Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
This book starts out a bit awkward, mainly because we’re getting to know the quirky, indecisive, bit neurotic MC. But it picks up during the second half, and was quite sweet by the end.
Slow burn with no spice, but sweet none-the-less.
Slow burn with no spice, but sweet none-the-less.
Thank you to Netgalley for a digital arc in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. Even though I struggled with the writing style, I gave myself 25% to enjoy it, but it never pulled me in. I really didn’t care about the protagonist or what was happening, which sucks because I think the premise had really cute potential. Many people are giving this book higher stars, so overall I’m sure it’s very enjoyable. It just wasn’t for me.
Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. Even though I struggled with the writing style, I gave myself 25% to enjoy it, but it never pulled me in. I really didn’t care about the protagonist or what was happening, which sucks because I think the premise had really cute potential. Many people are giving this book higher stars, so overall I’m sure it’s very enjoyable. It just wasn’t for me.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is my second Lizzy Dent book and I was amazed but how enjoyable her writing is!
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
She has a plan. Fate has other ideas.
The last place very average thirty-one-year-old Mara Williams thought she’d be is on a solo vacation impersonating her fortune teller when she finally meets the one. Josef, a gorgeous Austrian cellist, sits down for a reading and before she knows it, she’s telling him his destiny will be sitting in a pub in the English seaside town of Broadgate on the last Friday of August. And her name is Mara.
Enter Project Mara: three months to turn herself into the stylish, confident woman she’s always hoped to be. Meanwhile, the crumbling, formerly glamorous beachside pool club where she works is under threat and her eccentric colleagues enlist her help to save it, just as a handsome new housemate casts doubts on her ideas about “the one.” Can Mara pull off the transformation of a lifetime? And by summer’s end, will she know who is her destiny?
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an eARC!!
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
She has a plan. Fate has other ideas.
The last place very average thirty-one-year-old Mara Williams thought she’d be is on a solo vacation impersonating her fortune teller when she finally meets the one. Josef, a gorgeous Austrian cellist, sits down for a reading and before she knows it, she’s telling him his destiny will be sitting in a pub in the English seaside town of Broadgate on the last Friday of August. And her name is Mara.
Enter Project Mara: three months to turn herself into the stylish, confident woman she’s always hoped to be. Meanwhile, the crumbling, formerly glamorous beachside pool club where she works is under threat and her eccentric colleagues enlist her help to save it, just as a handsome new housemate casts doubts on her ideas about “the one.” Can Mara pull off the transformation of a lifetime? And by summer’s end, will she know who is her destiny?
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an eARC!!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book hurt my feelings. I don’t like how much the main character mirrors me. I liked the ending but I would also like to read an alternate universe ending for funsies.
I was first drawn to The Setup because of the cover and then the synopsis and thought why not. There’s a lot going on but it’s mainly about Mara and her journey of self improvement speared on by this plan is set into place while pretending to be a fortune teller.
What I liked about this book is the secondary characters at the lido and their individual personalities. Each of them is quirky in their own way and so friendly even when Mara tries to create distance. Ash is a very patient man and unselfish in countless ways. The strain on Charlie and Mara’s relationship is one I can relate to as friendships change when they reach different stages in life. It took them both time to accept the change and let go of the resentment they felt towards the other.
Mara is big into astrology and let’s it dictate a lot of her life. It’s not something I’m super familiar with so I was very meh to all the talk about it. Mara does have a lot of self doubt and it took a lot of changes to occur before she realizes what the issue was and how voices it out loud to others can help her move forward. So many people were already in Mara’s corner, she just didn’t truly think they really were.
Thank you @putnambooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
What I liked about this book is the secondary characters at the lido and their individual personalities. Each of them is quirky in their own way and so friendly even when Mara tries to create distance. Ash is a very patient man and unselfish in countless ways. The strain on Charlie and Mara’s relationship is one I can relate to as friendships change when they reach different stages in life. It took them both time to accept the change and let go of the resentment they felt towards the other.
Mara is big into astrology and let’s it dictate a lot of her life. It’s not something I’m super familiar with so I was very meh to all the talk about it. Mara does have a lot of self doubt and it took a lot of changes to occur before she realizes what the issue was and how voices it out loud to others can help her move forward. So many people were already in Mara’s corner, she just didn’t truly think they really were.
Thank you @putnambooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
emotional
funny
fast-paced
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No