I enjoyed this story so much, Ms. Hyde is a great storyteller and of course her great strength is her characters. What an incredible group of characters she has created for this very unique story.

Ru (Rumaki) Evans is a 13 year old genius. She feels very out of place in regular classes as she is already educated herself way beyond even high school level. Finally she has a teacher who tells her that she should enroll in college because that is where she will flourish and find professors who may challenge her.

Her mother finally agrees to let her go, but she must board at a home nearby campus and not the dorms - because she is only 13. Here is where she meets Garbriel who is 17 and he is also different than other kids his age. He is very smart and he also feels most himself when he wears makeup and doesn’t dress like the other kids.

It isn’t long before Ru and Garbriel form a strong bond. It is more of a big brother/sister bond and they become closer and closer.

When Ru’s mother dies rather unexpectedly Ru knows that she will be forced to live with her aunt in Kentucky. She and her aunt do not have a good relationship and she wants no part of life with her in distant Kentucky.

Ru forms a plan of escape and has a list of places and things that she wants to see before she returns to college. Gabriel is happy to go along with her - he loves astronomy and puffins as much as Ru.

We will follow them on their travels as they meet lots of kind and interesting people who help them out with all sorts of things. They finally come across a woman who wants to return to the Northwest Territories in Canada which is home for her. She will help them cross the border as their “grandmother” as they are both minors.

I will leave you to enjoy this story - it is heartwarming and filled with unusual experiences including seeing the aurora borealis then off to see the Atlantic Puffins.

I couldn’t put this book down as these characters were so unusual and found a place in my heart.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a great coming of age story with unusual and endearing characters.

The one thing I love about Catherine Ryan Hyde books is that you never know where she is going to take you, and this story is no exception.
I love how she creates these amazing people who have such interesting lives and who somehow end up going on a quest to not only find themselves but also to sometimes go on a trip to see what is out there.
I loved how Ru and Gabriel became fast friends and how they supported each other when others thought they were strange. My favorite part is after Ru's mother dies, not a good part, Gabriel helps Ru make a detour from going straight to her not favorite Aunts home, to an adventure of a lifetime. While on their adventure, they meet people who seem to show up when they needed help with their quest and it is truly wonderful. One part of their quest takes them to a remote place where they are the only humans around for miles and every description makes me feel the weather and the wonder of this remote place without being there. I love how emotionally close Ru and Gabriel become while on their trip and how they continued to care for one another even after their adventure ended.
If you like going on quest and meeting very interesting people you will love this story. It will make you feel like going on a quest yourself.
I want to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of another wonderful story about friendships and learning about the world.

Catherine Ryan Hyde never fails to amaze me with her capacity to impart life lessons through her beautifully written stories. Life, Loss, and Puffins is no exception. Through the unlikely friendship of two teenagers who see each other for what they are, accepting and embracing their differences, the author takes the reader through a journey that leaves you feeling hopeful. I loved this story It was a 5-star read for me and would definitely recommend to others.


Thank you to Netgalley and to Lake Union Publishing for my ARC.

As is often the case with Catherine Ryan Hyde's books, this one was driven by strong characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters she created for this novel. The story is well-structured, and the plot moves at a steady and satisfying pace.

Life, Loss and Puffins…such an awesome book to kick off 2024 - I’m so thankful to have been granted an ARC for this awesome author. A couple of misfits, separated in age but in total tune with each other from the time they first meet, decide to chase their dreams after an unexpected loss. The journey takes the two along a path of things that seem to be coincidence but couldn’t be based on how things occurred to allow not only their dreams to be realized but even expanded beyond their imaginations. Don’t hesitate for a moment to enjoy Ru and Gabriel’s journey…it’s one you won’t forget.

This author is one of my all-time favorites, I don’t even read the descriptions of her books. I just dive right in, and there’s always a life lesson in it for me..
I loved Ru and Gabriel, they were both meant to be in each other’s lives.
Ru’s journey needed Gabriel and vice versa.
Needless to say, I cried like a baby through the last chapter, and this author has done what she does best, written unforgettable characters and an unforgettable story!

Fabulous!! An emotional and wondrous ride! The characters, Ru and Gabriel are extraordinary. Each in his/her own and collective way. The writing style is descriptive and so much so, as to paint veritable pictures for the reader to envision. The book is poignant, funny, and magical at times, but mostly just a compelling, feel-good read. Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #LifeLossandPuffins, # LakeUnionPublishing,# NetGalley.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is a master at creating unique characters and pairing them in extraordinary circumstances. This adds up to a heartwarming saga filled with adventure and lessons of the heart. She’s done it again in her newest novel, Life, Loss, and Puffins.

Rumaki Evans – please, call her Ru; she’s so much better than an appetizer – is a 13-year-old wunderkind. She’s what her mother and everyone else calls “freakishly smart.” She possesses an eidetic memory and is entering a university 150 miles from home because she has aced every course she’s ever taken. Her mother drives her to meet the people she’ll be living with, a woman and her 17-year-old son, Gabriel, and that’s that. Gabriel doesn’t talk much; he just smiles at Ru. A lot. That changes quickly, as the two develop a friendship. Gabriel is not a “regular” kid either, and they develop a mutual respect and understanding of one another.

