Thank you to the publisher for not only granting me access to an early digital copy of Rules for Second Chances, but also for the finished paperback that I received in the mail. I have been married for nine years, and over the years, I have come to appreciate books about a marriage in crisis, not necessarily because mine is, but because they are a good reminder that marriage is a lot of work and that you will undoubtedly face hard times, but you and your partner can choose to remain committed to each other and work through the hard times together. The characters in this book felt so real to me, and I thought that this was an amazing debut by author Maggie North. I loved the wilderness aspect of the story because what better place to put your marriage to the ultimate test and repair than the wilderness. There were plenty of tender moments with moments of comic relief sprinkled throughout. This is definitely one of those stories that will make you look at your marriage and reflect on it and think about what keeps you showing up for each other day in and day out. Out now!!

The idea of this book was really unique and original - not a “from the beginning” love story but an “in the middle” story about when life gets tough. Liz is struggling hard to find her place in the world, and everyone around her will become involved in her quest for what she truly wants. In action, the story was a bit confusing. There were a lot of moving parts and some of the improv situations got ridiculous. Liz and Tobin’s family stories were mentioned but I didn’t feel like they were explored enough, and there were a lot of references to their wedding but no one clear explanation of how it all went down. The love story was beautiful and I really connected with the improv group Liz fell in with - some great personalities there.

This was a cute second chance, small town romance. The narrator was very good, but I had to slow the listening speed to only 1.5 speed.

I enjoyed the story and the progression. I liked that we got to know Liz very well, but she also had moments that were beyond immature for her age. It was good that Tobin also did some soul searching, but would have been nice for this realization to be told earlier in the book.

Thank you for the audio copy, this is my honest opinion.

Rules for Second Chances was a small town, outdoorsy, marriage in trouble romance featuring an undiagnosed autistic FMC desperate to be seen and have a circle of her own friends. I found myself relating a lot with Liz, her introversion and struggles with fitting in resonated with me, as I face the same obstacles. I was surprised by how funny I found this book, there were several one liners that had me busting out laughing. My main complaints are the intense second hand embarrassment/cringe I experienced and the lack of character development with Tobin. I feel like Tobin’s character lacked the complexity that was so apparent with Liz. I also didn’t find myself falling for Tobin. He felt very two dimensional to me and I could tell the author spent way more time on Liz’s growth and humanity. The cringe was mostly with the outlandish costumes Liz or Tobin would wear for the improv scenes. The whole moment where Liz is dressed up in a period piece while “riding” a toy horse through a field to meet Tobin (who’s dressed casually, btw) made me literally want to die of secondhand embarrassment. I think that’s more a me problem than a problem with the story. The highlight of the story was definitely Liz’s growth and self discovery - the romance fell a little flat in comparison.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an early copy!

I love a second chance romance and after reading the synopsis, I just had to read it. Honestly, I couldn't really connect with this book. Liz and Tobin were an ok couple, but this book was slow. There were a couple plot holes that I just couldn't get over. Overall, it was an ok read. The audiobook was very good. The narrator was a perfect voice for this book.

2.5⭐ rounded up

*Thank you partner @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fine but it didn't really mesh with me like so many others have. The first half of the book was a little hard to get through, I found it kind of boring. Once Liz started to come into herself then the book seemed to pick up.

Synopsis:

Liz Lewis has tried everything to be what people want, but she’s always been labeled different. Her marriage to popular adventure guide Tobin Renner-Lewis is a sinkhole of toxic positivity where she’s the only one saying no. When she gets mistaken for a server at her own thirtieth birthday party, Liz vows to stop playing a minor character in her own life. The plan? A crash course in confidence... via an improv comedy class. The catch? She’s terrible at it, and the only person willing to help is Tobin. As they get closer again, she’s forced to confront all the reasons they didn’t work the first time, along with her growing suspicion that her social awkwardness might mean something deeper. Liz must learn improv’s most important lesson—“Yes, and”—or she’ll have to choose between the love she always wanted and the dreams that got away.

Review:

What a sweet and charming debut! This book really hit home for me, because a relationship definitely shifts and changes over time, with different life events and that initial excitement is no longer there. This book shows two people putting in the work it can take to maintain a relationship which I found very realistic but also romantic and heartwarming. I also liked the rep on "different" people - trying to avoid any spoilers :) Love this book and so excited to see what this author comes up with next!

thank you netgalley for this e-arc. i couldn't fully enjoy this book because it was confusing and seemed unedited for clarity and for bringing the story together. it felt very childish, tiktok and booktok was mentioned a few (i think) times. also seemed childish because of their conflict. communicate!!

Take a second chance romance but have them ALREADY be married, add in improv situations and you’ve got Rules for Second Chances. I adored this one and love when a debut author makes a smash. What makes this book so unique is that it involves a marriage in trouble; Liz has just turned thirty, but is struggling to feel seen in her marriage. She and her husband Tobin have never had any issues in the bedroom, but when it comes to their relationship, Tobin is a “yes” to everything that Liz is a “no” to, add in the stakes of working for the same wilderness company, and tensions are bound to run high for at least one party.

At first I was a little unsure about the improv portion. Liz’s boss recommends she takes an improv class to loosen her up before her company’s pitch wars. From the start I could feel how tightly wound Liz was and how awkward improv made her feel, but it turned out this was just the sort of thing to get her uncomfortably free of her own worst enemy, herself. It doesn’t hurt that she has her super sexy Viking giant of a husband as her partner using The Second Chances Handbook as a marriage support manual. The scenarios are typically hilarious, sometimes sweet, and sometimes very sexy and I ended up loving how the book forced Tobin and Liz to interact in atypical ways.

