The House in the Cerulean Sea truly rocked my world. I loved every moment of it. So when I found out I had early access to TJ Klune’s latest, I immediately downloaded it and swallowed it whole. I’m not going to do justice to this book. Honestly, this review will have done it’s job if you actually go out and read the book when it comes out in September.

Wallace is a bit of...well, a dick. He’s a grade A a--hole. His death is no great loss to the world, everyone at his funeral is thankful he’s gone, except for his reaper, Mei, who is tasked with escorting him to the afterlife. But what if one refuses to cross over?

So starts Under the Whispering Door and I was hooked. Don’t get me wrong, it has dark, desperate, soul wrenching parts, we are dealing with death after all, but Klune somehow spins the sorrow into a golden love story, full of redemption, beauty and a thoughtfulness that still has me staggering and wanting the perfect cup of tea. Wait, did I forget to mention that the setting is an adorable tea house? You’ll read, you’ll drink tea, you’ll cry and you’ll leave this book feeling like the world is a better place.

Absolutely fantastic! Could not put the book down. Going to recommend to everyone to check out this book!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was worried that nothing could live up to the whimsy that was The House in the Cerulean Sea - but Under the Whispering Door did just that! TJ writes such wonderful, quirky novels featuring unique and queer characters with charming premises. This did not disappoint - especially as a fan of the weird, the wonderful, and The Good Place.

I was such a huge fan of "The House on the Cerulean Sea", so when this was available, I couldn't click fast enough. TJ Klune has such a lovely way of writing characters, even those that are technically unlikable. And this one is no exception.

"Under the Whispering Door" was a beautiful story about the afterlife, and learning about what truly matters when all is said and done (even IF all is "said and done"). Watching Wallace on his emotional journey as he develops relationships with those in the tea shop is hilarious, heartwarming, and just...beautiful. Klune always seems to nail emotional journeys without veering into corny territories.

5/5 - I can't wait for Klune's next book.

Things I loved about this book…the way it describes grief felt so real and true. The tea shop and the relationships between everyone was interesting to see and watch them grow. I mean found family is always a good trope.
What didn’t work for me was exactly how horrible Wallace was at the beginning and how quick his turn around was and then with how horrible he was I really had a hard time connecting with him and wanting good things to happen to me. By the end of the book the rest of the story made up for him.

I was really looking forward to this one but the subject matter became too hard for me having lost a parent. But I loved his writing and think I would love to read more from him when the time is right for me.

I screamed when I was approved for this.
The idea was innovative and I was ready to cry myself to sleep but unfortunately I didn't like it.
I tried to give it alot of chances but I couldn't bother with the protagonist's ultimate growth. I pushed through before finally giving up and dnfing it.
The writing was a bit boring, although imaginative at its core, it lacked a good execution.
I didn't like any of the characters which is a huge part of why I couldn't finish the story.
I've heard how profound this book is, how amazing and emotional the growth of our protagonist is, but for me the writing style and the characters fell flat.

The story is fine, but to me it didn't feel like something that's particularly moving or deep. Which is sad, because I really liked the premise; the actual execution just felt a little platitudey for my tastes. But I would recommend it for people who enjoy the fluffier, introspective side of a romance story.

I'm so sad that I didn't connect to this book like so many of my friends have, I had such high hopes.

Wallace was an interesting character, but I do always have a little bit of trouble when a character has been heinous/evil/cold for their entire lives, and then *suddenly* has a heart of gold. I love a redemption arc, but I don't love a total personality transplant.

The paranormal aspects were intriguing, but for such a long book (sorry, another gripe in itself,) they felt pretty lackluster and under-explored. I was disappointed that so much of the story was just Wallace bumbling around a tea shop, when there was a whole afterlife the author could've explored! The romance was cute, and Hugo was a love-interest worth swooning for (maybe a little too perfect,) but it just felt like the afterlife stakes were more important and the setting made me claustrophobic because of it.

This one didn't totally nail it for me, but I am definitely going to go back and read The House In The Cerulean Sea, which sounds like it might be more my speed.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Quirky and fun. Enjoyed this playful, unique voice. Reminded me a bit of Gaiman's work, but it's own original. Recommended.

I started this book last September and got half way through before I gave up. I thought the book was so predictable that I really didn't need to finish it to know the ending and frankly had problems that such an unpleasant person was going to have their death "fixed."

