Victor is a human living among machines, but he never feels any different. Rambo, Nurse Ratched, and his father are his family. They are the only family he has ever known. When he finds something in the scrap yard that he thinks he can fix into a working machine, he doesn't know the can of worms it will open and potentially change everything he has ever known to be true.

This is a book way outside of what I typically read. I guess I would describe it as adult fantasy, as there were some parts definitely geared toward adults. Oddly enough, even though it isn't my usual type read, I enjoyed most of it. It was a story of family and love, no matter what you are and what you are designed to do. The takeaway is that we have free choice and should use that to love. I know many of my customers that would really enjoy a book that is as well written such as this.

No one creates character development quite like Klune. The characters are truly the star of the show here. I adored every one of them. Sweet Gio was such a perfect father figure, Vic was a great MC, Nurse Ratched made me LOL multiple times not only for her jokes but her demeanor in general (is it weird to say she reminded me of me? "Engaging empathy protocol. There there." Enneagram 8s will understand!), Rambo was such a funny, naïve, silly addition, and HAP was another bright light. I loved how each character defined what it means to love and grow and to choose who you want to be.

Puppets didn’t hook me in like his previous books did, however. It was a very long story and seemed to rely on dialogue rather than plot. The dialogue was funny, however the plot was just very thin. The story reminded me of Wizard of Oz meets Wall-E. It was overall heartwarming but I feel like it may have been more of my style had it been 75 pages shorter. I didn't feel like a ton happened throughout the plot and the ending was okay, but the climax was subpar.

Read if you like:
-Wizard of Oz
-Puppets
-Wall-E
-Fantasy
-Amazing audiobook narration
-Found family
-Journeys
-Freedom to choose who you are.

My rating explained (CAWPILE method):
Characters-10, Atmosphere-7, Writing-8, Plot-5, Intrigue-5, Logic-6, Enjoyment-6= 47/7= 6.71= 3 stars

Synopsis:
"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.”

My Thoughts:
This is a cute story about found friendship, overcoming our differences, and sexuality. We follow a group of robots and a human as they travel to the City of Emerald Dreams. Along the way they encounter several robots and begin to realize that the world, and those in it, are not as they had expected. And, as they overcome challenges together, they slowly put together the pieces of their past.
The narrator on the audiobook is fantastic and does a phenomenal job voicing each of the characters. I've heard this book referenced as a Pinocchio retelling, which I can some what see, but I definitely felt strong Wizard of Oz vibes as well. I did think it felt a little long at times and included more references of private parts and human functions than needed; but it is told with great wit and humor, making the over story more enjoyable.

Thank you to @netgalley , @torbooks , and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

In The Lives of Puppets

By: TJ Klune

Publisher: Tor Books

Publish Date: 25 April 2023

LGBTQIAP+/ Sci Fi and Fantasy

#IntheLivesofPuppets#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Tor Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads synopsis:

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?

Book Review:

Sadly, this book didn’t quite live up to my expectations and I gave it only 3 stars. It was still good but not what i hoping for. I still enjoy his story telling and writing. This just was a little unbelievable in parts.

We are probably not far off on having robots doing a lot of things for but I’m not sure I am ready for them to take over the world and having us killed off.

This is a story about a robot who has a conscience and wants to make amends for his pass doings. He is able to feel and still create things and one of his creations is his son who happens to be a human. This son loves to explore and during one of his outings he finds another robot and brings it home to rebuild it with the help of the other robots he has rebuilt.

The only problem is this robot was designed to kill humans. As the story continues on, they are discovered and Victor the human decides to go and save his dad, Gio. Can they do this and survive? What will happen to them if they fail? This actually got me thinking about our world around us and that TJ Klune really isn’t too far off of his thinking.

I do recommend this book because it makes you think and ponder about the future.

Klune has yet again made me fall in love with a new book family! He is one of my all-time favorite authors and his books always feel like a breath of fresh air. This plot was not what I was expecting with a world of robots, but I adored it. It's full of identity, family, and humor; His books always make me laugh, but Nurse Rachet made me cackle (she is a new favorite character of mine)!

Read this if you want:
-Found Family
-Dystopia
-Asexual Rep
-Witty Humor
-Unique Characters
-Wholesome/Whimsical plot

Thank you Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

TJ Klune does it again!

