I really enjoy TJ Klune's books. After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea, I knew that I needed to read this book as soon as I could. It is a bit more somber and not as light hearted as Cerulean Sea, but a beautiful story nonetheless. Klune writes the best characters and I loved his depiction of the afterlife. I'm recommending this book to all my friends.

Thank you Tor Books for this eARC via netgalley.

Wallace Price is dead. When Wallace dies unexpectedly and alone he learns that there are larger things at play in regard to the afterlife. Wallace is taken in by some of the caretakers of the dead as they work to transition them to their next stage of life. As he spends more time with these individuals, Wallace soon finds a place in his new home. Wallace learns through his new friends what it really means to live a good and meaningful life surrounded by those who love you.

This book was quite the wholesome and thought-provoking read. I loved seeing so much character growth and change throughout this story. I think this cast of characters was well done with good humor, characterization and love. I love how this author loves to include a great dynamic of found family and love in his books.

Overall I fell for all of these characters throughout the story. I think the concept of the book was well written and accomplished. While the book did feel a bit slow and repetitive at times, I did still really enjoy it.

In Under the Whispering Door, the protagonist is dead almost from the novel's start. His body is buried, unable to scramble out of the ground. His life was not a life well lived. It was one of bitterness and heartless misdeeds. And now death has robbed his body of any opportunity for redemption. It's an image of hopelessness, of being tamped down by earthly forces out of your control without any recourse of getting out. But while his living body's journey is complete, he has a new one in ghostly form. That ghost, as it leaves his body, is a form of a second chance. Just because his life was a lost cause doesn't mean his death has to be, too.

Following Wallace's death, he is situated in a place where people with fantastical gifts, including Mei, a reaper, and Hugo, a ferryman, work to acclimate Wallace to his death with eventual plans of him transitioning to what lies beyond. His rehabilitation and preparation is done at a tea shop owned by Hugo. Warring with Wallace's protestations are feelings of affection beginning to form for those in the tea shop. Feelings that he never felt before, even when he was alive.

While the premise doesn't exactly break new ground in fantasy, the character interactions are where the novel is at its best. Whether its friendship between the protagonist and other the other ghosts he meets, budding, believable romance that had its hooks in me until I was tensed and engaged, along with heartbreak and grief that is native to deathly situations--everything is handled with sincerity and emotional intelligence. The bits of wisdom might be parceled with a couple anodyne platitudes, but that adds to the cozy feeling that covers Under the Whispering Door like a warm blanket.

Don't go into the novel expecting rollicking, action-packed chapters. The roiling is more within the characters than pyrotechnic spectacles. The settings aren't varied, with most of the interactions confined to the tea shop--which sometimes have conversations extended to superfluity. But often it feels like a crucible for character growth with all the epiphanies, realizations, and disillusionments that comes with it. Just because the setting is relatively static doesn't mean that characters are taking steps of their own, even if they're metaphorical rather than literal.

Wallace might have been stuck in a rut in life, but in death the novel showcases him finding a pathway of ascending. In the year I'm writing this (2021), in which I am confined, often static, and sometimes pathless, Under the Whispering Door has come at a perfect time to offer a roadmap forward in literary form. Its pages might not be literal steps, but as the characters evolve internally, the novel's words made my heart warm and molded it into something sweeter, something that I think is more capable of approaching the world's clinical processes and rampant rage with more grace.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so I was eager to get my hands on Under the Whispering Door. While still a fantasy-lite novel, Whispering Door is definitely darker than Cerulean Sea. I really liked the premise: a man (kind of your stereotypical Scrooge-type) dies and is brought by a Reaper to a quaint Tea Shop, where he learns to be a better person. Like his other novels, Klune is great at mixing in his unique brand of humor to lighten up more serious topics.

However, where I struggled with this book were the characters. Wallace is just annoying, even when he inevitably gets better. The rest of the characters felt very stereotypical and flat. The thing that bothered me the most though was that Klune basically breaks the rules of his own world just to give his characters a HEA. I get wanting a happy ending, but it was frustrating to essentially bend the rules for Wallace, of all people.

This is the second Klune novel I've read this year and the second one that I've been disappointed by, so I think his writing is just not for me.

