The formula that makes TJ Klune's book so beloved are hard at work here: family relationships, queer love, fantasy. In the Lives of Puppets does take a bit more of a futuristic angle with the protagonists being robots - a bit more steampunk than what we are used to seeing from this author. This might deter some but this novel will still go down as TJ Klune canon!

“In The Lives of Puppets” was not what I expected it to be and I’m so happy for that. It’s an astonishing reimagining of a classic fairy tale. Like Pinocchio, meets wizard of Oz, meets AI (yes I know that’s based on Pinocchio too). TJ Klune is a master of characterization and here is no different. You will fall in love with Victor, Rambo, Nurse Ratched, Hap, and Gio. The sci fi world he has created for them is brimming with reality. Hard to not feel as if you’ve fallen head first into the world of the book. As with all TJ Klune books there is humor and heart for days. You will laugh out loud one second and have a tears in your eyes the next. Once again he brings us bold and powerful themes of chosen family, loving those who aren’t “normal”, loving who you are, and not being defined by our pasts. TJ Klune has a deep and profound understanding of love, compassion, empathy, and humanity and he infuses it into every word he writes. His love for the queer community overflows and representation is bursting from every page. This is an adventure you won’t soon forget. Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

Giovanni Lawson is a man (but not really a man) who find a little home in the woods and builds up into the trees. He has an anxiety riddled Roomba named Rambo, and a nursing machine named Nurse Ratched who just wants to drill and kill. One day a couple run into the woods leaving their baby boy with Giovanni in hopes he will keep him safe. Giovanni raises this boy, who he names Victor, and at 22 years old Vic is a creater! He loves to go to the Scrap Yards and see what he can salvage. He doesn't know life outside of his home in the forest. His home in the trees.

Until one day HAP (hysterically angry puppet) stumbles into their life when Vic finds him at the Scrap Yards and suddenly everything changes. Giovanni is captured and taken away to The City Of Electric Dreams. Vic and his robot friends go on quite an adventure to get him back. Along the way they meet interesting characters and find themselves in difficult situations.

In The Lives of Puppets is your quintessential TJ Klune book. Banter. Snark. Found family. Love. All things we love about his books.
But here are 3 reasons why I only gave this 3 stars.
1. This is a slooooow burn. If that's your thing, then this is perfect for you. But unfortunately slow burns are not my jam.
2. Once again we have a character who threatens to kill people (I'm looking at you Talia and Mei.) But I'm conflicted on this point cause the author DOES write that character so well. I laughed many times.
3. I didn't find the end to really wrap things up. Some things were left unanswered and I just didn't feel satisfied.
Overall I still recommend this book and you'll totally fall in love (and relate) with Rambo and you'll laugh at Nurse Ratched's need to drill something!

Thank you so much to the publisher (tor publishing) and Netgalley for the free ARC!!

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for having sent me a gifted copy of In the Lives of Puppets. I have always enjoyed T.J Klune's books so I was definitely excited for this one. You get to meet so many different characters in this one and all are so unique. Definitely a book full of adventure, fantasy, sci-fi feels, etc. Hope all of you get the chance to read this one!

As is expected from my experience reading TJ Klune books -- this novel is full of palpable and whimsical characters. I did not realize that it was a bit of a (reverse?) Pinocchio retelling until I was really into the story, which is just as well since I've never been a Pinocchio fan. This book was interesting and captivating and builds on a lot of deep thought and reflection that you do (off page). It was not my favorite Klune book and it went just outside of realism to be in my comfort zone. But there's something here nonetheless and I would look forward to a group book discussion for this one.

Hands down my favorite TJ Klune book so far (which is saying something). In the Lives of Puppets hit everything I want in a retelling -- clever callbacks to the source with a completely fresh story, some genuinely shocking twists (when I say a couple moments made my jaw DROP), and characters that make me want to fling myself out a window (affectionate).

(Side note, I don't know what will go on the official inside cover teaser, but I feel like the goodreads summary unnecessarily spoils some really good reveals??)

Vic is an excellent blend of grumpy and idealistic, he and his robot family have drilled their way into my brain. Rambo the anxious roomba and Nurse Ratched (major GLaDOS vibes and I'm LIVING for it) had me laughing to myself out loud in public. Also loving the various flavors of ace rep we've been getting recently. Vic's portrayal is very close to my heart, as are the creative and varied ND traits in Vic and his robot companions.

The romance subplot didn't overshadow all other relationships and character growth. (Though it was SO fun. it was like a party for all my favorite romance tropes. At one point I thought, " That's it, TJ Klune has been through my fanfiction history.")

Anyway. I'm also a huge fan of bittersweet endings and writers not having down from the stakes they've set, so not to scare anyone, but this was an all-around win :) Gonna go turn the themes of forgiveness and bravery and what we owe each other around in my head like a rock tumbler.

**I'll probably update this with some more detail (read: spoilers) after the release, but just know I've hyped this book up so constantly as I read it that my roommate is convinced it's her new favorite book even though she knows nothing about it, and I just took a break to go pre-order a physical copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor publishing for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the dream of every bookseller. It is both philosophical and thrilling. It is both romantic and inhuman. It had me crying with laughter, and also just crying. On top of all that, it is extraordinarily well written.
My favourite thing about this book was Rambo, he was so very lovable and hilarious and just the perfect kind of annoying. He brought the much needed humour in a story that is rather dark and balanced everything out. The other characters were also very wonderful. And that's TJ Klune for you, action, philosophy and a lot of humour.

In all honesty, this is not my favourite TJ Klune story, but that's because of my personal preferences. The lives of puppets is darker than his previous work, it has the exact same vibe as Pinocchio (this seems to me a retelling of that story) and I was a bit unnerved by that story as well, so that adds up. But that's personal. This book is just as good as every other thing he has written.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-arc. All opinions are my own.

God, TJ Klune has done it again! To be honest, his books are a bit hit-or-miss for me - the only ones I've enjoyed being The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door and, of course, this one. He has mastered the art of using the found family trope to its fullest potential and pulling heart strings (I know, I know, I couldn't help myself). Definitely a book I am going to recommend to customers at work (and my friends, who will have no choice but to read it. Trust me.)

TJ Klune strikes again! I've now read a total of three of his books and each one has been 5 stars, always leaving me speechless and my heart feeling full.

This book was amazing! An absolutely incredible fairytale! Such an interesting retelling of Pinocchio!

People who have read and enjoyed 'The Lunar Chronicles' series ( The Cinder Series ) will absolutely love this! Very similar in the sense of futuristic/robotic characters. The thing that made this book so amazing was the character development, the characters truly blew me away they were so amazing!

We have Victor - a brave human, asexual, coming-of-age boy. Nurse Ratched - a HILARIOUS robotic nurse with tentacles that is sassy as hell, clever and forthgoing. Rambo - an innocent robot vacuum that is always looking out for new adventures and is brave and so so witty. Tell me you aren't curious as ever just reading the descriptions of these 3 characters?!

These three go on the bravest of brave adventures and come across dangers that will affect their lives forever. Learning about friendship, family, love and sorrow, these characters are bound to stay with you for a lifetime.

I laughed soooooo much in this book and the ending was so heartfelt and perfect, truly the cherry on top!

Loved Loved Loved 'In The Lives of Puppets' and already can't wait for Klune's next piece of work!

Thank you so much Tor Books for providing me with an advanced E-book copy in exchange for an honest review!

Out April 25th, 2023!

We were pleased to share this title at our live Spring Book Preview event for the Modern Mrs Darcy and What Should I Read Next communities on January 10, 2023, when 1200 readers attended live and twice that many watched the replay in the following week. The PDF from that event is attached. Long story short: at this point we come to TJ Klune expecting kindness, wit, and a good dose of welcome earnestness. This one delivers on all counts.

A stunning novel and heartfelt adventure we follow Vic as he traverses through this strange world after the fall of humanity. I think the base story being that of Pinocchio was a fun way to tell this story but I think that Vic's companions really stole the show, Nurse Ratched and Rambo were the heart of the book for me. Overall it was an exciting adventure and a very fun take on the classic tale.

I was so excited to get a chance from @netgalley to read TJ Klune's upcoming book. The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my Top 10 books in 2021 so I had high hopes for this one.

In the Lives of Puppets is the story of Victor Lawson, a human living among robots. His father, Gio has built a treehouse laboratory in the forest far from civilization. Victor, along with his two robot friends Nurse Ratched and Rambo spend their days exploring the Scrap Yard and tinkering with new inventions. But when they recover Hap, a decommissioned robot, things start to change. Gio's past is revealed and he is taken by the authorities to the City of Electric Dreams. Victor and his three friends set off to rescue Gio and bring their family home.

Parts of this book were very enjoyable but overall it did not have the charm and emotional connection that I was hoping for. Nurse Ratched and Rambo are funny characters but their jokes got repetitive and stale. Klune uses Victor to explore what it means to be human but it fell flat for me. This is a story of found family and I did enjoy that aspect of the story.

Overall, this book is worth a read if you manage your expectations. You aren't going to get The House in the Cerulean Sea but you will get a unique story with memorable characters and a reflection on what a world of robots could be.

When I started this, I knew next to nothing of what it was about other than having heard vague rumblings about it being a Pinocchio retelling? All I knew: TJ Klune wrote it, which means I want to read it.

It is supposed to be a retelling of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio from 1883 which I was completely unfamiliar with. (I’m barely familiar with the Disney version.) Every time something weird came up that I didn’t understand, or something felt like it had meaning but I didn’t know what, it turned out to be from Pinocchio. I ended up reading the wikipedia entry on Collodi’s Pinocchio just so I could somewhat understand and appreciate the references I knew I wasn’t getting. So the Pinocchio stuff went largely unappreciated by me but I feel like the whole thing was more Frankenstein meets Bladerunner with a dash of The Wizard of Oz and a pinch of Wall-E.

That said, I loved the characters with my whole heart. The story/plot wasn’t as interesting to me as I would have hoped but the characters made it worthwhile.

‘Puppets’ is filled with Klune’s signature humor and pathos. It is poignant, thoughtful, charming, hilarious, profound, insightful. A moving found family tale with a massively big heart. It’s a mish mash of elements that come together to make a pretty unique book with extremely lovable characters. It has the outer wrappings of a dystopian futuristic SF novel but it has the heart and soul of a fairytale. And it will give you a lot to think about.

(Oh, and remember how you had “Beyond the Sea” on repeat in your head while reading The House in the Cerulean Sea? You will have “Cheek to Cheek” in your head with this one.)

TJ Klune has become an auto-buy for me because of the way he creates characters that matter and his past books have had an important message that has been carefully and subtly woven through the story. Unfortunately, this book is a much more didactic novel that has so much to say and teach, that those messages get in the way of the story and the growth of the characters.

I had to sit back after reading it, making sure that I wasn’t just disappointed because I had loved Under the Whispering Door and The House in the Cerulean Sea so very much. They were both 5 stars for me. But, I really did feel like these two lessons on humanity got in the way of the story, instead of being shown through the characters actions and thinking. One point was that humanity kind of sucks. Klune says it right at the start and then the whole book looks at how humans became extinct because they couldn’t get their lives together. The other piece was the queer tale that took place between one of the main characters and another character - building slowly as the story continued to the end. Both very valid and good lessons to teach - but, like I said, I often felt that the lessons were being force fed to the reader, rather than felt (like in his other books).

The characters and general story that Klune writes would get a 3.75 from me, but with the “in your face” messages that jumped in the way of the story - I would have to give this a 3.25. I think that the story’s characters were meant to be hopeful, but the general disgust with humanity kept throwing a wrench in that hopeful feeling of the book.

This story is about Victor Lawson. He is the human boy of Giovanni and has a hilarious cast of characters (all robots that were constructed/fixed by either Victor or Gio). They live in the forest in a grove of tree houses and Victor is warned against going to the Scrap Yards because he is not to be found by the Old Ones. Eventually, he is discovered and Victor learns the truth about Gio’s past and Victor’s humble beginnings. At the start of the story, Victor and his best pals, Nurse Ratched and Rambo, discover a decommissioned humanoid. They secretly fix him up and, when found by Gio, get in trouble for bringing Gio’s past back to the present. This story is about what found family would do to come back together - no matter what the cost. It is also about how you can still love someone for who they are, even when their past self is not someone that you would even like. And, lastly, it is about surprising love that sees no boundaries and how you have to fight for that love no matter what.

