I'm so glad I got introduced to Maggie North's writing. I'll read anything she writes now.

I loved this story. I loved the characters. I loved Stellar's journey of trusting her gut and living with so much anger. She had every right to be angry, but it's nice to sift through that with someone by your side.

That someone... McHuge. I loved the glimpses of McHuge that we got from the first book and I love him even more now. Stellar and McHuge are perfect opposites with walls built up for different reasons. Their slow burn chemistry and discovery of how to break those walls down was beautiful.
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<i>"I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on,' I whisper... "But I want us to try. If all we have is you and me, then I want us to promise we won't walk away from this. Or from each other."

"I wouldn't walk away. Not ever," he says, a little breathless.</i>

I loved Maggie North's new book, <i>The Ripple Effect</i>. It hits on so many amazing characters and so many feelings. I highly recommend that you read, <i>Rules for Second Changes</i>, Maggie's debut novel, before reading this book, as there are some events that are mentioned in the first book that makes things a bit clearer in the second book. And you get to get more of Liz's story arc in this second book, and I adore Liz.

First off, there is our FMC, Dr. Stellar J. Byrd, an ER doc who has been mistreated by the health care industry. She's smart, plucky, and determined to make her way in the world. There's a deep layer of kindness underneath her tough as nails skin and it was so wonderful to see her grow and develop.

Then, there's our MMC, Lyle "McHuge" McHugh. The gentle giant of a man who just wants to take care of everyone. He's funny and it was just wonderful to get to know him. His kindness and gentleness rubs off on Stellar, but he also goes through is own character arc. And it's really interesting to see how he develops. He also has the most adorable dog, Babe. I love a man who has a dog!

But I also became fascinated with the growth of the side characters, especially Brent, the reporter who basically slanders Lyle's business due to misinformation. Brent and his wife, Willow, join the Love Boat's maiden launch as a PR effort, but it was just so fascinating to see Brent learn from the other characters and grow as a person.

I loved the budding romance between Stellar and Lyle. They connect on such a deep level, and their journey getting there is an interesting one. They really change each other, and I think really needed each other in order to find themselves.

The joke were fantastic in this book as well. There were plenty of times where I literally laughed out loud. Although my favorite is this one: <i>"Lyle," I say sternly. "I've seen you naked before. And do not make me explain the powers of the human vagina, given a considerate partner and a decent amount of foreplay. I am a doctor, you know."</i>

All in all, this was a great book and it was thrilling read.

I really did not know what to expect going into this book. At the start I wasn’t connecting with Stellar or Lyle - neither one if them felt fully fleshed out and I was struggling to see where this was gonna go.

Boy am I glad I stuck around! Just like the curriculum of the Love Boat, chapter by chapter we got to see their insecurities and walls get knocked down layer by layer. Maggie did such a good job of taking two characters that seem like COMPLETE opposites and giving them a change to find where they complement each other.

I do still think there were opportunities to give a little bit more. Stellar seemed reticent to get on board with the whole “oh I’m in love with him” idea but once she did I felt like a switch was flipped more so than a lightbulb went off. I wished I’d seen more yearning from Lyle - the final chapters really do give us a peek at his feelings for Stellar over time, but to be down bad for a year I expected a little bit more throughout the story. That’s a personal preference thing, though.

Overall, this really did surprise me for how much I liked it!!

Thank you for the opportunity to reD this book in advance.

I will say it starred out slow... I almost didn't continue since I hadn't read the first book and felt like I was missing something but that was not the case... it can totally be a standalone but maybe read the first book for background and context.. I did enjoy the book however once I kept reading I started to feel more connected. 4 star read for me.

I was pulled in by the beautiful cover! Sadly, I did not like this one. It was boring and had far too many descriptions of the scenery. Thinking it's a me problem though because I am seeing a ton of positive reviews.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed Maggie North's first book so I was thrilled to read this one, with a couple glimpses of Liz and Tobin's life it's the same universe but can absolutely be read as a stand alone without missing a beat.

Stellar is guarded and distrusting, McHuge is sunshine but earnestly so, and for good reason.

The romance was slow burn, and a not of the plot involved both personal development but also themes outside of the central relationship, so I could see this book appealing to women's fiction readers.

The supporting characters were all very well constructed, I was rooting for Mitch and Lori the whole book.

