5/5

TJ Klune has written yet another a book that just feels like a warm hug. This one really touches the heart and tickles the sides because of the characters. Those little tree dwelling robotics really get to you, especially the nurse, she was my favorite!

And as is the case with any TJ Klune book, this one is very queer friendly! I always enjoy the inclusion and representation.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

Giovanni Lawson, a robot inventor, lives in a forest and builds a wonderful home around him, keeping himself busy until he realizes his loneliness. Just in time, a baby boy he names Vic comes into his life and he raises him as his own son.

Vic becomes a creator just like his father and rescues old robots, namely Nurse Ratched, a Nurse Registered Automaton to Care, Heal, Educate, and Drill, and Rambo, an anxious yet adorable vacuum. Together, they are a colorful family with peaceful lives, until they uncover and save a potentially violent robot named Hap.

Unknowingly, the group causes Gio to be 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. Vic meets charismatic friends and dangerous enemies alike, all while sorting through his feelings for the complicated new robot, Hap.

TJ Klune has an absolutely magical ability to plop you down into a new world that you feel, smell, see, and makes you never, ever want to leave. I quite intentionally read the first half of this book slowly because I just wanted to savor it, keep it close in my heart and inject my normal days with the magic of this story. Vic, Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Hap completely captured my heart, with their unique quirks and hilarious dialogue.

It is so lovely (and definitely a point Klune is trying to make) that while this story includes mostly robots and only one human, it takes a very close look at what it means to be human and the vast emotional experiences we have, ranging through our highs and lows. One thing I have always adored about his books is that I feel EVERYTHING: laughter, tears, anticipation, love. I got all of these from In the Lives of Puppets and that makes it a treasure worth more than gold to me.

There’s never a single part throughout the entire book that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. The journey these characters go through is equal parts exciting and heartwarming through and through. While there are small references to Pinocchio, it definitely wasn’t overpowering the very original plot of this book. I often felt more like the characters were on a journey like the crew in Wizard of Oz, which I liked a lot.

This book will definitely be a favorite of this year and I always look forward to TJ Klune’s next!

TJ Klune never disappoints! This had his signature prose and a heartfelt plot. I really enjoyed this even though it was a little difficult for me to get into at first, I’m glad I pushed through to finish it.

This book was so lovely, and it was full of TJ Klune’s usual charm, whimsy, and heartfelt storytelling! The book has an amazing cast of characters. Each of them are so full of life, and the relationships between them made the story feel really special. Normally with books I have a favorite character, but I loved Vic, Rambo, Nurse Ratched, and HAP all so much that I can’t pick a favorite from this story!

I did feel like the story had some pacing issues, and I found the first 30% of the story to be really slow. Once I got past this point though, I was really invested in the story and could hardly put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for an advanced copy of this book!

Book Summary:

Vic has spent his entire life in the woods – and the tree houses his father built. This has been the only world he's ever known. His only companions are the bots he's managed to salvage and repair, plus his father, of course.

One day, Vic and his friends come across a damaged android. Determined to give this android a chance, they bring him home and get him running once again. What they don't know is that in doing so, they are about to change their lives as they know them.

My Review:

Eee! I can't believe it's time to dive into another one of T.J. Klune's novels! To say that I was excited about In the Lives of Puppets would be the understatement of the century. If you love Klune's writing style but have always wanted him to play with a more dystopian setting, this is the novel for you.

Overall, I enjoyed In the Lives of Puppets. I don't think it's my favorite of his works, but it's still solid (and worth the read). I loved seeing his exploration of this world, which was expressed through Vic in many ways. I especially loved how Vic himself had to go through some exploration, again in many ways.

I loved the variety of characters in this novel, especially Rambo – they were my favorite. Read this book to enjoy a novel with a strong sense of character and humor alongside some bittersweet moments.

Highlights:
LGBT
Dystopian
Science Fiction
Androids/Robots

(2.5/5 stars)
tj klune is amazing at constructing characters and found families that have so much heart and humor to them. i loved under the whispering door and the house in the cerulean sea, so i was intrigued by in the lives of puppets, which is science fiction rather than fantasy. the plot of this is a bit too big for the book and the writing, which results in the story falling flat as it simultaneously does too much and not enough. i would have read about these characters doing anything (honestly, klune's books are more about the characters than the plot for me and i wish this one followed that) and i think a less ambitious plot would have allowed more exploration of certain characters (especially victor's asexuality which felt very much thrown in). as always the writing is lovely and funny, but the story of this one falls flat.

