It's a good one, but it's not my type of book. I was expecting to like because I liked the synopsis but it didn't affect me.

THIS WAS INCREDIBLE. I was worried going into it initially but MY HEART oh wow. This was such a character-driven story (Nelson was just the comedy I needed) and while there was a lot of character background, I kept it straight. Everything in this book is so important, and I'm so glad this lived up to the hype. Very rare for me!

I love a simple love story. This would be one if it weren't so complicated. This book explores themes of love and life lost, the process of grieving and acceptance of change. I thought that it was beautiful writing, occasionally cliche, but the cliche was well placed and appropriate. I do recommend this book.

Wallace Price is a heartless corporate stooge. And then he dies. And so begins a journey of getting to the afterlife. Along the way he meets the folks who will help him and give him a cup of comforting tea, and maybe unlock the human inside him.

I really liked this book. The writing is simple and the story is super cute and I loved the funky characters. And I love a cheesy story about bad guys ultimately discovering goodness, ala The Christmas Carol. I liked that we get to see the perspective some someone who has to deal with death all the time and the toll it can take. However, be warned, the story is super predictable and somewhat trite and all the interesting topics are really addressed at a surface level. So it's not the most amazing book, but I liked it anyway.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillanusa / Torbooks for the gifted e-copy!!

i gotta be honest… i really didn’t think this book would mean as much to me as the house in the cerulean sea… then chapter 15 happened, and from there on out, this story solidified into something much more significant than I anticipated.

to set the record straight, I enjoyed myself the whole way through. but the the house in the cerulean sea did something to my heart that no other book has done, and if you’ve read it you probably understand what I mean.
under the whispering door managed to do just the same. but i’m really not here to compare the two..

tj klune masterfully creates fully fleshed out character arcs. at the beginning of the book, wallace is nearly unbearable. he’s unkind and selfish and him dying gives you a bit of a breath of fresh air. obviously, you know he’s about to go on a brilliant, life-changing journey, and boy does he.

we are genuinely blessed with this cast of characters. mei, nelson, apollo.. apolllllooo.
I would literally jump in front of a train for ALL of these guys.

and then there’s hugo. as the reader, you aren’t given too much insight into hugo’s story till further on into the story. but it didn’t matter too much because he what we did get of him before that was brilliant. he is so extremely patient and careful and kind. he is that way with wallace but also with the other characters.

over all, this gives the whimsical promise of tj klune while delivering a beautiful exploration of grief. it mulls over our time on earth and how short it can be. it contemplates what it means to have lived a “good life” and how different that can be person to person. it proves that real, true, deep love can be lost and yet found again.

again, TJK crafted an incredible story.
i am better for reading it.

After thoroughly enjoying The House in the Cerulean Sea, I was excited to pick up Under the Whispering Door as well. This story – centered around the afterlife of Wallace, big-shot workaholic lawyer, and his time spent preparing to “cross over” through the titular door after his death – was a charming and gentle take on loss, grief, and the inevitability of dying.

Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had a really lovely, well-fleshed-out set of side characters, who in my opinion added a great deal of vibrancy and delight to the book (Mei was a personal favorite); I also thought the worldbuilding of the after-death spiritual bureaucracy was really fascinating, though I wish we’d gotten more detail about a lot of it! Wallace’s character arc, while not at all unexpected, was well-done, and the overarching plot kept my attention despite feeling a little predictable. I didn’t feel hugely compelled by the central romance of the book, but I thought Wallace’s relationships with the side characters were really wonderful.

In general, if you’re looking for a slightly bittersweet feel-good read about a heavy topic, I’d recommend this one. I’ll very happily keep reading whatever TJ Klune writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an advance ebook copy, in exchange for my honest review!

TJ Klune only recently appeared on my radar with his book House in the Cerulean Sea. Under the Whispering Door has all the warmth of his earlier novel with an added step up in the depth of writing. I couldn't help falling in love with the characters. Reading the first chapter, I was giddy at the idea of this prickly cactus of a man being taken apart into his pieces and remade into the truest, happiest version of himself. I won't spoil what actually happens, but the anticipation alone as we met him was brilliant. I could have lost myself forever in this book. It'll be one of my rare rereads, on days when I need that extra warmth around my heart.

Oh, I loved this. I didn't think I would because Wallace is so unlikeable in the beginning, but of course Klune turns it around. And of course, I wept.

