What a magical cozy sci-fi book. All of the characters were enjoyable and amusing, especially Nurse Ratched. Wasn't able to finish the book completely due to some personal health issues, however I fully plan to finish it. This is my first introduction to Klune and what a wonderful introduction to the worlds that he crafts. I look forward to finishing this book and delving into the rest of Klune's backlist.

Pinocchio meets The Wizard of Oz meets Frankenstein in this fantastical, post- climate change disaster/ post robot revolution world. TJ Klune has done it again with creating such a beautiful found family story. This is a heart warming cozy read of love, finding where you come from and where you belong, and discovering that family doesn’t just mean blood. This book has some great character development, and not just with one character. I feel we really saw how each character helps the others grow and change even in small ways. The main cast of characters are funny and lovable but we also meet some very interesting people/creatures along the way on Vic’s journey to save his dad. My absolute favorite characters were the 2 main side characters, Nurse Ratchet and Rambo. They were hilarious and their personalities were truly a joy to read. I feel this story captures the beauty of adolescent and wanting to be on your own yet realizing you will always need your family. It also shows how even with good intentions things can still go wrong.
I did feel the dialogue was a little repetitive at parts and the story felt a little too drawn out. But even with that it was still a beautiful story and a fun read. I definitely recommend this book to people who love cozy fantasies and found family.
A great 4 ✨ read for me🤍

Thank you to @netgalley for providing me with an Ebook arc for this novel!
I’m been meaning to post my review for months but honestly life got in the way and I fell behind so I am deeply sorry about that.

This is the third book by T.J. Klune that I have read and enjoyed. In the Lives of Puppets is a very intriguing title for this book about a group of robots and one boy, that are living as a found family. In a series of tree houses lives fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine named Nurse Ratchet (Registered Automation to Care, Heal, Educate and Drill), and a small vacuum, Rambo, desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. Victor is the last human on the planet after humans built robots so advanced that they hunted and killed the human race. They're a family, hidden and safe. When the little group, sans Gio, find a pile of discarded android parts, they find one that is still operational, but in need of repair. They take it back to their little community and Vic repairs it, gives it a heart and a drop of human blood. This enables the HARP to bypass it's programming and become another part of the family. They call him HAP, Hysterically Angry Puppet, as only the HAP were visible on his body. The problem is that once her was reactivated, the evil robots were able to track him, destroy their homes and take Gio to the City of Electric Dreams. Vic, HAP, Rambo and Nurse Ratchet head off to save him and bring him home.

Wow, this was quite the story. First I want to say, that it is scary. With the way AI is going, self driving cars and more, could this actually happen?? I love stories of found family and this is one strange, but loving found family. It is a take from Pinnochio with the father figure being Gio, similar to Gepetto, the blue fairy plays a role in assisting him to bring Vic to life and then there are the other sidekicks. There are also some Wizard of Oz vibes with the travel to The City of Electric Dreams the happenings once they get there. Although this book is a bit longer than what I normally read, I listened to it and finished it in one day, perhaps because I just didn't stop for much. In the Lives of Puppets had me laughing out loud at times, crying at others and feeling joyful as well. It is an imaginative story, set in a unique and fascinating world, including an exciting adventure filled with danger and suspense. The characters were well developed and I loved getting to know each of them. It is a story of found family, friendship, love for everyone, seeing what humanity is all about and making choices and facing the consequences. I highly recommend this book

An absolutely beautiful book with wonderful characters. TJ Klune has a real gift for writing stories that really suck you in and wrap you up to make you a part of it from start to finish. You will fall in love with his characters- root for them, cry for them and so much more.

This Pinocchio retelling is so incredibly unique and layered where every character could be considered Pinocchio in one way or another. A human boy out of place in a world of robots and a robot cut free from his programming (strings) and hoping to be more. In a single standalone Klune takes the reader on a very large adventure that has just the right details without over complicating the world building. Enough is left to the imagination for you as the reader to be able to form your own connections to it all and I think thats what always pulls me in to Klune's books.

Victor is a wonderful main character with so much heart and goodness that brings him the strength he needs for the struggles he faces.

Nurse Ratchet and Gio are incredible companions. They are hilarious but heartwarming and its so easy to forget they are robots because they have so much love for each other and Victor that is shown through their actions and words.

