Very sweet and well written. Tis author has a way with words that many do not. The writing always flows so well. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher!

The House by the Cerulean Sea was one of my favourite books from last year. It had everything I loved: found family, whimsical fantasy, amazing characters. It had everything. So I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this. I didn’t want to get my hopes up and be disappointed. It’s not like lightening could strike twice, but Klune showed me otherwise.

The topic is a lot more serious this time around, but with the same tropes Klune has a talent for. He knows how to write distinctive characters and bring their voices to life, and because most of the novel is set in one place, it was like watching a play. It’s very dialogue heavy and isn’t afraid to contemplate on deep topics about the meaning of life and death, etc. Klune has such a way with words that really takes the reader away. I truly loved all of these characters. They could’ve been real people with how raw they felt. Wallace coming to terms with his own death, and Hugo struggling with the responsibilities of being a Reaper were the heart of the story, and Klune’s balance of humour and emotional topics were perfect for the type of story he was telling.

(Spoiler) The only issue I had with the book was the ending. It felt like a bit of a cop out. I love a happy ending as much as the next person, but for Wallace to come back to life and be given a second chance to live just felt too easy, especially when this is a book on death and how everyone has to die. It didn’t work for me, personally.

Overall, this is a beautiful book on life, and death, and the people we meet a long the way. Klune crafts a tale that whisks you away on an emotional journey that will stay with you long after you finish the last page.

I am so, so, so sorry but I don’t think I can finish this book. I had initially put this book down for a few days to think on it and see if I could come back to it, but I just don’t think I can. Maybe one day down the road?

The thing is? This book is beautifully written. I think the beginning is a little slower like The House in the Cerulean Sea where you just want to meet all the characters and feel impatient to move past the intro, but you have to wait to get to that point. It’s worth the wait.

This story FEELS like the Scrooge from The Christmas Carol but if he were gay (or maybe bi??) and set in a pleasant little Howl’s Moving Castle-esqe tea shop. And I adore that!!!

Look, I love TJ Klune’s books more than anything but I just found this book to be much sadder than I was anticipating and even knowing this book is about Death and the between, I just couldn’t bring myself to finish it. I felt like I was going through an existential crisis and maybe I have depression that needs to be checked out, because this story is ROUGH and won’t be for everyone. In a way, this book feels like his book Murmuration, but one step more. And I wasn’t ready. That’s a me thing and I have nothing against this book.

I’m sure this book is lovely and it will resonate with many readers. I’m sure it will for me when I am ready to finish reading this book one day. I adore the characters and wish them all the happiness in the world. They deserve it.

So thank you to the publisher for approving me for this book!! I just wasn’t ready, and I don’t know if I ever will be.

Like so many, I loved the author's "House in the Cerulean Sea", and I have to say it was one of the BEST BOOKS ever. So this latest offering, "Under the Whispering Door", had a very high bar to try to meet. Does it succeed? Mostly, but I have a few minor quibbles... First, I have to say that the beginning was a bit slow & meandering. Second, the subject matter is a bit "dark", but that is the PLOT. Here we have a not too nice character, Wallace - now deceased - finding himself at a tea shop/way station for the departed, where he will encounter a ferryman named Hugo and some other rather interesting characters to assist him in his "journey" (who doesn't like a "ghost dog"!). There is, as before, a "found family", soul-searching, acceptance and romance, but again this time things are darker by design. Still, I was a crying mess at the end. LOVED IT - ALL THE STARS! A huge thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

A wonderful story that lives up to my expectations of TJ Klune. What do you do when you wake up and find yourself dead? You make the most of it! Full to the brim of Cerulean references, heartwarming moments, existential crises, and tea, lots and lots of tea! Under the Whispering Door takes the old myths of Charon (the ancient Greek Ferryman of the dead) and builds a whole cast of characters whose job it is to take the dearly departed and help guide them onto whatever comes next.

This is another sweet and sentimental one from TJ Klune, though it lacks the style and magic of The House in the Cerulean Sea. He’s great with found families and reformed protagonists, but this particular formula is going to wear out sooner rather than later.

As always, TJ Klune manages to create a story that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. I'm a huge fan of this author because he has such a talent for writing amazing, complex, colorful characters that I can't help but love. Each character in this book will captivate you.

