🥾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.

🏔 3rd Person, single POV
🐟 Grumpy/Sunshine
🏔 One sleeping bag
🐟 Virgin Hero
🏔 Opposites attract

This was cute! I found myself not wanting to put it down at times, and for a 3rd person book that is saying something.
Dahlia got an SOS text from her sister using their code saying that something is wrong! So Dahlia immediately leaves sunny California and heads to the Colorado Rockies, where her sister was last known to be.
There she enlists the help of the town hermit, who is also a cozy mystery author. Together they set of hiking towards her sister's last known location.
I really enjoyed these two, they had great banter and chemistry. Winston is a growly cinnamon roll and add in his beard 👌 and he's a virgin 🤭 like please, he's perfect.
My only real complaint is the focus on Dahlia not eating. I get it played a part later in the book, but it was very repetitive.

A fun, light read.

What I liked about this book was Dahlia’s quirky sense of humor and optimism and Winston’s grumpy exterior and hidden compassion. It made for a really fun, light read which is what I wanted at the tail end of the holidays and as I rang in the new year. What I would have loved to have seen though was Winston’s point of view. What was going on in his head? We will never know, because this is only told from Dahlia’s point of view, which is a shame.

I did have to suspend some belief (this is fiction, after all) because who can go hiking in brand-new boots and not get blisters? I want the brand name because I can’t even do that with tennis shoes at Disney! Seriously, this isn’t a serious book…its more rom-com than contemporary romance and it’s definitely not one of Katie Ruggles’ suspense books, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re looking for something light that will make you smile and chuckle a time or two, this is a good choice.

My thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks, and the author for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Dahlia's sister hasn't been responding to any messages after setting out on a hike. Dahlia enlists the help of Winston, a grumpy (but cute) local to help track her down.

This is a sweet story! I enjoy smaller hikes with my husband, so I like the outdoors setting in a small town. Both characters are fun and seem perfect for each other. Winston is a bit of a "hermit" and prefers living in solitude, but Dahlia is outgoing and opens him right up. They had decent backstories to explain their behaviors. They had strong chemistry. The story was short, sweet, and to the point. I think it would've been a little stronger if it had been longer. It might have made some of the events in the story more believable as well. I would check this out if you enjoy quick, sweet but slightly spicy romances with a rugged setting.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'll admit it up front, I've been enjoying Katie Ruggle's novels for some time and the reason I've enjoyed most of them is that her books are well-written, loaded with action, mystery. and suspense with some added romance on the side, but I never expected her to write something as hilariously funny as Fish Out of Water, and what a fun read it was! 4.5 stars.

Dahlia, a makeover specialist from California, arrives in the tiny of Howling Falls, Colorado after receiving a coded text message from her sister Rose, but she's had no luck trying to find her after talking to nearly everyone in town. She does find a map, but after checking with the locals and getting nowhere, she's heard of an unfriendly, growly, grouchy hermit, living in seclusion outside of town, and she proceeds to break into his boobytrapped compound to ask him about finding her sister. She's not quite sure how to deal with the hulk of a man who angrily greets her when she finally arrives at his house, and that's when she discovers that he's the author of a number of cozy mysteries, Winston Dane, and she's read his books. After a great deal of cajoling and some hilarious comments from Dahlia, he finally agrees to help her hike into the mountains to Howling Falls Falls--her reference, not his, as that appears to be where her sister was headed.

Since there were two trails outlined on the map Dahlia found, they set off on the longer trail, which is quite a hike, lasting days, and Dahlia isn't a seasoned hiker or camper. During that time, Dahlia, a totally funny chatterbox tries to engage silent Winston in conversation--no easy task, and so begins a slow building attraction between the two. Their repartee, or the lack thereof, Dahlia's attempts to keep a conversation going, and her lack of camping experience and wilderness skills kept this entertaining novel moving along, as did the steamier moments when Dahlia and Winston give in to their mutual attraction.

Yes, there is danger ahead when they do discover Rose's location, and that too was dangerous and exciting, but that's as much information as you're getting out of me. All I can say is that I wish that the HEA ending I was expecting had been a bit more fully fleshed out, but otherwise Fish Out of Water was a charming, funny, sweet, suspenseful, and altogether enjoyably read, and I'm happy to recommend it.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated herein are my own.

This was an excellent romantic comedy City girl and makeover artist Dahlia Weathersby comes to the depth of the Colorado Rockies when she gets an SOS text from her half-sister and best friend Rose. She is definitely a fish out of water, but a very fashionable one.

She dragoons local recluse Winston Dane into going with her to help her rescue her sister. Luckily, besides being the hot local hermit, he is a survival expert. While initially grumpy adn taciturn, he is quick to agree to take Dahlia on her quest to locate her sister. As the two hike into the Rockies, they begin to fall in love through blizzards, bear sightings, and all the way to a meth lab where Rose is being kept prisoner.

I enjoyed Dahlia's effervescent personality and optimistic attitude which she is using to cover up just how worried she is about the only person in her family that she loves. It is nicely contrasted with Winston's more quiet and dour personality which seems to be a cover for his shyness.

Fans of humorous romances will enjoy getting to meet these two intriguing characters.

For an adventure-romance, this was a cute read with a chatty, bubbly protagonist and a grumpy survival expert love interest. However, I picked this read up because it was in the category Mystery & Thrillers, and I found that the suspense fell short. I was expecting more from the missing sister subplot—something along the lines of Romancing the Stone chases and escalating danger, set in the Rockies, but the book didn't deliver on this promise.

