Aaaaah THIS. BOOK IS PHENOMENAL! Did it make me feel like The House at the Cerulean Sea? Yees, it had the same vibes, bit more layered and it was so nice to see Wallace! Did it make me cry? Yes.
The writing style is beautiful, picturesque, vivid and imaginative! Definitely a must read after the first book although they are treated as stand alones.

Under the Whispering Door is the story of Wallace, an unforgiving attorney who finds himself dead of a heart attack. Wallace is brought to meet his Ferryman, Hugo, by his Reaper, Mei, and finds himself stuck in a tea shop purgatory until he decides he’s ready to move on.

TJ Kline obviously spends a lot of time loving his characters into existence. They are so detailed and special and often times, endearing, although somewhat unbelievably. I just find them *too* *too* for my taste. I read House on the Cerulean Sea prior to this and much the same found that all the elements of an enjoyable read for me were there, the end result wasn’t my taste.

Book Review: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune ★★★★

For some people, life starts at 40. For miserable, corporate manager Wallace Price, life started when he died. Better late than never.

TJ Klune’s new novel, Under the Whispering Door, takes his breezy fantasy stylings and tackles a love story beyond the grave. When Wallace attends his own sparsely attended funeral, he meets Mei—a reaper tasked with helping him take the next steps in his afterlife—who brings him to Charon’s Crossing Tea House to meet its young Ferryman, Hugo. Will Wallace come to terms with his sudden death and choose to step through the titular doorway with Hugo’s help? Or will this stubborn, self-important man make life hell for those around him?

Coming to the book now, the specter of Covid-19 hangs over Under the Whispering Door, set almost entirely within a single house, where danger lurks outside its boundaries. But the setting never feels claustrophobic. Wallace’s journey is an internal one and those around him (including a fellow specter, Nelson, and Hugo’s deceased dog, Apollo) manage to push him in new directions.

Klune’s world is often filled with over-the-top characters (like the wannabe medium Desdemona), but each has a strong emotional core. The affection between Wallace and Hugo is touching and well presented, even if seemingly doomed from the start (that tends to happen when one of you is dead), and the found family in the tea house form a compassionate and feisty unit.

However it is a side character that packs the most unexpected punch, the “husk” Cameron. Having rejected the Whispering Door, Cameron wanders the exterior, slowly turning into a mindless spiritual zombie—a lost soul—a warning of what will happen to Wallace if he tries to run away. It’s a chance encounter with Wallace that turns the book on its head. When I thought I had predicted the book’s finale, it introduced a stronger thread that turned it from an entertaining read, to an enthralling one.

For a romantic comedy, Under the Whispering Door deals with some very heavy material, with themes of death—obviously—along with homophobia and suicide all handled with a sensitive touch. One minor quibble is that the book doesn’t know when to call it quits, with the epilogue running long, diluting the impact of the ending.

Under the Whispering Door manages to examine the world of grief with humour and heart, turning a seemingly whimsical novel into something more substantial.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is published September 21st 2021.

Death can be a hard topic to broach, especially in a dynamic and funny way. Yet Klune brings empathy and humor to this very topic. Under the Whispering Door, Death is the main character and everything else is revolving around it. Wallace is the character you want to hate and have probably encountered in life. Someone that you feel sorry for in a way that allows you to dismiss them. Through the course of the story, we realize that Wallace had lost himself and what really mattered. The relationship between Wallace and the secondary characters makes him endearing and lovable, even if it takes more than half of the book to get there. The depictions of grief, sadness, and redemption are real and authentic. While in some areas the plot seems to wane, this may have been done intentionally. Making the reader feel the restlessness of Wallace and time in general.

