I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was too much for me. Felt fake and forced, and the characters were unlikable.

Wild in Minnesota is a fun romance about Fern, who comes home to be Maid of Honor at her cousin’s wedding. While getting ready at a cabin, she meets Gabe, a hockey player and her brother’s teammate. They start off clashing but feel a strong attraction. They agree to keep things casual—no strings attached.

After a wild wedding weekend, things get complicated when Fern overhears something that makes her rethink everything.

If you like lighthearted romance with strong characters and some drama, this is a great read. It’s about unexpected connections, personal growth, and figuring out what really matters.

Wild in Minnesota is a whirlwind romance that packs in humor, chaos, and heat all at once. Fern’s reluctant return home quickly spirals into a weekend full of unexpected chemistry, reckless fun, and a mystery that takes a surprisingly serious turn. The dynamic between her and Gabe is magnetic, especially as their fake fling collides with real feelings and family drama. I enjoyed the fast pace, the spicy tension, and the way Fern's vulnerability gave real depth to the fun. It was the kind of read that kept me smiling and flipping pages late into the night.

DNF at 11%. It was too "wild" and cringy for my taste. It read in an immature way. Too much of an unbelievable plot was thrown at the reader within the first couple chapters.

I really tried to like this book but I really could not. I read 11% of the book and I really just couldn’t continue. There was poor word choice, immature writing style and an odd plot line. It speaks about how the MMC’s wife died and he's so heart broken but then he's lusting over the FMC literally a few paragraphs later. It’s very misogynistic in tone and was quite odd. The beginning was quite rushed as were their feelings for one another. Another weird thing I noticed when reading the few chapters I could get through was that shes talking about this wedding shes the maid of honour for and then it talks about how the MMC was feeling about it but it never mentioned he was invited?? It was really very abrupt. Plus he's overprotective over her but they met literally the day before and she literally beat him up?? I just couldn’t. Also there were misspellings in the first few chapters.

This checked off everything I look for in a book. Was not disappointed. Really enjoyed this book. I will read more from this author. Must read

I liked this book overall! My honestly biggest issue with the book is the fact that the MC POVs are not separated into different chapters or at least showing their name to show it switched POVs. I found this a bit confusing!

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

This was cute. I liked the setting, but didn’t really jive with the characters. I couldn’t get into the story much. I think the plot was interesting enough but it just took me a lot to get into it and I didn’t entirely settle in. I did notice some spelling annoyances (twirk vs twerk) as well as one or two spelling errors. This needed some proofing.

I really tried with this book. At one point I thought it was maybe a book making fun of romance books. The wording was really cringy. dnf at 30%

A cabin, a secret… and some serious spice 🔥

I really enjoyed everything about this book—the atmosphere was so cozy and immersive. There’s something special about a story set in a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere. It gave the characters space to connect, to really focus on each other. And I loved that.

The “brother’s best friend” trope? Always a win. That hint of forbidden, the tension of something no one can know about… it gets me every time. And this one? Delivered perfectly.

It was my first time reading something by this author, and I’m definitely planning to pick up more of her books in the future. Getting to read this advanced copy gave me a great intro to her writing style, the way she builds her world and develops her characters. I loved how she balanced emotional depth with chemistry.

Oh—and the spice? It was there. VERY much there.

Thanks again for the chance to read this ARC. I’m officially hooked!

Cabin punches, hockey hunk, and wedding drama? Yes please!

Okay, Wild in Minnesota had me grinning, gasping, and googling "how to punch hot intruders" all in one sitting. I mean, Fern and Gabe's kitchen brawl meet-cute?? Iconic. This book is equal parts steamy, hilarious, and wild (pun intended), and if you’ve ever had a messy weekend turn into an unexpected heart-throb love story—with a side of missing bride mystery—then you already know you need to read this. 10/10 would fake-date again. 💋🥶🏒

As a Minnesota girly, I was so excited to find a new book set in Minnesota. I loved getting to meet Fern and Gabe and their group of friends. This story was a wild ride from the moment it started. At some points I began to feel like the Mary Lee Painter included dramatic moments for the sake of avoiding actually having more heartfelt conversations. There were so many dramatic moments throughout the story that happened and then just fell by the wayside. While it kept things interesting, it also felt incredibly extreme. I wish that Fern and Gabe would have actually had conversations about what was happening rather than sweeping things under the rug every time they found their way back to each other. It felt like much of the verbiage was repetitive and overall feels like this book could do with another edit to help flush out characters and bring the story to a little more believable level.

⭐️ 0/5 - DNF’d at 35% (Chapter 7)
Pub Date: June 23, 2025
First person POV, dual narrative
Linear timeline
FMC: Fern MMC: Gabe

This was….. really bad. It should maybe be labeled as Young Adult. The writing is very, very amateur and the dialogue is very immature, and misogynistic; Very dense, shallow, ditsy characters.

I was excited to read a rom-com set in Minnesota since I am a Minnesotan, and there were mostly accurate references. But there were too many things going on and no emotional depth or character development. Gabe is a hockey player with the Minnesota Wild but that’s hardly a subplot.
Fern is super immature, as is her brother. And if I read about someone “being a pussy” or “WTF, bro?!” one more time, I was going to throw my kindle at a wall.
Also the town is spelled Eagan, not Egan.

Overused and annoying words/phrases used in both the narrative and dialogue:
WTF, WTH, BTW, OMG
Puss, pussy, wimp, girly (“that’s so not girly”)
“They’re just yucky”
Dude - used way too much
Bro
The bomb
Giggle - used way too much

Hopefully a lot of changes are made before this is published and if not, hopefully the author (who is sister to Lynn Painter) will learn from this and polish up on her writing skills.

I received an early copy of this book for review consideration from BookBuzz.net via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Writing was juvenile and the plot just never picked up for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

I liked the concept and the cover art but am uninterested in reading beyond after the first chapter. The writing needs heavy editing as the characters speak quite childishly. I would also refrain from including playlists at the beginning of a novel, especially as some of the artists leave a sour taste in one's mouth.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“He was so handsome it made me a little wiggly and giggly”.

This book centres around maid of honour Fern trying to fight her feelings for best man Gabe, who’s her brother’s best friend. I knew I’d enjoy this book when I saw that the playlist at the front contained country music. This book had everything; humour, suspense, love and spice. Dave and Fern’s sibling bond is full of competitiveness and care. The chemistry between Gabe and Fern is instant; I couldn’t wait to see how it progressed with each chapter. Their characters complimented each other perfectly; Gabe and his protectiveness, Fern and her firecracker personality. This book is an easy, funny, chaotic rom-com with a perfect ending that is definitely worth reading.

I am beyond grateful to have received this ARC from the author via NetGalley. This is a romance novel set in Minnesota. The MCM is a hockey player for the Minnesota wild hickey team. the FMC is a nurse. The two main characters meet at a cabin to prepare for a wedding of someone they both know. I really enjoyed the beginning of this book especially the way the 2 main characters met. From there I enjoyed how they came together to prepare for the upcoming nuptials. Unfortunately not long after I lost interest in the story. I did try to finish it but I just couldn’t, I did have high hopes however the story just did not hold my attention.

Cabin Fights, Wedding Fiascos, and One Wild Weekend

This book is like crashing a wedding in hockey skates—messy, hot, hilarious, and absolutely impossible to put down!

If you’re looking for a fast paced romance this book is for you.
I love the vibes of this book being one a hockey romance and two set in a cabin.
Fern has some bridesmaid duties to deal with when, she turns up at a cabin owned by her brothers bestfriend and teammate gabe.
They’re a few twists and turns all throughout.
It’s a fast paced book with a lot of action happening rather quickly.
I did finish this book but I have to admit I did think about DNF a few times.
It was overall to action packed for me.
I also feel like the plot of the story was a tiny bit to chaotic for me
But I think for the right reader they would enjoy it.

This is set over a wedding in Minnesota where we follow bridesmaid Fern with her brother’s best friend and NHL star Gabe. Fern shows up to the weekend early to do some last minute prepping and is unexpectedly forced to spend time with Gabe at his cabin. As a fellow Minnesotan and romance lover, I was very excited to request and receive this read.

Unfortunately, I could not make it through this book for a variety of reasons. I pretty much immediately knew I was not going to enjoy this book, but I really wanted to give the book a chance, so I continued reading until 28% where I could not put any additional effort into it.

From the beginning, I could tell this was not well written. First, we immediately start the book with a huge amount of info-dumping. Right from the start, the book overwhelmed me with a barrage of backstory, character traits, and personal history. It felt like reading a summary rather than being immersed in a narrative. Rather than letting readers discover things about the characters through interactions or events, the author spells everything out, which made it hard to get emotionally invested. This choice to do “telling” rather than “showing” really hurt my enjoyment of the book.

Additionally, the characters definitely fall into the insta-love/insta-lust trope. The romance between our characters escalates almost immediately without the tension, chemistry, or emotional arc that typically makes a love story satisfying. It felt like they were in love just because the plot required them to be, not because of any meaningful connection the reader got to witness develop.

Further, the dialogue was hard to read due to poor writing choices and the childish back and forth. The characters often speak in text slang or fake phrases that don’t align with their supposed ages or professions. Words like “bikerish,” “badassy,” and “WTF” appear frequently, making the characters feel juvenile. Other odd choices include using words “like” and “thing” in areas where they were unnecessary (examples: “his member was like right there” and “Tik Tok thing”) which made some scenes unintentionally cringe-worthy.

Another example of poor writing is the unnecessary repetition. The author was presenting facts we already well delved into as new information as if they forgot they already told us or just didn’t read or edit their own book.

Moving on from the writing, the story was also significantly lacking. There was no story plot or side characters we met that added to or enhanced the story. Any potentially relevant characters (like the rest of the wedding party or her brother) were still not presented by 28%. This could have been a great way to improve the “show” not “tell” as I typically appreciate the sideline conversations with trusted friends which builds our characters as more holistic individuals and can be a great way to discuss their thoughts or background without just telling us.

Side characters are usually a great way to build out the world and deepen the main characters’ stories, but here they’re either completely missing or used in over-the-top ways. The few who do appear are caricatures of humans such as an emotionally obsessed stalker neighbor or a pizza guy who wanders into a drug deal and risked the lives of our main characters. These feel like exaggerated plot devices rather than real people, and they vanish just as quickly as they arrive.

Finally, by the time I gave up, there was still no strong central storyline beyond the initial romantic setup. There’s little about the wedding, the family dynamics, or even the hockey life to latch onto, and it made it difficult to remain interested. The interactions or drama included did not add anything to the story and were no longer relevant as soon as we were out of the scene.

To include some positives about the book: This book includes reference to hockey if you are into hockey romance (however, it is not a main part of the book, more just mentioned as his profession), this is insta-love/insta-lust if you like that, and it is brother’s best friend.

Ultimately, there is potential this book could get better. I was really trying to at least make it to where other characters show up to see if it would get better once we got into the plot, but when there was still no one else and no semblance of a story at 28%, I gave up hope. I may skip a couple chapters and try to pick it up again if other characters are present or if we get to the actual wedding weekend, but I will definitely not be seriously reading this entire book.