I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Honestly one of the worst books I’ve read in a long time. The fact that I had to endure an MC named “Mchuge” for an extended period of time is insanity. This felt like the characters were all characters and not remotely real people. The names, the free love, the clinyness mixed with abandonment issues mixed with rudeness of the FMC. It’s all a no for me.

Overall after 4 attempts to read this one I’m DNFing at 43%

Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

Just finished the book “The Ripple Effect” by Maggie North.

I found this book to be very slow. I was interested in the “fake dating” aspect but found it was too slow. The fmc was grumpy and hard to like while the mmc was too passive.

It’s not a book that I would recommend. But this is just my opinion.

This author writes with a style I recognize from her debut. I would know a Maggie book anywhere now. Between her prose and the way she speaks on the human condition, there's something very smart about her writing that makes me want to recommend it to everyone far and wide. The relationship develops slowly but authentically and nothing speaks to this moment in time more than the topic of burnout.

Things I loved:

-McHuge as the sunshine
-Topics relating to the workplace but don't take place IN a workplace, per se
-Stellar who I looked forward to from the last book and didn't dissapoint!
-The setting, so immersive

Maggie North captures a delightful, queer-positive love story that has the reader clenching their fists from the first page. Lots of fun tension, a bit of mystery, and HEA make this a romance winner!

So, apparently, there’s a book prior to this one and I had no idea! Either way, this completely works as a stand alone (and maybe it is?) and it was engaging and cute. It was a slow burn and I wish I knew that prior as slow burns are not my favorite. But, I did enjoy the characters and the plot of this story and the author did a great job keeping me engaged even with the slo romance.

This books starts a bit slow and the story is a slower build. Loved the vivid descriptions and imagery. The setting was fun and unique and kept me interested. This is my first Maggie North book, but won't be my last!

3.25 stars

This sounded like a cute premise but I just couldn’t get into. Stellar really got on my nerves. She was rude and whiny and super dismissive of everyone else. I get that she had a bunch of trauma to deal with but I didn’t really see any actual character growth from her. Lyle was…. Kinda just there. I didn’t really get a lot from his character and I definitely didn’t feel any chemistry between him and Stellar. Their entire relationship felt so flat and boring and I just didn’t believe it.
In addition to that, the book felt really disjointed. There were a lot of parts weren’t kept flipping back and forth with thinking I missed something but no, the dialogue and plot just didn’t flow well and felt like it jumped around. it just felt like there was both too much and not enough going on.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

If you're a fan of character-driven fiction, family dramas, or stories of personal growth, then "The Ripple Effect" is an absolute must-read. North's writing is engaging, emotional, and utterly captivating. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and reflect on the complexities of human relationships.

Stellar needs a financial lifeline, and fast. Lyle, better known as McHuge, needs the optics having a doctors on board his boat—well, boats—will bring. Never mind that Stellar more or less ghosted Lyle last year, or that their chemistry is unresolved, or that "trip doctor" quickly becomes "trip fake fiancée". They'll make it work. And nobody will be the wiser...right?

I usually rail against TikTok tropes in romance novels, but I guess they're wearing me down. "The Ripple Effect" features #grumpyandsunshine, #onebed, #secondchance, #fakedating, #bigmansmallwoman (I don't know what hashtag that one should be, actually, but I understand that it's a thing) and probably a bunch of other tropes that I don't remember, and yet I didn't...mind? Not sure what has happened to me, but let's run with it.

Into the woods—as a genre (or subgenre? subsubgenre?), not the musical—is right up my reading alley, so when I saw that this was an into-the-woods type of book, I was sold. Points for some intersectionality; maybe minus some points for this not being a very outdoorsy kind of trip, all things considered (think tents big enough to stand up in with real furniture and chef-cooked meals, not sleeping bags and oatmeal cooked in the bag it came in); plus points for some red herrings that did their job; minus points for the whole 'he is so big and she is so little' thing (rubs me the wrong way for reasons that do not originate with this book); and I don't feel like doing math but we're still in the black by the end of the book. I'm not entirely sold on the conflict—it occasionally felt as though there was one too many thing going on—and I'm struggling to imagine that Stellar couldn't find another job that better used her skills, even under the circumstances—even if local practices and so on had their doors closed to her, the COVID era has opened up a world of remote work, including for doctors. That said, I enjoyed the dynamics between the members of the inaugural group, and of course between Lyle and Stellar. I wouldn't be sorry if Sloane featured in a future book, either.

This was a super quick read, ideal for a day when I wanted something that was heavy only on the tropes. A mood read, but I'd return to the author for other mood reads. "Into the woods it's time to go..."

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

☆☆☆☆☆
5 out of 5 Stars

I liked this book a lot! And I will continue to think about these characters and this story for awhile. This book would be a perfect summer read!

While there is a book before this, I did not feel lost at all not having read it. But I am now interested in going back to read the other story.

I really appreciated the character growth of both the MCs and loved how they positively influenced and supported each other.

I had a lot of fun vicariously living through the outdoor adventures.

