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.

I requested access to this ARC through NetGalley, based on my previous enjoyment of TJ Klune's writing, in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this one. I enjoyed Victor and his found family of robots with personality. I thought the interactions with Nurse Ratched and Rambo the vacuum were fun and funny and I could have happily spent time with them just existing as a family in the forrest.

The plot.......... did not capture me. And when I realized this was playing with Pinocchio and would hit certain story points, I basically lost interest. BUT I had invested so much time at that point that I did decide to finish it, just to watch the characters interact with each other.

Would I recommend this? Depends on how Pinocchio-ed out you are based on the abundance of Pinocchio-related content that's come out in 2022-2023.

“You are finite. Your time is already slipping through your fingers. It creates an urgency within you. To do all that you can. To make things right. I wonder what it must feel like, to have a sense of true motivation… There must be no greater feeling in the world than to know that this isn’t forever.”

In the Lives of Puppets is a modern retelling of Pinocchio with a sci-fi spin. Victor is the sole human living with his family of robots (his father, Gio, and Nurse Ratched and Rambo). One day he finds and fixes a decommissioned robot that he names “Hap”. When Hap inadvertently alerts robots to his father’s whereabouts, Gio is captured and taken to the City of Electric Dreams. Vic and his found-family must journey to the city to rescue his father.

Reading a book by T.J. Klune always feels like wrapping up in a cozy blanket with a hot cup of tea on a rainy day. I absolutely loved The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door and was so excited to read In the Lives of Puppets. Klune’s stories are filled with so much warmth and beauty and they always stick with me for a long while. Puppets has so many wonderful messages about what it means to be a human (even though the book is filled mostly with robots) and how we love the people we choose as our family. If you loved Klune’s other books, you’re going to love this one too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

TJ Klune, the writer that you are. How do you write book after book after book, and still have stories with such humor and deep emotions?!? Everything Klune writes blows me away.

In this story, Klune combines emotion, humor, and poignancy to weave a wonderfully weird tale of funny robots, adorable puppets, and a hero with a heart of gold. This book is a new take on the "hero's journey" trope. All of the main characters in this book aren't human, and each of them of have their own personal journey to go on (emotionally-speaking, I mean). I can't even begin to pick a favorite character---ok, well, if forced to, I love the Roomba named Rambo. How. Absolutely. Adorable.

I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say this: if you love Klune's other works, you'll adore this one. He is the master of the "found family" trope.

**A huge thank-you to NetGalley and Tor Books for a copy of this ARC to read and review.**

Review:

If you're familiar with a Klune book, you know that they're worth the read. This is the third book in his "kindness" series of stand-alone novels, including *The House in the Cerulean Sea* and *Under the Whispering Door*; *Cerulean Sea* is about being kind to others; *Under the Whispering Door* is about being kind to yourself; and *In the Lives of Puppets* is about being kind even to those who do not deserve it. "He said f-forgiving others could be difficult, but f-forgiving yourself c-can sometimes feel impossible."

Unlike the other two books in this series, this one is very different. Klune's humor is more apparent in this book, and it can go off the rails at times, which is pretty normal if you're used to this author. Enter Nurse Ratched, who takes on this role very often throughout this book. Of course, these books also have heart, and even though there is a relationship that develops throughout this book, the little character of Rambo, a little Roomba vacuum cleaner, provides heart throughout the book and is without a doubt my favorite character. "Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that can change everything when you least expect it."

I wish there had been more to the ending—it didn't feel as complete as I would have liked; I did like, however, that it went in a different direction than I originally thought, although it was predictable at times.

Overall, any Klune book is a book worth reading.

Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I have to give TJ Klune credit. His imagination, creativity and ability to tell a story is absolutely amazing. He creates such heartwarming, lovable characters in his books. In The Lives of Puppets is no different. Gio, Vic, Rambo, Nurse Ratched and Hap are perfect examples (especially Nurse Ratched).

And yet, I find myself having difficulty rating it. The plot took too long to grab my attention. I almost DNFed twice. And the ending felt abrupt.

Would I recommend it? Yes. Absolutely. Although it didn’t altogether work for me, it may for others. I honestly cannot wait for his next book.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This story was beautiful and sweet. I laughed and cried. One of my favorites for the year. Thank you for the arc netgalley.

I am a big TJ Klune fan. His writing is witty and his stories always reveal humanity in such a relatable way. In The Lives of Puppets is no exception. Gio and Victor gripped my heart from the very first page. The story was equal parts exciting, hilarious (looking at you Rambo and Nurse Ratched), and heartbreakingly beautiful. It’s such a SMART story, and I highly recommend it.


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this delightful book. Opinions are my own.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes April 25, 2023.

This book had potential and a strong first half which was ultimately hindered by its second half and disappointingly did not have as much of a compelling emotional core as Klune’s previous two adult releases.

Summary: Victor is a human living with his robot father and two other robots. The first half of the book centers on bringing a new robot back to life, and the second half of the book is a quest. Explores themes of what it means to be human and have a heart.

What worked
-Whimsical setting describing the forest and house
-Fun quick banter among the group
-Asexual representation
-Each character had their own unique dialogue which added to their characterization and helped to tell them apart
-Fun scenes in the first half had an emotional core and had me invested at first
-Potential of where the story was going had me hooked for the first half

What didn’t
-Hit all the same beats as his other two recent adult books (The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door)
-Second half turned into a quest book and I didn’t care about the quest nor did it have the emotional impact it promised (based on the emotional impact in his previous two books and the foundation he set up in the first half)
-The reason for the second half quest wasn’t compelling enough based on what was established in the first half
-Two secondary characters introduced in the second half of the book were given lots of page time but were a nuisance to read about and they seemed like they were just included to give them something to do on the quest

The book overall was just fine albeit disappointing considering this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year.