Another extremely cute read. I know at this point TJ will write unique stories. The characters are solid gold.

Thank you to TJ Klune, Tor Publishing, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. In the Lives of Puppets.

This one was a tough one for me, I am a huge fan of House on the Cerulean Sea. In the Lives of Puppets sounded amazing after the description and honestly the prologue hooks you in. The problem was that after that it was very hard for to get into, it took me multiple times to open it back up. I think that there were some beautiful messages in the story, and that redeemed it a little. I think this is a story that people are going to love or not really like, and I do believe that this story will connect with other readers so please take reviews with the idea that there are many different types of readers.

When earth is populated by only robots and machines, what happens? This is a wonderful tale of discovery into what makes a human, human. Think Pinocchio and a desperate adventure to keep close those who mean the most to us. It has plenty of anxiety producing moments but, more importantly, lots of humor that keeps you smiling throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

First off thank you to Net Galley and Tor Publishing for the ARC of this book!! I received it for free in return for my honest feedback!

To say this book is incredible honestly doesn’t do it Justice. I need a movie adaptation of this book ASAP!! Nurse Ratched and Rambo are my favorite characters of course. Who doesn’t love a people pleasing, overly anxious vacuum and a pleasantly sadistic nursing robot?! There were so many times I caught myself laughing out loud with these two.

Once the group takes off to find Victors dad the story gets more tense, of course. I also appreciate the ending isn’t totally what I was expecting.

I would love a second book to this one just showing the daily lives of these 5, and all of their comedic interactions, because I would read that in a heartbeat.

Seriously, just go read it!!!

After reading the prologue, my first thought was how much I was going to love this book. I connected with In the Lives of Puppets that quickly. Unfortunately, after that, it took several random turns. Although I tried hard to love the robotic characters, I simply could not. Their quirkiness simply did not work for me. And overall, the plot is just too odd for my liking.

I absolutely LOVED The House in the Cerulean Sea and liked Under the Whispering Door. I had high hopes for In the Lives of Puppets, but sadly it was a rare DNF for me.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of TJ Klune's newest book in exchange for my honest review.

While The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my absolute favorite books ever—this one by T.J. Klune just didn’t work for me.

This took me months to get through because I just wasn’t into it. I kept hoping if I tried again another week it might hit differently, but alas.

I DID love many of the themes and core messages in this story. I just wasn’t captivated by most of the actual story or storytelling. There was just too much talk about robots and repairing robots for me.

4.5 stars

Man, Klune writes stories with some incredible characters. In the Lives of Puppets features three robots: paternal inventor android, Giovanni Lawson, sadistic (yet charming) nurse machine Nurse Ratched, and the sweet, eager to please vacuum, Rambo. Together, they live hidden in the woods with a human, Vic. One day Vic salvages and repairs an android labelled "HAP," and he discovers the dark past between Hap and Gio, whose pasts were comprised of hunting humans. When Hap accidentally exposes his location, Gio is captured and returned to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. Together, Vic and his robot friends make the journey across the country in hopes of rescuing Gio before he is decommissioned or reprogrammed.

Thoughts: This was another winner from TJ Klune. The way he writes is full of banter and wit. As someone who does not always love humor in their books, I have to say that Klune really makes me laugh with some of the dialogue among his characters. Encompassed in this humorous and sometimes silly read, however, is a profound and important message about what it means to be human and a family. He achieves this with such finesse and in such a unique way. At times, the robot/tech language was a little above my head, but it did not taint my reading experience.

3.5 Stars!
This was such an interesting read. This was my first read of TJ Klune's works, and it definitely took me by surprise.

