This was a miss for me. I was struggling with how much Mara obsessed about her horoscope and made her decisions based on what her horoscope said that day. It was a bit too extreme and got tiresome after awhile. The positive was her flat mate Ash. He was so great to Mara but she was so blinded by her horoscope she almost missed it. If you can get beyond her terrible decision making there are some really great parts to the book

In The Setup, 31-year-old Mara finds herself on a solo vacation in Budapest she was supposed to take with her best friend, Charlie. But unfortunately, Charlie is a new mom and had to back out at the last moment. Mara is a big believer in astrology, consults her horoscope daily, and wants to find her soul mate. While on the trip, Mara decides to consult a fortune-teller, one who suddenly goes into labor during the reading, but not before telling Mara she will meet "the one" imminently. As Mara closes up the woman's shop for her, she encounters her dream man and impersonates the fortune-teller to arrange a future meeting. Mara feels she must return home and makeover every area of her life, to be ready for their rendezvous. Fate has a surprise for Mara, though, a handsome new flatmate. Which of these men is her destiny? Will Mara trust herself to make that decision?
I really enjoyed Lizzy Dent's previous book, The Summer Job, and her writing draws me in. Dent convincingly creates flawed, complicated, and somewhat offbeat characters. Mara grapples with self-doubt, immaturity, and even self-sabotage. Her character arc and growth are about self-love and learning to trust herself, and the book is as much about that as it is about romantic love. The secondary characters make this story. Mara's work friends were delightful and funny! Some genuine laugh-out-loud moments throughout the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Lizzy Dent brings out another light summer read with The Setup. Mara Williams meets Joseph, a person who could be the man of her dreams, wile impersonating a fortune teller. She suggest for him to find his true love to come to a English seaside town of Broadgate on a certain date in August. And then because of the advice of a fortune teller she sets about trying to improve herself in three months to be ready for the guy. Returning home she meets her new flat mate Ash and gets involved in trying to save the local Lido (beachside pool club). She works as a bookkeeper for the Lido.

Like Dent’s first book The Summer Job the heroine is quirky, comes off immature and is hard to like at first. I did see real growth in her but it was tiring watching her try to follow horoscopes instead of sorting out her own feelings. Ash is a sweet all around nice guy. This is very slow burn romance and you don’t know till the last few pages where her romantic interests will guide her. Okay, you really do know, but it isn’t confirmed in the story till the ending.

I enjoyed the story and it has some fun moments with very little angst. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of The Setup by Lizzy Dent.

The story opens when Mara Williams, 31, goes on vacation and meets with a clairvoyant who tells her she’ll soon meet her true love, but that she needs to make a few changes in her life before meeting him. The story then follows Mara as she takes that advice and counts down the days to when she believes she’ll finally meet The One. Naturally, another potential love interest enters the picture early on in the story, and Mara turns to astrology to help her figure out which one the clairvoyant was referring to. Readers witness Mara’s growth throughout the story, not just as it relates to love, but also as it relates to friendship, family, and community.

I couldn’t really connect with Mara, but that’s a me-issue, not a problem with the book. The story is light and charming, and is recommended for readers who are seeking a breezy summer read with a quirky cast of characters and a delightful coastal town setting.

After reading and really enjoying Lizzy Dent’s The Summer Job, I was excited to get into The Setup. It’s a quick read that keeps you interested, and I finished it in a day. The main character, Mara, is written to be flawed, and I found myself frustrated with her actions at times. She was a little harder to root for than Birdy from The Summer Job, but the relationships she forms with her coworkers, community members, and roommate over the course of the summer are the best parts of the story. While some of the protagonist’s choices were predictable, the ending felt satisfying and true to the characters I’d gotten to know over the course of the novel. As with The Summer Job, Dent does a great job establishing a vibrant setting and fun cast of characters throughout.

A sweet and charming summer read! We follow Mara Williams, a 31-year-old woman who reads her horoscope every day, using the predictions to guide her decisions. She is self-deprecating and does not trust her intuition. Mara has moved from London to Broadgate to live closer to her best friend (and only friend), Charlie. Charlie is married and has a young child, and Mara feels like they are slowly drifting apart. After a fortune teller tells Mara she will soon meet a handsome stranger, Mara goes on a quest to make herself over and “fix” her life so she can prepare for her destiny. Over the course of one summer, she begins to open up, makes new friends, and learns more about herself. Soon she starts questioning whether to keep placing all her reliance on fate or if she should make her own decisions.

In addition to the romance plot (which I adored!), there is plenty of focus on Mara’s work in helping improve the local lido and encouraging her colleague to run for local office. Mara is a complicated character - she often behaves in ways that may leave the reader frustrated, but rooting for her nevertheless, as she is ultimately a very kind, creative, and well-intentioned person. There are lovely friendships and found family in The Setup as well. Recommended to romance and women’s fiction readers looking for a quick, fun read.

