On the surface, this book may seem like a book about death, but in truth, it is so much more. Meet Wallace, living his life for work, and letting nothing stand in his way, including his assistant who he swiftly sacks in heartless fashion right before he…dies. Not all that likeable. Barely a soul at his funeral but his ex-wife, partners from his law firm, and a strange woman. Wallace is frustrated and confused, only the woman can hear and see him. He can’t be dead, can he? Turns out, the stranger is a reaper, here to whisk him away to the afterlife. The way there, requires the help of ferryman, Hugo, owner of a quirky tea shop Charon’s Crossing that also houses Hugo’s hilarious deceased Grandfather Nelson and Apollo, a dog so loyal that even after death, he couldn’t leave him. Hugo helps souls to pass through the door on the top floor on to the afterlife and the pull towards the door is strong. No one can see those in the tea shop who have departed, except for Hugo and Mei, the reaper who is the only person who can touch (or rather hug) the spirits.

This is a story about life. Reflecting on the life you’ve led and leaving for the afterlife with no regrets. Wallace has his fair share of those. An unlikeable character that has a lot of work to do to redeem himself. When “The Manager” shows up in all his child-like glory (which includes an amazing t-shirt) and tells Wallace his days at Charon’s Crossing are numbered, he sets out to do more to deserve the life that comes next. On his journey, Wallace sets out to help others, including a grieving Mother, a soul that is thought to be lost to his grief, a new spirit struggling to accept the circumstances of their death, and reaching out to his ex-wife to offer her closure. Along the way, what Wallace finds is love and family. Something he didn’t even seem to know he was missing. The love story of Wallace and Hugo maintains tension throughout the story as the inevitable time for Wallace to enter the door to his afterlife is always looming. The emotional connection of the relationship keeps you wondering what is to come. This book takes us through all of the stages of grieving and shows us how love can heal even the most tarnished heart. As a huge fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea, T.J. Klune has set the bar high and his voice is clearly one I look forward to reading more of again. This book feels like a love letter to those who we have lost, hope for what comes next, and taking the time to live each day as though it is your last. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advanced copy of this book.

3/10 stars

My full review on my blog (link attached).

I’ve heard a lot of good things about T.J. Klune’s books; when I saw this one on NG, I jumped at the opportunity to finally get acquainted with his writing. Alas, while the writing was smooth enough and well-meaning enough, Under the Whispering Door turned out to be a book not for me. I’m sure there are people who’ll enjoy it – not just more than I did, which is no big feat, but generally, in absolute terms, as a feel-good, “wholesome” novel.

I could probably finish my review here; then, words like “infantile” and “cloyingly sweet” wouldn’t have to be written. And I’m a bit tempted to do just that, because I don’t have a beef with this book; no uncontrollable growing and gnashing teeth while reading, no torn out hair – my reactions tended toward bafflement and growing dissatisfaction. Alas, I think I owe an explanation for this somewhat dismal rating. So, here it is.

Under the Whispering Door is a fantasy conglomerate of different tropes and themes and inspirations, from Dickens to studio Ghibli, from the found family trope to the treasure trove of New Age afterlife imagery. The main character, Wallace Price, is a stiff, overbearing, miserly and insensitive… curmudgeon, let’s call him nicely, on the verge of becoming even stiffer; he dies, you see, and that’s the beginning of his journey. It’s not Christmas, but rather March or thenabouts, but the influence of A Christmas Carol is undeniable. Faced with a total lack of grief from the handful of people who actually appeared at his funeral and with an angry outburst from his ex-wife over his casket, Wallace begins to realize he wasn’t a particularly nice person. Well, better late than never, but not to worry – he’ll have time to repent and find happiness, because death is a new beginning! Collected at said funeral by his personal Reaper, a person who’s supposed to ease the transition from life to death and help the poor souls on their road to afterlife, Wallace Price travels to a tea shop where he meets a Ferryman named Hugo. Yes, there are Reapers, Ferrypeople, and a Manager; almost-afterlife seems quite efficiently organized, with manila folders popping up out of thin air, with certain routines and guidelines in place (quite material, at that, with hooks), and rules of engagement. Apparently, even in death people require help, because death is traumatizing for the dying and the dead need therapy before they can happily float into the afterlife proper.

