Mara is an insecure young adult relying on astrology to guide her daily decisions and I found her to be quirky, unlikable, yet charming. Even though her insecurities were bothersome, I was invested in seeing her overcome them. We all look for guidance from somewhere, and this is why I think I could be patient with Mara as her story unfolded.

Her English seaside community center was adorable along with her coworkers. And her flatmate, Ash, won my heart early on. These elements made the book lovable for me.

The romance is minor so pick this for an easy, late coming-of-age read.

3.5 ⭐️

Mara Williams consults her horoscope for all important decisions. And, unimportant ones, too. She simply doesn’t trust her own intuition.,

So, when on a solo vacation in Budapest, she stumbles upon a fortune teller-she cannot resist getting a reading. The clairvoyant, Zia, who is very pregnant, informs her just before she goes into labor, that Mara will be meeting her love, imminently, but if this love is to flourish, there is work to be done,

So, when Josef, a handsome cellist, enters the shop and mistakes Mara for the fortune-teller, she just KNOWS that he must be “the one”.

Impersonating Zia, she informs him that he will meet his love at a pub in the seaside town of Broadgate, on the last Friday in August, while he is on tour, and that her name will be Mara.

She plans to be at the pub waiting.

When she returns home, she is convinced that he is her fate, as she waits for the day to come.

But, is he her destiny?

The book opens with her about to open the door to the bar to see if he has shown up..

We then backtrack to the days after her vacation and find out what has transpired over her three month wait.

The story is cute but it’s missing a few key ingredients for a rom-com.

The first is a protagonist you are rooting for! Mara is pretty immature for 31 years old, and not particularly likable. A second man will, of course, also enter her life imminently, so that we can wonder who her match, really is-but frankly he deserved better!

The second is that I didn’t feel the sparks which make a rom-com ignite!

Although NOT a “coming of age” story, the book felt a bit young, because of Mara’s reliance on Astrology, but that may work just fine for a reader in his/her twenties or thirties, or for those who enjoy consulting the ✨ stars!

I didn’t enjoy it as much as last year’s “The Summer Job”, but there is no doubt that the author’s books make for great beach reads-and I will be eager to see what she comes up with next!

The Setup is will be available on June 7, 2022 if it sounds like fun to you!

Thank You to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Lizzy Dent's "The Set Up" was an absolutely charming novel about starting over and self-discovery.

Mara (Sagittarius) always envisioned herself working in film, writing, and working on the kinds of movies that shaped her youth. But after a disastrous final in film school derails her career aspirations and crushes her self-confidence, Mara moves from London to the quaint seaside town of Broadgate.

Certain that fate has her best interests in mind, Mara visits a fortune teller in Budapest and through a comedy of errors, Mara unexpectedly meets a handsome cellist, Josef, who she believes she's destined to fall in love with. When he mistakes her for the fortune teller and asks for a reading, she impulsively tells him that he's destined to fall in love with a young woman named Mara in the English seaside town of Broadgate at the end of summer.

Determined to get her life in order before she meets her perfect match later in the summer, Mara heads home to Broadgate with a plan worthy of a makeover montage in every romantic comedy she's ever seen. With "Project Mara" underway, Mara finally finds herself opening up to a new life and the possibility of love after so long.

Perfect for readers who love a little depth with their romance, it's hard not to fall in love with Broadgate and it's charming inhabitants. The Set Up will be a perfect book to add to your summer reading list - and fans of Beth O'Leary, Sophie Cousens and Lia Louis are sure to love this quirky romance.

I enjoyed this book. It’s cute and funny. It was well paced and the characters well developed. This is my first book from this author but I’m planning on reading more.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦.

𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘶𝘨-𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵? 𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦? 𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦. 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥.

𝘖𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳?"


𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘱 follows Mara Williams, who's always let horoscope, fate and the universe guide her. She's never had the confidence to trust her own instict. But for the sake of the boy she loves, will she finally go with her gut!?

- ~ -

Honestly, for all the mystery there is, I don't think anyone who's ever read a romance before, should have any trouble figuring out who's the love interest.

