I've fallen in love with this couple, and their commitment to the rules to salvage their marriage. Their role play was adorable, testing the boundaries of their comfort, forcing them to be open to each other. Rules for Second Chances is just that, its hope, healing and most of all love.

This second chance is an utterly unique love story.

North's prose are stunning. This book is emotional and an overall MUST READ!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin

I really enjoyed the characters in this book but the storyline for their romance didn’t make a ton of sense to me. I didn’t really feel like a second chance romance, like she just left him for the sake of making this a second chance romance. There wasn’t really a conflict between them.

This book was so amazing I started it and stayed up late for hours because I couldn't put it down. I finished it in less than a day. The main character is Liz, a socially awkward operations person for a tour company in Canada. Her husband, Tobin, has always been the social butterfly, beloved by everyone around him while Liz feels like no one really sees her or understands her. So on her 30th birthday, Liz has had enough, and walks out of her home/relationship with Tobin, moves in with her sister and niece, and starts taking an improv comedy class to help her break out of her shell and get ideas for how to finally achieve her dreams of success at the tourism company where Tobin also works as a tour guide. When Tobin proposes that he become Liz's improv partner to help her practice developing those skills and attempt to repair their marriage in the process, angst and drama ensues. Liz has to grapple with becoming a new and improved version of herself while deciding if she can keep her career and her marriage intact.

Part of Liz's journey is realizing that some of her awkwardness and particularities are related to a potential autism diagnosis. Liz's niece, Eleanor, is also autistic. Liz's narrative voice was so funny and awkward I really loved her character. Tobin is just the sweetest I need someone like him. There was soooo much angst and emotion packed into these pages I felt like I was getting punched in the gut repeatedly. I will note for other readers that while this isn't closed door, the intimate scenes are limited and not super descriptive, so if you are looking for more of that in a romance, this is not the right book. But the romance is so real I loved it regardless.

Rules for Second Chances was a beautiful story about healing and love. We get to see Liz’s journey learning to love herself and falling in love with her husband, Tobin, again. Because we only get Liz’s pov, I feel like the story is more about Liz and her personal experiences than about the romance between her and Tobin, even though their romance played an important part of the story as well. I thought the improv storyline was a surprising and unique aspect of the story. Overall, I enjoyed Rules for Second Chances and would recommend to anyone who likes second chance/marriage in crisis romance with a strong focus on self discovery.

Liz counts on her husband Tobin to help her navigate social situations.Everything was wonderful
whle they were dating, but both seem to be holding back in their marriage. Each will need to deal with
their insecurities to have a happy second chance.
#RulesforSecondChances #StMartins #NetGalley

I’m a big fan of second-chance romances, but I couldn’t get into this story. I didn’t like the writing style, and I wasn’t terribly compelled by Liz as a main character.

I had a ton of feelings about this book. Overall I loved the story. It was such a sweet and sad and beautiful story. Liz and Tobin fit so perfectly together because of how different they were and not in spite of it. I could feel how uncomfortable Liz was in certain situations and wanted so badly for people to see her for her. The premise of Rules for Second Chances was so smart and fresh and it was Liz’s self awareness gave me a better understanding of autism. Without spoiling the story I will say that I loved how improv was woven in. I don’t think I would have ever have made a connection but once the author connected improv to life and relationships it made perfect sense. There was writing in the book that seemed to skip around and was almost superfluous. These were mostly in the transitions in time or from one “scene to another”. The sections felt jumbled and clunky and I had to stop and skip the section. It was almost like a few parts were overly dense and led you away from where you wanted to be and that was with Liz and Tobin. I was rooting for Liz and Tobin from the start! I could feel how much they loved one another and how truly lost each one was in their own way. The road back to each other allowed them to learn more about themselves and it felt like an honor to be on the journey with them.

