Incredible narrator on the audiobook, for another T.J. klune heartwarming, high stakes and an emotional LGBT story.

I 1000% recommend the audiobook for this book, the narrator does a terrific job of voicing a cast of characters and perfectly embodies a unique personality and tone.

We follow a trio of characters, each character is well crafted with unique backgrounds, personality and motives.
Nate finds himself inheriting a cabin and a truck, with his truck he takes an adventure to some time in his newly acquired cabin, and whilst at this cabin some strange people find themselves entering Nate’s life- changing everything he ever knew.

The plot is well crafted with a story filled with heart pounding stakes, mysteries and a slow burn romance.

Reading about the relationships between these character grow from stranger to family is a heartwarming experience to read.

I think going into this book blind is best but what I can compare it to is the plot has sci-fi elements that are reminiscent of earlier stranger things.

Some parts in the middle/ earlier beginning started to feel a little slow but picked up again shortly.

4.5 ⭐

I really enjoyed this book but you can definitely tell this is Klune's earlier work. There is some repetitive language within the story which can be a tiny bit annoying "Nate didn't know what to say to/do with that" - that being said the story still has the usual heartwarming magicality to it 🥰

The first section does start a little slower but once you settle in the story just washes over you like a warm glow.

Artemis Darth Vader is my favourite of all of Klune's characters I think I've read so far. She reminds me a little of my youngest Raffael 🥰

There are some profound thoughts/statements as with all of Klune's writings and things that make you reassess your own thinking on matters, which I think is the sign of a great book!

This is a beautiful story of found family and one that has found a place in my heart ❤️

The narrator was great - I find a narrator makes or breaks a book for me and so is always really important. This narrator was great in differentiating characters enough for me without being too over the top.

I'd recommend this book to a "Stranger Things" fan. The tone and setup of the story have a lot in common. The novel covers themes such as found family, healing from loss, and the importance of human connection. It takes a lot until the story reaches that "discovery phase" aka the actual plot of the book (around 30-35%).

It was a very beautiful book. We return to the reflections on what it means to be human, love and family, but now from a perspective that is more science fiction than fantasy.
I really enjoyed the setting of the book, the reflections on feelings and of course, as always, the trope of the found family that this author's books always bring us. Heartwarming and sweet.
I really enjoyed the narrator too!

Nathaniel Cartwright has his truck and his cabin. His parents are dead, his brother wants nothing to do with him and he’s left his career in disgrace. Heading to the cabin, he plans to take some time to recover, reflect and plan his next steps. But when he gets there, there is a stranger man, and an even stranger girl…….

To say much more about this book would be to give things away.

This is quite a slow burn, or so I found. It took a little while to hook me. Once things started moving a little more, I became more invested in the story and characters.

I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated really well. The dialogue was generally good but I found the repetition of “Nate didn’t know what to say to that”, “Nate didn’t know what to do with that” a little jarring, though this may have been more evident in the audio than it would have been on the page.

This was my second book by the author and whilst I enjoyed it, I didn’t find it as charming as the previous read. I was quite moved by the end of though, as we’d really been through a journey with the characters by the end.

I really loved this book. As always with TJ Klune it was the characters that really drew me into this book and I loved the dynamic between the 3 leads and how it developed throughout. As they grew to love each other more I was loving their relationships more and more. I found myself laughing and crying at various points as Art was navigating her way through the world. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

I also really enjoyed listening to the audiobook for this. Big fan of the narrator.

This novel is a blend of heart-breaking and heart-warming unique to TJ Klunes books. It’s an action-filled thriller that is engaging and hard to put down. It will make you laugh and cry, possibly at the same time.

If you’re a fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea, there’s a chance you will love this novel as well. It’s more action-packed but has a remarkable child and found family trope at its centre. Artemis Darth Vader, or Art, looks at the world from a unique perspective, and many of her observations are hilarious or frank but also refreshing. The plot explores themes of love, friendship, and what it means to be human.

I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys found family trope.

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan UK Audio | Tor and TJ Klune for the audio Arc of The Bones Beneath My Skin .
Narrated by Kirt Graves.

