This story is about meeting that person who understands you when the rest of the world can’t. This person knows what you are feeling and verbalizes things that are only in your mind. They know when to be quiet and when to engage you. They help you process your emotions and are just there when you need them the most.

Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books hold a special place in my heart because she is an amazing storyteller, touches my soul and makes me believe in the goodness in the world.

Ru Evans is extremely smart. She is so smart that she doesn’t fit in with her peers, doesn’t have any friends and it bored by the traditional education tract. At age 13, she is going to college and to make that happen, she needs to leave home and board with another family. This is where Ru meets Gabriel, the seventeen-year-old son from the boarding family. Although, not the same as Ru, Gabriel is different in his own way and just seems to connect with Ru. They begin to form a bond.

While Ru is attending college, her mother dies unexpectedly. Because of these circumstances, Ru can no longer continue boarding and attending college at the current location but must move in with her aunt. Ru’s relationship with her aunt is less than desirable and rather than face such a future, Ru decides to run away and Gabriel joins her on her adventure.

This becomes a bucket list trip for Ru and Gabriel, where they have amazing adventures and meet some interesting characters along the way. However, always in the back of their minds, is the sense that they will eventually get caught knowing that Ru is only 13 and Gabriel is 17. Despite this, their adventures are life changing and provide them with memories that will last a lifetime.

Thank you to NetGalley for this amazing book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#LifeLossandPuffins #CatherineRyanHyde

Another happy find in the Read Now section! I missed it when it became available to request. As so many other readers, I will absolutely pick up each title by this author. I don't know where she gets it but her stories are always engaging and contain wonderful characters and events.
This time we meet Ru, 13 and 'freakishly smart' as her mother once said. Ru is not happy with this because the only thing everybody always seem to remember is the word 'freak'. She's not a freak, she's just very clever. When unexpectedly faced with the horrible view of to have to go and live with her aunt Bitsy - who's absolutely unsuitable to care for a smart child, any child - she and her friend Gabriel decide to leave and to on an adventure. Gabriel is also called a freak because he doesn't look like a 17-year old is supposed to look in their town but he's kind and funny and Ru and him understand each other better than most people after a long life together.
And that's why they find themselves in some very interesting situations. They're clever, but not world wise and so they are lucky to meet some people they want to help them on their way.

Does this end well? See for yourself!

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for making this title available.

Ru is a thirteen year old girl whose mother describes her as “freakishly smart.” So smart that her mother reluctantly agrees to a plan to send Ru to a far away college where she will board with a woman and her seventeen year old son, Gabriel.

Because of her uniqueness, Ru is a lonely soul. Gabriel is also a bit of an outcast in that he likes to wear make-up and dress in an unusual style. The two feel an immediate kinship. When unexpected circumstances arise, Gabriel and Ru run away to accomplish a bucket list of things Ru wants to see … including the Aurora Borealis and Atlantic puffins. So, it’s off to Canada they go for the adventure of a lifetime.

Lots of interesting characters crop up along the way. Gabriel helps Ru learn to forget about being a genius, and to just be a person. She discovers the joy of having fun.

Overall, it’s a heartfelt, endearing story which is so typical of this author. As I look through my booklist, I find that I’ve read over 20 of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books. So, yeah, I guess you could say she’s a favorite of mine!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher. Another fun read for me.

I found this book delightful and the dynamics between Ru and Gabriel entertaining and beautifully written. I was captivated by their friendship in this wonderful tale! I felt both characters were well developed. Hyde brought to life the best and worst parts of growing up, delivering it to you in a wonderful little package. Thank you to NetGalley and lake union publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a Catherine Ryan Hyde superfan and have read almost all of her books, so it is no surprise that I enjoyed Life, Loss, and Puffins. This is essentially a road trip adventure with some twists. I enjoyed the unique destination—the Northwest Territories in Canada. I dream of driving the Dempster Highway covered in the book, so this was a fun surprise as I read it. This novel will spark your wanderlust if you are a serious road-tripper and yearning to see the Aurora Borealis.

If you are already a CRH fan, note that this book feels a bit lighter than some of her fare. The friendship between the two main protagonists was refreshing in that it was just a friendship with no underlying motives. I also like that CRH included some personal bits in this book. From her bio, she states that she is an amateur astronomer and photographer, and she shares that love in this book.

This book was a fast read and would appeal to youth or adults.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for a book review.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of those authors I consider to give me a comfort factor when reading, like putting on my favorite sweater or sweatshirt. Her latest addition entitled “Life, Loss, and Puffins” is no exception.

I enjoyed reading about Ru Evans and the friendship she develops with Gabriel. This book is slightly different from the author’s other books I’ve read, but only because Ru and Gabriel are relatively close in age. As the story progressed, I became absorbed in the road trip adventures Ru and Gabriel were having, but knew they couldn’t last. The last part of the book, while necessary, dragged slightly for me. However, I did like how the book ended.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Catherine Ryan Hyde strikes again. Life, Loss, and Puffins is yet another moving, delightful, empathetic tale. This time we have Ru, a 13 year old genius trying to make her way through difficult times on her own, and Gabriel, a 17 year old outsider. They form a fast friendship and end up taking us along on their adventures, dealing poignantly with grief, loss, and hope along the way. I loved this story and these characters.

Thank you Catherine Ryan Hyde, Lake Union Publishing, Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Life, Loss and Puffins is a novel by award-winning American author, Catherine Ryan Hyde. Rumaki Evans is five when her mother describes her to someone as freakishly smart. What Ru hears is freak. She later tells people that was when her childhood ended. Ru has an eidectic memory and hyperthymesia, and is mostly bored at school, always smarter than her classmates, no matter how many grades she skips.

She’s so smart that, at thirteen, she is offered a full ride scholarship at a prestigious college. Her mother isn’t going to let her go there: it’s way too far to commute, but it’s her Grandma Mimi’s dying wish, and the student advisor finds a family with whom she can board. Paula Gulbranson will provide meals and treat her like family, and her seventeen-year-old son, Gabriel will drop her off at Wellington on his way to the State University.

With his painted nails and eye make-up, Gabriel is different, an outsider himself, but from the moment they meet, he and Ru connect as friends and remain so all their lives. College might not be quite the solution Ru was hoping for, but her astrophysics teacher is able to provide some perceptive answers to things that have troubled her, and a way to approach life.

But when her mother suddenly sickens and dies, Ru is faced with the prospect of living with the aunt she can’t stand, in Kentucky, a long way from her only real friend. She realises that, as a minor, she won’t have a choice, but decides if she can’t stick around near Gabriel under the radar, she’ll run away, live a bit of life, before she’s forced to conform.

Ru makes a College List, a list of three things she wants to do, see, experience, before she returns to her education. Gabriel jumps on board, offering to drive her across the country for star-gazing at the country’s darkest place, seeing the Aurora Borealis (where they are the only humans on eighty square kilometers of nothing). and meeting an Atlantic Puffin.

As they travel the country, they meet, help, and are helped by, a number of people, and Ru comes to understand more about herself: “All these years thinking I’m so smart, but only about stuff that isn’t very useful when you’re trying to have a life. It’s like I know all this stuff but all of a sudden none of it seems very important”, an observation that strikes a chord with this reviewer, whose mother would comment about her intelligence “Marianne’s brains are not for domestic use.”

Do things fall into place too easily for this pair? Maybe, but Ru notes that “Life has this way of letting these perfect events drop into their perfect slots at just the right moment. But there’s a catch to that kind of living. You have to be doing it right” and the pair is not averse to hard work or being generous and are game for new experiences.

Acceptance of people as they are is a big theme in this novel. Ryan Hyde always manages to warm the heart and uplift the soul; she often provokes serious thought but also provides humour. This time, she includes one of her own passions, astronomy, in the plot. Her characters easily endear themselves to the reader, and have wise words and insightful observations. Ryan Hyde never disappoints.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

Life Loss and Puffins a heartwarming novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde to be published on May 14th by Lake Union Publishing.

Catherine Ryan Hyde does it again, and believe me when I say this I have read many of her books and they do not disappoint. From My name is Anton to So long Chester Wheeler so when I hear she has a new one out I get excited.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this one early in exchange for a honest review.

This was a story of life loss and love and puffins. A story of two different souls but oh so alike. Ru was a 13 year old genius who came to know Gabriel 17 when she was staying with his family(well him and his mom) in order to attend college, like I said a 13 year old genius or as she liked to call herself freakishly smart.

After the incredible loss of Ru’s mom she was to go and live with her mean aunt Bitsy and when I say mean she was but anyway before going to live with her Ru and her friend Gabriel went on a trip, what they called the college list(like a bucket list) it was a lovely heartwarming story, some good some bad but a friendship that wouldn’t be broken.

CRH another five stars for this awesome book, thanks again NG, much enjoyed!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own

Once again, Catherine Ryan Hyde has spun a yarn with two compelling protagonists-Rumaki(Ru) and Gabriel as they journey from the U.S. to the Canadian Arctic. It is a poignant tale of friendship, grief and enjoying the beauty of life. It's not a teen romance situation because Ru is 13 and Gabriel is 17. No, this book is more about people accepting each other for who they are and not what is expected of them to be. I loved the personalities they met along the way and of course, that one of my favourite Canadian cities- Yellowknife was featured as a setting. It is as beautiful as CRH describes.

I guess my quibble might have been getting some more details about what Ru's life was like in the future. Yes, we get an ending that seems suitable but I had a lot of questions. Typical reader, right?




#LifeLossandPuffins #NetGalley.
Expected Publication Date 14/05/24
Goodreads Review 27/04/24

I can't even begin to tell you how beautiful this novel was! It really took me by surprise how much I enjoyed it, especially since it was outside of my usual genres. So the book follows supersmart Ru as she navigates the world after her mother's death. It doesn't sound like much but what the author packs into this book will have you both tearing up and cheering. It was such a joy to read Ru's journey. I am looking forward to reading more by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Once again, Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote a book that made me both laugh and cry! I loved this book so much! The story features a brilliant 13 year old girl and her 17 year old friend and their journey to make sense of the world and to enjoy life. I loved them both! I wasn’t sure how the book was going to end, and was kind of dreading what I thought might happen. And then, bam…the author ended it perfectly. Do yourself a favor and just go ahead and buy this one!

"It wasn't until after the ink dried on my birth certificate that she found out rumaki is actually an hors d'oeuvre people make for parties with chicken livers, water chestnuts, and bacon."

Rumaki (Ru) Evan's is described by her mother as "freakishly smart". At age 13 she feels very out of place in her classes. A teacher tells her she should enroll in college, for more challenges.
Her mother agrees and she boards at a nearby home. The family has a 17 year old son named Gabriel.
Ru and Gabriel form a strong bond. When Ru's mother dies she has no plans in her mind to live with her aunt in Kentucky.
Ru makes a plan of escape and Gabriel is by her side.
What an adventure these two go on!
This book was so good. Kept me captivated in their adventures, was heartwarming, had me feeling so many emotions as I read. One of their experiences, adventures has been on my bucket for years. Although not exactly the same way they did it.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Catherine Ryan Hyde pens another winner. Life, Loss, and Puffins is a powerful coming of age novel for a brilliant thirteen-year-old and her best friend. We follow their adventure to complete somewhat of a bucket list before Ru starts college. The characters are wonderfully and empathetically drawn and they, along with the story, pulled my heartstrings big time. Wonderful story arc. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I cannot quit smiling since finishing this delightful and heartwarming book. Ru and Gabriel are teens who are both a little different than the average teenager. Ru is a 13-year-old girl who has been described by her mother as "freakishly smart" and she is headed off to college. In order to be able to go to a great college, Ru's mom had to arrange for Ru to live with a woman and her 17-year-old son, Gabriel. The two teens form a fast and tight friendship and seem to be able to communicate even without talking. It does not bother Ru that Gabriel likes to wear eye makeup and nail polish. The teens seem to be in the right place at the right time and this makes for a great story with lots of adventures.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this wonderful story that still has me smiling.

I have always enjoyed the books by Catherine Ryan Hyde and was really looking forward to reading this one. It took me a while to get into the story but once I did I found it very interesting and enjoyable ! The relationship between Ru and Gabriel, who were both different from accepted society, was heartwarming and allowed us to peer into how differences in people can be accepted or judged. When Ru’s mother dies and she must live with her unloving aunt in Kentucky they both travel together to Canada to see the Aurora Borealis. The adventures and the insights and wisdom of that trip made this another wonderful book by this author!

Catherine Ryan Hyde has brought us another of her superb, heart-warming and life affirming tales filled with wonderful characters that she writes so well. Thirteen year old child genius Ru (short for Rumaki), who has an eidetic memory, meets seventeen year old Gabriel, who is also very smart and likes to wear makeup, when she boards with Gabriel and his mother after being awarded a scholarship to attend an elite University 150 miles from home in California.

Always regarded as a freak, Ru has never fitted in to school and has made few friends in her life but in Gabriel she finds a soul mate and a friend who will challenge her as to what being ’normal’ means. When tragedy hits and Ru is told she’ll have to leave University and live with her hateful Aunt in Kentucky, she rebels by escaping with Gabriel to tick off a couple of things she really wants to do before life catches up with her.

This is a wonderful tale of friendship, found family and being open to people and experiences. Along the way Ru and Gabi meet people who accept them as they are and trust them to be responsible (they tell everyone they’re older than they look and Ru has some anti-aging condition). They take risks and challenge themselves to do and see things outside of their comfort zone from viewing the universe from the night skies of the desert to travelling to the freezing Northwest Territories with an elderly woman. The strong familial bond they form during their experiences is one that will not be easily broken. A beautiful, inspiring novel reminding us that the world is full of wonder and awe.

Life Loss and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde had me from word one. This is a 2 day, feel good read. A real feel good read! I fell in love with Gabriel and Ru. They are both outcasts who find each other and build a bond that can’t be broken. I would love to see this as a movie. Most importantly seeing Atlantic puffins has now been added to the top of my bucket list!

Here are few of my favorite quotes.

“And then, just like that, we were lone wolves. We were no longer a herd. “ Life is so much better if you are part of a herd!

“Four days to shut off their brains in the Canadian wilderness. No talking not even to each other.” When you are really comfortable you don’t always need to have conversation.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this one!

I really enjoyed this lovely book. As always, Catherine Ryan Hyde has written a story full of love, kindness and generosity of spirit. Always delightful and ultimately uplifting. Although I'm much older than the two teens who are the main characters, I never felt alienated from their personalities, hopes, ambitions and also their insecurities. 13 year old Ru, a girl with an exceptional IQ giving her intelligence way above her years and 17 year old Gabriel, a young man still exploring his thoughts on gender and his unusual fashion choices, were sweet people, innocent and hopeful. I loved how they were enchanted by the beauty of nature and their bucket list of dreams that they set out to accomplish by running away and embarking on a road trip to Canada which, although illegal due to their ages, was a pleasure to read and especially their experience of witnessing the aurora borealis which was described so beautifully. Their innocent, sibling-like relationship was based on kindness, trust and an unusual maturity for their ages. The author has the most beautiful way with words and this book left me feeling awed and uplifted. My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union for a pre release copy which I gladly and voluntarily review.

It's been less than two years since I finally discovered Catherine Ryan Hyde's books, but every single one I've read has been excellent so far. I also love a travel element in my stories, so of course I was immediately intrigued by the premise of Life, Loss, And Puffins. And can we all agree with the main characters just how adorable puffins are? Anyhow, I've been looking forward to start this book, and as expected I ended up having such a wonderful time following Ru and Gabriel on their journey!

One of the elements I loved most in Life, Loss, And Puffins most definitely is all the travel/road trip. Is it credible for two minors to actually make it all the way to Canada? Not exactly. But it sure made for such a fascinating story, and I loved following Ru and Gabriel as they make their way north. The road trip was also such a great way to meet new characters along the way, and it was fun to see how they popped up just at the right time and seem to be part of Ru and Gabriel's coming of age story. The part that stood out most for me were the chapters set in Canada, which had such glorious descriptions that really made the setting come alive for me. I could almost feel the cold and snow!

There is no doubt that Life, Loss, And Puffins is quite a sad and emotional book, although there are also many moments of hope, found family and a beautiful friendship. As a whole I felt that the plot was well balanced, and I really enjoyed how everything was wrapped up in the end. This book also tackles quite a few heavier topics including cancer, death, grief, toxic relationships and transphobia (non binary). They are all well incorporated into the plot, and I could appreciate what they added to the story.

As for the characters... It is so easy to warm up to both Ru and Gabriel, and I had a fantastic time following them on their journey. It's such a beautiful budding friendship, and I love how their growing connection is also represented in the progress of their journey north. The aunt was a bit too much like the stereotypical 'bad guy', but most of the rest of the cast was wonderful as well. The writing itself is extremely engaging and beautifully put together, and I literally flew through Life, Loss, And Puffins.

If you enjoy well written, emotional and well balanced contemporaries about found family, friendship and grief as well as a road trip angle, I can highly recommend this book. Life, Loss, And Puffins is definitely among my favorite stories written by her so far!