Once again, TJ Klune delivers a beautiful story that I couldn't put down. Klune could write a grocery list at this point, and I'd still find it poetic. "The Bones Beneath My Skin" is one of those books that sneaks up on you, wraps itself around you, and refuses to let go.

Set in 1995, the story follows Nate, a man at rock bottom who's just trying to make it through the day. Enter Alex and Artemis Darth Vader (yes, that's really her name), and suddenly, Nate's life is turned upside down in the most extraordinary way. What follows is a story of finding hope, healing, and love in the most unexpected places.

This is a story about chosen family—about finding your people, the ones who see you, who love you for who you are, and who make your world bigger and brighter just by being in it.

You'll laugh, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat during the more intense moments, and if you have even a sliver of a heart, you'll cry. There are scenes that will shatter you and others that will fill you with so much joy you'll feel like you might burst.

I can't recommend "The Bones Beneath My Skin" enough. It's heartfelt, raw, and unforgettable. TJ Klune has once again reminded me why I'll read anything and everything he writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the advanced reader's copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

TJ KLUNE has made himself into a household name. This latest novel is an example of why. The emotional quality of Klune's writing is matched by few contemporaries in the genre. This story follows a man who returns to the place he grew up, having lost everything. His parents are dead and he has a broken heart.
this book is a great study of what it means to be human. There is loss, there is tragedy, but mostly there is the glowing thread of love through all of it. This novel is transcendent. It loses some of its pacing in the middle, but the characters are colorful and the prose is warm--so it more than makes up for it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune!

This is my first time reading anything from Klune, let me tell you it did not disappoint. The author did such a phenomenal on crafting this beautiful story. Nate goes to his cabin that was left for him from his parents there encounters a man name Alex and a young girl name Artemis, she brings joy and humor. This was action packed from beginning to end I seriously could not put this book down. Loved the story and the ending was perfect! I will be reading more book from TJ Klune.


Thank you NetGalley!

The Bones Beneath My Skin is a little different from most of the books I’ve read from T.J. Klune in the sense that it has a sci fi element and at times reads like an action-packed thriller. At its heart though, it still has what nobody does better than T.J. Klune — an unforgettable found family that you are sure to fall in love with!

The story follows Nate Cartwright, who when we meet him, is grieving the death of his parents and lamenting the fact that he has also lost his job. He heads to his family’s remote cabin in Oregon to regroup, but when he arrives, he finds that a ten-year-old girl named Artemis Darth Vader and her mysterious ex-Marine guardian Alex are squatting in the cabin. After some initial chaos and confusion, Nate decides to let Artemis and Alex stay and the three of them eventually grow quite close. What Nate learns is that Artemis and Alex are on the run, and that Alex will do whatever it takes to protect Artemis because she is special. Nate also learns that Artemis is not exactly who she appears to be and when someone tracks them to his cabin, Nate makes a choice that he too will do whatever it takes to protect Artemis.

I loved watching Nate, Alex, and Artemis bond. There’s a romantic subplot as Nate and Alex are clearly attracted to one another once they get over their initial distrust, and while I enjoyed it, it was definitely Artemis and the found family that forms around her that had my heart the entire story. Artemis is an avid reader of westerns and likes to speak like she’s a cowboy, and she’s also a huge fan of bacon. She’s quirky and charming and will steal your heart just like so many of Klune’s characters do.

While the story has plenty of action and suspenseful moments, it’s ultimately a heartwarming story about family, belonging, and finding love when you least expect it.

4 1/2 STARS

Book Review✨

Never thought I would say this after reading The House of the Cerulean Sea but I have found my new favorite TJ Klune book. This book had me when I found out one of the main characters is a little girl named Artemis Darth Vader.


It's about a man named Nate who goes to his recently inherited cabin in the middle of nowhere. It's supposed to be empty but when he shows up, he finds a little girl, Artemis Darth Vader, and a man who just seems angry all the time, Alex.


Nate soon learns Artemis is special and joins her and Alex on their mission.


TJ Klune brings adventure, humor, weirdness, heartbreak, and joy in this book. So much weirdness when he first tried to publish this book, his old publisher only said one thing: it's weird. So if you like weirdness you'll love this book. I give this book 5 stars! I absolutely loved it and will definitely read again. It's out now!

Thank you #netgalley and #torbooks for this ARC for my honest review.

While this wasn't my very favorite by TJ Klune, I did love the new edition cover a whole lot and enjoyed the road trip YA fantasy feel of this cozy mystery/coming of age queer story. Lots of quirky, memorable characters and fans of Klune's won't want to miss it, whether it's a re-read or a new discovery. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I recently saw him speak at Cuyahoga County Library in Parma and it was truly thrilling to hear him talk about is work. He is incredibly honest, authentic and hilarious. His passion makes reading his books even that much more enjoyable. This book was different than his typical fantasy quality that his books usually have, but in a good way. Would recommend to anyone looking for a thoughtful adventure that is relevant and whimsical.

4.25⭐️
What a great story. I was hooked right from the start and fell in love with Art from the first page she was introduced. I was invested and so curious how it’d all come together at the end. Very feel good and thought provoking.

The first question I asked myself after I finished this book was “why haven’t I read more TJ Klune?!” As this was my first book by him that I’ve read. (Not my first to own, though- The House in the Cerulean Sea and In the Lives of Puppets are both sitting on my shelf.) This book was so wonderfully weird. Wholesome yet salacious. Heartbreaking yet heartwarming. Thrilling yet cozy. And I enjoyed it immensely. The only reason it wasn’t quite a 5 star read was it felt a little too long, especially the first third or so.

Fans of this book will be won over by the character Artemis Darth Vader. She will make you laugh out loud at her sweet naivety. At her newly discovered love of bacon. At her question of ethics in dirty movies/books. And at her love of Westerns (and constant talk like she’s in one). She loves fiercely and loyally, and she will be one of my favorite characters for a long time.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming, funny, and entertaining read, I’d recommend this one to nearly everyone. (There is a pretty spicy part towards the end, though, if spice isn’t your thing.)

4.5/5 rounded up

First and foremost- this is a reprinting from 2018. Klune tells the story of the reprinting in an author's note and fully explains the situation.

Fans of Klune's other works will notice the common themes of his writing: found family, strong bonds of friendship, and positive queer representation. This book takes those themes and places them in an action thriller with science fiction/ fantasy overtones, and places the romance and humor lower on the list of emphasis, but definitely there.

Docking half a star for not letting us know what happens to Big Eddie. You can't introduce a character like that, who cares for and is watching out for our MC, and not give us a guarantee that he and his family are ok at the end.

Perfect story that shows family is who you choose and what you make it. Enjoyed how the ending played out in the epilogue and the big picture topics woven throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. 4.25 stars rounding down to 4 stars for GoodReads. This felt like an extremely fun take on a sci-fi action movie. Artemis Darth Vader is a bundle of joy and her character works very well against Nate and Alex who are also great characters. My favorite parts of reading this one were getting to know all three characters and experiencing the actions between them. This book is my kind of humor, slightly cheesy but not too cheesy. It did feel, besides the explosions and a couple of scenes, very slow-paced and it did make the story drag a bit for me. It took me longer than I thought it would to finish but I think it ended in a great place. Definitely recommend it to those who have read Klune's fiction before but also to those looking for a slower-paced action story that dives into character relationships heavily.

rating: 5 stars; What a quirky, whirlwind, tear-jerker of a book! T.J. Klune was born to write, and I’m so happy he chose to rerelease The Bones Beneath My Skin.

In my opinion, it’s best going in to this with no idea of the book plot (that’s what I did). If you must know, there is a ragtag trio (found family), grumpy and sunshine characters, a roadtrip, blockbuster explosions, government secrets, cults, and a little bit of sci-fi—all taking place in 1995.

Every T.J. Klune book I have read, I have fallen in love with. The Bones Beneath My Skin feels a little different than the books I’ve read previously, but all the characters have the same telltale charm of a character written by Klune. It’s a little lot less cozy, way more death and destruction and high-action, but it had me sitting on the toilet late at night, contemplating life all the same. It tugged on my heart strings, I cried, and I really loved it. I was SUUUUPER late to meeting a friend (HOURS) because I had to finish the book.

It’s similar to T.J. Klune’s typical writing: mature, witty, and charming. The romance is the usual slow burn that I adore, but there is one spicy scene and all I can say is oh my god. (It was relatively short, but I feel like there was more spice in that one scene than I encountered in Barbarian Lover entirely. Just wanted to let you all know.)

Thank you Tor Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This felt like reading a completely unique book and I really enjoyed it a lot. Although it did remind me a little of Stranger Things in some ways.

I loved the representation in the book, and thought all the relationships were so lovely in their own ways.

Be prepared for this book to evoke a lot of different emotions. It had me laughing at times, but also tearing up during other parts.

I would highly recommend it to all types of readers.

i was unfortunately unable to read this before it was published! life got ahead of me and i realized i had never left a review for this title. that being said, i will not be leaving a public review, thank you!

Beautiful, as always. One day I will be able to read a TJ Klune book without sobbing, but it is not this day. Klune is a master of the found family, finding your place in the world, simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking story. This one was desperately needed right now. Highly recommend!!!

The Bones Beneath My Skin is a standalone SF/fantasy by T.J. Klune. Originally published in 2018, this reformat and re-release from Macmillan on their Tor imprint is 416 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

The author himself describes this as an "odd" book, and it is. It's stylistically identifiable as his work, and it fits generally into his oeuvre (queer friendly, strong M/M romance plot, deeply happy functional found family after rejection and isolation, wholesome denouement and resolution), but there are departures (and he's 100% free to do so, obviously). This is more SF heavy and less fantasy, there are blackhawk helicopters, black ops, weapons and firepower.

It's not derivative, but there are strong element similarities to Stranger Things + scary death cult (Heaven's Gate specifically, which clearly found a place in the author's subconscious along the line somewhere).

There's an odd, honestly jarring and explicit adult scene about 80% into the book which seemed, if not actually gratuitous, was startling at least.

As always, the author does a great job with the prose which is quirky and often endearing. This is an early work, and it's interesting to see how his style has adapted and matured over the intervening years. Some of the exchanges are fairly choppy and abrupt; it's full of staccato one line exchanges which get a bit tiring. Overall, an engaging and worthwhile read, especially for readers who are already fans of the author.

Four stars. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition (not school library due to the adult content and language). It would also make a nice weekend binge/buddy read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read, in the best way. It’s basically a genre-bending supernatural sci-fi mystery thriller, with a slow-burn romance undertone. And all of that is somehow beautifully written in that TJ Klune way we know and love.

I never go into books blind, but this time I did because when I see “TJ Klune,” I’m reading it, no synopsis needed. And I’m shockingly going to recommend going in blind! I had no idea what to expect and it made it that much more enthralling.

The theme that really comes to center stage in this novel is found family. Which I love. It’s easily my favorite trope, and this book has it in spades. We also get beautiful LGBTQ+ rep with a slow-burn romance that I couldn’t get enough of.

The Bones Beneath My Skin is delightful and tragic and hopeful and everything I’ve come to love about TJ Klune’s books. Adding in the thriller/suspense aspect was just *chef’s kiss*. I intentionally kept this review super vague, because you really just need to read it and find out!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the gifted physical and eARC!

I will read anything by TJ Klune! I feel like he writes the most tender-hearted romances. I loved Nate and Alex. Alex really helped heal a lot that Nate was struggling with due to his parents and brother. Artemis also helped him relax and not be so hard on himself. She was such a sweet and weird little girl. I loved her perspective on life. She believed she had limited time, so she tried to enjoy everything as much as possible and not take anything for granted.