The Ripple Effect: A Novel
Jun 2025 · Sold by St. Martin's Griffin
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3 reviews
Ebook
320
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About this ebook
A grumpy burnt out physician and a sunshine psychologist must fake an engagement to save his whitewater canoeing/ relationship therapy startup in Maggie North's sparkling second novel about starting over.
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 . . .
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 . . .
A grumpy burnt out physician and a sunshine psychologist must fake an engagement to save his whitewater canoeing/ relationship therapy startup in Maggie North's sparkling second novel about starting over.
Burned-out former ER doc Stellar J Byrd can solve any crisis except her own life. But with ...
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Ratings and reviews
3 reviews
Paula Pugh
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June 26, 2025
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.
Linda Dossett
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June 17, 2025
I am exhausted. This book is totally worth reading however, be prepared for the character exhaustion. Stellar and to a lesser extent McHuge are awesome and yet, the constant struggle to make all right in their world is a real pain. I considered dropping this book and moving on, but stayed the course and was glad I did.
Kristen Lewendon
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July 5, 2025
I’d already fallen in love with these characters in the first book, and I knew I needed to know more about them. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, but somehow it wasn’t the push-me/pull-you, love-me/hate-you emotional roller-coaster that Stellar and McHuge led me on. However, this story was everything I wanted it to be and didn’t even realize I needed. All about trusting yourself, trusting the people you profess to love, and being strong enough to weather the storms
About the author
Maggie North is a writer and critical care doctor who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. When she's not at her jobs, she enjoys long-distance open water swimming, saving the world, and being autistic. She lives in Ottawa, Canada with the man she met in ninth grade, their kid, and a rotating cast of hypoallergenic aquarium friends.
Maggie North is a writer and critical care doctor who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. When she's not at her jobs, she enjoys long-distance open water swimming, saving the world, and being autistic. She lives in Ottawa, Canada with the man she met in ninth grade, their kid, and a rotating cast o...
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