Thank you so much to Netgalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and TJ Klune for giving me an eARC in exchange for review! This review will be published on my Goodreads account immediately as well. .

I absolutely adored this book and can’t give it anything but five stars. Truthfully, it was pretty formulaic and matched House in the Cerulean Sea, but it was exactly what I needed. This book gave me a little peace when thinking about death, and I really haven’t experienced that sensation before. This story was beautiful, it was beautifully written, it had beautiful human characters brimming with melancholic humor, a found family (which I always love), and it made me cry soooo many tears.

Thank you TJ Klune for writing beautiful books, with beautiful people, that absolutely destroy my happiness. Please keep doing so <3

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Tor for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book!

This is a 4/5 star read for me

Wallace has died. Wallace is extremely angry about this. And Wallace has no choice but to follow his grim reaper and listen to the ferryman who are assigned to help him accept his own death. All of this happens from within the tipsy turvy tea shop that the reaper, ferryman, and a few others reside.

Every time I read a new book from TJ Klune I become more convinced they are one of the best writers out there right now. The prose in this book is emotionally charged and moving, while still being clear and accessible to a wide audience.

This novel however did not hold my attention like Klune’s other novels have. There were a few things I didn’t buy into as much as this story needed me to:
- The emotion growth of the main character at times felt inauthentic and out of nowhere. I did not have the attachment needed to care about or believe his development.
- The romantic arc did not have the depth and build I felt it needed.
- The narrative of the “magical POC’s help objectively awful privileged rich white man become a better person” is inherently problematic.

That said, I still really enjoyed the story and the world building that went into it. I was always excited to see how things would develop, and was genuinely unsure of where the story would go. I like when a book doesn’t do the obvious, even if this means a bit of an emotional gut punch for the reader.

I think this book will be much more emotional for those who have directly dealt with grief, and it is clear this imaginative narrative came out of Klune’s own grieving experience. I think this book will be a reread for me down the road when I have done more reflecting on the topic.

I’m still excited to read future projects from Klune! They’re the only author who can actually make me excited to read fantasy or sci-fi.

In the outskirts of town, off the beaten path in the woods tucked between mountains, lies a strange but comforting tea shop. A tea shop run by a man named Hugo and his coworker Mei. A tea shop that not only serves tea to the lost and lonely but houses those on their way to the afterlife. As well as Hugo’s late grandfather’s ghost and his ghost dog. With Hugo’s help those souls heal and move on. Hugo’s job as a ferryman gets a bit thrown off balance when Wallace, a mean ungrateful human, arrives. Will Hugo be able to help him move on? Or will Wallace lose himself forever?

“The first time you share tea you are a stranger.

The second time you share tea you are an honoured guest.

The third time you share tea you become a family.”

I absolutely loved that quote. It’s not originally Klune’s, he adapted it, but it’s going to stick with me for a long time. I need to paint that quote on canvas and hang it up. Really touched me. And that leads me to my favourite part of the book. I absolutely loved the tea shop and everything to do with the tea. That was so beautiful and brought such warmth to me. Further creating a beautiful atmosphere to the story.

Klune did a great job exploring death, grief and relationships between people. There was a heavier tone to this book than Cerulean Sea, but Klune knows how to tug at the heartstrings through his characters. I loved Mei, ghost dog Apollo, Hugo and most of all grandpa Nelson. My one qualm is with Wallace. He seemed too good to be true to have developed as he did through the story. Which just didn’t jive with me.

As for the ending, it wasn’t what I wanted and an ending I was definitely expecting. All in all this was true to Klune’s signature style but it left me wanting something different, 3.5✨.

I originally picked this book up last year and put it back down due to a loss. It was too close to home at the time. However, I picked it back up this week and flew through it. I wish I had finished it last year instead of putting it down.

This book is so full of love and hope! Yes, there is death. Yes, there is grief. It made me cry. It also is full of joy and laughter. It's full of love and friendship. Watching Wallace find himself after his death was beautiful. Watching him overcome his fear of what comes next was moving and the way that Klune describes the door gave me comfort and a bit of peace.

I am obsessed with TJ Klune's writing. They can write characters that you fall in love with and Wallace and Hugo are no exceptions. I will think about this book for a good while.

