Thank you to netgalley and publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was so eager to read this book because I’m a TJ Klune fan, however, this was more different than I expected! It took me a little bit to get into it but overall, I enjoyed it. TJ Klune never disappoints!

AHHH SO MANY TEARS.

Wallace Price is dead, and a jerk. When his reaper, Mei, comes to collect him, Wallace can't believe his fate. But then he meets Hugo, the man who will guide him into the life beyond. What starts as a tenuous tolerance of Hugo at first soon blooms into something like friendship. With the assistance of Nelson (a ghost) and Apollo (a ghost dog), Wallace goes on an unforgettable journey of finding meaning in both life and death.

This was such a poignant story, wow. I loved Wallace's growth. I thought at times it was a bit extreme, and if Wallace were a living person it would definitely have been unbelievable. But I think the concept of being able to look back at his life and see his own faults was very well done, and his development worked really nicely with the story. Mei was so super lovable, as was Hugo, as was Nelson. While Wallace was a cool character to see go on a journey, the other characters made the dialogue and events of the story really fun to read.

The plot itself meandered a bit, but I found I was surprisingly invested for such a character driven story. Usually, those bore me until the last pages. But this one had a certain magnetism that pulled me all the way through. The world of reapers and ferrymen was interesting, and I almost wish I could see more of it. What are the other ferrymen like? What is the Manager's world like? and of course WHAT IS UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR?? While I had questions, it didn't feel like anything was left out of the story.

Of course, there is the message. I really liked that it wasn't left vague what Wallace thought the purpose of life/death ended up being. And while I won't put it here so that you all can go on a journey with him, I thought the message itself was satisfying. My only complaint would be that I thought some of the conversation about acceptance of death/the meaning/the journey got a biiiit repetitive. But really, everything else was amazing.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to cry, or wants a sweet romance, or witty characters. Definitely going to read T.J. Klune's other works!

Rating: 4.5/5
Pacing: medium
Intended audience: adult (but fine for YA)
Content warnings: discussion of suicide, grief, and death, death as a central theme

Who knew a book about death could be a love story? In this tale, a tea shop doubles as a crossing over spot for the recently departed. Depending on what they have to work out, their stays could be long or short. It's interesting to learn about the semi-permanent characters of the tea shop and their stories as well as meet the newbies as they trickle in. While I felt the book could have been condensed by 50 pages or so, it was still a very enjoyable read.

Blast. In a word: Unsurprising.

Between very little happening beyond what we are given in the synopsis and the already well trodden canon of “there is more to life than riches” thanks to Charles Dickens and the vein he tapped, nothing new is added here. Instead we have an entirely too predictable, unexciting narrative that failed to materialize into an investing and, dare I say it, interesting read.

There are pockets of Klune’s humour and charm here and the characters themselves are fine, but we only know them on the surface and never delve deep within their thought process, which is critical to the central conversation that Klune is trying to develop here: our lives are more than the monies we accumulate and the status we achieve.

While I agree to some extent with other reviewers that Under the Whispering Door isn’t like House in the Cerulean Sea, when I step back and look at both reads, they are actually remarkably similar – both are putting a paranormal spin on central topics of importance, acceptance and a life well lived spun in a comforting yarn and happy endings. But, for me, this formula doesn’t work for the central conversation in Under the Whispering Door: grief. So when a happy narrative is layered atop of it … it doesn’t ring true. Overall, very little meat is spread way too thin over too many pages with nothing to compel the reader onward. I believe people will enjoy Under the Whispering Door, but for most it will not match their love for The House in the Cerulean Sea … do with that what you will and decide on your own merit. For me, Under the Whispering Door was a miss.

I hadn’t realized death could be infused with such great vibrancy until TJ Klune’s “Under the Whispering Door.” It faces bereavement with a wit, charm and whimsy which softens the harsh truths it examines.

As a psychologist of forty years, I was with many people in their last moments and with others who mourned. Only a few approached death like TJ Klune, running towards it with a gentle glee that lit their transition with hope, decreasing my own fears. For the rest, I wish I’d had this romance to offer them … Because it is a romance through and through.