Thank you to Tor Books for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

TJ Klune has done it again! I loved The House In the Cerulean Sea and I was nervous about this next novel because I heard it is a bit more dark. Yes, the topic of death is grim and hard but somehow Klune made it bearable and even funny at times? I absolutely love his sense of humor and there were so many scenes that made me chuckle. Nelson was my absolute favorite character. This book will make you smile, laugh, cry and dig a little deeper into the meaning of life and death. I absolutely loved it and I hope you will too!

Ooh.. my heart; this one took me a few days to get through because it was kind of heavy. ⁣
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TJ has this wonderful way of writing that immediately pulls you in. He hits on so many difficult topics in such a moving, thought provoking way. ⁣
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We all think about death, but do we really… think about our last day? This story really makes you stop and think; if I died today, would I have any regrets? Would I be “stuck?” How have I treated those who made an impact on my life? ⁣
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The power of letting others carry your weight when you’re defeated; is something that humans struggle with, and this story just drives home, how we all need just that at times. ⁣
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That ending… 💔 was a bit of a tear jerker for me.⁣
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I will be thinking about this one for a while.⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
#bookstagram #books #underthewhisperingdoor thank you @torbooks for an ARC for my honest review. #netgalley

What an incredible story! House in the Cerulean Sea and The Extraordinarines were wonderful and Under the Whispering Door keeps the goodness going.

I'm new to T.J. Klune, and I went into this with pretty high expectations I will admit. T.J has the ability to create a world so vivid to the imagination it feels like you are fully immersed into it as you read along. It was deep on so many levels - understanding the importance of life, appreciating life because it really can be taken away from you at a blink of the eye.
Wallace irritated me in the beginning, he was pretentious and incredibly uptight I'm surprised anyone had the patience to deal with him, but as it went on, he grew in so many ways and came to love him. My heart did break for him when he was at his funeral and nobody really cared about him. That's possibly one of the saddest things because every person should be cared about. As he copes with his death with the help of Hugo, Nelson and Mei, he begins understands what true love and friendships is like, and watching him blossom into the man he became was so heartwarming.
Despite the primary focus being on death, Under the Whispering Door is wonderful, tackling heavier subjects and balancing it out with humour, incredible characters and that warm fuzzy feeling of love!

"It's life, Wallace. Even when you're dead, it's still life. You exist. You're real. Youre strong and brave and I'm so happy to know you.”

As a big fan of "The House in the Cerulean Sea" I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one, but was also afraid it might not live up to the same expectations. I'm so happy to report that wasn't the case. The tone of "Under the Whispering Door" is much darker, in general the setting and story are quite different from what people might expect after Cerulean Sea, but in the most beautiful way imaginable. I have rarely read a story that deals with death and grief in this way, and for me personally it really was a book that came at the right time in the right place.
While the theme is quite different, it still had the same charme and heart as that of Arthur and Linus and the children of the island (there may even be a small reference as an ode to Klune's previous book).
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and, while I wouldn't have minded a sadder ending for this one, I would like to thank TJ Klune for saying he will write gay stories with happy endings and sticking with it. It means a lot and doesn't go unnoticed.

i was sadly pretty disappointed with this one. the house in the cerulean sea is one of my favourite books and even though i knew i probably wouldn't like this book as much, it still didn't live up to my hopes for it. this story felt like it was trying to be house in the cerulean sea, just with a slightly different plot and characters. it didn't have the same charm and i didn't fall in love with any of the characters. though i definitely didn't dislike this book, i found it a big step down from his previous book. i also REALLY didn't like the ending; it was quite literally the deus ex machina trope and it all just felt too convenient to me. that being said, there were some really nice moments between the characters and some really good conversations about death and grief, hence the 3 stars.

tw: grief, suicide

I've been delaying finishing this book. I've been delaying finishing this because I loved House on the Cerulean Sea so so much. And because I knew this book would destroy me, this book would make me ugly cry, my throat would close up, and I'd get a crying headache and I was right.

This. Book. Hurt.

It hurt so much, and that's the sign of a great book isn't it? No one cries over a two star book (well maybe tears of frustration).

I loved this! The character growth! Wallace has had one of the most amazing character arcs I've ever seen, he's up there with Zuko.

