I never thought I would consider a Roomba vacuum to be one of my favorite characters in a book, but here we are. TJ Klune's characters are what makes his stories shine,

The whimsical sci-fi world building, heart-warming characters, and found family embarking on an epic journey to save one of their own, all combined to make one powerful adventure that had me laughing, crying, and wanting more at the end.

Oh my heart! A queer retelling of the fable Pinocchio? It's something only TJ Klune would think of and manage to pull off brilliantly.

In the Lives of Puppets tells the story of three robots--fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, Nurse Ratched, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention, Rambo. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe. But he 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.

The robots Nurse Ratched (Registered Automaton to Care, Heal, Educate and Drill) is an absolute hoot with her sarcastic wit, and little Rambo with his insecurities will win your heart. Gio is the wise and intelligent AI inventor who created the very human Victor. And HAP (Hysterically Angry Puppet) is the robot Vic brings back to life. When Gio is kidnapped and tears out his heart, the others know they must bring him back - but at what cost? To me, their adventure is akin to the Wizard of Oz, as well as Pinocchio's journey. It even reminds me of the Transformers/Terminator movies where the machines take over - or attempt to take over - the world.

This is such a warm, big-hearted story not unlike Klune's other recent books. It explores themes of the human quest for knowledge and advancement in AI technology, but at what risk. Yet it's also imbued with a sense of family and what it means to love one another.

Be sure to add this to your TBR today!

I’m typically not a fan of the ‘cozy’fantasy’ subgenre, but Klune’s last two books, The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door both hold special places in my heart for the themes they carry (read my reviews for House and Door. So Klune’s next addition to this genre was a highly anticipated read for me. Doubly so because there’s robots. Unfortunately, while the same heartwarming messages were there, they were bogged down by So. Many. Sex. Jokes.

Look. I’m not a prude. My ao3 browsing history will vouch for that. But when you have characters making the same five juvenile sex jokes, every single page, the story quickly detours from cozy fantasy with coming-of-age themes to ‘high school boys locker room. I’m aware of (although not acquainted with) Klune’s other body of work, where these kinds of jokes are significantly more prevalent. And while I’m happy for the author that he’s been able to bridge the gap between his niches, I do sincerely believe this book would have been much stronger had his editor curbed him back.

Sex jokes aside, I was surprised to find myself split on the characters. I typically love robot characters and one of my favorite themes is ‘robots reconciling the concept of being human with their lack of humanity”. Hap, the stuttering murderbot our MC Vic uncovers, is the perfect example of this. Hap additionally has to reconcile the part where he spent his past life straight-up murdering humans. Some of his scenes with Vic are incredibly powerful and moving, highlighting Klune’s strengths in playing with the reader’s emotions.

Nurse Ratched, a sadistic drilling nurse bot, and Rambo, the tragically misnamed neurotic cleaning Roomba, were easily my least two favorites. They each felt like caricatures of characters, regularly reminding the reader of their epithets with some snappy comment or joke that often derailed a more serious conversation. Not so coincidentally, these two were the instigators of the majority of the sex jokes.

For me, both the story itself and the world were mostly fine, if somewhat rushed and underdeveloped. Really, I felt the issues went hand in hand. The scope of the worldbuilding is so expansive compared to the other works and no one part felt adequately dwelled upon, except for maybe the forest tree home that Vic grows up in. As a consequence, many of the plot points feel rushed or handwaved, giving the climaxes less weight because they don’t feel as earned.

Overall, I rate this book a 2/5. I was incredibly excited for Klune’s next book, so the let down was all the more disappointing. A glut of sex jokes ruined the story for me, and I wasn’t particularly thrilled on the characters either. The overall concept was fantastic, but the execution felt subpar.

A wonderful story with bits and pieces that will remind you of other stories, yet it's so original that you'll immediately start reading it for a second time when you finish the first. The bits and pieces description fit most of the characters too, as they are robots, or android humans, whatever you want to call them. But as they interact with the sole human in the story, the bits and pieces become a whole that you'll come to recognize and care for. If I had to find a comparison, I'd say this is a hybrid Wizard of Oz. The "family" will quickly learn that there really is no place like home.