Then my bookclub picked it this month and so I started again. I finished this time and unfortunately wasn't surprised by much. It's not a terrible book, it just tries to manipulate your feelings to a feel-good ending. I guess every person deserves a happy ending, but it seemed undeserved at best.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune tells the story of Wallace. Wallace is an unlikeable guy in life who finds his heart after he dies unexpectedly. The plot moves along at a rather slow pace and the romance in the story is a very slow burn. The book is filled with characters who are well-developed and lovable. While the premise of the story is not new, the writing is engaging. Recommended for contemporary romance fans and those who believe it is never too late to change.

I'm so so so SO sad that this was a DNF especially since I adored The House in the Cerulean Sea so much. I was around the halfway mark but I found I was zoning out so much of the time. It was boring me so much. I'm glad so many people loved this so much.

Under the Whispering Door is a breath of fresh air and wonderful, thoughtful read. Wallace, a partner in a law firm, was a very Scrooge-like man during his life. He cared little about anyone other than himself and liked things to be exactly his way.

When he finds himself at his own funeral, he is angry and doesn’t believe he has died. Through a journey with the Reaper and Ferryman, Wallace finds himself and his purpose in the afterlife.

The small cast of characters in this book are wonderfully developed, diverse, and loveable. Set in a small tea shop, the Ferryman Hugo helps Wallace, and other dead souls, to find peace and make their way up through the door.

This book provided perspectives on love, death, kindness, humanity, and the afterlife that will change how I see things in my life.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC of this novel and thank you to TJ Klune for writing such an inclusive and lovely story where LGBTQ+ relationships exist without being the sole focus.

Give you readers death. But let's make it wholesome and humorous. I am literally(okay not literally I'm not that flexible) kicking myself for waiting so long to jump on the TJ Klune wagon. His writing is beautiful and has so much heart behind it. Now, I'm going to be pretty disappointed if this doesn't happen to me when I die.

I’ve been putting off this review because I am very conflicted with this author. On one hand, they have such uplifting and beautiful books that I adored (such as this one). However, the authors controversy around the first book has made it difficult for me to want to praise this book. A user named Kas wrote a fantastic review on goodreads for this if you want to learn more. That being said I do believe authors, or anyone, should receive feedback, have the chance to action it and change. So I am not “canceling” this author, just urging people to be aware as it spreads awareness. No hate intended, there was no malicious intent from the author them-self, and I believe they have learned from this.

That aside, this book took on the same whimsical properties of the first one but, to me, with a more somber tone. It felt a bit heavier due to the subject matter (which is ironic due to what his first book is based on). But I personally really enjoyed it. He took a tough topic and made it magical and I was able to walk with the characters on their mental journeys through mourning and sadness.

Overall, while I am conflicted with the author, this book was a comforting and enjoyable read. It made me laugh, (almost) cry, and just felt like a nice hug.

‘Above the fireplace, a clock, but it appeared to be broken. The second hand was twitching, but never advanced. A high-backed chair sat in front of the fireplace, a heavy blanket hanging off the armrest. It looked . . . welcoming.’

‘Time . . . slips a little in here. Sometimes it crawls to a halt, and then it skips and jumps.’

As I write these words, I’m eighty percent of the way through this book with tears in my eye—My Heart!

And…by stories end…Yes, yes I am still crying *moves facial-leakage-tissue-mountain to nearest waste receptacle whilst calculating how soon I will be able to buy a hardback copy…Not Soon Enough!*

I have never cried so much when reading a book as I did while reading UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR – by TJ Klune. I laughed, I cried—it's such a beautifully written novel, one that the I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

Thank You, NetGalley and Tor-Forge (Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.), for providing me with an e-ARC of UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR at the request of an honest review.

THis book was so unexpected to me! I was really not interested in it for the first 50%, and I didn't like any of the characters...but then they all crept up on me. I loved the worldbuilding and how everything was created. The relationships were so intricately built and the MC just suddenly had the growth and realized he was a better person, kind of around the same time I did. I loved this.

Oh TJ Klune, be still my heart. Where has this brilliant man been hiding? I'm so glad he was pulled from the depths of anonymity. Beautiful book. Had me in tears but i wasn't mad about it.

This book broke me! I cried and cried and smiled and cried some more.

I wasn’t sure whether this was for me in the first couple of chapters, as I felt I had recently reached my quota of ‘irredeemable, oblivious arsehole redeemed’ stories, but I gladly confess that I was wrong. My life would be infinitely poorer, sadder and less beautiful had I not read this love story (between two men, a girl, an old man, a dog, and the act of living).

Honestly, I cannot rave about this book enough!

The story is touching, funny and heartbreaking, and the death-lore feels RIGHT in a way that I only ever felt before with Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, with his Death and the desert.

This is a must-read for me, and TJ Klune has jumped straight onto my list of favourite authors with this book.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog