I've never read T.J. Klune's work before, but I thought this book was extremely sweet, sad, and warm. I found myself tearing up and laughing along with it (in public, mind you; thank god for masks and long bangs). I read it in one day, I simply wanted more and more.


I loved reading about all of the characters, even smaller ones like Cameron, Alan, Nancy, Desdemona, Naomi. The bigger ones like Apollo, Mei, Nelson, Hugo. And Wallace. Wallace's transformation into his new self was almost instantaneous once he died, like he couldn't wait not to be an asshole, which was likely very unrealistic (especially because he was the only white character from the main cast), but it made him more lovable, so I really didn't mind it while I was reading.


It's hard to give any criticism when I enjoyed this book so much. The conversations about life and death were slightly cheesy and grandiose, as the characters describe it "pseudo-intellectualism" from the dead, but I think that was expected of people just figuring out life (and death). It's realistic, in a sense. 


I loved the love. Care and empathy the whole gang at Tea and Treats gave to the dead and living. Family love the most, certainly. But romantic love between Hugo and Wallace too. Especially because they were older ("older", Hugo is only 30, but they're not in their teens or 20s). I hoped to see more emphasized what made Wallace stand out to Hugo from all the other souls and what made him love him. It's there definitely, and he mentions it more near the end, but I'd have liked to see more clearly the change in Hugo that Wallace caused throughout the story.


The ending was slightly expected, a happy ending fitting of a fairy tale. I somehow found myself expecting more of a bittersweet ending than a full on sweet one. A lot of sugar, this one. Whatever questions or slight hesitations I had throughout were lost in the shear flow of the story. I felt like this novel would make a good comic book. Or visual novel, whatever the difference, if there is one.

Waiting for the book to be officially published just to see the fanart of the characters. I'll be reading T.J.'s other work in the future!

Firstly thank you for the opportunity to read this little book of warmth and love before the release Net Galley.

I absolutely loved this book - I was sure I would, as I had loved The House in the Cerulean Sea - but I was afraid it would not measure up to that wonderfully hopeful and heart-warming book. I needn't have worried. This book was not the same but it was definitely a feast on its own.

Under The Whispering Door was a beautiful book about death and the afterlife. A look at the impact death has not only on those who are living but imagining the impact it has on those who have died. It explores many deep and thought-provoking subjects in a way that does not overwhelm and numb you but still gets you to think. I think it handled the different ways people die beautifully too - your body just giving up, murder, suicide, accidents and sickness. In a time and world where so many are losing their lives due to a pandemic this book is a little hopeful light in the dark - a look at how death could be a continuation of a journey, instead of an end.

I loved the characters in this book! From Grandad Nelson, to Mei to Hugo and Wallace - even Apollo the dog! Each of them was unforgettable and unique and heart-warming. I laughed so hard, sometimes, till tears came out of my eyes. And at other times my soul quieted down contemplating the messages in the book. The growing attraction and love between Wallace and Hugo was beautifully captured and the way the relationships developed amongst the characters was beautiful. I loved them all but Grandad Nelson was my favourite!

I also loved the little mentions throughout the book that made me remember The House In The Cerulean Sea. I also have to say I absolutely loved the idea of a tea shop as a waystop on the way to what comes after. Being of both Chinese and Sri Lankan descent I truly appreciated the ode to tea that this book was. Tea is a big part of Asian culture and it was nice to see it captured in this book.

It truly was another beautiful book by T.J. Klune and I cannot wait to have a copy in my hands!

Under The Whispering Door hit me even harder than The House In The Cerulean Sea.

Klune introduces us to a new cast full of quirky, lovable characters. He is a master of the beloved found family trope. But most of all, he made me feel like I was taking part in the book.

Wallace is thrown into the world after death head first. He would like to talk to whoever is in charge because is a very important man with many clients and this is clearly a mistake. Being inside Wallace's head was an immersive experience, and the writing always read and flowed naturally. This is saying something, because I often had to read it in small increments because of how much and how often this story made me cry.

Wallace is brought to this recluse tea shop by his Reaper (Mei) and there he meets Hugo the Ferryman and his ghostly family. Getting to watch the love and hope these characters embody is something very unique to Klune's books. Wallace is no match with his cranky and stubborn attitude, and his wall's quickly crumble while residing at the tea shop. Klune embraces the character archetypes and story tropes, and leans into them in a way that feels larger than life. His world's are magical even in the spaces they aren't, and they feel safe. It's like returning to a favourite fairytale or old childhood story. Comforting reads written for adults who deserve stories with happy endings.