Here’s the premise. In life, Wallace was an unkind lawyer who believed the ends justified the means. After sudden death, he’s taken by a reaper, Mei (a human who can physically interact with ghosts) to meet his ferryman, Hugo. A ferryman helps the newly dead come to terms with unfinished business and get ready to enter the door to their afterlife… a door that is on the top floor of Hugo and Mei’s tea house. They’re human, after all, and need to earn a living, so they own a real bakery, which grows its tea leaves on the grounds. Also present are two ghosts who haven’t transitioned, Hugo’s dog and grandfather, Nelson.

Wallace is so busy recapturing human decency that he feels more alive in death than he did before. But change is hard and slow. “Honesty was a weapon. It could be used to stab and tear and spill blood upon the earth. Wallace knew that; he had his fair share of blood on his hands because of it. But it was different, now. He was using it upon himself, and he was flayed open because of it, nerve endings exposed.”

Throughout this process, Wallace’s conversations with Mei, Hugo and Nelson examine the unfairness of living past those we love, or of facing our own ultimate unknown. “Time. We always think we have so much of it, but when it really counts, we don’t have enough at all.”

Yes, I depleted a travel size tissue box while enjoying “Under the Whispering Door,” but didn’t mind or feel uncomfortable. Because as snot dribbled, I was either pondering a really wise throwaway line (“A river only moves in one direction”) or hungry, as tea and delicacies were passed out. Often I was swooning at these men’s love. Though Hugo and Wallace are unable to touch, their affection transcends sensory intimacy.

What makes a novel on the dreaded topic of mortality so damned approachable? First is Mr. Klune’s vivid imagination – a tea shop to the other side, indeed! Then, he paints people with a nuanced delicacy. I recognized and loved (or love to hate) them. The plot builds until my whole world became irrelevant in my urgency to learn Wallace’s fate. And finally, TJ Klune’s phrasing, his small details and observations, are as heady a brew as the tea Hugo serves, tea I could almost taste.

I full-heartedly endorse “Under the Whispering Door,” whose great care for, and respect of its audience, proves love continues on, rescuing the living, so that we may love again. Try it and you might just to lose a little fear of death, yourself.

I'd like to thank Macmillan-Tor/Forge, NetGalley, and T.J. Klune for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

Under the Whispering Door is a charming novel about a tea shop that’s a stop for the recently deceased. Wallace Price - an arrogant man - shows up here and finds kindness, friends, and true love. I truly loved this book and how it discussed sensitive topics. T.J. Klune’s writing style is very unique and had me smiling, laughing, and crying, all depending on the page.

I really enjoyed the other characters in this novel as well. Hugo, Mei, and the side characters were all interesting and fun to read about. Nelson, however, was my absolute favorite. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about a ghost grandpa who plays tricks on people?

The love story between a ghost and ferryman sucked me in and was incredibly sweet. I enjoyed the ending a lot as well and how Wallace makes amends for his past mistakes. I’ve heard reviews saying that it was too similar to his other novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I agree to an extent. I don’t believe they were necessarily too similar, but I do think if you were a fan of the first you will be a fan of this one

4 stars for a moving, fun, and unforgettable novel!

** spoiler alert ** For the first several chapters of this book, I kept waiting for it to take a turn and become "A Christmas Carol." I'm so thankful it didn't. Klune puts death in a perspective that is not often thought about. It was refreshing to hear a perspective that doesn't center on those we leave behind, but what is next for our "ghost". Not all deaths are equal, and therefore coming to peace with how we died may be different for everyone.

While this book didn't bring me to tears, as some reviewers report, it is incredibly wholesome and will bring on a range of emotions.

Important to note: I will never forgive Klune for making me think about when my pets will pass on. Unforgivable. And now I am crying.

I wasn’t planning on it, but this is going to be a week of reviewing fantastical fiction. On Monday I discussed Cloud Cuckoo Land and today I’m back with Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune. It’s the story of Wallace Price, an astute and successful lawyer, who also happens to be a fairly terrible person (insert lawyer joke here). He dies of a sudden heart attack and finds himself in an unexpected afterlife. While this story line won’t be for everyone for me it was an unexpected, welcome respite from fiction that kept missing the mark.

