Thank you for the ARC.

I liked this book. True TJ style of friendship and love being the theme. I liked the character giving Stranger Things vibes. Made for a fun new take. Overall a sweet, funny read.

Another absolute favourite read by TJ Klune. This make me gross ugly cry, and close the book smiling by the end. There is lots of tension to keep readers on the hook while also being comedic, in classic Klune fashion.

Thank you, Tor! This was such a fantastic read—one I was just discussing with my favorite local bookseller earlier this week, as we’re both big fans of TJ Klune.

Klune has a remarkable way of restoring my faith in humanity, crafting stories that invite readers to explore empathy, compassion, love, and relationships in creative and compelling ways. His books always feel like a journey, with engaging, nuanced plots and unforgettable characters. I was completely won over by Artemis and loved witnessing Nate’s self-growth throughout the story. The way everything came together beautifully captured what it truly means to be family.

This didn’t touch me quite the way that IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS or UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR did, and felt a little drawn out at times, but overall this still delivers on all of the found family vibes we’ve come to expect from Klune with a hint of sci-fi.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! TJ hits it out of the park again, and I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to read this early (although my review is quite late). Artemis Darth Vader has my heart forever, and the themes of found family are always a heartwarming hit for me.

This book is intense and makes you feel all the emotions. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. The journey of the characters is realistic and emotional, and kept me captivated from start to finish.

I went into this hoping to absolutely love it, especially considering how much I enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea, but I reaaaally didn't get on with the style of this one. Right from the start I knew the storytelling technique would not be up my alley, and the supernatural elements are not for me either.

"We didn't come to hurt you. We didn't come to save you. Only you can do that. We came to be your friend. To make you understand that, in the end, you are never alone."

Every time I read a new TJ Klune book I think that it cannot possibly become my new favorite, but yet again Klune has defied the odds and The Bones Beneath My Skin is a new favorite book.

Following a trio of heart-rending characters, this story is not like Klune's more recent works of House in the Cerulean Sea. This book feels much more like the Wolfsong books and for that I am so happy. There is heart here, as you can see in the quote above from Art, but there is also car chases and houses blowing up and cults. This is an action movie book and I loved every minute of it.

Art is the best character I have read in a while and Nate and Alex are the romance couple that every good action movie needs.

I don't feel like it needs to be said at this point, but in case you are out of the loop, read whatever TJ Klune publishes, you won't be disappointed.

BOOK: The Bones Beneath My Skin
AUTHOR: TJ Klune
PUB DATE: February 4, 2025, by Tor Books
PAGES: 416
RATING: 5 STARS
GENRE: Romantasy Fiction , LQBTQIA,+, & a lil’ Sci-Fi

I can’t begin to thank @netgalley & @TorBooks for an advanced copy of TJ Klune’s new book! Over the Moon AND Stars!

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: The Bones Beneath My Skin was my 4thh book by talented author, and I was over the moon (and stars) to have been given an advanced copy! This book is unlike any other book I’ve ever read. It’s part sci-fi and part romance. It’s action-packed and I found myself easily sucked in from the very beginning! I did not want to put this book down once I started. I loved the found family trope and was immediately drawn to the 3 main characters in this story. This is a thought-provoking, emotional story that delves into the true, humanistic thoughts & decisions that come to play when you’re up against the entire world & unforeseen forces. I’m so excited to hear how everyone enjoys this one when it comes out this week!

Oh my gosh. I was not expecting this book. The beginning was a little slow, but once it got moving, it zoomed along. Art was adorably written, and I found myself giggling so much throughout the book. The love bond between Nate and Alex, their tragic pasts fading as they learn to love another again. I was quite shocked about the sexual scene. I was hoping to have this in my high school library but can't because of that. I will however, have this in my personal library. I think the way both characters grow to learn and trust another, the idea of them being predestined, and the concept of choosing your home, was absolutely beautiful. I loved it.

This was such a fun read! Think of an action movie with heart, but in book format and I think you hit close to what this book is stylistically.

The story follows Nate, whose life is in shambles after losing his parents tragically and his job for scandalous reasons. With no one and nothing, he retreats to his parent’s cabin in the remote woods only to find his life is about to get crazy. There’s a man and a girl, Alex and Art, squatting there and they are about to change Nate’s life completely.

I love all three of our main characters and getting to know them each was a real treat. Klune has crafted such completely unique characters out of each of them and watching as they sort out a future together in their weird forced family situation is captivating. Add to this that Alex and Art are hiding some major secrets and are on the run and you’ve got all the action you need to keep you glued to the pages. Klune somehow manages to balance all of this action with genuine heartfelt moments that serve to further endear our characters to the read.

If you’re looking for something unique, fun, and action-filled that comes with a side of you getting teary eyed, this is the book for you!

TJ Klune does not disappoint. I fell in love with these characters just like I expected. Klune does a great job taking me on a journey and it is one I never regret. (4.5 stars)

🎧 The Bones Beneath My Skin 🎧⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Genre: Fantasy. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Length: 416 pages. ⁣
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⁣What a unique book! The Bones Beneath My Skin is a fantasy, sci-fi romance with thriller vibes! As always, TJ Klune’s storytelling is *chef’s kiss* and I was sucked into his beautiful writing! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Read this if you enjoy:⁣
⁣- Quirky characters. ⁣
⁣- Found family. ⁣
⁣- Slow burn romance. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣I did think this one worked better for me in audio. I think it would have been a little too weird for a physical read! Four stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Skin Beneath My Bones. It’s out now!

I love TJ Klune books I've read. However I went into this book blind. I did not read blurb. The story had me hooked. But it was more sci-fi /outer space story line than I typically read.

This was a bit different than what i expected from this author. It was incredibly violent and graphic which i did not like at all. This turned me off from what could have been a heartwarming and bittersweet science fiction story. This felt like reading a Stranger Things type story, with a sprinkle of romance, but the spark between the main romantic characters wasn’t believable and didn’t have me rooting for them. The grumpy-sunshine connection was overshadowed by the violence and the main storyline

What genre does The Bones Beneath My Skin fit into? All of them, basically. T.J. Klune’s latest blends elements of the sci-fi, action, thriller, and queer romance genres (and probably a few more), which swirl together to create a compelling story about love, hope, acceptance, and humanity. (And an alien princess on the run from shady government agencies. That, too.) It also falls under the ‘Books That Will Likely Make You Sob in Public’ umbrella, which seems to be the author’s specialty. (I still haven’t properly recovered from reading The House in the Cerulean Sea tbh.)

As Klune explains in his author’s note, The Bones Beneath My Skin was initially deemed too “weird” for his previous publisher when he submitted it way back when, leading him to go the self-publishing route before re-releasing it now, in 2025, with his current publisher. And thank god for that, because this book is an action-packed knockout — thrilling and devastating, in equal measure. I’m grateful it’s out here in the world in any form.

The story kicks off in the spring of 1995, as former political journalist Nate Cartwright packs up his life in Washington DC following a humiliating incident that gets him fired, and heads to his family’s remote summer cabin in a tiny mountain town in Oregon. At this point, he’s got nothing to lose — his career is in shambles; his estranged, homophobic parents recently died; and his older brother, Ricky, essentially refuses to speak to him. He might as well hole up in the vacant cabin, which his parents left him in their will. It’s the one place he thinks he’ll find a sense of solace.

Alas, as soon as he arrives, he’s held at gunpoint by Alex, a gruff, growly Marine, and the extraordinary little girl, Artemis Darth Vader (yes, yes, the name, I know), he’s vowed to protect. They’re on the run and need a place to hide out. Not the homecoming Nate was expecting, to say the least. But, despite being pissed (and scared) (and maybe a little turned on, if he’s being honest — that giant, chiseled military man who’s crash-landed in his life is very giant and chiseled, OK?) he agrees to let them stay. Their futures quickly become intertwined in ways Nate never could have anticipated, especially since dangerous government agents seem to be willing to kill anyone in their path to get their hands on the girl.

I was actually highly, highly skeptical if this was going to be a book I’d enjoy, all because of one character: Artemis Darth Vader, the little 10-year-old girl who also happens to be a telekinetic alien on-the-run. (It’s a lot.) I was loving the first few bits of the book, fully invested, and then bam — precocious child character. And not just a precocious child character, but one named Artemis Darth Vader, who speaks almost entirely (at least for the first few chapters) as if she’s a old-timey western movie star. To quote one of the greatest poets of our time, “Immediately no.”

Exacerbating that issue was a little quirk in Klune’s writing style. He’s always been a master of description and setting a scene (things I love about his writing, for the record!) but the level of detail in this book is distracting. Nate doesn’t simply make a cup of coffee — he reaches his arm up to the cabinet and opens the cabinet door with his hand and grabs the bag of beans out of the cabinet and closes the cabinet door and places the bag on the counter and unrolls the top of the bag with his fingers and scoops out beans to put in the coffee maker and . . . you get the picture?

