This book...I seriously don't have the right words. Tj breaks your heart into a million little pieces but he puts you back together in such a beautiful new way! I love these characters with my heart and the story was one I simply couldn't put down until I inhaled every single word.

TJ Klune has done it again. Under the Whispering Door is beautiful, charming, and humorous.

Wallace and Hugo's journey from friendship to romance is sweet and it gives you all the feels. The character development, plot, humor, and just everything about this book is *chefs kiss*

If you are a fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea, then I highly recommend you give it a try, you will not be disappointed!

Thank NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had very high expectations going into this book after reading The House in the Cerulean Sea because I know now how capable Klune is at hitting me with the emotional gut-punch, and I was not let down. Under the Whispering Door is an incredibly lovely and touching examination of grief, loneliness, and the ways we can change and evolve and love each other. At times it's exactly as melancholy and reflective as you might expect a book about death to be, but it's also full of humor (there were parts that I laughed harder while reading than I have in recent memory) and hopefulness. Soft. These books are so soft.

Oh my. TJ Klune knows how to write a story. The world was interesting and beautiful. Life and death explored and done with perfection. I love how you see such amazing character growth in his books, this one definitely didn’t disappoint. A beautiful and heart wrenching story. A romance between a ghost and a ferryman. I loved the romance immensely. I recommend this for anyone. Have a box of tissues on hand. You’ll cry but you’ll feel warmth and peace at the same time. And, isn’t that what Hugo wants, for us to find peace when things seem to spiral?

The first time you share tea, you are a stranger.
The second time you share tea, you are an honored guest.
And the third time you share tea, you become family.

Synopsis:
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.

Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.

But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help, he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.

When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.


After reading and adoring The House in the Cerulean Sea, I expected Under the Whispering Door to hit me hard with another cast of characters to fall immediately in love with and keep me laughing. This was not what happened.

Under the Whispering Door is a quietly powerful story. In the beginning, there is nothing to like about Wallace Price. His dying is no great loss and honestly, I didn’t care. I mean he was the worst, so no point crying over spilled milk, right? Once Mei, the reaper, collects him at his funeral and brings him to Hugo’s tea shop, nothing really changes in Wallace and at first, it’s kind of annoying. Yes, you’re dead, no one liked you, that’s a bummer, but do you have to be such an asshole about it?

However, as we get to know everyone else at the tea house and follow Wallace through his acceptance of being dead, we get to see his transformation. It’s not dramatic, it doesn’t happen all at once, but it’s genuine and reminiscent of real life. When confronted with our own shortcomings, do we change immediately for the better and move on? Not usually. It’s a process. Now imagine being dead, in a waystation with a ferryman trying to help you, and the added difficulty that brings to sorting out your life. I can agree to cut Wallace some slack.

Through it all, Under the Whispering Door is a heartwarming and heartbreaking tale. It’s full of hope that is desperately battling the despair. Its power lies in the fact that death, grief, and hope happen to us all. Since grief is different for everyone, I believe this book will be a highly personal read that means something different to each person.

Trigger warnings: death, suicide

This book had absolutely no business making me cry as hard as it did!

Wallace Price is dead.

Once a successful lawyer, now a ghost of his former self. Wallace finds himself at a way station, struggling with the fact he is no longer alive and what that means for him. But Wallace soon finds out that success and money doesn’t mean happiness, and maybe it took dying for him to finally learn how to live.

I loved House in the Cerulean Sea, so when I got the opportunity to review Under the Whispering Door, I was ecstatic! These two books have very similar vibes and if you like one, I think you’ll like the other.

I love the character development we see in our not so friendly Wallace. He goes from an unlikable man to someone we really hope gets the happy ending he deserves.

The romance between Wallace and Hugo is so sweet an innocent. Despite the awkwardness of Wallace being, you know, dead. I loved the two characters together!

I love TJ Klune’s ability to make characters experience real development throughout the story and how even our most loved characters still have real flaws. This book was amazing. Although a work of fiction, it teaches the reader a lot about living life to the fullest and never taking a day for granted.

