Thank you to net galley and to the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

T J Klune has become one of my auto-buy/read authors, so I was over the moon to be able to read this before publication. This reimagining of Pinocchio with robots in a dystopian world was so well done and out of the box, and to find out the main character is asexual was fantastic! We don't get much representation, so to see a popular author include it in their book was just phenomenal.

The characters of Rambo and Nurse Ratchet were superb and I need more books with those two interacting because they just lit my heart up.
T J Klune always has a way of making you feel cosy and loved, and also gives you a little hope towards humanity whenever you read their books, which we desperately need in this day and age.

Lizzo was right when she said humans are inherently good, and T J Klune gives us those reminders in their books.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and it did not disappoint. This is a Pinocchio retelling but subtle enough to still be very much it’s own story. A found family adventure which deals with aspects of loneliness, forgiveness and acceptance while also being tender and laugh-out-loud funny. Every character was well rounded and loveable (Rambo the anxious roomba now shares space in my heart with Lucy the antichrist child from the House in the Cerulean Sea) TJ Klune always writes with such heart and this book is no exception. It’s incredible that a story about robots can show what it really means to be human. The very definition of how to mend a broken heart ❤️‍🩹

5 stars - no strings attached.

Thank you to TJ Klune, Tor publishing group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this beautiful book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
In the Lives of Puppets is a Pinocchio inspired scifi with robots. It has the trademark TJ Klune cast of quirky lovable characters and strong found family elements. Vic a 22 year old man lives in the woods with his android father, a anxiety ridden roomba and a slightly psychopathic medical robot. After discovering and repairing a decommissioned android, Vic accidently sets of a chain of events that mean his father is taken away and reprogrammed. Vis and his friends must journey to the city of electric dreams to try and bring his father home. This book deals with themes of identity, humanity, grief, forgiveness, and friendship. The humour was a bit hit and miss for me but when it hit it had me laughing out loud. There is a lot of love in this story and is a very cozy feel good story that doesn't shy away from hurting the reader . The adventure/journey aspect didn't really hold my attention, but loved the characters, themes, writing and bittersweet tone. I didn't love this the same way I fell in love with The House in the Cerulean Sea but I would definitely highly recommend and ultimately really enjoyed this.

First off, I LOVED the dialogue in this book. Klune is an extremely funny guy and his characters here do not disappoint. I am, however, kind of disappointed overall in the character relationships and development throughout the book. Maybe it’s because I loved his first two books so much, but I just didn’t feel like Victor had much of a personality, and Hap also seemed to be somewhat blah. Their budding romance comes out of nowhere and it seems like we are just supposed to assume that they like each other based on… what?
I loved the Nurse Ratched and Rambo characters, and I think there’s a bit more development with them, but to have the main character be as dry as he is was just hard for me. We don’t really know much about Victor other than he really loves his dad and is really stubborn.
The storyline seemed a bit choppy as well to me. The flying house thing was just weird and random, and again it felt like we were just supposed to accept that this man who kidnapped them to show them off on his show just decides that instead he’ll help them get to the city. It just seems like there’s a lot left undeveloped in this whole section.
I still very much enjoyed this book, I just felt like it didn’t hold up against his others. Am very grateful that I got the opportunity to read it early!

While I haven’t read most of T. J. Klune’s books, his books Under the Whispering Door and The House in the Cerulean Sea are among my favorite books I’ve ever read. I was excited about In the Lives of Puppets because I saw that the cover artwork was in the same style as those two books, and figured the book itself would be similar as well. I think the biggest difference to me personally is that In the Lives of Puppets is a Pinocchio re-telling based in a dystopian future where humans have gone extinct, replaced by machines who killed them to protect the earth. I’m generally not a fan of re-tellings, but I think this one was different in that it bares - in my opinion - little-to-no resemblance to Pinocchio. While it wasn’t my favorite of the books I’ve read by Klune, and I was a bit let down in that regard, I did ultimately enjoy this book.

Didn’t expect this to be only a 3 star read, but here we are. I’ll try to post my review tomorrow.

In this book we follow Vic, a human raised by an android and who has two robot best friends: an acerbic medical machine named Nurse Ratched who can't stop threatening to kill/maim you, and an absolutely precious little Roomba vacuum named Rambo, whose child-like innocence and glee will melt your heart. When Vic's android father is taken away to the City of Electric Dreams, he and his friends, along with another decommissioned android found in the Scrap Yard, set out on a journey to bring him home.

