What an absolutely amazing book!

Catherine Ryan Hyde must have had great fun writing this one, sharing her longterm interest in astrophotography (I LOVE the cover!) and her exceptional research skills (and possibly personal experience?).

With Ru only being 13 years old and having lived a rather sheltered life where everyone focused on how "freakishly smart" she was, she had done very few things girls her age would have done - making friends, finding hobbies, etc.

When she's sent off to collage she befriends Gabriel (17 years old), who just like her has trouble making friends. they develop a solid sibling-like bond. Gabriel doesn't seem bothered by her intelligence but instead focuses on being her support, on teaching her about "normal" life.

To escape being forced to live with her Aunt, Ru convinces Gabriel that they should take off on a road trip. Together they try to tick off as many items as possible from Ru's bucket list, including to see the Aurelia Borealis and Atlantic puffins in the wild.

The bond between Ru and Gabriel is very well portrayed and so is the emotional and intellectual journey that Ru experiences - from just being freakishly smart, to being a young girl with interests and ambitions, and an understanding of the world outside the text books.



Getting hold of a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde is always a treat, both for the soul and the brain - and I often learn something new from her stories too.

I'm thankful to Netgalley for introducing me to Catherine Ryan Hyde. I really like her writing style and like her books (Absolutely loved 'My Name is Anton). Sadly and surprisingly, this book didn't work for me. The blurb seems misleading. It starts well, her writing is engaging but then it goes on and on in the first person, and the story doesn't really seem to move forward.

Thank you for the copy. Sorry it didn't work for me.

First off, thank you NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions of this book are my own.

I LOVE this book. I do not want to ruin it with spoilers. Just let me say there was nothing I didn't like. I couldn't put it down. I finished it yesterday, but I can't stop thinking about the two main characters. They feel so relatable. I definitely felt the introvert connection with them both. I am new to Catherine's books, but if any of them are written in the same style as this one I am looking forward to reading them.
Ru and Gabriel will be me for a very long time.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has done it again. life, Loss and Puffins is so many stories within a story. Ru and Gabriel are both misfits in society. Ru is freakishly smart and Gabriel marches to a different drummer. Yet they meet and instantly connect. Connect in a way they don’t even have to talk, they become a herd. And go on a grand adventure. Meet some amazing people and determine their life’s path. I loved the astronomy mentioned in the book and really learned a lot. This is a great book, it really speaks to the heart. Five stars.

Catherine Ryan Hyde creates characters with emotional depth like no other!
Thirteen-year-old Ru has never fit in thanks to her genius mind and no-nonsense attitude. She hopes university studies will challenge her, but it's the life lessons she learns along the way that make the biggest impact on the teen.
She stays with a host family and is intrigued by the thoughtful seventeen-year-old who makes her question the way she views the world. After the sudden death of Ru's mother, her and Gabriel set out to fulfill a dream adventure that will test their bond in ways they could never expect.
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Name of Book: Life, Lies, and Puffins
Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde
Publisher: Lake Union Publishers
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
My Rating: 4.7 rounded up!
Pages: 293

Story starts and ends with Ru telling her life story to two young girls.
When Ru Evans was very young her mother said she was “Freakishly Smart”.
Ru thought her mother was saying she was a freak – (for such an intelligent person Ru sure missed this!)
Ru’s real name is Rumaki. Her mother told her Rumaki was a Japanese warrior however she finds out that is actually is a hors d’oeuvre made with chicken livers, water chestnuts, and bacon).

Ru truly is a brilliant with an ‘eidetic memory’ (for those of us who aren’t freakishly smart we usually say she has a photographic memory) Ru is accepted into college at thirteen.
Her advisor suggests she stay at the Gulbranson’s boarding home near campus, rather than in the Campus Resident Hall with students much older.
Mrs. Gulbranson, the woman who owns the boarding home has a seventeen-year-old Gabriel; who like Ru- is an outsider. Ru - “freakishly smart” and Gabriel who identified as Non-binary and is most himself when wearing eye make-up and nail polish. They soon become friends’ .brother-sister.

