A heartwarming book about a woman trying to find her place in her marriage and her life once she realizes she has been drowning in her husband’s shadow. Unexpectedly heavier than I thought it would be

Rules for Second Chances is a second-chance romance between a married couple, Liz and Tobin. After Tobin's mom hosts Liz's 30th birthday party and someone confuses her with a server at her own party, she decides to put herself out there more and do things she wouldn't normally do. She moves out of her house and into her parents' home while she figures herself out and comes to the realization that she might be neurodivergent and that she will always be in love with her husband, no matter what changes.

I am not sure what I expected from this novel but what I received was so much more. Full of drama, angst and too much overthinking on Liz Lewis’ part, I was still unable to put down Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North once I started reading it. So much character growth for Liz and Tobin personally and as a couple. Then growth for some of the minor characters too.

Much is answered near the end with a beautiful conclusion, but some deep hard times until then. Even though I wanted to give up on Liz a time or two, I am so glad I continued to read and root for her. More women’s fiction then romance, it is an eye opening read through the lens of Liz. I recommend this book.

My favorite trope in romance novels is second chances. Here Mara is a well-drawn protagonist, and her journey of self-discovery and transformation feels authentic. North’s writing style is easy to follow, with moments of humor and poignant insights into the complexities of modern life and love. The romance is balanced with a deeper exploration of personal healing and rediscovery. The relationship Mara develops with her ex-husband and the possibility of a second chance at love are central to the plot, making it a compelling read for fans of contemporary romance and women's fiction.

This was incredibly cute! I love second chance romance and this one really tugged on my heart strings. I loved how they both wanted to be their best for each other and were willing to work on things to make their marriage work. For me, the pacing was a bit off on this one which is what kept it from being five stars. Cannot wait to check out more from this author in the future!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

I had not read anything else by this author and I must admit it took me a bit to get interested in the story. I did enjoy not only the story, but the two unique main characters. Liz Lewis feels that her marriage is in trouble, even if her husband, Tobin, doesn’t. Tobin is a successful adventure guide, the life of the party, while she gets mistaken for the cake server at her own birthday party! She finally realizes that she is the one who needs to make a change, to value herself, even if it will be difficult to do so. I enjoyed her self-talk as she tried to work through her social anxiety and determine if her relationship and marriage is what she really wants. When her boss recommends improv classes, will she gain confidence from these classes? Will this really save her and her marriage? Great ending! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I wanted to like this book more than I did and the only reason I can think of is that the writing style was hard to follow and it lead to me putting the book down often. As the MCs are working on improv scenes, there would be an unclear segue into their actual issues and it was hard to understand at times. It was hard to empathize with the FMC at times given there was no honest communication with her husband in the beginning....just lots of assumptions and misunderstandings. And her relationships with the other characters...the foundation wasn't laid well for some and the explanation for the disconnect often seemed to come about much later. That can work in some instances but it didn't work well for me in this book.

I've read one book by this author which I did enjoy and hope that my impressions of this book are an outlier.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I really wanted to like this one. I love a second chance romance, but this one fell a little flat for me. It was a strange relationship this married couple had. They had seemed to have fallen out of love with each other to begin with, and then all of a sudden they want to have sex with each other all over the place without really working through any of their issues with why they got to where they are first. It felt like when you first start a new relationship and can't keep your hands off of each other, but yet this couple had been together for years and now are jumping right back into this stage right after talking about splitting up? It didn't make sense. They did eventually grow together and work on things, but the lead up to that did not ring true.

I don't really reach for second chance romance, but I am a sucker for Canadian authors, especially if an author I love also loves them and recommends their work. This wasn't my fave book but it wasn't my least fave either. It was still good though and would recommend to those looking for second chance romance/marriage in crisis trope.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was, in almost every way, the farthest thing from what I desire in a romance novel.

The two MCs have been married for years but basically stopped communicating since the day of their wedding.

The MMC, Tobin, is a people pleaser who's been walking all over his wife for years. And she's been letting him. He's a yes man and a Mama's boy, so the combination of these things manifest as something truly insidious in their relationship. He'll stop and try to fix everything except their marriage. He turned her down for counseling and therapy whenever she suggested it but is desperate to coerce her into it after she finally leaves him. He doesn't come up for air long enough to see that while he's busy fixing everyone else's problems and catering to all his mother's whims, she's stuck taking care of all the other projects he's brought into their lives.

