Thank you to Netgalley or this book. I was quite excited as a Midwesterner to read a book set in Minnesota and I enjoyed the local flair of this book. There were definitely parts of this book that I enjoyed, but overall the writing style was not my favorite and I felt like the story had some unnecessary drama that wasn't really needed for the story.

Wild in Minnesota by Mary Lee Painter is a light and entertaining romance that follows a group of friends and family in the lead-up to a wedding—complete with mountains, mayhem, and more than a few surprises. While the cast is filled with hockey players and hockey-adjacent folks, this is not a traditional sports romance. Instead, it leans more into themes of identity, family roles, and personal growth, all wrapped in classic rom-com hijinks.

The plot centers on fake dating, a brother’s best friend dynamic, and the chaos that can only come from being stuck in close quarters during wedding prep. While the story took a few more turns than I expected (and sometimes more than felt necessary), it was still an enjoyable, fast-paced read with plenty of charm.

This may not have been my favorite romance of 2025, but if you enjoy small-town wedding settings, cozy friend/family ensembles, and a touch of emotional exploration with your tropes, Wild in Minnesota is worth the read.

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Wild in Minnesota is a rom-com about a hockey player and a traveling nurse. It's a cute romance that would be better if the characters were more likable. It seemed like the author tried to put too many different genres in one book-it's a romance with some action adventure. Overall, if you want to pick up something fast to read by the pool this might be the right book for you.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

A cute, easy read about small town romance and a romantic fling. Didn’t love this book, the writing style wasn’t for me however it was a funny easy read perfect for summer, not much depth. Didn’t love all the characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and to Melange Satin Romance for providing me with this amazing ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I love me a small town Romance which definitely drew me to this book! Brother's best friend trope? Always a win for me! The atmosphere was so cozy and I definitely felt immersed. The insta love trope however isn't for me. But overall I did enjoy it.

Wild in Minnesota is the second novel by Mary Lee Painter. This is a story revolving around members of the Minnesota Wild hockey team and the ladies in their lives. Fern Novotny, sister of hockey player Dave Novotny, has planned a few extra days before the rest of the wedding party for their cousin Tawnee and fellow player Ed’s bachelor/bachelorette weekend at player Gabe Wolkowsky’s lake retreat. In the few days Fern has she plans to get the extra maid of honor tasks completed before everyone arrives.

Surprised by an intruder while working late at night, Fern isn’t going down without a fight and gets in a few good ones before the mace she grabbed is turned in her eyes. It isn’t until this point that she discovers that maybe she is the intruder since it is Gabe’s home she’s in. In the days to come, Fern is in store for adventures she’d never imagined as Gabe introduces her to local establishments, dangerous outings, and ultimately saves her life. Once everyone arrives, however, things between Fern and Gabe aren’t so smooth. Between concealing the attraction they feel and dealing with the Fern’s jealousy and Gabe’s backstory, the story evolves through many ups and downs.

This is an interesting story with a broad cast of characters. For me it alternates between a well told tale and too much drama. On several occasions the issue of making assumptions instead of having discussions happens, both adding to and detracting from the overall story. That said, I did find this to be an interesting story which brought up many topics not usually tackled. It is a good read for those interested in books of this genre.

The story a Fern and Gabe. It starts as a weekend fling in Minnesota, but will it lead to more? I liked how it was told from both points of view.

I love a smal town romance with brother's best friend and found family tropes and this delivered! I cannot wait to read more of Mary Lee Painter's work :)

Thanks to NetGalley and Melange Satin Romance for the eARC.

Very minor spoilers.


Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a fun quick read. I laughed out loud more than once (llamas - embrace the absurdity and use it more 😁). And the banter between the MCs was excellent.

There is a bizarre event early in the book (Ch 3) that made absolutely no sense and seemed from an entirely different book. I almost DNFed at that point. (I mean, the llamas come out of that incident, but they could have been brought in some other way).

The FMC’s brother was just a giant red flag. I get wanting to defend your sister from a guy you think is inappropriate. And brother’s best friend is my fave romance trope. But this one went too far.

Brothers best friend trope!? sign me up! I had so much fun with this story and the spice was sooooooo good! There was a little bit of a miscommunication trope in there too, which isn't my favorite, but it did help further the story so it made sense. I'd love for there to be another book in the same world but about Brandon, I bet that would be so fun! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

As a Minnesotan, reading a romance set in Minnesota would be fun. Wild in Minnesota is a cute, very contemporary romance. I found it to be charming and a fun read with enjoyable characters.
Things I disliked about the book were that it was almost too contemporary, and many things in the details of the book are not relatable to many potential readers. I found the flow choppy and the dialogue too much like a TV script. The book was made up of similes and made-up slang. Overall, the book and writing style were cute but immature. If looking for a fast contemporary romance and you were born after 1990, you will probably be a good fit for this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, Melange Satin Romance, and Mary Lee Painter, for the opportunity to read this digital ARC for my honest review.

i..... did not have fun with this one.

i didn't vibe with the characters or with the writing and, most of the time, i was mostly pissed off.

i'm not a fan of the whole telling vs showing, as it completely pulled me out of the book, and it felt like i was just an external observer instead of being able to immerse myself in what i was reading.

the dialogue suffered, too. it felt choppy and unnatural in a poor attempt to be relatable, and it fell flat. it also didn't help sell the supposed chemistry between the main characters.

Do you like cabins? Do you like secrets? Do you like spice? Then you NEED to read Wild in Minnesota by Mary Lee Painter. This book was so immersive and cozy you felt like you were in the story!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was a wild indeed! As a Minnesota girl who loves cozy romcoms, I was excited to read about a MN Wild player MMC and a sweet cabin setting!

I wanted to like this book more, but I has a hard time believing in this relationship. The relationship is built on insta-lust, and lots of their physical relationship is off page. The writing and references felt juvenile rather than relatable: I didn't enjoy the main characters calling other people "pussies" or the abbreviations in the writing such as "WTF", and "BTW". And for a book about a pro hockey player, there was very little hockey in this book.

I do think the characters themselves were interesting and had potential. The strongest parts of this book were when Fern and Gabe were together.

If you're looking for a cozy romance set in Minnesota, this may be the book for you. While I had a good time, I ultimately would have enjoyed this more if the main characters had a deeper connection.

After reading a run of gory horror stories, I needed something.....not gory.....and I picked a winner!!! Fern needs a change; she's had nothing but bad luck lately, and being the maid of honor in someone else's wedding seems to emphasize the point. When Gabe barges into her cabin unannounced, at least it's exciting. This was an entertaining story that kept expectations high and maintained an overall light tone. Even when Fern runs away to lick her wounds, she's learned some things about herself. I was looking for a different, less dark book, but I found a new author to add to my following list.

Wild in Minnesota by Mary Lee Painter • ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read: 6/14-6/23 2025

✨ Review ✨

Thank you so much Satin Romance and NetGalley for this ARC!!

Happy release day!! Congratulations on releasing your second book! If you love 2000s rom-com’s, you’ll love this. I’m in a mood where I just want to be secluded near a small town and this fits the ticket. It’s giving all of the small town romance x brother’s best friend/best friend’s sister x found family tropes and many laughs along the way.

I can’t wait to read more of your work!!

P.S. It’s very ironic how close this book is lined up with my life location/event wise right now. (1) I’m on a vacation right now (hence this review being posted at night instead of this morning like I would have liked - I’m sorry) headed up to Wisconsin for my niece’s (2) wedding, although it’s actually being held in (3) Cottage Grove, Minnesota, which is in the same area that this books takes place. The niece that is getting married is named (4) Madison, the same name as the female lead in Mary Lee’s first book, The Fork in the Road, and I have a nephew named (5) Gabe, the same name as the male lead in this book.

Releases June 23, 2025
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/0So7Lel

I enjoyed reading Wild in Minnesota by Mary Lee Painter. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

The book had an interesting premise and a promising setting, but it didn’t quite deliver. The story felt flat at times, and there were a few noticeable mistakes. Characters and storyline both lacked depth, and it didn’t spark the connection I was expecting. It was not terrible, but not great either.

Lot's of Spice and a brothers best friend romance, if those two things interest you, this book may be for you! Personally there was not enough plot to keep me interested but it was a good palate cleanser between some heavier fantasy books. 2.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this arc and opportunity!! This book was a really fun read and definitely far from boring. As much as it was interesting, there was a lot going on with the plot especially in the beginning. The writing was alright, it was easy to follow and know what was happening. I just felt it was a lot of information at once.

With Fern and Gabe, it was insta-love/lust with forced proximity between an NHL player (barely any correlation to the plot) and a surgical nurse. I didn’t really like that but as the story went on, they were cute together. I really liked Gabe, he was cute and so caring for her. Fern was kinda relatable and overall very entertaining to read about. They were both so so lovable!

Overall I would definitely recommend this for anyone who’s a fan of insta-love, forced proximity, best friend’s sister. It’s messy but soo fun and enjoyable to read!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5