Dnf @ 20% sorry but I just couldn’t with this kms. I ended up trying to listen to the audio but it didn’t work for me and it was the same for the digital version.

This one took me emotions on a voyage lol. I was not expecting this to be so sad but I ended up crying. I do think the middle dragged a bit and I was honestly close to giving this 3 stars but I absolutely loved the ending of this one.

Absolutely amazing! I wasn’t sure how I would feel going into this book. I haven’t really read books with robots/androids. This was so good. I loved the main character Victor. There were so many unexpected turns in this book. I literally could not predict what would happen next. There were so many ups and downs. Bittersweet moments. I had so many thoughts while reading this. What would you do if everything you ever knew was wrong? What would you do if everything you knew was forgotten? And who has the right to give forgiveness?
*thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for a review.

Many thanks for the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of one of my most anticipated reads of 2023.

T.J. Klune does it again!

This is a beautiful story of love, family, humanity, creativity, friendship, I could go on and on. The characters in this, although most are machine, are some of the most well developed and life-like characters I have ever shared time with. Nurse Ratched will forever have my heart and I hope to be like her one day. There are lessons woven through each chapter of this work and some are so important and timely.

The first half will have you laughing out loud, the second will have you on the edge of your seat holding your breath with hope.

I highly recommend reading the Acknowledgement and would be very, very curious to see Klune's original manuscript for this. The world may not be 'ready,' but I can guarantee his voice is necessary for every human and machine to hear.

I had a really hard time with this book, and I’m upset because I reaaaaally wanted to love it! It has everything I enjoy: post-apocalyptic world, living in the fringes, found family, witty dialogue, romance and adventure! What more could I want? It seems to have missed the mark, unfortunately. While the writing was beautiful, it was lacking in plot to move the story forward which is kind of hard to read when it’s an adventure fantasy. It felt a little stagnant and I kept finding myself wishing for something to happen. The characters were developed well enough but at the same time they felt a little unreachable to me. I did think however his world building was insane! I really felt like I was immersed in the world of Gio and Vic and kept wishing there was a theme park like this that I could visit! Overall I would say this was 2.5-3 stars for me.

Thank you Netgally for the ARC.

I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were fleshed (no pun intended) out well and the plot was well paced.

I enjoyed the balance between the writing of the narration and of the characters. The narration felt descriptive while the dialogue felt appropriately robotic. Nurse Ratched and Rambo each had unique elements that made their characters quite compelling.

The main plot line was exciting and heartwarming. I appreciated the touch of melancholy at the end with the big dash of hope. Seems appropriately human.

The queer/ace representation was great. There aren’t many ace characters out there so to see that represented authentically was a great touch. It didn’t feel forced or unnecessary but simply an element of the character. It felt real.

My only minor complaint is that the message felt a little heavy handed at times. Just a little too spelled out. Not enough to put much of a dent into my experience. Still a 5 star read. One of my favorite books I’ve read this year so far. Will definitely recommend to any fan of science fiction or found family.

TJ Klune has done it again, crafting a world of machines and making it both enduring and relatable. This book is a mix of Pinocchio and Wizard of Oz. Victor is the last human left on earth. Machines now inhabit the world since all humans were killed off.
His adventure starts when machines come to his house to steal the great inventor, his father, and take him to their version of the emerald city. Now Victor must team up with his nurse, vacuum, and killer robot to get his father back and hope Gio remembers him.
This book had many laugh out loud moments and tender moments between friends. Such a fun read.

Another amazing book by T.J. Klune! The way Klune was able to bring to life the the robots in such a realistic way that the relationships never seemed far fetched was fantastic. The strength of the family (Victor, Gio, Rambo, Nurse Ratched) storyline and the story of Victor and Hap kept me reading when I should've been doing other things. I was laughing and crying all the way through. I'm now suffering from a major book hangover. I can't wait for another T.J. Klune.

This is a good book and a lovely story. But it didn't get its claws in me the way House on the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door did.

