✨Review: In the Lives of Puppets

I feel like only TJ Klune has the ability to teach readers about humanity in a book filled with robots and androids.
In the Lives of Puppets is a retelling of Pinocchio, centered around a father, his son, a group of robots and the adventure they go on together. Underneath that surface is a story of humanity, family, freedom to be who we want and love - all inside this strange little sci-fi world.
As someone who tends to stay away from sci-fi stories, TJ Klune pulls me in time and time again. His stories fill you with joy, worry, laughter and tears (so many tears every time)!

While I enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door more, this was still a heartwarming and poignant story of found family, similar to the previously mentioned.🤍

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book will be a "favorite of the year" for me. The characters are unmatched and yet so beautiful. 5/5

This is one of those books where if you were to ask if any other author could have written this story, the answer here is a resounding No. In the Lives of Puppets is something that is intrinsically TJ Klune. It is something that could have only come from him and his mind, where you’re holding on to try and understand what is happening in this world, only to clutch the book to your chest and cry by the ending.

This story is based on Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, but there is undoubtedly some Frankenstein in there too (Looking at you, inventor named Victor). But this is delightfully queer and romantic and heartwarming. You’ll never look at a Roomba the same way again without wanting to give one a hug.

Klune will have you laughing on one page and weeping by the next. He writes characters that are incredibly alive, whether they be robots or humans. I look forward to revisiting this one someday, with a better understanding of the story Klune is telling.

4 stars

I’ll admit, it took me a WHILE to get into this one - but once I did I was ,locked in. While this gave me the warm and fuzzies like House on the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, it was wholly different.

“Be it man or machine, Victor thought, to love something meant loving the ghost inside, to be haunted by it. Humanity—that nebulous concept he didn’t always understand—had lived and died by their creations. Perhaps Victor would too, one day, a final lesson in what it meant to exist.”

This book was so entertaining and beautiful!

A queer retelling of Pinocchio, this book was imaginative, fun, and will pull at your heart.

In the Lives of Puppets explores what it means to be human. What it means to love, and the choices we have in life. It is equally thought provoking as it is entertaining.

I cannot believe I forgot to review this book, but in my defence the world building and character details absolutely crushed my brain (in the best possible way!). I loved all of the anthropomorphic details and the character work was impeccable, causing me to sob my eyes out. Cannot recommend this book enough!

I don;t know how TJ Klune manages to do this to me EVERY TIME!

In The Lives Of Puppets is a distant homage to Pinocchio, which was one of my favorite fairy tales when I was a child, so he already got me there. But the way he is able to create these worlds and stories that are so enchanting and heart warming is just completely next level.

You'll laugh one page, and cry the next. You will 100% be attached to the characters by the end, and you won;t be able to let this one go when you're finished.

Absolutely incredible once again.

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘴 by TJ Klune 🤖⁣
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I listened to this book on audio and it felt entirely too long and despite it being relatively interesting it just didn't do it for me. Some parts were better than others and I found myself wanting it to pick up. However, this is an extremely unique story and gave me some WALL-E vibes which felt fresh. I do think this book would adapt well to the screen. ⁣
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This was my first TJ Klune book and I feel like it can only go up from here!

Always looking for gentle fantasy books to recommend to our patrons! It’s a popular genre here, and I wish there were more of it!

I will read anything TJ Klune writes. I absolutely loved the premise of this one and the characters and settings are always so unique!!

I LOVED this one. Victor, Gio, Nurse Ratchet, Rambo and even Hap have my heart! Love their story so much!

I never knew that I needed a Pinocchio vibed book in my life. I've struggled with getting into Klunes books in the past but this one might be the one that helps get me back into it.

What can I say about TJ Klune that hasn't been said before? The man is a GENIUS!! I love everything about his writing, his tone, and the life he gives to his characters. This book is no exception.

This is a MUST read!

Huh, so "Cozy Dystopian" is apparently a genre. Well, I'm here for it.

In the Lives of Puppets is a creative sci-fi/fantasy tale inspired by Pinocchio. Our main character is Victor Lawson, a boy growing up in a remote woodland home high up in the trees under the care and tutelage of his father Giovanni, a sophisticated cyborg who has raised him since infancy. Vic's sole companions are Nurse Ratched, an out-dated robotic nurse who is a bit raunchy and sadistic but also hilarious and loyal, and Rambo, a joyful and naive vacuum robot with a tender disposition. Giovanni and Victor constructed and repaired them from castaway parts salvaged from a large waste dump of old and decommissioned machines and electronics.