Wallace is at work and then at his own funeral. Very sparsely attended, I might add, and most are there out of obligation. No one can see him so he realizes he’s a ghost, but he’s still not sure he’s dead. Until a young woman approaches him. Her name is Mei, she’s a Reaper and she’s there to help. In the blink of an eye he finds himself standing outside what looks like a hodgepodge house—each story unevenly stacked on top of the other. The bottom floor is a tea shop run by a man named Hugo. He’s the ferryman and he and Mei will help Wallace transition to the other side. For a frightened man who’s not sure he even wants to be dead and definitely has no belief in life after death, this feels like a very bad joke.

The tea shop is also home to Hugo’s grandfather, Nelson, and his dog, Apollo. Both are ghosts. Both quickly shut down Wallace’s attempts to ignore the truth—Nelson with tough love and Apollo by being a dog. This tight knit group is the heart of Whispering Door. The novel’s natural progression is towards Wallace’s moving through to the other side, but the story is less about that and more Klune’s vision of what happens after we die. Much like life there are almost endless variations and options. For some people the transition is quick and accepted, but for others, often those who have died before their time or died violently, it’s a much different matter.

Klune advances into the many varieties of grief, the multitude of emotions surrounding death. There is something recognizable in all the characters. For as outwardly sharp and acidic as Wallace is some of what he says is what many of us might think. He’s often dreadful in his self-absorption, but real in his insecurities and funny. Like the various teas Hugo serves, humor infuses Whispering Door.

There’s some question as to whether the novel is adult fiction or YA. For me, it leans YA in that while its message of hope applies to all ages, it wraps up in a way that feels better suited to younger readers. I was in a mood for uncomplicated so appreciated the sweet charm of Under the Whispering Door.

This was my most anticipated book after reading The House In The Cerulean Sea last year and it did not disappoint. I connected with this book even more than The House In The Cerulean Sea because I don't have a strong connection to children, but death is a universal experience. Klune's sense of humour helps keep this book light while focusing on such a heavy topic - which is also why Nelson was my favourite character. This might be a downside for some, but I've found Klune's books to be predictable in the sense that you know everything will end up working out in the end, but that's honestly why I pick them up. It's the same reason why I read romance novels, sometimes you just want a loveable, wholesome story. Though I know this would end happy, I was still brought upon the ride and was surprised by some of the twists that brought us there, such as the introduction of Alan and Cameron. I think these were two characters who did a splendid job showing the character development of others through their storylines. And I almost never cry at books, but I cried hen Cameron was lifted through the door into the beyond and I teared up again when I truly believed Wallace was going to pass on as well. Klune's adult titles are definitely now auto-buys for me and I can't wait to see what he puts out next!

This book was incredible sad and well written. However, the author has left such a bad taste in my mouth from his recent admissions that I could not continue on with the rest of this book.

2.5 ⭐️ Unpopular opinion from other early reviews I’ve read.

The plot: A reaper comes to collect Wallace Price at his funeral but instead of taking him directly to the afterlife Mei takes him to a secluded tea shop on the outskirts of a small town. Hugo the tea shop owner to the town folk is also the Ferryman to souls. He helps the dead come to terms with being dead and when they’re ready helps them to crossover.

If you liked The House in the Cerulean Sea (THITCS) also by T.J. Klune then you’ll probably like Under the Whispering Door (UTWD). Unfortunately for me I felt like I was reading the same book twice, this one dealing with grief instead of being excepting of others which was the lesson to be learned in THITCS. The plot was just too similar for me to ignore ie: grumpy man set in his ways with no family or friends goes off to a house in the middle of nowhere and changes his thinking to become a better person and falls in love. Both books also having an overriding higher power government (HITCS) vs ‘the manager’ (UTWD) that enforces the rules and punishes those that go against them but crumbles in the end.

