How do you save a marriage when you don't even know who YOU are? Liz and Tobin had my whole heart as they went on this journey of self-discovery through improv. Liz struggles to be the "main character" in her own life, a wallflower who fell in love with the life of the party. This second-chance romance encompasses so many life lessons about pushing away doubt and what others think and embracing the true you. North did a phenomenal job of showcasing Liz's journey to realizing her neurodivergence, and I appreciated being able to see myself in a character. It was poignant and beautifully written.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eArc in exchange for an honest review!
I have never read a second chance romance trope book involving a married couple before, but this book follows Liz and Tobin and their achingly beautiful, honest look at themselves and their marriage. This book was tender, serious, funny, raw, and I was rooting for them the whole time. I will 100% read whatever Maggie North writes next.
4.5/5

This was such a sweet debut novel by Maggie North!

When Liz reaches a breaking point with her marriage and her career, she signs up to take an improv class, but she needs an improv partner. Her (sort of) ex-husband Tobin sees this as an opportunity to help Liz with her improv practice while also attempting to save their marriage.

Throughout the book, there are several different improv scenarios that Liz and Tobin complete which are meant to help them work through their underlying marital woes. I thought the inclusion of improv was a unique spin on marriage counseling that I’d never seen before.

There was a lot of soul-searching in this book for both Liz and Tobin. It was refreshing to see such different perspectives for solving relationship issues and self-discovery.

Overall, I thought this was a really cute story. However, it felt drug out in some areas and I found myself getting a tad confused throughout the book. Nevertheless, it was a fun second-chance romance novel!

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s for providing a digital advance copy of this book in exchange for my opinions!

Smart, empathetic, and enigmatic. I very much enjoyed Maggie's writing style and keen observations about the human spirit. Tobin was dreamy and wonderful and I want him I WANT HIM.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I love second chance romances - and this is a good one. The main character, Liz, is an outdoor enthusiast who is (clearly but unbeknownst to her and somehow all her loved ones except her sister?) on the autism spectrum. This has caused issues in her personal and professional life, but she's tired of being overlooked and stepped on and decides to leave her husband, the town's golden boy. The rest of the book is about the two of them shaping up and getting their relationship back on track by...improv. Yes. That is correct.

For the most part I really enjoyed this book. The friends Liz makes through the improv group are super fun, and like I said I love a second chance romance, so it was sweet to read about Liz and her husband working their way back together.

The reason I gave this three stars is because I felt there were several issues that were presenting big issues for the two main characters that really did not get resolved in a satisfactory or big enough way. We don't have any background or resolution into why Liz's parents (largely absent) kept throwing their daughters together and forcing them to have a relationship when Liz clearly was treated like crap by her sister. We also don't really get a satisfactory resolution to her husband's boundary issues with his mom. (Suddenly his mom just wakes up and realizes her husband is a jerk and that's supposed to make up for her treatment of her daughter-in-law?). Because those parent issues felt like they were resolved really expeditiously, I was left wanting more. Otherwise, I would have rated this book higher.

Love a good second chance romance and this was no different! I thought the characters had such nice chemistry and I really enjoyed most of all the setting - I felt transported to the outdoors. It was a fun and light read that I would recommend as a nice palette cleanser type of book!

I thought this was a cute read. Was light and very funny at times! I enjoy a book that has this kind of setting and storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the pleasure of reading this ARC!

Second chance romance! An outdoor excursion company in the Canadian wilderness! A cat named Yeti!?

This book was pretty funny. The improv element was unexpected/unique and pulled a lot of laughs out of me. It added a level of silliness to the story that I personally enjoy, especially when the Hard Stuff (TM) is getting fleshed out on page. Chuckles aside, this story is a pretty heavy lift emotionally - self-actualization with neurodivergence rep, a marriage in crisis, workplace toxicity, parental conflict, sibling conflict, etc. The story felt a bit overwhelming at times because of this. However, some of these factors obviously impacted Liz and Tobin's communication breakdowns resulting in their marital issues, so I can see how these items were needed for the sake of the plot. Doesn't mean it didn't hurt me, though :')

TY Net Galley and St Martin's Press for the ARC <3

Liz feels that people don't see her, that they all want to be in her husband's life and that she's seen as an extension of him rather than her own person. This got off to a strong start, jumping right in to a situation Liz was uncomfortable with, and continuing through until she left her husband the same evening.

Liz feels that she needs to "get magic" and has decided on what will help her reach out and grab her life back - improv with coworkers. There were some funny moments, but overall this was as painful as improv with coworkers would generally seem.

Eventually we begin to learn more about Liz and Tobin and that they actually have the same job. And we meet Tobin's best friend who is a self-help-improv-writer-relationship-guru. And we learn more about Tobin's family and there's just... a lot at play here. And not all of it makes sense with the story, and some of it would've helped make sense of things if it was delivered earlier in the book.

