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.

I surprisingly enjoyed this book! It is out of my comfort zone, but after reading the authors last book I wanted to give this a try.

I definitely suggest finding out what the trigger warnings are before jumping into this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book!

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

Have you ever read a book that arrived when you needed it most? After Thanksgiving, I started Under the Whispering Door; unbeknownst to me that I would need this story desperately on December 2. My sister suddenly and tragically died that night, and inconsolable can’t even capture all of my feelings.

This book was heavily character-driven and helped me a lot through my grief. I felt there were many gold nuggets of wisdom throughout the novel, and for that, I will cherish it. I highly recommend reading this as a healing method through the loss of a loved one.

This was my very first audiobook, and I truly loved it. It just happened to be a book that I didn’t know I needed, and ended up being the thing to bring me the most peace.

Her funeral was today, and I will miss her for the rest of my life.

This book was truly amazing. I had read House by the Cerulean Sea by TJ Kline as well so I had high expectations to begin with. Somehow it still succeeded in surpassing each and every one of them. The writing was lyrical and beautiful while the story line was constantly engaging. The characters have stuck with me and I cannot recommend this more!

TJ Klune writes such great books that make you feel so much! His writing is amazing and it pulls you into the story. Under The Whispering Door is my second by TJ and like The House In The Cerulean Sea, it was a 5 star read. This story is emotional and funny and moving and I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the slow burn romance and all the supporting characters made the book even better. I also enjoyed how it depicted such heavy subjects (death and loss) but still made the story funny and hopeful. The ending was perfect for me! I highly recommend this book to anyone!

I absolutely loved this book! It was humorous yet it dealt with tragedy in a way that meant something to the reader. I liked both of the MC's a lot and I thought the characterization and character development was particularly well-done. Wallace undergoes some real changes as the plot thickens, which I enjoyed watching come to fruition. I also am one who really enjoys a romance that builds more slowly rather than sex/lustful thoughts the minute they lay eyes on each other. I thought Klune did a fantastic job with the topic of death in ways that made me question some things myself, and I assume it will do the same for others.

I highly recommend this book to others, even if death is a subject one doesn't typically like to read about.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an e-ARC of this book.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an ARC for me to review.

After the phenomenal success of 'The House in the Cerulean Sea', a follow-up would be eagerly anticipated. It didn't disappoint.
Whilst the main character isn't immediately likeable, the writing is and I loved it from the first few pages. Something about the Author's writing really connects with me.
On the surface, the book covers the subject of death. This is a brave topic to take on but eventually, you begin to see that it's so much more than that. It becomes about emotional experiences, love, regret, fear, anger whilst being full of humour. It's expertly crafted.
Shortly after completion, I preordered a physical copy as I know I want to revisit this book many times in the future.
My review can also be found on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/26094184-cadguycad

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing an ARC for me to review.
After the phenomenal success of 'The House in the Cerulean Sea', a follow-up would be eagerly anticipated. It didn't disappoint.
Whilst the main character isn't immediately likeable, the writing is and I loved it from the first few pages. Something about the Author's writing really connects with me.
On the surface, the book covers the subject of death. This is a brave topic to take on but eventually, you begin to see that it's so much more than that. It becomes about emotional experiences, love, regret, fear, anger whilst being full of humour. It's expertly crafted.
Shortly after completion, I preordered a physical copy as I know I want to revisit this book many times in the future.
My review can also be found on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/26094184-cadguycad

Tj knows how to write beautiful journeys. This is such a whimsical, but strong story about how sometimes life isn't what we expect and grief isn't always linear. It's about learning to forgive yourself and others even when it doesn't seemed earned. I loved these characters so much. No one was quite like each other but their found family ties couldn't be any stronger by the end. I'll never stop loving this story or telling others to pick it up

This book is like a warm tea, on a cold sunday morning. It warms my heart.

I love everything about it, the character development, the plot, the world building. I love how easily I fell in love with all of the characters. And the mystery too!

But the ending is kind of predictable, in a way. It soothes my heart but in reality, that ending is a bit too magical. But who says a little magic is bad? Surely not too great either though.

The way T.J. Klune wrap up all conflicts with all characters are great, and I wish all books that I read, provide that kind of closure to every characters, not only the main characters.

Overall, this book is a feel-good book, even if its theme relates to death and afterlife. It's heartwarming. ❤️

Original rating: 4.25⭐️

It was utterly charming! I loved the characters, the romance (and I’m not usually a romance fan) and I want to visit the tea shop!