Life, Loss, and Puffins is another heartwarming novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. This one was a unique storyline that drew me in quickly. I finished it in a short afternoon.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the ARC ebook I read to complete this review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“Life, Loss, and Puffins” by Catherine Ryan Hyde was a sheer joy to read. It really touched my soul as many of the experiences in the novel were true in my own life. It is the story of two teens, a 13 year old female genius who’s own mother describes her as “freakishly smart” and a 17 year old gentle boy who identifies as Non-binary. They meet after the death of Ru’s mother when Gabriel and his mom become the host family for Ru as she enters university as a 13 year old. Through the pain of the sudden loss of her mother, she and Gabriel bond and form a deep connection that takes them on a thrilling and challenging adventure to see Puffins in the wild, and the Northern Lights. Following their unbelievable journey will leave you wishing you were right there with them! As with all great books there is a lesson about true friendship, acceptance and the importance of holding onto your dreams. The sheer beauty of the writing will touch your heart, bring on tears, as well as a few giggles. I did not want this book to end and I would give it more than 5 stars if I could!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love Catherine Ryan Hyde's books she is an auto-buy author of mine because she always manages to give me all the feels. The main character in this one is thirteen-year-old Ru. Ru reminded me so much of my younger son, not just because they are both freakishly smart but because their attitudes and struggles are very much the same. Needless to say, I adored Ru. She is funny, charming and honest to a fault.

This book sucked me in right away and was such a fast-paced read I read it two sittings. Catherine Ryan Hyde never shies away from hard-hitting topics and in this one not only is Ru dealing with going away to University (she's 13 remember) but she's also dealing with her mother's unexpected death and then having to go live with a much hated aunt in Kentucky. Thankfully she has Gabriel in her corner. Gabriel is the seventeen-year-old child of the woman who allows Ru to board in her home while at school. Ru and Gabriel become fast friends having a connection like no other.

When Ru's aunt wants to take her to Kentucky Gabriel and Ru hatch a plan to make the three of her college list (not bucket list) wishes come true. Although sad in some parts this one also made me feel lots of joy and hope and was such a pleasure to read. All. The. Stars.

This author’s books are always solid reads. This dealt with the loss of a mother which was relatable for me. I enjoyed the Canadian descriptions. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Very engaging story about a child genius and where she fits in the world on her quest to experience life and have fun. Different from the author’s previous works and unique set up.

Another heartwarming book by this Author. How I love her writing and how you become a part of the journey of her characters. Ru (a freakishly smart 13 year old) and her friend Gabriel have the adventure of a lifetime in this book. You may be sad in parts and you will be happy. Loved the ending. You must read this book. Looking forward to this Author’s next book with bated breath. Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Loved this book. From the very first paragraph, I was in for the ride and sped along the adventure with Ru and Gabriel. This is a perfect palette cleanser for anyone just needing a good friendship road trip story. The title tells you everything except maybe how much you'll enjoy it.

This is one of my favorite books, I want to re-read it and feel the magic again. Thanks NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Hyde for this ARC.

Life, Loss, and Puffins" resonates with me on a personal level, evoking memories of my travels with Andy. The genuine connection between Ru and Gabriel echoes the shared emotions of our adventures. As I immersed myself in their journey, it sparked a deep desire to share similar experiences and emotions I want to share with my own children. Catherine Ryan Hyde's masterful storytelling not only elicits nostalgia but also ignites a yearning for future connections and adventures. This heartfelt narrative is not just a book; it's an invitation to reflect on our own stories and the stories we hope to create.

*SPOILER*: My favorite parts in the book:

“I love the vast reaches of the universe because it's so completely beyond us, physically and otherwise. I love it for that, not in spite of it Its impenetrable nature makes it something like a higher power to me. I study at its feet. I never expect to really know or understand it. I never strive to be equal to it, because such a thing would be patently impossible.