That style certainly has a place, and I’m definitely not saying I hated it. I really like Nate! I like this book a whole lot. But the highly-detailed narration of his every thought and action, combined with his more general neurotic tendencies, got just a liiiittle bit grating from time to time. I frequently had to keep my eyes from wandering to the next paragraph, wishing Klune would forfeit describing the minutia of a scene in order to move things along at a quicker pace.

Fortunately, once I settled into the story (and Artemis ditched her ‘yee-haw’ persona) those two nit-picky complaints fell away. Artemis grew on me, and the elements of Klune’s writing that I adore started to come through more. His books feel so worn-in and warm and comfortable, if that makes sense. Almost as if someone you love is reading them to you at bedtime. Just lovely, you know? Despite all of the exploding helicopters and top secret military experimental facilities and nefarious men with blonde ponytails (all of which make for fun thrills in an Escape to Witch Mountain kind of way), the real story in this novel — the love between its characters — is a quiet one.

Nate and Alex’s slow burn romance was the high-point for me (that dancing scene, like?!?!? 😭💖), followed closely by the bond that grows between Nate, Alex, and Art as a family unit. I wasn’t crazy about the ending, to be totally honest, but even so I was still rooting for them the way I would my own real-life friends. Maybe that’s because the foundations of Klune’s stories are built so strongly around hope and tenderness. His characters always seem to be on a journey to discover what it really means to be human, whether they’re little girls who happen to be aliens from far-flung corners of the galaxy, or little boys who happen to be the Antichrist. Klune reaches down into the beating, red heart of humanity and holds it out for you on the page.

And last, but not least: thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"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 loved this book!! This was a weird, charming, and heart pounding story about family, love, and what it means to be human... oh, and bacon (iykyk)

I didn't know what to expect, but the mashup of genres in this book created something so special! I would call this a sci-fi thriller with a slow burn romance (spice included)

Nate has lost everything so he retreats to his family's old cabin. When he gets there, though, the cabin is not empty. He finds Alex and a 10-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. It soon becomes clear to Nate that he'll have to make a choice because Artemis is special. And there are forces who will stop at nothing to get to her.

If you've read Klune's work before, you'll have an idea of what to expect. Found family, LGBTQ+ rep, a message of tolerance, quirky but totally lovable characters, and the power to make me cry!

The Bones Beneath My Skin was a wild, nail-biting, suspenseful thrill ride with sweet, sometimes heart-wrenching, often hilarious moments sprinkled in! I can not recommend this book enough!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. As I read this, I didn’t realize it was an earlier book being republished, so the different feeling makes sense now. The story is interesting and the questions of what makes someone human and what happens when the “other” isn’t the one to fear but the fear of each other.? I struggle with why the need for the explicit scenes. They don’t add anything to the story and are more likely to put off readers than draw them in to what is a fascinating storyline. Klune’s later Cerulean Sea series balances the intimacy better without the details - perhaps as Klune matured as an author. Worth the read but be prepared for a very different framing of “other” than his later novels. Artemis does still tug at your heartstrings every bit as much as the children on Marsyas.

TJ Klune, best known for the cult-hit “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” has veered away from his usual fantasy and romantic romps featuring LGBTQ+ characters to deliver a story with soul, humor and a pinch of cosmic chaos.

In “The Bones Beneath My Skin” (Tor Books, $29.99), when down-on-his-luck journalist Nate stumbles upon a gruff protector, a quirky little girl named Artemis Darth Vader, and a whole lot of government secrets, his quiet cabin retreat turns into an intergalactic road trip. Packed with found-family feels, laugh-out-loud banter, and just enough danger to keep the tension nice and taut, this book is a wild ride that is as thrilling as it is deeply moving. Warning: Side effects may include emotional attachment and an uncontrollable urge to hug this book.

Gah. This book was GOOOOD.

As usual, Klune writes the most beautiful non-toxic male relationships.
As usual, Klune writes the wittiest dialogue.
As usual, Klune writes the most engaging, non-preachy social commentary.
As usual, Klune makes CATCH EVERY FEELING.

My only complaint is Chapter 16.

I hesitate even to mention it because of the ridiculous #sickofsmut (not to mention all the anti #rainbowmafia) bullshit going around, right now.

My complaint isn't the scene itself, but with the fact I can't share this fantastic book with a wider audience.

So, I've come up with what I believe is the perfect business idea.

My Gen X, Xennial, and older Millennials will remember watching G versions of all our favourite movies, cut for cable. What if, just like this, or like how we can choose between Pink's versions of "You're F**king Perfect", we could purchase abbreviated versions of our favourite books, that we could then pass on with impunity?

Dragons? Sharks? Bueller? Anyone?