I will be the first to say that I am not a fan of Disney's Pinocchio nor the source material, but a queer futuristic retelling with robots was definitely my jam. I have enjoyed TJ Klune's writing in the past but this fantastical world of hilarious robots really won me over! I really enjoyed the characters and their crazy personalities, but the adventures they went on was also so great. They really learn a lot along the way and it was amazing how one second you're laughing out loud and the next you're on the verge of tears. I will highly recommend you get the audiobook for this one as the narrator Daniel Henning did a wonderful job of giving each robot a unique voice and really truly brought them to life. I'm so pleasantly surprised that this book was so fun, and how much I enjoyed it. After reading the author's acknowledgements I really wonder what the original storyline was!!

I loved TJ Klune’s previous novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I was anticipating this follow up release.

IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS was such a unique, mind bending story that was a mashup of Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and adventure. I loved the themes of found family you choose, and the characters were so good! The family consisted of an inventor robot, a nurse robot, a human, and a puppet,

I listened to the audiobook format and thought the narrator was such a great choice, and it left me with all the heartwarming feelings when I finished.

*many thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the gifted copy for review

I have now read two of Klune’s books and while The House on the Cerulean Sea will be a favorite of mine, this one was really good, especially via audiobook, which was fantastic. He has a way of bringing things to life, in this case robots, and making you endeared to them throughout the book along with teaching you a lesson. I really enjoyed this heartwarming read and am looking forward to reading more of his works.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC to review.

I love T.J. Klune. I have never read a Klune novel that didn't take me through the gamut of emotions in 1.5 seconds. This didn't give me the same level of *Oh my god, that was the best thing ever written* as some of his other works (Cerulean Sea, for instance), but it still left me with a soft, happy glow.

*3.25 stars*

This was a cute queer found family retelling of Pinocchio, a sort of cozy post apocalyptic quest story with robots.

The found family aspect was the best part of this story with a quirky cast of robot characters. It had some humorous moments but it felt like the first half of the book had too many weird sexual jokes that just seemed to focus on making the previously established asexual main character uncomfortable. I would also have liked a little more of the main friendship trios history.

I think if you like Klune’s other works you will like this too.

I personally liked the audio narration and didn’t find the different robot voices distracting, but if over the top quirky voiced characters bother you the audio may not be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

This one took me longer to read than I expected. I listened to the audiobook, and it just took me a while to get into. I think some of the robotic voices (especially Rambo) took me out of things a little bit. That being said, once it got going, I really enjoyed the story and the characters! I thought it was a really cool twist on Pinocchio, with nice Easter eggs to the original story

This cozy fantasy has been my least favorite of these stories from T.J. Klune. I enjoyed the beginning, but felt that the journey that took place was rushed. The focus was just on the wrong elements for me.

I love all things T.J. Klune.
Also, while House in the cerulean sea might still be my favorite book, In the Lives of puppets is hands down the funniest and most clever and the narrator made it even funnier. Only thing that dragged on for me was when they eventually reached the blue fairy. Other than that, loved it!

TJ Klune is just a word magician. All his writing illicit such nostalgia in me. Loved this fantasy book once more.

Thank you so much to Tor and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I've attempted to read this book 3 times and I think it's finally time to admit that it's just not gonna happen for me. I'm just connecting to the story the way I had hoped, and after hearing reviews from friends I trust, this just isn't a book I think I'm going to fall in love with.

TJ Klune is an all time favorite author, but I just don't think this one is for me.

I think the humor was fantastic and I love the queer cast (including ace rep, yay!). But I prefer a more romance heavy story, and that just wasn't the cast for this one.

I absolutely can't wait to see what Klune does next though. He books are always so unique and inventive.

The beginning was interesting learning about characters. Very much like the brave little toaster vibes but just took weird turns.

Simply delightful narrating - the use of all the different robot voices and keeping track of them! The story got a little weird at times…I think I said “what on earth is even happening here” more than 4 times. But overall, a lovely book that will make you feel almost every emotion.

I loved this story, which seems to me to be an inventive retelling of the Pinocchio story. In this story, Giovanni Lawson (a robot) gets Victor (a human boy) from the Blue Fairy. They live with two other robots - Nurse Ratchet (a medical robot) and Rambo (a talking Roomba). Those two are so funny I was laughing out loud several times. Victor then finds HAP in the scrapyard and heals his heart with a drop of his blood. I loved the relationships between all these characters, especially the love story between Vic and HAP. The narrator also did a great job with different voices for all the characters. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me a copy of the audiobook, in return for an honest review.

Loved it! T.J. Klune is a powerhouse when it comes to taking a story I would never have wanted to read and turning it into one that I can't put down.

I always love his characters. They are the soul of the story and I want to hang out with the characters. If you're looking for a found family story that feels both fresh and comforting, look no further!

I was super excited when I got approved for this one, but honestly this book was just a little too out there for me personally

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune is a science fiction adventure with queer romantic elements. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at fifteen and a half hours and is narrated by Daniel Henning.

A fatherly android inventor named Giovanni Lawson lives in the forest with his family: a sadistic but loving nurse robot, a tiny anxious vacuum robot, and his son, Victor, the only human in the bunch. After Victor salvages an unfamiliar android and repairs it, he learns a lot about his father's past. When Gio is captured and taken back to his laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams, the motley crew band together to journey to get him back.

This was really an enjoyable read. I especially enjoyed the characters here. As I am a character-driven reader, this pleased me. My favorite was Rambo; if anyone puts a hand on my robot son, they will be decommissioned. Nurse Ratched was also phenomenal.

Klune has a talent for "cozy" speculative fiction, and showcases it again here--especially in the first part of the book.

As our narrator, Henning does an AMAZING job here. He does great voices for everyone! I'd highly recommend listening to the audio version of this book over print/ebook.

As far as representation goes, our main character Victor on-page identifies as asexual. He's also queer. There's a bit of a romance, but it's not the main point of the story.

My main criticism is that the book felt a bit too long. It could absolutely have been tightened up a bit. But overall, I liked it.

CW: violence, kidnapping

Thank you Netgalley for letting me listen to this audiobook. The narrator did a great job and immersed me into the story. I loved this world TJ Klune created. Most of the characters are hilarious and relatable.

Loved this story by Klune.

Started a little rocky for me; our hero being embarrassed by robots commenting on his changing body and thinking puberty “activities” were happening-thought that bit was unnecessary.

However, once the story started developing I dearly loved the heart of the story.

Post apocolyptic —Humans create AI, humans destroy the world, ask AI to help, humanity destroyed. —What makes us human ? What is humanity? What is free choice?

Pinocchio backdrop. Loved the allusions to the original story.

Thank you #NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I would read the phone book if TJ Klune re wrote it. I absolutely love everything this man writes. He is a complete genius. I need more.

It took me a long time to get through this one…
The story progressed slower than I prefer, but I did really end up enjoying how it ended.
The characters are very well developed. They were intricately written with multiple layers - the sociopathic nurse (who really does have a heart), the human killing robot that learns to love, the robot vacuum with insecurities and possibly anxiety demonstrating a large amount of courage, Gio the creator of machine and man, and Victor, the only remaining human. I enjoyed watching each of these characters grow and following them on their journey. This really was the heart of the story. Once I got over the narrators interpretation of Rambo’s voice, I was able to enjoy the story much more. If I am being completely honest, that I what had me taking a longer time with this book. The narrator did a great job with the voices of the characters, but that voice was hard for me to listen to. I am hoping that won’t be the case for everyone. I do recommend listening to the audiobook despite that one thorn in my side.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an audio-arc of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.