The very nature of it stretches my brain almost to the breaking point, and that's pretty much the textbook definition of awe, in my opinion. And awe is good. If you want a piece of advice, always choose to live your life in a way that promotes awe.”

“Revel in the feeling that a thing is so big you can never know it. Know what you can about it, but love the fact that it can't truly be known, because that means it's so vast and complex that it's almost like what people talk about when they talk about God. Why would you want to bring that down to our size just to help yourself feel secure? Then nothing so awe-inspiring would exist."

“If you'd never seen natural light, and then all of a sudden you were taken outside to see the sun, the sky, the clouds. Mountains, rivers, forests.
The ocean. The desert. It changes everything. It changes you. It adds something to the inside of you, to your spirit, that was never there before, and then you don't ever want to go back in that basement again."

“Kids just pop out into the world as their own people. But also, they're getting a lot of pressure right now, your boys. They're in school with a bunch of other boys, and they're all trying to figure out what it means to be a man these days."
"I was hoping they'd model themselves after me, Freddy said.
"They probably will. In the long run. But right now they're being bombarded by these crazy messages of what a man is in this country. In music and movies and on TV. And most of them are really bad messages.
Really toxic and twisted, I'm sure they're good boys, but they're young and impressionable and it's easy to get confused. And if you get it wrong, peer groups of kids are so brutal. Nobody wants to fall onto the wrong side of that. So maybe cut them a little slack."

“And I think the reason we got so brave and adventurous is because within every living soul is the instinct to live really live-before you die.”

“She breathed for us, and pumped blood through us. And there's only one person in the entire world we can say that about. So we're less separate from our mothers than anybody else on the planet. We're not literally one body with them anymore, but I think we carry this really instinctive subconscious memory of the time when we were.
Until we could breathe on our own there was no surviving without her. And even when we came out into the world we would have died without her care.
Actually somebody else could have cared for us at that point, but we didn't know it. We just knew she did. So when we lose our mother, it's different. It's just different from any other loss. And it isn't all about what a great relationship it was. It isn't necessarily a loss of all these wonderful things you shared. It's not only with the best mother-child bonds. It's all of them.
If it was great, you miss that. If it was troublesome, you suddenly realize the door has been slammed on it ever being any better way. So no matter what it was, it's really hard to lose.”

“Staying utterly in the moment. Maintaining a near-complete situational awareness. Not overthinking our lives.
Being amazed at all times.”

I absolutely love Catherine Ryan Hyde. Each and every one of her books including Life, Loss and Puffins are amazing

Catherine knows how to draw you in with her storytelling and characters where you feel as if you are right there along for the ride.

I love adventure stories and this one brought me on an adventure throughout this book. Totally recommend

Ps, im from Atlantic Canada and have seen many puffins. Beautiful birds. I recommend seeing them once in your life.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union publishing

All thoughts are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

Oh how I love the way Catherine Ryan Hyde makes you fall in love with her characters and how her stories make you feel all of the emotions that these characters feel throughout the book. 'Life, Loss and Puffins,' is a story told from the hilarious point of view of Ru that takes you on an exciting adventure with her and Gabriel as they embark on a journey of loss, grief and the courage to live life to the fullest despite the odds.

My first Catherine Ryan Hyde book and she is now on my list of favourite authors.
From the beginning I was hooked to the story and the main character, Ru.
A young girl, labelled by her mother as “freakishly smart”, yet not understanding that this could be a good thing.
This book is a journey of the physical kind but also of the emotions experienced during grief, growing up and finding true friends.
There are many things to learn about life from this book and believe this will be one I remember for a long time.
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors. Her books are always easy reading and heart warming. This book was no exception. Life, Loss and Puffins started as if the main character was telling a story to some "girls". Either I missed it or it wasn't clear as to who these girls were. As the story of Ru unfolded, her love of space and astronomy became a focal point and since that is not on my list of things I understand, my interest was sidelined. By the time Ru and Gabriel were on their journey to see the Aurora Borealis I was ALL IN! THAT is something I understand (well, maybe not totally understand but I enjoy watching it from my home in Alaska). From this part of the book forward, every word was wonderful and I didn't want it to end. I have such empathy for Ru and appreciation for Gabriel. Although I struggled through a small portion of this book (through no fault of the author), it was well worth the read.