…It’s better not to ask questions, you can already see from the above paragraph that the setup doesn’t make sense; actually, I didn’t get the impression that sense or logic was in any way important to the author. The worldbuilding in Under the Whispering Door is mainly supposed to be cute and quirky, and for some it certainly will be. There is a house in the woods that’s made of four different houses sat one upon another in layers, like a cake, and at the top of the top floor there is a special door in the ceiling, leading up to the heavens. Quirky.

Also, dead people need to work through their trauma of dying, and need to come to terms with their new state of being (unbeing is not an option), and that’s why they need a team of coaches and therapists in the almost-afterlife. Quirky. Otherwise, they become horrible Husks and… actually, nothing; the Husks just hang around aimlessly, too afraid to pass on, and there’s a whole side plot dedicated to them, but it also doesn’t make any sense: it’s just there so that the main protagonist has something to do.

There is so much of writing by the numbers in the 2020s in this book. It’s not a bad thing, well done representation is something that’s always needed. But here, maybe apart from representation, it all seems token: love is obviously the conqueror of everything, the message that there are no bad people, just misunderstood people, is jammed down our throats at every turn, and the feel-good mushiness so sought after in the time of pandemic reaches new heights. To say nothing of the dog – there’s a ghost dog because it was so faithful in life that it decided to stay on after death. Aw, sweet!

Aand, there’s tea. Gallons of tea in different flavors. Don’t get me wrong, I love tea. I drink litres of the stuff every day. The problem is tokenism, merged with a really not nice whiff of smug superiority. Drinking loose leaf tea is apparently en vogue: tea seems everywhere these days, it dominates the genre. In self-respecting novels in the 2020s there’s no coffee, no fizzy drinks, not even water. There’s tea, and whoever drinks anything else, or, god forbid, doesn’t like tea (gasp!) is viewed as something less.

This form of tribalism may seem innocuous enough, I mean, nobody is going to fight over tea, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. This novel has more of those little moments of superiority, not just about tea but also personal beliefs. New Age spirituality goes hand in hand here with an anti-theist approach that is just jarring – the idea of a personified god is gently laughed at, a few times, as something slightly backward and unenlightened, but apparently there’s nothing wrong with joyous choirs, doors filled with bright unearthly light, a demigod/supernatural being that looks like it’s watched Princess Mononoke a few times too many, and a guarantee of personal happiness in heavenly afterlife up above. Shintoism has personified gods aplenty, so what’s the deal? Maybe it’s just me, but I struggle to see the difference. Why is one belief portrayed as better than the other?

[...]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.

TJ Klune is magic—absolute magic. If Cerulean Sea was a hug, Whispering Door is a kiss on the forehead, and a gentle squeeze of the hand.

Wallace Price was an asshole, and then he died, in his office, alone. Mei, his reaper, catches up to him at his funeral and brings him back to Charon’s Crossing, a tea shop and way-station for the recently departed. Hugo, the ferryman, offers him peppermint tea and a friendly ear. The only problem is Wallace is having a hard time accepting the fact that he’s actually dead.

Hugo, Mei, Nelson (Hugo’s dead grandpa), and Apollo (Hugo’s dead dog) stick by Wallace through all the ups and downs of learning how to be dead--and along the way, Wallace learns more about living than he ever did while he was actually alive.

This story stole my heart. Klune’s writing style reminds me a bit of Fredrik Backman, wry and witty, but also tender and infinitely empathetic. He gently wrestles with some pretty heavy topics--death, loss, love, what it means to live a good life--and what happens once you die--but the book didn’t feel heavy. Or rather, it was the good kind of heavy, like a weighted blanket--a gentle pressure that soothes anxiety and helps you to breathe a little easier.

Whimsical yet serious, funny and also a little sad, Under the Whispering Door is adult fantasy at its best.

Wow – sometimes you come across an author you haven’t read before and realize the writing style is exactly your speed. I just recently finished UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by TJ Klune and I was so impressed by the life lessons wrapped up in humor, stolen glances, and partnership. This book made me feel good to read – made me feel like people always have an opportunity to turn their life around even if their life is over as they know it. The plot kept me engaged and was a unique take on the stages of grief coming from an unexpected source. And there was so many little moments of connection that I really just loved letting myself get absorbed by this read. I really am glad I made time for this book and look forward in picking up others by this great author. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I suppose I really need to write a review for this, though I've been having a hard time figuring out what I could possibly say that is more than "JUST READ THIS BOOK". I finished this weeks ago and have just had a mind block on how to approach this. But really, the only thing I can say, or should say, is that I loved this. I loved this so very much. I started crying at the dedication so that might tell you something, but it was a cry with a slight smile because feelings.

