3.5 stars. Neurodiverse character decides she wants to save her chance at a promotion by doing improv. Her husband wants to use improv to save their marriage. Interesting premise.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the advanced reader copy and to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

I love a second chance romance, and this one was especially powerful. When Liz is struggling to be seen and to get considered for a promotion at work, she decides to try improv. And she simultaneously steps back from her marriage to Tobin.

Liz is neurodivergent. She sees the world differently, and that ends up being displayed as a powerful and helpful trait. I loved her representation, and I also related to an incredibly high number of her character traits.

We don't get to know Tobin quite as well since the story is told in Liz's first person POV. But we get to know what she sees in him. And Tobin seems fantastic and loving, but also another person who doesn't see her whole self. I wanted to see him grow as much as Liz did during the story.

This story made me so emotional in so many ways. And with the incorporation of improv, it had just the right balance of comedy to offset the tougher topics.

Gail Shalan narrated the audiobook. I didn't love her voice for Tobin, but I loved the rest of her performance. I highly recommend this amazing book in whichever format you choose. It left me saying, "Yes, and..."

4.5 stars rounded up

Liz is a neurodivergent character, which is such a unique aspect to cover. There are so many different ways that could be played out. The writing does a great job of making you understand how she is feeling immediately. You can feel what she feels. Her anxiety, being overwhelmed, and her frustrations. They were so well written. I could see people being able to relate to her or her situation. 
 
For me, it was all a lot. I felt how the character felt frustrated and annoyed, but not to the point where I wanted to see what happened. It was with Liz, the character, and it just wasn't for me. 

Oh and her sister was kinda horrible.

This book is the most unique romance book I have ever read. It was not what I was expecting.

It was so much better.

I don’t think I can adequately put into words my feelings for this book. It is such a tender story. It’s crafted beautifully, written with depth and humour. The setting is beautifully described. The characters and relationships are so real. It’s deep. It’s heart breaking. It’s liberating. It’s healing. I highly recommend it.

Read if you like:
💔Marriage in crisis
🫡 Improv
🧜‍♀️ Cosplay wardrobe malfunctions witnessed by your MIL
♾️ Neurodiversity representation
🏔️ The great outdoors
❤️‍🩹 Self discovery and healing
💕Found Family

I listened to this book and the narrator Gail Shalan absolutely nailed it. I still hear Liz’s voice in my head when I think back to this book. And the way Tobin says Liz 🫠🫠🫠. This is an excellent audiobook.

Rules for second chances

Liz Lewis has always blended in and gone with the flow, content to be in the background, but she’s not willing to take it anymore. She wants to stand on her own two feet and stop being the supporting character in her own life. Her thirtieth birthday gives her the push she needs to take the lead and that means questioning everything she’s ever known, her marriage, her job, every choose she makes. Liz’s path to self discovery has her marriage hanging in the balance, but she’s determined to find her own footing no matter the cost. She’s about to find out if she can fall in love with the same person again, this time loving herself in the process.

I’ll admit when I picked this book up I didn’t look too much into it and was expecting your typical romance, but this book is heavier than that and I wasn’t fully prepared. The author explores many different facets in a relationship and internally. Instead of being a straightforward romance, this book explores a floundering marriage and the main characters happiness. I like the idea behind this book, but I just didn’t fully click with it. I really did enjoy the ending and how everything tied up, but the journey there was bumpy for me. This is not a bad read, just not the typical romance I was expecting and part of that is my fault for going on with that mindset. I think you could enjoy this book if second chances in marriage and discovering yourself are interests to you, it’s just not the first thing I want to read about.

I love the idea of a marriage in trouble using an improv class to improve their relationship. I just didn’t love the execution.

The narrator did a great job!

Thank you McMillan audio for the ALC

Liz was hard to root for, which made this one hard for me. When you have someone on a path of self discovery, you need to like the character. Otherwise, you aren't invested in their journey.

Liz wasn't the only problem. Tobin was a dull, too-perfect character.

I liked the concept and the blurb. It just wasn't enough to hold my interest very well.

