Fish Out of Water is a fun summer read that mixes romance and mystery, with charming main characters and lots of chemistry. Dahlia heads to the Colorado rockies to find her missing sister after receiving an emergency text from her. She takes local hermit, Winston with her to help her hike in attempt to find her sister. I really enjoyed the mystery of the book, and loved the romance between Dahlia and Winston. The suspenseful ending made it hard for me to put the book down. It was my first book by Katie Ruggle but I will definitely be checking out more in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

An SOS text, a sexy town recluse, a bit of outdoor shenanigans, a sprinkle of murder, and a whole lot of fun.

If Dahlia can trust the local town hermit who happens to be cute and slightly mysterious but at the moment the only one willing to help her. Careful, the sexy lumberjack vibe might be too distracting when she finds herself needing someone to help her stay alive!

One wild idea, a crazy adventure in the snowy mountains, one sleeping bag and a virgin hero. Oh, and a missing person that will leave you needing to read more! Refreshing, flirty, fun, and a whole lot of shenanigans. Get your macgyver on and discover your next must read.

Happy Reading! I really hope there will be more from Katie soon!

I’ve read many Katie Ruggle books. And while many are suspecful, this was a bit more easy going. It’s about our outgoing, sunshine FMC, Dahlia. Her sister is lost in the Rocky Mountains. And of course who can help her find said sister? Winston, our grumpy survivalist. And who doesn’t enjoy a little forced proximity in the woods? Overall, it was a bit lower stakes then I was expecting, but I enjoyed it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶️🌶️

I didn’t know what to expect going into this but I enjoyed it. It’s a super quick, rom-com, mystery with some added spice.

I liked the dynamic between Dahlia and Winston overall. There was some parts of this book and Dahlias character that I didn’t love or felt like it was a bit annoying, but other than that I enjoyed the rest of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own

This was definitely a very fun read and a good change of pace for me, personally, because I hadn't read a good rom-com since the summer months. This novel has a foregone conclusion of the 'enemies to lovers' trope but it has a few interesting twists and turns along the way. I enjoyed Dahlia's determination to look beautiful so she could feel beautiful while hiking in the woods with a stranger to, ostensibly, save her sister. That the stranger is a handsome, well-built man makes the journey easier.

I did not finish at about 45%. I was having trouble connecting with the characters. The book did not capture my attention. I had a hard time with the insta love aspect. There were some humorous parts that I did enjoy. I also enjoyed the outdoor/adventure vibes.

Made it to 17%. I’m not into these characters at all. I like Dahlia. She’s quirky and funny, but there’s no way what she does in the beginning would ever fly IRL. Winston seems like he’s going to be a good guy, despite his booby traps, but apparently you never get his POV, so not sure how this would play out.

3 Stars This is the first book I’ve read by Katie Ruggle and it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The cover scream cute rom com, which is definitely what it should be filed under. The genre listed and the description made me think this would be more romantic suspense, especially since the main character is searching for her missing sister. I thought there would be more angst and a more serious tone, rather than the lighthearted tone there was. And part of that is just the fact that the main character didn’t seem to take her missing sister that seriously.

Fish Out of Water was my first read by Katie Ruggle and it did not quite meet my expectations.

I think it was a me problem because when I read the premise of the book which mentioned the disappearance of the main character's sister, I expected a more angsty/emotional read. Therefore, I was a taken aback by Dahlia's behavior at times given the circumstances.

Again, it may just be a me problem.

Fish Out of Water was an adorable, sweet, spicy cinnamon roll romantic adventure. This novel was a quick and quirky read, and I could not get enough of our couple! Dahlia and Winston made a charming, and hilarious pair. Katie takes us on an uproarious field trip through the woods with these two distinctly opposites-attract characters. Sweet and clever city girl Dahlia is searching for her missing sister and enlists the help of our grumpy, cinnamon roll hero (yes, this review deserves the use of cinnamon roll twice, because I've never read a more ooey gooey sugary spice romance). The hilarity and hijinks that ensue take no breaks from page one. The laughs are loud, the peril edge of your seat (yet not overwhelming), and a heart-eyed romance, that's bound to curl some toes.

Flibbertigibbet - a frivolous, flighty, or excessively talkative person.

This book was sort of cute but I think perhaps not for me. It was silly, lighthearted, and easy reading so I can definitely see someone who likes very soft no angst romcoms enjoying this! For me it just felt empty.

The categories on NetGalley were Romance and Mystery/Thriller and I know the author has a lot of other Romantic Suspense so that’s what I was expecting,, but I didn’t feel like it was suspenseful at all. While there is a bit of adventure and one slightly suspenseful scene at the end, overall it just felt like a generic romcom.

The characters were so cliche - The MMC is a “hermit” mountain man, physically large and handsome who communicates mostly in grunts. The FMC is a flibbertigibbet, she was obsessed with outward appearances and could not stop talking at any time (silence is creepy according to her). And while I’m all about doing whatever makes you feel empowered, and I believe in the transformative power of makeup, she was putting a full face of makeup on each day while hiking in the woods during a blizzard which just felt so shallow - if you genuinely think your sister’s life is in danger, why are you taking the time to put a full face of makeup on?

I don’t know. Overall it was easy reading but not memorable in a good way. If I hadn’t had an ARC I would have DNF’d early on but I pushed through and I regret it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc! This book was cute, but I wasn’t expecting steamy content. The bio for the book could have been worded differently so that readers knew what to expect.

*Received as a free ARC*
A delightful romance from a new to me author! Very light and fluffy, while defeating some romance tropes. With added mystery just for fun! I enjoyed myself immensely and burned through it very fast. Dahlia is a very cool character. Will be on the lookout for more books by this author!

DNF at 40%. I’ve really enjoyed a lot of other Katie Ruggle books and was excited to see this one - looked like maybe a move to more commercial romance but was still ready to give it a shot! Unfortunately this really didn’t work for me. Gone Too Deep was a similar plot but worked much better for me. I kept hoping I would get more into it if I just pushed a little more but found myself doing other things because I just didn’t want to pick this back up and that’s when it’s time for me to stop. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy.

It was my first time reading this author, and I enjoyed it - part romance, part suspenseful mystery, and a whole lot of fun! There were parts, particularly at the beginning, where I felt like screaming at the heroine because it felt like Cher Horowitz potentially walked into a slasher movie, but I was ultimately won over. If you like a grumpy/sunshine, one bed, opposites attract situation with a side of wilderness and mystery, then definitely check this one out. I'll surely be seeking out more of Katie Ruggle's books in the future!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

🥾Fish Out of Water🥾
By Katie Ruggle
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publication Date February 13, 2024

Dahlia's sister goes missing in the mountains so she goes out to find her. Along the way. She runs into the very grumpy local hermit/ mountain man who very reluctantly agrees to help her find her sister. And of course, since this is a romance book. The two find a connection along the way.

This book had such a great combination of mystery, romance, humor, and a great sisterly bond. I am such a big fan of Katie Ruggle so I always am excited to read her books and this was definitely no exception.

If you are at all of fan of
💕opposites attract
💕there's only one bed
💕grumpy sunshine tropes

I highly recommend picking this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an arc of this book.

Fish Out of Water was a cute romcom about Dahlia from California and Winston, an author/mountain man who go on an adventure to find someone who may have gone missing. I feel like the plot is a pretty unique one so that was interesting and the little details were so fun to read. The banter between the main characters was mostly funny and enjoyable. There were certain themes (like the stereotypical mountain man grunt) that got a little repetitive and during the "adventure" section I found myself wanting them to just get to the end but for the most part I liked the book and thought it was a fun, easy read! The cover is one of my favorite parts about it and the main thing that sucked me in.

I thought this book was adorable. Such a great sit down and make a good weekend comfort read. The couple had great chemistry and their story had such a great development.

This is my first book by this author, and it starts off very strong! The grumpy/sunshine personalities from Dahlia and Winston and energy from these characters really stand out. They make it excited for their trek through the wilderness.

However, I found that partway through the story we didn’t get where we needed to go. The urgency to find the lost sister didn’t feel so urgent cause the focus was so heavily on the relationship. If a sibling of mine was lost in this regard, I would not be able to switch gears so drastically.

I’d say the characters and setting are what make the story fun. I recommend the story to those that love a grumpy/sunshine trope. Plus, got to love the sleeping bag moments! 😆

Fish Out of Water by Katie Ruggle was my first experience reading this author’s work and it was an enjoyable read but not quite what I was expecting from reading the blurb. I did find Dahlia a hoot – she was a funny character and I got a kick out of how her mind worked but it took me some time to warm up to Winston’s character. That being said, I enjoyed the slow “getting to know” part of their relationship which was refreshing in contrast to all the insta-love stories lately, but I felt the story dragged on a bit and the whole premise of why they’re trekking through the woods was just not quite believable to me. I would have enjoyed getting Winston’s POV as well, but all in all, it was an okay read and I’m grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book.