Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I’ve always enjoyed TJ Klune’s books but this one was hard for me to get into. This was a dystopian/sci-fi take on Pinocchio. I do like that Victor and his robot friends keep on pushing themselves and don’t give up, despite the danger they’re in.

this book was so charming and whimsical. with klune’s wit and storytelling skills, reading this was an absolute pleasure. this story is a queer retelling of pinocchio, with elements of wall-e and the wizard of oz. if the premise doesn’t immediately draw you in, please give it a chance!! the characters (especially rambo, a roomba, whose name and personality i just loved) make you root for them, and i was entertained the whole time. the themes of found family, forgiveness, and love conquering hate are present and woven in perfectly. just as cozy as the house in the cerulean sea. 100% preorder worthy!

thank you very much to tor publishing for my advanced reader copy!

I love a good retelling, and TJ Klune's books have been among my favorites, but a slow start really dragged this one down for me. Robots take the place of puppets in this Pinocchio retelling where a human named Vic is raised by an android named Gio. But the truth about society and their seclusion threatens everything they've ever known when Vic brings a damaged robot from the scrap yards back to life. I wish I'd loved this one as much as I did The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door but despite the interesting premise and some cool characters, it just wasn't a hit for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚25/135
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
Format: 📱

Klune’s 2 other NA novels are my GO TO recommendations for people. So I maybe had my hopes too high? While it still had some of the whimsy, it greatly lacked a lot of the charm. Rambo the Roomba was the best part- the most like the characters I’d come to love. as the story is a loose retelling of Pinocchio, I feel that the original “twist” was a little too obvious. Great LGBTQ+ rep, some fun humor, but the overall story was missing some unnameable trait that the other novels of his have.

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Giovanni is a creator of the highest degree. When he one day comes to care for a baby, Vic, his life changes instantly. He’s spent much time and energy protecting them both- from what, Vic isn’t entirely sure.

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While it wasn’t a five star like my other Klune reads, it did the thing all of my favorite novels do - make me Feel Things About Being Human - and oh, did it ever. A clever twist on a Pinocchio retelling, but I promise you don’t have to have much Pinocchio context or knowledge (I don’t - I either never watched the movie, or blocked it out from childhood 🤣) to enjoy it. A story of truly what it means to be a human, for better or for worse, all told against the backdrop a post-apocalyptic robot world. This one is sci-fi through and through, but totally accessible and really beautiful. Prepare to fall in love with a robot vacuum and (slightly sociopathic?) nurse android and just let this story take you where it’s going to go. TJ Klune knows what he’s doing!

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early copy.

Every time I finish a T.J. Klune book I think that he can't possibly write another as good as the one I just read. But not only does he keep doing so, but he manages to write books with worlds and character very different than those of his other book!

"In the Lives of Puppets" was amazing beyond belief! Through amazing world building and wonderful, diverse characters TJK wrote a book I had trouble putting down. The story was gripping and beautiful and at times kept me on the edge of my seat.

Klassic Klune!! How does this guy deliver moving tale after moving tale? Crafting characters and moments that pull you in and lead you along? Put questions, problems, and life take-aways in front of readers that tug at your emotions and grapple with dilemmas and question what you think along the way. Another unique setting and world reality-- that works! and that stretches your view of the world-- where the 'people' are central to everything. It is amazing how his different takes on life come together and provide believable fodder for the growth and development of the stories... and of the worlds of those reading along. Great adventure. Only drawback is that I'll be awaiting another new Klune Klassic now...

In the Lives of Puppets was delightfully bittersweet with loads of food for thought.

In the Lives of Puppets is a Pinocchio meets Swiss Family Robinson retelling. It was fresh and new and creative and a very entertaining read.
There was so much humor, and so much heart and just so much of everything.
It’s one of my favorites TJ Klune has written in… maybe ever? Definitely top three worthy.

There were so many references to current events. Things that while present in our current political and sociological environment, were also very relevant to the plot.
Meaning: never once did this book feel preachy. It was a fine line that Klune rode, and he did it masterfully.

SO MANY EASTER EGGS. I loved the Easter eggs! Epic and Awesome and Cerulean blues and “Don’t you wish you were here?”. It was a TJ Klune fan’s wet dream.

I loved the genuine connections made between characters.
I loved the idea that family is made not inherited.
I loved that Vic didn’t give up on anybody and his family never gave up on him.

I loved, loved, loved the ending.
It was oh so melancholic.
I adored it.

Per usual: one does an “oh” moment like Klune does.
If you’re a fan, then you know exactly what I mean.

Every character mentioned had layers upon layers of backstory and personality.
I thought this was such a clever twist on Pinnochio and on current events and on different types of love and what family looks like.