Mara seems to feel ordinary, average and such. She prefers to hide in black and blend in plain sight and let fate lead her to where she has to be.
I relate to her on all aspects other than the last bit. I'm way too stubborn to let fate or anyone else tell me what to do. Thus, I was unable to connect with her on the astrology aspect but I still saw her. And she's a mess but only the best kind. She's strong, she's trying and simply wants to love and be loved (who doesn't?) so while some of her actions may appear to be hurtful and maybe immature, I unequivocally cared for her and wished for the best and it was good to see the gradual progress of Mara's true character.

Just like Dent's last book, this one too has mild found family trope vibes and I was here for it!
The selection of tertiary characters were pleasant. By the end, they all become a tight group having conquered a united struggle and her interactions with all her friends was also a sign of how far she's come.

As for the romance, just as the author described the love interest; He's truly the best of us.
And they really were the sweetest comfort character couple ever.

- ~ -

It'll be out 7th July, don't forgot to add it to your calenders :)

3.98 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘶𝘵𝘯𝘢𝘮 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 & 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

This book was surprisingly good! I fell in love right off the bat, and the storyline kept me reading late at night!

I really enjoyed The Summer Job so I was excited to read this one. Unfortunately after the actual set up of the book where the main character lies and pretends to be someone she’s not I really lost interest. I felt like the main character was just so delusional and adrift I didn’t care much for her. I think this will be a fun summer read for most folks but it just didn’t do it for me.

This was a really sweet book by Lizzy Dent filled with kind and loveable characters. I really enjoyed her first book and this was a great follow up. A bit slow at times but I think it had a great ending a good build.

Compared to her debut adult novel, I didn't love this book. It was predictable and I hated the astrology aspect, which is unfortunate because it is the center of the main character's personality.

What I liked about this book was the love interest. He is so thoughtful and sweet to Mara even when she doesn't deserve it. I was expecting more humor from this book because of The Summer Job. I didn't find myself laughing or smiling all too much. I found Mara to be self-centered and selfish, it's hard to enjoy this book because she is so unlikable.

I think you'll enjoy reading this book if you like astrology, watching rom-com movies, and cheesy makeovers. If I could compare this book to a similar concept, it would probably be The Princess Diaries particularly the scenes when she gets a makeover and almost hooks up with the wrong guy.

However, I can't wait for the third book from Lizzy Dent! Hopefully, I will like it more than this one. If you want a copy of this book, you can pre-order it or wait until June 7th, 2022 to buy it.

Rating: 3/5 Stars ★★★☆☆

This was so cute and also I wanted to grab her by her shoulders and shake her and say WHY AREN’T YOU PAYING ATTENTION?!!? It was a super light read, I loved to watch her character development and relationships grow with those around her. I was so glad for the decision she made in the end, but still kind of feel bad for the other guy 😂

Overall a sweet and fun read with some nice bits of humor punctuating it. Enjoyable and breezy!

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

Let me start by saying that I really like Lizzy Dent's writing and The Summer Job was a standout book. Such a fun premise and one that stuck with me. In The Setup, we still see that great writing as we follow Mara on her journey to find herself, love and new friendships.

Mara has a hard time bouncing back from heartbreak that led to not finishing her degree nearly a decade ago. Devastated by these experiences, she distances herself from her family and closes herself off from everyone but her best friend, Charlie. Not trusting her own intuition, Mara relies on her horoscope to make every decision, even if it isn't the right one.

When Charlie cancels their girls weekend in Budapest, Mara takes off for her solo adventure. What ensues involves a fortune teller's "vision" and some manipulated fortunes for the new stranger Mara thinks is the one. She returns from this trip determined to make over herself and her entire life in order to be ready to meet this mystery man at the end of the summer. What Mara doesn't account for is that there is more than one way to interpret a fortune.

I enjoyed following Mara as she matures and gets her life together. Although she mentions it at one point, I did find her to be quite self-centered and rarely thinking of anyone else. That certainly became an issue for me as the book progressed. I did, however, really enjoy her co-workers and new roommate, Ash. I would have loved some more time spent on their character development rather than some of Mara's repetitive thoughts.

