In typical TJ Klune fashion, this book is jam-packed with heart, humour, and levity in the face of existentialism. Dealing with grief and death, this book is sweet and pungent, hitting you right in the gut when it needs to and taking you on an emotional ride.

As much as I did enjoy this book, it didn’t hit me in the heart as much as other Klune works have (eg. The House in the Cerulean Sea). With that being said, mystery-esque books aren’t really my usual jam but I did absolutely devour this one. Even though it’s not my favourite of Klune’s works, probably due to its genre and my high expectations, it was still wonderful! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this early!

5 stars isn't enough. What an incredible and thought provoking book. TJ Klune writes characters in such a beautiful way. You feel like you know them. You root for them on their journey. I don't want to give a thing away about this book, so I won't go into specifics...but I will say that it a MUST READ! I felt so attached to it that it felt like it was written just for me, saying all the things I needed to hear right now and making me think all the things I needed to think. I am honestly grateful for this experience and can't wait to have a physical copy in my hands and on my shelf. This is going to be another life long favorite for me. Loved it!

TJ Klune’s next book, Under the Whispering Door, had me ugly crying like I haven’t for years at 1:30am last night. I had laughed for most of the first 70%. Then I alternated laughing and sobbing for the last 30%. It’s a beautiful story about living life to the fullest, loving, and loss. I was worried about how TJK was going to give me an HEA, but he grabbed it right at the end.

#contentwarning for lots of talk about death, as one MC is dead.

First off, a huge thank you to @netgalley and @torbooks for this ARC!

After the masterpiece that was The House in the Cerulean Sea, I was worried this wouldn’t live up to my high expectations. Luckily, I was not let down.

TJ Klune has this remarkable ability to make me fall deeply in love with his characters. His storylines are so heartwarming and profound. Towards the end of this book, I couldn’t stop crying (which is rare for me.) I just felt so invested.

In simple terms, Under the Whispering Door is about a ghost who refuses to cross over into the afterlife and the ferryman he begins to fall in love with. Once again, Klune tackles both the feel-good topics alongside the heavy. This is still a book about death and grief, but Klune balances it nicely with his signature humor and quirkiness.

If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, you won’t be disappointed. This book comes out on September 21st and I highly recommend everyone check it out!

Last year, TJ Klune published one of my favorite books of the year, The House in the Cerulean Sea. It feels pretty obvious to say that I have been looking forward to the release of Under the Whispering Door since learning about it. I was even more excited to have the opportunity to review the book in advance since it is one of the most anticipated books of the fall.

One of the things that I love about Klune is his unapologetically queer stance with his writing. Both Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door seek to create worlds where representation is naturally built in. As I get older and as a mom, I realize how important it is to young adults to have natural representation in media. Klune always hits that note for me perfectly. I love his use of magical realism to create a book that is both grounded and fantastical at the same time.

Now, on to the actual story itself! Wallace Price is, to put it plainly, a bit of an exacting tyrant within his law firm. He expects perfection and will not tolerate anything outside of the ordinary. Imagine his surprise when he suddenly wakes up at his own sparsely attended funeral. Price only remembers bits of his death and doesn't quite believe it when his reaper, Mei, introduces herself. Mei explains that he is, in fact, actually dead and that it's now time to begin his journey to the other side. She leads him to Charon's Teahouse, a unique little spot that serves as both a way-stop for spirits processing their death and the most popular tea shop for humans in the neighborhood. At the shop, Wallace meets Hugo, the ferryman, whose job is to help him accept his death, and Hugo's ghostly grandfather, Nelson, and dog, Apollo. As Wallace spends more time at the shop, he begins to have the sneaking suspicion that he may not have approached life with the best attitude. His journey, and creation of beautiful friendships, is the crux of this lovely little book on grief and loss.

While he is a bit on the annoying side, the characterization really allows Klune's humor to shine through. The opening scene with Price's internal thoughts flickering through the scene was a perfect note. The humor continues throughout the rest of the book, adding much needed levity to the book that grapples with death and grief. Another strong point are the side characters of Mei and Nelson. Their interactions with Wallace bring some of the most humorous and heartwarming moments to the book.

