This is just the sweetest mountain town romance with low drama, grumpy-sunshine characters, and a cozy romance! I’m a sucker for single dad and reno projects so this was a cute mix of the two. The heroine could be annoying at times but the MMC was so tender and kind, so I fell for him easily! The writing was easy-to-read but the premise was a bit flat and nothing extraordinarily memorable. With that said, this is a great light-hearted read (with no third-act breakup and low-stakes conflict) so highly recommend if you’re looking for something quick and sweet!

This book is very low angst with the smallest touch of drama but very high in sweet moments and fun banter.

The chemistry between Holden and Wren is there right from the start and June???? So adorable and I loved how the we get to see the three of them become a family.

There’s some push and pull with tension but it’s not annoying and just adds a fun element to the story. If you’re looking for a sweet romance with cozy vibes this is the one for you!

Thank you to Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for the arc!

I can see how this book would work for other readers, but ultimately, it did not work for me. Here's why:

Off the Beaten Path tries to mesh together too many tropes that it loses sight of the fact it's supposed to be a romance, and the reader should see the connection forming between the two main characters. In the beginning, we are meant to believe that Wren and Holden are "friends" via an anonymous dating app, yet the little conversation we see is not a conversation at all but rather Holden just plainly shooting down Wren. It left me feeling like she didn't understand boundaries and couldn't take no for an answer.

Then, suddenly, we find out they're actually neighbors who don't get along because Wren plays very childish pranks on Holden. I wanted the banter and the tension to work for this, but when the characters feel one-dimensional and keep saying they don't know why they're saying and doing certain things, but they're doing them anyway, it feels like there isn't a strong grasp on who they are as people.

Out of nowhere, we get a fake dating trope, but also not really? This trope had no leg to stand on and really didn't need to exist if the character Charlotte either got scrapped or Holden knew how to be honest enough with her to set a boundary.

The writing was also very repetitive. The character names, especially the nicknames, are said in almost every dialogue tag. No one speaks this way, and in order to make a nickname effective and give it punch, it should be withheld until certain moments (tension, flirty banter, tenderness, etc.)

There are some cute moments that happen, especially between Wren and June, but they're overshadowed by other odd pieces of information--like how often we speak about this little girl's eating habits. That's a big no for me.

I think this book will work for people who don't mind when a book is tropey, who love a small town and all the drama that comes with it, and who want something more on the fluffy side.

Wooooow, I loved this sooo much. The characters, the bickering....a single dad, grumpy/sunshine story. It was everything I love!
5 stars!!!! If you love romance without spice. Read it, please!!!

I loved this book!! I was hooked as soon as I started it! You’ve got mail is one of my favorite movies so when I heard this book was similar I was so excited!

Holden and Wren were great characters! I loved their banter. This was such a nice read because there was the perfect amount of drama but nothing too crazy. I also loved Holdens character as a dad!

After finishing this book I quickly added Madison Wrights other books to my book list! I will definitely recommend/promote this book!!

Thanks to netgalley and victory editing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Off The Beaten Path byMadison Wright
4⭐️
This was the perfect, fast-paced, rom-com.
Tropes:
💐small-town;
💐grumpy-sunshine;
💐single dad;
💐grumpy neighbor;
💐fake dating;
💐closed- door romance;
💐amazing little kid.
This story follows Wren and Holden, who, for the past few weeks, have been talking through an online dating app, under code names, without knowing that they were actually talking to each other.
Reading this book was super fun, I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a soft, fun, rom-com!!
*Thank you Net galley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I thought this book was so cozy and so sweet and so perfect and one of the only romances I’ve read in a long time where I felt like I couldn’t put it down.

If you’re looking for BK Borison or Melanie Harlow vibes this is definitely up your alley.

I’m overlooking some flaws here (can we please as a society get rid of saying “oh?” “Yeah, oh”) because the vibes were immaculate.

It was filled with delicious tropes and comfort and small town vibes that definitely felt lived in and three dimensional.

It is also a perfectly paced romance story. Nothing drags and nothing is put upon you too quickly.

