This book was weird in the best way. The story was heartwarming, action-packed, mysterious and there was a little bit of science fiction. The characters are incredibly complex and there is great character development.
If you took an S.A. Cosby book, Where the Forest Meets the Stars and Stranger Things with a gay main character, this is what you might get. I enjoyed the ride!

First off this is more along the lines of Klune's Greek Creek saga than it is his House in the Cerulean Sea books. It's grittier and darker, and not quite as feel-good, although it does still have that romance element to it. It's a fun, unique, fast-paced sci-fi novel. I think that the best part of this book is Art, she's such a fun character, and she added some much-needed levity to an overall serious book. I read this book a little over a month ago and honestly I don't remember all that much about it, aside from Art and how amusing she was. Sure, I recall the broad strokes, and the fact that there's an age-gap romantic element here, but like all of Klune's other books for me I wasn't overly blown away. I enjoyed them at the time, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to people, because I know that others seem to enjoy them much more than I do, but personally I find them to be nothing overly special. That being said I'll still probably check out whatever Klune puts out next, because his books are enjoyable and there's yet to be one that I regret taking the time to read.

After the loss of his parents and his job, Nate decides to head to the mountain cabin. His parents left it to him after all, he might as well use it. When he arrives however, there is a man and a young girl in his cabin. as he gets to know this interesting duo, Nate realizes he is going to have to make a decision between “normal” life and this fascinating family.

TJ Klune is so good at giving us a story that is beyond our wildest dreams. He also manages to always give us a found family that feels more loving and perfect than we could imagine. I did not expect this one to go where it went, but dang was I intrigued for the entire read! I don’t want to give away even the tiniest bit of this one, so I will just say if you enjoy Klune, grab a copy now!

Thank you to @torbooks for my gifted copy of this book!

The Bones Beneath My Skin by T J Klune


When I saw TJ Klune at NY Comic-Con in October, I remembered how cool I thought he was and how much I liked his style and sensibilities. I really enjoyed his Extraordinaries trilogy (although his strong pro- and anti- police stands in different volumes gave me whiplash), but I didn’t really vibe with Under the Whispering Door. I enjoyed the sentiments of House on a Cerulean Sea but felt the world building was weak in a way that took me out of the book., and I felt the sequel had a deus ex machina that felt cheap. I enjoy his takes on love and joy even when I don’t enjoy the stories they are in.

So I decided to request I from NetGalley and Tor an eARC of the reprint of his self published The Bones Beneath My Skin in exchange for honest reviews.

I enjoyed this book. It was much more Science Fiction than fantasy, though the “science” is a little handwavey. A reporter who lost his job for unethical practices, goes to his dead parents summer cabin and finds an escaped alien and her former military minder and together they form a family. These are some of the most interesting characters that I can remember seeing in a book by this author, and I really enjoyed this story. I wish the unethical behavior of the protagonist had not been such a violation of his journalistic ethics, because it made him inherently unlikable, and he never really got a redemption park, but otherwise this was an enjoyable book.

Do not get me wrong. I absolutely love the other works by TJ Klune that I have read, but this was not for me. The writing style was lovely as per usual, with descriptive language and style, but the story was very very very slow paced. I feel that others may like the story more than me, and might be able to feel for and connect with the characters better. The biggest win of the book was the mention of the Louis L’aAmour books, which remind me a lot of my dad :). I felt very confused for a lot of the book. So I will likely recommend this book to specific individuals that are more suited for the story and pacing than myself.

Well imagined, fast-paced, emotion-filled characters, humor sprinkled throughout, and a hopeful look toward the future…all in one sci-fi/adventure/romance novel!

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC to read and review.

Another touching Klune book in the books (pun intended)! You never really know what to expect walking into a TJ Klune book but he always delivers and adventure full of self-discovery, inclusion, overcoming obstacles, found family, and queer romance.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were lovely, the pacing was smooth, and Klune will make you FEEL for this story!

This one had completely different vibes from any other TJ Klune books I've read, but the same humor and heart were there. Artemis Darth Vader is a character unlike any other I've read and I loved her. Nate's growth throughout the story felt slow to me, as did Alex's, but I grew attached to them both.

This is the first TJ Klune book that I have read, but it will certainly not be my last! From the cover art, the characters and the intrigue, I was hooked!

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune had an incredibly strong start that immediately drew me in. The atmospheric writing and intriguing premise set up so much potential, and I was eager to dive deeper into the story. However, as the plot progressed, it veered and didn’t fully hit the mark for me.

I wanted more depth to Nate’s and Alex’s story. Wasn’t a huge fan of the cult like turn that was presented but overall enjoyed this one!

Thank you for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book is an absolute GEM. Once again TJ Klune has brought to life a world of characters I love so much.

This book revolves around Nate Cartwright, a man who just lost his job as a journalist in Washington D.C. and finds himself owning his fathers truck and mothers cabin in Oregon. With nowhere else to turn, he travels to the cabin and finds two unexpected guests on the run: an extremely large man named Alex and a ten year old girl named Artemis Darth Vader, who seems to be more than she appears.

Let me start by saying this book has some trigger warnings (skip the next line to avoid spoilers)
Homophobia, death of parents, murder/suicide.

While this book seems to be a litter heavier than what I am used to from TJ Klune, it is nevertheless an exquisite story. I found myself coming up with excuses to read this book, and like every other novel by him was obsessed with the characters. In particular Artemis. For those who maybe need a pick-me-up after a dark situation in their own lives, The Bones Beneath My Skin might be the perfect balm to your soul.

5/5 stars:

CAWPILE Score (For CAWPILE rating explanation visit https://bookriot.com/the-cawpile-review-system/)
C: 10
A: 10
W: 9
P: 9
I: 10
L: 9
E: 9

Overall: 9.29

One of my favorite reads of 2024. I found myself totally in love with all three of the main characters and their developments. I loved the story so much, a little bit of action, a healthy dose of romance, large scoop of found family, and plenty of emotions around the board. Loved the pacing, and loved the ending. Recommend to anyone and everyone.

This is another win for me with TJ Klune. For fans of Stranger Things, Interstellar, Contact, or anything relating to the question: "Are we alone in the universe?". This story has a definitive ending and a happy one at that. It has a beautiful slow-burn romance that is LGBTQAI+. I love the main female protagonist, Artemis Darth Vader, and Nate and Alex as her partners in crime (literally) keep the story flowing. My main critique is I would have loved to learn more about Art's people.

I loved this book. One of my favorite Tj Klune books. Tj Klune has such unique writing style. He is a great story taller

I’m not sure this book can be boxed into any one genre. It’s part thriller, part sci-fi, part fantasy with a dash of romance. It has the suspense of a good thriller but also weird and fantastical. Klune was able to create such vivid pictures in my mind that it felt like an action movie playing in my head. He also writes the most beautiful characters. It’s impossible not to fall head over heels in love with them. Not many authors can pull that off.
My only negative is the detailed sex scene felt very out of place within the context of the rest of the book. There isn’t much focus on building the romance between the 2 MCs so to suddenly throw in this explicit sex scene felt like an odd diversion. I don’t know, a fade to black would have been better in my opinion.
Overall 4.5 stars, highly recommend.

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune is a perfect fit for readers who crave a heartwarming and action-packed tale of found family, self-discovery, and forbidden love, with a dash of science fiction and adventure, that will leave them rooting for the underdog and cheering on the unlikeliest of heroes.

I read this book years ago when it was first published and I am glad to see it's getting recognition now. The fun and interesting character of Art juxtaposed with the two men who argue about everything except what keeps her safe brings this book to a different level of understanding what you will do for someone you love. Learning to love yourself and others, learning how to move forward after tragedy, and learning to let yourself live the life you never thought you wanted is beautiful to read. TJ Klune does a wonderful job with character development and connecting the bond between the characters and between the characters and the reader. Will recommend.

There truly was a lot to love in this book, in its explorations of grief and desolation and love and found family. I took me longer to come around on Artemis as a character than it did for the kids in Cerulean Sea, who are honestly hella similar in how blunt and confused by the human condition they are. I suspect it's because she was the lone character like that in the story. In Cerulean, it's a whole horde of them, and their interactions with each other made it easier. But I did get there. I loved how Artemis loved both Nate and Alex immediately, Alex fell in love basically against his will, and Nate fell in love accidentally and without even realizing it. This book had all the trademark stamps of a Klune book, his soft way of writing

One thing that was ultimately a strike against this book in terms of me being a core reader for it is that I'm not a fan of suspense. I don't do well with the feeling of 'This is not fine but we're not acknowledging it's not fine yet.' I had to fight myself to stop from skimming the parts of the book I actually wanted to enjoy (the small relationships, the casual moments, the joy) to go find the big bad thing that was lurking around the corner. I can respect that the element of suspense was done well even if it was not done for me.

I've always been a fan of TJ Klune, and I'm sorry to say I'm not quite 100% updated on all of their books yet but jumped at the opportunity to review their newest upcoming book, The Bones Beneath My Skin. I know the year is early, but probably one of my better book decisions so far this year. While slightly different than other books of his, I was immediately immersed into this most recent book.

This is slightly repetitive from the book blurb, but Nate Cartwright is someone who has nothing left, other than a cabin left for him by his mother after her untimely and horrific death. As with many LGBTQ people, Nate's relationship with his parents was complicated, not from his end but largely in part due to his father's response to finding out he was queer and his mother's tacit support of his father's decisions. The reader finds Nate brooding and revisiting memories as he makes his way to the isolated cabin that is now his.

No spoilers (as this is on the back of the book), but when Nate gets to the cabin, he finds that it is not as unoccupied as he originally believed it should be. A man named Alex, and his ward Artemis Darth Vader, have appeared to take residence in the cabin. Obviously shocked, Nate originally tries to get them to leave but slowly(ish) starts to come around to them. While adjusting to these new visitors and deciding what he's going to do, Nate starts to pick up on slight clues that maybe these two people aren't exactly what they seem on the surface.

What results is a fast paced, thrilling novel. As with other TJ Klune books, I was immediately immersed in the novel and the world building, looking up slightly irritated any time my reading was disturbed. The book makes it extremely easy to forget what's going on in the world around you as the reader focuses on what is going to happen next. The book had a slightly different tenor than Klune's other books, and mixed sci-fi elements with a thriller. I really recommend the book, I'm probably going to go on a Klune reading binge following this book as it made me want to revisit some of the other world's he has built previously. Definitely check it out.

Please be advised that I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Klune. Once again he has weaved together a found family. This was so different form his others ones and I think this is my favorite of his!