'Under the Whispering Door' does the job, but not much more than that. Wallace has a nice (though uninspired) character arc; his relationship with Hugo is sweet; the tea shop setting helped make this a warm and cozy read; and I loveeee the supporting characters, Mei and Nelson, so much.

There's little plot until the end; the book is bogged down by so much exposition. Hugo is often giving Wallace corny, cloying speeches about the journey of life and death, and these conversations become really repetitive (Hugo as an inspirational orator/moral guide/romantic interest to Wallace is acutely similar to Arthur's role for Linus in Klune's last book).

Wallace Price was not a nice guy. He was rich, successful, and had no time for the little things, like other people's feelings. Until Wallace Price suddenly dies. Now he's found himself with a reaper, on his way to the ferryman who will take him to wherever it is that comes next, and the obvious lesson one gets only after they die: there was more to life.

I liked the idea of the story. It's not a new idea and thus predictable, in that we know what kind of lesson Wallace is going to learn. Getting to that lesson, though, was thought-provoking, touching, humorous, and did have it's own little quirks. Like the ferryman also owning a tea shop.
My biggest critique is that there were quite a few slow spots, which were a struggle to get through at times. Those parts also contained a lot of repetitive dialogue. For the content, the story was longer than it needed to be. However, the fun cast of characters helped pull me along. Who doesn't love a fun ghost dog?

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' or those who like beautiful and wholesome, yet heartbreaking stories.

*Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Magical realism. Check.
Diverse. Check.
Funny. Check.
Emotional. Check.
Deep character journey. Check.

Must be a T.J. Klune novel.

Wallace is a power house attorney. And not much more (besides an asshole). He thinks he has life all figured out, until one day where he suddenly dies.

He is met at his sparsely attended funeral by Mei, a reaper whose job is to bring him to the ferryman, Hugo. Hugo helps dead souls to cross over to whatever is next, but he is also a tea consousour who takes immense pride in both of his jobs as the ferryman and a tea shop owner.

Wallace is, at first, a difficult case, having a hard time coming to terms with the turns of his fate and how he arrived at this point. But as he grows closer to Hugo, Mei and their little family, he begins to look further into himself and in death learns the things he was unable to in life.

This novel was stunning. I laughed... I cried (yes I really did) and I didn't want it to end. The world that T.J. Klune has built in this small teahouse is immensely beautiful and imaginative, but I think we have come to expect nothing else.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. All views expressed are entirely my own, honest opinion.

“If we worry about the little things all the time, we run the risk of missing the bigger things”

That’s a message I’ve been trying to instill in myself for a very long time, I’m hoping, unlike Wallace, I figure it out well before I die.

So our story starts off with us getting to know Wallace Price, a no-nonsense lawyer who is not a good person. He’s not a very likable guy, while he’s alive. We get a chance to follow him after his death, where he works through the stages of grief and it’s well after his death when I truly fall in love with him.

Although to be fair, TJ Klune seems to have a way in making me fall in love with all his characters. I mean, I’m still a little iffy on how I feel about the manager, but gosh I love every single of these characters. Hugo, Mei, Norman and of course apollo are amazing but serious kudos to Klune for all the character building, it helped me fall in love with Wallace too.

TJ Klune really wrote the story well, I was so connected with all the characters, there were many points where I felt their pain and cried with them. Of course, there was a lot of humor written in which had me laughing senselessly. The story is such an eye opener, it just reminds you to live life, appreciate all that you have because one day you won’t have it. Just like The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door is going to stick with me for a long time.

I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE. Please read it, you won’t regret it- it comes out in September 2021.


Thank You to TJ Klune and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Books, for the digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

It was a rough start for me but I'm SO GLAD I stuck with it. This book is stunning.

About 50% of the way in, I was hooked. The characters are brilliant. Their banter and relationships feel so real and authentic. You'll want to know them.
As an agnostic, this story and the concepts within it really hit me on a deep level. It made me feel a lot of peace, which is something I've never experienced with a book before.

Also, Apollo is the goodest boy. 🐾 I love him.

So many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this title.

This book destroyed me. It was beautiful, humorous, but also sad sad sad. I thought I knew what was coming. I thought I was ready, and then out of nowhere I was ugly crying. Klune knows how to write characters that dig into your heart and don’t ever let go! I couldn’t put it down from the first page.

Beware, if you’re expecting something like The House in the Cerulean Sea, unexpect it. This book hits a lot of raw nerves.

