This story started off a little slow for me, but for some reason I was still hooked. Right before the half way point I couldn't put this down.
Topics surrounding life & death colliding with a budding queer romance that can't possibly last.

If House In The Cerulean Sea was a loving hug of a book, then Under The Whispering Door was a much needed therapy session.

“It’s never enough, is it? Time. We always think we have so much of it, but when it really counts, we don’t have enough at all.”

This book explores what happens after you die but before you travel to the great beyond, whatever that might be. The ferry stop on the way to the rest of your journey.

TJ Klune has a way of writing characters and found family like no other. He worms his way into your heart in just 300 pages or so and before you know it, its 1am and you're casually crying on your couch with your dog staring up at you in concern.

Which honestly are my favorite kind of books.

I don't think I can do this book justice for what it did for me, but something about it scratched that itch in my brain just right. I'm not sure it will be for everyone, but I do want everyone I know to give it a chance.

If House In The Cerulean Sea was a loving hug of a book, then Under The Whispering Door was a much needed therapy session.

“It’s never enough, is it? Time. We always think we have so much of it, but when it really counts, we don’t have enough at all.”

This book explores what happens after you die but before you travel to the great beyond, whatever that might be. The ferry stop on the way to the rest of your journey.

TJ Klune has a way of writing characters and found family like no other. He worms his way into your heart in just 300 pages or so and before you know it, its 1am and you're casually crying on your couch with your dog staring up at you in concern.

Which honestly are my favorite kind of books.

I don't think I can do this book justice for what it did for me, but something about it scratched that itch in my brain just right. I'm not sure it will be for everyone, but I do want everyone I know to give it a chance.

I received an ARC of Under The Whispering Door for an honest review through Netgalley. 🥰

Once again, TJ Klune has completely blown my mind. I read The House In The Cerulean Sea earlier this year, and it immediately became my favorite book. Now it is a tie between THITCS and Under The Whispering Door.

Wallace Price is.... Well, he's an asshole. He doesn't have any friends, because who needs friends when you can have business partners? His wife left him for the gardener, and his employees fear him. When he dies, he is forced to confront the type of life he led. At his funeral he meets Mei, a reaper who has been assigned to bring him to a ferryman who will help him cross over. Of course, that just won't do, because Wallace Price is a very important lawyer with very important work meetings. (Lol he's dead, it doesn't matter... A river only flows in one direction after all)

TJ Klune has this wonderful talent for writing the MOST loveable, funny, charming and flawed characters I've ever read. Just like in The House In the Cerulean Sea, the group of people we meet at Charon's Crossing will instantly find their way into your heart. This book will absolutely put you through the emotional ringer. I laughed, I got mad, I cried... I laughed WHILE I was crying. Also had a bit of an existential crisis, cause... you know... death is weird.

After another absolutely perfect 5 stars, TJ Klune is going on my instant-buy author list. The only thing I could possibly complain about is that it ended... And I really really didn't want it to end. 😭😭 I cried for like a half an hour after I finished it because it was just so beautiful. If you loved The House In the Cerulean Sea, you will also absolutely love Under The Whispering Door. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An enjoyable read with a really interesting plot. The character development was fun to immerse in while reading, and it’s easy to keep interested.

This autor has the most beautiful covers, lyrical titles and the writing and premises are poetry. I really look forward to have my own physical book.

There's never a book by TJ Klune that I won't buy, read, and support. I love how inclusive his books are, how authentic the characters are, and the safe space his books create! Under the Whispering Door was no exception. I laughed and cried and recommended this book so many times, I've lost counts at this point. I currently own like four different editions of this book, because that's how much I loved it. I also read it last year, but it's so good, it took me months to coherently form a review 😅

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't think it was fair to review a book I didn't finish.

I am a sucker for TJ Klune and this book did not disappoint. It was perfect in every way and had my heart breaking and swooning at the same time.

Wallace Price is a bitter man who hates almost everyone. He had no family and bo friends and he likes it that way. When a reaper comes to take him at his funeral Wallace can’t believe what it happening. He can’t believe he is dead until the reaper brings him to the tea shop and he meets a man name Hugo. Hugo helps the dead cross over. When Wallace meet Hugo he realizes that his life, or afterlife that is, will never be the same.

Really good, beautifully written. I loved this book and I’m so happy I read it. Thank you for this arc it made me so happy that I was able to read this story. This makes me want to read every other Tj Klune book and I definitely will.

Love love love this. The plot, the setting, the complex characters, the spooky elements creeping in at the corners. All gorgeous and emotionally charged. I laughed, cried, sighed, and smiled.

