B O O K R E V I E W
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Thank you to @torbooks and @netgalley for this this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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First of all, I went into this book with a very open mind. Klune’s other novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea is very harmful to indigenous individuals and I had to do a lot of research after reading it to better educate myself.
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Under the Whispering Door, however, was a step in the right direction. I am by no means an expert on diverse groups, but this story was definitely more inclusive.
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However, this book is about death. So if you are struggling with grief, I would not recommend this book for you. This book tells the story of Wallace, a high strung attorney, who dies suddenly and is then taken to Charon’s Crossing by his reaper, Mei, to meet his ferryman, Hugo.
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I loved the attention to detail in this book. The setting, the dialogue, the chemistry between characters… was presented perfectly. I loved the supporting characters, Nelson & Apollo 😍
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But this book was so slow. The first 15%- interesting. The rest was very drawn out until the main end, which then felt forced.
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I may have went into this with high expectations, but I did not “feel all the feels”.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic and audio copy to review.

This book tore my soul apart in the best way possible. I loved Cerulean and was so worried about whether this one would stand up. It does - it is different but gives the same vibes and same warm hug feeling. I cried. I laughed. Mei and Nelson are perfectly perfect characters. And Wallace and Hugo? Oh there are so many reasons to love them, even though it might not always be easy. Such a beautiful book of life, death, and love.

TJ Klune breaks your heart, stomps on the pieces, sets them on fire, and then gives you a major, happy-tears dose of hope. This is hands down one of the most beautiful and well-done books dealing with grief I've ever read.
Wallace is the epitome of the most unlikeable lawyer ever as the story begins and seeing him grow as a person as he develops his relationships with the inhabitants of Charon's Crossing Tea and Treats is charming and inspiring. Klune makes it so that you can't help but love every single one of the characters and feel as invested in what happens to them as if you actually knew them in real life.
It's a spectacular bit of writing that makes all the emotionally powerful moments hit deep, and it's also why this magical read is spectacularly phenomenal.

Extremely happy thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the early read!

**Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan-TOR/Forge for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my rating or opinions**

I was honestly a little shocked I got approved for this title because it's such a big release and that makes what I'm about to say even harder. I really liked The House in the Cerulean Sea. I read it before I knew he was co-opting Indigenous Residential Schools to create his feel good found family story, so obviously, now knowing that, it is one I no longer freely recommend to people. Unfortunately, I think this one has also taken some aspects that were not Klune's to write and that he has relied on really lazy tropes with his POC characters to the point where it's offensive and I have made the decision to DNF the title.

Wallace, our main character, is the only white main character at the point where I am (33% of the way through). He is a complete jerk. We know the trope. He's the jerk who learns the error of his ways after he dies. This isn't a new concept. Wallace is brought to a tea shop run by Hugo, a Black man who is the ferryman to the afterlife, Mei, a reaper who is Chinese American, and Nelson, Hugo's grandfather. My issues really pertain to Hugo and Mei. I'm going to start with Mei because she's not the love interest.

Mei was my breaking point. She discusses how she came to realize she has the ability to see dead people and that she was trained to be a reaper. She tells Wallace that her mother left China to become an American and give her children a better life. The direct quote is "China in the twentieth century was filled with war and famine, oppression and violence...My mom wanted to escape it all. She wanted fireworks on the Fourth of July and picket fences." This is some blatant American Exceptionalism if I've ever seen it. She goes on to say that for all her mom wanted to be American, she retained some "ingrained" Chinese superstitions and that's what caused her to not let Mei seek help as she started realizing she had this power. I really detest this. First off, there are MANY American parents who would refuse help for their child depending on the need. All you have to do is look at the stigma surrounding mental health to see that is a fact. These are written off as "My mom had these silly cultural habits that are really harmful and if she was TRULY American, I would've gotten help earlier", which is offensive and inaccurate. There is still oppression and violence here for people of color and Americans have cultural habits that other cultures probably find "silly" or "harmful", too. I am incredibly taken aback that an editor or a sensitivity reader didn't question this characterization.