This book took me forever to read. I felt I needed to slowly savor it. It has so many profound insights and amazing thought invoking quotes. I really loved the relationships. Rambo and Nurse Ratched were my favorite characters. I'm glad I purchased the book because I will definitely be doing a re-read.

IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS by TJ Klune is available now! What to expect when you read a Klune book: a creative whimsical world, witty banter, and the most lovable characters. In this one, he creates such endearing and funny characters that you will be laughing out loud and giving them your own heart by the end.

Throughout this adventurous story, you’ll meet the last human on earth, an anxious vacuum, a historically angry puppet learning to love, and a snarky nurse robot. Nurse Ratched is one of my most favorite characters of all time and found this slightly psychotic robot to be the most relatable. Maybe because I’m a nurse or maybe because I have to engage my own empathy protocol on a regular basis. 😂 I love how fierce she is and how she is loving and loyal to her found family.

In the Lives of Puppets is a Pinocchio retelling of a human, Vic, and his built robots and wooden heart. I got Wizard of Oz vibes as Vic and the rest of the gang set off to find Vic’s father. This is very much a story of how to love and be loved, friendships, and courage. I highly recommend all of TJ Klune’s books if you love your heart to feel warm and happy and you love to laugh and cry and have all the feels.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an ELC and to Tor Books for sending a finished copy for @mystery.book.club!

What makes us human? What makes us more than the base we are created to be? TJ Klune asks these questions and more in the fantastical dystopian adventure, In the Lives of Puppets. This book is inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, but there are bits of Frankenstein, Wall-E, and more, brought together and added upon by Klune’s unique voice and characters.

In a strange home built among the trees lives a unique family: inventor android Giovanni Lawson, an anxiety-ridden vacuum named Rambo, sadistic medical robot Nurse Ratched, and Victor Lawson, a human inventor. When Vic discovers an android among the scrap yards, he brings him back to life. HAP (or Hysterically Angry Puppet) has a past hunting humans, but can he be more than his programming? When Gio is taken by the Authority, Vic, Hap, Rambo, and Nurse Ratched must venture far beyond the forest and rely on each other to survive.

Klune weaves in love in all its forms in this book. Love can be pure and it can be horribly complex, filled with strings. Questions of forgiveness, redemption, and what makes us human, alive, and more than our parts rise over and over again. There’s a lot to like about In the Lives of Puppets. For all its points of inspiration it still feels like a unique book and the world building is top-notch. The characters are all complicated and well-drawn; I defy anyone to read this and not fall in love with Rambo, the chatty, utterly endearing vacuum I wish were real because I’d want to adopt him. The adventures our protagonists take reveal the characters complexities and I’d hate to spoil the journey of discovery by talking about it to much. That being said, as much as I enjoyed the individual parts of In the Lives of Puppets, I struggled with putting a rating on the story. I have loved other books of Klune’s and have been dazzled by his prose and characters. This book wasn’t as engaging as some of his others; in fact, it was quite slow and I had no trouble putting it down. The world was well-drawn but didn’t suck me in the way other worlds of his have (perhaps because of all the references to other works) and that was hard for me to forget.

Even though it wasn’t the most compelling of Klune’s work for me, I still overall recommend In the Lives of Puppets. The message is strong and well-delivered, the characters endearing, and the story overall beautiful and bittersweet.

In the Lives of Puppets is a beautifully weird, heartwarming (but also heartbreaking) book about accepting yourself, familial bonds, and what it means to be human. As a TJ Klune fan who has read all of his newer releases and several of his backlist books, I had a feeling I was going to like this one, but I was not prepared for how much. This book took me by surprise in the best way and put me through an emotional roller coaster. I loved every second of it.

If you haven’t heard much about In the Lives of Puppets, it’s a story loosely inspired by Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, with ties to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as well. Klune expertly weaves in details and homages to these original works while keeping his story entirely original.

