I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Stellar is a former ER doctor, suffering from burn-out and still unable to manage her own life. Struggling with finances, she takes a job as a doctor at The Love Boat, a company seeking to combine mental health and whitewater canoeing. While this is not her "scene", she needs the job. The founder of this idea is Lyle, who is not only a psychologist, but a failed hookup of Stellar's from the year prior. Stellar is more grumpy, while Lyle looks at the bright side of things. Stellar cannot avoid him, however, and winds up pretending to be engaged to him in order to save his business and it's image. Now forced into close proximity, Stellar eventually sees Lyle in a new light.

This is a slower paced romance, and while I could have used a bit more here, it was still a good romance. I did really enjoy the overall storyline, and absolutely loved the camp idea and setting. It allowed for secondary characters to have a strong role, and provided a good opportunity for the journalist storyline to blend seamlessly.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and the outdoorsy elements! This was such a fun romance and I loved seeing the growth and character development on our main characters!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love the grumpy/sunshine trope, and this one delivered! I really liked the premise of white water canoeing, as that's not often used in books. Fun read!

The Ripple Effect by M. North, published by St. Martin's Press is a contemporary, adult fiction romance. A great read.
A slow burn that sometimes I wanted to speed up. All in all, I enjoyed treading this book, 4 beautiful stars.
Blurb: Burned-out former ER doc Stellar J Byrd can solve any crisis except her own life. But with her financial prospects dwindling, she’d do anything to stay in her beloved, pricey wilderness town—even take a job as a camp physician at The Love Boat, an unspeakably touchy-feely relationship therapy startup. If there are sing-alongs, she’s calling in sick.
What’s worse? Her boss is Lyle “McHuge” McHugh, the sunshiny psychologist she’s masterfully avoided since their disastrous hookup last year. Hardheaded relationship scorekeeper Stellar plans to dodge his pathological generosity from now until September, but after a scathing article puts McHuge's romantic credibility into question, a fake engagement is the only way to salvage the camp’s crumbling public image.
It’s strictly business . . . but the more closely they work together, the more Stellar realizes her feelings for McHuge are anything but professional. With competitors hard on their heels and trade secrets at stake, they must find a way to marry his softness with her steel to build a business–and a love–that will last past summer’s end .

Maggie ’s writing is captivating. This book was emotional and beautiful. There were so many sweet moments, the longing was just amazing. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.