T. J. Klune writes the best found families and I refuse, Refuse to hear otherwise.

This book is so wonderfully crafted. And I'm honestly finding it hard to write this review because what can I say? My attempts at sentences are nothing in comparison to this book.
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This book could possibly be my new favourite book of the year.

Read this! Buy this! Send smoke signals about this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little slow for me, but I did like the growth of Wallace and his effect on the people around him.

TJ Klune has done it again. And by done it again, I mean wrote a grumpy character discovering that life isn't all that terrible with the help of a group of quirky characters. All of this said, I do think he has perfected this "trope" and Under the Whispering Door was a great execution of it. I always love TJ Klune's books because they are super funny and charming. This book specifically has a great atmosphere, especially for a cozy fall day, and had a great story. I also appreciated the little hints of his other stories, which first time readers of Klune might not pick up on (like the stone wolf ahhhh). I will now be forcing my friends to read it.

Thank you to @netgalley for this free egalley. What a delightful read to follow up The House in the Cerulean Sea. I didn't fall in love with these characters as much, but it was still a beautiful story. I loved how Klune dealt with grief and put the reflection on self, how you grieve the life you lost. He created a lot to think about.

Excellent book! Exactly what I'd expect from TJ Klune of falling in love with House in the Cerulean Sea

https://berkeleyfictionreview.org/2021/09/27/the-secluded-purgatory-of-a-tea-shop-review-of-under-the-whispering-door-by-tj-klune/

This book was like a warm hug. I first fell in love with TJ Klune after I read "The House In the Cerulean Sea" (three times, I might add), so I was ecstatic when I was gifted the ebook ARC for "Under the Whispering Door."
There are so many things I'd love to say about this book, but in the end, it was just simply a delight. Klune hits on some really strong and tough topics, such as grief, loss, and death, but the package he wraps these topics into is covered in comedy, acceptance, friendship and love. Klune has a way of melding the fantastical ideas people hold close to their hearts with the real world. This book should be treasured.

This book. Solid 4.75. Yes I said it. So close to 5 stars. The level of humor felt on par with Cerulean Sea, but the subject matter is much heavier so it might be triggering for some. It might help others who are grieving. Just know that death, child death, afterlife, etc are some of the big points of this book so don’t walk in with a light heart.
All that being said, I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

This is a gorgeous book about Wallace who realises he has actually died when he is attending his poorly attended funeral. He is collected from there by the Reaper who takes him to a tea shop in a small village where he meets Hugo who helps him comes to terms with his passing.
This is written in T J Klunes beautiful style and leads the reader through various emotions including joy where I was laughing out out and grieving - tears were spilled.
It is a reminder that life should not be taken for granted and we should love those near and dear to us including their irritating traits! A reminder that life should be lived to the fullest. Thought provoking in places - what is the meaning of life ... the afterlife...
I absolutely loved this book and grew to love these characters and didn't want the book to end - I wanted to see what they would do next with their lives (or deaths)

I am extremely grateful to have received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

<i>"Yes, he thought maybe had mattered after all, a lesson in the unexpected. 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.
In death, Wallace had never felt more alive."</i>

TL;DR: A powerful, haunting, meditative, slow-burn of a story which centers around Wallace after he dies and is taken to Charon's Crossing a post-death way station (and tea shop!), where he meets Hugo, a ferryman for dead souls. As a lawyer, Wallace was undoubtedly successful in life, but his success and material possessions came at the expense of relationships. As he waits to "move on," he learns more about living than he did while he was alive. Klune manages to craft a powerfully vague story -- while UtWD is a hauntingly beautiful meditation on life vs. living, what we would do if we had more time, and what happens after death, there is very little (if anything) that is denomination or worldview specific. As an Agnostic, this book spoke to me in a way very much like Piers Anthony's <i>Death On A Pale Horse</i> did, all the more powerful *because* it doesn't push an agenda or specific ideology.
<b><i>I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></i>

Vibes: <i>Dead Like Me</i> + <i>Ghost</i> + The Good Place + Ted Lasso, Season 2 (for the heartwarming hopefulness of it mixed with a bit of heavy real-life angst)

Genre: Contemporary New Adult. Standalone. Also, Spiritual / Magical Realism / Post-Death Afterlife (There has to be a specific genre for that.)

