I loved this story imagining a universe where androids have determined humans are a danger to the environment and Earth and seek to eliminate them. I mean, they aren't wrong. What could be a very dark tale is kept highly humorous through rescued robots Nurse Ratched and Rambo the flaky Roomba-style vacuum. Ratched's sociopathic yet delightful tendencies and Rambo's wandering and babbling lighten up the journey of Victor, possibly the only human left on the planet.

If you are a fan of science fiction, this book is right up your alley and filled with humor, sadness, and the ultimate questions sci-fi often addresses: What gives life meaning/purpose, and what's the point of life anyhow? Friendship (even with creatures totally different from us), acceptance for who we are, love, and all of the answers follow.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy.

𝕀𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 ℙ𝕦𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕥𝕤 - 𝕋𝕁 𝕂𝕝𝕦𝕟𝕖

🌳🧑🏻🤖

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 . . .” 𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. “𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐩. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐇𝐚𝐩. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.

4.5/5

Vic is a human who lives in a treehouse hideaway with his dad and 2 robots, Nurse Rached and Rambo. When he finds the remains of another robot in the junk yard, it sets them off on a journey that will change everything Vic thought about his world.

I absolutely loved the comedic relief that Nurse Rached and Rambo provided. The witty banter had me laughing out loud at times. I must have at least 30 quotes saved from this story. It is a story that will make you laugh and make you sad and question your mortality. Highly recommend! I haven’t read his first book House in the Cerulean Sea but I own it and it’s on my tbr!! Moving it up in my pile after reading this moving novel.

Thank you to @netgalley and @torbooks for my advanced copy. Check out ITLOP when it comes out next month!!!

This is a retelling of Pinocchio set in a post apocalyptic world where robots rule. Think Wall-E/ Wizard of Oz vibes. Klune's writing is once again filled with humor, heart, love and amazing characters. My only issue was the pacing seemed to drag at point. Overall a wonderful read with all the feels.

I would 100% die for Rambo!

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

Thank you so much to Tor Books and NetGalley for the eArc of <i>In the Lives of Puppets</i>. All opinions are my own.

I would read the back of a soup can if TJ Klune wrote it, let's be honest here, because he'd manage some way to make it simultaneously heartbreaking, hilarious, and sentimentally sweet, and isn't that what we all need right now? Klune's new book <i>In the Lives of Puppets</i> is much like the theoretical soup can, with his trademark wicked humor combined with a sweetness and knack for building characters the reader is instantly attached to. His main character Victor is a human living in an android's world, but when his world is shaken to its very core, he has to face the difficult task of leaving home—and deciding whether the only home he knew is worth risking his life for.

Back to the soup can: Klune has somehow managed to anthropomorphize a sociopathic medic robot and a modified Roomba, making them Victor's BFFs. They are sidekicks in the true meaning of the word. And I know that the title and some of the characters' names allude to a retelling of the Italian folk tale <i>Pinocchio</i> (the real one, not the Disney-fied one), but I found it more akin to Mary Shelly's <i>Frankenstein</i>, where of course our inventor's name, Dr. Frankenstein himself, is Victor. And like Dr. F., Klune's very-much-human Victor also grapples with what to do with a creation of his at the same time as he and those around him try to answer the age-old question: just what does it mean to be human? And what responsibility to we bear for that which we create and unleash on the world?

If you love TJ Klune, you'll love this one. Although it doesn't match up in my mind with the <i>Greencreek</i> series or <i>The House in the Cerulean Sea</i>, I found it to be tender and touching and aching in the unique way that only Klune can write a fantastical story. This is a truly a fairy tale world you'll love to immerse yourself in.

Once again I’ve had my heart utterly destroyed and stitched back together one piece at a time by TJ Klune. In The Lives of Puppets reminds readers the meaning of life—of humanity and our choices, loyalty—in all shapes and sizes, and love—and the complexity of loving others despite their deep flaws. I loved to learn about Victor and each of his robot companions, and the whimsical mechanic world that surrounds them, and I loved the dialogue they share.

I laughed, I cried, and I loved. I can’t ask for more than that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this title.

Overall story would be closer to 3.5 but rounded up because the writing is beautiful as always with a Klune book.

"Humanity was lost, and lonely. I don't think they even realized just how lonely they were... but they hated as much as they loved. They feared what they didn't understand."

"Gio says that self-worth isn't measured by what others think, but what you think about yourself."

