A story brimming with so much emotion! I was not expecting to connect with this one in the way that I did. The beautiful cover art does not prepare you for the emotional rollercoaster (in a good way). The beginning is a bit slow, and I had to push through some miscommunication between MCs, which is not my favorite, but it had a very nice payoff!

I’ve tried time and again to get into this story, but it hasn’t hooked me. I find myself setting it aside. It’s just very dull and not anything intriguing, I’m sorry to say.

The day of Liz & Tobin’s wedding, Liz’s sister announces that she’s getting a divorce and tells Liz that her marriage will eventually go down the drain too. Liz takes it to heart and carries that stress with her throughout the years. When Tobin comes home after one of his long trips away, Liz realizes she just can’t take it anymore and tells Tobin that she’s moving out while she figures out what she wants to do about their marriage. Tobin doesn’t understand why Liz has suddenly decided to step away, but he asks her if they could at least try to keep their marriage together and use his best friend’s recently-published review-seeking marriage counseling book. Liz agrees and they start their journey with the Second Chances Handbook.

I enjoyed the story but got really annoyed by both of them in some parts of the story. Character development was solid and although the conflict resolution was a bit slow, it kept me engaged until the end.

I liked that this couple was already married and having to work on their relationship. I liked the way improv provided a helpful metaphor for relationships. Some of the other pieces didn't always work for me, like there was too much going on? I was rooting for the characters though and would definitely read another Maggie North book. 3.75/5

This book was sooo good! I could not put it down. And the cover is so cute! Thank you netgalley for the chance to read the advanced copy!

This book hit me a lot harder than I expected it to, which I honestly should have expected with the marriage in trouble aspect. I wasn’t sold on the improv idea at first, but once the book got farther along I’ll admit to seeing the value in it for Liz. I ended up really enjoying Liz and Tobin’s journeys both together and individually.

Second chance romance is hit or miss for me, and this was just okay.

It was cute, and I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Liz, the FMC, and Tobin, the MMC, change. But it was also a bit confusing. There was a lot going on and while Liz and Tobin did reconnect, I didn’t really see the love between them. This kind of felt more of a self-journey for Liz than a romance, which is fine. But it’s not what I was expecting.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC. All thoughts are my own.

DNF'ed at 20% (I did not leave a star rating on Goodreads.)

I love the premise of this story: a neurodivergent heroine chooses herself when it comes to love and her career. She's tired of always being underestimated and outshone in her marriage and in the office. HOWEVER...the further I get into this story, the more the heroine is an enigma to me. I'm having difficulty understanding her desires to do certain things without her feeling a bit immature or almost spoiled. The only really likable character is Tobin, Liz's husband, and she walks away from him because basically, he's too great. Scratching my head a bit on this one....

I'd like to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The way this book started felt a little jarring - like I wanted a little more background about the couple before she's asking for a divorce in chapter 1. Overall the story was...fine. I wish I understood more about why Liz was so set on separating from Tobin, and Tobin always seemed confused, I wanted more communication between them. Toren always said yes to what she asked, but she was always surprised, and I didn't get that.

I love second chance romance! It is my favorite trope, but this one fell a little flat. The main characters were shallow and hard to root for. Overall the story was nice, and easy to follow. But it was missing something.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. I'm glad it has been released.

The emotions in this book feel so true and authentic, it's like you're seeing real colors where all other books are crayon colors. 6 stars on a scale of 5, no question.

I was blown away by how many lines I was highlighting, feeling like they'd been plucked directly from my thoughts. And don't even get me started on the hero--so deeply sexy, so beautiful to watch but also that perfect combination of vulnerable and lovable and capable while also TRYING so hard for his woman...*fans self* And among other things you shouldn't get me started on is the mermaid sex scene. Just trust me on that one, folks, there's no describing it, but it'll make you laugh, cry, and have to dump ice water on your head. I promise you haven't read 10 sparkly merman improv sex scenes before.

This character and this world were utterly fully realized, down to the river guide culture I'm intimately familiar with and the grumpy cat. And yes, I do realize books with bisexual protags only finally started getting published in the last five minutes, but why is this the first time I've read a SHY bisexual heroine? I didn't even realize how often bi characters are portrayed as energetic, outgoing chaos machines until I saw the opposite.

The instant I finished the ebook of this, I bought a paperback to put on my "all time favorites" shelf and pre-ordered the sequel. I'm already so invested in McHuge & Stellar's story, just from a couple of precisely placed intriguing lines...oh and because huge, gentle improv coach with braids in his beard is somehow just as much my type as Tobin from this book with his tawny manbun, busted wrist, wounded eyes, and raft-rowing muscles that he uses to help absolutely everyone move.

I'll try and stop my gushing if you all promise to go buy a copy of this book right this very instant.

I tried to get into this a few times, but it just wasn’t my vibe. I have recommended it to several people who really loved it!

I might be an outlier here, but I just could not get into this book. This might be the first second chance romance book that I’ve read, which might be the reason why it didn’t really resonate with me, but I just found that I wasn’t having the best time reading the book. The main characters, while fully developed, felt like they truly had no chemistry at all and I’m shocked they were even married in the first place.The improv portion was also just too cringey for me. I appreciated the representation of neurodivergent people, but it felt a bit too on the nose at times. Ultimately, this book will likely be forgettable for me, but it might be a perfect book for you if you appreciate second chance romances with characters that are not your typical leading woman and man.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reading copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This book had a promising premise but ultimately the characters and storyline did not manage to hook after numerous attempts to engage with the story in multiple formats. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

While I liked the idea of the story, I was sort of bored with this one. I thought the autistic rep was well done, but the story got a little confusing reading from Liz's POV. I think also too much was happening all at once, so each deeper side plot was only one or two chapters and lacked depth.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this e-copy. Review live now on GoodReads and TheStoryGraph

Listen, the small mountain town vibes here were *chef's kiss* MWAH!!

Also, did not know this was a debut!!

ANYWAY, I do think the writing could have been better because it was a little choppy, but that did not do a disservice to the storyline. I enjoyed this second chance romance and I definitely chuckled quite a few times throughout. I thought Liz stood out throughout the whole book and had a lot of relatable elements.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I experienced alll the feels while reading Rules For Second Chances. It’s filled with a lot of sweet moments and cringey moments but for the most part I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face while reading

I really didn't like this book and so I won't be publicly reviewing it. Sorry about that! I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with it, I just didn't like it.

DNF. I was sent this book a few months after its release and I still have not picked it up months after that. I might read it at another time, but I am too busy with upcoming books to read one that came out so long ago that I got after its release.