This was a decent love story that explored a different perspective of neurodivergent that I haven’t read before. Writing keep the pace of the story interesting. One of the things I did not particular like was the heavy hand on the miscommunication but the romance was sweet.

This is a heartfelt awakening of a husband and wife and how you still need to work on your relationships and how communication is so important. It is adorable and relatable and I enjoyed it so much. It's silly and fun at the same time. Very unique and great plot.

I really wanted to connect with Liz as a neurodivergent, diagnose late in life woman, but I struggled. She had different experiences than I did, but I do appreciate reading about different neurodivergent perspectives.

Thank you St Martin's for the review copy of Rules for Second Chances. I really valued this story that examined experiences, and awakenings, related to self and neurodiversity in adulthood, this kind of representation is increasingly important because each story offers the needed different perspectives on this identity.

I appreciated Maggie North's writing and the use of an improv class to help the MC explore and challenge herself, it was fun but also just right for how to explore facets of identity and neurodivergence (social cues, lack of predictability, trying to fit in and find a space, learning to open up... all things many of us work on!). The romance was sweet, if a little too heavy on miscommunication for me, and the story was a fun escape while still being a thoughtful and insightful romance (I love a romance with depth and strong character development, nuances).

I also listened along from MacMillan audio for part of my read, the narration was perfect for capturing the nuances of the main character and it's a good way to connect with this story.

3,25 stars!

Thank you to SMP & Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review the e-galley and audiobook of Rules for Second Chances. I really enjoyed reading this in both formats. The narrator did a fantastic job!

Overall, this story was sweet. I enjoyed it. I read it all in one sitting. I feel like Maggie North is an exceptional author. Her ability to draw you in from the start is a 10/10. She developed characters with depth that you just couldn't help rooting for. The reason this book is not a 4 or 5 star for me is because I felt like the conflict was something that could have been solved through communication. It felt like it took a huge backroad journey when the highway could have gotten you there way faster, ya know? I loved watching Lix and Tobin fix their relationship through improv. It was a fresh, new take on repairing a relationship so I enjoyed that.

I just felt like some parts of the book were a little redundant and unnecessary.

I enjoyed the previous book by North, but this was just not for me. The whole book could have been wrapped up with a conversation and that kind of miscommunication is just not for me.

Oh goodness, my heart. I related to this book in so many ways that it broke me and also filled me back up. Lizzie lives in the background, no one sees her for her. She needs to find her magic. She just wants someone to listen to her and not see her as just Tobin's wife. She sets out on a journey of self discovery and needs to find herself without Tobin.
There are so many layers to this journey and while we don't get Tobin's POV (I wish we would have for some parts), we see her journey not ony of self discovery, but of realization. She finds her voice, only to discover that maybe the people that were listening to her the whole time are the ones who truly mattered anyways.
I love marriage in crisis books because I love to see the way that they find their way back to one another. At a few points, I was a little scared, but I had faith in the two of them.

Thanks to St. Martins, Netgalley and Maggie North for an early copy.

I am so back and forth about this book. Off the bat and TLDR I think if you like marriage in crisis/second chance romances and seeing autism (particularly diagnosed in adults) rep I highly recommend this book. The setting is also so vivid and charming. You can tell the author loves the environment they are writing in.

My biggest issue was the lack of depth we get from Tobin (MMC). This is single POV but even then I feel like there could have been more developed for his character. I loved some of their deeper conversations but I was still missing the true depth of their love in totality.

But also I was missing more about improv. Improv is a HUGE component of this book. And I have been to improv shows in person and watched virtually so I know some basic stuff but I haven't ever taking a class and I really felt like I was missing something. I really enjoyed her teammates and their initial awkwardness turned bonding and there are amazing side characters but the actually "rules" or "practice" of improv I didn't get. I know the basic "yes and" but then Liz uses Tobin as a practice partner outside of class with scenarios but I felt like the scenarios were never fully explained, it unfolded more like costumed role play.

Overall, this was worth my time reading and I would recommend it. It's honestly a credit to the writing that I wanted more, I know this author could do more. So as this is a debut I will be reading this author's future works. Thanks to SMP for the eARC, I suggest you look up the #SpeakUpSMP boycott.

DNF at 40%

I just could not get into it. The reason for her wanting to leave her husband just made zero sense to me. Miscommunication is not my jam.

Thank you @smpromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of this.

RATING: 2/5 STARS

I could not mesh with the writing of this one. It felt very hot and cold. I loved the premise and the idea of a sunshine MMC but unfortunately was a DNF for me.

I found this a hard one to finish. The characters listen to and just didn’t resonate with me. I wanted to get invested in their second chance, but I think the characters could’ve use more development and I would’ve liked it better if we got Tobin‘s point of view. They’re also seem to be a lot going on which made the story very confusing.