This is such a tough review to write because I adore TJ's books and writing style. And I was instantly hooked with Puppets until about 40% of the way through where I felt like I got stuck in perpetual muck. It picked up again a little bit but then got weird (which is saying something for a book about sentient robots), then picked up again, then got sad, then ended in a way that felt very unfinished?

What I loved:
- Found family
- Asexual representation
- Sociopathic yet caring robot named Nurse Ratched
- Rambo is all his perfection
- Themes of redemption
- TJ's words and those small impactful quotes littered throughout
- A queer hopeful ending (Idk if I could call it a happy ending per se but there is definitely hope)

What I struggled with:
- I have too many questions left at the end of the book despite it's size. What happened to the Electric City and the entirety of the robot empire? Without direction to improve will they just fall back into their old systems? Are there really no other humans on earth? Is there a plan to bring humans back?
- I really hated the part with the Coachman. Idk why but this did not vibe with me and I felt really uneasy about the whole thing. I'm sure that was intentional, but it also felt like it could have been left out?
- I didn't feel very connected to Vic? Though I felt very connected to Nurse Ratched and Rambo. Even Hap and Gio had good development
- The end felt a little disordered, an unfinished. It just felt like pieces were littered on the ground and you're picking them up, reading a snip, and trying to piece together some sort of ending.

If you're a die-hard Klune fan, it's definitely worth the read. And I think it would lend itself much better to an audiobook narration than traditional reading. Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for an eARC for review.

4.5 stars. Now, I may be among the few who wasn't really happy with Mr. Klune first two big market books. They were good, but, for me at least, they didn't pack the punch I know he can achieve. However, I knew within the first couple of pages that this book, despite my lack of interest in Pinocchio, was the T. J. Klune I loved. Quirky, funny (in that "irritating those in your immediate surrounds with sudden eruptions of laughter" kind of way), smart, and real. Like life, it will hurt you and make you smile, you will fall in love and it will be the greatest and hardest thing you've done. Bravo, Mr. Klune, and thank you again.

The unconditional and complex nature of love is TJ Klune at his best. But, the melancholy of humanity is something that he has crafted with even more intentionality book after book. I went into In The Lives Of Puppets with high expectations. After watching the Guillermo Del Toro film Pinocchio, and as a fan of Walle, this book seemed like the perfect nexus point between my interests. It did not disappoint.
Victor Lawson is a human boy raised by robots. He lives in the woods with his machine father Giovanni, and his two best friends Nurse Ratched and Rambo the Roomba. When Gio is kidnapped by the robot authority, Victor must set out on a quest to find his father, and more importantly, find himself and his own definitions of love and humanity. The cast of characters is endearing, hilarious, sad, kind, sadistic, and everything in between. Klune masterfully crafts these characters in a way that lives in the uncanny value between man and machine. I loved this book. I loved the complex and uncomfortable feelings it engendered. But most importantly, I love the questions I am left pondering. I can't wait to share this with my students.

What an absolutely beautiful story of love and acceptance. This book made me laugh, cry, question and ponder some touching and truly poignant themes. I can't say reading the description that this is normally a storyline that would catch my eye, but I'm so happy to have ventured out of my comfort zone to experience this thoughtful story. The character interactions were fun, the overall premise was unique and many parts made me feel quite introspective. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

4.5⭐️

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and Under the Whispering Door so much. So I absolutely squealed in excitement when I was approved for this wonderful Queer retelling of The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Blurb: In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots--fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe.

Another absolute winner from TJ Klune! His writing and characters are *chefs kiss* perfection. My love for Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Vic, was indescribable. It was serious insta-love for this trio. They had me LOL so many times with their outstanding banter.

This compelling and unique story takes you along on a beautiful journey that is filled with so much humor, love, and the exploration of what makes us who we are. I felt an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. Everything develops at an ideal pace to keep you fully engaged. I will admit that I got lost a little in the Sci-Fi aspects, but that’s just me as I don’t normally read much of that genre. However, I have quickly learned, if Klune writes it, I will be reading it.

What I loved;
🤖 Found Family
🤖 Diverse Representation
🤖 Witty Humor
🤖 Adventure

In the Lives of Puppets publishes 4/25 and I would absolutely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and it did not disappoint. I can’t wait to do a reread with the audiobook!

A lovely and heartwarming tale with unforgettable characters, as is the standard with TJ Klune! It's more similar in vibe to Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door. One day, I hope to see TJ return to something along the lines of his Green Creek series.

