There are many that will enjoy this book I'm sure of it and though there were aspects of the book I enjoyed here and there over all this has got to be one of the most dissapointing books I've read all year. There were 2 major reasons I could not enjoy this book and honestly I probably should have given up and DNF'd it but alas I never learn my lesson and always hold on to hope that the story will eventually redeem itself and well yeah this one did not.
The first major reason I couldn't not enjoy this book is because even though this story is marketed as a standalone, it is still part of a connected series and having personally read every book in this series prior to this one was why I did not enjoy this book. Quick recap for those who are not familar with this series : The Locker Room (book 1) and The Dugout (book 2) take place or at least begin in college then The Lineup (book 3), The Trade (book 4) and The Change Up (book 5) all take place many years post college while the Heroes are all playing professional Baseball, not really a problem right? except we met Lincoln the hero of The Setup (book 6) in the previous book so we already know his current day situation ie where and who he plays for and his relationship status which again not really a problem EXCEPT 80% of the Setup takes place prior to the events of The Change Up. Do you see where I'm going with this? This might be something most people can over look but having read Meghan's books in the past I have a good idea of how her stories like to play out. She has a specific writing formula she likes to use which is fine they are her books/stories after all but knowing all this made me have this constant feel of unease while reading the entire book wondering when we were going to catch up to the current time line.
The first 80% focused on Lincoln and Indie's 'relationship' while in college so we went through a lot of them working on their sporting goals/career separately as well as together and how they wanted to progress post college in their respective fields (Baseball for Lincoln and Soccer for Indie)
We also got to see how their 'relationship' started as well as some funny banter & cute moments they shared and how they interacted with each other and how their 'relationship' developed. Now I say 'relationship' because I personally feel they were never really in one. They remained Friends with Benefits for almost the entirety of their 'relationship' and this book. FWB is a tricky one for me as I will either love the way its portrayed or I won't and sadly in this case it was the latter. This could very well be a me problem but I hated the development of their 'relationship' which brings me to the second major reason I did not like this book, the heroine.
Indie - aaah Indie so much to unpack here. Never in my life have I read about a more frustrating main character since well Emory from the Locker Room. Indie takes the cake for being my least fav character in this entire series. I didn't hate her to begin with, I understood her and Linc's desicion for wanting to focus on sports and keep their relationship casual and I initially sympathized with her reasons for being emotionally closed off due to her parents projecting such condescending and negativity towards her goals and passions in life as well as setting a terrible example of what a marriage should be (ie her parents were trash and honestly were not redeemable at all but I digress). But after awhile Indies actions started becoming more and more excruciating to deal with. This girl definitely needed some sort of therapy which was told she was in later in the book but obviously what ever help she was getting did not work. She maniputaled the entire tone of hers and Linc's 'relationship' and basically kept him at arms length until it suited her and her needs.
These next thoughts & opinions contain SPOILERS //
A whopping 97% of the story Indie and Lincoln were (in my mind) not in a genuine realtionship beyond being FWB. Their relationship started off great and organic but the more the book progressed the more emotionally toxic it became. A lot of the development was done internally and Lincoln did a great job showcasing how he felt about Indie through his actions and his inner monologue but I HATED how he always felt like he had to hold back on his words for fear of pushing her away. I never felt like Indie cared as much about Lincoln as he did for her. As I said before she controlled the tone of their relationship because anytime things got too real she would either shut down on him, refuse to acknowledge what they had was anything beyond a friendship or she would project her insecurities on to him. She would constantly take what she wanted from him whenever it suited her and selfishly held on to him even though she didn't see any way they could have a future together and anytime things began to get real she would become closed off and keep most interactions superficial and surface level to the point that I felt like Lincoln would always be walking around on eggshells afraid to let his true feelings show until it was either too late or in the middle of a frustrated/heated argument. I'm sorry but who wants to be in a relationship with some they can't be real with. Lincoln deserved better.
The communication/lack of conversations with any real substance was just annoying to me. And this feeling of dread I had throughout the entire book of them never truly letting their guard down bothered me sooooo much and only intensified the closer we got to the 'event'. If you have read the previous stories in this series especially the Locker Room & the Dugout then you know how Meghan's stories might play out when trying to bridge the timelines of the characters when they are in college to when they are many years post college playing professionally in the MLB (I'm not American but I'm pretty sure thats what its called). The timeline lapse/jumps are by far my LEAST fav things about these stories and after they stopped in book 3-5 I honestly forgot they existed until this book. This FUCKING book that I'm sorry if you haven't worked out already I really HATED. When I realised this book backtracked on the timeline I just knew the jump was coming and i thought maybe this time around it wouldn't be as bad, but no this was the worst one to date (for me at least)
The timeline jump/lapse starts when when Lincoln leaves to go do training for his Baseball team after he is drafted, whatever its called (again Aussie here we don't do baseball so the lingo goes straight over my head). I didn't mind the reason for the separation if thats what to even call it coz again to me these two were not in a relationship ever and I personally liked how Indie didnt give uo her dreams and passions to follow a boy but for me its what transpired over this period that made me hate this story all together.
