If you have read The House in The Cerulean Sea, then you know how TJ Klune will rip your heart out. I sobbed at this and I loved the entirety of it. Once again he brings found family into his story and it is just so naturally done. I will read anything from this author and I implore others to do so as well.

"Wasn't that the point? Wasn't that the great answer to the mystery of life? To make the most of what you have while you have it, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly."

What a beautiful, heart wrenching, lovely story about redemption and acceptance.

TJ Klune is one of the best at developing deeply unique characters that draw you into their stories and make you love them.

Under the Whispering Door is a unique story about redemption, grief, love, loss, belonging, and acceptance... For the living and the dead. There were moments when I laughed out loud, cried, and was deep in thought about what it truly means to be alive. While conquering heavy topics, this book handles them with a lightness that doesn't take away from its impact.

I couldn't ask for more from a book. Wow.

Rainbows and Sunshine Book Blog
22 May, 2021

Wow! Honestly just WOW!! There are some books that would make you feel a myriad of emotions in just a few hours and this is one of those.

I've read the synopsis and I went into it knowing that I'll cry but I was so not prepared!! I mean it is a about a ghost falling for ferryman! I sobbed like a child and then laughed like a clown. It made me happy and sad and happy all over again and I will gladly go through it all again in a heartbeat.

Oh Wallace! I severely disliked him in the beginning but then he grows throughout the novel and makes you LOVE him! His life was uncomfortably relatable to me, something I didn't want to think about. Not about how much of an arsehole he is but more about the loneliness. What if that was my future?

In death, Wallace had never felt more alive.

But this book is mostly about hope. About another chance. To live. To grow. To love and be loved. It was so beautiful and I'm not sure I'm expressing my feelings concisely. It just made me feel too much and I'm overwhelmed. The connection and chemistry between Hugo and Wallace is wonderful. I also loved the secondary characters, Nelson and Mei will steal your heart. And Apollo of course!

The writing is amazing and I loved the humour, the character and every single thing about this book, from the gorgeous cover to the perfect epilogue. Trust me, YOU NEED THIS BOOK!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

Fans of Klune's "The House in the Cerulean Sea" will not be disappointed. Klune gently explores death, loss, grief, and what it means to lead a good life. Wallace Price was a successful, though unlovable, lawyer who suddenly finds himself attending his own funeral after a sudden heart attack. He is led to a quirky and cozy tea shop tucked away in the woods to prepare for his journey to the afterlife. Hugo, the shop owner and ferryman, must help Wallace come to terms with his life and death, and prepare him for his cross over to the afterlife. TJ Klune will break your heart and then slowly put it back together with this book. Charming, funny, romantic -- "Under the Whispering Door" is a must-read.

This was a different style book that I usually read. I have to be honest, it was not my favorite book. I struggled getting into the story, even though the characters were well defined. The theme of death and the afterlife were heavy topics to read about.
However, toward the end, you find yourself cheering for Wallace and the changes that his character made and for him and Hugo to have a happy ending.

3/5

I feel so very conflicted about this book 😭

My non-spoilery review is this: I think this book had a lot of potential. Some of the elements (found family trope in particular) were really strong, and I definitely cried like a baby at the end. But the pacing was so off for me. I was really struggling through the first half, and even though I thought the ending was strong, I just didn't love the book in its entirety.

I would still probably recommend this book, but definitely go in being aware that it is very slow. And also be prepared to love the characters, especially a certain very good boy named Apollo 🥺

Trigger warnings: death, grief, murder, suicide, panic attacks, anxiety, depression

**Massive spoilers ahead, please don't read unless you're okay with being spoiled!**

Spoilery review:

I'll start with the things I didn't love. The plot doesn't really start until the 50% mark. Pretty much nothing happens during the first half. It took me several days to get through it, but once I hit 50%-ish, I read it all in one sitting.

Also, I think the summary on Goodreads really needs to be changed. The Manager doesn't come to tell Wallace he only has 7 days left until around the 70% mark. The blurb gives the impression that the whole "life lived in 7 days" thing was going to be the main plot of the story, but actually nothing happens for the first half of the book, and then that particular subplot doesn't start until later. It just really threw me off.

Also, even though the end made me cry, I also feel like it was all just so convenient? Like how did it all fall into place so perfectly? Suddenly the Manager goes from being a big, spooky, uncaring god to being like "actually, I'ma resurrect Wallace just bc i feel like it ❤️" like HUHHH???

