Previously published in 2018, The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune is getting a second chance thanks to Tor Publishing. And let’s all thank Tor for giving this wonderful book some more love and attention! It’s so deserved! Before I get into my review, I want to talk about T.J.’s note about the book that was included at the back of my digital ARC. He discusses his experience with the publication process before he chose to self-publish in 2018 and how the publisher that he had been working with (but ultimately didn’t) considered Bones to be “weird.” He goes on to say that Tor however embraced his weirdness. As someone who loves weird things, I just want to say how happy it made me to read this author’s note! If you decide to pick up this book, I highly encourage you to read the author’s note and if you also love weird books, I think you’ll enjoy The Bones Beneath My Skin.
Okay, now onto the review! I loved this book! It feels like a classic T.J. Klune style novel while simultaneously feeling so different from his other novels. It has a few tropes that I absolutely love such as found family and the “reluctant, gruff adult man has to take in a magical girl/child and travel cross country to save her and the world” trope (is there a name for this? I need to know because I love it). This book also has action, humor, romance, and so much emotion. Just when I think I’m going to get through reading a T.J. Klune book without crying, he says, think again. I really thought this book wasn’t going to get to me like that, but there is a certain scene closer towards the end (you’ll know it when you read it) that was filled with such vivid emotion and was so heartfelt that I couldn’t help it. And the ending. Wow, what an ending!
As always, T.J. Klune’s writing is phenomenal in The Bones Beneath My Skin. One of my favorite aspects of Klune's writing is his ability to write characters who feel so real and relatable with incredible character development. This book proves that ability once again. It also proves that he has a knack for writing children. Much like the kids in The House in the Cerulean Sea, in Bones, we meet a little girl who very often is maybe a little too honest and always says what is on her mind. She also LOVES bacon (and Alex and Nate). That little girl is Artemis Darth Vader and she is one of the best (if not THE best) parts of this book. She makes the book so fun while also being the heart of the story. The dynamic between her and Alex is so special and sweet. Again, I’m a bit of a sucker for this kind of trope, but it was another aspect of the novel that I really loved. Nate and Alex were also fantastic characters (I would just like to add that Pedro Pascal is my fan cast for Alex if there were to be a TV or movie adaptation of this book – when you read it, you’ll understand but Alex is basically Joel Miller from The Last of Us). The development of their relationship was handled so well and I really enjoyed following them throughout the book. Art, Alex, and Nate as a trio is so delightful, between the bond Alex and Art share to Nate slowly being incorporated into that bond.
Overall, The Bones Beneath My Skin is an incredible book with a moving story, characters you’ll get attached to, and beautiful writing. The plot is intriguing, at times dark, with action that will have you on the edge of your seat. Once again, I am so impressed by Klune’s writing and the way he ties things together to bring it all full circle. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of found family, shows like The Last of Us and Stranger Things, and books with the perfect blend of action and emotion.

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed.

If you’re looking for a book with these vibes:

Stranger Things
Men in Black
ET

Then you’ll enjoy this book. TJ Klune truly did a wonderful job and as always such a wonderful representation of the LGBT community. The messaging and pacing of this story truly kept me turning every page.

Nate Cartwright has lost everything. His parents, his job and his brother who wants nothing to do with him. With nothing left to lose, he sets out to his family’s remote cabin outside Roseland, Oregon to sort himself out, only to find he’s not alone. A man named Alex and a very strange young girl who calls herself Armetis Darth Vader have been hiding out in the cabin. Soon Nate must make the decision to stay behind and live a life of loneliness, or to toss his fears aside and take some risks.

With lots of action, secret government agencies, conspiracy theories, and a fierce kind of love, this story has a lot going for it. As usual, T.J. Is able to pull at the readers heart strings and write the most beautiful characters.

This is the third book by Klune I have read and the third book I have subsequently enjoyed. I may not have connected AS much with this one, possibly due to the Sci Fi storyline, but that could just be a me thing. There was still some great humor and romance we have come to know and love from the author, and I really do recommend picking this one up. Just be prepared to fall in love with a girl named Armetis 💚.

When Nate’s estranged parents die, he inherits their cabin but finds a man and a strange girl living there. The girl is not only strange; but special, and Nate has to make a choice to protect her or give her up.

Straight-up action (like chases, guns, bombs, all of it), romance, witticism and humor, and a hint of sci fi; what else can you ask for? I know.. have it authored by TJ Klune! There were some slow parts but mostly when we are getting to know the characters through conversation in the beginning. I was hooked around 25% so keep at it! As usual with Klune’s writing, the well developed characters grow on you and you won’t want their stories to end.