This was such a joy to read. If you have ever watched AI or the one movie with Robin Williams...this is it in book form. The love story was adorable. It was just a fun journey to take, that had me laughing and tearing up.

This book was just okay for me. I found the initial pages very interesting and the characters fascinating (especially Rambo and Nurse Ratched). I lost a lot of interest in the middle of the novel and debated not finishing. I found the quest didn't keep my interest and the slow burn romance with Hap bored me somewhat. After advice from a friend to continue, I did but this book didn't have the grip on me like the previous Klune books I've read. While this one might have been a miss, I'm very grateful to have been given the opportunity to read it. Klune has a great ability to write about found family and tug at my heart strings.

An amazing story of a found family and the ever present desire to feel...something. I loved this story, the setting of the magical treehouses, the city, the use of seasons to help show the emotions. Yet again, TJ Klune has swept me off of my feet, and to think it's with a story about robots. Science Fiction is not my go to genre, but Klune is making me a believer in everything. Such a beautiful story crafted in the most delicate manner about love for everything, love for all, and love for yourself.

100 fricken stars. I absolutely adored this book from start to finish. All the characters will forever hold a special place in my heart and I will be adding this to my reread yearly pile. Such lovely writing, amazing characters with lush personalities, beautiful world building and a wonderful, heartfelt journey that actually make me tear up multiple times. I am so glad this was the first TJ Klune book I decided to pick up! Will have a post on Instagram soon(@themacabrelibrary) and will update this then.

In true Klune fashion, In the Lives of Puppets is an emotional journey about found family, self discovery, love, friendship, and life.

When I found out this was going to be about robots, I knew I was going to have a great time. For some reason I’m a sucker for AI’s. Throw in sexual innuendos, hilarious banter, an asexual MC, and a vacuum with anxiety and it’s the perfect recipe for me.

“Error. Error. Do not call people ‘daddy.’ That is unprofessional.”

The amount of quotes I have highlighted is a little ridiculous. This gem is one of my favorites though (iykyk):

“Oh my god, a pinecone! I love pinecones! So epic and awesome.”

For a story about robots though, there truly was so much humanity.

“What do you do if you’ve forgotten all you know?”
“You start again from the beginning.”

There is a lot to love about this story. I do think the pacing is going to knock it down for some people because the middle did stretch quite a bit, but I enjoyed every second I was in this world. I leave you with one last quote, wise words from Nurse Ratched:

“Engaging Empathy Protocol. There, there. It is all right. When one door closes, you can still bust it down. One robot’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

Another winner for TJ Klune!! He made me love Lucifer, the devil. He made me love the Grim Reaper, now I love sadistic robots. This author’s imagination knows no bounds. Love love loved this book!

TJ Klune continues to be one of my favorite writers, there is just something about his writing that hits differently and this book is no exception. The story building is fantastic and the characters have depth and charisma.

To say I loved this book is a massive understatement. Until my dying breath, I will talk about how much I loved this book.
In this new age of robots, Klune paints a sad picture, but full of color. Gio and Victor build their life together in a forest away from all civilization. Nurse Ratched and Rambo their only company, it's a shock when a new face joins their crew, Hap.
I have never laughed so hard while reading a novel before in my life. Klune is an absolute master at robotic dry humor and I do believe my family got annoyed with me halfway through reading it because I kept having to pause and read sections out loud just so someone could enjoy it with me.
This book plays on humanity, the lack of as well as the beauty of, and how even when robots take over the world, love still can prevail. I will always and forever recommend TJ Klune.

I want to start this review off by saying I am a huge fan of TJ Klune. I adored The House in the Cerulean Sea (it was a solid five star book for me) and enjoyed Under the Whispering Door (though Cerulean still ranks supreme IMO) so I was excited to read Klune's latest. That being said, I was sadly let down. I found the pace slow and a bit boring and the main protagonist, Victor, very hard to connect with. I did enjoy Nurse Ratched and Rambo, they both cracked me up, but I had the hardest time imagining them in my mind. I also had a hard time imagining the world as well. I think there could have been more world building built in that would have set the book up better. I liked the ideas and themes, but I felt like the execution was off. Overall, I was a bit bored.

wow. I couldn't get enough of this one. I didn't think I would like it as much as his past novels but it shocked me. I honestly think everyone should read his books. they are so unique I can't even describe them.

