5⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Melange Books for an advanced copy of The Other Fork In The Road.

Madison has been humiliated by her boyfriend in front of a group of there friends and while she is drowning her woes her and her sister Zoey visit a psychic. That night when she gets home she drinks the tea the psychic gave her and in the morning she wakes up as not the New York socialite with the wonderful apartment but in a dump with none of her belongings. She tracks the psychic down and finds out the universe is giving her a chance to find out who she really is and to make some changes in her life. One being reconciling with her dad. She decides to go to Montana for his wedding and meets Jax the son of her father’s soon to be wife. The connection is instant and Madison soon has to choose her path in life.

This book was so good! The writing was fabulous, the characters were great and easy to connect with, and the story got my attention from the beginning!

Thank you to NetGalley and Melange Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Other Fork In The Road has a premise I find myself not getting enough of, someone whose fortunes (at least temporarily) change and make them a bit of a fish out of water. I enjoyed it here though I do wish we spent more time understanding Madison, our heiress’s current position in life and how painful her perception of her father’s estrangement was, so we could understand how the leap to being poor and forced in a situation of reconciliation might be. As it stands the romance was adorable with a side thread involving Jax, the love interest and MMC’s, fostering was heartfelt.

This is absolutely brain candy and enjoyable at that but we gloss over some pieces of the story that could resonate a bit more if explored, or just make a bit more sense in context or the situation that played out. I’d pick it up for the heart of this story, which is the romance and the belief in caring for others, which was charming and sweet.

This book did everything a romance book needed to do. It was cute, had a good romance, and was a quick read. I enjoyed it!

I think I went into this romcom with too high of expectations. The beginning didn’t really catch my attention. Overall, it was an alright read. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Let’s start with the things that I liked:
- I loved that it was first person dual POV. It is always my favorite. I really loved Jax’s POV and his story. I appreciated the foster care and adoption rep and loved that his experience shaped how he saw his future. It really warmed my heart toward him.
- There were a lot of scenes and interactions that were just outrageous and made me laugh and smile.

Things I struggled with:
-Unfortunately, I had a difficult time vibing with the characters and understanding their connection beyond being physically attracted. I had a hard time with the highly sexualized nature of their attraction, and often struggled with their inner thoughts they had and way they spoke to each other. Considering they both just got out of serious relationships, I found their relationship to move really quickly.
-Also, being local to Nebraska I had a difficult time with Nebraska places and streets being used when they’re supposed to be in Montana. Unfortunately it took me out of the story.
-I really loved the story line of Madison and her dad mending their relationship. I used to have a strained relationship with my dad that we’ve since repaired. So I appreciated the happy ending with their relationship. I wished there were more scenes and conversations with the two of them.
-And finally, I loved the magical realism aspect of the story and found the psychic to be a hoot! Unfortunately, I thought it wrapped up quickly in the end and wished there’d been a little bit more of a focus throughout the book on Madison doing something altruistic, like the psychic required.

I think this book will find its home with readers who like a spicy slow-burn, opposites attract rom coms, and who want to support debut authors. Thank you to NetGalley and BookBuzz for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

So so good. Lovely story, great storyline, amazing plot, I really recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic and the story is immaculate.

I thought this book was so interesting!!! I really enjoyed the characters and how they fell in love 🥰💕 I am excited to read more from this author in the future!!

When I read the blurb, I knew I was going to devour this like a greedy gremlin at midnight. And I absolutely did. This was such a great new take on the romance genre, at least for me to read about and it was so intriguing, genuine and just so much fun to read!

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Melange Books for letting me read this book

"There are certain times in life when we end up exactly where we should be."

This book was a amazing surprise! I was stuck in a reading slump, and it was the only book that pulled me out of it. It’s very rare that any book truly blows me away, let alone a debut. But I’m so glad I said yes to “The Other Fork in the Road ”

Seeing Madison, used to her glamorous lifestyle, try to navigate this new world was both funny and touching. And her chemistry with Jax, the rough-around-the-edges Montana guy? It hit all the right notes. Their banter had me hooked. Beyond the laughs and romance, the book also touched on personal growth and really made me think about what’s important in life.

I’m looking forward to Mary Lee Painter next book, and am eager to see where her next book takes us.

Getting the ARC to this story was soooo exciting!! It was a fairly quick read because I simply could not put it down! It was a bit difficult to relate to Madison sometimes because I don't share the same thoughts as her. But I loved seeing the story blossom. It was so magical and I loved it!! I also would like to visit Montana now one day, so that's a plus! Definitely give it a read if you're looking for something quick and sweet! (:

First off I didn't care for the FMC because quite frankly she was too much of a snob through the entire book. The plot itself was pretty interesting and kept me turning the pages. The banter was also top notch and hilarious.

This was a really sweet romance with a fun premise and delightful characters. I had a good time reading this one and can't wait to see what else is to come from Mary.

Ughhh I love the cover and concept but the female bugged me way too much right from the jump.

I get that she’s supposed to be an heiress but there’s having a rich lifestyle and being a. Snob. I didn’t feel comfortable with some of the terminology used especially when referring to another female. Idk if the author was just trying to channel society or what but it missed the mark. I did really like the male main character and I found myself wanting to skip her chapters and get to his.

Lots of great messages which were handled with respect and I fully believe this would have been five stars with a better female MC

When I heard that Lynn Painter had a sister, and she was releasing a book I could not wait to read it. She did not disappoint, this was a cute, fun, easy read.

Madison went from happily planning her fiancé's birthday to the worst humiliation possible. After going to a psychic to get advice she wakes up in a strange apartment with no idea how she got there. Determined to get back to her life she realizes that all of her credit cards have been canceled and she only has the cash in her purse. She returns to the psychic convinced that her identity has been stolen only to find out that the psychic is simply giving her what she wanted. Now all she has to do is go to her dad's wedding and give their relationship another chance. The only catch....she does not get any of her things back until the deed is done.

This book takes you through the roller coaster ride of Madison trying to navigate the world without all of the luxuries that she has always been used to. Madison is a walking train wreck, if it can happen to her, it will. Some of her hijinks were a little over the top but I think it added to the charm.

Of course there is also Jax, our hero of the story. Who was a close to perfect as you can get. The banter between these two was hilarious. The side characters also added to the charm. Daisy practically leaped off the pages. She was over the top and adorable.

Overall, this was a very quick and easy read. There was a tiny bit of angst toward the end, but it was resolved pretty quickly. I will definitely be looking forward to her next book. I would not be mad to see Zoey's story or even Austin.

Thank you NetGalley and Melange Books for this title. This is my very honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Melange Books for allowing me access to this ebook!
The Other Fork in the Road is going to be released on Sep 17. After a cosmic twist leaves New York socialite Madison Clark broke and stranded in Montana, she must navigate her new, less glamorous life while mending family ties and grappling with her unexpected attraction to the rugged Jax. This was witty and heartwarming and I just loved it!