This story is epic and awesome. It is an unexpected blending of Pinocchio, the Wizard of Oz, Frankenstein, Swiss Family Robinson, and whatever special fairy dust TJ Klune spreads over all of his work to make it so special. Victor is a real man in a world that is very much owned and operated by machines. He lives alone in a tree house with just his father, an android named Giovanni, and his friends Nurse Ratched (a nurse robot) and Rambo (a robotic vaccum) for company. He spends his days tinkering with machines and searching the nearby scrap yard for interesting items. When he finds an almost functioning android in a pile of scrap - everything changes and he's set on a journey that will definitely change Victor - but maybe also the world.

As always - the side characters are equally as wonderful as the main ones. Nurse Ratched and Rambo in particular are so beautifully rendered and vivid that I won't forget about them any time soon. Hap is also an incredibly special character - who we see change in ways that are very real. And Victor - who is so kind and so lovely to read about. And all of them are so very, very brave.

As TJ Klune says about this book - it is a book about robots, but still perhaps the most human book you've ever read. How do we forgive the unforgiveable? How do we move past trauma? How do we find bravery and perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds? and when faced with difficult choices - what choice will we make? Ultimately - for me this book was about starting over and finding forgiveness for and within ourselves. It shows that we are more than the worst moments of our life.

Longtime readers of TJ Klune stories will adore the tiny easter eggs of other books he has written. But this book definitely stands alone and I loved it.

I received this via NetGalley as an ARC, but these opinions and effusive praise are all my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t typically enjoy retellings, but In the Lives of Puppets was so much more than that. The book is a beautiful compliment to the original Pinocchio story.

In the Lives of Puppets was a 5 star read for me. It had everything I love in a TJ Klune book: found family, hilarious characters, and the theme of continuing to dream even when all hope seems lost.

In the Lives of Puppets should be on the tbr list of all Klune fans as well as those in need of a little stubborn hope in their lives.

First I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of In the Lives of Puppets in exchange for a honest review.

T.J. Klune makes me feel love in his words like few authors do. Moments between characters are precious. I find myself smiling at the beauty, at the emotion, at the honesty in conversations between characters. These characters are flawed but are perfected by those flaws. In the Lives of Puppets is special because most of our characters are not even human but oh man is the best of humanity present.

This book has fantasy elements and a beautiful journey reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. Our characters have strengths where others have weaknesses and they balance each other out to make a wonderful team.

If I had to critique one thing it would be that the book is a bit too long, in my opinion. Some passages read as filler and I found myself wanting to skim at times. That’s not typical for me while reading Klune. I think trimming off 50 or so pages would clean it up and help the journey flow more smoothly.

In The Lives of Puppets takes place in the future, Vic is an inventor, he lives in the forest in a hodge-podge tree house with a sweet little robot-vacuum (Rambo), a murderous nurse robot (Nurse Ratched) and his father (Gio, also an inventor). I feel like I could go on and on because I freaking love these characters! How did T J Klune make me so obsessed with a robot vacuum? When the gang finds a surprising discovery at the scrap yard, everything changes and they end up going on a Wizard of Oz esque adventure.

T J Klune is such a gift! This book is probably going to be my favourite of this year (it’s still January), it has the same dark humour as The House in The Cerulean Sea and so much heart.

TJ Klune has written another really good novel. I have to admit, it took a bit for me to become involved with the story and its characters. It is worth it to keep going. Each character's personality is very different from the others and my favorite character is Nurse Ratched due to her sarcastic speech style.
I LOVED the previous books of TJ Klune that I read, The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. As with the previous 2 titles, there would be much to discuss about In the Lives of Puppets in a book club. It is worth reading and if you find it takes you a while to get going, keep with it. I believe you will be glad you did.

Another lovely work by Klune, I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This work I would say falls in between the semi-darker contemplative world of “Under the Whispering Door”, and the bright optimistic world in “The House in the Cerulean Sea.” Klune’s writing remains phenomenal but with a slight step back from romance, I feel that this book addresses a bit more than just the importance of found family and personal growth, as all of Klune’s other works I have read seem to do.

This work holds asexual representation written with tact and understanding (and if you act like you don’t understand, be sure that Nurse Ratched will drill it into you) and it also shows that love can be found in the oddest of places. Our ability to experience love and feel things is what makes us whole, maybe not “human” but it does make us whole. Great work 🙂

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love T.J. Klune's writing and this work is no exception.

