I received a temporary digital advanced copy of In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune from NetGalley, Tor Books, and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Human, Victor Lawson, and his machine friends--Rambo, Nurse Ratched, and HAP--set off on a mission, to find and bring Victor's father back from the City of Electric Dreams. With no guarantee his father will remember him, Victor risks the existence of humanity to find the one man who means more to him than life.

Every time I read a book by Klune, I think he can't top it, and then he does. I loved In Lives of Puppets. With the humor and dry wit seen in Klune's Extraordinaries series, this retell of the Pinocchio story had me laughing throughout the entire book, all while examining the the human experience and impact of humanity on the world.

Absolutely loved it. His quirky characters and their dialog… dry, funny, clever, fraught, deep, and heartfelt all at once. They’ll stay with me for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for my arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

"In the Lives of Puppets" by TJ Klune is a queer retelling inspired by Pinocchio and Swiss Family Robinson. Isolated from others, humanoid Giovanni lives in what used to be Oregon with his human son Vic (Victor), vacuuming robot Rambo, and medic nursing robot Nurse Ratched. Things change for this family when Vic, home from scavenging in the Scrap Yards, finds another humanoid that he decides to repair. In doing so, Vic sets off a series of events that will change his and his family's lives.

I've only read "Under the Whispering Door" by Klune and like that one, this one started off slow (for me!). Initially, I had a really difficult time liking the characters. There were also some weird "comedic" moments that while they felt in character for Rambo and Nurse Ratched, I didn't think that Klune had to write those same jokes multiple times throughout the novel. We get it. Bad sex jokes? Ha ha ha. For me, it just took me out of the book everytime those jokes were made. I also found myself getting annoyed with Rambo as a character. I get what the point of his characterization and overall, it did end up working but the build up was just so much work. Overall, I didn't really care for the style of comedic relief in this one. It just felt out of place and poorly done for me? Maybe if the character types were closer to the characters from "Superbad", I'd have found it funnier.

That said, Rambo and the weird comedy doesn't necessarily detract from my overall enjoyment of this book. I thought for the most part that Vic was a compelling lead (although, again, it took a while for me to become invested in him) and I do like that he's such a gentle and thoughtful character. There were moments where I found him quite relatable as well, like when he struggles with saying how he feels/what he thinks and towards the end when he's allowing himself to be vulnerable despite the danger and fear. I thought his slow burn with Hap was also cute. I also liked that the romance was a subplot that didn't take center stage for the book. I also really enjoyed the majority of Vic's interactions with Nurse Ratched and Rambo (majority because there were those dumb comedic moments). I enjoyed how much they all loved and supported eachother. It was so sweet and it really made the last section of the novel hit so much harder. I spent pretty much that whole final section crying if that's any indication.

Overall, I enjoyed this new offering from Klune. I don't think it'll be for everyone since I do think there are some weak moments in the book that drag down the story and really holds it back. BUT, again, I think this was an enjoyable read. I will say that the plot reminded me a lot of the movie "A.I" which was also something that had me bawling, but I think Klune handles the question of humanity/what it means to be human much more deftly than "A.I" did.

Obviously I have to recommend this one when it comes out in April.

This is a splendid (and Queer) retelling of Pinocchio, found family, and love. Humaniod Giovanni is living isolated in what used to be Oregon with a little cleaning robot called Rambo, and wanna-be sociopathic, but ultimately kind nurse robot called Nurse Ratched. With them is Vic, a human raised by them from birth in the seclusion of the forest. When Vic goes to the scrapyards and finds a new humaniod to repair, secrets begin to unfold about Gio, Vic, and the newest addition to their group, Hap.

An epic adventure ensues as the friends head out to find the City of Electric Dreams and the Blue Fairy who they hope can make everything right again.

I have loved everything I've read by TJ Klune and this was another excellent read. If you haven't read The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door I highly recommend those as well. Especially since this gem doesn't come out until April 2023.

Like most of this authors work, this book felt like home. Like I’ve just shaved my legs and jumped into a freshly made bed. Just so much cozy feelings even with this thicker subjects in the book. I enjoy everything I’ve read from Klune and this is no different, although it was harder to get into, but I do think that was just me. As always we have family, love and a heck of a lot of comedy to get you through the hard times.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy!

