4.5 stars rounding up to 5.
This was a really sweet book about friendship, travel, being different but being yourself. I felt a strong connection to both Ru, the 13 year old "freakishly smart" kid, and Gabriel, the 17 year old boy who often didn't felt he fit in. The story was told in the way of an older Ru telling it to 2 girls, about the same age Ru was on her adventure.
Ru was book smart and Gabriel was life smart, so together, with a bit of help along the way, they undertook an experience of a lifetime. Some of it was a little unrealistic, but I just took it in good faith and went with it. Would have been 5 stars for me if we had more information about the girls Ru was talking to.
I enjoyed every minute of reading Life, Loss and Puffins.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors. She just has this way of writing about difficult topics without it being upsetting or triggering.

In this book she writes about Ru, a so called freakishly smart 13 year old who goes to live with another family in order to attend college. The family she stays with has a 17 year old son who is also misunderstood by many.

The bond of friendship the two develop is wonderful despite the age and gender differences.

The characters are so well written that I felt I knew them.

The only thing that could have improved the story was if we learned more than was written about how their life looked many years later.

You can't go wrong with a Catherine Ryan Hyde book.

Thanks to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc.

My sincere thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Life, Loss, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde. I give my unbiased opinion of the book in the following review.

Ru Evans is "freakishly smart". At least that's how Ru's mother describes her. She is bored in school and her mother finally consents to letting her go to a college 150 miles from home. There she boards with The Gulbranson's and instantly hits it off with 17-year-old Gabriel. There is no crush or romantic attraction, they are more like siblings. Gabriel also stands out and is misunderstood because he likes to wear eyeliner, fingernail polish and keep his hair long. He and Ru develop a bond where they can even communicate without words. When Ru's mother dies unexpectedly, she faces going to live with a not so nice aunt in Kentucky. Rather than meet this fate, she and Gabriel hatch a plan to run away with several goals. They want to go to a dark place and observe the stars; visit the Arctic Circle and experience seeing the Aurora Borealis; and see an Atlantic Puffin up close. Amazingly enough, they are able to slip away without being followed. The rest of the book is about their adventure and its consequences.

I enjoyed this book, as I have several other Hyde books. She has an easy to read no nonsense way of writing that draws the reader in to the story. I was invested in Ru and Gabriel's adventure even though it seemed kind of farfetched. I loved them referring to themselves as a "herd" and how they had such a close connection. The description of their trip into Canada was detailed and interesting.
It was hard to imagine young people undergoing such a trip. The only thing I wished more as I finished the book was a little more about where they ended up and what they were doing. Overall, it was a very good read and I know a lot of people I plan to recommend it to.

Thirteen-year-old Rumaki Evans, a gifted student with an eidetic memory, starts college but moves in with Paula and Gabriel. After her mother's death, Ru is sent to live with her aunt in Kentucky. Feeling misunderstood, Ru and Gabriel run away on a road trip to see the Northern Lights and Atlantic puffins. Along the journey, they discuss life, meet people, and contemplate their futures, highlighting themes of friendship, acceptance, and the struggles of being different.

Life, Loss, and Puffins, by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a story of friendship at its core. There are many accompanying themes woven through this story of a 13-year-old prodigy, Ru (Rumaki, much to her embarrassment) and Gabriel, a 17-year-old binary person who became the only friend she had ever had. For many reasons they took off to complete her college (bucket) list which included seeing the stars from the darkest place they could find, seeing the Aurora Borealis, and traveling to the East Coast to see puffins. They managed the first two before they were apprehended.

As always, Hyde makes this story about human beings, first and foremost. Both of these people are oddities and know it. They are both lonely and become friends in the most strange of circumstances. When they are separated, Ru tried to get in touch, but, as it turned out, Gabriel’s mother thwarted all her attempts. The first thing he did (he was eighteen by then) was to find her. They lived their lives as best of friends. What could make a story better than have it be about an abiding friendship. Thanks, again, Catherine Ryan Hyde for a very readable book about real things.

I was invited to read Life, Loss, and Puffins by Lake Union Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #LakeUnionPublishing #CatherineRyanHyde #LifeLossAndPuffins

This is such a good book. I've never been disappointed in a book by this author. Her books leave you feeling so much better. There is always a life lesson in them and many tears on the journey between the pages.

In this book I went all the way to Canada. A trip I'll never forget. In the bitter cold to see the aurora borealis.

Ru and Gabriel became fast friends when Ru and her mother met him and his mother to decide whether she, Ru, could stay with them and go to a prestigious college at the young age of thirteen. Ru was what her mother called "freakishly smart." And she really was. After she loses her mother, Ru and Gabriel decide to take off on an adventure. There are a few places they want to see.

The things that Ru and Gabriel experience are so wonderful. Along the way things just seem to fall in place for them. They work and earn cash to help them pay for gas. They meet people who change their lives. They help others also. They are good and kind kids. Ru is only thirteen and Gabriel is seventeen, almost eighteen. Things just seem to work for them. They are best friends.

After they go through a lot of things at the Canadian boarder coming back into the states things take a different route. Things don't go quite as they had planned. Gabriel is arrested. Ru is taken back by her aunt. Things just aren't going so good.

This author will definitely capture your heart in this breathtakingly beautiful story and not let go. It so full of meaning and heart. Filled with wisdom also. Like making you understand the true bond between a mother and child. I suppose even in a bad relationship there is a bond there. You lived in her for nine months.

You truly don't want to miss this book. If you love good clean reads with so much heart and soul then this is one you will love. It will stay with you too. So many good life lessons involved in Ms Hyde's books.

Thank you #NetGalley, #CatherineRyanHyde, #LakeUnionAuthors, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five big stars. It's just beautiful. Just have some Kleenex handy as you will need them.

This was fabulous. I love the way the story was told and I love Ru's mindset about most things. Gabriel is great too. I am a smidge confused about the end but maybe that is on me. I would highly recommend this and will definitely check out this author's other work. 4.5 stars

My first book by this author but it will not be my last! I loved every minute of it.

Ru Evans is thirteen years old, freakishly intelligent, has an eidetic memory and is about to start attending university. She boards with a family and meets Gabriel aged 17, another young person who is out of sync with the norm. They form a close friendship and, when everything goes wrong, they run away together with plans to see the Northern Lights and Puffins.

Such a lovely story. I shed a few happy tears for them especially when Gabriel fulfils Ru's desire to see Puffins. A delightful tale beautifully told. I already have another book by this author ready and waiting.

There is a frame to this story. As it opens, Ru is sharing her story as it happened to her years ago to two young girls who have lost their mother to whom she has become guardian. We never find out who the girls are or how she came to be their guardian, but it adds a solemnity to the story as if she's trying to impart to them the wisdom she acquired during that time.

Ru's mother describes her as "freakishly intelligent". At thirteen years old, she just received a full scholarship to college. Her mother is reluctant to have Ru so far from home. At the suggestion of the college, Ru ends up rooming in a private home of Mrs. Gulbranson and her seventeen year old son, Gabriel.

Gabriel and Ru become friends quickly because they get each other. They don't expect the other to be anything other than who they are. Gabriel accepts Ru's intellect, but treats her like a "regular" person. When Ru's mother dies, Ru faces having to live with her unlikeable Aunt in Kentucky. Before she's forced into that situation, Gabriel suggests she make a college list - like a bucket list but things she wants to do before college. So Gabrielle and Ru set off on a road trip that will take them from a campground in Utah to the Northwest Territories of Canada.

This is a story of friendship, of being able to be who you are without expectation. Of friendship and freedom. Together they navigate the ins and outs of two minors traveling to unbelievable places. As they travel together, the bond they first formed when Ru moved into his home grows stronger. Throughout their adventure they make new friends and learn the satisfaction of helping people just because.

I'm not quite sure how describe the way I absorbed this book and how it made me feel, made me think. I wanted to feel the freedom that Ru and Gabriel had as they traveled, especially as they sat out and watched the stars in Utah, or the northern lights in Canada As I approached the end of the story my first thoughts were reminiscent of the feelings evoked when I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull There was a similar metaphysical impact. We should all be able to feel the freedom Gabriel and Ru felt on their travels. I'll carry this story with me for a while.

I had such high expectations for this book because i conpletely fell in love with this author's book from last year "just a regular boy". I thought this one was fine and in some parts, it gave me the emotions I was looking for, but to be honest, most of the time, I was a bit bored and the events weren't keeping my interest. The ending fell flat too.

I love tales of adventure and boy was this book a fun read. A strong 4.5 stars! The author is able to weave grief, happiness, saddness, joy and so many emotions into a story that I did not want to put it down and sure didn't want it to end. So many parts of the book resonate with me and I wish that I had had a friend like Gabriel as I navigated somewhat similar circumstances to Ru many years ago. I loved how the story came together - not perfectly wrapped up in a little bow, but a messy yet stunningly beautiful package. The book really stood up to Ru's advance intelligence - the author kept things real and accurate. A few minor picky things (antlers, not horns) didn't detract from the story at all and most readers probably didn't even notice. This was my first read by this author and I can't wait to indulge in more of her warm, moving, and sometimes hilarious writing. Many thanks to the Author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my review.

Life, Loss, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde was an emotional book about grief, hope, friendship, and taking life one beautiful day at a time. But, don't let that put you off, it was beautifully written from start to finish and it was written from the heart. This is the first book I have read from the author and it will not be my last.........

The story was amazing and the characters were excellent and bought the story together.

This book was such a delightful read. I loved it.

Big Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my ARC.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has done it again! Rumaki stole my heart as a 13 year old genius who is beginning college. She has never known fun as she takes everything so seriously. She boards at a home and meets the woman’s 17 year old son who is also a unique person. Together they form a very close friend bond. When tragedy strikes they set off on a road trip together. Having always wanted to see the Northern Lights (and feeling so very disappointed that they were not visible here in southern CA last weekend when so much of the country had the very rare ability to see them) and having always loved puffins I was thrilled to travel along with them, living vicariously through the immensely talented Catherine Ryan Hyde’s descriptions.
So loved the dynamics between Ru and Gabriel throughout this coming of age story. Having spent my career with students with special needs I so appreciated this story and the feelings it evoked. Both Ru and Gabriel hopefully opened reader’s eyes to the struggles faced by those society deems to be different. Awareness and acceptance of others need to be more present in our current society.
Many many thanks to Catherine Ryan Hyde, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this precious coming of age story being published on May 14th.

This is my third book by this author, and it won't be my last. The book begins as Ru is telling her story to 2 girls, and we find out in the end who they are. The story begins with a 13 year old "freakishly smart" Rumaki Evans (her mother didn't realize it was an hors d'oeuvre) going to college. She doesn't know why her mother let her go away, and I am not going to spoil the reason. However, she must board in a home and not live in the dorms. Gabriel and his mother take in students, and Ru thinks Gabriel's smile is the best thing she has ever seen. He is 17 and drives her to school every day. He wears eye makeup and nail polish, so he is also seen as different, and they bond. It is a truly beautiful friendship.
They have dreams of seeing the Aurora Borealis and Atlantic Puffins.
I also have dreams of seeing the Aurora Borealis, but I have seen Atlantic Puffins in Iceland, and it was worth the trip.
This is a truly lovely story with a basic theme of "be yourself."
I think the author might have watched the TV show Sheldon,for that is who Ru reminds me of, and there is a scene at the university that reminds me of that show.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is my honest review, and I highly recommend it.
A postscript: The day I finished the book, the Northern lights were seen almost all over the Northern Hemisphere, even down to Southern California, but unfortunately, I could not see them.

Thanks to net galley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of LIFE, LOSS AND PUFFINS. While I have enjoyed some of this authors books more, this was a good book. It tells the story of Ru, a 13 year old genius and her friend Gabriel. I was intrigued by the concept of a young teen-ager attending college and was interested in how she would deal with that. However, the death of her mother changed things a bit. Ru and Gabriel take off together and find lots of adventures in their travels. This novel shows a lot of character growth as we read about a young girl and her friend coping with adult issues.

When I need some "comfort food" for my soul, I turn to a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde. She writes stories that restore my faith in humanity, and her characters stay with me long after I turn the last page. Life, Loss, and Puffins is a coming-of-age story that should appeal to younger readers as well. Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for an advance copy to read and review.

I'm only now starting to get into this author despite owning quite a few of her books. Thank you, Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing, for the opportunity to finally force me to dive into one of her stories.

This was an unusual journey for 13 year old Ru, a highly intelligent genius who has suffered a huge loss. The probability of being taken from her home and her comfort (her only friend, Gabriel) thrust the two into an adventure many of us as adults could only dream of. The people you meet along the way are just as important and the journey itself, and these two will have a lifetime of memories in a few short weeks.

This journey was worth the read (but I'd really like to know who the "audience" was.)

LIFE, LOSS, AND PUFFINS is the latest emotional and uplifting novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. I have read over a dozen of this author’s books and I can say without hesitation that each one becomes my new favorite. This one is a story of grief, friendship, acceptance, hope and living life to its fullest. Rumaki “Ru” Evans has been labeled as freakishly smart. Besides having taught herself Euclidean geometry at age seven, she has an eidetic memory and has been accepted to college at age thirteen. Attending a college nearly 150 miles from her home means Ru will have to board with a local family. There she meets seventeen-year-old Gabriel, who also has trouble relating to kids his age. The two form an unbreakable bond as they both finally have someone they can relate to. But when Ru’s mother dies unexpectedly, Ru learns she will be forced to leave school and go to live with her miserable aunt. Determined to avoid this at all costs, Ru plots an escape, and Gabriel is more than willing to come along. Their trip takes the pair from California to Northern Canada to fulfill Ru’s “college list” of things she wants to do and see before she re-enters college. The story takes us on their remarkable journey as they pursue their dream experiences. I so enjoyed this story of self-discovery and working through grief and loss with the help of a friend. I highly recommend this beautifully-written and heartwarming book and look forward to whatever comes next from Catherine Ryan Hyde. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Thank you to Union Publishers and Catherine Ryan Hyde for allowing me to read and review this book. I have read several books by this author. Her books that I have read have the same vibe as a young adult who goes on a journey. This book is no exception it involves RU a teenager and her friend who participated in a journey, To be honest I found some of this book to be a little boring especially the beginning.

This is the most delightful book. We start with Ru Evans, a very smart teenager, who has just won a place at college at the ripe old age of thirteen. The college is one of the very best and nowhere near where she lives so, after some begging, manages to persuade her mum to let her board with a local family. There she meets Gabriel, the 17 year old son, who she identifies with right from the off, the both of them having similar trouble fitting in and finding friends. After a couple of weekends where her mum cancels plans or visits, Ru returns home only to find out that her mum is dying. And then the worst happens and Ru is left an orphan, with only an Aunt left as family. An Aunt who pretty much doesn't want the hassle... Long story short, she hatches a plan with Gabriel and the two of them set off on a journey of a lifetime, one of discovery, and shenanigans, one which will lead them to big trouble when they are eventually caught, as they obviously will be, no spoiler, but in the meantime, they have an open road and a plan...
I loved this book. I loved Ru, old beyond her years, and Gabriel equally. They are so well suited and their bond transcends the walls they both have with most people. I also loved the to-do list they crafted and the way they worked out what they had to do to make it happen. It's quite the lesson that a lot of people would benefit from heeding.
It could be described as a coming of age tale, but that would be simplifying things and doing the book and the author an injustice as it is so much more than that. It's sad and magical, grief and sorrow, loss, and living, adventure and wonder. It's a brilliantly crafted, character driven story, which gives so much more than you'd expect as you are reading. It's a book that kept on giving for me, even after I turned the last page. And one which will stay with me a while yet. I'd love an update on our duo in the future too...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.