Gail Shalan narrates the audiobook.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am normally not a fan of second chance trope or the miscommunication trope. But by the end of this read I am rethinking my stance. The personal growth that Liz went through in finding herself was so amazing to experience right along with the character. I've felt very similar to and related to Liz, and have often wondered where I rest on the spectrum. I also never liked improv until now and am considering seeking out a club of some sort. Because like Liz's best friend, I don't want to spend my thirties in a job that makes me miserable, and improv might help with saying yes instead of staying comfortable.

All in all I really liked this book and I would definitely recommend it. The narrator was also really good and I'll be seeking out more books she's narrated.

Buckle up, this is not an ordinary second chances romance. It is so, so, so much more! The narration really brings the characters to life and connects the listener to the story that makes it even more engaging. The characters are so real, so flawed and so special that you can't help but become entranced with their story and want to keep listening to see if they will work things out or end up going their separate ways. I love the ultimate theme of the story of being seen by the ones you love vs seen by others. I also love the neurodivergent aspect of the story. It is incredible to see a main character with a neurodivergent personality in such a positive light. As an aunt to someone on the autism spectrum, it is wonderful to see it being spotlighted in a positive aspect rather than the quirky side character. Kudos to this author for weaving a compelling story with such a special twist! I can't wait to read more from this author and being a series addict, I do hope we see more from the characters in the story as there is definitely the possibility of other characters shining in their own stories!

I loved this coming of age story. Liz is neurospicy and coming to realize she has spent her life relying on others for her comfort and safety. She is feeling unfulfilled in her married life with Tobin, as well as her professional life. Liz decides to separate from Tobin in an effort to find who she is and how she can rely on herself to find joy and fulfillment.
She decides she wants to go for that promotion she has dreamt about; she creates a plan to learn the skills needed to present her plan by taking an improve class. As the weeks of improv classes pass by, Liz begins to find her confidence and independence she has been lacking.

I loved this book. It is a feel good, self discovery, quick read. I will definitely read this one again!

I really struggle with this one. It was so had to get into and I didn’t connect with the characters. I ended up dnfing it at 58% after putting it down and trying again twice.

This is a marriage-in-trouble romance that got heavier than I anticipated. Liz Lewis could never understand what her husband saw in her. She often feels overlooked and unseen by everyone, including him. Meanwhile, Tobin is the life of the party. Everyone loves him and can't understand why he married Liz. At her birthday party, she tells Tobin she can't take it anymore and moves out.

I struggled with the lack of communication in this one. It can be hard to talk about things but I felt like these two really should have tried at all before she completely leaves him without him even understanding what was wrong. I could relate to her feelings of awkwardness and not being understood. This is handled really well by the author. I also enjoyed the sideline of Tobin and Liz's jobs and her working through an Improv class with Tobin's best friend. I did like how Liz gained confidence throughout the novel. Tobin had his own issues as well especially surrounding the situation with his parents. While I did like this book, it was tough at times to understand why they just didn't talk it out more. Once they did begin talking, I found their conversations to be helpful.

Overall, I would recommend this one but not if you are looking for that lighthearted second-chance romance. This is a very real-feeling marriage with issues and North addresses this as such. I really liked Tobin's best friend, and hope we get a book about him in the future. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I can totally see why so many people are loving this book and seeing themselves in Liz, who I think is a really unique heroine and relatable. I thought the writing was absolutely incredible, especially considering that this is a debut. I'm really excited to see what Maggie North writes next.

This book had an uphill battle for me because marriage in trouble is really a trope that is *not for me*. I did actually like this more than I anticipated and do think that this is a fairly unique take on it which I appreciated. I got a teensy bit frustrated with Liz not listening to Tobin and not recognizing that she too had things that she needed to work on for their marriage. I did like the ending though it felt like everything happened so rapidly at the end.

I also loved the narration by Gail Shalan! I'm so glad I waited to listen to the audio as I think it really enhanced my experience.

Rules for Second Chances was by Maggie North and the audiobook was narrated by Gail Shalan.
I read over half of this and then switched to the audiobook to the end. I’m not going to lie I struggled getting through it. I thought Gail Shalan was good and I enjoyed her part. But I think it was the story itself. Liz was difficult to follow. I couldn’t see what she was so upset about. I just couldn’t draw a connection to her and her plight. But besides that I enjoyed Tobin and many of the side characters. I guess I was just wanting a better reason to struggle with. I’m only giving this a 3 ⭐️.
Thanks Macmillan audio and St. Martins Press via NetGalley.