Things i liked:
The found family trope is hit or miss for me, but this HIT. Nelson, Mei, and Apollo were so cute and so special. I especially loved Mei. I would read a book about just her tbh.

I thought this book could also be really funny and profound. It had really intense, heavy moments, like Cameron's suicide or Alan's death, but it was also funny sometimes like Wallace accidentally wearing a bikini lol. I think it was good to have a mix of these moments because the topics this book deals with can be really hard to read about, so it's good to have some moments of levity and light.

Overall, it was just okay. And that hurts me to say because I loveeeed The House in the Cerulean Sea, and i was so highly anticipating this book. But I'm still glad I pushed through and read it because it was a worthwhile read in the end. It also made me want to hug my dog a little tighter today 🥺

Much like House in the Cerulean Sea, this book was gentle and soft, filled with moments that felt like warm hugs and moments that felt like a slap in the face with the truth behind them. But unlike House, this book had so many heartbreaking moments—moments where I found myself with tears streaming down my face.

This is a story of death and life and fear and acceptance and selfishness and selflessness and family and love. A beautiful story, wrapped up in happiness and heartbreak. Highly recommend picking it up when it releases in September.

I love TJ Klune. All of his titles have made me smile at the end and given me happy feelings. After losing my dad recently, it was slightly triggering to read this book. I wanted to love it, but maybe it was my mindset that couldn’t get me through it. I didn’t care for the main character who had died. It was painful to read his lines. I will revisit again sometime soon to give it another chance.

I was a bit torn on this one. The House in the Cerulean Sea was my favourite read of last year. It is one my favourite books of all time, so I had very high hopes for Under the Whispering Door, and while it was good, I don't think it quite lived up to The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Things I liked: the characters and their changes as they go through the story. I really liked Hugo's calm patience and Mei's sense of humour.

I also liked that the book centred around death and the emotional response to dealing with our own mortality. At times, this definitely made the book quite emotional.

I loved the ending, especially the last quarter of the book or so, and feel like that this actually made the book worth reading. It had the feel good factor that I loved from The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Things I didn't enjoy as much : the very slow beginning. It took me to about 47%, of the book to actually get into it. And while I'm glad I persevered with it, I almost didn't.

I would have liked more about the Manager character and indeed, more world building, in general, around the roles of the Reapers and ferrymen. I love the character driven nature of the book, but I would have also like to seem some development of the world.

Overall, an enjoyable read, especially in the second half, with a very strong finish.

Under the Whispering Door is a beautiful story about the painful part of life called death. I laughed, I cried, and I now am going to make myself a cup of tea. Please go read this book!

TJ Klune is one of my 2021 discoveries and after reading some of his other books, he us a total auto buy author for me - and his new novel keeps up the stunning standards in my eyes.

Wow, this book was a lot. It was hard to read, there was a lot of crying, but it was also so, so beautiful. I loved the characters, I loved the premise, I just loved everything about this book, even though I cried for pretty much the whole last quarter of the book.

Wallace Pierce is an attorney who thinks work is the most important thing there is. He therefore doesn’t have time to be kind to others or care about their feelings. When he suddenly dies of a heart attack, Wallace attends his own funeral as a ghost and is surprised to find it scarcely attended - he is even more surprised that those who do attend don’t have nice things to say about the man he was. He then is brought to the tea shop of Hugo, a ferryman, who guides Wallace as he reflects on his life and considers crossing over to what is next.

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea I knew I had to read more of TJ Klune’s work. This one did not disappoint – this book was absolutely beautiful. Klune’s writing is so engaging and he can somehow make you laugh one second and cry the next.

I found this one to be a bit of a slow burn – I was intrigued from the beginning but it still took me a little while to get into. Once I did I was hooked and I absolutely loved the second half of the book. Wallace’s transformation was wonderful to watch and I loved every single character residing in the tea shop. I loved how supportive Hugo, Nelson, Mei and Apollo were while still being honest with Wallace and not sugarcoating anything. I definitely recommend this one!

Thank you so much NetGalley and MacMillan-TOR/Froge for this ARC!

Under the Whispering Door is the story of Wallace, a man who is not ready to accept his own death. Luckily, he has the help of ferryman Hugo and the inhabitants of a mysterious tea shop to guide him. With only seven days until he crosses over to whatever comes next, Wallace must try to make the most of his time.

