I really enjoyed this story. I wasn’t sure about a second chances trope but this one won me over because of improv. I love the growth in both the FMC and MMC. Side characters were a lot of fun too.

I received an ARC from netgalley and the publisher.

This book was a bit of a hot mess. The reality is there was nothing inherently "wrong" with the story, but the relationship between Tobin + Liz felt completely shallow and I don't know that this could be considered a romance novel.

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

I so wanted to love this novel featuring a neurospicy, introverted main character navigating the possible end of her marriage and *finding herself* at the advanced age of THIRTY (major side eye here), but ultimately was disappointed by the really strange extended metaphor of improv that runs through the entire novel and the distinctly unspicy "spicy" scenes. Breezy quick read that ultimately fell flat.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Didn’t love. The writers writing style was not for me unfortunately. I had very high hopes but this fell flat. DNF @23%

I really liked this book. It was refreshing to see someone in a book who just wants people to understand her for her, and be loved and respected for who she is. I also loved the representation in this book. The only thing that bugged me a little bit was it seemed like the arguing between the couple was the same every argument, but I did see growth. I think the sister relationship is very relatable. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

Rules for Second Chances
by Maggie North
Pub Date: June 25, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
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 enjoy second chance romances, but the structure of this one was a little weird. Not sure how I felt about the whole improv storyline, just kind of made some scenes more cringe than they needed to be.
Not one I can recommend.

I thought this was well done. I don’t usually like second chance romances but I am determined to find out that I do and this definitely fits that for me. I liked the style of this book and the author did well with this trope!

Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review .

I did enjoy the second chance romance aspect of this book . Also the autism representation and honestly the first time I read the marriage in crisis trope .

I struggled with some of the writing and keeping engaged at times but it was a cute story . I also felt it would have been beneficial to have Tobins POV and not just Liz’s . But that’s a preference of mine .

Rules for Second Chances is perfect if you love the second chance romance trope and stories with representation. Liz is turning 30 but has never felt like she’s had a place in the world. She’s hard to relate to, socially anxious and awkward, and feels like her husband Tobin elevates her because she can’t elevate herself.

Spoiler alert: Liz has undiagnosed autism. Only her sister Amber (who might be one of the most unlikable characters I’ve ever read) has guessed that she may be autistic. And while Liz has become fixated on people “seeing her,” what she really needed to do is just see herself. Unfortunately for her (and for Tobin) she very nearly ruins her marriage, leaving Tobin and placing a lot of the responsibility for how others treat her on the fact that she is married to him.

I am not autistic, so I tried to have an open mind while reading this entire thing from Liz’s POV. But it frustrated me. Even though Liz doesn’t realize or admit she has autism, she knows she has problems, but has done little to try and sort those things out. Her coworkers and her boss and her mother in law walk all over her and she is undervalued. But not by Tobin, and he takes the brunt of all her pain. It isn’t until she signs up for an improv class that she starts coming into her own, but she still almost sacrifices her marriage.

I found the writing beautiful, the love story was compelling. I wish we had been able to see into Tobin’s POV a little however. Because he is going through it too. Maybe this book wasn’t for me. I appreciate what it was trying to do and the story it is telling is important.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the eARC.

This was such a BEAUTIFUL story. Gah, I just teared up now thinking back to it. It was one of the most impactful endings I’ve read.

I enjoyed parts of Rules for Second Chances but the plot ended up being a bit of a jumble. There were subplots that could have been trimmed in order to improve the flow of the story. For instance, the improv storyline made sense to me but the work proposal competition seemed really forced. It was also abundantly clear very early on that the company both MCs work for is toxic. As the character growth and development happened mostly outside of the work storyline, it seems weird to leave it in. I also would have loved to see Tobin's POV. His character just doesn't have enough depth to really understand his motivations or how he sees his partner.

Rules for Second Chances was overall a good read and I see a lot of potential in Maggie North's writing. I'll definitely check out her future books.

I couldn't get into this book. The female main character was hard to relate to (for me) and I didn't appreciate her reasoning enough to continue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced e-copy of Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North, in exchange for an honest review.

Liz finds herself fading into the background, her vibrant spirit dulled by a sense of invisibility. At home with Tobin, her husband, an impromptu birthday celebration left her disheartened when a guest mistook her for hired help. Extroverted and successful, Tobin seemed oblivious to Liz's quiet yearning for recognition. Their shared workplace at West by North, a mountain and river guide service, mirrored the imbalance at home. Liz's aspirations to lead tours and develop innovative ideas were dismissed by her boss, who confined her to the mundane realm of spreadsheets. Desperation propelled her to seek change, both within the marriage and professionally. She separated from Tobin and sought solace with her sister and niece, longing for a life that truly reflected her worth.

Meanwhile, Tobin is determined to win Liz back. He buys her a relationship repair manual called Rules for Rebooting Your Relationship with Improv and asks her to try it with him. Liz is reluctant at first, but she eventually agrees. The improv class is a turning point for Liz and Tobin. They learn to communicate in a new way, and they start to rediscover the connection they once had. With the help of improv, they find happiness and their way back to each other.
If you love Second Chance Romance books, this is the one for you. I gave this one a solid 4 Star rating!

Liz Lewis has tried her whole life to fit in with everyone around her, but she always finds herself on the periphery. Married to outgoing, charming wilderness tour guide, Tobin Renner-Lewis, she tells Tobin that she needs a break. Liz needs to figure out how to stop playing second fiddle to everyone in her life so she maps out a plan to become the main character in her own life. Seeking a promotion in the wilderness adventure company she works at, her boss advises her to try improv comedy to boost her public speaking skills and build that confidence. Turns out Liz also isn’t great at improv, enter Tobin, recruited to partner with Liz to help her through the improv scenarios and hopefully have a second chance at being together.

This was such an unexpected gem of a story. There’s so many things I enjoyed about it, especially the setting (love Canadian representation), the neurodiverse representation, and especially the improv! I found Tobin and Liz’s story flowed so naturally, the improv scenarios that they went through to rekindle their relationship and work through the barriers they faced previously was such an interesting take on second chance romances. I do think this story could have used another round of editing, some of the scenes dragged on longer than they needed to without adding much to the story. I really felt for the journey that Liz went through during the story. It’s relatable to a lot of people that sometimes you just don’t feel like you’re in the drivers seat of your own life. I loved that she took her power back and figured out how to turn her weaknesses into strengths. For a first time novelist, I thought this was a very strong debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this author.

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