Another masterpiece by TJ Klune.

This book is about death. Specifically what happens after people have died but not in any religious sense. We follow Wallace a high flying snobbish lawyer after his death. He gets picked up by a reaper at his own funeral where only four people were in attendance. From there Reaper Mei leads Wallace to the Ferryman Hugo whose purpose is to help souls like him to "cross over" or in this case go through the door.
Wallace isnt ready to cross over yet, and through the help of Hugo and other members that resides in the Tea Shop (Hugo owns a Tea shop), Wallace learns to accept his death and reflects on his life. Throughout his duration in the Tea Shop, Wallace also learns about other souls that have been helped by Hugo.

Author notes that this book is about life and love as well as loss and grief. It discusses death in different forms from the quiet, unexpected and death by suicide. (also murder).

My Thoughts:
This book had my emotions all over the place - I was laughing, crying, worrying. There were painful moments, sad moments, funny moments, bitter sweet moments and happy moments. The atmosphere of this book is not a cozy read like The House in the Cerulean Sea - this book was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Whilst not dark per say; it deals with death and hope, life and loss.

Having personally gone through the loss of a loved one, this book did trigger me in a few places but was broken up with enough intrigue, whimsical elements, great supporting characters and character development, that even though i was balling my eyes out in the second half of the book, I just could not put it down. In a way, it warms my heart to read this book and reflects somewhat my own process of acceptance in dealing with lost not just for a person, but also for a pet dog. Death is like the beginning of the next installment, and in order to continue the story this is the time to pause and reflect before carrying forward. Thank you to TJ Klune for writing such a beautiful book.

Aside from the seriousness of the topic the book is centered around, it also contains humor, found family, queer love and tea. Lots of tea. I loved every single character of the Tea House.

There are so many brilliant lines and quotes; one of my favorite laugh out loud ones: "Wallace gaped in horror. He hadn't known awful wedding planning was genetic."
I hope everyone gets a chance to read this stunning masterpiece.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor / Macmillian Books for a free copy of the eARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

Since I first discovered the "Tales of Verania" books by TJ Klune in 2019, there has not been another author who has managed to break my heart, make me laugh, make me cry, and make me hope, all at the same time. This wonderful, wonderful book is no exception.

On the surface, this book is about Wallace, a grumpy, lonely, all-around not the greatest person in the world (but hey, he wasn't a murderer, so that is something), and his journey into his afterlife, after he dies as he lived: alone. He meets Mei, the reaper who comes to take him to Hugo, the ferryman who will help him cross through the door, and Nelson and Apollo, Hugo's grandfather and dog. Thsee characters help him come to terms with his new non-life.

But it is so much more. This is a book about life, but it is also about death, and grief, and coming to terms with both. TJ Klune has an incredible talent to make these difficult, heartwrenching conversations in his books so moving, and something we as the readers need to hear, as painful as they can be.

It's also a book about love, and finding it in unexpected places. The romance here is not the focus of the story, but the love in it is the reason for it.

TJ Klune is a brilliant writer who has very successfully written in multiple genres. He writes very interesting, quirky characters who feel real and relatable, whether they are a ghost, a half-giant, a garden gnome, or the co-worker of a grumpy lawyer. I recommend this book to those who want to be happy-sad, who enjoyed the TV show The Good Place, and just love great, comforting books.

What an absolutely brilliant book. I found it a bit hard to get into at the start but once I got to around 15%, I couldn't stop reading. The book is beautifully written and the characters are incredible. This book is about Wallace Price who, after living a Scrooge-like life, dies from a heart attack. He then gets taken to a tea shop/crossing by Mei (one of many reapers) and where he meets Hugo (the ferryman), Nelson (Hugo's dead grandfather) and Apollo (their dead dog). The story that follows is just so incredibly lovely and heart warming and wonderful. I loved it so much - and I can't wait for everyone to read it.

I have never cared for afterlife books but this one is sweet without being cloying. I didn’t enjoy "Under the Whispering Door" as much as "The House in the Cerulean Sea," but Klune has an astonishing gift for writing what Matthew Arnold called Sweetness and Light, even if it does not reside in any one character fully but instead manifests itself when characters together have that redemptive and transforming quality.