Under the Whispering Door is a poignant book about the grief and joy that life brings. TJ Klune writes found family, lovable characters, and important life lessons incredibly well. His writing is vivid and embraces the reader as they journey with Wallace. This story is haunting and will deeply move readers to reflect on their own lives. TJ Klune simultaneously gives hope and an understanding of how to continue on after tragedy. Reading this book is an unforgettable experience!

It can be hard to express how much some books mean, but I know I will be re-reading and recommending this one forever. Brew a cup of your favorite tea and grab tissues- I highly recommend you adventure with Wallace and Hugo! Under the Whispering Door releases September 21, 2021. Thank you so much to TJ Klune, Tor Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc

Thanks to Netgalley for providing the ARC for this novel.

Klune's new novel is an excellent tale, and deals with the mysteries and complexities surrounding one's death.

I felt like the characters were very relatable. I enjoyed getting to know each character and came to like even the most unlikeable ones.

I felt, though, that the story was very much "on rails", moving one way toward a pretty obvious conclusion once you realized what was happening and how much book was left. I would have liked to explore Hugo's ferryman position a little further and would have changed the ending so that Wallace keeps his promise.

Overall pretty good.

I adored TJ Klune’s The House on the Cerulean Sea so I was more than excited to hear that he’d be writing another book written in a similar style (this is not a sequel, as I learned embarrassingly late). To be totally honest, from the premise alone, this isn’t the type of book I’d usually gravitate to. But Cerulean Sea wasn’t either, and it was only at the prompting of *checks notes* my entire blogging circle that I picked it up, and hey, I loved it. So it only seemed fitting to give this one a chance. Yeah, I loved it.

Under the Whispering Door is a book about grief, loss, and acceptance, held comfortably with a warm mug of your favorite tea. We follow Wallace Price, an objectively terrible, who dies of a heart attack and is forced to confront the fact that he was, in fact, a terrible human being. Dragging Accompanying him on this journey are Reaper Meiying, or Mei for short, definitely-just-a-man-who-owns-a-tea-shop Hugo, plucky grandfather who’s annoyingly always correct Nelson, and dog, Apollo. It’s really a testament to Klune’s writing and characterization skills that for someone who starts as objectively unlikeable as possible, Wallace is a pretty cool character by the end.

The storytelling of this book is very slice-of-life like, which generally isn’t a genre that works for me. I read the first 40% in chapters snuck in during moments of free time so it wasn’t particularly apparent yet, but between the 40%-60% marks, I did find myself getting constantly distracted. Certainly not the book's fault, but it was still early in Wallace’s journey and I wasn’t fully clicking with the characters or story. Reading about tea shops and warm mugs of tea are comforting but something wasn’t connecting for me. The characters were sweet, their day-to-day actions were cute, but it just wasn’t gripping me.

And then I started crying. I think about the 72% mark? It was during a pretty mundane event I think, some line about Mei baking scones while Wallace puttered around the customers, no deep discussions about Wallace’s grief or understandings with death. But all of a sudden my eyes were wet and I couldn’t control the tears. Something, at some point, one of Wallace and Hugo’s many talks about Wallace’s emotions of how various characters were dealing with the death of a loved one, finally got to me and I couldn’t stop crying, couldn’t stop memories flooding back of times I’d gone through the stages of grief myself, the actions I took during that process.

Overall, I rate this book a 4.5/5. The messaging about grief, about loss and acceptance in this book is delightfully poignant. It meanders and it takes its time, sometimes doubling back and winding in strange ways, but that’s how the stages of grief works. Klune manages to capture those emotions, those feelings of loss and joy, sometimes hitting you at the strangest moments, just perfectly. An absolutely delightful story.

Wallace Price is an Asshole (according to his partners in the law firm) and now he's dead. Sitting in a pew at the back of the church at his own funeral, he meets Mei, a reaper, whose job it is to guide him to Hugo the ferryman as part of his journey through death. As Wallace stays with Hugo and Mei waiting to pass through the final door, he falls in love and eventually finds his humanity.
This is a beautifully written and very poignant book. A fantasy with a gentle humour, the story is told in the 3rd person from Wallace's point of view.
Essentially it's a story about death, grieving, suffering, acceptance but most of all about living. Heart-warming and inspiring, it was a delight to read.

Last year’s The House in the Cerulean Sea was a warm, wonderful, gentle embrace with the softest romance and I positively adored it. My anticipation for Under the Whispering Door couldn’t have been higher, I’m writing this review in May if that tells you anything. And I have to say I enjoyed it just as much, for different reasons, but still had that feeling of comfort when I read the final word.

