2.5 rounded up.

Under the Whispering Door tells the story of Wallace Price, an absolute prick of a lawyer who suddenly dies and ends up at a waystation between this life and the next called Charon's Crossing Tea and Treats along with his Reaper, Mei, Hugo the ferryman and Hugo's dog and grandfather. The focus of the novel is on Wallace learning not to be a prick and finding somewhere to fit in.

I think this book is at its strongest when it has all those characters together just talking or dealing with some kind of problem. I did have some issues with Wallace as an m/c, but the group as a whole is quite compelling and I came to like them all. I was conflicted about Wallace because he's introduced as this very strong personality (read: absolute prick) and that kind of falls to the wayside immediately and I didn't feel that Klune effectively showed how he transitioned from this personality to the better person he becomes.

My issues with this book all stem from the two conflicting core elements, the concept of death, and romance. The concept of death is obviously going to be explored in detail in a book where a ghost is hanging out with some living folks, and I think that Klune did a good job exploring this concept overall, though he did get a bit preachy through the Grandad character at times.

Then the other core element is the romance between Wallace and one of the other characters. The romance takes a while to develop and I felt kind of lukewarm about it, I felt like the buildup didn't exactly make the jump to love make sense, but I did like the two characters as a couple.

Now, I don't really want to get into spoiler territory (especially as an ARC review (but maybe don't read this next bit if you're really sensitive about spoilers!)), but I do need to talk about my main issue, how the above two core concepts conflict with one another. Long story short, death is the main theme running through the whole book and then the romance becomes very important in the final act. There are some very solid ideas about death throughout the book, and then there is a resolution to the romance that goes against these very solid ideas, and it felt to me like Klune wasn't playing with the rules that he himself set. The way it resolves really opens a whole can of philosophical worms but because it's all in service of a happy ending I guess that's okay? I don't think everyone will be bothered by it, but it left a poor taste in my mouth about the whole book, for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy.

This book was the easiest 5 stars I’ve given and to my surprise, the first fantasy type book I’ve read. It took me some time to get into the story, but once I did I was hooked. I took many valuable lessons from this book and while I did cry, I also laughed at all the humor incorporated into the text. I do not like to give much away in my reviews- but trust me, read!

Just like his other covers, this one fits the story perfectly. A book about life and death, and what happens afterwards. It made me laugh out loud and cry. I don't know how else to describe it.

What will you do with the time you have left?

This book is beautiful. Plain and simple. It's impossible to read it and not compare to Cerulean Sea simply because TJ Klune's writing style there and here lulls me into into his worlds, wraps me in a soft cozy blanket - or a gay hug, to quote Victoria Schwab. But this book is not Cerulean Sea and it doesn't try to be. It's a different world, with different, vibrant characters who live and breathe their own lives (and deaths) completely separate of the life Linus and Arthur are living with their magical children. Yet, these two books compliment each other, both perfect and deeply kind in their own ways. Whispering Door is a story about grief and how much it hurts, but it's also about hope and learning to let go. It's a story about the impact of others on the self, about living and dying, about love and the bonds we create with others. Where Cerulean Sea opened a door to a new world that was beautiful, Whispering Door reminded me to look out the window and see the beauty in the world that we have. Because we only have so much time and it's all about what we do with the time we have left.

I can't put into words how fulfilling it was too read a book that was queer and centered on grief and trauma, that WASN'T about queer trauma. Those books certainly have a place and are very important for the queer community, but so are the ones that let us look beyond that.

I read this book initially because I had read "House in the Cerulean Sea" and adored it. "Under the Whispering Door" is as good, or better than that story. In HITCS we get to see Linus open his eyes to a bigger world, and his place and part in that world. In UTWD, Wallace gets to see how small his world actually was, and we get to see his heart and mind embrace the idea of caring for and about others.

The pacing of the story was fantastic, the twists were unexpected but absolutely made sense, and the slow realization of love made my romantic heart very very happy. Decidedly adding Klune to my "must read" list, and currently searching out his back catalog to tide me over. Highly recommend.

What I love about this, much for the same reason I loved The House on the Cerulean Sea, is that the characters at its heart are a person whose best parts are still buried deep in themselves, and another person who has the compassion to coax those parts out -- characters that see past the thorns and recognize that the tightly wound buds have the ability to bloom with vivid color, given the care and space. TJ Klune sees the people who have reached a point in their lives where the thorns are more present than the blooms, who have accepted loneliness as their due, and Klune shows how even at the end of our lives -- or past it -- there is, like Quakers say, that of God in everyone.