Klune is already unparalleled in celebrating the power of the found family, in my opinion.

This is the story of Wallace Price, a cold-hearted businessman who doesn't change his wicked ways until he finds himself in a strange halfway house after death. A Limbo of a therapeutic tea shop, where you learn what you need to learn until you move on to. . .whatever place is next. Wallace experiences a Grinch/Scrooge conversion experience and becomes a completely different person. The depth and breadth of the transformation is believable only if you believe that love can change a person that much. A nice infusion of humor adds life and realism to this redemption story.

You can't help but fall for a book with a great dog in it, at least I can't. It feels almost as if the author is cheating. Emotionally, I'm kind of a hard-nosed reader. I can handle anything but a fantastically drawn dog and then it's pass the tissues.

I felt as though Klune was writing me into a kind of alternative religion with this absorbing queer fable of the afterlife, with universal salvation and a higher power that earthly gods must obey. I was happy and content in this world.

I don't normally read Sci-fi, but for TJ Klune, I make an exception. - he is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

When we first meet Wallace Price, he is a despicable man. He lives for his job and doesn't care about the people he employs at all. Think modern-day Scrooge! Our endurance of this character is, however, a fleeting one, as Wallace Price has a fatal heart attack early on in the novel. Good riddance! But no, that's not the end for Wallace Price, for this is not a tale of Wallace's life, but of his death - or rather what happens when he is dead.

In death, Wallace meets his antithesis - Hugo - a patient, empathetic 'ferryman', and Mei, who is a 'reaper'. And it's TJ Klune, so of course the ferryman runs a tea shop!

Just like in 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' (which continues to receive rave reviews from everyone, including me), there is a real mix of humour and empathy in the style of this novel. There are some pretty hard-hitting messages in this novel about the way in which we use of lives, and how we treat those around us, but then this is interlaced with heart-warming relationships, a mad clairvoyant and the ghost of dog, so it's all rather palatable.

As a teacher of English at a high school, I know how difficult it is to find good-quality literature featuring same-sex relationships that doesn't make the fact that the characters aren't heterosexual the main plot point. I love TJ Klune for this, and I'm looking forward to introducing his work to my pupils.

This is a modern-day fairy tale which tells of redemption, love and friendship. It will leave you wanting to hug those who you love then make them a pot of tea.

This book is what happens when Wallace dies unexpectedly and begins his journey into his next life. This book is about death and grief. Wallace learned a lot about what it takes to live a happy life. I'd never read TJ Klune before but I will be searching out other books by him.

I did enjoy this book, it was a a wholesome story following Wallace and what happens to him when he dies. The book dives into themes of the after-life, and how people change and can be changed. about halfway through, I worked out roughly how the story was going to end as it seemed to follow along the lines of The House in the Cerulean Sea, and became quite predictable on the romance side of things. on the whole it was a nice story and an important amplification of LGBT characters and voices.

I loved this book so much! Klune is a master at pulling your heartstrings, in a good way. I loved the characters, except I didn't love Wallace initially, but I grew to love him as he went along his journey. I loved the blossoming relationship between Hugo and Wallace, especially at the beginning when the readers could see it first. Just a sweet, lovely story even tackling tough subjects like death and the loss of a child. Of course I cried, but it was just magical.

Late last night I finished Under the Whispering Door by @tjklunebooks and I am still reeling from such an incredible story.

Don’t expect the warm hug feeling that you got from House in the Cerulean Sea because you won’t get it with Under the Whispering Door. What you will get are laugh out loud moments mixed with the hard truths and grief that follow death.

You’ll get a full review from me closer to the pub date but in the meantime, do yourself a favor and preorder this amazing story. Thank you to @torbooks for the early e-copy.

CW for death, suicide, murder, death of parents, death of a child and grief.

As The House in the Cerulean Sea swept through bookstagram, it’s no surprise that TJ Klune’s next novel, Under the Whispering Door, would vault to the top of many lists. When this ARC became available, I immediately requested it, and basically prostrated myself to Tor for a copy, which they generously granted.