Klune's latest has many of the features that have made his first two books so popular: a winsome, optimistic worldview, quirky characters expertly delineated, with and humor. His descriptions are delicious. Unfortunately this book, a future dystopia that draws inspiration from Disney's Pinocchio, bogs down about halfway through. So light on his feet in the earlier part of the story, he seems to bog down when it comes to describing depravity, cynicism and vice. I felt a stronger editorial hand could have done this book a lot of good.

I wanted to love this book, but I could not get into it. I didn’t like the characters very much and felt like the world building could have been a lot better. I’m also not a fan of TJ Klune’s dialogue writing at all. It’s so cheesy and forced I just am not a fan. I also didn’t really love The House in the Cerulean Sea(although I did like it more than this one), so its probably a me issue. If you really love Klune’s other books I really think you will like this one too. His writing just doesn’t really work for me🤷🏽‍♀️

This was an easy 5 star read for me. I love TJ Klune's writing and how he's able to beautifully balance joy, hearbreak, laughter, and love while also telling incredible stories.I especially appreciate how he incorporates mental health into his books.

All of the characters in this book were wonderful and loveable and the found family aspect was *chef's kiss*. Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Victor were such a beautiful trio with such real relationships- they love each other, pick on each other, get annoyed with each other. They fit together like a wonderful puzzle. Ratched had me laughing out loud, Rambo had me wanting to just snuggle him, and Victor had me thinking. As I mentioned, TJ Klune's approach to writing about mental health, especially anxiety, always works for me. This book was no exception.

I truly loved this spin on Pinocchio (and also got some real Wizard of Oz vibes)- the Blue Fairy? Perfect. The Coachman? Wonderful. Gio? Superb.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has previously enjoyed TJ KLune, loves found family, wants a heartwarming read (that will also break your heart but in lovely ways)

Overall, this was another great book by TJ Klune that I enjoyed. The character development was great and I would 100% die for Rambo! The found family and the love that the characters have for each other was so heartwarming. I did feel that their were slight pacing issues with the story. The beginning felt a little long, while the conflict resolution at the end felt rushed in my opinion. I gave this 4 stars though and would recommend to people who are looking for a fun, book about found family and fighting for your loved ones no matter what!

"What a strange existence we find ourselves in. I wouldn't change it for anything in the world."

I was elated to receive an early copy of 'In the Lives of Puppets' because I loved 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' and 'Under the Whispering Door' so much.

'In the Lives of Puppets' is a wonderfully crafted queer retelling of The Adventures of Pinocchio. IT WAS SOOOO SOOO GOOD!

The story begins with an android named Giovanni 'Gio' Lawson. Having escaped from the City of Electric Dreams, Giovanni is trying to lay low and avoid attention. By escaping into the forest, Giovanni decides to make a home for himself here. He begins building a home into the branches of a grove of trees.
In the forest, Giovanni spends his days and nights alone, tinkering, and building onto his beloved treehouse.

Then one day a couple appears with a human baby wrapped in rags, begging Giovanni to look after him.
Giovanni finds purpose in this baby and decides to raise this baby as his own son and call him Victor.

"But this man was his father. This man had raised him. This man who wasn't a man at all."

Giovanni and Victor live in the treehouse with Nurse Ratched, a sadistic and smart-mouthed nurse machine, and Rambo, a people-friendly vacuum who loves to clean up messes.

Now, Victor, age twenty-two, is following in his dad's footsteps. He loves repairing and salvaging materials from the scrap yard near the forest. When one day, he, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo, stumble upon a decommissioned and damaged android who they call Hap.
Victor, unable to leave Hap in his current state, takes Hap back to the treehouse to repair him unaware that doing so will threaten the secret lives Giovanni built for them in the forest.

Once Hap is repaired, he accidently alerts robots to the location of Gio's treehouse. Gio is captured and forced back to the City of Electric Dreams as his beloved treehouse is burned to the ground.


""And here, now, he said, "It hurts. Here." He pressed a hand to his chest as the tether jerked a final time. He was in his body once more, and it was dark and quiet inside. "Can you heal me?" Nurse Ratched said, "It is not physical, Victor. I cannot heal it.""

Victor, Hap, Nurse Ratched and Rambo set off to rescue Gio before he gets reprogrammed or decommissioned. On the way Victor must grapple with his growing feelings towards Hap, but also the consequences that leaving the forest will have on him. As they journey to the City of Electric Dreams, It's clear that machines have no room for humanity and that the robots have taken over what once was the human world. With humanity balancing on the fingertips of robots, Victor must decide if his love for Hap is worth the risk.