This and the potential to be so good, sadly it did not deliver. It was okay but we were told so much about the main couple and didn’t see any of it. Why are they in love? Why do they have conflict? The FMC is annoying and always making the wrong decisions but never standing up for herself. I would check out what this author writes next to see their writing and story development.

I enjoyed the narrator in this novel. The book has a serious tone, and you can feel the heroine’s frustration with her inability to fit in.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and listen to this book.

I was given the ebook and the audiobook of this book and I loved it so so much. This narrators were amazing. And truly brought the characters to life. I’m so glad I was able to listen to it.

This was my first marriage in crisis book but I thought it was very well written. I thought this was excellently written and while there was some miscommunication, there wasn’t a lot where I felt like I needed to shake the characters and say what are you doing.

I will definitely read more by this author in the future! Her writing style is incredible.

I picked this book because it had a beautiful cover and I loved the premise of the book but unfortunately I could not get over the annoyance of the main character. Just seemed like it was a little too much.

Do you ever have a book and after reading you're like wait........this can't be a debut it's FANTASTIC?! That's Maggie North's Rules for Second Chances for me.

Liz has wanted a promotion and to be valued by her work for quite some time. Sadly, she's pushed to the sidelines as she's not a man. She's okay sticking to the sidelines elsewhere. Heck, she's a homebody and loves spending quality time alone...even with her husband, Tobin, around. One faithful night, her world gets thrown on its axis and she's had enough. Enough of others mistreating her and enough of Tobin being well....Tobin. So, she does what she does best, runs down the street.

Thrown into a messy situation, she's told she may be up for that promotion if she takes some improv classes- the one thing she ABSOLUTELY can't do. Yet, it'll be in these classes that she makes friends, finds her true self and finds love again. Who says there needs to be rules to give someone else a second chance? Maybe you need to give yourself that second chance first.

I was OBSESSED with Maggie North's debut (especially the last 25%) because of how relatable it was. It's 2024 and time that neurodivergent readers see themselves on the page. I admired the journey that readers got to take as Liz discovered her voice! The improve scenes were hilarious and I was anticipating each one with bated breath. As a huge fan of The Little Mermaid, there was a scene that North writes that had me squealing with delight and cackling at the end result. I just can't wait to discover where Maggie takes these characters next and really am rooting for some other "found family" members to find their happy as well. This book is so well done narrated by Gail Shalan and I truly felt immersed in the story and like I was walking right alongside Liz.

The foundation for this second-chance romance starts off extremely crumbly.  Rules for Second Chances opens with an image that didn’t make much sense to me.  Not revealing anything outside of the synopsis, the circumstances around Liz and how she comes to be mistaken for a server at her own birthday party follow the rules of perfectly ordered logic.  All other circumstances aside, this opener was pretty weak to me.  A poor foundation really built a less than stellar story. This one was a bit of a flop for me.

Liz Lewis loves the outdoors.  She’s married to a Viking lumberjacking mountaineer.  Their marriage should be perfect.  But Liz keeps getting overlooked and only identified in conjunction with her husband, who is a very popular wilderness guide with both the customers and his fellow co-workers.  ANYONE would find this frustrating, but Liz’s frustration is compounded by extenuating factors, so she takes her life back from everyone and shoots high for a promotion at work by enrolling herself in an improv class.  Thus, the them for this story is “Yes, and,” as the rule for improv dictates.

Liz and Tobin didn’t feel like they had much chemistry to me.  Even when reading about their backstory and the original meet cute that got them started, I couldn’t quite envision them as a couple.  I didn’t really connect with Liz as  a main character.  She felt very self-centered.  Though it is quite well established that she needs to feel more fulfilled in her life, I had the impression that her fulfillment came from recognition and attention instead of more meaningful and deeper relationships with those around her.  The lack of communication with everyone around her certainly diminished with her attendance to the improv workshops, but the plot device felt very thin for the fictional circumstances.

The audiobook narration for this one sounded fair-to-middling.  While the narrator did an excellent job with the female characters and the enunciation and intonation of the general story, many of the male characters sounded like much older than they were.  I mean Gandalf old.  

Overall, 3/5 for the story and 3.5-4/5 for the narration.  I just couldn’t find myself connecting with the characters or computing the logic for this one.  I’m sure it will connect for some.

My thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.