Review by lisibee815 - The Ripple Effect

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lisibee815 's review for:

The Ripple Effect by Maggie North

4.0

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Stellar is a former ER doctor with a troubled past, kind of hard-edged and self-protective (thankfully we do learn why she's like this). Lyle "McHuge" is her best friend's husband's friend, a former one-night stand, and now her current boss. Which is as complicated as it sounds. This bookis a quick read with some deeper themes (check content warnings). The story was engaging enough to stick with it but Stellar was hard to warm up to and Lyle felt a little underdeveloped for a large part of the book. The overall tone is a bit prickly at the beginning, makes it harder to connect with Stellar since it's written from her POV. (Feeling disconnected from the MMC is where a second POV comes in handy, although thankfully we did get more insight into Lyle as the book progressed.) I also felt their relationship was a bit one-sided; Lyle was like one big corrective emotional experience for Stellar but it seemed like for most of the book he was doing the majority of the emotional work in the relationship. This is definitely a book of second chances and self-redemption. Stellar is hard on herself in a lot of ways, which very much impacted her relationships. She's so tightly wound, with good reason given her history. Her transactional personality ratcheted up the emotional tension, often to an uncomfortable degree for the reader. The sub-plot with Lyle's former academic advisor added to the overall tension and also made me want to keep reading. I like how Lyle and Stellar came to understand just how much they complemented one another, and it was nice to see Stellar's self-growth. Lyle and Stellar were an interesting couple, both of them fighting their attraction to one another but for different reasons. The book definitely improved as it went on, and by the time I got to the satisfying ending I'd leveled up my early 3-star rating estimate to 4 stars. Not only did I end up liking this book more than I thought I would, but it's the second in a series and I actually enjoyed this book more than the first one. (Although it's a sequel it could be easily read as a stand-alone). If you're looking for a grumpy-sunshine/fake fiancé open-door romance with two main characters who struggle with their emotional connectedness (but ultimately with happy-for-now vibes), then this is the book for you. Publishes June 17, 2025. This review was based on a complimentary eARC of the book and all opinions are my own.

Content Warnings