I've read several of Klune's book by now, and this follows many of the same beats that made his other books so widely appealing. There is a cast of quirky characters. and real love and friendship and family shared between them. There is also an over-arching theme of forgiveness and kindness and humanity. This, along with this being a loose retelling of Pinocchio, will make this very heartwarming book to offer to customers. I also felt like this book took many cues from The Wizard of Oz.

Klune is a really excellent story teller. His books are creative and immensely readable. I very easily soared through this in one evening.

The premise of this book is okay but I just couldn’t get into it. Not enough was really happening. Not enough action. Couldn’t connect with any of the characters.

This might be my favorite TJ Klune yet! Instantly, I fell in love with the characters and each for their own reason. Rambo the Roomba and Nurse Ratched the medical bot, especially. I laughed so many times and tabbed sections both large and small to look back on to remember later. Vic is asexual, and I can't comment on the representation since I do not identify as the same, but I would love to hear from those that do since there are not many ace main characters in the books that I have read. Loosely Pinocchio-inspired, but I definitely do not consider this a modern retelling of that tale, but rather something new all its own.

"'Tell me, Victor Lawson,' the Doorman said. 'What are you willing to do to get him back?' And Vic said, 'Anything. Everything.'"

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

3.25 stars

I really liked the premise of this book, and the side characters are so lovable. However, I did not care about Vic or Hap at all. It makes the story drag.

I found the first 30% painfully slow and almost difficult to get through. That being said, I am glad I stuck with it. I think that the journey and message of the story are worth it.

I just really wish Victor had a personality. I feel like there were parts of him I really related too but he fell short for me. It was disappointing since Klune usually has a completely loveable cast of characters.

Nurse Ratched and Rambo carry the story character-wise. The Blue-Fairy was interesting but parts of that was so cringe.

I was really excited for this one but it just didn’t meet my expectations after reading Ceridian Sea and Whispering Door.

I wanted so badly to love this one since I am a huge fan of T.J. Klune's most recent two novels (THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA and UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR), but this one just did not live up to the hype for me. It was a verrrrrry slow burn (something that is not atypical for Klune's books in my opinion), and it never really picked up.

I think the biggest problem for me with this one, is I didn't really connect with the Hap character - I'm not sure why, but he just never came "alive" as much as the other characters (no pun intended). I LOVED Nurse Ratched, Rambo, Gio and Vic; you can't deny that Klune does an amazing job of creating characters. Unfortunately, Hap's character fell flat for me and that was a key aspect of the overall enjoyment of the book.

I will say that the plot is completely unique and it was fun to read something fresh! I know my opinion is the minority, so I hope others enjoy this one more than I did. I will 100% be looking forward to reading future Klune novels.

Klune has a following so I will have readers who will be eager to read this book. I loved the concept and the parallels to Pinocchio but the pacing was slow for me and the book seemed too long for the story.

“It is as Gio said. Searching for a connection. Making something out of nothing so the spaces between us do not seem so far.”

This was a really unique and beautiful book!! The side characters are where the book really shines though, there were so many heartwarming and funny moments. The middle of the book dragged on a little long for me, which is why I took off half a star. Otherwise I loved it! 4.5 rounded up.


And some of my fav extra funny quotes:
—
Vic worked the circuit board like a loose tooth, back and forth, back and forth. He was about to let it go and try to dig around it more when it popped free. “Yes,” he said. “Yes.” He waved it down at the others. “I got it!”
“The joy I feel knows no bounds,” Nurse Ratched said. “Huzzah.” Her screen changed to confetti falling around the words CONGRATULATIONS IT’S A GIRL.
—
“You are the only one here with genitalia. There is nothing to fear about them, or the lack of them. It is what it is.”
“Do I have an anus?” Rambo asked.
“No,” Nurse Ratched said. “But you are one, so.”
Rambo beeped in confusion. “I thought I was a vacuum.”
“You are. An anal vacuum.”
“Huh,” Rambo said. “I like learning new things.”
—

I liked this one and thought it was very creative but ultimately I didn’t love it. I didn’t feel deeply connected to either Victor or Hap, which considering they’re the main characters was a detriment to feeling invested in the overall stakes of the plot. I was consistently amused by Rambo and Nurse Ratched and loved the found family dynamics they had going with Victor and Gio, and I thought the setting was interesting and had fun spotting all the Pinocchio allusions (some much more heavy handed than others). Not a fave for me but still pretty good! If there were half stars I’d go 3.5.

