Lucy Checks In

Fresh off a scandal involving her boyfriend stealing millions of dollars from their hotel, 49-year-old Lucia Giannetti is desperate to be taken seriously again as a professional hotel manager. When the owner of a small French boutique hotel hires her sight unseen, Lucy happily accepts, but is astonished when she discovers that she won’t just be directing the Rennes historical hotel renovation—she’ll be handling that paintbrush herself! Luckily, she is surrounded by the hotel’s permanent guests (and financial backers) who are willing to help. One of those guests, Bing, a successful children’s book illustrator, causes more exasperation than the others, but that conflict soon turns into love. Ernst (Better Off Without Him) successfully creates a hodgepodge of lovable characters who become Lucy’s support system as she navigates living as an expat while supporting her family back home, tackling her brother’s alcohol addiction. Gillian Vance’s pleasant, conversational narration fits the breezy tone of the novel, and she voices the multiple characters effortlessly in this error-free production.