5⭐️

"Above all else, be brave."

Giovanni Lawson made the decision long ago to be different than what he was created for. After leaving The City of Electric Dreams, he lived a quiet life high up in the trees along with two other robots, named Rambo and Nurse Ratched, and his human son, Victor. they spend their days isolated, occasionally sneaking into scrap yards to find usable parts for Gio's inventions. It's while searching the scrap yards one day that Vic finds an unfamiliar android labeled "HAP". Hap and Gio have a dark past as Gio was his creator and Hap was created to kill humans. But Hap also wants to be different.

When the Authority come calling, Gio sacrifices his humanity to keep his human son safe. He's taken back to The City of Electric Dreams to be reset and used as a creator again. Vic, Hap, Nurse Ratched and Rambo must journey far from their forest top home to to save Gio. On their journey, Vic learns more of both Gio and Hap's past and he must decide if robots can overcome their programing.

You know it's a good book when you find yourself smiling goofily while reading a book and I was smiling almost none stop with this. First, there is Nurse Ratched, a sarcastic, blunt medical android who's 'Empathy Protocol' leaves a lot to be desired and Rambo, the vacuum (I'm picturing a Roomba) who is extremely anxious but also sweetly naïve. The interactions between these two was glorious and I loved the times that Nurse Ratched got protective of Rambo. Then there was the hilarity of explaining humanity to robots, including using the restroom, privacy, and sweat. They were all just as blunt as you would expect a robot.

Lastly, I love the relationship between Victor and Hap and felt like this was good representation of an asexual or demisexual/romantic person. Vic, his a human raised by robots, grew up as asexual and can't really imagine a relationship with anyone until he meets Hap. Pretty much every interaction had me giddy.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tor Books for providing this arc to me!

If you’re a TJ Klune fan and have enjoyed his past works as much as I have, then get ready because you are in for a treat with his latest!

This story includes machines vs. humans, found family, love & sexuality, adventure, freedom of choice, BEING BRAVE, and so much more. Also, at different times and for different reasons, it totally gave me Westworld, Tarzan, Star Wars, and Avatar vibes.

Anyway, the premise is that Vic is a human who lives among machines: there’s his dad, Gio, the sociopathic (but still loveable in her own ways) Nurse Ratches, and the overeager vacuum, Rambo. They live in the forest and have created a nice quiet lifestyle. That is until Vic discovers the remnants of a machine in the scrap yard and decides to bring it back to life. Hap soon joins the family and is a complex machine with a brutal past he has no recollection of. However, Hap’s presence changes everything and Gio is taken from the forest revealing secrets of his own creation and leaving Vic and Co. to take off from the comfort of the only home they’ve known and go on a journey to rescue him.

I don’t even know where to begin with this. It was just so full of heart (pun intended) and hope and once the foundation of the story was set, I couldn’t put it down. The found family aspects were wonderful and I loved the relationships Vic, a human, had with the machines and vice versa. Plus it really made you questions things from a new perspective such as humanity, love, memory, and choice.

I also really enjoyed the humor in this one as well! It did include more crude/ sexual innuendos and jokes which may not always be for everyone, but it totally made sense why because this story touched on sexuality and how its not a one size fits all, but more of a spectrum.

While there’s so much more I could share about this story, I’ll end it by saying that this book is quite an adventure, but one that will stick with me for a bit. It’s full of heart and I felt like I was right there with Vic and everyone else throughout the journey and I can’t wait for others to be as well!

If I’m being honest… I’ve been avoiding TJ Klune’s new work. I read ‘How to be a Normal Person’ back in 2016 (and again in 2018: a rare occurrence for me to re-read a book). I joyously returned to that world with ‘How to be a Movie Star.’ But a part of me feared that, with his rise to mainstream stardom, something vital would be missing from novels like ‘The House on the Cerulean Sea’ and ‘Under the Whispering Door.’

Still, despite the fact that I don’t typically review fiction here, I found myself unable to pass at the chance to read ‘In the Lives of Puppets.’ And damn - am I glad that I was given that chance.

I can understand people’s distaste for Klune’s writing style. The humor can be juvenile and come across as trying too hard. But, just like V.E. Schwab blurbed on the cover of ‘The House on the Cerulean Sea,’ Klune’s writing is very much “like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket” for me. It’s sweet and cozy and it brings me hope in a world that so often feels like it’s crumbling.