HAP is equally fantastic. A robot made for a specific purpose that has broken away from his designation to find a new life and heart for himself.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of them through this story and only wish there would be a book two where I could check in on them again. I really hate when a great book ends and I have to say goodbye to the characters i've grown so fond of but this book is so incredible I will definitely be rereading it again and again.

“You are as you’re supposed to be…If there was ever perfection in this world, it would be you.”

To absolutely no one’s surprise, TJ Klune has done it again. I absolutely loved In the Lives of Puppets…honestly, I’m having trouble verbalizing just how much I loved it.

This is a poignant and inspired reimagining of Pinocchio - it’s similar enough to feel instantly nostalgic and familiar, but never overly complicated. It blends Klune’s quintessential humor and charm with intense emotional connections to these fantastic characters. This is, ultimately, a deep character study and within minutes, I was hooked on this crew. Each of them brought a different dynamic that balanced each other out and I couldn’t have loved them more. It was incredible how much life these robots brought to the story - Nurse Ratched (a sociopathic nurse machine) and Rambo (a sweet, anxious little Roomba - my sweet boy) were clear standouts and favorites. Telling this story through Victor’s eyes, however, allowed us connect to his humanity and the desolation of this world.

This took me through every emotion possible - I laughed harder than I have in a while, and then sobbed in the next chapter. It made me question and think deeply about humanity and its role in this world (and what it actually means to be *alive*) With deliciously gorgeous prose, lovable characters, and thrilling (and stressful) sequences, I couldn’t stop thinking about this story.

My ONLY complaint is that I felt that some of the middle section dragged a bit - specifically the section with the Coachman - I didn’t fully understand his role in this story, but he added a lot of humor that I appreciated.

I ended up listening to this on audio and I truly believe that is the way to consume this story. Daniel Henning is a phenomenal narrator and gives life to all of these characters - I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it the same way without his interpretation. But this is definitely a story that I need to reread soon to highlight my favorite passages and commit them to my heart. Could not love this more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for the advanced copy.

This was not my favorite TJ Klune. At first I was a little thrown off by the talking machines, but I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea and really liked Under the Whispering Door, so I powered through. This one just wasn’t for me.

Gio is an inventor robot who has built an incredible treehouse paradise deep in the woods but is very lonely – until one night, a human mom runs through and leaves her baby boy, begging Gio to take care of him. Gio names the boy Victor and raises him along with two other robots: Nurse Ratched, a nurse robot who’s motherly but blunt, and Rambo, an adorable little Roomba who’s adorable and will do anything to be loved. The story really begins when Victor is 22 and secretly exploring the forbidden scrapyards for parts, only to discover something that upends all of their lives and sets them off on an epic quest to find the City of Electric Dreams. The story was a little bit slow at first, but then I got really into it and found it hard to put down. It’s a pretty dark and foreboding story, but even though it’s sci fi, it has some good parallels to real life and by the end is actually rather believable as a future world. The characters and world are amazingly well developed, and this made me both laugh out loud and cry at alternate points in the story. A beautiful must-read!

A boy raised by an android and has only robots for companions doesn’t realize he might be the only human left. This story came through a little like Pinocchio if it was told by Morpheus from The Matrix! In a world where humans were hunted Gio is a robot who ends up with a conscience and realizes killing off humans has done more harm than good. He ends up running away to start a new life in the woods and ends up with Victor- a human child he does everything in his power to keep alive. When Gio’s old human hunting android partner shows up everything comes to light and he will do anything to save Victor. The cast of characters are sometimes delightful and frustrating (they are robots after all) but they are very “human”. While I usually instantly love Klune’s books I firmly only liked this one.

Vic, his father Gio and two robots, Nurse Ratchet and Rambo, a roomba type vacuum, live together in the woods, after Victor was abandoned by his parents to Gio as they were fleeing... well it was never really defined what they were running from (though there is a better explanation later). When Vic finds a new robot, Hap, and fixes him up, it draws some unfortunate attention and sends them out of the woods on an adventure into a world Vic hadn't expected to reunite their family.