An adventure to reflect on life, on death, on those who are not on this plane, but also to think about those who still accompany you in life and who you love with all your heart and soul.

This book brings you everything: a beautiful friendship between Wallace and Hugo (which little by little blooms into a wonderful romance) and a book with tense and restless moments that have you wondering what will happen in the last pages.

T.J Klune stop making me cry challenge failed. Literally this man has me in a chokehold with his writing. The humor, the warmth. I want to live in every single world he builds. His characters are brilliant and complex and diverse. What an amazing book. This book made me want to live life which for a depressed person that constantly struggles is a pretty dang good outcome.

Wallace knows what’s important... him. And his career. That is until he dies and finds himself in a lopsided house, sharing tea with a ferryman to help him pass to the other side.

Yay... a new TJ Klune! This one has all the heart and whimsy as Cerulean Sea! Of course my favorite part of Cerulean Sea was the kids, and given this is a new story with new characters, they aren’t in it. But that’s okay... because we have more lovable and unique characters that will stay with us for a long time. Klune has a superb talent of writing a romance, but keeping it on the back burner to build while an entertaining and entirely standalone plot is also going on. I am not a romance fan, but with Klune’s story I don’t even notice I’m getting drawn into a romance until I’m already sucked in. Love it! This was such a unique approach to death, which remained sensitive while still adding magic and humor. You will have a smile on your face after this one, and crave a nice cup of tea.

“Bravery meant the possibility of death. And wasn’t that funny? Because it took being dead for Wallace to finally be brave.”

“If we worry about the little things all the time, we run the risk of missing the bigger things.”

Under The Whispering Door comes out 9/21

Under the Whispering Door is a wonderful contemporary fantasy. While death is the focus, Klune takes a hopeful look at grief and what death means to different people. While it’s a heavy topic, I found it sweet without having the romance plot overwhelm it.

This is the second title that I have devoured by TJ Klune. Once again, the characters are beautifully crafted, memorable, and authentic. The inclusion of historically under representated characters is always a “look for” when selecting book. The themes of death, acceptance, love, family, and caring for others are so gorgeously intertwined that I am especially grateful for this novel. The pacing was spot on—the fluidity of plot was well crafted and allowed readers to easily digest heavier material. I absolutely adore this novel, and will undoubtedly read it many times over.

Under the Whispering Door is sweet sweet sweet, and if you liked House in the Cerulean Sea you will likely be pleased by the similarities. Man with unhealthy relationship to work enters a magical new environment and learns the true meaning of life? Check. Inviting and coherent magical world with the comfort factor of a pair of laundry-warm socks? Check. Mostly queer cast of characters who are both charmingly grumpy and deeply loving? Many checks.

There's a lot to like here, and even if Klune is returning to familiar territory, the formula of found family + fantastical reimagining of our world still equals something pretty special. The story begins with the death of Wallace Price, who is alive just long enough to establish himself as a total jerk before he unceremoniously leaves this mortal coil. He is taken to a tea shop run by a ferryman named Hugo, whose job is to help the newly dead come to terms with their fate before facilitating their journey to whatever comes next. Wallace falls for Hugo and his ragtag family (including a ghost dog! there should be more ghost dogs in books!), and romance, hijinks, and lots of soul-searching (both figurative and literal) ensue.

My major issue with Under the Whispering Door is related to its pacing: there is a LOT of talking and angsting that happens before the major conflict is even hinted at. Much of the book feels quite meandering, and though we're wandering through generally pleasant territory, I would have appreciated a little more clarity early on about where the plot was heading.

That said, Under the Whispering Door is undeniably enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC!

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is another beautiful masterpiece. While a completely separate book from Klune’s previous The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door contains that same gentle sweetness found in the previous book. This book was a tender look at life and death and how people can change and help each other. There was attach of A Christmas Carol with a selfish man learning to embrace his kindness and empathy. Each character was memorable, and I came to love our main characters dearly and was sorry when the book ended, and I had to say goodbye to them (until I re-read the book, that is).
Klune masterfully handled death and all of the emotions that accompany it, and it was touching, bittersweet, and comforting all at once. Throughout the book, I laughed, cried, and cheered on our characters. Bravo, and thank you to Klune for sharing this story. I would honestly recommend this book to pretty much anyone.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune will be published on September 21, 2021

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for this eARC.

