I absolutely adored TJ Klune's last two novels, and this novel has many of the same hallmarks I love in his books. Found family, queer characters, and so much humor, especially in dialogue. Unfortunately, the story didn't pull me along like his past ones did and the Pinocchio connections were more distracting than enlightening to me. I didn't always connect the source text to the meaning of the book in front of me. LOVE Nurse Ratched (more drilling!) and Rambo especially, but this is a solid 3 stars for me.

In the Lives of Puppets was a wonderful look at what it means to be human. I absolutely loved how TJ Klune presented their world of tree houses. It was masterfully created and made me feel like I was there amongst the trees with Vic, Rambo, and Nurse Ratched. I also loved the relationship between Vic and Gio, the easy familiarity of it that they'd established over Vic's life.

Living close to the Scrap Yard was both dangerous and serendipitous for them - a good source of materials for their creation and tinkering, but also life threatening, and life changing. Vic has the propensity to be right on the line of adventure and death - something I felt that he really did recognize and respect given that he was the only human in their home.

His journey with Hap was also very human. Hiding it from his father, learning about himself and the machine he'd rescued. Learning what it means to have a heart, family, the power of memories. I laughed and cried, felt each revelation of strong emotion right along with Vic. I could not stand the heartbreak of loss, but the way that Vic kept going and decided to move forward was magical. The power of choice, the dire responsibility in it.

In the Lives of Puppets is a MUST read for me this year, make sure to add it to your list and grab it when it comes out on April 24th, 2023!

What a delightful book! This is my third book by TJ Klune and I have loved them all.
This story is about a young man who lives in a forest with his father and two robots . They have had no interactions with anyone for as long as the young man can remember. They go to a nearby scrapyard to get useful things but must avoid the security bots there. Are they the only people left in the world?
How did they end up here? Like the other books by TJ Klune that I’ve read, the story is soooo good and the characters are wonderful and multifaceted. The story has funny moments, adventure, a sense of family and love. I enjoyed the book immensely and highly recommend it, Happy reading!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of TJ Klune's novel, In the Lives of Puppets.
In the Lives of Puppets retells the story of Pinocchio from a futuristic perspective. Written about a time when humans are replaced by robots, one human remains and this is his story. Beautifully written, this novel takes the reader to another time without sacrificing the complexity of human emotion.

This didn't end up being the kind of story I thought it might be - think a sci-fi adventure quest inspired by Pinocchio, not cozy fantasy romance. There are definitely some loveable characters (Rambo was my fav) & a romantic element, but I think if you're expecting cozy, this may not give you what you want. For the most part, I was entertained & swept through the story, but it did feel way too long and I thought the themes, while interesting, were too on the nose for my tastes

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. TJ Klune has such a unique way of storytelling and this is definitely on brand for those who loved House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. When I read the description I didn't get it, tbh. But I was still going in with high hopes because of the author's previous work. I also saw on Goodreads that TJK said in it was a queer retelling of Pinocchio and that short statement definitely peeked my interest more than what I read of the other official description.

But now that I've read it, saying a queer retelling of Pinocchio isn't the way I'd go about it. I would describe it as Becky Chamberlain's: A Psalm for the Wild-Built meets Douglas Adams meets The 1985 movie, Return to Oz (with a splash of Queer Pinocchio). And it was friggin DELIGHTFUL.

It was a warm hug for most of the way, but when we get a better glimpse of HAP's past...that was some difficult imagery to try to shake off. Especially as a parent of young ones. So, Trigger Warning right there for you.

I had a hard time putting this book down. Especially once I reached the 40% mark when the story take a huge turn. I definitely chose to read rather than sleep for two nights. Which is saying a LOT as a mom of a 3 & 5 year old. But I regret NOTHING!

Oh and I need to say a special shout-out to the character Nurse Ratched. She had me legitimately giggling at my e-reader. Rambo was the absolute perfect creation. Ugh, T.J. you did it again. *Cue confetti on Nurse Ratched's screen*

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am drawn to TJ Klune’s recent books by the quirky covers. Though I am not usually a fan of books about robots, or futuristic topics, I found myself drawn into his most recent novel, In the Lives of Puppets. Klune somehow manages to take robots and infuse them with human qualities, like caring and love. He weaves this into a story that is fast-paced and intrigues the reader, keeping them turning pages to see what he'll come up with next. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

TJ Klune’s latest releases have not only satisfied the giant part of me that loves love stories and companionship, they’ve also made me get a little philosophical in ways I appreciate.

Under the Whispering Door had me reconsidering what happens after death & Klune’s upcoming release In the Lives of Puppets made me think more about humanity & choice & forgiveness & courage. It’s really a special book.

For the sake of simplicity I’m going to use the words “human” & “robot” as I would have used them at the beginning of reading the book.

Lead Victor Lawson is a human with three family members who are robots. His father, an android named Giovanni, raised him after Victor was left in the forest by his biological parents.

Then one day Victor discovers another android, named Hap, & soon after Giovanni is taken & Victor’s world is burned down & his mettle & love & forgiveness are tested.

This book doesn’t just prompt philosophical musings—it’s also really funny. The interactions between robots Nurse Ratched & Rambo are hilarious & screwball & any time they are on the page it seemed like I was having some notable emotion.

The asexual rep, the growing relationship between Victor & Hap, the fantastical Pinocchio and Wizard of Oz-esque plot elements are all things that had me celebrating.

