Lyle (aka McHuge), a psychologist who tries very hard to only see the best in people has designed a marriage counseling (the Love Boat) through an outdoors rafting adventure and set up the venue in western Canada. His one night stand from a year ago is Stellar J. Byrd, a very prickly MD who stopped practicing medicine and has huge trust issues. Through mutual friends, they connect again….she needs a job and has white water rafting experience and he needs a doctor on staff to answer one of the many issues with his program listed in a “hit” job article. Another critique is how can someone who’s never been married and isn’t in a committed relationship offer help to married couples. So, Lyle and Stellar become fake engaged….whish might end up in a HEA but can be VERY bumpy getting there. The success of the Love Boat and Stellar and Lyle as a couple must deal with a LOT of obstacles, foes and problem clients but that’s how the characters reveal themselves and grow.

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

This book had all the ingredients I usually love: opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, fake dating. I was genuinely excited to dive in. The cover is stunning, and the description sounded like it was made for me. But unfortunately, it just didn’t land. I struggled to connect with the story, found the writing a bit stiff, and the character names (like Stellar and the nickname "McHuge") pulled me out of the narrative. I didn't find them very memorable or likable. It’s one of those reads that looked perfect on paper but didn’t quite deliver for me in practice.

I enjoyed this follow up to Maggie North's Rules for Second Chances!

Stellar Byrd and Lyle "McHuge" Mchugh have been avoiding each other ever since their one night stand a year ago. When Stellar, a burned out former ER physician, finds herself in dire financial straits, she has no choice but to take a job working with McHuge at his whitewater canoeing wilderness couple's therapy retreat, The Love Boat. After some bad press and insinuations that McHuge can't possibly be a good couple's therapist when he's single himself, Stellar and Lyle get fake-engaged to save face.

Stellar is a constant scorekeeper in relationships, seeing everything as transactional, while McHuge is incredibly generous without expecting anything in return. These polar opposites have to put on the performance of their lives as fake fiances while navigating their first couple's retreat.

This book includes:
- LGBTQ+ representation
- Opposites attract
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Only One Tent
- Fake Engagement
- Second Chance
- High-Stakes Situations
- Rival Whitewater Canoeing Couple's Retreats

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

I was really hoping to like this book, but I just could not get into it. There were sentences that felt incomplete, and the FMC and MMC were unlikeable to me. I decided to ultimately DNF it which is a bummer because I love the fake dating trope. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for unbiased feedback.

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

The premise of this book sounded like it would be right up my alley but unfortunately I DNF about 20% in. I was having a really difficult time getting through the book and the character nickname (McHuge) was really off-putting for me. Maybe I will give this a chance when it comes out via audio and see if I enjoy it more!

Thank you to Maggie North, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I had such high hopes for this book especially seeing as this is written by a Canadian author, but unfortunately I had to DNF it during the prologue. I just could NOT with the FMC and MMC!

The FMC was a little over the top with the "i'm not like other girls" vibe - like ok, we get it. and the MMC was just...odd?

The writing style felt very clunky and disconnected making it very difficult to get into the book and not be distracted by the ick the characters were giving me.

✨What to expect✨
🌶️🌶️/5
✔️Grumpy Sunshine
✔️Heartfelt moments
✔️Cute & Funny moments


This was fun! There were funny moments, heartfelt moments, good spice and a plot line that kept you on your toes! And their grumpy/sunshine dynamic? I WAS SOO HERE FOR IT, GET HIM GIRL!!

The writing at the beginning was hard for me to get in to, but I got used to it as the book went on.

This was a really fun second chance romance. The author's writing, plot, setting and characters are fantastic.

Stellar J. Byrd is a grumpy burnt out Dr who's financial prospects are dwindling. Lyle McHugh (McHuge) is a sunshine psychologist who is the founder of a relationship therapy camp. Stellar takes the job as the physician for the camp. But side note ….she has been avoiding Lyle for the last year after having a disastrous hook up with him. She plans to avoid him but after a scathing article puts Lyle's credibility on the line, they fake their engagement to save the camp from crumbling.

I found Stellars character to be complex. She doesn't trust her feelings and tries to avoid them. Lyle on the other hand was so happy and ok with letting Stellar open up on her own terms. I was really into the summery camp vibes and the side characters lives too, that it was just an overall quick, fun read.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a wonderful, Canadian read. I loved the relationship between Lyle “McHuge” and Stellar. They had such great chemistry and I liked how the author gradually told their backstory while exploring their relationship in present day. The depiction of sexism and plagiarism in medicine/academia felt very true to life. The climax had me on the edge of my seat and the ending left me so satisfied and checking out the first book in this universe. A great read!

I'm not the right audience for this book. I got sucked in by the beautiful cover but I'm not a fan of romances where people aren't interested in monogamous relationships. It was impossible to relate or connect with these characters and I really didn't care what happened to them. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

Thank you to Maggie North, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The Ripple Effect in exchange for my honest review.

