This book was every bit as wonderful as I hoped it'd be.

Honestly, what can TJ Klune NOT write? I didn't think I'd love anything as much as Cerulean Sea...and then I met the Bennett Pack. I didn't think I'd love anything more than Cerulean Sea and the Bennett Pack...and then I met Hugo and Wallace and Mei and Nelson and Apollo.

Y'all, this book is beautifully poignant and still has the pointed humor that I've come to love and anticipate in Klune's books; even in serious moments there will be a thread of humor that lightens the load just a bit, and it is so well done. This book is about grief and healing; it's about life lessons and seeing past the surface of someone; it's about fighting for what and who you love.

Wallace's journey was painful and raw, but oh how beautiful it ended up being. There are so many parts of this book that I think people will find solace in--so many instances where people will feel a bit less alone.

I cannot wait to have a physical copy of this book.

Love this book! After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea earlier this year I was so excited to read an early copy of Under the Whispering Door. This book is truly magical and if you let it will give you a new outlook on life. Halfway through reading it I went outside just to feel the sun on my skin. This is truly masterful work that will keep you up late at night sobbing both from grief and joy. I cannot recommend it enough!

In "Under the Whispering Tree" we meet Wallace Price, a less-than-good man who focused on the wrong things in life. Much to his consternation, one day Wallace finds himself dead. After meeting his Reaper, Mei, he is taken to Hugo Freeman, a man whose job it is to ferry souls from the immediate aftermath of death to the great unknown. While Wallace is at Hugo's house in the woods, he is forced to grapple with the way he lived his life and the person he ended up being. With Hugo's help, along with Mei, an ornery old ghost named Norman, and a goofy ghost dog named Apollo, Wallace begins to learn about everything he missed out on life.

Simply put, this book is incredible. I wouldn't call it light-hearted, but it is a heartfelt and thought provoking book about the meaning of life. Though the overall theme is death, grief, and missed opportunities, Under the Whispering Door is also full of hope, happiness, and finding a family in the most unexpected place. I alternately cried and laughed, sometimes from one sentence to the next. Klune did a masterful job of balancing the sadness with levity, and the result is a charming and compelling book that is so unique and wonderful that I can't say I've ever read anything quite like it. It moved me like no other book ever has, and it has taken up residence in my heart and makes me want to protect it at all costs.

Another beautifully unique book by Klune. The novel explores death, grief, life, and love in a fantasy setting that is as whimsical as the Cerulean Sea was. I loved it.

You’d think I’d learn by now that every time I read a T J Klune book I am setting myself up for an emotional rollercoaster ride ... but damn. Each one just hits different.

How do you prepare for a book like this? I honestly don’t think you can. All you can do is sit there, reading page after page and becoming lost in what was one of the most emotional, heart wrenching, hopeful pieces of literature I have ever read.

How can words written on a page effect me so much? How can he do this to me?

Those characters he created, their my family. It was slow at first but they worked their way into my heart and by the end of it I felt like they were real. They were a part of me and seeing them cope with death and grief and life... god it eased something in me that I didn’t even know was there.

Suicide, depression and anxiety have always been big things for me... in their own ways. They upset me because I don’t like knowing that someone is going through that incredible pain. That it can eat them up inside until all they can do is try and release it, to succumb to the numbness.

But this... this helped with that. The way it was handled was so beautifully moving that I am tearing up again. Because those people are still there. They are just waiting to be found to be given another chance ... to be helped. And gosh what a beautiful thing it is when they get it.

When they can breath again. This book means so much to me.. words can’t even describe it. The hope, the wonderful craftsmanship and sensitivity that went into creating it.

Oh oh oh

I am in awe. I am thankful. I am glad. Because this book has given me immense hope. I want this. I will believe that someone will always find me. Will show me the way and ultimately take me to my door when I am ready smiling as they see the look of awe on my face as I pass through.

Knowing T J Klune got it right.

An easy 4.5 ⭐️ book!

The book is about a ghost and a ferryman, who helps the ghost cross over. The novel is an endearing story of fear, hope, and love. The ghost must learn to “live dead” alongside family members in the same house.

All in all, this was a very well-written and an almost perfect book! This will definitely not stop me from reading the rest of Klune’s books, as “The House in the Cerulean Sea” has jumped to the top of my reading list. I will recommend this book to anyone in a heartbeat!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a positive review!

#netgalley @netgalley

This was beautiful and heartbreaking and comforting all at a once, in the best way. A story about death and the afterlife (of sorts) and what it means to really live, don’t be surprised if it makes you cry a little.

This was just so wholesome, fun and heart wrenching at the same time. I really enjoyed this exploration of death and fell in love with all of the characters at the tea house. I cried and smiled my way through a good chunk of this.

Wallace is realizing too late that he didn’t really live his life. When a Scrooge-like lawyer dies, his reaper picks him up a bit late (at his funeral) and brings him to a strange tea shop in a small village. There he meets his ferryman—meant to help his soul to cross on to whatever is next for him. But while working through the stages of grief, Wallace finds himself and a family at the tea shop. This is heartbreaking and beautiful. I cried and laughed out loud, and I highly recommend it. What great characters!

