This one was not for me. I adored Klune’s first two books; House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. I was so excited to get this arc and as I started reading, it felt like a chore to keep picking this back up. I read up to the 49% point and then finished with the audio once the book published. I’ve seen other reviews praising this book so I encourage you to seek many opinions before passing on this one. And I do have to say, in true Klune fashion, he writes the most endearing and oddly lovable characters that will make you laugh and cry. There are plenty of these characters in this book. Daniel Henning does a fantastic job on the audio so I highly recommend that.

Overall, it is a cute story that had its own charm which I genuinely enjoyed, but its not one that I will be revisiting.

This book is a masterpiece!!!! TJ Klune is one of the most brilliant authors out there and truly I devoured this book. A sci-fi Swiss Family Robinson family meets Wall-E with Pinocchio vibes? Like genius!

It was adventurous, queer, and just incredibly well done. I found myself constantly trying not to cry at times.

This was my second TJ Klune book and after being completely blown away by Cerulean Sea last year I couldn’t wait to read this ARC. In the Lives of Puppets is a futuristic Pinocchio retelling centering around a found family of robots and Vic, the human they’ve raised. When Vic, an inventor, salvages a robot named Hap, the world he has known begins to change. He learns the truth about his origins, his father’s past, and what it takes to fight for those you love.

This novel is fantastic. The beginning was a bit slow for me, but the deeper you get into the world of Victor and his family, the richer the story becomes. Every character is beautifully developed and their family dynamic is spot on. I love Nurse Ratched’s sarcasm, Gio’s fatherly love, and most of all Rambo’s humor and love of all things romantic. The relationship between Vic and Hap is heartwarming and genuine, developing despite the obstacles and differences they face.
And of course, I love all the references to our beautiful Oregon forests! 🌲

Thank you to @netgalley and @torbooks for the advanced copy, I highly recommend you pick this one up and follow Vic and his family on their extraordinary journey. Just follow these rules:

“Stick together.”
“Run if we have to.”
“No dallying.”
“No drilling.”
“And above all else, be brave!” 💚

I really loved this book. I thought it was a brilliant retelling of Pinocchio's story completely reimagined with androids and robots. However, many stories featuring androids and robots as characters can tend to have a cold feeling, but this book, with it idyllic woodland setting is just the opposite. The Swiss-Family-Robinson-style treehouses were quaint and the quiet of the woods and the life that Vic and Gio had built was calm and refreshing. When they got to the City of Electric Dreams, things became more frenetic and fast-paced. Klune's world-building is second to none. In each of the books of his that I've read, I've wanted to be in the story, where the action is happening. This one was no exception.

The character development was extraordinary, with all of the characters' flaws and strengths laid bare. There were no characters I didn't like, and I loved how all the pieces of the original story were woven throughout Klune's reimagining. A definite 5-star read for me.

TJ Klune’s latest novel In the Lives of Puppets is a queer retelling of the Pinocchio fairy tale and I don’t think I can even put into words just what a gem of a book it is.

The story follows Vic, the only human character in the book. Vic has been raised by three robots, and they are the only family he has ever known. Klune is a master when it comes to found families and Vic’s family is no exception to that. Giovanni Lawson (Gio), an inventor android, is the father figure in Vic’s life and Gio has Rambo and Nurse Ratched to assist him. Rambo is a little Roomba-style vacuum robot who has anxiety but who also just wants to be as helpful as possible. And then there’s Nurse Ratched, a medical android who often has very sadistic tendencies. (If you’ve read or watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, you know exactly what I’m talking about. This robot is very much like its human counterpart!). I really adored this little family. I loved the father-son vibe between Gio and Vic, and I also thought Rambo and Nurse Ratched were hilarious together since they fought and antagonized one another just like siblings.

In addition to loving the cast of characters, I also really enjoyed how creative and unique In the Lives of Puppets was even though it’s being billed as a retelling. When the story opens, Vic and his robot family have been living peacefully, hidden away in the forest, for years until Vic finds and salvages a decommissioned robot named Hap and learns that Hap and Vic have a shared and disturbing past that involved hunting humans. Things go from bad to worse when Hap accidentally alerts robots from their former lives to Gio’s location and Gio is kidnapped and taken back to his old lab in the City of Electric Dreams. Even though Vic hates that Gio kept his past a secret, he and the rest of his robot family are still determined to save Gio from being reprogrammed back to his former killing ways and so they set off on a dangerous rescue mission. Along the way, Vic realizes he is attracted to Hap but is conflicted since he also feels that Hap betrayed them. Can Vic get past those feelings for the sake of love? I don’t want to give anything away about their adventure, but it’s a wild ride!

As he did with The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door, Klune has created a world full of charming and whimsical characters that will steal your heart, all wrapped in a timely story that will leave you with plenty of food for thought about the relationship between humanity and machines.

The complexity of the writing and overall tone of the book felt like it should have been for a younger audience with all the poop jokes, however the sex jokes prevents it from being shelved in YA. Like his previous novel The House in the Cerulean Sea, the protagonist escapes the soul draining monotony of urban life for simpler existence in the forrest. The book was a fast and easy read filled with robot companions that bursting with personalities (sociopathic nurse robot and an anxiety ridden Roomba), however it is not a book that I will remember down the line. Recommended for anyone looking for queer, humorous sci-fi.

An interesting story leaning towards a reverse Pinocchio tale, where a elderly robot is forced to raise an abandoned human baby. he raises him to be a tinkerer, a builder of things. They are hidden from the rest of the world in a quaint forest tree-house setting with a cantankerous nurse bot and a lonely vacuum cleaner in need of love and attention. The foursome make a cozy family until the boy brings home an android to restore from the junkyard. When he is restored the android tells of the war to hunt and destroy humans. They are no longer safe.
I found this to be very slow to get into.

In the Lives of Puppets is a dystopian story where robots are in control. Where almost all the characters are robots, this book beautifully reflects the array of human complexity and emotions. What does it take to be a family, about being human, about being kind? The queer, Pinocchio inspired book was intelligent and funny (loved Nurse Ratched and Rambo), even a little corny, but in a fun way. There was some uneven pacing where some parts dragged on and other flew by. Overall, a really good read. My first by TJ Klune, but not my last.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune is a mashup of so many genres: sci-fi, fantasy, romance, fairy tales, LGBT, etc, but it really truly works. The main characters in the story are Giovanni (an inventor), Victor (Giovanni’s “son”), RAMBO (a sweet robot vacuum), Hap (a decommissioned, damaged android), and Nurse Ratched (a nurse robot, who is a sadistic, sarcastic, laugh out loud delight, and my favorite of all the characters). The book is ultimately about the family you are “born” into and the family you make along the way- and robots, so many robots!!. This modern day Pinocchio, Wizard of Oz, Swiss Family Robinson adventure is still, somehow, unlike anything you have ever read before and well worth the read. I am purposely avoiding including too many details, so as not to give anything away. Once you finish this book, go read The House in the Cerulean Sea, also by TJ Klun, which is absolute magic.

This book will be in my top 5 this year for sure. Klune did something with this story that touched that one string in my heart. I did not expect it to happen when starting with the ARC of this story, mostly because the author and I didn't see eye to eye every time. Of course here I had opinions. I swear, there were moments when I wanted Nurse Ratched (wink wink) to keep her promises and annihilate a little not-so-cute vacuum. But they are the best sidekicks one might ask for. Now to the main story.

The main character Victor, one day finds a discarded robot and decides against better judgment to fix it. This one decision breaks the whole Hell loose and becomes a coming-of-age tale. On his journey to make things right, we meet all kinds of entities. Each of them had a little spark of magic and personality that shined through dialogues. The main story was supposed to be a Pinocchio retelling, but I did not see it at all. Lucky for me because not only I found out about it after the fact, but also I truly dislike it. TJ Klune created his own story of journey, searching for love and loyalty. The end wrecked me big time without using tropes that usually melt me. I had the opportunity to read it and listen to it and then do both at the same time, and each gave me an amazing experience. I recommend it to anybody who likes cozy stories, stories that are deeper when you look, and stories about the future and robots.

I enjoyed this book a lot! I do think it missed the mark a little in the middle section - I found myself waiting for the pace to pick back up. I really liked all of the characters - Vic and Hap and Rambo and Nurse Ratched were fascinating and I loved their interactions with one another. There was so much heart in the beginning of this book, and SO much in the end, I just wish the middle had better pacing. Nitpicky, I know, but I did feel like I had to drag myself through the journey part of the book. Still, would definitely recommend it based solely on the characters and the emotions the end evoked in me.

A real boy helps build and transform the world, with his robot companions. This book was very good. It had so much charm and wit. Rambo and Nurse Ratched are hilarious with dark and twisty humor. Hap is haphazard and protective. Geo is the caring father we all wish we had. I enjoyed this book very much. If you love Pinocchio and also loved the 2001 movie A.I., you would enjoy this book. Klune’s books leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling every time.

This book was honestly incredible. I loved the humanity behind it. The characters are beautifully written, and the story is really beautiful and
Moving. I loved Rambo so much! This book is a true adventure and is filled with so much heart.

TJ Klune can do no wrong. All of his books are filled with so much heart - this one quite literally was filled with heart and the lengths a young human will go to restore the heart of the ones he loves. Somehow Klune can give robots/AI so much character - it’s phenomenal - inanimate objects that are full of life and humour. This book was so much fun to read, the world building was fantastic. I felt like I could clearly pictures each scene - as if I was dropped right into it and along for the journey. I can’t wait to see what Klune comes up with next!!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune is a retelling of Pinocchio involving robots and AI. The main character, Victor, is human and has grown up with his adoptive father Gio (a robot who appears human), Nurse Ratchet ( a robot with a sadistic side), and a sweet vacuum robot named Rambo. When Victor finds a robot in a scrapyard that he is able to “bring back to life” their safety is compromised, Gio is captured and their home is destroyed. Now Victor, Nurse Ratchet, Rambo, and their new robot friend HAP must try to rescue him. The story is about love, what it means to be family and what makes us human. It really makes you think about the current world we live in and the dangers of artificial intelligence 4.5⭐️

There’s a sweetness to TJ Klune books that I absolutely adore. While this wasn’t my favorite of his titles, it was still an awesome, thoughtful read about love, accept, grief, and guilt. A little bit Pinocchio, a little bit terrifying robots who destroy humanity, and a little bit The Brave Little Toaster all wrapped into one book.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group and Tor Books, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

In a peculiar little home built into the branches of a grove of tree, lives the inventor Giovanni, an android, an anxious vacuum, Rambo and Nurse Ratched (registered automato to care, heal, educate and drill) and a human and inventor, Victor. When Victor one day salvages and repair an unfamiliar android, labelled HAP, he and his family will discover dark secrets about Giovanni and when, HAP, unwittingly, alerts robots of Giovanni's whereabouts and he's kidnapped, they embark into a journey in order to save him and make him remember his life with them. If that means, journey into an unforgiving world where humanity is all but gone. And during this journey, something will change between Victor and HAP. Will they able to save their own family and themselves?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The adventures of Pinocchio, In the lives of puppets is a wonderful, thrilling and moving standalone fantasy, set in a post-apocalyptic world, populated by robots and with humanity gone. Telling this book broke me in so many pieces and then healed me back together is absolutely true. It's one of the best book I've read in a very long time and, as a fan of Pinocchio, it was such a pleasure finding references to the book. In the lives of puppets is a book about a gorgeous and peculiar found family, who fit together marvellously and fought back to be together again and in peace. It's a book about love and hearts, about being brave and fighting to do the right things, about evolving, and choosing your own destiny,
I loved the asexual representation and how the author was able to write about anxiety and panic attack. How it talks about a genocide and the importance of fighting against an authority wanting to control everything. It's a story about past, present and future, about fixing's one's wrongs and evolving, being better, becoming a different person.
It's a book with a sociopathic nurse and a talkative and anxious vacuum, about a father's love, siblings' love and all kind of love and how they are equally important.
It's a book I won't forget so easily. Amazing, moving and important.

A delightful sort of post-apocalyptic fairytale. It's sort of like if you put Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, Wall-E, and The Brave Little Toaster in a blender, aged it up to an adult story, sprinkled in queer and asexual representation, and spiced it up with some offbeat humor. The finishing touch is a generous dose of the same wholesome and heartwarming vibes that T.J. Klune brought to [book:The House in the Cerulean Sea|45047384].

The sociopathic-but-not-really Nurse Ratched consistently had me giggling and Rambo was the cutest robot sidekick imaginable. But the real heart of the story was in its exploration of what it means to be human, as seen through the main character of Vic and his complex relationships with Gio, his father, and Hap, an android he restores to working condition after finding him discarded in a trash heap near his home. A story that manages to be hopeful and heartwarming without becoming sappy, and one of my new favorites.

Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC!

Wie wundervoll! Wenn es derzeit einen Autor gibt, der es beherrscht, queere Fantasybücher herzuzaubern, dann ist es TJ Klune. Seine Bücher sind immer gespickt mit viel Fantastischem und diesem Fall sogar mit Science Fiction. Er entführt uns in eine Zukunft, in der es keine Menschen mehr gibt und das mit den Gefühlen irgendwie aus der Mode ist. Dennoch schafft es ein einziger menschlicher Junge so viel Liebe in diese Welt voller Roboter zu bringen, dass es auch dem Leser von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite einfach nur warm ums Herz wird. Klare Leseempfehlung! Habe das Buch geradezu verschlungen!