Liz has never fit in and is painfully aware of that on her thirtieth birthday. Her husband, Tobin is loved by everyone and is often laughing with others as she stands alone. Liz decides it is time for her to move out and figure out how she can change herself. Improv comedy is at the top of her list, and she works at expressing her feelings. This is not easy and as she continues to be unsuccessful, perhaps a divorce is in order. She needs an improv partner to practice with, and Tobin asks to be that partner. This is a wonderful book. Liz’s niece is autistic, and she is one of Liz’s favorite people. I love how easily they relate. Although Tobin appears to be the life of the party, we learn this is difficult for him. Both Liz and Tobin do a great job of honoring each other as they sort through what they need. Second chances and ideas for improv provide a lot to think about. Great story and wonderful characters, even those you dislike.

Thank you to NetGalley And St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this title in exchange for a review.

This one was just okay for me. In the end, I liked how the characters ended up and how they developed individually but I felt like it took forever to get there. It was interesting to have some representation for neurodivergent people and I did feel like I could connect with the main character a little. To me, some more details of the backstory of how Tobin and Liz fell in love in the first place would have been a nice addition. Overall, it's a 3 star read for me because I enjoyed the last 25 percent of it but the rest felt slow to me.

"Rules for Second Chances" by Maggie North is a heartfelt exploration of the complexities of love and the possibility of finding it a second time, even with the same person. Liz Lewis, married to adventure guide Tobin Renner-Lewis, finds herself trapped in a marriage where her needs and desires are often overlooked. Determined to stop playing a minor role in her own life, Liz takes on a challenge to boost her confidence—enrolling in an improv comedy class.

As Liz navigates the unpredictable world of improv, she discovers more about herself and the reasons behind her social awkwardness. The person assisting her in this journey happens to be Tobin, her extroverted husband, intent on rekindling their relationship through unconventional improv scenarios. With eight weeks to master the art of improv, Liz is faced with a choice between the love she's always wanted and the dreams she set aside.

"Rules for Second Chances" is a tale of self-discovery, growth, and the possibility of finding love anew. The narrative delves into the challenges of relationships, emphasizing the importance of communication and understanding. As Liz and Tobin navigate the intricacies of their connection, readers are taken on a journey filled with humor, warmth, and the universal quest for genuine connection. Maggie North weaves a story that resonates with authenticity, exploring the nuances of love, second chances, and the courage to step into the spotlight of one's own life.

I really wanted to like this. I read 25% of it being bored out of my mind. I mean, how are you one day just going to decide your marriage isn’t worth it anymore without ever having a conversation with your husband about it? And then essentially blaming him for not talking with you about it or noticing when you never brought it up? And then when he tries ro do everything in his power to earn you back, asking almost nothing in return, you still constantly consider him “your almost ex husband.” Girl you had one foot out the door from the start. And then 70% in you admit that you’re still pretending? Like why have you even bothered the last few weeks if you’re still pretending. It still doesn’t seem like *she* wants it.

Absolutely wonderful debut!! North seems to have a way of writing the story that has you fully immersed into it, Here, I loved the wit and charm, plus, the raw and crisp dialogues, i found it really entertaining. Going to highly recommending this!!

I enjoyed reading this one!

More than just a second chance romance, this book also gave a great story of friendship and finding and accepting new parts of yourself. Liz was so relatable, and I loved that she had the courage to break from what was no longer working for her. Tobin was a great hero and had you appreciating that he wasn't the typical alpha character. The storyline was fabulous, and the dialogue and writing were enjoyable to read.

I would definitely recommend this one!

Liz and Tobin are struggling in their marriage. Liz feels invisible besides Tobin and his sunshine demeanor. Liz gets mistaken for a server at her 30th birthday party and decides that she needs to "find magic" like Tobin in order to be seen and accomplish her goals. She leaves Tobin after her birthday party to give herself space and sets out to achieve her professional goals. Liz is taking an improv class and needs a partner for extra practice and Tobin has a book that is a guide to fixing your relationship via improv to try and fix their marriage.

This is a romance/women's fiction with some of the most complex characters that I have ever read. Liz and Tobin's view of their marriage and the influence that their past traumas have on their perspective is illustrated so well. This is not a lighthearted romance novel. This is about Liz's journey to understanding herself and improving her marriage. Tobin is such a compassionate MMC and his love for Liz in the midst of what they go through in the book is beautiful. A meaningful read that illustrates a woman with newly acknowledged neurodivergence as an adult and how she improves her relationships and professional life despite that.

Is true love possible for a second time with the same person? I'm always a sucker for a marriage-in-trouble, second chance romance, and RULES FOR SECOND CHANCES was a joy to read. But what I really loved and admired most was how much this story focuses on self-discovery, self-acceptance and self-expression as Liz embraces who she really is. Liz wants people to see her and no longer be the supporting role in her life (and invisible next to her charming, extroverted husband) - but the main star.

