Can it get better than the fantastic narration from Daniel Henning for Klune's In the Lives of Puppets? I just wanted to keep hearing his Nurse Ratched and be immersed in the fantastical journey this book creates. This really worked for me as an audiobook as the narration brought to life the complete whimsical humanity is what it is (but it can be better) vibes that Klune evokes. I am so glad I could read this earlier this year and return again via the delight of this audiobook. Thank you MacMillan for this treat!

It’s not fair to compare, or go in with certain expectations, but I absolutely adored Cerulean Sea, and really liked Whispering Door. So I went in with expectations that I would thoroughly enjoy this. Unfortunately, I did not. It started out really slow (something mentioned in the synopsis doesn’t even happen until like 30% or more?) and throughout the whole book, the pacing just felt off. I had both the ebook and audio from netgalley, and I tend to follow along with the ebook while listening - and I felt like the narration was so slow, it was taking ages for me to be able to turn the page, and I had it on 2x speed! It just felt super slow, and I admit, I always speed audiobooks up, but 2 or 2.5 is normally my sweet spot. 2x on this still felt so slow, and I really struggled through it (user error on the app made me think that was the max speed, but I eventually got it to 3x speed and it was more enjoyable at that speed).

So on top of the narration and plot both feeling slow, I just didn’t love the story itself as much as I wanted to. One of the characters is super quirky and perhaps that comes across better in print but I wasn’t a fan of it in the audio, the character just kind of annoyed me or made me cringe. Maybe it was the specific humour, I don’t know. The humour felt a bit young, but what do I know. There were some things I liked, but I think the things I disliked overshadowed the good things. I felt a couple times like I was supposed to be feeling certain emotions based on the writing, but it fell flat or missed the mark for me. I do admire TJ Klune as a writer and I really enjoyed the other ones I’ve read, but this one just didn’t work for me.

Well, I loved this one! This novel was definitely the heartwarming escapism I needed. While this one is more sci-fi given the androids and murderous robots inhabiting the world, if you've read Klune's other books, you will immediately recognize the satirical tone and the tropes of found family. While there are nods to Pinocchio, so much of this story was very unique. I loved the way it explored the autonomy and free will and all the characters. I did feel like there could have been more to the plot, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I had listened to audiobook of The House in the Cerulean Sea and the audiobook of this one is narrated by Daniel Henning as well. I thought he did an excellent job bringing the eccentric characters to life!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one!

TJ Klune is the master of dealing with heavy subjects in cozy fantasy worlds, this time he takes on a retelling of Pinocchio set in a dystopian world full of robots. Our featured found family this time consists of three robots and one human boy, Victor, separated from the greater world living in a small tree grove. Events lead to the greater world knocking down their door and taking away Gio, the only father figure Vic had ever had. To save Gio Vic, Rambo, and Nurse Ratched must leave the comfort of their grove and head into the world that Gio was shielding them from.
This was another home run from the team of Klune and narrator Daniel Henning. Creating a world overrun by robots but then telling a story full of emotion is no easy feat, add to that the wonderful vocal variety between characters and you get a wonderfully delightful read that hits you in the feels. Just Victor’s story arc will break your heart and put it back together several times. Although I will say that the humor supplied by Rambo and Nurse Ratched throughout help to balance out the heavy drama that Vic and Gio are going through, without them this story would have been too dark. Overall, another successful cozy fantasy from Klune.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Klune has the incredible ability to make the reader adore characters from start to finish. This cast is without a doubt my favorite! Not only are they hilarious, but they are an unlikely gang on an adventure as a lovely found family. Told in the spirit of Pinocchio, Swiss Family Robinson, and Wall-E, the reader gets transformed into a world run by robots. A world where it might not be favorable to have a heart.

All that said, I think I need a Roomba.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author T.J. Klune for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

TJ Klune writes books about love, and I love them. This is exactly what fans of his work will be hoping it is; a uniquely charming story with loveable characters, quirky humour, and very real emotion, wrapped up in something queer and genuine.

My favourite book of his is "The House in the Cerulean Sea," but the one criticism I had of it was that the beginning dragged, and it took a little too long for the story to get going and the characters to become loveable. "In The Lives of Puppets" solves that problem by hitting the ground running (or falling from a pile of robot parts) and never letting up. Watching Vic and Hap navigate what it means to be human together, with the dubious help of Nurse Ratched and Rambo (first of his name) is both hilarious and heartwarming. There's adventure and heart break (ha). There's every kind of love. And the reminder to, above all else, be brave.