For me this book could have used some more editing, it was about 100 longer then it needed to be. There of course were some quirky amd heartwarming moments that T.J. Klune is known for but overall this book was just ok. I didn’t appreciate the insta-love relationship in this book and found it almost inappropriate, like a patient, therapist relationship would be. The ending also didn’t work for me, it was very predictable but also Wallace seemed to somehow know all these things after being at the tea shop for a month that Hugo didn’t know from years of experience as a Ferryman. It didn’t make sense to me.

Thank you Macmillan -Tor/Forge and Netgalley for this ACR. Publication date September 21st.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Under the Whispering Door. This book is truly one that makes you reflect on your own life and the choices you make and the type of person you are. Klune does an amazing job at creating a narrative that will keep you engaged and pondering the characters lives and your own for years to come!

Under the Whispering Door is a soft, sweet, heartwarming story of love, death and life. I enjoyed all of the characters so much. While TJ Klune can feel a little slow to me, the wait always pays off. I like how he can make a unique story so incredibly relatable with important themes that make our hearts happy. For fast paced, this is not your book. For cozy, warm and perfect for blanket reading - grab this book.

Wallace Price is a rude, uptight, workaholic lawyer. When he unexpectedly dies and finds himself at his own funeral, he sees that his life was a bit more lonely and sad than he imagined. With the help of Mei, his Reaper, he is taken to a tea shop in the woods. This is no ordinary tea shop, and although it is open to the living public by day, it is also a landing house for newly dead people who aren’t quite ready to move on, and run by the Ferryman, Hugo. Hugo and his house of ghosts help Wallace see that maybe he wasn’t living his life to the fullest and that it’s never too late to change.

🫖Single POV from Wallace
🫖Found Family
🫖Gay and Bisexual Main Characters
🫖M/M Relationship
🫖One Uptight MC, One Understanding and Patient MC, A Pet, And a Side Cast of Sassy Personalities and Antics

Another touching found family story from TJ Klune. His writing style is like an unhurried walk in the park, and he uses the art of stolen glances and understanding conversations to slowly build up the relationship between the main characters. I loved the side characters, and they add so much to the story. This was a redemption story of sorts, and showing it’s never too late to find yourself or make a change. This story does take a bit to get going, but it’s worth the ride. This book was funny, ridiculous, touching, and a hint magical. It almost didn’t get me in the tear department till that dang epilogue. If you liked House in the Cerulean Sea, you will like this book too.

“Death isn’t an ending, Wallace. It’s an ending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning”

⭐️4.5/5

Thank You @Netgalley and Tor for a copy in exchange for an honest review

I’ve read plenty of TJ Klune’s work. If there is one author who could write a story about loss, grief and death and would manage to greatly pull at our emotional strings while also be able to weave a story laced with humor, love, friendship and living life to its full potential, it would be TJ Klune.
This story isn’t all bright and sunshine. It delves into gloomy aspects. But trust that TJ knows what he’s doing, because he does.
It’s a beautiful story. Get ready for all the feels. Don’t worry, the book is like a warm hug.

4★
“The partners gathered at the back of the church, near Wallace’s pew, speaking in low tones. Wallace had given up trying to let them know he was still here, sitting right in front of them. They couldn’t see him. They couldn’t hear him.
. . .
Maybe they’d even shed a tear or two. He hoped so.

‘He was an a**hole,’ Moore said finally.

‘Such an a**hole,’ Hernandez agreed.

‘The biggest,’ Worthington said.”

So - not a nice man then. Going to be missed like a sore tooth. If lawyer Wallace Price was surprised to find himself invisible and unlamented at his funeral, wait until a young woman arrives who can not only see and hear him, she has plans for him!

He’s a nasty piece of work, but he’s also amusing. Klune makes him so oblivious of others in an over-the-top way, that we rejoice when a sudden heart attack takes him out in the first chapter.

Back to the funeral. As Wallace watches his partners and his ex-wife bid him farewell (good riddance), the young woman introduces herself.

“‘Wallace Price,’ she said. ‘My name is Meiying, but you can call me Mei, like the month, only spelled a little different. I’m here to bring you home.’
. . .
‘Oh, and I’m your Reaper, here to take you where you belong.’ And then, as if the moment wasn’t strange enough, she made jazz hands. ‘Ta da.’”