In 2022, I was introduced to TJ Klune after my library got a copy of House in the Cerulean Sea. And, after weeks of this book taunting me, I finally decided to pick it up, and I have been in love ever since. I usually read a few books at one time, and one of his is always included. His writing style is just so lovely, from the comedy to the feeling of being wrapped in a big, gay blanket is just so enjoyable. So, when I saw this book was available as a ARC, I could not resist.

This book has plenty of the typical TJ Klune style, although I do see quite a bit of branching out here. While there is a romance, it is never the main focus. Victor saving his father is what takes up most of the pages, and I must admit that I was quite taken aback by this at first. It isn't bad, not at all! It is just not something I was expecting from TJ Klune. Many of his novels that have come out recently are rather low stake, smaller stories. This story, however, is very high stakes, even if it doesn't always feel like it. And while I don't think his dive back into higher stake stories was perfect, it was still a pleasant surprise.

Aside from the romance, Klune's comedy is also present here, although I think it is a mixed bag. Sometimes, we get a really funny moment. But for every funny joke we get a bad one about robots talking about sex. It was funny the first time, but after the third? Tenth? I was over it.

Apart from these criticisms, this retelling of Pinocchio is cute, adventurous, and has some fun twists from the original story. The characters are all likable, even if they aren't as deep as some of Klune's other characters (though it is understandable, they are robots after all). And if you are a fan of Klune's previous works, you won't be disappointed here. I think out of the three other TJ Klune books I have read so far (House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, and Wolfsong) this is my least favorite? But don't let that scare you away, because this is a fun read worth you're time!

I love how TJ Klune writes. Everything he has done has always been so easy and fun to read, not to mention very funny. House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my top 5 books ever.

In the Lives of Puppets has the same familiar writing style. Feels like a warm cozy cup of tea. However, I had a really hard time being interested in the subject matter. It was so conflicting, but I couldn't really bring myself to be come invested in the story and zoned out a lot of the time. It's just not for me, as much as I tried to force myself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the chance to review this!

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying I read this in Dec 2022, along with 3 rereads of The House in the Cerulean Sea and a reread of Under the Whispering Door. Not all at once but scattered throughout the year, I've read Klune 5 times.

And yet this novel to me isn't matching up to 'Cerulean' or 'Whispering',

Part One through Three of this novel is worthy of five stars. I love Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and HAP the most. All three of them made this novel humorous and so engaging.

However, when we reach Part 4, Klune chooses a more timeline like pace and I wished we had more of the aftermath of the journey in chapters. As it reads in this ARC, Part 4 doesn't have chapters, just time skips. Without much spoiling, Victor goes through so much sorrow that when we finally reach the ending of the novel, it's hopeful but not as wholesome or satisfying as I would have liked.

As evident above, I love Klune's writing and will continue to read his works, this one just isn't an all-time favorite like the other two.

Side note: I love this cover! It will go so well on a shelf with 'Cerulean' and "Whisper' covers.

I'm a huge TJ Klune fan and was very excited for this book. While this wasn't my favorite book by Klune it was very good, despite being a bit different from his other stuff.

Pros:
The main characters were very likable. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic with Nurse Ratched and Rambo particularly. Victor was such a sweet guy and he seemed so gentle and kind. I loved the relationship that he had with Gio and the other robots/machines. I also loved how determined he was to save and fix Hap.
Nurse Ratched and Rambo were hilarious. The names alone were so funny, but their characters and banter were priceless. They provided much needed comic relief.
I really liked how human the robots were. When I first read the summary for this book I didn't think I would like it too much since I'm not a sci-fi fan and don't usually enjoy anything with robots, but with how humanesque the machines were, I ended up forgetting they were machines.
I loved the representation of ace individuals with Victor. While it did help provide a way to avoid any sort of issues and controversy that might be surrounded by a human and machine engaging in sexual activities together, it was also just refreshing since ace people aren't represented a lot in books and media (especially in a positive way). Klune is the only author I've read who actively includes ace characters and makes them 3 dimensional characters who are more than their sexuality.
The play on the story of Pinocchio was very interesting. While Pinocchio isn't one of my favorite childhood/fairy tale stories since I find it to be deeply weird and creepy, Klune's interpretation was unique.
I liked how interesting and multidimensional all the main characters were. While there was the main plot of getting Gio back, all the characters were portrayed in such a layered way. Klune has a way of writing characters that feel so real and tangible.

