A wonderful yet melancholy sci-fi tale of what it means to be human and all kinds of love. My second TJ Klune read, it doesn’t beat Under the Whispering Door, but it still captured my heart.

You’ll be taken in by the characters, all of them intricately portrayed, and Nurse Ratched being my absolute favourite!

I’m not a big sci-fi reader but I was immersed in this book and was rooting for Vic’s happiness throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

When I saw that this was a Pinocchio retelling, I wasn’t quite sure it would be for me. But having read Klune’s other work, I knew I would be in for a treat. And I was right! Much like Klune’s other work, In the Lives of Puppets really tugs at the heartstrings.

I don’t have much else to say other than this book is for you if you enjoy the found family trope, great character growth, and emotional storytelling.

TJ Klune has an incredible talent with characters and this story showcases that. This novel captured me right from the beginning and didn't let me go until the final words.
Though it is a light-hearted story, it really delves deep into what it means to be human, despite the majority of the characters being robots.
The world building is really intricate and atmospheric and Klune really makes you feel like you are traveling along with the characters. Klune is quickly becoming a must-buy for me!

The author never fails to deliver wonderful, empathetic characters wrapped up in heart-warming, humorous prose whilst at the same time delivering an important message.
On this occasion, the storyline is a riff on Pinocchio with robots and it is a work of beauty.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley

I'd heard great things about TJ Klune prior to requesting In the Lives of Puppets so I was overjoyed to be accepted.
Despite having a slight phobia of robots and AI, I put my fears aside and started reading... until a 100 pages in! Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me, it isn't bad it's just not my genre.

I think I'm probably more of a realist and dystopian worlds lose me quite quickly.

I DNF'd! Rated at average feedback for fairness.

This is a lovely twist on the Pinocchio story, turning it on its head in a sci-fi setting. It is very recognisable as Klune, with again some humor that I find works less and less for me. Somehow it feels more forced than natural. I enjoyed the adventure and the journey, and the considerations of what exactly makes us human. There is some queer rep, as expected, though for there being ace representation there were also an overwhelming amount of sex jokes and innuendo. I’m all for some spicy banter, but it would come from our robot companions, super-clinical and weird. Then there was Heaven as well. I didn’t find it funny (as it seems to be intended) and just uncomfortable, and felt very out of tone with the rest of the story and relationships.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. TJ Klune is one of my favourite authors, and this book didn't disappoint. Amazing

What a beautiful different story that really got me hooked from the first chapter. This author has a way of writing and it's beautiful and lyrical. Can't wait for more from this author.

Another gorgeous story from TJ Klune! I couldn't put this one down, it was so magical and gripping. Would definitely recommend!

Another great book from Klune. I loved Under the Whisper Door and House in the Cerreluen Sea and In The Lives of Puppets is different enough to experience the unexpected but still has the comfort and whimsy of the first two books!

I really enjoyed this and would recommend it!

This is definitely not my kind of read. It was out of my comfort zone but in spite of it all I liked it so much. I wanted to stop reading but couldn't. I kept coming to it, drawn like bees to honey

My thanks to NetGalley and Tor publishing for the opportunity to review this novel.
Although I love the author and his writing style I really struggled with this book and it sent me into a reading slump.
I just proves that science fiction even with a dash of fantasy is not for me.
This is a personal opinion and I'm sure many will love it.

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and TJ Klune for the advanced copy of In the Lives of Puppets via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

This was my first TJ Klune book, and it certainly will not be my last. I adored this book!
Having never been a big fan of the original Pinocchio story (not sure why, it just never really interested me), the story woven by Klune in this book made my enjoyment two-fold: a great tale AND a version of Pinocchio I actually could get into!

I thoroughly enjoyed the way new bits and pieces of information and revelations were dropped into the story as you moved along. Rather than a grand reveal at the end (although it does build up to a climax, don’t worry), you get nuggets of gold occasionally dropped on you out of nowhere which enrich the narrative, nudge the direction it was going in, or sometimes, completely blow it apart. Brilliant storywriting.

The fact that this was written as a fully queer story was the icing on the cake. But it’s not just your standard gay or sapphic love story. It’s more, it’s deeper, it’s queerer.

Highly recommend this – it’s high up on my list of 2023 favourites.

Moods: adventurous, challenging, dark, emotional, hopeful, sad, tense
Tropes: fairy tale retelling, grumpy/sunshine, LGBTQ+, peril, redemption/dark past
Pace: medium-fast
Character development: strong
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: high
Spice: 1.5/5
Trigger warnings: Blood/Gore, Confinement, Death, Death of a parent, Genocide, Guns/weapons, Kidnapping, Mental Illness, Murder, PTSD, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, War

Rating 5/5

Amazon Summary
In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees live three robots – fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled ‘HAP’, he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio – a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: can he accept love with strings attached?

My Review
I wasnt sure what to expect with this book but i love The House by the Cerulean Sea so much i thought i would give this a go. This is a sci fi take on a Pinnochio retelling and it didnt disapoint. TJ Klune's Imajination is amazing and the worldbuilding is so creative. The novel is a beautiful story of Love family and humanity, i fell in love with the characture and would recomend this to anyone who is a TJ Klune fan

I always love T J Klune's books, so I was interested in this one, even though the premise didn't make it sound like my sort of book.

It didn't hook me like all his other books, it was entertaining, but that was about it. I'm still glad I read it though!

This was very different to TJ Klune’s other novels though it still has the cosy, fantasy feel.

It is very much a Pinocchio retelling but a focus on AI and humanity. It is full of guilt, grief, loneliness, as well as love of course.

‘The truth was often broken, shards of glass embedded into skin. There they would remain until the wounds scarred over, leaving lumps that, while they never truly go away, would become less noticeable with time.’

The ending was beautiful and very fitting to the story.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I LOVED the characters in this and I adored how it started! The innuendos had me laughing so loud I was getting looks. Unfortunately the dynamic didn't change as much as I'd have liked it to and I started to just nod at each innuendo that came after, it felt a little forced.

I enjoyed the premise and I liked how the plot played out, but the characters progression wasn't where they are for every other Klune book I've read. I felt they needed that extra somethin' somethin' and for the hearts they may have had (or not had) they deserved the building ontop of the solid foundation that was layed down at the start of the book.

Although a bit bit of slow burner, it is well worth sticking with this book. Beautifully written and truly a masterpiece.

An interesting read given the current ongoing debate around the proliferation of AI in our everyday lives and the threat that it may have on the future of the human race. In this retelling of the Pinocchio story we find a world where this has already happened. However, some have survived as we find Vic living in the forest with his “father” Gio and a couple of robots cobbled together from scrap. Vic loves roaming the nearby scrap heaps looking for old tech he can find to repair. Little does he know what catastrophe and adventures await when he stumbles across HAP a damaged android.
I’ve not read any of TJ Klune’s other novels but I did enjoy this one.

For me, this lacked some of the TJ Klune sparkle I found in his other work, but otherwise a beautiful retelling of Pinocchio and Klune’s take on humanity and forgiveness makes it a captivating read. Unfortunately none of the characters I really fell in love with, to be honest, I did enjoy the thought out ending though.