okay WAIT dare i say i enjoyed more than her debut?! kiss north you are KILLING it honey!!!! this was so deeply steeped in angsty romance and chemistry that’ll knock your socks off son. i devoured it in one sitting, and i thank the stars everyday i listened to miss jessica joyce’s book recs!!

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. From the start I felt like I was missing major details. The way we jump right into the story made me feel like I had skipped entire pages. All along the way I just kept feeling like I needed more information. I had a difficult time feeling the connection, it seemed forced & baseless. The main characters were both strong, interesting characters & the plot was interesting enough. I just never got into the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

I really struggled to maintain interest in this book. It was drawn out and I couldn't connect with the main characters. So much of the story was internal and reflective, that I had a hard time remembering what was actually happening throughout the story. It felt overly descriptive and, while it is a slow burn, it felt more like a slow-ignite before anything started burning. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

love when authors create a story with a really big guy as a main character. Like bulky, strong, muscular, and tall. I don’t know why other than maybe that’s just my type. But I love the interaction between the characters when you just have the super big guy.

Usually, they are depicted as super sweet, soft, emotional, nurturing people, and generally misunderstood.

The male main character in this particular story is exactly as I described, which is a perfect offset for the female lead who is very complex and afraid of her own feelings. She is tense, and healing, and we all feel it.

There are so many complexities about this girl that it’s difficult to explain them. But rest assured, the growing development between these two is so sweet. I love how they interact together—soft, swoony, and afraid of their feelings.

The author dives in deep with the nuances and intense descriptive areas of the story. North makes everything come alive. The ending for me is the best part as a third party explains the relationship and it is so sweet and romantic. What a clever way to detail everything we experienced firsthand.

The Ripple Effect was not what I expected in several ways. I was surprised but came away with huge emotional happiness for these two. The tension melts away and their romance blossoms. Wonderful!

I couldn't wait to read this book after reading Rules for Second Chances. We met the main characters in the first book as this book follows along with Stellar and McHuge.

McHuge and his buddy start a new relationship therapy program based in the wilderness based on McHuge's successful relationship guide. In order for them to get a sponsorship to work with the camp, McHuge needs a physician with whitewater experience. That's where Stellar J comes in. After being burned out from her job in the ER, Stellar needs a new distraction to keep her from worrying about her money issues so she agrees to the job.

The book follows their relationship from their one-night stand to their working relationship. The spice is just the right amount, and the book is just as good as the first one. I can't wait to see what Maggie writes next.

📖 Book Review 📖 I enjoyed Rules for Second Chances, so I jumped into The Ripple Effect without thinking twice about it and of course, I was in for one delightful surprise! Once again, readers are in for a treat with a beautiful escape to the vast and idyllic wilderness of Canada and a reminder that no matter where we are in our life and how accomplished we may be, we all go through seasons that challenge us and make us feel like dirt on the bottom of our hiking boots. Maggie North delivers another heartfelt rom com that reminds us that on the other side of our struggles is the promise for a brighter future and that with a little chaos along the way, hope can carry us through.

A satisfying, emotional read from Maggie North (a new-to-me author). Lyle and Stellar are both compelling characters and their arc is satisfying. The jacket copy calls this a grumpy (her) - sunshine (him) dynamic, but I don’t think that captures it very well. They are both holding on to a lot of hurt, but Stellar has let that close herself off from the world and let anger and fear dominate, whereas Lyle is overly trusting and wields kindness as a bit of an armor / deflection tool.

It’s written in first-person present, single POV (Stellar’s). This is not my favorite writing style and I felt Lyle remained a bit of a cipher because we weren’t seeing inside his head. Stellar’s internal monologue got a bit repetitive at times, and the non-romance part of the plot didn’t always hold my interest. However, overall I enjoyed this book and think fans of Jessica Joyce will love it.

This is a great follow up to Rules for Second Chances. Honestly I got an early copy of this and I started reading it before the other one and didn’t love it. But after a read Rules, I fell in love with McHuge and couldn’t wait for him to get his HEA. Maggie North writes grown up characters with grown up problems. Admittedly McHuge is probably a little more perfect than her female characters. It is probably why I needed to get to know him by reading Rules, where he is a side character. But this book really is a fun read. And certainly a love note to the healthcare workers that got burned out during the pandemic. Well worth reading.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. Probably my favorite by this author. The novel painted a vivid picture of resilience, one I wanted to carry into my own life.

The Ripple Effect by Maggie North is a campy rom-com novel set in Canada at a wilderness-based relationship therapy program. Featured tropes include grumpy x sunshine, fake dating, and one bed (tent).

I thought it was a fun, generally easy read, however there is a heavy focus on recovering from past trauma/bad relationships that is present throughout the story. The story was entertaining and I found myself curious how things would progress. There were a couple times while reading where I had to scan previous pages because it felt choppy, but that could have been me and not an actual issue with the book. Fans of rom-coms with outdoorsy settings will likely enjoy this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting me a complimentary advanced reader copy of the eBook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and based off of this draft; the final publication may be different. Expected publication date is June 17, 2025.