It’s hard to write a second book that’s fundamentally different but explores some similar concepts after such a beloved and acclaimed book like The House in the Cerulean Sea. There’s a natural inclination to compare that makes it difficult for the second book to stand on its own. I tried to go into this one with no specific expectations, other than that I expected to love it.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that this is a book about death. It’s about death and what it means for a life to end and to go on for eternity. While there’s a loose mythology here about what happens after you die, it’s NOT a religious story. It’s story of one man, Wallace Price, a hard-nosed attorney, who dies suddenly. In death, he reckons with what kind of life he lived, and gets an opportunity to build something different for himself. I won’t spoil the direction of the story, but there was about 1/4 of the book where I thought I’d figured out the ending and it was so unbelievably painful and bittersweet. I hadn’t figured it out. This went in directions I wasn’t expecting. It’s a hopeful book, but it will also break your heart. It gave me some The Good Place vibes.

If you’re looking for the warm cozy hug of The House in the Cerulean Sea, you won’t find it here. What you will find is a story that asks what it means to live, and continues the universal queer themes of found family found in Klune’s previous work. This book made me hurt and laugh and feel. It was delightful.

If you’re reading this book in hopes of the wholesome content that was The House in the Cerulean Sea, then boy are you in for a shock. Under the Whispering Door is a story about grief, death, and what comes after. As dark as it seems, it’s set in a small tea shop run by a ferryman, someone who sees spirits to the other side. It’s cozy while being sad and it will 100% break your heart a hundred times over, but it’s worth it.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 5 Stars

I genuinely have no idea how to even begin to write this review. How do I review a book that touched me as deeply as this one did? When I say that it changed the way that I think about not only death, but how I’m living my own life, I mean it. The House in the Cerulean Sea was my favorite read of 2020. I already know that I love TJ Klune’s sense of humor and his writing style. I honestly expected to love this book, but I didn’t know how I could possible love another book as much as I loved House. I can safely say that I love this book just as much, but in a completely different way.

Wallace is somehow both a complete and total asshole, and one of the most relatable and likable characters I’ve ever read about. If I’d met this man in real life (before he died), I am 100% sure I would’ve wanted to kick him in the balls. HARD. Being in his head, however, is a completely different experience. Watching his growth, being part of his experience after death, and falling in love through his eyes was absolutely amazing.

This is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve read that fully covers grief and loss in all of the different forms that it can take. Through it and the characters, I experienced the five stages of grief as well as the bone deep disappointment that comes with the realization that you didn’t live the life you expected to live. I was fully transported and felt so immensely connected to the characters.

I just can’t fully put into words how much and why I loved this book. All I can say is that you’ll want to preorder and read it. In the mean time, do yourself the favor of reading The House in the Cerulean Sea. They’ll hit you in completely different, but meaningful ways.

(Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!)

I need to preface this review by noting that I am biased--I adored TJ Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I put off reading and reviewing this book because I was so excited. Y'all, this book did not let me down.

The book begins with our main character, Wallace, a very rigid, unsympathetic lawyer...during his final hours alive before he experiences a heart attack, and then witnesses his own poorly attended funeral. We then encounter Mei, a Reaper, who brings Wallace to meet a ferryman in a tea shop (also, love this setting detail!). The character development in this book is brilliant, and I appreciate the humor sprinkled throughout a book focused on grief, loss, and love. There are a few difficult topics such as suicide, divorce, child illness, death of parents, which the main characters handle with grace, while Klune still includes mentions of more harmful side characters--which makes these moments feel more realistic. This is a book that I intend to buy a copy of once it is available, and I am excited to add this book to my favorites!

As a high school teacher, I would add this book to my classroom library, and would encourage some to make this a book club or reading circle book choice (I say choice only because some families do not feel comfortable with mentions of ghosts, demons (brief, joking mention), or higher powers.

TJ Klune melted every one's heart with House in the Cerulean Sea a few years ago. Well he's back to do it again, with a vengeance I may add. And I mean that in the best possible way. Be prepared that UWD is darker then House by a long shot, but not in a violent/aggressive kind of way. This book is about death, and anyone that has experienced a death of a loved one or has been close to death themselves will marvel at the nuance that is captured so beautifully on the page. A love story at its core, that will make you cry. Not all love stories have happy endings, often the best ones don't. However sometimes the truly great ones capture something in between. And this, is a truly great one. 5 stars all the way!

