Slow start but wow I fell in love with this novel. The character development was amazing and I loved the support and love from the female friends. Cute dialogue and a little spice to make the heart flutter

What do you do when you turn 30 and you realize that no one sees you? How do you open the eyes of the world to what you can offer when your own spouse's light is so bright that it can't help but outshine everything around them? Maggie North's debut novel follows Liz as she answers this question for herself and goes on a search to find her "magic."

Liz and Tobin are a husband and wife who, on the outside, seem to have a solid relationship, but Liz finds herself in a rut. She has few friends, her boss is content to keep her behind the scenes with her spreadsheets (despite the fact that she is itching to spread her wings and contribute more to the company), her co-workers look down on her, and her relationship with her sister Amber is tenuous at best. Adding to this is her crumbling relationship with Tobin. He obviously loves her, but their marriage lacks a firm foundation. Her one bright light in her life is Eleanor-her adorable niece that she babysits from time to time. After Tobin throws her a party for her 30th birthday and she is not only ignored by the guests, but is mistaken for one of the wait staff, she decides that she has had enough and that it's time to "get magic." She leaves Tobin, moves in with Amber and Eleanor, and joins an improv group to help improve her public persona in order to win a pitch competition at work. Her fellow classmates are a delightful group of individuals (except for her co-worker, "Dickhead" because he's...well...a dickhead) and the instructor (hilariously nicknamed 'McHuge") has a larger than life personality. Despite Liz taking a step back from her marriage, Tobin is not content to accept that it's over. He offers to be Liz's improv practive partner and as a result, Liz and Tobin are forced to examine why their marriage wasn't working.

"Rules for Second Chances" had a great premise and promise for an engaging story, but it just didn't work for me. I LOVE an underdog, both in books and in real life, but I couldn't connect with Liz. I empathized with her struggles, but her treatment of Tobin and her internal justification of said treatment, was frustrating for me. Tobin was an absolute gem of a character. Was he perfect? No, and you could absolutely see how his parents and his upbringing molded his psyche in adulthood and affected his relationship with Liz. My disconnect with Liz was that she didn't see Tobin past the surface and was cold and standoffish to him. I get that there was more going on with her (and thankfully she decides to explore that), but her actions toward him were off-putting to the point where I didn't buy it when she did finally understand him.

My other issue with the story was how the diversity of the characters felt forced, as if the author had a checklist she was going off of. There is a popular book series (I won't name names) that is a great example of a book that has an obvious diverse cast of characters, but the descriptions don't take me out of the story. Instead, it's woven in seamlessly, in a way that makes each character seem like a real person, instead of a 2D picture. Unfortunately, the diversity in "Rules for Second Chances" felt forced-as if it wasn't enough to have heterogeneity in the story, but that it needed to be shoved in the reader's face at every corner.

My review is not to discourage anyone from reading this book, in fact I think that if the premise sounds interesting to you, please give it a shot! While I wasn't a fan, I do think that Liz and her struggles would speak to someone else and help them to feel seen. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book as an E-Arc through Netgalley... This review is solely based on my opinion and taste .

This book was probably a perfect example of "I liked it, but I didn't like it at the same time." I am normally a sucker for a second chance romance, but I struggled with this book as I truly felt like Liz, the FMC, was incredibly selfish, and her husband, Tobin, deserved so much more. Tobin definitely made his mistakes, too, and was equally responsible for their troubles, but I felt like his reasons for why he did certain things and handled things certain ways were much more understandable. I actually liked Tobin a lot and even had a couple of moments where I felt like he should walk away.

I enjoyed the improv as a marriage counseling idea, and it was fun watching those mishaps and seeing them grow back together. I thoroughly enjoyed the improv class scenes and the friends Liz made through the class....ESPECIALLY SHARON!

I will say as far as some of the technical aspects of the book I really enjoyed the way that the author wrote the dialog it felt very smooth, very natural I almost felt like I was sitting in front of them listening to their conversations. I quite enjoyed the authors writing skills, and the story itself wasn't bad. The FMC was the downfall of this book for me.

I will end by saying I despised the way the author went about bringing forth Liz's Autism realization, the use of that and the way that it was thrown in haphazardly at the very end felt like a cheap way to excuse her selfishness and expect forgiveness.

I love a marriage in crisis book. this one about Liz and Tobin was okay. I felt is hard to connect with he characters, and I don't think its really for me. I think that this would be a great book and writing style for someone else. but I personally didn't enjoy it. the idea and plot of the book was a good concept and I normally I would like this type of book, but it was a miss for me. I would totally read something else from this author and give it another shot in the future.