4.5 Star Rating.
So many people loved this book and I am one of them. I started this book in December but ended up putting it down and picking up some other books. I am a moody reader and was in the weirdest mood so it did take me a bit to get into the story. But once I got into it I became completely captivated by the story. The premise was really intriguing. Wallace Price a successful lawyer dies. Wallace was a horrible person, unempathetic towards anyone else but himself. He was completely self-absorbed and cantankerous. A reaper, Mei, is at the funeral and takes Wallace's ghost to a tea shop where the Ferryman Hugo prepares Wallace to go through a door and pass on to what is next. I love that the weigh station is a tea shop. I love that @TJ Klune creates these whimsical locations with such rich quirky characters and even though the subject matter is tough in nature he weaves in a sense of humor giving them a light-heartedness. The characters have very deep conversations sprinkled with philosophical nuggets. The themes that stuck out to me were death, acceptance, grief, love, and the idea that it is never too late to change who you are and your contribution to the world. Wallace underwent a huge transformation from the person who landed at the tea shop to the person he ended up evolving into. I also liked the idea of family near the end of the book. It was a sentimental emotional acceptance that the characters loved Wallace and invited him to be part of their family. I always find it heartwarming when families are created through situations and experiences not necessarily because of DNA.

Two of my favorite quotes from the book...
“Everyone loses their way at some point, and it’s not just because of their mistakes or the decisions they make. It’s because they’re horribly, wonderfully human. And the one thing I’ve learned about being human is that we can’t do this alone. When we’re lost, we need help to try to find our way again.”

“Death isn’t a final ending, Wallace. It is an ending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning.”
I would encourage you to pick this one up. It stays with you long after you finish reading it. Those books to me are the best.

Thank You @McMillian- Tor/Forge & @NetGalley for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing. In a way, it felt entirely different and yet similar to 'The House in the Cerulean Sea'. The way I see and experience death has been transformed by this book, and it has been an emotionally moving and thought-provoking reading experience for me. Klune has done it again by presenting a deceptively simple concept about what it is to be human.

CAN WEPLEASE ADD MORE STARS TO THE RATING SYSTEM?????? 🤣
There aren’t enough stars for how this book got into my heart.
Oh how beautiful this was to read. Quirky and poignant, Kline seems to write effortlessly about the human condition.

The story begins with Wallace Price terminating an employee for one mistake in an otherwise spotless record. Though Im used to the redemption theme and I assumed I’d eventually hate him less, I didn’t imagine completely falling in love with Wallace.
When Wallace age 40, dies of a heart attack, his funeral is small in attendance. Hes there and in shock, also there is a girl in a suit, the only other person who can see him.
She turns out to be his Reaper, the person tasked with getting him to the Ferryman who will help him cross over.
Wallace is terrified.
When they make it to the place of transition, what Wallace sees isn’t what he expected. It’s a tea shop in the middle of the woods calls Charon’s Crossing.
The Ferryman is a soft spoken gentleman named Hugo.
The rest of the story is basically a lesson on what to appreciate in life before it’s too late. Unfortunately for Wallace it is. But with the help of Nelson, Hugo’s grandfather who has yet to go through the Door, Apollo the ghost dog, Mei his Reaper, and of course Hugo- Wallace finally learns how to live, what’s important, and what really isn’t.
He becomes…. He becomes. The new Wallace doesn’t even resemble the old one. He cares about his new friends. Friends! Plural! Wallace finally has people to care about and who care about him.
But the tea shop is not permanent, it’s simply a place to stop while you accept your death and in some cases, your life.
So Wallace must accept that his real life will be short, temporary and oh so beautiful.

"In death, Wallace has never felt more alive"
This story about living in the moment and not taking a single chance for granted is intertwined with the message of living life to the fullest until you're full.

Now, this does feel a bit cliché and repetitive... and it does read similarly to The House in the Cerulean Sea, but I appreciate this story.

Not to spoil much, because there was an ending. that didn't surprise me... and I somewhat predicted... but there is a lot of growth when it comes to the crossing before being content to go to the other side-which Wallace learns will coincidentally fall in love....while being dead?

I am hoping someone loves this more than me, but I think this is a worthy book that is worth the pages given.

Tha k you Netgalley for giving me an arc ahead of release, just now making sure my thoughts were true and accurate to my feelings.

4 stars. Initially I rated it 3 stars because there was a large chunk in the middle where it felt like I was just slugging through it. Some of the events felt a little random and I had a hard time seeing how they were connecting. However, it all came together and was so good at the end. Kirt Graves as the narrator was a really good choice for this book too. Overall really good.

This was a beautiful story about what happens when you die. T J Klune’s last book, The house on the cerulean sea was one of my favourites of last year and this did not disappoint.

