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.

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📖: 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.

"In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots--fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled "HAP," he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio-a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio's former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic's assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming. Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?"

Thank you Netgalley for letting me listen to an audiobook of In the Lives of Puppets. It is one of my favorite reads of the year. I loved following the characters and learning about the world. The writing style is fun and I liked most of the jokes in here. Some of them were a bit too silly, but that's okay. I enjoyed being in this world Klune created and I can't wait to see what they create next. I love the theme of found family.

I was originally given an eArc from NetGalley, but I didn’t finish in time so I went out and bought a copy. I loved the story, the nods toward Pinocchio, Swiss Family Robinson and Wizard of Oz. I read a review recently that mentioned how this book is so very human-even though there is only 1 human… it’s true. I highly recommend In The Lives of Puppets! Go read it!

2.5 stars

These characters were so annoying. The robots were so two dimensional, the jokes fell so flat and the conversations were way too on the nose. I much prefer commentary to naturally flow through the story, but it tried so hard to be inclusive that it was brought up in conversation when it didn't make sense, taking you out of the story.

A lot of these characters were just copy/paste to Cerulean Sea, but with Cerulean Sea, you really cared about the characters. Their trauma made you care about them. I never cared about these robots.

2.5 stars

These characters were so annoying. The robots were so two dimensional, the jokes fell so flat and the conversations were way too on the nose. I much prefer commentary to naturally flow through the story, but it tried so hard to be inclusive that it was brought up in conversation when it didn't make sense, taking you out of the story.

A lot of these characters were just copy/paste to Cerulean Sea, but with Cerulean Sea, you really cared about the characters. Their trauma made you care about them. I never cared about these robots.

I am a huge fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea and have read others by the author. I really, really wanted to love this one too but sadly could not finish it. I couldn't get invested in the puppets and never felt invested in their stories or personalities.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced copy of this book!

I am a bit late with my review of this book. I wanted to finish Klune's previous work before I got into this. From the beginning, I was excited to read this. I enjoy Klune's stories as they always include tropes I enjoy like found family, slow-burn romance, etc. This novel had that and more as its set in a sci-fi backdrop. In the first half of this story, I was vibing with the wholesome moments between Victor, the robots, and Giovanni. Then we get to the latter half and that's when I started to fall off of the story. I wasn't invested in the journey and I felt like the pacing could have been better. Overall, I enjoyed the characters more than the overarching plot. The story is still worth the read if you are a fan of Klune's works like I am. At the time of this review, the book is out so I suggest checking it out and giving the audiobook a listen if possible.

Always a treasure reading TJ Klune.
This book was hilarious especially our little Rambo. And emotional!
It has this great family aspect and I loved it

The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my favorite books. I also thoroughly enjoyed Under the Whispering Door. I was super excited about Klune's new one, In the Lives of Puppets - and it didn't disappoint! Another amazing, touching, feel good, charming story that was funny too. As per usual, each character was lovable, and unique.

Read if you enjoy:

• charming
• found family
• lovable characters
• queer retelling

"You are a hope. A dream of a forgotten world. Carry that in your soul...and may the burden never cause you to stumble."

🩵

very TJ style with the heavy topics and sad plot line but the characters were likable and I was enchanted to read about them all!

Victor has lived his life together with his father and two robots in the middle of the woods. When he finds a broken down android in the scrap yard he couldn't have dreamed it would lead to the discovery of his origins and the secrets of humanity's fate. When robots destroy the home his family has built, Victor sets off with Rambo (a vacuum, a nursing bot, and HAP (short for Hysterically angry puppet), to find his kidnapped father GIO before he gets decommissioned.

I've enjoyed all of T.J. Klune's more mainstream books to date, especially Under the Whispering Door. While this title wasn't as strong for me, I stilled enjoyed it. There's a lot of discussion here on identity, what makes a person a person, the responsibility someone has to others, sexuality, and family. I really enjoyed the read. My only issue was the jokes throughout the first half of the book. They were pretty funny over all, but they were unrelenting. Every half page it felt like someone was making a quip or joke. Once the pace of the plot picked up and tone was more serious, I appreciated it more.

Klune’s books always have sweet moments and have the best characters, but this one was just not for me. I had a hard time getting into it with all of the mechanical bits and bobs at the beginning. The pace felt a bit slow, and it just took too long before things got going.

TJ Kline has a way of making readers in love characters in just a couple of pages, and In the Lives of Puppets is no exception. The book get a little wierd at the end, but I loved the characters so much that I would follow them anywhere. He's become an auto-buy author for me.

Loved it! T.J. Klune is a powerhouse when it comes to taking a story I would never have wanted to read and turning it into one that I can't put down.

I always love his characters. They are the soul of the story and I want to hang out with the characters. If you're looking for a found family story that feels both fresh and comforting, look no further!

Quick take: Klunes books always center around found family and this one is no different. I found this one to be funnier than his previous books (hello nurse ratched) and is my favorite of Cerulean Sea. You honestly can't go wrong picking up a book by TJ Klune.

Thank you to netgalley, T.J., and Tor books for an advance copy of In the Lives of Puppets.

Victor is a human in a world of robots. His ‘father’ is an android inventor, and his friends are a nurse’s station machine and a vacuum. They live amongst the trees and spend their days wandering and looking for salvageable parts for Giovanni to use in his inventions. On their latest trip they come across an android called Hap, and an unknown and frightening history involving Gio comes out.

Hap is unaware that they are still tied to the world of human-hunting and transmits information about Gio and his family’s location sending Gio back to his old life and spawning a rescue mission led by Vic.

I am convinced that T.J. just never misses. I’ve still yet to read his entire catalog, but everything I have read I’ve loved. Once again, I found myself crying happy tears and just feeling like my heart could burst.

This story was so creative. Pinocchio meets Terminator meets The Brave Little Toaster meets Edward Scissorhands meets Wizard of Oz meets Moby Dick meets probably 4 or 5 others that I forgot. What a wonderful mashup of stories that came out being nostalgic and yet totally original at the same time.

The world that was built felt so foreign but I could picture it perfectly in my mind. I love his ability to create a world in a standalone book.

Every character was so lovable, it was a perfectly imperfect found family, which is one of my favorite tropes in fantasy books, and also something that T.J. is an absolute master of.