I had read Lizzy Dent’s first book, The Summer Job, and enjoyed it very much. Mara is a thirty something with a best friend who has just had a baby and has less time for her. She is a bit of a fantasist in as much as she believes in ‘the one’ being a chance meeting with a musician whilst on holiday.
Back in her real world, Mara starts to change, to rally her community into saving the local lido where she works. This gives her a new focus and helps her make new friends. Her flat mate Ash, is clearly a future love interest and if I have one small criticism, it’s a tad predictable here.
It’s a good summer read, funny and engaging and will entertain you.

Good. Even though at times the main character was slightly annoying she redeems herself in the end and you are rooting for her to find her destiny whatever that might be. Nice romantic comedy and a nostalgia for many classic films.

Funny from the outset although I cringed at Mara's over-dependence on her horoscope to drive her life the characters were real and flawed, funny and sweet in equal measures and the will she won't she back and forth of Mara between the man who is there and the man who may never arrive is very entertaining.

A lovely, lighthearted read.

Thank you Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

Lizzy Dent's first book depicts the main female character as brimming full of confidence and charisma. In contrast, the heroine in The Setup is the total opposite, she tries to disappear into the background by wearing ugly clothing and experiences constant failures.

Mara followed her best friend Charlie to Broadgate on the Kent coast, but Charlie is fully occupied with her husband and new baby, resulting in Mara feeling alone in a new town. In an attempt to make friends Mara takes a few classes, her one and only life drawing class was hugely embarrassing when she discovered her unpleasant boss was the model.

Mara works at the run down Art Deco lido, one day she hears a rumour that the lido is about to close and be sold to developers. Mara decides to do everything in her power to keep the Lido running. With the help of her colleagues, their first money making idea is a
screening of the films Jaws and Open Water at their floating-cinema at the swimming pool. Instead of frightening away the audience, this turns out to be a great success.

Running throughout the book is Mara's insistence that Joe, who she met in Budapest immediately after having her fortune told, will be her true love. She needs to start thinking positively, stop wearing drab clothing and re-invent herself into a type of woman that will attract Joe.

The plot was predictable, but in a good way, all resulting in an entertaining and enjoyable read.

Let me just start by saying that I absolutely adored this book!
I was a big fan of The Summer Job and because of this, I had big expectations and The Setup certainly lived up to and even exceeded these.
First of all, I could see a lot of myself in the character of Mara. I too adore films and have probably made my life a lot smaller than it should be just because it feels safer than putting myself out there, especially when it comes to friendships and romantic relationships.
The whole idea of a love triangle of sorts but with someone who doesn't even know who you are was an interesting one and I hadn't read anything like that before.
I may not share her obsession with horoscopes and astrology but this was unique addition to the romance element of the story. And just Mara's story in general.
I really loved all of the supporting characters and Ash was just such a lovely love interest, even if I did feel bad for him at times in terms of how Mara treated him when she wasn't sure if he was 'the one' or whether she should meet up with Josef.
I also really liked that this was about stepping out of your comfort zone and making your life bigger in terms of your friendships, relationships, work and more, in what happens to be her external and internal 'Mara makeover'.
It was nice to see the growth of her as a character but with the realistic aspects of self doubt, self sabotage and other realities creeping in.
The Setup really did make me smile and I had to highlight quite a few lines as they were so relatable.
If you're looking for a great book to pick up this summer, this is it.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mara Williams is an 'emo Elle Woods,' who puts too much stock in her horoscope. She moved to a seaside town to be near her best friend Charlie, who has a baby and doesn't have time for her. When she goes on holiday alone, she meets a glamorous, music-making man in Vienna and decides he's 'the one,' - but almost as soon as she's back home, her distracting new flatmate Ash is making himself known, and unlike Joe, the man of her dreams, he's right there in her living room ordering pizza for her. Slowly, Mara pulls herself out of her funk, makes friends and takes charge of her job at the local lido, tapping into her passions to put together a floating movie night. She thinks everything's coming together, but on the night that Joe might be coming to town, she's not so sure...

Pure joy.

That's what you get from one of Lizzy's stories.

I really enjoyed The Summer Job so when I was given access to her latest novel, I knew I was in for a treat.

The Setup follows our protagonist Mara as she embarks on a few changes in her life.

Driven by her horoscopes and the idea of fate, she is thrown of course when a certain flat mate of hers sends her into a spin.

Question is, will Mara follow her head or her heart?

Brilliant from start to finish.

This is a story made for easy reading and leaving you with a smile on your face.

A quirky cast of characters with conversations that I guarantee will have you laughing, The Setup was just the thing that I didn't even know I needed.

Bursting to the seems with love and humour, I was quite literally entertained from start to finish.

I predict this to be one of the books to read this summer!