i was sadly pretty disappointed with this one. the house in the cerulean sea is one of my favourite books and even though i knew i probably wouldn't like this book as much, it still didn't live up to my hopes for it. this story felt like it was trying to be house in the cerulean sea, just with a slightly different plot and characters. it didn't have the same charm and i didn't fall in love with any of the characters. though i definitely didn't dislike this book, i found it a big step down from his previous book. i also REALLY didn't like the ending; it was quite literally the deus ex machina trope and it all just felt too convenient to me. that being said, there were some really nice moments between the characters and some really good conversations about death and grief, hence the 3 stars.

tw: grief, suicide

I've been delaying finishing this book. I've been delaying finishing this because I loved House on the Cerulean Sea so so much. And because I knew this book would destroy me, this book would make me ugly cry, my throat would close up, and I'd get a crying headache and I was right.

This. Book. Hurt.

It hurt so much, and that's the sign of a great book isn't it? No one cries over a two star book (well maybe tears of frustration).

I loved this! The character growth! Wallace has had one of the most amazing character arcs I've ever seen, he's up there with Zuko.

T. J. Klune writes the best found families and I refuse, Refuse to hear otherwise.

This book is so wonderfully crafted. And I'm honestly finding it hard to write this review because what can I say? My attempts at sentences are nothing in comparison to this book.
.
This book could possibly be my new favourite book of the year.

Read this! Buy this! Send smoke signals about this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little slow for me, but I did like the growth of Wallace and his effect on the people around him.

TJ Klune has done it again. And by done it again, I mean wrote a grumpy character discovering that life isn't all that terrible with the help of a group of quirky characters. All of this said, I do think he has perfected this "trope" and Under the Whispering Door was a great execution of it. I always love TJ Klune's books because they are super funny and charming. This book specifically has a great atmosphere, especially for a cozy fall day, and had a great story. I also appreciated the little hints of his other stories, which first time readers of Klune might not pick up on (like the stone wolf ahhhh). I will now be forcing my friends to read it.

Thank you to @netgalley for this free egalley. What a delightful read to follow up The House in the Cerulean Sea. I didn't fall in love with these characters as much, but it was still a beautiful story. I loved how Klune dealt with grief and put the reflection on self, how you grieve the life you lost. He created a lot to think about.

Excellent book! Exactly what I'd expect from TJ Klune of falling in love with House in the Cerulean Sea

https://berkeleyfictionreview.org/2021/09/27/the-secluded-purgatory-of-a-tea-shop-review-of-under-the-whispering-door-by-tj-klune/

This book was like a warm hug. I first fell in love with TJ Klune after I read "The House In the Cerulean Sea" (three times, I might add), so I was ecstatic when I was gifted the ebook ARC for "Under the Whispering Door."
There are so many things I'd love to say about this book, but in the end, it was just simply a delight. Klune hits on some really strong and tough topics, such as grief, loss, and death, but the package he wraps these topics into is covered in comedy, acceptance, friendship and love. Klune has a way of melding the fantastical ideas people hold close to their hearts with the real world. This book should be treasured.

This is a gorgeous book about Wallace who realises he has actually died when he is attending his poorly attended funeral. He is collected from there by the Reaper who takes him to a tea shop in a small village where he meets Hugo who helps him comes to terms with his passing.
This is written in T J Klunes beautiful style and leads the reader through various emotions including joy where I was laughing out out and grieving - tears were spilled.
It is a reminder that life should not be taken for granted and we should love those near and dear to us including their irritating traits! A reminder that life should be lived to the fullest. Thought provoking in places - what is the meaning of life ... the afterlife...
I absolutely loved this book and grew to love these characters and didn't want the book to end - I wanted to see what they would do next with their lives (or deaths)

I am extremely grateful to have received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

<i>"Yes, he thought maybe had mattered after all, a lesson in the unexpected. Wasn't that the point? Wasn't that the great answer to the mystery of life? To make the most of what you have while you have it, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.
In death, Wallace had never felt more alive."</i>

