This was such a beautiful novel. I haven't read 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' so I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this or what the author's style was like but I had heard amazing things and was not disappointed. It was a slow starter for me, it took me a long while to get past the first few chapters but once I got further in, it was almost impossible to stop.

Wallace was a lawyer in life, and he was an extremely unlikeable person- hard, cold, selfish, and unempathetic to an extreme degree. After he dies, he is escorted to a teahouse by his reaper Mei and there he meets the ferryman-Hugo, whose job it is to help him cross to the other side. The tea shop (that actually opens and serves the public during the day) is a sort of waystation and Wallace is to remain there until he feels it is time to move on and during that time connects with the people both dead and alive who have made their home there.

The central cast of characters was small and completely delightful. I loved every single one of them and as soon as I finished the book, wished I could have spent more time with them. Mei is a delight and I laughed so much at some of her antics. Nelson is also hilarious and I never quite knew what to expect next from him. Hugo is a sweetheart and whilst I found him a little boring at the beginning, I was so so fond of him by the end of this book. Wallace; as I mentioned previously, was a horrible person in life and so after he dies, he goes on a journey of sorts to become a better person (although it's not overly intentional). Usually, I don't connect well to these sorts of redemption arcs as I find them heavy handy but I adored this one, it felt so natural and was beautifully done. When this book opened I had no good feelings about Wallace at all and by the end was rooting for him 100%. The found family aspect of this is glorious and I am so here for it.

The romance element of this was subtle and slow-moving for the majority of the novel but was incredibly sweet and I loved it so much. I think that all of the elements of this story were woven so wonderfully and seamlessly together and it just works incredibly well.

This book feels more speculative than plot-heavy and reminded me a lot of Becky Chambers' books although they are entirely different genres, they left me with the same soft, questioning ache after completion.

Overall I absolutely adored this book and will definitely be picking up more by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an Arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! If you liked 'Cerulean', I think you'll like this one as well.

[Pluses]
- The overall coziness of the story, despite dealing with some difficult topics.
- The characters. I loved every single one of them.
- The concept.

[Minuses]
- The main relationship seemed to sort of come out of nowhere.
- Slight lack of world building.

[Potential Triggers]
- This book explores grief and death.
- A Panic Attack

Don’t let the cover fool you into thinking this another warm hug like The House in the Cerulean Sea. This book is about the journey into the afterlife. I love all the characters and how warming it was. I love seeing Wallace’s journey as he thinks about his life and what he accomplished.

This is the 112th book I’ve read this year, and it absolutely is my favourite book of 2021 so far, and I don’t see that changing before the end of the year. This was perfect. There was honestly nothing about it that I didn’t like, or would change.

I read House In The Cerulean Sea for the first time in August (I was a bit late to the game on that one), and adored it, which is why I wanted to pick up Under The Whispering Door. My goodness, can TJ Klune write the found family trope. I fell in love with every character in this book. Mei especially won me over; I literally laughed out loud every single time she suddenly had knives in her hands. Wallace’s interactions with Nelson, especially at night when it was just the two of them (and Apollo, of course), totally warmed my heart & the connection with Wallace and Hugo was truly wonderful and swoon-worthy right from the moment they met.

I will say that I thought the description of the book was a bit spoiler-y, some things mentioned in it don’t happen until pretty late in the book. However, that also kept me quite intrigued so I don’t actually think it was a bad thing.

I loved the mentions of photographs, including “an island in the middle of a sea, a strange home set on its cliffs.” It was a small nod to The House In The Cerulean Sea, but I think a lot of people who will read this will have read that, so it was just a cute little ‘Easter egg’ to read.

This book honestly just had everything for me. The writing was incredible - honestly, even if I didn’t love the story (which I did), I would love this book just for how beautifully it was written. But the story was strong, the characters were well developed, I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and truly had the most incredible reading experience.

Thank you to Macmillian-Tor/Forge & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

This book was super slow…and by slow I mean slowwwwwww. Wished it would have gone faster and maybe I would have not “DNF’d” (did not finish it). Because this seemed like it had great potential at being a great book. Especially since I heard such great things about “the house in cerulean sea”; that was written by this author. I guess that is all I have to say, wished that I was able to finish it through. :/

Wow, this book. I strongly believe that TJ Klune listens and learns from the feedback presented by readers. This book, while feeling extremely personal, also felt like a breath of fresh air. Death is such a mysterious subject, even though it comes for us all. For Wallace Price, death isn’t just an ending, it is also a beginning. The characters he meets along the way challenge him and also support him and believe in him. Even though the subject matter of the book can be heavy and daunting, the characters are both funny and delightful. I want a dog like Apollo, a hug from Mei, a grandpa like Nelson, and a friend like Hugo.