Thank you very much to Penguin Group/Putnam Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What a cute book this was. Mara was lovably flakey and everyone else in Broadgate (except for Gerry) was so charming. I would love to read more about the rest of the people in town. Everything worked here. There was a lot of humor, heartwarming moments, tender moments, and a fulfilling ending. A lovely and distracting read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

DNF @40%, Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I couldn't get into this book and honestly felt super dragged on. I hate dnfing books in general but I just couldn't find the motivation to finish this book, I really did try.

I believe the idea and premise of this book had lots of potential but was executed in a poor way. I couldn't connect with the main characters especially mara because I just felt like she was a bit self-absorbed and annoying. Honestly, I feel like ash deserves better. I really wanted to like this book as I said before I thought the idea was great and when I read the book blurb I expected to really like this book but unfortunately not for me.

This book also made me realize how much I hate the referencing of zodiac signs and horoscopes in books. I was completely fine with her reading her horoscope daily and talking about rising and sun signs with other characters but my dislike started when she let her horoscope for the day dictate her actions. I often forgot she was 31 instead of being around 20-ish just because of the way she acted

The premise of this book sounded so cute and funny, and I was so excited to read it. I encountered a main character that was quirky, but not in the endearing way, more like in a way that made her kind of cringey and hard to connect with. Mara trusts her horoscope so much that she can’t make decisions for herself which leads to a lot of self-sabotaging. She also lacks confidence and thinks so poorly of herself that she’s convinced everyone else thinks poorly of her, too. That being said, I felt myself pulling for her, and hoped that through her journey to revamp herself, she’d discover her self worth. The last 25% of the book really picked up for me and I feel like Mara grew and matured a lot in the last pages. I rated this one three stars, because it was cute and I could see other people loving it, but I didn’t feel a good connection with it myself.

“You know, you only need be yourself. Otherwise, life will become really tiring really quickly.”

Lizzy Dent has become synonymous with a good summer read. The Setup is no different. It screams beach reading with a whiteclaw in your hand, a giant hat on your head and sand in your toes.

Mara was a trip. At times I was rooting for her. At times I was annoyed by her. At times she was incredibly immature, then equally as charming.

This was a quick read and the only reason I'm giving 3 stars - I just don't know that it will stay with me longterm.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved Lizzy Dent's previous book, The Summer Job, so as soon as this galley became available I requested it. Lizzy has the innate ability to create flawed characters who frustrate you and make you want to shake some sense into them while also wanting to give them a big hug and a pep talk.

Mara has felt like a failure for most of her life. She has projected this feeling onto her parents and so avoids a relationship with them so she won't be reminded that they are disappointed in her. The sad part is that they aren't - it's all just a narrative that Mara has created in her head. She has a heavy dose of self-doubt.

Since a devastating break up in college, she avoids relationships and puts all her energy and emotional support needs onto just one friend, her BFF. But her BFF has gotten married and now has a child so of course her life has changed to one with little time to herself. Mara knows its wrong, but she can't help feeling hurt about the lack of quality one on one time they now spend together.

Avoiding her intuition, which she feels she can no longer trust, she is fully immersed in astrology and relies on her daily horoscope readings for directions in her life. After visiting a palm-reader, she creates a new narrative in her head regarding the love interest she is destined to meet.

As she begins to get herself "ready" for her destiny, she slowly lets more and more people into her life. She soon is faced with a monumental choice between a male friend currently in her life and the man she believes she is destined to be with. Will she continue to base all of her decisions on generalized horoscope advice or will she finally listen to her heart and trust herself to make decisions.

I loved so much about this story and tried to keep this review general without any spoilers. Believe me, there is a lot more to this story. Moments that will have you frustrated, moments that will have your cheering and moments that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Putnam for the ARC to read and review.

3.5 Stars

I really liked the premise of this book! Mara is on vacation when she has her fortune read. The psychic tells her that she was going to meet “The One” but first she has to fix one thing. The fortune teller never mentions what the “one thing” is and Mara spends a lot of time fixating on what it could be.

This was a super quick read that would be perfect for a beach day. I really enjoyed the premise of the book, the supporting characters and the author’s writing style. Sometimes I liked Mara, and other times I thought she was a bit judgmental and immature. This is a woman in her thirties that often acts like she’s a teenager. She is a big believer in astrology and relies almost completely on her horoscope to get through the day, which was irritating.

While Mara is trying to change herself in order to find love, she realizes along the way that it’s more important to love herself as she is. I enjoyed Mara’s journey and I think fans of sweet, funny rom coms will also like this one. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC to read and review.

“You know, you only need be yourself. Otherwise, life will become really tiring really quickly.”

Mara is set on a crusade to “fix” her life at the direction of a fortune teller, who predicted that she would meet the man of her dreams imminently. Mara takes this to mean the next man she meets as he walks into the fortune teller shop while she is playing dress up in the outfit the fortune teller left behind as she rushed off to the hospital. Giving him instruction to meet the woman of his dreams in a few months time, she sets her self improvement project to line up with this instructed visit from the “fortune teller”.

I struggled to connect with Mara. While I enjoyed Ash, her new roommate who is helping her on her crusade, I think as annoyed by Mara and her immature voice. She felt flighty and selfish, not truly showing care for the people around her who showed up for her.

