TJ Klune does a spectacular job writing fantasy. He effortlessly builds charcuterie relationships and explores how our past affects them. This story was beautifully written. A little long in the middle but I still enjoyed it!

This book felt like a bit of a mish-mash. Part romance, part sci-fi, part tragedy, part romance ... and that's fine, most stories are more than one thing. But this one felt a little too jarring in some places to be entirely a great experience. I did really enjoy what I think of as "the first part," where Nate, Alex, and Artemis Darth Vader are at the cabin in the woods. Once all the chase and trauma re: Artemis and Alex's "before" story opens up, it became something different for me. I loved the humor of Art and the quiet bond Alex and she had from the start. Many laugh out loud moments from her, for sure. A big no thanks to Oren and his bs, but SO MUCH vegan food shade! Won't even touch a soup without meat? Huh? Ever heard of tomato soup? Ever heard of potato leek soup? C'mon. And the spice levels between Nate and Alex felt a bit sudden to be really believable, I felt. There were some journeying moments that made the book feel longer than it needed to be as well. But on the whole, Art was the star of this novel.

I stayed up until 1am on a work night to finish this in one sitting and cry. Seriously, TJ Klune can make me cry over anyone at this point.

This is a little bit Firestarter, a little bit ET, a lot bit action movie directed by Michael Bay, and 100% OMG I CAN'T STOP FEELING! Alllllll the feels. We've got a mysterious kid and her protector on the run meeting a grieving and lost man. Which gives us major found family, so much love, and lots of "everyone's heart grew 3 sizes." There's a romance too of course, with some spice!

The writing is, as always, so great. There was an entire page at one point I wanted to highlight and save. While the reveals and twists weren't incredibly surprising, I was still on the edge of my seat, sometimes with tears, as we experienced them. I'm also not kidding when I say this was like a Michael Bay action movie!

Anyway, loved it, highly recommend it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the preview. All opinions are my own.

It's been a very long time since I have read a T.J. Klune book so when I got this ARC I was pleasantly surprised and excited to start reading it. This is much different than The House in the Cerulean Sea which I also loved. As someone who usually goes into kinda blind and skips on the synopsis I instantly thought, wow Artemis Darth Vader really reminds me of Eleven from Stranger Things.. come to find out yeah that's the point. This was more Sci Fi than I was expecting with a touch of romance, heavy on the found family and I loved it.

Definitely check this one out on 4 February if you enjoyed his other books and willing to try something new of his, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Also going to make some bacon because Artemis Darth Vader really hyped it up.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for giving me access to this book before the February 2025 release date. Such a unique, memorable, and captivating story about the connections we make with the people (and potential other beings) we share ourselves with and what we're willing to risk for those we care about most. I felt drawn in from the beginning and became more and more invested in the story as I learned more about each character. T.J. Klune is a favorite of mine and has such talent with weaving relationships and complex personalities through his characters, their experiences, and their interactions with one another. This book is joining my list of 5-star Klune books! I will be thinking about Artemis, Alex, and Nate for a long time to come after finishing this book!

TJ Klune has an almost magical ability to write a book that from its summary does not sound like something I would like, but it ends up being so charming that I can't help but fall in love with it.

I have read several of T J Klune's novels and appreciate his writing style. This book is sci-fi, mystery, romance, and thriller. I love the character of Artemis Darth Vader, an extraordinary young girl who may not be as she appears. Alex is her bodyguard who has helped her escape and is trying to get her back home. They are hiding out in Nate's cabin. Nate and Alex come together to help Art. It was a very interesting novel.
Thanks, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The bones beneath the skin. This book is a saga of strangers staying in a house., with no trust and understanding

I loved this SO MUCH! I literally could not put it down once I started. You’ll fall in love with Nate, Alex and Artemis, I promise.

This sci-fi novel dissects found family and what it means to be human. From what I remember, Nate’s coming out to his parents happened all too often (and still does, sadly) in the nineties.

I’d highly, highly recommend this for older teens (one spicy scene) and up. It’s so wonderful.

I tried , I tried so hard to love this one because I loved the other Klune book I had previously read. Unfortunately I felt this was one was very slow moving and just couldn’t get into the story.

When Nate arrives at his parents' cabin in the woods, he's not expecting to find a bear of a man and his 10-year-old sidekick. Why are they here? What do they want from him? It quickly becomes apparent that things are not what they seem. What will Nate do to keep Art safe? Great for fans of gentle domestic suspense.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the ARC of this novel. "The Bones Beneath My Skin" is not like T.J. Klune's other books - and yet it is. It's definitely darker and much more violent than his other books that I've read. Anyone expecting another Cerulean Sea might want to drop those expectations. At the same time, the story is beautiful, loving, romantic, and empathetic with amazing characters and a fantastic storyline. So in that way, it is Klunesque.

When Washington journalist, Nate, gets fired from his job and wants to escape the world for a bit, he heads to the isolated cabin left to him by his parents. Upon arrival, he finds his the cabin already occupied by a huge, burly former Marine and a chatty little girl who calls him her protector. As the trio begrudgingly gets to know one another (and all the many meats you can get from a pig), their individual stories unfold and they find themselves bonded together. While trying to evade the bad guys, they create a little family with a singular goal - help the little girl get home. Ah, but where is home? That is the interesting part.

The love story between Nate and Alex is at times funny, heartwarming and delicious. The "adventures" they take with Art, the little girl, are scary, dangerous, more violent than I anticipated, suspenseful but ultimately rewarding.

T.J. Klune’s The Bones Beneath My Skin is a heartfelt and captivating fantasy that masterfully blends magic, mystery, and deep emotional storytelling. Set in a richly imagined world, the novel follows a protagonist forced to confront their past, uncovering buried secrets and grappling with their identity along the way.

Klune’s writing shines with its balance of humor and tenderness, making the emotional moments all the more impactful. The characters are complex and beautifully developed, and their relationships—both romantic and platonic—are grounded in vulnerability and trust. The story is filled with twists, magic, and an underlying sense of wonder that keeps readers hooked.

With themes of self-acceptance, love, and the power of found family, The Bones Beneath My Skin is a must-read for fans of character-driven fantasy. Klune’s ability to create both laughter and heartache ensures this novel will stay with you long after you finish it.

I just finished The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune. I received a free eArc from NetGalley.

Nathaniel Cartwright just wants to dissappear for a little while. He lost his job, his family, and with not many options left he drops everything to go to the cabin in the Oregon mountains that his mother left for him. He wants peace and quiet, and to figure out what comes next for him. What he doesn't want is to find two people already in his cabin; an intimidating man named Alex, and a mysterious girl named Artemis. But there they are. And they're about to change the entire trajectory of Nate's life, and maybe humanity.

I've read a few other TJ Klune novels, and this one both feels like him and doesn't. First and foremost are the characters, Klune loves giving us beautifully broken characters, and Nate (and Alex) are no different. Artemis is also a breath of glorious fresh air throughout the entire novel. She's funny and forward and boy oh boy does she love bacon. This book is really about humanity and found family. What it means to be human and to love and grieve and persevere. There's some fun action, light conspiracy theories, a cult, and a love story. This was a fun read!

“Things have changed. He’ll need someone like you. No. You know what? Not someone like you. Just . . . you.”

Can you believe this is my first book I’ve read of T.J. Klune?! And now I need to read all of his books. I could not put this one down.
Genre blending that’s sci-fi with romance, suspense, LGBTQ+ rep, and found family.
A weird and beautiful story that would have me laughing at one point and the next wanting to cry. I went into this blind and I’m so glad I did.

The Bones Beneath Our Skin follows Nate Cartwright in 1995 after he loses everything: his job, his parents, and his older brother who wants nothing to do with him. With nothing keeping him in Washington, DC, he heads up to his family’s summer cabin in Oregon. But when he gets there, he finds a man named Alex and a little girl named Artemis Darth Vader who is more than she appears. Nate soon finds himself enraptured in the two and must decide if he wants to drown in his past or allow himself a vast future as threat looms on the horizon.

I am sucker for on the run stories and this was no different. I adored this story and had so much fun with it. It felt very reminiscent of how I felt reading the House in the Cerulean Sea although I still prefer that one more. But this was such a sweet story with great action and had me hooked from the start. I loved the pace of the novel and loved the alien aspect—give me anything with on the run and aliens and I am a happy reader. There were such beautiful quotes about humanity sprinkled throughout the story. It’s a truly lovely novel with such love and family yet thrilling action.

Nate was a great main character and I loved his arc. It was so nice reading about him struggling with his anger and grief and then finding such love with Alex and Art. There were so many funny moments as well between all three—the humour is quite good in this one. Alex was so sweet with Art. Their relationship is truly adorable and so heartwarming. Art herself is awesome—she reminded me a bit of Lucy from Cerulean Sea and I adored that. She was so fierce and funny and cared so much. And she had the best quotes for such beautiful, wise moments, and laugh out loud amusing ones. The whole trio is so great to read about.

If you loved House in the Cerulean Sea or love a good alien, on the run from the government story like me, I’d definitely recommend checking this out!

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I couldn’t even begin to tell you how much I loved The Bones Beneath my Skin by TJ Klune.

The relationship dynamics between Art/Alex, Nate/Art, Alex/Nate - just completely had me swooning. I enjoyed that it was not primarily romance based, but had a grander story behind the main characters.

I had little to no idea what to expect when I received this book. Fans of Stranger Things will definitely want to pick up a copy; dare I say I enjoyed Artemis’s character more than Eleven?

This was my first TJ Klune and I have already picked up a couple more of his works to deep dive into. I have been made aware that The Bones Beneath My Skin is unlike most of Klune’s books, but I am a fan of his prose, so I am still excited.

Full star rating for The Bones Beneath My Skin, will definitely be recommending it to anyone who will listen.

Thank you to Tor Publishing, NetGalley, and TJ Klune for a copy of The Bones Beneath My Skin to provide a fair, unbiased review. The expected (re)publishing date is February 4th, 2025 and I highly recommend picking up a copy.

This is a fun and exciting journey of letting go of the past, self discovery and finding family. Nate had lost his job, his estranged parents had just died in a horrific way and his only brother had disowned him. He just wanted to go to his families’ empty cabin high in the mountains to feel sorry for himself and reflect. Unfortunately, the cabin was not empty. A gun wielding, burly man and a very strange girl had broken in and was staying there. Nate is thrown into a situation he was not expending. This book is delightfully funny, heartbreaking at times and an exciting adventure. A true story of found family and just how strong it can be. This is a great read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an ARC of TJ Klune's novel 'The Bones Beneath My Skin' in exchange for my review.

I requested an ARC of'The Bones Beneath My Skin' because I am already a huge fan of TJ Klune's writing. He is the only author who can make me laugh out loud and sob my eyes out for one chapter to the next. The characters in this novel are humorous, they are complex, and they are so beautifully human. Even the character(s) that aren't human. The dialogue in this novel is so refreshingly natural. There is nothing forced or awkward in character exchanges. Artemis in particular has a particularly unique way of speaking which is so realistic and spontaneous that you don't know what to expect.

Another 5/5 for TJ Klune. If you are already a fan you will not be disappointed.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

TJ Klien’s writing style will always be my favorite. While this book is so far from his “norm,” it is still quirky, easy to read, serious yet funny, and it keeps the reader’s attention. And as stated in the author’s note…. It’s “weird!”

I found this book to feel divided into 3 parts- part one was in the cabin, part two was at the farm, and part three was the epilogue. I had little interest for part two and felt it to be forced and quick in comparison to the first part of the book. While the premise of the book can be overly simplified to the journey of two men and an alien, it’s the storyline woven within that had me hooked. Art was hilarious, curious, and so relatable. Some of the concepts were a little “out there” - but not necessarily in a bad way.

I will always love Klune’s authors notes and this one didn’t disappoint! I’m a forever Klune fangirl!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.