Top romance of the year so far!!

Oh my goodness, this book has *the* cutest and *the* cosiest and *the* sweetest vibes!! It's such a perfect "read in one sitting" kind of book; it's adorable and I honestly couldn't get enough of it.

I love the small town vibe in this one so much, and honestly everything about it. Every single person there feels like family, they stand up for each other and support each other.

Wren is such fun and easy going FMC. I adore her energy and her personality, and more than that I really wish I knew her in real life and we were friends! She's supportive and kind, attentive and really amazing to be around. I love her!

Holden is a dreamy grumpy singe dad. He really and truly is the perfect grump, but then also is the most loving and softest for his little girl. And of course once you know the real him, you realise that underneath his cold-ish exterior is a protector and a carer who will love you always and forever.

His little girl, June, stole my heart. She's the cutest 6 year-old, so smart and carefree and so loving.
Her relationship with her father is incredible, and the connection she was able to build with Wren is so strong and unique and special.

Madison delivered a truly magical story and I couldn't get enough of these characters and this small town. I cannot wait to read next books in this series, this will definitely become my precious comfort read.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Madison Wright for the ARC of this book! 💖

--------------------------
This one is so damn cute!! 🥹 never leaving my small town era!

Book 1 in the 'The Mountains are Calling' series and I am already super excited to see where the rest of this series goes. First off, the cover is absolutely STUNNING, and I can't wait to have a copy on my bookshelf. Secondly, Wren and Holden own my heart; their story was perfection and I loved every minute of it. Madison Wright has herself a new fan here.

This is a very sweet story, and I'm so glad I got the ARC! I generally hate single parent romances (the kids tend to feel incredibly unrealistic or saccharine-sweet) but this one hit all the right notes. I love stories about men and women who aren't fresh out of college, and watching this story unfold was a treat. I didn't even mind the fade to black, ha ha ha.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @madisonwrightauthor for letting me have an early copy of this book!

✍️Quick Synopsis:
Wren Daniels is determined to keep her happy outlook on life, even with financial struggles knocking at her door. But when her current contractor backs out of renovations for her rental cabin and she is suddenly dependent on her oh-so-grumpy neighbor, things start to get just a little more difficult. Soon, though, the lines between co-workers and friends (and maybe a bit more) start to blend.

💭My Thoughts:
I was so excited when I heard that Madison Wright was starting a new spin-off series after her Nashville is Calling series (all gold, btw)! And Wren was the perfect character to start with! I appreciated the very realistic struggle of trying to keep positive when life is not throwing you easy pitches. I also really grew to love Holden. He is a fierce protector of his daughter, and has such a sweet soul. I loved the dynamic between Wren and Holden, especially when Wren started to understand what got through to Holden and how to give him the space he needed. The family dynamics were also superb but I think my favorite part about the whole book was the setting! I wanted to be there, smell the mountain air, and feel the small-town vibes. Such a delightful, clean, sweet romance!

I'm exposing myself by admitting that I only requested Off The Beaten Path because of the cover, and you can't deny that it looks absolutely 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈!

The story was enjoyable and casual cute with some bits of swoony moments.
I did have some issues with the story, but the main one, which is a big one, is that I just couldn't connect with the characters. But it wasn't so bad that I couldn't continue reading the story. I liked Holden a lot more than Wren because I found her to be a bit childish sometimes, but she also had her moments with Holden's daughter that I adored.

read if you like:
• grumpy x sunshine
• small town
• forced proximity
• cabin reno
• lil fake dating
• tattooed single dad

It reads incredibly fast, so I would recommend if these tropes are up your alley :)

*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

I was expecting to not like this book because I genuinely don't remember requesting this from NetGalley, but it was enjoyable.

Off the Beaten Path by Madison Wright is a total winner.

It has some of my favourite things in a book:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Small town romance
- Single dad
- Banter / pranks
- Neighbours
- Forced proximity
- No third act breakup!!

