The Ripple Effect -- Maggie North, Paperback

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 . . .

Author: Maggie North
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 06/17/2025
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.25h x 5.38w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781250910134

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/01/2025 pg. 6

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.