I love TJ Klune's books and I enjoy his writing style. He has a way of being poetic about life, love and the connections that we need for us to thrive in life. The Bones Beneath My Skin, has this and more. Our MC's Nate, Alex and Artemis felt real, flawed. At the beginning, they are closed books, but by the end, they are wide open. I loved the dynamics between them all, their personal journeys as well as the adventure they have been thrown into. Its has everything and its guaranteed to be an emotional ride.

5 stars

I initially started this as an audiobook, but I had to switch to an ebook at around 20%. This was mainly because I felt like I couldn’t connect with the narrator’s voices and the 45 minute chapters felt more like a chore to complete, even listening to them on 2x speed. I started to like it more after the 40% mark, but I feel like the beginning section could’ve been a bit shorter. My favourite part was in the middle where the action scenes felt like something from a movie. The ending seemed quite cliché and too easy for me. I also didn’t feel like I had that much connection to Alex and Art throughout the story so I was a bit surprised that I got a bit emotional near the end of the book

Overall, I think this book is 3.5 stars for me. As much as I enjoyed the middle part between 50% and 85%, I don’t think it’s enough to balance out how I struggled through the first 50%. That being said, this was the first book I have read by T.J. Klune and I’m looking forward to reading more by him in the future.

Thank you so much to the author, Netgalley and Macmillan audio for providing me with an audio arc. My review is left voluntarily and all thoughts expressed are my own.

T J Klune is one of my favorite authors. This book will not be one of my favorites of his, yet that doesnt mean that it was bad. the book has this "wierd" Klune charme that i appreciate and Kirt Graves does a marvellous job in bringing the characters and the story to live.

I adored this book, I knew I would as I love TJ Klune. Like all the other books by this author it 100% had my heart.

This novel is a blend of heart-breaking and heart-warming unique to TJ Klunes books. It’s an action-filled thriller that is engaging and hard to put down. It will make you laugh and cry, possibly at the same time.

If you’re a fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea, there’s a chance you will love this novel as well. It’s more action-packed but has a remarkable child and found family trope at its centre. Artemis Darth Vader, or Art, looks at the world from a unique perspective, and many of her observations are hilarious or frank but also refreshing. The plot explores themes of love, friendship, and what it means to be human.

I absolutely loved it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys found family trope.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

The Bones Beneath My Skin
TJ Klune

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

So, I'm definitely quite a way behind everyone else in the TJ Klune obsession - I've only read a couple of books so far - but I have most definitely jumped on board and totally fallen in love!

This book, once again, had me lost for words.
I was hooked from the very first few pages and literally could not put this down until I knew what on earth was going on.
And even when things became clearer - I was so far gone, I just couldn't stop myself.

It's quite rare that I completely fall in love with characters but somehow, Klune writes with such finesse that I become invested pretty instantly.
Nate was an instant connection. His backstory and reason for heading to the cabin, just gave me all the feels.
Despite the initial mystery surrounding Alex and Art, again, there was just something there that had me and the more the story developed the more invested I became.

I loved the dynamics that kept flipping between Alex and Art in the beginning and then slowly seeing the connections between them.
As Nate becomes more integrated, watching the relationships bond and grow was just everything!

There was so much going on through this book and I loved every second - what an emotional rollercoaster it was.
The writing sucks you in and holds you there - I literally felt everything - good and bad - and I cried tears of sadness and joy - sometimes simultaneously!!
Not many authors can do that to me!

The storyline and flow was perfection and the writing just so beautiful - I wanted to read it all over again the second I'd finished the last page!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm not a huge fantasy reader and never tend to gravitate towards it - but this author....a definite auto-buy for me from now on!

Absolutely loved this beyond words and can't wait to dive into the next one.....



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

A wonderfully unique and quirky tale of found family, set in a small mountain town, which delivers some of the heartfelt emotional pull, which TJ Klune so skillfully masters.

Nate Cartwright, a loner, no real contact with any family he has left and recently fired from his job encounters a man called Alex and a rather extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader.

The choices and decisions Nate makes next, change their lives completely.

The narration of this book was superb and I really enjoyed this beautifully written story of human behaviour, love, hope and family with a sci-fi edge.

Although I didn't think it quite had the emotional depth of some of his previous work, this was an absolute delight and I would most definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the audiobook arc.

