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.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the review copies. I alternated between the ebook & audiobook for this story.

I can definitely get on board with the premise of this story - entering her 30s, Liz has a decent job and decent marriage, but she’s unsatisfied in both and wants more for herself – to paraphrase The Holiday, she wants to be the leading lady in her own life. As her life spirals apart in an effort to rebuild it, she’s forced to confront some hard truths about her relationships and how she sees the world. Through improv and a relationship-self-help guidebook, she works with her husband on prompts to find out if their marriage is worth saving or if they should both cut and run.

There’s a lot of inner reflection that I found to be quite relatable as a 30-something married woman, which of course made this an emotionally challenging book to read. For the first half of the book, I couldn’t possibly see a way for Liz and Tobin to find a positive pathway forward as they seemed to be such opposites – we later learn they both had battles that made them a strong partnership together. I really appreciated Maggie’s inclusion of adult Autism self-diagnosis – it’s definitely something that I think deserves a louder conversation in society and it was handled with great care in this book. It took me a while to finish this book – at 10 hours, the book itself wasn’t long but I felt I needed more breaks because of how strong my emotional reactions were to the writing.

After Liz Lewis gets mistaken for a server at her own 30th birthday party, she decides to shake up her life. She moves out of the house she shares with her husband, asking for some time, and takes up an improv class to improve her chances of getting the promotion at work she wants. Can she apply improv’s greatest lesson – Yes, and… - to manifest the changes she wants?

I liked that this second chance romance showcased main characters who were already married and trying to decide whether/how to save their marriage. It showcased just how messy a relationship can be after the HEA where most romance books end. I also liked the friends Liz made in her improv class. Despite knowing this is a romance book, I was genuinely unsure whether Liz and Tobin would make things work or walk away from their marriage. I would consider it closer to a women’s fiction book than a romance. There was a lot going on in this book, and I think it would have worked better to cut one or two of the side stories to focus more on the remaining ones.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

Thank you Macmillan audiobook for the opportunity to listen to this novel, all thoughts are my own.

This story had so much promise and a lot of let down. I personally struggled with the pacing and plot of this story I soft DNFed it for 2 weeks before I picked it back up in hopes it would *maybe* get better.

Liz Lewis is the type of girl who just annoys me in stories, sorry but it is the truth. Her internal monologue was long and drawn out with repeating herself often, that I felt like screaming I GET IT ALREADY. And Tobin her second chance aka Husband just didn’t fit the role that was painted at the beginning.

I love second chance romances, but this wasn’t it for me.

This was my first second chance trope, where the couple had a falling out at the beginning of the book, and worked on their relationship throughout the story. I really enjoyed the premise of this book but I expected there to be more camping or outdoor activity since both characters worked for a wilderness guiding company.

Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North captivated me from the very first chapter with its heartfelt exploration of love, growth, and the complexities of relationships. Liz Lewis, navigates a tumultuous journey of self-discovery and second chances that had me hooked until the very end.

Maggie North skillfully weaves together a narrative that is both tender and poignant, delving deep into Liz's struggles within her marriage to Tobin Renner-Lewis. The backdrop of a mountain resort town adds a refreshing layer of atmosphere, contrasting Liz's introverted nature with the vibrant, adventurous world around her.

What truly sets this audiobook apart is its authenticity. Liz's journey from a woman overshadowed in her own life to one reclaiming her voice is compellingly portrayed. The addition of improv comedy as a catalyst for Liz's transformation is not only clever but also serves as a metaphor for the spontaneous nature of life itself. The characters are very well developed, each with their own quirks and complexities that add depth to the story.

The narration, handled masterfully by Gail Shalan, brings the characters to life with warmth and nuance. Her interpretation of Liz's journey—from moments of vulnerability to moments of triumph—captured the essence of each scene perfectly.

Rules for Second Chances is a gem of a book that tackles serious themes with grace and humor. Maggie North's writing is engaging, with witty dialogue and emotional resonance that kept me fully engaged throughout.
Thank you Macmillan Audio, Maggie North, and Netgalley for this ALC of Rules for Second Chances.

I had a hard time seeing the connection between the improv and the wilderness stuff. It was a like, not a love for me. The main character seemed very naive, and her love interest was kind of a jerk, and I didn’t really think worth getting back.

This was a cute second chance, small town romance. The narrator was very good, but I had to slow the listening speed to only 1.5 speed.

I enjoyed the story and the progression. I liked that we got to know Liz very well, but she also had moments that were beyond immature for her age. It was good that Tobin also did some soul searching, but would have been nice for this realization to be told earlier in the book.

Thank you for the audio copy, this is my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this book. I think the characters were fantastic, and their growth throughout the novel was just what you’d hope to see.

This book did a great job showcasing the hard parts of marriage and growing up together, adjusting as we change over the years, and how you can learn to grow together if you allow yourself to.

Very well done. Second chance romance is a top favorite category of mine to read because there is always so much emotion, and this book delivered for sure!

I love a second chance romance and after reading the synopsis, I just had to read it. Honestly, I couldn't really connect with this book. Liz and Tobin were an ok couple, but this book was slow. There were a couple plot holes that I just couldn't get over. Overall, it was an ok read. The audiobook was very good. The narrator was a perfect voice for this book.

2.5⭐ rounded up

*Thank you partner @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

I got to 36% in this audiobook and decided I cannot continue listing. This is a hard DNF for me. I appreciate the author representing neurodiversity but the book is sooooo negative for the first 36% for sure and it’s so so
Depressing. Like such a drag to listen too. I find no humor in the massive negative views of herself. It’s the constant down drag. Also the narrator’s voice for Tobin was so awful. So so so awful. He is described as being rugged and low voice but sounds like a high hippie. It’s terrible. Can’t do it. So sorry.