I didn't initially realize that In the Lives of Puppets was a Pinocchio retelling. There's a glut of retellings out there these days so if I had seen that, I might have passed on this one. I'm glad I didn't though. In the Lives of Puppets is full of the found family goodness that permeates TJ Klune's writing. This is a sweet story of what it means to be a family and a must-read for Klune's fans.

TJ Klune's IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS features a found family comprised of inventors and robots. When a robot is threatened with decommissioning, adventure ensues.

This title was funny with a real science fiction lean (perfect for fans of PKD's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" and Klune's previous work). If you're looking for heartwarming sci-fi lite, this is the read for you.

A delightful take on the Pinocchio story that includes a sadistic nursing robot and a museum of humanity, In The Lives of Puppets is a must-read. 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. The story is sweet and loving, with complex, spiky characters in a post-apocalypse that somehow manages to be charming. This book is destined to make all of the Best Of lists this year, and is a great choice for fans of Klune's other works or Legends and Lattes.

Such a great book - a unique retelling of Pinocchio! This was my first TJ Klune and I am in love with his work! He has made a creative world with a heartwarming plot and lovable characters! Can't wait to read more of his books!

A delightful retelling or Pinocchio with such vibrant, creative, funny, lovely characters that I won’t spoil but describing them. Love the way Klune is able to create “found”, loving, loyal families within plot conflict that the reader is able to relate to. What a treat this was. Thanks to Tor Books for the advanced copy. Go read this one. Asap!

This was such a unique retelling of Pinocchio. I really enjoyed all the characters and TJ Klune always knows how to hook you in with his found family trope. I also loved the ace rep in this one. I didn’t know much about this book before diving in, and while this wasn’t my favorite from him I still really enjoyed it. I always recommend anything he writes.

Pinocchio. Frankenstein. Murderbot. The feeling of grand adventure. Childlike wonder and existential wonderings. A fairy tale and a sci-fi thriller and one of those rom-coms that gets less com and more deep the more you go into it. That's In the Lives of Puppets, and I absolutely adored it. But really, I shouldn't have to say more than "anxious Roomba, murderous nursebot, and a twist on Pinocchio that will have you pausing to look off into the distance to ponder the very nature of humanity." Wow.

I know TJ Klune is almost synonymous with “cozy” but I think I’d leave that adjective out while describing this book. While it does inspire hope, it does take an electric adventure full of high stakes to get there. Klune truly brings his robot characters to life, so well at times that it’s hard to forget they’re not human. Victor, our MC, is the true heart of this book. There were several moments where I just could not put this down, and I needed to make sure all our machines were safe. What an absolute delight of a book. Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC!

Another great book by Klune! I am a big fan of Klune since Cerulean Sea and his adult books have not disappointed me yet when I’m looking for something lighthearted but with a lot of depth and whimsy. The characters in this were fantastic. The combination of Rambo and Nurse Ratched are now two of my favorites. Their personalities came through so well and I couldn’t help but to laugh throughout this book! Highly recommend!

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5) - I really needed this reminder of what it means to be human, suffering and pain and love and beauty all rolled into one. I want to see a movie/limited series with these characters immediately! All are fantastic and there are so many surprising funny lines that kept making me laugh out loud. There were a couple scenes that felt really rushed and a few problems that felt a bit too smoothed over but overall this was a fantastic read!

I have read and loved TJ Klune in the past, so was so excited and thankful to receive this ARC. However, this one just did not work for me. I am not a huge AI lover, but wanted to try because I have enjoyed his previous books that aren’t my typical genre. I really tried, but just could not connect with the characters or story. I have seen great reviews, and am sure it will work for some. I can’t wait to see what this author comes out with next! It is still so well written!

What was the last book that made you cackle? I read In The Lives Of Puppets while on spring break in Hawaii and I was giggling and guffawing and then had to look around and see if anyone noticed (other than my kids who were annoyed and embarrassed by me). I loved this book so much. It is a retelling of Pinocchio but in reverse - it is the story of a human boy in a world of robots who is in search of his inventor “dad”. I do not want to give any spoilers but this book will melt you. I laughed, I cried, I hugged the book. The witty, one-liners are full of snark and dripping with sarcasm. The world created in this book was so descriptive and clever that I had a full picture in my head. The emotions leap off the page. It is about love, humanity and allowing people to be who they want to be and love who they want to love. All the stars.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. For me this was a mix of Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, Frankenstein, and The Brave Little Toaster. At first. I was very hesitant going into this because the synopsis didn't interest me much (never really enjoyed the Pinocchio story) but being a Klune book I couldn't pass it up. In typical Klune fashion, the found family and the humor were top-tier. It's about family, community, humanity, and love. It was full of heart and soul even with most of the characters being machines.

However, this one also felt really long to me at one point and not in the best way. I think It was because about 40% of the book is them going on a journey---which personally I do not care for in my stories. I did quite enjoy the cast of quirky characters Klune is known for---especially Rambo who must be protected at all cost!!! I loved the family element of this but I think the romantic element---even though it's quite small---made me a bit uncomfortable. I am not really down with the human/AI relationship. It felt a bit forced and for lack of a better word unnatural. The overall emotions I want in my romances just can't be found in this relationship. But I digress. Overall, I enjoyed the book but just didn’t love it as much as other Klune novels.


