TJ Klune fan here! House in the Cerulean Sea is easily one of my favorite books of all time so I was highly anticipating this one. I have to say, this one was MUCH slower and harder for me to get into. While I did find it to have the same TJ Klune charm, the story fell a bit short for me. Hoping to give it a reread one day in physical copy as I have discovered that this makes a huge difference in my reading experience! Still recommend for those that love found family stories, hard topics being discussed through a magical story, and quirky love.

After Wallace's death, he goes to Charon's Crossing to help him cross to the other side. There, he finds Hugo, who can see spirits. Hugo is there to help him cross but fate has a different plan.
Opinion
This was a very intriguing book. It posed some situations that made me think about what happens after death. (Do we just cease to exist? Do we go somewhere temporarily? Do we go to our final destination? What happens when we get where we are going?) I'm sure we've all asked these types of questions before but by reading the book my mind had time to sit and ponder these questions.
There was one spot that seemed to go against my Christian upbringing. (For those of you who would be aggravated by that, it was a minor part and did not leave me with a bad taste in my mouth.)
Many thanks to Net Galley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC of this book and many apologies for taking so long to review it. I really loved this book and could kick myself for waiting so long.

I really enjoyed this book!

Wallace Phineas Price is an asshole. A workaholic and cruel employer, he doesn’t blink before firing anyone who works for him.

He dies.

This is the story of his purgatory, where we watch him come to terms with his death. The overarching theme of death and the afterlife is explored using extremely fun, sarcastic characters that made me laugh out loud and a sprinkle of romance to top it off. Even though it deals with some heavy topics, the characters are incredibly entertaining and manage to lighten the darker themes.

It asks familiar questions like ‘what is the meaning of it all?’ and ‘had any of it mattered?’ and even though the author and I have differing ideas about what the afterlife entails (the book states that “there is no God”), I still thoroughly enjoyed this story. The character development of Wallace was realistic, and I loved seeing him grow throughout the course of the story. It is very rare that books make me cry, but the ending of this book had me SOBBING.

Overall, I thought it was a great read, and I think the author did a fantastic job tackling those big questions.

TJ Klune does it again! Another quirky and emotional book with a really interesting premise and layered characters. If you enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea I think you'll like this one too.

This author has taken the world by storm with their heart wrenching and wholesome books, under the whispering door was no exception a story that will have you laughing and crying, kicking and screaming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for arc.

This is truly a beautiful and tender book about love, loss, quirkiness and heartbreakingly wholesome.

The characters are developed beautifully and just pop from the page.

The writing style is so brilliant that I felt their grief, love, frustration and happiness.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is a whimsical and heartfelt exploration of life and death. The novel follows Wallace Price, a recently deceased lawyer who finds himself stuck in a liminal space between life and the afterlife. As he grapples with his newfound reality, he meets Hugo, the ferryman tasked with guiding souls to their final destinations. Together, they embark on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

Klune's writing weaves humor into deep introspection. It definitely elicited some self reflection during and after reading.

One of the book’s strengths is its vibrant and diverse cast of characters, which seeks to make amends for previous critiques of TJK. The characters are round and layered, and overall I liked them! There was a bit of a barrier that left them feeling a bit elusive and distance to me as a reader, but I can’t really put my finger on it. Perhaps that’s the intent, acknowledging purgatory?

I did not like the pacing of this story at all. The narrative drags, leading to moments of stagnation that detract from the overall momentum.

TJK definitely sacrificed some world-building in exchange for the exploration of deeper themes and the concept of death. The afterlife itself (not feelings about it) somehow still felt underdeveloped even with its focus on the story.

While it has some flaws, the heartfelt message and charming characters made for a solid read.

Sadly this might be my least favourite T J Klune novel, there were some highlights but mainly it felt like a story that never quite reached it's full potential. It always felt as though it was building up to something rather than telling me a fascinating tale. I am disappointed as I expected to love this, and for the most part I did like the characters but I don't think I could root for Wallace the way I wanted to. It's still a 3 star read as I there were glimmers of enjoyment but I just wish it had interested me more. The ending may have mostly saved this novel.

”The first time you share tea, you are a stranger. The second time you share tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share tea, you become family.”

