The Ripple Effect

A grumpy/sunshine duo travels into the Canadian wilderness in North’s (Rules for Second Chances) latest. This time, the grumpy one is Stellar J. Byrd, an unemployed doctor grasping with both hands to save the things she holds dear—most notably, her friendship with her pregnant best friend Liz and her life in their beautiful resort town. Stellar reluctantly takes a job at the Love Boat, a startup that combines relationship therapy with camping and whitewater rafting, which puts her in uncomfortable proximity to gorgeous psychologist Lyle “McHuge” McHugh, with whom Stellar had a fling the year before. Sparks fly when Stellar and Lyle decide to pretend to be engaged in order to boost the Love Boat’s credibility, and real feelings soon start to surface as the pair work with a quirky group of couples on the first outing. Stellar is standoffish and tough to love at times, but her supremely screwed-up background and realistic career struggles keep her from seeming too overly cranky. The obvious love and care that McHuge takes with her during their burgeoning relationship is swoon-worthy, while the side characters add a dash of humor.