I just love TJ Klune’s mind, this book was fantastic.
It was A Brave Little Toaster for the modern world and I enjoyed every minute of this book. How TJ Klune made a Roomba a funny, adorable character is beyond me, but I laughed out loud so many times from the banter between him and other characters.
A fantastic book I will Definitely recommend to all my friends.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune has been one of my most anticipated reads for 2023. I've been trying to make it last as long as possible just to savor this witty retelling. Straight away the words puppet and Pinocchio made me nervous as I'm one of those people who really dislikes puppets they give me the creeps but I had nothing to fear. The only way to describe In the Lives of Puppets is to compare it to Wall-E.

The story begins with an inventor Giovanni Lawson who finds this abandoned home in the woods that he renovates and develops into multiple building structure in the trees where he raises a human boy Vic along side two machines Rambo and Nurse Ratchet that are rescued from the scrap yard. Rambo a neurotic vacuum and Nurse Ratched a android programed to care and heal (think Baymax from the film big hero six)who more often than not offers options of violence aimed at the poor Rambo. This pair of characters had me in stiches from their witty sarcasm and blunt conversations and for me made the story.

When exploring the scarp yard for more parts Vic, Rambo and Nurse Ratchet come across a decommissioned robot they name H.A.P but while repairing H.A.P they realise they may have caused more problems than they intended. When events unfold and a past history between H.A.P and Giovanni is uncovered untimely putting Giovanni's life in a perilous danger after he is abducted and taken back to his old laboratory. Where the others must venture to try and save Giovanni from reprogramming.

This charming piece of speculative fiction follows a young man named Victor and his robot friends as they go on an adventure to rescue his father from the mysterious City of Electric Dreams. There's a lot to appreciate here, particularly in Klune's trademark penchant for giant-hearted stories of found-family. There is also a lot of great banter, particularly between Victor's robot friends. I would say, however, that I couldn't really figure out who the intended audience of the book is. It reads like a middle grade novel in terms of characterization, plotting, and some of the themes, but contains a fair bit of adult content, leading me to wonder who exactly it's for. But, it stuck the landing with a meaningful pay-off, and overall, I have to say I enjoyed it.

Special props for the way the two robot sidekicks, mostly there for support and humour end up being the voice of a lot of complicated truths about humanity.

This is a 4 star read for me. A favorable review will be posted to my blog closer to the release date.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and it did not disappoint. A Pinocchio retelling where the only real boy is our main character, Victor, threaded through with elements of the original story that are reimagined in great, creative ways. This book felt perfectly TJ Klune, and if you’ve read his other recent works, you’ll understand what I mean.

This world is compelling, unusual, funny, and heartbreaking, a feat that is hard to pull off once, let alone three times in a row. He weaves elements of queer romance into each of his novels, In the Lives of Puppets included, in a way that does not feel forced or like the main focus of the story, which allows the book to breathe and feel whole. Each character feels so well developed in ITLOP, and their unique quirks really make the story complete. Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and Hap feel more like real people than any other robot I’ve ever seen or read about, and their dynamics are hilarious and incredible. The setting is described so beautifully, especially in the beginning, and I wish I could visit Gio and Victor’s home in the trees!

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this read and will be encouraging others to read this one as well!

Cover note: absolutely perfect, matches the tone of the book so well and I love how it goes along with Klune’s previous 3 novels!

rep: asexual MC, mlm romance

omg. Oh my god. I love this book. Sometimes you just meet characters and fall in love with all of them and this is exactly what happened here. TJ Klune has a talent for giving us a unique and lovable cast in all of his books. I was so invested in them, alot more then i expected. And the best part is that he makes them so funny. His humor is my favorite type, i found myself laughing out loud so many times. The mix between an anxious vacuum, a sadistic nurse and the human between them was so perfect. Their interaction gave me life, i would read a million other books with just them hanging out. This was such a treat. Also, my baby Rambo was everything. I loved him so freaking MUCH. Vic and Hap were also fantastic and adorable and made my heart so happy. Extra points for the romance being queer, and more extra point for the asexual representation. When it comes to the story itself, I enjoyed it! When i read Cerulean sea and whispering doors almost back to back, i was a bit scared by the similarities in both stories (unhappy men finds himself in a peculiar little house where he meets a fascinating man with who he falls in love and finds a new found family of colorful characters that shows his the true meaning of live) and some of those elements were found again here, but he added this quest element that i truly loved. It let us explore more of this world he had created. The ending sent me in an emotional rollercoaster and i am not complaining about it. As always, the writing was perfect, i think is style is a perfect match to my taste. I will read everything he writes.

There were definitely parts I enjoyed of this book and I liked the concept, but overall the book fell flat for me. It started off ok and then I just felt like it dragged.

Every book I’ve read from Klune has the same kind of powerful effect on me. I find they make me ponder humanity and our world and so much of what he writes feels like he’s asking me to sit in discomfort as I really consider what I’m doing, both good and bad, for our world.

While this story felt slower at times, as always, his story made a lasting impression on me. And, I was very impressed by his ability to make me feel love toward certain robots!

