The Setup

Smash Point Social Club #2

by Cynthia Gunderson

Talk about mixed doubles...

Justin's ex is on the executive team for the pickleball tournament series he’s hosting.
And she’s bringing her new celebrity boyfriend on the tour.

He needs a doubles partner off the court—stat.
Enter prickly, private, and the last person you’d expect to agree to fake date anyone.

But she’s got a killer poker face, a solid paddle grip, and zero interest in real romance.
Which makes her the perfect fake girlfriend.

The plan?
Keep it casual. Fake some chemistry. Win the tournament—and the breakup optics.

But between their kitchen banter, flirty foot faults, and steamy “practice drills,” lines are blurring fast.

Now they’re stuck in close quarters on the tournament tour, dinking around with fake feelings that might not be so fake...

One Click and start reading if you

Black Cat/RetrieverFake DatingOnly One BedSizzling Banter

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 20, 2026

Reviews

[Leticia🌻 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

The Setup is book 2 in the Smash Point Social Club series; it's a closed door/sports romance with fake dating and force proximity elements. It follows Sam, Alecia's friend and coworker, who decides to accompany Alecia and Calder to a pickleball tournament for the weekend because the electricity at her apartment was going to be off for maintenance.

While at the tournament, she realizes that she will be sharing a suite with Justin, who recently went through a tough breakup and whose ex is at the tournament as well with her new celebrity boyfriend. As the story progresses, Sam and Justin's relationships develops into something more than just fake boyfriend/girlfriend and we learn more about Sam's past and personal struggles.

Overall, it was a very cute and quick read. I thoroughly loved that the author achieves a sense of depth in all the characters she creates in these stories.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Nicole | Nicole's Bookstagram · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Setup is a delightfully playful pickleball romance full of flirty banter, sizzling kisses, and fun friend dynamics. It’s a light, feel-good novella that’s easy to devour and leaves you smiling. This is the second book in the Smash Point Social Club series, but it can absolutely be read as a standalone.

I loved Sam and Justin together! Their chemistry is instant, and they have no trouble bouncing quips back and forth. Justin comes across as a total sweetheart, even though he’s super flirty with everyone. My heart ached for him with the way his ex treated him. I was cheering Sam on as she stepped in and pretended to be his girlfriend. Justin was so endearing when he thanked her and asked if she’d be willing to do it again. I was kicking my feet when he told Sam he should show her his best kiss—he felt adorably vulnerable instead of smooth and rehearsed. There were so many sweet moments woven in between the steamy kisses. Justin suggesting they watch a movie over the phone was one of those low-key moments that made their connection feel even sweeter.

I also really liked Sam as an FMC. She’s kind, confident, and unapologetically herself, which made her easy to root for. I enjoyed catching up with Alecia and Calder while getting more time with Brooke and Rachel. Cindy does a great job setting up the next book featuring Rachel and the single-dad firefighter (at-least that’s my guess.)

The Setup is a steamy fade-to-black romance, with intimacy implied but kept off the page. If you enjoy lighthearted, sizzling romances that are fast-paced and low-commitment, this is a great go-to series.


✨Includes:✨
🐾Black Cat x Golden Retriever
🧲Opposites Attract
😏Fake Dating
🛏️One Bed
😘Kissing Practice
👟Pickleball Romance
🖤Fade To Black
❤️‍🔥Suggestive Humor
⏱️Quick Moving Relationship
📖Novella Length
🧍🏻‍♀️Single POV

Thank you Cindy Gunderson and BookSirens for the ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Lisa Benison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, Well-Written, Opposites "Thrown" Together in a Pickle Ball Setting

This is a nice follow-up to the first book in the series but easily works as a standalone. As a casual, recreational pickleball player I enjoyed the setting but I don't think you need to play or understand the game to enjoy the story. Sam and Justin are complete opposites - she is introverted and needs to be pulled out of her shell, while he is very extroverted and works hard to make a success of his club and tournaments. They are literally "thrown" together in a "fake dating situation" in tight quarters and as they get to know each other, shed their misperceptions, and realize that working together helps both of them, a mutual attraction develops and turns into more - so much fun! I can't wait for the next book in the series - Enjoy!