If you want your whimsy with loving relationships of many kinds & you want to walk away thinking “what do I really think about x & why do I think it,” I really recommend this one!

5⭐️. Out 04/25.

CWs: Father taken away. Murder of humans. Murder of androids. Violence.

[ID: Jess, a white woman wearing an orange floral dress, holds the ebook while sitting in a greenhouse.]

In The Lives Of Puppets by T.J. Klune

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @tor for providing a digital copy of In The Lives Of Puppets in exchange of a honest review.

TJ Klune did it again! I only read Under The Whispering Door from the author and it is one of my favorite book of all time. I enjoy In The Lives Of Puppets but not as much as the previous one. My favorite aspect is the amazing friends relationships. What comforting and heart-warming story.

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TJ Klune’s books are truly a treasure. His books transport readers to another world where they are invited to experience the full spectrum of human emotion: loss, pain, sadness, hope, joy, and most importantly love. As readers, we often move from one book to the next, and occasionally, we come across a book that touches our hearts and leaves imprints. In the Lives of Puppets is one of those books. It delves into what it means to be human. TJ Klune shows us that despite the hurt, pain, and sadness that life can carry, experiencing such emotions and feeling is what it means to be alive. Klune wonderfully highlights that despite this heaviness, we are also able to experience joy, hope, and love. The book reminds us that through the dark times, moments of joy will appear, and these wonderful moments outweigh the pain. This is such a beautiful reminder that I will certainly carry with me. This book also delves into what it means to love. Through Vic and his relationship with Gio and Hap, we are able to see how love can be messy and difficult at times; that truly loving someone means loving the whole person despite their capability for destruction or hurt. We see that its core, love is one of the greatest gifts of living. It is the most precious gift we can find in life. For some, the beginning of the book may be a bit slow. Please don’t let that discourage you from continuing to read the novel, I promise everything comes together wonderfully. I can’t praise this book and TJ Klune enough! Bravo on another smash hit! Thank you for the arc and NetGalley

This was an excellent read. The story moved at a great pace, and it was refreshing to see ace representation. I feel like even though this book had it’s gory moments, I wouldn’t hesitate to place it in a school library or recommend to students for either personal reading or extra curricular activities.

If you are looking for a funny, off-beat, action-packed story, with quirky, likable characters, I’d highly recommend In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune. Klune is a best-selling author known for fantasy and romantic fiction featuring LGBTQ+ characters. His books are humorous and heart-warming, and In the Lives of Puppets is no exception!

In this book, Klune draws inspiration from The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, and the WALL-E in this epic adventure where a young man journeys to save his father.

Victor Lawson was left with Gio by people running from the machines that have taken over and destroyed most of mankind. GIO, General Innovation Operative, vows to keep Vic safe and they live a comfortable but solitary existence in the woods.

Vic spends his days scavenging in the scrap heaps with his “friends” Nurse RATCHED, a hilariously sociopathic automaton, and Rambo, a friendly vacuum robot. Their rules are simple: Stick together! Run if we have to. No dallying. No drilling. And above all else, be brave!

Their rules, especially their bravery are tested when they find a combative android buried in a pile of new scrap and take him home, where they fix him and call him Hap. Although his programming was deleted, Hap was originally designed to eliminate all of humanity.

When Gio is captured by the Authority and taken to the City of Electric Dreams, Vic and his friends must be brave and embark on an epic journey to find Gio and bring him home.

Ultimately, In the Lives of Puppets is a story about love, hope, and redemption.

What a charming story about finding family and humanity. Victor, a human, lives with his android father Gio, a nurse machine, and a robot vacuum. One day Victor uncovers another machine in the scrap yards, Hap, and nothing is the same afterwards.

These characters were so well fleshed out, their dynamic was both comical and magical at the same time. I absolutely loved my time with them and the adventure I got to feel a part of.

I didn't finish Under the Whispering Door, so I was happy when I got sucked right into In the Lives of Puppets. Klune has cemented himself as both a fantasy and science fiction writer. It was darkly funny, sad, hopeful and at times, scary.
I love that the story took me to unexpected places, like a "human museum" and future Vegas!
Another excellent tale of Found (Robotic) families.

It felt a bit rushed and also a little bit twee - I enjoyed the murderous robot, but I think that this is pitched at a younger crowd then what I prefer.

Thank you to NetGalley, TOR and TJ himself for providing me with a eARC of this technological retelling of Pinocchio.

This book is great. These characters deliver. And they deliver in a way that feel so naturally robotic for a robot that is written by a human. I commend Klune for the fine balance here. These robots have robotic personalities based in human stereotypes but never once losing or forgetting that they are robots.

However these are some classic Klune characters so if you haven't taken to some of his other characters in pieces like House in the Cerulean Sea or The Extraordinaries then it might not hit as heavy as you would like.

I loved our MC, Victor, and the way he was able to be his own beautiful character but be the glue holding some big personalities together. Plus his cuddles at the end basically made me cry.

I would also like to add that this book does have some weird pacing. This is again something you see in Klune's work where not a lot occurs over the course of a lot of pages. I am thinking here about how at one point we basically get an entire chapter for the characters to travel a single, pretty uneventful, mile and then later on a single paragraph explaining that the characters had travelled across a huge hostile environment without hiccup.

Again, I believe that this is a writing style of Klune's and at this point I just have faith that the book will deliver and it does.

Will post to socials closer to the release date.

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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