I didn’t love this book and I really wanted to. I found it too depressing. I think the problem was that I thought it was going to be like House in the Cerulean Sea.

It's been a few days since I read this and I was truly hoping Under the Whispering Door would gain a greater appreciation with me before I wrote a review. It pains me to give this 3 stars, even though 3 is fine I had anticipated a raving 5. TJ Klune had previously captured my heart with The House in the Cerulean Sea and the quirky yet loveable characters. Let's just say the bar was really high for this one. Wallace Price a mean miserable lawyer dies early on and his met by his reaper at his funeral. He is then taken to his ferryman who will help him cross to the other side of death. What follows is a journey of the stages of grief as Wallace comes to terms with who he was in life and who will he become in the afterlife. There was a lot of telling about the curmudgeon instead of showing. While I think there was some good messages to be explored within the pages it seemed a bit more surface level than I would have liked. Big sigh as this was a highly anticipated book for me.

I feel horrible because I generally love TJ Klune's books. One of my all time favorite books is one of his. Yet, this one I just couldn't get into very well. It could be because I am still grieving the loss of my mother. Or it just could be that this premise wasn't good for me in general. Either way I tried three different times to get into this book so I am just going to set it to the side until another day. I am still going to give it five stars here because the writing is wonderful all of these problems are my own.

When I started this book I honestly didn't think that I would like it, but the more I read the more I loved it. It was a beautifully written wholesole but heartbreaking novel exploring grief, death, what comes after, love, friendship, and family.

The characters were fantastic. ALSO THERE IS A GHOST DOG.
I highly recommend reading Under the Whispering Door.

I read both the kindle arc of this book and I reread it by listening to the audiobook after it was released. I thought the narrator did a great job! I am looking forward to reading more from TJ Klune!

Thank You Netgalley and publisher for allowing me the chance to read this novel.

I thought this book was lovely, but it didn’t capture my attention like The House in the Cerulean Sea. I thought the story was overly long and drawn-out. However, this book definitely captures the same whimsical atmosphere as Klune’s previous works

I absolutely loved The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, so I had very high expectations of Under the Whispering Door! THe audiobook delivered!

I'll be honest, I had a hard time getting into the ebook version, however, the audiobook had be falling in love! There are parts that are a bit slow as characters and story develop, so the ebook didn't move quickly enough for me but the audiobook moved at a clip that kept me totally engrossed.

This story and the characters are so incredibly lovable. You will want to jump into this world and meet them, hug them and sit down for a cup of tea with them! The atmosphere is soothing and welcoming as well. This may be an odd thing to describe a book environment as, but I mean it! The tea shop is simply serene.

The story tackles tough subject matter delicately and portrays an all inclusive group of characters.

3.5 stars - I knew going in it wouldn't be another Cerulean Sea, so I didn't set my expectations high. It took the first half of the book to really start getting into the story. It makes you question how you live your life, but this story was so drawn out and predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

Klune's newest novel is heartwarming, earnest, light, and sweet, with a vision of an in-between afterlife that is surprisingly romantic, redemptive--and centered around tea.

"...we have to let go, no matter how scary it can be."
I love an exploration of mortality, and in T.J. Klune's newest book, Under the Whispering Door, the author offers a heartwarming story that does just that.

Klune's story features the selfish, narcissistic, workaholic character of Wallace, who notices one day that things in his life seem awry--and who is beginning to suspect that he is in fact dead. In a nod to A Christmas Carol, the Scrooge-like beginning to the book shows the insufferable, lonely Wallace witnessing his own sparsely attended funeral and hearing cutting remarks about his own outrageous rudeness and significant shortcomings.

Before crossing over from the living forever, Wallace spends time in a mysterious in-between place (a tea house) in the form of a ghost and attempts to come to terms with his demise--and also possibly redeem himself a little bit before it's too late.

Klune, the author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, offers another whimsical, tender, light-LGBTQ-love story about finding your true self, recognizing what you love, and treasuring friends who feel as precious as family.

The inclusion, loyalty, and friendships here were heartwarming. The story's characters are full of love. Because even the grumpiest characters have soft, kind inner selves that emerge and act according to motivations that are often predictable, the characters often feel caricature-like. The book offers a handful of moments that felt too easy, and there's some significant repetition (for example, the idea of “you’re allowed to ask questions, it would be strange if you didn’t, and you're not supposed to know everything…but don't ask that question!”)

Much like The House in the Cerulean Sea, the tone of this book for adults was earnest and felt to me to be geared toward a more juvenile audience than the story (it is at heart an exploration of mortality and what might happen after death; sex is alluded to; and characters fall in love).

The first half of the book felt slowly paced and was spent with Wallace in limbo, being told how many things aren't known about the in-between state--and how little is known about what comes after. The last quarter of the book involved some transformation, action, and surprises, and the ending is very sweet.

Although the tones of the two books felt different, the explorations of mortality and redemption here reminded me somewhat of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. If you're interested in memoirs that explore similar themes, check out the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Powerful Memoirs about Facing Mortality.

Klune is also the author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Wolfsong, and The Extraordinaries.

I received a prepublication digital edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Tor Books.

This book had a whimsical voice that grabbed me from the get go. I can see why this author appeals to so many people and will now be putting his first book on my tbr list. Great story, excellent characters you can't help but love and a story that grips you, page by page.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I don't even know where to begin!