TJ Klune will always get my attention when he has a new release. House on the Cerulean Sea was such a special read, it has been hard to go in to this book not expecting something similar.
This is a sort of retelling of Pinocchio , with other inspirations mixed in. It is enjoyable, though not the vibe I was expecting, more sci fi than fantasy.
Still a lovey read, TJ Klune always manages to pull something special out the bag.

Victor lives with his inventor dad, Gio, in the forest, with only his robots Nurse Ratched and Rambo to keep him company. One day, when foraging for scraps, he stumbles across an android. After restoring it, he discovers that it has a history with his dad. Even worse, this leads to the capture of his dad by the Authority. Victor and his friends must go on a quest to bring his dad back.

What I liked: just like the other TJ Klune books I've read, the characters here are great. I especially loved Rambo and Nurse Ratched.

What I didn't like: it took so long to get to the journey. It was probably about 40% through before they really started on their quest. Once it got going to that part, the writing wasn't what I've enjoyed from this author in the past. I wish there had been more shenanigans along the road.

Overall, it was fine, but I missed the magic of The House on the Cerulean Sea.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

📚📚📚📚/5
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✨Big thank you to NetGalley for the advanced E-ARC in exchange for an honest review✨
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Science fiction post human world, an inventor and father of death, and the last human on earth. Tj Klune has really done a beautiful job with a retelling of the heart warming story of Pinocchio.
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Victor Lawson goes on a grand adventure of self discovery with his cynical nurse robot, his anxiety ridden vacuum bot, and a machine that is programmed to kill him. He must travel to a far away city where he is unwelcome to try and save the life, genius, and memories of his father
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This truly is a beautiful little story of sense of self, love and loss, and the ride and fall of man. This was my first read of TJ Klune and I’m very much looking forward to more!

2.75

Unfortunately this one was not my favourite and I'm so sad! This was my most anticipated release.

Part of it was that I definitely had the wrong expectations: I was expecting a fantasy/magical realism book but this was definitely a sci-fi romance. I had a hard time getting into it, it started in a different way than the sort of beginning I've got used to getting and it really set the tone for me. Also, I think the dialogues were taken a bit too far in their silliness and crudeness. Don't get me wrong, I've read (and loved) other books from this author and I see his different style of writing/intensity, but this book was sold to be similar to House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door and I don't think the tone was the same (it felt more similar to his YA series and honestly a bit cringe).

Apart from my expectations being completely off, I also think the plot was not very strong. It didn't achieve the depth and profoundness it took on imo. One thing that bothered me was how much the machines were made to be evil and humans the saviors, when the humans had created the whole chaos by treating machines so poorly that they decided to rebel to the extreme. I was bored for most of it, I almost DNFed, but then Vic found Hap. I thought I was finally connecting, but in the end it wasn't enough.

That being said there were some beautiful moments and I'm glad I got to read another of this author's works. For the right reader, this will be magical and you'll feel giddy reading this story as TJ Klune so often can make you feel.

Thank you NetGalley and TorBooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Victor Lawson's life has always been in the forest and knowing he was different from his family. His best friends are Nurse Ratched the robotic physician's assistant, Rambo the anxious hopeless romantic vacuum, and his Android Father Giovanni Lawson. Like his father, Victor is an inventor and caring soul who believes that everyone deserves a second chance. It is as he is searching the nearby scrap yards that he comes across a decommissioned android who will come to be know as Hap. Victor brings Hap home and fixes him. Creating a heart of metal and wood to replace Hap's battery. This proves to topple the dominos of Victor's peaceful existence. Setting them all on an adventure that will answer where Victor came from and what it truly means to be a human with free will.

All at once in this stand alone novel T.J Klune mixes a retelling of Pinocchio with Asimov's Caves of Steel, and just a nod to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. When I began to notice these little details I was very impressed and excited about the influences. Klune gives us yet another version of the found family set against the back drop of a world that at once feels like a future we could be eerily headed towards. One thing that I appreciated however, was that Klune didn't linger too long on this world until it was necessary to thrust both us and the main character into it. At the start, until a happen chance mention of "Ory-gon" to tell us we're in the Pacific Northwest, the area that we find ourselves in feels very insubstantial. The over all world of the story was almost a blank canvas. However, I found myself liking this as it became clear that the focus of the story was the characters and their relationships. The concept an exploration of love and friendships.

I so wanted to love this book. I was a huge fan of Klune's House in the Cerulean Sea and I think going into this novel expecting the exact same type of story did me a disservice. While there are elements familiar to this previous book, this one does stand on its own. I know there will be folks who love this book, but I am just not one of them. I think Klune has some amazing themes in this one and he plays with a lot, but so much of the style was not to my taste

This one had probably the weakest and strongest characters at the same time. However, this balance did not sit on the characters that you expected them to. I wanted to love Victor as a hero, but he was so incredibly bland to me. And with the details that we're given about his views on life, his struggles to learn to speak or express emotion, his asexuality and what that means to him, and the robotic talent you would not expect this to be the case. Sadly, it feels as though we have the blueprints and no completed project. For most of this story I found myself wondering if this was supposed to be Victor and Hap's story or Nurse Ratched and Rambo's. These two characters are there to show us what Victor is capable of, provide comic relief, and tethers for this strange group. And they do...almost constantly. What could've been a great detail often overtook the rest of the story.

They also became the vehicle for so many jokes and conversations that revolved around genitalia and pooping. It was done as a comical way to show how robots don't understand different human aspects, but it was overly done to being childish. Perhaps this was the intent, but I found myself rolling my eyes so many times. I almost wanted to count how many times "evacute his bowels" was said. Call me a prude I guess.

I wanted to root for the romance. It was M/M and with the asexuality I was excited to see that brought to this narrative and for the representation. However, is just wasn't there. I found nothing to convince myself that they were truly in love. However, perhaps that is my own ignorance as someone who is not asexual. This could be my own limitation and not on the author.

Ultimately, the story and discussion overall were enough to keep me engaged. Towards the latter half of the novel I do feel like Klune found a better balance between his characters and that made it an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend the folks give this one a try for the concepts and I hope they are less bothered by some of the other details than I was.

I absolutely love books by T.J. Klune! He writes complex characters who are easy to care about. The settings for each story are unique and so much fun to visualize.

In his newest novel, In the Lives of Puppets, a boy named Victor lives in the woods with his android father, Giovanni, and two robots named Rambo and Nurse Ratched. Shortly after Victor brings a new android to life (Hap), Gio is taken and Victor goes on a quest with his non-human friends to rescue him.

This story is a loose retelling of Pinocchio. It delves into the philosophical theme or what makes something real. It is a story of family, love, hope, loneliness, despair, adventure, friendship, and freedom. This novel covers a lot and requires time to process and reflect to truly appreciate all that it is.

While I appreciate books that support the wide range in human sexuality, my only criticism of this novel is that there were too many sex jokes and references to sex. A few added humor to the story, but the remainder were unnecessary, in my opinion, as they only detracted from the flow of the book.

I am very grateful to #NetGalley #Tor#MacmillanPublishingGroup for an digital ARC of #IntheLivesofPuppets by #TJKlune in exchange for an honest review. - 4 stars

I feel like five stars aren’t enough to give this book. Not only is The Lives of Puppets a beautiful and emotional tale of love and forgiveness, but it’s warm and funny and amazing.

Imagine Wall-E, but with robots that all talk, and that are all quirky in their own ways, and that have adorable and hysterical adult humor. There is the sociopathic Nurse Ratched who has only a slightly better bedside manner than her namesake and an adorable vacuum robot, Rambo, who is adorable naive and enthusiastic. Victor is a human, surrounded by robots who have become his family, and like any other family they are dysfunctional and also beautiful together.

I’ve never stopped recommending TJ Klune’s books to anybody who would listen, and this book has somehow ended up being my favorite of them all. I can’t give high enough praise to this gorgeous story!

Thank you so much to Tor Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

In the Lives of Puppets is a beautiful story! Losely based on Pinocchio, Klune created a unique world and characters. I absolutely love the main group of characters. The banter between them hilarious!!! I enjoyed this book so much! I wish it wasn't over!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the ARC! In this heartachingly beautiful book, we follow Victor Lawson, a human, and his journeys with his quircky robotic family: his father, Gio, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo. During a journey to the scrap yard Victor discovers Hap an android with a dark past and accidently wounds himself, leaving a single drop of blood behind. He then works vigorously to restore Hap and soon Hap becomes another member of the family. And then the robots come and take Gio away. Victor knows it's not safe, but he sets out with Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Hap to get him back. Fans of TJ Klune should love this emotional tale of found family and what it means to be human.

This is a treasure of a book. I'm not a sci-fi reader at all, but I am a big fan of Klune's writing and characters, and that definitely won me over in this book. It's got all the coziness, wit and empathy that I love, with the addition of robots. Robots with overwhelming humanity in a world where humans no longer exist. It's a bittersweet reflection on forgiveness and growth, and a warning about AI.

I appreciate the asexual rep, however it almost felt a bit convenient as Vic is the only human around. But again, it was nice to see, just wish it was explored a bit more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for access to this ARC.

“𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬” 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A queer retelling of The Adventures of Pinocchio mixed with sci-fi, this book was yet another heart-warmer from Klune.

Giovanni Lawson is an android inventor, living in the forest with his human son, Victor, and two salvaged machines Rambo and Nurse Ratched. When Victor discovers a damaged android and salvages it, he discovers it shares a dark past with Giovanni that threatens to destroy the quiet life they have built hidden away in the trees.

Nobody writes witty like TJ Klune. I love his writing style and the characters he creates, there’s just something so comforting about his storytelling to me. I came to this story because of Klune but stayed for Rambo and Nurse Ratched. The banter and quirky one liners I’ve come to expect from Klune’s writing did not disappoint, and this was a fun new theme from him that I adored. I personally am not into sci-fi books on the whole, but this one was so unique and original I recommend it even if you’re not the biggest sci-fi buff either! The story was a lot longer than I think it maybe needed to be, but that’s really my only complaint!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and tor for my arc, all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬 will be released 4.25.2023!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC of one of my most anticipated releases of 2023!

TJ Klune is a master of his craft, forming beautiful and (simultaneously) heart wrenching/warming stories that teach important lessons while transporting you to beautiful worlds of magic. I know going into any of his books I’m going to experience a roller coaster of emotions and leave feeling empty but fulfilled and better off as a person for knowing the story.

In the Lives of Puppets explores what it means to be human with a cast of mostly robots and following (loosely) a well known and loved story as a foundation: Pinnochio. We follow Vic, Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Hap on an adventure to save Gio (Vic’s father), their family, and so much more along the way. Klune tackles topics like grief, love, family, identity, individuality, belonging….using robots and a children’s story - again, he’s a master.

I could honestly talk about this (and any TJ Klune book) for hours. He transports you to worlds not so unlike our own while weaving in enough fantasy to feel safely distanced from reality and simultaneously discussing (sometimes difficult) topics necessary for our actual existence.

I loved this book - I can’t say it’s my favorite by Klune, but I loved it. I’ll be adding it to the shelf of “everyone in my life should read this” and I think you should all check it out too!