Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early for an honest review.

I’ve had this book pre-ordered for awhile and I look forward to re-reading the print copy when it’s delivered too.

I fell in love with these characters right away and found myself reading slower and slower to spend as much time as possible with them and savor the experience. They each had such unique personalities.

There’s not much to add to what everyone else has been saying about this book. So I’ll just say: If you loved his Under the Whispering Door and The House on the Cerulean Sea, you’ll want to get your hands on this one to read too.

2.5 stars

This is a witty retelling of Pinocchio, Wizard of Oz and Brave Little Toaster tied into one story. The humor in this book kept me entertained, but I could not stay engaged throughout the book. I think the book was too long so the pace was off.

I loved the sci-fi elements and the humor, but some of the other pieces felt forced to become something other than a work of fiction. One underlying element was should you play god and create robots with thoughts and feelings? Then there is also the part where a human was created artificially. I get why they are in the book, but I just wanted to read a story, not a political piece.

Then it was weird for Vic to fall in love with HAP. That was just kind of weird to add romance into this book. I understand that Vic is lonely being the only human, but it was just a little too odd and unnecessary.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

5 out of 5 stars! This book was so cozy and delightful! I really enjoyed the witty banter and dynamic between the characters. The book was paced wonderfully, I felt captivated the entire time. Anyone who enjoys a cozy sci-fi will love this book. The queer aspect made it even better! I found myself laughing multiple times and the book even tugged at my heart. Such a great story that I highly recommend!

I didn't know I needed a Pinocchio retelling until now! Such a beautiful take on a classic. I would absolutely watch this episode of Love, Death, and Robots. All that being said, it didn't quite have the depth of Cerulean Sea or Whispering Door. Fans of those stories won't be disappointed, but you also won't be curled up in a ball sobbing over your teacup. (Somehow I make that sound like a bad thing.)

I was soooooo happy when I got approved for this ARC. I have read both The House in the Cerulean Sea and House Under the Whispering Door and I have falling in love with TJ Klune. So when I found out he had a new book coming out I rushed to Netgalley to see if there was an ARC. I don't even need to know what his books are about anymore. He is an auto-buy and auto-read author.

This book was fun from start to finish. The world was fun, the characters were fun, the plot/story line was amazing. I haven't read a lot of Sci-fi books but if they are written like this then GIVE THEM TO ME!!!

You have a mix of characters and let me tell you I loved them all but Nurse Ratchet was my favorite. She is me. I am her! She made me laugh out loud, she gave me new material for when dealing with the public. And her relationship with the other characters was just great. I don't have a blood family, besides my kids, just a found family. So when I get an amazing found family story it just sits so well with me. Vic and Hap are so adorable, Gio makes me want to have him as my dad and Rambo, oh little Rambo! He would be the best little brother ever!

I also love the queer. All his books I've read so far have queer in them and its AMAZING. TJ Klune does an amazing job mixing in a queer story line with the rest of the book. It's there but not over powering.

I want more. I want more of these characters, more of this world, more of it ALL!!!

Oh, my heart! What a book! Klune is one of those authors who’s been on my TBR forever but haven’t gotten around too and I’m totally kicking myself for that now. Such a beautiful book about found family, friendship, and humanity. Pinocchio used to terrify me as a child (and this is coming from someone who has been watching horror movies since she was five) so I wasn’t sure if I would love this, but it was great. The inspiration was clear and I loved what Klune did with it, also mashing in a bit of The Wizard of Oz and Wall-E. The plot was amazing and it really captured so many elements I love.

If I had to mention one thing I would’ve liked better was better pacing. The first 30% or so had my full attention and the last 30% felt the same but the middle of the book was a bit slow. Which is unfortunate because the “journey” is usually one of my favorite parts of these types of books. It’s also surprising to me that I loved the side characters a lot more than the main character. Nurse Ratched might be my favorite literary character this year and Rambo is a national treasure. Hap was also a great character with fantastic development.

This book made me laugh (a lot), cry, and feel. So, mission accomplished! Highly recommend to fans that love fantasy and sci-fi.

4.5 ⭐️

TJ Klune is top 3 instant buy authors for me. I don’t even HAVE to look at the description of the book, which is what happened when I submitted a request to review this. I went in totally and completely blind and I was rewarded tenfold. Klune’s writing is magical and this story is so endearing. A queer retelling of Pinocchio, this is so full of humor, heart, and comfort you can’t help fall madly in love with every character. Victor’s life as the only human among robots sounds objectively lonely, but the robots are so charming and funny you forget their robots. Nurse Ratchet is probably my favorite character I’ve read in a long, long time. Klune if you’re reading this I need a whole saga with Nurse Ratchet at the forefront. Every character is given their moment to shine, which is what makes Klune one of the best authors in the game right now.

Another absolute masterpiece from Klune that shattered my heart in the best way.
A story of love, grief, unlikely pairings, and just the most wonderful magical robot family. A true love letter to humanity, this is one I will revisit many times.