This was my first taste of Klune, and it was solid. I don’t really have a whole lot to say about it: I thought the whole alien situation was interesting, the story was poignant and the found-family feels were touching. There was some stuff I didn’t get along with so much but I still enjoyed myself.

I received a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley in return for an honest review. The narrator Kirt Graves did a good job keeping up with the action.

If you like Stranger things, you’ll love this! After the death if his estranged parents and a work, love scandal Nate make his was to his newly inherited cabin. He wants to be alone. When he gets there he find Alex and Art hiding in his cabin and soon switches from their hostage to their accomplice. He finds the family he has longed for but not is as it seems and Nate makes the descent that love trumps the unexplained. Enjoyable story, I wouldn’t necessarily say it was an original idea but fun and sweet to read. The audio was good, easy to listen to. I did find the narrators attempt at a Childs voice a little irritating but not enough to stop me listening.

A 10 year old girl with Impossible powers and her protector who will do whatever it takes to get her home.
Nate grieving this loss of his parents goes to their cabin to get his life together but when he gets there he finds he has unwelcome guests that are about to turn his whole world upside down.
This book !! 😍 TJ Klune does it again another amazing heartbreaking and heartwarming story with such loveable characters. I will always read anything TJ Klune writes. I can't recommend his books enough or give reviews that do justice to how brilliant his writing is.
I listened to this on audio and as always with TJ Klune books the audio was amazing 😍
Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan, Macmillan Audio and T J Klune for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had the pleasure of receiving an arc of The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune and I am so happy that I did as I think I have just read my favourite book of 2025. Thank you to publishing and NetGalley for this amazing read.

“There is nothing more human than a broken heart”
Nate returns to his old family cabin after losing everything, his hope was to find purpose or to wallow alone in his empty cabin. Only his Cabin wasn’t empty, inside is a a gruff Man named Alex and a far from ordinary 10 year old who goes by the name Artemis Darth Vader. Nate will soon realise there is more to life than he thought and life and the people in it are worth fighting for.

I will be thinking about Nate, Alex and Artemis Darth Vader for a very long time. This book has the best found family and a story that had me gripped from the first page. And like every T.J Klune book i have gotten around to reading I cried, I laughed and loved every minute of it.

Thank you to Pan MacMillan and black crow pr for giving me an early arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An action-packed supernatural road trip featuring an extraordinary young girl and her two unlikely
protectors on the run; a gripping, heartfelt story that explores what it means to be human

Another amazing heartfelt story from the amazing TJ Klune. I’m a huge fan of their books and they have been an auto buy author for me for years!

The found family in this was so lovely to read and it was amazing to see our characters grow closer together throughout the story. The romance as always was amazingly done and the love I feel towards these characters is second to none! TJ Klune just has a way with making me fall in love with his male characters and their romances 🥰

I will never understand how TJ Klunes brain works but I LOVE the stories he creates and how imaginative his stories are. They are so easy to read and easy to get lost in. I was so hooked from beginning to end, I just couldn’t put it down!

If you loved house in the cerulean sea you’ll definitely love this heartwarming story, with the same vibes such as found family, LGBTQ+ relationships and as always magically children.

Also thank you NetGalley for allowing me to have the audiobook early! The narrator Kirt Graves was amazing and tells the story so well and really brings the characters alive and made my reading experience!

Thank you again black crow pr and pan macmillian for this opportunity

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune and narrated by: Kirt Graves was one audiobook that will stick with me for a long time, it just took my breath away. The way this author writes is so magical and such a powerful book especially as I had to reach for my tissues. Just beautiful from start to finish.

Set in the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright, has lost everything, he is a man weighed down by grief and loss. With the death of his parents, and his older brother wants nothing to do with him and now he has been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. Nate's life is at a standstill with nothing to loose he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction.
When he reaches the cabin it should be empty. It's not. Inside is a man called Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears.

Nate must make a big choice:

does he let himself drown in the memories of his past,
or
Does he fight for a future he never thought possible. Because this girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.

What ever make decisions he will make, will alter his life forever.

WoW, this book was ExCeLlEnT. . . . . . .

The narrator Kirt Graves was superb.

I highly recommend this audiobook/book. It was so magical.