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.

I did not finish this book. I made it 25% and decided not to keep going. I just didn't connect with these characters and I didn't really care what happened. I'm sure this story will appeal to many other people but it just wasn't for me. I am leaving 3 stars because I have to leave a star rating and I feel like 3 is right in the middle.

Though I loved certain aspects, such as the dynamics between the main characters, I would give this title a 3.5/5 rating. It was good but heavier than I was prepared for and slow at times.

***I received this book as an ARC for my honest review

I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrator, she’s one of my favorites. The storyline was a bit slower than I prefer but I fell for the characters immediately and enjoyed the storyline- it felt different than most I’ve read lately. Highly recommend this one.

I am usually not one to love a second chance trope, but Rules for Second Chances totally blew me away. This book really dives into the issues Liz found in her marriage and found a way for her to work on those things while also getting appropriate support from her husband, Tobin.

I’m sorry but this was not a good one for me. I always do reviews posts for NetGalley books/audios I receive, but am opting out for this one. I don’t want to sound like I am bashing the book. To put it nicely, it wasn’t for me. I was bored. I couldn’t connect with the characters. I really tried to like it as I consider second chance one of my favorite tropes. It wasn’t the narrator’s fault. I wonder if it was just a me problem with struggling with audios lately. I give myself props for finishing it, but unfortunately I was looking forward to be being over. Again, no hate to the author, narrator or publisher. I still appreciate and thank you for this Alc opportunity.

Liz Lewis, cynical introvert, is married to Tobin Renner-Lewis, complete extrovert and adventure guide extraordinaire. How the heck did they end up together? That's a question I kept asking myself because Liz's internal dialogue would keep me from ever talking to someone like Tobin. She gets passed over for a promotion and is recommended to start taking improv classes. She fails tremendously at improv, but it gives her the opportunity to change parts of herself.

Gail Shalan is a new to me narrator. She did a wonderful job of narrating Liz's POV and giving life to the characters.

I wanted to like this one so much but I just couldn’t get too into it. The male character was tough for me to like and it just felt like their relationship was so weird. The ending saved it a little but there just wasn’t enough before that for me to truly love this one. It was okay but some minor changes would have had a big impact. A little more backstory would have had a big impact.

I think this book provides a glimpse into the importance of truly honest communication. It gives an interesting perspective on the push/pull of relationships. Trying to truly understand someone else is hard and takes hard work. When one person does not process the world in the same way/terms/order/etc. as the other, it gets even harder. This book has a neurodivergent (ND) main character and is written by an ND author. I don’t reach for many straight contemporary reads; I found this one to be compelling and interesting.

The narration was solid for this book - no issues on that front.

Thank you NetGalley, Maggie North, and Macmillan audio for a copy of this audiobook ARC.

Not only is this cover beautiful, the story is too.

It’s raw and touching. @mnorthauthor brings the characters’ feelings to life and you can’t help but root for them as the story continues.

I started this one evening and the next thing I knew it was over. I just had to keep listening. ♥️🎧

Special thanks to @macmillan.audio for the ALC.

From the outside, I thought I had a good chance to like this story - a marriage in crisis where the couple use a unique method to try and help them resolve their issues, a wilderness guide aspect, and a little self-discovery along the way (aka, lit fic elements, which I ADORE in romance).

Unfortunately, I found the "unique method" a little too out there - the scenarios the main couple picked for their improv got really odd at times - and the self-discovery to be a secondary element tacked on at the end.

I don't even know where to begin. This book was messy in my mind.

First of all, Liz and Tobin's original breakup (conflict? issue?) felt sudden and like a huge leap. If your shirt has a small stain in it, you usually try to remove the stain before tossing it out right? Well, Liz saw that their marriage might have some discoloration (not even a stain!) and decided to throw it out. That's how it felt to me, anyway. (And don't come at me - I understand that hopeless feelings can cause people to react irrationally. It was the rest of the story that made the beginning feel even weaker.)

Second of all, Liz had an idea in her head of what Tobin thought, felt, who he was, what he wanted, etc. Did she ever once ask him to clarify? No. Tobin didn't help in this regard, as he was pretty silent and could have taken the initiative to talk to Liz, but STILL. For the way that Liz thought about Tobin, admired him, and was still attracted to his better qualities, I was expecting her to be more understanding and seeking.

Third, the improv scenes got weird (mermaids, anyone?). Are y'all sure marriage counseling wouldn't have worked? Cause it would have been a whole lot less weird than where y'all ended up in improv.

And finally, the self-discovery aspect. The whole book, Liz's sister Amber is dancing around at telling Liz something, but she doesn't ever straight up tell her. When Amber slips and says it, Liz is taken aback and has this moment of grand discovery and wants to research, tell Tobin, etc. WHY COULDN'T AMBER JUST TELL HER. Why has no one helped Liz see this before now!? And sadly, we don't get to see much of Liz's thoughts on the matter because the book ends shortly after. I wish Liz could have had this revelation earlier in the story so that we could be with her as she wrestled with it and what it meant!

Honorary mention - everyone's family was AWFUL... until they weren't in the last chapter. It was so hard to read about any of Liz & Tobin's familial relationships.

In other words, not a book I enjoyed.