Overall, I'm glad I read this and look forward to seeing what else Maggie North comes up with.

Okay so it took me a little bit to get into this one. Stellar and McHuge as names were a lot to handle. But I’m glad I stuck it out because this was very sweet! I’m so happy Stellar was able to get past her tit for tatting and Lyle found a partner who could accept him and see past the exterior he presented. I love the way they finally worked together. I love Stellar and her sister reconnecting. And what a delightful cast of side characters! They felt so real. I’m glad Brent finally turned it around because he was so irritating, but he felt so like a million men I’ve encountered. And I’m so happy the dog was okay!

Maggie North really has a way with words! This was such a refreshing read.

The Ripple Effect picks up from the Maggie's previous novel The Rules for Second Chances with McHuge and Stellar. I would say this is technically a stand alone book but it was nice to have their background and some of the back story on Mchuge's hit book about relationships that inspires the idea for the "Love Boat". I also personally love all of the characters and getting to check in with them so do yourself a favor and read Rules for Second Chances first if you can.

McHuge and Stellar find themselves in an interesting predicament both need each other to move forward. This leads to a fake engagement in order to better sell McHuge's therapy concept called the "Love Boat" which is a wilderness based therapy. As fake engagements in books go, this one was done so well and I was rooting for them the entire book. I don't want to give too much away because the story is beautiful. The descriptions were spot on and I really feel like I was at a luxury outdoor camp in Canada. I definitely learned a lot about rapids and outdoor adventures.

I will say the beginning of the book is a tad slow, however, its necessary to really set up the story and depth of the characters. Stellar in particular is very down has a lot of unresolved issues. She is constantly struggling to keep score so that she never "owes" anyone. It was refreshing to see these characteristics in a female lead. She is angry about the shit sandwich she has been dealt when she tried to do the right thing and we get to go on this incredible journey with her to deal with these feelings.

Having done a lot of therapy myself, I enjoyed the writing so much. One of the standout lines for me is: "I'd rather be kind than right" This is a real struggle sometimes for anyone. Reading this book lets you take a step back and see both being kind and right and what that means in different situations.

Big thank you to Maggie North and St. Martins Press for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

After reading another one of Maggie North’s books recently, I jumped on the chance to read this one. I enjoyed it and the message of needing to give yourself some love too. The main characters approach this in different ways. Stellar is a closed off, transactional person and not very trusting of others. But she’s not unkind either. She just doesn’t know how to accept others’ kindness. Meanwhile Lyle is perhaps too trusting, and cares too much about what others think. This is also namely due to his size— he’s scared of scaring others by showing all of his emotions, especially anger. He’s this big teddy bear that gives all this love, but needs to remember to take some love for himself too.
It was a fake engagement, which anything fake is one of my favorite tropes. Especially when they had a very real start. But that was a one night stand a year ago that ended badly and now things are awkward. But the camp is at stake (think Camp Rock 2 and it’s a battle of the camps but they don’t sing), and a united couple spearheading it (and a celebrity endorsement) go a long way.

Thank you SMP and NetGalley for the arc for review!

I was lucky enough to get access to an ARC of this book via NetGalley. This is the 2nd book I've read by Maggie North and it follows 2 side characters from her first book, though I don't think you have to read the other one to enjoy this one. The story is set in Canada again but mainly at the campsite for a wilderness/canoe expedition startup that wants to use the skills you learn for whitewater rafting in your relationships. The characters are well written, nuanced & have their own issues they're trying to solve while trying to keep their fledgling company afloat during its first weeks. The book contains some open-door sex scenes, in case that's not your thing. Overall, I loved the reverse grumpy/sunshine MCs and enjoyed reading their journey. If you enjoyed Maggie's first book this will not disappoint!

title: The Ripple Effect

author: Maggie North

publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

publication date: June 17, 2025

pages: 336

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: hospital visit, cut and stitches

summary: When Stellar was at her lowest point because of a horrible situation at work, she hooked up with Lyle McHugh, called McHuge. She's been trying to forget about him ever since. Unfortunately/ Fortunately, to help her best friend's husband, Stellar has to work as the on-site doctor AND pose as his fiancée for McHugh's new white-water-relationship-counseling company. Along their journey, they learn about the business and each other.

tropes: 

forced proximity
fake fiancés
outdoors as healing
secret baddies

what I liked: all of it

what I didn’t like: none of it

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

The imperfect characters in this novel had me on their side from the beginning. The first person narration draws the reader in as the emotions and growth of the main female character are explored. I really enjoyed this one.