Stellar is struggling. After the pandemic, during which she spent time working as an ER doctor, she is burned out. Having left her job under less than ideal circumstances, her financial prospects are dwindling, and all she wants is not to have to move, something she will have to do if she does not make some money soon. When an opportunity to work at a relationship camp called The Love Boat presents itself, Stellar knows it is her last shot. The only issue? It is run by Lyle "McHuge," someone with whom she had a one-night stand a year prior. With few other options, Stellar takes the job, which puts her into forced proximity with Lyle. When things go from bad to worse thanks to a bad press article, Stellar and Lyle find themselves in a fake engagement to try to get The Love Boat to succeed.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There are a lot of really popular tropes, and it is a cool concept. I enjoyed reading it, but at the same time, it was not my favorite. I think my issue became that this book felt more like a fiction novel with a romance subplot, rather than a romance novel. It just did not have the amount of strong character development that I like to see in my romance novels. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely character development, and as readers, we can see how Lyle and Stellar grow as characters throughout the course of the book, but I just was left wanting to see more of that. I also did not feel the pining; it kind of felt like I was being told that they have feelings and are in love, rather than reading it and feeling it myself. I did appreciate that there was no third-act breakup and that the plot was intriguing. I did enjoy the attempts at saving the camp, and there is, in fact, a dash of corporate espionage, and I had fun watching that all play out. I am not sure, to be honest, exactly what it is about this book that didn't land with me, because from a broad scale view, it is well written, takes a fun twist on popular tropes, and is a unique concept. I think it is just that not every book is for everyone, and for where I am right now as a reader, I needed something a bit different, I think.

I loved Maggie North’s debut and so was so excited to get my paws on this one. She continues to write with such love and care for our Canadian setting (more Canada set romance PLEASE!) and I especially loved the wilderness camp setting. Lyle was a standout of a side character for me in Rules for Second Chances, and I loved the chance to get to know him better and to see him find his own happily ever after!

I love love that this bookntakes place in Canada's and the descriptions of the camo and the mountains is spot on! Both characters are lovable ans i found myself rooting for them. Easy read. I don't normally read romance but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I went in totally blind. I haven't read any of the authors other books. But still it worked for me!

Oh this book was a delight! I went in a little blind and ended up adoring their camp, the growth from both the mmc and fmc and all the supporting characters. Loved how it all wrapped up too! So satisfying!

‘The Ripple Effect’ by Maggie North is a great read and a fantastic follow on to ‘Rules for Second Chances’. I was so excited to learn that Stellar and Lyle would have their own romance novel, and I was not disappointed. Set against the backdrop of a mountain ski town, Stellar and Lyle slowly (and reluctantly, on some parts) find themselves drawn to each other over the course of the summer and their time working at The Love Boat together.

While ‘The Ripple Effect’ is a romance (and a great one at that), it also touches on so many important topics and emphasizes the importance of self-help, self-growth, and second chances.

I have never read anything by this author, but I will be looking out for other books they write in the future. I really enjoyed the story as well as the pacing of the story.

One year ago, Stellar J Byrd made one in a string of decisions that anchors her firmly in the reciprocal sex but never a relationship side of life. Unfortunately, circumstances have brought her and Lyle McHugh together once again at a camp in rural Canada that is designed to help strengthen failing marriages. Stellar’s outward defenses are stalwart, and she will do nearly everything to keep them that way. But Lyle has a way of getting under her skin in the best way, and he just might have what it takes to change her mind for good. This steamy romance capitalizes on the damage two people have between them that threaten to keep them from happiness forever. Though formulaic in its approach, the relationship between Stellar and Lyle has a pleasant slow-burn growth with passion simmering beneath the surface. As readers work from one romantic encounter to the next, the adjacent storyline is enjoyable and the writing is strong enough to be engaging. Relevant details of each character’s past are revealed at choice moments and help readers to better connect and empathize with the protagonists throughout the novel. The juxtaposition between the outward demeanor of Lyle and Stellar give their relationship a complex, gritty quality, and as each character exhibits a spread of emotions, readers will appreciate the ebbs and flows of their interactions from one scene to the next. Predictable, steamy, and emotional, this book is an enjoyable summer romp for lovers of flawed and cathartic romances.

After multiple attempts, I have decided to soft DNF this for the moment. I am unable to really get into the book and relate to the characters. I’m sorry!

I delayed finishing this book by days because I didn’t want it to be over. It is the very best kind of book, where reading it makes you feel ready to take up a whole new life just to feel a fraction more connected to the world where these characters exist. Maggie North writes characters who are so vastly different and somehow so relatable? I honestly don’t know how she does it but I will read absolutely anything she ever writes.

4.25⭐️ “I’ve been back for over an hour, even though I went to Costco on a Friday afternoon, which is a live-action preview of the breakdown of Western civilization. If you cut the line in there, someone will cut you, and they already have a three-pack of J.A. Henckels knives in their cart to get the deed done.”

This had me cackling. ☺️ This book was full of little gems I wanted to highlight. The writing is what hooked me from the start.

Stellar isn’t particularly likeable. She’s quite prickly, is prone to self sabotage and is truly in need of therapy. McHuge wasn’t what my normal book boyfriend dreams are made off either at first glance with his hippy vibes. But I still found myself reading this book in less than 24 hours.

I was rooting for them, I was rooting for their business. I became invested in everyone on the Love Boat trip.

The Ripple Effect surprised me in many ways and I came away with a smile on my face and a new author to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley, St-Martin’s Press and the author Maggie North for the advanced reading copy, all my opinions are my own.