RULES FOR SECOND CHANCES is a truly unique love story that deserves high accolades for being honest, unbiased, and truthfully written. It follows the story of a lady, Liz, who feels like a bystander in her own marriage. Her husband, Tobin, can mesmerize a crowd, with them hanging on his every word, while she feels invisible. They don't seem to share anything together or do anything together anymore. They have chemistry and she does love him, but Liz walks away from her marriage and takes a stand. They both work for an outdoor tour company. Tobin is a popular tour guide and charismatic. Liz is on the quiet side and is good at spreadsheets. She is dying for a promotion at work, but falls short of obtaining it. She's to quiet, to insecure, to good at her desk job, to this and that, her boss says. So, Liz never gets a promotion that she has worked so hard for, that she joins an improv class. She wants to learn how to project herself brightly and gain that elusive magic just like her husband. Can she do it?

Liz is determined on discovering who she is and getting the world to see and respect her. Improv teaches her to let down her barriers, good and bad. So, she can recognize her own self worth. As Liz does improv with partners and Tobin, they learn many things about each other. Do Liz and Tobin get back together?

RULES FOR SECOND CHANCES is emotional, introspective and incredible. What an engaging, thought-provoking story! Who would think that improv can sustain a story, let alone a relationship, between two lost souls who need to find their way back together and really understand one another. The author does an outstanding job using a truly unique way to learn about a person in-depth. As Liz and Tobin battle through their hopes, feelings and dreams, I wondered if they would ever get back together. You have to read to find out what happens between them. It's a struggle, woven with a vast cast of characters who sometimes confuse and steer them in the right direction. But, who is to say what is wrong or right in a relationship? We all must decide for ourselves what feels right. This story comes together with the right touches. A fascinating tale with a powerful message.

This BOOK! A sparkling debut with relatable and lovable characters and stunning prose. Tobin and Liz feel so real to me, like if I was ever in town, I could stop by for a beer. I loved this marriage in crisis story with such heartfelt and relatable moments to anyone who has been with a partner for a long time. And then the improv subplot added so much humor and levity and openness and trust to this story. I loved going on this journey with Liz where she really came into herself and started exploring what she wanted out of life and who she wants to keep in hers. Love love love!

I will never be able to say enough about this book — and I’m going to keep trying to find the words. Amazing. Beautiful. Lovely. A must read.

Liz is an awkward, anxious introvert who desperately wants to be seen meanwhile her husband Tobin is a charming, gregarious center-of-attention type. This story is about their marriage falling apart and coming back together through the power of improv comedy.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice?: Closed door

Through the first 25% of the book, I wasn’t sure I was going to love it. Liz as a character didn’t hook me quite enough. Also as a married person, it can be difficult to read books about failing marriages. But also I love that there are books about married people finding their way back to each other. That’s what marriage is after all:
waking up everyday and choosing that person again. As they kept making attempts to reconnect through improv scenes, the story wound around my heart more and more. I can’t remember the last time I dreamily or painfully sighed out loud while reading a book.

The writing in this book is sarcastic AF and it was an absolute joy to read. I read a lot of books that label themselves a romcom but the dripping sarcasm in this one was my flavor of humor.

“I should start calling him David instead of Dick Head. I’ll concentrate on his redeeming qualities. All humans have some of those, I feel sure.”

“Good luck. Die well.”

You’ll like this if you enjoyed Before We Were Strangers or All Your Perfects. Although the writing here is better than both of those.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy!

WOW! I loved how fresh this book was. There aren't a lot of romance stories about a married couple who are struggling and I thought this was SO great. It was sweet and sexy. A must read for sure.

Rules for Second Chances is a tender, touching story of a woman who's trying to find herself in her career, her marriage, and her own life. She uses improv to rescue her relationship with her husband and win a pitch competition at work and discover herself asking the way. I thought it was beautifully written and it had a lot to teach me about being a good scene partner in life and love.

This one was just okay for me. I feel like we've been getting so many books from authors lately that kind of have an "Inside Baseball" look at whatever topic and it just feels like an instructional book at parts rather than the characters just experiencing something. And the marriage counseling and improv felt that way to me. It was such a slog at some points and at others it was an "oh my god just cut your losses and leave, please."

I thought, in general, it was well written and at times I could feel the chemistry and love. But it just wasn't all cohesive. I wanted more and also less, which... welcome to my brain.

I can tell the skill and ideas are there, just hoping it's better executed on North's next book.

*Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet and surprisingly deep. I read this in one sitting and was rooting hard for the happily ever after the entire time. A beautiful story that I am sure many will enjoy! 5/5

Wow! A heretofore unheard of combination of improv, backcountry adventures, neurodivergence and a very sweet and heartfelt romance between two semi-estranged spouses. Just heart-meltingly lovely and also funny and wise. A perfect book for grownups!

Liz and Tobin's marriage is on the rocks. Using a self-help book and a group of people in an improv class, the two might just make it work.

I loved that the main character was presented as on the spectrum and in my experience with people with AU, I think the author did a good job. The marriage of family dynamics, marriage problems, and job stress all culminate into one of the most realistic novels I've read this year. My one issue with the book was that in parts it dragged. I tried to think about what could be taken away, but, you need all parts to make the story make sense.

Overall. it was a good read, just not one of my top pics for 2024.

This marriage in crisis romance is a heartfelt “yes, and”!

Chronically undervalued and underestimated Liv is trying to win the pitch contest at her work, a wilderness tourism company, and earn a promotion but in order to be taken seriously she must take improv classes recommended by the boss. As if that’s not enough, her marriage is struggling and she decides to separate from Tobin, her golden boy husband, until they work things out

When Tobin hears she needs an improv partner to practice with between classes he suggests they follow the teachings of an improv relationship book that their friend and her improv teacher happened to write.

To be honest, North did such a good job setting up why the marriage wasn’t working and it was in crisis, I wasn’t sure who the love interest was at first. It took me a while to warm up to Tobin since we weren’t in his head and but ultimately a very satisfying arc and ending!

This is my first book by Maggie North and I'm grateful to NetGalley for approving my request! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Overall I enjoyed this book and it gets 3.5/5 stars for me! I found Liz and Tobin's relationship so cute and felt that the niche idea of using improv to re-kindle their relationship was an interesting and enjoyable idea! I appreciated Liz's strive to find herself and her independence, so that she could truly learn to love herself again and then in turn improve her relationships with others. I thought that the "practicing" scenes were so fun, although a few of them were maybe a little too outlandish in reality, but maybe that's improv! I liked that I learned a little bit more about what actually went into improv (as I have to be honest, I did not know much) and am even more impressed now with the quick thinking skill it requires. A few things that bothered me were that I truly TRULY disliked Amber and how she treated Liz. Maybe she's supposed to be disliked, but everything she said or did to Liz irked me. I think that the writing style for this book was different that what I'm used to, which is part of the reason for my rating. I wish that we had Tobin's POV, but I can understand how that would have disrupted our full view of Liz's journey in the end.

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Nothing about you needs changing, as far as I’m concerned.”

I love a good second chance romance and I thought Maggie North executed this trope beautifully. Seeing how Liz and Tobin grew as individuals to better themselves and their marriage was inspiring. I could totally relate to Liz’s introverted personality, her social awkwardness, and feeling like she needed to get her own magic. I also really appreciated the neurodiversity representation. There were moments during the improv scenes where I felt a little lost, but overall I really enjoyed this debut novel.

“Love is about making your own rules, and so is life.”

Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North, I gave 3 stars. It's overall a nice story about facing your fears & working towards more self-confidence in both yourself as well as your interpersonal relationships, but 80% of the story is inside the head of the female lead Liz. Liz is a self-proclaimed millennial & all the recent books I've read (including this one) about the challenges that millennials face are very much a pity party. The characters come across as whiney & they overthink everything, so halfway through the book, you wanna tell Liz, "Pull up your big girl panties & just do this!"
Rules for Second Chances has a good storyline, but dragged on a bit more than what it could have been to still be an excellently written story.
Thank you, #NetGalley, for the ARC.

Liz and Tobin have been coasting while everyone else seems like they know what they're doing (hint: they don't, except the guy who wrote the book on it). Contemporary romance novels don't really focus a lot of married couples as main characters and these characters don't really have me rooting for them. There is something inherently unromantic about seeing two people mess up something that was probably good at one time. Liz and Tobin didn't really give me much to be excited about. Generally, you get some form of miscommunication as the problem, but here Liz is just another woman who makes herself small. Tobin is a husband who has absolutely no idea things were bad. There were parts that were enjoyable, where the truths of love between two people were never being actually broken, but sometimes it read a little too disjointed in its timeline and push explaining improv to get me super excited about how it would turn out. However, I would be excited to read a novel about Dr. Huge.

I love a second chance romance. I truly do, but it took a really long time for me to "get into" this one and to feel connected to any of the characters. I will say, I pushed through and I am glad that I did, it was an enjoyable read and watching these characters grow and reconnect was something truly magical.