Another cute read from one of my favorite authors; TJ Klune. This is a queer, sci-fi retelling of Pinocchio. It has the same quirky characters you can’t help but love, the brilliant humor that makes you cackle like a fool, and uplifting vibes that make you feel like you’re embraced in a warm hug that we’ve come to enjoy from TJ.

Victor lives in the coolest treehouse ever with his loving robot dad, Gio, hyper as hell vacuum robot, Rambo, and hilariously murderous (she’s mostly kidding) robot nurse, Nurse Ratched. When they go to the scrapyards and find a new robot to repair, Hap, life changes for the family, and they must go to the City of Electric Dreams to save one of them.

This is a fantastical sci fi retelling of Pinocchio: that's about as much as I knew going into it (other than being familiar with the author), and I'm actually glad I went in with such little knowledge. I enjoyed the feeling of 'discovering' the plot and the world as I went, and I suspect others will too.

TJ Klune is wonderful with creating loveable characters, although I'll admit they thread the line between 'quirky' and 'caricature' at times. Even still, the book made me laugh out loud several times, and that's always a plus! The author also excels at developing loveable relationships and found families. While I haven't checked out Klune's backlist (like many, I've read the big ones with House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door), I've read enough to wager that those elements will be familiar to other Klune fans. Similarly, this novel takes on darker themes, even if it looks at them through a hopeful lens - that, too, feels very akin to other novels I've read by this author, and it's an element I love. I can count on Klune for an emotional wringer.

Unfortunately, the weaknesses I've noticed in Klune's other works are present here too. Namely: the pacing. I feel we could've used less time at the set-up, and more time at the finale and the resolution. As it stands, I was left wanting a more from the final pages. I will say that Klune's at times flowery and heavy-handed exploration of his themes actually work very well here. It is, after all, a fairytale retelling!

Overall, this is a 3.75/5 for me. For those who are familiar with Klune and have enjoyed his previous work (such as myself), this should be an easy sell. For those who are new to Klune, I'd recommend this one for the gay and ace rep, the characters (it's difficult to choose a favorite, but I think Hap would be mine), the found family, and the exploration into identity, freedom, and what it means to be alive.

(Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own)

Pro:
* Vic’s two robot friends are hilarious, and the interactions among the three of them are touching.
* Klune’s trademark tear-jerking moments: he does emotional connections really well.
* Superb Pinocchio adaptation with nods to Frankenstein and The Wizard of Oz
* I can absolutely see this as a movie.
* Political and social commentary of the best sci fi
* Classic hero’s quest

Con (minimal):
* Cliffhanger sentences at the end of the chapters aren’t necessary.
* Victor reads younger than it says he is. The book feels somewhat YA with adult humor in spots.
* End feels just a smidge drawn out.

The pros far outweigh the cons. Thank you to T.J. Klune, Tor Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my all-time favorite books and because of that, TJ Klune has become a must read author.

Unfortunately, In the Lives of Puppets didn't quite draw me in like Cerulean did. It has its quirky, charming moments - man, I loved Nurse Ratched and her psychopathic ways - but ultimately it missed the mark as a whole.

It felt a bit of a mashup of Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, and a bit of the book A Psalm for the Wild-Built.

I laughed, I cried and I would do it all over again to experience the joy that is this book. The characters drew me in immediately, I laughed out loud at Nurse Ratched's delivery and I smiled every time Rambo interacted with everyone; I never thought I would have so many feelings for a little vacuum. Overall a great story with heart that I would recommend to everyone over and over again. Thank you so much for the advanced digital copy,

I liked the House in the Cerulean Sea, and this book has a great premise. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. I just didn't feel drawn into the narrative or like I cared about the characters in the way that I did in Cerulean Sea. I had high hopes, but it was a disappointing read.

TJ Klune has done it again, this book stole my heart.

A fun and quirky take on a post apocalyptic story, this book features a group of robots and a man named Victor who have formed an unconventional family in their perfect forest home! When their world is unexpectedly turned upside down this group of unlikely heroes embark on the biggest adventure of their lives… and heartwarming hilarity ensues.

Despite being mainly driven by robots, this story felt beautifully human. We get to see these characters learn what it means to be “alive”, to develop unwavering faith in their people, and to be brave even in the scariest of moments! It was absolutely magical.

If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, you will love this one too - prepare to be taken on another unbelievable adventure!

Thanks to the author, @torbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of one of my most anticipated books of the year!

Overall, I enjoyed this quest based sci fi with its unique cast of characters! Learning about the world’s past and present was especially interesting, but I feel the ending was too rushed. Not everything was flushed out at the end from a larger scale/world building aspect, and I feel like if it had I would have given this an extra star. The comedic banter between Nurse Ratched and Rambo was my favorite element of all the characters. This one read like a movie and was very visual experience for me, but left me wanting more answers and closure at the end.

This is a TJ Klune book, which means his magic of creating the best cast of characters will shine here yet again (Nurse Ratched is my favorite). If I were to compare it to his other well-known books, THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA and UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR, I’d say this book is filthier, more risqué, has higher stakes, less romance, and—dare I say—more humorous. It’s a beautiful reverse Pinocchio story with touches of WALL-E, Howl’s Moving Castle, and that one art piece of flying whales. One thing I feel people might riot about is the ending. I personally like the bittersweet ending (they are the perfect endings in my opinion), even though I cried the entire way through. No notes. Another great story written!

Thank you to Tor for providing me an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read the first two books in this "kindness" trilogy and absolutely adored both of them. I was excited for this book when I first heard about it and because TJ Klune is wonderful. I am so disappointed to say that this book was a bit of a miss for me! One thing that may heavily influence my opinion is that I tend to be a stickler on classic retellings. Pinocchio was not necessarily my favorite story to begin with, however I do give Klune kudos for choosing a story that has not been remade thousands of times (Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc.). I did enjoy seeing the parallels between the two stories, and even enjoyed what felt like a bit of a "Wizard of Oz" inclusion.

My main criticism is that I found I just did not connect with the characters like I have in the past books. I didn't dislike any of them but none of them pulled on my heart strings, even in the hard, tender moments. My favorite character was probably Nurse Ratched. I loved her lines and her "Empathy Protocol" followed by her usual threats made me laugh almost every time. Rambo was cute and represents an ADHD persona very well. I could see my daughter (who is diagnosed with this) in Rambo at times, and I could sympathize with the frustration of it felt by Vic and Nurse Ratched also.
Going to visit the Blue Fairy was a little jarring as it felt like there was SO much going on that I'm not even sure I fully understood it and I have some questions about the IDEA of this facility existing that I won't state here in order to keep this spoiler free. It was just a bit of an odd place for me in the story.
Lastly, I've always suspected this of myself as a reader but never confirmed it until now: I am not into human/non-human romantic relationships. They just aren't for me. I don't get it, I don't see the appeal. So needless to say, the connection on that aspect of the story was lost on me as well.

This book is NOT poorly written by any means, and I think Klune put in a lovely message about mistakes and forgiveness and what forgiveness can look like. I will continue to buy Klune's books and gush about his others. Maybe his next book will be just what I'm looking for.

Inspired by the Tales of Pinocchio, and the Swiss family Robinson, In the Lives of Puppets is the story of three robots, and a human: the paternal Giovanni Lawson, a nursing robot with sociopathic leanings affectionately known as Nurse RATCHED, an anxiously naïve Roomba known as Rambo, and Victor Lawson, Giovanni’s human son. They live a peaceful life as a family deep in the woods, and hidden from the rest of the world until Victor discovers, and brings to life an android he finds in the scrap yards, HAP (Hysterically Angry Puppet). Their quiet existence is interrupted when robots from Giovanni’s former life, discover his whereabouts, and take him away to the City of Electric Dreams. Victor, Nurse RATCHED, Rambo and HAP embark on a journey to rescue their friend and father. 

Throughout the book, the characters are searching to understand the meaning of their existence. Both human and android, take you on their journey of self discovery, as they ponder what it means to be human.

I can easily say that I am a fan of Klune’s work, and that this book will be one of my top reads this year. I loved all the characters and watching their personal growth in understanding themselves.  There are touching moments, where you become acutely aware of the fragility and bitter sweetness of life. There are also some really funny moments where I caught myself chuckling out loud. Mr. Klune’s fairy-tale like approach to intense subjects like diversity, self acceptance, and forgiveness just make you feel good about the world despite all of its craziness. At the heart of it all, this story proposes acceptance and connection among us all despite our differences. That we are all beautiful just as we are.

T.J. Klune is the master of writing about found family (one of my favorite themes). In the Lives of Puppets is all about found family, in a unique and endearing way.

Set in a post-human ruled world taken over by machines, Giovanni Lawson (a robot), his son Victor (a human), Nurse Ratched (a robot made to heal humans), and a Roomba named Rambo make an unlikely family. When they find a new creation to join their family, HAP, it makes them all question the validity of their relationships and their histories.

In an idyllic forest grove, Gio, Vic, and their buddies created a haven of beautiful buildings to live and work in (see the cover - one of my favorite covers of all time!) They live there peacefully until everything they know is upset by a few interconnected events. Sticking together, they work to make sure they're able to save as many of their family as possible, traveling through the post-apocalyptic world with interesting descriptions of the places humans used to inhabit.

As usual, the characters in Klune's books are some of the most lovable out there. Rambo and Nurse Ratched are such unheard of characters who are brought to life (nearly) with incredible humor. I can't wait for the audiobook of this novel, as I'm sure the characters will be read brilliantly as they were in Klune's other books.