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“𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐧𝐨𝐰,' 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧.'
𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬. '𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭?'
'𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭.”

"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝. 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧. 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬. 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐰𝐞’𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞?”

wow. i don't think i can put into words what this book has made me feel. i genuinely did not realize the gut-wrenching heartache i was about to make myself feel with this story. i cried so many times over & over because the love between these characters is so vibrant & real.

easily will be something i remember for the rest of my life. i loved all of the characters. i love that again the main characters Nate and Alex are gay & bisexual men. Klune has a knack for creating amazing queer characters.

i also loved Art. she is the heart and soul of this entire story. she's genuine, so hilarious, and keeps you on your toes at all times. and while you only know her through the lens of Nate, you begin to remember what it really means to be human. to have emotional connection, to have empathy, and to be amazed at the earth around you. how wonderful is that to find written words who reminds you of that?

if you enjoy a heartwarming sci-fi love story, mixed in with a little action, you're going to love this one too.

While there were definitely some Stranger Things vibes, Bones Beneath My Skin is a story of what it means to be human: to be so flawed and horrible, yet beautiful. There were scenes I laughed out loud and scenes where I teared up. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to whatever Klune shares next.

TJ Klune's writing will always blow me away. His word choice is beautiful and I often leave his books with a new best friend.

What a ride!
I love everything TJ Klune writes - he's my auto-buy for an emotional book that still makes you smile and feel like you've been hugged.

Needless to say, a “spine-tingling thriller” is not what I usually read from him...but The Bones Beneath my Skin is still such a win! A little darker (more like Under the Whispering Door), with some sci-fi and extra quirky characters, and still holding true with that trademark found-family storyline that we love and have come to expect from him.

The action, intrigue, and a smidge of romance made it impossible to put down! I absolutely enjoyed The Bones Beneath My Skin, and would highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think I may be done with TJ Klune's writing on a personal level. I'm just finding a lot of the plots feel repetitive. That being said, we did purchase it for my library because Klune's books are always popular.

5+ Stars!

Dammit TJ… you did it again! I loved this, but I also love everything this author writes. For those of you who pick this book up because the new cover looks like “House in the Cerulean Sea”, go into this knowing it’s definitely not like “House in the Cerulean Sea.” It’s more of a sci-fi thriller. The characters are still top notch and will stick with you for a long time! I love Artemis!

I had no idea what I was getting into with this book. Holy Cow! I just saw that it was written by TJ Klune, and that’s all I needed. First let me say that this book is kind of sci-fi, with some action, that also adds a thriller feel to the overall book. There’s a LGBQT romance that is done very well.

The book takes place in 1995 and follows Nate who got fired from his job in Washington DC and moves back to his family’s summer cabin in Oregon. When he arrives to the cabin, he finds Alex and a little girl named Artemis Darth Vader. They are on the run and have been using Nate’s cabin as a place to hide. From here, Nate joins this unlikely duo and the story takes off. They are followed by government agents who are willing to kill anyone in their paths, and they realize that there might be more to Artemis than meets the eye.

There is a slow burn romance, a 10 year old girl with telekinesis, and exploding helicopters. Oh, and did I mention there will be parts that make you laugh out loud and then parts that will have tears running down your cheeks? It sounds like there is a lot going on, but underneath all the layers, it's a story about grief that follows three characters getting to know each other that leaves you with an absolutely beautiful found family story.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. I’ve already purchased a physical copy for myself!! I’m so happy to see Book of the Month added this as one of their books…this just means more people will give this a try.

Nate Cartwright has always felt like he doesn’t quite belong, even with his own family. That is, until he meets the mysterious Artemis Darth Vader and Alex at his family home. Can he find where he truly belongs with people he's just getting to know? *The Bones Beneath My Skin* explores human connection and what binds us as a family. Klune is amazing at crafting intricate, character-driven stories. While the character development is detailed and rich, at times it can feel a bit overwhelming and slow down the pace of the plot. As a result, some parts may seem a little long or drawn out.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This might be my new favorite book by TJ Klune. I just loved it so much. We follow two very broken men, Nate and Alex, and the journey they go on to save and protect a young girl named Artemis Darth Vader. Art was so funny and I loved how she would call out the guys whenever she could. Sometimes, she didn't even know she was doing it which added to it. She loved reading old western romances and loves her Nate and Alex.

The best thing about the relationship between Artemis and her guardians is that even though they were protecting her, she was healing them.

I saw the blurb call this book perfect for fans of Stranger Things and I definitely agree with that. Now i need to buy a physical copy of this book.

TJ Klune is my go-to for a feel-good, emotional book; so when I saw The Bones Beneath my Skin being advertised as a “spine-tingling thriller” I was super intrigued! This was definitely darker than what I have come to expect from Kulne, but it still contained his trademark found family tropes and unforgettable characters. The story is a combination of sci-fi, suspense, and a dash of romance! The unique world building and non-stop action made it almost impossible for me to put the book down. I was so invested in our three main characters and their story.

I have loved everything I’ve read by Klune, and this was no exception! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would definitely recommend it to others!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

TJ Klune’s The Bones Beneath My Skin takes place in the past, way back in the ancient year of 1995. On the surface, its plot could be described as X-Files-esque (something I’m sure wasn’t lost on Klune, especially since he has a character call out the “new show” in the book). But while the novel includes a shadowy government agency that not only knows extraterrestrials exist but has at least one in captivity, it’s not a fast-paced thriller.

At its core, The Bones Beneath My Skin is a sentimental story in the best way: A tale of finding love and hope when neither of those seem within reach. It’s about found family, in this case how three people who have faced grief and trauma come together to make a home, a place where they are loved for who they truly are.

We see this story unfold through the eyes of Nathaniel Cartwright, a twenty-something journalist who, after getting fired from the Washington Post for cause, finds himself heading to his estranged parents’ isolated cabin in Oregon—the only thing (along with a battered white-and-green truck) that he’s left with after they die in a murder-suicide instigated by his father.

Nate, unsurprisingly, is a wreck on both fronts: He hadn’t spoken to his parents for years after they rejected him for being gay, which complicates his feelings about their deaths, and he doesn’t know what he’ll do now that his journalism career has ignominiously ended. His plan is to head to the cabin for a few months and figure out what to do with his life. But when he gets there, he finds a gun-wielding Alex and a curious ten-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. The two are clearly on the run, and Nate becomes wrapped up in their lives, even after he’s given multiple opportunities to leave. Even Nate doesn’t understand at first why he stays, but to the reader it’s clear that he finds an acceptance in Art and Alex that he needs, and they in turn find the same in him.

[rest at Reactor link]

T.J. Klune does it again. Takes us on a journey we weren't expecting. This story with it's sci fi blend with slow burn romance will stick with you for quite some time. I loved this book as I have all of the other Klune books I have read.
It is LGBTQ and there is spice (albeit only one scene) and some language. I love the L'amour references. It was so cute!
Great ride kiddo!

I think that maybe I just don't like T.J. Klune. Because this should absolutely have been something I enjoyed. I mean, found family, begrudging romance, and cozy vibes. Should have been right down my alley. And I loved the first half of it. But like with Cerulean Sea, I ended up bored. I find myself wishing the last 150 pages could just disappear. like, the cult. What was up with the cult?! The conversation with peter that was theoretically so important went way over my head, they were just yapping. Our quirky alien character was a bit too quirky for me (if I have to read weird western dialogue one more time...). And while I loved the romance, it wasn't quite strong enough. I have no lingering feelings regarding this book. Other than mild annoyance that it was so long. I fear that this will be my last foray into Klune's writing, the surface-level sweetness doesn't work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

This is dark comedy that's a bit different from what we usually get from TJ Klune. However, the heart and humor are still 100% present. He writes found family better than anyone and after I finished this book I felt satisfied and really glad I read it.

A gritty and emotional read about two souls who are lost-- an ex-con and a mysterious girl with powers. Nate and Art are on the run through a world cracking apart.

TJ Klune is an amazing author, "The Bones Beneath My Skin" is intense, haunting and beautifully dark. Damaged people trying to find hope. I would recommend this title to current fans of TJ Klune (like you gotta read everything he writes). I would also suggest this title to someone who like emotionally-cozy (is this a genre).. redemption arcs and found family. Also for folks in the Pacific Northwest as it takes place in the remote Oregon Wilderness.

An emotional and beautiful story about a found family and the trials they face to stay together as they race across the country. For X-Men fans, think Old Man Logan, but gay and with aliens. I absolutely adored this backlist republication from Klune, and it could very well by vying for the honor of being my favorite Klune book. So cozy yet thrilling, romantic yet familial, this is the perfect sci-fi/fantasy read for the non SFF reader.

First, I have to say that I am a total sucker for TJ Klune books and road trip books so this book was written. Just for me. It had all the elements that make Klune’s books so special, the unique characters, the heartwarming story along with some thriller elements. I loved it.

The plot was engaging and the characters were well written (Artemis Darth Vader is definitely a unique and entertaining character!). It’s not as lighthearted as other TJ Klune books but its messages are relevant and valuable as always.

When Nate goes back to his family's cabin - all that's left of his parents - after his life is falling apart, he finds two strangers instead of an empty cabin. There's Alex - a big, strong, intimidating man, and Artemis Darth Vader - a 10-year-old girl and a whole lot of questions. Before too long, Nate has to decide who to trust and figure out how to help these people who have a lot of secrets.

This is sci-fi with a touch of romance and a lot of thrilling chases and close calls. I wish we'd gotten to learn more about the characters (maybe there's a second book waiting to be written?), but what we do get is a fast-paced and thought-provoking story.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were likable and the situations felt real (as much as they can when someone is named Artemis Darth Vader - ha). I never wanted to close the cover on Nate, Alex, and Art.

My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Bones Beneath My Skin was originally self-published by TJ Klune in 2018 and has now been re-released with a gorgeous new cover!

This is the oldest of the four books I've read by Klune, and it had all the bits and pieces I've come to love and expect while feeling like a foundational building block for his newest books to be supported by. I'm talking quirky characters and queer representation with themes of grief and loving yourself.

While there are those similarities, this one does feel slightly different somehow. Though I wouldn't go as far as to describe it as "weird," which is what Klune's former publisher referred to it as. (Yes, I did love learning about the development of this edition in the Author's Note). The sex scene really threw me for a loop as it's not what I've come to expect from Klune - not that I didn't like it, it just really took me by surprise! And I will say that this ending was convoluted and confusing, which is another difference from the others I've read from Klune.

I enjoyed the themes... but went back and forth with how I felt about this book as a whole. I liked it, but it certainly didn't become my new favourite.

Thank you NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Tor Books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

I didn't reach that much of books by TJ Klune and there's something in his writing that makes everything shine in a different way. And this book's no different!