Liz is done with who she’s been. And change starts at home as she decides to separate from her husband. She seeks out improv to improve her social skills and level up her career, while using those same tools to work on her marriage.

A sweet second chance romance. At times, the writing was hard to follow; if you can go beyond the imperfect flow, you’ll be rewarded with a heartwarming story.

St. Martin’s Press provided a complimentary e-galley

I fell in love with the writing style, how the author described thoughts and emotions; light and accessible, and at the same time almost tangible, as if I could touch and feel these words on my own skin. Absolutely beautiful!

I loved this book. It's a "second chance romance" that begins with the MC moving out. I loved the depiction of marriage and how often it isn't one thing that causes the problem, but many layers of the small stuff. The author did a fantastic job of weaving us into the MC's world and her point of view! I also appreciated the emphasis on the MC career and how it impacted her relationship.
Somehow, the Author has fashioned a LI that is both a cinnamon roll and a himbo at the same time. Tobin was sweet, befuddled, and finally angry. Good arc of his emotional development. By the end of the book, the reader is really rooting for them to sort out their problems.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the open door sex scenes. Chef's kiss.

Love this book! Was a little hard to read in the beginning when some of the side characters seemed so mean to the FMC, and I almost thought about stopping there and DNFing it, but I'm so happy I powered through! This book was so good on so many levels: the normalization of bi characters, the emotional arc of the FMC finding herself while trying reinvent herself, the secondhand cringe for her during the improv moments, the divine pop culture references and such a relatable, heartwarming story. The FMC wasn't perfect, but I was still rooting for her the whole time. Even if I hadn't related to her second guessing her career choices, marriage and neurotypical-ness, I still would have enjoyed this book just as much. Bonus points for making me want to travel to the mountains of Canada! 5 stars!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this novel.

I was definitely drawn to the premise of the book and the writing was really good. Unfortunately, I just didn't connect, I didn't fully understand why Liz decided to leave Tobin. Tobin didn't seem terribly flawed so it was more difficult to understand the conflict. Liz was kind of flat and boring. The concept of the improv classes and book fixing her life and marriage didn't work for me. Unfortunately, I DNF after 100 pages. I kept reading and waiting to connect but it didn't happen.

What a singular, incredible story. This unique book (and by extension Maggie North) swept me away. I was immersed in every scene. I think her voice is SO exciting and I can't wait for more.

The title drew me to this book, but I was not able to connect with the story as I started reading it. I caught myself skimming thru the pages to move along. Thank you for the opportunity to read the arc.

Loved this book! Liz and Terry are working through their marriage problems. Autism representation! I loved how Liz really found herself at the end!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was so lovely, with evocative, precise prose, a detailed sense of setting that made me grateful to live in British Columbia, and a deftly braided love story & personal discovery journey. North's wit had me grinning throughout, while the scenes between the lead couple were consistently layered with emotional depth, whether the two were reinacting a Little Mermaid scene for an improv challenge or fumbling to get their clothes off in a truck or learning how to walk toward each other instead of away. The workplace and social challenges felt relatable at a bone-deep level, and the family drama left me desperate to reach into the pages and scream for some of the side characters to see what they were missing. I loved the ways the improve community gave the heroine a new environment in which she could see herself more clearly, and there are clear hints of where a follow up book might go, hints that will have readers aching for news as soon as they turn the final page on this one. Joyful, emotional, original, relatable, and just so damned-well written. Absolutely worth a read.

this book was so lovely, the autism exploration & the marriage in trouble combo really was my perfect storm. I loved every moment of it

2.75 stars out of 5.

This book is about a second chance romance between a couple who are having marital problems. I did really like Tobin and Liz as a couple and was happy with the ending. I did not like the writing style of this author though. I found it really slow and I almost DNF this book multiple times. I was not a big fan of the improv thrown in either. Overall I just don't think this book was for me even though the plot sounded so good.

In Rules for Second Chances, Liz has always been "different" and has a hard time making friends. She ended up marrying Tobin, who is the complete opposite of her. He is very social and has a lot of friends. After a fight, Liz decided she needed a change in her life and needed to take a step back in her relationship, she needed to be seen. She ends up taking an improv comedy class based on a recommendation from her boss to help get her to open up more. She needed an improv partner and that happened to be Tobin. Their relationship seems to be getting better but will it last?

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Liz and Tobin are married, and have been. Liz feels invisible besides her husband and at work. Tired of feeling like this, she suggests a break and this novel is the not easy, smooth path to reconciliation that you might be expecting if you grew up on a steady diet of romance novels from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s like I did (Judith Krantz forever ❤️). It’s messy, and painful, and so so real.

I guess it's fairly obvious, but in case it's not, I really enjoyed this one.

Liz, ah Liz - I adored her as MFC - her personality was so me that I couldn't get over it. Unfortunately, Tobin didn’t feel as fleshed out to me a character as Liz was, hence the four star rating.


I will definitely read the author's future work.



Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC

Rules for Second Chances opens with a killer chapter- the main character gets ignored at her own birthday party- and it absolutely hooked me. The improv plot line was a little bit harder for me to connect with, but overall, I found this second-chance love story interesting and multifaceted.