“It’s okay to not know”. If I highlighted every sentence that meant something to me in the book, the entire book would be highlighted. I think the best part of this book is that even though death and what comes after is mysterious and we don’t know the answer, Klune walks the line between exploring what comes next and leaving it up to the great unknown, including common beliefs, like the existence of a God without expressing any authority on the subject. Klune mentioned how personal this book was when he was writing it, and you can feel it within the pages. It is a beautiful, hopeful book that you want to hold close and hug as hard as Mei would hug you if she had the chance.

By far one of my most anticipated books of the year! I absolutely loved The house in the Cerulean Sea and TJ Klune's latest book is full of all the same trademark wit, quirky queer characters, tear jerker moments, found family and oh so much heart!!

In this story we get to know the very unlikeable Wallace (think Ebenezer Scrooge), a lawyer who dies suddenly of a heart attack. But Wallace's death is only the beginning of his journey and in death he ends up learning how to truly live!!

Excellent on audio this book is sure to pull at your heart and make you cheer for a most unlikely of heroes. I love how utterly original Klune's stories are and he has officially become an auto-buy author. This book did not disappoint for me and can we all just admire the beautiful cover for a moment?? Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

CW: Death, grief, suicide, death of a child/animal/parent, murder, ghost-dog (character but my soft cinnamon heart can’t deal), panic attacks.

Actual rating: ~4.5~

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m just sitting here sobbing, because it’s just so beautiful. TJ knows how to create characters that bury themselves in your heart. Under The Whispering Door is an exploration of life after death and the different paths in which humans experience both life and death. Obviously strong content warnings for death and dealing with grief. There is also dealing with suicide. I’m struggling to articulate all my thoughts because I’m a ball of emotion instead. It was a rollercoaster of laughing so hard I cried, to actually bawling my eyes out.

As with House in the Cerulean Sea I fell in love with these characters and I know Apollo and Nelson are going to be with my heart for a long time. (The dog and the grandpa!) Wallace is a dickhead and I appreciate the Scrooge-ness and moral standing behind it. I still loved seeing them all grow and deal with grief in their own unique ways. Some areas of the characters did feel stereotypical and I’m still unsure how I feel about Mei’s character (i love her but) some comments surrounding her character made me raise an eyebrow or two; definitely want to see some OwnVoices reviews regarding this.

The plot was condensed in the fact we meander through getting to fall in love with the characters and the climax of the book taking part at 75% of the way through. I love narratives like this but I understand this writing style isn’t for everyone. The cottage core vibes, LGBT and anxiety rep were beautiful and the description of panic attacks hit very close to home. AND TEA! I fucking love tea and seeing the descriptions of tea and the connections gave me Tea Dragon Society vibes and ooft.

Overall, I loved this, my only hesitation in giving it 5 stars is Mei’s character.

I loved the setting, the vibes and I adore these characters.

I knew within the first 2-3 chapters that this book was going to be a 5 star read, as well as one of my all time favorites. The kind of book I recommend to most readers in my life. The fact that I "inhaled" it in the span of 24 hours speaks for itself. It was one of those bittersweet reading love affairs, when you get swept up in the moment but you also do not want it to end. You'll need two things for the complete enjoyment of this book: uninterrupted reading time and if you are anything like me, a box of kleenex (tissues). Full disclosure, I own but haven't yet read T.J. Klune's breakthrough book The House in the Cerulean Sea but now I understand what all the fuss was about. (and it means I'll be saving that book for a "special occasion").

The main protagonist of this book is Wallace Price, a very unlikable, workaholic lawyer suddenly dies of a heart attack. His highly organized, rigid existence is thrown for a loop not just by death but also by the appearance of a Reaper called Mei who disclosed that in order to cross to the "Other side" she will have to take him to a ferryman called Hugo. And that's where Wallace's story truly begins...at the end.

I saw this book described as "A Man Called Ove" meets "The Good Place" and I couldn't agree more. If you love offbeat characters Fredrik Backman brings to life, you will love this book. If you appreciate good storytelling, you will love this book. If you like your books to masterfully combine drama, humor, quirkiness, unforgettable characters and thoughtful explorations of "heavy" topics such as death, loss and grief; you will love this book. And if you are drawn to a touch of fantasy, carefully constructed imaginings of the afterlife combined with such a tender love story that will steal your heart, you will love this book. Wallace, Mei, Hugo, Nelson & Apollo will stay with you long after you have closed the pages of this book.

I am incredibly grateful to NetGalley & the publishers Macmillan-Tor/Forge for bringing this book into my life and giving me an early access copy in exchange for my honest review. This book will definitely find itself on the Goodreads Choice Award lists at the end of this year.

