While I normally love second-chance romances.. something about this entire cast of characters felt very solemn to me, and I just couldn't connect with them. I don't think it's the characters either - maybe it was more so the setting?

A few things I identified with were feeling like you were completely the opposite of your partner and scrambled in-law relationships. Sometimes, there's just no fixing those!

**Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

When I'm reading a romance what I'm always looking for are the characters. I have to at least be interested in the main character a little bit in the beginning - they can be unlikeable at the beginning but I have to have some kind of interest in them. In a second chance romance, I have to at least understand why they didn't work out (or are not working out) and see reasons for they to be together again. I found none of that here. So, I didn't care about their relationship and about their growth as a couple.

I also didn't care about the whole improv thing - it was too cringe for me.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

This was an absolutely beautiful story. Any reader would find themselves rooting for Liz and Tobin. Liz is the driving force in this story. She finds that her life is stagnated, she keeps being overlooked for the things she wants, her marriage isn’t functioning the way it used to and she’s lacking friends finding herself lonely. She decides after her 30th birthday party to take the reins and to find the “magic” that she feels Tobin has and she doesn’t. The first step in that journey? Improv! Liz doesn’t go through anything alone. Tobin and Liz work through their marriage problems together and Liz makes friends.

I won’t provide any more spoilers but this book was so heartwarming and it shares a lovely message about learning to love yourself despite the judgement cast on you. I would recommend this book to anyone!

I wasn't quite sure what to make of this debut from Maggie North. I felt it deserved more of a Women's/Fiction label than a Romance. You'd think that'd mean it elevates the story's sophistication, but the pace, character development, chemistry/development, etc. make a book good.

This was a sleeper of a read, slowish. There were some beautiful phrases that I'm sure the author took time to polish off her poetry to incorporate and lovely bits of improv philosophy. But, the overall story and writing needed to get more magic to turn this ok story into something better.

This book originally caught my eye because of the title, RULES FOR SECOND CHANCES. Second chance romance is my favorite romance trope and I seek out books that fall into that category. It helped that the cover is gorgeous too!

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't a good fit for me. From the very start I struggled to connect with Liz and Tobin, and in turn, I wasn't invested in their relationship. I needed more buildup for the marriage in crisis trope to work for me.

I will give this author another shot with her next book!

After Liz Lewis gets mistaken for a server at her own 30th birthday party, she decides to shake up her life. She moves out of the house she shares with her husband, asking for some time, and takes up an improv class to improve her chances of getting the promotion at work she wants. Can she apply improv’s greatest lesson – Yes, and… - to manifest the changes she wants?

I liked that this second chance romance showcased main characters who were already married and trying to decide whether/how to save their marriage. It showcased just how messy a relationship can be after the HEA where most romance books end. I also liked the friends Liz made in her improv class. Despite knowing this is a romance book, I was genuinely unsure whether Liz and Tobin would make things work or walk away from their marriage. I would consider it closer to a women’s fiction book than a romance. There was a lot going on in this book, and I think it would have worked better to cut one or two of the side stories to focus more on the remaining ones.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

Rules for Second Chances is a second chance romance. Liz is a quiet person also the person who gets overlooked when in a crown with her husband Tobin sociable and very outgoing. Liz decides there needs to be changes so decides to move out.

There are so many things for Liz and Tobin to work on but following this book it was fun watching Liz grow and make changes to herself.
That being said as a second chance romance there were so many opportunities to make it a little more exciting so it just wasn’t for me. I’m sure sure there are many people who thoroughly enjoyed it so please read other reviews.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the #AdvanceReviewCopy

Genre: Romance
Publication Date: June 2024

Summary: Liz decides one painful night, on her 30th birthday party no less, that her ever so popular, adventure loving husband is too toxic for her. She asks him for time away to find herself and to figure out who she really is without him. Torn over her leaving, Tobin attempts to save their marriage by convincing Liz to participate in therapy using a book written by his best friend.

My Thoughts: A second chance romance is of my favourite tropes.
I finished this one a few weeks ago. It took me much longer than it should have to finish though. Overall, it’s a good story but was weighed down heavily by so many other unnecessary scenes and side plots that I kept putting it down. It got rather confusing at times. Especially during the therapy improv sessions.

Liz knows she’s different and throughout mentions that she suspects she is autistic, although undiagnosed until the very end. Autism hits too close to home with me. I’m a mom of an autistic boy, and so I can see that the thought process, actions, and decisions that Liz goes through is impacted by her disability. I can sympathize with Liz on that end.
I only wish that Tobin had a POV as he was such a big character but we only get to know him through Liz. I’d have liked to have spent some time in his head, getting to know him better, understanding his perspective; It might have made me root for them even more.

Overall, a rather accurate representation of someone with autism and the daily struggles that the disability brings, but as a romance I found it lacked a connection and fireworks between the couple.

I enjoy second chance romances. I like that it took place in a small town. The characters fell flat for me, and I didn't find myself rooting for the characters to be together in the end. I liked the writing, but the characters weren't my favorite.