Giovanni Lawson, who is an inventor and not human, has built a home in the forest with his human son, Victor, and two machines Victor salvaged. We have Rambo, an anxiety riddled, "won't shut-up" vacuum, and Nurse Ratched (Nurse Registered Automaton to Care, Heal, Educate, and Drill). She's very loyal to her friends, but is definitely a little sociopathic. One day when they are in the Scrap Yards, they discover a damaged android, who they name HAP. Little did they know that by rebuilding this robot and giving him a new power source, Victor will discover more about Gio's past and puts all of his family in danger.
When Gio gets taken, Victor and his friends must journey to the City of Electric Dreams to help rescue Gio and figure out what they are fighting for...and how many strings are attached.

Overall this book was enjoyable. The sassy interactions between HAP, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo were definitely the best parts. How can you not love Rambo??
I did feel like this book was a little bit long. In several places, the story dragged and felt like it came to a standstill and I was waiting for it to pick back up to continue the story. Some of the dialogue became redundant between some of the characters we met along the way, especially when the meaning behind the words could have been summed up in a few sentences instead of pages.
The questions about humanity and love and friendship that are apparent throughout this book, make you think about what we create and how we use our intellect, whether that be for good, or for selfish reasons. Very original and different, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance, diverse representation, robots (obviously) and a bit of romance mixed in with a sci-fi fantasy adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley and ToR Books for the ARC!

Before I jump into this review, I just want to say- I adore TJ Klune. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I did buddy read this one and I’m glad. Similar feelings were discussed and that makes me feel like I’m not on an island completely alone.

One of my favorite things about Klune’s writing is his fabulous characters and the way he can have huge emotional hits. This does have some aspects of those two things but not like I’m used to. The characters were ones that I fell in love with fast. What’s not to love about a found family of robots and humans? There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments from these characters. Nurse Ratched was fantastic. Unfortunately, about 60% of the way, I was struggling with one of them. It just got to be too much and it was unnecessary. The rest of the characters were brilliant and I really enjoyed the relationships between them. Again, found family is Klune’s bread and butter and he thrives at writing amazing families.

The storyline is what I struggled with the most. There are some things that I still don’t think were cleared up. The dystopian aspect didn’t quite make sense and the wrap-up of it was lacking. I was expecting this huge moment to come and it never did. It was such an unsatisfactory ending. The pacing of the book was off too. I have to be honest and say that I was bored at times. I was about 60% of the way through and nothing happened with the plot. I’m still not sure there was a ton of plot, to begin with. There’s nothing wrong with a character-driven book but when you have this huge world come into play, I expected more.

The romance in the book had me a bit puzzled too. I didn’t quite understand the relationship and sometimes thought it was a little creepy. The fact that HAP just watches and follows Vic around all the time. I get it, he doesn’t understand and know things but it was hard to fall for them. I think this would have been much better if the romance was left out and HAP just found a family to blend into.

Overall, I was disappointed in this one. I had such high expectations because I give all of his books 4.5-5 star ratings! He’s still one of my favorites and I can’t wait for the next one. Sadly, this one just wasn’t for me. I’m sure many will love it and that’s great! I was just left unsatisfied and missing the magic most of his books offer.

Many thanks to Tor Books and Netgalley for an e-arc to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I was very excited to grab this book before it was published in exchange for a review!

I loved his last book so I couldn’t wait to read this one!

Overall, it was good. There were a few spots where it got really slow, but by the end it had picked up the lace again.

Victor was a great narrator. He was kind, vulnerable and shy. It was interesting seeing the robot world from his human point of view. Supporting characters in the novel were done well. Nurse Ratched was a hoot and Rambo was so cute!

The setting was cool to experience, especially once they left the woods to go to the city of electric dreams. It was fun to picture what a world of robots would look like, chaos and all.

Klune’s writhing is phenomenal as always. He has such a gift of writing such detailed explanations. I could picture the book the whole time, like my own little movies. The plot date I say was a little lackluster it was very predictable in the living happily, someone disappears, we must go find them, beat the villain, live happily ever after. Thankful his writing is good that it makes up for the lack of plot creativity.

Overall, this was another great novel by Klune. If you enjoyed, The House on the Cerulean Sea- I recommend picking this one up!