This book didn't grip me and it was a bit of a struggle to get through. It seemed longer than it needed to be and a little meandering. It took entirely too long to endear me to any character, at all. That said, I love a found family, the diversity of the cast, and the emotional punch that Klune delivers. I just wish he'd delivered it with better pacing. I wanted to understand Wallace so much sooner than I did.

This was my first Klune book, and I had SUPER high hopes after seeing friends rave about this as well as The House on the Cerulean Sea. Maybe my expectations were set TOO high? Unfortunately, this was a beautiful story and was well-written, and I loved the characters and the whimsical charm of it all, but it fell flat for me. I knew what was going to happen about halfway through, so it made the ending feel less profound and more predictable. I will still certainly give his other work a shot, but it almost is a disservice going into a book with others' opinions if that makes sense. I bet I would've enjoyed it more had I gone in blind.

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

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for my free copy for my honest review! Love you lots!

Short but sweet review, Under the Whispering Door, is a charming, sad, thoughtful and will leave you in tears. Read it if you want to a good cry, but also buy a copy for a friend!

Utterly unique and uplifting!

Wallace Price has died. He didn't realize this until he finds himself at his own funeral. There has to be some mistake, right? He is young, so this cannot be happening. His reaper May also arrives at his funeral to collect him. She isn't going to force him to cross over until he's ready. In the meantime, he hangs around the way station which is home to Hugo, his dad Nelson and dog Apollo. Only Hugo is alive and the way station is a tea shop during the day.

Wallace struggles against the acceptance of his own death and while doing so ends up in some precarious and also some hilarious situations with living beings and other entities. Just when Wallace is starting to feel a bit comfortable, the Manager arrives. The Manager is classified as a lesser god and tells Wallace that he has 7 days to make peace with his situation. When those 7 days are up, though, he's going through the doorway at the top of the stairs.

During those 7 days, Wallace makes some miraculous discoveries and admits some things about himself. Does he change? Does it matter? What is on the other side of the door, especially for someone who may not have been the best human?

The ending of this book was so sweet. It has a stellar twist as well. My only complaint, really, was that this book was overly long. The first half drug for me, but I love a good redemption story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this novel.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I did, I was hooked. The plot was unique and inventive, and I adored the ensemble of characters. The writing was excellent, and I enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the plot.

I loved TJ Klunes first book and it was a unique story. This was a good play on the story line of being dead but not knowing and see people from a different perspective. Good plot and well written story.

While I didn't love this one as much as the Cerulean Sea one I did find myself falling in the love with the characters like I did with the other books. There were some seriously lol moments and I love that about his writing. I did try to read it at first and then waited for it to come out on audiobook and I'm glad that I did.

OMG my heart. I was really not expecting this.

This is literally one of my favourite books now. Which is why i of course give it 5 stars.

This book made me laugh, angry and made me sad. I cried out of joy but also because of sadness. TJ Klunes writing is so compelling and you really connect with the characters.

The story was also so original and so beautiful. The concept was amazing and how Klune wrote it was so mesmerising and beautiful.
Im just still in shock over how much i liked this book. This is also the first book that ever made me cry. Only thinking about this book brings tears to my eyes.

Also can we just talk about the character development. Like what the f. It was so good. I have never read a character development so well. The main character has such a good arc. He starts off as a jerk and ends as a totally different person and you follow his growth in that so well.

The romance in this book isn't smutty so if your searching for that don't read this book. It's a slow burn romance that is slowly getting along in this book. It is one of the most beautiful and best developed romances i have ever read.

There is also a lot of LGBTQ representation in here. There is also talk about suicide, depression and panic attacks. I can't say if this is good representation because i haven't had any experiences with it.

Ack.. what can I say.. I adored The House on the Cerulean Sea and I was eagerly awaiting TJ Klune’s next novel… and then I got my hands on it..

Drat!

This was not what I expected? Perhaps I should just say that.

Wallace finds himself at death’s door.. And it’s highly unpleasant. But then so is he. Mean, rude and just plain awful. Not one to be trifled with, but as the partner at a law firm, he is exactly that. Then all of a sudden, he is watching his own funeral and finds himself on a journey to a tea shop, about to cross over to his final destination. This was not in his plan. Unfortunately for him, he has no choice but to go with it. There he meets Hugo, the owner of the shop, who is also responsible for helping Wallace cross over.

Somehow, it of course works.. And Wallace comes to an understanding. Acceptance and vulnerability take over.

While I wanted to like this one.. Something kept me from doing so.. Perhaps it was the storyline.. Or the character of Wallace, but I just didn’t quite love it.

I will however give TJ Klune props for coming up with another very different storyline altogether.

Thanks to Macmillan Tor/Forge for the arc.