Where do I start? Lucy Checks In by Dee Ernst was a breath of fresh air. I am used to reading novels about younger women who are trying to find themselves. It is a rare treat to read about a woman closer to my age. This story touched me on many levels. I loved Lucy’s character. She was strong, yet vulnerable. Fierce, yet afraid. Lucy lost everything to the man she loved. At almost 50, she has to start over and rebuild her life and career from scratch. It tore her heart and confidence to shreds. Unable to trust her own judgment of character, she is afraid to form new relationships. Alongside a lovely and diverse cast of characters, Lucy regains her confidence and learns what love can be. I adored everything about Hotel Paradis. I am ready to pack my bags for a visit. The author enchanted me from the beginning and kept me hooked until the very end. I laughed, I cried. This story spoke to me. Well done. Another excellent novel for 2022.
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s press, and the author, Dee Ernst, for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Goodreads Blurb:
Lucia Giannetti needs a fresh start. Once the hotel manager of a glamorous NYC hotel and intimately involved with the hotel’s owner, Lucy had her entire future planned out. But when the owner disappears, taking millions of dollars with him, Lucy’s life as she knows it falls apart.
Two years later, forty-nine years old and unemployed, Lucy takes a job in Rennes, France to manage the Hotel Paradis. She pictures fur quilts and extravagant chandeliers, but what she finds is wildly different. 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?
Witty and heartfelt, Lucy Checks In is an inspiring and feel-good novel about reclaiming your life, finding love, and creating a home in places you never thought possible.