In the Lives of Puppets was an enjoyable sci-fi retelling of Pinocchio with a bit of Termintor mixed in. As much as I wanted to love this novel like I did Klune’s previous novels this one just didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I found it relied too much on the over used humour of the robot characters Nurse Ratched and Rambo. I really liked the humour in the beginning but it gradually got annoying as the book progressed. I didn’t connect with the main character Victor at all, and I found myself not caring what his outcome would be. I did love the inclusivity with an asexual character. I found myself questioning plot holes as the novel progressed. The world building was lacking to me, the Authority was a poor version of Skynet. Although this wasn’t my favourite Klune book he still produced a heartwarming story of chosen family and love. I would recommend this novel to those looking for a cozy sci-fi that doesn’t rely on elaborate world building and those looking for a warm hug type ending.

I hate to judge this against Klune's other novels but I think a lot of people are going to go in expecting another Whispering Door or House in the Cerulean Sea. (I did.) This isn't it.

As someone who doesn't read much sci fi the overall concept was incredibly hard to connect with. It was charming ish but didn't have the instant magic of his other adult novels. I love how Klune incorporates humor but here he did it too much. The few genuinely funny moments did not stand out due to the constant quips of the robots. It was cute the first few times but quickly became annoying. Rachet and Rambo could have become beloved characters but were overused.

I did appreciate the inclusion of an asexual character. That perspective isn't seen much in mainstream books and it helped me understand asexuality better than I had. That representation added back a star.

It wasn't bad but was not for me. I think it could appeal to people who enjoy YA sci fi.

✨Book Review - In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫STARS

Pub Date: April 25, 2023

REVIEW: I’ve been trying to write this review for a while, I wanted it to sound as alluring as this book. But, I have 2 toddlers and they think sleep is for the weak apparently. So, here is what I know:
🤖 I love TJ Klune. All his books are so beautifully written and this one is right on track with that.
🤖 I laughed, I cried, I was surprised at how a book with a lot of robot characters could bring out such strong emotions.
🤖 Nurse Ratched was hilarious and Rambo was a fun character too. I loved their dynamic.
🤖 The end did kind of drag on for me, that’s why I knocked my rating by half a star, but otherwise I was totally engrossed in their journey.

There are a lot of robots in this novel, like a lot. If fantasy, sci-fi isn’t typically your jam, I’d still suggest you read this. The themes really reflect the nature of the world today.

I loved it. Can’t wait to see what else TJ comes up with. He’s an auto-buy for sure!

SYNOPSIS: A creative take on Wizard of Oz & Pinocchio where a human named Victor lives in the woods with his android dad, Gio, and their 2 robot friends (Rambo & Nurse Ratched). Life is simple until Victor finds another robot named HAP and all their lives take a turn. Victor and friends embark on a journey to self discovery & to save Gio after he was captured.

Thank you to NetGalley & Tor Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TJ Klune absolutely knows how to write characters. He makes you fall in love with his characters from page one. This story was funny, sad, and heartfelt. There were times I felt bored while reading and I never felt that with his other stories. TJ Klune is definitely and auto buy author for me.

Another absolutely stunning novel by TJ Klune. I fell in love with the characters instantly and couldn't put this one down.

I was gifted this copy of In the Lives of Puppets by @netgalley and @torbooks! I absolutely adore T.J. Klune books so I was super pumped about this one!⁣
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I loved the concept of this book and enjoyed the unique personalities of the main characters. Especially Rambo ❤️⁣
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The only downfall is that the story was a bit drawn out and I got a bit bored through the middle but ended up crying at the end 🤷🏼‍♀️⁣
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Overall a really good story!

This book is kind of a Pinocchio-inspired sci-fi/fantasy hybrid, chock full of robots and banter and found-family feelings. I wasn’t super fond of the last TJ Klune book I read because of a character who I disliked so much at the beginning that I didn’t buy the redemption arc by the end. But I’ve heard such great things about the author that I was happy to give him another shot. And I’m glad I did, because I really enjoyed this one! The relationship between Vic and his android dad Gio is really lovely and touching, and I liked the other robot characters as well. There is some really gorgeous writing, and the settings are really vividly described. I also loved the Ace rep – Victor is asexual, and appears to be sex-repulsed, but he does have romantic attraction.

To be honest, there’s something about the writing style that keeps me from giving this an unreserved five stars, and I can’t put my finger on what exactly is rubbing me the wrong way. I think it’s something to do with the dialogue? A lot of the dialogue is lovely but sometimes there’s a line that just strikes me as unrealistic and it throws me out of the story. Maybe that’s what’s bugging me. But that's a pretty minor thing. So it’s 4.5 stars, rounded to 4.

Representation: asexual main character

One of the things I appreciate about Klune’s more whimsical forays into fiction—speaking of course to books like The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door—is that each novel usually has an overall emotional focus that umbrellas the narrative and colours the events that occur therein. This is not the only emotional affectation, but it does evoke a sense of kinship with the reader despite its often fantastical world building. In the Lives of Puppets mainly fixates on the often phobic topic of change and forgiveness, both external and internal.
My general thoughts are that while this is not my favourite of Klune’s works, it is his most powerful one, thus far. The subject matter is heavy, and the ending doesn’t lay down a protective sheen of “...but they all lived happily ever after,” like what was done in previous stories. So much of the narrative is phrased around uncertainty, much like the nature of change itself and the ending respects that, which I appreciate.
That isn’t to say that In the Lives of Puppets lacks the charm of its predecessors. It is definitely hard to not be charmed by a ragtag band of rescuers made up of a talking roomba, a homicidal nurse, a hysterically angry puppet, and an empathetic inventor. I turned each page, finding I adored these characters and their quest more and more as time went on. It was definitely a difficult book to put down, despite the fact it made me cry on more than one occasion.
As such, I would definitely recommend it. It feels like a hug that you didn’t know you needed, which is a strange analogy, but an accurate one.

This book made me think "What is it really, to be human? How would we be any different than androids who have the capability to learn?" Book clubs are going to love this book, there's so much to unpack and so many discussions that could be had! Deep discussions, for those of you big thinkers.

[author:T.J. Klune|5073330]'s book covers always so incredibly gorgeous. I've always loved treehouses and robots as a kid, so I was SO excited for this book! (Imagine my squeals of joy when I got an e-ARC!)

Chapter 1 gave me [book:Cinder|36381037] vibes (anyone who loved <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/62018-the-lunar-chronicles">The Lunar Chronicles series</a> will love this book as well!).

By 15%, I knew this book would be a 5-star for me. A treehouse compound, robots, innovative creations, and my favourite: Nurse Ratched! (HILARIOUS character, I hope TJ Klune does a novella just of her and Rambo bantering!)

The chapters are pretty long, but there were just SO many elements in this book, it's hard to explain almost! While I was reading I kept a list of the "vibes" that certain parts of the story reminded me of. Oddly, the description says that it's a re-imagining of Pinocchio, but if it wasn't mentioned, I don't think I would have thought about Pinocchio at all. (To me, "Pinocchio = Nose grows when lying", that's mostly what I think of.)

Here are the different vibes, reminders, or 'keywords' really, that I thought of during reading this book: Frankenstein, The Matrix, Cinder, Grief, Trauma, Human, Android, Wizard of Oz, Emerald City, High-tech, Dystopian

I did wonder how they had electricity in the forest, but considering they are "Creators" I can only assume they built some kind of generator. (Would have been better if it was mentioned though so it made more sense.)

I've been on the TJ Klune wagon since way back. I've always been impressed at how he get's me all in my feels, with his stories. This book is no different. It's a fairy tale, it's sci-fi, it's fantasy and it's a really fun read. You care about every one, I feel that all the personalities are balanced quite well, and the pacing keeps you turning those pages. Highly recommend.