This is a great story and the quest to find humanity when you're not human makes for a compelling story.

My one comment for improvement would be on pacing. It felt like the journey to the city did not take a lot of time, and maybe could have been extended with a little bit more character backstory of the main characters.

Overall great read.

Ugh. This was so good. I don’t know where to begin. It’s a bit darker and sadder than The House in the Cerulean Sea, but still incredibly lovely and heartwarming. Klune is so skilled at capturing core human emotions and portraying love in both a silly and quirky way, and an intense and sacrificial way. Klune’s strength is that he pits his considerable powers of empathy at the service of the reader. This is probably one of the most human books I’ve read (messy & lovely), which is funny because everyone except Vic is a robot.

The cast of robots is, in my opinion, nothing short of genius. There’s a neurotic and anxious roomba named Rambo who has the most adorable dialogue: “”This is just like the movies,” Rambo squealed, sensors flashing. “I’m so happy!” He’s either absolutely delighted or extremely worried and having a little existential crisis, constantly convinced they’re all going to die. Then there’s Nurse Ratched, a somewhat mean and extremely sadistic nurse robot (“Oh. Well. Engaging Empathy Protocol. That was very nice of you to say. You are wonderful. Disengaging Empathy Protocol. Idiot.”) Hap, a murderous robot who is described by everyone and himself as an “asshole” has a stutter. He’s out and about threatening to dismember people with a stutter. Amazing.

The story is enlivened throughout from how Klune grapples with the philosophical undertones. What does it mean to be human? What’s the value of mortality? What constitutes a “good life”? He deals with a lot of it through Vic, the only human character, muddling his way through big feelings and scary events with his loyal entourage of robot friends and it’s very endearing to read about. Some of it is confronted through the Pinnochio retelling: his robots are, in many senses, learning how to be human. And that creates a lovely little book with creative worldbuilding that will make you smile and tear up at regular intervals.

This book is pure gold. Must read!! I was intrigued from the getgo. Now I want to read other books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know how TJ Klune can make you adore characters as quickly and has deeply as he does. I instantly fell in love with Victor and his ragtag group of misfit robots, even the glitchy and surly Hap. Like others by Klune, this one is a little bit too mature for a middle school audience, but high school librarians should definitely make room for this queer little gem.

Picked it up based on the author - I haven't yet read their other books, but I totally picked up a distinct authorial voice here. Quirky, funny, and poignant. The characters are effortlessly sketched. Even though the plot wasn't necessarily for me, I was pulled along and enjoyed the story.

Thank you to Tor for sending me an advanced copy of In the Lives of Puppets in exchange for an honest review.


Wow. where do i begin? i never knew i needed a cozy sci fi/fantasy before. this story was so comforting with found family which you see a lot in Klune's works but this had to be my favorite story of them all. picture this, you get a sci fi ques Pinocchio retelling. I could not put this down. from the witty banter to the beautiful writing. In the Lives of Puppets is a story that will warm your heart until the very last page.

As usual with TJ Klune books, life’s deeper questions are at the heart (mechanical or human) of the story. In this case what makes a family? What makes one a human? All of this told through loveable characters who had me smiling at their tenderness toward each other and laughing out loud at their sass. This will be a highly recommended book!

Pinnochio, meets Wall-E, meets Frankenstein. In the Lives of Puppets will no doubt appeal to most fans of Klune's, as it is also a story of charming misfits discovering their humanity. It is instantly recognizable as kin of The House in the Cerulean Sea, both in the childlike wonder expressed by the characters and the way Klune tells his story. Some might say it's a bit derivative of that previous work, but we'll leave that for others :)
For me, it was more difficult to really drop into this story than it was with Cerulean Sea because I found it difficult to keep track of the characters. Who is human, who isn't? And what are they? Garbage, robots, what? They're all archetypes, not fully human, but with human characteristics. I found it challenging to really engage with any of them. But that being said, I think it is a sweet story with some really great messages, and I think many readers (especially those hungry for more of the same) will enjoy this new book.

