This book is another reason why T.J. Klune is an automatic read for me. The way with words in diverse crazy worlds and how it all comes together is astounding. I loved this book. I loved the characters, the setting, the story.
In this Pinnochio retelling we get AI with robots and how humanity can affect our relationships with each other.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc!

Such a emotional read! I love TJ Klune. His writing is always so raw and emotional for me. "A heart is a heavy burden" is there truer words than this?
Character development, superb!

I wanted to love this SO bad. I have loved TJ Klune for years and I was so excited to read this book. However, the book felt flat. I kept going and going and I was not feeling like I was interested in the plot. I was quite surprised because it has never happened to me before with his writing. There was too much sexual content that was not necessary at all in my opinion. That being said, my favorite part was finding an asexual character which is so nice to find this kind of representation. If you are a fan of technology and love TJ Klune this might be a book for you though!

DNF at 200 pages. I started this two months ago and I’ve finally decided I couldn’t do it. I wanted to love this book as I read the house on cerulean sea and thought it was such a heartwarming story (not to mention a GORGEOUS cover) but man, this one does not do it justice. There are a great deal of themes that appear in both books, and fall flat in this one. I didn’t care about the characters, I constantly questioned why I was supposed to be interested, and while the story and concept are very interesting (it’s a twist on Pinocchio) it seems the author tried to stay too close to the inspiration at his own detriment. The details that show up in both stories can be cool at times, but I often found myself googling because I didn’t get the reference and it took me out of the story. I picked this up trying to slug through every time as I’ve never DNF’ed anything, but this will have to be my first.
There were some very cool aspects with the technology used, but the interest was tapered back by the crass mention of sex and genitals for no apparent reason every 10 pages or so. I’m no stranger to this in books, but if it’s not done with purpose, please don’t do it at all. It only serves to make everyone, (even your characters) uncomfortable, and this was a very large part of why I did not finish.
If you’re a big fan of Pinocchio, technology and the question of sentience and emotion in robots and their relationship with humanity, you may like this! The story also features an Asexual main character which I found so interesting because I rarely see that in media!
If you’re looking for a good story with fleshed out characters and relationships, and a fast paced story that is fresh and exciting, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this one, but it’s worth it for the other reasoned mentioned above, but these reasons just weren’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Sorry the review was not the best I had to offer.

I stupidly left this too long to read and now its archived. I brought a physical copy so will update once I've read!

I know I'm going to love it because I've read his other books!

This book had a lot of potential. I liked the characters but a lot of the plot seemed like a few other stories all put together. There were some pretty funny parts. However, I feel like all of the sexual aspects of it were unnecessary and weird. It made me really not want to finish the book.

I really enjoyed this! The robots were great and I laughed so much throughout this story. It's like a fun mix of The Wizard of Oz and Pinocchio and just overall full of whimsy. I thought the pacing was a little odd and found myself sometimes being bored and other times not wanting to put the book down.

I don't think TJ Klune is capable of writing a bad story. Or even a mediocre story. In his new book, In the Lives of Puppets, he's created another magical masterpiece that grabbed me in from the very first page, and didn't let go until the end (and really, I'm still thinking about it).

In a world full of robots, Klune taps into the nature of the human experience and creates a captivating story about love, betrayal, and the complexities of relationships. It's a truly compelling read that explores deep themes while maintaining a whimsical feel as well. It's sure to keep readers engaged and leave them anxiously awaiting their next chance to step into one of Klune's worlds.

"I don't know how not to be weird. That's like asking the birds to stop flying."

I was very unsure about this book—I don't love reading books about machines or technology, but TJ Klune wrote it, so I needed to read it. I'm so glad I did. This book made me laugh out loud, cry and feel emotional along with a bunch of machines. The characters were so well developed, and their little family was great. I loved that each one of them was quite different but that they fit together perfectly. I did feel like the relationship between Hap & Vic felt a little forced & rushed, I think it could've been developed over time a bit longer and it would've fit more.

TJ Klune has a way with words, and if he made me love this book, I can't wait to see what he writes next.

I absolutely loved The House in The Cerulean Sea and didn't think any book could top that one, but this one was just as amazing and whimsical. At first glance, this is just a simple tale about a boy and his father and some robots, and they all go on an adventure together. However, it ends up being so much more than that. Klune was able to take fantasy/sci fi and write it as believable and riveting.

Stunningly written this beautiful fairy tale retelling will resonate with fans of TJ Klune. Klune’s ability to masterfully weave words makes this unputdownable.

Apocalypses don’t have to be just about doom, gloom, and the death of billions. Most good stories set in post-Armageddon scenarios, in fact, are not. And given author TJ Klune’s penchant for telling us tales about love and hope (and the pain that comes with both of these emotions), it’s not surprising that his latest novel, In the Lives of Puppets, is full of more hope, love (and pain) than you might think a story set in a future where robots rule the world has any right to be.


In the Lives of Puppets is loosely inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio. There have been notable screen adaptations recently (the recent Disney “live-action” version and the very good one by Guillermo del Toro), but Klune’s book flips the tale by having the story center on a young human man named Victor who lives in the wilderness with a found family of robots, led by his father, the inventor Gio. When he’s 19 years old, Victor restores an android (there are some clear Frankenstein vibes here as well) and gives it some wood-covered appendages to protect the robot’s exposed metal workings. This android names himself Hap, and while he has no memory of his past life, his programming hints at a reality Victor has never experienced firsthand, and indirectly leads to malicious forces finding them, intent on killing those like Victor and forcing Gio to go back to the City of Electric Dreams where he’ll be reprogrammed to do their bidding.

[rest of review at link below]

In the Lives of Puppets was absolutely charming, a feature of TJ Klune's books that I love. Who knew you could feel cozy about robots? I also really liked the narrator of the audiobook, good pacing.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune. Pub Date: April 25, 2023. Rating: 2 stars. When I read this was a Pinocchio re-telling, I was excited because that is one of my favorite childhood stories. What I read was something completely unexpected and honestly a bit much for my taste. I appreciate exploring sci-fi concepts, but the sexual vulgarity within the novel was surprising and honestly a little off putting. I found this novel difficult to read and was honestly shocked because his other work is so highly praised. This was a miss for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #inthelivesofpuppets

DNF @ 40%.

I really loved Klune's "Under the Whispering Door", and I remember in that one that he had to start with an unappealing character and then win me over, so I gave this one a solid shot.

Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. There's a lot in here TO love -- it's a sci-fi post-apocalpytic robot uprising Pinocchio retelling with a heavy dose of MST3K style silly robot antics and a little bit of Frankenstein in there, and it's got some interesting things to say about what of yourself you put into creative work. It's got a big mix of a style sort of like a modern kids' cartoon with quippy comedy robots accompanying a serious teenage protagonist (I think? He acts like a child but he made a robotic heart 'when he was 15' so he's at least a couple of years older than that), plus a solid throughline of off the wall raunchy humour. These things are all present but just weren't working for me here in the proportions they were being delivered in. When I realized I wasn't invested in the journey they were going to go on or the central romance that was being set up, I decided to step back from this one.

I think someone who likes a quick push-pull between slapstick and tragic may like this one more than me!

Maybe my expectations were just too high after reading so many other of his books but this was a disappointment for me. I didn’t care for Vic at all. Rambo and Nurse Ratchet were funny though sometimes the Nurse’s humor was a little too on the nose. The romantic element was just eh for me and a little sappy. I also thought it was way too long…part 1 was boring..part 2 & 3 got better and part 4 was sappy and boring.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an e-galley of In the Lives of Puppets.

TJ Klune does it again. Still not sure how this person manages to find every heart string in my body and tear them to shreds, but they're three for three.

In a wonderful exploration of a world after humans, we meet Gio and Vic. They live in a remote area and are master tinkerers - there is not much they cannot create or fix. Vic knows that he is different from Gio, but doesn't understand the scope until they set off on a grand adventure. Full of laugh out loud moments, introspective chapters and a loveable cast, In the Lives of Puppets is a warm and fuzzy read from start to finish.

I have really loved some of Klune’s other work which is why I was surprised this one just didn’t resonate with me. I had a hard time finishing it.

HOW DID I FORGET TO GIVE FEEDBACK FOR THIS BOOK (jk I know how, I completely devoured it in a single afternoon the MINUTE it hit my inbox [literally, I took a "sick day" to read it, sorry, job], promised to send it around publication, and then life got busy and my mental health got bad but IM BACK, BABY).

Everything about this book is everything to me. The cozy world that Victor and Giovanni built for themselves (and Nurse Ratched--the funniest character in literary history, btw--and Rambo--the cutest roomba in literary history, btw) is so rich and clear. The world *outside* their woods is also extremely well-developed. I am not a "visual" reader, I don't typically picture things as I read. But I have full scenes, full places and moments, completely fleshed out in my head that I can recall even now, a year after I read it. It's such a wonderfully written world.

And the story! HAP and Victor and their little band of misfit toys (sorry, robots), and their sweet relationship, and the hero's journey... I really loved this one. At the time I read it, I liked it less than HITCS and UTWD, but now that I've sat with it for a bit, I think it's absolutely up there with those.

I really need to reread this, taking my time to really savor the world the way my brain wouldn't allow the first time, too desperate to keep going and see what would happen next.

5/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.