Additionally, the world building was excellent! Since this book is set in a dystopian world, there’s a lot going on that we might not be familiar with, but there’s never any info dumping about it. Instead, everything is revealed through the characters’ experiences and actions, keeping it easy to follow along with. The word choice when describing the world also enhanced the experience with the book. I had a vivid picture of this world in my mind and never had any issues understanding new concepts, even if they weren’t explained in full detail, which is how I prefer world building. Also, I don’t know how else to describe this, but I just loved the vibe from In the Lives of Puppets. Some stories are excellent at expressing a certain feeling or mood, and this one was no different. I’m not even sure what it was, but I loved it all the same.

Not only was the world building incredible, but the plot was engaging and the pacing was perfect, with a great mix of action-packed, tension filled moments, interspersed with quieter ones between the characters. Never once did I find myself bored or wondering when the next scene would start. I was engrossed the entire time, constantly trying to put all of the pieces of the plot’s puzzle together. While sometimes I thought I knew where the story was headed, it would throw me for a loop just to let me know that I did not, in fact, know everything about it. It was a lot of fun, actually!

Even though I absolutely adored the plot and world building, it was the characters and their relationships that truly made this book shine. Every single character was instrumental to the plot with a vibrant personality that could stand on their own from the others. We had Rambo, the loving and anxious vacuum cleaner who would do anything for his loved ones; Nurse Ratched, the sociopathic nurse android who was sassy and sarcastic and wouldn’t take anything from anyone, especially if they tried to hurt those she loved; Hap, the Hysterically Angry Puppet who was a bit of a grump but with a soft and protective side he only showed to those he trusted; Giovanni, the inventive creator who was filled with empathy, regret, sadness, and happiness all at the same time, who just wanted to be with his family; and then of course, there was Victor.

Victor’s character means so much to me, and I can’t tell you how insanely happy it makes me that he even exists. Victor is asexual, which is done sooo well! Additionally to that, though, it’s not stated on the page that Victor’s autistic, but he has sensory issues, trouble with emotional regulation, social interactions, and eye contact, all of which are traits of being autistic. It’s also stated several times that Victor “processes” things differently, which many autistic people do. As someone who is autistic, I really saw myself in his character, and it made me tear up at points that Victor was allowed to be the hero of his story, while still having sensory difficulties among other things along the way. The other characters knew this was part of him and helped him through it, which is something I wish more people would do. If more neurodivergent people had accommodations, we’d be able to thrive more than we’re allowed to in this neurotypical world.

Watching Victor’s journey, seeing him have the troubles he did, still overcoming all that he did, and by the end still being his authentic self, means more to me than I can ever say. Victor wasn’t cured (which he shouldn’t have to be!), and he still got to have his happy ending. Too often in fiction neurodivergent characters are “cured” by the end, and everything they’ve dealt with is suddenly gone. The fact that this didn’t happen to Victor is incredible. I love his character so, so much and I seriously can’t tell you how overjoyed I am to see someone like him in a book this big.

Now that I’m done rambling about that (sorry, haha! It’s something I’m really passionate about), I need to talk about the relationships! First of all, Victor’s bond with his father, Giovanni was so sweet. Even though they went through their ups and downs, and even though their trust was tried, their bond held through it all. Victor and Giovanni might not be related by blood, but they are family through and through. I also *adored* the dynamic between Victor, Hap, Rambo, and Nurse Ratched. These four had me cracking up! At one point I was reading in public and had to put it down because I was laughing too much and was getting weird looks. I loved these dorks. They made my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

And finally, I need to talk about the relationship that had be bawling my eyes out (thanks TJ Klune…). Victor and Hap. These two!!! Hap was so protective of Victor, but the same can be said of Victor with Hap. They both wanted to protect each other, and while they weren’t aware of their deeper feelings at first, they both knew they cared for the other a lot. Watching their relationship grow was so wholesome. It was the slowest of burns, which is my *favorite,* and I love the fact that it developed without much physical attraction. Since Victor is asexual, we get to see the purely romantic side of their relationship (which as someone on the ace spectrum myself, I prefer to read about). Their interactions were tender and sweet, and I could not handle it.

I will never forgive TJ Klune for what he did with the ending, but at the same time, I loved every part of In the Lives of Puppets and can’t be mad about it either.

If you haven’t read In the Lives of Puppets or if it’s not on your TBR, do it!! You won’t regret it.

