Maggie North's take on romance is both heartwarming and introspective! The MCs go through such a growth and character arc that was so beautiful to read. Romance that is mixed with heavier topics can be difficult to navigate, but this one was satisfying. As someone who enjoyed Maggie North's previous novel, I did not feel as though this one delivered the same amount of enjoyment. This could be due to the way that the tropes were executed or the overly quirkiness of the characters/plot. Overall, this was a sold 3 star read.

I have been dying for McHuge's story from the moment he appeared in Rules for Second Chances. Especially after it became clear he and Stellar had some sort of history together. Sparks galore! Stellar doesn't want to work for him but she's out of sorts with work and needs the money. And it turns out they make a good professional team once the therapy campers arrive. But as far as taking things further, it's one step forward, two steps back until they finally put their shared tent to good use.

While there was some inconsistent characterization, the emotional arcs were incredibly strong, as was the treatment of anger. Stellar needs to let go of her anger and trust others not to fail her, while Lyle needs to learn how to express his anger and trust people can handle it.

Really looking forward to whatever North writes next!

The Ripple Effect

“You don’t have to be perfect to deserve love, Stellar. Theoretically,”

Ohhh what a precious story. I ADORE Stellar and her grumpy self. Lyle McHuge must be protected at all costs. I am INVESTED in them!!!

A hilarious and heartfelt adventure of a grumpy sunshine fake fiancé situation, where Stellar and Lyle are running a white water rafting relationship therapy retreat. While pretending to be in love. But also.. maybe.. they are half in love? Or the whole way. You decide.

This was a fun and powerful read about owning your power, standing up for yourself, and also learning to let things go and allow yourself to be loved. I adored their journeys and the love they found along the way. And the cast of supporting characters 🤣

Check this one out for
💧Grumpy (FMC) sunshine (MMC) ☀️
💧 Fake engagement
💧 Forced proximity
💧 Hilarious cast of supporting characters
💧 Set in Canada 🇨🇦
💧 Small town / camping adventure
💧 ONLY ONE TENT

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for this ARC! The Ripple Effect is on shelves June 17, 2025! My opinions are my own.

Cute premise, but it dragged for me.

I really wanted to love this—grumpy/sunshine dynamic, fake engagement, wilderness setting? Yes, please. But The Ripple Effect just didn’t quite land the way I hoped. The setup had promise (a burned-out ER doctor and a too-charming therapist faking an engagement to save a relationship therapy startup? Wild, but fun), but the pacing felt off. The story dragged in places, and I found it hard to stay fully engaged.

Stellar is a solid character—tough, smart, and emotionally guarded—but her constant resistance to anything remotely sentimental got repetitive. McHuge (yes, that’s really his name) is sweet, but a little too sunshine-and-singing-circle for me. Their chemistry had its moments, but it took too long to really build, and by then, I felt like I was pushing myself to finish.

That said, I can see this working for readers who enjoy slow-burn workplace romances with quirky side characters and a summer camp vibe. It just wasn’t quite my speed.

Thank you to NetGalley and @maggienorthauthor for the #gifted copy of The Ripple Effect for #TalkingtoMyBooks to use as a traveling ARC. I was thrilled to be included and get to read, tab, highlight and annotate my gasps, hearts and LOLs all over this book. All opinions are my own.

Heads up: The Ripple Effect is not listed as a series on Goodreads, but it absolutely is very, very connected (a series IMO) to the amazing Rules for Second Chances. They could be read standalone but why not read them in order? You will not regret a page of either of these books.

Do you want to force yourself to go to bed at 2:45 a.m. when your alarm is going to go off at 5:30 a.m.? Just pick up The Ripple Effect. Maggie North is gifted in knowing her characters and their backstories SO WELL and getting her readers to want to know them too. Stellar and “McHuge” go from sidekicks to main characters in this book as they work together on his whitewater canoeing relationship therapy company. I love them both. They are so funny, and he is the most unique sweety cutie book boyfriend. This book is incredibly quotable, as in PARAGRAPHS-long quotes, and I appreciate adding “Vulnerability Hangover” to my lexicon.

North’s writing APPEALS to me and after only reading two of her books, I can safely say she is a favorite author of mine.

The only thing I disliked about this book was having to part with it to send it to the next lucky traveling ARC reader. Expected publication is June 17, 2025 and I will be pre-ordering my own copy.

5/5 stars
Open Door
Location: Canada
I read this with my eyes so I don’t know the audiobook details.

Stellar is a jaded gig working former physician who is blacklisted for whistleblowing at her former hospital about misogynistic HR practices. Struggling to make ends meet and petrified of having to leave her idyllic mountain life she volunteers to stand in for her best friend’s husband at his new adventure/couple therapy start up so he can take paternity leave. Of course her partner at the startup is the giant cinnamon roll man she ghosted after a very memorable one night stand a year ago. Stellar quickly learns that she’ll do anything to get this start up off the ground including proposing a fake engagement, enlisting the help of her estranged sister, and having to break her own rules about emotions and rules and rigid relational boundaries.

The rom-com is full of laughs and heart felt moments, with a lovable secondary cast that will have you feeling all the fuzzies. Just enough drama to make it interesting and keep it grounded but with a fun dose of outdoor adventure too. The book was everything I want in a contemporary romance AND the characters are professional aged adults I can relate to.

I really appreciated the bi/pan rep and love supporting an autistic author.

I absolutely loved Rules for Second Chances and was excited to pick up The Ripple Effect for McHuges story. I wish that excitement carried through, however, this one just didn’t hook me in to the story at all.

The concept of the white water camp for couples who need to work it out was interesting, to put McHuge’s couple counseling theories to the test that we found in the first book. However, I didn’t care one bit for any of the side characters that attended this camp, and didn’t know who was who or cared to know.