We only get Lincolns point of view in random updates for random months (its like August, October, December/January holiday updates ) during this time all we really get is some more surface level convos with some sports related updates, some banter, some holiday fun & some steam then of course my girl Indie ruins it all with her insensitivity and total disregard for Linc's feelings. I personally lost most of their connection the further we got into the timelapse and am still confused why the story tried for 80ish% to convince me these two cared for each other at all to essentially take it all away. Indie never had faith in their 'relationship' lasting beyond college. She basically got what she wanted from him but also didn't want to lose him as a friend so kept him at arms length to then essentially toss him aside.
The next part of the timelapse is even worse. We are now 1 year on with them hardly being in contact having not resolved anything from their 'fight' we still remain in Lincoln's POV following his professional career we get mentions of him hooking up with a few random girls here and there though from reading the Change we already knew his relationship status and that he had indulged in a few cleat chasers and was dating around so this was no shock but I still didn't like how soon after their fight he moved on physically though emotionally he still seemed hung up on Indie. Over the next couple of years their convos now felt either forced, inconsequential, awkward, impersonal or superficial further breaking down that 'development'.
The rest of the story felt like a play by play with a lot of telling and minimal showing. Indie continued to lean on Lincoln when it suited her or when she needed him the most which I understand to a certain extent but I still did not like her and found her to be extremely selfish majority of the time. Thoroughout this time it still felt like Linc was walking on eggshells and holding back what he wanted their relationship to be and the more he did this the more I started getting frustrated with him and why he didn't either demand an open and honest conversation, ask Indie for what he wanted or (the best option imo) walk away from her for good (seriously Linc buddy find someone new and more worthy).
The absolute last straw for me was towards the end of the timelapse when Lincoln and Indie are finally meeting face to face in what feels like 10 years (but I think its 4 years into the timelapse) and low and behold miss Indie Mayhem who has been so emotionally fucked up due her parents and their sham of a marriage and has voiced on many occasions that she would never get married goes to meet Lincoln and in walks some guy named Anthony who is apparently her fiance. (Seriously hated this entire plot point with a passion and should've just dnfed here!!) We later find out that Indie had gotten pregnant and Anthony proposed and she had no other option but to say yes even though she was not happy in whatever this relationship was (as I don't think it was ever explained how long they were together prior to this). So much about this plot point bothered me as Indie more than anyone knows how it can mess up a child if their parents are in a toxic or unhappy marriage but its ok coz she ended up having a miscarriage. Which is a horrible thing for someone to go through but the whole Engaged/Pregnant/Miscarriage plotline felt like a giant slap in the face to Lincoln who Indie refused to commit to as well as a cheap way to add in some extra drama and a last minute effort to possibly make the readers feel sorry for Indie. The way in which this was handled felt slightly disrespectful and like it was for shock value only as it didn't really do anything for character or relationship development.
The icing on the cake for the most self obsorbed, selfish, condesending, narcissistic character was when Indie finally returns to Chicago and accidentally runs into Lincoln where he asks her to FINALLY have that open and honest conversation I had been waiting for, for 95% of the book and this is how part of it went.
He cups my chin with his fingers, forcing me to look at him. “We should be there for each other. And you’re not letting me.”
“Because you dropped out of my life, Lincoln.”
“When has distance ever been a hinderance to what we have?”
I step away and walk to my bedroom, tired and over this conversation. “When I needed you the most and you weren’t there.” I go to shut the door, but he’s too quick and slips into my bedroom.
“How the fuck was I supposed to know you were going through a miscarriage? Last time I saw you, you were happy with your fiancé.”
“Was I happy, Lincoln? Did I look happy to you? Think about it, did you truly think I was the same Indie that night or were you blinded by your disappointment or whatever it was to notice?”
“You can’t be fucking serious. You’re mad at me because I couldn’t read you that night? Are you hearing yourself?”
Long story short she really tried to blame him for not noticing she needed him and she was unhappy when she blindsided him by taking her fiance to meet him after 4 years of them barely having any real conversations and after YEARS of her keeping him at arms length. Then He finally tries to walk away and leave she stops him/begs him not to go, sleeps with him then tells him the next day it was a mistake. Oh Indie you're such a sweetie 😑 I lost anything these two had even remotely built at this point and it never came back. I have never hated a Heroine in a bool more than I have Indie and I truly regret reading this book.
And how lovely the next 5% went (can u smell the sarcasm wafting over me) I pretty much skimmed the rest and hated all of it and how sweet was the ending when they finally decided to go on an actual real date. What a way to end the book. The epilogue was very much meh and in my mind these two are no longer together and Lincoln is living a happy and Indie free life (but again I'm probably the only one who wished these two would just hurry up and end this toxic one sided 'love')
Even though going into this book I anticipated the story to backtrack on the timeline, I did not expect it spend so much time building the initial 'relationship' before it moved to a more current timeline. Had this book spent half the time in college and half in present time or even if it was alternating chapters between past and current day I'm sure I personally might have enjoyed it more. This felt like a mash up of the Locker Room & the Dugout.the story felt recycled and a little lazy. I know there is a potiential spin off of this series coming up next with some of the characters introduced her but I think this is the end of the road for me and Meghan's books.