This is a story about a terrible man named Wallace. Not terrible in that he's a murderer or anything. No, he's just a jerk. Like the biggest jerk ever. He's not nice, he's actually quite cruel when he gets going, and I found I really didn't like him at all. And this is just in the first chapter! But then he dies and the process of what happens next, how it impacts him, how others are there for him and teach him and are open to him and all his flaws, I started to change my opinion. Wallace's revelations and transformation are what make this one of the best books I've read.

Grief is different for everyone and I guess even the person who dies might be grieving their own life. Maybe they grieve the life they could have had if they realized all the things they were doing wrong and got themselves into a better place. I think Wallace goes through all of this and then some. Is there a change to learn after we die? I'd hope so. Is there a place like Hugo's tea shop that we can go to and hang while we come to terms and accept what is now? I hope for that too. Maybe there isn't. Maybe this is all just a beautiful fantasy. Either way, this was a story that took me on a journey with a man who needed to change and does in a way that had me loving him so much. It's also a story about new friends and family and how love and support can really heal.

There is so much more about this book that I can't put into words. It's a lot, this story about Wallace, Hugo, and the people of the tea shop. People have said this book is like a hug... I'd have to agree. I felt so nurtured and warm and held tight within the words and pages. I didn't want it to end, so I've started listening to the audio book. This is one of those stories that I'll always come back to, and I hope that other readers will love it even half as much as I do. You'll cry, but you'll also laugh and it will be a release of everything you didn't know you had stuck up inside you.

Highly recommended.

I sincerely cannot recommend this book enough. If I could give seven stars to this incredible novel, I would!

Wallace Price is not a kind man. As an uptight lawyer, he is well-accustomed to ignoring feelings in order to get down to the cold, hard facts. Firing a struggling woman with a crumbling family and daughter in college- no problem for Wallace. Aside from the fact that she won't stop crying in his office, of course.

Imagine his surprise when he finds himself a visitor at his own funeral. Believing it to be some kind of prank, Wallace desperately wants to get back to the office and back to work. It isn't until his Reaper, Mei, brings him to a funky tea shop in the woods that he finally begins the process of accepting what he really is- dead.

The tea shop houses a few other quirky characters besides Mei. There are two ghosts, an old, mischievous man named Nelson and his sidekick dog Apollo, and there is Hugo, the ferryman meant to prepare Wallace for what comes next. This quirky collection of characters teach Wallace how to live and love, which are unfortunate revelations seeing as Wallace is already dead. It doesn't help matters that he is falling hard for the kind and oh, so handsome ferryman.

This story will have you laughing out loud on one page and crying the next. You'll never want to put it down after getting to know this wonderful people, but when you eventually do, your heart will be so full.

If you enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea, you will undoubtedly love Under the Whispering Door. I'm already preparing to reread!

Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

I have heard of TJ Klune but never read his books previously. I absolutely adored this! It is clever and sweet and for half the book all I could think was- how did the author come up with this fantastically interesting idea, and execute it so well? I was rooting for our characters the entire way, even when our hero starts out as a pretty despicable living being. The more he progressed (as a non-living being) the more I appreciated the narrative of change and growth from whereever we are. Bonus points for a slow burn romance, fantastic side characters, and so much heart. I will be recommending this to my school's book club, and eventually my son. This was a perfect read for fall, and especially for this lover of mythology I appreciated the touches of modern myth-making. Five deliriously happy and sweet stars!

What can I say about this book? My favorite book of the year so far is hands-down House in the Cerulean Sea, so as soon as I found out about this I knew I needed to read it. I will admit I was a little scared of going into this because I didn’t want to be disappointed with how much I loved his other book but I can say I was not. This book was everything I was hoping it would be.

This book has trigger warnings for different types of death, but if you can handle that then this is definitely worth the read.