First of all, this book makes me want to take up paddling, which is wild because I am clumsy in a boat! But I would absolutely do it to take a class with Lyle and Stellar, the main characters of this book. Lyle is a psychologist who has been plagued by the pitfalls of academia but earned some amount of success with a book. He's piloting a brand new business of high end adventure relationship retreats called Love Boat. After burning out in medicine during the pandemic, Stellar signs on to help run and serve as the camp doctor, but the twist here is that they had a one night stand a year prior, and that she ghosted him to avoid the possibility of getting hurt. It's clear that he still likes her, and that she still likes him, and when they fake an engagement to avoid fall out from a big celebrity dropping out of their program's trial run, they're forced to admit real feelings. I love a book in which the characters grow together and as individuals, and this felt satisfying because by the end, both Lyle and Stellar had come to terms with what they need for themselves and in a relationship. I loved their journey so much.

Thank you so much to Maggie North, SMP, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was looking forward to these book after reading Rules for Second Chances. McHuge was such an intriguing character that I was anxious to read his story. What surprised me is how much I related to him. I'm also a therapist. I also have been tall since a young age which had people treating me like an adult while I was a child. I could appreciate his struggles and how these things formed his character. He and Stellar were really yin and yang.

North puts so much thought into her character development. All of the characters were so authentic, even the small side characters. The writing is so specific that I felt like I had wilderness skills and I was there on the water in Canada. (I actually have canoed in Canada before - but nothing like this.)

My gripe with this book is that the pacing was a but uneven. I also could have used more with the sister relationship (book 3 possibly?) This book was definitely worth reading. I enjoyed it more than the first. And it can be read as a standalone. Great for fans of Abby Jimenez Just for the Summer. 4 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received a ARC from Netgalley, and this one took me a while to finish. They have a second chance at their relationship and have to work together for a favor to their friend going on paternity leave.
I loved it representing Canada, and making the characters relatable, I liked how they were partnering to run couples counseling in the Canadian wilderness, however this one was not my favorite. There is a back story with these characters and it does do some flashbacks, but I was confused to the main character and her struggles. I do not like giving negative reviews, and the story overall was enjoyable, however the main character seemed to annoy me at times.

I love Maggie North’s writing! I enjoyed this book but for some reason it took me quite a while to get into this. While I loved both characters for some reason I just didn’t feel their connection as deeply as I had hoped.

The cover tells you how steamy this book is! I love the characters and how intense and humorous this story could be

I loved this book. Maggie North writes so well. Her characters are well-developed, emotionally aware and present. Lyle and Stellar had a one night stand, she avoided him for a year and then took a job working with him. Even as things went haywire, they chose over and over again to work together instead of pulling apart. They are both such wonderful, fully crafted characters with flaws and history. I’ve got to hand it to an author who works to keep her characters together instead of using the oh-so-common third act breakup. Thank you for creating characters who do not run from each other the second their fake engagement is found out! (Not a spoiler - it’s a romance novel, you know it’s going to happen).

4 stars for writing different characters and writing them so beautifully.

The cover made me pick this up out of my regular TBR order and I'm not sorry! I loved this! The title summed it up! Fabulous read and quite enjoyable! Go Maggie!

Not quite for me but for what it’s worth the writing is good. Im sure the book will find its people who love it.

I was very grateful to receive a copy of The Ripple Effect in my inbox- thank you to Maggie North and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC of this book!

I read The Second Chances Playbook in preparation for this book when I realized it was the second book and highly recommend you do, as well, if you are planning on reading this book. It starts out without much straightforward backstory. It seems to assume you know more about the characters and their lives than is on the page and the backstory of the FMC is talked about a lot but indirectly if that makes sense. We don't get much about the MMC which left me feeling like I didn't connect with him as well. A lot of the book centers around the past, the FMC's baggage and what is going on with the retreat so when the FMC and MMC do finally get together it doesn't feel earned. I appreciated the thought and effort that went into writing and designing a couples counseling retreat but had a hard time feeling connected to the main characters and their relationship.

Stellar has taken one too many hits romantically and in her career that she's just trying to breathe and make it one day at a time. But bills are looming and pressing ever harder and she reluctantly agrees to working for McHugh on his new adventure couples' therapy startup. They have a bit of history but ignoring it for the chance to recover financially seems like Stellar's best bet. Unfortunately, they're immediately met with doomsday sort of negative press and Stellar throws herself into any and everything to make sure they do, in fact, succeed against the odds including an out-of-the-blue engagement with him.
I'm not gonna lie (and I'm totally calling myself out here) but I was nervous reading this book. I fell hard for Maggie's writing in Rules for Second Chances so can a sophomore novel hit those notes or exceed expectations? Also, I'm not a fan of gratuitous steam - it just doesn't do it for me. It takes me out of the story and I'm ever here for the plot and character arcs over anything else. Maggie had mentioned on socials that this was steamier and maybe it is? But! In the absolute best of ways, it only furthered my beloved preferences. Every word had to be read to get to the meat and potatoes that is Stellar and McHugh.
This is romance. This is the emotional tug on my heartstrings that I want. This is going down as a book to remember. Maggie's thoughtful prose is beautiful and I'm a sucker for it. She gives Stellar and McHugh growth individually and together so their opposites compliment, pushing the other to flourish. I recommend to readers who love a character who is harder on herself than anyone else, follows the light at the end of the tunnel, and barrels her way to the better on the other side. She's honest with herself first and that is something to celebrate.
Thank you to SMP Romance and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.