The main character starts out a frustrating caricature of passive NIMBY cruelty, and the by the end he transforms into someone with compassion, who recognizes the mistakes of his past life and does all he can to rectify them. I loved watching that journey. It's a gentle book, but the journey is still painful even as the story comforts you. One of my favorites of 2021.

Under the Whispering Door is as much about death and grief as it is about hope and the ability to change yourself for the better — even if you don’t get to this until after you’re already dead. It’s a cozy read about a callous lawyer who, after dying, falls in love with a compassionate ferryman Hugo, whose job it is to help souls cross over. Wallace is very much a Scrooge-like figure, and while he does experience a lot of personal growth over the course of the story, unfortunately, he remains the least likable and least interesting character. (That honor goes to the reaper Mei, who I wish we could have spent much more time exploring.) The romance between Hugo and Wallace also isn’t fully earned, though it does pay off beautifully in the end. And even when some plot points feel a bit too predictable or cliché, Klune’s sense of humor keeps you happily engaged with the story. On the whole, Under the Whispering Door is whimsical, wholesome, and heartfelt, and sure to please fans of Klune’s previous work.

Wallace Price was a terrible man. He was a terrible husband, he was a terrible boss, he'd be a terrible friend too if he had had any of those. Wallace never much cared for the thoughts or feelings of others if they didn't somehow benefit him. He dedicated his entire life to work and making sure he and his law firm were the most successful, and if he struck fear in the hearts of those around him, all the better for it. But now he's dead, and all he has to show for his life is a very expensive coffin.

When a spunky reaper named Mei shows up at his funeral, Wallace is ready for her to lead him straight to the afterlife, but instead, Mei brings him to a curious tea shop in the middle of the woods. Wallace quickly realizes this tea shop, including its handsome owner, isn't ordinary. The locals know Hugo as just a tea seller, but his real job is as a ferryman, helping those like Wallace cross over. But Wallace isn't ready to leave the life he knew behind, especially when he never got a chance to live it in the first place. With the help of Hugo, Mei, and the other inhabitants of the tea shop, Wallace learns to appreciate all the small things he took for granted. When the powerful and mysterious cosmic being known as the Manager steps in and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace frantically strives to pack an entire lifetime worth of memories into seven short days. But now that he finally knows the true meaning of friendship, family, and love, will he be able to say goodbye?

Once again, Klune has ripped out my heart, stomping and healing it all at the same time. I'm not going to sit here and say it was flawless, but it's pretty dang close. I went into this expecting to fall head over heels immediately as I did with his first book, but it wasn't necessarily the case here. It took about twenty to thirty percent before I was fully invested in the story and thought it found its rhythm, but when I finally fell, I fell hard. It's chock full of Klune's signature whimsy and charm, but it's not just lightness and fun. It's a story about death and grief, but it's also about family and love. Klune beautifully balances all these heavy topics with humor and tenderness. There's an underlying feeling of hope woven throughout, and it's such a delight to see how it all played out. Aside from the plot, my favorite part of this was the characters. As much as I adored Wallace and Hugo and all their sweet interactions tugging at my heartstrings, my favorite was Nelson. He had me laughing out loud the entire time and made this even more joyful to read. While I may not have fully clicked with the beginning, by the end, I didn't want to leave this world or these characters behind, and I'm sure I'll reach for this again and again.

An unusual, heartbreaking yet wholesome tale of a man not ready to move on after his own death
The prose was funny and entertaining dispite the dark themes running underneath
This has made me want to read more of Klunes works

I'm already a huge fan of this author but this book still blew me away by how unique it was. The characters were excellent, his dialogue was witty and heartwarming, I loved the whole concept of grief and death and life and the afterlife. A major tearjerker but still amazing.

After reading The House in the Cerulean sea, I didn’t think there would be a book that resonated with me emotionally like that again. Then T.J. Klune follows it up with this absolutely beautiful story!

This is another book that truly transcends genre, age category and could easily become a favorite of so many different “types” of readers. Anyone who has ever thought about their place in and impact on the world will find something to connect with in this story.