Luckily, the story is equally heartbreaking and feel good vibes. I was not at all surprised when this book actually made me laugh out loud. These goofy moments did nothing to take away from the progression of the plot, or the tone of the story. These characters were simply existing in this impossible and stressful world, and doing their best day by day. Every chapter felt intentional, and important. Despite how desperate things started at the beginning of Wallace's journey, the ending didn't feel rushed or undeserved.

I can already tell this will be a huge hit in our cozy bookstore. All the staff are eagerly anticipating it, and sharing TJ Klune with any customer who will listen. Half a dozen of us have the book on preorder.

This will be an amazing read for newcomers to fantasy, but also a great pallette cleansing book for avid readers. I truly think this might be my favourite book of the year.

First, a very special thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read my first TJ Klune novel (The House in the Cerulean Sea) earlier this year and immediately fell in love with Klune's work. That said, I was elated when I learned that Klune's latest book, Under the Whispering Door, was set to release in September 2021. To cut to the chase - if you are a fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea and reading books that make you a better person - this one's for you.

As always, Klune's writing is extremely easy to read and flows seamlessly. While I will admit there were parts of this book that felt a little slow, it by no means hindered its overall rating. Similarly to House in the Cerulean Sea, I walked away from this book with a plethora of new quotes to live by, and was reminded of important life lessons. Specifically: 1) don't forget to appreciate what you have while you have it; and 2) just because you're alive, doesn't mean you're living.

Let's chat characters. I LOVED THEM. I was able to relate to every single character in some way, and loved learning more about each one and their own stories. The relationships and friendships in this book are beautiful, strong, heartbreaking, and vulnerable. I felt like I personally knew everyone, and I'm truly sad it's over.

To prevent this review from being any longer than it already its, I'll sum it up: READ THIS BOOK. This book ticks all the boxes. I laughed throughout. I (almost) cried. I felt the love between the characters. I learned life lessons. I learned more about myself.

Absolutely stellar read. Thank you TJ Klune! You're an artist my dude.

Rating books has always been hard for me. I generally either like a book, or I don’t. So one of my rules for rating them is if the book can make me cry without killing off a character, then it’s a good book. Under the Whispering Door was able to do that, despite death being a prominent theme, though not in the way you might expect.

The beginning was a little slow, and I immediately disliked Wallace because he was stuffy and selfish and seemed to care about no one but himself. But I powered through the first few chapters, and soon we were introduced to many likable characters that offset Wallace’s unlikability (yes, I just made that word up).

Mei is a reaper, and is deemed several times as one of, if not the, best. She is an unconventional reaper (think GoGo Tomago from Big Hero 6), despite her tragic backstory, and becomes fast friends with Wallace, even though he takes some convincing to come around.

Nelson is the only other human ghost at the tea shop that hasn’t crossed cover, voluntarily choosing to stay with his grandson Hugo and watch over him with the help of Hugo’s now ghost dog.

Hugo runs the tea shop, and is a ferryman tasked with the helping ghosts cross over by going through the door to the other side. Wallace is immediately wary of him; in fact, it’s weeks before he warms up to anyone there.

Several more characters and side stories display just how much more goes on at the tea shop than just tea, and they are both heartwarming and heart wrenching. Found family plays a big part in this book, as it does with most of Klune’s books, and this one doesn’t disappoint. You will find yourself ugly crying from the events, especially near the end, and the slow burn queer romance that finally gets resolved will also bring you to happy tears.

If you read only one feel-good book this year, make it this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published September 21, 2021.

I just reviewed Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. #UndertheWhisperingDoor #NetGalley

This is my second book by this author and they were both charming and quirky.

This book starts off with the death of attorney Wallace Price, who had just fired an employee. On his journey towards death, he is taken on a detour to a quaint tea shop in the middle of nowhere and is granted 7 more days before crossing over. In the face of death he questions his lonely life and decides to make some changes.

It’s a sweet story about living and loving told in a new, creative, fantasy-like way.