This is a single POV which works very well because Liz is learning a lot about herself and her neurotypical brain just as much as she is trying to figure out if her marriage is supposed to last. A good portion of the story is self-reconciliation just as much as it is about whether two people can fall in love with each other a second time around. Tobin and Liz have charged sexual chemistry and North is so good at writing the desire between them. I could feel how much Liz was still attracted to Tobin even though she knew they had marital problems. And ahhhhh, the intimate scenes between two people who have known one another’s bodies for years felt so right and so perfect. There’s a whole lot of heart in Rules for Second Chances and I absolutely loved the ending.

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Griffin and an ALC from Macmillan Audio narrated by Gail Shalan. I went back and forth between both. Although I enjoyed Shalan’s voice for Liz, I couldn’t get on board with her male voices. They all sounded old to me and I wanted something different for Tobin. She nailed Sharon’s character with her delivery though and I would listen to her again if it was a third person or female cast. Thank you to these publishers for my early copies. All opinions are my own.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Steam: 🪭🪭
Number of times David is referred to as D!ck Head: 2️⃣1️⃣
Favorite character: Sharon (not to be confused with a Karen)

DNF at 9%. The tone of this story is not sitting well with me and the main character, Liz, makes me feel icky. Not something I want to continue to explore with precious reading time.

3.75/5⭐️
#arcreview | *no spoilers*

Liz and Tobin are definitely not for everyone. The characters are not everybody's cup of tea and the way the story is constructed and the second chance is dealt with are different from what I usually read.

That being said, all in all, I actually enjoyed this book! There were some very cute, swoony, heartfelt, raw and honest scenes between Liz and Tobin throughout the more predominantly sad and heavy story.

Liz is a very real character and I liked that. She's different, and her journey to self discovery and acceptance is a nice and very difficult one. Tobin had his issues too, and I'd have loved to have his POV, so we could see more of his side of things too.

The premise was very cool and I think that it got kind of lost in the book. I don't know how I feel about the whole improv and the book things, which was very different approach to second chance, and was quite weird and cringey at times. Also the plot felt kind of dragged and the ending a bit more rushed.

I loved the side characters and what they contributed to Liz and Tobin's growth as people and as a couple! And I also loved the setting and Maggie's writing. But as an older sister, I kind of hated Liz's sister, because she was rude and snappy for no good reason (the reason she gives is really weird and not acceptable imo).

I really liked Tobin and Liz, because they felt like real, faulty people and I was really rooting for them since the beginning. They are stuck in a very unhappy place in their marriage and don't know how to deal with it, so they try working on themselves and on their relationship through a different approach, which brought some funny moments and also some deep, emotional ones.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I became invested in these characters but I really struggled with the conflict of this book. All these two really needed to do was have an honest conversation and instead they did… improv? It was certainly a choice.

I also felt like this book suffered from a bit of debut novel syndrome. There was no continuation between chapters and the background characters were interesting but didn’t really add to the narrative in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my gosh, this book is so cute and gives such good insight to the neurodivergent brain!! I love Liz and reading alone with her journey to a more her self. Tobin is such a hot name, so go Maggie North for that! Rules for Second Chances brought so much realness about marriage. There is going to be times when one wants to really focus on themselves, but doesn’t know how to in a long term relationship. This book is jut so good and I hope everyone reads it.

It was cute. A little slow in parts and I wanted to shake the characters a few times, but a cute easy summer read!

3 Stars

This is a story about a woman deciding enough is enough and is starting to look out for herself. She starts by leaving her husband. Then they embark on a journey to start over and give their relationship a second chance. I found it a little slow and was just ready for her to figure out her stuff. In the end she discovers a lot about herself along the way. I think it will be a great book for anyone going through something similar but for me just an ok book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins press for the opportunity to read this book.

I thought this was an intriguing and entertaining read. The concept behind it was smart and in broad strokes relatable. Liz kind of confused me and I never really made a strong connection to her. I will say that this was a much heavier, more thought provoking read than I had fully expected from the description and the cover. So, if you are looking for light and fluffy keep looking.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! Although I did enjoy this book overall, I found parts of it a bit disjointed. I wish we'd learned more about Tobin or had his character explored a bit more. It was also heavier than expected - this isn't just a light-hearted cheesy summer read (which I was sort of expecting based on the cover). +1 for neurodiversity rep.

A debut novel that won't disappoint! Rules for Second Chances is the story of Liz Lewis, a 30-yr-old woman who's tired of feeling invisible -- socially, professionally, and even in her marriage. It's time to find the "magic" she sees in everyone else who seems successful. Will Liz find the magic she's searching for, or will she lose everything she has, including herself, in the process? Highly recommended read!

I was waiting for this book to hook me, but I just couldn't get into it. The premise was really good, and I think there will definitely be a market for this, but I just really found Liz to be unlikable and so self-focused.

It just wasn't my cup of tea.

I loved this book. The characters were loveable, the storyline was intriguing, and the general execution of the book kept me hooked. The only thing that kept this from a 5-star review was my own struggles with the writing style. That being said, I would definitely still support the author because I enjoyed the book enough to stick it out.