Overall loved this book, but it did feel less original than his other work and more pieced together from Disney works, I know some was intentional but others felt lazy. Still an enjoyable reading experience and will continue to read what he puts out!

Such a fun and interesting take on robots. I am not a Pinocchio fan so having that be part of the marketing was something that almost stopped me from requesting this book, but glad I did.

Oh, to live in TJ Klune’s mind for just one day…

If I told you to read a book that at times felt like a cross between Pinocchio and The Wizard of Oz, but with queer love and robots— would you read it? What if I told you to just trust me?! 🤣

Y’all. This book is so relevant with all the advancements in AI technology happening right now. We’ve all seen the movies, but Klune writes up a world post-robot takeover that is unlike anything we’ve ever seen or heard before. It’s terrifying, but also gentler and more hopeful. It will make you feel the feels, and it will open your heart.

If you’ve read and loved his books before, I know this will be no exception. If you’ve never ventured into Klune’s imagination before, I couldn’t think of a better place to start. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC of In the Lives of Puppets!

Robot Giovanni Lawson builds what is the most beautifully described treehouse in a remote forest (like I want to pack up and move there) and lives there until he eventually realizes that he is lonely and then a human couple come running through the trees and give him their baby to keep safe.

Gio is a creative robot and rehabilitates a Nurse Ratched robot and a robot vacuum named Rambo. Nurse Ratched and Rambo steal the show in this book. Their characters are hilarious.

Gio raises the human baby and names him Victor. The story takes place when Victor is 22. Vic, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo discover another android robot in the nearby scrapyards setting of a chain of events that lead to a quest to the City of Electric Dreams.

This story has such an interesting premise as a reverse Pinocchio retelling. The writing is beautiful and the characters are heartbreaking. This was such a great read.

Another great TJ Klune book. A great retelling that is heartwarming in a way that only Klune can do. This is a bit of a slow burn at the beginning but picks up about 30% in and makes it hard to put down

As always with T.J. Klune, this story is super original and creative with beautiful meaning tucked in as well as some great humor. It had great banter between the very lovable characters that had me laughing and smiling. While I did enjoy the book, it didn’t pull me in quite like the authors other books.

As with all of the T.J. Klune books I have read this was a stunning 5 star read. In the Lives of Puppets is adorable, emotional, heartfelt, and heart wrenching. It made me feel so many emotions throughout the entire story, it kept me coming back for more because I knew I was in for a good time! The story was full of wit and sass and snappy one-liners which was SO entertaining. This was the first story I've read that had Pinocchio influences which I thought was so unique and kept me coming back for more. My only wish was that some parts of the story were longer! I felt the ending was ever so slightly rushed but it ultimately did not detract from my joy of this story.

TJ Klune does it again. I feel like his books always start slow, and I tell myself that this one might not be my favorite..and then it happens. The magic. The magic that only he can produce. He makes you fall in love with the characters, but never forces it. A book about best friends, found family and a whole lot of love.

"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."

You know that first drink of water, after working out? Or digging in the garden on a hot day? Or when you first wake up and your tongue is glued to the roof of your mouth?

Coming off a month-long book slump, this book is that first drink.

Was lost, now found.
Was parched, now fully hydrated.

I loved everything about it.

I loved the ridiculous side characters (A Roomba with GAD and an Angel of Death nurse-bot?).

I loved the setting (should I be able to SMELL the colour green?).

I loved Victor's Hero's Journey.

I loved that it was a weird mash-up of Pinocchio and Psalm for the Wild-Built and Futurama.

And the ending. THE ENDING.

My only red-light is with my own brain, that won't let me stay in the moment and ENJOY all the happiness.

If I hadn't already read everything from this author's back catalogue, I'd have them all in my cart right now.

9.5/10

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Macmillan Audio for this not-so-Grimm Fairytale of an ARC.

Absolutely amazing! My friend and so many others have raved about TJ Klune and this is my first read of his work. I loved it. I adore his writing style and I love how he can talk about intense topics but does so in a way where I can still enjoy the book. I can't wait to read his others.

In the Lives of Puppets is a retelling of Pinocchio mixed with bits of The Wizard of OZ and The Terminator. Only this time the boy is human and everyone else is a pupp....err....robot.

This is a delightful book. There are complex emotions, social commentary, pop culture references, and a big huge dollop of humor layered into a love story between a human and the robot created to destroy humans. I enjoyed it immensely and was deeply moved by the ending.

Also, I would live for a series of picture books of Nurse Ratched and Rambo wandering in the forest getting into misadventures.

Filled with TJ Klune’s signature charming characters and heartwarming messages, this one follows a young man named Victor who lives in the woods with his inventor father and his robot friends. One day he discovers a half broken robot in the nearby scrapyards and suddenly, everything they’ve known gets turned on it’s head. This book is very much a Pinocchio retelling—more than I realized upon picking it up. It also is a bit quest-y which doesn’t often work for me. I liked parts of this story and it definitely has some laugh out loud moments, but it’s my least favorite of Klune’s recent books. It dragged at times and didn’t have too much of a plot beyond a rescue mission. It’s giving Pinocchio meets Brave Little Toaster with splashes of The Wizard of Oz, Frankenstein, and Walle.

