Wow. TJ Kline did it again! I absolutely adored The House in the Cerulean Sea, and this one was just as good! This story follows Wallace, who passed away and ends up at his way station. He stays with Mei, Nelson and Hugo and learns more about who he was when he was alive and who he wants to be. Klunes books make me laugh and love the characters.

Under The Whispering Door

Simply put: this is an absolutely beautiful and amazing story. It will break your heart and heal you again.

First you meet Wallace. Wallace is cold, unforgiving, unlikeable. No redeeming factors, or are there?

Wallace evolves, realizes what he missed in life. He starts to feel, really feel. His journey through the stages of grief, of the acceptance of his death is heartbreakingly sad in parts, laughing out loud in others.

It took Wallace dying to find his humanity. This book asks “what would you do with the time you have left?”, “what would you do if you had seven days to get your affairs in order!” It makes you think, it makes you feel, and it makes you want more out of your own life. This is a very deep and moving story, without being too heavy.

This book will stay with me for a very long time. I felt like I was on Wallace’s journey with him. I felt his stages of grief, and I felt him find his humanity. I believe that this is a once in a lifetime story. I believe that this is needed during these times, to help us see the bigger picture and remind us of our own humanity.

I want to thank TJ Klune, NetGalley, and Tor Publishing for giving me this ACR in exchange for my review.

Prepare yourselves for an unpopular opinion. It was good and I loved the ending BUT this is like if Dead Like Me and A Christmas Carol had a baby. Wallace just needs to mutter "bah humbug". Although cute, based on the outrageous ratings for The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I haven't read btw, I expected this writing to be transcendent. Perhaps my expectations are the problem because it was just okay for me.

Having said that if you liked TJ Klune's other books you'll enjoy this one too. I like books with a certain amount of darkness and these books aren't meant to be that way. Redemption is the main theme. The characters are funny and likeable and it could easily be made into a movie. All in all I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone reading this but I wouldn't want to buy it. I'll be sliding back into my usual genres for the next book. Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this shiny new review copy.

For everyone who wonders about the Great Unknown, who questions, who fears, who grieves, whose heart needs healing after a terrible year of loss for so many people around the world, this book is just the salve the doctor ordered. I’ve already preordered my hard copy for the Sept. 21 pub date. In Klune's latest book following up his huge hit 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘦𝘢, his main character Wallace 'wakes' to find himself...dead. And let's be real, Wallace was an ass - a hateful, selfish, greedy ass in his former living self. The characters we meet help Wallace onto his next journey, and I suspect you’ll fall as madly in love with Nelson, Hugo, and Mei as I did. (And the dog, Apollo, broke me in beautiful wonderful ways.) I haven't wept over the final pages of a book like this since Dumbledore died (HP) and the Thirteen crashed into the mountain (ToG). I mean, seriously. My heart grew three sizes in the 24 hours it took to read this book and I want to buy a copy to shove in everyone's hands. I loved this book a ridiculous amount. "𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦." "𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥?" "𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦."

Another charming book from T.J. Klune full of the most warm and wonderful characters. This time dealing with grief, death and making the most of the life we have.

Wallace Price, successful but arrogant and selfish attorney who lives only to work, finds himself dead at his own poorly attended funeral, after a mid-life heart attack. Come to collect him is a Reaper who whisks him off to a tea shop in a little village where Hugo the Ferryman waits to help him cross to the next stage. Wallace is still angry not ready to go, but is given time to reflect on the life he barely enjoyed and accept his death.

As with House in the Cerulean Sea, Klune’s warmth and wit shine through. Hugo, his grandfather Nelson and Apollo the dog are delightfully quirky characters. Although the plot is about death and grief and is a little dark in places, it is given a sensitive treatment to be heartwarming and hopeful and ultimately, more about living the best life you can without regrets.

Wow, absolutely beautiful. The way this book tackles grief, mental health, and longing is so beautiful. Tj Klune writing is so colorful and always is vibrant and fun even when hard hitting topics are being discussed. The love I’m this book was also so pure and so beautiful. I absolutely loved it, other then all the snot and tears.

*3.75 stars*

I recently read the highly acclaimed The House in the Cerulean Sea, and it was a little too sweet for my tastes. So when I found out this book dealt with death, I immediately requested a copy. This book seems to have almost everything I love in a novel: fun characters, death as the centerpiece, and some good dark humor along the way.

