I am grateful to the publisher, NetGalley and TJ Klune for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very disappointed by this book. Klune has written the best book in the English language with House in the Cerulean Sea and then this plodding, obvious and depressing book. The hook between the two men screams that the two will be together right from the beginning, Subtlety, be damned. Mei, Hugo and Hugo's grandfather spend they entire book waxing philosophical on life and death, which after awhile is just tedious. I hate it when characters just sit around telling us the story. Show me instead. It's far more interesting.

Possible Triggers:
Death, but more specifically murder and suicide - and the trauma that comes with both.

Characters:
This story follows one point of view (Wallace Price) for the entirety of the book.

Nelson: Gotta say this was my absolute favorite character in the book. While most of the time he was used as kind of an instigator or initiator for comic relief, I really preferred when he was being vulnerable. Something about his reason for staying really resonated with me. T.J Klune is amazing at writing about the many different kinds of love, and Nelson’s towards his grandson was just so ridiculously beautiful to me.

Positives:
+ Yet again T.J. Klune writes another beautiful love story. This author has the most amazing talent of writing slowly unfolding love. I especially appreciate that the love is mature - there is something so stinking adorable about realizing that no matter what age you are (or where you are in life/not life), you still get those stupid feelings you gotta deal with when you are smitten. I’d also like to mention that once again he does an amazing job of encompassing the various types of love; found family, platonic, friendship, even self-love.
+ I love how much tea is discussed in the book. Now I have a whole list of tea that I have never tried that I want to drink. Yay for opening up new tasty doors!
+ This book discusses death, grief, and acceptance in such a creative and heart-warming way.

Negatives:
- The humor in the book fell flat for me most of the time. I felt that this story had a much more serious tone, so the level of ridiculousness that was sprang to lighten specific moments was jarring.

Final Thoughts:
I was not ready for this book. I have to admit that I was expecting something along the lines of what “The House in the Cerulean Sea” was; soft, fluffy, cuddly, heart-wrenching, and lots of crying while laughing. I enjoyed this story, but it didn't bring the same type of feelings at all (not that you should expect it to, it is ENTIRELY a different story - don’t be dumb like me). Do not let the cover, font, or light hearted description on the back fool you - this story is NOT what you think it is. This story was a hot cup of tea gripped between your hands when you are having a hard time with something. It was the comfort that comes with knowing that even though you DON’T know what comes next, there is always hope. It's a beautiful story that unravels grief and also what ‘a good life’ means to you individually. I absolutely cried while reading this story, and i'm sure you will too. I think that my enjoyment of the book was a little coloured by my expectations of what i thought it was going to be, so when you plan to read it, know that it’s not a light fluffy read - this book has sadness, it has confusion, it has grief, but it also has so much hope.

This book has left me with such mixed emotions. T J Klune is an autobuy author for me and I had every expectation of loving this book when I read the blurb. And…. i loved some but I also disliked some of it.
We are introduced to Wallace who is a big shot lawyer at a top firm but is also a complete asshole. We get a glimpse of what he is like when he’s alive and then we are shown the after life once Wallace is dead and he is being taken to the way station between this world and the next where you get a chance to get used to the idea of being dead before you move on. We are introduced to Mei the repaer who leads Wallace to the tea shop which acts as the way station, Hugo the tea shop owner who is also the ferryman who guides soul to the other side and Hugo’s dog Apollo and grandfather Nelson who are both ghosts who haven’t yet moved on.
The characters, the premise and the setting were all quirky and unique and had the typical Klune touch which makes them flawed but endearing except for Wallace. I knew he was the protagonist and that we were supposed to come to love him but I just didn’t. Atleast not for the first half.
I was expecting a character arc that shows Wallace’s change from this asshole character to someone who burrows into the bottom of your heart. Or atleast someone I can root for. But that didn’t happen. One second we are shown his bad side and then we are just told that he’s changed. We are seeing his change, or he’s changing but there’s no progession to this and that just left me confused. I wanted to love this character, I was prepared to love this character but I was not given any reason for it except that the other characters somehow do.
The chemistry between Hugo and Wallace was also lacklustre. I just didn’t understand why Hugo would fall for Wallace. And Hugo as a character was also a bit difficult to love because there was just a bit too much preaching going on there that I wasn’t a big fan of. The messages were all wonderful and great but it didn’t add anything to the story or the characters.
Nothing much happens in the first half after Wallace reaches the tea shop and the pace drags on and on. But I did love Mei and Apollo and Nelson and there was just enough humor mixed in to keep me going just a little bit more. And that did finally pay off after the 50% mark.
Things start picking up towards the middle and the second half becomes the book I expected from T J Klune. I ended up sobbing my heart out and forever in love with most of the characters in the book. Wallace does redeem himself towards the end and I got more invested in the romance as well. The second half explores grief and death in the beautiful way I was hoping for from the start and will definitely pull on all your heartstrings. The ending was predictable but it still left me in a puddle of tears.
So objectively this book deserves 3.5 stars but since the second half was sooo good and left me in tears that I can’t help but add half a star to round it up to 4 stars.
If you are a T J Klune fan, I would recommend that you give this a try because the second half is worth it but if you are new to T J Klune then I would recommend his previous works more than this one.