TL;DR: A powerful, haunting, meditative, slow-burn of a story which centers around Wallace after he dies and is taken to Charon's Crossing a post-death way station (and tea shop!), where he meets Hugo, a ferryman for dead souls. As a lawyer, Wallace was undoubtedly successful in life, but his success and material possessions came at the expense of relationships. As he waits to "move on," he learns more about living than he did while he was alive. Klune manages to craft a powerfully vague story -- while UtWD is a hauntingly beautiful meditation on life vs. living, what we would do if we had more time, and what happens after death, there is very little (if anything) that is denomination or worldview specific. As an Agnostic, this book spoke to me in a way very much like Piers Anthony's <i>Death On A Pale Horse</i> did, all the more powerful *because* it doesn't push an agenda or specific ideology.
<b><i>I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></i>

Vibes: <i>Dead Like Me</i> + <i>Ghost</i> + The Good Place + Ted Lasso, Season 2 (for the heartwarming hopefulness of it mixed with a bit of heavy real-life angst)

Genre: Contemporary New Adult. Standalone. Also, Spiritual / Magical Realism / Post-Death Afterlife (There has to be a specific genre for that.)

Character MVP: Mei. I'm a sucker for strong-willed, snarky, Marshmallows (soft and squishy on the inside).
But also, The Manager...? Like, I know that The Manager is the antagonist / closest thing to a villain AND takes the corporeal(-ish) form of a tween boy, but there was just something about the way TJ Klune wrote the character that gave me HUGE Eleanor Shellstrop/Kristen Bell vibes. And given that Mei was basically the only central female character, I was okay with that gender-swap.
(There are two or three minor female characters, one of whom is an antagonist, so again, I'm on board with the gender-swap in my head.) N

Verdict: 5/5 stars -- and a fantastic example of how "not all 5 star ratings are created equal."
That is, sometimes, a 5-star read is a book I can't put down; a book that I stay up past my bedtime reading "one more chapter," where the action is fast-paced and the story packed with twisty plot-turns.
This...is not one of those books.
But that's okay! Because it's a 5-star read in its own way. This is definitely more of a "read a chapter or two, pause, put the book down and absorb/contemplate what you just read" book.
This is a book that makes you <b>feel</b> and <b>think</b> and, TBH, re-evaluate some of your life choices and force you to think about your priorities.

For me, there was also a very poignant "life is so frakking short" component that hit home. Like, girl. Don't let work consume you.
Don't lose sight of your priorities.
Don't forget.
Take that trip.
Do that thing.
Eat that cupcake.
Because death is unpredictable and inevitable -- and you never know when it could come for you.
One of the questions that haunts Wallace the most is "What would you do with the time you have left?" And you don't want to be pondering that AFTER your life is over.

An observation:
You can very easily see how this book is related to <i>The Extraordinaries</i> and <i>Flash Fire</i>.
Both have as their protagonists a deeply flawed, somewhat unlikable, prone to verbal outbursts and melodramatics queer protagonists.
Both have said protagonists in love with a quiet, calm, stabilizing, introspective queer partner, who both tend to have a savior complex and care too much about the world/people around them and have an inexplicable soft spot for said unlikable protagonist.
Both have strong, wise father figures.
Both have strong, dynamic female friends who jump off the page and who I wish there was more about.

Two Spoilery Quibbles:
1--Not a fan of Apollo moving on in the end. :( That's actually the part that made me tear up the most (Nancy's realization was a very close second) -- and at first I was disproportionately angry. As a Dog Mom, the idea that Hugo could send Apollo with Nelson despite his connection with his dog...hurt my heart. Apollo was his anxiety-support dog, and their bond was so strong that Apollo straight up refused to move on.
Now, I get that Hugo is a ferryman and that's what he does.
I get that Hugo has Wallace now.
I get that they'll see each other again.
But the bond between dog and human...oof. He came to that decision seemingly pretty quickly, is all.
It helped when I considered the fact that, with Nelson gone -- no, wait.
I take this back.
Because both Mei and Wallace could do the little finger-spell tap tap thing and pet Apollo. (I thought it made sense for Apollo to go with Nelson because he was the only one who could actually pet him.) Not quite the same, but still. I'm back to being a little angsty about that.