This was a dazzling debut filled with so much heart. It featured characters we don't often see in the romance world or don't see as much as we should: a woman not in her twenties, dealing with the collapse of her marriage, and featuring autism representation. I loved the second chance romance aspects of the story and the setting was beautiful.

While these are just my opinions, still read this book if it interests you!

I picked up this book about 5 times to try to get invested and just kept putting it down. I wanted to love it but maybe it’s the wrong time? I made a promise to myself if I wasn’t enjoying a book, I’d DNF it.

I adore second chance romance and I’d relate this one to you deserve each other by sarah hogle. However, I didn’t really understand the initial conflict and once I saw the improv group I was done (personally scarred).

Thanks Netgalley and Saint Martin’s Press for gifting me an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book gave me all the feels- and that includes frustration, but justifyingly so. This story is such a beautiful one and I think Maggie North did a fantastic job writing a neurodivergent character. I loved Liz and I wanted to give her the biggest hug. I loved Tobin and his love for Liz. The prompts the pair did for improv- amazing. Especially that last one- it got me in my feels for sure! This is a story that you could read over and over again and I honestly can't wait to read it again!

I absolutely loved Liz’s growth and journey of discovery along with Tobin’s. As they worked through the self help book and navigated the workplace drama there were so many moments that hit me hard. What a wonderful debut with fantastic autism representation. As someone who has felt invisible, I could really relate to Liz

I just couldn't connect to this. I was disappointed because, second chance marriage is my all-time favorite. The conflict that caused them to separate was absolutely ridiculous. Liz left because Tobin was more popular and possessed more self-confidence. She kept calling him her ex after only leaving to stay at her sister's but still lusted after him each time she was around him? Why would you automatically call your husband your ex when divorce wasn't even on the table? I also didn't agree with some of the underlying morals in this book and honestly put the nail in the coffin. I just can't get on board with some things, no matter how subtle they are. Unfortunately, I was also not a fan of the narration. I especially did not like her "dude voice."
Thank you, NetGalley, and St Martin's Press, for the opportunity to listen, read, and review this advanced copy.
I just couldn't connect to this. I was disappointed because, second chance marriage is my all-time favorite. The conflict that caused them to separate was absolutely ridiculous. Liz left because Tobin was more popular and possessed more self-confidence. She kept calling him her ex after only leaving to stay at her sister's but still lusted after him each time she was around him? Why would you automatically call your husband your ex when divorce wasn't even on the table? I also didn't agree with some of the underlying morals in this book and honestly put the nail in the coffin for me. I just can't get on board with some things, no matter how subtle they are.
Thank you, NetGalley, and St Martin's Press, for the opportunity to listen, read, and review this advanced copy.

Stops her self loathing and leaves her marriage to find her magic. Lost herself as Tobin’s wife and to win a pitch promotion at work. She takes improv classes to help with her promotion and magic, then partners up with Tobin when he proposes to work on their marriage with an improv book from a friend. Tobin & Liz still have love for each other, we only get Liz’s POV but we can still sense Tobin’s pining for his wife. This book was not what I was expecting, it was better. The use of improv to work on their marriage and her pitch was unique and entertaining.

I recently discovered my love for the marriage in crisis trope, so I was so excited to read this and it did not disappoint. This was a beautiful and heartwarming story about a second chance at love and a journey of self discovery. It was a unique take on a marriage in crisis that included ND rep, a bisexual FMC, wilderness workplace drama, and improv. I was rooting for Liz, Tobin, and their attempt to reconnect and evaluate where things went wrong in their marriage. The unexpected star of this book was the improv subplot. It brought an added layer of vulnerability and trust between Liz and Tobin that only made you root for them harder. This was a beautiful debut novel and I can’t wait to read more from Maggie North. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for and honest review.

Dnf, unfortunately. I thought I would like this but I the writing style isn’t my favorite. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted arc.

Rules for Second Chances immediately got me with its striking cover. Liz Lewis is tired of being overlooked, of coming second to her charismatic husband, and in order to find her own magic, she decides she needs to be on her own. She goes after a promotion at work but needs a confidence boost and turns to the ultimate outside-her-comfort-zone hobby: improv. And her husband Tobin is determined to win her back. I feel like this book wanted to be a lot of things. It’s a coming-of-age type story for 30-year-old Liz, it’s a romance, it’s about growth. But I think the improv angle became too heavy a focus. It was part of how Tobin was trying to help them and it was how she was finding herself; it was just kind of too much. I felt like the romance took a heavy back burner here, and I’d categorize this more as women’s fiction than a romance. Liz was the star of this, and I think having it have all the split focus, the end felt rushed and a little unsatisfying. The banter with her friends and that growth though was wonderful, Tobin was so sweet, and watching Liz find her voice was a great journey. Her self-growth journey is really beautiful and I was really rooting for her! It’s well written and interesting, I just wish the focus was stronger