I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review this book after reading The House in the Cerulean Sea. In this book the main character Wallace is not a nice person. He puts his work ahead of everything else in his life. Then he dies. The story is about his ghost learns what it really means to live. Lots of heartful and humorous moments throughout the narrative. Touching and completely enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone.

A tearjerker but with a happy ending. Exactly what I have come to expect from this author. I expect a sequel to this.

TJ Klune has quickly become one of my favorite writers. While the subject matter is entirely different from The House in the Cerulean Sea, this book is also beautifully written. Under the Whispering Door is heartbreaking, soulful, and tender with well developed characters.

I enjoyed reading this book and would like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you so much Netgally and Tor Books for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
After reading and loving The House in the Cerulean Sea I was very eager to read this book.

It's a book all about death, however T.J.Klune still manages to make the book magical and heart-warming with a diverse set of characters. This book did remind me a little of The Midnight Library (Matt Haig) although that could simply be due to the subject matter.

I found this book to be charming and was intrigued by the concept introduced, however it takes a while to grip you and doesn't leave you with the warm fuzzy feeling that The House in the Cerulean Sea] managed to do straight away.

DNF at 33%

Now before you come at me with clutched pearls, I think that I am very much not the reader for this book. It's beautiful and has a lot of philosophizing on life, death, and grief -- I think it will be perfect, profound, and incredibly moving for many readers, especially those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. However, I really struggled to connect with it at this time in my life. I can easily see myself coming back to Under the Whispering Door later on in life and absolutely adoring it. I can see it being the kind of book I come back to again and again. Now is just not that time.

I felt so privileged to read an ARC of @tjklunebooks new novel. After totally falling in love with his House in the Cerulean Sea earlier this year I was all over this one like a rash.
His writing is so unique, his stories ooze rainbows of character.

Under the Whispering Door is a magical book tackling heartbreaking issues. I'm not one to usually run into the arms of a story that deals with death but this was so engrossing that I just got carried along with the story. I love the authors style of writing, this book is witty, charming yet heart wrenching and totally enveloping. The characters are so beautifully crafted, I can picture them so clearly they could have been dancing on the pages Infront of my eyes.

I urge you to Join Wallace Price on his unique, powerful, emotional journey to find, save and discover himself.... With much help on the way

3.5 stars! I’d been putting off reading this because I recently experienced a big loss and knew this book would really hit me hard. It did, but it was also very whimsical and warm-hearted, despite the heavy subject matter. I liked the characters a lot, though at times the plot did seem a bit muddled and slow. Not quite the same charm as Cerulean Sea but still enjoyable!

I absolutely adored Under the Whispering Door! This book follows Wallace after he dies as his Reaper Mei shows up, leading him to Hugo’s tea shop, where he learns about both life and death. I definitely got some A Christmas Carol vibes, like it felt very Ghost of Christmas Future, except Wallace’s second chance comes in death rather than life. Honestly, I laughed and I cried, and it was just wonderful! Mei is so spritely and feisty, Nelson so supportive and funny, and Hugo so patient, selfless, and loving. And the growth Wallace goes through is just incredible. These characters were all so perfect and are made even more perfect with each interaction they have together, as they strive to better each other and help one another. This novel is so full of whimsy and wonder, and it is so meaningful. It takes on so many heavy issues surrounding death and loss, while also being funny and heartwarming. It’s just such a wonderful story about finding yourself and finding a family. This book left me with a happy heart and is one that will definitely stick with me for a long time!

When I saw that there was an upcoming new book by TJ Klune, I was ecstatic. This book did not disappoint. Watching Wallace and Hugo's relationship evolve throughout the story was beautiful. The story that Klune told gives hope for anyone looking for love. Life has really become so much more than it ever was while Wallace was alive.

I felt a full spectrum of emotions reading this book and went through the 5 phases of grief more than once.

I read this as a netgalley advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

In T.J. Klune's "Under the Whispering Door" Wallace dies and learns the path that takes him to what lies beyond the door. It is Wallace's death that helps him learn how to live with empathy and heart. As a live man, Wallace had no empathy and his heart while once in love, had no trace of love for another person.

