Aspiring Autistic Author Accomplishes Astounding Act of Adoration. Ok, so that was a very painful and forced alliteration by an Autistic reviewer that actually gives an idea of what this book may be like for at least some non-Autistic readers.

Personally, I found that most of this book worked quite well - it does in fact have the far-too-common tacked on baby-in-epilogue that always leaves a sour "aftertaste" for me when the book never really mentioned even wanting kids in its overall story, but other than this quibble the book actually does work well as a story of both finding oneself and rediscovering the love one had for one's partner along the way. But part of what made it work so well - if perhaps a *touch* stereotypically - is that North worked in so many real-world examples of what life as an Autistic in the corporate world can truly be like at times, particularly as it relates to understanding others and working to be understood by them.

The emphasis on improv comedy and its "Yes, and" philosophy is a driving force in the overall narrative here and yes, perhaps is very nearly a crutch/ preachy at times about the philosophy and its purported benefits, but again, within the overall structure of the story as told... eh, *every* such story has some overarching narrative device, this one simply happens to be improv.

Overall this was a solid debut effort in the romance space, and absolutely leaves me wanting to see more from this author - which is the number one (or maybe two, after sales of this book itself) goal of any debut book. So in that regard, it did its job quite well indeed. And for those looking for "diverse reads", again, here's a neurodiverse author for you to give a shot!

Very much recommended.

Maggie North set out to write an absolutely heartbreaking and emotional book and she DELIVERED.

I felt like it started a little slow but once it picked up, I could not put it down. I love second chance romances and this is the first time that I’ve read a second chance between two characters who are already married. I loved that Toby wanted to fight for the marriage while Liz needed to find herself to remind her WHY she wanted to fight for the marriage also.

I loved the development of not only the characters but their relationship as well. I loved the chemistry and the romance between the two. But I also loved how Liz’s story reminds us that when in a relationship, it’s so important that each person knows how to communicate but also that each person has their own identity so they don’t get lost.

Beautiful story and I can’t wait for more books from Maggie North.

Thank you so much to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.