Under the Whispering Door follows Wallace during part of his journey in the after life. Wallace was a selfish grump of a man when he was alive, he worked too much and didn't really appreciate anyone in his life. At his funeral Mei, a reaper, shows up and takes Wallace to the tea room, a weigh station of sorts, where Hugo the ferryman will help him cross over into the beyond. At the tea shop Wallace reflects on how he lived his life, wishes he could have a redo, and grows as a person (soul?).

This book had a somber tone, but I was okay with that aspect. It is definitely a creative character driven story. There wasn't much action and parts of it felt like they dragged on. I didn't really start to get invested in the story until about midway through. I didn't like Wallace but I can appreciate his journey and was happy with the ending. The secondary characters were my favorite part of the story with Mei being the best. TJ Klune's quirky style is still alive and well in this book and I look forward to seeing what he writes next.
True rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you so much Net Galley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

When I read the synopsis I was hooked, a funeral, a reaper, teashop one week to cross over. This book seemed to be hitting all the right spots. But it had so much more.

The characters were brilliant. T.J. Klune has such deeply developed characters in this novel that I felt like I personally knew each and everyone of them. I felt their pain and their laughter. It didn't take long to fall in love with each and everyone of the inhabitants of the tea house.

One thing I was surprised by was the amount I laughed in this book. There was many moments that I was laughing hard. Though there was many hard and intense subjects handled T.J. Klune managed to put in humour in a way that it brought a lightness to the book that was very much needed and appreciated.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, particularly those who enjoy magical realism. Be sure you can handle the tougher side of discussions of death and the way people can die as some of it can be triggering.

This was my second book by T.J.. Klune, and it did not fail to make me sob like a child. The writing of this novel was so perfectly done, and the storyline was so unique. Grief and redemption are the main focuses of this book, and T.J. Klune did such a wonderful job. This book will for sure tug on your heart strings.

This one was just okay for me. At times, especially toward the end, I was very drawn into the story and the emotions Klune was trying to pull from us. But it took me a very long time to get into the story, and if I hadn't already read and loved one of his works, I may not have soldiered on and finished this one.

Wallace Price spends his life working, serious, and just being a crappy, unhappy human. Then he dies. A reaper greets him and takes him to a tea shop to begin the grieving process of accepting his fate and we go along on his journey as he realizes what life is really supposed to be about. We meet others who come into the tea shop and delve into the heavy topics of loss, regret, depression, anxiety, everything from life to death. What's miraculous about this book is how gentle these topics are handled. It hurts, but there's more depth and beauty there because the goal is acceptance. This book is not depressing; its whimsical and caring and hopeful and intriguing and humorous and thoughtful. It ended and I'm sitting here in disbelief of how much was packed into one book. It is everything and what an amazing way to kick off a new year.

Having read several of Klune's books in the past, the anticipation of this book, Under the Whispering Door, was big for me personally.

However, the bar was too high for me. While I did like the main characters Wallace and Hugo, I felt more of a connection to the secondary characters throughout the book.

The relationship between Wallace and Hugo felt forced at some points, and to me it felt like the middle of the book was just filler. There was so much added that didn't need to be there that the middle section of the book, I really had to push myself to keep reading it.

Although I do love the way that Klune describes the After Life and what it is like, I just felt like there could have been more to this book. It felt a little flat to me.

The twists near the end were what saved the book for me overall, and if Klune does do another book in this world, I would read it in a heartbeat.

This one just left me wanting more of "something". I can’t really put my finger on it.

Stars: 4
I received this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated for the book other than the entertainment it provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I can't remember the last time a book made me cry this much OR laugh out loud this much. I seriously felt every single emotion while I was reading it. I want to tell everyone I know to read this book. I want to erase my memory so I can read it again for the first time. I loved it so, so much.

Such an interesting look at grief and how people react differently to it. I loved all the characters and the quirks that make up their personalities. Overall a heartwarming story that sucks you in from the very beginning.

Difficult to enjoy the best of this book after slogging through the worst to get to it. The main character was frustrating, and while I will acknowledge that some of that is to try and justify his arc, it never allowed me to connect with him and enjoy the book.

I enjoyed this book! There were discussions of many important topics like grief and death while maintaining comedic moments and great characters. The development of these characters was wonderful and I enjoyed them immensely