What a beautiful and tender book about loss and love. The characters truly came alive for me, I felt their frustration, grief, and love. A sweet, gentle and quirky romance between a ghost and the man meant to help him cross over to the other side. It is alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming.

#UndertheWhisperingDoor #NetGalley #Edelweiss
Instead of telling you how great this novel is, I am going to tell you read all of T J Klune's novels. I found The House in the Cerulean Sea just by luck and I became entranced by his writing. The emotion that his novels bring are graceful and light, yet at the same time you are flooded with an array of emotions. Under the Whispering Door is no different it takes the reader on a journey through love, loss, hope, and grief. It makes you feel all to human to read Klune's novels. The emanate the beauty of living life and in that learning to appreciate it.

I wish I could give this 5 million stars because simply 5 stars doesn't do justice with how much I loved this book. Under the Whispering Door is heartbreaking and beautiful.

This is the story of Wallace Price. He's the kind of man no one mourns for when he dies, hard and unkind. Before he can go to the afterlife he is lead to a pit stop of sorts, in the form of a tea shop by a reaper. Here he has to accept his own death and ready himself to move on by the help of the ferryman, Hugo. Wallace struggles at first with being dead and the longer he stays at the tea shop the more he changes and becomes a better person/ ghost. He finds a place among the ghosts, the reaper, and the ferryman. He finds a purpose, but the tea shop is not meant to be permanent and in the end will have to make a hard decision.

Under the Whispering Door is a very heavy, emotional read. It deals with death, ones own death, the afterlife and beyond. Grief for those who have passed and for those who are left behind. It shows sudden death, violent death, and suicide. The way one dies affects their transition and acceptance into the afterlife. All of that makes a gloomy story but through the despair Klune weaves his brand of humor and hope that will put smiles on your face along the way. He does this through the characters. Wallace even though unlikable at first grows on you. Hugo is wise, patient, and quirky. His grandfather's ghost Nelson is spunky and mischievous. Reaper Mei is sarcastic and gives the best hugs. And you'll fall in love with the lovable ghost pup Apollo.

As you can imagine by the subject of the novel it is an emotional read. I held up pretty well managing not to cry until 60 % then pulling it back together but 70/75% on just cue the waterworks. Scene after scene of heartache and eventually happiness but that then caused the happy tears. I was a blubbering mess and I loved every moment of the experience.

TJ Klune has created another diverse found family that you won't be able to forget. Under the Whispering Door without a doubt will be a book I recommend forever and always.

While not as whimsical as The House in the Cerulean Sea, this title carries on the same sort of themes of found family, understanding, and being unapologetic for who you are, but with much more romance. Characters are delightful and the story poignant. Would certainly recommend to readers of all kinds!

This TJ Klune book has a bit of a different feel than his other books, but with the same thoughtfulness and feel-good themes.

I would have liked to have seen a stronger development of the relationships between the main characters as it seemed to come a bit out of nowhere at times, but overall a strong story.

I appreciate the unique storytelling from Klune.

Of course, it's a 5. Of course.
I still want to call Under the Whispering Door a cozy fantasy, but like with a * because my eyes.
Wallace is a ghost. He dies unexpectedly. And he's taken to a tea shop where he meets the best sort of people, and Hugo is there to help him on. So as you can imagine death and grief play a big part in this book. This is where the * for cozy fantasy comes in.
Wallace was not a good guy in life. But of course, hope and the magic of TJ Klune make sure you know Wallace will make you love him. Soon enough.
I loved the journey of this book. I loved the setting, a tea shop! I loved loved loved the characters. Hugo, Mei, Nelson, Apollo, and of course Wallace. This happy little family full of heart and whimsy and life. And this is why The House in the Cerulean Sea was such a hit. Happiness brought on by a bunch of characters that just make you feel a bunch.
I cannot wait to have a hard copy to hug and love all over again and again and again.