This author has started to become one of my favorites lately but this book was probably my least favorite one from him. I don't know maybe I just wasn't the right audience for this one. I enjoy a lot of his other books but this one was a little too weird for me.

Klune is sincerely one of my favourite authors, but this was a slight deviation from my normal adoration. The plot on this one kind of lost me, but I really loved how Klune still packed an emotional gut punch into the story. It's a clever retelling of pinochio (I think?) and the actual laugh out loud moments were there, right along with the very sweet heart. That said. 9/10 always worth a read.

In the Lives of Puppets is not at all what I expected, and everything that I needed. This was such a delightful read! I laughed out loud, I cried (sometimes both at the same time), and overall felt so much joy from this reading experience. I’m a sucker for a found family trope, and especially fond of adorable robot side characters, so this was a guarantee for me to love. I found the plot dragged a bit in some places, and some plot devices could be predictable at times, but other than those minor things I adored this book!

I know so many readers that love TJ Klune and I really wanted to like this book. I was very interested in the beginning, but the pacing slowed down and I felt like I was trudging through the book.

The author's writing is very good, and I can see why so many people love his books, but for me personally, I need a faster plot with more going on.

This was an enjoyable read that will catch the interest of older students. I enjoyed the weaving together of multiple familiar stories about puppets into something entirely new. TJ Klune always knows how to pack an emotional punch into an otherwise fast-paced story.

I like a lot of TJ Klune but this one didn't draw me in quite as much as some of the others. It still has some signature quirky humor and heartwarming scenes but this type of story just wasnt my jam.

TJ Klune is obviously amazing and this one is equally as great as everything else. I love this family drama and enjoyed the twists and turns.

I was honestly surprised by how much I loved this book. As someone who doesn't typically read fantasy books I decided to give this one a shot based on how much I enjoyed the other books by Klune that I've read. At first the book feels fairly simplistic and it follows the story of a man, Viktor, and his father but the more you read the increasingly complex the book and story actually is. It's beautiful in how Klune is able to tackle complex topics in humorous ways that feel believable and real in the end, even while dealing with robots. Also, if you haven't already read it, I would also highly recommend T.J. Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea.

"In the Lives of Puppets" by TJ Klune is a heartwarming and whimsical tale that celebrates the power of friendship, love, and self-discovery. Klune's enchanting narrative transports readers to a world where puppets come to life, weaving a magical story that will capture the imagination of readers of all ages. With its charming characters and touching themes, "In the Lives of Puppets" is a delightful read that will leave you smiling long after you turn the final page.

"In the Lives of Puppets" by TJ Klune is a heartwarming story about a family of machines, robots, and a human living in the forest. They enjoy tinkering with junk piles of parts and share a bond similar to the "Pinocchio" fairy tale. The book is touching, and readers will grow to care for the boy and all the puppets. Klune's creativity shines through in the characters' development, and the story is filled with adventure, happiness, love, and some obstacles and chaotic events. Overall, it's a touching and memorable read.

Unfortunately I didn't love this book, it was too fast and I didn't buy the relationship between the characters. However, some of the robots are hilarious, and I loved that! I haven't read other books from this author, but I enjoyed his writing so I would definitely pick up more by him.

TJ Klune is an absolute read for me. He develpos characters that are so heart warming, flawed, and real (even when they're robots) that I am devestated when the book ends.

This book is found family. It's snarky robots and adopted fathers. It's the of smell of fresh coffee and mown grass and the garage on a warm day. This book is love and friendship and adventure.

What another wonderful story by T J Klune who knows not only how to write a story but captures the essence of a character. This was not only an updated telling of Pinocchio, but with a twist of the Wizard of Oz.

In the Lives of Puppets is now one of my all time favorite books. It was beautifully written. It was hilarious right from the get-go. The characters were immediately lovable. All the characters all had such different personalities but such a strong bond. Love knows no bounds in this book. This book made me giddy, it made me happy, made me laugh way more than any book I have read before, and it also made me sob my eyeballs out. This book is about found family, it’s about loyalty, love, and growth. It’s about learning to be who you are and who you want to be rather than what society tells you to be.

This is an utterly delightful if bittersweet twist on the Pinnochio story that completely captivated my heart. I loved the "found family" relationships between the various characters and the well-crafted, slowly building character development of Hap, as well as the less dramatic but no less important development of Vic, his friends, and his father. It was a lot of fun to identify the metaphors in this story that represented similar motifs in the Pinnochio story, but it was also clever to flip the script on the whole premise from the start. I highly recommend this story for its huge heart, its laugh-out-loud humor and its cleverness.

I read this book last year before it was released and hesitated on reviewing it. Unfortunately this book was not as enjoyable for me as previous of Klune's works, and I was torn on how to speak of it. For the most part, it was well-written and had an interesting plot, but I found myself not being able to get past certain aspects.

I think the reason I had a hard time getting into this book was because I didn't really care about the characters. The only character that I really cared about was Giovanni, who was largely absent (as they were trying to save him). The other characters either annoyed me or I didn't connect with them at all. It was hard for me to be invested in the story because of this.

One thing I did not expect in this book is that I found many of the crude jokes to be unnecessary, particularly since it was established that the main character was asexual. It felt to me as though the sexual jokes were poking fun at this instead of supporting it.

I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with the Pinocchio tale. There were many references that I didn't connect until afterwards when I did a deep dive into the original Pinocchio.

All-in-all, I don't necessarily think that this was a bad book, but that it wasn't what I expected. I wish I had connected with the characters more, but it was still a fun adventure and was a unique twist on a classic.

You are a dream. A hope. A remembrance of what we once were.

TJ just a special way of storytelling. I so enjoyed this book! It just pulled on my heart strings.

"In the Lives of Puppets" by T.J. Klune is a captivating and imaginative tale that blends humor with a touch of darkness, creating a unique reading experience. Set in a strange home nestled within the branches of trees, the story follows a family of robots and a human, Vic, who must embark on a perilous journey to rescue one of their own.

Klune's skillful use of humor shines throughout the narrative, eliciting laughter and amusement from readers. The characterization is particularly noteworthy, with each character distinct and memorable, adding depth to the story.

However, while the book offers an intriguing twist on the classic Pinocchio tale, it falls slightly short of Klune's other works. The storyline, though imaginative, may feel predictable at times, and the pacing can be slow.

Overall, "In the Lives of Puppets" is worth the read for its humor, creativity, and well-developed characters. While not reaching the heights of Klune's other novels, it still provides an enjoyable and entertaining journey for readers.

I was really hoping to like this as much as I saw everyone else. But being a like over 100 pages in and not caring for the MC is making reading this book a chore. It's sad to say that Rambo and Nurse Ratched have more personality to them then the human boy that brought them back to life. I will be looking for more books like this with a stronger MC in the future. I enjoyed the aspects of robots being friends with a human after something happened with the humans. But I am unsure if I will pick up anymore of this authors work after I read the other ARC I have of theirs.

A touchingly heartwarming tale of robots and humans--and never the twain shall meet--unless in Found Family. When I wasn't nearly constantly chortling over Nurse Ratched, I pondered my decades-old memory of I, Robot; for in the long-ago backstory of this novel, Robots turned Asimov's "First Law of Robotics" straight on its head. Never fear: there is Hope and there will be Happy, and Humans haven't been fully eradicated... yet.