I loved the creative world building and TJs writing style in this novel! However, I did not feel as though the characters were as developed as in other Klune novels. Usually his books are very character driven, which is something I love about his novels so much, but this one i felt like was more plot driven, and I was left not knowing the characters all that well. I did enjoy how fast paced the plot was, and how it kept me on the edge of my seat. I just wish the romantic elements hit harder with more developed characters.

Thank you, @torbooks for this ARC!! And most of all, thank you TJ Klune for this weird book! Weird in such a very good way. And I am glad you acknowledge this in the acknowledgment page :) The main characters are very lovable and I wish I had an extraterrestrial for a friend. I wasn't expecting about the romance part (not a fan of romance) but it was written so well I didn't mind it at all! It is action packed and fast-paced. I wasn't ready for the ending but I love it so much! I was teary-eyed and I wish I could hug all the main characters. Thank you, TJ Klune!

I loved reading this book so much. It had slow burn romance and a found family which are two of my favorite tropes. The ending wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. I will be recommending this to all of my friends.

I’m not sure what it is about ThJ Klune’s other books besides The House in the Cerulean Sea series but I can just NEVER get into them. Even though I ate THITCS and its sequel UP. I loooove the way he writes those but everything else just misses for me.

It’s certainly not a bad book but it just wasn’t for me!

A heart-aching tale of what it means to be human, this book follows Nate, fleeing from his mistakes, as he meets up with Alex and Art and embarks on an escape that is so much more than he expected. As these three take off on their adventure, they go through cycles of love, grief, heartbreak, and along the way they decide what family means to them.

There are so many gems in this book, so many beautiful sentiments, but sometimes it feels a bit heavy-handed. I loved the themes and the emotions explored, even when it did begin to feel a bit monologue-y. I loved the idea that a family is what you make it, not what you’re born into.

What I loved most was the love story. I’m a sucker for a good love story, and this one certainly delivered. I was rooting for them the whole time, and I loved the small shared moments as they drifted toward each other. Sometimes love really is someone throwing their head back in laughter, or the press of a foot to an ankle under the table.

All in all, lots to discover within these pages, and I most definitely did some crying.

Klune is such an auto-buy guy on my ordering lists. Never, ever disappoints me, and I can -- and do! -- handsell/recommend him to literally everybody. And this one's a doozy: a bit Stranger Things, but gay, with shades of Firestarter/old Stevie King. Much more pulse-pounding than Klune's known for, but the same rich world-building and beautiful turns of phrase he's known for.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book pretty much has all your classic TJ Klune tropes: a cute, queer romance, fantastical fantasy elements, and, of course, found family. But this book also tries out some different things too. There is a much bigger emphasis on the suspense and mystery of it all over the humor, something that has been very prevalent in almost all of Klune's other books. The humor has always at least been on par with the suspense and mystery in the other books, so, having read most of Klune's other works, it was a bit jarring. That is not to say it was bad, not at all! I fell in love with this group of characters even without their consistent need for funny banter. But the darker tone was definitely not expected--even though I probably should have taken the hint from the title.

Nostalgia, in recent years, has essentially become a trope all of its own. Many films and tv shows now a days have tried to recapture the magic Steven Spielberg created back in his hay day. If you are familiar with other stories following this new trope, will you be surprised by the events that take place in this book? No, I don't think so. But I also don't think it was made to be surprising. It was made for sci fi lovers who want to cheer on a rag tag team of people trying to make sense of it all. And if you go in expecting that, and looking for a fun time, I think you will find it here!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC of this book.

4.5/5 rounded up for being un-put-down-able

This was my first Klune and I will definitely be picking up more of his work in the near future. Right off the bat, I loved the voice Klune gave to each of his characters, particularly Artemis. The sci-fi nature of the book was so fun, and the action kept the plot moving forward at a steady pace. The "found family" trope is one of my favorites and I found it to be done well in this story. I loved the background slow burn romance but will say that the big spice moment felt a bit out of place and unnecessary (and I'm usually all for spice!). I'd recommend this book for anyone who likes found family, broody brutes, and unintentionally humorous extraterrestrials.

I am a huge fan of TJ Klunes books. I thought thi one would follow some of his previous books, but there is something missing here that is what I love about this author. The emotions are just not as deep. I was kind of disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
TJ Klune is a favorite author of mine and he nearly singlehandedly saved me from the doldrums during covid shutdown. I am always up for another one of his books! I did like this one very much (not as much as HitCS). Hit some of the same themes as other Klune books in different ways--fear and violence for those who are different, a young person far from home planet, etc. Well done, I found myself surprised by the romance even though I shouldn't have been, and loved Art. A new candidate for my favorite aliens list. Glad I read this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the copy.
The Bones Beneath My Skin is a beautifully written and deeply emotional story that weaves together themes of love, vulnerability, and humanity in the face of adversity. While the pacing was a bit slow in some parts, it allowed for a rich exploration of the characters' relationships and growth. Overall, it's a compelling read that lingers with you long after you've finished.

Sadly, I didn’t love this one. As a big fan of TJ Klune’s other works—The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, and the Green Creek series—I found myself a little disappointed. I understand that this is an older work, originally published independently and now re-released by Tor, so it’s not surprising that it lacks the polish of his newer books. Still, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The story itself felt fairly predictable, and the romance seemed a bit forced. Nate’s inner monologues dragged on far too long, and at the core of it all, I just couldn’t buy into the premise. The idea that someone would willingly take up with squatters in their own home felt far-fetched and undermined the story’s believability.

Overall, the book came across as more immature compared to his later works—which, given its origins, makes sense—but I was still disappointed by the execution. While I can appreciate its place in Klune’s journey as an author, this one just didn’t live up to the magic of his other stories.

