Oooof, TJ Klune broke my heart into a million pieces again. In the best way possible, of course. I loved Wallace’s character arc and the relationships he had with each character. I would’ve enjoyed more backstory for each one, but it was still an excellent book.

I was hoping Under the Whispering Door would sell me on this fantasy world, but it still fell short, much like Hiuse in the Cerulean Sea. The premise sounds nice, but the execution just doesn't work for me.

Among the scones and variety of teas found at Charon's Crossing is a portal to the afterlife. Wallace was a taciturn lawyer with no friends when he died. Arriving at the tea shop, he reflects on his life before passing on, making new friends- both dead and alive- at the same time.

The best parts of this book were the dog, Apollo, and the queer love storyline. Everything else was dialogue-heavy with little action until over halfway through the book. I'd definitely recommend The House in the Cerulean Sea over this book. 3☆

3.5 stars

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace must accept that he is dead. Wallace is brought to a place called Charon’s Crossing where he meets the ferryman, Hugo, and his afterlife is changed forever. Wallace gets the opportunity to reflect on his life and the choices he’s made while helping the Reaper and the Ferryman with their work. But then Wallace is given a deadline on this little slice of afterlife, and he must decide what comes next.

TJ Klune is one of my all time favorite authors and I love watching his rise to success. So many of his previous romance novels are some of my favorites, but this book and the book before it (THITCS) fell flat for me. They’re both too long and the pacing too slow. There’s still a beautiful story and wonderfully written characters, but I was reading this book for over a month and it dragged. It honestly put me into a reading slump while reading it.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but it’s lacking the magic I come to expect from a Klune novel where I devour the book as fast as I can because I have to know what happens. That aspect was missing and it took away from my reading experience.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

As a huge fan of "The House in the Cerulean Sea", I couldn't wait to pick up this book. It still delivers the same level of sweetness but with a touch of sadness. I love a book that examines how a character develops when confronted with death, and this one delivered a protagonist who seemed like a completely different person at the end of the book. While I found his development a little too extreme, I still grew to love him and the rest of the characters. The tone and feeling of the book have stayed with me long after reading it.

Wallace Price is a man who likes everything in its place; he is careful, a workaholic, and very unlikeable. So, when he wakes up at his own funeral he is in disbelief. When a reaper comes to collect him to pass on he is indignant. And, when he finally meets the ferryman, Hugo, he is downright angry. But, as he begins to truly live in his afterlife, he sees that he was never really alive in his life (just going through the motions). So, when upper management gives him a week to move on to whatever comes next, Wallace is determined to make the last moments of his afterlife worthwhile.

This book was beautiful. For anyone who has suffered a loss it can be quite soothing and healing. The amount of times they truly talk about death, grief, and leaving behind our loved ones, with such honesty and depth makes your heart grow. Wallace went on such a soul changing journey, from an aloof, uncaring man to someone desperate to keep his connection to his found family. This book touched on the pain, anger, and acceptance of death; but also the human ability to see death as more than just an end.

Wallace was quite the character, and I am still unsure if I ended up liking him or not, for sure I had a hard time connecting to him. His past self was just so different from who he ended up becoming and I just never really understood or saw enough of his character transitioning from one extreme to the next. Sure, I saw moments of growth, but I was never sure how he even allowed himself to start this journey. If I had one issue with this book it was that. Otherwise, by the end Wallace turned out to be quite an amazing person, one who ended up changing the very realm of death.

I adored the connections that Wallace made at Charon's Crossing. His effortless attachment to Hugo, who was such a charming character it was hard not to love him. Hugo's Grandfather Nelson is chipper, truthful, and willing to help Wallace find himself. But my absolute favourite character was Mei, the reaper. She is funny, she shows emotion easily, and she is willing to see the best in people. Her moments were some of the best in the book and really made Charon's Crossing come alive.

However, what I loved most about this book was the world building. I found every aspect of it fascinating, from the reapers, the way stations, the ferryman, to the teashop itself. I felt it just seemed so soothing for something so sad and often tragic. I also found that it made so much sense, this need for souls to truly accept that they are dead and have made peace with themselves in order to go on to their next journey. Just so caringly written and thought out.

This book had a lot of heart, but it also had a lot of humor. This balanced so well with how dark the book could be, making it a much more accessible read. The idea of death is so haunting and looming, you need those brief moments of laughter to really calm and soothe. And what is life if not both light and dark.