It's cute, it's wholesome, and it's funny. The relationship between Wren and Holden before the romantic feelings developed was downright hilarious, the banter and the pranks were so entertaining. Wren has packages delivered to Holden's house because she knows it annoys him, and she keeps her Christmas lights up past December because he doesn't like it. He's a classic grumpy character, but an absolute cinnamon roll at heart. The relationship between Wren and June was adorable as well, and I loved seeing their relationship develop.

Just a quick moment for the cover - I am getting myself a physical copy of this because the cover is GORGEOUS. I'm a sucker for a character art cover, and this one is absolutely perfect!

Can't wait to see what else comes in this new series, The Mountains are Calling!

Rating: 4.5 stars

This was such a cute small town romance! I fell in love with Wren and Holden's neighborly banter turned friendship to lovers. I loved how sweet Holden was even though he was "tough" to people who didn't really know him. It was so nice to see their friendship grow and change. I loved how both Holden and Wren opened up to each other and were always there for the other when they needed it most. I fell in love with Madison Wright's writing when I read Just Go With It a year and a half ago, and while I've only read these two by her, I know that she is always going to be an author that I will be willing to read anything she writes.

Read this if you love:
- Small town romance
- Dating app
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Divorced MMC
- Single dad
- Neighborly rival
- Fake dating
- Closed-door

Oh my I loved it. My new favorite book of Madison’s.

Small town. Grumpy sunshine. Single dad. Enemies to lovers… but also friends to lovers.

This book was so dang tender!! Cozy and gentle and hilarious and emotional and relatable and dreamy. It delivered so much delicious tension & heat without the spice (closed door).

The setting is magical… Fontana Ridge, a small town in the Smoky Mountains… watching winter give way to spring in this story had me dreaming of all the seasons I want to read on this town with future characters and stories!

So yeah, I loved it. Go read it!

small town
single dad
grumpy/sunshine
neighbors
forced proximity
fake dating for a minute
banter
no 3rd act breakup
dual pov/first
kissing only

This was a super sweet contemporary romance. Perfect winter read by the fire. There were no explicit scenes with nothing more than kissing.
They had a super cute meet cute that involved secret identities. Once their identities were discovered their chemistry and banter was off the charts. I really enjoyed them as a couple and their deep conversations. June (the kiddo) was absolutely precious and was a great part of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Madison Wright for this arc.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5 ⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
Such a sweet and cozy romance that will have leave you smiling.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Cinnamon roll MMC
Small town romance
Single dad
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Fake Dating
Closed door
Dating apps
Daul POV
Grumpy/sunshine
Cabin remodeling

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Wren and June’s relationship
No third act break up
Adults that can communicate

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
There were alot of tropes included

Off The Beaten Path (ARC review)

Thank you to Netgalley and Madison Wright for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Oh my, this was the cutest little book ever. Wren and Holden had me on a chokehold. I loved Holden's grumpiness and Wren's sunshine character. They couldn't be more different yet so percect for each other. They had so much good chemistry and passion. You could feel it throughout the whole book! Wren was so incredible, I loved her wit and funny character. She was so loving and caring. She supported the people she loved and was always by their side. Holden was such a wonderful character. He was a bit complex and closed off, but I was on my knees for him. The love he had for his daughter was infinite, and he truly was the perfect dad little June could have. He was a person hard to crack, but he was also someone who loved with all his heart. The moments between Holden and Wren were so beautiful and everything I truly needed. The steamy moments they had were chef's kiss. Any time June and Wren spent time together, I couldn't contain my excitement. They had some adorable moments, and you could see how much they loved each other. The three of them were truly such a perfect little family, and the epilogue was everything they deserved!

Book by: Madison Wright
Tropes:
• Single parent
• Grumpy x Sunshine
• Small town romance
• Fake dating
• Forced proximity

My rating: 5/5 ⭐️
Spice level: 1,5/5 🔥

This was a lovely love story. It hits on a few classic tropes: nemesis neighbors to lovers, grumpy lumberjack/sunshiny red-headed girl, devoted single dad meets selfless, loyal single girl… it’s not groundbreaking by any means but it’s a good time with some sweet and swoony moments. Worth the short read.