IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS fits perfectly into this year of many, many Pinocchio retellings, but I'm happy to report it feels fresh nevertheless! In true TJ Klune style, it's a sweet and emotional tale brimming with wit, imagination, and heartache (good and bad.) I was also thrilled to see a canonically ace protagonist!!

I won't spoil by over-explaining, but if you're a fan of Klune's earlier work (or even if you aren't) then you're certain to love PUPPETS. The cast is hilarious and loveable, and the loose retelling led to some interesting twists. It's pacey and escapist in the best possible way -- and Klune is probably the only author who could make me cry over a roomba.

Another TJ Klune book to love! If there is anything this author does, it's make loveable and flawed characters. Thoroughly enjoyed this latest novel, interesting world, fun cast of characters. Dystopian wizard of Oz vibes with lovely ace rep. Overall a really enjoyable read!

Arguably silliest (when compared to Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door) at times, In the Lives of Puppets is filled with Klune’s signature warmth and heart and, at its center, asks what it means to be human. While I fluctuated on the rating, I gave it a five for posterity and for the peace and hope it left me with.

Yes, I did read this ( and Whispering Door when I got approved for it last year ) in a single day. TJ Klune does something to me.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
Rating (3/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publishing Date - April 25th 2023
Thank you Netgalley and Tor Books publishing. Overall I enjoyed this book , not sure if I would reread it again though. I loved both House in Cerculean Sea and Under the Whispering Door ; but this one was not one of my favorites. Story of human child Vic living with his fatherly inventor Giovanni and a few other robots. This one echos similarities to Disney’s Pinocchio! I still recommend this one ; especially if you are a fan of TJ Klune’s writings.

RATING: 5/5 STARS

This book is such a treasure. TJ Klune knocked it out of the park with IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS! The perfect blend of fantasy, comedy, romance, and sci-fi. The story was heartwarming and engaging. And the characters were spectacular - Klune excels at creating the most adorable personalities. I was so attached to Vic and his found family. What a lovely book. Highly recommend.

Victor Lawson lives in the woods with his adoptive robot father, Giovanni Lawson, and their two robot friends, Nurse Ratched and Rambo. They have a happy life, until Victor uncovers an unknown robot from the salvage yard, Hap. Victor decides to take it home and fix it, because every robot is worth fixing. Everyone deserves a second chance.

When Hap accidentally alerts other robots to Giovanni’s location, he gets taken away. So, Victor and his little group of robots decide to go on a quest to save him. But their journey will reveal a dark connection between Hap and Giovanni. It leads to the question: can Victor really trust Hap?

Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of In the Lives of Puppets to review! Of course, it’s TJ Klune, so I knew I had to read it. At first, I was a little skeptical at the fact that this is a Pinnocchio retelling, but I should have trusted Klune to make a story you’re bound to care about.

Like any TJ Klune book, you will be immediately sucked in by the characters. The little robot found family that Victor has is adorable, and yes, you will form an emotional connection to these robots. Nurse Ratched is hilarious, and Rambo the little vacuum robot has an anxiety disorder. What isn’t to love about them? The way they question some of Victor’s human things is endearing, funny, and will just make you love them even more.

While there are moments of humor, this book will also probably make you cry. The way Victor’s journey to save his adoptive father is woven into the world building of the book is a little bit genius, honestly. You get the story as Victor is getting the story, which means it doesn’t feel like you get bogged down by too many details. It also allows you to feel all the emotions and truly appreciate the cast of characters we have.

All in all, I think fans of House in the Cerulean Sea will definitely enjoy this one. It has some of the same quirkiness, and all of the great characterization that we love to see. Definitely pick it up when it comes out in April!

I will preface this review by saying that before reading anything by TJ Klune I was mostly a Psychological/ Thriller reader . However , TJ Klune has a special unique gift in which he can add true depth to his characters which leads readers that are not necessarily fantasy/romance fans , inevitably pulled in to the worlds he creates in all his books. House of the Cerulean Sea is one of my favorite books , I read it precisely a year ago today and still think about it . That being said, The Lives of Puppets did not draw me in as quickly as The House on the Cerulean Sea did. Unfortunately, despite the levity of humor and the likeness of the characters just about the midpoint of the book I still felt as if I was laboring to finish. Shortly after the midpoint is where I was truly captivated with the story and it’s characters.