I cannot count the number of times that I highlighted quotes from ‘In the Lives of Puppets’ simply because they were cute and made me smile. I adored the characters (especially Rambo) - and the explicit ace representation was lovely to see again from Klune. I had forgotten how much his effortlessly Queer & sex-positive writing was like a breath of fresh air.

My only complaint was in how Hap’s violence is mostly written off with the sentiment that “he has changed.” Blame this on my years of work with survivors of domestic violence, but the scene brought about by the Blue Fairy and Vic’s general response to the whole ordeal made me uneasy.

If I ignore that tiny part of the story, the sweet power of family and friendship and romance was so beautiful. And this little band of ridiculous characters tackle some pretty serious topics for how humorous they remain.
War. Love. Humanity. And the messy complexity of it all.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

TJ Klune does it again with this heartwarming story about family. Taking more of a sci-fi approach than his other comparable books, the new setting was fascinating and fun to read about.

The book's greatest strength lies in its characters, from our main character Victor, whose anxiety and strong love for his family made him easy to root for, down to little Rambo, who was arguably this book's MVP.

With its focus on family, this book isn't meant to be dissected or thought about too deeply in regards to its setting and context. If you think about it too hard, you probably would come up with questions or quibbles. Taken as it is meant to be read, however, this book was fun, warm, interesting, and just made me feel happy. 4/5.

Victor has never known anything but the protective forest where he lives with his father, Gio, and two robots, Rambo and Nurse Ratched. His home is a happy one and with his family he is content. Vic knows there is danger in the wider world, and at least in the forest he can tinker and create like Gio and do so in relative peace. But Vic has a human’s natural curiosity, which often leads him on risky visits to a nearby scrapyard. It is during one of these visits that he finds a decommissioned and lifeless robot, one whom he cannot resist bringing home. Vic gives the robot a wooden heart and, with it, the robot called Hap is given new life.

As much as he loves his son, Gio knows that bringing Hap home will have unintended consequences, because Hap is so much more than Vic realizes. But he also knows everyone deserves a second chance. When the outside world invades their peaceful forest, Gio is kidnapped and Vic’s entire world is torn apart. Now, he must find his courage and along with Hap, Rambo, and Nurse Ratched, he will set out to rescue his father from terrible danger. Along the way, Vic will discover that being human can be messy and painful and that even when a family is broken, it can be rebuilt.

So T.J. Klune is an auto-buy for me. He’s hands down my favorite author, but the blurb for In the Lives of Puppets was the first book of his to give me pause. Why? Because I hate the story of Pinocchio. It’s always been one of those stories that just creeped me out and for reasons I don’t even fully understand. In the Lives of Puppets is inspired by the original story of Pinocchio (not the Disney version) and from any other author that would have been enough to get a pass from me. But because Klune is so dependable as an author, I decided to give this one a go and I’m so very glad I did.

As always with Klune, the heart and soul of In the Lives of Puppets are its characters. From a real boy struggling to find himself, a vacuum obsessed with the musical Top Hat, a delightfully sadistic nursing droid, and a Hysterically Angry Puppet, this novel is filled with the broken, the bonkers, and the reborn. They have become a family by choice and love one another without qualification or reservation. The novel is filled with Klune’s trademark wit, sarcasm, and some occasional cheekiness. But the depth of love these characters have for one another is truly memorable and there are moments that seesaw between hope and heartbreak and everything in between. The angst is scaled back here, but that doesn’t mean there are easy answers to every question. Instead, readers must accept what has happened, embrace what is, and find joy in what might be.

With In the Lives of Puppets, T.J. Klune has produced a beautifully written novel with characters that resonate long after the book is over. The story is about love and family and what it means to be human and the tangled mess of it all. Whether you’re a long-time fan of Klune or new to his work, In the Lives of Puppets is absolutely worth your time. Consider this one highly recommended.

I am still processing how much I loved this book. In The Lives of Puppets is described as the queer retelling of Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio. I also think this book had a little mix of Wall- E and the Wizard of Oz too! TJ Klune’s writing is magical and comforting while he explores the themes of humanity, self-worth, family, and love with the help of a few likable robots. I loved the banter between the robots, and I immediately fell in in love with an anxiety-ridden vacuum Roomba named Rambo. Nurse Rachet was my second favorite! I loved that their adventure to finding Gio also led them on their own self-exploration and their journey to finding that their found family is what is important.