This book stole my heart.

In places, it tore my heart out and made me weep. It made me laugh, it brought so much joy.

Wallace was a mean dude. No one cared for him in his life and he didn’t really live. Then he died.

A unique twist on what purgatory could be. Reminiscent of the movie Ghost, with a little bit of the Christmas Carol vibe (only as I see Wallace as a Scrooge)

This is a book I will not soon forget. T.J. Klune did it again with a beautiful story, with beautiful characters, and a touching tale.

Love. Love. Love.

Slow paced and a little boring at points. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of the main character but I do think it’s an endearing story. It didn’t really stand out to me though.

This book was super sweet and cute. By the end it had a really deep message about how to be kind to people and I loved it!

I absolutely adored The House In The Cerulean Sea and this was also fun, sweet read. I loved his concept of death and grief in this story. But the MC just wasn’t my favorite and it was hard connecting and feeling for him like I did with Arthur. It was just missing that warmth that I was hoping for.

Oh my. This book started kinda slow, but oh boy! This was really lovely and oh gosh, I just loved these characters. They were all so beautiful in their own way. This was a really excellent read.

Very similar to Klune’s previous work, and I found myself getting bored. I personally wouldn’t recommend this one.

I really enjoyed this book! It reminds me of TJ Klune's previous work "The House on the Cerulean Sea" in the sense that it has storybook vibes. The themes are buried within the work and instead are very apparent in a way that feels nostalgic and whimsical. I'm not a huge fan of the Scrooge plotline but I actually liked Klune's interpretation of this trope through a magic system related to death linked to a home and a spiritual guide. What stuck with me the most to me was the character relationships which isn't a surprise at all coming from Klune. He has a way of writing some of the most wholesome character relationships that inevitably bring a smile to the reader's face.

Who ever thought a book about death would be one of the most heartwarming stories I've read in a very long time? I laughed and cried throughout this whole book. I could picture the characters so vividly in my mind and I fell in love with each and every one of them. I would give anything to go to Charon's Crossing and have a cup of tea with Hugo.

I'm keeping this short because I don't even know how to fully put in words everything wonderful about this book. It is about death and portrays a lot of real feelings and emotions surrounding death, so make sure you're prepared for some heavy parts when you pick this one up. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Thank you @netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

T.J. Klune is such a good storyteller. I would have never expected a story dealing with death and the afterlife to be a heartwarming read. I loved the characters and the little bits of humor, especially between Nelson and Wallace. It was so detailed but didn’t feel overwhelming were I felt like skimming. A memorable read that had some good lessons and advice.

Thank you @netgalley and @torbooks for the gifted copy.

TJ Klune does it again! He makes me laugh, tugs at my heartstrings and delivers quirky but lovable characters I'm so sad to let go. After The House in the Cerulean Sea, I went into this with high hopes and the author more than delivered. His books are like a big, cozy hug and I can't wait for his next one.

this was just okay! it was too similar to his previous novel. i’m interested in seeing what the author writes next.

A beautiful novel examining the human experience of mortality, death, and the lessons we learn along the way. It was also a narrative on friendship, self acceptance, self discovery, and second chances.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Perhaps not quite as endearing as Klune's "House on the Cerulean Sea", but charming all the same. The concept of death and moving on is dealt with in a very sweet way, using a cafe as a waystation for souls who are preparing to move on. Warm and thoughtful - reading this book feels like getting a big hug from an old friend.

I really, really wanted to love this one. However, I was bored throughout the first 200 pages and had to constantly reread sentences over and over. Maybe it was the timing, maybe it just wasn’t for me.

Under the Whispering Door is a heart filled take on death, love, and found family. It was only my second TJ Klune novel and was not quite as sweet as The House on the Cerulean Sea. However, it was an enjoyable read that has stuck with me.

This could almost be considered a Scrooge retelling. It is absolutely the tale of a miser who is given a second chance to care about people. Although, it is really the other characters who connected me to the novel. Hugo is sweet and lovable, but his father has so much more character. My favorite is Mei, an outcast that found a new family.

This is a queer love story. It is a story of found family. It is a quirky lovable mess that will leave you will all sort of feels.