I was sent an ARC by the author and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Setup by Cynthia Gunderson is a light, feel-good fake dating romance that’s pure fun from start to finish. Introverted Sam and extroverted sweetheart Justin are total opposites, and watching them get “thrown” together on the pickleball tournament tour is a delight. Their banter is flirty, their chemistry is instant, and the black cat/retriever dynamic works beautifully—Justin’s golden-retriever energy paired with Sam’s quiet confidence is chef’s kiss.
I loved the tight-quarters fake dating, the sweet emotional moments, and the steamy-but-clean fade-to-black romance. The pickleball setting adds charm without ever feeling overwhelming, even if you know nothing about the sport. While the novella length keeps things moving quickly (sometimes very quickly), it’s still a satisfying, smile-inducing read. A great standalone and a fun continuation of the series—I’m definitely coming back for more.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Sam and Justin together! Their chemistry is instant, and they have no trouble bouncing quips back and forth. Justin comes across as a total sweetheart, even though he’s super flirty with everyone. My heart ached for him with the way his ex treated him. I was cheering Sam on as she stepped in and pretended to be his girlfriend. Justin was so endearing when he thanked her and asked if she’d be willing to do it again. I was kicking my feet when he told Sam he should show her his best kiss—he felt adorably vulnerable instead of smooth and rehearsed. There were so many sweet moments woven in between the steamy kisses. Justin suggesting they watch a movie over the phone was one of those low-key moments that made their connection feel even sweeter.

[Jenny Lynn Curry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much any book by this author is an auto read for me! I have not been able to put her books down. They have such a great flow, and the plot is always a good one.

This one was no different. The second book in the Smash Point Social series. This one follows Sam and Justin, and they are the cutest!!

Sam who is up for a promotion if she can bring in a solo account, and Justin who is trying to prove himself in the tournament world against his bigger and louder ex company, and ex girlfriend.

So when the ex-girlfriend starts to publicly belittle Justin, Sam steps in and ends up becoming the pretend girlfriend for the weekend.

But soon….who’s pretending??

[PollyAnna Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading The Setup, I forgot that it's part of a series! Lol. It didn't take me long to remember the first book, though. It was fun getting to still see Alecia and Calder as we walked through Justin and Sam's story. I liked seeing their barely-there acquaintance move quickly into friendship, and then fly to their being in love. It's wonderful when a couple is able to admit their deep feelings for one another rather than drag their feet and/or be wishy-washy about their feelings. I am clueless regarding pickleball, but that doesn't detract from my enjoyment if Justin and Sam's story in the slightest!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A power outage was the cause for Sam to give in and attend a pickleball tournament for a weekend and sharing a suite with three starts off such a fun few hours. The humour had me laughing out loud.
The lesson I learned from this is to not take everything at face value and a person's attitude can be from something unrelated.
It was good to be reminded that being kind is not always appreciated, but do it anyway. There just had to be a few good-looking and friendly people in this club, but I must admit, Justin's personality as well as his looks would have drawn me to his circle of friends.
I received a copy from BookSirens and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Serena Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Cynthia Gunderson. Thanks Booksirens for allowing me to be part of the review team, I just loved this book. The first one was hilarious. This one was more serious with an undercurrent through it. Alecia and Calder are back still going strong. Now they have set up Alecia’s friend Sam and Calder’s bestie Justin. It is so sweet with bits of comedy. I think she has set it up perfectly for another book about Rachel and the single dad fire firefighter as well. Or atleast I hope he is single. Can’t wait to read the next one. Quickly becoming one of my favorites.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam loves pickleball and when she has a free weekend, she goes with friends to a pickleball tournament. She ends up sharing a room with Justin, the owner of the business Smash Point. Sam is in marketing and it is obvious Justin needs help with his business. I enjoyed Sam and Justin's interactions and how honest they were with each other. I also liked how Sam reacted to Justin's ex.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked Sam and Justin. Plus I love a good fake dating trope, especially when the ex is so unlikable. Plus they seemed very real and genuine together. I am impressed with the writing and character development of a book that is honestly pretty quick read. I really enjoy Gunderson's books, and audiobooks.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given this book as an ARC book in exchange for an honest review, this book was fast, fun, and full of all the right elements. Life changing, no, but a perfect kind of HEA. A little heavy on pickleball references, but the reader should know what they are getting into from the description.

[Virginia Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light romance packed with fun and surprisingly sweet moments! The chemistry between Sam and Justin felt instant and endearing. 💌🤗 It was an easy, feel-good novella that delivered sweetness and warmth!

[SGP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My God!!! I soooo lovee Sam and Justin... I'm listening to the audiobook but I still can't stop smiling... this was too adorable. Such a fluffy and cute story. And the friends group was 🫶🏻. I'll miss Sam and Justin so much!!

[Jen389 · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great one! by the end of this, I was really considering signing up for pickleball 😂😂

[cara dougan · Rating 3 out of 5]

the way i was genuinely shocked when my audiobook said epilogue?! this felt like half a book, the plot seems really short for a book, like i feel like it ended so abruptly? I WANTED MORE

[Teon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this flirty romance! I never expected pickleball to be such fun topic for a sports romance. Sam and Justin’s story basically started as a fake relationship but developed it into something amazing and solid. I laughed the whole time and thought I was pass out from laughing so hard. The best part was this absolutely amazing kiss. I’m hoping our creative author does not run out of couples for the Smash Point Social Club b/c I’m loving the comedy and solid relationships she is giving us! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.