This is a story I would definitely re-read.
•One Night Stand
•Fake Engagement
•Forced Proximity
•Single POV (First Person)
•Open Door Spice (mild)

Thank you NetGalley for giving me access to an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

McHUGE!!!

Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Where was I before I got distracted by that gentle giant of a man?

Stellar is a burnt out doctor running out of money who will do anything to stay in the small, touristy resort town of Grey Tusk, Canada, to be near her best friend. When the one night stand she ghosted (who happens to be her best friend's husband's best friend) needs some help with his couples therapy white water rafting business, it might be Stellar's only option.

I love everything about this book. Stellar is a badass black cat heroine who is too scared to show her soft underbelly in a world that will so readily hurt her, and McHuge is the soft big guy who finds strength in being vulnerable. Maggie has a lot to say in this book about size and power and who gets to be angry, but she weaves it so deftly into the love story--and the love story sizzles with tension and almosts and so many feelings. It's a perfect, swoony, steamy romance.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I have yet to read the first book of this series, but I didn't need to in order to read this one. I enjoyed the overall message in the book of self-love and worth. Additionally, both characters were super likable in their ways. I felt like I understood Stellar. Someone who is cautious of others but not nefarious in any way whatsoever, while Lyle is more of a person who is too trusting and concerned about the views of others. This is mainly because he's a giant, which can be intimidating to some. I saw him as a big, friendly, cuddly giant who wouldn't hurt a fly. Overall, It was a sweet read, and I'm glad the characters got their happy ending.



Read if you like:
Grumpy/sunshine reverse
Fake engagement

This book was cute! The romance was slow burn and filled with tons of tension. I thought Stellar and Lyle had some great banter. I also enjoyed the side characters that were guests of The Love Boat. They all had so much drama. This book just felt a little slow and long for me.

Oh, I just adored this book. It's kind of a sequel to the author's first book, but I didn't know that reading it, and it certainly didn't impair my reading. I suspect a few things will make a little more sense if I'd read them in order, but these main characters would have been secondary characters in the previous book, so it's just background/setting/in media res, no plot points or deep secrets underpinning this book. There were two pieces which rushed the story--there's about 5 seconds of background to why Stellar has bottomed out of her job(s), not even enough for a decent montage scene (and I'm still not understanding how/why she lost her second (?) doctor job and came back home. And I wasn't super in love with the ending, it felt like the author just skipped a scene and went directly to the epilogue instead of actually writing the ending, and made everything *too* perfect. (also, why is he writing a review a year + after doing it in the first place, wouldn't he have wanted to get this out ASAP?

But OH when it was good it was AMAZING. All of the relationships were lovely and solid and real people, and I really enjoyed being part of their lives, and I expect I will be recommending this to numerous people once it comes out.

This was my first Maggie North book, and now I feel like I NEED to read Rules for Second Chances! I loved everything about this book: the story, the characters, the struggles, the banter. This was so good, and I'm so happy to have read an e-ARC here. Thank you!

Stellar is a former ER doctor who is working odd jobs and generally unhappy with her life. Lyle is a psychologist who has a business dream (the Love Boat) of bringing couples into the Canadian wilderness to grow closer with each other. The two hooked up a year ago but Stellar ghosted Lyle and things have been awkward ever since (their circles overlap). When it comes time to make the Love Boat a success, the two of them need to work together and they end up fake dating to get better reviews from clients. Will the fake dating turn into something real?

Pros:
•really diverse characters/representation (not main characters are queer and the best friend has autism)
•gender norms are challenged
• Lyle is possible the most emotionally mature book boyfriend ever
•fun setting (like adult summer camp)

Cons:
•overly descriptive imagery which felt like i was being told and not shown what is happening
•the backstory for some of the characters felt far fetched in the manner the experience affected the character in present day
•slowwwww burn (which is great if you love that, but i don’t)

Overall an enjoyable read :)

Stellar J Byrd, a former ER physician, finds herself working alongside Lyle McHugh (aka McHuge) for the summer at an unconventional couple’s therapy camp. After a hit piece is published about McHuge, he and Stellar partner up in a fake engagement to make their couple’s camp seem more reliable and honest, but not everything pans out the way they imagine.

I really wanted to love this one. The synopsis and the cover and the vibes are all right up my alley (I love a good slow burn!) but I felt like Stellar and Lyle’s relationship was too forced. Stellar gave my slight “I’m not like other girls” vibes, and I felt like Lyle’s laid back attitude and pragmatic approach to life just didn’t jive with her.

Outside of that, I did love the diversity North put into the characters, and once the ball started rolling with Stellar and Lyle, I did enjoy the pacing of the latter half of the book!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I can't believe my good luck that I got to read this so early. I absolutely loved it. I loved all the medical stuff. I loved the character development. I loved the realism. Great series.

The book started super slow and I wasn't fully invested in the characters. Initially, I was drawn in by the cover and premise but the book lacked depth. I believe the characters should have been better developed and their relationship gradually grew with better dialogue. I think a few chapters could've shortened the book because the ending seemed to drag when it could've ended on a high note.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.