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

Wallace is told he has one week to cross over to the afterlife, so now he decides he must try living an entire lifetime in just seven days. He meets Hugo, the owner of a tea shop, Charon's Crossing, who promises to help him cross over. This is an uplifting and, at times, heartbreaking story about a life spent barely living at the office and a death spent building a home.

This is a standalone LGBTQIA+ paranormal fantasy novel. I have not any other novels by this author.

Check out Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune and be sure to get this standalone wherever you buy books!

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TAGS: fiction, LGBTQIA, paranormal, fantasy, death, dying, grief, loss, afterlife, cancer, suicide, suicidal thoughts, childhood death, adolescent death, depression, mental health

MY RATING: 4/5 stars

MY RATING SYSTEM:
1 star = I don't recommend the book
2 stars = I would not read the book again
3 stars = I enjoyed the book
4 stars = I liked the book and would recommend to others
5 stars = Everyone should read the book; I would read the book again & again

*Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, & TJ Klune for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #UndertheWhisperingDoor #NetGalley @NetGalley #Macmillan #MacmillanTorForge @ForgeReads #TJKlune @tjklune @tjklunebooks

If you're expecting a sequel-like book to The House in the Cerulean Sea, reader beware because that is not what you'll get.

Thank you to Tor Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Under the Whispering Door in exchange for my honest review.

Wallace Price is dead and no one really cares. In fact the only attendants at his funeral are his ex-wife, a couple partners from his law firm and one unknown women who turns out to be Mei, his Reaper. Mei has come to take Wallace to Hugo, his ferryman, who will help him navigate the beginning of his afterlife and helps Wallace to find peace to crossover. Hugo owns a tea shop where he knowns the perfect tea for anyone who enters, living or dead. Wallace isn't the only spirit at Hugo's tea shop as Hugo's deceased grandfather, Nelson, and long gone dog, Apollo. Through help from Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and Apollo, Wallace comes to term with the life he left and the legacy he could leave behind even if he's dead.

I knew going into this book that it would be quite a bit different from The House in the Cerulean Sea skimming other reviews. Even knowing that it took me until Chapter 11, a little over 45% into the book, to really get invested in the story. Once I hit the reading with Desdemona, the story really took off and I finished it in no time. Under the Whispering Door has a similar heartfelt feeling as Klune's other works but it deals with the heavy subject matter including death, suicide, death of a parent/child, and grief. Although I cared about what happened with the characters by the end, it took a lot longer to get invested in the story than I would like. I know I'm not alone with that feeling.

I enjoy his whimsy that he instills in a story even with one dealing with heavier subject matter as in this book. My rating is 3.5 stars (out of 5) more so because it took so long for me to get invested with the characters and the story. Parts of it, such as the romance, also felt very predictable and I wish it wasn't so. I'd like to see a continuation of this story with what happens at the end. There is definitely stories Klune could make within this universe if he chooses, at least in my opinion.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, McMillan- Tor/ Forge publishing, and of course TJ Klune for providing me with an eARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.

I was in the middle of Klune's other novel when I got the approval for this one, so I immediately dived into this one and was not disappointed by any means. Klune has such a way with words, this book was absolutely beautiful despite- and maybe a little because of- what it deals with: death.

This book had me crying more than once, it hit home in some big ways for me, and I honestly loved this book from beginning to end. I cannot wait to read anything else that Klune publishes and can't wait to own this book and read it again and again.

Sadly, this one missed the mark for me. I had such high hopes after the first chapter. I loved the tea shop setting and Klune’s trademark quirky characters, right down to their names. And that’s it. Those three things. I wanted The Midnight Library meets The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Instead I got a story that passed slowly and tediously. Best paired with a sheet of homemade candy canes. XO, Tara

I love stories about reapers and the afterlife, so I knew I needed this book! I always find it so interesting the different variations cultures, religions, and imaginations have regarding what happens when someone passes. TJ Klune’s creative version did not disappoint. When Wallace dies, the reaper, Mei, a feisty, fun young woman new to the art soul collecting, leads him to the ferryman, Hugo. Hugo, an attractive and compassionate tea enthusiast, runs the tea shop and helps souls move to the next stage of afterlife through a mysterious attic door in the shop.

TJ Klune provides so much depth and connection to his characters and in such a gentle, subtle way. I loved seeing Wallace slowly open up from a closed off, work-obsessed businessman to a caring and selfless man through various trials and self-reflection. His and Hugo’s romance is slow building and brings all the feels. So many different elements, big and little, gave me smiles throughout the novel: the tea shop is called Charon’s Crossing (which I just thought was perfect:), Hugo’s grandfather is a hilarious prankster, there is a ghost dog who loves his owner too much to pass on, a quirky deity and so much more that held my interest while journeying thought this whimsical tale. This story has fantastical creatures, heart-warming moments, thought-provoking questions, lovable characters and valuable lessons that will stay with me.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillian-Tor/Forge for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet heartwarming story with a small side of queer romance.
Wallace is a cut throat lawyer who gets an opportunity to redeem himself in the afterlife.
This was a very interesting modern and hopeful interpretation of what happens to us after we die. Is there a second chance? How far removed are we from the land of the living?

