I am confused why Lizzy Dent's books keep being marketed as romance, when they're more contemporary fiction/women's fiction. I think that's why I find myself continually dissatisfied by her books -- I go in expecting romance and get something different.

It's not that the books are bad, and this book wasn't bad. In fact, I would've enjoyed it had I not been expecting a straightforward romance novel.

I can also usually look past an unlikeable narrator, but Mara was so cringey for me.

Oh Mara...I wanted to shake some sense into her

I had a hard time staying in engaged with this one and I think it was because Mara was just a mess and I didn't connect with her at all. But I appreciate the opportunity to read the story all the same.

I always enjoy reading summer getaway romances during the warmer months. I read this novel on the beach over the summer, and it really enhanced the experience. I did not enjoy some of the characters very much, the mother of the main character especially. I did not like that the heroine’s parents were secreting separating and the mother was secretly flirting with one of the locals. The numerous POVs and storylines got a tad confusing after a while.

This book is very different from The Summer Job but just as enjoyable! Mara felt very young to me and there were definitely scenes in which I wanted to knock some sense into her, but she really grew into herself by the end. The astrological aspect was fun, and there's a lot of dry humor which is exactly my speed.

This wasn’t something that grabbed me by the hook, but I’m grateful for netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read something I wouldn’t ordinarily read!

This was a DNF for me. I lived the Summer Job, but I could not get into this story. Might've been case of wrong book and the wrong time for me. Will definitely read this author again.

Mara is a hopeless romantic who puts all her faith in the stars. Will they steer her wrong? She moves to a seaside beach town and begins working at a historic community center and pool. Along the way, she manages to empower everyone around her, maybe even herself. Her roommate Ash is not who destiny seems to be steering her towards, but the heart wants what the heart wants! Will she follow it?

What happens when you have a solid plan for your life but fate has other ideas? Every single day Mara reads her horoscope hoping it will give her some guidance into her life. When she is told that her true love will arrive, a handsome stranger quite literally walks into her life, but how much I can you truly trust what is written in the stars? This story of fate is also a story of friendship and when your lives start taking different paths but how you can once again find what your friendship is based on, love.

Thank you #gpputnamsons and #Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to like this book, but the main characters depends on horoscopes wasn't it for me. I also couldn't find myself being invested in her or her story and that ruined my enjoyment of the book.

3.5/5 stars

This was my first book by Lizzy Dent and I still want to read The Summer Job after reading The Setup.

The Setup was intriguing, funny, a bit far fetched but overall, enjoyable. Mara is a bit all over the place, she is someone that needs a good friend to sit her down and tell her to take things one day at a time. She had that friend in Charlie but sadly Charlie just became a Mom and sees just a bit too busy at the moment. I didn't like how much the author talked about how different Mara and Charlie's relationship/friendship is after Charlie had a baby. I have many friend that just had a baby and I know our friendship is different but we are still friends and I appreciate their time more.

Mara believed that she met the one and gave him the fortune that he'll meet a lady named Mara at the end of the summer. She was pretending to be a fortune teller. This whole scene was so weird and I kept waiting to find out how it would end.

I'm so glad there were a couple different story lines because I didn't love the 'meeting the one' troupe.

I could not finish this novel. I found the start to be slow and the character a bit whinny. I have enjoyed other Lizzy Dent books, but this one just wasn't my jive.

Thank you Netgalley for this advance copy.

The Setup was a cute read. I don’t think I’ll remember much about it in the future but it was fun while
I was reading it. The main character was kinda wishy-washy but I enjoyed her story.

Unfortunately this was a very hard book for me to start, i tried several times but the writing didn't grab me right away. Appreciate the opportunity to review.

Couldn't get into this one. I think it will work for a lot of people it just wasn't for me. Thanks to Putnam for the arc for my honest review.

The Setup by Lucy Dent is a sweet, quick romance book. I loved the character development in both Ash and Mara. Unfortunately this book wasn’t wasn’t for me. The pace was too slow for me and felt very predictable throughout the story.


Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

Mara Williams cannot decide. She is the queen of indecision and let’s her horoscope guide her life. She does not trust herself to make decisions, she doesn’t let people in, and while she doesn’t want to she lives a small life. When a fortune teller indicates that she’ll be meeting the ‘love of her life’ soon, this sets Mara off in an attempt to ‘fix herself’ in time to meet this mystery man.

This was a cute read. Mara really is the worst at first. She is constantly in her own head, and belittling herself. She has quite a big of a ‘woe is me’ attitude that got a bit tiring for me. However, throughout the story she grows tremendously which was a redeeming quality for her, but I never found myself rooting for her.

The romance portion of the book was fine. It wasn’t incredibly memorable, but it was cute in a Hallmarky kind of way. I would say if you’re looking for something light, this would be a great fit for you.


The Setup comes out September 6, 2022! Huge thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

I enjoyed this book. Lizzie Dent has done it again
It’s a love triangle but not really a love triangle.
Mara is ready for the one but you know when that happens life throws you a curve ball.
Mara is very immature and could have been written differently but maybe that is what makes this book this book
I enjoyed the interaction with her love interests but hated that she couldn’t make a decision to save her life.
Lesson learned while reading this book, do not visit a clairvoyant if you don’t really want to know what is going to happen in your life.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title.

By the end, this book comes together, but it's a bit slow getting there. Part of the issue is the book's protagonist is pretty passive. But, the character is super fun, as is the voice of the novel!

Mara whole-heartedly believes in fate. When a fortune-teller tells her she will meet the man of her destiny imminently, and then she meets a man matching the description, she sets her sights on him. As she follows the fortune-tellers advice and spends time working on herself before they meet again, she misses the man right in front of her - her new roommate. I fell in love with Lizzy Dent's writing when I read her first novel, and was just as pleased with The Setup!

Do you believe in fate or do we make our own destiny? What if we try both? A fortune teller tells Mara that she is about to meet her soulmate. When she is mistaken for the fortune teller, she tells the next man to enter that his soulmate is a woman named Mara who he will meet at the end of the summer in her hometown. Now Mara has three months to turn herself into the best version of herself so she can meet up with her soulmate. Project Mara turns out to be a lot different than she expected. Will she continue to follow her fate or will she take control of her own future?

This is a sweet little story about a small town that comes with a whole cast of small-town characters. I had a hard time getting through the beginning, but then things started to pick up and I quite enjoyed the rest of it. I found Mara's reliance on astrology to guide her decisions to be unrelatable for me, but I could see how others could relate to it. Overall, it's a fun feel-good story.