4 ⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an ARC of this book — one of my highly anticipated reads of 2023!

TJ Klune is an expert at creating lovable and weird little characters, and at doing it quickly! Each personality is so unique, and so funny and easy for readers to latch on to. The story was adventurous, and I was rooting for our band of misfits the whole time. I can't decide if Rambo or Nurse Ratched was my favorite character! They were both so funny and added levity and comedy to the story, which really balanced the more reflective (philosophical?) narratives from Gio, Vic and Hap.

I know this was intended to be a Pinnochio story, but I might need to refresh my memory of how that original story goes 😂 There is definitely creation, humanity, and giving life to inanimate things in the plot line, and the question of "What does it mean to be human?" or even, "What does it mean to be alive?" throughout the book, but it didn't scream Pinnochio to me! At the very end of the book, I think there's an obvious line that implies who Pinnochio is supposed to be, but I think there could be multiple Pinnochios in the book. There were also a few scenes that were much more Wizard of Oz to me.

This could have been a 5 star book, but I think TJ Klune has a formula that I would have liked to see him stray from a bit more here. The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, and now In the Lives of Puppets all have a similar cast — quirky, lovable misfits and anxious LGBTQIA+ characters exploring and finding themselves. It's great, really! And each book has truly been unique and creative, storytelling that I haven't read or seen before. But, I would have liked to see some different characters here!

Would still highly recommend to all of my friends, and anyone that enjoys TJ Klune, or what I like to call "digestible fantasy" :)

Like Wall-E and Pinocchio had a little queer baby. Some of the most beautiful quotes I have ever read, while still being equal parts hilarious and heartwarming. A wonderful book about humanity from the perspective of machines, and questioning how far you will go for the ones that you love. Honestly, I want my own Rambo now! One of my top books for the year!

This is the first book I have read by TJ Klune, and it will NOT be the last. From the first page, I was sucked into this magical plot. His way with words is unlike anything else I have ever read. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves a good standalone fantasy.

Loved this story! The friendships between Vic & his found family were such a pleasure to read. I especially loved Rambo, how could you not though?

This book is a charming found family tale set in a fascinating world. The world building happens slowly and naturally, and I found I was never confused or lost. The characters had my heart from page one, and the ending had one of the most casually haunting and thought-provoking lines I've ever read. The humour was perfectly balanced with the angst, and it had me laughing and crying in the same chapters.

In France, they don't say "I love you," they say "One is sufficient," and I think that's beautiful.

tl;dr 4 Stars

IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS is TJ Klune's newest in a line of books based on concepts that should be ridiculous on paper and yet are so very good in execution. It shouldn't make sense that a sentient roomba and nursebot can exist in a book that also gives us a deep exploration of what it means to be human, who the responsibility of blame and forgiveness lies on, and what makes a family, and yet...

In this post-AIpocolyptic world, Victor Lawson is the only human left, though he doesn't know this yet. Raised by an android, Vic spends his days diving for scraps and fixing disassembled machines, breathing new life back into what the AI regime has decided no longer fills their primary functions. Between the sentient rumba called Rambo, a killer nursebot called Ratched, and his father, Vic feels content with life despite how different his family is from him. But unearthing an android that has ties to his father's mysterious past has consequences that Vic could never have prepared for, and will set him on a journey across a land where all other humans have been eradicated. Will he and this android kiss a little? You betcha!

PUPPETS was very good. I don't know that I'd call it great, but there was a lot that resonated with me. There was also a lot that didn't resonate with me. I've said this before in other reviews of his work, but Klune has a habit of drawing certain, story elements out a lot longer than they need to be, particularly when it comes to the "comedic" aspects of the story. Quirky dialogue. Running gags. Things that he probably assumes are landing as humor, but ... are just so annoying. In PUPPETS, I found those elements to be Rambo and Nurse Ratched's endless and plot-interrupting "banter" and the continuous toilet/bathroom-related humor. It just isn't my speed. It wasn't detrimental to my enjoyment of the book, but it just wasn't my speed, and it got old fast.

But what PUPPETS does have going for it ... it works SO WELL. Giovanni and Victor's father-son relationship was so wonderful to read, especially in the later part of the book when we get more insight into why Gio created Vic in the first place and all the ways his son has awed and delighted him over the years. Others want Vic to be this revolutionary tool, but Gio only wants him to be his son, and is so patient and careful with him that it broke my cold little heart. And I can't talk about PUPPETS without talking about HAP -- our hysterically angry puppet deciding that he doesn't want to hurt anyone and becoming an immediate protector of Vic and their strange little family was wonderfully heartwarming. I loved the pacing of their relationship in this book, the pitfalls and triumphs of their friendship-and-then-more, Vic bringing Hap back to himself with a kiss, oh, it was all so good. Klune does such fantastic job laying out a narrative and dropping little seeds for the readers to look after -- I knew I would love Hap from the minute we see his mechanical arm sticking out of the scrap pile, and that never wavered throughout the story. Rambo and Ratched ... honestly, I could have taken or leaven them, but I guess this book would have been much shorter without them around.

In comparison to Klune's previous novels, I think The House in the Cerulean Sea ranks below this, but IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS still doesn't beat Under the Whispering Door. Even so, I enjoyed this read SO much, and if you've liked any of his past work, there's no reason you won't like this.

I think I'm maybe the only one in the book community who hasn't read something by TJ Klune prior to this, but I am so glad I requested this ARC. My husband told me he hasn't ever heard me laugh out loud as hard or as much as I did at a book before, ever, and I think that's true. I cackled. So much. This book's prose and its dialogue are a delight, and the characters were truly wonderful and a joy to love and root for. It's a true talent when you can write a post-apocalyptic book about human killing robots and have your audience describe it as 'cozy', but here we are.

I spent about half this book thinking it was a hands-down five star read, but a little over 50% through and the plot started to drag and get a little repetitive. It only slowed my pace a little bit, but I was disappointed because this book got off to a stellar start.

I'm so glad I read this book and I would highly recommend it to everyone, especially if you've enjoyed one of Klune's books in the past. I'm definitely picking up a hardcover copy once it releases!

Oh Em Gee! This book is so gosh darn cute! I mean, come on! Who doesn’t love sweet retellings of the classic Pinocchio story? In the Lives of Puppets is queer, sci-fi-fantasy and it is absolutely magical. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In a future where robots dominate the planet, young Victor and his misfit gang of refurbished AI devices (Nurse Ratched, Rambo and HAP) must leave their safe haven up in the trees to save their beloved Father & inventor, Gio.

These are the kind of characters who deserve an entire series of books! I have never wanted my very own robot friend so badly!!

This book was so interesting, and such a good look at humanity and what makes us human. This is something of a Pinocchio retelling (or at least is heavily inspired by Pinocchio) and it just... had so much heart. I had such a good time reading this, and I think anyone who likes TJ Klune's newest titles (House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door) will find this to be right up their alley!

I must first thank NetGalley, as well as the publisher TOR for my eARC in exchange for my honest review, A tale of hearts beating as one. A journey through fear to find hope, a future, love, and if you dont feel anything as you read this, then just maybe your a machine,

Oh my heart.

In The Lives of Puppets stirred an emotional whirlwind. Complicated, sweet, enraging. I had to remind myself to slow down in some parts of the book, and keep myself from peeking ahead in others. (I also had to take one tiny reading break just to collect myself). Being human is hard. Being a good human is a gift to ourselves and everyone we encounter.

I feel very honored that I was approved to read the Uncorrected Digital Galley by Netgalley and Tor. Many thanks.

I really didn't think I'd be coming out of one of my most anticipated releases feeling so.. ambivalent. Unmoved. But here we are.

I definitely didn't hate it but despite some quirky side-characters gadding about with the usual Klune-style hijinks it is, unfortunately, unmemorable. I've definitely struggled with some of this authors' work in the past (notably, in fact, said struggles were with the series that I constantly saw parallels of while reading this book) but even those stand out in a variety of ways. This one? Honestly, it doesn't. It's already starting to fade and I literally just put it down.

However, I'll say that if you enjoyed the Verania series? I think you'll have a better time than I did. The more outlandish humour that exists in those books has been absent from the last few (trad) releases but I finally saw some of it filtering through these characters. It was occasionally funny, especially in the beginning, and then I got tired. The same way Verania tired me out. And in fact it felt like the same character ensemble dynamic -- even if I did enjoy these character archetypes more, particularly in the case of Nurse Ratched (though would I be saying the same if we were five books deep with the same shtick? unlikely because, again, I was tired well before the end of just one book). Maybe another reason this didn't work.

But truthfully, I think it was more than just the fifty shades of Verania. Or a combination of the two. Because for a book so focused on hearts, I didn't feel much of it. Heart, I mean. I never connected with the emotional beats of the story, I never connected with Victor who was our only lens to live through, and when it's all said and done I have no idea where these characters go from here. A story doesn't really need a purpose or a finite ending but I feel like some direction might've helped here, especially as the plot was so.. light.

There are definitely some lovely bits mixed in with the outlandish, Klune certainly knows how to turn a phrase, and there was some interesting dialogue about humanity and flaws and acceptance, but sadly it all just kind of bounced off me. I could acknowledged the funny, the sweet, the whatever, and then, poof, moment over. But maybe that's just me. Maybe I'm the problem.

While I’m (sadly) not able to climb aboard the hype train for this release, if you’re looking for something that’s an homage (though less than I expected..) to PINOCCHIO, with more The Brave Little Toaster than I've seen since the nineties, seasoned by a pinch of FRANKENSTEIN, a dash of Wall-E, and a splash of The Monk and The Robot.. or you’re just another Klunatic willing to devour anything by this author (no judgment here, I am one of you!), I would definitely not want to scare you away from giving this a go. This might very well satisfy — or, to stick with the robot theme, hit all your buttons. And I hope it does.

2.5 stars

I loved this book! Absolutely adored this story. Full of adventure, love, family, and some sadness in this sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian world. I loved all the characters and was really rooting for them. The writing was so beautiful and really created wonderful imagery of this world.

Like all of his books, I absolutely adored ‘In the Lives of Puppets’ by T.J. Klune! This book was just pure comfort and love, full of family, quirky sci-fi adventure, and utter humanity. The world building was magic, there were fantastic characters that I already fiercely miss, and the bantery dialogue (my favorite) had me grinning ear to ear. There’s just so much to love about this book, and I highly, highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book and I could not put it down. The story was so different from other fantasy books and I loved the characters.

🤖👦🏽In the Lives of Puppets👦🏽🤖

✍️: TJ Klune
✨:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📗: Kindle, eARC from @netgalley
🗓️: Pub Date April 25, 2023

✨my thoughts✨
This was a wonderfully sweet and adventurous story of Victor and his rag tag family of robots as they venture out of the life they’ve always known. This book was obviously Sci-Fi as most of our characters are robots and androids but it read like dystopian contemporary fiction. The character development was beautiful and I loved the story so much! This book delves into topics such as what humanity means, technology, the future state of machines and artificial intelligence. The idea of choice and exploration, of sexuality, and of going against what you are supposed to do.

This was a story of found family in a world of machines, of what love means, and why it’s so important. This book was an adventure, it was heart wrenching and exciting and lovely and warm. Would definitely recommend pre-ordering this one, out on 4/25/23!

What is your favorite found family story?!

Thank you NetGalley, Tor Books, and TJ Klune for the advanced copy of In the Lives of Puppets in exchange for my honest review.

Typically I am someone who is much more interested in plots of novels than characters, but in this case I was *obsessed* with the characters. I found myself falling completely in love with a little vacuum named Rambo, and a nurse robot named Nurse Ratched had me cracking up constantly.

In true Klune fashion, the ending had me in my feelings.

This is being likened to Pinocchio, but with robots, and that is pretty spot on. It's very cleverly written and the sense of humor on display throughout is right up my alley. The friendship between Rambo, Nurse Ratched, Vic, and Hap was probably my favorite part of the story.

In the Lives of Puppets will be on US bookshelves April 25!

This was my first exposure to TJ Klune as an author, and I have to admit I wasn't impressed. The story isn't very original. It's based on Pinocchio and also draws from Star Wars, I Robot, Swiss Family Robinson, The Jetsons, and even Wall-E. It reads as if it was intended for middle grade readers until you suddenly come across a curse word or discussion about sex. I can see kids picking up the book because of its colorful cover and their stiff parents getting mad once they start reading it together.

The two best characters are Rambo and Nurse Ratched, the comical robots that are Victor's friends. Their dialogue is very funny, but as you can tell from their names, even they aren't very original. (C3PO and R2D2 anyone?). Klune also has a tendency to bog the story down with too much detail. There's an entire chapter devoted to reassembling a broken android.

Unfortunately, if you read the blurb for the book, that's pretty much the entire story minus the candy-coated happy ending. Klune also tries to make this about father/son relationships or sexuality and gender, but the delivery is clunky. The best part is the brief passages where the characters talk about humans and the way things used to be and how we always wanted more but didn't realize we had everything (Klune even dedicates the book to civilization.).

However, it's obvious the author has a huge following so no doubt the book will do well and make a ton of money for him and the publisher. For me, it's just proof again that there's nothing new under the sun, as they say. I give it a very generous 3 stars.

Another winner in the Books for TJ Klune! This book was sweet & funny & sad & exciting all at the same time. It was a really interesting look at humanity & the creations we’ve made. I just really loved this book! Robots are not typically my thing, but when I tell you, I’ve never loved a vacuum more than I love Rambo… the characters in the book were wonderfully written. Flawed & with a bit of good humor. Please do pick up this book!

𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙻𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙿𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚝𝚜 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

𝘝𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭. 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰 𝘝𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦.

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: sci-fi/fantasy
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: slow/moderate
𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚: 🚫
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: HEAs, Pinocchio, The Brave Little Toaster
𝙏𝙒/𝘾𝙒 ⚠️: 🚫

The book started out really strong for me. The first half of the book had me howling with laughter- the dynamic and banter between Rambo, Vic, and Nurse Ratched were hysterical.

My expectations for this book were high. TJ Klune writes beautiful, unique, and wholesome stories. Unfortunately I did not connect with this book as much as I was expecting. It felt about 100 pages too long, and by the end I felt I had lost a bit of my excitement. It was trying to be Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, Brave Little Toaster, Toy Story, and Star Wars all at once.

I think fans of TJK will enjoy this story, especially readers who enjoy sci-fi and dystopian themes. His books always have incredible messages and heartwarming plots. I always say they should be turned into Pixar movies.

👏🏼👏🏼 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 to readers who enjoy any-age appropriate fantasy/sci-fi with happy endings.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.