I always look forward to TJ Klune's books because I know that 1) the writing is going to be magical and emotional. And 2) I'm going to hurt, but it'll leave me feeling good. This was partially true for this book, but I can't say it left me feeling good. In fact, when I turned the page to see that the book was over, I was left with a general feeling of dissatisfaction. I've never felt that way about a Klune book before, which is why I could only give it 3 stars. It's not a happy book, and I don't feel like we got a happy ending.

Klune's writing here is exactly what you would expect to find: introspective, funny, a bit whimsical, and full of heart. His character work in this book is particularly impressive, and that alone makes it worth a read. Nurse Ratched and Rambo are the shining stars of this book without a doubt, and their humor and insight throughout the story was delightful. There is a romance element between Vic and Hap, the decommissioned android, but it was very light and their budding relationship was very sweet. So yes, this is a good, well-written book that I know many people will adore. But it just didn't work for me as well as I'd hoped.

I couldn't put this down for the first 50%. I was loving it so much, and then once the journey actually got started, I found that it hit a lull and never fully recovered for me. It did pick back up again toward the end, and I shed some tears, as per usual with a Klune book. It was on track to be a solid 4 star read. Then I got to the ending, and it lost a star for me. I'm probably being a little harsh, but the book features I trope that I go out of my way to avoid because it upsets me, so once I realized what was happening, I was left disappointed and unable to fully appreciate the book. I don't want to spoil anything, but If I had known going in that a particular thing happened, I probably would not have read the book at all.

So overall, this was a good book, but not a good Klune book for me. I probably had my expectations set too high, so that didn't help. But still, this one missed the mark for me.

T.J Klune has given us a story filled with heart, hope, humor, sarcasm and quirk. (4.5 stars)

tl;dr Androids, humans and a fate of the world quest. Oh my! This book is great and you should get a copy as soon as it's released, April 25, 2023.

Synopsis: Giovanni Lawson, android and creator/inventor, lives in the woods with his human son Victor and two robots Victor has salvaged: highly neurotic Rambo and possibly sociopathic Nurse Ratched. One day, Victor, Rambo and Nurse Ratched find an android with a tiny bit of power left in the scrap yard. Victor feels a connection to the android, Hap, and wants to salvage it like he did Rambo and Nurse Ratched. Salvaging Hap sets off a chain of events that sends our found family on a quest of epic proportions.

My thoughts:
"It is as Gio said. Searching for connection. Making something out of nothing so the spaces between us do not seem so far."
To me, this book is very much about found family and our search for love and connection. Loneliness and lack of connection, in part, drove Gio to create and Victor to salvage. This search for connection and meaning threads throughout the whole book and is handled beautifully.

"But for all their faults, there is beauty in their dissonant design."
"I love humanity. I love their grace. Their faults. They're idiosyncratic ways. They loved, they hated, they destroyed, and yet there has never been anything like them in all the world."
The book also makes you question things like what does it mean to be human, to dream, to be real. How do we wish to be perceived, if at all, and how should we treat others. How do we reconcile humanity's wonton selfishness with its concomitant endless ability to love and be loyal? What is my truth and reality and how does hope factor into the picture?

"I don't know how not to be weird. That's like asking the birds to stop flying." - Rambo
"I believe I have a crush on him. Or I want to crush him. I am not sure. The words on her screen read RELATIONSHIPS ARE HARD." - Nurse Ratched
Hands down, Rambo and Nurse Ratched are my absolute favorite things about the book. (10/10, I would die for them.) Rambo's sweet, helpful talkative neurotic self is a huge part of the soul and charm of the story. The other large part is Nurse Ratched's sociopathic snark and care. They provide an excellent backdrop for Victor to react to and learn from which, in turn, makes us the reader question and learn.

Read this book if you like:
- found/ made family
- snarky robots that may or may not be homicidal
- neurotic robots that are also brave
- questioning existence, consciousness
- epic quests in strange worlds
- a fairytale like reimagining with great diverse representation



Thanks to NetGalley for supplying this digital ARC to be read and honestly reviewed.

An interesting story full of twists, turns, fun characters and overall a book I would consider reading time and time again.

The way that I sobbed through this book…

This is a Pinocchio-ish kind of story, with Klune’s signature brand of hilarious-ness and tear jerking emotion.

