An engaging story about Liz, a guide for a popular outdoors and wilderness adventure company. She is married to Tobin, the most popular guide in the company. She considers herself to be socially awkward because she is more of an introvert and a numbers person, and avoids the kind St. of gregariousness of which Tobin is a master. He is the “fun guy” and she finds herself in the shadows, even at her own party. She feels unseen by her employers even though she has great ideas to grow the company. Although they love each other, Liz and Tobin just aren’t working as a couple. For one last chance at saving the marriage, Liz ends up agreeing to take an improv comedy course. Through the assignments and the efforts of Tobin to also try to make it work, a lot of unexpected growth takes place. Liz’s illumination that she is neuro-atypical brings a lot of clarity. I thought the whole improv thing, while unique, was kind of dumb and distracting. However, it was an interesting and different twist, and a satisfactory conclusion

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Liz was not a typical MC, in the sense that she doesn't even feel like a supporting actress in her own life. Her wild hair to take improv classes and shake things up is the perfect thing for sharpening focus on what is really important and what is worth standing up for.

Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North 💙
Standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
NetGalley Review
352 pages

💙second chance romance
💙marriage in trouble
💙improv
💙rivals at work
💙autism rep

📍”I love you, Diz. Enough to let you go, if that’s what you need.”
“Don’t let me go, Tobe. Never let me go, okay?”

First let me say, this had one of most disliked tropes. I know. I know. I didn’t realize it when I was offered this ARC because I was swooning over the “second chance,” which is one of my favorite tropes. But, in all honesty, there’s only one book with marriage in trouble that I liked. They usually feel… flat to me. Soooooo, if you do like the marriage in trouble trope, please add a star or two to my rating.

Improv as a way to find yourself and fix your marriage is not something I would expect… but you know what, it was a breath of fresh hair. It was creative and fun and… funny. It helped balance the heaviness of the MCs struggles.

Second chance romances aren't my favorite romance category, but I do like them more when they deal with married couples. I was initially intrigued by this books main premise of main character Liz trying to find herself again in her thirties. It was kins weird that she saw her 24 yo improv friend as SO MUCH younger than her. That's not a generational difference lol. The autism rep was interesting, but as an introvert I did kind of feel like the author was speaking to me. The characters felt a little underdeveloped, or maybe I just didn't connect with them. Nothing truly resonated with me in this book, but the writing wasn't bad. I'm sure it will find it's place.

I’m not sure what I expected, but this was definitely a heavier story than I thought. While second chance romances aren’t my fave, I’ve come around to them more and more.

Liz is quiet and keeps to herself, while her husband Tobin is the sociable and gregarious opposite.

I paired the book with audio, and enjoyed the narration. I love being able yo switch between formats or immerse myself this way.

*many thanks to St Martins Press Romance and Macmillan audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

A charming second-chance romance with a dash of humor, Rules for Second Chances is a delightful and heartwarming novel that explores the complexities of love, loss, and second chances. Maggie North weaves a captivating tale of two individuals who find themselves unexpectedly reunited after years apart, and the journey they embark on to rediscover their connection amidst the challenges of life and the weight of past regrets.

What I loved:
🩷 The well-developed characters: The protagonists, Sarah and Daniel, are relatable and endearing, each carrying their own emotional baggage and vulnerabilities. Their growth throughout the story feels authentic and satisfying.
🩷 Second-chance romance: The novel beautifully captures the bittersweet nostalgia of rekindled love and the challenges of navigating a relationship with the weight of past experiences.
🩷 Forced proximity: The forced proximity trope is employed effectively, creating a sense of intimacy and tension between Sarah and Daniel as they are forced to confront their unresolved feelings.
🩷 Touch of humor: The witty banter and humorous situations sprinkled throughout the story provide a lighthearted balance to the emotional depth of the narrative.

What could have been better:
While the overall pacing was enjoyable, there were moments where the story felt a bit slow, particularly in the middle. A slightly tighter pace could have further enhanced the reading experience.

Overall impression:
Rules for Second Chances is a charming and emotionally resonant novel that will appeal to fans of second-chance romances and character-driven stories. Despite the minor pacing issue, the well-crafted characters, engaging plot, and touch of humor make this a highly enjoyable read. I rate it 3.75 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming and satisfying love story.

I liked parts of this book, but I didn't like other parts, including the writing style and some weird moments. This is definitely not a light read, however, it has a nice end.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

A heartwarming book about a woman trying to find her place in her marriage and her life once she realizes she has been drowning in her husband’s shadow. Unexpectedly heavier than I thought it would be

Rules for Second Chances is a second-chance romance between a married couple, Liz and Tobin. After Tobin's mom hosts Liz's 30th birthday party and someone confuses her with a server at her own party, she decides to put herself out there more and do things she wouldn't normally do. She moves out of her house and into her parents' home while she figures herself out and comes to the realization that she might be neurodivergent and that she will always be in love with her husband, no matter what changes.

