This was a such a heart felt read and i loved it!! I loved the science fiction elements and and also the robots eleemts it def gave me wall-e vibes and also fairy tale vibes. I adored the characters and really loved the found family dymanics and just thought it was a sweet lgbtq+ story and it just was adorable it was a quick read!! And def a new favorite by this author!!

The heart of TJ Klune shines through once again in "In the Lives of Puppets." The mystery is hooked and set with the story of a child and a father living in treehouse on the periphery of a still dangerous ruins, with the pagentry of made-family robotics around them. The adventure to flee this paradise and why is unwrapped like a box of chocolates and just as enjoyable.

Klune's sequence of cozy queer speculative fiction continues with In the Lives of Puppets, the darkest of his major releases so far. The characters are all warm and lovely, and this found family fable finds Klune in his sweet spot once again. That being said, I found this one to be the weakest of his three Tor releases so far, and I'll be excited to see him mix things up going forward.

I’ll never not enjoy a TJ Klune book. They know the way to write characters. Lives of Puppets was no exception . This book lost me a bit in the middle. I just believe the fantasy part got to be too much for me. The biggest part of the book I loved were the side characters. Truly unique 🫶👍🏻

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune was a beautiful sci-fi fantasy. I loved how different and quirky this story was! "Author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts." This was such a fabulous choose you want to be story and it captivated me as TJ Klune always does. Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

There are three robots who live together in a house in the woods, in the trees. There is Giovanni (AKA Gio) - the father-like inventor and leader of the trio. There is the nursing machine, Registered Automaton To Care, Heal, Educate and Drill (AKA Nurse Ratched), and there is a hyper-active vacuum robot named Rambo (Rambo the Roomba?). There is also living with them a human - Victor Lawson.

Victor spends his days digging through salvage and he finds and repairs a machine they come to know as HAP (Hysterically Angry Puppet). HAP sends out a signal that alerts other robots as to the whereabouts of Gio, Ratched and Rambo. Gio has been laying low but now the other robots find him and take him back to the City of Electric Dreams where he once worked. He is now in danger of being decommissioned or given a full memory wipe and reprogrammed. His only chance at survival is if Ratched, Rambo, HAP, and the human can rescue him.

But it's a dangerous territory out there, nothing at all like the serenity of the trees, even for robots and a human.

I'd seen some advertising hype for this book and the author and I definitely got sucked in by it. I'm not at all familiar with Klune's work, but the sci-fi premise sounded interesting enough. And looking at the Goodreads page at this moment, it's gotten over 4 stars in ratings by more than 13,000 people. Impressive! So clearly somehow I'm missing something here.

The first couple of chapters were delightful. I liked the characters, I liked the writing, and I chuckled a few times. Immediately I made the comparison to some of the early Ron Goulart books I read as a teen (which I greatly enjoyed).

Then about a quarter of the way through, I was waiting for something to happen. Were we still just setting up the characters and situation? At a third of the way through ... same thing. Half way through the book I let out a big sigh. So ... we're just going to keep doing the same old thing?

I didn't feel we got anywhere until nearly 80% of the way through the book. By then I'd lost any reason to care. Also ... robots. I'm not sure how you make the stakes really high for a robot (I know some authors can do it), but this odd family was not appealing to me. They were completely dysfunctional (which was used well for humor) and so I didn't buy in to caring about them. So Gio gets recycled into scrap metal. Who cares? I guess we're supposed to.

The humor was sometimes very middle school-esque:

Nurse Ratched said, “Victor’s penis was flaccid even after I engaged my Flirting Protocol. Since I know what I am doing, it is not me, but him.”
...

“Ohh,” Rambo said. “Are you scared of his penis?”
Vic looked away, throat working.
“Do not be silly,” Nurse Ratched said. “I doubt he has genitalia. He does not appear to be an android designed for sexual pleasure, and there would be no need for him to expel urine or fecal matter as you do. Gio does not have a penis or an anus.”
Vic glared at her. “I don’t need to know that.”
“Why? It is the truth. He does not. You are the only one here with genitalia. There is nothing to fear about them, or the lack of them. It is what it is.”
“Do I have an anus?” Rambo asked.
“No,” Nurse Ratched said. “But you are one, so.”
Rambo beeped in confusion. “I thought I was a vacuum.”
“You are. An anal vacuum.”
“Huh,” Rambo said. “I like learning new things.”
Clearly there are people who absolutely love this book. I am not one of them.

Looking for a good book? In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune is a scifi novel featuring (mostly) a trio of dysfunctional robots who manage to survive in spite of their odd behaviors.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such an interesting twist on Pinocchio. I was hooked from the first page, and it's stayed on my mind days after finishing the book. I loved the LGBTQ+ positivity and also the open ended approach to the ending--it was totally not what I was expecting! The sidekick characters were so well rounded and their banter kept a smirk on my face. The book has some sexual references (not explicit) that are better suited to a YA than a MG audience. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it for readers who are mature enough for the content.

TJ Klune is just a word magician. All his writing illicit such nostalgia in me. Loved this fantasy book once more.

I loved the characters in this. Nurse Ratchet, Rambo, and Hap were my top 3. While Victor the main? Fell a bit flat. It’s not that I didn’t like him. I think he was great representation for asexuality and mental health. However, I think he just couldn’t live up to the character’s development or eccentricities the others had. The interactions between the 4 ranged from comedic to tearjerking heartfelt moments. I found myself wanting nothing more than for them to succeed and for them to do it together. Character development was truly the strong point in this book.