I appreciated the reminders: don't just take what you can get, but instead go after what it is you want and closing yourself off due to fear or discomfort can prevent you from discovering your truth, no matter what happens even when your life is scary - know that you will be okay, surprising yourself with what you are capable of. Romance is my favorite genre, but this book felt so much more than just a romance. I deeply connected and related to Liz, and am so happy to have read Liz and Tobin's story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

As a woman who recently realized that I am probably autistic, I was excited to read this debut novel from Maggie North about a FMC on a similar journey. I started reading and immediately wished I could read faster because I was so eager to see where each plot thread was leading. That sense of being bodily dragged through the book (in a good way! 😅) lasted until the last page. I was rooting for Liz and Tobin from page 1, and loved how they were both three-dimensional people with very relatable foibles and failures without drifting into being annoying or caricatures of themselves. There was a lot of plot, but it never got confusing, just kept things interesting and varied and layered in a way that can be challenging in a contemporary romance in particular. The book deals with serious issues (a marriage in crisis, the FMCs realization that she is autistic, toxic family relationships, and narcissism), giving enough space to each without getting bogged down in any one and keeping the romance at the center in a way that felt natural. At the same time, the book keeps a light and tender heart that makes it a joy to read.

I’m crossing fingers that the breadcrumbs of other potential romances sprinkled throughout means there are plans for more novels set in Pendleton? 🤞

I have totally immersed myself into this book. It really showed the other side of a happy ever after where the couple have drifted apart, and communication has halted. Both Liz and Tobin are easy to love and to keep cheering for them to make it. All around this book was just lovely.

This was a lovely second chance romance/women's fiction book. It's about Liz, small town girl, looking for big adventure in her life and marriage. Her and Tobin were good and I did enjoy where their second chance took us in Liz's point of view and journey. I wish I loved it more than I did but it got a bit tedious through the middle for me as I couldn't fully connect with Liz. A worthwhile story though and great setting and secondary characters.

Rules for Second Chances by debut author Maggie North, published by St. Martin's Griffin, is a stunning book. A wonderful read that had me in knots at some time. Had me in tears tore me apart and put me back together inn the end.
A wonderful story with characters easy to connect with.
Liz is the quiet reseved one who wants to change. Tobin, her husband is the life of the party, the popular one, the successful wilderness guide who wants a breath of fresh air for their marriage.

FINALLY a marriage-in-trouble book done right. This book follows Liz and Tobin as they rebuild and work on their struggling marriage and themselves. The issues that Liz and Tobin faced in their marriage were so (painfully) realistic (family, work/money, themselves, etc). It was nice to see them genuinely putting the effort in to fix their marriage. This is a single POV book and while they both do grow as individuals, seeing Liz's journey was especially nice. Both Liz and Tobin are unequivocally dedicated to each other, which was a breath of fresh air (with so many books adding unnecessary other people into the mix).

This was such a powerful romance—I'm not sure when I've seen a relationship explored with such nuance and sensitivity for the internal journeys of both characters. This is a true second-chance romance, where the characters learn and grow together in order to become better partners for each other, and I was so moved by the character arcs. Plus, the chemistry and atmosphere were chef's kiss!

I was able to read an early copy via NetGalley & this is such a good book! A well written 2nd chance story about 2 characters who are already married but have hit a rough patch. Liz & Tobin are the couple you root for to figure things out & make it to their 2nd happily ever after. They battle personal insecurities & meddlesome family members while working on their marriage via improv. I loved the way Maggie North wrote about autism and I hope it helps others see how they treat people who are 'other' and reconsider their actions. I can't wait to read more from this new author!

Liz is a quiet minor character in her own
life. Her husband Tobin is the popular and outgoing wilderness guide... She desperately wants to change and he wants to change their marriage....

Love this second chance romance. Liz and Tobin are terrific together. I love how they work out their relationship...
Terrific story.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

As much as I wanted to love this I had a hard time connecting with this story, and I believe much of that stems from the limited amount of dialogue and single POV. Every time Liz and Tobin got together they barely made it through three sentences of actual conversation before she ran off. I feel like we didn’t get much out of him until the very last chapter, and… I was left wanting more. I would have loved a few chapters from his perspective. There is so much potential here, but I don’t understand how Liz expected to repair her relationship with either Tobin or Amber when she was constantly running off after making one emotional statement. Amber was especially terrible.

The formatting of text messages was a bit confusing—especially in chapter 8 where it seemed like internal dialogue was interspersed with the message contents.

Overall 3.5 stars. I am interested to see how this author develops future works.

Seriously knocked my socks off. I have never felt so “seen” in my entire life. While I don’t share Liz’s marriage troubles, I relate to her in almost every other way. She is me, only she is figuring herself out at a much earlier stage. Kudos to the author for giving us such realistically imperfect characters to love and learn from. I was hooked from the very first page.

Quick Summary: A "perfect moment come to life"

My Review: Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North was a second chance women's fiction story/romance. It featured an outgoing wilderness adventurer (Tobin) and a quirky, introverted number cruncher (Liz).

About the Book: It takes two people to make a marriage work. What happens when one person loses sight of the other? What happens when the hopes and dreams of the future disappear? What happens when the two are no longer seen as one?

My Final Say: This book was lovely. There were so many issues at play. While it did focus on Tobin and Liz, it also touched on some heavy family dysfunctions. I loved that it largely concentrated on what it takes to rebuild a healthy marriage. Additionally, I appreciated how it centered attention on acceptance of self and on embracing a united partnership via unconditional love. Readers who enjoy realistic fiction and stories of personal development and growth will love this story.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💗

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin), and to NetGalley for granting access to a digital ARC of this work. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to review this title.

Very sweet and beautifully descriptive. This character description is one of the best I've ever read: "If she met a unicorn in real life, she'd snap off its horn and tell it to be happy being a horse." The improv-as-therapy concept was original and interesting to read.