This is certainly a fun and clever read, but it is so hard not to compare it to her previous book because I found that one to be more engaging. She mentions a new book in her acknowledgments and I'll for sure to be first in line for that next release!

This was a quick one. I was a little turned off by the concept of the actual setup, Mara telling her supposed fortune told love interest to travel far and wide to meet her on a specific date.

After that, I couldn’t fully invest in the concept.

Mara Williams is an indecisive, astrology-obsessed thirty-something drifting through life waiting for opportunity and love to show up at her doorstep. A chance encounter at a psychic's propels her on a mission to make some positive life changes that bring her unexpected results. While I occasionally found Mara's reliance on "the stars" and her hesitancy to choose her own destiny annoying, I did enjoy the small town coastal setting and the townspeople that Ms. Dent introduces as characters along the way.

This was my first Lizzy Dent read and I enjoyed it! I think this would be a hit for book clubs! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Overall a very cute book. I would recommend this book. This is the first book I’m reading from Lizzy Dent. Thanks to net galley for this arc !

Thirty-one year old Mara vehemently believes in letting astrology and fate make her decisions for her because her crippling anxiety and past experiences don’t allow her to trust her intuition. After a serendipitous meeting at the beginning of the book, she has 3 months to get her life together.

I really enjoyed Mara’s growth in this character-driven read. She is a frustrating character but that was kind of the point. I liked the focus on mental health with a character who experiences a lot of the same feelings I do. I really liked the exploration of how the friendships of our 20s change as we age into our 30s and how we can grow apart but still love each other (so relatable). Mara’s fascination/obsession with her horoscope and movies was really fun. Dent did a fantastic job developing all of the side characters in the coastal town of Broadgate. And Ash! I just love Ash so much. In an interview, Dent mentions that Ash embodies “the best of us” and he really does. A+ execution on the roommate trope.

Overall, I really enjoyed this summer read. It’s fun, hilarious, and raw. I love funny books with depth and this delivered. What I enjoy about Lizzy Dent’s books is that the central focus of the story is always on the growth of the quirky,immature main character. If you enjoyed The Summer Job, you’ll enjoy this one too. If you haven’t read The Summer Job, what are you waiting for? Highly recommend to fans of women’s fiction.

This is the first Lizzy Dent book I've ever read, and it won't be the last! The Setup was lovely. Mara, the main character, is a bit of a disaster and the woman LOVES a "sign". I love how the story moved, it was quick paced but with enough detail to feel like you were really getting to know the characters, even if some of them make you crazy. One of the parts of the book I really related with is Mara's friendship with her best friend Charlie and how after their lives have changed, what that means for their friendship. A mix of laugh-out-loud moments (the seagull scene) and moments that deal with anxiety in a real way - this one is a delight even if it's a little over the top. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella books, as well!

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group PUTNAM for the advance e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

31-years-old and bored with her life, Mara takes a trip to Budapest looking to spice things up. After a strange turn of events, she finds herself acting as a palm reader when she meets the love of her life. She tells him that he will meet the love of his life in three months at a specific pub - and that her name is Mara.

Mara now has three months to turn herself into the type of woman she believes Josef will want.

During this new chapter of her life, Mara finds herself with a new roommate, Ash. I'm sure you can guess where this leads.

Right off the bat, I was frustrated with Mara for her naivety and her belief that she needed to change herself for a man, and a man she doesn't even know at that.

I was happy to see her come into herself and gain confidence over the course of this book, but I couldn't help feeling frustrated with the concept that she needed to change herself in the first place. I know this is a common belief amongst many women, but it is just so frustrating to me and felt very much like a 2008 teen romcom. Which, maybe that was the goal as that audience is now in their late 20s-early 30s, just like Mara herself.

Overall, this wasn't bad but Mara annoyed me a little too much.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I was going to enjoy this book but did not expect how head over heels I would fall in love with it. While being great romance, the story also managed to feel grounded and no obstacle felt thrown in just for the sake of drama. I plan to get a physical copy of this book, because I will absolutely be rereading it in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing me with an eARC.

This book was cute and humorous. It will be a great beach read. It was a little predictable, but other than that I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc.