Lol. A nicely written, fun and escapist romance novella, starring a hero who shifts into a rubber duckie when he's startled.

It's insta love/lust when he spots the neighbour next door. She's housesitting and taking care of her sister's unruly children. Naturally, our hero owns a waterpark.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-Arc, in return for my opinion. I recommend reading this book for some escapism, and spicy times.

First of all, the document downloaded weirdly onto my Kindle, so the book was difficult to read. I also didn't enjoy the author's writing style--it was very dialogue-heavy, and I didn't feel like the children's dialogue was very realistic.

I have to admit that in the first instant i was drawn to the title of this book and then when i read the blurb it intrigued me even more!!

I was also pulled in by the wonderful cover of the book and i know that you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover but i am so glad that i did!

This little novella can be read in no time and after the first chapter hooked me in, i had to keep reading until i had devoured it all!

I laughed a lot during this book and i honestly think that it would put anyone in a good mood!

It was such an easy read, cute and hilarious and i really enjoyed it…….

Holy lightning speed Duckman!!!

Fun quick read, a little odd. I’m not sure I would follow on with the series.

I thought the idea of shifting into whatever you loved seemed troublesome...(the suggestion of a cruise ship!?) most especially after reading one of the characters shifted into a hot pepper...with no mobility. Fun read but not something I will reread.

4⭐ 2🌶️

Mia Harlan is quickly becoming a sentient object shifter must-read for me and diving into this book was just as much fun as my first (Her Donut Shifters–you should check it out!). While it was full of duck puns, funny moments, and a little chaos, the story was also super sweet and I loved seeing Rachel and the kids come to terms with their loss and build an even bigger, supportive and loving family moving forward.

Mia’s novellas are my favorite palette cleanser between darker reads, leaving me feeling silly and cozy inside, and I can’t wait to dive into Reaper’s pepper shifter novella next!

Okay i was not expecting this. I went in absolutely blind. I must say i was intrigued by the way this author's mind works. It had be laughing though the book had me wondering why i am laughing. It was a quite read with a weird variety of characters that somehow were perfect together.

A fun fantasy of the sweet guy next door and the overworked woman we can all relate to!
Rachel has decided to turn in her carefree Young Adult ways and become a respectable (aka boring) adult and guardian to her deceased best friend's three kids. But her lack of confidence and experience leads to some hilarious misunderstandings and a timely rescue from the next door neighbor, Sig. He's incredibly handsome, good with kids, and the owner of hottest attraction in town - the local waterpark! When he swoops in to lend Rachel a helping hand, he just might hand over his heart as well! But first, he has to explain why he just POOFED into a rubber duckie!
A fun and goofy romance with just enough humor and spice to keep me turning the pages. A fun read for the summer!
I just reviewed Rubber Duckie Shifter Next Door by Mia Harlan. #RubberDuckieBook #NetGalley

I mean... I was expecting a bonkers scenario. But the plot actually made no sense? And somehow it was also boring? They meet outside one day and suddenly it's the love of a lifetime. With a title like that it should be fun but it wasn't. This is a definite skip.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mia Books for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was cute! I really enjoy shifter romances and the fated mates trope. I’ve never read a rubber duckie shifter romance before though so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was invested in the story and the characters. This was a quick and enjoyable read!

A strange read but I loved it! I have read more shifter romance books recently and ended up really enjoying it.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did???

Listen, a rubber duck shifter, we know it's going to be wild.

The writing was average, and wow was Rachel annoying at times (we get it, you miss cruises). But this was such a fun, short read that genuinely had be laughing out loud at parts. Was it silly? Yes. But I finished it will a smile on my face.

Thank you NetGalley and Mia Harlan for the ARC!

Publishing date: 17.05.2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Mia Books for the Arc. My opinions are my own.

The Book as a meal: Eating a nice and cold lollypop (the ice cream), and blowing bubbles in the summer heat
The Book left me: Giggling, throwing me back to the Ao3 era

Why did this call out to me?
The cover seemed fun, and the title had me choking on my drink. Then the blurb had me requesting it almost immediately. How can I say no to a "rubber duckie shifter"?

Pick-Up-Able? Put-Down-Able?
Very pick-up-able. The pacing is perfect for this specific story, and stuff keeps happening. At least in terms of romance. The rest we can overlook. I liked the banter, and I was mostly just waiting for them to get on with their business. It was clear it was ... coming ;--)

Issues:
Full of tropes that maybe didn't need to be there
Why wasn't the kids given more spotlight :--(
The shifter things also didn't get enough spotlight

Good things:
Doesn't take itself too seriously (thankfully)
Fun concept, will be looking for more of this
Short and sweet, perfect to reset from a reading slump

How did it feel to read?
I felt like I was reading an Ao3 fic, but this one didn't have enough kudos or favorites. It is kind of a little hidden gem for those who are into the concept. A perfect blend of wholesome and spice in the amount of pages given.

What mood would I read this in?
I would read this while tanning on the beach, great little book for the summer

Where does this fall in my tier list ranking?
This is a good ole' B tier book. Although I adored it, I feel like I would have wanted it to be a little longer and a little less insta-lovey + fated mates. Those concepts are great when done great, but here they come a little out of left field. Overall, fun book, will be recommending to some peeps in my life

Let's be real, you don't pick up a book called Rubber Duckie Shifter Next Door and expect something completely normal or proper. :D
This was an entertaining, funny, unique and quick novella to relax and read something a bit different!

Since it's a novella a little insta-connection is expected, however, I do genuinely think the MCs didn't act on their urges immediately and tried to get to know each other first. I was so surprised how despite this being a short, humorous read, it dealt with serious family relationships and dynamics and I loved that part. If you need a light, cute read that doesn't take itself too seriously give this a go. It gives you a break you need. Also, the cover is adorable!

What a fun, bizarre, short read! It was different, but knew what I was getting into based on the title. Wouldn’t mind looking into the authors other books

This was a cute, short, funny spicy novella about a rubber duck shifter. I enjoyed it a lot, I laughed. The writing as average but the story was super fun and enjoyable.

I recently read Rubber Duckie Shifter Next Door by Mia Harlan after receiving an ARC copy on NetGalley. I couldn’t resist the silly title and concept and the cute cover so I figured I’d give it a shot. This short and unique read wasn’t my favorite but it did make me chuckle throughout due to how absolutely odd the whole thing was. It was quirky and unique and overall not bad - it lacked some character and plot development, a likely result of it being so short. #RubberDuckieBook #NetGalley

4 ⭐ 2 🌶

This was everything I hoped it'd be and more. I have a friend obsessed with rubber ducks, which makes me obsessed adjacent, so when I saw this book I grabbed it so fast. No blurb reading, no review checking, just diving straight into the madness, and I'm so happy I did.

This was actually a super sweet story. Rachel was coming to terms with losing her best friend and dealing with how her absence affected her godkids. I loved how Sig supported her and helped her get back in the kids' good graces.

We get to meet Reaper, a hot pepper shifter who's single mom book is up next and I'm so excited. I'm also diving into Mia's back list to read Her Donut Shifters, which I've owned for a while now and have heard great things.

If you’re in for a whimsical and delightful read, “Rubber Duckie Shifter Next Door” by Mia Harlan is the perfect quick escape. It’s a hilarious and heartwarming short story that had me laughing out loud and rooting for the most unlikely of heroes—a rubber duck shifter! The quirky premise is executed with charm and wit, making it a standout in the paranormal romance genre.

The chemistry between the characters is as bubbly as a bath, and the story’s lighthearted approach to love and transformation is refreshing. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best things in life are the ones that make us smile. So, if you need a little joy and a lot of fun, this is the story to read.

4/5 ⭐️ 2/5 🌶️

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novella, but I really liked this crazy shifter story.

We meet Sig who can shift into a rubber duck and Rachel who’s a regular human in this story. I really liked how caring and attentive Sig was and how he knew he was coming on too strong and yet couldn’t help himself 😅 I also really liked how Rachel thought she was hallucinating when he turned into a rubber duck lol it had me cracking up. The one smutty scene with the bath tub was 🔥 — The whole story was hilarious and a quick read!

Well,. this isn't for me. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't that the neighbor was an actual Rubber Ducky shapeshifter. To be honest, I didn't finish the book. Did he shift? I have no idea since I bailed quickly. I didn't want to take the time to find out.

Of course, I probably should not have requested this one but it sounded cute. Fantasy, sci-fi, etc, is not my interest.

I didn't take this line in the description to be literal:
"But beneath his perfect exterior lies a quirky secret: the man of my dreams spends his days as a floating bath toy."

I have since read plenty of positive reviews and I am glad I am not of the norm. Maybe I will finish it another time now that I am more aware of what to expect. I do wich the author best of luck with this, I am sorry I can't give it higher praise.

It's me, not you.