Another amazing book from TJ Klune!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for allowing me to read and review this book.

Marvelous. I adored every character. There are tough topics of death, grief, and loss but know that you are in good hands. Best enjoyed with a cup of tea.

What a triumphant follow-up to the absolute success that was The House in the Cerulean Sea! I have been eagerly anticipating this release for months, so obviously I jumped at the chance to read it early - thank you Tor and Netgalley!

Wallace Price is a divorced workaholic running a law firm to the tightest of standards. The first time we meet him, he’s firing an employee who’s just poured her heart out to him. When Wallace wakes up dead at his own funeral, he’s taken on a journey to a ghostly tea shop run by a ferryman and a reaper.

I absolutely loved the characters - if there’s one thing T.J. Klune does well, it’s making you love a whole cast of characters, even when one of them is an absolute asshole! As well as ferryman Hugo and reaper Mei, we have Nelson, Hugo’s absolutely iconic ghostly grandfather, and Apollo, the family dog (such a cutie) and of course a few campy villains thrown in there. The intertwining storylines of love (whether platonic, familial, or romantic), loss, and grief are explored in a beautiful and very poetic sense; there were several passages on what it means to have a good life that had me genuinely moved.

Under The Whispering Door had everything that made The House in the Cerulean Sea so incredible, with a grittier and honestly more heartwrenching story to boot. It’s very much a different story that still features that signature T.J. Klune charm we love so much. The last third of the book will have your ouch-my-heart glands swelling up for very good reason (and yes I did cry a lot and no we don’t need to talk about it….). Go read it!!

First off, I want to thank NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book yall. It hits you in all the emotions and I found myself enamored with the story and the concept. Wallace had the type of character development we can only dream of sometimes. He went from unfeeling and cold to a caring and helpful person. He learned so much in death that it leads you to think about your own life and how you are living it and treating others.

Every single character has my heart. I feel like a dog added another level to the story, but as an animal lover I am biased. There were so many times where these characters made me laugh out loud. They had a banter that was familiar and antics that made you see them as a family. They also made me cry and really feel for them. I felt like I was a part of the group and was sad to realize I wasn't. This is a group that will stay with you.

Overall, I absolutely adored this story and would recommend it to others. I think it has an important message that is portrayed well. Readers will leave the story with something gained, which is always rewarding.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Thoughts: Be still my heart. There are not enough Kleenex in the world for TJ Klune. He literally held my heart in his hands and hugged it with this book. The whole concept of this story was unique, whimsical and dreamy. In typical Klune fashion , he writes such incredibly endearing characters that are full of life, vigor and humor. They leap right off the page. Full of personality , wit and some funny sarcasm that make me laugh out loud!

In this story we find compassion is strength and that complacency can be dangerous. The importance of living life to the fullest and how grief never really leaves us or goes away. It really hit home for me. I had a lot of personal self reflection while reading this. One minute your crying from the truths and the next he is lifting you up and you are laughing. Klune writes a beautiful fantasy of healing and humanity. This will leave you feeling wrapped up in a cozy blanket and valuing all those you love.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for my advance copy in exchange for my review!

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an arc in exchange for a review!

I absolutely adored this book. At first I was not sure if I was going to like it because Wallace & I were clashing heads, but oh my goodness I loved it so much. I did cry, I'm not going to lie about that, my emotions were going up and down the entire time, but it was such a sweet story. I can't find anything that I didn't like about this. The writing was great, the characters were likeable (if not at first, eventually), and I was so intrigued by the story. It is definitely labelled correctly when 'The Good Place' is used as one of the comp titles -- it's very good placey in terms of subject matter.

I'm impressed with how this Klune never made anything drag on for longer than it had to be. Sometimes books written about death and philosophically centred subjects ramble on and on, but this was succinct and easy to follow and just overall so beautiful. Very well done, and I will be buying a physical copy of this book when it comes out :)

This is the story of Wallace Price. When we first meet Wallace, he is alive and concerned only with work. After a heart attack, Wallace is guided to a ferryman, Hugo, who runs a tea shop and helps the newly dead prepare to move on. Through Hugo and his family, Wallace learns to connect with others and about the importance of kindness. Now that he's dead, this lesson may be too late... or is it?