In true Klune fashion Under the Whispering Door is a book that deals with some big themes, gives us truly brilliantly written characters and ensures we get taken on a wild ride of emotions whilst reading. I know some people believe his books to be a little easy, a bit cliche and a tad too sweet but those are the things that make me LOVE these books. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a little drama, complicated characters and tension, but sometimes I just want a story that guarantees me a HEA, with characters that just make me want to crawl into the book and ask if I can join their 'found families', characters who make me laugh, cry and get irrationally angry in parts. You may be able to guess the ending of this book from the start, but boy is the journey worth it.

Wallace Price is a lawyer, and a slightly ruthless one at that, always putting himself and the firm ahead of anyone else, including his ex-wife. So when he dies of a heart attack and wakes up at his funeral, it's only Wallace who's surprised by the lacklustre attendance. The only person he doesn't recognise turns out to be his Reaper, the person in charge of taking him to the ferryman whose job it is to prepare Wallace for what comes after. But Wallace isn't quite prepared to go quietly, determined that Hugo, his ferryman, should be able to send him back to the life of the living. The more time Wallace spends with Hugo, Mei his reaper & Nelson and Apollo, Hugo's grandfather and dog, the more he realises that he never truly lived, so when The Manager appears and informs Wallace that he has seven days to cross over, Wallace decides to try and live a lifetime in a week.

If there's one thing that ensures my love of a book it's well written characters and Under the Whispering Door has them in spades. Wallace isn't overly likeable at first, a stereotypical Lawyer he is judgemental, argumentative and determined that something has gone wrong, he can't possibly be dead, so if you could please just send him back it would be most appreciated. Similar to Linus Baker in The House in the Cerulean Sea, Wallace go's through a rather big character growth arc in this book, we get to see him not only go through the stages of grief, but also come to realise that it was only after he died that he truly started living. His interactions with the other characters had me in tears, both from laughter and heartache in parts, but I loved seeing him come to realise that helping others is sometimes more important than helping yourself.

Hugo hasn't got the easiest job ever, his role of ferryman is to prepare the dead for what lies beyond and, when they are ready, to send them through the Whispering Door into what awaits them, something that hasn't always gone as peacefully as he would have liked. He carries the weight of his mistakes and is determined to do better, putting all his time and effort into making the decision to pass on as easy as possible. Mei isn't what I would have envisioned a Reaper to be like, but if they exist I hope I get one like her. She quite easily admit's that Wallace is her first 'solo' reap, something Wallace takes great offence too, and though she may be a bit on the nose in certain ways, she also has this ability to know what needs to be said and done to get the person to accept their fate. Nelson, Hugo's grandfather, was one of my favourite characters. He's not quite as diplomatic as Hugo and Mei when it comes to dealing with Wallace's behaviour, but there is a lot Wallace can, and does, learn from him, not the least of all how to be a effective ghost.

Klune's strength undoubtedly comes from his characters and their interactions with each other. Every single one of the above characters plays a significant part in Wallace's growth, though in drastically different ways, and seeing him change from his casual indifference and annoyance to gradually grow to love them all was such a special and impactful journey. Klune never fails to create found families that I just desperately want to adopt me and between Wallace's character growth, Hugo's never ending patience and wicked sense of humour, Mei's wit and quirky personality and Nelsons ability to annoy the heck out of you whilst teaching you a valuable life lesson, I just wanted to crawl into this book and join them in their antics.

Under the Whispering Door deals with grief but in a truly unique way. We have Wallace, not only grieving for the life he never got to live, but also for the lack of the life he did. Through his time with Hugo and crew Wallace realises that he never truly lived whilst he was alive, instead wasted his time making no true friends and instead being a huge dick to basically everybody in his life. When the Manager comes and tell's Wallace that he only has 7 days before he needs to pass, we also get to see Wallace mourn the life he has been living as a ghost. The relationships he made, the live's he changed and people he helped as a ghost add up to a life well lived and, although Wallace doesn't want to go, he knows at least he managed to make some small but positive changes with the time he had. The question of 'What come's after death' is one of life's most asked and unanswered and, and Klune deals with this in a humorous and thought provoking way.

