A solid book. It did not captivate me as strongly as his other works did, but the characters were enjoyable. It did take awhile for me to get into, but once I did I finished the rest of it quickly. The relationship between Artemis and Alex was written very well, and the story shone through these parts. His writing was solid as well. A weird (positively weird!) story about three people trying desperately to survive in a world that is not always kind to them.

I just could not get into this one. I didn't connect with the characters, so I didn't really care what happened to them. The sci-fi aspect didn't appear until a ways into the book, which was confusing.

I am not sure this was packaged as an advance copy when it was a reprint from 2018, so not the best fit to be an ARC.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Another great book by TJ “Weirdo” Klune as he calls himself, lol. Aliens, helicopter chases, cults, syndicated conspiracy theories… what more could you ask for?

Great plot and loved the characters. I wish the chapters were shorter but a great sci-fi book all around.

I will read ANYTHING that TJ Klune writes. Literally ANYTHING. This one, is by far one of my short listed favorites. I enjoyed the Stranger Things vibes and all of the characters are a treat! The plot didn't lag or go too fast and it held my attention, especially the last 100 pages or so. I definitely recommend!

Another great book by T.J. Klune! This was a combination adventure/science fiction novel that brought together some fun characters. The characters were well developed with quirky personalities that make them fun to read about. I absolutely loved Artemis Darth Vader and the way she reacted to everything thrown her way.

This was a story about hope, love, and what it means to be human. Thank you to #NetGalley and @TorPublishing for an eARC of #TheBonesBeneathMySkin by T.J. Klune in exchange for honest feedback. -4 stars

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of ‘The Bones Beneath My Skin’ in exchange for an honest review!

Mr. Klune is one of my absolute favorite authors. I haven’t read anything I didn’t love and BBMS is no different!

It’s 1995 and Nate has lost his journalism job and his estranged parents recently died and left him an old truck and a cabin in the woods of Oregon. He decides to pack up what little is left of his life and make the trip to the cabin to clear his head. But when he arrives he has unexpected “guests”: a very grumpy man named Alex and the odd and extraordinary little girl he protects, Artemis Darth Vader or, “Art”. Nate must decide if he’s going to help Art, who is obviously very special or just drown in his memories of the past.

Alright so here comes some incoherent gushing:

I love that this is set in 1995, something about it just feels nostalgic. It also helps move the plot in a way that doesn’t make things “too easy”. There’s a road trip and action. So much action! Saw BBMS, described as “an action movie in book form” , definitely agree with that conclusion. The romance between Alex and Nate is very quiet and very lovely. When Art is added in they form this beautiful family dynamic. I’d say this was a grumpy/sunshine dynamic but really Alex is grumpy and Nate is slightly less grumpy but also very cynical. Art brings the sunshine.

TJ’s writing makes me feel things. The combo of his vivid characters and overall writing style is just…. It just does it for me. It’s poetic without it being too flowery. And he’s funny, like, laugh out loud funny. But I’d say this one made me laugh the least.

It was very obvious what was up with Art even before anything was explained, I didn’t have an issue with that, I just enjoyed the character interactions. The jump from secluded cabin, to on the run, to a weird commune in the heart of Amish Pennsylvania was sort of odd. Not enough to affect my enjoyment or rating. But it really did kind of mirror an action movie. We were far away from where we started.

My biggest criticism has to be the resolution. Part of me didn’t want the easy happily ever after we ended up getting with Art. I won’t say much because, spoilers. I did sob my eyes out and making my partner concerned for my well-being, so that’s a sign of a good book in my opinion!

In the end I absolutely loved “The Bones Beneath My Skin.” TJ Kline’s “The House on the Cerulean Sea” is one of my favorite books ever, I struggled to get into the first few chapters. I wanted a similar atmospheric vibe, and this book began very differently. After the introduction of the character of Art, I was all in. Truly wonderful book about what’s important in life.

This novel sounded much better than Klune's other work, but I'm sad to admit it was just as mediocre as his other stories. There was nothing wrong with the plot or the prose; I'm simply not the target audience.

TJ Klune is a master of making you absolutely love the characters in a story. I love how this book deals with challenging topics in ways that are safe or even comforting. It feels like reading under a warm blanket.

Another beautiful story from TJ Klune that looks deep into the soul and asks the question, "what does it mean to be human?". This is a wonderfully written story that makes you instantly fall in love with all of the characters, especially Artemis Darth Vader, a precious little girl who may not be what she seems.

Nate's life has fallen apart. His parents have died a horrible death, he's not talking to his brother, and he just got fired from his dream job. All he has left is an old beat up pickup and a small cabin in the woods, both left to him by his parents. In an effort to find a new direction in life, he sets off for the cabin, hoping the quiet will help him make some decisions about what to do next. What he finds there changes his life forever.

This starts off really strong, with a good setting and an introduction to a character readers can root for. When things start going sideways once again for our MC, he makes some decisions even he is questioning, but that discovery of two strangers squatting in his cabin leads him into some uncharted territory.

This is full sci-fi, a little romance, and a lot of found family. The story was great, though it did feel like it got off track a little about 2/3 of the way through. The introduction of those additional characters didn't mesh well with the flow of the story and felt a little bumpy in the reading, but eventually that picks back up and gets back on track by the end.

Overall, a decent sci-fi first contact book.

I am a TJ Klune stan, and am on a mission to read his entire backlog (especially with THINCS sequel coming next month). His stories are always full of the most lovable characters, wrapped into a fantasy world. The way that he tells stories is just truly magical. I loved this story, just as I always do, and recommend this author so much if you are a fantasy person!

After losing his job, Nate heads to his family’s cabin he’s inherited in remote Oregon to figure out what to do next. He arrives to find a man and a young girl, Alex and Artemis, squatting there. As they get to know each other, Nate realizes that this chance meeting will dramatically change what he believes in and alter the course of his life. For science fiction and romance fans.

This story by TJ Kline reminds us that so much of this life is about giving ourselves the space to see beyond what we think we know. It’s a story about what it takes to find your way and the importance of protecting who and what we love.

It took me over a month to get to 37% of this book. I kept telling myself if I just got through the beginning, I'd be okay. I ended up having to DNF because it was somehow painfully slow yet also anxiety inducing.

I didn't even realize this book was published a few years ago and I am so mad I haven't read it until now. What a fantastic ride. The characters were relatable and Artemis Darth Vader was a breath of fresh air. The idea of building the family you want/need is one of my favorite concepts. Thank you so much for allowing me to read this amazing book.

I'm going to be honest, I found the summary for The Bones Beneath My Skin to be a little underwhelming. I'm not huge into sci-fi, although I don't hate it, but I've really liked every book I've read of TJ Klune's and so I was more than willing to give it a chance. And turns out, I loved it, of course. TJ Klune doesn't miss.

Klune's author note at the end talks about how he submitted this book to the publisher at the time and they weren't very happy with it, feeling it was different than his normal output, which, two things: I didn't even know this book was somewhat older and self published. I thought it was just his next book and didn't question it at all. The second thing is that, I actually don't think it's super far from what he normally writes? I feel like a lot of Klune's works deal with love, multiple and different types of love, and this book is no different. Is Bones definitely different than other stuff he's put out? Yes, but I also think it is distinctly TJ Klune.

Now onto more specifics. I loved the main characters. I'm usually not a fand of kid characters, but Art makes sense and is actually a lot of fun. I loved seeing Alex thaw slowly and I loved Nate's journey as a character. They are all fleshed out and the relationships between each of them are sweet interesting and sweet. I really liked the plot and I felt like the pacing was well done. This type of story could have easily been a slog with bad pacing, but I felt like there was a good balance between action and downtime.

I definitely recommend this book and I'm counting down the days until Somewhere Beyond the Sea releases. I'll happily read whatever TJ Klune puts out at this point.

Another great T.J. Klune story.
Actually, my second favorite one now.

(Thank you, Netgalley, for the digital copy for review.)

I love that this veered off his now well-honed path and style. (Its variation was needed for this reader!)
The difference allowed him to lean deep into a powerfully character driven story. To capture all the subtleties, nuance, and clarity of their movements and emotional evolutions.

I really enjoyed this storyline too, but centering Klune's characters made all the difference.

#SecondOnlyToWhisperingDoor
:)