In the Lives of Puppets is a fantasy/science fiction story about a boy named Victor his robot father Gio and his three robot friends, Nurse Ratched ( who self identifies as a sociopath), Rambo ( a loving , anxiety driven vacuum) and HAP ( a Robot who was made to kill humanity, whom believes he is devoid of love ).

Victor is the last human living in a world that has been taken over by robots. These Robots have ultimately destroyed almost all of humanity but there are a few of the robots that have gone rogue. It’s a story that depicts how powerful love and compassion can be to truly bring about changes in our world. Throughout the book there were many deeply layered philosophical elements that added life to the story.

Overall it was beautiful story of creating your owns path and the power of love and acceptance.

Thank you to NetGalley and TOR books for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Victor is human, but he lives in the woods with three robots. When they uncover a decommissioned robot and bring him back, their lives are forever changed.

You wouldn’t think such a thing as lovable and well developed robot characters could exist, but they were some of the most robust characters I read. You’ll be laughing from the very beginning at their antics. There’s a lot of sentiment to the story, as well as adventure and suspense. The ending didn’t completely make sense to me but it did bring the emotions.

“They were his best friends in all the world. He didn’t know what that said about him. Probably nothing good.”

In the Lives of Puppets comes out 4/25.

A retelling of Pinocchio (and maybe Frankenstein, Swiss Family Robinson, and Wall-e?) with a queer love story, androids, a snarky nurse robot and a roomba named Rambo, all with a sci-fi feel. Victor, a human with an android father, needs to rescue his Dad, Gio, from the androids who have taken him. He has help from Nurse Ratched, Rambo, and a new android he has created named HAP. Lovers of TJ Klune's other books will be very excited to read this new fantasy/scifi from him!

In the Lives of Puppets is another queer emotional rollercoaster from author TJ Klune.

This story actually took me a bit to get invested in, but once I was I loved all the relationships and the humor inside. The philosophical and moral implications of this storyline were heavy but the characters were brave enough to face them.

Some of the fairytale influences seemed heavy handed, but overall I really enjoyed this book, and the ending was suitably handled.

I am beginning to wonder if Klune is even capable of writing a bad book. Klune's books all focus on love and the newest book, In the Lives of Puppets, is just as masterful as the previous two books. The masterful complement of characters is what made Cerulean Sea such an amazing book. While Whispering Door was good the characters just were not as compelling as Cerulean Sea. However, the secondary characters in In the Lives of Puppets may be the best part of the story. I know that Vic is the focus - but this story is just not the same without the comedy duo of Ratched and Rambo. Hours after I have finished the story they are the two "people" I am still thinking about. This is a great book and I expect it to be a bestseller. Empathy Protocol Engaging, I will champion this book far and wide!

Thank you Tor publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of In The Lives of Puppets in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let me start by saying I absolutely love the mind of TJ Klune. It’s fascinating and magical. His attention to detail makes it easy to visualize the worlds he creates.

In the Lives of Puppets is a science fiction, fantasy. A boy living in a world that has been taken over by robots. Robots that want to destroy humanity with very few good robots. It shows how powerful love and compassion can be.

I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what TJ Klune comes up with next.

Adorable and fun, with great representation.

I love this retelling. It solidifies Klune as one of the best storytellers of the modern era.

A Pinocchio retelling,

Victor is human living with his father Gio a robot and Rambo and Nurse Ratched also robots. Victor has only known this way of life. One day searching the scrape yard he finds a robot he has never seen before. Bringing him back to life, his father disapproves, but why? When Victor is scavenging he cuts himself. Soon the authorities are after Gio and takes him. Victor finds the truth about himself, but his love for Gio he will do anything to find him. With the help of his robots companions including his new friend Hap they are off to rescue Gio. They learn much along the way but the biggest lesson learned is love and friendship and sacrifice. Will Victor find his father and save his friends????

What a beautiful story of love acceptance. Its not only a Pinocchio retelling it is a lesson for us to treat each other with love and respect. We should go the extra mile for each one we love. Also the story shows how humanity can make mistakes and how we can fix them if we have love in our hearts. Another wonderful story from TJ Klune. I was so excited to read this before it comes out!! So worth for all to read!!!

In all fairness, Sci-fi is not my jam. And because the allure of it eludes me, I'm always trying to read more of it.

That said, TJ Klune has a unique touch for adding depth to his characters that means I'm inevitably pulled in to the worlds he creates... normally.

It took me awhile to get into this book. Almost halfway through, I was still strugglin. I appreciated the levity of humor, the struggles with emotions, and the barriers with communication, but I struggled to connect with the coexistence of such diverse characters. The "journey" seemed too easy, but I think it had to be in order to be achievable for the main troupe.

All that aside, the ending was a strong wrap up that did give me closure and pull me back to those slight nods of Pinocchio. It was a cute story overall, and the strong philosophical elements added life to the story: the paths made for us v the paths we want to choose for ourselves; inherited family vs created family; the pull of nostalgia vs the need for advancement and change. Those "big questions" were the string that pulled me along....

Overall: 3.5/5 stars

I'll tell my students about: LGBTQ+, sexual talks/issues, languages, sarcasm, violence, existentialism

**Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the free ARC prior to publication. All opinions expressed are my own.**

What a fantastically wonderful book!! I've loved all of the other books I've read by TJ Klune, and this one is just as magical. I fell in love with all of the characters, especially Rambo, and wanted to read about them forever. A huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was good but not quite a knockout hit to me. TJ Klune did what he does great, created delightful characters you cared about and wanted more from. I just felt the plot was missing something.

Well, to no one's surprise, TJ has done it again.

A unique take on the Pinnoochio story, IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS is imbued with Klune's signature humor and heart -- a perfect 'tug at your heartstrings' story. TJ is THE master at making readers laugh, (ugly) cry, and ponder on humanity. His latest is thought-provoking, beautifully written, and boasts expertly crafted characters, heart-wrenching found family, and immersive world-building.

I loved this story.

A big thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

If you know TJ Klune, you know that picking up one of his books means diving headlong into wholesome conversations about mental health served with a healthy dose of banter. His latest is another in a line of soul-stirring stories with the most delightful band of characters - a roomba with anxiety, a sociopathic nursing bot, a inventing robot seeking absolution through creation, his human tinkerer son, and a hysterically angry puppet. IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS was an incredibly fun and heartfelt Pinocchio spin in a world that exists after humanity has been wiped out. The nods to the original story were creative without overshadowing the main plot. While I wasn't emotionally gripped in the same way as Cerulean or Whispering, this was a lovely palate cleanser. Sincerely looking forward to the fan art too!

Victor Lawson, son of Gio Lawson, is a human, which is pretty unique among his circle of friends. They're all robots. His dad is an android. His best friends are a Roomba vacuum cleaner with faded paint named Rambo that's a bit extra and has a huge heart ,and Nurse Ratched, a medical droid (whose name is an acronym for Nurse Registered Automaton to Care, heal, Educate, and Drill) who is a bit of sociopath but loves her friends deeply (though she will drill you if you ever tell anyone...she hasn't drilled anyone in way too long and would love the chance).

The four live in happiness and harmony in the forest in a wonderous multi-tree-treehouse home. One day while scavenging for scrap, Vic, Rambo and Nurse Ratched come across a pile of newly decommissioned robots..one of which still has a bit of power left. This discovery flips Vic's entire world on end and leads him to go on a massive journey to ensure the safe lives of those he loves.

I loved this book. I always love TJ's writing. He is a master at creating loveable characters that you truly care about. This retelling of Pinocchio (with a bit of Frankenstein tossed in) was somehow exactly what I was hoping for and so much more than I expected. TJ has spoken about how you'll fall in love with the vacuum and its true, but, personally, I really loved Nurse Ratched. The fact that she loves and cares for her friends so deeply was touching every time she spoke.

My only slight negative of the book is that the ending feels rushed. I would've happily read another 50 to 100 pages of the end. Its not a detriment and I'm still rating this book at a sold 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5). I think the ending is perfectly fine the way it is, I just wanted a bit more of these characters that I grew to love so much.

Thank you to NetGalley and TOR Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.