A review by readingwithjessica_w
Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst

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.