
Member Reviews

“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.” - Under the Whispering Door
If you loved Kline’s previous book, this will not disappoint. It is full of the same heart - themes on love, sacrifice, and healing. It is a bit sadder, for sure, and there was something that didn’t click with me in this relationship as deeply as in The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it’s not really fair to constantly compare even if I can’t help jt. This story is deep and lovely and though provoking. It’s full of lovable characters and comfort and TEA! Love all the important moments that taking place over a comforting cup of tea.
Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

let’s get this out of the way, Cerulean Sea has been my favorite book of 2021 and there was no way for TJ Klune to top himself. keeping that in mind helped me enjoy this one more.
the beginning was slow and I don’t think I really got into the story until around the halfway mark. that being said, after that, I really loved the story. the characters were so lovable and TJ Klune’s ability to write in a way that squeezes my heart is unparalleled.
overall, I think what helped me with this book was that it was refreshing. i’ve read a lot about death and grief recently and while they were moving and powerful books, having a more lighthearted and growth focused story was a nice break.
while I think the synopsis is a little misleading, I still really enjoyed the themes and if you’re expectations are managed, I would recommend this!

I'll try to keep this short and sweet as I believe this is the kind of book best enjoyed without knowing too much about it beforehand. This is a wonderfully whimsical novel, the writing is beautiful and the characters truly come to life (or to death I should say), each chapter is proof that TJ Klune knows how to write and has figured out his style to a tee. However, the pacing at times seemed a little bit too slow and I felt as though the plot didn't quite land as it could have. To be honest, I am being a little nitpicky, since I did thoroughly enjoy this book and can't wait for whatever this author comes up with next. Fans of A Monster Calls are sure to enjoy this novel about love, grief and the importance of being your truest self while you still can.

The book was amazing. I know that's not probably the best description to give, but I don't wish to give away any part of the plot. Each page is magical, but dealing with the basics of life on this planet. Highly recommended.

[E-ARC was sent for review by NetGalley]
𝐖𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞. 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐢𝐬.
#WickedReviews: Under the Whispering Door by @tjklunebooks
This book. Gah. If home was a feeling, it would be this book. Reading it just makes you feel so safe, protected, and calidated for everything that you’re feeling. It comforts you and lets you know that you’re never alone and you don’t have to go through life alone.
For a book about life after death, it still had its predictable moments but I honestly didn’t care about it because of how well crafted the characters were and their own journey in the book. Every character has their own shining moment in their book, and even the side characters that enter have their own purpose in the story. They aren’t randomly placed there for whatever reason. I loved their dynamic and each of them was unique in their own way.
TJ Klune has this way of writing that’s easy to grasp but it still has that whimsical atmosphere to it. It immediately transports you to the setting and makes you feel like you’re there with everyone. I particularly noticed how his ‘quotable’ lines didn’t seem out of place but rather, it just fits perfectly within the dialogue.
Honestly I don’t have a lot to say about Under the Whispering Door aside from how wholesome it was and how it felt like home. It makes you think about how to continue to live your life and just what exactly comes after death.
4.5/5 🌟

If you enjoyed TJ Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea, you will also adore this new book of is! The two have some similarities, but the story is a complete different adventure.
Wallace Price is a hard-working, cut-throat, Lawyer and you do not want to get in his way... that is until the day he dies. Everything changes when Wallace learns of his death and that there is no way to go back. Enter Mei, his reaper, who take him to the tea shop where he meets Hugo. Hugo owns the tea shop and is a ferryman into what comes after death. This is where Wallace's story begins to unfold.
Klune's character building is always a treat to see!
Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Books, and author TJ Klune for this ARC!

Three cups of tea to become family. The family in this story was everything. Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and Apollo were a perfect chosen family. I loved the story of Wallace's death and his growth afterwards. Mei is the reaper that takes him to the Tea House to meet Hugo, the ferryman. There were times throughout that I giggled and laughed out loud. There were other times I wanted to cry. There was so much hope and love throughout the story. It was a sad, but somehow a feel-good book. 4.5 stars!