Are you up for a heartwarming read about death, grief, and a quirky group of ghosts housed in an equally quirky teashop?
If yes, then this book is exactly what you need. And maybe you'll need a cup of Oolong tea to go along with it. You know Oolong is a transitional tea, between green and black, and I think it matches perfectly the story of this book.

Meet your protagonist, Wallace Price.
Wallace Price is/was an a$$hole.
"Wallace Price had been accused of many things in his life, but being selfless was not one of them. He gave little thought to those around him, unless they stood in his way. And God help them if they did."

But now Wallace is dead, and as he transitions towards the great unknown, he has a few lessons to learn.
Well, more than a few really.
Now Wallace joins other ghosts who are still not ready to make the transition in an odd teashop run by the charismatic and empathetic to a fault Hugo Freeman. As Wallace watches the daily activities and struggles of his fellow ghosts and Hugo's "duties", acrimonious Wallace is profoundly changed.

The story settles in inside you just like a hot cup of tea on a difficult day. The book plays out in your mind exactly like a movie. Even better, a Pixar movie (cause I'm fond of those, and of course the adorable cover helps me imagine it as such). Themes of grief, death, anxiety and loneliness turn into contentment, life, joy, and friendship. The most important thing about the book was the realization that this moment is never the end although it could be. Oxymoronic, I know. But you'll get my meaning if you read the book. I really hope you do.

"It's never enough, is it? Time. We always think we have so much of it, but when it really counts, we don't have enough at all. "

Extremely grateful to Tor Books and NetGalley for my eGalley.

I am struggling to put everything my heart is feeling into words. I wish I could just send you what I'm feeling instead. TJ Klune writes like no one else. I can feel his emotions and the emotions of his characters as if they were my own. Wallace goes on such a journey of grief, heartbreak, and discovery. He took me with him as he found his hope. My heart broke with his, as well as Hugo, Nelson, and Mei's and was also healed as he healed. He was a different man at the end of this book through gradual change, but it was deeply profound. He found people to truly love, who love him in return. It changes him in ways only love can. I felt cracks in my heart heal as I learned from Hugo. And the 2 of them! My heart! Their relationship is gentle, peaceful, and so full of heart. I am tearing up thinking about it! This book is... I can't find the words honestly, but I hope you travel to the house of the Whispering Door and see how it could heal you too!

Alright.

Okay.

TJ Klune has FLOWN to the top of authors I will blindly buy..... IN TWO BOOKS THIS IS WHAT I HAVE COME TO TERMS WITH.

Listen, if you're going to pick up a book on a whim, make it one of his. If you're going to specifically seek out purchasing a book... make it one of his too. He has this beautiful storytelling ability that I just can't get over.

Wallace is our main character and, to be quite frank, he is quite unlikeable - but that's the point. Wallace is that 9-5 businessman who clearly lives and breathes working and can't remember the last time he smiled. Life is too short to live this way and he is about to find out how true that statement is when he is floating over his dead body, wondering what he's doing there. Mei, our Reaper, sets out to bring him back to Hugo, who is the ferryman meant to help spirits adjust to being dead and eventually crossover. Wallace, surprise surprise, has no interest in being dead and wants to be put back so he can go back to work. He lives a half-life. Patient as ever, Hugo walks him through what he is feeling and what this means for him and thus the story unfolds.

Wallace's character growth is something to be noted. He really comes full circle in the end and it's a rewarding journey to experience as the reader. He's so miserable and grey when we meet him and the longer he is supposedly fading from existence, the more colour he is bringing into himself. He was jussssttttttt!!!!! JUST! Hugo was lovely. Absolutely LOVELY. HE. UGH. The soft, understanding personality of Hugo has not gone unrecognized or unappreciated, I'll tell you that much. He was the human version of :')))))) you know? Everyone else is just as important and wonderful to meet and I cannot wait until this comes out so I can reread it after I buy my copy and bring myself joy.

