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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
This book was satisfying and entirely frustrating. I don’t know that I’ve ever wanted to shake a protagonist more than I wanted to shake Mara. More than anything I wish this book had been bulked up a bit, all of the varying plot lines could have used more development and more depth. Overall an easy summer read with a satisfying conclusion, but good god is the main character annoying for 90% of the book.
Very Beth OLeary meets Emily Henry, heavy on the british side of romance/womens lit reads. I loved the main character and the development and the gaggle of characters. The ending felt rushed and i dont know why- i felt that the emotional conflict of the main character was dragged to the point /I/ didnt believe when she made her choice. Other major relationships between the MC and loved ones had ongoing conflict throughout the book but felt "poof" resolved quickly and disingenuously.
It deserves the 4 stars because i just love the main character and 80% of the book is lovely and fun but i wish the final 20% was done with more care. You'll be happy with the ending- it just doesnt feel /finished/.
It deserves the 4 stars because i just love the main character and 80% of the book is lovely and fun but i wish the final 20% was done with more care. You'll be happy with the ending- it just doesnt feel /finished/.
I usually really like romance novels and normally if I swoon for the main love interest, I give it five stars. But even though the love interest was very sweet and very swoon worthy, I couldn’t get behind the protagonist. When facing the choice between a man who she already knows she’s in love with and a man she tricked into meeting her, she still has to receive a sign from the stars to pick Ash. Obviously, it creates more tension but it’s hard to root for a protagonist who continually makes the wrong decisions and hurts people around her and then blames it on her lack of trust in herself.
I understand having a lack of confidence, I have struggled with it as well, but not as an excuse to hurt people. I would’ve liked it more if Ash didn’t take her back after she left, she needed to learn that her actions hurt other people.
Otherwise, it was a cute romance, as long as you can overlook her tricking Joe to come see her at the end of the summer but lying to him, and her constantly hurting Ash because she’s obsessed with Joe.
I understand having a lack of confidence, I have struggled with it as well, but not as an excuse to hurt people. I would’ve liked it more if Ash didn’t take her back after she left, she needed to learn that her actions hurt other people.
Otherwise, it was a cute romance, as long as you can overlook her tricking Joe to come see her at the end of the summer but lying to him, and her constantly hurting Ash because she’s obsessed with Joe.
The Setup—- not a setup for me.
I wish I enjoyed this book as much as I expected to enjoy it. This book was very difficult to get into for me. I felt like there were a lot of lose ends and pieces thrown in that didn’t need to be, but that could be that I glazed over it because I couldn’t stay focused on it, easy to snooze reading it for me personally.
Dislikes:
-I really found the main character to be a sad sack, horoscope obsessed, and just blah
-I felt like she was very immature and didn’t grow much for herself in the book (more transformed herself for a man…but ended up with a different man….)
Likes:
I did really enjoy her coworkers and though they brought some charm to the book.
I was happy when it was over.
2/5
I wish I enjoyed this book as much as I expected to enjoy it. This book was very difficult to get into for me. I felt like there were a lot of lose ends and pieces thrown in that didn’t need to be, but that could be that I glazed over it because I couldn’t stay focused on it, easy to snooze reading it for me personally.
Dislikes:
-I really found the main character to be a sad sack, horoscope obsessed, and just blah
-I felt like she was very immature and didn’t grow much for herself in the book (more transformed herself for a man…but ended up with a different man….)
Likes:
I did really enjoy her coworkers and though they brought some charm to the book.
I was happy when it was over.
2/5
main character felt infantilized and whimsy in a way that grated my brain
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🔮 BOOK REVIEW 🔮
Synopsis: Mara Williams reads her horoscope every day - but she wasn't expecting to be in a whole other country when destiny finally found her. Just as a fortune teller reveals that her true love is about to arrive, a gorgeous stranger literally walks into her life. And now Mara is determined to bring them together again . . . Surely even fate needs a nudge in the right direction sometimes?
But while Mara is getting ready for 'the one', the universe intervenes. Her new flatmate Ash is funny, and kind, and sexy as hell . . . There was no predicting this: it's as if her destiny just arrived on her doorstep.
Review: I enjoyed the story, and Lizzy Dent always writes something unique, but the MC was rather insufferable for me. While it always makes for good character growth, I just didn’t care for her. There could have been more diversity in the book as well. But overall I did enjoy it and recommend it.
A note though that I’ll only recommend this book in a physical or digital format. The audiobook narration is infuriating, with the narrator constantly swallowing.
3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maybe 3.5 stars? Slow (actually really slow) beginning & again lags in parts. What saves it is sweet Ash (MMC) and the rest of the people in the story. The FMC, Mara, who, as other reviewers have noted, is ok but neurotic to a fault. It’s tolerable at first but then it just gets to the point of ridiculous so that even the other characters are calling her out (& you’re nodding furiously in agreement!). The storyline is more than predictable (the whole “small town saved by outsider with a vision” bit), but it does pick up as the book progresses & thankfully, the readers are rewarded for their patience (endurance?) with a happy ending.