2--There's a bit of a Chosen One narrative here. That is, everyone else has to move on, eventually, even Nelson and Apollo and the Husks.
But...Wallace is only the second person EVER to get resurrected? What makes him so special? Why him?
Within the logic of the book, I GET IT. It's the Happily Ever After ending I wanted for him.
And, yes, he learns to be a better person and he falls in love and he, objectively speaking, deserves it.
But what if another spirit came and fell in love with Mei? Would they get a chance to learn and be better and stay with Their Person too? Probably not. When you think too much about it, the logic breaks down a bit, although the message is still the same. Why does Wallace get another chance?

There doesn't seem to be a Bad Place or Good Place dichotomy, which is nice, so the importance of learning/changing/evolving isn't as strong. And I think there's a line in the book to that effect -- you're not measured by your actions, your mistakes, your regrets -- it's not a matter of going up or down, it's a matter of letting go of your anger and moving on to the next phase.
But how many people could do what Wallace did? And truly become a better person?
If the answer is "some people could," then the unfairness stings a bit.
If the answer is "not many," and Wallace is just That Good, then the bleakness stings a bit.

Hmm. Food for thought. Like I said, this is a thinking, pondering, reflecting book.

Okay, I LOVE TJ Klune. Loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I had really high expectations for this book.

It took me a while to get into it (actually, around the 40% mark), but once I did, I really enjoyed it. Like… really, really, REALLY enjoyed it.

The details are immaculate, and Klune does a great job of making me feel like I was there with Wallace and Hugo and everyone else, even though the concept of this story was unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

When I got to the 90% mark, I had to put the book down several times because I couldn’t stop crying. I was crying ugly tears, and at times, I actually thought I was going to start hyperventilating because of how hard I was sobbing. In the best way possible. I don’t know how TJ Klune does this every single time, but best believe I’ll be purchasing every book he ever writes.

Under the Whispering Door is the latest from one of my all-time favorite authors, the wonderful T.J. Klune. To say I was excited to read it would have been a massive understatement as I've read literally everything this author has written.

Was I expecting great things? Yes.
Did I enjoy this book? Absolutely, yes.
Do I feel more conflicted about this book than I expected to feel? Also, yes.

Under the Whispering Door is an interesting book in many ways. This isn't the first time that T.J. Klune has written a sad book that revolves around death, but it still felt very different to me. I am so, so, so beyond happy that this book didn't feel like we got any recycled characters. I love TJ's writing with all my heart, but there are a few stock kinds of characters that tend to repeat themselves in his stories. Here, I feel like we got all original people, which made me so very happy.

The strengths of the book are in the meaningful message and in the beautiful writing. This isn't a funny book, but there are parts that made me laugh and lots of parts that made me smile. TJ is one of the wittiest writers I know, and he can inject banter and humor into the bleakest of stories with ease (though this story isn't nearly as angsty as it could have been). I loved the dialogue and I loved the concept of the story, and I really understood the deep, personal meaning this story had for the author. Also, the ending was very touching and powerful, which I loved (always the best when a book ends on a high note).

Where this book falters a bit, and what almost caused me to drop my rating lower, is the long, long middle of the story. I think this book tries to do too much. There are side plots that really didn't need to be there, and I wish this book was trimmed down a bit to make it flow more steadily. Also, I wish the MC was more grumpy/rude for longer and we got a bigger change as the book went on. I think some of the mechanics of the world and the purpose of the ferryman was a little vague, perhaps on purpose, but I felt like I wanted more structure and details in parts of the story and fewer details in other parts. The romance could also have been bumped up a notch, but that is just because I'm a die-hard romance reader, and I'm not sure this book is marketed as such.

While I think there are a few things I would change about the story, it wasn't enough to keep me from wholeheartedly enjoying this book. It was a treat to read, and I think this is another story that will convert new readers to TJ and queer romance into huge fans.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

4 STAR, SWEETER THAN CERULEAN!!

I wasn’t as enamored with Cerulean Sea as many readers, but I had a feeling this one was going to be more down my alley. And I was right.

Everything said about Cerulean Sea I echo with this read. Whimsical and imaginative with an important takeout for everyone. This one was all about the end of life in respect to the life that was lived; the lesson to embrace your life and those in it before it’s too late.

“Wasn’t that the great answer to the mystery of life? To make the most of what you have while you have it, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly”.

