Liz and Tobin are married but separated. Liz has to attend an improv class for work, and soon realizes that the facilitator is her husband's friend. When she goes home to pack up her things and go, she sees that Tobin has his friend's book on second chances, and after talking, they agree to give their marriage a second chance through improvisation scenarios presented in the book.
This is obviously a second chance romance, which I usually enjoy, but (don't ask me why, I have no idea), when it's about a married couple giving things a second chance and working throught their problems, it's not really my jam. I know that relationships are not all romance and rainbows, but seeing a couple struggle to make things work is not what a expect a romance book to be about. The story was also very confusing, and it was dragging. I was actually rooting for Liz and McHuge to get together...
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Liz Lewis has always struggled socially. When she is mistaken for a server at her own birthday party, she decides she has had enough of playing a minor character in her own life. She leaves her hubby & signs up for an improv class to work on her confidence, not realizing how truly transformative the experience will be.

This one started out slow for me because Liz was so down on herself, it was depressing. Once she decided to take control of her life, the story really took off and became something special. Liz’s personal journey is amazing and was the center of the story for me, but I also enjoyed the journey for Liz and Tobin as they look to rebuild their marriage.

Gail Shalan’s narration was great, especially the way she captured the story’s emotional moments.

3.5 stars!

I really enjoyed reading Liz's journey through her work life and love life. I think I liked that I could definitely relate to some of the things she was struggling with, especially at work as a woman. I think there were some great topics discussed in this book to think about. I will say, I felt the issues with her husband were a bit irritating to me as I don't feel like they were resolved well and they kinda just made it seem like she was all at fault for her being herself when he very clearly was not recognizing and listening to her when she told him things she didn't like. Otherwise, the book was cute and a pretty easy ready once I got a few chapters in.

This was a beautiful journey of a couple rediscovering their love for each other, as well as fighting for their own self-worth. I loved watching Liz and Tobin's grow throughout this book, learning to better communicate and fall in love with one another all over again.

I took my time with this one since I have personal issues with the "married couple, second chance" trope, but I'm so glad I did. It wasn't a rushed story and I especially loved the secondary characters, except Tobin's dad, he can fry in a vat of acid.

I definitely recommend the audiobook for the ultimate reading experience, but be prepared to laugh, cry, and feel all the things when you do.

I really liked how real this book was, how it didn't seem far fetched but could be scenarios that many face in life and marriage. I found myself rooting for Liz and Tobin from the beginning but was also proud of Liz for standing up for herself in all areas of her life.

Gail Shalan does an excellent job narrating this book.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rules for Second Chances was a book I was really excited about since I love marriage-in-crisis stories (who knew I would ever say that?). Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I just couldn’t get into this one.

What didn’t work for me was that there was so much going on that the story became hard to follow. The reasoning behind wanting a divorce didn’t feel fully fleshed out or even rational (though, to be fair, who is rational during such moments in life?). I would have liked to see both POVs so I could understand Tobin's thought process. I spent much of the book feeling bad for him, given Liz’s treatment of him and what I could see on the page.

I appreciated that they addressed their problems in an unconventional way, but it would have been great if they had just, I don’t know, talked to each other.

What I think was really well done was the representation of autism and social anxiety. You could see Liz's growth throughout the story.

Lastly, I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook—I had trouble with the narrator choice.

I really just couldn't get into it unfortunately :(
I found the characters to be a but unlikable, so I wasnt rwlly gunning for the romance from the start. It's not a bad book, there really were some nice scenes throughout but in general I found the writitng style to be a very confusing and there were a little too many cringy moments for my taste.

I thought audio was done well but this one was just ok for me. I thought the main character was pretty selfish and I just wasn't a fan of the story.

Rules for Second Chances is a captivating and heartfelt novel that delves into the complexities of second chances—both in life and love. I immediately connected to Liz's character, so despite her specific situation being unrelatable for me, I was drawn into the story. Set against a small town backdrop, Maggie North created wonderful characters that immersed you in the story and I was invested in their journey. The exploration around forgiveness, courage and life not going to plan was well done. The narration was really well done and brought the story to life.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the copy through NetGalley.