I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cue my screaming because TJ Klune CANNOT miss!! There’s something so cozy about this book, even though it’s about robots. I’m not even sure if I can choose a favorite character.
The world was creative, the characters were so well-developed and lovable, and I wanted to stay in this world forever. Klune does a great job of injecting a little bitterness/sadness into the story as well, which makes it even more relatable, in my opinion. 10/10 no notes.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

What I liked: This audiobook had a fantastic narrator. Could not have been better! I absolutely loved the characters - particularly Nurse Ratched and Rambo. This is a fun Pinocchio meets Wall-E type story. I also really appreciate the sarcasm and humour in this story.

What I didn’t like: As much as I LOVED The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, I just could not connect with this book in the same way. I loved the beginning, but the majority of this story just didn’t keep me as interested as I would have hoped. This one is sci-fi and maybe that’s why. I’m not much of a sci-fi or fantasy reader, even though I did enjoy the other two books of his that I’ve read.

I gave this one a 3⭐️ rating. It was a solid read, but just not for me.

Many thanks to #netgalley @torpublishing and @macmillanaudio for a chance to listen to this audiobook (and the bonus of an ecopy as well) in exchange my honest review.

Klune has done it again. Another great cast of characters and a story that will pull at every heart string you have. Perfection.

If you haven't read Klune yet, you should. Read ALL of them because he is truly talented.

As a fun of TJ Klune's previous works, I was disappointed with this one. The first few robot sex jokes were funny but then it got old quickly. I loved Nurse Ratchet but everyone else was annoying.

I am a huge fan of TJ Klune's House of the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. I have loved the fantasy, the sweet, charming characters, unique settings, and the heartwarming messages. This book, however, might have been a little too far out for me. There were definitely parts that won me over like the quirky, goofy characters, the themes of love, and the interesting setting. The rest of it, however, left me scratching my head and questioning where in the world this story could go next.

This story begins with a not so quite man who is handed a baby by parents under duress. He takes in the boy, Victor, raising him in the strange but charming home he has crafted full of additions, annexes, and bridges in the woods. The boy grows to be a resourceful, inventive young man who lives his days under the love of his father who we now know is an extremely advanced form of AI, Giovanni, and his charming and hilarious friends, Nurse Ratched (a revamped and improved nurse bot) and Rambo (a refurbished rumba vacuum). The story is marked by strange, sexual, goofy banter lobed back and forth between the characters. Everything is turned upside down when Victor, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo find a discarded AI being in the trash heap. There are underlying signs of Vic's attraction to the bot and the three secretly carry him away to begin building him a heart, like the one Gio crafted for himself.

When Vic infuses the heart with a bit of his blood, the being comes to life and we learn that HAP remembers nothing from his previous "life" and he quickly learns, gains emotional intelligence, and is added to this family unit. Little do they know, that upon receiving the blood of a human, the authority is notified and comes in search of the source of this blood. The convoluted, bizarre, and surprising journey that ensues will keep you turning pages.

This story is masterfully written. I can see the profound way that Klune flipped the classic Pinnochio story, in that the father is the "toy" and the "son" is the human teaching love and emotion. I also see wonderful allusions to The Wizard of Oz and can understand the deep messaging that Klune hopes to convey to readers. It just wasn't the story for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for this Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another wonderful book by TJ Klune. I loved the characters and wish I could have my own Rambo! The story itself was a little drawn out for me, but the characters more than made up for it! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's "The Adventures of Pinocchio". with a darker twist, a bit of Frankenstein, Wall-E, and Swiss Family Robinson, this is a futuristic tale of what happens when Robots and Humans clash. From the amazing TJ Klune who brought us The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, comes this amazing look into why humans are wonderful... for all their faults.

In the middle of a forest, with nothing for miles, lives an odd little family. An android who goes by Gio, a sociopath nurse machine, an adorable vacuum, and... a human boy - Victor Lawson. One day Vic finds an android labelled "HAP," who he takes back home and repairs. After his father, Gio, discovers him though, Vic learns that there is a very dark history between them - a history that involved hunting and killing humans.

When the robots are accidentally alerted to their location, Gio is captured and taken back to his old lab in the City of Electric Dreams. In order to save him, Vic must travel further than he ever has, and much further than he ever imagined, to rescue Gio before he is decommissioned - or even reprogrammed. Along the way, Vic has to deal with growing feelings for Hap - along with everything else he learns along the way.

I have to say, I always wanted a Roomba, After hearing Klune's story on how he came up with the idea of this book, and reading it myself, I really want one to put pincers, googly eyes and a mouth, and name it Rambo. He was my favorite character! I'm not sure I've ever related to robots in the way that Klune made me do in this book - from Nurse Ratched to Rambo, to robots we only see in passing, it was amazing to see them personified so well. And probably terrifying in realty to consider.

I was able to see Klune at a release party for the book. The first thing he did was ask if he made us cry. Resounding yeses all around. He also spoke as to why found family is so important to him - that for the LGBTQ+ community, found families are often the only families they have. His story, and things he shared, broke my heart. But I so appreciated his honesty, and everything he stands and fights for. If you ever get a chance, absolutely go meet him in person.

Overall, this is not my favorite book by Klune I have read. Under the Whispering Door still holds that title for me. That doesn't mean it isn't absolutely excellent though. Check it out - as well as the rereleases of his Wolfsong series this summer!

Content Warnings: Destruction of Human Race, general tragedy, animal death (but not pets), and sexual content mentioned but not performed (like in an odd educational way). As always, probably things I didn't think of.