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.

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.