Whispering Door takes you on a journey. Like life, it's a complicated one with ups and downs, moments that feel incredibly fast and ones that seem to go on forever. Towards the end of the book, it did feel like it wrapped up almost a little too neatly. But, I found myself surprisingly content with the end after reading the epilogue. Klune crafts a wonderful story that keeps you engaged the entire time. As someone who is still working through the ocean of grief from the loss of my father, this book was a cathartic release that allowed me to get some tears out. It felt like Wallace's journey of fighting his death was my own fight with grief.

After looking at some of the other reviews, it's clear to me that this book may end up being a bit polarizing because it has to contend with the popularity and expectations of being the follow up to Cerulean Sea and because Wallace is a bit of a twat character wise. As mentioned, I really like the counterpoint that Wallace's personality brings because it does create humorous moments and you are able to see the character go through a true transformation, but there is no doubt that he will be a turn-off for some readers.

I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what everyone thinks! You can grab your copy of Under the Whispering Door on Tuesday, September 21 at a bookseller near you. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

No one is more masterful at creating a novel that can make you laugh AND cry on the same page. Similar to "The House on the Cerulean Sea," "Under the Whispering Door," is filled with so much love and whimsy and wonderfulness that your face will hurt with smiling. In addition to that, Klune has crafted some of the most wonderful characters that won't soon be forgotten. Fans of Klune can expect all the wonder and delight that has made his novels famous and new readers are in for a treat. This is also a great crossover title for teens AND adults, making it a lovely opportunity for discussion about life, death, and making everything in between and after matter. Without a doubt a necessary addition to every library collection.

Me: reads books because it makes me feel happy
Also me: reads books that make me sob for half a day

4.5 stars!

This story was told in such a touching and personal way. Much like Cerulean Sea, the book is very much character-focused in its way of exploring grief and finding a purpose to existence. Because it's a TJ Klune book, this also means it's filled with heart-warming found family tropes and love of all forms, be it romantic, platonic, or familial.

To me, the concept of going through a door when you're ready to move on in existence is beautiful. In explaining this concept, I felt like the novel read almost like a therapy session. While sometimes I felt it slowed the book down in places, Klune also sprinkles in his typical humour to make things lighter during pretty intense and emotional discussions. This book was so close to 5 stars for me! I loved Wallace and Hugo but I would have liked to explore more of what drew them so close together. Or maybe I was just too busy crying to catch on to the smaller nuances of their relationship. Overall it was an amazing read!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This book kept me up way past my bedtime. I’d been excited for this one since reading House in the Cerulean Sea and I was not disappointed.

Klune paints a brilliant and magical picture about the meaning of life and subsequent death. The characters seemed to just fit together, even when they didn’t, if that makes sense. I rooted for each and everyone one. Many tears were shed before the end of this one. Highly recommend.

“Everyone loses their way at some point, and it’s not just because of their mistakes or the decisions they make. It’s because they’re horribly, wonderfully human. And the one thing I’ve learned about being human is that we can’t do this alone. When we’re lost, we need help to try and find our way again. We have a chance here to do something important, something never done before.”

🍵 🏡 🌳
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I was NOT ready for Under the Whispering Door! Coming off of the optimistic high comedy that was The House on the Cerulean Sea, I was anticipating this book to be in a new lighter tone for T. J. Klune. I could not have been more wrong!

In Under the Whispering Door, we follow Wallace Price, a corporate narcissist with little regard for other people, as he unexpectedly dies. His soul is collected by a reaper and taken to a small tea shop on the outskirts of the woods, where he is to wait until he is ready to transition to the afterlife. It’s there that Wallace meets the shop’s patrons and finds the meaning of life and death.

Under the Whispering Door has the same LGBT representation and quirky writing as to be expected from Klune, but with a serious and philosophical tone. However, this does not take away from the books characters! If you are anything like me, you’ll still fall in love with every reaper, patron, and dog in this book! 💙

While the book starts slow, once it gets going, you will find all the joy, tension, and sadness you could want. I found so much love in his latest book, but it does feel tonally different from Cerulean Sea if that is your only experience with Klune.