This is about humanity and the lack of it in the world in which this book takes place. One boy, Victor, along with his robot friends, the incredibly snarky Nurse Rached and the sweet, scared vacuum robot named Rambo lives with his father in the deep woods, in their treetop collection of rooms. When Victor and his friends happen upon a broken but still slightly functional android, they try to fix him up, not realizing that this android is the catalyst in a whirlwind of events that turn Victor’s world on its head.

There is adventure. friendship, love and so much more in this beautiful book. Klune is fantastic at pulling at heartstrings and making you fall completely in love with his characters.

I struggled with this one. The writing seemed vastly different to his previous works. It seemed childish and simple, with a heavy overlay of innuendo. Not sure where to place it. :/

I feel like TJ Klune is someone I recommend to others more than I actually enjoy reading their books, a first purchase for most libraries given the authors popularity

Thanks for the ARC....

Really a wonderful and touching book. Both a well-paced adventure and a bittersweet story about love and family. It is also very funny at times. Would highly recommend.

This is my third novel that I have devoured that was written by T.J Klune. I cannot wait for the next one. Every one of TJ Klune's book fills my heart a little bit more. I love the dialogue, the characters... all of this amazing and extraordinary novel.

Thank you @netgalley & @torbooks for the ARC of In The Lives of Puppets!

• While this wasn’t my favorite of TJ Klune’s books, there are elements of his previous two novels that are present.

• That being said, I felt like some of the characters were redundant and a little bit annoying at times. 😅

• I am usually not a fan of the robot/cyborg genre anyway which could be why it wasn’t my favorite! Either way, I say give it a shot. Available April 2023

T. J Klune never fails to amaze me with his work. And although this book features more robots than humans, it might show more humanity than any other work I've recently read. From the interactions and personalities of the characters to the subtle philosophical nature of the novel everything fits together perfectly.
This book is an absolute must-read for anyone that loves classic retellings and science fiction settings, but most importantly, it is for those who often wonder what being human truly means.

I was gifted a copy of this book from Net Galley and Tor Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. This book is available on April 25 , 2023. ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 This is my third T. J. Klune book and I've loved them all. What I love about his books is that underneath the cute story, there are lessons and thought provoking ideas. All of his stories are heartwarming and In the Lives of Puppets was no exception. Although robots amd science fiction are usually not my thing, I still enjoyed this book.

In the Lives of Puppets was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I might have cried with excitement when I got accepted for the ARC. I went into it with the fear that it would hurt me as badly as Under the Whispering Door, and I came out of it a little disappointed that it didn’t hurt me as badly as UtWD…

I absolutely loved the cast of characters that TJ Klune created, especially the banter between Rambo and Nurse Ratched.

That being said, I am not super into robots or quests, so for me the plot dragged a bit. I thought some of the world could have been explored a little more - especially what some of the big reveals meant for Vic.

"The moment you were born, you began to die." He sighed. "What a lovely thought...Think about it, Victor. You are finite. Your time is already slipping through your fingers. It creates an urgency within you. To do all that you can. To make things right. I wonder what that must feel like, to have a sense of true motivation."

Once again, TJ Klune is able to take a deep topic and put a spin of positivity on it along with a whole lot of humor. This book is about found family, friendship, and the lengths you will go to for love. Victor is a human who lives tucked away in the forest with a family of robots, the only family he has ever known. When his robot dad is taken, Victor will stop at nothing to find him, even when faced with robots set on destroying human existence.

This book gave me cozy Terminator vibes, which you wouldn't think possible, but that is what Klune created. I laughed and cried and felt so many emotions. It is not my favorite Klune book, but that is because killer robots make me super anxious. However, I loved the message, the fun quips, and the ace representation. And who wouldn't love that cover!!

In the Lives of Puppets - ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A story about family and about forgiveness. Like many of Klune’s books, this one had cute whimsical elements to it which I’m a big fan of and find charming. First 40% was enjoyable, very character driven, I would say more slow paced but it had that sort of cozy fantasy vibe we’re seeing more of these days. After that it was more ‘mission’ focused and it fell a bit for me. More fast paced we followed the group on a quest til the end of the book.

Overall I would say it wasn’t as good as Klune’s other books but still a fun little adventure. I appreciated the different representation and the variety of characters.

Not my favorite Klune novel, but still enjoyable. I felt the story itself was a bit convoluted and stretched too thin in places, it felt forced sometimes. However, the characters themselves are all so strong and memorable, bringing me so much joy to read.