This book was simply beautiful! It took me longer to get through that the authors last book but I ended up loving it just as much. It really made me rethink my view on life and shows that life is all about perspective. This author has a way with words and the writing style almost seems flowery and lyrical at times. The world building for this book was so imaginative and interesting. I didn't want to put this book down after the 40% mark. Heartbreaking but beautiful and bitter sweet.

TJ Klune has done it again. This imaginative,
Illustrious novel is unexpected and will tug in your heartstrings. We all deal with losing loved ones, and this novel understands what it means to be human and coming to terms with our own mortality. My one comment is that I think the ending should have gone differently, but I adored this book.

✨Book Review✨

Wow, oh wow, this book was amazing. I went into it without reading the summary because I enjoyed TJ Klune’s other books, The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries. (And, actually, I don’t recommend reading the official summary because it gives away some plot points that happen pretty late in the book.)

📖 Here’s what you need to know: Wallace is a career driven attorney that all of a sudden dies of a heart attack. He’s attending his own funeral (where no one has much nice to say) when he meets a woman who tells him she’s been sent to bring him to the ferryman who will help him transition “to the other side”. Reluctantly, Wallace follows along and finds himself along the way.

💭 Why I liked this book:

It’s hilarious and profoundly serious all at the same time. There were chapters where I was barking with laughter and moments where I was crying so much that tears were obscuring the page.

It’s a great example of a found family story and all the characters will grab you by your heartstrings.

The world building surrounding how life after death works was interesting and thought provoking. Klune clearly thought out every detail to the point where it seemed like a very realistic interpretation of what could happen.

✨Last word: READ THIS BOOK. ✨

Content Warnings: mentions of death, grief, suicide, death of a child

Outstanding and beautiful book that I wish I could read for the first time again and again. This is a must read.

I have an intense love for TJ Klune and have enjoyed everything I've read by him up until this point but this book just absolutely did not do it for me.

As much as I typically enjoy TJ's quirky writing it just absolutely did not do it for me here. For a story that is attempting to be a meditation on death and dying this is about as deep as a kiddie pool and as emotionally moving as my morning cornflakes.

This book attempts to do a few things and I think it fails at each.
1) moving journey of emotional growth for Wallace the shitty white man mc and it was a fail
2) found family and it was a fail
3) discussions of death and loss and dying that tug at your heart strings, which it tries its best at throughout the narrative but then spits in your face as a reader by the end.
4) crafting a swoonworthy romance between Wallace and Hugo which is perhaps the biggest fail of all

There's also something to be said about the magical endlessly patient POC emotionally rehabilitating this shitty white man but I don't want to be too political in this review. Overall it did nothing for me and I wouldn't recommend it.

TJ Klune has done it again. He is now an auto buy author for me. I thought I couldn't love this story anymore than I love House in the Cerulean Sea but I was wrong, so very wrong.

Under The Whispering Door tells the story of Wallace Price who wakes up at his own funeral and the aftermath of his coming to terms with his own death.
I love a good character arc and Wallace's is one of the best. I adored our motley cast of characters and their interactions with each other. Hugo, Mei, and Nelson are fantastic and I dare say I loved them just as much if not more than even Wallace himself.
This story made me absolutely sob at the end. What a beautiful way to handle such a difficult topic. This story gave me hope and comfort as well as made me laugh and cry. Needless to say, I had ALL the emotions.

This was a very enjoyable and reflective book. I had a good time getting to accompany the journey the characters went through and think the writing made the story very well paced, so i'm sure anyone who read it would also enjoy it.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

This was soooo good. I loved the sprinkle of old mythology in modern times. Not going to lie, I teared up a little in some parts. My book club is reading the authors next book, now I’m super pumped if it’s anything as beautifully written as this one. This one is definitely worth the hype!

Dnf @ 20%

I really wanted to like this book but overall I was extremely bored and uninterested. I tried multiple times and in multiple formats to read this but ultimately it couldn't pull me in. The story has a really great premise and the cover was stunning but I wasn't feeling a connection to the characters and didn't feel the need to pick this up and would ultimately prioritize other books that were pulling me in faster. I will still continue trying other books by this author as I do find them to be interesting but unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.

This story started off a little slow for me, but for some reason I was still hooked. Right before the half way point I couldn't put this down.
Topics surrounding life & death colliding with a budding queer romance that can't possibly last.