I have resently read Klune's "The house in the cerulean sea" and liked it quite a lot. Was looking forward to the opportunity to recieve an arc of this one and it did not dispoint in the least. I fell in love with all the characters. We first meet Wallace, the uptight lawyer who dies. Then his reaper Mei who sits behind him at his funeral and is to bring him to his ferryman Hugo, the owner of a strange little teashop. At the teashop we also meet some other very important characters including the ghost of potential servicedog Apollo and the ghost that is Hugo' grandfather Nelson. But the character that really broke my heart was Cameron. He has a smaller but very important role in the middle to end part of the book. Klune's amazing mix of humor with serious themes around grief will have you both smiling and perhaps sheading a tear or two in the same chapter. I loved this book and will recomend it to just about everyone.

I saw someone recomend it as "A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place" and agree with that description.

Such a sweet and charming story of love when you least expect it.

I loved this book so much. It hit the heart strings pretty bad. Trigger warning for those who might find it hard to read anything to do with suicide.

The characters are fab and the love story beats that of ' The Princess Bride'.

5 stars. Brilliant, and I highly recommend this book. I have greatly enjoyed the other TJ Klune books I've read so far, but this book touched me and resonated with me so much more. I laughed and I cried and I also had to think a lot, about death, about life, about love. Cannot recommend this book enough.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers for a digital ARC of this wonderful, beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is hard to review. I really enjoyed it, but it also made me cry a lot! It's a story of grief and therefore isn't always the easiest thing to read, but is definitely something I recommend doing as it is so beautifully done. All that said, it is also a book of joy that made me smile and laugh throughout.

So worth reading. 4.5 stars.

Klune does it again with another fantastic book! This book had me glued to every page and wouldn't let go! What a master at weaving such complex characters in an equally complex situation.

If there is one thing I can rely on in any book of TJ's that I read, it's a cast of characters that has me laughing, crying, and being so damn grateful for the people in my own life. Under the Whispering Door was no different. TJ writes people with compassion and tenderness in such a way that makes his work an instant-read for me.

Recommended to:
- fans of whimsical settings
- people who love found family
- folks seeking a second chance

Please keep in mind that this story tackles death and dying for a significant potion of the book. 🩶

This reminded me a lot of ‘a monster calls,’ as this is also a whimsical story that so gently and lovingly explores grief and how to cope with loss. but in the same vein as ‘the midnight library’ and ‘the five people you meet in heaven,’ this also insightfully shows what it means to live a good life, who to live it for, and how it is never too late to make it mean something .If someone had told me a week ago that I would fall in love with a book whose primary focus is death, I probably would’ve smiled and nodded politely while secretly wondering why this person was so weird. It’s not a subject a lot of people want to think about, much less read close to 400 pages focused on. TJ Klune’s wonderful gem of a book may just change your feelings on it!Klune wrote a book that’s insightful and deep, without being heavy, one that made me laugh and smile over and over, and - for someone who doesn’t cry easily - made me blubber like a damn fool! I fell in love with all these characters and dreaded the book ending because I didn’t want to leave my adopted home with them in the woods.

TJ Klune is on my list of authors whose books I like to comfort read. I adored this book. I tend to avoid books where grief is the theme, but Klune's story was so endearing and heartfelt that I couldn't put it down. It was a lovely follow up to The House in the Cerulean Sea.

I really enjoyed this book and I am finding that TJ Klune is becoming more and more one of my favorite authors. I had a chance to get books signed by him at the Tucson festival of books this weekend but the line was super long and I missed it. I hope I can meet him some other time. So far there has only been one of his books that I haven't really cared for.

Absolutely loved this, the story, the part about identity, the friendships, family, love and all of it.

/ Denise

the found family in this book, the character development, the love, discussions around life and death, and the fact that it almost made me cry, is EVERYTHING!

Wallace dies, and when the reaper comes to collect him from his funeral, he's taken to a strange little teashop run by Hugo, who says he will help Wallace to cross over. Wallace was not a very nice person in his life, and this is the story of how he changes and grows during his death.

I generally enjoyed this story--the writing is easy to read, the characters are wonderfully drawn, and the message is a sweet one. I did feel like it went on a little too long; it dragged a bit in the middle and I kept waiting for it to pick up pace. Recommended for readers who enjoy heartwarming stories and cozy fantasy.