Hugo, however, is my big issue and it's because his whole character is the "magical Negro" trope. He and Mei keep reminding Hugo they're "there to help him" move on and figure things out. They're there to help Wallace realize what a terrible person he was before he died. Hugo is this charming, friendly, everyone loves him Black guy who only has eyes for our terrible, jerk "protagonist" (anti-hero feels more appropriate) and can ONLY open up to him...for reasons? He has literal magical powers and is only there for Wallace's benefit. Again, this is a lazy trope that wasn't necessary and I question how no one tried to correct this.

For these reasons, I have chosen to not finish this book. I will not be recommending it to anyone. I think the characterizations of every character but Wallace are rooted in harmful stereotypes. I think Klune is using these characters, whether intentionally or not, for diversity "brownie" points without thinking deeper about how the words he's having these characters speak can affect real world POCs and how people outside of the POC community view us. I am just really let down by this. This could have and should have been handled better.

I am definitely buying what TJ Klune is selling. While not a perfect book, I can't help but love this book anyway. This one especially came at a time when I needed it most.

In my opinion this one isn't quite as polished and as well crafted as The House in the Cerulean Sea but it is just as heartwarming and full of that wholesome atmosphere that worked so well in THitCS. These books are just absolute comfort food that I can see myself coming back to whenever I need a pick-me-up. I look forward to seeing where Klune goes from here.

TJ Klune's books are usually fine or outright fantastic. This one was fantastic. With a vibe similar to that of The House of the Cerulean Sea, with its whimsical setting and wonderfully warm characters, Under the Whispering Door is beautiful all on its own. Wallace is engaging and Hugo is inspiring. Their connection, and their relationships with the other characters, make the story so strong. This is one of my favorite books.

Like The House in the Cerulean Sea before it finding the words to describe my adoration for Under the Whispering Door is beyond difficult. T.J. Klune's work hits me on a visceral, personal level and describing the warmth and comfort his writing brings me in words is inadequate. But for the sake of peddling this book to as many people as possible, I will attempt it.

In Under the Whispering Door, after passing souls find their way to a teashop between life and death. This teashop is run by the ferryman Hugo who guides people to whatever lies beyond. While most spend a day or so in the teashop our protagonist Wallace adamantly refuses to accept his fate. His moving on becomes protracted, as Hugo and all the residents of the teashop work to help him move on before the ominous Manager forces Wallace over one way or another.

Under the Whispering Door may be a harder sell than Klune's earlier work. One of the biggest potential hurdles is its protagonist Wallace. He's a scrooge type and honestly deeply, unlikeable at the start of the story. His cartoonish slavish devotion to work, cruel treatment of his employees and general outlook on life made the first ~20% of this book much more of a struggle than anticipated. However, the genuinely moving growth demonstrated by Wallace as the book progressed was phenomenal. His authentic development as a person felt completely earned and was incredibly emotionally satisfying to watch unfold. But if I were to criticize any element of this story it would be that Wallace's personality at the start of the story was a tad too mustache-twirling to take seriously.

Another potential hurdle for readers is the book's subject matter. As someone with death anxiety, my mortality isn't a subject I like to dwell on. Under the Whispering Door discusses grief, child death, and suicide in-depth, though outright depictions of the latter two are sidestepped. If you find these subjects or dwelling on your mortality in general uncomfortable this may not be the book for you.

Funnily enough, my death anxiety made this book all the more meaningful to me. Under the Whispering Door confronts the reality of death head-on. The way Klune explored grief and processing death while occasionally hard to read gave me a framework for conceptualizing dying that, for once, didn't lead me down an existential panic spiral. As someone who has frequently lost sleep over the idea of ceasing to exist, I can't undersell how helpful having this space to think about death has been. The space Hugo, in particular, as a ferryman gave Wallace and other spirits to process their deaths especially moved me.

This book was also so comforting because of the amazing found family at the centre of the story Found families are one of my favourite tropes in speculative fiction ad T.J. Klune is a master at crafting them. The supporting cast of Under the Wisper Door was absolutely stunning. Mei the spitfire reaper and Hugo's grandfather Nelson were wonderful additions to the story. These side characters were endlessly charming and added levity to a story that frequently delved into the sombre. Despite being side-characters these two seemed to have full lives outside of our protagonists and felt like fully realized elements of this world.