I wanted to love this book and maybe it's unfair because I did love T.J. Klune's The House In The Cerulean Sea, but I was disappointed by Under The Whispering Door. This novel felt too simplistic and preachy or maybe too much like a conversation between a person and their therapist. I also had a hard time believing the changes in Wallace. He started off so self-centered and work obsessed but once he met Hugo, he was suddenly all selfless and caring of others.

I think many readers will really enjoy the interesting premise, positive message, and lovable characters found within these pages.

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

Corporate lawyer Wallace Price thinks he has it all. Until one minute he’s alive and the next, he’s looking down at his own body, dead on his office floor. Collected from his own funeral by a reaper and taken off to a ferryman to pass into what comes next, Wallace is confused and angry. As he accepts his fate and comes to terms with his new reality, he must confront who he was before and what he wants to become. This book is a twisting tale of life, death and a pondering on what comes after.

I was immensely disappointed in this book. The plot moved so slow and it felt so repetitive. It had such great potential to be an exploration of feelings surrounding death, but the author instilled so many awkward “funny” moments that it really took away from the feel of the book overall. The conversations surrounding death were all phenomenally written but felt repetitive when they happened over and over with every ghost encountered, getting the same talk over and over. The synopsis makes it a point to reference Wallace having one week and I expected that to be a major plot point, but 75% of the book was gone before that even came up and it comprised of 15% of the total novel. The ending was super unsatisfying for me, too.

Wallace was an awful character who’s never explored farther than skin deep but somehow seems to evolve into this wonderful human without putting in any of the work. I wish this book had focused more on his life before his death, why he ended up where he did and used those life experiences to inform his growth and his acceptance of his death, instead of using him to solve everyone else’s problems but not his own. The romance in this book made no sense either and felt out of place.

While I enjoyed the overall style of the authors writing, this book just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers at Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for this e-ARC of Under the Whispering Door.

Wallace Price, a hotshot lawyer, is not a loved man. Work comes above everything else, including friends and family, which he doesn’t really have. After a heart attack leaves him dead on his office floor at the age of 40, he finds himself attending his funeral. Confused, scared, and angry that nobody can see or hear him, he discovers that a woman he’s never laid eyes on before, can. As she explains to Wallace that he’s dead, they travel to Charon’s Crossing Tea and Treats to meet the Ferryman, the man who will help Wallace cross over from this life into whatever is next. Under the Whispering Door is a funny and heartfelt story about a man who learns how to live after death.

I really loved this story. It was laugh out loud funny (especially chapter 11) and was deep and philosophical. Wallace was a man who never thought to live life, and instead did nothing but make enemies and work 24/7. But death has given him another chance, to right his wrongs and love someone other than himself. While I didn’t find the ending unexpected, the entire story was super sweet. I highly recommend this book!

Under the Whispering Door releases September 21!

Whereas The House in the Cerulean Sea left me a puddle of mush, I have now officially been obliterated. Under the Whispering Door hit all the feels and destroyed me in the best way possible. The characters were rich and well-crafted, as was the setting, and the exploration into grief and acceptance was masterfully done. Wallace Price is undoubtedly one of my favorite Klune protagonists: not only was he a raging ball of sass, but his development over the course of the novel was so rewarding. And to top it all off, I personally feel like Klune's writing has never been stronger (although there's this one particular expression that does tend to crop up in most of the novels I've read by him).