I had access to both the Kindle and audiobook versions. I started to read the Kindle version, but the audiobook version was more magical. TJ Klune should be proud that Daniel Henning did a fantastic job narrating the book and making each character well-represented with their own traits and quirks. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook and felt like I could imagine the storyline as Henning told it. Listening to the audiobook tugged on my heart and made me want to laugh out loud more! If you are to listen to one audiobook this year, please put this book at the top of your list.


Thank you to NetGallery and to both Tor Publishing and to Macmillan audio for giving me a copy of the book.

This was an epic queer positive Pinocchio reimagining that features a found family of robots and one real human boy. Full of all Klune's trademark humor and heartbreaking moments that are sure to make you cry. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of the Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review!

“i have learned what it means to be alive. remember that, in the end. i am alive. and i will never let you see what’s in my heart. it was never for you.”

me every time i file a tj klune book under comfort read: something in the air….is changing….

hidden high up in the branches of a grove of trees live a strange little family— victor (human), gio (victor’s android father), a sadistic nurse machine, and a vacuum riddled with anxiety. when vic salvages an android labeled “HAP” from the scrap yards, he learns of a shared past between his father and hap. but one can only run for so long. when gio’s past catches up to him, he is captured and taken back to his former laboratory—one where gio and hap were once programmed to hunt humans.

to quote the great taylor swift: i think i’ve seen this film before. it is undeniable that klune has carved out a space for books about humanity. what does it mean to be human? why we do the things we do despite it’s futility? you’d think i’d have grown tired of it by now.

wrong.

this time it’s puppets. to look at machines through the eyes of a human and have that flipped around: to look at the lens of humanity through something not quite human at all. this time it begs the question: tell me about that heart that beats inside your chest. why does it matter when all it does is hurt?

there's something so special in finding that answer through the eyes of a machine. each breath, each laugh, each frown. it feels like a gift watching vic breathe life into them, to be the very heart beating in a chest of bolts and gears.

as for the question of why i don’t think i’ll ever tire of klune’s explorations of humanity—for as much as his books shatter my already fragile psyche, i'll never stop loving a reminder of how alive we are, how complex and disturbing and sometimes, foolishly brilliant. its so easy to forget all of this.

everywhere and everywhen, i love to search for home. to find it in the most unexpected of places. the relationship between each character is so profound that you can’t help but know in your bones that they belong together. they choose, they fight, they sacrifice. they pull each other back from the ledge and put each other’s pieces back together when they fall. pulling each other from the wreckage and starting over, building home, rediscovering memories and making new ones. pausing, but never stopping.

and ultimately, living for the hope of it all. hope that we can choose whoever we want to be. to be different. to be better. to make a choice. there are no strings on me. hope that whatever we are, it is enough.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy! Klune is one of my favourite authors and he didn't disappoint me with this one. A beautiful story that felt like a big gay hug. Absolutely enjoyable!

I flew through this book because I didn't want to put it down. It was hilarious, heartwarming, and devastating all in one package. It absolutely did not disappoint.

TJ Klune always has such great characters. In the Lives of Puppets is a new take on a Pinnochio type story but is also so much more. It was just a lot of good fun to meet all of the characters.

TJ Klune has done it again! I don't read a lot in the scifi/fantasy genre but his books make me feel so happy and cozy. This is a beautiful story of a found family of robots and a human that made me laugh and cry.

This book is so many things and addresses so many huge ideas that it is virtually impossible to distill it into a summary or even a relatively coherent explanation of why I loved it. It is beautiful. Heartbreaking. Funny. Depressing. Wonderful. On the surface it is about a man named Victor, his father Gio, and their friends. But going deeper, it is about the nature of creation and friendship, love and destruction. It is a quest, both to retrieve a missing person and to find what it means to exist. Honestly, it is too much to explain - just read it and then let's talk about it, okay?

Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for early access to In the Lives of Puppets.

🎵”Heaven, I’m in heaven.”🎵

Oh Mr. Klune. The way you write these weird, interesting, unique misfit characters that just grab on to my heart and never let go is just absolutely beyond!

Rambo, Nurse Ratched, Gio, Hap and Victor have forever places in my heart and in my mind just like the characters in Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door.