Although I wasn't a fan of the movie as a child, this was a beautiful retelling of Pinocchio that is crossed with Wall-e and I, Robot. Real boy Victor was a beautiful child raised by robots, so was uncertain about human life and reasons.

Nurse Ratched was paired perfectly with Rambo, the vacuum, for a comical side kick duo. Such a colorful cast of characters made for interesting twists along the way. A found family, dystopian novel that is sure to pull at the strings of your heart.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea despite it not being my usual genre. So I was excited to request this without knowing anything about it other than it was Klune’s new book. It may have been bad timing but this isn’t working for me and I decided to DNF. I definitely think this is a case of being the wrong reader and not about the book. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

TJ Klune fans will not be disappointed!

This story is about Victor and Giovanni Lawson, who are living in a world where machines have been created and progressed to be sentient and living. The inciting action is when Vic finds a new robot at the scrap yard, and his life as he knows it is altered.

This novel had the signature Klune characters that you just absolutely fall in love with, as well as the themes of found family and what it means to create a home. It didn't quite punch me in the face emotionally the same way as his other adult titles, but I really did love the ending a lot!!

https://bookandfilmglobe.com/fiction/book-review-in-the-lives-of-puppets/

The fate of humanity is in the balance once again for TJ Klune, author of the 2020 New York Times best-seller, The House in the Cerulean Sea. This time the protagonist is Victor Lawson, who lives in a forest near the Scrap Yards with his adoptive father Gio, and his friends Nurse Ratchet and Rambo. Gio is a wise, loving and perfectly lifelike android; Nurse Ratchet is a large, cabinet-like mobile medical unit with a brutal bedside manner but an empathy protocol several petabytes wide; and Rambo is a small, naive and enthusiastic vacuum unit.

Oof. This one did not hit the same as TJ Klune's other recent releases. ☹️

Maybe I'm just not into Pinocchio retellings? Hard to say. I have really been enjoying weirdly wholesome robot stories lately, so I thought for sure that this one would be a hit, but unfortunately it was only okay for me. I could probably read a whole series of short stories following Nurse Ratched and Rambo's silly antics, but the central story of In the Lives of Puppets felt at bit lackluster to me for some reason.

Part of the problem is that I never felt fully invested in the relationship between Vic and Hap. Maybe too much was given away in the synopsis, but nothing about their dynamic surprised me or endeared me to seeing their friendship unfold and grow. I'm used to Klune writing very touching relationships, romantic and familial alike, but ironically this one felt like it was missing the characteristic heart I expect from his stories.

So, I'm definitely a bit disappointed in this one. In the Lives of Puppets was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and TJ Klune has been an auto-buy author for me since the release of The House in the Cerulean Sea, but this is my least favorite book of his so far. I don't think it's bad, but it definitely fell short of my expectations for it.

I found this one a little hard to get into but once I did I was hooked. I loved the basic idea of redemption and reflection back on your life. Also, Price was a great character!

Thank you to NetGalley, TJ Klune and Tor publishing group for the free e-book I exchange for a honest review.

This is just what I have come to expect from Klune. I love every minute of these beautiful fantasy lands that I can actually visualize. Nurse Ratchet and Rambo were my favourite and made me laugh so so often. I 100% recommend this one!

Going into this, I was already obsessed with TJ Klune’s writing style. To me, it’s so cozy and comforting even when the story gets tense. I loved the banter between Vic (our main character) and his robot friends. The setting was also very vivid and interesting.
I did feel that the book was a bit slowly paced. The beginning and end were super quick but the middle felt like forever. I also didn’t fully understand why the romance aspect was there.
If you love funny and quirky characters and interesting sci-fi atmospheres, check out this book! I’m looking forward to reading more from TJ Klune.

I want to preface this by saying I would read TJ Klune's grocery list if he ever published it. I think he is such a phenomenal author and has the ability to write such compelling and lovable characters. This book is no exception. I immediately fell in love with Vic, Rambo, and Nurse Ratched;' Rambo. being a stand out. What I loved about this book is that it was a deep dive into humanity and what it means to truly be human. I felt like the journey was straight forward and not much happened, but at the same time so much occurred. Vic and Hap's relationship, while odd being a human/robot relationship, was heartwarming. And the journey to find who you truly are was one that I enjoyed.