The story's delightful slow-burn romance also added a charm to the narrative. While it takes time for Hugo and Wallace to get together their romance is worth the wait. The genuine chemistry and quiet connection between these two made my heart swell. Klune perfectly illustrated why these two fit together so well and the romance was especially satisfying because of the growth Wallace went through across the novel.

I adored Under the Whispering Door. T.J. Klune is a mastful storyteller and writes stories that I can't help but fall in love with.

3.5 stars

The beginning of this book brought back all the feels from The House in the Cerulean Sea. In fact, there was even a couple mentions of the Cerulean Sea in this book.

TJ Klune has a unique way of writing that feels very welcoming and homey to me. He especially knows how to write characters you can fall in love with.

However, I felt the plot was lacking here. It took over half of the book to even get to the main plot. And I’m all for character driven novels. I just didn’t feel like that was the aim of this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC and MacMillan Audio for an ALC of this nook in exchange for my honest review.

What can I say, but Klune did it again! A definite must read, I can’t wait to get a hard copy of this book too. It was such a unique idea, and to watch the progress of the story, it hit me in the feels! A look on how people handle life (and to see how you react differently) it was a good one.

TJ Klune knows how to write an interesting story. His characters are funny and share some great banter. Additionally, there are so much heartwarming conversations that feel like a literary hug. This story was unique and uplifting. The characters were likable and well developed. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and seeing where the story would take me. I would definitely recommend this one to friends.

Wallace Price is a no-nonsense man who has lived a life with little more than his work. And then he dies, and realizes at his sparsely attended funeral that maybe he hadn't impacted anyone in a positive way. Then a Reaper named Mei comes to collect him, albeit not without answering a few of his questions, and brings him to a way-station between life and the afterlife. Off a path through the woods, in a little village Wallace has never visited, they arrive at a rather peculiar tea shop, Charon's Crossing, run by a man named Hugo. Loved by the locals, Hugo is more than just a master of tea - he is a ferryman, tending to the souls of the dead until they are ready to cross over. While Wallace does not want to accept his fate at first, the more time spent at the shop, and with Hugo, the more he realizes just how much he's missed out on. And when the Manager, a curious and powerful being, makes an unexpected appearance, time for Wallace to cross over may be running out.</p>

Under the Whispering Door explores, life, love, death, and grief in such an intimate and personal way that I found myself speechless after many passages throughout. It takes Wallace's death for his bubble to pop and for him to realize that the life he once lived was not fulfilling, and that those he had surrounded himself with pale in comparison to the companions and, eventually, family he finds for himself at Hugo's tea shop. As he comes to acknowledge his flaws, shortcomings, and regrets, and begins to make any amends he can after death, Wallace finally finds himself in a place where he belongs, where those around understand him in a way no one has before. In terms of the relationship between Wallace and Hugo that develops, I felt the exact same way about Linus and Arthur in Cerulean - at first, Wallace is stubborn and set in his ways, and Hugo is amused and fascinated by his stubborness, and what develops is a mutual appreciation for each others' company while they both can learn new things from each other, where everyone else seems to realize what's happening before they do. It was absolutely lovely to see. The pacing at the beginning seemed a bit slow, as the reader is being introduced to the idea of Reapers and ferrymen, and I found that sometimes phrases and/or actions were being repeated to/by Wallace multiple times. While some may find that off-putting, and I can see why, I thought it worked in Klune's favor as he captured an individual experience of grief - repetition can be connected to a person in denial, as they try to carry on as if nothing is amiss and when realization hits, the cycle continues. I'm not sure if anything will be changed in the finished copy, but I still stand by my thoughts that the repetitive nature was purposeful and suited the story quite nicely.