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is worth ALL the stars!! A beautiful emotional read! Just be sure to have several boxes of Kleenex available and close by when you do read this one.
A book about death and lessons and love and regrets. It’s a M/M Paranormal Romance need I say more?!! If you love audiobooks I HIGHLY recommend listening to this one. The narrator made this story come to life!!
This story is beautiful, heartbreaking and so much more!!! It had me all in my feels & left me hella book hungover!!!

This book was absolutely wonderful! T.J. Klune does a beautiful job of writing characters that are incredible & full of warmth. His latest book deals with grief, death, & making the most of the life we have. I highly recommend it. That you NetGalley for an e-copy!

This book was absolutely heartbreaking in the best way. I havent read something this amazing in quite a while, and Im so glad I did. The journey of every character was so well thought out, and it made me wish there was more. I loved Wallace’s redemption, and probably my favorite part was how the tea saying fit into the story. I would recommend this to everyone I know, and I will now go read the author’s other book as Im sure it is just as good.

This was a hard one for me. I love the premise, love so much of the characters (I mean, Hugo is probably my favorite fictional character of the year) but the book itself? It didn't always deliver the promised "heart and wit" that is the author's signature. The plot seemed muddied, at times jerking forward at breakneck speed and at other times meandering around unsure of where it wanted to go. The humor had me laughing out loud at times, and sighing at the too-on-the-nose-ness next. There's a lot of heart and feel-good moments, but even those at times veered into the melodramatic for me. The voice, though, the voice is absolutely stellar, and if I was rating on that alone it would be 5 stars. The House in the Cerulean Sea is the superior story to this one, but I will say that even for a "miss", this book is still well-crafted, unique, and is a fun read that I would tell others to pick up.

3.5 Stars
"We're all on different paths, but death doesn't discriminate. It comes for everyone."
I will say one thing, TJ Klune tells the stories he wants to tell and I commend him for that. He is in no way a cookie-cutter writer, nor does he follow any kind of formula. Every book of his is a unique experience. Also, there is a poignancy to his writing that leaves me speechless. Some of the lines in this book were so powerful, that I just had to pause and bask in their greatness for a hot minute.
For example:
"In death, Wallace had never felt more alive."
I am just going to come right out and say it... this book is ALL about death. Not in a dark, depressing, morbid way... but in a Klune way. He does a great job with the vivid world building that brings this afterlife idea, as he sees it, to life...no pun intended!
Without giving away any spoilers, I will say this: this book was like if the films Scrooged, City of Angels, Beetlejuice, and Ghost all had a polyamorous lovechild.
Wallace Price has died and he doesn't know what to do about it. Life was a job for him. He was all work and no play. He was so blind to how much he was giving to the things that didn't matter, that he let his whole life pass him by, until it was too late.
“I don’t know if I was a good person.” He let the words float between them for a moment, bitter though they were.
“What makes a good person?” Hugo asked."
I LOVED the beginning and end of this book. But during the middle...I kind of got super bored. Besides Hugo, I found the secondary characters to be very one-dimensional. I loved the Cameron/Zach story (like, hard), but the rest...did we really need it? I felt like Klune could've shaved like 100 pages off this and the book would've been better for it.
And for all my fellow romance lovers out there, there is a romance plot line in this story, but I felt like it needed way more attention than what it received.
Overall, the message of this book is a powerful one. I do think it will be widely loved and very popular. I love the found family trope, and am a huge believer in it. (TMI: I am blessed to have a wonderful, all-up-in-your-face family, but my found family are the people who know me better than anyone on this earth and are the people I know I can always count on).
I just felt like there was more the author could do with the middle of this book. Particularly the dynamic between Hugo and Wallace. It was there, but it could've been stronger. I felt like I was being told about their connection, rather than shown. I still totally ship them though!
“You’re not alive, Wallace. But you still exist. I don’t think you realized that until today.”
All in all, this book had moments that made me laugh out loud, (one word, Patricia Ryan and Applebee's) and other parts that made me cry, damn it! (That phone call to Naomi...aghh!) So, there is definite greatness in that. And as I said before, there is no denying T.J. Klune's talent with words. Death is like the mother of all challenging subjects to cover, at least in my opinion, and he did so with grace and humility.
This is a unique, hopeful, and inspirational read, and as I said in my brief Bookstagram review of this book, I hope the afterlife is exactly as T.J. Klune describes it.
I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have tried to read this book off and on for over a month. And unfortunately right now is a time where i need to put it down and take a step back from it and come to it again maybe in a few months, when I’m able to give it more time and attention. What i read was really good, But for me to hold on to it for so long and not move forward would do this book injustice. Only rating it a 3 because that’s just where I’m at at this point.

