I am a lover of spreadsheets and so immediately jumped at the opportunity to read this after reading the summary. I definitely related to Liz. I've been labeled different, although I'm not a fan of the big outdoors and I don't try to be what people want. I do make my way through this world and connect with people through comedy.

Okay, maybe Liz and I aren't as alike as I felt we were while reading this, but I still found myself drawn to this book and laughing because Liz is so terrible at being funny. I know that the saying is third times the charm, but for Liz, maybe it's just the second time? Anyone who can stand to listen to bad comedy is worth friendship at least, aren't they?

This is a sweet and funny RomCom perfect for someone looking for a light-hearted read.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. I see red this story because do love second chance romance books. Liz is a character who always feels overshadowed by her husband’s easygoing and outgoing personality. She is tired of feeling dependent on him in social situations and is tired of various other aspects of their marriage. Tobin isn’t so willing to give Liz up easily. In order to try to advance her career, she signs up for improv which Tobin is more than willing to help with.
I didn’t love the improv aspect of the book - probably because the thought of doing improv myself sounds terrifying. There were also many characters in the book who annoyed me - Tobin’s mom, Liz’s sister, and Tobin’s dad. I was frustrated with Liz not speaking up for herself when interacting with them.
I enjoyed Liz and Tobin’s interactions but didn’t feel overly invested in their relationship. I dislike the miscommunication trope.
Overall, 3/5 stars - there were some things that I enjoyed in the story but overall was an okay read for me.

Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North is an interestingly written second chance romance novel. I'm not sure if I loved how the improv classes played into the book, but I did enjoy following Liz as her and Tobin found their way back to one another. Feeling stuck in place and unseen by everyone around her, Liz realizes that her life needs some changes. I did enjoy seeing how Liz adapts and develops throughout the book, both in her personal life and also in her career. Overall, I think this book does a great job at showing how marriage isn't easy and how prioritizing your partner each and every day is important for success.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Maggie North for the chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

DNF after chapter one.

The synopsis and chapter one had some interesting concepts going but I could tell the writing style was not for me

“Rules for Second Chances” by Maggie North
A Quest to be Valued
For me this was a very hard read. The search to be seen and valued by friends, family, and in the work place. This is a very good story of growing self-awareness and the search for peace withing ones world. It took me longer than it should have to get the rhythm of this prose. I finally felt at home in this story; then it seemed like the next day the story was complete. I really need to put this on my re-visit list and make this journey again. This is a worthy read. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.

If you're looking for a book to break you in two, then put you back together again this is your book! This beautiful second chance story is filled with emotion that I'm still working through processing. Very well done debut!

The dialogue felt stilted, which kept taking me out of the story. this concept overall didnt work much for me

4.5 stars
I never thought improv could be this fun! Seeing it used as the cure for a relationship in crisis was such a fun and refreshing idea!
Tobin and Liz are such an interesting couple. They’re so different in the beginning but throughout the books, we sort of see their personalities morph into each others’, which was interesting to see and we also see them start to understand one another more. The setting of this book was beautiful and I loved that the author incorporated the beauty of nature consistently throughout the story. The beautiful background setting really makes me want to visit this place! Also, Lyle, Stellar, Sharon and Béa are such good side characters and added so much to this book!
There were many moments of humour and also many of somewhat sad topics, and I have to say, this author did a wonderful job of meshing them together. The fact that this is Maggie North’s debut book makes me excited for whatever else she will write and I’m looking forward to it! This book is one I would absolutely recommend to anyone who loves a second-chance romance or who wants a book about finding your individuality within a relationship (finding your own ‘magic’).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this ARC.

a heartwarming debut!

This second-chance romance set in the most gorgeous landscape should be on everyone's must-read list. This book will warm you from the inside out with its honesty, heart, and humor. Gripping from the first page to the last.

A second chance romance set against the great outdoors with a neurodivergent FMC and IMPROV CLASSES! How fun is that??

In all honesty I was surprised at how much I liked this, it was a bit more emotional and heavy than I was anticipating, but I felt like the story really impacted me in a good way and I loved seeing the character development and plot pan out.

I really loved Liz as a character. She was incredibly relatable and I liked seeing that journey into learning and diagnosing her autism, as someone who isn’t well versed in these kinds of topics I liked how it was incorporated into the story. She’s flawed, but the arc of seeing her come to acknowledge those flaws (like how she treated Tobin, etc) was powerful. I also loved Tobin. Again, I love seeing the flaws in these characters and how he worked through them, as a character he’s an absolute sweetheart too haha. The family dynamics of these two characters really hit me hard, it was so sad yet raw, I really wasn’t expecting how heavy these subplots would be in this book but really loved how they concluded.

The setting and incorporation of improv was really fun as well, I loved how the improv class gave off the vibes of a kind of rag tag group all connected through improv, I especially loved Sharon and Bea as side characters! I also loved, literally adored, one of the final scenes involving Eleanor. The tonal shift and the mood of that scene was so good, I was sucked in and loved how it all panned out.

The biggest thing I struggled with was the writing style at various points. Considering the story is told through Liz’s point of view, I think a lot of Liz’s internal dialogue being kind of ramble-y and intricate makes sense, but it made it hard for me to really stay in the moment for certain points of the story. I was also hoping for more in terms of the improv class and how it connected to Liz’s character development, there was a lot of detail about improv and how it would help Liz, but I feel like Liz didn’t necessarily execute it well, like I failed to understand how she really developed as a character due to her improv class.

Overall though, I enjoyed this, it’s a unique concept and I felt like I learned a little bit more about topics from neurodivergence to improv classes, all the way to winter tourism! 3.5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Oooooof…I had such high hopes for this but it just fell flat. I love a good marriage in crisis, but the crisis was pretty weak. This read more like women’s fiction and I love women’s fiction but it was just boring. I would have liked dual POV for this one. I felt so bad for Tobin and the way he was blindsided. The improv thing was weird and I just think the writing style of this was confusing and didn’t work for me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were well written and I enjoyed seeing them connect throughout the story.

This was such a refreshing read. Tobin can capture anyone at anytime. He's outgoing and thrilled to talk to anyone and loves the outdoors. Liz is neurodivergent and has the biggest heart of anyone. I found that I understood Liz. I also cheered her on the entire book. I loved both of them and it's such a well written heartwarming story. The descriptions of the world were great and helped me picture the world that Tobin and Liz live in. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley for this arc. I recommed this book!

"Brimming with heart and heat, Rules for Second Chances explores the hardest relationship question of all: can true love happen twice...with the same person?"

I wanted to love this book so much and it was just not it for me. The premise was so fun, but the writing was chaotic and hard for me, personally, to follow. I felt the ending was inevitable and could have happened 50 pages earlier than it actually did.

Second chance romances are never something that I gravitate towards but this book handled it in a way that is so different and I absolutely adored it! Liz has grown up always feeling different and apart from other people. She is married to a popular outdoor adventure guide Tobin. On the night of her 30th birthday Liz is mistaken for a server at her own party. This last straw causes Liz to decide to make big changes in per personal and work life.

Liz was an incredibly relatable character to me personally. I loved seeing how much she grew during the book. I was a little nervous about the comic/improv aspect of the story but it ended up being incredibly fun! Her new and old friends were all such great characters. I really loved Liz and Tobin's relationship. I thought the way they both had been struggling was explored in a really thoughtful way. I was a mess by the end of the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Liz discovers that she feels invisible in all aspects of her life, from her workplace to her marriage, she realizes she desperately needs to make changes. Improv class was not what she initially had in mind but she will try anything to find what it takes to be seen, even if it means partnering with the husband who has never been able to admit their marriage had problems.
Man did I feel for Liz. From the opening scene my heart hurt for her so I really appreciated her journey towards finding her inner sparkle and creating real connections . Her conversations with Tobin were really poignant and I loved how his own inner struggles were revealed. The improv aspect didn’t always work for me and I wish it had been less of a focus. Overall this was a unique and lovely second chance romance.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts

Liz Lewis as a main character proves to be someone I could totally relate to in many ways, some of them as painful for me as they are for her.

While this has a second chance billing, and it is indeed the purpose of this story, we also have some other issues worked out as the book unveils as you read it.

Self-worth being a main one and Autism also.

The question of whether true love can happen twice with the same person may seem like it should have an easy yes or no answer, this proves that yes or no is just the tip of a gigantic iceberg as Liz and Tobin find out.

Interesting, and confusing at times, unique journey for our main characters to take that kept me turning pages hoping they made the correct decisions by end of it.

[EArc from Netgalley]


On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

4.5 🌟 rounded up!

I was a little hesitant going into the book, mainly because I hate reading anything that could be embarrassing and improv is decidedly embarrassing. However, I ended up loving this book. I connected with Liz as a main character. I don’t know if she will be considered relatable to most people, but I related to her and her struggles. There were a few things that I didn’t love about the book, but overall, the emotions it made me feel made up for that. If a book makes me cry ugly tears, it’s a 5. I don’t make the rules.


I do think we could’ve benefitted from seeing Tobin’s POV a few times, but I also think that this felt like it was Liz’s story to tell, ya know?

This book was just a little too cheesy for me as a person who loves romance books. I just found it to be predictable and too cliche for my liking.

With wanting a promotion at work and having trouble with her marriage, Liz decides to join an improv class. She wants to get out of her comfort zone and be seen.

I did enjoy following Liz's journey of self-discovery and building confidence. She worked hard at finding out who she is. Along the way she developed new friendships and put an effort into trying to fix her relationship with her husband Tobin. The neurodivergent aspect was written quite well.

The improv was a bit confusing and weird at times. I think it had potential but ended up going in a direction I couldn't connect with. Sometimes the storyline felt like it was all over the place.

None of the characters stood out as being memorable. The marriage in crisis focus could have been strengthened had we received Tobin's point of view. Liz's sister was a very unlikable character that brought down the book in my opinion.