Character MVP: Mei. I'm a sucker for strong-willed, snarky, Marshmallows (soft and squishy on the inside).
But also, The Manager...? Like, I know that The Manager is the antagonist / closest thing to a villain AND takes the corporeal(-ish) form of a tween boy, but there was just something about the way TJ Klune wrote the character that gave me HUGE Eleanor Shellstrop/Kristen Bell vibes. And given that Mei was basically the only central female character, I was okay with that gender-swap.
(There are two or three minor female characters, one of whom is an antagonist, so again, I'm on board with the gender-swap in my head.) N

Verdict: 5/5 stars -- and a fantastic example of how "not all 5 star ratings are created equal."
That is, sometimes, a 5-star read is a book I can't put down; a book that I stay up past my bedtime reading "one more chapter," where the action is fast-paced and the story packed with twisty plot-turns.
This...is not one of those books.
But that's okay! Because it's a 5-star read in its own way. This is definitely more of a "read a chapter or two, pause, put the book down and absorb/contemplate what you just read" book.
This is a book that makes you <b>feel</b> and <b>think</b> and, TBH, re-evaluate some of your life choices and force you to think about your priorities.

For me, there was also a very poignant "life is so frakking short" component that hit home. Like, girl. Don't let work consume you.
Don't lose sight of your priorities.
Don't forget.
Take that trip.
Do that thing.
Eat that cupcake.
Because death is unpredictable and inevitable -- and you never know when it could come for you.
One of the questions that haunts Wallace the most is "What would you do with the time you have left?" And you don't want to be pondering that AFTER your life is over.

An observation:
You can very easily see how this book is related to <i>The Extraordinaries</i> and <i>Flash Fire</i>.
Both have as their protagonists a deeply flawed, somewhat unlikable, prone to verbal outbursts and melodramatics queer protagonists.
Both have said protagonists in love with a quiet, calm, stabilizing, introspective queer partner, who both tend to have a savior complex and care too much about the world/people around them and have an inexplicable soft spot for said unlikable protagonist.
Both have strong, wise father figures.
Both have strong, dynamic female friends who jump off the page and who I wish there was more about.

Two Spoilery Quibbles:
1--Not a fan of Apollo moving on in the end. :( That's actually the part that made me tear up the most (Nancy's realization was a very close second) -- and at first I was disproportionately angry. As a Dog Mom, the idea that Hugo could send Apollo with Nelson despite his connection with his dog...hurt my heart. Apollo was his anxiety-support dog, and their bond was so strong that Apollo straight up refused to move on.
Now, I get that Hugo is a ferryman and that's what he does.
I get that Hugo has Wallace now.
I get that they'll see each other again.
But the bond between dog and human...oof. He came to that decision seemingly pretty quickly, is all.
It helped when I considered the fact that, with Nelson gone -- no, wait.
I take this back.
Because both Mei and Wallace could do the little finger-spell tap tap thing and pet Apollo. (I thought it made sense for Apollo to go with Nelson because he was the only one who could actually pet him.) Not quite the same, but still. I'm back to being a little angsty about that.

2--There's a bit of a Chosen One narrative here. That is, everyone else has to move on, eventually, even Nelson and Apollo and the Husks.
But...Wallace is only the second person EVER to get resurrected? What makes him so special? Why him?
Within the logic of the book, I GET IT. It's the Happily Ever After ending I wanted for him.
And, yes, he learns to be a better person and he falls in love and he, objectively speaking, deserves it.
But what if another spirit came and fell in love with Mei? Would they get a chance to learn and be better and stay with Their Person too? Probably not. When you think too much about it, the logic breaks down a bit, although the message is still the same. Why does Wallace get another chance?

There doesn't seem to be a Bad Place or Good Place dichotomy, which is nice, so the importance of learning/changing/evolving isn't as strong. And I think there's a line in the book to that effect -- you're not measured by your actions, your mistakes, your regrets -- it's not a matter of going up or down, it's a matter of letting go of your anger and moving on to the next phase.
But how many people could do what Wallace did? And truly become a better person?
If the answer is "some people could," then the unfairness stings a bit.
If the answer is "not many," and Wallace is just That Good, then the bleakness stings a bit.

Hmm. Food for thought. Like I said, this is a thinking, pondering, reflecting book.