I loved cerulean sea, didn’t enjoy under whispering door but was very hopeful I’d enjoy this one. The story follows a rag tag group of robots and one real boy. The robots are a roomba and a sociopathic “nurse” robot. I actually found their banter cute and funny even if a bit juvenile: if you’ve ever seen the movie Ron’s Gone Wrong it sort of has those vibes.
That said the writing maybe because the characters are mostly robots is somehow clunky and it does t flow easily. I really appreciate the LGBTQIA+ rep but overall not the same warm hug of cerulean sea.

I was provided this by the publisher via NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

This was a charming, melancholy, sweet and beautiful book. A cozy Sci-fi Pinocchio reimagining, that also has hints of Wizard of Oz.
Our main character Victor lives in a lovely wooded tree house with his father Giovanni, who happens to also be an android. They have two delightful robot companions as well. On a scavenging expedition Victor discovers a new android that will unravel his world and unlock the mystery of this world.
I adored the characters of this book. If you like character driven tales, you will absolutely enjoy this book. Though it does not feel as wholly original as T.J. Klune’s previous books (due to being a retelling) it was still a lovely read. 4.5⭐️

TJ Klune once again swept me off my feet with this elaborate retelling of Pinocchio, set in a futuristic earth, run by robots and androids. The world building is intricate yet immersive; My mind was reeling upon finishing this masterpiece of a novel. TJ truly succeeds in making the reader feel as if they are a part of the journey this crew of misfit characters are on. If you're like me, you'll want to savor each aspect of this story that TJ has crafted. Yet at the same time, I found myself yearning to finish it in one sitting. As this is a retelling, The nods to the original story of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi are perfect and so uniquely done. Referenced in the cat and wolf pin attached to the android inventor Giovanni Lawson, the implication of white lies and even an unconventional spin on the Blue Fairy.

"Is that a whale?" Dad asked, pointing at the screen. "Yes," Vic said and. "And it's going to swallow us whole."

As an avid fan of TJ Klune for the past several years, I've noticed that he has become known for his portrayal of the found family trope in his writing. In the Lives of Puppets was no different. My heart ached for each character, wanting to follow their growth as an individual and the love that has buried itself in the heart of each and every one.

"You must remember what you symbolize. You are a dream, A hope. A remembrance of what we once were."

This story will have you tearing up one moment and laughing the next with characters such as, the anxiety riddled Roomba vacuum, named Rambo or the nickname, "Hysterically Angry Puppet" placed on a mysterious android.

Filled with adventure, diverse representation, betrayal, and friendship, this fantasy meets sci-fi whirlwind of a novel, is certainly one you cannot miss! The fate of humanity lies in the hands of robots, will they be able to save the world?

Thank You TJ Klune, Tor Books and Netgalley for a chance to read and review this lovely story! <3

It's official. Everything TJ Klune writes will absolutely melt your heart! I gathered that this was a queer retelling og Pinnochio, except with a robot instead of a wooden boy. This book provides such a comfort I didn't know I needed!

I love this Author so much. I swear he cannot write a bad book. I love this just as much as his other books. I cannot wait to purchase this one.

Loosely inspired by Pinocchio, this is a futurist take of the familiar story.

Victor has grown up in the woods with just his father, Giovanni, and his two friends, Rambo and Nurse Ratched.

Victor is the only human. His father is a robot designed to create; Rambo, a roomba; and Nurse Ratched, a health care robot.

Gio tells the story of a woman and man on the run leaving their child with him for safety and never returning, but this isn’t quite the truth.

Soon another unexpected friend is added, but this leads to robots from The Authority coming and the revelation of huge truths previously hidden from Victor. Gio is taken and Victor and his three friends set out on an adventure to get him back.

Ultimately this is the storing of change and choosing who and what you are over expectations and what you’ve been taught.

I’m a huge fan of the chosen family plot line and love how Klune’s books never end in a picture perfect way, but some how the imperfection is everything I really want. I’ll be wondering about these characters for a long time. Also, Rambo is the cutest.