Murmuration is a very different tone from your average TJ Klune story, but wow, what can’t he do? The ability to go from the cozy, colourful stories that we all know and love and give one of those same settings an unsettling undercurrent while still being so hopeful, addictive, and romantic, is a marvellous feat. Klune manages to truly make the reader understand how it feels to slowly lose your grip on a perfect reality and not know what is real, except the things that ground us most in life— those we love. While this is a republishing of one of Klune’s older works, I would not guess based on the depth and quality of the writing had I not already known. Welcome to Amorea!

TJ Klune, they could never make me hate you. No one writes books like this. That beautiful balance of cozy, almost wholesome, with romance and fantasy that never feels derivative or out of place. Truly his books are so unique and this one is no different. And I love a crow theme, it's easy to get me that way. Another great one from one of the best queer romance writers of our time.

I thought that nothing Klune wrote would ever top House in the Cerulean Sea for me, but Murmuration is really challenging that top spot. There are plenty of clues scattered throughout the book to help the reader predict what might be happening, but I still never saw the true story coming. This was way darker than I expected it to be, but I actually really appreciated that, maybe because I wasn't expecting it. The ending is bittersweet - I wanted it to happen, and there was really no other way it could have happened, but it still causes conflicting feelings in me. I'm going to be recommending this one for sure...though maybe not for readers looking for a hug :)

I loved this SO MUCH!!! I was hooked from start to finish, and have not stopped thinking about it!

This was smart, thought provoking, mysterious, and romantic in a Twilight Zone sort of way.

While it's not a fast-paced plot, it is never dull, and I was always excited to pick it back up.

It's hard to be specific without giving anything away, but I love a book that makes me reflect on humanity, and I absolutely LOVED this!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC! And thanks to TJ Klune for pulling this out of the vault!

The first book by this author but not the last! What a strange tale! Mike has the perfect job- he owns and operates a charming bookstore in a cozy little town. He’s got a crush on a waiter who works at the local diner. He starts to remember odd things about his life that don’t make sense. What follows is the Twilight Zone!

Murmuration is a beautifully strange, emotional, and deeply thought-provoking novel that showcases TJ Klune's incredible ability to blend imagination, heart, and big questions about what it means to be human. With its unique premise and unforgettable characters, this is a story that stays with you long after the final page.

Klune creates a world filled with mystery and quiet wonder, slowly revealing its secrets while keeping readers invested in the lives of the characters at its center. The atmosphere is both nostalgic and unsettling, balancing moments of warmth and humor with deeper explorations of love, identity, memory, and belonging.

The characters are the true heart of the novel. They are beautifully written, imperfect, and incredibly easy to care about. Klune has a gift for creating relationships that feel authentic and emotionally powerful, making the joys and struggles of the characters feel deeply personal.

The pacing is deliberate, allowing the mystery to unfold gradually, but the emotional payoff makes the journey worthwhile. Readers looking for a fast-paced thriller may not find that here, but those who appreciate character-driven stories with elements of speculative fiction will find much to love.

Murmuration is a moving, imaginative, and unforgettable exploration of connection and the enduring power of love. TJ Klune once again proves his talent for creating stories that are both wonderfully unusual and profoundly human.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Murmuration was such an unexpected and beautifully written story. TJ Klune does a wonderful job blending romance, mystery, and something much stranger underneath it all. The relationship between Mike and Sean was the heart of the story for me, and I loved watching their connection develop while slowly realizing that there was much more going on than I initially understood.

It’s emotional, thought-provoking, and has an atmosphere that stayed with me long after I finished. I went into this not knowing much about the story, and I think that made the experience even better. Definitely a book I’d recommend going into as blind as possible.

Woof. This book made me so very anxious in about 100 different ways. The authors has mention The Twilight Zone as an influence for this one but to me, the first half felt like watching an episode of X-files. This book places us with Mike in this quaint lovely town where he's surrounded by nothing but positive vibes...AND YET...you (and Mike) just know there was something mysterious (maybe nefarious?) going on. Every time Mike gets a hint cracks in the bliss, I found myself fully tuned in and attentive. Some of those hints in the first half of the book actually gave me an adrenaline rush!