I'm truly interested to hear what other people will think of this story. Everyone's life and experiences with grief will shape what message truly shines through for them. It's what I love most about reading - hundreds of people can read the same text and interpret it hundreds of different ways, and those interpretations will always make for great discussion. While some may expect another Cerulean, I hope they can appreciate "Under the Whispering Door" on its own and all it has to offer.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I didn't think any author could make me laugh as hard as Mhairi McFarlane.. and I was wrong! I laughed so hard sometimes I was almost crying. I also cried(sad tears) too.. so that should give you an idea of the emotional range of this book. I love character driven stories and this checked all the boxes. We have Wallace who is a very black and white analytical businessman who can't handle that he has been thrown into the biggest grey area he could imagine.. the afterlife! This book is essentially about death and regrets, but is handled with so much humor and positivity. The supporting characters added so much to it with Mei keeping Wallace in line and standing up to him in a way he isn't used too, and Hugo helping him loosen up and see things in a different way. We also meet one of the most fun supporting characters I have read to date.. Apollo the ghost dog! I really enjoyed this one and read it so quickly! There were a couple parts of the book that I think dragged a bit or could have even been cut out, but I was still happy to be with the characters I had grown to love! There were parts that reminded me of the Midnight Library, a Christmas Carol and the show The Good Place.. which are all right up my alley! 4.5 stars!

This was a wonderful book with themes on life after death, survival and major change. The take on life after death felt like a twist on reincarnation. I truly enjoyed this story of what happens to people after they die and that we may all have a second chance before we go to the end of the road, so to speak.

There are multiple trigger warnings, such as death, suicide, and grief. I found myself crying at random times throughout the second half of the book. There were parts that hit close to home. I especially found the parts about Apollo sad. My fur baby is a major part of my life, so this was so sad for me.

The idea that some of us could be able to see the dead and help them through. Even potentially have our deceased loved ones there where we can see and talk to them still. That is beautiful. If only we could have a few more minutes/days/any time with them. Especially with those gone too soon.

I did feel that the timeline went a bit fast. I was hoping for a little more of the development between Wallace and Hugo, but their ending was beautiful, so I can't complain too much :)

I can't wait to read more by this author. Thank you so much #Netgalley, #TJKlune and #TorBooks for this advanced copy.

I absolutely adored The House in the Cerulean Sea, so Under the Whispering Door was one of my anticipated reads of the year. It did not disappoint. This book was everything I needed in my life. I'm also a big fan of the show, The Good Place, and this book is basically the love child of The Good Place and A Man Named Ove.

In Under the Whispering Door, we follow Wallace Price. Wallace Price is not a particularly good person. In fact, the book opens up on a scene where he firing a very nice woman that has been having a rough time in her personal life and certainly didn't think she was being called into Wallace's office to be fired. Then Wallace dies, alone in his office. The next thing Wallace knows, he is at a funeral... his own funeral. There aren't many people at the funeral, but one of them just happens to be a reaper.

The reaper takes him to a teashop. The teashop is not like any regular teashop though. In this teashop lives a man named Hugo. Hugo is the owner of the teashop and in his spare time, he also is the ferryman to souls who need to crossover. Wallace struggles with the fact that he is actually dead and that he didn't really live while he was alive. Hugo and the other inhabitants of the teashop help Wallace realize what he missed out on in life.

This book deals with grief and what it means to live. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and I devoured every word. All the characters were perfect and this book is my favorite of the year and I doubt another will be able to take its spot. <3

This is such a lovely heart warming story and paired with "Altruism" by Matthieu Ricard made me question a lot of how I act towards others. I loved Hugo, Mei and especially Granddad and Apollo. Honestly I don't think I've read such a bittersweet story.

5 stars, a lovely story about dealing with the pain of losing someone and moving on

Wallace Price is an ass and when he dies of a heart attack, the only people who attend his funeral are his bitter ex-wife to mock him, his three business partners out of obligation, and the woman who will reap his soul, Mei. Mei takes him to a tea shop owned by Hugo, a ferryman to the afterlife. All spirits must make peace with their lives before they move on to what comes next and Hugo is Wallace's ferryman.

This was a lovely read all around. Klune really excels at the blending of mundane and supernatural elements into something unique while also populating his world with lovable characters. As you might guess from the set up, Price starts off as something of a Scrooge figure but he quickly loses his more negative qualities and the story quickly pivots to Hugo and Wallace trying to figure out how to manage their attraction to each other with both being sad that they couldn't have had the chance to meet and become lovers while Wallace was alive. Hugo, as a ferryman, can only talk to spirits, not touch them so there there is less of a will they/won't they than a "is it even possible?" approach to their romantic yearning as Hugo nurses Wallace's emotional wounds. Sandwiched between all this emotional hurt comfort are thoughtful meditations on grief and dealing with loss.