I had heard so much about The House in the Cerulean Sea and put off reading that for too long - I loved that book. So, when the chance to read Under the Whispering Door pooped up I jumped at the chance. This book is a contemporary fantasy novel and you wouldn't have to even tell me who the author was, his writing stiyle is very unique.

When you first meet Wallace you know he is a pretty awful and cold hearted individual. But, after dying and going with Mei to meet Hugo, the ferryman, you start to see a different side of him. I loved all of the characters in this one, and love how the author toys with your emotions throughout. Very well written and I would highly recommend.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via NetGalley. I don't believe this influences my opinion of the book.

Well, T.J. Klune has done it again. Just like The House in the Cerulean Sea, this feels like a "how-to-empathy" guidebook, but this time with themes of grieving and death mixed in. The main character feels like a more extreme version of Cerulean Sea (instead of a joyless bureaucrat, he's a mean, uncaring manager).

What I loved the most was the setting and the characters. In many ways, the setting reminded me of Simak's Way Station, manned by a "found family". It's a very calm, funny, sometimes painful, and sometimes even beautiful book.

If you liked The House in the Cerulean Sea, you'll love this!

adored this book! It was clever, and heartfelt, and funny and smart. The characters are ones you'll be thinking about long after you read it.

Me: “I don’t like to read things that make me overly emotional and cry. Feelings are gross. I’d rather stay away from that ickiness.”

T.J. Klune: “Hey girl, I’m gonna fuck that up for you. Hold my new book.”

OHHH EMMM GEEEEEE FRIENDS! Allll the feels. Allll the tears. Huge hiccuping sobs of joy. Pure catharsis.

You know how I feel about The House in the Cerulean Sea and if you don’t, scroll back to where I hugged it aggressively in my bed last year and shoved it down everyone’s throat as a book recommendation. It was my top book of 2020.

And now, @tjklunebooks has a new book coming out September 21st and I was lucky enough to score a @netgalley early review copy - mostly through flattery with a side of begging, thank you @torbooks

It has a Christmas Carol vibe but that’s all I can tell you aside from the fact that it’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️➕and I think you should read it. As soon as possible. It’s fucking beautiful.

Firstly I would like to give a huge thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the e-arc of Under the Whispering Door in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I’ve only recently read and completely fallen for T J Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea, so my expectations going into Under the Whispering Door were very high...Under the Whispering Door introduces the recently deceased Wallace, who is selfish, egotistical, miserly and definitely gave me Scrooge vibes. My immediate thoughts were ‘oh , Christmas Carol retelling.’

Wallace is collected by a Reaper from his own funeral to be taken to the Ferryman, who will help him move in, but he’s not taken to a boat or a river, the Ferryman, Hugo owns and lives in a tea shop. It is here the story truly begins, Wallace must face up to the person he was, accept that this is another stage in his life and learn to accept and give friendship and love in all it’s forms.

There are definite Christmas Carol vibes, but T J Klune is such an erudite and whimsical storyteller that rather than immediately falling for the characters and story, my feelings developed as a slow burn for the characters.

Experiencing Walter’s journey was truly emotional, and Hugo is just adorable. Mei is totally wild, free and unique, and Nelson is an irascible old man with a truly wicked sense of humour - just wait for the Easter Bunny! Apollo definitely holds a special place in my heart and when you meet him you will totally get why.

I absolutely loved how this book puts life in perspective, the insignificance of material success and the priceless value of family, friendship and love. This is a book about death, and Klune doesn’t shy away from this, including references to illness, murder and suicide, which are deftly handled with no resorting to graphic description.

This book tackles questions about life, death and the afterlife in an hopeful and reflective manner. It doesn’t presume to have all the answers and in fact leaves an aura of mystery around certain characters.

Under the Whispering Door is a thoughtful, emotive and truly beautiful novel that doesn’t seek to elevate the tone or dialogue beyond its desired audience. It delivers a truly hopeful love story and reflection upon life, death and the afterlife in an onion like, layered manner. It delivers these themes beautifully, powerfully, emotively and in a sweetly uplifting, but melancholy way and I highly recommend reading it when it’s released in September. I have already pre-ordered my copy. ❤️

TJ Klune, you’ve done it again. Last year’s The House In The Cerulean Sea earned a perfect score for its unique blend of heart, charm, and signature Klune quirk. This year’s Under the Whispering Door tells me, simply, that Klune isn’t a one-trick pony, and that he should skyrocket straight to the top of anyone’s TBR.

I know this question will inevitably pop up, so I’m going to answer it right away. Is Under the Whispering Door anything like The House in the Cerulean Sea? After all, the cover style is similar. This begs for a more complex answer than I have the space to give, so I’ll say this. If you loved Cerulean Sea, I feel confident that you’ll love Whispering Door, too. They are at once cut from the same cloth and each their own final product. And for me, they’ll enjoy a tandem spot on the Chateau Rush library’s favorites shelf.