For now, I'm going to go and reread The House in the Cerulean Sea.

This story is magical and special and one about death and what comes afterwards (which, by the way, this book paints such a sweet picture of what could come next and I for one hope that it's true).

That was unexpected.

I was so excited when I was able to get this advanced copy as I enjoyed The House In the Cerulean Sea so much and my experience turned out to be very different than I was expecting.

In full honesty, I started off this book quite disappointed. The biggest flaw this book has in the main character, Wallace, starting off as a very cheesy "bad" character. It is fine to make a character flawed at the beginning because you want them to go through character development -and that was a huge component of this book- but they made him the grumpiest man to ever grump and it was just very cartoony. He reminded me of a cartoon villain who would ruin children's sandcastles for fun and we would be delighted when our inevitable heroes would put him in his place.

Of course, it was clear he would be redeemed, but he started off at such a extreme place that I was worried that it would seem unrealistic when he would inevitably turn better in too quick amount of time. I was right. However, as shown by my five star rating, in the end I did not care overall by this major flaw. I fell in love with his book and the remains of the tears on my face can vouch for that.

Without going into too much spoilers, while people are going to read this book expecting something very close to Cerulean Sea, I think it is important to adjust expectations. This book does not feel like the warm hug Klune's previous book did. Some people will not like how much darker this book felt, but I think this showed Klune's improvement as a writer. Sometimes you want all the sweet and sugar, but I need some true emotion and stakes to thoroughly love a book and it was here in spades. I also found it was less predictable than Cerulean Sea and that was probably my biggest flaw with the previous book.

But fear not, Whispering Door has Klune's classic humor, light fantasy that is quirky and unique and, of course, a wonderful male/male romance to swoon over. Regardless how I felt Wallace was handled at first, I will boldly say I preferred this romance than the one in Cerulean Sea.

I strongly encourage others to pick up their copy in September when it officially comes out.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy.

The synopsis of this book is what drew me into it, especially after I had read TJ Klune's previous novel and enjoyed it. But despite being a book about death and grief which I usually like in my books, I never really felt fully into the story. Both Under the Whispering Door and The House on the Cerulean Sea seem to be for what we all fondly call "Disney Adults." I say this because much like most Pixar movies, these books deal with heavy topics (death/orphanages respectively) through a light hearted and often humorous lens with serious moments sprinkled throughout, and everything is always okay in the end. I did love our side characters though, Nelson and Mei in particular. I just didn't believe that in three weeks Wallace, our main character and the ghost we follow into the afterlife, would completely do a 180 in his personality. From what was established about who he was it just didn't seem plausible to me personally. I understand that trauma changes a person, but Wallace didn't seem traumatized by his death, just annoyed that he couldn't go back to work. Over all this was a cute book, and while it wasn't what I wanted out of a book about death I think that most people will love it for what it is.

It's a quirky tale about love and grief. Wallace is dead, and has been taken to a small tea shop run by Hugo, a Ferryman that helps spirits cross to another place. He is having a difficult time coming to terms with being a ghost, and Hugo does what he does best: he helps Wallace discover what he's missed out on. As their friendship grows, Wallace tries living again and starts to fall in love with Hugo.
Another wonderful story by TJ Klune, it's heartwarming, humorous, and incredibly charming.

I love TJ Klune's ability to take a seemingly unlikeable character and turn him into the person you are rooting for throughout the novel. As a huge fan of his first book I was excited for this new story and it did not disappoint. The premise is one that has been done before but the storyline was unique, funny, and endearing.

Wow -- I appreciate the opportunity to review this book. However, I honestly do not know how I feel about this one. I like the flow of the words. I enjoyed the characters who came to life on the page. The dialogue between the characters was entertaining, but I did not fall in love with the story. It wasn't quite what I had hoped for, but it made for an interesting read.

TJ Klune’s writing style is very prevalent and still as whimsical as House in the Cerulean Sea but with some darker topics such as death and grief. Readers that loved House in the Cerulean Sea will love this book, as pacing and characterization are just as wonderful but other adults that want to read about some more serious topics may love this one as well. Only downfall was sometimes the book got a little over descriptive, but definitely a personal opinion and preference.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC!

