I was nervous when I started this book because, despite it coming highly recommended, I wasn’t getting into it in the first couple chapters, I’m so glad I stuck with it though because this book was beautiful. Victor is a human living amongst a world of robots and machines. His family is comprised of his father, Gio, Nurse Ratched (a healthcare robot) and Rambo (a vacuum) and they spend their days exploring the forest in which they live and creating from the scraps they find. All that changes when Victor finds a decommissioned robot that they name Hap. In the Lives of Puppets is equal parts hilarious (Nurse Ratched is hysterical) and incredibly poignant. While Victor may be the only human in a world of robots, love transcends and so does the desire to protect and care for the ones you love.

Very enjoyable futuristic sci-fi/fantasy book! I really enjoyed it!!! There were some parts that were a little slow that I had to read a few times to know what was actually happening. but I loved the banter and dynamic between Victor, his dad, and and his machines, and it was nice to see the character growth in all the characters but especially Victor! Recommended!

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so I had high hopes for this one. TJ Klune's writing is a total blast, and this story is no different! The way everything unfolds and how the characters connect with each other is super fascinating and a ton of fun to dive into. I totally adored watching Hap grow as the story rolled on. The mix of social insight and humor was just right, and I couldn't get enough of the character dynamics driving the plot. The snappy dialogues and their protective camaraderie really nailed it.

There are so many sweet moments throughout this book. I adored Victor, Nurse Ratchet, and Rocky. Their dynamic and banter was fantastic. I loved the addition of the Hysterically Angry Puppet. This book is so heavy yet so hopeful. The plot and story line were interesting but it really was the characters for me. TJ Klune does such a good job of writing characters that you continue to think about long after you finish the book.

Klune is unique in how they write about gender and sexuality. However, this one felt forced and wasn’t for me.

Stars: 5 out of 5.

I rarely read fairy tale retellings, because I think that retellings are rather pointless. I'd rather read the original and decide for myself what the morale of the story was, instead of reading about what the reteller thinks the story was about. So I'm really glad that I didn't know that this was a retelling of Pinocchio when I picked up the book, or I would never have given it a try. And I would have lost out on a wonderful story.

And honestly, you don't have to know anything about the original Pinocchio book to enjoy this story. Yes, there are parallels, but In the Life of Puppets stands on its own two feet pretty well and doesn't rely on knowledge of the original.

It's a story of Victor Lawson, the only human in a world of robots. And of his quest to save his father. And him and his friends have some adventures along the way. For a fairy tale this book has surprisingly a lot of heart.

Because the characters, human and robot alike, are fully realized individuals with their own quirks and dreams. And their interactions are hilarious at times, and at times very touching and heartfelt. Nurse Ratched is my favorite character. Yay for sociopathic nurse robots with a heart of gold. 

The world our group of misfits travels through is wonderous and terrible at the same time, like it should be in good fairy tales. And all of the characters grow and progress along the way, especially Victor, who has to come to terms with a lot of hard truths. Like the fact that his father was the engineer of the extinction of his whole race. Or that you can still love someone even if you can't forgive them for what they did, even if you aren't sure you have the right to forgive them.

Or that you can love someone even if they don't remember you from time to time. This last one hit particularly close to home, since I am dealing with a relative slowly loosing his battle with Alzheimer's. That is a truly horrible disease that transforms a loved one into a completely different person. A bit like what happened to Gio once he was taken back into the City of Electric Dreams.

And even though the situations our characters find themselves in are horrible at times, the overall message of this book is one of love and hope, which makes it a very heartwarming story. I would definitely recommend this to adults and young adults alike. It's rare that I read a book in one sitting and come out of it with a content and warm feeling.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting twist on the Pinocchio story. and told with the same level of inclusion that the author's previous works have shown. It seemed just a bit less fully realized as a story, but the characters were engaging.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for my review. This is not my favorite Klune novel. I never really got into the story and struggled throughout. I have enjoyed Klune’s other works and found them fanciful and charming. This one both lagged and lacked for me. I do appreciate the wiring that went into it and will read Klune again in the future.

Enjoyed the prologue but the book itself just didn't have the spark I was expecting from Klune. I can't explain why it wasn't as engaging as previous books, but it wasn't.

3.5/5 stars!

I really enjoy TJ Klunes writing so although I didn’t enjoy this one nearly as much as of their other books, I’m still glad to have made the read! I found the idea of the book super interesting however just couldn’t connect to it fully. The plot didn’t hook me as much as I was expecting and it seemed to drag a tad. There are many great qualities to this book of course and I did found the characters quite enjoyable!! I just couldn’t connect to the story as much, hence the lower rating.

I didn’t love this one as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea. Premise was unique, loved the humor and the characters, but the story was a bit slow. Definitely could have been a bit shorter.

This new TJ Klune was laugh out loud funny, literally. I think it missed the mark for me in terms of plot but I adored these characters. Klune's ability to make you fall in love with a found family is certainly a strength

I ended up listening to the audiobook of this one and OMG I was in love!!!!! Just like with TJ Klune’s previous book, the supporting characters were the absolute best part. They had me wrapped around their little fingers and my heart was absolutely bursting with love for them. I loved the messaging of this story along with the end of days theme playing throughout. The audiobook was absolutely magical to listen to.

In the Lives of Puppets is Klune's third novel in the spotlight. It follows the found family of machines/robots and a human. They live in the forest and enjoy tinkering with parts left over in junk piles. It has a light correlation to the "Pinocchio" fairy tale. However, it is hard to explain much more of the plot without spoiling anything so I will leave it at that.

The main character, Victor, is the adopted son of the main tinkerer, Giovanni. When Victor finds a unique object in the junkyard a series of cascading events follow that upend the peaceful life of creativity that the two have shared.

While I love the ideas that Klune has and the interesting world that he creates, I could not bring myself to care as much about the characters in this story. I didn't connect with them, even though I thought the plot was interesting. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed the writing style of Klune's other two bestsellers but aren't character-driven readers. If you are additionally okay with a slower moving plot, you may enjoy this one.

I do not believe I was a good audience for this, it was a bit too slow and uneventful. I found myself skimming and missing key passages. However others in my book club enjoyed what I disliked so I think take my thoughts with a grain of salt. The writing itself was beautiful

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this DRC.
Human Victor, android and inventor Giovanni, a nurse machine and a sentient vacuum make an interesting family living in the middle of the woods. Victor doesn’t question why his life is so solitary but he does adventure to the dump against warnings from Gio. He restores an android he calls HAP, and downfall of his tiny family begins. The family must go on a quest to rescue Gio, while feelings for Hap grow and cause confusion.
I liked that this book stayed focused on the relationships and didn’t try to send some bigger message of robots are bad or humans must be saved. What was important was Victor and his self-discovery.

#IntheLivesof Puppets #NetGalley

TJ Klune’s writing style is so enjoyable, and this story is no exception to that! The way the story developed and how the characters interacted with each other was so interesting and fun to read, and I absolutely loved seeing the progression of Hap as the book progressed. There was a perfect balance of social commentary and humour, and I loved how the dynamics of the characters drove the plot, especially with the quippy dialogue and way they protected each other. I’m very excited to get my hands on Klune’s next book as I’m anticipating it’ll be good as this one (and all his previous books)!

I absolutely adore TJ Klune's writing and the heartwarming messages in these books and In The Lives Of Puppets was no different. Adored it!

As a fan of TJ Klune, I was so excited for him to try scifi. Unfortunately, this book was not my favorite.

Positively, Klune's prose were as beautiful as ever and his writing still drew me in.

I typically enjoy Klune's witty humor, but found it lacking in this book. Instead, the humor all felt very "middle school locker room". It felt very forced. I had a lot of trouble connecting with the characters as well. I just didn't care much what happened to them and, again, they felt forced. There were definitely some pacing issues.

Overall, it wasn't for me but I think some folks would enjoy it.

Rambo and Nurse Ratched might be the best characters T.J. Klune has ever written...and that's saying something, considering he's written some really good ones and also they're robots. I wasn't as into the plot of this one as I was with his other books, but the heart, humor, and humanity that this bunch of machines bring is unparalleled and well worth the read.