I do genuinely hope others who love this series truly love this book as its not fun when you read a book and it disappoints you. These were just my honest opinions and thoughts and if this is a book or series you are interested then you should try it out for yourself
THE SETUP by Meghan Quinn
Release Date: September 10th Genre: Romantic Comedy
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Blurb:
I’ve fallen victim to a heinous act.
An act so vile, so downright dirty, that I’m not sure as a twenty-year-old man I'll ever recover. Brace yourself, because what I’m about to tell you might have you gasping in secondhand horror. Ready? Here it goes . . .
I’ve recently become the pawn of a meddling mom.
Yes . . . A MEDDLING MOM--who's been trying to set me up all summer.
Now, I understand it’s not a crime for a mother to want her child to fall in love, but when she makes it her relentless MISSION, the heinous act should be classified as a misdemeanor at least.
Of course, my mom, the evil matriarch in the devil’s leggings, made her final stab at finding a girl for me days before I went back to college.
And I hate to admit it, but she saved a doozy for last.
A titan in black skinny jeans.
A boss of nonchalance.
And a girl who would not only turn my life upside down, but do it while juggling a soccer ball, looking effortlessly gorgeous around campus, and is one hundred percent against relationships. Of any sort.
Thanks, Mom.
Prologue:
**LINCOLN**
I’ve fallen victim to a heinous act. An act so vile, so downright dirty, that I’m not sure . . . as a son, as a member of society, as a twenty-year-old man . . . I will ever recover. Ever. I see the concern in your eyes, your hand wandering up your chest to clutch the collar of your sensible cotton shirt, scared to find out the truth. Brace yourself against something sturdy, because what I’m about to tell you might just knock you back on your ass in horror. *Deep breaths, everyone* I’ve recently become the pawn of a meddling mom. Yup, you read that right. A MEDDLING mom. The bane of a son’s existence. I know what you’re wondering . . . what did she do? Make me pick up my socks during summer break? *Eye-rolling* *Woe is you* *Grow up* You grow up! Ehhh, that was a little harsh. But before you go and put your judgy face on, you need to know the difference between a nagging mom and a meddling mom. A nagging mom is one who storms into the living room while you’re trying to watch the series finale of Game of Thrones, complaining about the dishes in the sink you swore you’d take care of once you found out who took the throne. Nag, nag, nag—part of the daily routine of the person who birthed you, or in this case, one of two moms who adopted me. But a meddling mom, oh boy. They’re a fresh kind of hell wrapped up in high-waisted leggings and muted tunics. This isn’t some everyday mom who texts you GIFs of squirrels playing with a hula hoop. Nope, meddling moms have an agenda. An agenda that they believe benefits their children. But it really benefits them . . . and only them. In this case, my mom’s agenda: get Lincoln to fall in love. I understand it’s not a crime for a mother to want her child to fall in love, but let me tell you. When she makes it her mission when you’re home from college, it should be classified as a misdemeanor. That’s right, all freaking summer, my mom has made it her duty to set me up with girl after girl, all of whom she’s met in our hometown Kalamazoo, Michigan. I’d like to say I’m exaggerating that she made a list and set me up with every eligible girl—one by one—but I’m not. I saw the Excel spreadsheet on her computer. Girls who were highlighted in red were a no-go. Girls in green still had a fighting chance. Girls in yellow? Apparently, I had lukewarm interaction with them, but they showed promise. Why is she so desperate for me to fall head over heels? Can you believe she’s been spending time on the Internet, researching relationship statuses of major league baseball players? Well, she has. Too much time. And she said she didn’t want me to end up forty, about to retire, with nothing to say for my life other than that I was able to throw a ball off a mound. She also wants a girl to fawn over. When my mothers were adopting, Mom hoped for a girl, but Mama hoped for a boy. Don’t get me wrong, my mom loves me more than anything—hence the meddling and nagging—but she always wanted to do girly things with me, like have tea parties, get our toenails done, shit like that. Side note: I’ve done the pedicure thing with her, and it’s not that bad. But she wants a daughter, and apparently, a daughter-in-law is the next best thing. Which brings me back to my summer of “not love.” I wanted nothing to do with these girls and after my mom’s eighth attempt to set me up—yes, eight—I told her enough was enough. I was done. And thankfully she listened . . . until the last Saturday before I left for school. The evil matriarch in the devil’s leggings made her final stab at finding a girl for me. And I hate to admit it, but she saved a doozy for last. A fucking titan in black skinny jeans. A boss of nonchalance. And a girl who will not only turn my life upside down, but do it while juggling a soccer ball, looking effortlessly gorgeous, and is one hundred percent against relationships. Of any sort. Thanks, Mom. *Thumbs up* Your meddling has made me absolutely miserable.
About the Author:
USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.
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