If the characters were the strong point then the pacing was the weak point. Various parts dragged through. I actually found myself forcing myself to read it little bits at a time because I kept getting bored. Though once I reached the ending, I picked up my speed, and I really enjoyed how it was all resolved.

Thank you so much to Tor and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I've attempted to read this book 3 times and I think it's finally time to admit that it's just not gonna happen for me. I'm just connecting to the story the way I had hoped, and after hearing reviews from friends I trust, this just isn't a book I think I'm going to fall in love with.

TJ Klune is an all time favorite author, but I just don't think this one is for me.

I think the humor was fantastic and I love the queer cast (including ace rep, yay!). But I prefer a more romance heavy story, and that just wasn't the cast for this one.

I absolutely can't wait to see what Klune does next though. He books are always so unique and inventive.

I'm a huge fan of TJ Klune. I own multiple copies of some of his books. For some reason, In The Lives of Puppets missed the mark for me. I didn't really feel a connection to the characters, and the story just fell flat. It is a retelling of Pinnochio, which I'm not really a fan of, so that may play into my feelings. But mostly, I just felt like it lacked the heart of his other books.

The beginning was interesting learning about characters. Very much like the brave little toaster vibes but just took weird turns.

Beautifly written and heartfelt. I ’s ultimately a story of found family and what you’ll do for those you love.
Warm and emotional.

I’m a huge fan of TJ Klune and he does it again with this book! He weaves storytelling with wonderful emotion building. I was really surprised by this book. It started slowly for me but by the end I was fully situated in the story!

Another one knocked out of the park for Klune! I will read anything he writes and this book is no different. I just love his ability to create found families and give us all the warm fuzzies even as he wrenches our hearts out. This one will stay with me for a long time.

In The Lives of Puppets is another thoroughly enjoyable TJ Klune novel. The characters were wonderfully unique and weird in a great way. Rambo reminds me of Chauncey from The House on the Cerulean Sea and Nurse Ratched reminded me of Lucy. Victor was like a mix of Arthur from The House on the Cerulean Sea and Hugo from Under The Whispering Door. TJ definitely reuses his character types, but he makes it feel fresh every time. This book was very heartfelt and didn't disappoint.

Book Hangover Loading 🫠

📖: In the Lives of Puppets
Author: TJ Klune
⭐️: 4.5/5

“‘It’s messy,’ he said quietly, honestly. ‘Complicated. Chaotic. One moment strong as steel, and the next fragile as glass.’”

Why do I love reading? Because I can read 400 pages of a fictional story over six weeks and enjoy it, and then finally find the time to finish it up and get absolutely destroyed in one page (sometimes one line). TJ Klune is a masterful author. While I still haven’t read one of his most popular books, I know this.

This book was inspired from the purchase of a home appliance, and that’s a story in itself reserved for the author’s note when you get there. It’s beautifully crafted in that way that fiction is, where it’s just so relatable but you know that if someone else read it, it would be relatable in a different way. Just the same, if you read that same book at a different time in your life, you will relate to it differently (or not at all 🤷🏻‍♀️). One thing is for sure, you will love the characters in this book. Nurse R deserves an award 🏆

I felt this was original in so many ways and I wanted to say that before I mentioned that it also reminded me of a combo of Pinocchio and the Wizard of Oz. A coming of age story, and a story of some of the most immense feelings of humanity, including grief. People often define nostalgia as remembering of the good times, which of course yes that’s true. But a friend once told me of the definition in a different language, with the emphasis on that longing and perhaps grief over what used to be but is no longer. I identify with that so much more. This book had me thinking about my grandparents and their current state of life as they have aged and continued to lose their memories. They have and will always be an important part of my life. I’ve always been a worrier, and to my own detriment, always dreaded the day they wouldn’t remember me or my kids. They haven’t forgotten me. 🥺 Being human is so tough. It’s the feelings 🥹

I will happily read any and everything TJ Klune writes. Though not my favorite of his, I super enjoyed this book. It was giving a lot of Brave Little Toaster vibes to me although I don't know why.... I think Rambo reminded me of the Blanket in the best way. This was like the Wizard of Oz of robots and machines, and I could (and would) GLADLY read a book of just Rambo and Nurse Ratched because in my opinion they were the best parts of this book. One day I might do the audio version of this just to hear those two be brought to life.

I will say I think this book was a bit longer than it needed to be and felt some parts a little drawn out but overall it was a sweet story of love and redemption and acceptance which is something Klune does so well. It's hard to read one of this books and not feel good afterwards.

I will continue to read whatever he puts on paper!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

At its essence, In The Lives of Puppets is a post- apocalyptic retelling of Pinocchio minus the giant whale. Great world building and easily loveable characters including a minor psychotic nurse robot, a humanoid trying to figure out who he is, and an obsessively clean vacuum.

Vic, a human, has grown up as the only child of a Gio, an inventor android. After finding a unnamed humanoid robot in a dump and accidentally alerting the authorities, Vic and his companions are forced into hiding while his father is taken by the Authorities for reasons unknown. What unfolds over the rest of the book is a journey across the post-apocalyptic landscape for Vic and his robot friends to rescue his father and undercover just who his friend is, why his father was taken, and discover the world beyond the forest he has known his whole life.

I didn’t love this book as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it was still beautiful.

Thanks for NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced copy to read and review.

In the Lives of Puppets isn’t really about puppets….. so while that was a surprise I ended up enjoying this story. Our main character lives with his family of robots, and the story takes off when he repairs another android. The story has romance, adventure, and found family.

This story has asexual representation, which is something that I’m always looking for.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.