This book reminded me of the movie Soul (Pixar). It's about enjoying life.
I loved the house in the cerulean sea and was super excited for this one. It was just ok. I got a little bored and it was dragging a little bit.

This is probably one of the most heartbreaking book I’ve read. Totally unexpected, but so great in all the good things that matters in the end.
I haven’t read the first book by the author and I know how hyped and well acclaimed it’s that one because every other person will recommend it. But, to be honest, I don’t think I’ve missed much and we might read this story as a stand-alone.
The writing was exquisite and the characters are so amazing pictured that I felt like actually seeing all the words on a screen, like in a movie. I was sad with them; I cried a bit at some chapters, but I also cheered them out on every occasion.
What a beautiful story.
Arc review . Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

After months of trying to read through this one, I finally had the courage to DNF it at 70%.
Story time: I absolutely loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, so when T.J. Klune announced that he's having another book that is as magical as that one, I got really enticed. I requested an advanced copy from Netgalley and got approved (yay!).
However, when I tried to read it, I got to 10% and enjoyed. After that, it was just plain and slow. It was so uneventful that I do not have something to look forward as to why I should read till the end. It was supposed be magical as it was described, but it was just so flat and even the funny parts feels bland.
The romance is forced and confusing, it did not give me the same warmth and cozy feeling I had from his previous book. I think that I just have too much expectations for this one because THITCS is my go-to light and feel-good read.
I'd still give it a 3-stars because they have dog ghost and that means there is a dog heaven.
A copy of this book was provided to me by Tor-Macmillan through Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Although I wasn't as big of a fan as everyone else for the Cerulean Sea, I still was very interesting in reading Klune's new novel Under the Whispering Door. So glad I did, because I enjoyed it way more.
After Wallace's unexpected death he ends up in a small village with a unique cast of characters tasked with getting him to "the other side"
This story kicks off with a scene that truly shows us the kind of man Wallace is. He is a money hungry, unhappy, mean business man. When he dies, there is a sad showing of guests at his funeral and no tears shed.
I loved the characters in this book. They are so well written and my fondness for Wallace quickly grows as he interacts with these characters and he shows his true loving self. I was really invested in Wallace's journey. There is such a warmness to Klune's writing that brings these stories to life.
Although this touches on death, loss, and grief- it also brings up joy, and hope. Its sad but life is sad sometimes. The ending is one that I won't forget.

This book is weird. Also funny, sad, and though provoking. I love the characters and character development and wish I had a book club to discuss it with.

Wallace Price is dead. He’s not overly impressed, but unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be much he can do about it - other than hang out in a teashop with the Mei and Hugo (the reaper and the ferryman) and refuse to move on. Hugo’s dead grandad Nelson is there too, like Wallace stubbornly ignoring the door at the top of the house that calls to him. Life in the teashop is quite nice actually and Wallace feels that he is living life more than he ever has before. Except that he’s still dead.
The character development in this book is as inspiring as it is depressing. It’s a lovely example of how anyone can change, although you can’t help but hope that most people can achieve this before they’re actually dead. Even Hugo, who seems perfect from the outset, experiences a development of character as he accepts that the weight of the world is not on his shoulders alone and allows those who love him to offer their help.
Helping others is a constant theme throughout. In the obvious ways, as Hugo helps the dead to move on. And in the less obvious ways, as he helps Wallace to become a better person and as Wallace helps Hugo to see the flaws in the system that he is blindly following. Even the ‘cruel’ manager is driven by helping others, although his methods are sometimes a bit questionable and the manner with which he delivers his assistance does him no favours.
Overall, despite the expected negative undertone of death and missed chances, this novel has an overwhelming positivity to it. After reading I was left with the feeling that I wanted to be a better person and help more people, yet without any bitterness or regret as to how I was currently behaving. It wasn’t that the book made me feel I wasn’t doing enough, rather that there was always an opportunity to do better.

This book gave me everything i was looking for. I felt so many emotions while reading it… My heart dont lie.