I think I don't like marriage in crisis stories? The only one I ever liked was You Deserve Each Other. But every other one I've read I haven't liked. I think I need to give up on trying them and just admit they aren't for me. A good story!!! Not my cup of tea.

Rules for Second Chances is the debut novel for Maggie North. This is the story of Liz Lewis, her husband Tobin Renner-Lewis, her sister Amber, and niece Eleanor as they weather a particular season that effects them all.

At the party celebrating Liz’s 30 birthday, the party the lady that was more wallflower than life of the party dreaded, things begin to come to a head when one of the new West by North employees mistakes Liz for the help. This sends her promptly scurrying to her home next door from her mother-in-law’s, Marijka Renner, home.

When Liz first met Tobin they had both just begun working for West by North a decade ago, both working as wilderness guides, and had complemented each other so well. But as outgoing Tobin moved ahead in the outdoors, reserved Liz found herself becoming a numbers person in a back office. True, Liz had a gift with numbers and organization and was a whiz at expediting orders and deliveries over his fishing expeditions, but Liz was tired of being unseen, barely more than a fixture in the company.

Later the night of the party, and as intimacy was brewing with Tobin, something made her feel unseen even in his eyes, prompting Liz to pack a bag and head further down the street to her parents’ home where currently only Amber and Eleanor were living as their parents were at their winter home in Arizona. Grudgingly single mother Amber took her sister in, but there were conditions like helping with Eleanor.

Through a series of developments, disappointments, and near disasters, Liz learns to make herself seen and allows others to see what they’ve missed. This is a very well told tale of a young woman struggling with her identity as she also comes to terms with the fact that she may have the same autism as her niece. But once Liz stops trying to fit into a box defined by others and begins being true to herself many good things come her way.

I found this story enlightening and enjoyable and I do recommend it!

A great listen.

The book (as the title suggests) is about a second chance romance. For me, the story was quite unique and I loved how it was told and related well the the FMC. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy how it ended but there were times I was unhappy with the characters and how they were dealing with some of the situations but overall they figured it out.
As a whole, the story was good and honestly felt quite realistic and could be any couple out there. Looking forward to more from this author!

Rules for Second Chances is a blend of a second chance romance and mixed with a coming-of-age novel. It has some nuanced and relatable themes, as well as important representation. And while I liked all the character growth, but the romance itself was underwhelming. It ended well, but for the majority of the book I was annoyed with Liz for completely ignoring Tobin, and a few scenes were a little cringey as well. As a whole, I do think it's a solid story, mostly for the aforementioned themes, but I can't say that I loved every minute of it.

3.5 Stars

FOMO got me to request this book when one of the romance books groups I’m in were all chatting about it. I have the eBook and audio versions.i did listen to the audio more as I wanted to get through it, but I should have done the eBook because I don’t prefer when the narrator read all the characters and makes up voices for the rest. It’s okay if it’s like female to female and male to male but when it’s opposite sexes it just sounds silly. I didn’t really enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. I honestly thought our main character was going to end up with McHuge lol. But alas, she went back to her husband. The characters were fine. Sharon was my fave because she was so interesting. I did think that having a self help book inside a book was a neat idea. I do feel like there was a lot going on, relationships, jobs, family, an old cat, an autistic niece and then a autistic main character, a bi best friend who knew Sharon who knew McHuge. Like there’s no way their world is that small that they all knew each other I’m sorry. I just wasn’t interested in this storyline, or the characters really. Also, her boss whatever his name was, was a total dick.
I’d still recommend this book to maybe slight romance readers, there wasn’t any steaminess to the story.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the review copy.

I just finished Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North and here are my thoughts.


Liz is tired of being overlooked and everyone she works with views her as different. She isn’t fun loving and outgoing like her husband and she feels like an extra in her own life. She decides to try improv classes to improve not only her work life, but the marriage her stubborn husband refuses to give up on.