Under the Whispering Door introduces Wallace Price, a cold, abrupt attorney who is intensely focused on his practice and doesn’t seem to have much use for anything else in his life. The first chapter gives readers a glimpse of his callousness in his living life, the second shows him sitting at his funeral wondering what is going on and why only four other people are in attendance. Then Mei, his reaper, shows up to explain some things, lead him to the next stop in his afterlife, and introduce him to his ferryman, Hugo.

Hugo is understanding and empathetic and has this tender, kind way about him that is the very reason he was chosen as a ferryman. He helps the newly dead work through their emotions, accept that their living life is over and that their next step is just a doorway away. The owner of a tea shop, Hugo is kept company by Mei, the reaper he works with, and the ghosts of his grandfather and the faithful dog that refuses to leave his side.

Wallace is at first, difficult and angry and goes through all the steps of grief. He wants out and to get back to this old life. But then, little by little, he and Hugo form a bond. Yes, there is attraction, but Wallace is dead and Hugo is living and they can’t touch, but they become friends and then so much more and before Wallace realizes it, he is part of this weird, wonderful family and has no desire to move on.

I’m not going to dive too deep into plot specifics, because the beauty of this story is the journey. No spoilers here.

Under the Whispering Door is about grief, and how different people experience it. It’s about working through memories and regrets. It’s also about different kinds of love, from platonic to familial, to romantic and the love of a pet. It’s about past loves and future relationships. Some very dark and heavy themes are represented, but this book still has all of TJ Klune’s trademark charm and whimsy. You will fall in love with this cast of characters, you simply won’t be able to help yourself.

Under the Whispering Door is at times poignant and sad, but you will come out of it with a sense of peace and a fullness of heart. I promise. Highly recommend.

CW: death, grief, mentions of suicide, mentions of cancer

Final grade- A

Hmmm... I’m getting serious Fredrick Backman vibes from this book! There are lovable characters: old squishy man, bite size but power house Asian girl, one queer depressed young man and annoying quintessential white lawyer dude (pick odd one out). What happened to get these guys together is one sad story, but what happened after they come together is everything you need in your life to have warm and fuzzy feelings.

Aforementioned lawyer had a heart attack after messing one life after another (including his). When he woke up again, he was at his own funeral and there was someone who he didn’t know. While he was all delusional thinking that people love him, he realized that he was one that guy everyone hated. As that sank in, the woman he didn’t know introduced herself to be his reaper. And she was ready to take him to next part of his journey.

Next part of his journey turn into a great redemption arc! This guy who knew nothing but work while demolishing everything on his way finally realized that he was the reason why everything went wrong in his life. His ferryman Hugo gave him a chance to sit back and rewind his life. What he did with what he saw made this story worth reading!

It feels odd to describe a book that deals intrinsically with grief, death, and emotional upheaval as "heart-warming", but that is the essence of T.J. Klune's signature style. He is incredibly talented at blending the meaningful and the comforting, creating a story that feels just as warm and soothing as a cup of Hugo's tea.

Despite the grim premise--a high powered lawyer dies suddenly and is taken by a Reaper to begin the process of moving on--this is ultimately a story about the beauty of healing and the peace and growth to be found in acceptance. I liked how the story does not beat around the bush or make excuses for Wallace's actions in life: he was not a good person, and the other characters do not shy away from telling him so. Still, central to the story is the faith of those around in him in his ability to become better, through actions both large and small. Under the Whispering Door reminds us that the process of growing up is never really done, and each day is an opportunity to be a better person than you were the last.

Furthermore, as Klune gently points out in his Author's Note, this book contains descriptions of death in many different forms, some harder to read about than others. TW for suicide, homicide, child death, sudden death, and animal death in particular. Despite this, Klune approaches each and every situation with immense care and enormous empathy, guiding the reader (much like our beloved Ferryman) through the rocky shoals of heavy, somber content with grace.

I will say that this book follows a VERY similar formula to the House in the Cerulean Sea (uptight man discovers found family and romance by uprooting his life and traveling to new and unusual place) but seeing as the concept is so very clearly Klune's bread and butter I'm willing to let it slide. My main issue was the humor, which came across as somewhat trite, occasionally undercutting more serious scenes with an absurdity that distracted (me at least) from the gravity of the topic and made the characters feel less real. I also found Wallace's situation at the end of the book, though somewhat expected, to be out of sync with the rest of the novel's message.