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.

My copy of Under the Whispering Door, by TJ Klune, was kindly provided by NetGalley, and I shall thank them by being honest in my review.
Please read content warnings before reading this book. It deals heavily with the themes of death and various types of death and that may be unsettling to some readers.
So I'm going to be honest, I loved The House in The Cerulean Sea. It is one of my favorite books this year. But this book, this book just might have it beat.
The premise is simple. Wallace dies suddenly and can hardly believe it except he's at his own funeral. And there just so happens to be a reaper, Mei, there to collect him. Mei takes him to see Hugo, the ferryman, who just so happens to have the doorway to the afterlife in his tea shop.
Wallace is not particularly keen on this idea, as he would really prefer to be alive, thanks so much.
The book details Wallace's journey through the five stages of grief as he experiences them from the other side of things. It's interesting to see it from that perspective. You never think of the ones we lost as having to grieve the lives and loved ones they left behind.
We also meet a colorful cast of characters. From Hugo's grandfather, Nelson, to Desdemona, a unique townsperson who, among other things, thinks she can turn Hugo's head. For so many of them being dead, they feel so alive.
Klune created such a wonderful place in this little tea shop. It makes me want to visit. From charming locals to a helpful reaper and enchanting ghosts, it also has scones! But in all seriousness, the world the author created is very rich for being so self-contained.
Now to the nitty-gritty. I laughed. I cried.
Like seriously, I was still crying as I sat down to write this review, it gave me all the feels.
To actually be serious, I lost my father a few years back, and I'd like to think he had someone like Mei or Hugo helping him to reach the other side. It was a nice thought to have and the description of those crossing through the doorway gave me an interesting sense of peace as well.
It also made me cry.
Please, bring tissues.
If I had to, I would say this book got 5 stars. Can I give a book 6 stars? No? 5 it is? Okay. Well. New favorite book! Does that help?

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!

~Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Under the Whispering Door in exchange for an honest review. ~

**“It’s never enough, is it? Time. We always think we have so much of it, but when it really counts, we don’t have enough at all.”**

I went in expecting this to be heavier than the Cerulean Sea. While I wasn't a sobbing mess, like the Green Creek Series, I teared up at least 3 times. The epilogue did, however, have me downright CRYING. I read that portion at the... best/worst time I could? With a specific scene relating to the anniversary of a death in my own family.

This story had much the same idea as Caitlin Doughty's books, showcasing that death doesn't always have to be this terrible thing we don't acknowledge, that grief is normal and we should take the time to feel it. However, this story discussed grief in many different ways; grief for yourself, for lost opportunities, for loved ones, for strangers. This is such a whimsical story that had me smiling and laughing many times, but in the end, this was an insightful read about living your best life, but also learning how to cope with the many losses that come with it.

The writing style of this story was more of a middle ground between Cerulean Sea and Green Creek, and I really enjoyed the combination. There's something so fantastically delicious about Klune's writing, where it's easy to blast through, but every sentence and phrase feels so purposeful.

I fell in love with these quirky characters, plus there was an animal sidekick, and I'm a sucker for those. The romance was a slow burn, with a barrier separating the two, causing a great deal of tension that I slurped up. This redemption arc was wonderfully done.

Once again, I think a good descriptor of this story is a middle grade for adults. On the surface, this book isn't very deep, but there's so much more beneath the story. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy to annotate every wonderful line and scene of which I took note.

Side-note: please consider looking at content warnings. There is also a list at the beginning of the book that may help, as well.

I loved this book! Under the Whispering Door is about Wallace, an awful person who dies and finds himself in an afterlife limbo set up as a tea shop. Even though this book deals with some very heavy and difficult topics, Klune manages to use humor, wit, and whimsy to lighten the mood and create a beautiful story. Klune also manages to stuff this book full of life lessons and reflections in a way that doesn't overpower the story.
Besides just an amazingly written story, the characters are also so well developed, unique, and interesting. I found myself connecting with each of them despite how different they all were.
Overall, this is such a unique and interesting story that I would highly recommend to all.

”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 and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.”

wallace price has died. the life he lived might have been fine, but it wasn’t full. he now finds himself at a way station, a place in between life and whats beyond it. it is here he meets a reaper named mei, a couple other ghosts (nelson and apollo), and a ferryman named hugo that is there to help him be ready to cross. while there he learns how to live a better life—even though he’s already died.

books that grapple with death and mortality are some of my favorites. i’ve always expressed how much comfort i find in books where characters grieve. under the whispering door is different than most of these. here, we have a character who mourns the life they could have had. where they start a new life after their death. where they find humanity too late, and grieve what could have been. and characters that mourn while he’s still there, but not alive. characters who breathe that life into him, even though they have to say goodbye.

tj klune has proven time and time again that he has the most magnificent way of building characters that you will fall in love with before they break your heart. to be part of the growth that wallace goes through is so special. we watch wallace learn to open his heart and build a family around himself. each character gives a piece of themself to wallace, and you feel it as deeply as he does.

klune has also shown how extraordinary he is at writing about love. romantic love, yes, but also platonic and familial. this is no exception. the relationship between every character is so visceral. so profound. you know that these characters belong together and to each other. it’s a beautiful feeling we get to be part of.

overall, this book makes you believe: in love, in hope that we can change. believe that it’s not too late to be the better version of yourself. believe in something out there. believe that those who are gone are somewhere better. and they wait for you. whenever you’re ready.

needless to say that this is a contender for a top fave of the year, and is easily a new favorite klune book. thank you @netgalley, @torbooks, and @tjklunebooks for this gift. under the whispering door comes out september 21, 2021.

cw: death (including death by suicide, child death, unexpected death, and death of pets), grief, panic attacks.