This was a quick read that would definitely be nice at the beach or the pool this summer. I like Mara but she came across more like a late teen than a woman in her 30s. I definitely loved the beginning and was very interested in where the book was going to go. I think many can relate to feeling less connected to a best friend once they have a baby. But, I found myself a bit annoyed by Mara. I love to read my horoscope from time to time but Mara relied on hers a bit too much and that was tough to read. I really loved Mara’s roommate Ash and would have loved more from her.

3.5 stars

3 stars

In her sophomore novel, Lizzy Dent captures both the small-town summer spirit and the anxiety of not feeling like you have your life together in the story of our leading lady Mara Williams. Addicted to letting astrology guide her decisions, she decides to reinvent herself in the wake of a fortune teller's prediction that she is about to meet The One, thus opening herself up to a life she never even imagined and an unexpected love.

British women's fiction can be a bit hit or miss for me in general, but I enjoyed this one overall! I think that Dent nailed the humor and I appreciated that she tackled topics like friend breakups and breaking toxic thought patterns. The tone could have been a little more consistent in moving between the emotional extremes, but the story itself moves along nicely.

I think my biggest qualm is that I don't quite know how I feel about the ending of this book. We get to the final few chapters and Mara's main character energy, which has been glimpsed throughout the novel, grows to such baffling proportions that I couldn't believe that any person could have such a poor grasp on human interaction. Her love interest Ash, instead of calling her on it, literally does...nothing. Then, once the big conflict gets resolved, we get a final tableau that feels much more like a HFN than an HEA. I can see what Dent was going for, but the ending we got just left me with a sour taste in my mouth.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the chance to read an ARC of The Setup and share my review voluntarily.

The Setup centers around Mara a woman in her early thirties who is trying to find herself while looking to others for answers. Searching for answers about her worth from horoscopes and relationships she’s thrown into a love triangle of her own making. As Mara tries to complete the steps told to her by a fortune teller, she find a different path all together.

The premise of this book was fun and intrigued me immediately. I found Mara’s reliance on the occult to be annoying and a bit overblown. I loved the writing and the supporting characters. The town that’s crafted by the residents has personality and was a joy to read about. I loved Ash and thought he was a well written, thoughtful love interest.

I didn’t connect to the conflict with her family and thought she was being a brat about it. I didn’t feel like inviting them to a party resolved ten years of unspoken conflict and that felt like an afterthought.

Overall this is a sweet tale of exploration and finding your place. I recommend it if you like slow burn contemporary fiction.

The Setup was a super cute, fast paced book. A good one if you are looking for a short summer read. I really enjoyed the characters and how they all came together. The town was so cute. Definitely somewhere I would visit.

The Setup is the perfect summer read! Its a nice and quick romcom for anyone who doesn't want to read anything long. Found family trope is something I have come to love over the years and this book did a good job with the trope.

Fun summer read! This would be great to take on vacation and read on the beach. I liked the setting of the story, and the premise. Mara is a little bit immature, and I did want to shake her a few times, I'd love a story about Ash!

I loved the summer job so I was super excited to see that The Setup was available to read!! It was a cute and unique read with a few good laughs out loud. Overall, it didn't really hold my attention like Lizzy's first book but it was still a quick, cute romcom! The cover was totally adorable as well! Mara was a well written character, and I loved going on her journey and seeing her grow throughout the book!

I wasn’t wowed by the summer job so I wanted to give dent another try. This one wasn’t horrible but it just fell flat... I’m going to think twice about picking up another one of her books in the future

Mara Williams wants to find her soulmate. When a fortune teller announces that she will meet him imminently, Mara takes it literally and sets this story in motion. The story premise is good and I enjoyed the location of the story. I also liked the shift in Mara’s relationship with her co workers. It felt like Mara had cut herself off from other people in an effort to keep her best friend close. Seeing Mara opening up to others was nice to read. Ash is her roommate, and all around good guy. I wanted to have more insight into Ash as the story progressed. Mara felt very selfish at times and I would have enjoyed seeing her through his eyes. While this is a slow burn, it focused on Mara and her transition.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the arc.

This was a really fun romp, perfect for summer reading. I'm a sucker for a good found family, and I really enjoyed the found family in this book, especially the way they were patient with Mara as she opened up to him over time. I'm also a sucker for a good roommates to lovers, and I really enjoyed watching Ash and Mara find their feelings for each other. Definitely a book I got lost in and would pick up again!

I tried to give this book my all, but it just wasn’t my jam. I’m I had a hard time picturing the main character in her 30’s as she just felt like a teenager. There was a lot of romcom aspects that were missing for me. I never really got hooked in or swept off my feet. There were moments I thought I was going to and then they just moved on.
I’m also not a huge fan of astrology or fortune telling so it was hard for me to get into the story of “is he the one.”

Thank you NetGally for allowing me to review this book with my honest opinion!

This book is just so good! I laughed out loud several times reading this book and I just adore Lizzy Dent’s writing. The Setup follows Mara, a big believer in signs and not having any responsibility for her own actions, as she attempts to make herself and her life over in the course of a summer. She believes her soul mate is coming to meet her in the last week of August so she tries to get herself ready to meet him. Her makeover is largely cosmetic, without going under the surface to face her fears, fix her relationship with her parents, or her friendship with her closest friend. She expands her life and her wardrobe, experiencing lots of personal growth while focusing on her goal. But, when she is getting ready for Joe to come in August, is she missing what has been right in front of her all along? This book is perfect for fans of The Summer Job, Lizzy Dent’s debut novel. This book leans more heavily into the romance than the Summer Job though, which is excellent in my opinion. I’ve smiled so much in this book my cheeks hurt, and I stayed up way too late to finish it. I think that’s the best endorsement I can give!

