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.
My thoughts: Meghan Quinn knows how to suck a reader in, have them screaming at the character while simultaneously rooting for them, break their hearts, and end on such a high note. This book ran me through so many emotions that I can't describe them all. Linc and Indie had such a great friendship, but were quite blind when it came to feelings. I also loved their friends who supported them throughout the book. This story had me wanting to throw my kindle against a wall at times and others making me unable to put it down. If you're looking for a light read, this isn't it. This book gives you so many emotions and its one that you should definitely read. Now I NEED the stories from Linc's house mates.
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.
THE SETUP by Meghan Quinn
