Just not for me; I couldn't connect with the characters or get into the story despite trying, I wish I could rate it higher; it had a great premise.

Maggie North debuts with this gorgeously written second chance between Liz and Tobin as they work to save their marriage. It’s heartbreakingly introspective and honest with meaningful conversations around growth- personally, professionally, and within relationships. The concept of using improv as a relationship tool was really clever and I enjoyed the way this brought Liz and Tobin together. I also felt that the representation for late diagnosed neurodivergence was very well done. This is a book I will be thinking about for a long time!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Liz is so tired of not being seen in her life. Her husband is charismatic and lovely and she’s the quiet shadow in the background. Her family isn’t near as kind as they should be to her.

Tobin is baffled that things were actually bad. He thought they were just ok which isn’t good enough anymore. When they finally started talking to each other, you could really see both sides.

The thing I cannot forgive is improv class karaoke that was sung as a cat. I cannot do secondhand embarrassment.

I liked Gail Shalan as the narrator in this.. The nuances of her performance added to the book really well.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in advance.

I enjoyed this book very very much. Liz and Tobin were endearing yet complicated characters, and my heart was deeply affected by all the ups and downs of their emotions! There is such depth to this novel, so many complex situations, so many confused feelings. I was all in as Liz sought to be heard and seen, and the same was true with Tobin, as he struggled with his own issues. I love second chance romances, and this one is fresh and original and wonderful.

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

Story Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded up

Some of my favorite authors have hyped this book up so much, I was sold on it even though ‘marriage in trouble’ is not one of my go-to tropes to read. I’m grateful I listened to them because this book made me feel so many things and I very much enjoyed it.

Liz was a character I had so much empathy for and also so much admiration for her bravery. No one could possibly say she handled everything in her marriage or how she confronted it ‘correctly’, but it was easy to understand where she was coming from and why she felt the way she did. It was also understandable that it was difficult for her to see where she was going wrong until it was almost too late. There is no discounting the effort that she put into what she thought was the right path for her though. As unconventional, scary, and out of her comfort zone it was for her to open up her world with improv and her approach to social situations, she went all in and really committed.

I didn’t feel as connected to Tobin until later on in the book when we started to see more of who he was beneath the perfect people pleaser exterior he tried so hard to project. Given that the book is entirely from Liz’s POV, this is to be expected. It was easy to feel her frustrations with him because we were experiencing her emotions alongside her. As Tobin’s character got to be explored more and he began facing the difficult conversations and outcomes to his relationships that he’d avoided in the past, it became easier to see the real man that he was and how he and Liz fit together.

The idea of improv as a way to reconnect with a partner when a relationship is struggling is not something I would have ever thought of, but it actually seemed to be fairly effective. I think what I liked most about it was the each time Liz and Tobin began a scenario, they would adopt their characters but eventually the ‘scene’ would inevitably shift to them talking authentically to each other. Some of the scenarios I didn’t entirely get and combined with the amount of time spent in the improv group scenes it did venture into a bit much for me, but I liked the originality of that part of the plot.

The secondary characters added a lot of depth to the story and to Liz and Tobin’s characters, whether that was in a good way or a frustrating, infuriating way. There were a lot of players but they each served a purpose. That is something I always appreciate in a book and always try to highlight it when I feel it.

In my first instinct initial rating as I finished this book, I went with 4 stars, but as I’ve sat with it and worked through my thoughts while writing this review, I’m changing my mind to 4.5 stars rounded up. It is an incredibly impressive debut novel. I look forward to what Maggie North delivers next.

Second chance is definitely one of my favorite tropes and this was a sweet (even though a little more complicated than it needed to be) story. I love thar authors are starting to include neurodivergent characters into their stories! In general, I would recommend this book :)

Rules for Second Chances
Maggie North
Pub: 6/25/24
4.5 ☆

This book was such a surprising read. Surprising in a good way. I’ll admit, I almost didn’t read it due to some of the reviews, and I am so glad I didn’t let them sway me.

Second chance romance is one of my favorites, but Rules for Second Chances was so much more. It was a unique and heartwarming story full of humor, hope, and healing. It was an open and vulnerable look at the messy sides of relationships/marriage we don’t always see in romance reads. I think anyone who’s been in a long-term relationship will relate. And maybe learn something from it.

North created some of the most realistic and beautiful characters in Liz and Tobin. I felt fully invested in their story and was routing for them every step of the way. I related so hard to Liz. I felt like I was constantly nodding in agreement and smiling while reading her struggles. I just saw so much of me in her. It was kind of eye opening. What a beautiful debut. I look forward to more from North.

What I adored;
✨ Second Chance Romance
✨ Marriage In Crisis
✨ Real/Relatable Characters
✨ Gorgeous Setting
✨ Yeti

For the romantics out there who like feeling all the feels and truly believe in second chances, this book is for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copie in exchage for my honest review..

Rules for Second Chances may be a second chance romance story but I found it to be a story of exploration and healing for our main character Liz. The story starts with Liz ready to give up on not just her marriage but everything. She is tired of being overlooked and unappreciated by everyone. I liked the premise that she will get out of her comfort zone by doing Improv classes. This created some unique and interesting situations for her and her husband Tobin to share. I felt like this second chance story was unique because the couple was trying to save their marriage. Admittedly, Liz is not committed to saving it at the start of the book. Seeing her learn about herself and open up, made the couple's reconnection pleasing.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy.