This is one of my shortest reviews because I just don’t have the words to describe how much the humanity, kindness, and togetherness of this book and the two mentioned above me What an impact the words you use and the characters you create and the worlds you imagine make on readers.

I got an advanced digital copy but I now will go buy a physical copy so this book can live next to your others on my forever shelf.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy and most importantly thank you to TJ Klune for…well…everything!

“Be it man or machine, Victor thought, to love something meant loving the ghost inside, to be haunted by it. Humanity -that nebulous concept he didn't always understand had lived and died by their creations.
Perhaps Victor would too, one day, a final lesson in what it meant to exist.”

//

TJ Klune’s newest novel is a queer retelling of Pinocchio with it’s own futuristic sci-fi spin. It was a sweet story telling of found family, acceptance, forgiveness, and humanity. It also tackles the extremely topical discussion of the impact of robots/AI on our world and what could happen if they became conscious.

In The Lives of Puppets has the quirky, diverse characters that readers have come to expect with a Klune novel. Overall, this story was enjoyable but doesn’t beat Cerulean Sea or Whispering Door!

thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

(I’m trying to think of the right words after reading this book. I think all my TJ Klune reviews probably start this way.)

I usually read romcoms. Happy, happy romcoms. But I love how TJ Klune writes, so I keep going back for more. His deeply descriptive settings, his unique and lovable characters, his subtle lessons for humanity… his blatant lessons for humanity. In the Lives of Puppets is no different.

You can read the synopsis and get the drift of what the book is about, and I don’t want to drop any spoilers, so I’ll just say this… read this book if you enjoyed Under the Whispering Door and The House in the Cerulean Sea. It may not have beat Cerulean Sea as my favorite Klune novel, but… it’s really good and I couldn’t wait to see how it ended.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for In the Lives of Puppets to come out on April 25, 2023!

TJ Klune, I love you for this. Everything about this book was perfect. This made me audibly laugh more than any book I’ve picked up in a long time. The dialogue was absolutely insane, and I could sit and read the banter between Nurse Ratched and Rambo for hours. A unique, heartfelt, and devastating story that I’ll think about for a long time. I want to give this book a hug.

If there’s one thing TJ Klune’s gonna do, it’s leave you with a tear in your eye. What a beautifully told story of hope, resilience, legacy, and what it means to be human. While this is billed as a Pinocchio retelling, I would say it’s only that on the surface, but it’s not screaming Pinocchio at every turn and is definitely so much more. I absolutely ADORED the characters. Particularly the cynical, sadistic Nurse Ratched, and the adorable, wholesome Rambo. I promise you will fall in love with them too.

ITLOP didn’t leave me a gooey blob like The House in the Cerulean Sea or a blubbering mess like Under the Whispering Door, but it struck a chord with me nonetheless. Keep writing, TJ, I’ll keep reading!

Klune’s writing style and wit really shines through in this book. The characters, especially Nurse Ratched and Rambo, are true gems and add much needed humorous elements. The character conversations can be very funny and endearing. Unlike “Cerulean Sea,” this book tends to drag a bit and could have benefited from some streamlining of certain story elements. The biggest reason I’m giving this a 4 instead of a 5 is that, without giving away spoilers, I felt that the romantic element was…very awkward. I felt super uncomfortable with it for a reason I can’t put my finger on. It just seemed icky to me and I cringed a lot any time that facet of the story was referenced.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for an ARC of this book!

There aren’t enough glowing words to express how much I love this story! Part sci-if, part family drama with such great world building and strong characters. There’s nothing negative I can say about this one.
Gio Lawson builds a house in the middle of the woods and invents a sarcastic nurse machine called Nurse Ratched and a small people pleasing vacuum called Rambo. One day a couple appears out of nowhere and leaves a baby with Gio, never to be seen or heard from again. Geo thinks it is a gift from the universe for his years of loneliness and raises him as his son, Victor.
Gio is an inventor and Victor, now aged 22, enjoys going to the dump and finding parts of abandoned robots and rebuilding them. He rebuilds an android they name HAP, without realizing the dark past that HAP shares with Gio.
Vic and the Gang have to save his father, who has been taken to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams to be reprogrammed and in the process, Vic has to deal with his feelings for HAP.
I loved the found family and the fun banter between the characters was a treasure to enjoy. TJ Klune knows how to get to my heart and he has done it again.
Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.