This book has not brought any joy into my life. I try to give ARCs all a chance and finish them but I just could not with this one. It was slow, the characters unlikeable, and just SO SO SO boring.

This book was originally self-pubbed by Klune back in 2018. It’s since been picked up by Tor and is being re-released, so if anyone sees something about a “new book from the other of *House on the Cerulean Sea*” and is confused because they’ve read it before - well, now you know what’s going on.

Anyway.

Nate, our protagonist, is going up to the remote Oregon cabin left to him by his estranged parents. He was disowned by them for being gay, and with their recent deaths he’s got a lot to work through. His feelings towards the cabin are complicated, but the isolation feels like the right thing. So he’s more than a little surprised to get there and find a large, taciturn, armed ex-Marine in his cabin, who is vigilantly guarding a little girl who cheerfully tells Nate her name is Artemis Darth Vader.

Artemis (“Art”) is being chased by … someone, but neither she nor the ex-Marine Alex will tell Nate much. Alex was ready to shoot Nate when he showed up, and Art had to persuade him not to do so. Art, meanwhile, is a very strange girl, with an odd mix of knowledge and ignorance. For example, when she eats the bacon that Nate brought up to the cabin with him, Nate learns that she’s not only never had bacon before (though now she’s certain it’s the Best Thing Ever) she also questions that one animal can be the source of bacon *and* ham *and* pork chops.

The action of the book is, in some senses, predictable. Obviously the people chasing Art show up at the cabin, and obviously Nate goes on the run with her and Alex instead of turning on them. What is less obvious about the action of the book is what exactly Art’s deal is. It’s obvious she’s not an ordinary girl, but what her actual deal turns out to be was not obvious at all.

The other side of the book is Nate’s personal journey. He’s been lonely and feeling isolated ever since his parents disowned him; now they’re gone, and he’s dealing with all the extraordinarily complicated feelings associated with that situation. And in comes these two people he comes to care deeply about. His growing feelings for Alex were another thing that was super easy to see coming, but again, the way the relationship developed didn’t really go the way I expected.

A good book, and a reminder to myself that I really need to get to *Cerulean Sea* one of these days.

I've really enjoyed TJ Klune's books before so I was thrilled to read this one. His writing makes you feel and think and I love that!

The Bones Beneath My Skin follows Nate Cartwright, who has just lost his job as a journalist and has inherited his family's cabin in Oregon after his parent's tragic death. Nate decides to escape to the cabin to regroup and figure out what is next but when he arrives at the remote location, his cabin is already inhabited by a man. Alex, and a very strange young girl named Artemis Darth Vader, who is not as she appears. Nate must decide to live in the memories of the past or to fight for the future and the little girl, because she is special and in danger.

This was a slow read for me and kind of a struggle. There were parts of the story I really enjoyed; the characters were well developed and the relationships formed between them were wonderful. However, I just didn't get the main idea of the story. Klune's books always seem (to me, at least) to have a larger overarching theme that really makes you think and I just couldn't figure this one out. I kind of felt a little dumb because I just couldn't figure out what thought-provoking thing I was supposed to be pondering.

I think many readers will devour this one and love it and I wanted to like this one, I really did, but it ended up just not being the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the digital copy. My review is honest and voluntary.

You guys I really enjoyed this one! TJ Klune always writes the most fun and interesting stories about weird characters that some how have your heart by the end of each story. I LOOOOOOVE Art, and the boys of course, but Art had me cackling. I went into this book semi blind, and did not at all expect what happened.... the epilogue soothed my soul. Overall just a really fun read that also made a point to tug on my heartstrings.

TJ Klune is a magnificent author that really makes the readers think outside the box in his books. I felt like I was guessing the entire time, and when twists happened I then got to think and see what happened previously that dropped hints that I missed. As always, I read this book in almost one sitting, about 2/3 of the way, there were about 50 pages where it was incredibly slow paced, but once I got past that I zoomed to the end. Can’t wait to read what comes next!

To being my review I would like to say how much I enjoy reading novels by TJ Klune. I have always appreciated the message behind the stories, the attention to characters, and the quality of his writing. When I reached 50% in "The Bones Beneath My Skin", I found that this book hard been previously released in 2018. I am not 100% if it was ever in any stores or just sold online.
This novel reminded me a lot of stranger things with the "younger girl" and two people who were helping her. With my review being as vague as possible to not give any clues away and let others experience this novel for themselves, the story was magical, funny, and suspenseful. There were moments I was on the edge of my seating just waiting to turn the next page. I loved it.

TJ Klune does a spectacular job writing fantasy. He effortlessly builds charcuterie relationships and explores how our past affects them. This story was beautifully written. A little long in the middle but I still enjoyed it!

This book felt like a bit of a mish-mash. Part romance, part sci-fi, part tragedy, part romance ... and that's fine, most stories are more than one thing. But this one felt a little too jarring in some places to be entirely a great experience. I did really enjoy what I think of as "the first part," where Nate, Alex, and Artemis Darth Vader are at the cabin in the woods. Once all the chase and trauma re: Artemis and Alex's "before" story opens up, it became something different for me. I loved the humor of Art and the quiet bond Alex and she had from the start. Many laugh out loud moments from her, for sure. A big no thanks to Oren and his bs, but SO MUCH vegan food shade! Won't even touch a soup without meat? Huh? Ever heard of tomato soup? Ever heard of potato leek soup? C'mon. And the spice levels between Nate and Alex felt a bit sudden to be really believable, I felt. There were some journeying moments that made the book feel longer than it needed to be as well. But on the whole, Art was the star of this novel.