“I see it now. It’s not always about the things you’ve done, or the mistakes you’ve made. It’s about the people, and what we’re willing to do for one another. The sacrifices we make. They taught me that. Here, in this place.”

I really adored all of the characters and I’m hoping that if the next journey really starts with Hugo, Apollo, Mei, Nelson and the Tea Shop, then maybe the idea of death isn’t so bad.

This book is a beautiful reminder to live life to the fullest and with all the gratitude you can muster. I didn’t want it to end but I loved the resolve.

The trick is to… “unexpect it, unexpect it” 😉

"The House in the Cerulean Sea" was one of my unexpected joys last year, so I had high hopes for T.J. Klune's follow-up. "Under the Whispering Door" did not disappoint, and I loved the occasional references to a house perched above cerulean waters. The book is slow=paced, and largely takes place within four walls, but once the characters were fully introduced, I fell in love, especially with Hugo. This was a lovely read that I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and TOR for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Having loved The House in the Cerulean Sea last year, I was beyond eager to pick up Klune's newest novel. While at first glance the plot is quite different from Cerulean Sea, at its core the two novels share many of the same themes: found family, love, reconciling a difficult past. Like Linus (of Cerulean Sea), Wallace undergoes immense personal transformation throughout the course of the novel. At the beginning, he is angry, mean, selfish, and lonely. By the end, through his experiences, his heart is opened to others and he finds love.

Even though the end is wrapped up rather neatly, I didn't mind. It might sound strange to say about a book about death, grief, and the afterlife, but Under the Whispering Door is incredibly heartwarming. TJ Klune is becoming a season pass author for me.

This is a story that basically happens in one place. A tea shop. Most of the dialogue and action takes place here with a few jaunts into the outside world.
I loved the concept of this story. It seemed like it was playing off of Greek myths but with a modern interpretation. The story was unpredictable and I haven't read anything quite like it. It wasn't preachy but it did deal with life, death, and regrets.
My only criticism was the ending. It seemed contrived. The beauty of the story was you don't know what lies beyond life. So the ending shouldn't have been so forced..

I was super excited to read this book when I read the synopsis as I really enjoy paranormal books. Sadly, I was just not a fan of this book. It is probably the most underwhelming book I have read all year. I stopped multiple times and almost (should have) DNF'd it. Maybe this one just didn't fit me and is better suited for a different audience.

Wallace is self centered, rude and thinks the world revolves around him. Then he dies of a heart attack and only a few people show up for his funeral which he gets to see. He doesn't seem to understand why no one showed up. Next thing you know he is meeting Hugo, the ferryman, who is supposed to help him cross over. So many, long and drawn out pages talking about death and of course, you can probably guess that at the end he changes and becomes a nice human.

I loved Hugo's father's character and the dog!

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the #gifted ARC.

This is a whimsical, heartfelt, funny novel. I felt like parts of this book were 4 star quality while other parts just dragged and were filler. I would still recommend this, but House in the Cerulean Sea is still my favorite.

Under the Whispering Door has a wonderful premise, but it left me wanting more.

I found the synopsis a bit misleading. The action doesn't really pick up until the final third of the book. The majority is spent providing the exposition for a quick dilemma then a wrapped up in a bow ending. The pacing felt off, especially for the romance which seemed to flip on without much growth or chemistry shown to the reader . Also, the philosophical layer didn't feel fully fleshed out. At times I didn't quite grasp it, but perhaps that was intentional for the reader to project whatever meaning or spirit into the story they like.

I bet a lot of folks will very much enjoy this book and appreciate the messaging. Overall, it was good but not great for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Under the Whispering Door by T J Klune

Thank you @netgalley and @mcmillonbooks for this Advanced Readers Copy! This lovely book published on September 21st.

Wowowow, this book deals with the very hard subject of death in the most creative, unique, and beautiful manner. I was floored. Thank you @bookloverinblue for forever encouraging T J Klune books! 😂

I won’t share much about the plot, because I’m so glad I didn’t know much going in. I did find the first third to be really slow and hard to get into, but then it seemed to just *click.* I implore you to keep reading! I couldn’t love the main characters, Wallace and Hugo more and found them to be such a refreshing romantic coupling. This book was challenging, heartbreaking, brave, romantic, adorable, and enlightening.