“I don’t know how not to be weird,[…] That’s like asking the birds to stop flying.”
I felt such kinship when reading this sentence and want Rambo to be my best friend!

Thanks to @Alana for the great buddy read discussion!

*quotes from advanced copies may be different in finished copies

4.5

“The truth was often broken, shards of glass embedded into skin. There they would remain until the wounds scarred over, leaving lumps that, while they never truly go away, would become less noticeable with time.”

I’ve read enough of TJ Klune’s books now that I pretty much expect certain elements to be involved in a new book by him, including an amazing found family, some full-circle moments to reflect upon, fantasy scenarios that somehow relate to society in the real world, at least one character whose heart grows more soft throughout the book, a chance for redemption, and moments that will make me both laugh and cry. This book, a Pinocchio-inspired story that is both similar to and completely different from the classic tale, had all of these and more!

There is also witty banter, adventure, and philosophical exploration into what it means to be alive. The book was, as I’ve also come to expect from Klune’s writing, comforting and deeply reflective. I will definitely be reading it again!

3 1/2 ⭐️
Victor is a young man being raised by a troop of unique individuals: an inventor, a psychotic nurse, and a little guy desperately needing attention. What do those three have in common? They are all robots. After Victor’s robot-dad is kidnapped and the rest have to go on a trip to save him.
First things first, thank you to #Netgalley & @TJKlune for the ARC.
Next, I struggled horribly with this book. I love Klune’s writing so much and it breaks my heart that I didn’t love this. The characters were beautiful as usual. I loved Nurse Ratchet and Rambo. The story is where it fell short for me. It seemed to drag and drag. I picked it up, put it down, and repeated. I did give an extra half star because he made me cry, so there’s that. I may try to reread this book down the road and edit my review. I do recommend any and all T J Klune books, I just expected more.

This is a retelling of Pinocchio set in a post apocalyptic world where robots rule. I also got some Wizard of Oz and Wall-E vibes from it.

There is ace representation, found family, and an epic adventure.

My favorite characters are Nurse Ratched and Rambo. I loved Nurse Ratched’s sense of humor and Rambo’s innocence and naïveté are adorable.

While I didn’t like it as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea or Under the Whispering Door, this is still a solid story by TJ Klune.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an eARC of In The Lives of Puppets in exchange for an honest review. 

This story follows Vic, a human, as he is raised by robots, trying to find his place in this world. He enjoys going to the Scrap Yards where he eventually finds a robot he names Hap, and takes him to fix him up. Throughout the story, Vic discovers what it truly means to be human.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed other T.J. Klune books. I thought the story was a little boring and didn’t have anything new and exciting to contribute to the literary world.

As for representation, I was disappointed in what I read. The character Hap has a stutter because he was found broken in a junkyard. There isn’t much representation of characters with stutters, and I was disappointed that when I finally found some explanation for it was because he was broken and couldn’t be repaired. The main character, Vic, is asexual, which just felt like it wasn’t really necessary. He’s surrounded by a bunch of robots so even if he wanted to be sexually active, it isn’t something he could pursue the majority of the story. I’m all for a character’s sexuality not being a thing that is of great importance to a storyline, but in this case, it felt like the author was trying to tie a connection between robots and asexual people that I wasn’t a fan of.

I felt that Rambo and Nurse Ratched, two of Vic’s robot companions, were much more enjoyable to read about than Vic himself. I often found myself caring more about Rambo’s and Nurse Ratched’s interactions than what was actually happening with Vic.

I am rating this book 2/5 stars. This book is very focused on the main character, and since I didn’t care for him, I also didn’t care for the book overall. I also feel that the representation in this book is more harmful than helpful. There are quite a few funny quips that got me through the book, but overall there are so many other books to read that have better representation and more enjoyable main characters.

In the Lives of Puppets

4.25 ⭐️

This book was such a fun adventure! Per usual TJ Klune fashion, I loved the characters so much. Nurse Rachel is hilarious and I loved the dark sense of humor coming from a medical robot. Worst bedside manner ever, but so entertaining. She had me laughing out loud from the very beginning.

The journey to rescue Vic’s father was full of deeper conversations, while also typical of Klune’s stories I thought it was sometimes a little overt.

The futuristic setting was fun to think through and I loved the questions Hap would ask at the beginning as he was learning about humans.

This was definitely one of the more challenging Klune books for me to read. Well I have read most of T J's writings this one was a little harder to get into. The world of androids and humans blend and the results get to be very predictable and deeply disturbing
. Victor has a beautiful relationship with his android father Gio and lives happily in the forest tinkering and creating. One day Victor's world is toppled over when his father is taken away and the truth emerges. There is much sadness and grief in this book and you actually can imagine the horror that existed. It is definitely a darker book of TJ 's even though there is some delightful humor provided by two sidekicks. I love nurse Ratchet and the little vacuum robot Rambo that added the needed comic relief .
If you enjoy science fiction and can deal with some pretty graphic and gory scenes then I would advise you to try this book. I don't think I will ever re read it which is a rarity for a TJ Klune book but I am grateful that I had the opportunity to read it. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy for my reading pleasure.

