Hi friends, do you believe in the energetic, magical power of the universe?

How about fate? Do you believe in destiny?

The reason I’m asking is because Mara, the protagonist in The Setup by Lizzy Dent, believes in it.

Mara Williams goes to see a clairvoyant in Budapest who tells her she will meet her great romantic love soon but she has to fix something first before it all comes together. And then right walks in handsome Austrian Josef.

Mara Williams pretends to be a clairvoyant tells Josef his destiny will be sitting in a pub in Broadgate, England on the last Friday of August and that her name is Mara.

Mara has three months to do a makeover. Her coworkers ask her for help saving the once-famous pool club where she works, all the while her new flatmate changes the way she feels/thinks about Josef.

The Setup Book Review

I like that the publisher didn’t sell Lizzy Dent’s The Setup as a romance comedy. I hate it when a book cover looks like a rom-com (two people in the cover) and when you read it, it’s more about the one main character’s life. 

There’s romance, there’s comedy, and there’s a little bit of drama in The Setup. It focuses more on Mara’s character arc than her love life. Think of this as c̶o̶m̶i̶n̶g̶-̶o̶f̶-̶a̶g̶e̶ coming-of-self-again with romance on the side.

The Setup is about having the courage to trust in yourself again after an emotionally traumatising experience. Mara relies on astrology, destiny, and fate because she believes she can’t trust herself.

Narration?
First person. Single POV. Mara’s POV.

Do I like the author’s writing?
Yes! The Setup is a fun and funny read! I was laughing alone since chapter one. I think I would also pretend to be a clairvoyant if a young Alexander Skarsgård walks into my life. Ha!

I also like how the supporting characters actually play important roles in Mara’s life. Sometimes I feel some books have supporting characters for the sake of just having supporting characters.

Other topics the author covered in the book:
Feeling like a failure, having a best friend who’s a new mom and doesn’t have time for you, making new friends, putting yourself out there by trying new things, and how we assume other people have it all together when basically everyone is dealing with stuff. I like that scene. Mara said she’s a mess and her friend says who is she comparing herself to, everyone’s a mess.

What do I think of the ending?
I like it. I’m happy that Mara chose —— instead of ———. If I were her friend, I would also help her see who she should be with.

The Setup Quote by Lizzy Dent that I like:
– “You know, you only need to be yourself. Otherwise, life will become really tiring really quickly.”

Do I recommend this?
I think you’ll enjoy this if you’re into female protagonist books like Olive and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

My other thoughts about the book?
I found it longer than necessary. I definitely want to see this as a Netflix film!

Thank you Penguin UK for approving my request to read this on NetGalley!

The post The Setup by Lizzy Dent Review appeared first on Bookaholic Belle.