Just great

Super fantastic

A very well crafted book with a fresh take on a long-loved story. There were a lot of tiny details thrown in that showed how much dedicated and care Klune put into every decision made in this book. As someone who’s not usually a sci-fi reader, there were definitely moments where I struggled with staying as invested as I know I can be, but the heart of the characters and perfectly thought out plot kept me going.

Thank you NetGalley for another chance to experience the magical whimsy of Klune, who is uniquely talented at taking on big topics and making them engaging but also gently but effectively serious (human life, artificial life here, timely timely timely). In the Lives of Puppets is a wonderful story of love, family, and a journey to perhaps understand one's place in the world, to understand what love and family is, and to simply have the capacity to hope and imagine new pathways blended with old.

Klune's work is always to me a loving acknowledgement of the complex joy of being human while also a recognition of what we lose/are losing when we lose sight of these joys and the basic needs of personal connection and hope. I admire how he brings readers into these hard questions and journey with deft strokes of humor, pathos, and humanity that make readers want to stick with the story even as it may force some moments f reflection.

certainly a win for fans of this author, for new readers, and a definite recommendation for book clubs who welcome nuanced discussions of literature and the lived experience.

Y'all, when I got the email notification that I was approved for an advanced reader copy of TJ Klune's latest, I SCREAMED! I adored The House on the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. Klune is such a whimsy and fun author, so I dove right in!

One thing I noticed almost immediately was how much more rooted in science fiction this story was. The House on the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering door were a little more rooted in magic and fairytales. But, the story definitely had Klune's whimsicality.

The novel begins with an almost once upon a time feel, as Giovanni finds a place in the middle of nowhere and decides to make it his home. Some time later, after years of solitude, a couple appears in the forest outside of his home and give him their baby. Times are dangerous now, but they will return for the child.

Years pass, and Victor, once a babe, now a man grown, has spent his entire life with Gio, who is an android, Nurse Ratched, a robot meant to take care of human illness and injury, and Rambo, a tiny vacuum robot with so much heart. Victor knows that he's different. He's human, whereas the rest are machines. He never really questions his existence. He learns from Gio all about building and tinkering. Victor is the one who rescued Nurse Ratched and Rambo.

Not far from their home in the forest are Scrap Yards, where parts and pieces are disposed of outside of civilization. One day, while hunting through the yards, Victor comes across a presence in the piles. With the help of his friends, Victor uncovers a robot that still has some power, but then it fizzles out.

Victor, ever the inventor, wants to fix the robot up. This one is different. There's just something about him that Victor almost obsesses over. He fixes the robot, named Hap, and his father is quite surprised by the new addition to their household.

This is such a fun story about the beauty of life, of free will.

When 'smooth men' appear one day, Gio shoves his son and the rest down into a bunker none of them knew existed. That's when Victor learns the truth: there were never parents. Gio incubated him in the bunker, raised him to be his own child, and loved him like no other. Victor is the last human on earth. Gio sacrifices himself for his family, and Victor is determined to find his father.

This was a really well done novel, even if I felt like it lacked some of the whimsy from Klune's prior novels. If you enjoyed his other work, you'll probably enjoy this one!

I laughed, I cried, I screamed once or twice, too. This book deftly explores the idea of choice, humanity, and found family. From start to finish, Klune had my heartstrings wrapped around the dust pan of a wee neurotic Roomba named Rambo.

I feel like, the more books TJ Klune releases, the stronger he becomes as an author, and this novel is a great example. Where sometimes his side characters can feel a bit twee and one dimensional, everyone in "Puppets" has a beautiful depth of character that had me attached from the first moment. The journey was lovely and heartfelt and it's another one of those books that I wish I could forget so I could read it again for the very first time!

There is something special about TJ Klune's writing. I cannot put into words just how much I enjoyed "In the Lives of Puppets" and how much I hated to see it end. The little family Klune created in Vic, Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and HAP (and Gio, of course) was perfection. This story has everything. Action. Adventure. Coming-of-age. Laughter. Tears. Confusion. Hope. The list could go on forever. This one will stay with me for quite some time.

Thanks to Tor Publishing and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I loved this book. I am genuinely sad that I haven't read anything by TJ Klune before.

We follow Victor as he navigates life amongst robots. He lives in what honestly sounds like the best treehouse ever. Victor lives with his Dad, Nurse RATCHED, and Rambo. The pop culture references made me giggle more than once. I almost want to rename my roomba to Rambo. The story is such a beautiful exploration of both humanity and sexuality. I really enjoyed watching the relationships grow. There was also a really great description of mental health and what it's like to experience mental health crisis like a panic or anxiety attack.

I honestly am going to go back and start reading all TJ Klune books.

