The Bones Beneath My Skin Paperback – September 27, 2018

I love this book SO much. The Bones Beneath My Skin is such a lovely story that is filled with the unexpected and SO MUCH HEART. This book does work as a standalone, but there are some nice Easter eggs for fans of the author's books early on in this story. And when I say "nice," I mean both completely heart-wrenching as it pertains to one book in particular, and very interesting when it comes to others. I guess TJ Klune's contemporaries all exist in the same universe, so I really like spotting the Easter eggs. I didn't know who the main character was as a person, but you can bet by page two I was already crying because an unexpected character shows up in the story. This book takes place in 1995, in Roseland, Oregon. Quite frankly, I don't really know much about the early 90s since I was still a baby, but it seems like a very weird time in history where anything could happen. In the case of this book, Nate Cartwright was feeling a little burned out from his DC job and when he found out his dad passed away and left him two things, a truck and their family cabin in Oregon, he packed his bags and made the drive west.When he discovers people living in his cabin, he doesn't really know what to do. He wanted to go to the cabin as a place to rest and reflect in solitude as to what he wants to do with his life, and finding a man and a little girl in the cabin is literally the last thing he could ever have expected to happen.And this man and the little girl will forever change his life.This book starts off a little slow as the story unfolds. Because what seems quite ordinary and mundane slowly starts to unravel and reveal itself in unexpected ways. Who is this man called Alex and why does the little girl call herself Artemis Darth Vader? I wouldn't really say I was shocked by the reveal, because it kind of reminds me of another book (which I won't mention here because it would be a huge spoiler and I don't think the author would appreciate me comparing his book to this one another book even though it is kind of similar in this one way lol). But, everything before and after is so fresh and exciting, that the book kept me on my toes trying to figure out what the end-game was.This book is surprisingly action-packed, but also has a way of hitting you right in the feels out of NOWHERE. I think Nate's relationship with his brother is so heart-breaking to me, but like many of TJ's books, he's more about found family than the one you're born into and that's evident here.I don't even know how to tell you guys how much I LOVE Art. The author has a way of writing the loveliest children characters, and even if you don't really like children, I feel like you will always wind up loving the kids in his books. Tyson in the Bear, Otter, and the Kid series is one of my favorite child characters, and Art is definitely RIGHT there in terms of my love for her. Also, I very much love her love for bacon. It's hilarious and wonderful. Especially when there's this one scene with Nate, who is absolutely bewildered that there are two people in his cabin and that he should be throwing them out, winds up making a full breakfast for them because that's just the kind of person he is.And speaking of lovely people in this book, not only are Nate and Art totally precious characters who I want to wrap up in blankets, but Alex is the BEST. He's so selfless and gives everything to looking after Art and I'm just UGH WHY ARE YOU SO PERFECT? I love him a lot, you guys. This is a darling ragtag group who gets caught up in something they never would have expected and I love them so, so much.This book is an absolute page-turner that makes it very hard to put down, because you just HAVE to figure out what's going to happen next. This book is intense, with some much needed moments of levity sprinkled in throughout. This book is a romance, and it does end in a HEA. The journey there just might not be what you might normally expect in the genre, but it's a classic TJ Klune book with angst and heart and so much love. <3***Thanks to the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review***

The Bones Beneath My Skin had the potential to go awry at several points, but instead TJ Klune always kept the narrative steady: in its message, pacing, and obvious love of the characters.“This is stupid. Like, this is the stupidest thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t even begin to express how stupid this all is. You have to realize that, right? How ridiculous this sounds?”“You’ll get past it,” Alex said. “I was where you are at one point. I thought the exact same things you’re thinking right now. Even more, probably.”There's some humor (it's hard to imagine a TJ Klune book without some humor), some action, and two men hardened by grief working towards a greater goal. But mostly...there's love here. The love of found family, and a love that grows between two people brought together through the most awesome of circumstances. The romance is quiet, and only a handful of moments, but it makes sense in a way that trying to make it bigger would have been a mistake that TJ Klune handily avoids.Yeah. He understood heartbreak, all right. It was all dust and stars.As for Artemis Darth Vader...a little girl who is far more than she seems, who is being hunted by those who would use or attempt to destroy her, she was a pleasure to read.It’s almost impossible to understand. None of us could get that. Not until they felt a heart beating in a chest like I have. Not until I felt the bones beneath my skin. 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 think we’d forgotten that. And I don’t know if you ever knew that to begin with. How can you be alone when we’re all the same?”Told in Nathaniel Cartwright's single, third person POV, The Bones Beneath My Skin is science fiction with twists of action, a thread of romance, and a compelling plot.You have the power for such destruction within you. And such joy. It’s a dichotomy that shouldn’t exist, and yet here it is. Within you. Within all of you.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. Each cheek. The tip of his nose. “I’m glad we found you. I’m glad he has you. Remember that when you look up at the stars.”I can hardly wait for this to be released on audio! Recommended.

TJ Klune is one of those rare writers who will write for any genre, and yet makes each story feel like that's the genre he excels in. Regardless of the story or genre, you always are surprised when you realized you got a little (and sometimes a lot) more than you expected. The Bones Beneath My Skin is no exception. It centers on three engaging characters who manage to make a family when they least expected.Nate's life is in a shambles. After making some very bad choices, his job is gone and his life is in shambles and with no purpose. He heads up to Oregon where he inherited a cabin and finds it occupied with two people: an odd young girl named Artemis Darth Vader and a man named Alex who is contemplating killing him in order to protect the girl. From there, the story unfold. We learn the nature of the girl, why Alex will risk all to protect her, and how both will give Nate more purpose for his life than he ever believed possible.The writing is smooth, engaging, and prosaic. The story unfolds at its own pace and is not rushed. Though there are scenes of suspense and action, the focus is more on discovery and character growth. It's told in third-person perspective focused on Nate. We only learn things as Nate learns them. As with other TJ Klune books, the reader does deduce the reality before the main character. But even when the reader realizes certain truths before Nate does, it raises new questions and maintains a level of mystery.The story is thoughtful, engaging, mesmerizing, funny, dramatic, and thoroughly charming. These are people you want to know and love.