2.5⭐️
"A slow lean in, a sigh when his forehead touches mine. It's a prayer, almost, the way we stand together, my hands light around his shoulders, his hands light on my heart."

This was hard to read so my review is going to be a little rambly. I probably wouldn't have finished this if it hadn't been a Netgalley book. We're just never given any context. Like for anything. Not about the business where Liz works, not about her relationship with Tobin or the town she lives it. It's all so vague, it was confusing to read

So our main character Liz decides she needs to make some changes in her life- she's not happy in her marriage or her job. She think's that everyone just sees her as 'Tobin's wife' and not as her own person- she doesn't have the same 'magic' that has. But she sort of blames him for this? Like it's not his fault he's a people-person and just naturally outgoing. She's convinced she needs to change who she is and how she behaves, basically that if she becomes a different version of herself all of her problems will go away.

Somehow the solution to all of those problems is improv? Her boss doesn't think she's the right person for a promotion at work (even though her manager retired and she's the ONLY person in the department?? Make it make sense)? Improv. She has a terrible relationship with her toxic sister? Improv. Her marriage is crumbling because her and her husband don't communicate? IMPROV. This is set in a small town and yet 90% of the population seems to do improv in their spare time

There's really nothing wrong with improv, but it made this a frustrating read. I want to see our characters actually talking and working to mend their relationship, not acting out scenarios dressed up like pirates. I skimmed a lot of the improv scenes tbh. And its a shame because the second-change/marriage in trouble story line here was really good. It was full of angst and longing and two people learning now to grow up and stay together, I wish we could've had more focus on that

The ending is also wrapped up a little too neatly. Like Liz's sister and mother in law were both terrible the entire book- but then in the end both seem to have epiphany's without us seeing any actual growth, and they apologize. It just felt empty and like the author was trying to tie off everything

Thank you to Netgalley and publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North is a fabulous debut! As the title implies, it's a second chance romance between a husband and wife who have drifted apart. Nothing tragic or traumatic has happened, but Liz just feels lost. She feels like she's been stuck playing a supporting role in her own life, and she's been content to let her husband stand in the spotlight. But after her thirtieth birthday party, something snaps, and she moves out, needing time and space to figure things out.

The focus on improv comedy took me by surprise, but my cousin-in-law (who is a therapist) is a huge fan of improv as a way to process emotions and heal, so seeing that play out in Liz and Tobin's relationship was fun to watch. The couple uses a book called, you guessed it, Rules for Second Chances, to try to reopen communication and save their relationship. This book encourages them to engage in improv--"Yes and"--engaging in various scenarios that push and stretch them in different ways.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. At first I thought the reason she moved out was a little flimsy, and a bit dramatic and unnecessary, until I remembered that as someone who is not autistic, I couldn't impose my own ways of thinking and processing the world on Liz. She would experience life differently than me, and when I saw things through that lens, her actions made more sense to me. I also loved the cast of supportive side characters that she meets through her improv classes. And Tobin--I loved how he wasn't just a one-dimensional character. As Liz grew and changed, so did he, and I loved that ultimately they chose to continue to grow and change together.

An emotional romance, introspective, honest, and peppered with humor, Rules for Second Chances comes out in late June, and it's one you definitely need to add it to your summer romance TBR!

I wanted to love this one. I liked the use of improv to help them with their marriage. I think I didn't quite understand the real conflict for them. And because we weren't getting Tobin's POV he just seems perfect.

Liz decides that she needs to change her life. Unfortunately, change is one of the things she dreads. But with the help of an improv class and her husband--who she's on a break. from--she might learn who she can really be.

This book grew on me more and more as I read it! Here's what I loved:

The neurodiversity rep. I adored Liz. I honestly saw a lot of myself in her. Her journey to embrace herself while also realizing that it's okay to be different really resonated. The first person POV was a great choice with this, allowing the readers to get inside of her head, to hear her inner dialogue.

The improv. This was one of the best aspects of this book. Liz and her fellow classmates made me laugh and made me love them as they put themselves out there.