Some may see the obvious conflict as a downside but I found that Klune kept in enough twists to keep the novel fresh the whole way through. The ending half is definitely stronger than the opening section, which does get a bit bogged down in set up though there are a few good chuckles here and there.

It's not quite as good as The House in the Cerulean Sea but it's still a wonderful book. Quiet and a little more despairing at times, but with the same sincere heart that makes Klune such a comforting writer to read. It's a perfect cozy, feel-good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC for me to review.

Wallace wasn’t ready to die. Nonetheless, he did. When a reaper came to lead him to the ferryman, he was resistant, convinced they could work some miracle and give him back his life. It was the ferryman’s (Hugo) job to help Wallace cross over when he was ready. What transpires is a beautiful story about life, love, regrets and expectations.
I had high hopes about this book, since House In The Cerulean Sea was probably my favorite book of the year last year. Under The Whispering Door did not disappoint. What could have been a maudlin tale about a man not ready to die becomes a beautifully told tale about coming to grips with the inevitable and the journey it takes to get there. TJ Klune’s writing is a breath of fresh air. The creativity in his stories is astounding and I find myself wondering in amazement how he comes up with such imaginative and compelling stories. Not to mention his representation of LGBTQ communities. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

*I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Wallace is a real jerk. There aren’t many things or people he likes, least of all himself. And it takes dying for him to realize how much being such a jerk has cost him. No friends, an ex-wife who hates him, and nothing really to show for all his hard work building a premier law firm. His life, if that’s what you want to call it, has been cut short, and now he’s stuck in some awful tea shop in the middle of nowhere learning to be a ghost until he’s ready to “cross”, whatever that means…

But there’s something more to Wallace than meets the eye. He just needs a little time. Luckily, his death squad (Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and Apollo) have the time and patience needed for the job of helping him see all that he missed out on in life and what still he has to offer in death. All their hard work will pay off in the end, but it’s a bumpy ride along the way.

Klune is a master. He’s a master at constructing brightly lit imaginary worlds with complex characters, tons of emotions, and love in all the right places. This book is so special because he wrote it. I don’t know that anyone else could have done justice to the topic of death, dying, afterlife, life choices, and love than Klune. The little family and love story he creates in this book rivals that of House in the Cerulean Sea in my opinion, but I’d venture to say this one has the power to connect with people on a different level. It captures what it means to be human in the most basic ways, which speaks to my little social worker heart. We are faulty. We are messy. We are multifaceted. We are complicated and simple at the same time. And in grief we discover things about ourselves and others that we never really knew.

This book was beautiful. It was about life and grief. However, I recently lost my dad and was completely wrecked by this story. I do not believe my review is going to do the book itself justice. This author just has beautiful writing that connects the reader to the story and the characters.

Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

It’s going to be difficult to put into words all the emotions this book made me feel. This book somehow flips all of our unknowns, fears, and questions about death on their heads, while still handling the subject with grace, reverence, and room for finding the bright spots in such seemingly dark spaces. I loved the idea that there are always going to be some “unknowns,” and that’s ok. Yes, this book deals with a lot of different aspects of death, but there is something to be said about an author that is able to find ways to make you laugh out loud while reading a book about it. This book made me laugh, cry both happy and sad tears at the same time, and brought a sort of healing that I think can only be indicative of the level of masterful writing TJ Klune has to be able to do so while navigating such a difficult subject that has touched everyone’s lives in different ways. This was a beautiful book about grief, love, friendship, and learning that it’s never too late to become the kind of person you really want to be. Wallace’s journey was a wonderful one, and I loved meeting all of the new people in his life (afterlife?) right along with him.

Also, I’d drink tea with Hugo ANY. DAY. ANY. TIME. ❤️

This book hits shelves on September 23rd, so make sure you preorder/grab a copy for yourself as soon as you can! This one is a must read.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!