TW: death, suicide, child death (off screen, but mentioned throughout).

This was my second T.J. Klune book, and the second T.J Klune book to make me cry! 😩.

—-

When Wallace Price dies, he is unwilling to accept his death when a reaper comes to collect him from his own funeral. He is taken to
a quaint little tea shop owned by a man named Hugo, the man also know as the Ferryman who is responsible for helping souls cross over.

After putting up a good fight, Wallace eventually becomes fond of his new companions. It is then that a man known as the manager tells him he only has 1 week left to stay, and he decides to make the most of what time he has left and accepts what is waiting for him on the other side of the door.

—-

“𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙥𝙤𝙣. 𝙄𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝.”

I don’t know how else to describe this story other than charming. The characters, the emotions, the connections, all feel so personal and meaningful. T.J had a special way of telling a story and I look forward to what he comes up with next!

I give Under the Whispering Door ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 /5

Wallace has a hard time coming to terms with his sudden death. When he meets the Ferryman and the small group that run a tea shop he comes to realize what his life was all about. I love T.J. Klune sense of humor and I really love the laugh out loud kind of moments. I just felt like this story was so slow and kind of repetitive and nothing really going on.

T J Klune’s writing is like a literary hug, and his newest book is no exception. The story centers on a ghost who refuses to move on. Sounds like the premise of a horror story but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Found family, self discovery, and making up for lost time are the main themes of this adorable story about a ghost who finds himself at an eclectic tea house waystation with a ghostly grumpy grandpa with a heart of gold, a friendly loving pup who’s also a ghost, the reaper who brought him, and the man responsible for helping ghosts figure out what they need to move on.

#UndertheWhisperingDoor #NetGalley

Having read and loved other works by T J Klune, I was really excited to read this one too, and so pleased to get the chance to read an advanced copy, it did not disappoint and I will be recommending it.

Full review coming soon...

T J Klune has done it again! This book was heartbreaking, funny and overall beautiful. I love how real Klune's characters feel even though they live extraordinary lives. This is a book that I will re-read over and over again.

Wow I was absolutely overwhelmed in a good way!

Wallace has found himself in some sort of afterlife and has to find a way to "move on" to his final step in life with the help of his reaper Mei. Mei introduces Wallace to Hugo who is a ferryman and will help him move through the door. Through a lot of great circumstances I was super surprised in the end and would definitely, 100% recommend reading Under the Whispering Door!

It is my first book from this author but certainly not my last. I lived the writing, the colorful characters and everything that was put down on that book. This Will put me in a reading slump. You need to be reading this novel if you are in need of meaning in life... If you want to Read a book that Will make you laugh, and make you cry at the same time.

I sadly ended up having to DNF this book at about 10% in, unfortunately it was just not the book I needed at the time of reading. Very upset about this as I am excited to read from
TJ Klune and will definitely be checking out his books at a later date

4.5 stars! With great appreciation to Macmillian-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the chance to review this complex, multilayered, and highly anticipated, new book from TJ Klune. I want to express my appreciation for being trusted to review this book prior to publication as I know how highly anticipated this book is following the great joy that the House in the Cerulean Sea brought to many readers (including myself). Once I let myself fall into this story, to just let the pace be what it was, and to let the purpose and the purpose of the story envelope me, the magical and whimsical characters, particularly Mei (I just loved her sassiness and frankness) were most welcome parts of my reading. I will miss them, even cranky jerky Wallace, but I also know that they are part of my reading life and that I can now enjoy talking about them with other readers.

There are so many ways to talk about this book. I want to focus on how it approaches death, even the hardest types of loss and death, with humanity and grace, death is treated as part of life, as a transition, and as a time to be respected. Of course what is new is the focus on the deceased individual as still having a presence, humanity, and a need, as I read it, to be cared for and engaged with; there is a grace and beauty, and tons of what I consider the Klune charm and whimsy, as the story of Wallace is shared. There is also a poignancy and yearning, again to me a Klune style marker, to the story as how the story starts for Wallace (death, journey to transition to after life) becomes so much more about living and hope and love than about sorrow and loss.
Feelings of sadness tinge, in an effective way, the story at times as of course the theme is death and these are the harder parts of the story, the parts that may feel slow to other readers but I think are also sections handled with care; sad emotions often make us feel slow and I think that might be some of how parts of the book feel as it is read BUT then there comes the later part of the book that is so so so engaging and moving (emotionally and also moving moving moving the pages!).