Here's what I learned, our life is about growing and development. We walk our own paths and journeys in life. While on our way in life our paths converge and overlap with the paths of others. Sometimes we converge for a long time, others not as long. Some path overlapping we never even realize happens and others change our lives whether positively or for growth. I love that in Wallace, we can see ourselves. We can see that we have short-falls and imperfections. I love that Wallace is given the chance to learn to recognize his imperfections as well as try to develop himself. And, at the end of the day, we learn the importance of relationships and how we treat those who's paths meet up with ours.

The question I ask myself is would I read this book again? The answer is, I will order this book as soon as it is published later this month and yes, I will read it again.

What a unique and heartwarming story!

Wallace Price is a selfish and insensitive lawyer. In the opening chapter, Wallace passes away and visits his funeral as a ghost. A reaper collects him from his funeral and brings him to a tea shop to meet with the owner of the shop, Hugo. The story unfolds as Wallace learns what it means to live, love, and be loved.

There are heavy topics to this story, including death, grief, murder, and suicide, but TJ Klune did an excellent job balancing these heavy subjects with this quirky humor.

All of the main characters were well written, and I connected and loved all of them.

I can't wait to read what Klune writes next!

Pick up Under the Whispering Door if you’re looking for an entertaining and heartwarming story.

Going into this read, I had high hopes because of how much I absolutely devoured and adored the ‘warm hug’ of the House in the Cerulean Sea. While this book feels like it’s grief-stricken older brother, I need to point out that it is very different. This book ripped me apart and put me back together in the best way. It will have you reevaluating your life and discovering pockets of yourself you didn’t know you had lost.

Wallace finds himself rather unpleasantly and unexpectedly dead. He has things to do and important meetings to attend and frankly he does not have time for this.

He certainly does not have time to be hanging out in a tea shop with a collection of very strange and not always alive staff.

This book is warm and funny and real. It feels as comforting as a cup of tea on a rainy day. The characters are people I want to know even if only to mock them. I cried so hard and it felt so good.

There is not a thing I would change about this book and I truly recommend it to all.

I had read The House in the Cerulean Sea not long before getting this ARC so I was definitely pretty excited to pick this one up. But unfortunately this one just fell a little flat for me.

There are several things about this that I did enjoy. As with The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune proves himself to be a master at writing with a light and whimsical tone. It reads very much like a fantasy version of Fredrick Backman, and it's definitely something that's unique and sets itself apart in the world of adult fantasy. So if that is something you loved in Cerulean Sea, you will still find that present in this one.

I also very much enjoyed our two secondary characters, Mei and Nelson. I found both of them to be delightful characters and they definitely improved every scene they were in. Unfortunately our main two characters just didn't hit with me. Wallace was kind of just fine, I just never felt super strongly about him either way. And Hugo felt like his entire character was boiled down to a therapist who spouted wisdom statements and that was it which just wasn't something I was into.

I also found the plot it self to be most boring. I liked the very beginning and then I liked the last 20% or so, but the rest was just so boring. It felt like nothing happened. And while the book was largely supposed to be Wallace's journey, but it just felt very surface level, and I never felt pulled in by that part of the story.

I do think this book will absolutely be a hit with many, many people. The story just wasn't the right one for me, unfortunately

A tender look at one of the biggest questions:"What happens when we die?". Klune knocks it out of the park again with his loving look at humanity. While not as whimsical as The House Under the Cerulean Sea, there is still the sense of awe at human connections and what it means to be human.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like perhaps my review is going to be a bit skewed. Let me explain: I have been thinking a lot about death. Perhaps it is the grief I have felt accumulating for over 16 months, maybe it's the shock of recent personal tragedies, or it could be that I often think about death in times that one might call normal. My point is, I needed this book. And here it is.