I requested this ARC for the second chance at love trope with a neurodivergent female lead. This is much more of a journey of self discovery than a love story, and though I did like the characters, I just couldn't get a handle on what all was going on in too many parts.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Not your typical neurotypical story. This story was a charming and sweet story about a woman just trying to authentically be herself in a world where people tell her to be anything but.

Mixed in there is a realistic “love story” about people changing after marriage, breaking up, attempting to reconnect.

“A square peg trying to fit in the round hole of life”.

Liz, an introvert, has faded into the background of her own life, outshined by the light of her charming, extrovert husband, Tobin. She decides it’s time for change - in her personal life, she and Tobin separate, and in her professional life, she decides to enroll in a improv class to help her be less passive at work.
✅ Liz and Tobin are both 30
✅ they both work for a startup-ish wilderness company
✅ second chance romance
🌶️ yes

I love this book, and I can’t wait to read what Maggie North writes next.

This book is centered on Liz Lewis, who grew up and lives in a small community in the mountains of B.C. where much of the business is around tourism. She is married to Tobin Renner-Lewis, and they both work for a small backcountry tour company. Lately Liz doesn't feel seen, either at home or at work. At work, her suggestions don't seem to be taken seriously by the owners, and she hasn't been promoted, even after her immediate boss left and she'd doing all his work.
At home, her husband doesn't appear to be able to say no to anyone that asks for help, even when that means her plans are affected. Her parents have a house nearby that is no longer their primary home, and that her older sister and niece live in. She is close to her niece, who is autistic, and spends a lot of time with her.
Tobin's parents bought the house next to theirs shortly after they married, and his mother demands of lot of him, and hasn't warmed up to Liz at all. As the book opens, his mother has co-opted Liz's birthday party and that is the last straw for her.
As she takes a break from her marriage, and tries to put together a winning pitch for the company's annual service pitch competition, she gets pushed into attending improv classes.
This is a very interesting twist to the story, as improv becomes a way for Liz to let go of some of her fears, as well as using an improv guide to reconnect with Tobin and change their dynamic.
I really enjoyed Liz as a character, and could relate to her in many of the feelings and experiences she has.
I loved the Canadian setting, and found it especially interesting that the author is herself autistic and thus could really describe certain elements of the autistic characters in the book so well.
This book has real depth to it, and some of the exercises described for Liz and Tobin might be taken and used in readers' own lives. I loved seeing Liz grow and appreciate her own strengths.

This book by Maggie North is a wonderful take on second chances as the FMC works her way through personal struggles on where she has found herself in life. She is wanting to make a change in her career, in her social life and in her marriage. Maggie does a wonderful job of walking through those struggles and how things don't always go as planned. She does not shy away from the reality that relationships are tough and messy and require work. It is a beautiful story about how strength and friendship can come in unexpected places and how taking small chances can help you find the path you were meant to be on. It can be heavy at time with detailed descriptions but overall was a good read with a HEA.

really cute romance that's super well writtten! would recommend this interestin little thing. tyssm for the arc!

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a digital ARC.
Rules for Second Chance by Maggie North is obviously a second chance romance about marriage on thin ice and improv magic as its savior. Liz Lewis doesn’t shine in the way that she feels her husband Tobin does and is locked in on trying to bring herself center stage. They both work for the same outdoor expo company and both are trying to go for the same promotion, without realizing. The way Liz thinks she’ll find magic is by joining an improv group and practicing with her husband, while living with her older sister and autistic niece.
Chaos ensues.
I enjoy second chance romances because I like rooting for a couple that already has history and it doesn’t feel fake or like insta-love. Though the history was there for this couple, it was then used mostly as horny triggers for Liz. She would be angry at Tobin, but still have drenched panties and it took away from the ache you’re supposed to feel. The couple has some really touching moments, but a lot of Liz’s inner dialogue is along the lines of, ‘ I can’t take Tobin back even though his smell makes me want to jump him’ and it just is frustrating to read. The yearning is supposed to be there, but I didn’t quite feel it.
Liz as a main character is hard to root for, which maybe was the author’s intention. She gets in her own way at every turn and makes decisions that are so frustrating.
I enjoyed the second half of the book, where it felt like Liz was making progress and putting in real work in her marriage. The friendships that developed are so fun and quirky.
To have a book centered around improv as couples therapy is very funny to me and I think it almost worked.

Second chance romance? Count me in! Can’t say this was above average though…not bad but not great. Hope that helps!

Cute story that was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The perfect slow burn story with a nice amount of spice. I loved the emotions from the male main character!

I have not read anything by this author before, but I will definitely be looking out for their work in the future. I loved seeing the story unfold and seeing the characters grow.

This story was beautiful. Seeing Liz and Tobin both grow emotionally throughout this story was so amazing to see. A story filled with hope, love, and heavy topics that aren’t addressed often. I loved this book!