When Ru’s mother Mitzy dies, she is heartbroken but also fearful that she will have to live with her terrible Aunt Bitsy (Yes Mitzy and Bitsy are sisters).
Ru talks Gabriel into going on a trip from California to the Northwest Territories to see the aurora borealis (note the beautiful cover) then off to see the Atlantic Puffins.
As they are driving in ‘perfect silence Ru states not that it was super quiet but it was ‘perfect’!

This story is wonderful! You cannot put down but when you finished you wish it hadn’t ended!

This is only my ninth Catherine Ryan Hyde.. She has had 40+ book published. As well fifty of her short stories have been published in professional Reviews and Journals.
I got on the Catherine train when I read " Brave Girl, Quiet Girl” in May 2020 and I have been a big fan ever since!
Since then I have been willing to read anything she writes! When I saw this I knew I wanted to read it without knowing anything about it!

Catherine Ryan Hyde's writing style is different than any other author I read and I love it! Her stories are character driven but there is always a message and thoughts that linger with me long after I am done reading.

I follow her on FB and her posts are pure and simple. She loves her horses and is very much into stars so Chapter 11 “Shhhh Don’t Disturb the Universe” was sooo her!

At the end of the book you will find thoughtful Book Club discussion
Questions which you will find interesting if you are in a book club or not!

Want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for this wonderful early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 14, 2024.

I never miss a chance to read a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde and have loved every one of them. I think I loved this one even more! The title is perfect and the characters are easy to know. I felt like I knew the two main characters as they went on their journey as they were learning about themselves and each other along the way. I wanted to cheer them along and I absolutely loved the ending!
Thanks to Catherine Ryan Hyde, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC. This is my very enthusiastic review.

Life, Loss, and Puffins is the coming-of-age story about two young people, who don't quite fit the mold. The MC's are 17 Y/O Gabriel, who refers to himself as non-binary, and 13 Y/O genius named Rumaki(Ru). After Ru's mother dies, her horrid, uncaring aunt becomes her custodian. She and Gabriel decide to run away and to go north to see the aurora borealis in the cold wilds of Canada. As they face life's struggles together their friendship grows. Hyde is always a good read. This was a preview book provided to me by NetGalley.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable story about two young people having an adventure as they grapple with different losses, self-acceptance, and accepting life on its own terms. And when I say ADVENTURE, I mean . . . adventure! I've always wanted to see the Northern Lights and as this was part of their adventure, I feel like I've been there- that is how descriptive and real that part of their journey was.

As always, Catherine Ryan Hyde's dialogue is perfect. She really has an ear for the way people really talk and I found it easy to keep turning page after page to find out what happens to Ru and Gabriel.

The only confusing thing was the references to the fact that Ru was telling her story to "the girls" and it wasn't clear until the end what that was all about.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! I loved the characters and their unique qualities. I felt for both characters and the relationship that they had with their moms. I was cheering them on during their adventure to complete their list. It was light but meaningful reading.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is an auto-read author for me, and her stories are almost always 5 stars. I don't know how she does it, but she makes me care about each and every character in her books, no matter the story. This book was no exception! I was skeptical reading the summary, but I LOVED this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Life, Loss and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde is the story of an emotional rollercoaster ride a young teen girl experiences as she learns to grieve the loss of her mother. Ru, a freakishly intelleigent young girl begins attending a university at the age of 13. She boards in a home with 17 year old Gabriel who just doesn't fit the "cookie cutter" mold of who he should be in society. Together, they embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Though, a little far fetched, the story has an innocent quality to it. The two main characters seem to understand each other in a way nobody else in their social circles can. They learn and grow together and develop a friendship that no one could possibly understand. The story also allows the reader to question their own reason for being and helps them to understand that to be our true selves, we cannot only be a sum of what society expects us to be. Overall, a story I would recommend to others.

I always go to Catherine Ryan Hydes book when I am looking for a feel good story. She always delivers. I thought this book was good, not great, but she is an author I will continue to follow.

Another page turner by CRH. I read each of her books as soon as they are available to me. They have never failed to be entertaining and thought provoking.
Like most CRH books, this one involves young people in times of distress. In most of her books, an older wiser person comes to the rescue. This one is different. A 13 year old savant befriends a 17 year old who is non-binary. They find themselves adrift in modern society with adults and authorities actively against them. It is a thoughtful story about how we treat those who don’t fit into the norms of society.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing An advance reader edition in exchange for an honest review.

Catherine Ryan Hyde writes a joyous novel, brimming with emotional heart, inhabited by characters she creates and develops beautifully with her trademark abilities, focusing on the themes of loss, grief, friendship, eidetic memory, identity, what it is to be human, of living with spontaneity and in the moment, hope, band the adventures that unfold that make life worth living. Ru 'Rumiko' Evan is far from 'normal', she is freakishly smart, an unwanted label ensuring that there are expectations attached to it, which sees her at the age of 13 with a scholarship to go to college, which puts her in orbit of the bright 17 year old Gabriel, another 'misfit' outsider who does not fit in, and his mother.

Given their differences, the pair form a surprisingly strong connection, of a protective brother/sister nature, a relationship that makes the world a better place to be in with each other. Ru is hit hard when her mother dies, a situation exacerbated in that she is now expected with an Aunt who fails to see her and has attitudes and perspectives that threaten to derail Ru's life and what matters to her. Ru has dreams and ambitions, she is captivated by astronomy, the skies and stars, understanding and accepting it is impossible to know everything, she wants to see the Aurora Borealis and Atlantic puffins. Ru and Gabriel embark on a road trip from California to Canada that brings unforgettable life, adventure, along with other people into their lives, and the inevitable emotional and mentally expansive changes that follow.

There is magic, warmth and magnificence sprinkled in this purposeful and illuminating narrative, the author gives us remarkable characters and interactions, human complexities, what it is to really live, and awe inspiring locations that engage and enthrall. I have no doubt fans of the author are likely to love this too, as indeed are readers new to her. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Life Loss and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde is another hit, as usual, a highly emotive story is delivered. The setting of this story was my favourite, perfect for the winter season. If you are a fan of the author, do not miss this one, as there really is no negatives to mention here.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book on exchange for my honest review.

Life, Loss, and Puffins was an easy-to-read book that I didn’t have to think too much about. The storyline itself was not believable for me, but if you’re reading simply for the story and not to fact-check and poke holes in the plot, it was a laid-back, cute read. Ru and Gabriel’s friendship and commitment is admirable and a lovely idea.
It also made me want to pack up the car and go on a road trip (a little more prepared than they were) and take a vacation away from the world to see the Northern Lights.

I also forgot that the narrator was speaking to children multiple times while I was reading and had feelings about the sporadic way that the story was suddenly addressed to “girls” or “ladies,” etc.

If you are looking for a non-romance, wintery vibes, friendship story you’ve come to the right place!

Loved! Catherine Ryan Hyde delivers again! I could not put it down just like her other books. I felt like I was carried away!

Catherine Ryan Hyde did not disappoint in this book. This story was sweet and sad at the same time.
Ru is a very intelligent 13-year-old girl who lost her mother too soon. Ru’s mom agreed to have her go to college and stay with Gabriel, a 17-year-old boy and his mother.
Ru and Gabriel run away and complete a “college list” which they created like a bucket list.
The brother/sister friendship that is created between Ru and Gabriel is so sweet.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy for my honest review.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has the ability to create characters in impossible situations that just draw you in from the very beginning. After Ru loses someone she loves, she teams up with Gabriel to go on the adventure of a lifetime. Even though some parts of the story are hard to believe, I loved the characters and seeing how they grew and bonded during this journey. I read the story in 2 days and really enjoyed it.