I was given an advanced copy in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion I am giving voluntarily. As much as I would like to say this is a beautiful look at burn out and second chance love, I just can’t recommend this. There was more back story and inner monologue then there was actual present day dialogue. Maybe that’s just the authors writing style but this book isn’t for me. There was to much flash backs of the FMC and we didn’t get to know the MMC well enough before romantic things started happening. The chapters are outrageously long because there’s just to much descriptives of everything, when I say everything I literally mean that. Also not enough dialogue and to much inner monologue flash backs, ruins the space needed for dialogue between characters so that we can learn about both of them at the same pace as what’s happening to them in real time. If you like long descriptive chapters with a grumpy fmc (this is NOT a dig, or me being sarcastic) I could see many people liking this, just wasn’t personally for me. Happy reading!

When I read Second Chances, I (like many I am sure) loved McHuge and Stellar as side characters. I figured and hoped they’d get a book but TOGETHER??? How could this be?! They are so different! A lesson in give and take.

Stellar has spent her whole life making sure everything is even. After a tumultuous childhood she won’t take from someone unless she has something to give. The score must be even, always.

Lyle (McHuge) would give you the shirt off this back. He never expects anything in return. No seriously, you keep it. After a sudden violent outburst in his teens his strives to be a gentle giant and see the good in everyone. If someone wrongs him he just lets it roll off his back.

After a ONS and a year of strategic avoiding eachother Lyle offers Stellar a job she can’t refuse. Team doctor for his new wilderness therapy experience “The Love Boat”. But when the public starts to question Lyle’s authenticity due to his bachelor status chaos ensues. One fake engagement later and surely nothing could go wrong right?

The second installment comes with many more lovable side characters, conflict that made my stomach squeeze, and vulnerable feelings you can’t run away from. Five stars!!!

I tried really hard to love this book; I SWEAR. I just really could not get invested.

I love a slow burn, but when I tell you that this was TOO slow. It felt incredibly drawn out. I liked the characters individually, but I really felt nothing for them together.

This is such a delightful and entertaining read! North really knows how to capture the essence of opposites attracting. The writing style is sharp and witty, effortlessly blending humor with heart as the tension between these two, and the chemistry is undeniable. Stellar’s emotional growth alongside Lyle’s unwavering kindness feels both heartwarming and real. It's the perfect mix of romance, humor, and heartfelt moments. I found myself rooting for them both as they navigate their own personal dilemmas and the larger stakes of their shared business. This book beautifully explores second chances, personal growth, healing, and realizing that sometimes the biggest risk is letting someone in. I loved it.

Slow read and I wasn't fully loving the characters. There were a lot of people with small parts and a lot of drama. 85% of the book was drawn out and then the last 15% was rushed thru and tied up with a nice bow

Thank you NetGalley for the arc

Life was busy which made me start the book in slow, quick pieces. By the time I hit 35% I was fully invested and carried my kindle with me everywhere I went hoping to sneak in a couple extra minutes of reading. I was invested in, and impressed by the depth of, the supporting characters and their stories. I'm honestly not sure if I like Stellar. I can appreciate where she came from, her personal growth, and her bravery in the end, but I found myself annoyed by her and her egocentric thoughts multiple times throughout the story. I was a fan of Lyle and his unexpected growth in the story. I would've loved to see a tangible way he showed that he was able to forgive himself for his past. Overall I enjoyed the book: the setting, the characters, the growth, the conversations, the spice, the storyline and arcs. I will definitely be watching for more from Maggie.

This was such a fun and quick read! If you've read Maggie North's first book, Rules of Second Chances you will recognize McHuge and Stellar Byrd. I absolutely loved getting to read their story. A grumpy/sunshine trope with fake-dating slow burn? Sign me up!!! Was funny and witty, just a great time all around.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of The Ripple Effect by Maggie North.

Brimming with crackling tension and immersive prose, THE RIPPLE EFFECT swept me away. The fake engagement, burly cinnamon roll hero, and forced proximity had me turning pages late into the night. Passionate and playful, this story is a testament to loving the softer sides of ourselves.