This was a fantastic debut with a great plot. I enjoyed the beginning a lot - it hooks you and has the magical element thrown in pretty early. I was a bit surprised the main character adapted to not having money so well (I would have enjoyed more about this as she adapted to the "poor" life easily). The romance was cute and I enjoyed the dual POV and the sweet family characters that were along for the story.

I thought I would like this as the idea was intriguing.
Unfortunately it didn't hold me at all.
I didn't like the characters and felt the interactions were a bit false.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book right at the beginning.
I don't feel comfortable reading love stories of people so close to family like that. I mean, I get it that Jax was adopted by Madison's step mom, but either way...Not my taste.
However, the writing style was very easy to get through.

In The Other Fork in the Road, New York socialite Madison Clark’s life is flipped upside down after a disastrous public humiliation and a magical tea plunge her into a life of poverty in Montana. With a maxed-out credit card and a zero balance, Madison must navigate her new reality, mend family ties, and survive in a world far removed from her glamorous past. The book is a wonderful blend of humor and heart, capturing Madison’s transformation with charm and wit. I enjoyed reading it because the quirky premise and witty dialogue kept me laughing and rooting for Madison’s journey of self-discovery.

It seems that magical realism as a trope is gaining popularity in romcoms because this book is a clear representative of it. All it takes for happiness (or unhappiness) is a magic tea and voila - Madison woke up in an alternate reality that pokes the protagonist in the face with the truth - there are some things it's best not to get involved in.
It was fun reading, but not riveting. As an author debut it was nice job, well done 👍

Hold onto your hats and get ready for a whirlwind of laughs and life lessons with The Other Fork in the Road! 🌟 When Madison Clark, a glamorous New Yorker, wakes up in a dingy apartment with no cash and a whole lot of trouble, she’s in for the most unexpected adventure of her life. From Montana’s wild wedding antics to bonding over beer chugs and cows, this book is pure fun! If you’re looking for a hilarious ride with a fabulous transformation story, grab this book ASAP! You won’t regret it! 😄📚

I had really high hopes for this one --- being a huge Lynn Painter fan. I was hoping Mary Lee Painter had a similar sense of humor and was looking forward to funny, awkward banter.

Unfortunately, this book was sort of all over the place. Madison seemed like a totally different person once she got to Montana -- and I know that was sort of the point, but the first bit of the book has her being snobby and rich and materialistic and suddenly she's not? It was abrupt.

Also, the writing seemed juvenile. The characters clearly had a "love at first sight" type attraction but it seemed like that was all it was.

The humor also seemed forced, like the author was trying too hard to be funny. There were slapstick type events that happened that seemed totally out of character for a materialistic type girl.

I found myself not really caring what happened to the characters and reaching for something else to read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a great romcom!! This is a first for me by this author but will not be my last. It was such a cute story! The writing style is great and I loved the characters chemistry.

Apparently writing great romance runs in the family! I enjoyed this book SO much and I just couldn’t put it down. I stalled a little bit to start, but once I did, I read it all in one go.

The story is about Madison, a rich woman who after a terrible night goes to a psychic and wishes her life was different, and when she wakes up, she has to live up to her wishes to get her old life back, and start mending some fences and being a better person in order to get there.

I loved how we could see Madison’s development so clearly and how she truly grown at the end of the book. This book has everything: forgiveness, acceptance, romance, family, simplicity. It’s a deep layered journey and I dare you not to fall in love with the characters and sweet Jax.

At first, I thought it was going to be more of a story about a rich girl having to go through a “poor life”, and value her money and her good life but I was surprised when I saw the character realize everything that is expensive is not necessarily the best. Reading it felt like seeing the story of a dear friend of mine finding her place in the world - not just physically, but emotionally.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
PS: Is it too much to ask for a Zoey / Austin sequel?

This book gave off all the rom-com vibes and had many fun moments. The found family trope is present and this story is such a cute, fun, and sweet one!

The Other Fork in the Road by Mary Lee Painter • ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read: 9/13-9/16 2024

✨ ARC Review ✨

Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC!!

Let me just start by saying that I love Love LOVE this book!!

This was a super cute rom-com with forced proximity and found family, and I absolutely love that it included foster families and adoption (as an adoptee myself)!! Everything about this book is amazing - from the characters, to the plot, to the dialogue and inner thoughts - *chef’s kiss*

There were so many funny and sweet moments that I really want to share, but I can’t, so go read it and find out for yourself! Thank you Mary Lee Painter for writing this masterpiece ❤️ I can’t wait to read your next book!!

Releases September 17, 2024
Amazon Pre-order link: https://a.co/d/d1hWURU

This easily became one of my top reads for the year. Such a captivating romcom with some very interesting characters that all worked their way into my heart. Madison and Jax are so funny and their chemistry is amazing.