Adapting to university level classes is challenging for Ru, but not as you’d expect. They’re too easy! Fortunately, there is a professor who understands. But when Ru learns that her mother is ill and then dies, all that changes. Now she must quit school to live with an aunt whom she barely knows and does not like. Scratch that. Can. Not. Stand. She and Gabriel come up with a plan. Give the author some leeway here, folks. I suppose it could work in real life. But for this story, well, it’s marvelous! They make a “college list.” It’s not a bucket list, but a list of things to do and see before returning to college. What an adventure! What struck me most was Ru’s discovery of fun, of emotion, and especially, of wonder and awe!

If you’ve read her books before, you know that CRH often matches young people with older folks. No surprise, she does here too. The teens need an adult for a cover story to get them across the border into Canada. Introducing Gladys! Gladys is a hoot, at least when she’s not being cantankerous. She turns out to be quite practical most of the time. Does everything turn out the way these two teenagers hope? Does life really work that way? It’s quite a journey, to be sure!

The title is quite apt. There is a little of everything, and I loved it. Life, Loss, and Puffins .

5 stars

I received a digital copy in exchange for my honest review. My thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is about a relationship between two people that most people wouldn't think would get along but these two are best friends from the first day they meet. They understand each other's differences even though both of their situations are different. They are sympathetic to each other and I love the way they can read each other without having to say a word. What a great little journey they go on together!

Life, Loss, and Puffins is the latest fantastic book by Catherine Ryan Hyde. I loved this story, told by Ru, a thirteen year old who is 'freakishly smart' and her relationship with her mother. You can read the synopsis to see the gist of the storyline, but I'll add in one thing that might differ from everyone else. This story is about Ru, told from her point of view, BUT it's a story about Gabriel as well. While you get Ru's voice, her thoughts, her viewpoints, you also get a look at Gabriel's story, his walk, his way of navigating his own path that is not as highlighted as Ru's, but just as important, as he is also on a mission of finding and experiencing life himself. Beautifully done!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

I always love to read another book by this author. She always has great stories, and great Characters, and always a compelling subject to discuss.
This story is about two teenagers, Ru Evans, thirteen, and who has been labeled Freakishly smart, and is about to start college, and seventeen year old Gabriel, who has a style of his own, and is the son of the woman who will be boarding Ru at college. They both have a hard time making friends, and become best friends. They find that they are like each other in a lot of ways, and they just “get” each other.
When a tragedy hits, and knowing their lives are about to change, the two friends decide to take off on an adventure to do a couple of things that they have always wanted to see.
This is an adventure as they need to find a way to do this without anyone stopping them on the way.
Great story, good lessons learned and a friendship that will last forever.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for a copy of this book.

I loved the adventures that 13-year-old Ru, a "freakishly smart" college student, and her 17 year old friend Gabriel, undertake in order to see the aurora borealis in Northern Canada near the Arctic Circle. They also consider going to Newfoundland to see Atlantic puffins.

Ru is on her journey to deal with the recent death of her mother and having to move to Kentucky to live with a controlling, unsympathetic aunt. Underage runaways, Ru and Gabriel are wanted by the police, but how they manage to find help along the way is surprising but gratifying.

A lovely read that made me side with the young teens in their October-November planned adventure by car to the Arctic Circle. It may be a bit unrealistic they were able to pull this off, but they did, with so many different people helping them. Theirs is a heartwarming journey and an informative one too about the Northwest Territories in Canada.

Ru and Gabriel spent four amazing nights on the frozen tundra in a wooden cabin/geodesic dome watching the northern lights/aurora borealis for hours, from indoors and from the outdoor walkway at the top of the dome, close to the Arctic Circle.

They didn't go to Iceland or Newfoundland to see the puffins, but Gabriel did lead Ru to some Atlantic puffins in a local zoo when they returned to the U.S.

Sure they had to face the music back at home in California, but for them the journey of a lifetime seemed worth it.

I absolutely love Catherine Ryan Hyde books, and this one is no exception.
The main character, thirteen year old Ru, is a child genius, dealing with far more emotion than she can handle. Luckily she finds Gabriel, a seventeen year old who quickly becomes her friend and her lifeline.
So many emotions in one story - it made me sad, but also joyous; despairing, yet full of hope. I adored it and wanted it to carry on for so much longer. Hooked from the beginning, I just couldn’t put it down. It’s a story I will definitely read time and time again.

What an absolutely amazing book!

Catherine Ryan Hyde must have had great fun writing this one, sharing her longterm interest in astrophotography (I LOVE the cover!) and her exceptional research skills (and possibly personal experience?).

With Ru only being 13 years old and having lived a rather sheltered life where everyone focused on how "freakishly smart" she was, she had done very few things girls her age would have done - making friends, finding hobbies, etc.

When she's sent off to collage she befriends Gabriel (17 years old), who just like her has trouble making friends. they develop a solid sibling-like bond. Gabriel doesn't seem bothered by her intelligence but instead focuses on being her support, on teaching her about "normal" life.