Mr. Klune really knows how to write his characters. Similarly to Cerulean Sea, he writes a main character that is just so unlikable because of his grumpy and overly important demeanor. He thinks everybody should worship the ground he walks on and doesn’t know how to enjoy anything in life because he thinks it should be only about work. He doesn’t care about having personal relationships or building connections with people and instead he enjoys making his clients cry and he stays away from feelings. You can’t help but dislike Wallace, but then by the end of the story he has grown on you so much that you don’t want to see the book end. TJ is amazing at character development and making you have mixed feelings on whether you should like them or not.

I did have one little issue with this book that annoyed me enough that it is something I feel I should bring up. I felt like there was a lot of stuttering in this book. For some reason he wrote most of the characters as people who are often unable to finish sentences, as they are just left hanging and incomplete. I was OK with it happening a few times but it happened very often. I was left confused as to why this was necessary. If he was using a particular plot device it was lost on me.

This was the only major flaw I found with the book, however that and the fact that I didn’t like it as much as Cerulean Sea brought this down to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

Special thanks to @netgalley and @torbooks for the advanced copy.

Be prepared to be blown away. TJ Klune knows how to tug on your heart strings. I loved the characters in this book.. The lessons learned are numerous and this book is so much more than words on a page.

THERE WILL BE NO MORE PAIN. THERE WILL BE NO MORE SORROW. YOU'LL KNOW PEACE BECAUSE YOU'LL BE TOGETHER - hugo freeman

• First, I loved the humour injected into this. Things can get heavy when you're talking about death, so the humour balanced it.
• Wallace's delusions were so funny
• GODDAMN CHILI 🌶
• Oh the gardener. The thirst is real 🥵
• I already knew that I'll love Mei just with her intro alone. She's fierce and funny. 🔪🔪
• IF WE WORRY ABOUT THE LITTLE THINGS ALL THE TIME, WE RUN THE RISK OF MISSING THE BIGGER THINGS
• Nelson's and Apollo's intro. 🤣
• Oh Hugo. Wallace swooned immediately. 😍
• HE MOVED WITH GRACE, EVERY ACTION DELIBERATE, ALMOST AS IF HE WERE DANCING
• Pacing is a bit slow at first. This is a character driven novel so it made sense.
• Omg Apollo's backstory was so pure, it got me so emotional. 🥰
• HE WASN'T THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING, BUT IT WAS A START
• Wallace torturing Mei and then Nelson castigating him. 🤣
• I loved their nightly pseudo-intellectual talks as Hugo put it.
• Nelson was such a loveable grandad. He was a good mentor to Wallace, and he never lost his sense of humour despite being dead.
• Wallace in bikini, and Hugo complimenting his legs. 😆
• HINDSIGHT IS A POWERFUL THING
• I loved the development of Hugo and Wallace's relationship. It was slow and quiet.
• It was the smallest things that made me giddy like a small smile or aquick glance. Also, Wallace simply being there for Hugo even without talking, just tap tap tapping.
• MULTITUDES
• Wallace's wardrobe mishaps were so funny. That skeleton spandex with that imprint. Oh honey, Hugo's thrist was real 🥵
• Then came Lea's and Nancy's story 😭😭
• "YOU SHOULD HAVE UNEXPECTED IT" - a good life advice 😆
• I love the relationship of Wallace and Nelson.
• It was so frustating that Hugo and Wallace cant touch each other. UUGHHH
• "ITS EASY TO LET YOURSELF SPIRAL AND FALL" "IT IS, BUT ITS WHAT YOU DO TO PULL YOURSELF OUT OF IT THAT MATTERS MOST"
• Cameron's story was so hard to take in.
• Omg when Hugo asked Mei to hug Wallace for him, I died and came back. 🥰🥰
• I love that Hugo and Wallace were honest with each other.
• When Hugo asked the "right" question and Hugo answered yes, I screamed.
• blossoms in shades of ochre and fuschia, cerulean and scarlet, canary and magenta
•  A QUEER HOUSE MADE UP OF MANY DIFFERENT IDEAS
• The Manager was such a character. He was funny and snarky.
• The 7 days deadline broke me. 😭😭
• Wallace had a great arc. He was very selfish at first,  but through the help of Hugo and the others, he leared how to be selfless. He used his remaining time in helping Nancy find peace, and in helping Cameron come home.
• When Wallace asked Mei to hug Hugo for him, my heart jumped in happiness. 🥰🥰
• WE DON'T NEED YOU BECAUSE THAT IMPLIES YOU NEED TO FIX SOMETHING IN US. WE WERE NEVER BROKEN. WE WANT YOU, WALLACE
• I screamed when they went to Hugo's room. It was so tender how they talked about their feelings about each other; the way they both imagined what could have been. 🥲🥲
• It was roller coaster of emotions when Wallace let go and was going to the fourth floor. All of them rushing to catch up and to stop him.
• The Manager bringing Wallace back to life - I gagged
• And of course the first thing Hugo did was to kiss the love of his life 😍
• That epilogue was so peaceful but still painful
• Lastly, I just wanna say that I really love this one. I love how affected I am with the characters. They made me laugh with them, then crying the next. I highly recommend this one. 💙💙💙