✨ Review ✨ In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune; Narrated by Daniel Henning

A queer retelling of Pinocchio, also with lots of Wizard of Oz, Swiss Family Robinson, Wall-E, and A Wrinkle in Time connections as well, that is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud!

The audio brings SO much to this book. Even though it had just a single narrator, had a full-cast feel. The audio made it so much more fun, and it really brought the robots to life! Nurse Rached and Rambo, two of the robots, particularly brought the laughs to this book!

In this book, Victor is the only human (a flip on Pinocchio as the only puppet among a cast of "real-life" characters), and his "dad" Gio is a robot, bringing a fun twist to this classic story.

The book did drag a little in the second half, and the travel adventure part of the book feels like it could have been tightened up a bit.

Overall, a super fun read, one that you won't regret listening to!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.75 stars)
Genre: sci-fi/fantasy, queer retelling
Setting: fantasy, dystopian world
Reminds me of: Pinocchio, Wizard of Oz, Swiss Family Robinson, Wall-E, and A Wrinkle in Time
Pub Date: out now

Read this if you like:
⭕️ hilarious robots in dystopian worlds
⭕️ queer retellings of classic stories
⭕️ excellent audio narration

Thanks to Tor Books, Macmillan Audio and #netgalley for advanced e-copies of this book!

Unfortunately, I didn't get the same cozy feelings when I read TJ Klune's other books.
I enjoyed the humour that the robots had, as well as the discussion on the morality of robots, but wasn't really pulled in completely by the story itself.

“𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐭.”

TJ Klune has done it again. His books have this way of burrowing into my heart and staying there long after I’ve finished the last page. In the Lives of Puppets is no exception to this. I loved every single page. I cried about 4 times. My heart is so full. This queer retelling of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio with robots and a sprinkle of magic was everything I had ever hoped it would be.

The characters were the heart of this story. Gio, the father, warmed my heart. Vic, our protagonist, went on such a journey of self-discovery and finding his purpose. It was incredibly moving and relatable. Hap was so precious, and also angry some of the time, but the way he came to care for Vic made me so happy. But- Rambo and Nurse Ratched were the stars of the show. Their banter and their witty dialogue was my favorite part of the book. Some of the most out-of-pocket things were said and I was laughing out loud.

Overall, if you haven’t added this book to your tbr, consider this your sign to do so. In the Lives of Puppets tells the story of a ragtag group of characters that build a family from the ground up and stick together no matter what happens. This story is full of heart, humor, magic, and adventure.

***

“What are the rules?”
“Stick together.”
“Run if we have to,”
“No dallying.”
“No drilling.”
“And above all else, be brave.”

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for review!

I like this more than any of the whispering door, but not as much as house in the cerulean sea.
I loved all of the characters( especially Rambo) but I expected more of emotional punch though i did love the ending. It was a very cute and whimsical read.

Adorable robots.
Asexual representation.
A protagonist to root for.

🤖IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS by TJ Klune🤖

📆Pub date: Out now!
➡️Swipe for synopsis
Read if you like:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Found family
🚌Adventure stories
🧙‍♀️Fantasy genre

Thank you Tor for the advanced copy of In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune. Klune is one of my favorite authors ever and The House in the Cerulean Sea is my favorite book, so I was so excited to read this! It has the classic found family and hilarious humor of TJ Klune’s previous books. I loved all of the characters, especially Rambo and Vic. I would say that some things led to this not being a five star read for me. I didn’t think the plot was totally fleshed out and I wasn’t as invested in the story. But the characters are what truly shines in this book, and I will be thinking about them for a long time!

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. You can access the video here: https://youtu.be/1IG1Y0S4odo

This was a much anticipated release for me! I’ve really enjoyed TJ Klune’s other books and jumped up and down when I got this last minute approval! It lived up to the hype for me all the way through to the end, and I wasn’t left disappointed.

Klune always does an awesome job making bringing all the things I love from my childhood books with magical characters and adventure. In this case, it’s snarky robots with nods to Pinocchio throughout the story. The characters definitely gave me MST3K vibes and tangentially reminded me of my favorite comic book series, Akiko. Both solid favorites and this felt similar without ever going too close, so it’s no surprise I loved this too!