This was cute! And a romantic suspense, which I was not expecting! It jumps right into action with carefree Dahlia Weathersby searching the Colorado Rockies for her missing sister. Along for the investigative hike is Winston Dane, the local grumpy hermit.

I really liked the development of this romance. These two were true opposites! Dahlia was as chatty as can be, a true sunshine. Winston often only replying with his signature grunt. The teasing-filled dialogue mixed with the treacherous hike (with one tent!) was so entertaining!

I think I had a hard time suspending my disbelief with how oddly untroubled Dahlia was regarding the search for her sister. She is concerned for her well being, yes, but Dahlia packing makeup, skin care items, and nail polish remover for her hike in the wilderness felt a little ridiculous. I liked the positive commentary on makeup and self-confidence, but maybe not in this type of story? It felt a little exaggerated.

But overall if you're looking for a romantic suspense with a fast-paced mystery and lighthearted romance, this was a good time!

This was such a delightful little read!

This was my first Katie Ruffle book, and I definitely think I’ll be looking into her backlog. This was quick, cute, funny, tension filled and adventurous with an absolutely stunning setting. I really enjoyed the blend of action and romance here; and that it didn’t fall so heavily on one of the two genres that it felt outrageous or weirdly balanced. Dahlia was a fun MC, and I really enjoyed her approach to her career and life, and how she was always so unapologetically herself. She and Winston are a polar opposite pair in a way that really works, and made for a lot of fun banter.

The romance in this didn’t feel as deep to me at first, and I had a hard time believing these two could stay together, but that changed around the 75% mark. I loved picturing their little life together come the end, and ultimately really enjoyed the lightness that this romance carried with it (and without a third act breakup! Always my favorite thing to see)

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for this eArc!

I really enjoyed this book. Character development was great. There were several things that I didn't see coming. Spicy and suspenseful, my kind of read!

I'm conflicted here - this is the lowest rating I've given this month, but it wasn't by any means a bad book. It just needed more. It's very much insta-everything: they meet and within pages they're agreeing to go on a hike together that could end in injury or death, to save Dahlia's sister. This needed more fleshing out - we needed to see the relationship they had together on the page to make the expedition worth it; we needed to see why Winston would've gone to all that trouble for a girl he'd just met (who had broken into his house???). I think this book takes place across the span of 1 or 2 weeks, and it just moved so quickly.

Dahlia had moments where she was too annoying. She was so intense and so forward; while it was cute in some moments, in others it was a little exasperating. I did not care for her bringing makeup on a life or death expedition, though I understood what the meaning behind it was. It all just felt a bit too rushed. It could've used another 50 pages at either end to really flesh out the story, give the characters reasons to do things, let them build relationships.

This all sounds negative, because it's easier to pinpoint the things that weren't to your tastes. I really did like Winston, I thought he was the most fleshed out character of them all with his backstory. I liked the grumpy x sunshine vibes that the brought to the table as a couple, and their banter was refreshing to read. The book simply needed more than the bare bones it provided.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing a copy of the ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

As soon as i saw that i got this arc i knew i had to read it as my boyfriend is huugely into fishing. So the entire time i was thinking of him and i just overall really enjoyed it. My bf is very much a burly country boy and i am a very girly city girl so the vibes just felt like i was reading about myself at times and i just ate. it. up!

Insta love with a strong quiet mountain man? Checkkkkkk. I loved the action and suspense the story had! I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be as captivating as it was!!

unexpected and absolutely awesome!!! loved this it was fun and i liked the characters a lot!!! definitely enjoyed

3.5 stars

A forced proximity romance book with a quiet, strong mountain man? Sign me up! Ruggle wrote super cute romance with an edge of suspense. That was a true delight.

Dalia Weathersby’s sister sent her an SOS text message before going off on a solo hike in the woods leaving Dahlia as the only one to try and locate her missing sister. But the city girl is smart and realizes she’ll need help and so she ropes in local hermit and man of few words Winston Dane with just a little bit of blackmail.

This book was a cute read because the main characters were so much fun. Most of the book is these two hiking out into the wilderness in the middle of winter with only Dahlia‘s constant chatter to keep them company, besides the threat of bears and blizzard snowstorms.

This is my first book by Ruggle, and I was quite impressed by the dialogue that she wrote for these two. Dahlia was hilarious. She never shut up as Winston would say but her comments and quirkiness and just random ramblings were so cute and charming. No wonder Winston fell for her in just a few days.

Winston, on other hand, was the quiet hermit who had a strong, right eyebrow that would rise with every funny or ridiculous thing that came out of Dahlia‘s mouth. I thought their banter was hilarious and kept me really interested in this book.

There is definitely a little bit of suspense surrounding her sister, but in a quirky kind of way. However, the ending was quite the rescue. If you’re looking for a book with great characterization, and a fun, romantic suspense without any crazy drama definitely put Fish Out of Water on your to read list!

*Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Fish Out of Water is absolutely action packed! Perfect for those who love a lot of plot to balance the spice, with a missing sister, mountain blizzards, and accidental heart-shaped pancakes, you'll be turning pages in a flurry, hungry for more.
Hiking and camping in the wilderness is a new form of forced proximity for me. It's only one bed, where the bed is a tent and sharing sleeping bags for warmth.
I adored the simultaneously tough and grouchy yet caring and sensitive hero Winston, who is, in the words of our heroine, "a magical lumberjack nerd author hot-teacher hermit unicorn dream, and I would 100% be employing smart, sophisticated Dahlia for a makeover if only she wasn't a fictional character. Her vivid imagination and it's power to annoy Wins had my toes curling and my lips quivering with held-in laughter.