The relationships—both the major romantic relationship and the side familial/friendships— were developed so well. There were found family vibes from very early on that only deepened with watching how the characters’ interactions changed, especially as Wallace began to trust and rely on them.

I love a story that has humor and heart, even at the expense of a strong plot so this was a near perfect reading experience for me. The atmosphere pulled me in and didn’t let go until I had finished. I found myself both wanting to read longer so I could stay absorbed in the dream-like word while also wanting to slow down so I could savor the book a little longer. This is definitely another book that will be added to my “must reread” shelf!

"Under the Whispering Door" has a lot in common with Klune's last novel, "The House in the Cerulean Sea" only instead of the relatively cheerful subject of children with magical abilities, this book imagines a world in which Reapers and Ferrymen take on responsibility for people after death. We follow one character, the Scrooge-like Wallace Price, fresh from death and quite angry about it. His encounters with the Reaper, Maia and Hugo, the Ferryman at the tea shop that they run form the basis of the book.
I liked the LGBTQ relationship in this book, because they weren't anything unusual or the point of the book - just another fact about the relationship between two people. And I felt the tone was more consistent than that of "The House in the Cerulean Sea," and the characters were more likable. The plot, however, was predictable. I could have used a few more surprises. Overall, a satisfying book that I enjoyed reading.

Fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea will enjoy this, although it's somewhat darker in tone. I agree with some of the reviews that feel the character of Wallace has a face turn that's not really shown on the page and happens very quickly; I also felt it dragged quite a bit in the middle. It excels in the same places Cerulean Sea did - heartwarming found family, delightful characters, cosy atmosphere.

This book grew and grew on me in much the same way Wallace’s character grew and grew. The writing is infinitely readable. The story just flows along and the details and dialogue easily transport me to the location and lives of the characters. The afterlife story was unexpected and I found it a bit difficult to get into at first, but the drawing of the characters and their interactions soon drew me in.

This book shares some qualities with The House on the Cerulean Sea - the characters are supremely well-developed, there is an overall feeling of coziness, acceptance and belonging in the tea house and, the main character develops depth and becomes more admirable very quickly. But this book certainly stands on its own, with a setting that is unexpected and darker topics of death, suicide, heaven, hell, and redemption explored.

In many ways I loved this book - the characters and unexpected themes especially. The action is almost an afterthought and not as intriguing for me personally. The last third of the book wings along to a hasty conclusion that felt a bit rushed. Regardless, for me this is a highly memorable, exceptional read.

Klune takes the reader on an emotional, heartwarming journey in Under the Whispering Door, a novel about found family and coming to terms with life and death. Under the Whispering Door is laugh out loud funny and had me in stitches as protagonist Wallace Price gets used to life (death?) as a ghost. This novel starts out a bit slow, but I zoomed through the second half pretty quickly. 4.5/5 stars!

I'm going to start this by saying I have never cried so hard whilst reading a book - I'm talking full chest heaving, uncontrollable tears. (You have been warned incase you plan to read this in public)

This is a tender caring story of grief, love, loss, found family, acceptance, sadness and what comes after death.

I loved every character in the Charon Cross Tea shop with my whole heart; Wallace our recently deceased businessman, Hugo our precious caring ferryman, Mei a strong protective reaper, Nelson the hilarious grandfather to Hugo and Apollo the goodest ghost doggo ever.

Although centered around a deep subject of loss and death this was also about all forms of love, love of a pet, past loves, platonic love, romantic love and lost love.

Truly a beautiful, compassionate, quirky, and at time humourous novel that melted my heart.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

This is a tough one to review.

I was shocked to learn this was set in the US, because none of the characters sounded American. At one point we have a character that says, "What's a ghost's favorite berry? Booberries." It's a cute joke, but Booberries are a seasonal cereal here, almost any American could tell you that. It's weird no one made reference to it. The tea shop doesn't make a ton of sense either. Coffee is vastly more popular in the US and also comes in as wide a variety which could have been applied in the same way.

For the most part I felt uncomfortable reading this. The first half feels very claustrophobic. Information is withheld from Wallace, he has almost no agency. To me it seemed he was basically manipulated into everything. I didn't like how cagey and jokey everyone was being toward him. On top of that, nothing really happens. Wallace's personality shifts rapidly and it doesn't feel backed up by the events in the book, as few as those events are.