Thank you Tor Books for my ARC! Under the Whispering Door will be released September 21st!

This was my most anticipated release of the year, and, oh, how I adored this book. This has hands down become one of my favorite books of all time. It feels like one of those books that was meant to find its way into my life, and now that I’ve read it, feels like an intrinsic part of me. To share this book with a friend and to have them read it would be bearing a part of my soul. No amount of words will ever fully be able to encapsulate what this book means to me, but I will certainly try.

Those who’ve read TJ Klune’s well-loved predecessor The House in the Cerulean Sea will definitely find some familiar undertones in this story. Wallace is a similar character to Linus in that they both come from the corporate working world, temporarily set in their ways until they find themselves welcomed in by a colorful cast of characters that call themselves a family. Or maybe it’s just the quality of TJ Klune’s writing craft that make this book feel familiar, with characters who are undeniably good at heart and challenge the protagonist to view the world in a different light, full of compassion and understanding the emotional depths of being human. Stories that are vibrant and bursting with imagination while still connecting back to the world around us and the life lessons we learn along the way.

While House in the Cerulean Sea felt very whimsical and sweet, however, Under the Whispering Door hits deeper in a way that I think readers will really appreciate and just shows how Klune continues to evolve as a writer. The story centers around death and the journeys we all take in order to find our own peace with it, but Klune has such careful precision in balancing charming, lighthearted moments with the more heavy, emotional subject matter. It never feels overkill or too much for us to handle, but just the perfect ebb and flow. In this way, the pacing is so well done and you’ll find yourself easily being carried along through the highs and lows of this story, connecting so deeply to these characters and following their day-to-day living in a teashop, mixing hilarity with tender moments while navigating death in all manner of ways. Even within the larger theme of death, there were certain parallels made and different forms of grieving and death that were incorporated into the story, from suicide to a mother's grief over her young child, and these moments, while incredibly heart-wrenching, were handled so, so well and with such care.

Under The Whispering Door is one of those truly special books that come along that everyone should read in their lifetime, and TJ Klune is one of those writers whose books will always stay with you. I highly implore everyone to pick this book up!

I received this ARC from Macmillan-Tor/Forge Publishing via NetGalley to review before it’s debut on September 21, 2021. I fell in love with TJ Klune’s last book, House on the Cerulean Sea and knew I HAD to get my hands on this one. This story of a ghost who refuses to cross over and his ferryman took me a minute to get into but once I did, I was hooked!

Klune writes so beautifully and seems to really understand grief— something I know a bit about myself. I found tears in my eyes in the last few chapters. This book is pretty special and I hope people will read it when it comes out in a few months. I also look forward to Klune’s next release!

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge publishing and NetGalley for access.

This was a beautiful story about second chances, life, death, and grief. It plays on the trope of an awful man grows to be a good person in death. I cried. A LOT, but I also laughed and smiled and took comfort.

There is definitely some heavy subject matter in this book (it is a book discussing death after all) but they are handled delicately and with care. The whole cast of characters are unique and have their own stories to tell. Nelson's in particular really hit me in the heart. As a dog lover, I absolutely loved Apollo, of course.

I was barely able to read the last few pages through my TEARS.

My only gripe with this book is the dialogue. Having read The Extrodinaries and Flash Fire (a book around teens) it was really jarring for the dialogue to be so similar, especially when I kept remembering the characters in this book are adults.

I loved House in the Cerulean Sea, and enjoyed this book as well. Its a familiar trope - terrible human finds the meaning of life, after their death. TJ added a shiny new layer with this book and it was enough! I love his characters and may have totally ugly-cried, but I ended up feeling all the warm and fuzzies.

As much as I enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea, I absolutely LOVED Under the Whispering Door. The cover is deceiving, because it makes you think you are getting the same quirky and fun story line as you did with Cerulean Sea. Instead, you are getting a beautiful story about grief, life, death and what comes after. It is not religious, but it is also not anti-religion which I think is important to note when talking about what comes after death.

Wallace Price is not a nice man. He lacks empathy and only cares about himself. He goes to work for 12+ hours a day and then goes home to work more in an empty house. He has no time for family or friends, but even if he did he is too miserable and selfish for anyone to want to be around him. When he dies unexpectedly from a heart attack, he simply can’t fathom what to do with himself in the afterlife.

This gets 5 stars because I haven’t stopped thinking about it since the moment I picked it up. It makes you think about what is actually important in life and how you really don’t know how much time you have with your loved ones. If you were to die today, who would show up at your funeral? It seems morbid, but very thought provoking because what is the point of living, if you don’t actually live?

Possible triggers: death, suicide, loss of child

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the chance to read this book.
It was amazing!
I loved the story and characters so much!
T. J. Klune has definitely become a new favourite author.

This was a surprisingly great story with so many aspects and dimensions. I loved the whole concept and the characters were very well composed. I think the mixture of sadness and humour were perfectly balanced.
Thank you to Netgalley uk and Pan Macmillan for an ebook arc of this story.

This is one of the funniest, sweetest, most tender books about death and grief I've ever read. From the very first page I was invested in the main character and his hard won redemption, and the romance absolutely swept me away. The writing was easy to read while still getting across these big feelings, and the characters are very loveable.

I do think that the pacing was a little weird in the first quarter. Everything seemed to move very fast at first especially with character development aspects, but by the halfway point the book had really found its groove. Definitely one of my favorite books I've read this year.

It was definitely more of a romance and much darker in subject matter than Klune's last irreverent fantasy comedy (The House in the Cerulean Sea) so I'm not 100% sure this will work as well for everyone who loved that book, but it worked even better for me so I am not about to complain.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley

Oh this book! It’s made me laugh and it made me cry. The book has a bit of a slow start, but then it gets so good! The book deals with death and grief, but keeps the tone light with humor and found family.

If you read and loved the House in the Cerulean Sea it’s a must read- it’s more of a serious book but still has the whimsy and coziness of Cerulean Sea 💙

It’s cheesy, but in a warm cup of mac and cheese way - comforting

This is my first TJ Klune book and it was such a welcoming read. Given the plot I figured it was going to be an emotional and contemplative read, but I was pleasantly surprised by it's humor.

The main cast of characters were all so lively and unique on their own. Together, they made such a heartwarming and fun close knit group. All of their interactions were a pleasure to read. I kind of didn't want the story to ever end.

The antagonist was pretty great. Not quite what you'd expect. They were not evil but also not exactly all good. They were almost exactly lawful neutral, which felt fitting for their role in the story.

The M+M love story was precious and I wish the best for them <3 Love the bisexual rep.

4 stars

TJ Klune wrote it? I'm obviously reading it. That's the stance I came into this novel with, and upon completion, I feel the force even more powerfully.

When readers meet Wallace, the m.c., at the start of the novel, he comes off as a stubborn misanthrope who derives pleasure from punishing others and making sure that he has as few meaningful personal attachments as possible. True to form, Klune still manages to make Wallace hilarious, complex, and extraordinarily round from the jump, and it's impossible to not want to follow his journey. That road seems to be cut short when - almost immediately - Wallace dies. However, that's really where the extraordinary adventure begins.

There is so much tea talk in this novel, and for me, reading this was very much akin to the process of drinking a cup: a long, slow steep with an outcome that is absolutely worth the wait. A good chunk of the novel felt pretty slow to me, but the complexity and engaging nature of the characters make up for this. The world building is also steady but believable as a result. So much of the novel is about change, growth, and potential, and these motifs are also reflected in the structure.

Though there is a lot to move readers throughout, the last quarter of the novel is packed with really powerful outcomes and moving realizations. Like a good cup of tea among friends (or even among more than friends), the end result is exceptional. The ultimate messages are hopeful without being saccharine and empowering without being damaging. And in the way that really only Klune can execute, there's a thread of humor and comradery built in to even the most difficult moments.

Klune is providing readers with prolific variety these days, and this is yet another example of Klune's ability to build characters, connections, and worlds with staying power. Grab your tea and maybe a tissue, hug a (vaccinated) friend (only if you are vaccinated), and find out what's under the whispering door. What you learn there is bound to stay with you for the long haul.