We are inside the FMC, Liz's mind for the entirety of the book and it is not a good time. While she articulates VERY VALID reasons she feels neglected and unseen in her relationship, not once does she articulate them to him. Not even at the end.

She takes improv classes to help with her confidence and sure, she attempts to stand up for herself to her overbearing sister but both the sister and the toxic MIL have epiphanies out of nowhere at the end, not the least because of her or any of her actions. Also the realization that she's autistic was...not the way you handle that situation.

This is a story about a woman who's done the bulk of the emotional labor in her relationship. While Liz is telling us, the readers, that she's been putting off having kids with Tobin because she doesn't want to be the bad cop for all of the kid's life - a role Tobin forced her into for years - we never, ever, get the catharsis of having her tell *him* these things. They don't talk to each other, not even at the end. She simply realizes she doesn't want to be without him. This was an agonizing read I'm glad is behind it.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really great romance about second chances. I really enjoyed going through their love story as it rekindled and bloomed again.

I don't usually reach for a second chance romance, but this was a very sweet one! The improv subplot is delightful it was great to follow along as these characters found more of themselves. A great own-voices autism spectrum romance!

The representation of neurodivergent thinking and actions was incredibly well done. The personal journey of realizing and accepting those unique and beautiful traits in the FMC was well portrayed. I loved that this was second chance, but second chance in a marriage they were both trying to save in their own ways. The improv comedy sketches were fun. They were definitely the kind of thing I could see my very charismatic and self confident brother jumping into headfirst. I definitely giggled out loud a few times reading this book.

Content: strong language, explicit, feeling small

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

Took me a couple times to try this book but when it hit it hit well.
Liz hits 30 with a bang and a party which was great -- until she was confused as a server. From all directions it seemed that what she wanted in life was being minimized for what others want for her to the role they want her to play. So she flips the script. She leaves the house she shared with her husband and begins a separation, she puts her bid in to pitch a new idea at work though she was scoffed at and told her position doesn't belong to the pitch role, she joins an improv class to learn how to pitch better and with it comes a fun cast of friends and awkwardness that can only happen when living in a town as small as theirs. As Liz grows and becomes more comfortable with herself, her relationships also change, the terrible one with her sister, her uncertain one with her husband, her meek ones with colleagues.
It's nice to see the kind of growth that happens in this book in a positive way without a whole lot of chaos, drama and stepping on people along the way. Liz is a lovable quirky character and learning all that means to her and to the reader makes for a satisfying read.

#arc
#netgalley
#rulesforsecondchances

This novel is packed wit heart. Liz turns 30 and realizes her life needs shaking up. Her husband Tobin, is not acknowledging the problems they are having. So she signs up for an improv class. And she figures out how to love herself. The book has such a lovely perspective of a troubled marriage. I never doubted the HEA but North gives us the gift of their doubt, anger and sadness. And helps guide us to such a beautiful place of love.

This was my first time reading something from this author and I found myself easily getting immersed in the story.a captivating read that kept me hooked from start to finish. The story is well-written, with well-crafted characters that feel authentic and relatable. The author did a nice job of bringing the story and characters to life.
The storyline flowed smoothly and the plot was unique and interesting. Overall, an enjoyable story that gave me all the feels and left me with a smile on my face. I look forward to reading more by this author.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I really loved the premise of this one but the miscommunication was just too much for me. I was rooting for Liz and for Tobin, emotionally/professionally/romantically but the circles we ran in made me almost dizzy.
I wanted so much more for Liz from her sister, too, especially with Eleanor in the picture.

I am planning on reading McHuge and Stellar's book, so Maggie North was still able to draw me into this world and hook me even though the miscommunication tried it's harded to push me away.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was the first book I have read by this author and I will be looking for more. I really enjoyed this book and I read it in one sitting. I would definitely recommend this book.

“Maybe true love only happens once in a lifetime. But what if it happened again with the same person?”

Liz and Tobin have been drifting apart and need a reset.  And the unlikely solution…improv and it’s most important lesson…“Yes, and”.  But will that be enough to allow them both to follow their dreams without sacrificing their love and relationship.

This second chance, marriage on the rocks, contemporary romance was full of growth and healing.  I thought Liz’s social anxiety was relatable and I loved that Tobin really wanted to work on their relationship.  But mostly I liked that it inspires us to demand more from our lives, while reminding us to like and embrace who we are rather than changing ourselves to make other’s expectations.

Is it too soon to hope for a book featuring Stellar and McHuge??

What are you doing to demand more from your life?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press and Maggie North for the chance to read this one!