Once upon a time, I DNF’D T.J Klune, putting him in the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ basket. Boy am I glad I decided to give him another go because Under the Whispering Door blew me away.

I laughed, I cried, and it tugged at my heartstrings one too many times.

A true masterpiece that will really make you think about the meaning of life.

I will forever be a fan of TJ Klune’s quirky, heartwarming writing style. Actually, can I leave this world and join one of his? The House in the Cerulean Sea was my all-time favorite read of 2020, and his latest, Under the Whispering Door, is a nourishing, serotonin-boosting, introspective look at life and moving through grief.

When a reaper collects workaholic Wallace Price at his funeral, he’s far from ready to leave his life. But Wallace doesn’t really have a choice, does he? That’s how he ends up at Hugo’s teashop, a waystation for those who have recently passed before they move on to what’s next. Thus beings a story of healing, finding one’s place, and love.

Read this if:
-you like crying and laughing at the same time
-you’re in the mood for something feel-good
-you want an easy, fulfilling read

If you're looking to get into TJ Klune, I recommend this book. As someone who's read (almost) all of the backlist, I think that this is a tame, but still sweet and heartfelt way to dive in.
We're following Wallace, who has recently died, and the ferryman who's preparing him for whatever comes after life.
I understood that Wallace had to basically relearn how to be around other people, but there were times where it felt like they were beating it over my head, and the characters acted like they were dialed up to 100.

This book is a lot heavier than I thought it would be. This book has a "Christmas Carol" quality to the plot. Wallace is an unlikeable character but it was interesting to see him process everything. The book also felt slow-paced and some parts felt long and I never felt like I was fully immersed in the story. The romance was nice. I loved the addition of a friendly ghost dog named Apollo. TJ Klune is a gifted writer. I was excited about this book because I adored The House in the Cerulean Sea. That book was a hug of a book and full of comfort. This book still has that lightness but is darker at the same time. I enjoyed this book, it's not a favorite; however, I will continue to read TJ Klune's works.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.


I was so excited for this book, I loved House in the Cerulean Sea so much. But, unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me quite like that book did. It had the same quirky vibe, with different characters, but it lacks connection (for me anyway). It started off interesting, where we meet Wallace, the uptight, lawyer main character who dies. He is quite unlikeable, but that's the point. However, as character driven as this novel is, and as much as I like Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and Apollo, the growth of Wallace and connection with all the other characters just wasn't there. It was, at times, a bit hard to get into and lacked anything profound by the end. I felt like I should have felt more than I did. Should have connected more than I did. Unfortunately, I did not. It wasn't a bad book, I did like it, I just didn't love it. I did really like the last quarter of the book though.

TJ Klune has such a unique writing style, full of whimsy but also beauty, and I simply adore everything he writes! This book was one that tugged all of the heart strings - in some ways, it reminded me of THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig - wholly different books but fans of one will adore the other I think :) one of my favorite reads of 2021!

I absolutely love TJ Klune! He brings you into these beautiful, moving, and emotional worlds. He really finds a way to engross you in this magical place that you never want to leave. This book is different than the House in the Cerulean Sea, but just as magic. It breaks your heart, but it a special and heartfelt way. I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone!!

Excellent collection of short stories about Cambodian Americans coming of age. They are all dealing with the reason why their families migrated to America, the Khmer Rouge. The parents are still haunted by what they witnessed, but the kids want to live their lives their way.

"I'm still here. I'm still here."

I've been reading about death lately.

Coping mechanisms come in all sorts of shapes and forms, I guess, but reading is what gets me to successfully acknowledge and process my emotions toward loss.

I put off reading this book after receiving a free arc of it due some of the things I heard and read about the author in association with his more popular novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea; but a friend reach out to me and told me I should give it a go. She said, and I quote, "I think you need to? It's a bit about mourning for a ghost," which threw me for a loop because isn't that what grief is?
Mourning for ghosts?

There's a line repeated a few times in the book, something along the lines of 'You died but you still exist' that just... got to me. Got to the root of a lot of internal stuff I was processing through and led to the first of many bursts of ugly tears. Hell, I'm crying right now as I type this because this isn't a book review. It's a journal entry. Reading this book felt like necessary therapy work for me, which is why I decided to post about it.

It's not the best book on the planet, nor does it have the most refreshing dialogue or tropes, but it settled something for me, which is why I will always be grateful for the experience the story provided.

Like the warning at the beginning of this novel states, this is a book about life and the various forms of death - "quiet, unexpected, and death by suicide." Please read with care.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an e-galley of Under the Whispering Door.

I don't know where to begin with this book. First, I would grab the tissues as this book is now on my "So You Want to Feel All the Feels" list. TJ Klune knocked it out of the park with this unique exploration of what happens when we die. I still have no idea how they can evoke such feelings for characters I have only met on the page. From start to finish, this was a wonderful journey and I am so glad that I took my time savoring this read.

10/10 stars - will be reading again soon.

3.5 - This book!! It was thought provoking, charming, moving and creative. There were parts (it felt a little full and messy to me) I didn't enjoy but overall it was truly good. I enjoyed the character building and the way you're led to a "conclusion". Thank you NetGalley for the free copy!