Full Review:
https://clife.blog/2022/03/28/book-review-the-setup-by-lizzy-dent/
————————————
Straight away the main character is what I would call ‘ditsy’ which would translate to being something like an airhead. She believes in fortune tellers even though she is telling them the information they need to feed off to give you the reading you want. Uhm, have you not seen the film Nightmare Alley? It basically describes how they can suss you out. The fact is, is that the main character gave the fortune teller information with her naivety in how she reacted. Then she goes ahead and pretends to be the fortune teller when a “tall man” walks in and she tells him where to meet this woman she’s describing which is actually herself. Becomes obsessed with him and tells everyone at work when she returns from her travels that she has met “the one” and becomes proper obsessed with him. She builds up this obsession with a man she does not know – IT WAS A BRIEF ENCOUNTER, GET OVER IT!!
After about 10% in the novel became too predictable as a man named Ash moves in and he’s tall – you can see where I’m going with this.
It was difficult to continue reading this novel as I could not get into it. Mara is quite gullible and annoying, the only positives is that her friends tell her how stupid she is. Mara is very immature and does not see how her friends are just looking out for her. She thinks she can make a particular man her Mr. Right. It was poorly done and could not keep me entertained as other books that do it right can grab my attention.
I enjoyed the cover, it’s summery. If believing in fortune tellers 100% and astrology is your thing, you will enjoy this probably however as a person with a logical point of view completely now at this point in my life it is complete and utter bullshit based on your reactions as we all fall into a category which makes it simple for them to guess things about you. Sorry not sorry for the truth.
Thank you for the copy in exchange for an honest review to the publishers.
https://clife.blog/2022/03/28/book-review-the-setup-by-lizzy-dent/
————————————
Straight away the main character is what I would call ‘ditsy’ which would translate to being something like an airhead. She believes in fortune tellers even though she is telling them the information they need to feed off to give you the reading you want. Uhm, have you not seen the film Nightmare Alley? It basically describes how they can suss you out. The fact is, is that the main character gave the fortune teller information with her naivety in how she reacted. Then she goes ahead and pretends to be the fortune teller when a “tall man” walks in and she tells him where to meet this woman she’s describing which is actually herself. Becomes obsessed with him and tells everyone at work when she returns from her travels that she has met “the one” and becomes proper obsessed with him. She builds up this obsession with a man she does not know – IT WAS A BRIEF ENCOUNTER, GET OVER IT!!
After about 10% in the novel became too predictable as a man named Ash moves in and he’s tall – you can see where I’m going with this.
It was difficult to continue reading this novel as I could not get into it. Mara is quite gullible and annoying, the only positives is that her friends tell her how stupid she is. Mara is very immature and does not see how her friends are just looking out for her. She thinks she can make a particular man her Mr. Right. It was poorly done and could not keep me entertained as other books that do it right can grab my attention.
I enjoyed the cover, it’s summery. If believing in fortune tellers 100% and astrology is your thing, you will enjoy this probably however as a person with a logical point of view completely now at this point in my life it is complete and utter bullshit based on your reactions as we all fall into a category which makes it simple for them to guess things about you. Sorry not sorry for the truth.
Thank you for the copy in exchange for an honest review to the publishers.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of The Setup by Lizzy Dent.
The story opens when Mara Williams, 31, goes on vacation and meets with a clairvoyant who tells her she’ll soon meet her true love, but that she needs to make a few changes in her life before meeting him. The story then follows Mara as she takes that advice and counts down the days to when she believes she’ll finally meet The One. Naturally, another potential love interest enters the picture early on in the story, and Mara turns to astrology to help her figure out which one the clairvoyant was referring to. Readers witness Mara’s growth throughout the story, not just as it relates to love, but also as it relates to friendship, family, and community.
I couldn’t really connect with Mara, but that’s a me-issue, not a problem with the book. The story is light and charming, and is recommended for readers who are seeking a breezy summer read with a quirky cast of characters and a delightful coastal town setting.
The story opens when Mara Williams, 31, goes on vacation and meets with a clairvoyant who tells her she’ll soon meet her true love, but that she needs to make a few changes in her life before meeting him. The story then follows Mara as she takes that advice and counts down the days to when she believes she’ll finally meet The One. Naturally, another potential love interest enters the picture early on in the story, and Mara turns to astrology to help her figure out which one the clairvoyant was referring to. Readers witness Mara’s growth throughout the story, not just as it relates to love, but also as it relates to friendship, family, and community.
I couldn’t really connect with Mara, but that’s a me-issue, not a problem with the book. The story is light and charming, and is recommended for readers who are seeking a breezy summer read with a quirky cast of characters and a delightful coastal town setting.