Despite a slow start, "In the Lives of Puppets," was a sweet story of a unique family that never gave up on one another. There was a lot of cute banter between the two original robots, Nurse Ratchet and Rambo , though sometimes a bit too much.

Special thanks to NetGalley for and e-ARC me in exchange honest feedback.

THIS BOOK.

Gosh I loved this novel so. much. All the stars. TJ Klune can do no wrong!!! While I believe this is his simplest book yet, and didn't carry as big of a punch as his prior two novels, this book had great pacing and character development!

I've read the first two book by TJ Klune. This third story starts promising but doesn't deliver as the others. It has wonderfully created characters that you want to love (Victor, Gio, nurse Ratchett and rambo) but the story is trying too hard to fit in the elements on Pinocchio. It wanders during most of the first half and misses the connection the author typically builds with the characters. TJ Klune's first books tackled big complex topics - inclusivity and death - with ease. This topic seems to be lacking a focus. You start with a fixate on teenage sexuality and some rather crass innuendo references that I felt were misplaced and not needed. I didn't buy that the robot companions would have the knowledge they did on the human aspects of sex for pleasure to make the crass innuendos. Then you move to a lesson on what it is to be human and experience emotions. There are over tones of wizard of oz thrown in the middle and it just seems lost. I was disappointed with this one.

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In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune is the strangest reimagining of a fairy tale I think I’ve ever read, and honestly? I’m not sure if it completely works, which makes me a bit sad. The story sets up Victor who is the son of a robot named Gio. They live in a forest with Rambo, a little vacuum unit who is the fluffiest of cinnamon rolls, and Nurse Ratched who is off her treads. The family finds another robot in the Scrap Yards and put in back together only to have things go badly from there.

The characters in this, for the most part, are fantastic. TJ Klune’s strongest skill is characters and their dialogue. I found myself laughing out loud at a lot of lines, and I still swear Rambo must be protected at all costs. That was the strongest part for me, the other parts falling apart.

The setting felt barely sketched in. We know they live in the forest and we see a few other settings, but none of them felt very clear. The characters and dialogue seemed to be the only thing carrying this forward as he attempted to grasp at his themes. Forgiveness, humanity, worth, personhood, etc were all things the story hinted at. Sadly it didn’t feel like anything clear was stated, and if we followed some of the ideas he set before us to their ultimate conclusion… it got a little uncomfortable.

I think the breaking point for me was the point at which we’re expected to believe the romance between Victor and one of his robot companions, who we see in a flashback murder an untold amount of people, followed by a scene of him descending on a mother and her child. Victor wrestles with the idea of forgiving HAP (he has after all broken his programing in a way and no longer does these things) and ultimately still chooses him. This could entirely be me - I’ve lost children, I grapple with grief on a daily basis. I’m not sure if the imagery chosen could have been different and the idea conveyed better or if it this was just poorly constructed overall, but it fell apart. I also wonder at this idea of blanket forgiveness and how Klune has come under some fire in the recent past for his use of historical events for fictional story inspiration.

Not a winner for me, clearly. I did enjoy parts of this, and if you want to read it for the characters and dialogue I would 100% recommend it. Perhaps however don’t read too deeply in or it will fall apart.

This was my first TJ Klune book. After hearing the raves about his former books I gave this a try. Firstly, he is an excellent writer and reminiscent of Neil Gaimen. Even with the beautiful writing the subject matter failed to catch my attention. I’m sure others will devour this up but I think I’ll try his other novels.

TJ Klune is a masterful storyteller about found families and empathetic, lovely characters. I had so much anticipation for this title and it did not disappoint! The retelling of Pinoochio with a twist that only TJ Klune would have imagined. Highly recommend.

This one was not for me. I adored Klune’s first two books; House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. I was so excited to get this arc and as I started reading, it felt like a chore to keep picking this back up. I read up to the 49% point and then finished with the audio once the book published. I’ve seen other reviews praising this book so I encourage you to seek many opinions before passing on this one. And I do have to say, in true Klune fashion, he writes the most endearing and oddly lovable characters that will make you laugh and cry. There are plenty of these characters in this book. Daniel Henning does a fantastic job on the audio so I highly recommend that.

Overall, it is a cute story that had its own charm which I genuinely enjoyed, but its not one that I will be revisiting.