“In front of him sat a little girl. A man stood near her. They spoke of things that should be impossible. Things that shouldn’t exist.”

The Bones Beneath My Skin comes out 2/4.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Funny, heartrending, heartwarming, thrilling, touching.

Klune knows exactly which details to include and which to exclude to set a scene and provoke an emotion. At a third of the way through the book, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the action. At two-thirds of the way through, my heart was pounding during a flashback even though the outcome of those events was known. These characters wrap you up and take you along their journey with them. I didn't want to leave them.

I adored Art and the questions and sentences that came out of her mouth. Her relationship with Alex and their growing relationships with Nate are the backbone of this story, and they left me in tears several times. The author expertly balances action and relationship building with themes of grief, what it means to be human, and being misunderstood/feared/discriminated against/dehumanized for being other/queer.

If I had to nit-pick, I'd say that Nate's character felt stronger as a three-dimensional person at the beginning of the story than in the second half. I would have liked more details from Art's people, especially with the decision at the end that made everything a bit too convenient. The epilogue was satisfying but introduced a new phase into the world that left more questions than answers and didn't seem necessary.

Overall I very much enjoyed these characters, their story, and what the author had to say through them. Klune delivers yet again.

You might like this if you like: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers, Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

Previously published in 2018, this novel is classic TJ Klune. The story focuses on one very special young girl named Artemis Darth Vader and her gruff “bodyguard” Alex. There's also Nate, a disgraced journalist who wants nothing more than to escape from the world for a while. And then they meet up and become a family and everything gets sappy and romantic and heartwarming and I'm not crying, you're crying. I'm not spoiling anything here … I mean, it's a Klune novel, you know it's going to happen sooner or later. But it's also so much more than just sap – there's also secret government agencies and cults and action and conspiracy theorists and comets and maybe even a crashed helicopter or two (or three). It's all fantastically wonderful and sad and hopeful and you should probably read it as soon as possible.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for this digital e-arc.*

Currently feeling like this is landing between 3.5-4 stars.

Just going to start with the phrase that I thought of first when I finished this. “That was so frickin weird.” Lol
This story is a bit of a wild card, which definitely kept me on my toes. I enjoyed the beginning where there was time at the cabin to really get to know the characters. The girl, Art, was so wonderfully colorful and cracked me up on many occasions. But there was something that didn’t quite connect, like it was too many themes battling against each other. There wasn’t the symbiosis of Cerulean Sea that I loved so much. At times I was utterly engrossed and loving the story, and then others my mind would wander and I’d have to go back and reread an entire page.

I will say I adored how it ended and while this wasn’t a perfect fit for me, I’m sure a lot of people will love it. I also think with some tweaking and editing this could make a really fantastic sci-fi movie!

Another fantastic novel from TJ Klune! I know this is a novel from his back catalog of self-published novels, but I am glad it was picked up and given the proper release treatment to reach many new fans and old fans alike! It was hard to put down and I am glad I got a chance to read it.

This is the strongest yet that I have seen from Kline. While he sticks to his preferred themes of found family and protect the unusual child, this loses the coziness of his previous work in favor of something more authentic and raw. While it is the most action forward plot to date, the heart of this story is the excellent character work and the story of three lost souls who find their way when they find each other.

A supernatural young girl and her two protectors travel across the country on an action packed adventure to get her back to her home.

The subject of grief and how we move on from grief is prevalent in this book. Watching how the characters journey from painful traumas to slowly healing and opening up to love again is heartwarming and hopeful. I loved the trust and support that developed between the three main characters as they created a new family unit.

I wasn’t wild about the “Heaven’s Gate” type religious cult scenes. They seemed out of place and unnecessary. But overall I loved this story.

I can always count on TJ Klune to introduce some odd unusual characters who end up being some of the most beloved and memorable people I’d love to meet.

Another homerun for Klune. I've recommended his stories to so many people and I'll do this one as well. My students love his stories and they're nearly always school appropriate.

The Bones Beneath My Skin
 
4.5/5 stars
🌶️🌶️.5/5 for spice
 
The Bones Beneath My Skin is the newest novel by TJ Klune. Once again, he did not disappoint!

A typical TJ Klune novel feels like being wrapped in a warm hug, full of giggles and life lessons. This novel felt like that – but like you were being hugged and chased at the same time. In addition to the cozy characters and charming anecdotes, this book also had a heavy dose of sci-fi and mystery elements. This book is kept me guessing and intrigued in the storyline the entire time. It was wonderful and unexpected blend of genres.

This novel follows Nate Cartwright who is a lost soul in life - he has lost his family, his job, and is looking for direction. Instead he finds Alex and Artemis Darth Vader… a grumpy over protective man and a child who is extremely peculiar. Nate then finds himself in the middle of a situation where he must put his trust in people he doesn’t know, while making impossible choices. Oh, and fight his growing attraction for someone he has no business liking.

My only critique of this novel is that I would have loved to see more development of the main romantic relationship in the novel. Due to [spoiler], the two main characters do not get to spend a lot of time together and I would have loved to have seen that!

Overall, I’ll be thinking about these characters and this story for a long, long time. This is a perfect introduction to the Sci-Fi genre, or if you’re just looking to switch up your romance reads, it is an amazing blend of both genres.

Read for:
 
- Grumpy sunshine
- Found family
- LGBTQ+ elements
-Fantasy / Sci-Fi Elements


Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books, and TJ Klune for providing me with an ARC of this book. The expected (re)publication of this book is February 4th, 2025.

Wow!

This book was unlike anything I have previously read from TJ Klune. and I mean that in the best way. The Bomes Beneath My Skin delivered everything I have grown to expect from this author- found family, romance, and wonderful storytelling. I would describe this book as more of scifi and even thriller like as opposed to fantasy. If you enjoy Stranger Things, I believe you will love Art- Artmenis Darth Vader. She reminded me of Eleven! This is best described as a supernatural suspense that was fast paced.

Set in the 1990s, I was taken on a nostalgic journey full of adventure and heart. The romance is a detail and is not the driving force of this book. The heart of it is the found family as well as healing and navigating grief and loss. Art, Alex and Nate- I had such a great time reading your story. These characters will stay with me for quite some time.

Just another example of why TJ Klune is an auto buy author for me.

Thank you so much to TOR Publishing, Netgalley and TJ Klune for this ARC ahead of its re-release!

TJ Klune knows how to write. His characters are well rounded, surprising, tragic, and hopeful all at the same time. I went into this book blindly and I'm so glad I did.

The premise is our main character, Nate, is dealing with loss. Loss of his job, loss of his parents, loss of his identity. So he goes to a mountain cabin deep within Oregon to lick his wounds and find his purpose in life. Imagine his surprise when he arrives and a man with a small girl are already there.

What follows is a tragic, heartbreaking tale filled with humorous moments, love, and ultimately hope. I loved how each character evolved and how the story unfolded. Beautiful story and the ending made me smile.

Bravo Mr. Klune. Can't wait to read your next one!

When TJ Klune has the chance to emotionally ruin me, consider myself ruined.

Nate has hit rock bottom, or at least he thought he did when he lost his job and his estranged parents died. Only it turns out things can and do get worse when he finds the remote cabin his mother left him to be occupied by a little girl calling herself Artemis Darth Vader and a very menacing grown man named Alex. And Alex has a gun. Now it's rock bottom!

Only it's not. It's the start of a wild, deeply weird, highly emotional interior and exterior journey for all three of these people. The circumstances are wild. All are required to bust out of their comfort zones and take unprecedented leaps of faith. Honestly for the first third of the book, readers are about as in the dark as Nate is. It's clear that Alex and Art are hiding something, and even when they offer up explanations they don't quite add up. But my curiosity beat out my passing frustrations (something I suppose Nate and I have in common), and in the end I spent two days in a row staying up WAY past my bedtime because I was completely invested in this strange little trio full of love and bacon. This is starkly different from the other Klune books I've read, and if I had to pick I would say it most closely resembles In the Lives of Puppets (except not at all). In this way, Klune's writing reminds me of Fredrick Backman's - he's an author with a signature voice, yet every story is uniquely singular.

This book was everything that I needed it to be. I was rooting for Art from the first page that we met her: the way she described love & what it means to be human was just chef’s kiss. This was such an insightful and delightful read - it was my first TJ Klune book but I know it won’t be my last. The characters were all very likeable and there were some laugh out loud moments that were both funny and touching at the same time. I’m also obsessed with the way the book ended - especially the final words; it felt so fitting and just a “duh” way to end the novel. Again, exactly what I wanted. 5/5 star read for me!

This paranormal MM romance will have you wishing for a grumpy ex-military man of your own.

This reminded me a bit of "To Be Taught If Fortunate" by Becky Chambers, if there was a helicopter crash in it.

I loved every bit of this book. Our main character Nate, is going through a mid-life crisis. His parents have recently died, he was fired from his job and is escaping to his family's remote cabin for a reset. When he gets there he finds a man with a gun and a curious ten year old girl who is so much more than she seems.

This book is a non-stop adventure, while also being tender and loving. I love how Nate is trying to navigate the things that are going on around him, while also trying to unravel the trauma from his past.

We have found family in the best way. Our 10-year-old Art provides the comic relief. And Alex, our grump ex-military soldier makes us work for his love and attention in a way that felt so authentic and real.

Also, this is my first TJ Klune book with an explicit love scene and I LOVED IT. Give us more books with this please TJ.

Read this if you love
🌟Bacon
🌟Found family
🌟Road trips
🌟Scary military car chases
🌟Humvees thrown into helicopters
🌟Tender MM romance
🌟Devastating first kiss

Thank you to TOR and NetGalley for the ARC.

Read this book while road tripping across the US, eating bacon and looking at the stars.

If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. TJ Klune has a way of cracking open your soul and just creating this window that he pours his books into. That's how reading this book felt. It was a beautiful, hilarious, and heartbreaking story, and honestly it would be absolutely amazing if it were picked up by Studio Ghibli, because the visuals in this are so vivid and breathtaking that they need to be seen.

Nate has inherited a cabin from his parents. And a truck. And that's it. And his brother doesn't care that he wasn't at the funeral because they basically all disowned him when they found out he was gay. Ok. Well then. That's a bit close to home these days, isn't it? Finding Alex and Art is the best thing that's ever happened to him, even if it's not that way at first. Everything else that comes next is crazy and bizarre, and leads them on the adventure of their lives.

I appreciate so, so very much the fact that Klune puts his heart out there with his work, and writes romance that is true and beautiful. It's not just about physical stuff. The forming of bonds between characters and creating the found family is something that I've never seen another author do so well. To be human is to love, to be heartbroken, to hope in the face of certain doom while trying desperately to survive. Do your soul a favor and pick this one up. I'll just be over here with my new soul window open and ready for whatever magnificent weirdness TJ Klune writes next.

There is something so recognizable about this author's writing that even if you had censored his name from every page, it would still be obvious. I'll leave that upto each reader as to whether or not that's a good thing but in this case it's merely an observation. And thankfully the level of Klune-ness was about.. half of what he is capable of; by which I mean you won't find the extremes of Tales of Verania-level absurdity in this standalone. And it might even be a little toned down from Cerulean Chronicles -- mostly because there's only one precocious otherworldly child to deal with. So it's really a great entry level Klune book to pick up.. especially because it is a standalone.

What also makes this somewhat unique is that this is more of an action-style thrill ride than anything I've experienced before by the author. And those on the ride with you are a terse ex-Marine now current-bodyguard protecting a not-terse precocious and curious ten year old girl who is definitely not your average ten year old and the reluctant accomplice they, well, hold hostage and then sorta but not really kidnap. But all for good reasons. Mostly in order to evade the shadowy government who is chasing said ex-Marine and not-so-average ten year old.

Along the way there are mysteries and revelations and found family and conspiracies and cults and romance and more.

I will say that our POV, the reluctant accomplice, wasn't my favourite character. Artemis, the little girl, really is the star of the show and everything, and everyone, around her is mostly momentum to keep the plot going. But by the time we are nearing the end, and we have ironed out the kinks of the dynamic between all three of these characters, and some have softened up, some have chilled out, well. It's just really lovely. But most of my enjoyment of this one really was more from the story itself than the characters.

I'll admit I did start to lose a little bit of traction around, like, the halfway mark, but Klune brought it home in a big way and I ended up crying. Big surprise, I know, I am a sap. But this gave me a lot of warm and fuzzies and there were some long observational monologues that really did hit hard -- not quite Green Creek level monologing but I guess he was getting warmed up for those. It did though make me nostalgic for said aforementioned series, and not just because it was name dropped!, and the way I felt reading those books. Because I have to say the more recent Klunes haven't been doing it for me. And maybe the reason this did, too, is because it's a rerelease. Or maybe it was just the right time.

If you're already a fan, I won't need to convince you to pick this one up. But for everyone else, especially those who've had good and meh experiences, I think this could end up on the side of good for more people than not. It certainly did for me.

No one writes characters that worm their way into your heart like T. J. Klune's characters, even when those characters aren't even human. He has a magical way of making even the most fantastical situations seem normal, and creating a world in which humans and nonhumans develop loving, caring relationships. The Bones Beneath My Skin is no exception, and Alex, Nathan and Art will live in my soul for eternity.

This book has a lot more action in it than other books by this author; he actually describes it as an action movie in book form in the author's notes. There is also a fairly explicit MM love scene in it, so readers should be aware if that sort of thing bothers them. If, however, you love reading about found families, healthy loving relationships, and especially if you appreciate a little humor along with a road trip, this is definitely worth the time. For me, it was an unputdownable joyfest that will be one of my top reads of the year, I'm sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for the digital ARC of The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J.Klune. The opinions in this review are my own.