This book was an emotional ride. The best way I can describe the way I felt as I was reading it would be grief. It wasn't the rawness of fresh grief, or the grief that bubbles up in your lungs and steals your breath no matter how long has past, it's the quiet everyday grief that you hold on to. It was filled with quiet feelings of joy and loss and longing and hope.
Watching Wallace make his way through his journey of death and acceptance was wonderful. Watching as he got to know and love Mei and Nelson and Hugo was heartwarming and wholesome and hilarious.
This book is everything and once again TJ Klune has shown that he is a master of making you laugh and cry and fall in love with these amazing characters. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

TJ Klune is a master storyteller and just has a way with his characters. I didn’t quite love this one as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea, it did find it heartwarming and sweet. Readers won’t want to miss this redemption story.

I always thought it was singularly amazing that the emotional overture of the Green Creek series, and the heart-stuttering whimsy of The House in the Cerulean Sea were written by the same person; because tonally they are very different. Under the Whispering Door is the exquisite merger of these two styles that TJ Klune has mastered so well. It is a book that confronts pain and grief with all the reverence that such topics deserve, but also maintains a light of delicate optimism, fun, and extraordinary friendship with humor and a touch of magic.
It is a brave soul who approaches the subject of death with anything but reverent temperance. Mortality is something that both scares and saddens us until we are forced to confront it head-on. Then, during the grieving process, some people see the joy that can be found. The kind of joy that has you cracking inappropriate jokes in a hospice room, or that allows you to recall fond but subsequently embarrassing memories of those who have passed away. It is in that emotional berth that this novel finds itself. It is the laughter that accompanies the sense of loss, and it does it so perfectly that I have resigned myself to failure at ever being able to properly convey how amazing this book is.
Did Under the Whispering Door make me want one last conversation with a deceased loved one? Yes. Did it force me to question what I will leave behind in this world after I am gone? Yes. Did it make me happy? Undeniably yes. Despite my love for TJ Klune’s other books, I have no pause in claiming Under The Whispering Door as my favourite of his works thus far. It is sad, ridiculous, chaotic, emotional, funny, and I feel like somehow it has made my life better by having read it. That sounds a little melodramatic, but it’s true.

I had first read TJ Klune’s novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea and I had loved the way he wrote. As I expected, I was not disappointed with Under the Whispering Door. Klune has a unique style with words that is, simply put, comforting.

One of my favorite parts of this particular book is how we can learn from it. We feel the anger, despair, heartache, guilt, and more along with the characters and we learn alongside Wallace. Under the Whispering Door could be helpful to anyone of any age above middle school as grief can really affect anyone (as Hugo had said, it’s not always big deaths)

While I would love to say this book has absolutely no flaws, no book is completely without flaws. I thought there was a tad bit too much time spent on describing the scenery and setting.

As a reader, I find myself bored when there is an extreme focus on the background and not what is happening and I find my eyes skipping to the end of paragraphs even when I didn’t want to. I enjoy having some freedom with my imagination when it comes to imagining settings and I noticed myself just ignoring things mentioned about the scenery and filling it in myself.

This had definitely become less of an issue as I read on and had never made me even think about putting down the book.

A final note, I’m torn between loving and hating the ending – while I love a happy ending, it felt almost like it wasn’t meant to go down that road. As much as I wanted that happy closing, it felt like a backtrack and what Wallace had learned didn’t really have much truth to it anymore.
But I can’t say I absolutely hate it cause it’s a happy ending.

A very special thank you goes out to the publisher and netgalley for granting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

T.J. Klune is a master storyteller and his stories are always packed full of imagery that pulls the reader right into the story with him. Under the Whispering Door is no exception. I could see the characters and the setting so vividly in my mind, yet the description never became so overbearing that I skimmed. No, with T.J., I always devour every single word.

This book may not be for everyone. If you're looking for a light hearted (gay) rom-com, or you live in fear of death, this may not be the book for you. Under the Whispering Door's main plot line is very heavy and the slow burn romance is subtle to the point of felling like just another cause and effect of the main character, Wallace, learning life lessons through his death. His relationship with tea shop owner and ferryman, Hugo, is no more important than the relationships with the others who are present in the half life he finds himself in.

That's not to say there aren't light moments as Wallace navigates his new role as a ghost in Hugo's tea shop. There are laugh out loud moments that come courtesy of a strong cast of characters that I won't spoil. I dare anyone not to fall in love with the Reaper, Mei or Hugo's ghostly grandfather, Nelson who are constant presences in the tea shop.