This book is a masterpiece!!!! TJ Klune is one of the most brilliant authors out there and truly I devoured this book. A sci-fi Swiss Family Robinson family meets Wall-E with Pinocchio vibes? Like genius!

It was adventurous, queer, and just incredibly well done. I found myself constantly trying not to cry at times.

This was my second TJ Klune book and after being completely blown away by Cerulean Sea last year I couldn’t wait to read this ARC. In the Lives of Puppets is a futuristic Pinocchio retelling centering around a found family of robots and Vic, the human they’ve raised. When Vic, an inventor, salvages a robot named Hap, the world he has known begins to change. He learns the truth about his origins, his father’s past, and what it takes to fight for those you love.

This novel is fantastic. The beginning was a bit slow for me, but the deeper you get into the world of Victor and his family, the richer the story becomes. Every character is beautifully developed and their family dynamic is spot on. I love Nurse Ratched’s sarcasm, Gio’s fatherly love, and most of all Rambo’s humor and love of all things romantic. The relationship between Vic and Hap is heartwarming and genuine, developing despite the obstacles and differences they face.
And of course, I love all the references to our beautiful Oregon forests! 🌲

Thank you to @netgalley and @torbooks for the advanced copy, I highly recommend you pick this one up and follow Vic and his family on their extraordinary journey. Just follow these rules:

“Stick together.”
“Run if we have to.”
“No dallying.”
“No drilling.”
“And above all else, be brave!” 💚

I really loved this book. I thought it was a brilliant retelling of Pinocchio's story completely reimagined with androids and robots. However, many stories featuring androids and robots as characters can tend to have a cold feeling, but this book, with it idyllic woodland setting is just the opposite. The Swiss-Family-Robinson-style treehouses were quaint and the quiet of the woods and the life that Vic and Gio had built was calm and refreshing. When they got to the City of Electric Dreams, things became more frenetic and fast-paced. Klune's world-building is second to none. In each of the books of his that I've read, I've wanted to be in the story, where the action is happening. This one was no exception.

The character development was extraordinary, with all of the characters' flaws and strengths laid bare. There were no characters I didn't like, and I loved how all the pieces of the original story were woven throughout Klune's reimagining. A definite 5-star read for me.

TJ Klune’s latest novel In the Lives of Puppets is a queer retelling of the Pinocchio fairy tale and I don’t think I can even put into words just what a gem of a book it is.

The story follows Vic, the only human character in the book. Vic has been raised by three robots, and they are the only family he has ever known. Klune is a master when it comes to found families and Vic’s family is no exception to that. Giovanni Lawson (Gio), an inventor android, is the father figure in Vic’s life and Gio has Rambo and Nurse Ratched to assist him. Rambo is a little Roomba-style vacuum robot who has anxiety but who also just wants to be as helpful as possible. And then there’s Nurse Ratched, a medical android who often has very sadistic tendencies. (If you’ve read or watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, you know exactly what I’m talking about. This robot is very much like its human counterpart!). I really adored this little family. I loved the father-son vibe between Gio and Vic, and I also thought Rambo and Nurse Ratched were hilarious together since they fought and antagonized one another just like siblings.

In addition to loving the cast of characters, I also really enjoyed how creative and unique In the Lives of Puppets was even though it’s being billed as a retelling. When the story opens, Vic and his robot family have been living peacefully, hidden away in the forest, for years until Vic finds and salvages a decommissioned robot named Hap and learns that Hap and Vic have a shared and disturbing past that involved hunting humans. Things go from bad to worse when Hap accidentally alerts robots from their former lives to Gio’s location and Gio is kidnapped and taken back to his old lab in the City of Electric Dreams. Even though Vic hates that Gio kept his past a secret, he and the rest of his robot family are still determined to save Gio from being reprogrammed back to his former killing ways and so they set off on a dangerous rescue mission. Along the way, Vic realizes he is attracted to Hap but is conflicted since he also feels that Hap betrayed them. Can Vic get past those feelings for the sake of love? I don’t want to give anything away about their adventure, but it’s a wild ride!

As he did with The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, Klune has created a world full of charming and whimsical characters that will steal your heart, all wrapped in a timely story that will leave you with plenty of food for thought about the relationship between humanity and machines.