Thank you NetGalley and Mr. Klune for giving me the opportunity to review "In the Lives of Puppets." What I love the most about Mr. Klune's writing are his characters. He has a knack for creating endearing and humorous characters and "In the Lives of Puppets" is no exception. You will find yourself cheering on these characters as they learn what it means to be family. An interesting story about the interaction between humans and AI and one that will leave you thinking about the future of humans as technology advances.

Sci Fi and Fantasy is not my usual genre but I love TJ Klune! His works have made me cry, laugh and just feel all the feelings. This is supposed to be a retelling of Pinocchio and I see some similarities but it’s also it’s own story. Everyone should read this!

Another incredible adventure by the magical storyteller, TJ Klune. Explores the ideas of what makes us human, the bounds and paths of loneliness, and acceptance that can only come once you love and accept yourself. What a gift of a retelling!

I received an ARC for this book and I’m very glad I did. It is described as a retelling of Pinocchio. I was a little hesitant about this because Pinocchio scared me as a child and is one of the fairy tales I’m least fond of. But then they mention robots and I have to say I was easily sold with this addition.

The story centers on a family of mixed characters. One of whom is taken away. The rest of the family chooses to go after them and venture through an unfamiliar, dangerous world to the City of Electric Dreams.

This, I think, will easily become one of my comfort reads. I found myself not wanting to put this one down but also trying to not read it too quickly. The author’s humor balances the darker parts of the story out well and, at times, I found myself laughing out loud. I also found it interesting when the new machine world linked with the human past world.

I think this is a really fun read, especially if you have a euphemism-based sense of humor. I do think I will be reading it again.

rating 2.75
This was a very interesting concept and the flow of the story was good. Reminded me a little bit of a more adult "Robots" movie. It however, was just not for me. The dialogue at times was great and other times i cringed. The way the human talked also just did not interest me. It took a long while for me to see where it was going with the plot. It seemed to alternate sounding very young adult but with cringy adult dialogue thrown in. It was a decent story but for my taste I did not enjoy this one of Klune's all that much.

I was thrilled when I received the kindle ARC of this from NetGalley and the publisher. I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea. I liked, but plodded through, Under the Whispering Door. And for a couple of days, I have been thinking about what I want to say about this book. I read it mostly at night; and most nights I could only get through a few pages. I didn't find myself yearning to read it at all during the day. It was long and weird. But, it was so creative. Prior to my starting the book, I did not read anything about it. I just dove in. Early on, I couldn't help thinking it was a sort of twisted take on Pinocchio. Low and behold, I read a bit about it and, in fact, it is a retelling of Pinocchio. I also couldn't help but see aspects of Wall-E and The Wizard of Oz and bits of the dystopian vibes of the Hunger Games. Like Under the Whispering Door, I found this to be too long and in need of some editorial downsizing. But, again, it is so creative. Ultimately, it ended with some warm fuzzies that made up for the drawn out tale. I am all for fantastical, for suspending belief, for topical tropes, for tales and talk of acceptance and of being true to yourself. I just think I read this too soon after his last book and felt like it was another heavy dose of all that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that. It was just a bit repetitive, even if it came from puppets and androids.

In the Lives of Puppets is TJ Klune’s newest cozy novel. In this book, we follow Victor, a human, who lives with a group of eccentric robots. His father figure, a roomba that is full of anxiety, and a nurse robot who really just wants to maim something. One day, while exploring the scrap yard, they come across a dismantled droid that Victor becomes determined to fix, even if it (the droid) kills him.

I have read The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door and I enjoyed them both. I liked Whispering Door more but I had a good time with both of them. But they both dealt with a curmudgeon type character learning about life which naturally means the characters started their books as pretty unlikeable characters. I thought that was just Klune’s thing, taking unlikeable characters and introducing them to new, quirky characters and watching them grow. So while I had fun reading them, I wasn’t obsessed the same way other people were.

This book was so completely different for me and I was obsessed with it. A lot of it comes down to loving the characters. I loved Rambo and Nurse Ratched with my whole heart. Gio was the perfect father figure and Victor was just doing his best to deal with the situation he was in-being the only human around. I teared up several times reading this book. I actually had to put it down at one point because I was afraid of what I thought MIGHT happen to the characters.

This book isn’t going to be for everyone. The humor will be a big hit or miss. It comes off as slightly juvenile but in a way that was endearing and funny to me. I read several passages aloud to my partner and we both had some laughs about it. This story is loosely based on Pinocchio and I can see the comparisons but I wouldn’t say it is a retelling at all. It just contains some of the story elements and Easter eggs. I feel like there are a lot of easter eggs thrown around in this book so I’m excited to see future reviews to see if other people think the same thing!

I loved everything about this book. I would definitely classify it as a cozy sci-fi. While there are some stakes, they aren’t super high to where the characters are saving the world or anything.