For McHuge and Stellar, I would have loved to have seen McHuge’s perspective and get to know him more. Being just in Stellar’s mind, I was feeling more of a Stellar self development much less the romance between them.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and YouHadMeAtHEA for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I started this book but for me sadly I could not complete it. The story felt a lot drawn out for my liking but all in all it is a wonderful attempt. this is mainly a "its not you, its me" situation.

Maggie North became an auto-buy author with the release of her debut novel last year, and her sophomore romance did not disappoint. What I loved about it:

- Older main characters with real bodies
- The outdoor setting, beautifully and realistically rendered
- Authentic struggles and believable yet satisfying character development
- Ooooh, the tension with this one

Would absolutely recommend!

This story isn’t exactly what I was expecting. It isnt a light book but that doesnt mean it isnt good! Lot’s of deep lessons couched in a romance. I had to put it down in the middle of reading to do life things for a few hours and found myself wanting to put aside those life things so I could see what happened with Stellar J and McHuge! A really great book! I highly recommend! Oh and I haven’t yet read “The Rules for Second Chances” which is Liz’s story but I’m definitely going to read it now!

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my review.

This book was so interesting. It took a while for me to get into it. I had a hard time with the FMC's approach to life, though she was clearly dealing with a lot of trauma. I felt like there were too many settings introduced too quickly at the beginning before we really got into where the story was taking place. All that said, once I did get into it, I found myself enjoying the dynamic between our FMC and MMC. Though I do think this would have benefitted from a dual-POV. It was also hard to keep up with the pacing — sometimes the book dragged, sometimes it went too quickly, and it was hard to balance their genuine love story moving quickly while also being a slow burn in a way. That's kind of how I felt about the whole book actually, somehow it had too much going on and also not enough, and I think some of the plot points suffered for that a little bit. But overall it was sweet.

Okay, let’s talk about how I was absolutely feral for McHuge’s book and somehow Maggie North said, “Let’s do that again but better” because The Ripple Effect took me on the most emotional, swoony, perfectly unhinged ride and I loved every single second.

Stellar and Lyle? I am OBSESSED. Like, completely unwell over them. The fake dating and forced proximity on a Love Boat-style cruise? Genius. That combo was already giving, but the execution? Next-level. This story had it all: tension, heartache, joy, actual character growth, and the kind of romance that feels like a slow, safe unraveling into someone else's arms.

Even though Stellar and Lyle start with a one-night stand, the way they build something—piece by vulnerable piece—felt so authentic and satisfying. They become each other’s safe place, and watching them learn to trust again had me clutching my heart.

Also, Sloane. SLOANE. I loved her so much. She’s the big sister energy I didn’t know I needed—funny, grounding, protective, and just a whole vibe. Her presence added so much warmth and depth to the story.

I stayed up way too late reading because I had to know how it would all work out. The angsty, emotional rollercoaster had me hooked, and I needed to see Stellar and Lyle get the love they deserved.

This book is easily my new favorite from Maggie North. I am so here for this couple, and I already want to reread it just to live in their world a little longer.

Thank you to SMP for this review copy. All opinions are my own.

Because I loved Rules for Second Chances, I was excited to dive into this one. I was emotionally invested by the end (yes, I got teary). North’s strength really shines in her diverse, inclusive cast, and I’m definitely down to read whatever she writes next.

Big thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I gave this book 4 stars, but realistically it was more like 3.5 stars.
Spice rating: 1.5/5 it has open door scenes but they are not graphically described so I felt it was really tame.

It was a good read, but I felt it over described situations to the point it felt described to death and I found myself skipping over whole pages of descriptions to get back into the story telling.

The book follows Stellar, who is a lost former ER doctor looking for purpose and direction in life, and Lyle "McHuge" who is a hippie dippie physiologist who needs a doctor for his outdoor marriage program.

Tropes:
~ Second chance love
~ Fake engagement
~ Forced proximity


Thank you to Maggie North, NetGalley, and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

This was so cute I can’t even stand it. Great characters, angst, and sweet love story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really don't know what to say here. Ripple Effect is perfect. The MCs are perfect. The setting is perfect. The writing is perfect. No notes. Carry on, Maggie North.

The Ripple Effect by Maggie North
This was precious. It's a delightful break from the twisted thrillers I’ve read lately. I love a good romcom, and this was such an extraordinary story.

These characters are all genuinely constructed, and I love that they are all flawed. Because we are all flawed, so it makes them even more relatable. There is someone here for everyone to connect with.

This takes place in Canada, and the scenery descriptions were stunning. I loved Stellar and Lyle and their journey. Their complications, challenges, and changes were well plotted.

The first half of this book left me kind of irritated with Stellar. I wanted to be angry at her, but as the plot progressed and I fell into her heart, she captured mine.

This is a charming story with characters readers will love. This is the perfect story for those seeking a tangled web of past hurts and present struggles. Katy approved!

Publication date: June 17, 2025
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

I appreciated the starting over to learn to come together aspect of this book. It definitely kept me wanting to know what would come next. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.

The Ripple Effect had me in a chokehold with the tropes alone—grumpy x sunshine? fake engagement?? workplace shenanigans at a relationship therapy camp??? Absolutely yes. Stellar is a whole mood with her dry sarcasm and burnout vibes, and McHuge (I cannot with that name) is a golden retriever in therapist form. Their banter? Impeccable. The chemistry? Simmering. It gave me all the warm fuzzy rom-com feelings but still tackled deeper stuff like burnout and vulnerability in such a thoughtful way. I was smiling, swooning, and maybe even tearing up a little by the end. Total comfort read—I adored it.

I liked the writing and found myself highlighting certain sections but some of the slang/terminology used by the MMC was cringey. It turned me off.