It's not often that you find an m/f romance where both of the characters are queer, even less often that you find a book like that with such heart and insight into human emotions, and almost impossible to find one that has both of those characteristics and is also an overall well-written book. The author does a beautiful job of building out the characters and their relationship over the course of the book slowly and carefully in a way that feels really organic and REAL. They don't suddenly have an insight into their own hearts or each others and immediately change and have everything work out. Their arc is one that is much more reflective of how these dynamics play out in real life. The book also does a great job of representation, not just the queer main characters, but also the participants and friends. I strongly recommend this book and can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you so much to Maggie North, SMP, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This stand-alone romance is set in the Canadian wilderness at the campgrounds of a unique marriage counseling retreat. The retreat has only three staff members due to unforeseen circumstances: a chef, a physician, and a psychologist. While the chef mainly stays in the background, his delicious food adds to the experience.

The two main characters are Stellar J. Byrd, a physician who left medicine due to burnout and the sexist behavior of her colleagues, and Lyle Q. McHugh (AKA McHuge), a psychologist who is facing challenges with a professor attempting to steal his ideas and the "Love Boat" retreat he has started. Stellar has been working in retail and fast food for the past year and is desperately seeking a new job. Her best friend sets her up with an interview with Lyle, who happens to be the one-night stand she cannot forget.

Together, Stellar and Lyle host a diverse group of first couples, during their first round of the new retreat. This experience not only helps them learn more about each other but also encourages their personal growth and the development of healthy relationships. Along the way, themes of fake dating, shared tents, sisterhood, and unhealthy family dynamics emerge, along with the presence of a lovable dog.

This book features a sweet romance with a mild amount of spice. It focuses more on building relationships and understanding the importance of not keeping score in those relationships. Stellar, having had a difficult upbringing, never knew her half-sister, Sloane, who joined her on this journey. Through various canoeing adventures, Stellar learns to be vulnerable, recognize her flaws, and embrace them. Meanwhile, Lyle, who is the opposite of Stellar, struggles with accepting the love he gives so freely.

This is my first experience reading a book by Maggie North; I also have one of her other books and plan to read it as well. This story has a heart, addresses many impactful themes, and features plenty of humor.

I think Maggie's gift is vulnerability. She isn't scared to get down to the scary dirty parts of our fears. As hard as it is to read some of yourself on paper, it's also nice to know you're never really alone.

I'm so happy we got to deep dive into Stellar and McHuge after loving their camos in RFSC.

Stellar had some shit to work through and a lot to realize about herself and the human race in general. Seeing her come to terms with and start to believe that not every conversation is transactional and people really can just have your best interest at heart. That you deserve to be taken care of without being asked for things in return. By far my favorite thing, however, is how she gave back to McHugh for all he's done for everyone else his entire life. A certain badminton scene had me tearing up and that's not something I ever thought I'd say.

I'd like to wrap McHugh up in a big ol' hug and tell him he could never ever scare me, big angry feelings and all (I know Stellar has that covered but I want my own chance tysm). Then biggest heart and the kindest man on this earth, probably. I loved seeing him come into his anger the more he felt safe with Stellar. We are human and we are not infallible. He deserves his anger just like he deserves every other emotion he feels.

I love watching two people fall in love and chip away at the others fears. It never gets old and Maggie did it beautifully here.

Thank you Maggie and SMP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC copy of this book.

Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to what I expected. I didn't like either main character. It was so slowwww and nothing was really going on. I found myself not wanting to pick it up. I ended up not finishing at 60%.

I thoroughly enjoyed the journey of Stellar and Lyle aka McHuge. They are two individuals who had a lot to work through and it was exciting to see how they did that. There is a bit of an uphill battle for them to each figure themselves out, but together we learn they can do anything.

I will look for more books by Maggie North in the future.

As a Maggie North fan, I typically eat up her books. This one took me a little longer to get through. I was not a huge fan of Stellar, but all of the other characters were pretty fantastic. The setting being in the wilderness with a fake engagement creates a great plot (and plot twist) for the story.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of The Ripple Effect by Maggie North

Giving this 3.5 ⭐
This was a great romance book but some of the characters "quirks" definetly icked me out just a little bit.... If I had to hear this man say "mchuge" one more time I might have a breakdown.

Besides that critique the book was a fun, easy read that I would reccommend to friends looking for a fun romance book.

Thank you to St. Martins + NetGalley for the ARC.

this was so unlike any romances that i tend to read but it was refreshing + entertaining!

first of all i realllly liked the writing. the way that maggie north wrote not just the romance, but also the characters’ thoughts and feelings, was done so well. i would buy the paperback just to underline some of the quotes tbh.

the characters were unique, not necessarily in a great way. stellar was fun but “mchuge” was so ... icky. he uses this like, slang? it gets so annoying to read and just put me so off his character.

but overall i had a good time! the little summer campy/adventure vibes + the quick pacing would make this an awesome summer read.

thank you to st martin’s press + netgalley for the arc! all opinions are my own <3

eARC Review: The Ripple Effect by Maggie North
Pub Date: June 17, 2025
Thank you to SMP for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily. And thank you to @just_talking_to_myshelf and @bookswithnopictures for including me on this #talkingtomybooks traveling ARC! I was so honored to read it early.