That little jazz hands comment and the TA-DA is a good indication of the tone that runs through this story that is both funny and tender. Mei takes him to a small village with a teashop: “CHARON’S CROSSING TEA AND TREATS”, where he meets the ferryman, Hugo Freeman.

The author has fun with references to mythology, folk tales, and religion. This ferryman is responsible for helping souls move on when they are ready, but not across the River Styx to Hades. The ‘river’ here is more of a vertical pull through a door in the roof, way high up, many storeys above the teashop, to whatever hereafter awaits.

I enjoyed the growing affection between the characters, real and otherwise, and Wallace’s gradual, ironic realisation of what life is all about. The pranks they played during a customer's seances were a hoot.

“She cleared her throat once more. ‘Hello, spirits. I have received your message. Who are you? What is it you want? Did you die horribly, perhaps by being bludgeoned to death with a hammer in a crime of passion and have unfinished business that only I, Desdemona Tripplethorne of Desdemona Tripplethorne’s Sexy Seances (trademark pending), can help you with? Who is your murderer? Is it someone in this room?’”

There is a lot more moralising and philosophising than I care for, which makes the story move slowly, but we know Wallace doesn’t understand subtlety, so he needs some serious prodding. No, he needs to be hit over the head, so the author does that, as well as scares the living daylights out of him, although I guess ghosts don’t have ‘living daylights’ (eyes) anymore.

I was never sure why ghosts could drink tea but didn’t eat, but maybe I missed the explanation. Who cares? It was good fun and I enjoyed it. I absolutely loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I liked this enough that I'm looking forward to my time in the teashop!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted, so quotes may have changed.

This was a a cozy warm lovely read that I loved. I gave it five stars and would recommend. Highly enjoyable and just wonderful

I simply adored this book.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t so sure about it at first. The main character is very unlike able to the point where I was having trouble being interested in the story. Yes, I knew that him being unlikeable was the point, but it was…a lot.

But then, the further I got into the story, I became more and more hooked.

I laughed out loud, I cried, I was happy, I was angry, I was sad.

This book was everything, but most of all it was like getting a big hug.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me an e-ARC via NetGalley.

Another tender and sweet story from TJ Klune. If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, like I did, you won't be disappointed by this new book. However, I do think readers need to manage their expectations before diving in. This is not as lighthearted; House had it's moments of 'darkness, but Door doesn't hesitate to get down in the depths at times. This is a book about death and dying. But, Klune still managed to handle grief, legacies, and what it means to be alive realistically and genuinely. The main characters was really well-developed - I especially enjoyed Mei and Nelson. There were some things I didn't latch onto fully, mainly the romance between Wallace and Hugo. It felt like it dropped out of nowhere, they went from a tenuous acquaintance to love and I felt like I missed when that actually happened. Maybe that was the point, but I felt it could have been fleshed out a little more. Overall, a solid outing from Klune; I've already recommended it to several readers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wallace Price was used to getting his own way and something of a jerk in life. He's shocked and in disbelief to find himself attending his own funeral - there must be some mistake. Can he speak to manager? Luckily he is engaged by a reaper named Mei who leads him to a tea shop in a small village, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo has two jobs - the tea shop's owner and is also a ferryman to help souls that need to cross over into the afterlife. Looking back on life, Walter isn't ready to move on - he missed so much in life, there are so many things left undone. With Hugo's help, he starts to learn about the things he missed in life.

Don't hate me for saying it, but for me this is a case of "It's not you, it's me." The book was well written, I liked it, but I didn't love it. I think I just wasn't really in the right headspace to get into it. I loved the diversity and the representation, the characters and their relationships were really lovely. It was all about the relationships and Wallace's emotional growth, so there was not a lot of action and I felt like the middle dragged a bit. Maybe my mind was just more in the mood for something with a faster pace. There were good points and bad points and for me it was just ok. All in all, a good book, but just not the right one for me at the moment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the gifted copy.