I’d say this was more like 3.5🌟 rounded up because I have a soft spot for anything by TJ Klune.

There were so many things to love about this book. It’s heartwarming and hilarious, but an equal number of things I didn’t love. Of his novels I’ve read this one took the longest to really grip me and pull me in and it was definitely very repetitive at times. Overall I still very much enjoyed it and will continue to look forward to future works by this author!!

I really loved The House on the Cerulean Sea and I was hoping to love this one too, but it just wasn’t the same. It’s a cute retelling of Pinocchio with a touch of The Wizard of Oz, but it just seemed to take too long to get the story out. I will read this author again, he has a very unique way of telling stories. Thank you Netgalley for the E ARC.

In the Lives of Puppets is a story that I think will appeal to established TJ Klune fans and newcomers alike. Puppets includes many of the same features that I know and love from this author: laugh out loud humor with *just* a bit of an edge, found family, and LGTBQ inclusion. However, this book explores some new territory not seen much in his previous novels for adults. I recently attended a talk with him where he said this book is an attempt to include more of his “dark side” in the style of writing he has used in his last two books. I think he accomplishes that beautifully by including a little more mature and darker content, and in the journey the characters take. There is still so much beauty, joy, and humor, but it is hard won. There will be tears, but there is also plenty of hope and love to balance it out.

I also absolutely loved the world-building in this story.. The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door take place mostly in a (wonderful, magical) single location with a set cast of (whimsical, wonderful) characters. This story sees our ragtag family take their show on the road and explore the world outside their treehouse bungalow. We get some solid side characters (Dear TJ, please write your next book about The Coachman. Please and thank you.) and explore a dazzling and terrifying new city. This story also has lots of extras; different types of robots and droids, the Blue Fairy, the Authority, the HARPs. Throughout the book, Klune builds out just enough characters and locales to keep us enchanted and oriented, but not so much that it overwhelms or bogs down the story.

Long story short, I would read a refrigerator manual if TJ Klune wrote it and I would probably rave about it afterward. Fortunately, he just keeps writing absolutely beautiful books that I genuinely love and recommend wholeheartedly. It’s the kind of book that will make you laugh, cry, laugh again, and then find yourself deep in thought about why you exist.

In the Lives of Puppets is a delightful and whimsical fantasy novel by TJ Klune. It tells the story of a family of robots and their human companion as they embark on an adventure to save the world.
The robots are all named after famous puppets: Giovanni Lawson, a fatherly inventor android; Nurse Ratched, a sadistic nurse robot; and Rambo, a small vacuum cleaner. They are joined by Victor Lawson, a human who found them in the scrap yard and took them in.
The family lives in a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees. They are content in their solitude, but their lives are turned upside down when Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP.”
In the Lives of Puppets is a heartwarming and funny story about family, friendship, and the power of love. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the chemistry between them is undeniable. The plot is well-paced and engaging, and the ending is satisfying.

Overall, In the Lives of Puppets is a great read for anyone looking for a fun and heartwarming story. I highly recommend it!

Victor lives secluded in the forest with his father and the two robots they have salvaged from the scrap heap and lovingly restored: a vacuum cleaner and a robot nurse. The robots are full of bugs and quirks (such as a slight murderous psychosis) that would horrify their original creators, but to Victor they are family. Dysfunctional, but happy. Even the outside world holds only a mild curiosity. A new discovery in the scrapheap seems like a great opportunity to add to this family, but this new robot might be more than he seems. In fact the world itself may be more than Victor has ever realised.

The characters in this book are definitely unique and unusual yet their relationships are not too different from what we might expect. Robots in fiction are stereotypically emotionless and their evolution usually adopts an evil streak. Whilst there is an element of this, TJ Klune’s robots also debunk this stereotype. Somehow he has made them into realistically complex characters, with feelings and human-like reactions, without ever letting us forget their true origins. By creating emotional connections with robots, TJ Klune has also added a new depth of vulnerability. Not only can the robots be destroyed, they can also have their memories removed and overwritten with enemy objectives. This creates the heart breaking possibility of having to watch someone you love become the thing you hate.

At the start our setting is very limited and provides us with a restricted understanding of the wider world of the book. This opening setting places us deep within the natural world, removing the robots from their presumed native industrial setting. I believe that this adds to the humanisation of the robots that we meet at the beginning of the book, something which is greatly lacking in the robots we meet later on. Gradually this narrow lens widens, revealing many aspects of the world which I had previously guessed at. The pace of the reader’s discovery echoes Victors own views on the world which encourages us to view it from his biased viewpoint.

Overall the setting and characters of this book make for a lighter form of sci-fi which is ideal for new or cautious readers of the genre.

I grew up watching the bicentennial man a thousand times, so the story about friendship, family and love between humans and machines was one that I was very fond of. And this book did not disappoint me. I laughed, I cried and I swooned. What else do you want from a book? There were so many references that I appreciated without being overwhelmed. Pinocchio above all else, but also Frankenstein (hello inventor who gives life named Victor), which is one of my favorite stories of all time. I loved everything about this book and if you already know Klune and you are worried that this book will be another House in the Cerulean Sea do not worry because it is not. The elements of Klune's story are there but the story is very different from the previous two. I would honestly recommend reading this book even if it was garbage (which is absolutely not!) just for the character of Nurse Ratched. I cannot express how much I loved her.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Love this book and love Klune! What a gift for storytelling and bringing characters to life. This book will be featured on an upcoming episode of Your Rainbow Reads podcast about fairytale retellings.

Fans of Klune's last 2 books will feel right at home in the world created here. Part fantasy, part love story, this book will appeal to a wide variety of readers. The similarities to Pinocchio are obvious, but never over the top. The story flows well and the characters are delightful. I will highly recommend this book to all my customers!

More sci-fi-ish than anything I’ve read by TJ Klune, In the Lives of Puppets is the story of a human, Victor, who is raised by robots and machines in a remote, isolated forest. But these are not merely functional, unfeeling robots. Gio, his father of sorts, is a kind, thoughtful inventor and exactly the kind of old soul you want advice from; Nurse Ratched, and old medical robot, has a sharp wit and speaks fluent sarcasm; Rambo, a vacuum bot, was the adorable little brother type; and later we meet Hap, a bad boy robot with a questionable past, but whose storyline is key to the books themes of friendship, love, and forgiveness.

When Gio is captured and taken prisoner, the remaining foursome set out on an adventure to save him, marking Vic’s first time ever outside of the forest. Their quest is twisty and perilous, eye opening for Vic, and requires a lot of reflection on exactly what it means to be human.

To be clear, this is not a plot that would have appealed to me in the hands of any ole author, but Klune has a gift for writing endearing characters and weaving empathy and kindness into his stories, making them less about the details and more about the message. The details, which are always refreshingly creative, are just an added bonus!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Giovanni (Gio) Lawson, an inventor and android has created his own family, hidden from the world in a clearing in the forest. There with his human son, Victor they have spent two decades collecting and repairing scrap from a nearby junkyard, including two robots that are now part of their household, Rambo, a small annoying, but eager to please Roomba type vacuum cleaner and Nurse Ratched, a sociopathic nursing machine with a sarcastic turn of phrase. When Victor finds and secretly repairs an Android called Hap, he has no idea the danger he has placed his adoptive father into by exposing his hiding place and his past history. Vic, Rambo and Nurse Ratched will have to go out into the world on a dangerous journey to save Gio and Hap and the very existence of their family.

Set in a future world where humanity has been replaced by AI, this is a delightful tale blending elements of Pinnochio with other classic tales of adventure and survival. Although, I didn't connect with it as strongly as with 'The House in the Cerulean Sea', it is a creative and entertaining tale of love, adventure, courage and what makes a family. Lovely, tender writing with unusual characters you will come to love, even the annoying Rambo, who shows true bravery when it is most needed.

“To fix what is in disrepair sometimes means breaking it completely and starting over again.”

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!

I am going to be thinking about this one for a LONG time. I would say this is my favorite of Klune’s that I’ve read so far, and I loved all the elements that are inspired by Pinocchio. I loved how this story takes the elements of Pinocchio and flips them on their head.

Everything about this book worked for me. I was totally invested in learning about this strange version of our world, but what absolutely shines is the characters. Klune’s writing always features strong elements of found family, but this ragtag little crew is my absolute favorite. Vic, Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Hap are so delightful, but Nurse Ratched steals the show. She brought the driest robot humor and her screen messages often had me actually laughing out loud.

This book is full of mentions and callbacks to classic movies and literature, and I loved the way that they were woven into the story. It made the experience feel so authentic and like I was really reading about a real distant future.

What really gets to me is how a story with one human in our crew is a story that is so vividly human. I truly loved it, I cried and laughed, and I was rooting for Vic and the crew the whole time, even through my gasping sobs at the end.

What else could this be but a full 5⭐️ rating?

3.5 stars
Klune's re-imagining of Collodi's Pinocchio (but with robots instead of puppets) is weird, funny, heartfelt and beautiful.

The story follows Victor, inventor and human son of android Giovanni Lawson. The family which includes the vacuum Rambo and a nurse android (aptly named Nurse Ratched) live quietly and happily in the forest. However, when Victor finds a new android and brings him to life their peaceful world implodes and Giovanni is taken away. Victor, Nurse Ratched, Rambo and the android named HAP go on a journey to find Giovanni and maybe just save the world.

Personally I find some of Klune's books difficult to get into but as long as I have patience I'm rewarded and usually they become some of my favorite reads of the year. This book was a little different for me. I did enjoy it and I loved the comic relief Rambo and Nurse Ratched provided. However, I felt like there was something missing. I don't want to spoil anything but I wanted something more from the ending. Maybe I'm unfairly comparing it to Klune's previous books because this was not bad it just was not as good I was expecting or hoping.

I still highly recommend and existing fans of Klune's work as well as sci-fi enthusiasts will definitely enjoy!

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley

TJ Klune has a marvelous imagination and is able to "twist" a classic tale into a sci-fi/fantasy book that can be enjoyed by teenagers and adults alike. The themes of humanity, friendship, and family are spread throughout. The interjected humor was much appreciated.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor for giving me the opportunity to read this book early! As a fan of Klune’s other books, I was so excited to get to read this incentive sci-fi/ fantasy queer retelling. In broad strokes, ‘Puppets’ follows the themes of Pinocchio but the story progresses in a unique direction all its own. If you were on the fence about reading a retelling of Pinocchio, don’t be. This is yet another charming addition to Klune’s collection and fans of his previous work will not be disappointed.

All of the three T J Klune books I have read so far have one thing in common - finding love, family and acceptance in the most unlikeliest of places. Having very much loved his other two works, this one fell a little short for me and somehow felt a lot of things were forced and not natural. Albeit I loved it to bits and enjoyed the reading experience.

The story tackles themes of family, identity, and forgiveness in a poignant and thought-provoking way. It's a unique and enjoyable read that will leave you with a new appreciation for what it means to be human and the power of connection.

TJ Klune has offered a modern Pinocchio story that tugs at the heartstrings and keeps the reader hopeful right to the end. I appreciated the dystopian feel to the story, with machines running the world and humans being nearly extinct and therefore extra valuable in their scarcity. Vic has been raised by Gio, an inventor living like a hermit in a wildly creative treehouse away from civilization. Robots and machines have taken over and Gio lives in fear of the Authority discovering that his beloved Vic is actually a human. While scavenging for parts, Vic uncovers Hap, a broken robot who was once tasked with destroying humans, and Vic aims to revive him and give him a second chance. As always, Klune has created a human dilemma of need and vulnerability within community that rings true for most of us. He has also surrounded Vic with a couple of the most endearing and entertaining supportive characters in Nurse Ratched and Rambo. A satisfying and enjoyable read for ages teen and up.

In The Lives Of Puppets
By TJ Klune

Review
This story is absolutely brilliant, I read this in one sitting. The characters were all so well developed and beautifully crafted. TJK hits you with all the feelings laughter, happiness, sadness in this extraordinary retelling of Pinocchio. One of my favorite lines, “We do not fight with swords. We do not fight with guns or bombs or biological warfare. To fix what is in disrepair sometimes means breaking it completely and starting over again.” Mr. Klune is a rockstar author & storyteller.




📚Expected April 25, 2023📚

❤️Thank you Tor, NetGalley, & the brilliant author TJ Klune. I’m super appreciative & gave my honest opinion❤️

In a word - amazing! A sci-fi take on the classic Pinocchio was more heart warming and touching that I ever imagined possible. A human raised by an android, a Roomba with anxiety, a nurse bot with a dark sense of humor, and a robot learning to feel embark on a journey to save the inventor Gio. By the end of this book, I was so deeply invested in every character - it’s one I won’t soon forget. Highly recommend

This book does indeed have plenty of faults, but I'm willing to overlook the majority of them because I loved Rambo and Nurse Ratched that much. I would not hesitate to read additional books that include them.