Nurse RATCHED is hands down my favorite.

I’m not the most familiar with Pinocchio and I don’t read a lot of Sci-Fi but if TJ Klune puts out a book, I need to read it.

I will start by saying that this took me a good while to really feel invested (possibly 15-20% in) but once I got familiar with the world and the characters I had a good time. Vic is a quiet and anxious main character who is surrounded by his father Gio (a creator) and his two friends Nurse Ratched (a sarcastic medical machine) and Rambo (a naive little vacuum). After finding a decommissioned AI in a scrap yard and bringing him back to life, Vic learns of secrets that have to do with the AI (named HAP) and his father’s past. After his father is taken by the Authority due to those past circumstances, Vic, Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and HAP go on a journey to bring him back.

This book felt like a mesh between the whimsy and coziness of Klune’s more recently published books with Tor like The House in the Cerulean Sea, and his writing style in his older indie published stories like The Lightening-Struck Heart and The Bones Beneath My Skin. I could ramble on about my thoughts on this book but I’ll summarize with these bullet points:

Pros
-The characters are lovable, especially sweet, innocent Rambo.
-The family bonds are wonderful. TJ Klune always nails this.
-Seeing how these characters never give up on each other melted my heart.
-The history of how this world came to be was exciting to learn about.
-It’s very readable just like all of his work.

Cons
-The pacing isn’t always the greatest. We spent too long in some places and far too in others.
-The humor sometimes seemed forced.
-Big plot events are wrapped up very conveniently and too quickly. I thought I skipped a whole chapter on accident near the resolution.

The biggest concern I have with In the Lives of Puppets is how the overall message could be construed. It seemed like the takeaway was supposed to be that people (or machines) have the capacity for change as long as they choose to be better, which is wonderful and great but… the cynical part of myself wonders if the message wasn’t handled the best it could have been. These people (machines) did heinous things that resulted in the death of billions and it seems like because they had the ability to reprogram themselves, they got to live happily ever after while humans in real life don’t get to wipe their memories and get a fresh start after they commit atrocities. Since this is a cozy, silly, sci-fi, I have decided to not look too deeply into it but I could see this as a potential issue for other readers.

Overall it was a fun, easy read and I would compare this to TJ Klune’s The Extraordinaries meets Martha Wells’ Muderbot Diaries if anyone is interested.

Thank you to NetGally for providing me with the eARC of this book.

The humor in this is strong, and exactly the kind of humor I appreciate. I was laughing out loud several times, especially at the start of the book. I love Nurse Ratched!

The story, a science fiction retelling of Pinocchio, is sweet and endearing, with enough serious themes to make it interesting. I got a lot of associations to my favorite game, “Detroit: Become Human”, with all the focus on the androids and robots breaking free from their programming. There’s also allusions to Wall-E (my beloved) and other familiar pop culture medias.

Personally, it lost me a little bit in the middle portion, after part 1. I can’t quite put my finger on why, although one thing that bothered me was the fact that I kept having to wait for the characters to realize things I felt they should’ve realized a long time ago. It was like they were ignoring the obvious for no reason.

All in all though, I enjoyed reading this even if I can’t call it a favorite, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the author’s previous works, as well as to anyone who enjoys more down to earth sci-fi with lovable characters that have a great dynamic between them. Anyone who enjoys “we’re going on an adventure!”-stories might also get a kick out of this.

TJ Klune has done it again! This book was so heart warning. A robot vacuum with severe anxiety? I can definitely relate to that haha! Also, nurse Ratched was hilarious!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I've been a big fan of TJ Klune's recent books, but this one, a retelling of the Pinocchio story, ran a little slow for me. It started out very well, with an intriguing setup and characters. Gio is a robot dad, who has made himself a human boy, Victor. Victor has two friends, a nurse robot and a vacuum cleaner, and there's lots of funny interplay between the three of them. Then Victor finds a broken robot at a scrap heap, and that's when the story really takes off.

Then Gio is kidnapped. The resulting chapters have a kind of Wizard of Oz feel to them-- they take off to find the Blue Fairy in what appears to be Las Vegas, because she can help them rescue Gio. But if the bad guys have reprogramed him will he be the same?

That's when the book started to drag for me Maybe I just didn't care enough about getting Gio back or whether he'd be the same as he was? The book does have a positive ending, so I was glad of that.

Victor has lived his entire life with his inventor father and two robot side-kicks. He spends his days foraging in the forest and the nearby scrap yards and working on his own inventions. When he decides on a whim to try to revive a humanoid robot he finds in the scrap yard, he doesn't know the consequences he will unleash for himself, his family, and the future of humanity.
A fun, funny, and heartfelt novel about found family and what it really means to be human.