As a fan of TJ Klune's House in the Cerulean Sea, I was thrilled to get an advanced copy of his new book, In The Lives of Puppets, from the publisher and NetGalley. And it did not disappoint!

Set in a unique world, the novel is filled with unique, quirky characters, a found family, and coming to terms with who you are as a person (or robot). Equal parts tragic and uplifting, I found myself deeply charmed by both the characters and the setting. It is written very vividly and descriptive, so even though it's a world unlike ours, I felt I could picture it perfectly.

Nurse Ratched and Rambo are particularly delightful sidekicks as a psychotic robot nurse and an anxious vacuum. I will say that I'm not sure the romance aspect worked for me quite as well as it worked in Cerulean Sea, but it's integral to the plot.

Overall for me, this was another five star read from Klune, and I am very much looking forward to his next book.

I absolutely did not expect this book— I never do with Klune, but I loved reading it. It was unlike anything I’ve read, but also seemed designed to feel familiar. Picture: Swiss Family Robinson meets Chappie meets Wizard of Oz meets….

As always, Klune delivered some hard truths, with a sweet overall message, set to the backdrop of a wildly imaginative world filled with excessively lovable characters. Klune excels in turning the mundane into the whimsical and this book cranked it up a notch in that regard. Rambo the Roomba, for example, bringing that golden retriever energy I never knew I needed in a vacuum, I did find the the book dragged a big plot-wise during the Oz-like questing— it also felt like there were some missed opportunities to explore the book’s central themes during this time. I was so deeply invested by that point though that the pacing didn’t really matter.

Truly, after finishing this, I remain unconvinced that Klune is mere mortal. It would not surprise me at all if he was some fantastical creature and this book was his semi-autobiographical roadmap on humanity.

Thank you to Klune and Tor for gifting me an advanced readers copy of this book via netgalley.

“In all my days, in all my travels, I’ve never come across a more foolish bunch. And I think it fits. Humans were foolish. Careless. Cruel. But only a few. Most were full of light.”

I finished In the Lives of Puppets last month but got busy and had COVID so my review is behind a little!

TJ Klune does it again! It didn’t knock House in the Cerulean Sea out of the number one spot of my favorites of his but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a top tier novel. I ended the book with tears of joy and a lump in my throat. I’ll absolutely be buying a copy to grace my shelves.

Leave it to Klune to make a motley collection of robotic beings funny and personable. Nurse Ratched was devious, tough, and protective. Rambo was anxious and full of heart. Hap goes against his killing nature to find connections among others. Giovanni wants to make amends and make the world a better place. And Vic is the glue that holds them all together.

I loved this found family and the way things didn’t go perfectly but they stuck together through their troubles. I loved the way they fought for each other and the messages that Klune has for the world. I liked that it wasn’t just this magical ending, the resolution took time. The characters went through traumatic events and had to heal from them.

As for the audio, Daniel Henning deserves an award for this one. Daniel captured each characters’ voice perfectly. From nervous tics, or mechanic stuttering, to deeply robotic hums, or emotive human voices. This had to be a challenging novel compared to the usual job and they tackled it with expertise! There was exceptional talent in this audio performance.

Thank you to @torbooks and @macmillan.audio for the respective review copies 🫶🏻

Victor Lawson, like his father, is a creator. Living in a rural part of the forest, far from any other human being, he has had to make his friends. One day, while scavenging parts from the scrap yard close to their home, Victor and his robot friends, Rambo (a roomba-like device) and Nurse Ratched (an nursing android), notice a power signature. A broken android is discovered and brought back to the lab to be fixed. The salvaging of HAP leads to Gio, Vic's father, being taken by strange authorities and all the secrets he tried to keep to be revealed.

The story revolves around a post-apocalyptic world where robots have destroyed their creators. The idea of robots taking over the world is nothing new, but this is an amazing rendition of it. I have heard amazing things about this author, although this is the first book by T.J. Klune I've picked up. I am not disappointed. Also, as a nursing student, Nurse Ratched's personality was hilarious. Also, her banter with Rambo was perfection.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC