Thank you to TOR for letting me read an early copy of IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS by TJ KLUNE. This book publishes on April 25.

I absolutely loved THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA, it's one I've bought multiple copies of for friends. I also enjoyed UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by Klune quite a lot. When I finished both of those books, I wiped my tears and gave the book a little kiss after. This one didn't really leave me with the same feeling. This is a retelling of Pinocchio and it's a great story full of unforgettable characters and is super entertaining, but I can't put it on the same level as the other books I've read by TJ Klune. I still recommend this one!! I can't wait to talk about it!

Deep in the forest lives Victor, Gio, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo. Together they have formed a sort of strong unity that comes to play as the series progresses. Nurse Ratched and Rambo together have the funniest banter. I laughed so much at their lines.
What comes to mind after reading this is of Meet the Robinsons and Wall-E. Found family, betrayal, love, and hope is what this book is about. The characters are all complex and I enjoyed seeing their emotions come across through the narration of Daniel Henning. He gave voices to all of the characters and truly kept me engaged throughout till the very end. This was such a fun and quirky queer retelling of Pinocchio.

A very special thanks to Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

I have already reviewed this spectacular novel, In the Lives of Puppets has certainly found itself home at the #1 spot for my favorite TJ Klune novel.

However, I took a chance & requested the audiobook to see if my overall feeling had changed and I am OVER THE MOON THAT I DID! I'm not sure if you're able to win an academy award for audiobook performances but this gentleman should definitely receive one! I had already absolutely adored Nurse Ratched and Rambo as characters and they were, with perfection, brought to live. I honestly was able to just sit back, close my eyes, and allow the movie my brain projected to come alive.

I'm on chapter 3 of my reread when submitting this and I am confident and convinced this will be one of my favorite audiobooks of all time.

I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book in my hands!!!

I just finished the book I have lovingly been calling “The Robot Book” and my heart is full in ways I never expected.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book about creator androids. A Pinocchio retelling involving robots sounded interesting, but I didn’t expect to have half the joy or any of the heart feels that I do having now finished it.

First, if you are a found family lover, this book is your North Star. The found family and loving relationships had by these ROBOTS is endearing and magical in all the best ways.

We have our slightly angry Nurse robot whose empathy protocol is hardly ever enacted but yet loves anyway. We have a Roomba named Rambo who loves musicals, and throws trash into the air and calls it confetti. The creator, Gio who is a robot with a dark past who decided to create a different reality for himself.

And we have Vic. Our little human who we will tear down the world for.

This book is endearing, full of love in all of its complicated forms, and by the end I am finishing this feeling so hopeful.

I have so many thoughts, and honestly if you would have told me last week this robot book would be giving me an existential crisis I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are.

I’m in heaven.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately for me, IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS was missing the magic I found in UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR and THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA. I'm also undecided on how I feel about the plot points that circled around the potentially romantic love between a human and an android. Rambo (an anxiety-riddled Roomba vacuum) and Nurse Ratched (a sociopathic nursing machine, the Registered Automaton To Care, Heal, Educate and Drill) get all 5 stars though. I loved how their personalities balanced each other out.

Overall I found that I never ended up caring for Victor Lawson, or what happened to him and that I mainly stuck along just to see what Rambo and Nurse Ratched got up to. It's an interesting reimagining of THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO and SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, but after really loving UTWD and THITCS, my expectations were super high. I can see other people loving this book, and I am glad I read it, it just turned out to not be what I was expecting based on the other novels I've read from Klune.

Daniel Henning's voice work is amazing - especially Rambo's, it added a whole other layer of anxiety to that poor little Roomba vacuum. I recommend listening to the audiobook for this one.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

T.J. Klune writes some of the best (and most wholesome) stories with such fantastic characters! In this one, the somewhat sociopathic Nurse Ratched absolutely stole the show for me, followed by the neurotic Rambo. I was really intrigued by the world as well and enjoyed meeting some of the other side characters such as The Collector. The MC Victor wasn’t my fav though, and the romantic focus in this just didn’t work for me. I would have loved to see the focus just be on found family and friendship love instead. I think it dragged on a bit too long on the journey they take (vague I know, but no spoilers from me!) and could have done without some of the scenes with the Blue Fairy. I did like how it all came together in the end and appreciated that it wasn’t all wrapped up into a perfect bow. I split time between the book and audiobook and definitely recommend the audio for the fantastic narration.

Thanks to Tor Books and MacMillan Audio for the gifted ARC/ALC!

I thought it was a one off for me to love strange creatures and a sci-fi/fantasy combo when I read The House in the Cerulean Sea but Klune has done it again. I absolutely loved this story and its characters. I haven't laughed out loud at a book in a while but the quick-wit in this one is just perfect and the lines are delivered in such an endearing way. This one is heartwarming, challenging and sweet without being saccharine. The audio of this one is absolutely perfect...it adds even more to the already big personalities. Definitely recommend!

This book was fantastic!!! I laughed so much and wanted to cry a few times. Klune has a way of drawing you into his books and making them come alive. I loved all the characters, but Rambo quickly had my heart. I will. definitely be buying a hard copy for my shelves. The cover is beautiful.

I ADORED the audiobook for In the Lives of Puppets and had a hard time hitting pause.

Three robots are living inside a tree: inventor father Giovanni, a spiteful nurse and a full hearted vacuum cleaner. Alongside them lives Victor, a human. Four things in a happy family.

Alas, Gio is stolen transported back to his homeland, Electric City. Together, the trio must go out and save Gio from an ugly fate. And figure out what love and friendship truly mean for themselves.

Daniel Henning brings T.J. Klune's latest novel to life. His little characteristics for each robots voice had me smiling and looking forward to each moment. The message at the end of the story hits him and makes you ponder on the little things. I definitely recommend this on audio!

Thank you Tor Books and MacMillan Audio for my alc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Give me quirky robots and a heartfelt ace romance any day! This was such a sweet, queer Pinocchio retelling that also touches on why humanity is important. Klune’s trademark cast of lovable characters is on full display here.

So pure, so funny, and just so touching. This is like a mix of Pinocchio and The Brave Little Toaster, with a bit of The Wizard of Oz tossed in. I was a bit intimidated with a 15 hour audiobook, but it just flew by! Rambo had me laughing the whole time, easily my favorite character. We get this intricate society of machines, juxtaposed with their hidden family, and all of this adventure and chaos. It absolutely punched me in the feels though, so be ready with tissues for the ending.

Also we NEED to talk about what a phenomenal job Daniel Henning does. Each of the robots and characters had such distinctive voices and really brought character to the story. I tried switching back to the ebook so I could finish it faster, but it felt incomplete without him!

*Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review*

4.5 stars

Man, Klune writes stories with some incredible characters. In the Lives of Puppets features three robots: paternal inventor android, Giovanni Lawson, sadistic (yet charming) nurse machine Nurse Ratched, and the sweet, eager to please vacuum, Rambo. Together, they live hidden in the woods with a human, Vic. One day Vic salvages and repairs an android labelled "HAP," and he discovers the dark past between Hap and Gio, whose pasts were comprised of hunting humans. When Hap accidentally exposes his location, Gio is captured and returned to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. Together, Vic and his robot friends make the journey across the country in hopes of rescuing Gio before he is decommissioned or reprogrammed.

Thoughts: This was another winner from TJ Klune. The way he writes is full of banter and wit. As someone who does not always love humor in their books, I have to say that Klune really makes me laugh with some of the dialogue among his characters. Encompassed in this humorous and sometimes silly read, however, is a profound and important message about what it means to be human and a family. He achieves this with such finesse and in such a unique way. At times, the robot/tech language was a little above my head, but it did not taint my reading experience. Daniel Henning did a PHENOMENAL job with his narration. The voices he uses for each character really enhances the overall listening experience. The voice he used for Rambo was the same he used for Chaucey from The House in Cerulean Sea, which totally worked. He just brought the whole story to life.

I met and fell in love with a new Klune character. I know you’d assume I’d be talking about Rambo, the lovable and slightly annoying vacuum, since we have the same name. But no, it’s Nurse Ratchet and her drill that have won my heart. Not since shovel wielding Talia from Cerulean Sea has a character made me lol so often. I switched between the physical and audio on this one and highly recommend the audio! Daniel Henning @danielhenningla was superb at bringing the entire cast to life. Another found family fantasy adventure that is sure to pull at your heartstrings. Grab this one when it releases for sure! Thank you to @torbooks for my ARC and @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for my ALC💙