This retelling of Pinocchio is set post-robot apocolypse where Victor, the only human boy he knows, has a robot father, robot friends, and robot danger. When Victor's father is kidnapped by Bad Robots, he sets off to rescue them.

The love story is soft and gentle, and maybe a little heart breaking. It was a beautifully described book, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it optioned for some kind of prestige television based on the visuals alone.

No, I hate to say it, but the piece of this book that annoyed me were the voices of the robot friends - Rambo and Nurse Ratched. While I understand the voices and how they serve the characters, I just didn't like them. It is what it is.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
4.5 stars

[Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for the early ARC to read and review!]

Victor lives in a strange little home in the woods hidden and safe with his android father and two robot friends Nurse Ratched and Rambo. When he repairs an unfamiliar robot named "HAP" (hysterically angry puppet) he learns of a dark past his father shares with HAP. But HAP doesn't remember who he used to be and he's learning a different lifestyle with Victor. When his father is taken by the authorities, Victor chooses to go find him. But as one of the only Humans left, it may be even more dangerous for him than he realizes, and along the way, HAP and Vic grow closer. But can he accept love with strings attached?

I enjoyed this book more than I had expected. It's not like The House in the Cerulean Sea but it shares the same cozy feel the book gives off, if you know what I mean. The writing style is easy to follow and every character has great development and I loved them all.

One thing I will say about this book is that it is very humorous. There were plenty of times I laughed from the conversations Victor has with his friends. The relationship between these characters was so wholesome and I enjoyed it so much.

This book, like their others, has great LGBTQA+ representation throughout it. Victor is asexual and it was so nice finally reading a story with asexual representation in the book. 

The adventures throughout this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was rooting for Victor and during the sad parts throughout the book I really felt along with him. If you haven't read this book, you need to. It was such a great story.

TJ Klune is probably the only person who can make you fall in love with monsters, ghosts, and now robots. It's a little Wizard of Oz (no wonder I liked it), a little Pinocchio, and a little Wall-E, but entirely unique and original at the same time.

I think everyone should read The House in the Cerulean Sea, but don't sleep on TJ Klune's other books. In the Lives of Puppets is another heart-warming story with big themes .

Out now.

Thank you to Tor Books and Netgalley for the electronic copy.

TJ Klune hits another home run. It was perfectly perfect.
I absolutely loved this book. Honestly I don’t think he could ever write something I wouldn’t like.
I loved how he incorporated Pinocchio. And the whale was the ship the robots road in.
I even got a Wizard of Oz kinda vibe. I mean they were off to see the Blue Fairy. And I did remember that Geo mentioned something about a man made of tin with a wooden heart.
Ya all just read that fabulous book.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝: The humor in this book was top notch, which is something I feel that Klune always delivers on well. Nurse Ratched was probably my favorite character, and I’ve already been beating the joke of her “empathy protocol” to death with any friends who have needed me to care about them in the past two weeks. I also adored anxious little Rambo and got so much comedic relief from these two characters—I will not soon forget them.

This one will give you Pinocchio and Wizard of Oz vibes, and having a reference point like that always helps me with the ~*imagination*~ needed to envision fantasy worlds.
⁣⁣⁣
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞: I know I’ll get questions about the 4⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣, and it’s hard to articulate why except that I didn’t find this one as emotionally devastating (and therefore as ingrained in my memory) as others I’ve read by Klune. I say this in the absolute softest and least critical way possible because I do not think that he is capable of writing a bad book and I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

I have not read TJ Klune's other series, though I have heard nothing but great things about them, so going into this book I definitely had high expectations. I am pleased to say the book definitely met them. The story was cute, quirky, funny, sad, and heartwarming. I love a series that has a somewhat sci-fi setting, but also a heartfelt plot and journey. I highly recommend this book, both for fans of Klune's work, and those that may be new to it.

TJ Klune owns my heart so completely. Anything he writes, I will read. I was absolutely obsessed with Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, so I was a little nervous that this would not live up to those. Boy, was I wrong. I am so in love with these characters, especially Nurse Ratched. Klune’s magic is in creating stories that you are at times sobbing one minute and laughing the next. I loved every second of this beautiful retelling.

Now I feel silly for being worried that I might not like this. I adore Klune's writing so much, but when I heard there were robots (!!) I admit that I figured this was something that might not work for me. Wrong! It's delightful and heartwarming and I will highly recommend it to anyone. If you're worried that you won't like it because you don't do sci-fi, stop worrying and trust that in the hands of Klune you will be treated with kindness and ushered gently into a weird and beautiful world. I can't throw enough praises at this, so I'll just say that TJ Klune is a master of storytelling and this may be his finest work yet.

Can I just tell you, TJ Klune makes me cry every time.

In the Lives of Puppets takes us on a journey with Victor Lawson, who lives with three robots. We have Giovanni Lawson, Victor's fatherly android. A hilarious sadistic nurse machine, Nurse Ratched, and a cute little vacuum, Rambo.

We follow Vic, with the help of his two robot friends, bring back a robot to life. This robot they call HAP has some kind of history with Gio and it's unbeknown to HAP as they have no memory leading up to being woken up by Vic.

From here a series of events happen which leads Vic on a mission to find Gio with the help of his friends.

I haven't laughed so much reading a book than I did with this. Nurse Ratched had me laughing my butt off. So much so my boss had to ask me what was so funny.

As always T.J. Klune hits so close to home and just gives you all the feels. Another new favorite for sure!

TJ Klune’s signature style shines in this book inspired by Pinocchio where a real boy tries to survive in a world of robots.

What I liked: Klune has a very distinct writing style with a strong voice. He maintains his quirky style throughout the book with bold characters, fantastic dialogue, and beautiful writing. I loved most of the story up until about Part 4. The characters showed great growth in an environment with true stakes.

To keep in mind: The House on the Cerulean Sea was a five star read for me, but something just felt off about this book. The writing was great, as previously mentioned, but the book itself felt too long with an unsatisfying ending. There were also some parts where it felt like the quirkiness of the characters was forced.

Rating: I truthfully do not know how to rate this book. Some parts felt too long and did not seem to fit the story, but Klune overall knows how to tell a good story. This is a book that I have I’ll definitely think about, but probably will not read again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

: 3.25 out of 5. In the life of puppets was hard for me. I am a fan of TJ Klune's past work, Remarkably Bright Creatures is spectacular. His second book took me a while to get into, but I really liked it too. This one took me even longer to get into, and it just never gelled as much as I wanted it to. The ending was beautiful, and I think by the last chapters I was invested, but I had to put it down five different times, so it took a while to finish. I think what was taking me time was to get invested with the characters. As beautiful as his non-traditional romances and relationships are, it's pushing it a little bit for me here. I don't know if I was very comfortable with all the robot/human relationships even though I understood what they were trying to do. It's very avantgarde and it might not have been for me,

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC! I’ve loved Klune’s writing since The House in the Cerulean Sea, but nothing could’ve predicted how obsessed I’d be with their latest book. In the Lives of Puppets is a fantastic retelling of The Adventures of Pinocchio story written by Carlo Collodi that transforms the mysticism of puppetry into futuristic images of robots and AI. Klune’s masterful world building and incredible eye for detail enhances the emotional qualities that make this book pack a real punch. It will make you laugh, cry, and fill you with warmth.

The fantastical elements that makes a TJ Klune book so special really sets this Pinocchio inspired story over the edge. You can feel the textures of the environment, visualize the atmosphere, and understand the characters in a way that provides an indescribable depth to the overall narrative. The characters interact with each other on a very real and human level despite their technological makeup. In the Lives of Puppets is the epitome of a masterpiece from beginning to end. I only wish I could read it for the first time all over again.