Wallace dies. He wasn't a very nice person or even a particularly good one. He was just a man who lived until he was not living anymore. And that's when it really starts -- picked up by a Reaper called Mei (unfailingly charming, lovable, and brave) at his own funeral, he is taken to a waystation for the dead with a very punny name run by a ferryman called Hugo (kind, handsome, and heartachingly empathetic). Oh, and there's the ghost of Hugo's granddad called Nelson (funny, crotchety, has all the good jokes) and a dog (I want a dog).

What follows is a narrative that explores all the heavy things: death, life, grief, suicide, loneliness, time, the evils of bureaucracy. It's got it all, folks, But unlike some books I've read in recent months that also tackle these themes, Under the Whispering Door wasn't heavy-handed for me. It wasn't trying to make me feel better, or teach me a lesson. It was trying to make me feel in general, and I got where I was meant to go just fine. I cried a lot at this one. Mostly because of the subject matter, but also because the characters felt like friends, the setting felt like a place I've been hoping to find, and the storylines, even the minor ones, made me want to be kinder.

It is, of course, my personal hope that death is not The End, merely An End, so of course a narrative allowing me to fantasize such will hit its mark for me. I give this 5 stars.

Thank you so much Netgally and Tor Books for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

THIS COVER. I love it so much!! I think it is so cute and really drew me in before I even started reading, and we all know that I can't help myself from falling victim to judging a book by its cover. Ops. I am so glad this book got the cover it deserves because the content matches the cover beautifully.

This is a story about life and death, following our friend Wallace Price, who, in life was not a great man. In death, Wallace finds himself at a teashop with a reaper, ferryman, and a few other ghosts. This book is not like the House in the Cerulean Sea, but that does not mean it isn't good, it's a different style entirely. I really enjoyed this take on death and the discussions on grief. I felt that there were some slow places in this but, it was still a great read. The characters really make this story, with their great humor to keep a relatively dark story a bit lighter.

When I started this, I was really worried about the content of the story knowing it was dealing with death but it never got so heavy for me that I could not continue to read. There were definitely some sob-worthy parts but only because you love the characters so much. I also cried like a baby in the House in the Cerulean Sea, so... take that how you will.

Again I am so grateful to have received an advanced copy of Under the Whispering Door. I was so excited to read this, and I know many others are as well, and it is worth the read for sure!

This novel grabbed me right from the start. You are introduced to Wallace Price, the main character of this story. He is your typical, arrogant, self-absorbed, angry workaholic who cares about nothing and nobody other than his work. He doesn’t have any friends and family and so when he is suddenly taken from the world, he is angry, but only because he wants to get back to his work.

However, as the story progresses, we see a wonderful character arc. This angry, selfish man slowly learns to accept his fate. And with the help of a ghost, a ghost dog, his reaper, and the ferryman he becomes the man he should have been in life.

This is an emotional, moving novel about death, what happens after you take your last breath and accepting your situation. The pace was slow at times; however, this perfectly reflected the tone of the story, and each chapter was a joy to read to the point I didn’t want it to end.

One aspect of this novel I particularly enjoyed is that, although its main theme was death, a serious, often sombre subject, it still had its light-hearted, comedic moments to lift the tone. It is a beautiful story of life, death, hope and acceptance and everything in between. As we find out more about Wallace’s life before death, we get the bigger picture of who he was, which mostly was his strive to be successful, earn money and win as many cases as he could without anyone getting in his way.

I liked the fact we also had other characters passing through Charon’s Crossing who each served a purpose to help Wallace accept his death as well as make him a better person. These were a mixture of living and dead, but each had a part to play and were far from forgettable.

To me, this is also a story about fate. He could have been placed with any reaper and any ferryman but the people he was chosen to be placed with, to help him pass on, each had their own issues, or hurdles to overcome, which Wallace also had a big part in. Each of the main characters were very well written, had multiple layers as well as being very relatable, and let’s face it, who doesn’t love the idea of a ghost dog?

The whole novel was a beautiful tale which was superbly written. The writer respected the sometimes-taboo subject of death and the whole world was such a wonderful concept. Warning – there are some very emotional chapters which will have you on the edge of your seat crying, so you may want to have tissues nearby.