T.J. Klune’s new novel Under the Whispering Door is pure, heartwarming magic. I loved this story so much that I know nothing I write here is going to convey just how special this book is. I’m going to try though so bear with me.

The story follows Wallace Price and it actually begins with his death. Wallace was apparently such a jerk while he was alive that only four people show up for his funeral — his ex-wife and his three partners from his law firm — and based on their comments, they all clearly did not like him. Also in attendance at the funeral, is Wallace himself, or rather the ghost of Wallace. He’s somewhat in disbelief that he’s actually dead and mad because he still had so much work to do, cases to prepare for, etc. He’s also furious about the nasty comments the funeral attendees are making about him.

Wallace is distracted by all of this, however, when he realizes that a mystery woman who is also attending the funeral can actually see him in his ghost form. She introduces herself as Mei and explains that she is a Reaper who has come to collect his soul and help him to cross over to the afterlife. Instead of taking him directly to the afterlife, however, Mei instead leads the reluctant Wallace to a tea shop located in a small, remote village. There she introduces him to Hugo, the owner of the tea shop who also happens to be a ferryman to souls who need to cross to the afterlife. Wallace insists he isn’t ready to leave his life behind and thus begins a journey with Hugo that allows him to fully discover and explore all the things he missed out on in life while he was so fully obsessed with work and power, including love, kindness, and family, just to name a few biggies.

This story is filled with laugh out loud moments as Wallace adjusts to his “life” as a ghost and particularly as he is constantly teased by Mei and punked by another resident ghost, Hugo’s grandfather. Hugo’s grandfather steals every scene he is in, as does Hugo’s loyal ghost dog, Apollo. Aside from being hilarious though, Under the Whispering Door is also just an all around moving, emotional story because of its focus on love and loss, and living life to the fullest. It explores death and how we all deal with loss and grief differently, and I guess maybe because I had just lost a loved one right before I read this book, that aspect of the story really resonated with me. I cried just as much as I laughed, especially because Wallace grows so much throughout the story that I went from hating him and thinking he was the worst person ever to absolutely adoring him and never wanting him to pass on and leave Hugo and Mei, his wonderful found family, behind. That’s a pretty powerful transformation for a character to make and T.J. Klune does it in such a beautiful and realistic way.

I could go on and on about everything I loved about this book, but you’ll really want to experience all of its magic yourself. Under the Whispering Door is a book that’s going to stay with me for a long time and it has definitely placed T.J. Klune on my list of auto-buy authors.

Have you ever known from the moment you met a character that the book your are reading is about to break your heart? This happened with the characters in Under the Whispering Door, but not in the way I thought they would. I did cry though. A lot! Not for sad reasons though, just an ‘all the emotions’ reason. My favourite kind of book!

This is the first TJ Klune novel I have read, and after this I will definitely be looking for other novels of his. From the first page I already had a feeling I would love this novel and it’s characters, by the end of chapter one I was hooked entirely. There is something beautifully warm about the way that Klune has written this novel, like a warm hug or a cup of tea on a cold day. I couldn’t get enough. So much so that I just wanted to read it all over again the moment I finished it.

The concept for this novel is so wonderfully unique, and beautifully executed too. It delves into concepts of death, loss and grief, as well as love, acceptance of self, and personal growth. Each of these are carefully written, and teased out in such a way that they make you really think deeply and reflect on your own life.