Gosh I loved this book! It's a story about burnout, betrayal, and learning to open up even when the world has dragged you down. I absolutely loved the relationship between Lyle and Stellar - they're both really complex characters. Stellar hides behind her grumpiness and Lyle appears to be the most zen guy. I love me a man who is in tune with his emotions and boy, Lyle really met that objective for me!

Maggie's writing really shines here - I absolutely felt like I was there in the wilderness with the group. The setting was rich and lush and the characters were really well crafted. It's an emotional read that was really worth it for me.

Read this for:
- one night stand
- bisexual FMC, pansexual MMC
- Wilderness
- dog!
- found family
- Fake engagement

This was a really cute story! I loved the connection between the main characters and I love the representation of anxiety. I also love it when the grumpy character is female and it was really well written in this book. Great ending too!

I loved the setting of this women’s fiction novel: a brand new wilderness expedition therapy camp for couples where they white-water raft into a better relationship. The two orders, forced into a fake relationship to help reviews, find themselves learning that anger is toxic when held in or held on to. Such a good reminder that we need to communicate our own needs but also forgive those around us who act with love and stupidity.

I appreciate the diversity in sexual preferences, but it felt a little added without a lot of merit. However, I didn’t feel like it took away from the book. I also would have loved more Babe, the dog cameos. Overall, it’s a fun setting, meaningful read about characters who capture your heart.

I loved this book! The author wrote a lovely story but also dropped these nuggets of knowledge and musings. The burn was sloooooow and the book was slow in the beginning but picked up. I enjoyed it and thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

Listen - this book right here made me so excited for warmer weather! Your adorable grumpy sunshine, found family must read for the warm weather season! Glamping and white water rafting while also bringing up the harder topics like self healing and self help. Oh, and then throw in Babe, the dog. This book had me smiling from ear to ear but also doing some serious self reflection. “We need a place where we can be brave, and we need that place to be with each other.” Whoa. If you’ve struggled through being an adult or being married, this 100% is for you!

I’ll make this nice and short because I would love for you to not skip or skim through this one.

Y’all should read this book because Maggie’s writing is beautiful. It makes you think, it makes you feel, and it makes you reflect. Don’t you love it when after you read a book the thoughts and lessons linger with you? I love it so much.

“We need a place where we can be brave, and we need that place to be with each other.”

Thank you, Maggie and SMP for this ARC! I can’t wait til everyone gets to enjoy this, too.

Ugh I love this relationship!! A boss and employee relationship always has me giggling and kicking my feet

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

filled with fake dating, whitewater couples therapy, espionage, and estranged family members, The Ripple Effect is quite an adventure. the plot is enjoyable, but I did find my mind wandering more than I would have liked, and I think a second point of view would’ve enhanced my reading experience.
—

this and that:
♡ bisexual fmc
♡ canadian wilderness
♡ connecting with estranged family members
♡ doctor x psychologist
♡ dog companion
♡ entrepreneurs
♡ fake engagement
♡ found family
♡ glamping
♡ open door spice (light)
♡ opposites attract
♡ outdoors adventures
♡ pansexual mmc
♡ she’s very short, he’s very tall
♡ single pov
♡ whitewater couples therapy

triggers:
☞ gaslighting (happens in past, off page)
☞ parental neglect (happens in past, off page)
☞ toxic workplace environments (happens in past, off page)

I enjoyed The Ripple Effect and appreciated the main characters' journeys throughout the book. I didn't love the writing style and found myself skimming parts, but I thought the setting was fun and loved the physical/size differences between Lyle and Stellar.

First time reading this author but I was pleasantly surprised! This book was adorable. The cover was super cute and the love story had me swooning. Full of emotions and fun!

Before I get this review started I want to give a big Thank you to NetGalley and the St Martins Press for an advanced copy of this book. The thoughts and feelings are my own.

Right off the bat I’m going to tell it to you guys straight. I don’t think I’m a fan of Maggie North’s writing style. I tried reading book one in the series about a month ago. Absolutely hated it, DNF’d literally at the halfway point. I saw this on NetGalley and thought what the heck let’s give Maggie North one more go. I’m happy to report I did actually finish the book this time. However, it just overall isn’t for me. Which is a total bummer because I thought the premise of the novel was unique. And it uses one of my favorite tropes:Fake-dating!

Sadly neither of those things were enough to get me to truly care or connect with the storyline or the characters. The romance progressed better in this book than its predecessor. But it still wasn’t perfect. The I love yous felt a little bit too early if you know what I mean. Plus the end conflict and how it was handled was not my cup of tea and honestly made me roll my eyes so hard that even my friend noticed and wanted to know what the face was for.

Overall, this wasn’t for me, but maybe it will be for someone else. I know I kinda ripped this book a new one (hahaha get it) anyway I’d still recommend it especially if you’re a romcom connoisseur like myself. Because who knows maybe it will be someone else’s favorite.

Captivating story mixing feeling, struggle, emotions, and love when a start up relationship based white water canoeing business brings polar opposites together as they fight to save the fledgling enterprise.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.