This was an entertaining read about a flawed human being on a journey to discover herself. It was fun, entertaining, and actually a pretty fast read.
Madison gets a chance to fix and change her life for good, given to her by the universe, or she could always go back to her previous life if she only attends her dad's wedding. That is where our story starts. We meet Jax and his foster son Grant, who are Diana (Madison's father's fiancé's family).
I loved how cute Madison and Grant and Jax were. I love the single dad from a small town and a socialite from New York trope. It felt like I was reading a Harlequin romance, full of fluff but with substance.
It was cosy and made for the perfect read as I slowly sipped my tea on a rainy afternoon (because I did end up devouring it in one single bite).
Thank you to NetGalley, The Publishers, and the Author for the ARC

I lovedddd this book!! So much!!! It’s definitely one of my favourite romances. I loved all the characters and the plot. Madison and Jax were the cutest and them with Grant as well, I loved him!

I thought the plot was interesting, I liked the mystery aspect of it too. As much as I loved the ending I would’ve really liked if there was more closure. At least another chapter or two because it felt a bit incomplete with the plot especially with the start of the book being mostly about the psychic.

Honestly I was a bit scared to read to read this because i’ve never read a book with one of the main characters having my name. It wasn’t as weird as I thought and it was really enjoyable.

I highly recommend this book for any small town rom-com enjoyer with a city girl fmc and a small town mmc, with found family!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Satin Romance for an arc in return for a free review!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (rounded up)

Absolutely amazing! Such a cute read! Highly recommend this one! 5/5 stars! I enjoyed every second! Lots of giggles and kicking of feet too!

2.5 🌟

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book!

I loved the premise and I love a cowboy romance vibe 🤠

The writing could have been more detailed - a lot of scenes felt quite rushed, I think conversations, descriptions, and the plot could have been a bit more developed! There wasn’t much scene setting and we also didn’t see much character development. I feel like the main character hated her new life for about 5 minutes but then just seemed to totally fit in and not care about anything?

This definitely has potential!

This story was really fun and interesting and is a trope I always tend to enjoy-the “what would life be life if I took a different path/magical realism” so that was enjoyable for me. I didn’t LOVE the FMC but I did love the MMC. The cover is adorable!

When Lynn Painter posted that her sister, Mary Lee Painter, had a book coming out next week, I ran to request it!! I was so excited to get my hands on it; so thank you, NetGalley, for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is 🧑‍🍳 💋 !! The premise of the book and what takes Madison to Montana is quite fun. I loved seeing her character growth, her quirkiness (she is unapologetically herself, and I love it!), her heart (it's so big!!), her truly living; it was a breath of fresh air. Jax, the MMC, is swoony and goes after what he wants and is open and honest; his heart for his adopted mom, his adopted brother, the farm, and to be a foster parent is so heartwarming. I loved the wit and banter between Madison and Jax; the sexual tension is 🔥. I laughed out loud too many times to count; just fun all around. The side characters are all fabulous, I especially loved Grant, the foster boy. If you can write a believable kid character, I'm all in.

I so look forward to more books from Mary Lee! Also, I think I want a she-shed more than ever now. 🤭😂

I loved the premise of this book, an embarrassed hotel Heiress Madison goes to a psychic after being cheated on in front of everyone she knows. She wakes the next morning no longer a rich heiress but "poor". To get her old life back she might reconcile with her father while attending his wedding in Montana. There she meets Jax, a former foster kid who was raised by a women named Daisy and Daisy is now marrying Jim, Madison's father.
This part was confusing because Jax talks about "Jim and Daisy" and that Daisy's first husband died and Jax called Jim "the father I never had". However I wasn't sure when Jim came into Jax's and Austin's life since he left when Madison and Zoey where kids. When Jax talks about being fostered he only says he and Austin ended up with Daisy. Anyways Madison and Jax meets and while trying to mend her relationship with her dad, Madison lives the "poor country life" and with Jax trying to decide which life is better, rich or poor.
The premise is great. the execution however was a little clunky for me. Madison goes to the Psychic who tells her she needs to show "altruism". But then the Psychic tells her she can do that by reconnecting with her father. So why didn't the Psychic just tell her that from the rip. Reconnecting with her father isn't even altruistic because it benefits her in the end even if she does want to do it. Also the way "poor" is shown as a dirty "biohazard" apartment with a bum sleeping by the dumpster and tie dye shirt and fishing boots as clothes. And then Madison goes to Montana, poor was Jax, the foster kid on the farm with cows and guzzling beer. I just felt this depicting to be so different than Madison's rich life was too heavy handed.

This breakout romcom from Mary Lee Painter is laugh-out-loud funny, and got some spice to spare.

I loved the banter and the hilarious one-liners, I loved the sweet FMC, her growth, her willingness to be silly… I loved the that the MMC knew what he wanted and went for it. He was so honest. And the edibles scenes were hilarious. The spaghetti-o’s! Agh. Just a really sweet couple.

It was pretty spicy, so I skipped those parts as a I usually do.