I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of “Life, Loss, and Puffins”! Catherine Ryan Hyde draws you in immediately to the life of “freakishly smart” 13 year old Ru and the friendship that she develops with 17 year old Gabriel. But this no YA romance, instead a thoughtful yet often laugh-out loud funny examination of the themes of friendship, family, love, and loss.I think it is definitely a tribute to CRH’s ability to render characters so well and make them so relatable that I, at 62, was able to feel again (along with Ru) the aching frustration of feeling like an adult but being treated like a child! Highly recommend! #LifeLossandPuffins #NetGalley

**advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
This book delivers what you assume it will from the blurb, it’s a quick fairly easy read with some slightly improbable events - however, despite that, the characters are written well enough that you can forgive how unlikely some of the adventure is. I suspect anyone who read & enjoyed books like Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine will find a lot to like about this also.

A gorgeous story about second chances, and puffins! So well-written and tender. I needed a hopeful story and this one definitely delivered.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was a quick and easy read for me because I was drawn in right from the beginning. This heartwarming story takes you on a journey of loss, grief, and a lot of adventure! I love Ru and Gabriel and seeing them grow and change throughout the story was awesome. I really enjoyed the "fate" aspect and how everything seemed connected and like it was all meant to be. It made me stop to consider all of the domino pieces in my own life and how some events and people were always going to find their way into my path in life.
Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors and will always be an auto buy (or auto request in the case of Netgalley) and I have yet to be disappointed. I highly recommend this book!

“Life, Loss, and Puffins” is a fiction book by Catherine Ryan Hyde. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and it was another one that I liked. I needed a bit of lighter reading and after starting this book realized that it’s a book that can be read on different levels. I decided to just read it as a story - no delving into the grief (I believe all of Ms. Hyde’s books have some level of loss in them), no regarding it from a parental viewpoint, and just read it as an adventure friendship story. This was a fast read and, honestly, just what I needed right now. I’ve seen one wild puffin in my life - and this book makes me want to see more (along with having a college bucket list). Enjoyable adventure read - with acceptance and memorable characters.

Catherine Ryan Hyde..wow what a story.
Such feelings from this book. I laughed, I cried, I was with them on their journey the entire time. What a feel good book. I could not put this one down one sitting read.
And I would love to just pick it up again and get lost in the words, story, friendship and adventure.
Wow best book I've read in a long time.
Definitely a book to put on your "I need to read" list,!!!


Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Life, Loss, and Puffins
A Novel
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.
Catherine Ryan Hyde Is my favorite writer. I love this one as well.
Ru is a genius. She is freakishly smart. And 13. She is at university. However, her mom dies and she is going to be sent to live with her aunt in Kentucky. Instead, she and her only friend, Gabriel who is 17, run off to complete fun things. She's never had fun before. Ru meets seventeen-year-old Gabriel, an outsider himself who, like Ru, has trouble making friends—until they form a fast sibling-like bond. Finding a relatable someone in the world to talk to is a first for both of them.
The tribe of two is unbelievable in how Gabriel gives Ru the ultimate adventure in the end. Beautiful

Ru has always been exceptionally clever, 'freakishly' so according to her mother. At 13, her best friend is 17 year old Gabriel who is non binary. The two have a strong bond and after a series of events, they run away together trying to tick of a list of things they want to see in life. This includes a trip as far north as they can to see the Northern Lights and possibly some puffins. I thought this was a fantastic read and I was gripped throughout. Nobody knows how to do a road trip novel like this author!