My only complaint is that I feel like the love story was unnecessary and pulled from the strong friendship/found family and family heart of the story. I get that popular opinion demands love, but this was so solid without it! Give me all the Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Gio! Still a lovely story with great representation as always.

Don’t hesitate to pick this one up!

TJ Klune’s books just feel like a warm hug. This one was more adventure than his others but the characters were so lovable and there were so many heartwarming quotes throughout the book. I can’t wait for his next one! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

🌳 In The Lives of Puppets - TJ Klune

4 ⭐️- Pinocchio meets The Wizard of Oz meets Westworld. This book was such a fun, exciting ride. TJ Klune truly knows how to write a magical story with lovable, spunky characters. If you’ve read Klune’s other books, I definitely recommend this one.

In a strange home built in the branches, there lives 3 robots - Giovanni Lawson, a fatherly inventor, a sadistic nursing robot, and a small vacuum searching for love an attention. Victor Lawson, a human lives there too. When Victor salvages an old android, he finds out about a dark past between “Hap” and Gio. When Hap alerts robots from Gio’s past about his, and his family’s, whereabouts, they are no longer safe. When Gio is taken back to where he originated, Vic and his friends set out on a journey to find and save him.

This is such a sweet story. It reminds me of Pinocchio with its inventor/inventions and hiding from the bad guys. It reminds me of The Wizard of Oz because of the fun filled journey Victor and his friends take. It reminds me of Westworld because of its robots and their desire to take over. (does AI scare anyone else right now?) This is a story of unlikely friendship turned family, growth, adventure, and finding what’s important in life. I love the way TJ Klune tells a magical adventure story and I love all of his quirky fun characters. I definitely recommend this, The House in the Cerulean Sea, and Under the Whispering Door if you haven’t read them. HIGHLY recommend all of these on audio!

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the early ARC.

I loved it. TJ Klune has fast become one of my favorite authors. There is just this feel of kindness, love and acceptance intertwined in all their stories and I can’t get enough.
In the Lives of Puppets has a Pinocchio twist that is so clever. I loved Vic and his humanness, each character is unique and has so much to offer. It’s a great group full of heart and so many laugh out loud moments. But it’s also endearing and sad at moments.
A beautiful story about finding your family and what you would do to keep them safe.

I love love love T. J. Klune and his writings! The characters are so lovable and genuine. In The Lives Of Puppet was the same. I immediately fell in love with Rambo and nurse Ratched. T.J.Klune is a master writer and thinks outside of box with his story telling and characters.

Thank you @macmillanaudio @torbooks and @netgalley for the complimentary audiobook and gifted galley. This amazing, lovable, imaginative masterpiece is available for purchase at your nearest bookstore. Grab your copy today. It’s a perfect summer read!!

TJ Klune is one of my favorite authors and when I saw that he would be releasing a new book this year I was very excited. I applied for an ARC without expecting to get it and was over the moon when I got approved.

I went into this book with high expectations, but found a story quite a bit different than I was expecting. The only way that I can adequately describe the difference is to say that Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door were more sweet and feel good, where as Puppets is more snarky, edgy, and didn’t really have the warm fuzzy effect of the previous books.

I did really like the main character Vic. He was relatable and I loved how curious he was. I also appreciated his creativity in how he restored HAP and his reasoning behind learning to build a heart.

I also enjoyed Gio and thought his backstory was one of the most compelling parts of the book. I thought the concept of how he grew and learned was cool.

That said, I didn’t love most of the supporting characters. Both Nurse Ratched and Rambo were misses for me. I found them very repetitive, which I get, they’re robots, but it just didn’t work for me. Some of the more minor characters that showed up in the story also were kind of lackluster.

One thing that was significantly different was the type of humor in this book. There were a lot of poop, sex, and dick jokes which were amusing once or twice, but started to get really repetitive.

I will say that I really appreciated that the main character was asexual. I haven’t seen a lot of good asexual representation, so I really appreciated this.

All in all, this story was underwhelming for me. I really wanted to love it and I’m sure a lot of readers still will, but it just didn’t have the magic that some of his other books had for me.

I did also receive an Audio-ARC copy and found the audiobook to be well done. The narrator does a fantastic job of interpreting the various characters and bringing the story to life.