Another stunning fantastical novel from TJ Klune—master of wit and emotional writing! I absolutely love Klune’s writing style and the larger messages of found families, love, and connection that all of his books convey. This time around, In the Lives of Puppets takes us on a fairy tale retelling to tackle themes of loneliness, fitting in, and family and friendship.

Victor is an inventor who lives in the forest with his father Gio and his two rebuilt robot friends, Nurse Ratched and Rambo (the Roomba). As Victor sets about building his latest piece of work, he stumbles upon an android in the Scrap Yard and decides to offer it a second chance at life. This act of compassion sets Victor on a collision course to the reality of the world around him.

TJ Klune is a sorcerer. He uses his powers to make you fall in love with his characters, they burrow into your soul and stay forever. My blood pumping heart is bursting with love after finishing In the Lives of Puppets. The affection I feel for a robot vacuum named Rambo and medical machine Nurse Ratchet is immeasurably. I wish I could give this book 100 stars! This story gives new meaning to found family. I can’t thank netgalley enough for an advanced copy. I recommend this book to anyone that can read. I laughed out loud many times, I cried, I cheered. I am devastated it’s over. I tried to read it slowly so it wouldn’t end!

In The Lives of Puppets was such an amazing and wonderful reading experience. For me, the characters were the best part. I would die for that little roomba named Rambo. Nurse Ratched, HAP, Victor and Gio also found places in my heart as the story continued. I don't want to give anything away but just know this book will break your heart but then put all the pieces back together and leave you with such warmth and happiness.

I can't wait to see fan art for this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!!! I am a huge TJ Klune fan when someone suggested I read The House in the Cerulean Sea. His writing on this book had me in stitches laughing…. It definitely kept the seriousness of the book at bay until the ending. I honestly had such a hard time finding the right words to review this book because of the heaviness that was underlying there just beyond the humor. I wish I could give half stars… it’s a solid 4.5 for me and I am anxiously awaiting another gem from TJ that has hidden meanings wrapped in humor that make me go hmmmm.

DNF at 15%

While I absolutely adored The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, I just could not enjoy the latest Klune. In the Lives of Puppets definitely maintains his unique, sweet style, but for me it didn't really work with his robot characters. The two sidekicks are a psychopathic nurse robot and a neurotic vacuum robot. Both felt one-dimensional and repeat the same jokes over and over. I found their dialogue exhausting rather than comedic or charming. I was interested in seeing how the dystopian AI plot would unfold, but it seemed like backdrop. Which makes sense since Klune's strengths are usually in his characters over his world-building. Not to mention that the blurb pretty much gives a lot away...

I remain a TJ Klune fan and will not hesitate to read his next release, but this one was a miss for me.

TJ Klune is a must-buy author for me, even though I know his books will emotionally ravage me. When I received an ARC of his upcoming release, In the Lives of Puppets, I dropped everything and dove right in.

I am a child of the 80s, and The Brave Little Toaster was one of my favorite movies when I was growing up. If you took that classic, and mixed it in with Wall-E, with a sprinkling of Pinocchio and Frankenstein for good measure, plus the emotional heft we’ve come to know and love from this author, you may have some sense of what to expect. And if that all sounds like a lot, just trust me on this, it’s worth it.

I found myself laughing out loud - full, body-shaking laughter - at multiple points in this book. You’ve got a neurotic, clueless Roomba and a sociopathic, drily sarcastic hospital robot (who goes by Nurse Ratched, IYKYK) and their banter is simply off-the-charts perfection. Ask anyone who has spoken to me recently: I cannot shut up about how much I adore these characters. They’re perfect.

Yes, the humor is absolutely a delight, but trust me on this - this book also packs a wallop. To provide that emotional component, we’ve got Victor, a fragile human living amongst machines, and Hap, a recently rehabilitated robot trying to make sense of the world after losing his memory. Man and machine are not meant to trust each other, but over the course of the novel, their bond grows stronger and overcomes every challenge flung in their path.

Klune specializes in characters who don’t make sense as friends and as partners, pairings that buck tradition and don’t conform to societal norms. The connections between characters in Klune’s books are not sexual - they are based in support, trust, and comfort. Here, we see found family bonds, and how friendships can be found in the strangest of places - even in the scrap pile.

A million thanks to @torbooks for the ARC, provided via @netgalley.

In the Lives of Puppets will be released on April 25, 2023.