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.

Well, TJ Klune has done it again! In the Lives of Puppets is a heartwarming tale for grown ups, with characters who will make you laugh and cry and feel all the feels. I found the depth of character and the storyline to be more expansive than in his last book. I am looking forward to reading what comes next. There is a goodness in Klune's books that's much needed those days.

Oh my heart – this book. I’ve never read a T.J. Klune book that left me unaffected so I’m not sure why I wasn’t prepared. He has an excellent way of making you think about big things while still feeling cozy and heartwarming.

In the book, we follow Vic, the only human, as he learns about himself and goes on a quest to save his father. The beginning was intriguing, with the world building and character introductions/development. Klune does found family so well and this was no exception.

Gio, Vic’s android father, heads the family with creativity, compassion, and wonder. The robots Vic found and brought back to ‘life’ are a strange motley of characters. Nurse Rachet is a nursing machine, capable of providing care, electrocution, drilling, and tough love. Her cheeky dialog took a bit to get the hang of, but soon enough she had me grinning with each interaction. Rambo is a vacuum with big feelings and anxiety. His excitement for everything was infectious and he had me both cringing and smiling. The newest addition is HAP and his arrival brings to light a past that Gio had worked hard to leave behind and atone for.

When Gio is taken, Vic and the others go on an adventure to save him. The beginnings of the journey drug a little, but looking back, each step brought growth and knowledge to Vic and the group. Hap is learning to be himself and that he can choose who he wants t be. He doesn’t just have to follow his old programming or be that person. His development was intriguing and through provoking.

The slow, steady development of feeling between Vic and Hap was sweet and heartwarming. They each had to learn to trust themselves as well as each other. I struggled a few times with Hap being an android and Vic a human, but Klune has a way of making lines disappear and the character’s hearts shine through.

Once they truly get on their way to the city, the pace pick up and keeps going. With characters that help and some that confuse, they finally make it to their destination. And each have to make some tough choices of their own.

I spent the last quart of the book in tears or on the verge of tears. There were instances of grief, disappointment, hope, joy, and so many emotion. For a book about robots, it is very human.

I haven’t read Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio and it has been a minute since I watched Disney’s version. So I’m sure I missed some of the more subtle nods during this retelling. There were enough though that that I was able to recognize it as a retelling but it is definitely it’s own story.

This book’s pub date is April 25, 2023. Do yourself a favor and pre-order In the Lives of Puppets. You don’t want to miss this hug of a book. A big thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for access to this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This wonderful, wonderful book had me laughing from the beginning! The humor was a perfect balance to the later drama as the story unfolded. It's not wrong that the plot revolves around hearts because this book has an abundance of heart. It's utterly charming and I can't recommend it enough.

2.5 stars. I was so excited for a new TJ Klune book. This one has great characters, endearing message, and the witty, funny dialogue that I love from his books. But the setting and plot were just not for me. I was so bored and disinterested. This book took me over a month to read and I only finished because I would force myself to read it. I am not a fan of sci-fi and robots and just didn't enjoy the topic and storyline.

I enjoyed this and his first novel. He has a way of making his books humorous and also touching at the same time. He touches on topics that are relevant.

Deep in the woods in an intricate setup of tree houses lives Victor, a human, and his three android “family” members; Fatherly Gio, the inventor, Nurse Ratchet, a witty and sadistic robot, and Rambo, the loving vacuum. One day they find Hap - a robot in trouble and in need of help. Or, is he the trouble…?

Each of T.J. Klune’s books is wildly unique yet maintains one important aspect - the depth, complexity and lovability of the characters. In true form, he does it again. These characters truly demonstrate that you don’t need to share blood to be family. From Nurse Ratchet’s witty commentary and desire to drill, to Rambo’s sweet innocence, to Victor’s heart and love for them all - this book really made me feel all the feels. 🥰🥺🤣

For the first portion of the book, I was kind of wondering where it would go. It was interesting reading about the world setup and learning about the characters/setting, but I still didn’t know what more to expect. Then it turns and goes from interesting to exciting, with an intensity and adventure that is unique in this story compared to his others. Getting lost in Klune’s writing and eagerly rooting for these characters, I could not put this down and read the first 2/3 in one sitting!

This is a lovely story about found family and the lengths we go to keep our family safe. Going into "In the Lives of Puppets," I knew it was going to be a queer retelling of the Pinocchio tale, but I wasn't prepared for just how much I would fall in love with these characters (Rambo! Nurse Ratched! HAP! I loved all of them...). I was invested in their journey from page one. I should have known this would happen - I've had the exact same experience with each of Klune's prior books.

This book ticks all the boxes: a little heartache, some nail-biting adventure, found family or quirky and delightful characters, and a healthy dose of Klune's trademark humor and a dash of sarcasm. The world-building in this novel is phenomenal. If you love science fiction or fantasy, this book hovers the line between both, blending a futuristic vision of society with the trademark magical elements that make Klune's books so special. Klune does a wonderful job meditating on the meaning of memory and coming to terms with past mistakes - reminding us that it's never too late to start over or take a chance and make a change.

If I could give this one 10 stars, I would!

I think this is by far my favorite TJ Klune book. I savored this one and took my time, even though I could have flown through it. It was masterfully written. I cried at the end, I laughed throughout, and I fell in love with the characters. Nurse Ratched is forever my favorite. I could read 100 books with her in it - she's hilarious! This one is not to be missed. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book. The year has barely begun but this book is going to remain on my top 5 for 2023 for sure.