The improv is supposed to help Liz become more confident but the more she gets into doing it, the more it is becoming obvious to her that there is more going on with her social awkwardness than she really knew. Can she and Tobin get their marriage back on track and connect in a way that makes their marriage fulfilling for both of them?

Firstly, I am happy this book highlights autism in the MC. It’s always great when authors make their books inclusive but they have to be knowledgeable about the inclusivity they are writing about and as a mother of 2 asd children and a wife of an asd man, I felt the author did a pretty good job of portraying autism the correct way and in a delicate manner.

It was easy to adore Liz. I have spent almost a decade with a man just like her and I can see how difficult the social anxieties can be for a person especially when they are undiagnosed. I am the outgoing partner so I can understand the complexities of what Tobin was going through as well. It was really something to watch them both trying to tackle the obstacles in their way of making their marriage work and the fact Torbin didn’t let it all slip away, which would have been easier for him, was really the best part of the book for me.

I thought the book was really well written and I very much enjoyed the plot of the book. It’s not a traditional romance read so if you are looking for something fluffy, this isn’t it. The book covers some pretty heavy topics and isn’t lighthearted. I did feel the pace was a touch off. I listened to and read the paperback arc and sometimes felt the story wasn’t moving quickly enough to the pace it had set but all in all I actually enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

The narrator was excellent and set a really great tone for the book. If you are looking for a second chance romance book that is outside the norm, give this one a go! You won’t be sorry

4 stars thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my paperback and alc gifted copies!

Out now

#stmartinspress #smpinfluencers #bookreview #bookish #rulesforsecondchances #arc #alc #booklover #maggienorth #bookcommunity #booknerd #bookstagram #bookinfluen

Rules for Second Chances is a debut book by a Canadian physician and it was overall not a bad marriage-in-crisis story even though I found the beginning of it to be hard to get into. I appreciated the growth and desire to work on a relationship despite difficult backgrounds and the idea of using improv to gain confidence was well done too. I found the ending a bit rushed overall but I still felt like my time with this book was fine.

This book seemed like it had the potential to be both unique and enjoyable. Two wilderness guides -- one who is on the autism spectrum -- on the brink of divorce use improv as an unconventional way to try and save their marriage. Sadly, it just didn't work for me. The storyline was unhinged, with so many points of conflict ebbing and flowing throughout. The interactions between the main characters felt too improbable to be relatable. I found the audiobook narrator to be a bit whiney.

Points to the author for trying to make this story work. But I just didn't enjoy it.

I didn't really believe the reasons that Liz wanted to leave Tobin, so that aspect of the story felt a bit unbelievable. I did appreciate someone being stuck in a rut and wanting to change things like their job, their personality and the way they are around other people though so I could empathize with Liz about that. I thought improv and golf was an interesting way of putting herself out into the world. It was nice to see the total transformation from chapter one to the end, and I was glad that the communication between her and Tobin improved. They really went on a journey together and found ways to love each other more along the way. I also really appreciated the Canadian setting I could picture it perfectly in my mind.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this Audio ARC Copy!

I always enjoy a second chance romance and I enjoyed this one. It definitely had its flaws and at times the reasoning for the miscommunication was a bit confusing to the reader.
The FMC is an autistic adult that is just now figuring out that she may in fact be autistic. I will say as an adult that just recently went through that whole realization process myself, it can be quite chaotic and wild, which is how this book came across at times. I enjoyed the autistic representation and just how hard it can make relationships, as well as just relationships in general.
I found myself caring more about the FMC's self discovery process and not enough about the romance, wile the MMC did show growth there at the end, it just wasn't enough for me to really fall in love with this couple.

I really loved this book more than I even expected to. It was so easy to connect with Liz in a way that sometimes you just can't with main characters. If you're a fan of Christine Lauren or any books by similar authors you need to pick this one up! Well written and I just couldn't put it down.