“We rise and we fall and then we rise once more. We’re all on different paths, but death doesn’t discriminate. It comes for everyone. It’s what you do with it that sets you apart.”

UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR is a queer love story between a ferryman to the afterlife and a ghost who refuses to cross over, and a powerful novel about death, grief, and the meaning we give life. I loved so much of this book but also had mixed feelings about a few aspects. There are many rich and beautiful themes explored here: accepting death, your own and others’; understanding what makes a life good and well-lived; the value of actually being there for someone, giving them time to process and heal, not rushing them; allowing yourself space to grieve what has been lost and what can never be undone; acknowledging the ways you’ve failed but allowing that to push you into being better, instead of into despair. The story plays out in an absolutely magical quirky tea shop setting, where healing happens over a toasty scone and the perfect blend of leaves and conversations with an attentive listener. The idea of the afterlife as a bureaucracy with a by-the-book mid-level manager enforcing not strictly necessary rules is kind of brilliant, and the dynamic of a good-hearted person trying to do their best to care for others in a system that is at best indifferent is very resonant. The main characters form a lovely little found family, teasing each other while showing their care deeply. Nelson and Hugo are both fantastic characters, and I’m obsessed with Mei’s sarcasm and propensity for knives. While I’m generally a sucker for stories about prickly repressed people learning to be free and open themselves up to love, Wallace’s character didn’t really do it for me. The whole bit is that he’s a selfish jerk who redeems himself, but I’m not sure he does. I still don’t really understand why Hugo falls for Wallace - that could have been better motivated in the text. It doesn’t help that it’s three people of color helping to rehabilitate this privileged white guy, which, yeah. Also, this is kinda minor, but there’s a moment where Wallace changes his outfit and accidentally puts on a bikini (it’ll make more sense if you read that part), which then becomes a recurring joke. I don’t like when men wearing traditionally femme clothing is used as a point of humor; it’s on the fringes of transphobic and it’s also just low-hanging fruit. I went into this book a bit skeptical of Klune and that may have impacted how deeply it resonated with me. Overall it is a really beautiful and impactful queer story about life and death, regret and redemption, grief and love, from a writer who knows how to pack a punch and keep his delightful characters at the heart. Thank you to Tor Books for the eARC and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

“Wasn’t that the point? Wasn’t that the great answer to the mystery of life? To make the most of what you have while you have it, the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.”

Content warnings: death of a loved one, anxiety (including panic attacks) and depression, suicide

DNF at 15%. I loved House in the Cerulean Sea and was excited for this one. Unfortunately it isn’t drawing me in and is such a slow start - I feel like everything I read so far could have been just a few pages. This was a miss for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy. I also bought the audiobook.

Under the Whispering Door is the story of Wallace Price, recently dead and starting to realize that he doesn't want to waste his afterlife the way he seems to have wasted his life. I loved Klune's previous book, The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I had high expectations of this book that mostly delivered, though I thought Whispering Door was slower to start and pull me in. Because Wallace is admittedly not a very great guy at the start of the book, I had a harder time feeling invested in his story and success. But I stuck with it and was glad I did. Under the Whispering Door offers more of Klune's patented blend of earnestness that could border on saccharine if it weren't so well balanced by the sarcastic, dry wit,.

The first book that I read this year was The House in the Cerulean Sea and it was everything I needed to start the year after 2020. The book left me feeling like I was wrapped in the warmest, most comforting hug ever.

And guess what... Klune has done it again with Under the Whispering Door. I am amazed by this man’s talent at not just creating these unique and beautiful stories of love and humanity, but creating special characters that you cannot help but fall in love with - some right away and others as they grow and develop with the story.

The relationship formed in this story (as well as the other) is done so naturally and genuinely. You can’t help but feel this hope deep in your gut that a miracle will allow these two men to be together in some way.

I highly recommend this one. It’ll have you feeling ALL the feels, contemplating life and death, and believing in love.

While I didn't love this book as much as Cerulean Sea, this was a solid four-star read. I loved the characters in this book and how real and human they felt (despite some of them being dead!). The beginning moved slow but once I got to about the halfway point I couldn't put it down.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced reader copy -
First and foremost, can’t get over that cover 😍 This cemented TJK as an auto read for me. All the feels and sincerity and heartwarming scenes in this book.. I can't get over it. TJK is one of the best at writing and capturing found family. I will be thinking about this book for quite awhile.

Slow start but the last half really carries the story. A beautiful rumination on grief, loss, and family.

I was really moved by this book. I will admit that I struggled a little more to get into this one than The House on the Cerulean Sea and for a little while, I thought I would have to shelve it without finishing. BUT I did push through and I am glad I did because soon after, it really picked up and had charming hidden depth. I continue to be. abig Klune fan!

This was a must read after The House in the Cerulean Sea. This was a unique and interesting plot line and I really enjoyed it! The character development was flawless and this story really pulled on my heartstrings.

Even though Under the Whispering Door was predictable from the very beginning, I absolutely loved it. T.J. Klune tapped so deep into the emotions of each scene, I swear I spent the second half of the book in tears.

I loved every single character, except for Wallace - which I suppose was Klune's intention. As I'm sure was the goal, he did start to grow on me, but he paled in comparison to the others. They were all such unique, quirky characters, and I appreciated their role in this house and on this journey.

"He hoped wherever he was going that there'd still be the sun and the moon and the stars. He'd spent a majority of his life with his head turned down. It seemed only fair that eternity would allow him to raise his face toward the sky."

The concept allowed for a not-so-abstract discussion about life, death, and meaning. It reminded me of the tv show The Good Place, in that it makes me hopeful to have perspectives like this one out in the world. It's a nice change of pace to read about death without having to factor religion or an all-knowing, all-powerful god into the mix. Conversations about death shouldn't be restricted to religion, and stories like these may provide the perspective needed for some to find meaning in their own life.

"Everyone loses their way at some point, and it's not just because of their mistakes or the decisions they make. It’s because they’re horribly, wonderfully human. And the one thing I've learned about being human is that we can't do this alone. When we're lost, we need help to try to find our way again."

There are several parts of Under the Whispering Door that may be confronting, especially when the causes of death of other ghosts become part of the story. I think the predictability of the book helps with this, though. Since death in its many forms can be triggering, having an idea of where the story is heading can make it hopeful rather than depressing.

Yes, Under the Whispering Door made me sad, but it also made me optimistic and content. This book contained multitudes, as Hugo is so fond of accusing Wallace of containing. This is the third book by Klune that I could not put down - he's quickly climbing my list of favourite, reliable authors.

This book was everything I wanted, and expected, and so much more. I'm so glad I was talked into giving this one a shot. It was so beautifully written, a must-read for everyone's shelf.

I love everything TJ Klune writes and he lived up to my high expectations with this newest book. It was certainly deeper, more introspective, and darker than The House in the Cerulean Sea is his superhero YA series. However it was handled with the finesse, wit, and sucker punch emotions that I love from him. This is a book I expect to return to and gain more from each time.

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea and recommending it to everyone I know,(and even creating some fun character mapping printables for it) I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review the ARC of TJ Klune's next book from NetGalley. I read another review where they reviewer called TJ Klune the "author of queer book hugs" and that couldn't be more accurate!

Klune takes tough subjects and makes them relatable. Here he covers death, grief, murder, suicide, and even the afterlife all wrapped in a rich, wonderful, humorous, caring, and kind way. It's themes of death and dying, the afterlife and the humor with which it is tackled reminded me of Beetlejuice (which I loved by the way).

It’s set in a quaint, small tea shop run by a ferryman, Hugo, who sees spirits to the other side. As we open the book, Wallace is dead and has woken up at his funeral. He was not a great man in life (and that is an understatement). He worked all the time, cared only for money and success, thus never making any meaningful relationships on this Earth. Wallace is met there by Mei, the reaper who has come to take him to the ferryman. In death, Hugo and the other strange residents of the tea shop, alive and dead, slowly crack his hard shell and help him learn to live a little.

If you enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea, you will enjoy Under the Whispering Door. The only real downside in my mind is that if anything, the plot and ending are a little predictable. But that doesn't take the joy out of reading how this cast of characters play out their story until the end.

This book kept me up until 5am and I think that says it all. I loved this book. I loved its characters and its story. I got this book on Netgalley but I am definitely buying a copy now because I know this is a book I will reread.
The story is mostly character-based as we get to see Wallace transform from a rude person to someone who cares. Because I this, I got really attached to all the characters. They are so sweet. I would love to go to their tea shop (though, it means I would be dead?). I loved the talk about grief, life and love, it was really interesting and touching. I still think about it.
I recommend this book to people looking for emotions, humour and strong character development.
5/5

Under the Whispering Door by by T.J. Klune was one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2021 and it really delivers. I didn't quite love it to quite the same degree as The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it was still marvelous to get to meet Wallace, Hugo, and their world. Klune is such a talented writer that it's hard not to let yourself get lost in his work. I've only read two books from him so far, but he's quickly become a favorite of mine. I need to get caught up on his past works and I'm dying for whatever he decides to write in the future.

Wallace Price was not a good person. He was a lawyer, so enter stereotypes, but he was a mean lawyer. He was mean to his staff and he was mean to his ex-wife.

And then he died.

He enters an in-between world between earth and the afterlife. He meets a cast of characters and tries to get along with them while accepting his fate. He doesn't want to be dead and he doesn't want to be in this tea house.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea and unfortunately, this one fell short. It seemed like the same formula but the cast of characters wasn't as likeable. The premise could have been really cool, but it just dragged on and fell flat. I felt the story didn't go anywhere and there wasn't anything to really keep me turning the pages. Wallace wasn't a very likeable character, but I don't think that he was supposed to be. We saw him change and realize his mistakes, which was good, but it didn't have the same magic as The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Klune's stories are always fun. The characters, while occasionally cartoonish, are always heartfelt and his writing makes you really care for them.

Found-family, redemption, self-compassion... what's not to love about this amazing TJ Klune novel with the heart of The Good Place and the soul of his other novels.

So I just finished the audiobook for Under the whispering door and I LOVED it. I'm actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it as I don't usually like anything with amain team of death. However, there's something about this book and audiobook that made me fall in love with it.

I know for a fact it's the audiobook that made me love it more than I would've if I had read it because I'm not one for deep subjects in my books 😅😅 But I loved this one, it's very quotable and has some great humour which I appreciated.

Loved all of the characters and especially Wallace's development. I don't have much to say tbh as I'm out of practice when it comes to reviews 😅🤣🤣

Just know that I really enjoyed this one and while I've seen some mixed reviews, I can say that I enjoyed this almost as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea. I love how T J Klune just builds a found family of such different characters and how he writes their relationships.

This book! Under the Whispering Door is so thought provoking, showing things are not always what they seem and people are not always so one sided. I loved this so much! TJ Klune has written several of my favorite books now and I just adore his writing.