The characters in this novel are all delightful. Each one of the main group I would love to be able know them myself. Something else who h is really beautiful within this novel is the journey of growth and understanding the main character Wallace goes through. It is subtlety (and not so subtlety) threaded throughout the novel as he realises the person he was, and who he has the potential to be (and wants to be).

The romance in this novel was the most delicate slow burn. While I had a feeling that this was going to be the case, it still seemed to take me by surprise in the best way possible. The pair are gentle with each other and really listen to each other. This is one of those relationships which was meant to be, but the timing was wrong for one half. This difficulty of the situation was heartbreaking, but beautiful to read.

Under the Whispering Door was such a wonderful read. It handled the darker themes with care, but not so much that they didn’t hold weight throughout the story. It was heartfelt and filled with beautiful characters and a funny, quick witted humour which I loved. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a well written, character focused story with a tender slow burn queer romance. This was definitely a favourite read for this year.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for sending me this free eARC, I am leaving this review voluntarily. This title was published 21st September 2021.

“Death is only their beginning.”

Well, TJ Klune has done it again! I just adored The House in the Cerulean Sea so I had very high hopes for his newest novel and I was not disappointed. Swipe for the synopsis.

Under the Whispering door is a beautiful written, wholesome contemporary fantasy with all the humour and quirkiness I have come to expect from Klune. This book explores life and death and everything between. Full of hope, grief, happiness and sadness, this book explores what it means to live and will have you experiencing all the feelings!

Klune expertly crafts the characters in his stories, giving them each unique personalities that shine throughout the book. Although heartbreaking, this book also felt like a warm hug at the same time, showing us that even after death, it is never too late to change your life.

Although this one wasn’t quite as good as the Cerulean Sea, I still loved it and highly recommend everyone picking up this book.

Under the Whispering door is released on September 28th here in Australia.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia and TOR publishing for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

TW: This book is based around accepting death and moving on, so please keep this in mind before picking up this book

This book is incredibly charming. I would say this is a mix of Cerulean Sea and A Christmas Carol. We have the charming, cozy, tea house where Wallace learns that he didn't live much of a life. Hugo gets to help him learn in a short amount of time. I loved the found family feel to everyone there in the tea shop. That's where the Cerulean Sea vibes came in for me.
This book made me laugh, and it made me thing. This book does deal a lot with death, grief, and many other hard topics, so please tread cautiously if those are triggers for you.
This one didn't quite live up to Cerulean Sea for me, but it is still a solid read. Would recommend.

I’m not sure TJ Klune can write a bad book, honestly. This book had everything I would expect from one of his books. Warmth, smiles, grade A humor, subtle but meaningful life lessons, queer romance, and the perfect found family.

This book is perfect for spooky season, especially for those like me who prefer “spoopy” over spooky. The ghosts and after-life elements of this book made it very fitting for the end of September, but the light hearted-ness of the story and characters kept it from being creepy. It was actually way more emotional than I was originally expecting. You will definitely finish this book with a great appreciation for life and the time you have with loved ones.

My favorite part of this book was the found family aspect. I love getting to see the characters connect and the love they had for each other by the end. And the fact that they really did look at each other like family. It was very heart warming and gave me the same feeling I had when reading House in the Cerulean Sea.

This is a must read for any fans of TJ a Klune, but especially anyone who loved House in the Cerulean Sea.

The House in the Cerulean Sea was perhaps the best book I read in 2020, and is a book that I think about quite often so the minute I saw that this book was available I knew I needed to have it.

This book took me a little bit to get into. I started and stopped a few times and the first 50% took me quite a while to get through There wasn't anything wrong with it, I just wasn't as invested as I wish I would be. But then I sat and read the entire second half of the book in one setting, getting completely swept up in the characters, setting, and story.

So while it took me a little bit to get invested by the time that I was I needed to know more and more. I fell in love with the characters swiftly and once I was truly in their world I didn't want to leave.

This book explores the important ideas of death, life, and what happens when we die. It talks about the people that we leave behind, but it also talks about what happens to us. It examines the baggage that we bring with us everywhere we go and how that affects us now.

This is a book that I am excited to pick up again and again, because I think that it has a lot more to teach me.

Oh my God. I didn't know how T. J. Klune could top The House in the Cerulean Sea. But they did.
Under the Whispering Door is so beautiful and sad. It's going to make you cry both happy and sad tears. It's going to make you think and probably have an existential crisis as well.
I loved every part about the tea shop and I wish it was a real place.

And the Love/Hate relationship with Mr. @TJKlune continues. #EvilAuthor #ThereWereSoManyTears

If you’ve been here before or are a frequent reader of my reviews from other venues, you already know that if you see this author’s name attached to anything I’m about to review it’s going to be a rambling mess. If not, prepare yourself. I just can’t seem to be concise and to the point when it comes to writing a review about any book by any author that leaves me in awe. It’s pretty much guaranteed that when I pick up one of his books, that’s going to be the case, so consider yourself warned.

Another thing that’s pretty much guaranteed when I pick up a book by this author is that I’ll experience some type of emotion. Long time readers of T.J. Klune have learned the hard way to limit their public reading of any of his works. He has a tendency to catch readers off guard with fits of uncontrollable laughter or have them reduced to a blubbering mess. Given the description I was pretty sure which way Under the Whispering Door was going to go on the emotion scale. I wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t totally right either.

I’m kind of ashamed to admit that Under the Whispering Door started a little slow for me. I think I was impatient to get to the good stuff. And to be totally frank, there wasn’t a lot of “good” surrounding Wallace. He was, to be blunt, a total jerk. I’ll let you meet him and form your own first impression without describing what made me come to that conclusion. Honestly, I didn’t see how he could be redeemed into a character that I would eventually care about. I thought once I met Hugo, Mei, Nelson and even Apollo that they would be the characters that stole my heart and drove the story. Although that’s true, Wallace definitely took me by surprise. ❤

I also have to say that I was quite surprised that it took me until almost somewhere between chapters 17 and 18 to turn into a blubbering mess. Considering that Under the Whispering Door consists of 22 chapters plus the epilogue, that’s pretty impressive. 😉 (FYI – that doesn’t include the tears that were induced by the dedication…) Not all those tears were sad. A lot were happy tears and some were simply heartfelt. One thing that I’ve come to expect from any book from this author is that I’m guaranteed to feel something. For the record, Under the Whispering Door did not disappoint.

I was extremely lucky to score an ARC of this book, but since I knew I was going to read it regardless, I also made sure to pre-purchase the hard cover. You know, to complete my growing TJ collection. 😉

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Under the Whispering Door. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

TJ Klune's latest novel, Under the Whispering Door (Macmillan-Tor), just came out last week.

This novel is about a man who is picked up at his own funeral by a reaper and taken to a tea shop where he meets a man who will help him "cross over." Our main character has to not only accept his death but go through all the stages of grief, twice actually.

The story starts with all the hope of the whimsy that Klune gave us in Cerulean Sea, but he just didn't keep it up. For that reason I just didn't love it, because it wasn't the style of writing I was looking for. And maybe that's unfair as it is a completely different work.

He does nicely work through acceptance and the stages of grief, and the character goes through quite the journey. The romantic relationship in the book again felt forced to me as it did in Cerulean Sea, but not quite as badly. This one ended up at least having some ground to stand on.

Should you read it? Do you want to read book that has a sad undertone the entire time? If so, then go for it. Check trigger warnings first as the book does discuss multiple paths to death.

A copy of this book was provided to me for review by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This was my first time reading T.J. Klune but I’ll definitely be picking up their other work after this one! I found this book funny, heartwarming and even sometimes a little bit sad.
We follow Wallace Price, a workaholic attorney who has little regard for the people around him. When he unexpectedly has a heart attack in his office he finds himself trapped, wandering out of his body until a woman called Mei turns up to find him. Mei is sent to bring Wallace to a quirky little tea-shop where Hugo the ferryman is waiting to help him pass over into the afterlife. It’s time for Wallace to do some self-reflecting whilst he still has a chance.
Even though at the start he’s an unlikeable character, Wallace is such an easy character to care for and become invested in. The group of characters at the tea-shop are all likeable in their own way but are also all flawed beings. I could have stayed reading about the tea-shop and the people who passed through for even longer, it felt so cosy and safe. This was a really strong novel and I’m so excited to see what this author does next.
If you enjoyed ‘They Both Die at the End’ by Adam Silvera then this has similar themes about seizing the day but has a lighter, more humorous tone throughout.