I don't think the ending was earned. It felt really arbitrary.

I guess I liked it. I mean, I finished it, I didn't get too bored to go on at any point. My eyes did glaze over during the inane conversations about death. Whatever, it's fine.

Wow.
I could stop here and have said everything I needed to. No more to add.
But I won't. I will also tell you that as soon as I turned the last page, I went right back to the beginning and started all over again. What a journey. Thank you TJ Klune.
I had high hopes after reading and loving The House in the Cerulean Sea and I was not disappointed. Someone asked me how Under The Whispering Door compared, and I answered that is was the same and very different at the same time. Obviously the writing is very similar... the tone, the wit, the characters you just cant help but fall in love with (Mei is my favorite and if there was ever a spin off all about here I would buy it no questions asked!) But then, the subject matter is more... mature... for lack of better term. I want to say dark, because in parts it is, but on the other hand it is also warm and fuzzy, heartbreaking and hopeful. It is a roller coaster of emotions, and I am better for having gone on this beautiful journey.
This book will stay with me forever, both emotionally and physically, for when I am (hopefully) old and gray and on my death bed you will find this book on my nightstand, pages frayed, witness to a life well lived.

5 out of 5 stars for Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune!

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea last year, it quickly became my top book of 2020, if not of all time. I immediately downloaded The Green Creak Series by Klune and read The Extraordinaries right away. I've loved every single book I've read by Klune, and Under the Whispering Door was no different.

Under the Whispering Door contains Klune's classic whit and humor, but dives deeper into darker topics like grief and suicide. I can't tell you how much I appreciated Wallace's story of reflection and growth even after death. In life, Wallace was not a kind person. He had no patience or empathy for others, and his work was his life. In death, Wallace recognizes that he did not live fully, but he has another chance in death.

I can't say enough good things about the characters in this book. Wallace, Nelson, Hugo, Mei, and Apollo are the found family of my dreams. Their love and care for each other showed Wallace what it means to really be loved and to love in return.

I absolutely loved the ending of this book. I don't usually cry while reading books, but this was different. My emotional attachment to these characters was unmatched, and I cried both happy and sad tears through the course of reading. I highly recommend you add Under the Whispering Door to your TBR!

Thank you so much to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Wallace Price is very important. He's a high-power attorney with absolutely no time for frivolities and no compassion to spare. When he finds himself dead and no one mourning his demise, he's somehow shocked. When a reaper comes to collect him and takes him to a strange-looking tea shop of all places, Wallace adamantly refuses to accept that he's dead. Hugo, the ferryman in charge of making sure he crosses over when he's ready, is patient and kind and everything Wallace never knew how to be. Over the course of his stay in the tea shop, Wallace has to take a hard look at how he lived his life and accept the regret he holds for the things he can now never have.

I was expecting something Cerulean Sea-Esque with this book, and I was both right and very, very wrong. It has the same emotional gut punch as HITCS, the same sense of family and love. It's funny because I always tell people HITCS is like a warm and cozy cup of tea, and Under the Whispering Door revolves around a tea shop and a ferryman who serves the dead warm cozy cups of tea. That's about where the similarities end, aside from TJ's signature humor and emotion-infused writing.

Under the Whispering Door is so full of grief. It's exploring life and death of course, but in this book, grief isn't only for the living. Of course, we've heard the moral before. Live your life well/we only have so much time/take those chances while you still can. But this goes deeper, taking hold in your chest until it spreads like so many roots: love comes in many different forms, and we are worthy of it. We have the capacity to feel so much for other humans and to let it bloom from those roots in our chests and it's just as much for us as it is for others.

We see Wallace's growth throughout this book. His anger and denial, his regret over how he lived his life and how he treated people he once loved. We see him turn his anger into determination. We see him desperate to help others ease their pain and move forward with their lives because he knows what it's like to spend your life blind to joy. Wallace finds his humanity after his death, and that's really something to ponder. We are not alone on this life journey and we are not sealed in a vacuum. Our pain is worse than others, not as bad as some, but it's universal.

I don't want to give too much away with this review or get too deep into the intricacies of the plot, but please believe me when I say it's a beautifully written book full of sadness and anger and hope and joy and acceptance. Another absolute stunner from TJ Klune.