So, yeah. Do yourself a favor and read this.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Under the Whispering Door is what you would get if The House in the Cerulean Sea and A Man Called Ove had a baby. Considering those are two of my all-time favorite books it is no wonder I loved this one, too. Under the Whispering Door is full of quirky and complex characters. I went from laughing out loud at the seance scene to sobbing at the epilogue. This book has all the feels! I now feel like I need to read everything that TJ Klune has ever written, since the two I have read this year are at the top of my favorites list. Under the Whispering Door will be available September 21. Preorder it now! Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 star!!. My review for this book can also be found on my Goodreads account at the link provided.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

Wow. T.J. Klune is an absolute master at creating stories that break my heart in the best way possible. Under the Whispering Door had everything I was looking for and more. Heart-warming, beautiful and full of emotion, I couldn't put it down even if I tried. This isn't solely a story about dying, but also living, grief, loss, healing, family, self-reflection, love and so much more. Similar to House in the Cerulean Sea, the found family in this book was truly special and I can guarantee that you will fall in love with every single one of these characters.

The only aspect of this book that I wish was done differently was Wallace's character development. I felt that we are told that Wallace has changed from an asshole to a good person but it is not being shown. I wanted to see more of his growth and that transition period.

Overall, I loved this book and it comes to no surprise. Under the Whispering Door is unforgettable and I recommend this to anyone and everyone. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will certainly fill you with overwhelming joy.

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea it was clear to me that I wanted to read the author's next novel because it seemed similar and yes, but not. Obviously the author's style is maintained and the overall story as well in the sense that these novels are not about action; but about characters, feelings and life lessons. I loved this novel and I think I have fallen in love with this author's style. A marvel.

Wallace Price is not a good person nor does he care to be. Ungrateful, ungrateful, insensitive are some of the words his acquaintances would use to describe him. But he doesn't care. He doesn't care. Until one day he has a heart attack and dies. From that moment on he realizes that he has wasted his life, that no one will miss him and that he has wasted everything he had for nothing. This is only the beginning of the path that will lead him to meet Hugo, a person who will change his life or... well... his death.

Hugo has a job: to help the dead go on their way. When Wallace walks through the door of his tea store, he knows it's going to be a very difficult task. Little by little Hugo will work his way through all of Wallace's barriers and, perhaps, he shouldn't have tried so hard because now he doesn't want Wallace to leave. All the characters, all of them, are wonderful and perfectly drawn; even the more minor ones.

This novel lived up to my expectations. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel a million things. Does it have flaws? Sure, but I don't care. Wallace's growth, Nelson's sense of humor, and Hugo's heart have stayed with me and won't be leaving for a long time.

This book had the sweetest most honest TW: This story explores life and love as well as loss and grief. There are discussions of death in different forms —quiet, unexpected, and death by suicide. Please read with care.

I cried. I had happy tears of triumph and love. I had sad tears full of well, sadness. I also thought a lot about the love I have for my father and how that never goes away.

“The first tine you share tea, you are a stranger.
The second time you share tea, you are an honored guest.
The third time you share tea, you become family.”

This story had it all. Wallace Price was a bastard in life and it took him dying to begin to live. It took him finding a whole new world inside Charon’s Crossing Tea and Treats. A tea shop with a reaper, a ferryman, two ghost, one human and one dog, and finally finding his home. When I tell you this book was heartwarming and sweet I mean really lovable you won’t believe me. How can a book about death be sweet and fluffy but it was. I definitely cried a lot. Books about dying always remind me of my father and how much I miss him but this book was so sweet and full of life.

I just love this author’s humor and sensitive way he talks about hard things. This book talked about PTSD and panic attacks as well. It’s not easy being a ferryman. Hugo, the ferryman, has to deal with death every day and some ghost are very angry and sad. Wallace surprised most of all! And I loved every minute of it. It was inspiring to watch him grow and learn to love. It was also heartbreaking. There’s a part where Hugo wants to hug him but can’t and asks Mei to do it for him. I cried so hard. Pick this book up!! You won’t regret it. Just make sure you’re ready to cry.

TJ Klune never fails to disappoint, and somehow his books are progressing further into something so beautiful and unique that i read this in one day without hesitation. with a similar feel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door does everything so well and doesn’t hesitate to bring tears. Wallace’s development from the character he was at the beginning to the end was so important and i’m so grateful to have witnessed it.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC