TJ Klune never disappoints! I can't believe this book didn't do well when it was first published because this is a masterpiece. It was funny, mysterious, action packed, tender, and ripped your heart out in true TJ Klune style! This is my second favourite book of his. #1 is Under the Whispering door

The first book I read from TJ Klune was "The House in the Cerulean Sea," and I loved it. Now I read every book Klune releases, and none have disappointed me. "The Bones Beneath My Skin" is now in my top 3 favorites from Klune. Nate has just been fired from his newspaper job and decides to return to the cabin his recently deceased parents left to him. He expects to have some peace and quiet up in the mountains, but instead finds a man and a mysterious little girl holed up in his cabin.

This book is more action-packed and less "cozy" than some of the other adult books Klune has written, and I enjoyed it immensely. He also always weaves the theme of grief into his stories in a complex way that always gets me right in the heart.

While I have enjoyed previous books by Klune, this book was just not for me. I do not care for the sentence structure with so many simple sentenced I found it distracting and that it took away from the story. Please take my opinions as just that, my opinion and while I think others will really enjoy this story it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Tor for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. TJ Klune, always the autobuy author. I really enjoy how TJ Klune toys with the mystical, the brushes he has with reality and the... whackiness of his characters, I suppose. They always stand for something more abstract, and you feel like you're the smartest person to figure it out, almost. I felt similarly with The Bones Beneath My Skin. I liked the usual grief themes that are always underlying his work, and of course the found family elements, but I'm not sure if I am a fan of Nate and this overall story with the cabin, Artemis, and Alex. It just didn't connect with me the way I hoped it would.

This book was a pleasure. It was unexpected in a lot of ways and a beautiful blend of a few different genres. I prefer to go into books fairly blind, so having only read The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, this was somewhat of a surprise (a good one).

I couldn't help but fall in love with and root for these characters. I enjoyed watching the relationships grow as they learned to trust one another against all odds. At no point did I feel like I could guess what was going to happen next, which made this book that much more enjoyable.
I had accurate theories about Artemis from the beginning, but everything else was a wild ride. The story flowed very well, blending the various genres perfectly.

I love found family in books, so I was happy to see that trope in a new, to-me way. I would certainly recommend this to my friends—I can honestly say this is like nothing I have read recently, and I love that.

TJ Klune pulled me out of my usual “no thanks” stance on sci-fi/fantasy yet again—but this time with a thriller twist. The setup hooked me right away: a grieving journalist, an enigmatic drifter, and a ten-year-old girl who can rewrite reality. It’s as if Stranger Things packed its bags for rural Oregon and brought all the found-family feels along for the ride.

That said, the pacing felt more marathon than sprint. I stalled out more than once before the story finally clicked, and when it did, I rocketed through the last third in a single sitting. Klune’s trademark warmth and quirky humor shine, especially in the makeshift family dynamic, but for me it never quite hit the emotional peak of The House in the Cerulean Sea or Under the Whispering Door.

Bottom line: worth the read if you like your heartwarming tales served with a side of government conspiracy and reality-bending danger—even if, like me, you don’t usually shelve sci-fi. It’s a solid four-star adventure and an easy recommend, just not my personal Klune favorite.

To be honest, this author has been a hit or miss with me. This one was not bad. I actually enjoyed it and will check out other books as well

Three people who have nothing find something with each other in full-on TJ-Klune-extra-feels style. This is the first TJ Klune I've read with aliens, but as always his books are more about the relationships between the characters without the constraints of reality. So good.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I love a TJ Klune book and its inevitable theme of found family, but this wasn't my favorite. Some of the scenes were a little TOO much like Stranger Things (one of the book's comps) and felt almost like a copy-paste. I did love the characters (especially Artemis Darth Vader), but I'm sensing a theme with Klune's age-gap love interests (at least these ones were both legal at the time they met!).

Again, this was certainly still a fun book that I enjoyed reading, but by far not my favorite of this author's works.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I like TJ Klune. He has a great way of showing flawed characters going through pain and grief and hard stuff.

But this one just didn’t land for me. Artemis was cute at points but mostly annoying.

Nate and Alex were okay, but meh. I don’t know. I never really felt their relationship even though I’m supposed to believe they fell for each other.

I think my main critique is that this took so long to set up, almost 40 percent in the cabin until they started running and I was waiting for some action. And the action never really took off.

For characters supposed to be on the run from government and cults, the characters seemed to have really easy breaks and I was bored.

TJ Klune shines when he’s writing about a whole cast characters living in a setting together, but the on the run travel book didn’t work for me in his style unfortunately.

3.75 ⭐️ rounded up

First of all, this book does have the characteristic charm and found family I have come to expect from T.J. Klune. That being said, the source of the quirky whimsy…Art… drove me up a wall at some times with the absurd levels of her precociousness. It felt forced and jarring at times. That being said, the relationship between Nate and Alex is really what had me turning the page. Watching that develop was a joy. Also…there was one spicy scene that had me quite…intrigued 😜would recommend this book to anyone interested in a fun, action-packed Sci-Fi story that features a Male-Male romance and found family and just buckle up for Art.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a copy to review on NetGalley.

I’ve read all of Klune’s newer books, and absolutely loved them. This wasn’t exactly what I was looking for in a book but I thought I would give it a shot anyway.

This book follows Nathaniel Cartwright, after he’s been disowned by his family for being gay, lost his journalism job for an affair with a senator, and found out both of his parents are dead. Hoping for some quiet and time to figure out what he’s going to do with his life, he heads to his family’s cabin in small-town Oregon … only to find it occupied by a handsome man with a gun and a little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader.

What follows is a twisty, weird, emotional book about humanity, found family, love, and the lengths to which people will go to to protect those they care about. Yes, it’s about intelligent life from outer space, but also deals with loss and grief, love and family, and what it means to be human. There were several parts of the book where I felt like Klune was telling more than showing - flashbacks, ‘mind reading’, etc - but overall I enjoyed the book. It’s not my favorite by him, but one that I think is interesting and novel.

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune is the story of Nate, trying to recover from his life and Alex and a girl called Artemis Darth Vader. When Alex and Art end up at his cabin, Nate is thrown into a whirlwind of emotions and conflicts and has to decide whether to save himself and Alex and Art or let them be destroyed by the people looking for them. This is a wonderful book with lots of action, love and hope.

TJ Kline is always a win and this held up! The world building was top notch and the story moved at a comfortable pace.

TJ Klune does not disappoint. I am not usually a thriller fan, but this one sucked me in. I did not expect anything that happened in this book, but I loved every minute. This has found family, slow burn romance, supernatural elements, whats not to love.

Silly me to think that I would get out of a TJ Klune book unscathed.

I don’t know how to even begin trying to explain the premise of this book. I almost recommend going in knowing as little as possible so that you’re learning things at the same pace as Nate, the main character.

I’ll say this: I was so tense during this book. We’re talking flop sweating and pulse racing. It is suspenseful and a real thriller.

And yet, through all of that, TJ Klune still writes the most beautiful and emotional sob-worthy stories about love, acceptance, community, and hope.

Always, always, so much hope.

This book is like if *Stranger Things* went on a road trip with a queer twist and a whole lot of heart. Set in 1995, it follows Nate, a washed-up journalist seeking solace at his family's cabin, only to find it occupied by Alex, a mysterious man, and Artemis Darth Vader, a ten-year-old girl with extraordinary abilities. What unfolds is a genre-blending adventure filled with government conspiracies, cults, and the formation of an unexpected found family.

Klune masterfully balances thrilling action with deep emotional resonance. The dynamics between Nate, Alex, and Artemis are both heartwarming and complex, showcasing the author's talent for creating relatable characters in extraordinary situations. While the plot has its intense moments, it's the quieter scenes—the shared glances, the unspoken understandings—that truly shine.

This book was written for you if:
- You're into stories that mix sci-fi elements with heartfelt character development.
- You appreciate narratives centered around found families and personal redemption.
- You're looking for a queer-positive story that doesn't shy away from action and suspense.

Adequately charming, if a little bit repetitive. TJ Klune tends to stay in the same thematic zones with all his books which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just something that can get kind of monotonous. But if you like that found family, cozy vibe then this is a great pick.

I can’t even remember if I finished this book. It is very reminiscent of Stranger Things, which I like but I already know that story. Just a meh for me.