Cons:
The ending was at best bittersweet and at worst sad. I expect heartfelt stories that have happy endings and are feel-good from Klune, however, that's not exactly how I would categorize this book. When compared to The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, I think this book isn't exactly feel-good in the way those books were. I felt bad for Victor at the end of the book and thought that his life could not possibly be a happy one based on how the book ended. Also, the living situation for the characters at the end seemed very off-brand based on how the characters expressed their ideal living situation.
I adored Rambo, but there were so many times where I wanted to yell at this sweet little robot and tell him to shut his mouth. They would be a dire situation where Rambo had been told he had to stay quiet, yet the first thing he does is almost blow their cover.
I was a bit confused with the world building situation. It wasn't clear how the robots originally gained consciousness in the first place. For robots like Rambo especially who I mentally pictured as a regular floor vacuum, it didn't make sense if the robots eventually started to be made by humans with a consciousness, or if they gained a consciousness along the way somehow. Victor's birth was also confusing. The Blue Fairy said that they had an ovum, however, there was no explanation as to how the egg became fertilized.
There was also some foreshadowing that humanity wasn't extinct, so I want to know if humans were killed off all over the world or just in North America.
While the take on Pinocchio was interesting, it also wasn't my favorite. At times it seemed like just doing a sci-fi story with humanesque robots would have been better as opposed to trying to fit all these things from Pinocchio into the story.

Overall, I loved this book because TJ Klune is magic. While it wasn't my favorite of his books as I prefer fantasy and magical realism more than sci-fi, it was still very enjoyable and the story and characters had the signature TJ Klune perfectness to them. While the plot itself was not my favorite, the characters made up for that.

Loved this book! TJ Klune writes like no other. I know I'm going to love it when I see it is written by him. This book was so entertaining. I laughed SO much while reading this book. The characters were my favorite part of the book although the storyline was fresh and engaging. He can be counted on to provide a book that will keep your attention. Guaranteed!!

TJ Klune has done it again! Once I get started, I can never put his books down. In the Lives of Puppets is a lovely, adventurous scifi-meets-fantasy that will give you all the warm feelings like all of Klune's previous works, I loved the characters and their banter, and the incredible world-building!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of TJ Klune's newest book 'In the Lives of Puppets'. The following review is reflective of my own thoughts and opinions.

All in all this was a good book. It didn't elicit the same emotional response I experienced with 'House in the Cerulean Sea' or 'Under the Whispering Door', the latter left me a squinting at the final pages as tears blurred my vision - but in a good way, that book got me right in the feels. The book is set in a future where all of humanity has been wiped out by robots who see humans as the main cause of the deterioration of Earth. In this world one robot escapes his reality/programming and set up home in a forest, constructing an intricate series of buildings in a treehouse style setup. In this environment he raises a human child - Victor - who becomes an inventor/creator like his adoptive father.

The book follows Victor and his robot companions as the set out to rescue his father, Gio, after he is kidnapped. With the help of a new friend, HAP, they set off to the City of Electric Dreams and seek the help of the Blue Fairy, Along the way they are also kidnapped and encounter numerous obstacles.

My one criticism of this book is that it is strongly reminiscent in style and plot to Stephen King's 'The Gunslinger' series and was therefore in some chapters predictable and unexciting. I would still recommend this book to TJ Klune fans and those looking for LGBTQ+ science fiction/fantasy standalone reads.

What a fantastic book. This is my first book by the author, so I am a little late to the party, but I have already purchased one of his other books.

So why do I recommend this?
Simply, I fell in love with the characters. Despite being a hoover an Android a human and a very sarcastic robotic nurse, they were so real. My favourite was Nurse. You know when someone says a book is funny and you have these expectations, well this was funny. The Nurse was so quick witted but not at all forced, and combined with her little sidekick, Rambo, the humour was natural and lasting. She is probably one if the most consistent characters I have read lately.

The plot was also masterful. There were definitely AI vibes and I don't know if that was intentional, but it wasn't too much that I felt one was copying the other, more inspired by. I have to say the links to Pinocchio were less obvious but that could be because I haven't read the original. But there were definitely lessons being taught through the characters.

Overall I lived this book and devoured it in 2 days.

TJ Klune has a magical ability to write books that both make my heart soar and break my heart - all at the same time. This queer reimagining of Pinnochio is brilliant, with amazing, well developed characters (fun aside: in my head Nurse Ratched had the voice of Bea Arthur).

My Rating: 5+/5⭐️s
TJ Klune has forever changed me as a reader.