This book is wonderful once readers allow it to first not be Klune's earlier book and then allow it to be how it is, just as the characters allow those who are transitioning to move at their own pace. The book will likely not be right for those who have had recent loss in their lives or who have connections to self harm and loss but it is for so many readers who can appreciate an emotional, loving, reflective, and somehow vibrant book about death and loss.

I truly do appreciate Macmillian-Tor/Forge for entrusting this book with me and my words and thoughts. Thank you to NetGalley as well. I look forward to seeing this book embraced by the readers who need it most.

I am unwell. This book wrecked me, y’all.

In the best possible way. I haven’t cried this much since Meet Me in Paradise.

TJ Klune connects me to his characters in a way that causes me to be emotionally attached to them. I feel what they feel. I laugh when they laugh and I cry when they cry. This book made me happy, sad, angry, relieved, and so many other emotions.

This book deals with a lot of death and grief. But it does it in a way that is oh so human. None of us know what happens in the end. And the characters in this story don’t know either. It’s all a big question; and the reader gets to decide for themselves.

The tenderness that TJ Klune used toward this heavy subject matter is something to be in awe of. The patience and kindness the characters displayed felt so genuine. This was just an absolutely beautiful book and I will honestly read anything this man ever writes.

And finally, Wallace + Hugo forever 💛

Synopsis: Death is only their beginning.Wallace Price is dead and taken to a ferryman named Hugo. The ferryman is supposed to help him cross over to the other side of the world. As Wallace Price struggles with the stages of death , he embarks on a journey of self discovery and an unlikely adventure.
Read this for:
1) The theme: This book is based on a never ending enigma- life after death. The author has however created a fantasy with a halt equipped with amicable souls for the dead to cross over . The book also focuses on our brief and ever busy lives, with no time to spare for sweet moments / beautiful relationships.
2) The incredible assortment of characters: We have a white queer ghost who is taking the aid of a black man assisted by an Asian woman to cross over to the other side of the world. These characters have their own struggles , but warmth oozes from them.(There's no way that T J klune would write a book without his signature warm characters). I loved the reaper Mei, Hugo's grandad and Appolo the dog.
3) Tea lovers ensemble: "The first time you share tea , you are a stranger, second time you are an honoured guest and third time family "(Balti quote).For all the tea lovers out there, there are varieties of rejuvenating teas discussed here.
4) The writing: The quirkiness of the author works quite well and there were moments wherein I've laughed out loudly. TJ Klune has successfully managed to infuse humour into the harshest reality of life - death .
What could have been better:
This was one of my most anticipated reads , so I kind of expected more. I felt the narrative was lagging at places and the story was predictable at times . I did feel the friendship between the main characters, but romance was kind of rushed up and lacked depth.
All the same this is an enjoyable read. Rating: 3.8/5
Trigger warning: death, suicide, loss, panic attack.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. TJ Klune has quickly become one of those authors that I will buy his books without knowing the premise! I made myself read this slowly because I didn’t want it to end. I laughed, I cried. How his words can evoke such emotion is a gift! The descriptions are immersive and the world becomes tangible.

A MUST READ!

I loved The House on the Cerulean Sea so I had high expectations for this one. I don’t know if I’ll finish it or come back to it at another time because the main character isn’t all that likable. I want to love this book but I want to do something else every time I pick it up. I hope everyone else loves this book as much as I wanted to because Cerulean Sea was a favorite of mine last year.

I will not be reviewing this due to the recently revealed news that the author based one of his most recent, and one that was incredibly popular, A House in the Cerulean Sea, on the Sixties Scoop and stripped its historic significance to present a saviour narrative with white men at the forefront. In the past, I've thoroughly enjoyed Klune's books, including HitCs, and lovedhis humours writing that whisks readers away, but I have my limits. He has not offered an adequate apology or made significant donations to grassroots organizations working to take care of and fight for Indigenous Rights, and to Indigenous people who are suffering on Reservations with inadequate water, food and supplies. If you're going to use someone's tragedy; an event that tore families apart on the basis of culture and skin colour in order to 'whiten' Canada, and turn it into an 'everything will be okay, you just have to wait for the one good person working in a violent system to liberate you once you prove your humanity to them' narrative, then you should be prepared for the consequences that come with that. I requested this book prior to learning this news and am going to abstain from reviewing and providing a platform to Klune's books from now on.