Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - In the Lives of Puppets

This book was one of my most anticipated releases last year, because there is something about the way T.J. Klune writes his stories that makes it SO easy to fall in love with both the characters and the writing. I admit that I was a bit worried that some people didn't seem to enjoy In The Lives Of Puppets as much as some of his previous releases... But thankfully I didn't end up being one of them. I knew that I was going to end up giving this story a high rating almost as soon as I started reading it. There is just something about the writing style that just works for me, and the author always does such a fantastic job creating the most wonderful, flawed and quirky characters... The cast in In The Lives Of Puppets is no different, and I loved spending more time with them. Rambo and Nurse Ratched are absolutely hilarious with their banter! It's true that there isn't really much happening in especially the first half, and I was expecting to have more worldbuilding with this strange world the story is set in. This is without a doubt a character-driven story, but somehow I didn't really mind the slightly weaker plot and lack of details. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that I was completely charmed by both the writing and characters, and I was more than happy to just soak everything up and treasure every moment spent in their company. I could have done without the sexual innuendos and references, but as a whole I liked what the connection between Vic and Hap added to the plot. This story is pretty obviously a retelling of both Pinoccio and other classics, and I personally enjoyed spotting the different references. All in all, while In The Lives Of Puppets isn't my absolute favorite T.J. Klune book, I still had a fantastic time reading this story. These characters will stay with me for a long time!

Content Warnings

dearhaleynicole's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

After reading "In the Lives of Puppets." I'm convinced TJ Klune is one of my all-time favorite authors. I will read anything this man writes, at this point. I have SOBBED my eyes out at the now three books I've read by him (The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, and now this one). The House in the Cerulean Sea is actually my favorite book I've read to date, but I'm just such a fan of the way TJ writes his characters. They feel so real and flawed and broken and beautiful all at once. And somehow the characters work to lift each other up in such caring ways that feel so raw and genuine I think it takes me off guard most of the time. He'll sneak up with something profound and stunning like...

"What if I wish for impossible things?" "Then you're doing it right. It always seems impossible when you first start.", or

"I’ve never been more human." "Why?" Dad asked. "Because I breathe, but I can’t catch my breath."

...that just stops you in your tracks and you're like wow. Yeah. I just had a lot of moments reading this book and feeling that. The tone for In the Lives of Puppets is definitely a darker one but still finds pockets or joy and humor in the uncertainty.

I loved the observations on life, emotions and relationships TJ chose to depict amongst this odd, sweet found family group. Very heartwarming moments to read about self-discovery and purpose from not only the perspective of a human in a android society, but androids learning to feel human emotions. Such a strangely weird but amazing concept! I was surprised that this one got me so emotional. Thought this one wouldn't get me in my feels quite as much as the other books I've read from his back stock, but boy was I wrong.

Note: I listened to the audio book for the first two parts of the book and then finished off reading Part 3 from my physical copy of the book and I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook if you are able to snag a copy of it1 It was a phenomenal listen! I only switched over to my physical copy because my Libby loan ran out and I already owned the book because I'm a huge TJ Klune fan already.

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jqmnew's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

themookintosh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This story and the world it is set in is incredibly immersive. TJ Klune does a fabulous job of weaving words to craft complex characters you'll fall in love with.

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Please Note: TJ Klune’s “The House in the Cerulean Sea” novel greatly affected my reading of “In the Lives of Puppets.” THitCS uses the residential school system in Canada, as well as the Sixties Scoop (a genocidal event where Indigenous children were ripped from their homes and sent to white families and/or residential schools in an effort to destroy Indigenous families and culture), as a base for a light-hearted fantasy story. While I understand that inspiration can come from a number of points, this simplification is dangerous and ignorant of the ongoing generational trauma caused to Indigenous peoples. He has mentioned that this is where he got his inspiration, and to make that connection explicit and known, compares the books to the events, thus connecting the book’s theme of “children needing love” to these disgusting and traumatic real-life events.

Writing: 4.25⭐️/5

Klune is a good writer. While many parts of this book seemed to oversimplify and overexplain certain obvious plot points, the overall writing and pacing of the story was extremely well-done. I enjoyed reading it.

Characters: 5⭐️/5

The characters are extremely cool. Listen, I wanted to not like the book, but the characters were incredibly well-written. I loved Nurse Ratched. I loved Rambo. And I really did love Victor and his unique perspective on the world. Personally, I really enjoyed that he seemed to be Autistic-coded, without making direct reference to him being a person with autism. I also really did enjoy the love interest, Hap, and his slow way of discovering his personality and humanity.

Note: After some digging about Klune’s desire to make Victor’s autism named and more significant to the theme, I really think that the sensitivity reader who pushed back against that version did a good favour.

Plot: 5⭐️/5

Oh, I really did love the plot. The Pinocchio-inspired story really worked well, and I enjoyed the references to the story without it seeming too heavy-handed, or at least not too heavy-handed for my tastes. I also adore a good slow start to a story, where it all builds to a great and final unspiralling of all the events we built up. Really well-paced and earned.

World 4.75⭐️/5

The world is cool. There’s a believability about how the robots remove humans to save the world. I loved the world the robots created, and their attempts to mimic humanity more perfectly – but they naturally misunderstand it a bit. The world felt clear and vibrant, though I would have loved a bit more clarity around the city.

Who Should Read This Book?

As someone who does not intend to read Klune again, I will not be recommending it to anyone.

Content Warnings?

Murder, death of parent, death, grief, violence, gun violence, gore, blood, injury, injury detail,

Post-Reading Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

I did really enjoy the book. I also really liked the ending.

Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

Content Warnings

caidyn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

God this was so good and cute. Omg it was just great. I kept finding myself laughing because the characters in this were so much fun. It's very different than some of his other books, but I loved this latest one.

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