That warm feeling. I've never smiled so much while reading a book. Liz falling in love with her own life and stepping up to be the main character was so much fun to watch.


All in all, this was a great, heart-warming romcom

Thank you to the publisher and author for the gifted copy!

I love a journey of rekindling married love and I wanted so desperately to fall in love with these characters -- their self discoveries and how to better love one another -- but I couldn't quite get there. There was a lot that was covered but I was never invested in the characters or their relationship and it felt a little like an aimless, long trudge to the finish line. Their passion for one another didn't seem to be there and as a result, I spent the book almost as bored with them as I felt they were with one another. I would try another book by this narrator and appreciated some of the quieter moments that seem to be lacking in a lot of contemporary romance, I just hope to have more to cling onto, follow, and root for in future books.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an opportunity to review this ARC.

This was different from just about any romance book I’ve ever read, and there is a lot to love about it!

This is a second chance romance about a marriage that is on the rocks, and it gets pretty intense and sad at times. Liz feels like she is perpetually living in the shadow of her charming, outgoing husband Tobin. And not only that, she feels like no one at all, including Tobin actually sees her. She sets out on a mission to find the “magic” Tobin has by changing her whole social persona, and doing it via improv.

This book covers a lot of ground, and Id even argue that it’s covering too much. We’ve got a rocky marriage, a suffering MC (who is learning about her own neurodivergence), extremely difficult family dynamics on both sides, deep dives into Improv as a self-help and almost therapy-like practice, a toxic workplace, a diverse and charming cast of side characters, honestly I could probably go on. For what it’s worth, this story does tackle a lot of these with grace, but I felt that because of the sheer number of topics within it was hard for any of them to feel terribly fleshed out.

I did really enjoy the improv bits, and I found the re-kindling of Liz & Tobin’s relationship to be really beautiful and touching, and full of lessons that are so important to relationships. I wished I got to know Tobin more, as he felt a bit one dimensional despite us learning from afar about his childhood family dynamics and how they are effecting him now. The humor did make me laugh out loud a few times, and I did really especially adore the side characters in Liz’s improv class. There is just still the feeling that things fell flat come the end, only because there wasn’t always enough space to flesh things out.

I will likely give this author another try, and I did still enjoy it overall. I’m ultimately giving this 3.5/5 stars, and I hope Maggie North’s voice continues to grow as I see a lot of potential. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for this eArc copy!

Like the title says, Rules for Second Chances is a second chance romance. This book was a lot heavier than I was expecting it to be. Liz and Tobin are a married couple that is going through a rough patch. Liz decides to go to an improv class to learn to communicate and gain confidence in herself. Throughout the book, Liz didn’t feel seen but she also wasn’t fully seeing her husband Tobin. Quite a lot of problems could have been solved if they had just spoken honestly to each other. Not quite so sure about the ending of the book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Liz Lewis has just turned 30 and has started to feel like she doesn't really know herself. She feels very lonely despite having a husband who loves her and a successful job. She decides to separate from her husband and try to find herself. I love the second chance romance/ marriage on the rock trope because it shows past the typical happily ever after in a book. Readers get to see the rough patches and the work it takes it to make a relationship successful. This book gets a little.heavy throughout while also balancing humor with many improve scenes as Liz and Tobin try to find their way back to each other. This book is beautifully done and was a joy to read.

This was a great book. I connected with the characters. I felt engrossed with the plot. I would read another book by this author.

Second chances....

Liz is neurodivergent, quiet, and likes to keep to herself while her husband, Tobin is gregarious and sociable. At her thirteenth birthday party, she decides it is time to make a change in her life after being mistaken for a server and not the birthday girl. Her solution is to move out of their home and in with her sister, work on herself, and take an improv class. She wants to work on her confidence which is a worthy thing to do but I did find some of her actions to be a little abrupt and dramatic. What happened to communication? Okay, okay, that is one of the things Liz needs to address.