To escape being forced to live with her Aunt, Ru convinces Gabriel that they should take off on a road trip. Together they try to tick off as many items as possible from Ru's bucket list, including to see the Aurelia Borealis and Atlantic puffins in the wild.

The bond between Ru and Gabriel is very well portrayed and so is the emotional and intellectual journey that Ru experiences - from just being freakishly smart, to being a young girl with interests and ambitions, and an understanding of the world outside the text books.



Getting hold of a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde is always a treat, both for the soul and the brain - and I often learn something new from her stories too.

I'm thankful to Netgalley for introducing me to Catherine Ryan Hyde. I really like her writing style and like her books (Absolutely loved 'My Name is Anton). Sadly and surprisingly, this book didn't work for me. The blurb seems misleading. It starts well, her writing is engaging but then it goes on and on in the first person, and the story doesn't really seem to move forward.

Thank you for the copy. Sorry it didn't work for me.

First off, thank you NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions of this book are my own.

I LOVE this book. I do not want to ruin it with spoilers. Just let me say there was nothing I didn't like. I couldn't put it down. I finished it yesterday, but I can't stop thinking about the two main characters. They feel so relatable. I definitely felt the introvert connection with them both. I am new to Catherine's books, but if any of them are written in the same style as this one I am looking forward to reading them.
Ru and Gabriel will be me for a very long time.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has done it again. life, Loss and Puffins is so many stories within a story. Ru and Gabriel are both misfits in society. Ru is freakishly smart and Gabriel marches to a different drummer. Yet they meet and instantly connect. Connect in a way they don’t even have to talk, they become a herd. And go on a grand adventure. Meet some amazing people and determine their life’s path. I loved the astronomy mentioned in the book and really learned a lot. This is a great book, it really speaks to the heart. Five stars.

Catherine Ryan Hyde creates characters with emotional depth like no other!
Thirteen-year-old Ru has never fit in thanks to her genius mind and no-nonsense attitude. She hopes university studies will challenge her, but it's the life lessons she learns along the way that make the biggest impact on the teen.
She stays with a host family and is intrigued by the thoughtful seventeen-year-old who makes her question the way she views the world. After the sudden death of Ru's mother, her and Gabriel set out to fulfill a dream adventure that will test their bond in ways they could never expect.
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Name of Book: Life, Lies, and Puffins
Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde
Publisher: Lake Union Publishers
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
My Rating: 4.7 rounded up!
Pages: 293

Story starts and ends with Ru telling her life story to two young girls.
When Ru Evans was very young her mother said she was “Freakishly Smart”.
Ru thought her mother was saying she was a freak – (for such an intelligent person Ru sure missed this!)
Ru’s real name is Rumaki. Her mother told her Rumaki was a Japanese warrior however she finds out that is actually is a hors d’oeuvre made with chicken livers, water chestnuts, and bacon).

Ru truly is a brilliant with an ‘eidetic memory’ (for those of us who aren’t freakishly smart we usually say she has a photographic memory) Ru is accepted into college at thirteen.
Her advisor suggests she stay at the Gulbranson’s boarding home near campus, rather than in the Campus Resident Hall with students much older.
Mrs. Gulbranson, the woman who owns the boarding home has a seventeen-year-old Gabriel; who like Ru- is an outsider. Ru - “freakishly smart” and Gabriel who identified as Non-binary and is most himself when wearing eye make-up and nail polish. They soon become friends’ .brother-sister.

When Ru’s mother Mitzy dies, she is heartbroken but also fearful that she will have to live with her terrible Aunt Bitsy (Yes Mitzy and Bitsy are sisters).
Ru talks Gabriel into going on a trip from California to the Northwest Territories to see the aurora borealis (note the beautiful cover) then off to see the Atlantic Puffins.
As they are driving in ‘perfect silence Ru states not that it was super quiet but it was ‘perfect’!

This story is wonderful! You cannot put down but when you finished you wish it hadn’t ended!

This is only my ninth Catherine Ryan Hyde.. She has had 40+ book published. As well fifty of her short stories have been published in professional Reviews and Journals.
I got on the Catherine train when I read " Brave Girl, Quiet Girl” in May 2020 and I have been a big fan ever since!
Since then I have been willing to read anything she writes! When I saw this I knew I wanted to read it without knowing anything about it!

Catherine Ryan Hyde's writing style is different than any other author I read and I love it! Her stories are character driven but there is always a message and thoughts that linger with me long after I am done reading.

I follow her on FB and her posts are pure and simple. She loves her horses and is very much into stars so Chapter 11 “Shhhh Don’t Disturb the Universe” was sooo her!

At the end of the book you will find thoughtful Book Club discussion
Questions which you will find interesting if you are in a book club or not!

Want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for this wonderful early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 14, 2024.

I never miss a chance to read a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde and have loved every one of them. I think I loved this one even more! The title is perfect and the characters are easy to know. I felt like I knew the two main characters as they went on their journey as they were learning about themselves and each other along the way. I wanted to cheer them along and I absolutely loved the ending!
Thanks to Catherine Ryan Hyde, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC. This is my very enthusiastic review.