Such a fun and quirky read. Sometimes I wanted to shake Mara for her decisions, just in the way you would react to a friend. I flew through this one, definitely recommend.

3.5 Stars. This book sounded really cute and it definitely had its moments, but overall I just had such a hard time connecting with the main character Mara. I found her extremely unlikeable and selfish and a bit flimsy. There was a lot of deception and I just found it hard to want to be on her side or root for her and that made it hard for me to get into the story. The secondary characters were more enjoyable. Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC.

First, I loved this book. Second…can I say it? I’m going to say it. I did NOT like the protagonist. Mara is simultaneously self-absorbed and self-neglectful, superstitious, emotionally immature, and if I met her out in the wild I would probably roll my eyes so hard they’d fall right out of my head. And she’d likely say that’s just so typical for a Capricorn.

I feel like books with unlikeable protagonists sometimes catch some unfair flack. Was it tough for me to get through some parts because I wanted to reach into the pages, grab Mara’s probably perpetually-slumped shoulders, and shake some sense into her? Yes. Yes, it was. BUT. But. Much like there’s value to people who grate on your nerves, there’s value to stories even when you don’t like the players. And maybe there’s something to be gained from leaning INTO that dislike rather than tossing the book across the room and declaring it a DNF. Maaaaaaybe some of that dislike is because you see a little kernel of the least-favorite part of yourself in this character. Because I have definitely had some Mara Moments in my life, usually when I’m wrapped in a depressed fog and not seeing things clearly.

But I digress. You’re here for a book review, not a character study. The Setup is a fun, cozy, summertime story with a lovable crew of sidekicks. It’s a feel-good tale that will leave you with a smile on your face and a craving for chilled Prosecco. It’s sure to delight astrology enthusiasts and skeptics alike, and there’s a 99% chance you’ll end up googling your ascending star sign for funsies somewhere around chapter two.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the complimentary advance copy of this work!

4.5 rounded up to 5 stars! A great fit for fans of Alexandria Bellefleur! Mara believes in fate and astrology and doesn’t trust her own gut. This book is a great look into her journey of trusting herself and finding exactly what she didn’t know she needed. I loved seeing her grow and evolve into her true self and meet her perfect match. The characters were well rounded and leapt off the page.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

After finishing this book I immediately looked for other books by Lizzy Dent! I loved Mara’s personality. The story was quick paced and entertaining. This book is a hilarious mixture of friendship, relationships and accepting who you are!

I loved Lizzy Dent's first novel, 'The Summer Job', and was so excited to read her newest, 'The Setup'. Mara Williams is a big fan of astrology, and all that is mystical. She visits a palm reader on while vacationing who tells her that she is about to meet 'the One'. Shortly after this prediction, in walks Joe, who Mara believes to be her destiny. Mara then embarks on a journey of 'self improvement' to make herself worthy of Joe. In the interim Mara slowly starts to realize that perhaps, Joe isn't 'the one' and the real one might be right under her nose!

The Setup was a cute, fun rom-com. I enjoyed it as much as the Summer Job. Dent did a great job with the character development and the relationship between the MC and her co-stars. For those who read a lot of romance, this one is low on the steam level. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Looking forward to Ms. Dent's next novel!

I was pretty torn on this book. For the most part, I truly enjoyed it. But I also low-key dreaded reading because Mara drove me crazy. As a logical type A person, her dependence on her star sign was a little disturbing. Mara was totally lost to herself and others because she never could determine who she was as a person. Her insecurity made her push everyone away, even while living in a fantasy-like world. However, this book had a lot of great aspects. I loved seeing Mara develop relationships with her coworkers. Ryan’s “put that in your tinder bio” reminded me of Jake from Brooklyn 99. There were a few quotes/scenes that had me laughing audibly. Overall, pretty good, but not sure if I would recommend it.

3.5 what does my horoscope say stars

Mara Williams isn’t really happy with her life. Her best friend has gotten married and had a baby and they just don’t have much in common anymore. She is bored with her job at a pool club near the beach. She’s still waiting to meet her soulmate. And her flat mate Ashley isn’t at all what she expected.

She’s unexpectedly solo on a trip to Budapest when she comes across a fortune teller. She hears a bit of her fortune before the fortune teller has to go to the hospital. Mara finds herself trying on the veil and then a handsome customer walks in. She takes fate into her hands and tells the cellist Josef that he will find his soulmate (her) back in her hometown and he should visit in August when he’s in the UK.

Once back home, Mara embarks on a makeover plan, getting a haircut, buying non-black clothes, and getting herself ready for the amazing connection with Josef. On the job front, the beach club is on the brink of closing so Mara and co-workers band together to rally the town to keep it open.

Mara is indecisive and consults her horoscope on every decision. She starts to fall for her adorable flat mate Ashley, but she feels like her fate soul mate is Josef.

This book has so much promise and some amazing settings. I do really like this author but this one just fell a bit flat for me. I would have loved a few chapters from Ash’s point of view and maybe some from her best friend. I will definitely read future books from this author!