This is a story of life and death, how it effects the dead and the ones they leave behind. It's a story of redemption both for our decidedly prickly main character and for those he finds himself surrounded by. It's beautiful and leaves a lingering sense of hope in its wake. What happens when we die? No one truly knows, but this story makes me wonder if it's not something to be feared after all.

This was my first book written by TJ Klune... I heard that so many of my friends loved House in the Cerulean Sea so I was super excited to be approved for this early copy of Under the Whispering Door.

Honestly, Wallace reminded just a little bit of my own husband at the start of the book! Not so much being a jerk but being a workaholic where not much else seems to matter... because work provides for everything else in life. So, I was drawn in to see where this book would take Wallace.

Thankfully, it took him to Charon's Tea Shoppe where he met Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and Apollo. This is a story of found family and not taking life for granted. To marvel in the little things and to appreciate the joys in spite of the hard times.

It is also a book about empathy. Hugo is such a wonderful character. An amazing soul but not perfect. Someone who goes through his own struggles but is 100% there for others during their hard times.

I'm not going to pretend that I didn't see the theme and ending long before I read it... but this book is more about the journey than the destination... much like life.

Author T.J. Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea was a delightful pandemic novel, popping on and off the New York Times Bestseller list all year and setting science fiction/fantasy records on Amazon in 2020. Under the Whispering Door isn’t a sequel, but it’s definitely a spiritual follow-up: Klune traces similar light fantasy territory and delivers some serious queer longing. The main character dies within the first few pages of the novel but, thankfully, that doesn’t stop the power of love.

I included Under the Whispering Door in my summer preview for Book and Film Globe: https://bookandfilmglobe.com/fiction/eight-books-to-take-you-into-fall/

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is a heartfelt masterpiece. It will have you experience grief and fear of the unknown, yet still have Klune’s overarching humor to lighten the mood. This is a ride I hope everyone will choose to experience.

At the beginning of this novel, Wallace seems like a corporate lawyer that does only what is best for the company, ignoring what’s best for the people themselves. He has a strict code of “efficiency is best,” and personal matters are for the unimportant.

Following the cold open of the novel, Wallace discovers he’s dead when he shows up at his funeral and meets his reaper. If you’re expecting a skeleton in a long cloak, be prepared to be pleasantly disappointed. The reaper takes him away from the big city to a tiny tea shop in the middle of nowhere. There, he meets the ferryman who is meant to help him understand death and pass over. Again, the unexpected is seen, as there’s no River Styx and no boat and ferryman.

At the teashop, Wallace learns what life could have been like, filled with kindness and companionship. He learns there’s more to life than being a lawyer in a high skyscraper. There’s peace, quiet and beautiful stars to view.

Once he gets attached to his new “life” as a dead spirit, the Manager, the ferryman’s boss, shows up. The Manager gives Wallace 7 days to say goodbye. With this timeline, Wallace will learn to truly experience the five stages of grief and will see what it’s like to be grieved.

This novel is an adventure in death and love, and it is unmatched.

*Thank you NetGalley for giving me an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.*

I love TJ Kline and this was no different. He creates amazing worlds and characters. I loved the aspect of the “holding” tea shop after death and the human individuals that work there.
I loved the characters and the end development, but the thing I struggle with a bit was the romance. I didn’t feel like it was flushed out enough and it seemed so rushed. It had insta-love vibes and that made me not feel or relate to it enough.
All in all, I enjoyed it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor gifting me an eARC for an honest review.

I was late to the House in the Cerulean Sea craze, picking it up in early 2021; however, like most others, I devoured that book in just a few days, unable to put it down. So far it's been one of--if not <i>the</i> best reads of 2021 for me, so to say I was excited for Under the Whispering Door is an understatement. This book has been on my TBR list for as long as I knew it existed, and was easily among my most-anticipated reads of the year.

So, it is with great sadness that I say that I didn't enjoy UTWD nearly as much as I enjoyed THITCS. The cover blurb promises a story about life, love, grief, and death (and everything in-between). Unfortunately, I didn't feel that the book lived up to any of these promises.