I’m not even sure where to begin. This story was everything. Part of the beauty of TJ Klune’s books is that I think everyone from age 10-100+ would get something out of them. He covers very intense topics, in such a beautiful way.

The description of this one says so much yet so little, “a contemporary fantasy about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.” It’s the gist, but it’s so much more than that.

I love both Wallace (eventually) and Hugo quite a bit, but the supporting characters shine so bright. Nelson, Mei, Apollo…I already want to reread just to get lost in their stories again.

I don’t want to post any spoilers, but wow. I only needed one box of tissues while reading this one!

A highly recommended 5 stars!

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with my ARC copy!

When I heard that the author of the resplendent and charming The House in the Cerulean Sea had written another novel, I didn’t skip a beat requesting it on NetGalley. And Under the Whispering Door is certainly a worthy follow up to the novel that surprised me with its beautiful story. Even if doesn't quite reach the perfection of the previous novel, Under the Whispering Door has the same unique brand of humor, touching sincerity, and heavy themes as The House in the Cerulean Sea, so it’s no surprise that I was even brought to tears by this novel. 

"Wallace Price had been accused of many things in his life, but being selfless was not one of them. He gave little thought to those around him, unless they stood in his way. And God help them if they did."

Under the Whispering Door starts out in a similar manner to The House in the Cerulean Sea. The main character, named Wallace Price, who is undeniably unlikable, finds himself in a situation completely out of his depth and is forced to change. In Under the Whispering Door, finds himself, to his utter shock, at his own funeral. It is at his funeral, where he learns for the first time the true extent of his awful, work-obsessed life. Before too long, he meets a loveable Reaper named Mei who takes him to a tea house called, of all things, Charon’s Crossing, to meet his Ferryman who will help guide him to the next stage of his existence. Naturally, adjusting to suddenly being dead in one’s mid-thirties is a lot to process, and so is getting used to one’s new existence as a ghost. Wallace has a lot of growing to do, but luckily, he has a family of people to help him, Hugo the overly empathetic Ferryman, Mei the friendly Reaper, Nelson, Hugo’s similarly deceased grandad, and Apollo, Hugo’s deceased dog, who is earning the title of man’s best friend even in death. 

Before too long, Wallace realizes that death is really just the beginning. It takes some talking with Hugo, but not nearly enough if you ask me, for Wallace to realize the errors of his ways in his past life. I thought that Under the Whispering Door got a bit redundant during these talks and felt that Wallace’s journey was a little less earned that his counterpart in The House in the Cerulean Sea. For instance, I just believe that it would take a lot longer than a few weeks as ghost to adjust to not only one's circumstances, but to stop being the same "asshole" that one was for most of their adult life. But Wallace doesn't have much trouble turning from his past ways and changing into a blandly friendly ghost. Despite this quick change, Under the Whispering Door is still a uniquely pleasant book. Author T.J. Klune does what he does best again in this novel, and blends his magical sense of humor into the harder, heavier themes of death and the stages of grief. It almost feels strange to laugh aloud when reading about such sad topics, but I did often while reading this novel. 

"'Let me know when our new guest arrives. I'll put on my Sunday best.'

Wallace glared after him. 'You were wearing pajamas when I got here.

'Your observational skills are unparalleled. Good for you.'"

Another thing that Klune does especially beatifically in this novel is to develop a found family that every reader can feel like they will be welcomed into with open arms. Even when dealing with topics like suicide, murder, and loss, it is in an environment that feels like a cocoon of safety and acceptance. It doesn’t hurt that there is an effortless blend of people from all walks of life that is as unique as any of Hugo’s beloved teas. I loved that Wallace and Hugo developed romantic feelings for each other, not only because of the poetry of a ghost and a Ferryman falling in love, but because of the ease and enthusiasm with which everyone accepted this developing relationship. There was no outcry of dismay at the tea shop over a gay and interracial relationship, only some mild lamentation that Hugo was at last a taken man—which is how it should be. I also loved that all of the characters were not white, and that there was Asian representation with Mei, and black representation with Nelson and Hugo. 

Though I liked the idea of a Ferryman and a ghost falling in love, I found that it just didn’t work for me as well as the romance in The House in the Cerulean Sea . I felt that much of Wallace’s transformation was brought upon by his attraction to Hugo and less by his own self-reflection. I wonder if Wallace was capable of this same growth if it had not been for this romantic interest in Hugo. I felt that the relationship between the two sort of cheapened Wallace’s transformation, as it felt like he didn’t really earn it by his own merit. Unfortunately, though Wallace and Hugo’s relationship was cute, I didn’t really feel the sparks between them, and felt a little uncomfortable with what felt like a therapist-patient relationship. This is especially true because Wallace is in a very sensitive state and the book itself even states:

"We don't want to cause further trauma. We have to offer kindness, because there is never a time in life or death when someone is more vulnerable."