I really enjoyed this book and the exploration of the connection between man and machine. The band of Victor, a human, and his merry misfits of androids are a chosen family who must work together throughout the book. I loved the characters whose personalities and banter ended up being hilarious together. Love Klune and his writing and this book is another masterpiece of theirs.

TJ Klune's In the Lives of Puppets is a Queer telling Pinocchio in a family of the "Robinsons" Robots plus a sprinkle of Howls Moving Castle atmosphere. The themes are Death, Forgiveness, Empathy and Found Family (TJ's Specialty). I have so many favorites quotes from this novel and to think the author was inspired to write this beautiful story from a ROOMBA VACUUM CLEANER! I didn't care for the setting mainly because the banter and ethics were the main priority when engrossed in this story! I think this book will be another bestseller and be great investment for readers from all ages and genres. These thoughts are my own and thank you for sending me this ARC via Netgalley!

If I wanted to explain all the reasons I loved this book, I really should just copy and paste the entire story into this review. I loved the House on the Cerulean Sea so much and was a little worried Klune wouldn't be able to top it, but this book is so incredible in its own unique way. Let's start with the characters. Rambo the Roomba is the cutest thing ever and I am in heaven (in heaven) every time he opens his tiny mouth. I realize Victor is the main character, but Rambo stole the whole book for me. Victor is such a compelling lead though and I loved having the story told from his perspective. His relationship with Giovanni was both touching and realistic, and the development of his relationship with HAP was just as complex and wonderful. I really loved the exploration of Victor's asexuality and it's continued reaffirmation throughout the story. T.J. Klune managed to work his magic yet again, and I am utterly swept away by this Pinocchio meets Frankenstein meets The Wizard of Oz retelling.

This book is said to be a retelling of Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, but I got more Wizard of Oz vibes rather than Pinocchio. Judging by the title, I assumed the characters were going to be puppets, like Pinocchio, but my take away was that the title was insinuating the humans were the puppets being controlled by evil robots.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love this story as much as I had anticipated but it would be hard to top The House in the Cerulean Sea, one of my all time favorites. I am not a huge fan of Sci-fi but I absolutely adored The House in the Cerulean Sea and really enjoyed Under the Whispering Door. However, I didn’t love this story as much as I had anticipated. At times it seemed like the story was about today’s real world/politics but doing it in a sneaky way using androids and puppets…but maybe I was overthinking it. I wouldn’t say I disliked it, I am sure many will love it, but the plot just wasn’t for me. The writing was great and the characters were well developed and hilarious. Matter of fact, I would say that I fell in love with Vic, Rambo and Nurse Ratched and even found myself laughing out loud many times at their funny antics and constant banter. I appreciated the found family, acceptance, loyalty and finding purpose in your life aspects of the story.

If you enjoy sci-fi/post-apocalyptic and/or robots vs. humanity then this would be the book for you.

5⭐️

<b> “You were made to bring happiness. You are alive in ways we are not. You are soft and fragile. But you are complex and disturbing and sometimes, foolishly brilliant.”</b>

In the trees in the forest of a place once known as Ory-Gone, the last known human lives with his father, Giovanni. Giovanni told his son, Victor, about how his parents left him in his care and that one day they would return. Giovanni, a machine, raises Victor as his own. Victor frequents the Scrap Yards, searching for things to fix. He found and repaired a Nurse Registered Automaton to Care, Heal, Educate, and Drill, aka Nurse Ratched, and a small vacuum named Rambo. They accompany Victor on his adventures, and live with him and Giovanni. One day in the Scrap Yards, they find signs of a life force newly dumped by the Old Ones. And when Victor takes it home and brings it back to life, their world as the know it is changed forever.

Leave it to TJ Klune to make me emotional over robots. I loved this book and I love how funny TJ Klune’s books always are. There were moments when I actually laughed out loud. I really enjoyed the characters, and the similarities to Pinocchio! I don’t typically reach for sci-fi, but this was absolutely incredible.

<b> “I am making my own choice. I don’t have strings.”</b>

TJ Kline does it again with this new novel, In the Lives of Puppets. His books are exceptional as they transport the readers to a unique world with memorable characters. The synopsis accurately explains this fantasy novel as a mix of The Adventures of Pinocchio, Swiss Family Robinson, and Wall-E. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Daniel Henning, and his voices are masterful for each character. Nurse Ratched was my favorite with her “engaging empathy protocol.” Listening to this book is the best way to experience this novel.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Tor Books, for my gifted copies.

I love the banter in this story between the robots. This book had many funny moments. I like how TJ Klune is able to create characters that remind me of people I know, this makes his story meaningful to me. I have recommended this book to my coworkers.

Once again TJ Klune does a beautiful job telling a story of found family, with characters as unique as can be, a story with heart and beauty, hope and love. As his books often do, it made me think, about who I am, about where I have room for growth, about the world we live in and so much more. I never like to give anything away in reviews, but this was a beautiful story with characters you will love and an adventure worth taking.