I enjoyed the writing style in this book, but overall it fell flat for me. I spent a lot of time confused, because I never felt I had a firm grasp on why Liz felt it was necessary to leave her marriage. I also never got what it was they saw in each other to begin with—she talked a lot about his looks and how great he was in bed, but I never saw why she fell in love with him, so it was hard to root for her to stay in love with him.
Overall, I got more women’s fiction vibes than romance from this. I’d definitely give the author another shot; this just wasn’t the book for me.

I really wanted to love this, but it just didn’t feel realistic. There was so much back and forth, such a lack of interest and effort. I also really didn't understand or see the point of the whole improv scenarios. It seemed very immature and could have easily been an adult conversation instead of acting out ridiculous things. I found the main female character to be very annoying, childish, and very selfish. Maybe that was the point? So we can see her growth, but from early on, I just couldn't get past my dislike for her. I wish we could have gotten a few points of view from Tobin. I never really knew where he was coming from and it just felt like their entire relationship was based on a lie that neither of them were be truthful and instead of making me love their growth, I just got mad and annoyed that you can be that lazy and selfish in your marriage for that long.

I gave this novel a three star rating. I found the ending to be rather predicable and with my annoyance of the characters prior to that, it just fell flat for me. It read more of a woman's fiction than a romance to me, and that could be where it lost me as well.

I really really wanted to like this book but I couldn’t connect with the characters or the improv aspect of the story. I liked that the main character was agreeing to give her marriage one more chance, but I thought the improv class was a little far fetched. I mean it’s fiction so that’s ok not to seem like something that could happen in the “ real world”. I did like how each chapter started with a paragraph or verse, some that were thought provoking and some inspiring. It’s not over until it’s over right?

This isn’t my style. Their jobs feel like a big part of the story, but I don’t get enough to really understand. I don’t find Liz likable. Tobin is the most likable, but we don’t get his pov.

I thought this concept was so unique and the characters had so much potential, but something about the writing style felt very difficult to follow throughout. I’m hoping some editing for the final version may improve on what was such a solid foundation! I related so much to the social anxiety/autism of the main character and loved that the couple found themselves as individuals and together. I do think Tobin’s perspective could have brought some valuable insight and pushed the story along in a meaningful way! Overall I liked this one.

This was such a good book and I thought that the story line was great. I really liked Liz's character and I could totally see this being made into a hallmark movie and I would watch it on repeat. This book is going in my to keep pile! 5 star read.
I just reviewed Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I was drawn to this title and cover. As I started the book I really appreciated the representation in it. However, in practice I really struggled to fully connect with the storyline, and ended up not finishing the story. Thank you for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I dnf’ed at 20%. I honestly loved the concept of the book, I’m a sucker for second chance romances. I think I just couldn’t get into the book because the writing style wasn’t something I loved. Not necessarily bad just not something I enjoyed.

This book was exactly what I needed. In RULES FOR SECOND CHANCES we meet Liz and Tobin. Liz is a yes-woman. She tries to be everything everyone and be exactly who everyone needs her to be instead of being who she is. This has a profound effect on her self-esteem and her marriage. When she sets off on a journey of self-discovery she will make you want to set off on your own. This book was a great lesson in you needing to love yourself before you can love anyone else and when you do wonderful things can happen.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I had a love/dislike while reading this book. I love premise, the second chance love and fmc self discovery journey. But disliked that this wasn't dual pov, I thinking getting Tobins pov would made this book so much better. I also dislike some of sub plot/side stories that added nothing to the story and was a bit annoying at times. That being said, I would still rate this book 3.5 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Really enjoyed Maggie North's writing style but to be honest the storyline didn't quite resonate with me. It just wasn't as enjoyable to me as I'd hoped.

This is a slow burn, second chance romance with neurodiverse representation. If that sounds like your type of book, you will like this one!

A solid debut - I enjoyed the neurodivergent representation, the secondary characters, and using improv as a tool for marriage counselling. I will say I missed having Tobin's perspective, but I tend to prefer dual POV stories. If you like marriage in trouble romances, I would definitely check this out.