Walter Price is a hotshot lawyer who wakes up at his own funeral one day and the only person who can see him is his “Reaper”, Meiying. (Btw: Meiying reminds me sooo much of a mashup of Janet from the TV series, The Good Place and the actress, Awkwafina) She brings him to the “Ferryman”, Hugo Freeman and his magical, quaint tea shop that contains the portal to cross into the afterlife.

I absolutely loved the first 30% of this, and then the novel fell a bit into The Klune Slump, where not much seems to happen in the way of plot for “character development”. Wallace seems to magically become a better person overnight in the middle chunk of this novel, and then towards the end I struggled to understand some of his motives. I also never understood the romance since I never felt it between Hugo and Wallace - I never connected with Hugo at all really.

Not to mention, Hugo is the same as Arthur from The House in the Cerulean Sea, but instead of loving and caring for fantastical, dangerous children, he is looking after every damn soul that comes into his magical tea shop. Wallace is a more cold-hearted version of Linus as well. It almost feels like Klune copied his successful book into another one with a different premise, that also tries just as hard to be deep and insightful with unnatural dialogue and forced relationships. The beginning was comical as hell, and made me laugh and smile. And then it got too repetitive and slumpy.

Albeit, I did enjoy this a lot more than the previous aforementioned novel, and I would love to know more about this death system/process, and I loved the magical tea shop and the anxiety representation. I also loved that we have a bisexual main character who was represented well. I did enjoy this, but again, this novel fell into a lot of the same exact issues I had with The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

DNF at 15%.

The blurb about this book really drew me in and the cover art is just gorgeous. The premise of the story is really engaging. This explains how I got sucked in even after slogging through The House in the Cerulean Sea. I did not remember the author's name, or I would not have requested this ARC. That said, I gave it an honest try.

I can see that there is a good message in this book just like there was in the last one. Unfortunately, that message is lost in the ham-fisted, predictable writing style. I just can't handle any more trite platitudes. I'm done.

I was really looking forward to A House in the Cerulean Sea part 2. Instead, I received a totally different story. The story was beautiful written and really developed the characters and their relationships; however, my expectation was that of Cerulean Sea part 2, so it's my own fault for going into this with different expectations. Regardless, I will always pick up a TJ Klune book.

I think TJ Klune has really beautiful writing, unfortunately I also think his writing isn't for me. This is the second book from Klune I've tried and it's not to my taste. I will try again at a later point. DNF for now.

Another charming and thoughtful book from TJ Klune, this time about a ghost, a ferryman, and a tea shop.

The first part of the book felt very A Christmas Carol to me--cruel and cold lawyer, Wallace, dies suddenly, and is escorted by a Reaper to a teashop run by a ferryman, Hugo. The rest of the book takes place in the shop with Wallace and a cast of eclectic characters that try to help him accept his death and get to a point where he can move on.

That's essentially it--if you're looking for a tightly-paced and plotted book, this isn't for you. This book, like many of the other books Klune has written, are more character-based, which suits me just fine as a reader. I appreciated watching Wallace and Hugo grow closer, and the book had a homey vibe that made me want to brew a cup of tea.

There were parts that didn't work for me, personally. While Klune always writes funny books, the humor fell a little flat for me in this one, and felt kind of juvenile for an adult novel. Due to the nature of the plot there were quite a few lengthy conversations about death and our place in the universe, which I felt got a little repetitive and felt a little (forgive me) fake-deep. Maybe other readers will find that they connect more with those pieces of the book, about loneliness and human connection. If you're a dog lover you will enjoy this book, and probably find Apollo, the ghost dog, very charming. It also took me a good 30/40% of the book to really get hooked, but once I was I didnt put the book down until I had finished.

This book will probably get compared endlessly to The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I personally haven't read, but I can imagine that the vibe in this one is pretty different. Just take it as it is, and you may find yourself really enjoying it, like it did! It's scheduled to be published on my birthday, so I'm taking this as an early present :) Thanks TJ!

This book was a highly anticipated book for me, The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my favorite books from this year because it was written so beautifully and the character were so lovable. It has become one of my favorite comfort reads!  So when I was approved to read the ARC of Under the Whispering Door I might have screeched and  basically dropped everything and inhaled it immediately.