This was definitely a slow burn for me - both the romance and just getting into the story. I really enjoyed Liz and Tobin’s story and the glimpses of their early days as well as the rut they have found themselves in as we start the book. I like the marriage in trouble trope where they open communication and try to build themselves up inside of the marriage instead of taking a hard separation. I’m guessing we’re going to get more glimpses into this world through McHuge (sorry but that name is terrible) and Stellar (also…why?) and their obvious situationship - I’m interested to see what’s going on there.

I’m a fan of second chance romances, but this one fell flat for me. There was just so much going on in the book that the romantic relationship didn’t really take center stage. Unfortunately, I was never invested in the characters or their relationship. I appreciated Liz’s journey and that she was trying to grow and find herself, but there was a lot to tackle throughout the book so it just felt a bit chaotic.

2.75 Stars

DNF @ 58%

It pains me that I had to quit this book at over the halfway mark, but I just couldn't take the miscommunication trope here anymore. The improv as a communication tactic was entertaining, I was rooting for the FMC to quit her job (where she's clearly unappreciated), and I really enjoyed the side characters. But the fact that the entire conflict could have been resolved if she'd ever even talked to her husband before packing a bag just didn't work for me.

I LOVE a good marriage in crisis novel (being a married person myself, I like seeing this relationship on the page, but this was not there.

This book started out kind of slow for me, but once Liz and Tobin really got into their improv routine, I really really enjoyed it. I also appreciated this kind of a second chance romance to fix a marriage that wasn't working -- it's a really rare trope but one that I think should be represented more, given how common it probably is in reality. I also appreciated Liz's inner monologue (and sometimes her outer monologue) -- it felt like really thoughtful autism representation.

This was a wonderful second chance romance involving a married couple. I love that the couple explored what brought them together and what can keep them together. Liz and Tobin obviously care about and want each other which the author is able to capture easily. The story has heart, heat, sadness and inner reflection. This makes a great romance novel that others are sure to enjoy. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review.

Thank you to the publisher for not only granting me access to an early digital copy of Rules for Second Chances, but also for the finished paperback that I received in the mail. I have been married for nine years, and over the years, I have come to appreciate books about a marriage in crisis, not necessarily because mine is, but because they are a good reminder that marriage is a lot of work and that you will undoubtedly face hard times, but you and your partner can choose to remain committed to each other and work through the hard times together. The characters in this book felt so real to me, and I thought that this was an amazing debut by author Maggie North. I loved the wilderness aspect of the story because what better place to put your marriage to the ultimate test and repair than the wilderness. There were plenty of tender moments with moments of comic relief sprinkled throughout. This is definitely one of those stories that will make you look at your marriage and reflect on it and think about what keeps you showing up for each other day in and day out. Out now!!

The idea of this book was really unique and original - not a “from the beginning” love story but an “in the middle” story about when life gets tough. Liz is struggling hard to find her place in the world, and everyone around her will become involved in her quest for what she truly wants. In action, the story was a bit confusing. There were a lot of moving parts and some of the improv situations got ridiculous. Liz and Tobin’s family stories were mentioned but I didn’t feel like they were explored enough, and there were a lot of references to their wedding but no one clear explanation of how it all went down. The love story was beautiful and I really connected with the improv group Liz fell in with - some great personalities there.

This was a cute second chance, small town romance. The narrator was very good, but I had to slow the listening speed to only 1.5 speed.

I enjoyed the story and the progression. I liked that we got to know Liz very well, but she also had moments that were beyond immature for her age. It was good that Tobin also did some soul searching, but would have been nice for this realization to be told earlier in the book.

Thank you for the audio copy, this is my honest opinion.

Rules for Second Chances was a small town, outdoorsy, marriage in trouble romance featuring an undiagnosed autistic FMC desperate to be seen and have a circle of her own friends. I found myself relating a lot with Liz, her introversion and struggles with fitting in resonated with me, as I face the same obstacles. I was surprised by how funny I found this book, there were several one liners that had me busting out laughing. My main complaints are the intense second hand embarrassment/cringe I experienced and the lack of character development with Tobin. I feel like Tobin’s character lacked the complexity that was so apparent with Liz. I also didn’t find myself falling for Tobin. He felt very two dimensional to me and I could tell the author spent way more time on Liz’s growth and humanity. The cringe was mostly with the outlandish costumes Liz or Tobin would wear for the improv scenes. The whole moment where Liz is dressed up in a period piece while “riding” a toy horse through a field to meet Tobin (who’s dressed casually, btw) made me literally want to die of secondhand embarrassment. I think that’s more a me problem than a problem with the story. The highlight of the story was definitely Liz’s growth and self discovery - the romance fell a little flat in comparison.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an early copy!

I love a second chance romance and after reading the synopsis, I just had to read it. Honestly, I couldn't really connect with this book. Liz and Tobin were an ok couple, but this book was slow. There were a couple plot holes that I just couldn't get over. Overall, it was an ok read. The audiobook was very good. The narrator was a perfect voice for this book.

2.5⭐ rounded up

*Thank you partner @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fine but it didn't really mesh with me like so many others have. The first half of the book was a little hard to get through, I found it kind of boring. Once Liz started to come into herself then the book seemed to pick up.