I'll start with the story. Like THITCS, there's not much I can actually spoil about the story that isn't revealed in the cover blurb. Wallace Price is not a good man--he's a Scrooge for the 21st century, and by all accounts--including his own--he lacks empathy, compassion, kindness, and charity--basically anything that would make him a decent human being. He's the Extremely Upper Management of THITCS distilled into a single person: rules, order, structure, work govern his life, and there's little room for anything else. Honestly, the only hint in the first 100 pages or so that he's an actual person rather than a caricature is that he wears sweats and flip flops on the weekend.

Given all of this--and his apparent self-awareness of how unlikeable he is as a person--it's kind of confusing that he's surprised when more people don't show up at his funeral after he dies, unexpectedly, of a heart attack. The only people in attendance are the partners at his law firm and his ex-wife, none of whom have anything nice to say about him (which, again, shouldn't be surprising, given that he has nothing nice to say about either himself or any of the people who bother to eulogize him). It's in this somewhat inexplicable state of shock that a Reaper--Mei--finds him and leads him to a "way station," where a ferryman named Hugo will ostensibly help him "cross over" to... something. Death? The Afterlife? It's unclear. But, <i>trust us on this</i> (say Mei and Hugo, both of whom have no actual idea where people go after they cross over and are merely blindly following orders from a Higher Power who is definitely, unequivocally <i>not</i> God with a capital G), it's better on the other side.

Okay, so now Wallace is stuck in this way station--a four-story house in the middle of the woods that also doubles as a tea shop--with Mei, Hugo, and two other ghostly residents: Nelson (Hugo's grandfather) and Apollo, a dog. Wallace is told that he has all the time he needs to cross over (which, in this case, entails walking/floating through a literal door on the fourth floor of the house), and that Hugo's job is to help him get to a place of "readiness." The "help" that Hugo is ostensibly meant to provide takes the form of several existential discussions about life and death, wherein Wallace and Hugo a) agree that Wallace was a terrible person in life, and b) fall in love.

Wait. What? Back that up.

Here's the issue I had with this book--and the issue I have with <i>all</i> books about death, apparently: It's only after Wallace dies that he learns the value of living. This book is meant to be a meditation on the human capacity for change, growth, and love, but what <i>are</i> all of these things to a human experience that has already expired? There are no <i>stakes</i> in this game. It costs Wallace <i>nothing</i> to change his behavior after his death, whereas it would have required <i>enormous</i> introspection and growth for him to change his behavior in life. Wallace's ending is already written at the point he enters the tea shop--he is already dead, and he's not going to get any more alive, <spoiler>(well... more on that later...)</spoiler> so the transformation he goes through in the tea shop is, ultimately, pretty empty. He has no reason <i>not</i> to change at this point; his life is over. All the people he hurt while alive are still hurt, and all the meaningless hours he wasted on work are still wasted. His "change" means nothing to anyone except to him, which... actually just confirms the narcissism that lead him to a lonely death in the first place.

Of course, because Hugo's literal job is to be a loving shepherd to lost souls, he falls in love with Wallace during the month Wallace spends in the tea shop. I did appreciate that the two of them didn't dance around their attraction the way Linus and Arthur danced around theirs in THITCS--they were pretty open about it, which did make the ending a little more resonant. But again, by the time Wallace has to cross over the threshold into whatever comes next, it just kind of feels like he's getting exactly what he wanted at the beginning of the book--people to mourn him when he's gone. His constant refrain to Hugo--"Please don't forget me"--seems to drive home the point that the thing Wallace wants most is to be <i>remembered</i>. Love, connection, companionship--those end up feeling like mere currencies for the purchase of Legacy. Which is, I think, not <i>supposed</i> to be the point of this book. But, unfortunately, it's what I took away.

I said I'd talk about the ending as well, so here it is (spoilers, obviously):

<spoiler>At the end of the book, Wallace is basically forced to cross over (despite assurances earlier that no one will rush him). But, of course, because this is a fairy tale of sorts, he is given seven days to put his ghostly affairs in order before he walks through the door. To demonstrate his "change," he spends these seven days performing acts of altruism--helping both the living and the dead cross their own thresholds of grief and pain. And, because of how good he's apparently become at being a ghost therapist, he is given the gift of resurrection.

Again... what?

The entire book to this point has been an exploration of the stages of grief (Kubler-Ross is mentioned early and often, no metaphors here) and how pivotal and life-changing/life-affirming it can be to reach acceptance and cross into the next stage of one's journey. But... Wallace is apparently the exception? (Well, Wallace and some guy named Pablo, apparently.). Apparently his week of no-stakes benevolence is enough to earn him a shot at redemption, and he is granted another chance at life.