Lovely, but really this is no idyllic utopia. Large, ominous flying vehicles patrol the skies above the dump and threaten to annihilate anything in their path. As it turns out, the rest of the world is run entirely by machines who have eliminated all human life forms... except Victor. He's the last living human on Earth.

Vic's little family does everything to ensure he thrives. One day, however, their peaceful oasis is disrupted when Vic finds a human-like cyborg buried in the dump, a dangerous discovery that propels Vic and his family on a treacherous journey into the dystopian society of powerful AI. And causes Vic to grapple with new feelings and navigate the ways of the heart.

I loved the supporting characters. They bring levity and delight to a tale that takes a bit of a dark turn. I liked exploring the consciousness of AI and contemplating what is considered alive and valued. Self-determination, love, and kinship are at the core of this tale.

I must admit this book took me awhile to get through. I can't really pinpoint an exact reason, but even though I enjoyed it, it didn't hold me rapt like Cerulean Sea. Vic's personality is a bit irritating and whiny, but the other characters make up for his flaws. Overall, I recommend this unique adventure, especially if you are in the mood for something cozy but also with a little edge.

Thank you to Tor Books, Tor Publishing Group, and Netgalley for my e-ARC!

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I found it really difficult to connect to the characters and the pacing was a bit erratic. I felt the symbolism was quite heavy-handed and it distracted from the natural flow of the story. The blending of fantasy and reality was disorienting and I felt it difficult to navigate the shift between the two. I am sure those who enjoy literary fiction with a touch of the fantastical would enjoy the deeper philosophical questions that arise from this book.

I never thought a book could make me fall in love with a bunch of robots… but here we are. We've got Nurse Ratched who's like a Rosie from the Jetsons mixed with Baymax, but with the personality of Ryan Reynolds. Rambo, the anxiety ridden roomba. Giovanni, the OG robot with a heart of gold (aka Victor's dad). Hap, (aka Hysterically Angry Puppet) the newest robot of the bunch, who was originally built to destroy humans. And then we have Victor, the human. And their story is a magnificent one! One that's filled with love and loyalty, found family and remarkable friendships.

REVIEW- IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS by TJ Klune


I am not a fantasy reader… at ALL. But I heard so many great things about TJ Klune that I threw caution to the wind and dove in and I am so glad that I did. This has been one of my favorite books of the year. I had so much fun reading and listening to it and I certainly didn’t have crying over robots on my bingo card this year!


The retelling of Pinocchio was brilliant and I found the echoes of Wizard of Oz to be just lovely. The characters were so thoughtful and funny and tender. Rambo and Nurse Ratchet gave me the giggles. (The audio is a must!) This found family will stay with me a very long time.


5 stars.


Thank you to TJ Klune, Tor Publishing, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early review copies. These thoughts are my own.

I was nervous when I started this book because, despite it coming highly recommended, I wasn’t getting into it in the first couple chapters, I’m so glad I stuck with it though because this book was beautiful. Victor is a human living amongst a world of robots and machines. His family is comprised of his father, Gio, Nurse Ratched (a healthcare robot) and Rambo (a vacuum) and they spend their days exploring the forest in which they live and creating from the scraps they find. All that changes when Victor finds a decommissioned robot that they name Hap. In the Lives of Puppets is equal parts hilarious (Nurse Ratched is hysterical) and incredibly poignant. While Victor may be the only human in a world of robots, love transcends and so does the desire to protect and care for the ones you love.

Very enjoyable futuristic sci-fi/fantasy book! I really enjoyed it!!! There were some parts that were a little slow that I had to read a few times to know what was actually happening. but I loved the banter and dynamic between Victor, his dad, and and his machines, and it was nice to see the character growth in all the characters but especially Victor! Recommended!

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so I had high hopes for this one. TJ Klune's writing is a total blast, and this story is no different! The way everything unfolds and how the characters connect with each other is super fascinating and a ton of fun to dive into. I totally adored watching Hap grow as the story rolled on. The mix of social insight and humor was just right, and I couldn't get enough of the character dynamics driving the plot. The snappy dialogues and their protective camaraderie really nailed it.