Wallace Price, by most measures, is a terrible person. He runs his law firm with an iron fist, firing people for miniscule mistakes and smiling through the entire conversation. He makes time for work and only work, clacking away at his keyboard far beyond the hour when a normal person would sign off. Imagine his surprise, then, when he finds himself a ghost at his own funeral a few days after a heart attack takes his life. In his ghastly form, Wallace meets Mei, a reaper who will take him to a waystation where Hugo, a ferryman, will help him come to terms with his death and eventually guide him as he “moves on.”

The story that follows, the story of Wallace Price coming to terms with his death and finding friends he never could have made in his work-addled life, struck me to my absolute core. When I turned the final page, the waterworks began, and they didn’t stop for a full 10 minutes. Books have made me cry before, but no other novel has thrummed on my heartstrings the way this one did.

Klune has a way of endearing the reader to characters, even when those characters are reprehensible at the very least. I hated Wallace Price from the start, even though I had a guess as to where his character was going. When Mei brings Wallace to Hugo’s tea shop (which exists in the real world while harboring spirits awaiting the next step), Klune’s sincere charm takes full hold and never lets up. Whispering Door unleashes a series of interconnected vignettes and introduces characters that all have their own distinct relationship with death. As Wallace learns about them, he predictably begins to soften, connecting with Hugo, Mei, and Nelson (Hugo’s ghost grandfather, who’s been around for a while since passing) on levels previously unimaginable to his limited lawyer psyche.

If you’re reading this review, I want you to know one thing. I wish I could talk to you as you read this novel. I wish I could explore the deeper themes within and discuss your relationship with death, your experiences dealing with it. Because Under the Whispering Door sparked an introspection in me that so few books ever have. It spurred me to think about the attempted suicide of a family member, and how grateful I am that she’s still here. It made me miss the family members who have moved on by remembering the moments that made me love them so dearly. It summoned memories of my grandmother playing Clair De Lune on her piano while I was home for a weeklong break from college. It made me want to play the same piano, now sitting in my house, to remember how much she loved to play. Whispering Door asked me to grapple with death on my own terms, and only when I was ready. I started while I was reading, and I’m still examining my relationship to the unknown days after finishing the book.

And this is all thanks to TJ Klune, who has crafted a perfect story. It’s a story that invites you to look inward but doesn’t force you. And if you aren’t ready, you can bathe in the shining rays of the lovely moments encased in Whispering Door’s pages. Because this book can be whatever you need it to be. Whether that’s a mirror sparking self-reflection, a nudge toward the acceptance of tragedies in your past, or just a wonderful, heartwarming book about finding the love you may have otherwise missed--well, that’s up to you.

Rating: Under the Whispering Door - 10/10

What this book is: a thoughtful, careful meditation on life, death, and what it means to live well. It contains found family and a group of characters trying their best. Fair warning, it in some ways is almost unbearably sad at moments. There's a lot of talk about death and some of the characters are in a lot of pain. Klune is a talented writer, and as a result all of that sadness and pain really comes through on the page.

What this book is not: comparable in almost any way to The House in the Cerulean Sea. Given how readers reacted to that book (myself included), it is almost certainly going to leave some readers disappointed. If you can let go of that expectation, however, Under the Whispering Door is worth the read.

Following his sudden death, Wallace Price finds himself at an afterlife way station: Charon's Crossing, a tea shop far from the city, tucked alongside a forest. It is here, when thrown together with the inhabitants -- both living and dead -- of the tea shop, that he learns about sacrifice, selflessness, family, and love.

hidden among the humor and romance were these excellent candid conversations about death, grief, and humanity that were so poignant. overall, the whole thing was so balanced. the heavy and the charm were never outweighed by one or the other. cue clichés here: i laughed, i cried, etc etc. but truly, i did.

one of my favorites of the year so far, for sure!

Not my cup of tea.
Too bad too because of such great reviews of a previous book written.
Now I'm worried I won't like that other book either.

T.J. Klune creates characters that you love and never want to leave. Wallace is slightly cankerous old man who is set in his ways. But everything changes when a reaper comes to lead him away. But it doesn't go like Wallace, or the reader expects... Wallace ends up in a tea shop and that's where Wallace begins to learn about living. Even after dying.

Highly recommend. I laughed and cried. And look forward to anything Klune will write in the future.

Wow, this book. A perfect, cozy, delightful, and emotional 5-star read!
Of course!
Of course TJ Klune did it again. He always delivers such a satisfying mix of romance, self-discovery, fantasy, humor, and oh-so-much-heart. There's death, grief, hope, love, found family, ghosts, and copious amounts of rare tea. I’m SO freaking here for all the feels and tears!⠀
⠀
Klune perfectly illuminates the choices we make in life with the connections we avoid or build with others, and even with how we treat ourselves. I love how he gives us hope for rectifying our poor choices in life, by making new connections and finding meaning and love in death.

I didn't want to put this book down and I definitely didn't want it to end. What a beautiful and thought-provoking story! Pre-order this and know you made the right choice.⁠