So maybe not a good idea to enter a romantic relationship with that person? Shouldn't there be some kind of clause in the job description to forbid this? At the very least, it felt like a major conflict of interest for a Ferryman, who is supposed to ferry the dead through the whispering door to their next life, caught and encouraged feelings for the vulnerable ghost he is supposed to be helping who is having to reexamine his entire previous existence and come to terms with what his next might be, all way sooner than he ever suspected. And I feel like Under the Whispering Door doesn’t really deal with the irresponsibility of Hugo’s feelings for Wallace, instead focusing on Wallace feeling guilt for Hugo liking him when he’s dead and basically worrying that he has nothing to offer the other man. 

Furthermore, I never really understood why Hugo grew attracted to Wallace in the first place, as much of Hugo’s interaction with him is like therapy and Wallace repeatedly takes his initial anger out on him. This is in contrast to The House in the Cerulean Sea where main character Linus spent time with the children on his own, with the orphanage master, Arthur, simply taking a hands-off approach and when needed, lightly guiding Linus’s realization of what was truly important. Arthur and Linus were on more equal footing as adults, and though there were power issues at play, with Linus having the say to close Arthur’s orphanage  it still managed to seem healthier and more of a partnership. I just didn’t care for Wallace being dead, vulnerable, going through a huge process of grief, and Hugo sort of abandoning his duty and virtually encouraging Wallace, the entity he supposedly cares for more than other people, not to pass on.

Likewise, I can't help but think that Hugo is also in a vulnerable state, as he can only leave Charon's Crossing for a very short period of time and distance, so he is also pretty much incapable of meeting a living human who would understand his spiritual job or the fact that he was talking to ghosts. So both men are incredibly vulnerable, and it just seems like an unhealthy relationship between two broken people, any way you look at it. The relationship between Wallace and Hugo just wasn’t sold to me, and neither did Wallace’s practically overnight transformation to an alarmingly kind-to-a-fault ghost feel exactly earned to me.

I would’ve gladly traded in many of the long talks about not being afraid of the great beyond, which honestly bordered on what felt proselytizing at times, for more slow growth and bumps in the road on the transformation of Wallace and a much lengthier time before feelings developed between Hugo and Wallace as well. In retrospect, many of these talks feel extremely hypocritical, as Hugo even states himself to Wallace that he doesn’t want him to move on. I also didn’t care for the fact that Hugo didn’t even know a smidgeon what was beyond the whispering door that led to the unknown afterlife and was still encouraging everyone to take that leap into the great beyond. I feel that The Manager, the god-like being who oversees this whole spiritual voyage, should have provided the Ferryman with some sort of glimpse, so to speak.

"What's a few years in the face of forever?"

My last issue with Under the Whispering Door was that I didn't quite care for the ending. To me, the turn of events, which I won't be stating here as to not spoil the book, cheapened the entire theme of the book, which was about healthy grieving processes, loss, letting go, and moving on. To completely avoid the destination of that journey and to instead take such an, in my mind, unmerited, detour to give the audience and characters a happier ending didn't at all work for me.  In fact, I felt this ending almost completely missed the point of the entire novel! I still was touched by other parts of the ending, and was even brought to tears, but I felt that as a whole, Under the Whispering Door didn't quite stick the landing.

Despite my problem with the main romance of the novel, the fact that I thought Wallace’s character growth could’ve been stronger, and that I wasn't fan of the direction the ending of the novel went in, I think Under the Whispering Door hits very hard. The main reason I think it provides such an emotional journey is because every single reader has dealt with loss in some way. And this novel takes a hard look at all of the different ways people handle their grief at this loss differently, which isn’t always easy to read. For instance, it was definitely impossible to not think of the people and fur children I have lost while reading this novel. So, please keep in mind this heavier subject matter when reading this novel. Even with one’s own grief in his or her mind when reading it, Under the Whispering Door mostly manages to make these difficult thoughts a healing and hopeful experience. If death really meant we would all travel to Under the Whispering Door’s tea house, it would be a lot less scary for all of us.