Reading this book feels like being full of garbage in the best possible way.

I’m not a fantasy/sci-fi girl but I know my readers that are will love this, especially the ones who love Audio books! The reader was great, very animated.

Run time:15 hrs. 22 mins.
Narrator: Daniel Henning did such a great job on all the main characters. I loved Rambo and the coachman most-so expressive. It felt like I was listening to a play at times, each character very distinct.

If you've read any of Klune's standalones, you know the outliers of society will be front and center. We have robots big and small with plenty of personality. Gio is the older father figure, an inventor. His children are Rambo, Nurse Ratchet, and Vic. All come with sarcasm, sexual innuendoes, and fierce protection over each other. When another android (HAP) joins the family, their comfortable, hidden, home life is destroyed. There's a quest to rescue their patriarch, filled with larger-than-life characters and places. Evolution, human vs machine, and what it means to love unconditionally will resonate as well as a few pop culture movies and books i.e. Wall-e, Short Circuit (I'm dating myself) and of course The Adventures of Pinocchio. You will laugh, get the warm and fuzzies, and maybe question your own place in this world.

*"I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

“Simple, isn’t it? We were thinking too big, too grand. Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that can change everything when you least expect it.”

In a strange little home built into the branches of trees live three robots. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. Within this peculiar forest lives a family assembled from spare parts and, together, they embark on an incredible journey.

The audio of this one! 👏🏻😍 superb! So so good! I highly recommend. The voices for the robots are *chefs kiss*. I may have fallen in love a little bit.

This is being touted as a Pinocchio retelling and I can certainly see why. What an absolutely precious and heartfelt story. It almost reads like a children’s fairytale at times with the robots and fantasy elements. But there is also some very funny adult humor that had me laughing out loud. Case in point…

“‘Oh. My. Goodness. You’re a vacuum. Just like me! Hello, cousin!’ He waved his arms in front of the bigger vacuum. ‘My name is Rambo. I’m a vacuum too!…I’m pretty sure I’m the only vacuum in history too—wow. Look at the size of your brush. I’m feeling strangely inadequate at the moment.’” I can’t. Fabulous. 🤣🤣

Thank you to Netgalley, Tor Publishing, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

Once again, Klune gives us a story of life and love, of acceptance and finding your place in the world with people who make it all worthwhile. It's humorous yet deep, compelling, and thoughtful. And it will take you into a world that means nothing at first and everything by the end.

My main issue with this book was the pacing. It felt exceedingly slow with many parts that I thought were unnecessary by the end. There were several times that I felt like we were definitely at the end, and then we were nowhere near it.

I did love the characters and the way that the found family comes about. They're all so sweet and funny. But then the romance felt a bit flat and forced to me in the end.

If you're a fan of Klune, definitely check this out.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune is my third novel by this author. Although it is not my favorite it was still an incredible story. Klune has a way of making his characters come to life. This is a Pinocchio retelling with a sci-fi twist as nearly all the characters are robots. As always he hits you right in the feels throughout this whole book and forces you to love all the characters. Klune is an auto-buy author for me. This story did not disappoint!

Gio, an inventor, lives in the forest. He raised his son Victor, who was abandoned on his doorstep in this remote location. The twist is that Gio is a sentient robot and Victor is a human. Victor is now a young adult and has become an inventor like his father. Victor regularly visits the scrapyard and finds useful material to use in creating and restoring all kinds of things, like his robot friends. The questions of how they got to the forest and why they must stay hidden are known to Gio but not Victor. It doesn’t really occur to Victor to ask until he accidentally bleeds at the scrapyard. Their idyllic, secret life is destroyed when other robots come for them. Gio hides Victor and surrenders. Victor and his robots then venture out of the forest for answers and to retrieve Gio.

So think Artificial Intelligence dystopian world meets Pinocchio meets Wizard of Oz. This book is as original as the other books I’ve read from this author. The book is timely with the increasing presence of AI in our lives and still manages to focus on what real connections between people are. It also emphasizes personal redemption and choosing a better way. I had zero idea where it was going at any point. It was a complete surprise the whole way through.

I went into this story wary, as the description did not appeal to me the same way Klune’s previous two books have. I trusted he would write a good story, and I am glad to have read this. This book was so delightful.

In a world with ChatGPT and Snapchat AI and new innovations daily, this book tells the story of a future that doesn’t feel so unlikely or far off.

The characters, as with all of Klune’s books, were all spectacular and loveable. Fans of Chauncey in The House in the Cerulean Sea (or Olaf from Frozen) will instantly fall in love with Rambo. Nurse Rached is witty and so entertaining. I would read a full book about her life before this book.

This is such a great story of family, adventure, and humanity. A must read, even if you think you won’t like it.

Big thanks to Tor Books, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4.5/5

I can never get enough of the most unusual characters TJ Klune creates. I am also forever in love with his narrator, Daniel Henning, who makes TJ Klune’s stories come to love so fantastically. I have never read such an awesome reimagining. Hooked from cover to cover (if audiobooks can be that!)

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review! Happy Publication Day!!

In the Lives of Puppets was my first book by TJ Klune and my first fantasy adventure on audiobook! I really enjoyed the narrator, Daniel Hennings. His voice was very easy to listen to, and couldn't stop listening to this beautifully written story.

I was captivated by the characters and enjoyed getting to know each one of them. Rambo and Nurse Ratched were my favorites. This book was charming, heart-warming, and witty. I felt like I was on a unique adventure while listening.

I will definitely be reading more from TJ Klune! Highly recommend listening to this one!

Now that was a fun read of this reimagining of Pinocchio. It follows most of the beats of the original story with a twist. It kind of reminded me of The Wizard of Oz in some sections. The voices that the narrator did for Nurse R.A.T.C.H.E.D. and Rambo were perfect and they were hilarious in every scene. Such a fun time but it did drag in some parts which slowed interest in listening to this book. Overall a good read.

If this is the kind of books TJ Klune has to offer signed me up. There’s way too much to give a summary so I will just say there was a lost boy Marcus and Giovanni takes him in and raises him as a son there’s also nurse Ratched the robot and then there’s a hat and although there’s plenty of dialogue to keep it interesting Something Happens that Marcus is going to have to save the forest home it is full of lol moments with great narration and I do mean really awesome narating this isn’t your average book and I think it is truly spectacular and one I will definitely buy and listen to again in the future. I cannot wait to dive into another book by this author because it feel like In The Lives Of Puppets The volume definitely in for a treat if you like the Supernatural sci-fi the fairytail books filled with lol moments and things that make you think the you definitely love this book by TJ Klune I definitely did and give it five stars only because I cannot give it more. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

TJ Klune manages to make me cry with the craziest of concepts. 'In the Lives of Puppets' is Pinnochio, meets Wall-E, meets The Winter Soldier and I never would've thought to blend all of those elements but oh my gosh it's a masterpiece in literature. As always, Klune gives us characters that jump off the page. Within the first 5 pages I would kill for Rambo and Nurse Ratched. I had to take my lunch break early today so I could finish this book and cry in peace.
Amazing. Spectacular. I don't have enough positive adjectives for this book.

I went into this book somewhat blind, and wasn't sure what to expect. I was not disappointed. I typically read thrillers, so this was outside of my normal genre, but I fell in love with the characters.

I don't know how to summarize it without sounding like a raving lunatic, talking about good robots and bad robots. Just know what it takes place in a world where there is one human left after robots have taken over and annihilated everyone else.

Victor is raised by his father and family (all robots), and must go on an epic journey to save one of them. The book is about love, friendship, family and what it means to be human.

It definitely had some Pinnochio story undertones. Overall, I found it to be quite charming.

My one warning is to push through the first few chapters. There are definitely some weird robot sexual innuendos that are a little off-putting. I am not someone who is prude or against sexuality in a book, I just felt them unnecessary and a little odd for this story. But other than that, the book was lovely.

I jumped into this 100% because of T.J. Klune and the cover, not really knowing what this book was about. This dystopian sci-fi fantasy ended up sucking me right in. If you love the found family trope then I think you’ll really enjoy this!

There was lots of clever commentary on the world and humans. How we react to certain things and interact with each other. I love that Vic is asexual. Representation is so important in novels, not just for everyone who reads but especially for those that identify in those ways.

I really connected with the parts that reminded me of having a relationship with someone with dementia. The way that was portrayed was very accurate to the way things are when someone you love doesn’t always remember what is happening.

I really enjoyed listening to the audio of this book and thought the narrator did a fantastic job. The only thing that was kind of meh for me was Rambo. That little vacuum robot is really obnoxious.

If you’ve enjoyed other books by TJ Klune then I think you will also really like In the Lives of Puppets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.