A second chance romance between a couple who is trying to give their relationship one more try. The premise is interesting and drew me in, including the improv plot line. I personally didn’t end up connecting to the story or the characters though I do think Liz and Tobin make a nice couple. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This is a marriage in trouble, second chance romance and I especially love how improv plays a big part in the story.

Liz feels like she has become invisible at home and at work. Her husband, Tobin throws her a party for her 30th birthday and she is dismayed when his friends mistake her for hired help at the party. She is an introvert and feels herself shrinking and getting quieter. She feels like Tobin has gotten so busy, he doesn’t see her for who she is. Both Tobin and Liz work for West by North a mountain and river guide service. Liz is ready to make changes in her life, both at work and at home. She tells Tobin she wants to separate and she goes to stay with her sister and her autistic niece.

At work, she asks her boss to consider her for a promotion. She wants to be a leader and develop some unique tour ideas. He tells her she’s a numbers person and good with spreadsheets and to stick with that. But he suggests if she wants to improve her people skills, she should try an improv class being offerred locally.

Tobin is a popular and outgoing wilderness guide and he isn’t ready to give up on their marriage. He tried to make an appointment for them to see a therapist but they couldn’t get in for months so he asks Liz to try a relationship repair manual called Rules for Rebooting Your Relationship with Improv. When Liz goes to improv class, she finds out she needs a partner and Tobin offers to do it. And so their journey begins – they are on their way to find happiness as well as their way back to each other with improv and it’s an emotional ride. I found myself rooting for Tobin and Liz.

The secondary characters weren’t as lovable. There were a few that are supportive of Liz but there were some members from both of their families that were unkind to Liz and that was hard to watch - there’s a lot of drama with their dysfunctional families. This made the story hard to read in places. I wondered how they would overcome it all. I won’t give it all away but I will share that it’s wonderful when we see how they come back together. I loved the epilogue. There’s also a special cat named Himbo

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy second chance romance stories with drama and a couple that finds themselves again with the help of improv.

Rules for Second Chances is a poignant exploration of social expectations, self-discovery, and the courage it takes to break free from the scripts imposed by society. The novel is a celebration of authenticity, reminding readers that it's never too late to rewrite the script of one's life and pursue the dreams that may have been left behind. This is a heartwarming and thought-provoking story that lingers, leaving you with a renewed appreciation for the power of laughter, love, and self-acceptance.

RULES FOR SECOND CHANCES by Maggie North is a devastating, lovely second chance romance.

I'm not opposed to a rom-traum-dram, but marriage-in-peril is actually my least favorite subspecies of the second chance romance. Probably because it's too realistic—I'm convinced that most relationships are a handful of cascading decisions away from the danger zone. Which is what makes this book both devastating and lovely. Liz and Tobin still love each other deeply, but they both have made decisions that have pulled them apart. And the distance in their relationship feels so...possible.

From there, things get a little more fictional. There's an improv class, an improv-based relationship book, a pitch contest at work. There are also some really awful extended family members who may require a trigger warning, depending on how unpleasant your in-laws are 😬.

Along with the verisimilitude in the relationship problems is the very accurate, realistic work of putting things back together. Seeing the other person, seeing your own mistakes, making changes. It is lovely.

Thank you netgalley and st martins press for the #gifted #freebook in exchange for my honest review. Miscommunication is my most disliked trope and I am bummed this wasn't 5 stars for me.

I would say the characters in this book have serious CHEMISTRY. Apparently Tobin, the male lead character, is smoking hot. He's also incredibly kind and caring but unfortunately has a lifetime of family trauma. But our lead character is his estranged wife, Liz Lewis. Liz is going through something at the opening of the book. She's turning 30 and her stagnant position at her 'dude bro' workplace (an Outdoor Experience company) is what she is currently hyper-focused on. Liz impulsively leaves Tobin (moving 2 doors down to her parents'/sister's house). She's trying to figure out where she went wrong and thinks that if she somehow gains the respect of her boss and wins a 'pitch' contest that she will burst out of this hole she's dug herself into. So she takes the CEOs advice literally (also, did I mention this company is tiny?) and signs up for Improv and golfing. Oh the journey Liz is going to take is rough, guys. There is so much packed into these characters and their baggage will not zip up and is over the 50 pound weight limit. North packs a lot of things into this novel, and sometimes life is like this, but it's a lot to juggle in 352 pages. I enjoyed this, as I tend to enjoy complicated romances and especially second chance ones. I think I wished there was a little more revealing of what attracts Tobin so inexplicably to Liz. Not in the sense that her awkwardness needs to be justified, but in the way that the reader can better appreciate and adore the main character because her goodness are on display and outshine those insecurities and negative self talk we see repeatedly since she's the narrator. Maybe the choice is conscientious, in that no-one else needs to understand why he loves her (there is one scene where he does reveal his initial attraction), but it would be so lovely to see more than the physical response he repeatedly has toward her. I mean, she's more than just a hot body for him, right?
Thanks so much for the ARC!

Although the themes and tropes sounded appealing, I couldn't enjoy the writing style. It was my first time reading this author and sadly it didn't work for me. It was slow and I feel I never knew the characters. I never feel the connection between the MCs so I couldn't care less if they ended up together or not.