If House In The Cerulean Sea was a loving hug of a book, then Under The Whispering Door was a much needed therapy session.

“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.”

This book explores what happens after you die but before you travel to the great beyond, whatever that might be. The ferry stop on the way to the rest of your journey.

TJ Klune has a way of writing characters and found family like no other. He worms his way into your heart in just 300 pages or so and before you know it, its 1am and you're casually crying on your couch with your dog staring up at you in concern.

Which honestly are my favorite kind of books.

I don't think I can do this book justice for what it did for me, but something about it scratched that itch in my brain just right. I'm not sure it will be for everyone, but I do want everyone I know to give it a chance.

If House In The Cerulean Sea was a loving hug of a book, then Under The Whispering Door was a much needed therapy session.

“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.”

This book explores what happens after you die but before you travel to the great beyond, whatever that might be. The ferry stop on the way to the rest of your journey.

TJ Klune has a way of writing characters and found family like no other. He worms his way into your heart in just 300 pages or so and before you know it, its 1am and you're casually crying on your couch with your dog staring up at you in concern.

Which honestly are my favorite kind of books.

I don't think I can do this book justice for what it did for me, but something about it scratched that itch in my brain just right. I'm not sure it will be for everyone, but I do want everyone I know to give it a chance.

I received an ARC of Under The Whispering Door for an honest review through Netgalley. 🥰

Once again, TJ Klune has completely blown my mind. I read The House In The Cerulean Sea earlier this year, and it immediately became my favorite book. Now it is a tie between THITCS and Under The Whispering Door.

Wallace Price is.... Well, he's an asshole. He doesn't have any friends, because who needs friends when you can have business partners? His wife left him for the gardener, and his employees fear him. When he dies, he is forced to confront the type of life he led. At his funeral he meets Mei, a reaper who has been assigned to bring him to a ferryman who will help him cross over. Of course, that just won't do, because Wallace Price is a very important lawyer with very important work meetings. (Lol he's dead, it doesn't matter... A river only flows in one direction after all)

TJ Klune has this wonderful talent for writing the MOST loveable, funny, charming and flawed characters I've ever read. Just like in The House In the Cerulean Sea, the group of people we meet at Charon's Crossing will instantly find their way into your heart. This book will absolutely put you through the emotional ringer. I laughed, I got mad, I cried... I laughed WHILE I was crying. Also had a bit of an existential crisis, cause... you know... death is weird.

After another absolutely perfect 5 stars, TJ Klune is going on my instant-buy author list. The only thing I could possibly complain about is that it ended... And I really really didn't want it to end. 😭😭 I cried for like a half an hour after I finished it because it was just so beautiful. If you loved The House In the Cerulean Sea, you will also absolutely love Under The Whispering Door. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An enjoyable read with a really interesting plot. The character development was fun to immerse in while reading, and it’s easy to keep interested.

This autor has the most beautiful covers, lyrical titles and the writing and premises are poetry. I really look forward to have my own physical book.

There's never a book by TJ Klune that I won't buy, read, and support. I love how inclusive his books are, how authentic the characters are, and the safe space his books create! Under the Whispering Door was no exception. I laughed and cried and recommended this book so many times, I've lost counts at this point. I currently own like four different editions of this book, because that's how much I loved it. I also read it last year, but it's so good, it took me months to coherently form a review 😅

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't think it was fair to review a book I didn't finish.

I am a sucker for TJ Klune and this book did not disappoint. It was perfect in every way and had my heart breaking and swooning at the same time.

Wallace Price is a bitter man who hates almost everyone. He had no family and bo friends and he likes it that way. When a reaper comes to take him at his funeral Wallace can’t believe what it happening. He can’t believe he is dead until the reaper brings him to the tea shop and he meets a man name Hugo. Hugo helps the dead cross over. When Wallace meet Hugo he realizes that his life, or afterlife that is, will never be the same.

Really good, beautifully written. I loved this book and I’m so happy I read it. Thank you for this arc it made me so happy that I was able to read this story. This makes me want to read every other Tj Klune book and I definitely will.

Love love love this. The plot, the setting, the complex characters, the spooky elements creeping in at the corners. All gorgeous and emotionally charged. I laughed, cried, sighed, and smiled.