But the second half of the book was a little bit harder for me to connect to.

I still enjoyed the process of everything unfolding, but as we get to know Mike more, and he actually becomes more nuances and dimensional...I weirdly found myself wanting the more 2-dimensional caricature version of his persona. This is not normally my problem, I normally want nuance and dimension and humanity...but I think I was so sucked into the world-building of the first half that it was hard for me to want to actually dig any deeper. I kinda liked the fairytale. Maybe I'm reading for escape lately and the second half felt a little too real.

But as usual, Klune gives us a gripping story of mystery centered with a beautiful queer romance. And for that I'll always be grateful!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The love story between Mike and Sean reminded me of the early days of my long-term relationship, where every look or touch was new and exciting. It's not all rainbows and butterflies, though, with the dark underbelly of Amorea poking through from early on in the story. I found this book both heartbreakingly tragic and exhilarating. While not as cozy as some of Klune's other work, it is definitely a strong and engaging story.

Murmuration, by TJ Klune, is a fast paced, interesting read. Klune, a fan of The Twilight Zone, uses his literary genius to weave a tale of love, confusion, secrets, and mystery, that leaves the reader with a sense of unease.
Mike wakes up in the whimsical town of Amorea, where everything appears to be picture perfect. But, something is off. Not right. Things aren’t adding up. They don’t make sense. Mike finds himself on a journey, both to find himself, and to find love. Mysteries unravel, more confusion arises… Mike must make some very serious decisions.

While Klune has referenced this work as being his greatest love story, I didn’t find the love aspect as endearing and consuming as I have in some of his other works. That being said, there is something deeply moving about the sheer effort required to find love in a world that feels so wrong.

That unsettled feeling that sits in your stomach at the end… perfection given that Klune’s intent was to create his own rendition of an episode of The Twilight Zone. The story wraps up leaving the reader with most of their questions answered, but feeling like something is still… just not right.

Murmuration moves very quickly. While some books that flip back and forth in space and time can be hard to follow, this was not the case here at all. The quick flipping of thoughts, times, etc keeps the reader engaged and hungry for the next line.

Murmuration is a masterfully unsettling, fast-paced tribute to The Twilight Zone that will leave you thinking long after the final page.

TJ Klune just wiggles his way into your heart and makes a cozy space. Even with topics like this that can be sad, isolating, he makes them thoughtful and kind. He is so good at infusing humor to make difficult messages. His writing heals me.

4.75/5

TJ Klune owes me financial compensation for emotional damage.

I just finished Murmuration, and it’s like the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror but far more messed up.

It’s the 1950s, and Mike Fraiser lives in Amorea, a small town of about 150 people. He owns a cat, runs a book store, and is courting a fella named Sean. He is happy. But when he starts having weird dreams consisting of voices in his house, people he has never met, and memories of another life, he starts to question life in Amorea. But the one thing thing he never questions is Sean - never Sean.

This sci-if romance novel will eat your heart and spit it out. I *love* Sean and Mike. They are so incredibly precious.

And Klune’s story writing style is so unique. As a reader, I descended into Mike’s madness with him in an unnerving way.

I cannot recommend this enough.

I really don't have the words. But it's been a long time since a book made me feel like this. Heartbreaking, speculative, upsetting, and kind of lovely?

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

I saw this on NetGalley (TJ Klune – enough said) and requested it immediately and I’m so glad (and lucky) that I got approved. I have read previous works from Klune and have really really enjoyed his style of writing and storytelling expertise. This novel is a great representation of what he does best.

The writing is easy to read, but has this beautiful whimsical flare that is just essential Klune. It makes you feel like you and there with the characters, experiencing what they are experiencing and feeling what they are feeling. He is fantastic at making you feel so deeply.

I had to sit with this one for a bit before writing this review because it is a lot to take in – in a great way. My thoughts are all over the place – so I hope this review is somewhat coherent. This was such a hard review to write because this book had so many profound and interesting details to discuss that I could easily write a 5 page essay on it.

The plot immediately hooked me from the first paragraph. Klune plants the seed for something to be off – but he then proceeds to go into the most beautiful and wholesome love story that you lose sight of the issue from the beginning. As the story moves forward, he sprinkles in bits of the mystery surrounding the town and Mike himself and the book is virtually un-putdown-able. I needed to know what was going to happen next throughout the entire book, and I read it within a couple of days. When I put the book down, I was counting the seconds until I could pick it up again and be let back into Mike’s world and figure out what was really going on. You want to keep reading, but you also know that when you get to the end it will probably break your heart. Mike is such a lovable character that you just want the best for him and Sean, but you just know in your heart of hearts that a happy ending is most likely not in store.

The way that Klune made this story a mystery and a love story without going too far into either was really interesting and enjoyable for me to dissect. There are the best elements of both genres and there is even science fiction thrown in there. I would be hard pressed to pick one genre for this one and I think that makes this story even more interesting.

No spoilers – but once I found out what was going on it was quite shocking in my opinion. Yes, we got glimpses into what was possibly going on, but once the reveal happens, I really had to take a moment to take it in. The explanation that Klune provides makes sense in context of the story, but still really surprised me.

I finished this book late at night and just had to lay there in the dark just processing everything I’ve read. Only the best books stick with me like that and since I’ve finished this one it has remained on my mind.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially book clubs or buddy-reading. There are a lot of different ways you can interpret this story and varying opinions you can have on the ending and the choices the characters made – a really good book to start discussions about life, love and morality.

This was probably my favorite Klune books that I’ve picked up and it is going in my favorites list for sure. I’ve already recommended this book to people and had a co-worker seek out the indie version as she was so interested in my reaction (and secrecy) surrounding this book. This story is going to stay with me for a long time and I am so happy to have read it.

As always, wow. Now, I may be biased because TJ Klune is my all time favorite author, but, again, wow. I love that even though you kind of always know where the story is going, it is just so immersive and magical and tangible that you can't stop itching to see how it all plays out. I love the way TJ Klune dissects humanity. I love that he loves people and life and second chances, all without shaming or hiding all of the darker, uglier parts of the human experience. Just be sure to have a box of tissues, and you're going to love it too.

This is another stunning story by TJ Klune. I have enjoyed every book of his I've read and this is no exception. The premise was very thought provoking and the ending was quite a twist.

This is my second book by TJ Klune and I knew “Murmuration” would be a lot different that the first but I was surprised by how different it felt. This book is a bit darker and feels more sinister (as intended) that his other books. I also didn’t know that this is a republication of a work from 2016, so it is not a new story.

I am torn on how I feel after reading this – I did enjoy the story but I don’t know if I enjoyed the writing or how it was told. Some story transitions were a bit jarring (again, as intended) but it really took me out of it rather than make me feel as the character was feeling. I did like our cast of characters and as always, the author is great about queer inclusivity being normal.

I did recently read “Pines” but Blake Crouch and while the stories are not completely similar, if you enjoyed the feeling of “Mumuration” you’ll enjoy that one (and vice versa).

Rates 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

Honestly, TJ Klune did it again with Murmuration—it’s such a mind-bending, incredible read! It’s got that signature Klune heart we all love, but mixed with this super eerie, Twilight Zone sci-fi mystery that kept me hooked the entire time. I was so invested in Mike’s journey as he tries to figure out his missing memories in this weirdly off-track town, and the characters are just top-tier. Sean is absolute perfection (that slow-burn romance with Mike completely melted me), and Deacon is such a fascinating little puzzle. Beyond all the wild twists and surreal vibes, it’s actually a really moving story about trauma, healing, and finding yourself again. If you love TJ Klune or just want a story with huge heart wrapped in a crazy cool mystery, I cannot recommend this one enough!

Yes, this was a terribly romantic book and also a Twilight Zone mind bender. I spent a lot of time trying figure what was up with the town of Amorea and Mike. Was he dead? Aliens? Some kind of experiment? I did not think of some 1950's Red mind control but loved that Mike did. Murmuration is full of birds and brainwaves that leave you gasping.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Whoa!! Another fascinating read by Klune. Pleasantville meets The Matrix.

TJ Klune is one of my favorite authors, and this book continues his streak of great writing. This book has a general thread of unease running through it, where you think you might know what's happening but then you don't. You want Mike to figure things out, but you also don't. It's suspenseful and interesting, and recommended! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.