DNF at 48%. I've been trying to get through this book for a few weeks. Putting it down and coming back to it hoping I will feel differently and have a change of heart. Unfortunately, I feel it's best I move on, because it isn't getting any better for me.

I fell in love with TJ Klune's Cerulean Sea book, thought the Whispering Door was okay, but this book fell flat for me, and I couldn't find near as much love or attachment to these characters. This book reminded me of The Wizard of Oz and I was excited about the Sci fi aspect with the dystopian world and robots. However, the writing felt too cheesy and almost too whimsical for me. Of the two books I mentioned plus this book, the general theme is kindness, which I love. Cerulean Sea was the warm hug we needed in 2020, but I don't know if it is just too played out and we need to shake things up with a different theme or what. I just found myself bored and disinterested while reading this book,sadly, and I decided to not force myself to finish reading it.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

This book was everything lovers of Klune’s prior works will enjoy while being diverse in terms of plot, themes, and especially characters. This was an absolutely fantastic read that was both genuinely heartfelt and cataclysmically heartbreaking. I would recommend this book to anyone.

"We have a purpose, beyond our original programming. Perhaps it could be the same for him, though I highly doubt it."

In a strange home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots--fatherly inventor android Giovanni, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a vacuum desperate for attention. Victor, a human, lives there too. The day Vic salvages and repairs an android labelled "HAP," he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio-a past spent hunting humans. When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio's former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured. So together, the rest of Vic's assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

*sighs* Fine I guess let's talk about In the Lives of Puppets.

Have you ever read a book that is so mixed? That you have just as many good things to say about it as bad things, so you never really know how you feel about it because it was good!! But also it wasn't!! But also I enjoyed it!! But also it was annoying!! But still fun?? This is that book for me.

First of all, and maybe this is a me thing, but I don't think a post-apocalyptic book with evils robots ruling the world is ✨cozy✨

I enjoy post-apocalyptic stories and stories that question what it means to be human. What is humanity, and what makes someone human or not? But I guess I like them darker and more intense. Because this book was so filled with hopefulness and optimism that it bothered me.

I think I like T.J. Klune's writing more when it's filled with angst. Green Creek continues to be one of my favorite series of all time, and to this day, I haven't finished rereading it because it makes me sob every book.

To that point, and I feel like this is a very unpopular opinion, but I'm getting tired of these soft, SFF books that TJ is writing. Under the Whispering Door was my favorite of the "trilogy" but they all have such similar themes, characters, and romances that three books in, it just gets a little tiring instead of new and exciting.

Oh, and also, this did not hit for me emotionally. At all. I could tell from the writing that I probably should be sad and cry. But I didn't 🫣 In fact, I was annoyed. I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my brain.

That being said!! I still liked some of the book!

In typical Klune fashion, the found family and the humor were top-tier. The characters are all super charming. I don't think it's possible to read this book and not fall in love with Rambo, the vacuum cleaner with anxiety who loves hugs, and Nurse Ratched, the slightly psychopathic nurse that is secretly a softie.

I loved the way this retold Pinocchio. I'm not the biggest fan of the original story and its many versions, but I think this worked so well as a retelling!! It's familiar enough so you can recognize some of the points of the story, but it's different enough that it feels completely new and not just 'Pinocchio but Sci-Fi'. Also, I really enjoyed some of the Wizard of Oz elements which I didn't expect.

The queer rep was fantastic. We have an asexual main character who doesn't fall into the "ace robot" stereotype that Sci-Fi stories tend to have.

I'm excited for it to come out bc I'm desperately hoping that it's not only me that feels this way about it 🧍‍♂️

3.5 stars rounded up. This book was a good book, but not a book really for me. I enjoyed parts of it, but the main plot didn't grab me. T.J. Klune is very hit-or-miss for me (and when he hits, he hits hard), but strangely this was somewhere in the middle. It has a plot that sounds super cool when you explain it, but it took me a long time to finish it since I didn't quite care.

I did absolutely LOVE the side characters. Rambo and Nurse Ratchet made me laugh and love them. This is where the author's trademark humor shines through. I would read a whole book of just their shinaigans. Vic and HAP, on the other hand, were fine, just fine. Nothing really stood out to me about either of them or their relationship.

Maybe this book was a bit too sci-fi for me or something, but it was good, not great. The writing was as good as his previous books, but overall it wasn't for me.

In the middle of a forest lives a man who is not really a man, a robotic nurse with a sadistic steak, an eager to please vacuum, and a real boy name Victor. This odd compilation is a happy family full of their own understanding of love. When Vic rescues a new android to repair, it sparks a series of events which leads to adventure, questions of morality among machines, and the ever present feelings of love.

This was my first Klune novel, and I loved the whimsical nature of the story that felt both cozy and mysterious! Even with many nods to the story of Pinocchio, In The Lives of Puppets has a unique storyline and I really didn’t have any predictions for where the ending might lead.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

How does TJ Klune do it? How does he create these characters that you become so attached to, that you miss them when the book is over? There is a want of updates and check-ins. There is the wonder of how these characters are doing, what are they up to now? And for Klune to do it this time with ROBOTS? Come on.

TJ Klune is a unique voice of love and acceptance that the world needs and craves right now. His books feel like home and a grilled cheese cut diagonally. In the Lives of Robots is phenomenal. Nurse Ratched is a queen.

This was a lovely story, filled with the sort of kindness and tenderness that TJ Klune is known for. The allegory of Pinocchio is an interesting juxtaposition with the futuristic world in the novel. The themes of love and loss and what it means to be human permeate the story, which has good pacing and a satisfying end. Well done.

was very happy to receive an ARC of Klune's new book from NetGalley. I loved his last two books, The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. I didn't like this one quite as much, but the bar was really high, and I enjoyed the mix of humor, adventure, and heart. This felt pretty different from the last two, in that's it's got more science fiction and adventure.

There are a ton of literary references in this book, which at times I enjoyed and at times felt distracting.  Besides the references to Pinocchio, there are also references to Frankenstein (Victor brings robot Hap to life in his lab), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Nurse Ratched), The Wizard of Oz (robots with artificial hearts, and four friends traveling to the Electric City), and Wall-E (a cute robot who loves an old-time romantic movie). There were also elements that reminded me of Wrinkle in Time and Howl's Moving Castle. 

The story begins with Gio, a robot inventor on the run from civilization, who builds a home in the forest and is handed a baby, Victor, to raise.  Victor grows up knowing only his life in the forest with Gio and the robot friends they bring to life, until Gio's past catches up with him. Victor is forced to set out with robots Hap, Rambo and Nurse Ratched on a nearly impossible quest. There's part of the book that takes place in a creepy flying museum, and that was easily the most vivid and terrifying part of the story.

It's a science fiction novel about a future where robots have destroyed humanity, before humans can destroy the planet. As with most dystopian stories, the robots aren't any better at running things than the humans were, though I found it pretty hard to sympathize with the humans. It's also a story of Victor's coming of age, discovering who he is and what it means to be human and to love. What resonated with me was the theme of overcoming one's programming and forgiving yourself for your past.

Klune is never subtle, but he does bring the heart you'd expect to this story. However, I struggled a little with the pacing - it felt long, and I think he relies a little too much on the Rambo and Nurse Ratched humor, which was clever and funny at first but felt a little tired after a while. I think some editing was needed.  I did enjoy the development of Victor and Hap's friendship, and Victor's relationship with his father, but I also thought Hap and Gio needed more development beyond their guilt and their devotion to Vic.

So I had mixed feelings about this book, mainly because I loved Klune's last two so much. I enjoyed the reminders of other favorite stories and the world Klune creates in which robots have taken over. But some of the humor and dialogue felt quite repetitive, leaving me feeling the book was a bit slow compared to his others. Klune remains a must-read author for me though.

Note: I received a complimentary review copy from NetGalley and publisher Tor Books. This book published April 25, 2023.

TJ Klune has done it again with another magical and engrossing queer read. "In the Lives of Puppets" is sci-fi meets Pinocchio with an Ace lead.

Ever since I read The House in the Cerulean Sea, I have been a fan of TJ Klune. In the Lives of Puppets carries a lot of the same themes as Klune's recent previous books - love, acceptance, inclusivity, overcoming challenges, forgiveness - but the plot and characters were a lot harder for me to connect with in this book. While it was entertaining, and again, the overarching themes in the book were excellent, I did not enjoy the plot or setting as much as I had hoped.

TJ Klune has a masterful imagination and it shines in this post-AI apocalyptic world. He does what seems impossible, by humanizing artificial intelligence both for good and for evil. I appreciated the humor, especially from RAMBO and Nurse RATCHED. I always leave his books feeling like there's hope in a dark world.

What another great book from TJ Klune! I’ve read previous books from this author and really enjoyed them. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was just as good as those. I enjoyed the story and the characters were very well written.

It pains me to not absolutely adore a Klune book, especially one with an asexual MC and ROBOTS. I was so damn excited. But unfortunately, the story didn’t grab my attention and I didn’t care about what happened to any of the characters. I made it to about 1/3 of the way through before giving up.

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🫑
This is an adult novel but written in the fairytale style like The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. It’s adult in that they talk about sexual pleasure, genitalia, and sexuality, but no 🌶️.

It’s like a mix of Pinocchio meets Wall-E meets Wizard of Oz with a heavy emphasis on Wall-E.

In the beginning I had a little hard time with the “romance”; it felt a little taboo and some of the adult elements felt forced and just icky. But I guess if you look at it as a mild “monster romance”, then why not robots?! The first 1/3rd is a little mundane in the daily activities. Around 30% it started to get good, then the plot took a twist around halfway through. So if you get bored at first, stick with it.

In the end it was a good heartfelt story and I teared up. If you liked Wall-E, you may like this. Especially if you also liked House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.

Found family, sentient artificial intelligence, dystopian society, forgiveness, starting over. Oh, and it’s kind of funny, too.

I love TJ Klune. He is great at writing characters and describing emotions, human or otherwise. So far this is only my second TJ Klune book, but I will make sure to check out more of his work.