Let me start by saying this book was everything I expected and more! It was a funny, emotional and heart wrenching book that had me laughing and crying sometimes even at the same time. But I have to warn you it is not a light read. It is a raw book focusing on death, grief and the afterlife. It shows you that it’s never too late to make up for your mistakes in life. Every character you meet  is so unique and so extremely different, even the characters that are unlikable...are still likable. This book gave me ALL the feels and I’d recommend it to anyone!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
Publication Date: September 21, 2021

TW: death, grief, murder, mentions of suicide

Thank you to NetGalley, T.J. Klune, and Tor Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! 💜

“Under the Whispering Door” is a funny, heart-wrenching, and emotional book that had me laughing and crying, occasionally at the same time. When I say emotional, I mean ALL the emotions.

T.J. Klune transports you to the time and place where death, grief and the afterlife is part of an everyday experience. It’s about a man accepting his death with the help of a ferryman who is helping him cross over. But during this process they fall in love.

Heartwarming and enduring, while mostly about death, this story also reminds you that your life is as you make it and so is your family.

Thank you to NetGalley, T.J. Klune, and Tor Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️️

4 ⭐️ for me!
*ARC from NetGalley*

This was my very first TJ Klune, and I wasn't sure what to expect from it. Knowing that House in the Cerulean Sea is so cherished, and loved I had high hopes the writing was good and the story would be even better. It's safe to say that this book did not disappoint!

To preface everything, I first want to mention that this is not a light and airy story. Though I haven't read HITCS, I know that it's a very uplifting story, hopeful in some ways. This story is innately different than that.

Under the Whispering Door follows our MC Wallace, who has just died from a heart attack. In his living life, he wasn't much of a nice guy- in fact some could even call him a grouch. He was a divorced workoholic, who spent more time in the office on the weekends than he did spending time with other people.

Fast forward to his death. Now Wallace has been collected and taken to Hugo, the ferryman who's responsible for helping Wallace "move on". Cue the drama.

It's safe to say that this book talks a lot about death, so if that's not something you're comfortable with then I would say to stay clear. BUT, if you can read and enjoy books that mainly center around that topic, then I think you'll find something really great in this book.

Grief is a huge theme in this book- not only for Wallace and his loss of his life, but also for other characters he encounters throughout his journey. I LOVED that in this book. I always find it so compelling to read about how people deal with grief in different ways, and this book made it okay to let yourself feel things- even if it doesn't feel good at first. There is also a found family trope (we always love to see it), a small little sprinkle of romance, and LGBTQ rep. It was a little slow at first, but after about 20% I was into it and invested. I loved the premise of this book and the paranormal aspects associated with life after death. I cried because there were animal companion parts and I'm a sucker for those. I also think there was a nod to House in the Cerulean Sea, which is great since that's on my TBR and I'm hoping to get to it soon!

Overall I generally liked the writing style and story! I think this book would be great for those of us wanting a paranormal story about life after death, with a little bit of romance, a little bit of action, and a whole lot of love.

*Please look up trigger warnings if you need them as this book contains sensitive content*

xx
-Christine

TJ Klune's Under the Whispering Door is–fittingly–like a warm cup of tea, welcoming you into the cozy yet complex world of Charon's Crossing. It's a warm, enveloping sweater of a story, comfortable in what it is rather than trying to chase the trends of grand operatic fantasy.

Wallace Price isn't the sort of person that would ever be called a hero during his brief, unremarkable life, but when he finds himself at a waystation between the worlds of the living and the dead, he learns that not even death can stop someone from being better, or find their heart's desire if they're willing to put in the work. The gifted but mortal Mei and Hugo, and the spirited Nelson and Apollo, help him adjust to life after death and the daily routine of the tea shop.

Where Klune's work shines is with his small cast of characters, who each contribute their own particular flavour and texture to the ongoing story. Under the Whispering Door isn't quite a slice of life fantasy, but there is the feeling that Klune could've stretched the book over months of life in Charon's Crossing, and it would've been just as enjoyable to read. These are characters you want to spend time with, whether it's Nelson showing Wallace the finer points of being a ghost or Hugo picking out the perfect tea for every patron that comes through the door. Instead of a cast crafted to move the plot along, only appearing on the page when they're needed for the narrative, you get the sense that each character has lived a deep and complex life that would be as readable as the story that Klune is choosing to tell. Even the side characters who visit the tea shop seem more nuanced than the short amount of time they spend on the page allows them to convey. There isn't a single person in Under the Whispering Door who couldn't at least hold a novella by themselves, and it speaks to Klune's ability as a writer to have them share a relatively brief novel without their colourful personalities crowding anyone out.

For all the complexities of the various characters, the setting is rather spare–not that it's to the novel's detriment. Rather, the world outside of Charon's Crossing has a fable-like quality–where it could be any small town at some liminal point in time. This works in the story's favour, as it doesn't become too wrapped up in the tech-driven world of the present or seem like a hokey story of the 'good ol' days' that no longer exist. Instead, there's a balance between the pastoral sense of the tea shop and modern conveniences like video streaming. Without getting into spoilers, it also lends a sense of foreboding and the unknown to what Wallace may find outside in a world he no longer knows.

Admittedly I'm not much of a romance reader, but mostly through my lack of familiarity with the genre and not knowing where to start reading. It doesn't help that the books I gravitate toward usually bungle their way through a romance rather than giving it the time it needs to grow and develop. That's not the case in Under the Whispering Door. The growing relationship between Wallace and Hugo is the beating heart of the novel and handled with the same care that Klune gives all of his characters. The lack of forced drama, needless mixed communication, or other tropes that playout for the sake of prolonging the 'will they won't they' are replaced with challenges and tensions that seem natural to the characters and their given situation. Widening the sorts of relationships in fiction is always welcome, especially when they're handled this well.

Sometimes, as a reader, you need a book that's comfortable with its small nature, especially in a world of universe-spanning epics and neverending series. Under the Whispering Door is a much-needed reminder that a good story can be found in the strangest of shops and the most out-of-the-way places.

As usual, the author has created an immersive and new fantasy novel, unlike any other novel I have read. it is such an interesting take on what happens when you die and I appreciate how the characters develop and become more over the course of the story.

I had high hopes for this book going in and it completely exceeded my expectations! I loved the story line and found myself tearing up at the end, without giving any spoilers away.

There were a lot of things that I loved about Klune's previous reads that made appearances again in this novel that made it so endearing to me. The writing style is so beautifully relatable and I really liked the development of Wallace and Hugo's relationship.

The messages that the book shares are wonderful and touching as well. I would definitely recommend this to my older middle schoolers as something they could read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor (MacMillan-Tor/Forge) for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so much, so I was super excited to receive an ARC of Under the Whispering Door. Boy was my excitement spot on?!

This story is a much different one than Cerulean Sea. This one immediately starts with death, and all that comes after it. I don't want to spoil it too much, but the main character, Wallace, dies and is taken to a way station on the path to the afterlife, where he meets a ferryman, Hugo, and his "team"/family of Mei, Nelson, and Apollo. It is at this way station that Wallace learns what it truly means to be alive.

This book is a beautiful tale of grief - the grief of losing ones self, the grief of losing someone you love, the grief caused by life. A line from one of my favorite songs, Human by Jon McLaughlin, says it best, "I'm smart enough to know that life goes by, and it leaves a trail of broken hearts behind."

But also at the core of this story is another beautiful tale of becoming. Wallace's arrival and subsequent time at the way station changes him to his core. It changes Hugo. It changes Mei. It changes Nelson and Apollo. It changes EVERYTHING.

This book is highly recommended. It does have some slow parts, so I had to round down my 4.5 rating instead of up, but definitely highly recommended.

TJ Klune writes so much heart that’s it’s hard not to fall in love every time you read one of his books. In the vein of The House in the Cerulean Sea, he’s given us another grump to fall in love with in Wallace, but this is a completely different story to enjoy. We navigate the beginning steps to the afterlife with him as he comes to terms with being dead, getting a little help from a sweetheart named Hugo and a some other lovable characters. This storyline is a very thoughtful meditation on grief, love, death and what makes life worth living. It moved a little slow for me at some points, but still so enjoyable.

I got the ARC of this books and being so hyped about I read it immediately. This reading journey was almost everything I could hope for. I laughed and I cried. I didn't have many expections about this books since it's not even out yet but still it did not dissapoint me. The journey of Wallace Price was beautiful, I loved how the characters grew and learned during their time together. I still can't decide whether I was dissapointed or not about the ending. Obviously I was happy about the happy ending, but I still had this feeling that Wallace should've gone through the door. At least that was what I expected from the beginning. This idea of after life felt fresh and unique and I LOVED IT.

The relationships between well everyone were amazing and heartwarming. I think all of us grew to love every single character. The writing was good and simple enough for a book like this. As a non-native English speaker this book was a easy read. And most importantly it was fun. LGBTQ and POC representation was great! Such a simple and at the same time brutal love story. Found family is one of my favorite tropes and this was it. I would definetly recommend this book to anyone. I do hope for a sequel <3