I am not sure what I expected from this novel but what I received was so much more. Full of drama, angst and too much overthinking on Liz Lewis’ part, I was still unable to put down Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North once I started reading it. So much character growth for Liz and Tobin personally and as a couple. Then growth for some of the minor characters too.

Much is answered near the end with a beautiful conclusion, but some deep hard times until then. Even though I wanted to give up on Liz a time or two, I am so glad I continued to read and root for her. More women’s fiction then romance, it is an eye opening read through the lens of Liz. I recommend this book.

My favorite trope in romance novels is second chances. Here Mara is a well-drawn protagonist, and her journey of self-discovery and transformation feels authentic. North’s writing style is easy to follow, with moments of humor and poignant insights into the complexities of modern life and love. The romance is balanced with a deeper exploration of personal healing and rediscovery. The relationship Mara develops with her ex-husband and the possibility of a second chance at love are central to the plot, making it a compelling read for fans of contemporary romance and women's fiction.

This was incredibly cute! I love second chance romance and this one really tugged on my heart strings. I loved how they both wanted to be their best for each other and were willing to work on things to make their marriage work. For me, the pacing was a bit off on this one which is what kept it from being five stars. Cannot wait to check out more from this author in the future!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

I had not read anything else by this author and I must admit it took me a bit to get interested in the story. I did enjoy not only the story, but the two unique main characters. Liz Lewis feels that her marriage is in trouble, even if her husband, Tobin, doesn’t. Tobin is a successful adventure guide, the life of the party, while she gets mistaken for the cake server at her own birthday party! She finally realizes that she is the one who needs to make a change, to value herself, even if it will be difficult to do so. I enjoyed her self-talk as she tried to work through her social anxiety and determine if her relationship and marriage is what she really wants. When her boss recommends improv classes, will she gain confidence from these classes? Will this really save her and her marriage? Great ending! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I wanted to like this book more than I did and the only reason I can think of is that the writing style was hard to follow and it lead to me putting the book down often. As the MCs are working on improv scenes, there would be an unclear segue into their actual issues and it was hard to understand at times. It was hard to empathize with the FMC at times given there was no honest communication with her husband in the beginning....just lots of assumptions and misunderstandings. And her relationships with the other characters...the foundation wasn't laid well for some and the explanation for the disconnect often seemed to come about much later. That can work in some instances but it didn't work well for me in this book.

I've read one book by this author which I did enjoy and hope that my impressions of this book are an outlier.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I really wanted to like this one. I love a second chance romance, but this one fell a little flat for me. It was a strange relationship this married couple had. They had seemed to have fallen out of love with each other to begin with, and then all of a sudden they want to have sex with each other all over the place without really working through any of their issues with why they got to where they are first. It felt like when you first start a new relationship and can't keep your hands off of each other, but yet this couple had been together for years and now are jumping right back into this stage right after talking about splitting up? It didn't make sense. They did eventually grow together and work on things, but the lead up to that did not ring true.

I don't really reach for second chance romance, but I am a sucker for Canadian authors, especially if an author I love also loves them and recommends their work. This wasn't my fave book but it wasn't my least fave either. It was still good though and would recommend to those looking for second chance romance/marriage in crisis trope.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was, in almost every way, the farthest thing from what I desire in a romance novel.

The two MCs have been married for years but basically stopped communicating since the day of their wedding.

The MMC, Tobin, is a people pleaser who's been walking all over his wife for years. And she's been letting him. He's a yes man and a Mama's boy, so the combination of these things manifest as something truly insidious in their relationship. He'll stop and try to fix everything except their marriage. He turned her down for counseling and therapy whenever she suggested it but is desperate to coerce her into it after she finally leaves him. He doesn't come up for air long enough to see that while he's busy fixing everyone else's problems and catering to all his mother's whims, she's stuck taking care of all the other projects he's brought into their lives.

We are inside the FMC, Liz's mind for the entirety of the book and it is not a good time. While she articulates VERY VALID reasons she feels neglected and unseen in her relationship, not once does she articulate them to him. Not even at the end.

She takes improv classes to help with her confidence and sure, she attempts to stand up for herself to her overbearing sister but both the sister and the toxic MIL have epiphanies out of nowhere at the end, not the least because of her or any of her actions. Also the realization that she's autistic was...not the way you handle that situation.

This is a story about a woman who's done the bulk of the emotional labor in her relationship. While Liz is telling us, the readers, that she's been putting off having kids with Tobin because she doesn't want to be the bad cop for all of the kid's life - a role Tobin forced her into for years - we never, ever, get the catharsis of having her tell *him* these things. They don't talk to each other, not even at the end. She simply realizes she doesn't want to be without him. This was an agonizing read I'm glad is behind it.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really great romance about second chances. I really enjoyed going through their love story as it rekindled and bloomed again.

I don't usually reach for a second chance romance, but this was a very sweet one! The improv subplot is delightful it was great to follow along as these characters found more of themselves. A great own-voices autism spectrum romance!