Almost any other character in this book deserved this more than Wallace. Lea, certainly. Cameron, yes. Nelson, probably. THE DOG, most definitely. Wallace had an extremely privileged life and he threw it away because of narcissism and selfishness, and, you know, <i>privilege</i>. He never <i>suffered</i>. He simply caused others' suffering. But because he "learned to love" in his month as a ghost, he gets to live? <i>Why?</i></spoiler>

Fans of Klune in general will probably love this book. It has all of Klune's stylistic quirks (long, existential conversations, lines of wry humor, lots of meaningful near-touches) and an aesthetically comforting setting. But for readers who are only familiar with--and expecting another--THITCS, I fear that this book will fall flat. There's a promise of depth to UTWD that's never quite fulfilled. Nonetheless, I'd love to see Klune tackle the weighty subject of Death again... just in a way that better captures the experience of <i>living</i>.

This book was lovely. Very emotional; and not because it deals with death but because it deals with what happens after death and grief.
Reading Wallace’s character development was emotional and eye opening. Lots of existential questions were pondered while I read this book.
I teared up and I laughed and I love when a book does that for me.
I love the authors way of writing. He really pulls emotions out of me and paints beautiful imagery with his words. I don’t know why this stuck with me but I love how the author puts an importance on the sanctuary of bedrooms, of the window into a person’s personality, and makes the reveal of them to the MC so special.
The ending did leave me a little unsatisfied. A little too “neat.” I didn’t know what I expected but I think I would have preferred something a little more—unexpected.
Still a beautiful read with important themes and messages.
CW: mention of suicide and child death

Another engaging read from TJ Klune! I, like many others, loved The House in the Cerulean Sea. Be warned: This is not quite the same type of heartwarming story.

Wallace is a partner at a big-city law firm and not a great guy. When he drops dead in his office, he's in complete denial. He is taken by a reaper from his funeral and ends up at a tea shop in the woods - a waystation run by the ferryman who will shepherd him on to what's next, whenever he's ready. There, he gets the time to come to terms with what's happened. With the help of the strange and lovely inhabitants of the tea shop, Wallace finally figures out what life is all about.

This is a lovely story, by turns gut-wrenching and charming. I loved the character growth and the atmosphere. It is also quite sad. It deals with death - of a parent, a child, a pet, a partner - and the grief left behind when they go. In this world, we see the grief of both the deceased and the loved ones, and it can almost be overwhelming. This is somewhat balanced by the charm and humor inherent in Klune's writing. At the core, this is a love story. Wallace meets Hugo, the ferryman, and the two grow to care about each other over the course of the book. There were some aspect of the end that I didn't love, but they were not enough to change my opinion of the book.

All in all, a beautiful story about life, death, and what we leave behind.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this digital ARC for review.

Wallace has died but isn't quite read to pass to the other side.
Enter the Ferryman Hugo who is going to help Wallace to see the good in himself before her makes his final destination.

This book is whimsical and enjoyable. All the characters are lovable including the ghost dog "Apollo".
While the story is about the ending of a life, it is also about the living of a life.
I found the book full of emotions both sad and happy, it made me laugh and think.

I found it to be an inspiring story coming along at a very important time. Full of both tears and Hope.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Books for the advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Under the Whispering Door was my first foray into T.J. Klune's writing, and I'm so glad that I gave into the hype. Klune's novel explores death, grief, and learning how to live and love again when your life is over.

There's a whimsical sense of humor and a penchant for hope threaded throughout the novel as Wallace, a middle-aged man who is more selfish jerk than anything else, dies suddenly. Wallace travels with his reaper (Mei) to a tea shop/waystation for the newly dead, and it's there that he meets Hugo, Hugo's grandfather Nelson, and Apollo the ghost dog. It's there that he reflects and finds who he is and who he could have been underneath the anger and selfishness.

I adored Under the Whispering Door from start to finish. Klune's writing style is soft and cozy, even while he tackles such heavy topics as suicide. A profound exploration of humanity and grief, of love, loss, and moving on. I cannot wait to see what Klune writes next (and can't wait to read what he has already written). Pick this one up if you love found family, character-driven stories featuring queer BIPOC rep, and laughing through your tears.

CW: death, grief, mentions of (off-page) suicide and homicide

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the free advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.