Heavy topics told with warmth, whimsy, and lightness. At times this book was laugh at loud funny. It also made me cry. When I finished the books I was left speechless and quiet to ponder everything in the book. While predictable this book packed a punch. Part of it was loss, grief, and relief felt so real. Add in found family elements and this book was perfect. Well not perfect I didn't like how the book tired to tare down concepts of Christianity but other than that I loved the book.

Brilliant author T.J. Klune is back with another emotional read. He's the author that brought us The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinaries. Now, we get to read Under the Whispering Door.

Wallace Price was admittedly not the best of people in life. You'd think that would make the afterlife less shocking for him – but you'd be wrong. He was pretty surprised the day he dropped dead; that much is certain.

Wallace's journey on this earth isn't quite over, as he needs to come to terms with his death. This involves spending time at a tea shop run by a man named Hugo. It's Huge's job to help those that have passed make peace with their new status and cross through the whispering door.


“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.”

Having read the rest of T.J. Klune's backlog, it is safe to say that I had reasonably high expectations for Under the Whispering Door (along with probably every other reader on the planet). And wow! My already high expectations were blown away!

To be clear, before sitting down to read Under the Whispering Door, I would strongly recommend you get yourself a cozy blanket, your cuddliest pet (if you have one), and a box of tissues because this book is going to give you all of the feels. Seriously. You've been warned.

Wallace should win an award for the most character development I've ever seen within a single book. He went from a character I really didn't like all that much (putting it kindly) to a character I wanted to hug and protect with all of my being.


“Death isn’t a final ending, Wallace. It is an ending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning.”

He isn't the only character I fell in love with through the course of Under the Whispering Door. Klune is a genius when it comes to creating lovable characters, and I, for one, cannot wait to see what character he's going to create next that will utterly destroy my heart.

Words cannot express how much I loved this novel or how deeply it hit me. I would recommend this novel to anyone willing to listen, especially those looking for a fantasy novel that will touch the heart.

Wallace has died. He's met by a Reaper and everything. But then he's taken to a ... tea shop? it's not quite how he pictured the afterlife. Turns out he has not quite moved on all the way, so he's "stuck" in this tea shop for 7 days, to give him time to process and let go of everything he'll be leaving behind.

I love Klune's world-building, his quirky characters, how he addresses love and loss, and grief in this book. I did not love it quite as much as I loved House in the Cerulean Sea, though. It just did not grab and hold me in the same way.

I was highly anticipating this book because I really enjoyed TJ Klune's A House in the Cerulean Sea (though it had its own issues). I think TJ Klune does a really great job in the way he is able to construct characters that I get deeply and emotionally attached to. I love their character arcs specifically and how I feel as a reader that I get to grow alongside them. I think I'm officially a fan of the grump/sunshine trope solely because of his books haha,

I went into this book basically blind, and I found the premise and topic of the book was very important and it made me think of my own questions about mortality and death. I know that can sound gruesome, but as someone who wishes to go into healthcare one day, I find that it's not a topic that's really talked about or taught outwardly in medical school even despite being surrounded by people who may be close to the end of their time in life. I found the ending to be hopeful and it changed my own views on how I viewed death.

I think the only downsides I found in this novel were that certain phrases though I understood why needed to empathize were just repeated a bit too much. I would see the same line for line phrases not just 1-2 times, but 5-6 times. That wasn't too big of a deal, just a writing style that I didn't mesh with. The other thing that kind of ended up bothering me a little was the concept of how you're stronger the more you are able to go through hardships and come out the other side (in context to suicide and mental health specifically). It can be triggering to people with mental illnesses to be told that their mental state is seen as a cowards' way out and how that it's easier to be susceptible to it rather than trying to overcome it. This concept I don't think had ill intentions but came off sounding a little arrogant or above others which I didn't appreciate.

Overall, I did end up liking this book and will probably be picking up more Klune books in the future.

Read this a while ago and loved it! Read it while I was at a really sad point in my life and it made me happy! It forever has a place on my shelf! ❤️

Made me laugh, made me cry, made me believe in love. What an incredible, beautiful, heart-stopping work. I can't stop recommending this to people.

Just loved this book so much!!!! Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the cover art, kudos there. It adds to the whimsical vibe of the book. If you’ve read The House in the Cerulean Sea, Door feels very similar.

But this book wasn’t for me. It felt long and drawn out in places. And after Wallace’s death, I kept thinking of Scrooge and A Christmas Carol, especially after what happens at the end (trying not to give away spoilers).