This is my introduction to the author, and boy, am I hooked.

I’ve been trying to write this review for days; my brain has been mostly spewing incoherent squeeing since I finished reading the book, to wit:

"science fiction that’s also sociology and a meditation on love and forgiveness and loneliness and family and did I mention love? and hope and despair and love. so good!"

The writing voice is engaging, and the story absorbing, to the point of losing hours even with the phone’s alarm set.

This is a story about loss and grief as much as it is about loneliness and hope and forgiveness; it’s also a coming of age story, and, above all, it’s a story about love.

I read with my heart in my throat almost from the beginning, for even as the world of the story is build before our eyes, the sense of impending disaster is there from the beginning: this family, these people have been eking out a precarious existence from the beginning, and the world was bound to come crashing down on their heads sooner rather than later.

And when it does, secrets come to light, truths that were never meant to be told.

Vic breaks my heart almost from the start; he’s so lonely, has so much love to give. And as he recovers and then fixes machines who become his friends, he has more love yet to give.

The way he’s written, I would say that Vic is somewhere in the autism spectrum. On the other hand, he was raised by a robot, and didn’t have any other companions or friends until he found and fixed first Nurse Ratched and then Rambo, so how much of his characterization is meant to be nature and how much nurture is up for each reader to decide, I think.

And while he’s very much the protagonist, the story told entirely from his point of view, Vic is not “the Chosen” in the traditional sense. He doesn’t set out to save the world. He’s just a young man, hardly more than a teen, still growing into himself, facing impossible situations and forced to make impossible choices.

It is worth mentioning that though it’s not really the focus of the novel, there’s an actual romance developing between Vic and Hap.

Every one of the characters is developed so well!–even some that only appear for a couple of pages, with just a few spoken lines. It may seem weird to say that about characters who are machines, and very much written as machines–sentient, true, but still machines, and some of them not particularly complex. And yet, it’s true.

There is a lot of humor, some a bit juvenile, some of it sly, and a lot of it dry in the best possible way. And the humor, of course, highlights the poignancy at the heart of the narrative.

Vic’s relationship with his family–Gio, his father and not; Nurse Ratched, his friend and also his mother; Rambo, who reminds so much of an earnest puppy, by turns scared of his own shadow and brave to the point of recklessness–is a lot more complex than it seems, and yet also simple: he loves them and they love him, freely, of their own accord.

It’s gorgeous storytelling, peppered with social commentary and so many cultural references–some very much of the twenty-first century, some much, much older, generally U.S.-centric–but even if you don’t get them all, you can still enjoy the narrative.

There is a quest, and our little group of adventurers must face threats and horrors to prevail, but again, at its core, the story is all about loss and hope and love, and, in the end, all I can say is that I want everyone to read this book.

In the Lives of Puppets gets a 9.75 out of 10.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a @netgalley copy and I read it in two sittings, devouring this beautifully written book so quickly. I hated that I plowed through it BUT IT WAS SO GOOD. I loved it so much, I got myself a physical copy today!  
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I think this may be TJ Klune’s best work yet. I absolutely loved every detail and I totally cried, laughed and smiled a bunch while reading. Who won’t love Rambo?! IYKYK 
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Without a doubt a 5⭐️ read and I cannot recommend this enough💚

Another fantastic read from T.J. Klune. I admit, I wasn't as gripped in the beginning as I have been with his other novels, but it was beautifully written and I was attached to all of the characters by the end. Klune truly knows how to take human emotion and bring it to life through his characters.

Found family is my favorite trope, and I have yet to come across anyone who does it better than Klune. He put me through the whole gamut of emotions – again – and I don’t know if I should punch him or hug him for it.

Most of these characters are robots and machines, but the primary theme of the book is humanity and having the free will to choose who you want to be. I loved all of them, but Rambo (he’s a Roomba vacuum whose markings were faded and unclear) and Nurse Ratched, a nursing machine that is a Registered Automaton To Care, Heal, Educate and Drill, will always be with me. Nurse Ratched’s snark and eagerness to drill people who threatened her family immediately won me over. Rambo may be small, but he’s full of unconditional love and bravery. They, Gio, and Victor are composed of more metal than blood, but make no mistake – they’re a family with the strongest of bonds.

They’ve lived hidden and safe in the woods for many years until Vic salvages and repairs HAP (hysterically angry puppet). Hap unknowingly alerts the City of Electric Dreams to their whereabouts, and Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory. His family won’t stand for losing one of their own, and what follows is an adventure filled with danger, new experiences, and a world they never knew existed. Before embarking on this journey or entering any dangerous situation, th rules are always recited: Stick together. Run if we have to. No dallying. No drilling (unless Nurse Ratched decides it’s necessary). Above all else, be brave.

This book touched my heart in so many ways, and I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll laugh and maybe even cry a little, but you’ll be so glad you read it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have yet to read a book by Klune that wasn't both charming and impactful. These books are so cute and funny, but also tell a very heartwarming story while being wildly imaginative. I can't wait for his next one.