Reading this has made me even more determined to get hold of T J Klune’s previous novel and read it as his writing style, combined with his character creation is both amazingly executed and beautifully done. I love the idea of going to Charon’s Crossing after you die and having the support from several people, living and dead to help you accept your situation to move on to the next world, whatever that may be.

Ever since I discovered TJ Klune and his previous release; The House in the Cerulean Sea - I vowed to read anything & everything he released. Klune’s innate ability to weave tales of whimsical charm with elements of fantasy while keeping the core of his stories grounded in the things that make us human is utter perfection. While the majority of Ceruluean’s story kept things mostly light and often humorous, “Under the Whispering Door” takes on a much heavier premise.

Wallace Price is not a good person. Klune makes this abundantly clear in the opening chapter as we witness high powered, workaholic lawyer Wallace coldly firing a long time employee without a glimmer of compassion or care. Soon thereafter we learn that Wallace has died of a massive heart attack and his spirit remains on earth visiting his own funeral. As we quickly assumed based on the opening chapter, Wallace was not well liked. The sole mourners at his funeral are made up solely of the partners of his law firm, his ex-wife and a mysterious young woman who he does not recognize. Wallace soon learns the hard truth that he is no longer amongst the living, but is a ghost. This is explained when the only person he can interact with is the young woman, Mei.

We soon learn that Mei is here to take him on a journey to the afterlife. As expected, Wallace is incredulous and refuses to believe his circumstances but begrudgingly follows Mei to the main setting of the book; a small unknown town containing a quirky tea shop. It is here that he meets Hugo, the shop’s proprietor and a “ferryman” who’s job is to help dead souls cross over to the afterlife.

What unfolds is at both times heartbreaking and heartwarming as Wallace slowly grapples with his present circumstances and the way he lived his life. At It’s heart is a story of redemption and learning what makes a life and if it’s possible to change for the better. The topic of death looms large throughout the story and while it’s a heavy subject, Wallace’s story is told with extreme care as he slowly morphs into a character that everyone is rooting for.

Add in some of Klune’s signature quirky humor and an adorable LGBTQ+ love story between the living and dead, and you’ve got another fantastic book and follow up to Cerulean. I tried to read this book slowly to soak in all of the laughing, crying, and all the emotions in between. I can’t recommend it enough and cannot wait to see what Klune does next!

I know I should give myself some time to recover, time to replenish, because I am emotionally drained and my eyes hurt from crying, and I should absolutely give myself time to sit, but I won't.

Every time someone asks me "What book made you cry?" I never have an answer. Books don't make me cry. Movies make me cry. TV shows make me cry. Things I can see. Under the Whispering Door is the first book in history to make me cry. We're not talking tearing up or a couple stray tears; no, we're talking full gushing tears.

It's not even the subject of death. Death is heavy and somber and an obliteration all on its own. Maybe it's because I've been around death and have thought about it (and attempted it) that it being the subject of this book didn't affect me in the same way. For me, what caused the quake of devastation and caused the tears, was the stories. Was the suffering. It's the resounding empathy of seeing Nancy and Lea's story, of seeing Alan's story, and Cameron's. It's devastating. And because all of these characters were so real - no matter how much they were on the page - I could see them. They were real to me.

I think this book is going to be hard for a lot of people. With the current state of the world, with how mentally and emotionally taxing the last eighteen months have been, I think this is going to be a hard book. I'd actually put it on par with the Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and the reputation that book has. Even though this book is also vibrant and uplifting and inspirational and even though it has a happy ending, It's a very heavy subject matter and the last eighteen months have already been heavy, I just don't know if this book will be for a lot of people. I've seen on social media that some DNF'd their ARCs, which disappoints me because they missed out on something truly profound.

I love everyone in this book - I love Mei and Hugo (two people the book world will be obsessed with) and Nelson and Apollo and Wallace, and I think those who give this book a chance will love them too. I admit to DNF-ing the House in the Cerulean Sea, but this experience has made me want to give it another chance and has made me really want to pick up the Extraordinaries. I will from this point on read anything TJ Klune writes. He's earned that dedication.