This was a decent love story that explored a different perspective of neurodivergent that I haven’t read before. Writing keep the pace of the story interesting. One of the things I did not particular like was the heavy hand on the miscommunication but the romance was sweet.

This is a heartfelt awakening of a husband and wife and how you still need to work on your relationships and how communication is so important. It is adorable and relatable and I enjoyed it so much. It's silly and fun at the same time. Very unique and great plot.

I really wanted to connect with Liz as a neurodivergent, diagnose late in life woman, but I struggled. She had different experiences than I did, but I do appreciate reading about different neurodivergent perspectives.

Thank you St Martin's for the review copy of Rules for Second Chances. I really valued this story that examined experiences, and awakenings, related to self and neurodiversity in adulthood, this kind of representation is increasingly important because each story offers the needed different perspectives on this identity.

I appreciated Maggie North's writing and the use of an improv class to help the MC explore and challenge herself, it was fun but also just right for how to explore facets of identity and neurodivergence (social cues, lack of predictability, trying to fit in and find a space, learning to open up... all things many of us work on!). The romance was sweet, if a little too heavy on miscommunication for me, and the story was a fun escape while still being a thoughtful and insightful romance (I love a romance with depth and strong character development, nuances).

I also listened along from MacMillan audio for part of my read, the narration was perfect for capturing the nuances of the main character and it's a good way to connect with this story.

3,25 stars!

Thank you to SMP & Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review the e-galley and audiobook of Rules for Second Chances. I really enjoyed reading this in both formats. The narrator did a fantastic job!

Overall, this story was sweet. I enjoyed it. I read it all in one sitting. I feel like Maggie North is an exceptional author. Her ability to draw you in from the start is a 10/10. She developed characters with depth that you just couldn't help rooting for. The reason this book is not a 4 or 5 star for me is because I felt like the conflict was something that could have been solved through communication. It felt like it took a huge backroad journey when the highway could have gotten you there way faster, ya know? I loved watching Lix and Tobin fix their relationship through improv. It was a fresh, new take on repairing a relationship so I enjoyed that.

I just felt like some parts of the book were a little redundant and unnecessary.

I enjoyed the previous book by North, but this was just not for me. The whole book could have been wrapped up with a conversation and that kind of miscommunication is just not for me.

Oh goodness, my heart. I related to this book in so many ways that it broke me and also filled me back up. Lizzie lives in the background, no one sees her for her. She needs to find her magic. She just wants someone to listen to her and not see her as just Tobin's wife. She sets out on a journey of self discovery and needs to find herself without Tobin.
There are so many layers to this journey and while we don't get Tobin's POV (I wish we would have for some parts), we see her journey not ony of self discovery, but of realization. She finds her voice, only to discover that maybe the people that were listening to her the whole time are the ones who truly mattered anyways.
I love marriage in crisis books because I love to see the way that they find their way back to one another. At a few points, I was a little scared, but I had faith in the two of them.

Thanks to St. Martins, Netgalley and Maggie North for an early copy.

I am so back and forth about this book. Off the bat and TLDR I think if you like marriage in crisis/second chance romances and seeing autism (particularly diagnosed in adults) rep I highly recommend this book. The setting is also so vivid and charming. You can tell the author loves the environment they are writing in.

My biggest issue was the lack of depth we get from Tobin (MMC). This is single POV but even then I feel like there could have been more developed for his character. I loved some of their deeper conversations but I was still missing the true depth of their love in totality.

But also I was missing more about improv. Improv is a HUGE component of this book. And I have been to improv shows in person and watched virtually so I know some basic stuff but I haven't ever taking a class and I really felt like I was missing something. I really enjoyed her teammates and their initial awkwardness turned bonding and there are amazing side characters but the actually "rules" or "practice" of improv I didn't get. I know the basic "yes and" but then Liz uses Tobin as a practice partner outside of class with scenarios but I felt like the scenarios were never fully explained, it unfolded more like costumed role play.

Overall, this was worth my time reading and I would recommend it. It's honestly a credit to the writing that I wanted more, I know this author could do more. So as this is a debut I will be reading this author's future works. Thanks to SMP for the eARC, I suggest you look up the #SpeakUpSMP boycott.

DNF at 40%

I just could not get into it. The reason for her wanting to leave her husband just made zero sense to me. Miscommunication is not my jam.

Thank you @smpromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of this.

RATING: 2/5 STARS

I could not mesh with the writing of this one. It felt very hot and cold. I loved the premise and the idea of a sunshine MMC but unfortunately was a DNF for me.

I found this a hard one to finish. The characters listen to and just didn’t resonate with me. I wanted to get invested in their second chance, but I think the characters could’ve use more development and I would’ve liked it better if we got Tobin‘s point of view. They’re also seem to be a lot going on which made the story very confusing.

This was a dazzling debut filled with so much heart. It featured characters we don't often see in the romance world or don't see as much as we should: a woman not in her twenties, dealing with the collapse of her marriage, and featuring autism representation. I loved the second chance romance aspects of the story and the setting was beautiful.