Under the Whispering Door is one of those books that will stay with me long after I finish it. Written with Klune's typical wit and emotion, it's a book that took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions and ensured that I never wanted it to end. Did it end a little easily? Yes, but even though I guessed at the ending, Klune still managed to make me bawl like a baby (happy tears I promise.) All I can say is, bring on the next one!

Reading TJ Klune is always a treat and this one did not disappoint. This book made me cry, a very emotional read. I will recommend it in the bookstore for sure.

What a sweet story this is. A whimsical yet heartfelt exploration of death, grief, and the afterlife through a strong ensemble of quirky characters.

No one is sad when Wallace Price — a cold and mean lawyer — dies suddenly. His funeral is sparsely attended, although present at the back is Wallace himself. The ghost of an immediately dislikable character makes for an unusual protagonist, but the journey which he goes on as he is taken to Charons Crossing, a tea room which acts as a way point between this life and the next, is one worth sticking with.

Although with a more fantastical and magical feel, there are similarities to The Good Place beyond the obvious one of the subject matter — there is a feeling of hope and humanity throughout, as Wallace becomes a far better person in death than he ever was in life, thanks in part to the people surrounding him.

My only real criticism is that perhaps this book is a little too long, but it really is a lovely story full of love, grief, and hope.

✨What I Liked✨
•As someone who is not religious, I think this book could be healing in a way for those grieving and unsure of what happens after death. I found it to be a very interesting take on the afterlife, and a hopeful one at that.
•I adored everyone at the tea shop. Wallace was a tough cookie to swallow but I eventually warmed up to him. Klune writes some of the best supporting characters.
✨What I Didn’t Like✨
•I’m not going to lie that I was bored with probably 70% of the book. The last 30%, it finally picked up but I struggled to pay attention.
•I was slightly irritated with the ending. I obviously won’t say what happened but if you’ve read it and want to message me, I’d be happy to discuss!
•I think if someone was grieving or really wanting a book that made you take a deep look into yourself, you’d probably love this. I just felt like it was too much, probably just my mood while reading it but it just wasn’t for me.

“You live and breathe and dance and ache, but you die. Everyone does. Everything dies. Death is cleansing. The pain of mortal life is gone”

What a rollercoaster of a book! I started reading this because I had heard such affirming and beloved comments about it that I came at it with such high expectations. For 80% of the book, these were not met. I struggled to get through slow chapters and at times it felt like nothing much was happening. I feel this is a book of moods & feelings, created to invoke empathy, despair, longing and hope. Which at times feels more important that trying to deliver a story.
I did find myself enjoying the setting of Charons tea shop. I loved the concept of a final pit stop before the afterlife feeling so cosy and warm. Nelson, Hugo, Mei & Apollo felt like family by the end and I can understand why they provoke such strong comfort vibes from people.
The character of Wallace felt cliche to me at the beginning. A wholly awful human being with no redeemable features. He didn’t feel to me like a complete person so trying to imagine him in love or swooning over men felt unbelievable. I did grow to appreciate and enjoy his character as he evolved throughout the story and by the end he became my favourite character.
The mysterious surrounding the manager, The reapers & the door was engaging and I loved meeting the spirits and strange customers that frequented the tea shop. The different ways spirits acted and were treated kept a sense of pace and my heart felt so full when Cameron was restored and finally went through the door to be with his bf.
By the end I was a wreck. Something clicked as soon as the manager imposed a deadline upon Wallace and my heart was royally bled at every turn. The last few pages of the epilogue truly destroyed me and left me sobbing. Saying goodbye to Nelson hurt because after all The first cup of tea makes you a stranger, The 2nd makes you a friend & The 3rd family.

Sadly when I was about to dive into this book I lost my brother and therefore there’s no way I could even touch a book with this theme. It’s just too fresh. I’m hoping to come back to it some day, especially since I enjoyed Cerulean Sea so much.

I have to give a star rating, but since I heard good things, but never experienced it myself, I gave it a neutral rating.

Last read of 2021 and it was terrible for me and put me into a reading slump I can't get out of, even in the new year. Whomp whomp.

Ok... I haven't read The House in the Cerulean Sea yet so I'm not one of those people who read that first and absolutely adored it and then were disappointed with this one. I've only read one other TJ Klune and felt pretty blah about it. Maybe because so many people are obsessed with The House in the Cerulean Sea though, I still had relatively high expectations for this story. And it severely disappointed me. I'm giving this 2-stars, but it might even be closer to a 1.5.

I think maybe the synopsis is the problem. The way the synopsis describes the book is not at ALL how the book actually is. I thought that Hugo and Wallace would go on these wild adventures and learn to love life again, but they never really do. Not much ever even happens in the entire story and this book isn't short! I liked almost all of the side characters but didn't find myself connecting to any of our mains which always takes so much joy out of my reading experience. Overall, I just didn't like this. I found it so boring and I was slugging through it. I feel bad too because a lot of the topics in here are HEAVY and I cry at the smallest thing usually, but I didn't even well up at any moment during my read of this! So either I've turned heartless (unlikely- I'm a crybaby) or the story didn't have enough emotional pull to really move me.

I read half of this on my Kindle and then I got approved for the audiobook on NetGalley so I picked that up for the latter half. I did like the audiobook and I felt the narrator brought the characters to life, but it clearly still didn't change my feelings towards the plot of this book or make me more intrigued. I would recommend the audio though if you are going to pick this up!

A sad day in this house for reading. A huge disappointment. Of COURSE 2021 would end like that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced copy (e-book and audio). All thoughts and opinions are, always, my very own.

I usually like unlikeable characters, so long as they are complex and have redeeming qualities. But there is absolutely nothing redeeming about the main character of this book. He is just an asshole for the sake of being one. At his funeral, no one, literally no one, has anything nice to say about him. He seems to get a sick sense of pleasure from hurting and alienating everyone around him. The main character is just so awful that I honestly couldn't continue with this story.

Overall, I really liked this book - but there were parts I absolutely loved, and parts I didn’t.

Let’s start with what I loved:
- The message. It’s beautiful. I sobbed my heart out. First for Nancy and Lea, then for Cameron, then for Wallace, then for Nelson. So many tears. I loved it so much.
- The comedy! There’s so many funny quirks that really bring this book to life. I loved the prank scene so much.
- The characters - Klune always does such a good job not just with the main character, but the side characters too. Nelson was my absolute favorite.

Now here’s what I didn’t love:
- The ending. No spoilers, but it really, really irked me and was just so unfitting for the message of the book.
- The love story: I liked their connection and the possibility of a love story throughout, but I didn’t need to turn into a full fledged love story, and again, it didn’t seem that fitting with the overall message.
- The beginning was so slow, I read 70 pages then put it down for many months before picking it back up. Took me til around page 160 to get into it, which is a long time..

Overall, I recommend and think my opinion of the ending is probably not a common one.

TJ Klune does it again! He never fails to make me cry. This book was so heart felt and precious and I must say TJ Klune is one of my top favorite authors. Under the Whispering door made me laugh, cry and gave me everything I needed in a book.

I shed all the tears reading this book. Klune does another amazing job creating beautiful characters and writing a novel that crushes you in the end. I really appreciated that the author included a note in the beginning making the reader aware. Inclusive of love, death, grief, and acceptance this book was very heavy but beautifully done. While it took me a bit of time to get through it, it was very worth it.

“The whispers of the door called for him, singing his name over and over, and in his chest, a light, like the sun.”

A book that had me laughing out loud one minute and crying the next. I adored Cerulean Sea, but this book grabbed me by the gut and held me tethered to the last page. TJ Klune’s writing is full of heart, with endless quotable moments. It’s a read you won’t want to put down about life, death, love, grief, choice, family and everything in between.

A fantasy about a reaper and a ferryman who help the dead transition, guiding them through their grief, and helping them toward acceptance so they can move on. (“We’re here to make sure they see that life isn’t always about living. There are many parts to it, and that it continues on, even after death”). Set in a tea shop that also functions as a way station to the beyond, we meet quirky characters (like a ghost dog and a female medium) and learn to appreciate the finer purpose of tea as a connection and catalyst for togetherness (“when you take tea with someone, it’s intimate and quiet. Profound. The different flavors mingle, the scent of it strong. It’s small, but when we drink, we drink together”). There is great empathy displayed in dealing with various types of death and lost souls and realizations that will leave you in tears. But it is also balanced with humor and scenes that will have you belly laughing in other kinds of tears. Mostly it’s about redemption and love and how to answer the question “what you will do with the time you have left?” Grab a copy, you won’t regret it!

“Every step forward is a step closer to home. Then why is it so hard? Because that’s life.”

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC