TJ Klune does it again, he definitely is one of the best LGTBQ+ community authors out there. This book was just amazing. We get a main character called Wallace that we learn to love thorough the story and then by the end I totally felt in love with him.

Wallace is a ghost and he doesn’t learn how to live until he dies so this book is so heartfelt because of this reason


LOVED THE BOOK, go and buy it now

Not as good as "House in the Cerulean Sea," but it hit the same warm fuzzy notes. I really appreciated how Klune gave the characters space to be flawed and grow organically.

“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.”

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead. Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. Off the path through the woods is a particular tea shop run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over. But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo's help, he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.

I'm finally done with exam week, and I finally managed to finish this book!! Even though it took me two weeks to finish, I really enjoyed this one!

I always love books about grief. I don't read them often because of how heavy they are, but I always give them high ratings. And this book might be the most unique story about grief I've ever read.

This is a story about a character mourning the life they could have had, grieving what could have been, and even though it was so heartbreaking at times, there was still a hopeful tone. This is a book about hope. Hope that we can change and be a better person, hope that there is something after death.

T.J. Klune's books all have a lighter, fun tone, and this one is no different. Yes, it's still a book about death, but it manages to be so funny and so cozy.

The characters were all so easy to fall in love with. All of them were so well fleshed out, even the side characters. And like with all of T.J. Klune's books, it's found family excellence!!

It's a very character-driven story, which I personally really love. The pacing is also very slow, so I understand why this book might not be for everyone, but I really recommend it if you want an emotional read!

Also, reading the last 50 pages of this book listening to Phoebe Bridgers wasn't a good idea because I didn't have any tears left in my body after finishing it.

CW: death (including death by suicide, child death, unexpected death, and death of pets), grief, panic attacks.

I adore the writings of T. J. Klune. This book takes the reader from Mr. Scrooge to a beautiful, witty, and loving man. It certainly made me reflect on my own life as I watched the redemption of this character. The writing was a bit “textbooky” when it went through the stages of grief; however, the character development, the humor, and the love story were just what I needed.

Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I so wanted to love this book, but being that this was what caused my almost-month long reading slump (and not in a good way), I just can’t say that I did. Under the Whispering Door feels leagues away from T.J. Klune’s usually writing and style, there’s an underlying gloom permeates all over the book that attaches itself to the reader and hinders one from internalizing the happy moments peppered throughout the book. Admittedly, a part of myself kept comparing it to The House in the Cerulean Sea which may have slightly clouded my judgment, even though I know I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help it... UTWD just lacked the magic to pull me in.

Klune’s version of the after life was fascinating. The systems in place and the bureaucracy was an almost refreshing take on moving on, especially the way he discusses the stages of grief and how the protagonist, Wallace Price, and his friends, tackle those stages. I was apprehensive of Wallace from the beginning and while my heart went out to him and the things he endured/went through, I couldn’t find it in me to actually empathize with the man. It was difficult to connect with him, I felt like an outsider looking in the whole time.

My main issue with the book was how intentional so much of the text was, it felt like Klune relied too much on specific lines to tug at your heartstrings instead of having you get attached to the characters and the story. So many of those lines were both redundant and contradictory; UTWD constantly talks about moving on and forgiving yourself and others but at the same time tells you to never let go of the people you love and hold dear; it also pushes very moralistic platitudes that seem magnanimous but are actually trite. It was honestly exhausting after the first few lessons.

While my feelings for Under the Whispering Door lean more towards the lukewarm than the positive, I am still 100% going to read whatever T.J. Klune is going to write next. I think he’s a brilliant story-teller but this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Tor Books for the eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgally for the ARC of this wonderful book!

I went into this book with high expectations after loving THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA, and I was not disappointed. It was such a heartwarming book, I read it almost all in one sitting. Death is a difficult topic to write about, and Klune wrote this story beautifully. From the plot to the lovable characters, I enjoyed every minute of this one.

3.5 stars

While this book left me feeling all warm and fuzzy, it took entirely too long for me to get into. There was parts that I was starting to skim at the beginning. But, once you're hooked, you're fully hooked. T.J just has this incredible way of creating these unbelievable and magical worlds and placing them right in our world and making them feel real. Like, it feels entirely possible we could live in this far away town with a tea shop run by people that help the dead cross over.

This is one of those T.J. Klune books that just makes your heart happy and I adored that about it.

5 stars! TJ Klune continues to outdo himself. His books keep getting better and better. If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea then this book is right up your street.

The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorite reads of 2021 until I read this book. Safe to say I will read anything TJ Klune writes at this point.

This book. THIS BOOK. It was just so heartwarming and thought provoking and emotional. I felt all the feelings while reading this and I fell in love with all of the characters each for their own reasons. I feel like Klune does character development so well.

Wallace is not a nice guy by any means. There are no warm and fuzzies when it comes to him... and then he dies and is collected by a reaper at his own funeral. From here Wallace is brought to a special tea shop where he waits until he is ready to pass through the door to whatever comes next. The other characters at the tea shop have such amazing dynamic and they really are a family of the most unusual sorts.

At the beginning of the book I did not like Wallace - you're not supposed to, really. By the end I was in tears and that's all I'll say.

READ THIS BOOK. Really. It's just so good.

“Under the Whispering Door” by TJ Klune

Wallace Price has no family or friends; his only personal connection is his ex-wife…who absolutely hates him. He’s a lawyer who has built a reputation on fear, rather than respect, and he is ruthless both in his cases and to his employees. His relatively drab life leads him from work to an empty house, and back again, and that’s the way he likes it. Or so he claims. Then one day, at forty-years-old, Wallace drops dead of a heart attack, and when he attends his own funeral and overhears the few attendants discussing that Wallace’s death was no real “loss,” he’s both confused and angry.
Enter Mei, Wallace’s equally sassy and sweet Reaper. Mei arrives at Wallace’s funeral to take him to see Hugo, the ferryman, whose job is to help Wallace cross over. Cross over to what? No one can seem to tell Wallace that one fact, and he’s soon had enough. Both Mei and Hugo are human, and Wallace wants to go back to the life he had; whether it was a good life or not shouldn’t be up for discussion, in his opinion. Wallace begins to act out in whatever limited ways he can, much to the dismay of Nelson, Hugo’s grandfather, who made the choice long ago to stay with Hugo as a ghost, rather than cross over himself. Wallace has no choice but to adapt or leave, and since he doesn’t want to go, he begins to make the most of the situation.
This book deals with the topics of death, grief, and the choices that make us who we are, in a beautiful and intriguing way. There’s a little bit of humor, an unexpected love story between Wallace and Hugo—but only after Wallace begins to love himself first—and a cast of truly loveable characters. It was so wonderful to follow along Wallace’s journey that I was sad to see the book come to an end. This is one you should not miss!

Reviewed by Abbey Peralta for Suspense Magazine

I am thrilled to have been able to read an advanced copy of this book. Thank you NetGalley and Tor! Seeing this one in my inbox was a profound moment!

This is a book about death. I don’t think that should deter you though. Wallace is a Scrooge character- he is awful and terrible but when he dies he is taken by Mei to the ferryman Hugo. This is just the beginning.

The rest of the book follows as Wallace learns from his new friends and realizes maybe there is more to life and death than the way he’s been going. There is so much to glean about life and relationships and everything around us. This was a heartwarming and special book, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is whimsical and joyful and so full of life(pun intended). I think that TJ Klune is a genius and I honestly cannot wait to read his next release.

The gift to be able to make difficult topics- like death- so accessible is a fantastic one and I hope that many people find the joy and magic in Under the Whispering Door.

Unlike many readers, I haven’t had a chance to read Klune’s popular recent novel (The House in the Cerulean Sea), but after reading UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR, it has jumped to the top of my list of books to read.

UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR is a beautiful, hopeful, at times whimsical, at times heavy novel chronicling Wallace Price’s death and what comes after. I loved watching Wallace grow and learn, I adored the characters he met along the way- Nelson and Apollo, Hugo and Mei- and really enjoyed the ways this novel tackled love and loss, grief and redemption, family and life and death. This story touches on so many universal themes and questions- what does it mean to be human? What happens after we die? - that I’d recommend it wholeheartedly for anyone. A very lovely, heartfelt novel.

Thank you the NetGalley for the ARC which I received in exchange for my honest review.

T.J. Klune is someone who gave us 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' last year and I don't need to tell you what a book that was. So, when @netgalley approved my request for an ARC of Under the Whispering Door, I was overjoyed.
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It is the story of Wallace Price, who realises he is dead when a reaper, Mei, comes to fetch him. He is lead to a tea shop tucked away in the mountains, owned by Hugo, who acts as a ferryman to souls, helping them deal with this change and then move on. But Wallace Price isn't ready to move on. He is angry and frustrated. So he refuses to pass through the whispering door and slowly becomes a part of this tea shop. He learns how to be a ghost who can lift furniture or change clothes at will from Hugo's grandfather, Nelson, who is also a ghost! And, most importantly, he falls in love with Hugo, the ferryman. And just as he starts liking this phase of life after death, he isn't left with much choice when given an ultimatum of seven days. That's when he decides to live a lifetime in these seven days, a lifetime as a ghost.
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It is a heartwarming story that is full of emotions, laughter and warmth. The characters reel you in from the moment you enter their lives, and I found myself laughing uncontrollably in between pages. I also fell in love with the love between Hugo and Wallace. I loved Nelson and his quirks the most. He and Wallace, their characters and interaction reminded me of 'A Man Called Ove', and that's no mean feat. Also, Nelson is probably the most 'alive' ghost I have ever read about. He is full of life and sunshine. And Mei! She just took away my heart, that fiery, sarcastic and funny reaper. Some of the best moments in the book are because of her. She made e laugh so much. She is probably my favourite. This love story of a ghost with a ferryman is sure to become the hottest book on bookstagram.
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I guess you could say T.J Klune does it again. You cannot miss this book. You absolutely can't. This book left me with a warm fuzzy feeling inside, and any book that does that is never to be ignored. Go on, get a copy of this book NOW. What are you waiting for? Go, go, go!

A heartwarming, and sometimes slightly heartbreaking, tale of love and loss.

Under the whispering door is a beautiful story filled with wonderful, well-developed characters and interesting life lessons. With its unique perspective on death, it’s an emotional rollercoaster that broke my heart at times but built it straight back up after.
This story drew me in immediately and I ended up absolutely adoring every second of it. I cannot wait to read more by TJ Klune. 5/5

If you took all your feelings, threw them in a blender, the resulting smoothie would be [book:Under the Whispering Door|53205888] by [author:T.J. Klune|5073330]. This book was on hell of an emotional roller coaster. I was a huge fan of Klune's House In The Cerulean Sea (it was one of my favorite books of 2020). Whispering Door was NOTHING like Cerulean Sea, but that's ok. This was the story of a grouchy, miserable lawyer named Wallace Price. When Wallace suddenly dies, he finds himself at Charon's Crossing Tea Shop. Charon's Crossing is run by Hugo Freeman, a Ferryman that helps souls pass onto the afterlife. Unsurprisingly, Wallace has a hard time accepting his next life. As he spends more time with Hugo and the other, colorful, residents of Charon's Crossing, Wallace begins to learn that there's more to life than he realized. When a twist of fate gives Wallace one week to right all the wrongs in his life, he decides to make his afterlife one worth living. In traditional Klune style, this book had everything. A cast of dynamic characters, a thought inducing plot and enough zany fun to keep you interested! This is a difficult book to read at times, due to the topics of death, dying and suicide. If you find any of those topics triggering, I'd steer clear of this one. If you're looking for a thought-inducing read, definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to Tor Books and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Powerful and impactful. Reminiscent of the author’s other book in the way it will warm you and stay with you.

I'm absolutely speechless. By the first page, I knew my heart was going to be broken by the end. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.
I'm struggling to find words on how to express the overload of emotions I repressed while reading this masterpiece. I'll keep it simple and just say, go read this for yourself. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Two for two…this author does not disappoint. Funny, charming, heartbreaking and hopeful. Beautiful story.

Por desgracia, para mí se queda en un 2 o 2'5, la verdad. Me he empeñado en terminarlo porque me gustó tantísimo House in the Cerulean Sea que estaba esperando a ver en qué momento mejoraba...

Creo que a muchas personas a las que les gustó Cerulean este también les gustará, pero para mí que sea un libro cozy, wholesome y feel good no ha sido suficiente. El ritmo no me ha gustado nada, la personalidad del protagonista da un giro tremendo al poco de empezar, y todo era muy repetitivo.

What a wonderfully rich storyteller TJ Klune is. Shaping up to be one of my favourite writers, his stories and tenderness are a little piece of literary magic that we all need in our lives 🧡

In UTWD, we are introduced to Wallace Price, a Scrooge-like fellow, who squanders his life in a meaningless pursuit of success and riches and who subsequently loses his sense of humanity along the way. When he dies abruptly, a reaper named Mei collects him at his own funeral and leads him to a tea shop to meet ferryman Hugo who is there to help him cross to the other side. During Wallace’s longer-than-planned-for stay with Hugo and Mei, we discover that life as we know it does not end at death, but rather it’s the first step in a new journey. While the physical embodiment of Wallace no longer exists, redemption, forgiveness and love are still possible - for Wallace and for us.

This is a beautiful alternative to all the spooky (and scary) reads circulating this month: Death does not have to be frightening or dark. If we instead allow ourselves to be swept up in Klune’s thoughtful renderings and extraordinary imagination, it can in fact be rather illuminating.