I'd first like to thank the publisher, tor books, for this book to read and review! I literally squealed when i got approved for this book!
THIS BOOK IS A LITERAL MASTERPIECE + WRECKED ME
Ok so honestly where to start with the review. Just to clarify, this book is totally separate from the House and the Cerulean Sea that TJ published last year. This book was just beautiful,, it was such a gentle and soft story yet heartbreaking all at once 😭 His tale of grief was paired perfectly with his usual warmth and humor found in all of his novels. To touch on that, TJ explored all the ways of grief and how it affects people in different ways, while including such a touching emotional connection between characters. I’m always such an emotional reck after reading TJ’s books and this book was no exception! I instantly fell in love with all the characters + the development among them was just *chef’s kiss* Besides my love for the characters (I just want to give them all a hug + live in the tea shop with them 😌) TJ’s unique storyline was just phenomenal! The idea of a ferrymen helping souls cross while working at a cute little tea shop was a story I instantly wanted to pick up! I can’t express how amazing this book is, and highly encourage you guys to pick up this beauty when it releases in September! This book is easily one of my favorites of 2021

I am so excited to get a chance to review an ARC of "Under The Whispering Door." I LOVED " The House in the Cerulean Sea" when I read it earlier this year. It was a truly magical book and came at a time when I needed to read something feel-good, magical whimsical and wholesome. Under The Whispering Door was a little bit darker than The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it still keeps TJ Klune's gentle way of making difficult subject matter accessible. I really enjoyed this book and it gave me many of the same warm-fuzzy and wholesome vibes that I was hoping for. I am not so patiently waiting for TJ Klune's next masterpiece.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how this book had similar vibes to Cerulean. It made me laugh, cry, and everything in between. I cannot wait for September so I can feature it in one of my book discussions at my library.

I honestly don’t know where to even start with Under the Whispering Door. I wasn’t sure what to expect, having read the House in the Cerulean Sea. That one was wholesome and like opening a window and letting bright sunshine spill into a room. Whispering Door is something else entirely, though it’s also somehow a perfect match.

This book is a literal masterpiece. Simple in its execution, but stunning in the complexities of its theory. Under the Whispering Door is like a hug. It is someone telling you that you’ll be alright. It’s somehow a sense of relief and safety.

I cried through it so much that it became somewhat cathartic. I’m not sure if this is an effect of the book or if it just happens to be where I’m at right now, all age-related, anticipatory grief being considered and all pandemics being taken into account. Likely both. I cried and cried. Happy crying, sad crying... Klune, what are you trying to do to me?

I adored the character of Hugo, complicated and sad, yet strong and comforting. Nelson, a pure joy, the embodiment (heh) of grandfatherly safety. Spunky Mei, with strong words for her enemies and a fierce love for her friends. And Wallace, the perfect human representation of “there’s hope for you yet”.

I don’t know how a book about grief and death and getting lost and finding yourself brought me such a sense of calm, but here we are. This gorgeous, sentimental, warm embrace of a book is going to stay in my heart for a long time. Kinda like a hook in my chest.
.
.

I really enjoyed the author's last book, The House in the Cerulean Sea, but I did not like this one unfortunately. It was a bit boring and I didn't care much for the main character. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea at the beginning of the year, I immediately went to search for what other books TJ Klune had written. I came across the "Under the Whispering Door" announcement and was very excited by the premise. A ghost falls in love with the ferryman? Yes please! This sounded like some fun supernatural, whimsical goodness that I needed to read. I was shocked and very excited that I was able to receive an ARC of this book and immediately started reading it.

I feel like this book is quintessential TJ Klune. It's full of whimsy, and humor, and completely relatable characters that you can't help but fall in love with. This book met all of my expectations and took me on a journey of emotions. I smiled, I laughed out loud (many times), I was sad, and I even cried (yes, there were actual tears). It has the familiar topics of love and family and belonging, but it also deals with grief and loss and healing (and, while very sad, how these feelings can also be carthartic). You can be laughing one minute and crying the next. Altogether, this is another fantastic book that I will be highly recommending to people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

horrible man dies and ends up at a tea shop to meet the man who will ferry him to the after. But what is death but a new beginning? I cried many many times. Funny and heartwarming/breaking. I have not read Klune’s other work. This was a pleasant and bittersweet introduction to Klune. I’ll be reading the others.