This book definitely has a slow start, but much like TJ Klune other recent book, once I was invested in the world of UNDER THING WHISPERING DOOR, I was completely hooked. This is a heartfelt story with incredibly endearing characters. This book also covers important mental health topics, such as anxiety, which I appreciate in a fantasy read. Though a bit drawn out, I loved the plot and the romance.

I love the whimsy of Klune’s settings, but I love even more how he so perfectly pulls at my heart strings and shapes them into whatever he wants them to be.

Slow to start but Under the Whispering Door packs an emotional punch. It is as much about life as it is about death. I wasn't sure a book about grief and loss would be a good vacation read but it ended up being the best book I read the whole week. So insightful about the human condition without being maudlin or pretentious. Plus there's a ghost dog. That alone would get the full 5 stars. Highly recommend this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love the way Klune manages to swirl together death, melancholy and hopefulness so gracefully. This was one that had me hooked and probably would have earned 5 stars, but I didn't love how it ended. This was a rare book that I think could have been better served without a tidy happily-ever-after.

I'm that weird anomaly of a person who read Under the Whispering Door without having read The House in the Cerulean Sea. I came into the book with few expectations - I wanted something darkly whimsical, romantic, with a philosophical exploration of human mortality and that's exactly what I got. I loved this book, and I can't wait to read The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I've heard is even better. I am eagerly awaiting the author's forthcoming In the Lives of Puppets!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In true TJ Klune fashion, we have a beautiful queer romance story. Highly anticipated, and my expectations were not disappointed.

I didn't know what to expect going into this book - for some reason I had heard it was about something very different, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover a book stuffed full of heart, clever plot, fascinating characters, and the best kind of happy endings! Beautifully written and delightfully queer, this book is a masterful exploration of grief and love and what it means to be a good person (or ghost). I honestly loved this one even more than CERULEAN SEA, which I did not think the author could top! I can't wait to read more of his work.

This book covers a lot: death, grief, loss, regret, personal growth, depression, etc. It gives a beautiful perspective on life after death, finding your own family when yours has fallen short, and moving on when loved ones have passed.

This book was LONG. While I appreciate the themes that were explored, not much really happened. It was fairly repetitive. I can appreciate the story, but it could have been way better.

Though I loved Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door absolutely blew me away. I found it to be such a poignant reflection on life and the opportunities inherent in being alive, as well as what happens when those opportunities are taken or not. The journey that Wallace undertakes and the realizations and reflections that accompany it are ones I have not been able to stop thinking about, months after having read the book. I also found the love story to be compelling and sweet, an icing on the cake of an already beautiful book. All in all, it's a must read!

I was pretty sure after reading The House in the Cerulean Sea that I was a Klune fan. Now, having read Under the Whispering Door, I’m absolutely certain! This book…where do I even begin? Maybe I’ll start with how long it took me to read Under the Whispering Door and why, since the length it took me might not align with my rating for the book.

If you’ve read the synopsis, it should come as no surprise that some of the topics in Under the Whispering Door are death and grief. I’ve dealt with a lot of losses in my family over the last 3 years and I’m still grappling with my grief. This is why I had to take a few breaks while making my way through this story.

Now that I’ve explained that I took my time with this book due to the subject matter and not because I in any way disliked it, I want to focus on what it is that I liked so much! I’m not usually a reader who is character-driven, but in the case of Under the Whispering Door, it was all about the characters for me.

Sure, I really did enjoy the setting and the fantasy elements, but hte characters trumped it all. I don’t have any one characters that I would pick as a favourite out of all of them, but rather for me it was the group, the found family, that have carved a permanent spot in my heart. I love them so much that I’m tearing up as I’m writing this about them. And that’s all I can say without giving anything away—if you want to know more, I encourage you to read this book for yourself if you haven’t already.

I did not finish “DNF” this at 50ish pages. I was not into the story line one bit.

This book is super
Hyped and I can see why people would love it but it wasn’t for me.

Loved this one. Full of heart, yea, and ghosts, one of the best Scrooge turned good stories since The Afterlife of Holly Chase.

Loved this book! I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this one as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea but was happily proven wrong.

This is a very emotionally weighty book that to read so much about death and grief you need to be in the correct frame of mind