Linux Mint is usually recommended for beginners.
For something more cutting edge, but stable, take a look at Fedora Kinoite (Windows like), Fedora Silverblue or Bazzite (great for gaming).
You can also use tools from blue-build.org (easier) or Universal Blue (harder unless you’re comfortable with containers) to customize them further, if you want.





You don’t have to use github. Clone your repo to a local folder, then run:
bluebuild switch <path to recipe.yml>/recipe.yml.