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this advanced reader’s eCopy.

Touching second novel from an interesting author. Important examination about life and death and grief.

Although this book had a slow start, it had the most beautiful ending. The character development throughout is some of the best I've ever read. I adore these characters, and the found family trope is done so beautifully here. Sometimes a family is a ferryman, a reaper, two ghost men and a ghost dog. The way Hugo and Mei help people through death to what comes next is both heartwrenching and heartwarming in equal measures.

This was a great story and I have grown to truly love TJ Klune's work. This story taught lesson and was thought provoking. I did feel it was rather slow paced in the middle and I struggled to get through it quickly, it was a good pace to reflect on my own life while reading it.

Absolutely fantastic. A wonderful follow up to The House in the Cerulean Sea. Delightful characters, fantastically imaginative and compulsively readable. TJ Klune fast is becoming one of my favorite authors.

Under the Whispering Door is an exploration of where we go When we die. When Wallace- a selfish corporate lawyer dies suddenly of a heart attack, he is met with an enter purgatory. He never imagined an impossible tea house is the answer to the age old question "where do we go when we die?"

Is it possible to review this and not compare it to house in the cerulean sea? because it FEELS impossible. I liked the easy whimsy of House in the Cerulean Sea and the way the darker story elements complimented that whimsy. Where that ease of whimsy carried me through THITCS, it let me down in Under the Whispering Door. It felt a little bit more forced and almost cheesy. It took me forever to finish this novel. The pace was slow and by the time I reached the conclusion I felt like I had fell out of love with the characters a little bit. Everything was lost in the amount of superfluous comings and goings of this story. The conclusion I came to after reflecting on this story a little bit is I would have loved this as a short story, but it was pretty low-key in plot to account for almost 400 pages!

I enjoyed the creativity of this story, and although it was a lot quieter than THITCS, I did find some profoundness in the stillness of this book! I think I just came into this story expecting more plot than I was faced with, and whether that is on me for coming in with undue expectations or the author, is up for debate. I am still lookin forward to more TJ Klune novels, this was not able to hit the spot the way House in The Cerulean Sea did!

Poetic and wise, the reader almost doesn't realize they have stumbled into profound universal truths for the delightful characters and engaging dialogue. I could not put it down and I never wanted it to end.

Simple perfection from TJ Klune. It was a little slow to start but once I got into it, I loved it. As far as I am concerned any book by TJ Klune is a winner and a must read.

TJ Klune does it again. With a ragtag but endearing group of characters, the book addresses how we transition from life to death and realizing the blessings your life offered you. It also addresses love in many different ways. Beautiful story. (I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review on #Netgalley). #TJKlune #UnderTheWhisperingDoor. FIVE STARS!

While expecting “The House On the Cerulean Sea” that is not at all what I got. TJ Kune is so talented. Both books I have read have drawn me in in completely different ways and held onto me until the very end.

I absolutely adored this one. The magical feelings, the quirky characters, and the life lessons were exactly everything I've come to know and love with Klune. I loved the setting of the tea shop and this one kind of gave me Pushing Daisies (older TV show) vibes, which I loved. I love a grouchy character whose heart of stone turns out to just need a bit of polishing. I cried multiple times, which was entirely expected when it comes to a book about death and moving on. This was touching, and wonderful. I will absolutely pick up any book written by TJ Klune going forward.

Even when you think it’s the end… it’s only the beginning.

This story follows Wallace Price’s journey in the afterlife as he meets a Reaper, a ferryman, a manager, and a very interesting grandpa.


This was really lovely to listen and read! A tad long in my opinion but a moving, thoughtful story about what it means to truly live and love.

I dually listened and read this audiobook and the narrator for the audiobook was great - they did a great job with all the different characters.

This is a spoiler-free review. Where do I begin? I loved House in the Cerulean Sea, and this title had a lot of the similar feel - despite being fantastical and other-worldly, it is whimsical, it feels homely, and it feels real. This concept and portrayal of the reapers was unique and I felt myself compelled to read just to find out more about the structure of their enterprise. I felt for Wallace, and despite him self-sabotaging constantly, I never disliked him. I liken him to the Grinch, in a lot of ways, how could you not root for someone who has never really understood the concept of love.

I found myself engrossed in the pages, and completely overtaken by the story. I can't want for the next one by TJ Klune, I'll be at the top of the waiting list.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!