I think my rating on this book may say more about me than about TJ Klune, but, whatever. He has been going more and more mainstream, which is good for him and his career. But I loved his earlier, harder to read books. Comparing this to the absolutely stellar "Wolfsong", or the heart-rending "Into This River I Drown", or the stark "Withered + Sere", or, even, the crazy, hilarious, and camp Verania books...

I did like the characters, so important in all of his work (even Wallace, though, naturally, not at first); I loved the milieu. A tea shop being a way stop between life and death? Fabulous! But, I didn't see the depth and humanity, the pain and understanding I'm used to from Klune. At no point did it feel like there wouldn't be a happy ending [even when Wallace and Hugo said goodbye, even when Wallace floated to the door]- so, without feeling possible risk, nothing cut deep enough for me. No impossible joy. No heart-rending pain. Klune at his best has ripped my heart out, kicked me down a flight of stairs, yet made me feel so glad to be alive and happy to be human - while using language and a turn of thought/phrase, so uniquely his own, that it was the finest of prose. "Under the whispering door" is good. But it's Klune in a corral.

I loved this book so much.

The beginning was a bit slow and it took a while to get there, but once it did? Oh I was hooked.

The story is simple,

Wallace Price is an asshole. He's a big time lawyer with no friends, no love life, and pretty much everyone hates him.

Then he dies.

He doesn't want to believe it at first but he's taken to a ferryman named Hugo by his reaper named Mei in order to "cross over" and that's where our story blossoms. Hugo is a sweet, kind, and gentle dude who just wants to help people and Wallace fights him until he just...doesn't.

Add in Hugo's dead grandfather Nelson, and a sweet ghost dog named Apollo and your heart will burst.

Yes, they fall in love.

Yes, it's everything you'd hoped it would be.

Yes, I cried for the last like five chapters.

Please read this.

It deals with grief, with realizing you might not have lived the life you wanted, and just with finding love where you least expect it.

Great, amazing book.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"What will you do with the time you have left?"

I never expected to love a book about death and dying as much as I loved this one. But I think that's because it was really a book about what it means to live. When bitter, selfish, and unliked lawyer Wallace Price suddenly dies, he is forced to come to terms with his sudden passing as well as what he did (or didn't do) when he was alive. And to question whether it is too late to make changes.

I had heard that this book had shades of The Good Place to it, and thats a large part of what drew me to it. One minute I was laughing out loud and the next I was crying. This book will draw you in with its beautifully crafted characters and unique story. I can't wait to recommend it to library patrons and friends.

This was one of my favourite reads of the year! TJ Klune has such a way with words and his characters are all so loveable. I adored this book and had a good cry in the last few chapters. A must read!

I love TJ Klune books because the way he writes and develops characters is pure magic. Under the Whispering Door did not disappoint. However, don't go into this book expecting the same tone of the House in the Cerulean Sea.

Under the Whispering Door tells the story of Wallace, a very unlikable lawyer who has a heart-attack and dies. His death was very unexpected so he is struggling to come to terms with it. At his funeral a girl named Mei shows up and leads him to a unique looking Tea Shop owned by the ferryman named Hugo, explaining that they will help him cross over into the afterlife.

This book will make you laugh, cry, break your heart then put it back together. It is beautifully written and you need it in your life ASAP. This will be one of those books that sticks with you for years and years after reading.

Trigger warnings:
Death. Child death. Suicide. Cancer. Ghosts.

I discovered Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune on Netgalley by accident when it was being promoted on the home page. And wow, I'm glad I requested a copy!

Under the Whispering Door is the story of Wallace, a very dislikeable person who, without much warning, found himself dead. While coming to terms with the fact that he died, a girl shows up to lead him to the person who will help him cross over to the afterlife. This person is Hugo. Hugo owns a tea shop in a remote little town, and when not picking the perfect tea for the living customers, helps souls to come to terms with being dead and to escort them to whatever comes next.

This book follows in the trend of others exploring the afterlife and/or living forever (Addie LaRue and Midnight Library). It does vary in the way the subject is approached, though. The book is kept light even when dealing with really heavy topics. Life lessons are discussed in matter of fact ways, and the reader learns as much about their own motivations in life as much as Wallace does.

Under the Whispering Door was by no means action packed, but it never meant to be that kind of book. This book opens up discussions about life, what we are doing and why. My favourite part in the book involves a meddling medium who gets what she rightfully deserves. But the entire book has such a heart to it that it will inevitably break the reader's heart itself. Definitely a book I will be recommending to any reader who loved Midnight Library and wants something a little bit lighter!