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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
*didnt/couldnt finish* wanted to love this book and gave it 100 pages but could not get into it
I really enjoyed following Mara’s story and was amused by her unshakeable belief in her horoscope. I used to read mine too (I’m a Pisces) but considered it more a bit of fun, happy to believe it if it was something I liked. Despite her belief in fate, she wasn’t averse to giving fate a bit of a helping hand – more like a shove in what she thought was the right direction!
Convinced she has met the man of her dreams, she contrives a way for ‘fate; to bring them together again and begins Operation Mara, to fix the many things she feel are wrong with her life. In the process, she really improves things not just for herself but for others around her.
I liked the focus on community in the book with many people coming together to try to save the town’s lido. The shift in friendship between Mara and Charlie, as Charlie began a family was interesting to read about and something I think many people will identify with.
The Setup is an enjoyable rom-com which will certainly have you wondering which path Mara will follow and just whether she will – or should – open that door!
Convinced she has met the man of her dreams, she contrives a way for ‘fate; to bring them together again and begins Operation Mara, to fix the many things she feel are wrong with her life. In the process, she really improves things not just for herself but for others around her.
I liked the focus on community in the book with many people coming together to try to save the town’s lido. The shift in friendship between Mara and Charlie, as Charlie began a family was interesting to read about and something I think many people will identify with.
The Setup is an enjoyable rom-com which will certainly have you wondering which path Mara will follow and just whether she will – or should – open that door!
The Setup opens in Budapest. Mara is traveling alone, overwhelmed and lonely. She goes to see a palm reader. The palm reader tells her that love is coming with a tall man but that she must fix things in her life first. Then the palm reader’s water breaks and she rushes to the hospital. Left in the palm reader’s shop, Mara tries on her garb, only to be mistaken by a customer. A tall, handsome male customer, who’s a cellist. Mara decides to give him a reading and tells him that he can meet his soul mate, Mara, at a certain bar on the last Friday in August back in England. She’s engineered her destiny. Now all she needs to do is revamp her life.
This is the fanciful setup for the rest of The Setup. But where the first part in Budapest doesn’t seem realistic, the rest of the book is grounded in the day-to-day monotony of trying to change her life for the best. She’s been hiding out, working a job she doesn’t care about, wearing all black, and drifting away from her one friend. Mara just doesn’t seem invested in her life.
I’ve written two paragraphs and haven’t even mentioned the other love interest option. And that reflects the book’s focus. Yes, Mara ends up paired off with a talk, handsome man, but the book isn’t about that so much as her waking up and engaging with the world. The most interesting parts by far were watching Mara grapple with her feelings of shame and inadequacy to make changes. Seeing Mara’s personality emerge from the gooey cocoon is what had me tearing up. Her life isn’t perfect at the end, but she’s created something real that she fully participates in.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the fanciful setup for the rest of The Setup. But where the first part in Budapest doesn’t seem realistic, the rest of the book is grounded in the day-to-day monotony of trying to change her life for the best. She’s been hiding out, working a job she doesn’t care about, wearing all black, and drifting away from her one friend. Mara just doesn’t seem invested in her life.
I’ve written two paragraphs and haven’t even mentioned the other love interest option. And that reflects the book’s focus. Yes, Mara ends up paired off with a talk, handsome man, but the book isn’t about that so much as her waking up and engaging with the world. The most interesting parts by far were watching Mara grapple with her feelings of shame and inadequacy to make changes. Seeing Mara’s personality emerge from the gooey cocoon is what had me tearing up. Her life isn’t perfect at the end, but she’s created something real that she fully participates in.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Such a sweet, deeply relatable novel about finding yourself and grasping at straws. Everything I wished for happened in the end and isn’t that just the best feeling!
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars | Mara is in a rut and she is prompted into action to take control of her life after she has a run-in with a fortune teller and the man she thinks is 'the one'. She has three months to get her life in order before she is reunited with Joe, who she thinks is her soul mate, but in the process, she meets Ash, he's her new flatmate. A summer transformation ensues and this book was a pure joy.
I love Lizzy Dent's writing and characters. Mara wasn't the most likable character, there were many moments where I really disliked her. But I loved the small-town English coastal setting, the cast of friends that Mara makes, the community initiative to save a historic community lido, and Ash's character. I also loved the commentary on friendships as we age and how they change. And the addition of horoscopes (will always love a rom-com featuring horoscopes).
A very fun, smart summer read!
I love Lizzy Dent's writing and characters. Mara wasn't the most likable character, there were many moments where I really disliked her. But I loved the small-town English coastal setting, the cast of friends that Mara makes, the community initiative to save a historic community lido, and Ash's character. I also loved the commentary on friendships as we age and how they change. And the addition of horoscopes (will always love a rom-com featuring horoscopes).
A very fun, smart summer read!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story is cute, although it is very light in the romance department. I wish there had been more romantic development between the two love interests, and the third act breakup was pitiful. And the characters are pretty funny, I did genuinely enjoy most of them.
But my biggest (and only, really) complaint is with the main character. She was so frustrating, and she never grows or learns throughout the entire story. She is so hung up on signs from the universe, and constantly checking her horoscope, she refuses to make a decision for herself. One of the characters even calls her out for this, so I thought it was strange that she never outgrew that. The plot even validates her perspective by putting the love interest right in her face, just as the psychic says she'll meet them. And it's really tough to enjoy a romance when you dislike the protagonist.
But my biggest (and only, really) complaint is with the main character. She was so frustrating, and she never grows or learns throughout the entire story. She is so hung up on signs from the universe, and constantly checking her horoscope, she refuses to make a decision for herself. One of the characters even calls her out for this, so I thought it was strange that she never outgrew that. The plot even validates her perspective by putting the love interest right in her face, just as the psychic says she'll meet them. And it's really tough to enjoy a romance when you dislike the protagonist.