Reviews - The Setup | The StoryGraph

347 reviews for:

The Setup

Lizzy Dent

3.27 AVERAGE

aimbriano's review against another edition

4.0

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

kll_msh's review

3.0

Rating: 3.5

This is such a fun and lighthearted read! Set in a little seaside, South England town in June, it's a great read to add to your summer TBR.

The writing is chock full of wit and movie references. Mara is a character that feels incredibly relatable. She's not the best with trusting herself, and she's created a small bubble because she's scared to open up and meet new people. While these are issues that I feel like many women experience at some point, I do think they made Mara's character feel immature, which sometimes got a little frustrating.

The side characters were wonderful, and there's a fantastic sub-plot threaded throughout the story of a Mara and her co-workers trying to save a historic town building. It was a fun story to follow and helped create perfect pacing throughout the book.

Overall, I found this to be a quick and cute read! It feels like a mash-up of Bridget Jones and The Devil Wears Prada, and honestly who doesn't want that?

Read this if you like:
- small, British seaside towns
- classic, 2000's chick-flicks
- wit and humor
- low-spice
- stories about finding yourself

Thanks to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the ARC!

gmd316's review

4.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I originally didn’t like the premise but I’m glad that it went where it did

lloydreads's review

4.0

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.

sstansell's review

5.0

Perfect and adorable. A love letter to little coastal downs and community. Such a sweet story with lovely little sustainability and earth conscious vibes. I loved it!