If you enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door you will love In the Lives of Puppets. Go ahead and put this book on your TBR list for 2023!

This book was everything I wanted and needed it to be: a wonderfully magical story about love, friendship, and family with a dash of suspense and adventure!

Vic, Hap, and Gio were some of the best developed characters I’ve encountered. But Rambo, the vacuum robot, with his enthusiastic love for every…single…thing, and Nurse Ratched, with her demented sarcasm, are my favorite book characters of all time! I thoroughly enjoyed their banter and literally laughed out loud several times while reading.

If you are an audiobook fan- I just know this one would be great to listen to!

Thanks to NetGalley Tor Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this treasure of a book!

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*

"In the Lives of Puppets" is a Pinocchio retelling set in a dystopian future where machines and not humans rule. Victor, a foundling, is raised by a robot named Gio, a creator transformed into a loving, caring and quite wonderful father. Vic grows up very isolated, his best friends are Nurse Ratched (a sociopath medbot unless the Empathy programme is activated) and Rambo (a Roomba with anxiety) and he only knows the forest and the scrap yard. As Vic is afraid that his father will die if his battery runs out, he has built a heart just to be safe - key ingredient is a drop of his blood. When Vic, Rambo, and Nurse Ratched check the scrap yard for spare parts one day, they find a discarded but yet somewhat still alive robot. Vic takes him in and gives Hap, as he calls himself, his heart. But not everything is as it seems and Vic will need to learn a lot about himself, his father, and the world they're living in.

The novel was wonderful and heartbreaking, it was wholesome and the take on forgiveness and second beginnings was wonderful. I also liked the tentative romance in it and I loved that Vic is asexual. I also loved all the nods to Pinocchio and other literature about androids / robots, e.g. "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". Yes, parts were quite predictable, but this was just quite wonderful.

5 Stars Thank you so so much for this ARC!

People really messed up the world, so robots set out to kill all humans. Yikes! But are the robots' better stewards of earth than people were? The AI can invent, but they have nothing that made humans loveable, no joy, no sense of humor

Except...

Nurse Rached and Rambo the vacuum cleaner are the two funniest robots I ever encountered. At first, I thought those two would get on my nerves. Instead, I found myself laughing out loud at the things they said and did.

In the Lives of Puppets is a little more violent and more dystopian than TJ Klune's other books, but, like the other books, gentleness, education, and bonds amongst a created family win the day. That and a shared enjoyment of the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movie Top Hat. I grew to love the little family and I'm not the sentimental kind at all, except I too really love Top Hat. As Rambo the robot would say, "Heaven, I'm in Heaven..."

Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review In the Lives of Puppets.

What a heartwarming read of a new interpretation/inspiration of Pinocchio about a group of misfit robots and one real boy who go on an adventure to save their dad, Giovanni (Gepetto). TJ Klune writes wonderful stories full
of heart and with great characters. A great, quick read.

Themes: 🤖 ⚡️🔋💡👨‍👦‍👦💗💖

My feelings: 😀🥹😍🥰🥳

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There are very few authors who can get me invested in a story about robots; there are even fewer who can have me in tears reading about said robots. TJ Klune is that rare story teller who is able cultivate so much empathy and compassion for the most unlikely characters. Klune’s ability to create a world that draws in readers so completely is why I was already looking forward to his newest novel months in advance.

In the Lives of Puppets is Klune’s newest release and it has all the magic and heart warming moments that we’ve grown to expect with Klune’s books. I immediately fell in love with the characters in this novel and could not stop laughing at the banter between Nurse Ratched and Rambo. These may be two of my favorite characters and I loved every bit of dialogue between them.

I also enjoyed the complicated dynamics between Victor Lawson, Gio and Hap. There were so many touching moments sprinkled throughout, but the journey for Victor from the beginning to the end of the novel was emotional and powerful. It was a story of perseverance, friendship and familial bonds, and I loved every minute of it.

In the Lives of Puppets is a beautiful story and it’s one to look out for in 2023!

As a huge fan of TJ Klune I was ecstatic when I was approved for this book, but I found myself uninterested. Being familiar with Klune's works I pressed on but found myself losing interest. It was written well, had the cozy feel I've grown to expect from his works, and his characters were as charming as ever. I think, for me, it was just a matter of theme. I will recommend this book, though, because I believe anyone who likes his books or post apocalyptic reading in general would enjoy it.