This was not my favorite of TJ's stories, but I will 100% recommend it due to it's lovable characters and intriguing plot. I was NOT a fan of the twist and unreliable narrator in the beginning. I thought that took away from the story and had me questioning things.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, I loved this book so much.

TJ Klune’s writing alters my brain chemistry, I swear!

This was a really unique twist on the Pinocchio story as it’s melded with Wall-E, and a generous dollop of Swiss family Robinson vibes.. but make it Sci-Fi and Fantasy! Sounds a little bonkers when written out like that, but truly if anyone couple pull it off it’s TJ Klune!

In true TJ fashion this story was laugh out loud funny at times, had me ugly crying at others, and I was highlighting sentences that were so raw and human so quickly I almost ran out of ink!

ITLOP boasts an immersive world that is so vividly depicted that it’s effortless to sink into! The characters are wonderful and perfectly crafted in a way signature to Klune. The themes of found family, love, humanity, and choice are woven onto every page.

This book is different from his others, while also feeling comfortingly familiar at the same time. This story will warm your heart, stir your soul, provoke thoughts and feelings, and have you rooting for and falling in love with robots!

Nothing but love from me!

“Once there was a woodsman made of tin. He said ‘I Shall take the heart, for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world…’”

Oh this book was just so cute and magical. I am not a huge fantasy reader usually, but I swear TJ Klune writes fantasy in such a pure and wholesome way.. I loved every second of this book !!

Now a lot of people who have read this book have mentioned this is a slow burn, which I don’t entirely disagree with. However, the character building and story background we get throughout this story I really loved. I thought it was really great and necessary.

My absolute FAVORITE thing about this book were the characters—they are all robots, except Vic who is the only human. Every robot was created for a purpose. However, when they don’t serve their purpose any longer they are pretty much thrown away. Vic saves them, restores them while unknowingly influencing them with human qualities—love, empathy, bravery, loyalty, fear, sarcasm—it was really so amazing. Nurse Ratched was literally the best and funniest character I have read in a long time… she was hilarious

“They are not prepared for this gelatin” hahahaha (Beyonce translated by Nurse Ratched)

This movie takes the best of iRobot, Wall-E, Pinocchio, Wizard of Oz, and even Swiss Family Robinson, and adds a little bit of its own magic. I loved it so much!!!

I loved this book! Like loved! A lot. I will read anything and everything TJ Klune writes. Forever. It was magic and happy and sad and I’m going to read it again

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an eARC of In the Lives of Puppets in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I've got tons of love for The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, two TJ Klune books that are as kindhearted and hilarious as they are devastating and insightful. The author just blends all of those emotions together so well, and it makes for a deeply moving reading experience. That being said, I have to admit that while I like In the Lives of Puppets, it didn't hit me as powerfully as I'd expected it to. Don't get me wrong, it's still plenty touching, warm, and funny, with the amusingly sadistic Nurse Ratched reminding me of Lucy from The House in the Cerulean Sea. But as lovable as the characters and their interrelationships are, as captivating as the worldbuilding becomes, I found my personal connection with this story noticeably weaker than the ones I formed with Klune's previous work. It's a strange thing to wrestle with, and I'm wondering if I'll feel differently about how its emotional beats play out over time. But for now, I'm left with some threads of dissatisfaction sneaking their way into my positive opinions.

Overall, I'll give In the Lives of Puppets an official rating of 3.75 out of 5 stars. It's not as high as I'd wanted it to be, but this remains a solid book, one that motivates me to keep reading Klune's work.

What an absolute joy this book was to read. I didn’t even realize it was a retelling of Pinocchio until I got into it. That was a nice surprise. I have really enjoyed every TJ Klune book so I wanted to go into this knowing very little.

The characters were hilarious and I connected with them instantly, even though they are robots. I absolutely adored the sass that all of them brought to the story. I would love more from this group of characters. Pure genius from start to finish.

In The Lives of Puppets is going to be hands down one of my favorite books of 2023. It is one of my favorite two books that I've read so far this year. TJ Klune writes about both the beauty and mistakes of humanity. The characters are incredibly endearing - I loved most of them and especially Nurse Ratched but also Vic and others. There were passages that I wanted to underline. I think this may surpass The House in the Cerulean Sea for me in terms of how much I love this book. Thank you so much for the early copy!