My Thoughts: I loved this one. TJ Klune has a way with words. This is my 3rd book by Klune and I am still obsessed with his ability to make you smile and laugh while also making you cry. They are so many emotions in this one. I mean, Nurse Ratcheds' quotes are enough to make you laugh, cry and say 'Yes, Queen!'

Klune's writing is filled with humor, heart and love. The plot, the characters (Nurse Ratched and Rambo are the best!) , and the overarching storyline were spectacular.

If you are looking for unique retelling, with diverse representation, adventure, romance, found families, and witty humor than look no further. Klune took a classic like Pinocchio and turned it into something even more spectacular (without the creepy nose-growing).

What is to be human when you are the only human? If you had to describe your feelings and desires to someone who has never experienced emotions, could you? Could you live in a world where you are hunted for just existing? What makes you human? These are all questions that TJ Klune explores through his newest book and the character of Victor, Vic. living with three robots, Vic’s family is a hodgepodge of beings connected as family. Full of love, truth, and the exploration of what makes us who we are, The adventure this found family takes to bring home one of their own will easily pull at your heartstrings. The details embedded beautifully in the building of this world and character development make fiction become fact and the reader feel like they are embarking on the journey with Vic, HAP, Rambo, and Nurse RATCHED. While the humor would occasionally be misplaced and the pacing not the greatest, the overall story telling makes this book stand out. the story combines elements of Pinocchio and the Wizard of Oz in to a delightful dystopian and sci-fi piece that I recommend to all who have previously read Klune or have the desire to read a heartwarming tale.

I loved Klune's other books, The House In The Cerulean Sea, and Under the Whispering Door. So I jumped at the chance to read another of his books. Unfortunately, this was a Did Not Finish book for me. I just couldn't get into a book about robots living ina forest.

I enjoyed reading this book and it took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, especially considering the message of the book which I felt was the importance of found family and that everyone deserves a second chance no matter their past. Despite this, I did feel that the pacing in the book was either too fast or too slow. The beginning, for me, was really slow for almost 40% of the book, which I understand because this part of the book is about learning about the characters and world building. However, I felt like this could have been shortened a little bit and have a bit more focus on their journey to rescuing Gio because I felt like the journey, and Gio’s rescue, was a bit rushed especially with all the discoveries being made at those times and what happened when they rescued Gio. Overall, I wish there was a bit more focus on the later half of the book. Moreover, I felt like there were too many references to sex. It felt like there was at least one reference per chapter of sex, or of Vic’s genitals, and it kind of became super annoying and overkill.
Besides that, I really liked all the characters. They are all very enjoyable characters and the dynamics between all of them are very heart warming but also very funny. You can tell that they love each other very much even if they don’t say it and I love how their actions speak louder than their words to show it. I think my favorite character out of all of them is Nurse Ratched because she is such a savage from the things she says to the actions she takes, she does not hold back for anyone. However, I think my least favorite character is Rambo, which is not to say I don’t like him at all cause in the first half of the book I did like him. I found him to be very sweet and supportive but as the story progressed I started getting very annoyed with him due to the amount of times he almost messed everything up for them, even though he knows how important their mission is. I don’t know if he lacks impulse control or has a short term attention span but after a while it kind of made me wish they had left him behind.
Furthermore, I feel bad for saying this but I wasn’t a big fan of the romance between Vic and Hap. It felt like the relationship was very rushed especially considering Hap’s situation and the fact that Vic has never had any other relationship besides familial in his entire life. Considering everything, if there had to be romance I wish it was between Hap and Gio because of their shared history.
Finally, I really liked the ending of the book. It was such a bittersweet ending, which not a lot of the books that I have read so far have done. I felt it was bittersweet because while things weren’t horrible they weren’t necessarily totally happy either but they were working towards getting there and finding their new normal and their new happiness together. However, I do wish there was an epilogue that addresses, or at least mentions, what became of the city because I was left with a lot of questions.

This author is so fun. Think of this one as a cross between Pinocchio and The Wizard of Oz with robots. And Victor is already a real boy. But he's the only one. The blue fairy and the whale make appearances (I haven't actually read Pinocchio so you'll have to let me know if I missed things) but I would actually put this closer to The Wizard of Oz. The message in this book is not as clear as in other previous books. I think it's mostly about having a heart and found families and not being prejudiced against others. And possibly that humans are evil but robots are worse. You'll have to read it and make your own conclusions.

I made a mini playlist as I was reading. Because this author is all about including music references. I definitely missed a couple at the very beginning, but no one claims to be perfect all of the time.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0UqwFWkJ5cUSGGo13U2wyw?si=3c1a97893ffb4f1b