The tips on improv were fantastic and applied to relationships as well. I loved these tips and the messages that were shared. While I appreciated the emphasis on Liz's desire to make changes and her bravery in doing so, the conflict at work and home didn't work for me. It is obvious that Liz and Tobin have things they need to work on in their marriage, but I just had a hard time connecting with them.

I enjoy second chance romances, but this one didn't work for me that way that I had hoped. What worked for me was Liz's journey, her courage to make changes, her acceptance and realization of her own issues, and learning to speak up for herself was the best part of the book (besides the improv tips).

Unfortunately, it didn’t meet my expectations. While the premise of combining the spontaneity of improv with a love story was intriguing, the execution fell flat. The characters lacked depth and their chemistry felt forced, making it difficult to root for their relationship. The improv scenes, which should have been lively and entertaining, were too awkward. I didn’t really like either MC and the writing was a bit hard to follow.

Throughout the book I often felt frustrated with Liz for being less open to working with Tobin when she clearly still loved him, and he loved her. However, by the end I could see the process Liz went through as an autistic adult. It definitely reads differently, as it should. I didn’t care for the Improv, but found the work conflict interesting. Overall, I was impressed and would recommend.
Thanks #Netgalley for the ARC e-book.

This book was written for me. I could so relate to Liz, and her husband, Tobin, reminded me a lot of my husband. It was interesting when Liz decided she didn't want to be who she was, she wanted people to see her, she wanted friends, a promotion at work, and she set out to change who she was. Not only did her life changed, but it also changed her husband. But like any journey, that starts a new path, there are going to be ups and downs, twist and turns, mistakes, and frustration. Liz and Tobin, kept trying to get it right, but they were missing one key factor. You will have to read the book, to see if they figure out why things are happening as they are. It was nice to find someone that is so much like me, and seeing how she did things, that I had already tried. Thank you, Maggie North, for writing Liz and Tobin's story.
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Griffin through NetGalley.

4.5

Maggie North took my heart on a JOURNEY with this marriage in trouble story that left my heart feeling tender but full of hope and tears welling up in my eyes. In most romance books, we get the beginning stages of a relationship, the butterflies and warm fuzzies that all lead to the HEA, but there aren’t many books that focus on the after. Sure we might get an epilogue, but this is a curated peek that doesn’t show the messiness and struggles of longterm partnerships. What I appreciate about a marriage in trouble/crisis story is how it dives into life following the HEA and explores the characters’ shared history, the hurt they’ve inflicted on each other, and the massive decision of whether they will fight to mend their hearts and relationship or whether loving the other means letting them go… these moments don’t show up on the highlight reel, BUT they are the moments so many of us can relate to. North does an exceptional work of bringing these emotions and threads together seamlessly that leave you holding your breath and turning the pages quickly because you have to find out what happens.

Liz and Tobin were incredibly relatable characters and there were countless times I personally felt seen in both their personal and relationship journey. My heart ACHED for them as they floundered in their efforts to communicate, listen to, and bare their souls, struggles, and desires with each other. Their story was heart wrenching and North didn't hold back in exploring the cracks that developed in their marriage, BUT she gave us incredible moments of beauty, bravery, and some laughter that left you with a renewed sense of hope. I also appreciate how the themes and discussions in the story are applicable to all forms of relationships - romantic, familial, friendship.

This book is so very special and even though your heart will fracture into a million pieces along the journey, I promise that North will expertly piece it back together in the end. If you want a book that will reach right into your soul and leave an imprint on your heart, Rules for Second Chances is a must read. I cannot wait to read what North writes next!

This book wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. I sort of just felt indifference after finishing. The book was all over the place and the dialogue felt very stilted to me.

Marriage in conflict can be a great trope when done well. The conflict between Tobin and Liz felt very contrived and unrealistic to me. Plus all the references to Liz’s vagina were just odd. I did enjoy Tobin and thought he was a sweet MMC. Liz was a mess and I just couldn’t connect to her.

Overall, this just wasn’t the book for me. I couldn’t get behind this marriage and the FMC.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Great second chance romance story!

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.