I was intrigued by TJ Klune’s imagination. This book did have a YA vibe to it though. The romance is very PG and the repercussions of death was quite mild. Even the scenes with ghost who were murdered or committed suicide were a tasteful surface level. This makes the book appealing to all others, but I found Wallace got off easier than Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.
This story is a feel good book with typical Klune humors. I enjoyed it!

This whimsical story focuses on expressions of grief, how to cope with loss in such a loving and gentle way. Both insightful and deep without being heavy, I was smiling ear to ear then shedding a few tears, this one has it all.

This was my first and not my last TJK book for sure, next up The House in the Cerulean Sea!

Thank you to NetGalley and TOR reading for my ARC

Wallace Price is an a-hole…and he’s dead.

A reaper, Mei, comes to collect him from his own funeral and take him to Charon’s Crossing Tea and Treats. The tea house is a transition point from this life to ‘what’s next’. Wallace refuses to cross over though, and the more time he spends at the tea house, with the rag-tag bunch of reaper / ferryman / ghosts, the more he actually learns about living and all the things he missed out on in life. Essentially, it took Wallace dying for him to find his humanity and work out what is truly important.

As always, the author has created such wonderful characters (both main and supporting) and I was getting some major Terry Pratchett vibes, which I’m always ok with.

There is some romance, but just like in The House in the Cerulean Sea, it isn’t the whole focus of the story. Parts of this one felt a tad bit slow, but overall I enjoyed it and while the point of the story really hits you over the head, it’s a good point so I think it’s ok that it isn’t very subtle.

“We’re all on different paths, but death doesn’t discriminate. It comes for everyone. It’s what you do with it that sets you apart.”

TJ Klune is a master storyteller and Under the Whispering Door is a work of outstanding artistry. When protagonist Wallace, an uptight lawyer and downright asshole dies suddenly of a heart attack he is given the opportunity to confront his life in a half way stop for the dead. This purgatory is disguised as a quirky tea shop filled with a cast of eccentric characters both alive and dead. During this enchanting journey Wallace learns about compassion, friendship, forgiveness, and love. Klune’s ability to create a hopeful fairy tale out of loss is astounding. His ability to illustrate charming and vibrant settings transports his readers to the magical tea shop and also invites them to join the family that Wallace learns to love. As Wallace grows so do we, asking ourselves what we want out of life and who we want to be. From beginning to end Under The Whispering Door will make you laugh and cry while questioning the point of it all, as Wallace affirms “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, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.”

Thank you to @netgalley @torbooks and @tordotcompub for the advanced copy! This book come@to shelves on Tuesday!!! Run don’t walk!!!

A big city, high strung lawyer sent to a form of rural purgatory. I found the beginning to move a little slow, but as the main character comes to terms with his new situation, the story unfolds with a very heartwarming and thought-provoking tone.

This is a story about death, and about grief, and about how everything carries on despite those. Wallace starts out as this unsympathetic man who has dedicated his life to his job, at the expense of everything else. His marriage failed, he has no friends, no one at his place of work really likes him, and so on, and so forth. Then he suffers a heart attack, and comes to as a ghost at his own funeral. Barely anyone shows up, and while he's annoyed and upset, a Reaper shows up to hurry him along to a ferryman, who in turn will send him off to whatever comes next. The ferryman, Hugo, runs a little tea shop off the beaten path, and he assures Wallace that he can go when he's ready, and Wallace definitely doesn't feel ready.

Little by little, we get to follow Wallace as he starts to make sense of the things he missed in life, and how he is slowly starting to do and experience those things in his undeath. And this really is the bulk of the story. The event on the back (he only has a week before he has to pass on) happens fairly late into the story, but it was no less an emotional roller coaster.

As Wallace finds an unlikely place in the little house, we get to meet and follow along several people and their ways of handling grief, surviving the loss of loved ones, or finding peace in their own loss, and all of it is heartbreaking and beautiful. While so many of their stories are incredibly sad (losing a child, being murdered, losing their partner, taking their own life, losing family in an accident), the book vibrates with a sense of hope. Yes, death happens. Loss is terrible. But there is also hope for something better, for making your own peace with that loss, for finding a way to carry on.

I have lost many people in my life to age, to illness, to accidents, to suicide. In the past year and a half alone, I've lost over a handful of people, both close and not. And this book was just exactly what I needed to read. I had several hard but good cries while reading this, and I am making sure to pick up a physical copy for future occasions when I may need this little reminder that after grief, there can be hope.