increased my desire! I could taste the coffee and smell the flowers as I was reading. I can’t wait to be there in person someday.
Overall, this book was nice. However, I couldn’t help wanting just a little more character development.
This book was easy and cute, and while I enjoyed it, I found a few things misleading.
First, the cover does not give a good impression of the book. Our heroine is 49, not in her mid 20s as the cover would lead you to believe. While this did not lessen my enjoyment of the book, I did go in with the wrong expectations.
Second, while there is some romance in the story, I wouldn’t classify the novel as such. While the author’s descriptions of France (and specifically the food) were delightful, I failed to feel the same way about our main characters and their love affair. It was nice that they got together, but I didn’t have strong feelings about it happening.
The best part of this book was definitely the setting. I’ve been dying to go to France for years and this book just increased my desire! I could taste the coffee and smell the flowers as I was reading. I can’t wait to be there in person someday.
Overall, this book was nice. However, I couldn’t help wanting just a little more character development.
kitkatadele's review
2.0
I picked up this book thinking oooo Emily in Paris vibes but got something else.