While this book was not for me, I’m sure others will enjoy the journey Mara sets herself on.

DNF @ 55%

🔮BOOK REVIEW🔮

The Setup by Lizzy Dent
Release Date: June 7, 2022

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Meet painfully average, star sign obsessed, 31 year old Mara. On a solo vacation in Budapest, she goes in search of answers for her life meeting with a clairvoyant. In a twist of fate, she meets incredibly handsome Josef, while impersonating said clairvoyant. In meeting him, and playing palm reader, she makes the “prediction” that he will meet the love of his life, in Broadgate, England on the last Friday in August. Oh yeah, and her name is Mara.

And so begins Mara’s transformation. She aims to change her looks and her confidence level before meeting this handsome stranger. But a whole lot of things seem to be standing in her way. She doesn’t have a lot of friends to reach out to. Her job (and the old school pool club she loves so much) is under threat. Not to mention the incredibly good looking and nice housemate, Ash, she comes home to. And she can’t do much in her life without consulting her horoscope.

Follow Mara in her journey of transformation and see which way the stars align.

🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈

I LOVED THIS BOOK. It reads like your favorite comfort rom com movie. You are literally screaming at this woman the whole time but I feel like a lot of women can relate to her, too. I know I did. That self doubt, the lack of confidence, the constant questioning of every move you make. Mara is 100% relatable and I think that is what made this book so wonderful. And all of the surrounding characters in her life are amazing as well. I don’t think there was one character I didn’t like (outside of the one obvious one we are supposed to hate lol). There were laugh out loud moments, and moments where my heart would clench. And while, yes, there is a love story, to me, this book is more about the love story that happens within ourselves, and how it affects the ones around us.

If you love a good romcom, please do yourself the favor and add this to your TBR. It releases on June 7, 2022.

🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮

✨Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this before it is published!✨

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Mara firmly believes in signs and astrology. After a psychic reading, she immediately meets a man that she's sure is "the one" (at least according to the psychic) and Mara sets off on her plan to coordinate their destined meeting. Which is not really destiny since she's pulling the strings.

I didn't love this book. I did like Ash - as he seemed like a very likable guy. Mara.... she just didn't strike a chord with me at all. She was immature, standoffish, and judgmental. She was very set in her ways and seemed to be overall very difficult. It didn't bode well for her that almost every other character considered her uptight, high-strung, and/or antisocial.

I'm glad she was able to broaden her horizons and expand her worldview, but the journey from A to B was a little too slow and painful for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

While on a solo vacation in Budapest, Mara visits a fortune teller who tells her she will soon meet the love of her life and then goes into labor. Enter a handsome stranger who Mara poses as the fortune teller to instruct him that he will meet a woman named Mara in Kent in late August. Overall the main character came across very selfish and unlikable for me and the general concept a bit farfetched. There is also a fair amount about horoscopes and zodiac signs that I did not enjoy.

The concept and the writing was done well. However, the MC was very immature and I could not keep going. In order to really enjoy a rom com I need to be pulling for the MC and believe the love story. I didn’t have either in this book. I also did not appreciate the idea that Mara had to change herself in order to be “good enough” for a guy.
I did appreciate her wanting to better herself but I wish it was for her instead of for a guy she had a 5 minute conversation with..

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam I was provided an ARC of The Setup by Lizzy Dent via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

*****Publishing June 7, 2022*****


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A highly entertaining book that is perfect for your beach or pool bag!

Mara and Charlie are best friends who were supposed to go to Budapest for a girl’s trip, but Charlie cancels last minute as she feels she can’t leave her newborn. Mara decides to go anyways. Mara stumbles upon a fortune teller. She is told she will meet the man of her dreams, but has to fix one thing. Before she finds out what she need to fix, the fortune teller goes into labor and leaves. A man comes in just as Mara is pretending to be the fortune teller, so she gives him his fortune and tells him to meet her on a specific day as she thinks he is the one. Will he follow his fortune and meet her?

Meanwhile, Mara’s life hasn’t been perfect, so she often consults her horoscope for guidance. After having one failure after another, can she figure out what to fix or will her life continue to spiral out of control? Can she do this before she potentially meets the man of her dreams? This book will keep you turning the pages and guessing until the end!

A fun light read that will have you laughing at times! Perfect for those who love a good Rom-Com. A great vacation read!

I absolutely adored this story!!

The very average thirty-something, Mara, ended up on a vacation alone after her best friend pulled out. She found herself impersonating her fortune teller and telling unsuspecting, Josef, that he is her soulmate. Mara then spends the rest of her summer working on herself while she prepares for Joe's arrival. During this time Mara discovers herself and what her destiny truly is.

I couldn't get enough of this book. Each character is so unique and loveable in their own way. I really wish Mara and Ash's relationship had developed a little more. I really liked watching the growth of Mara's character throughout the story. This is a great summer read, I truly recommend it.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The main character is hard to root for. It just seems that at the age of 31 she would be more grown up and less "my best friend doesn't have time for me boo hoo".