Wallace is a jerk. When he dies suddenly from a heart attack, he finds out even when life is over, people can still change.

There are no words to express the beauty of this novel. TJ Klune has again crafted a story with a flawed main character (Wallace) that ends up melting your heart and a modern love story for all hopeless romantics to enjoy and cherish.

In Under the Whispering Door we are brought to a tea shop in the middle of nowhere where everyone flocks for tea and treats. Sometimes the store closes for private events. These events are for wayward souls to make terms with their deaths and cross over to the next part of their existence. Hugo, the shop owner/ferryman, and Mei, the reaper, try to help Wallace accept his death. During his time at the tea shop Wallace realizes all he missed out on in life by focusing on his law career. He soon discovers that a found family and love are worth fighting for and redemption is worth dying for. The story is rounded out with a wonderful ensemble of characters that include the lovable and cantankerous Nelson, Hugo’s ghost grandfather, and Apollo, Hugo’s ghost dog. If you don’t fall in love with all of them then you might want to check and see if you still have a heart.

This novel is a must read for anyone who enjoys a quirky love story with a happy tear filled ending!

Because of his Green Creek series, I was already a fan of TJ Klune, and it caused me to go in with some pretty high expectations. They were exceeded.

The story he took us on, Wallace’s story of regret and overcoming it, death, and the journey Wallace takes, accompanied by a quirky cast of characters, is heartwarming without being cheesy. I love a good story of growth and acceptance, and it was delivered here.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was exactly what I expected from TJ Klune after riding the high of Cerulean Sea. I adored Cerulean Sea and this one was a runner up for me. I loved the sarcastic and witty dialogue that I have come to know with Klune's writing. And his character development with Wallace was spot on. I found myself laughing out loud several times during this book and loved the themes of life, death, and the legacy you leave behind.

A sweet, lovely book about loss and love, where death is just another step on the journey and where it's never too late to become a better person.

I did a hybrid reading the book and listening to the audiobook. Both formats were lovely. The narrator was really good and Klune knocked this one out of the park again (thinking of Cerulean Sea). The characters were so HUMAN and to watch them change and grow throughout the story was lovely. Also enjoyed Nelson immensely as he provided a lightness and comic aspect to a theme that could be VERY heavy.

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea, I just knew I had to get my hands on Under the Whispering Door. The first thing that struck me when I first saw the cover Whispering Door were the similarities to the Cerulean Sea cover. Same artist… It pointed to possible complementary themes; those of seemingly dead ends and regrets, yet maybe second chances.

In Cerulean Sea we have Linus who is a stickler for the rules and is sent on a mission to check on a very special orphanage to make sure of their safety. In Whispering Door, Wallace is a despicable lawyer who has died and is brought to a way station by a reaper on his way to the other side. Repressed-love gay romance, witty dialogue, and some deep thoughts… both books take on some heavy subjects with a certain charm and a good deal of humor. There’s also this fantasy and supernatural angle that gives each book a magical feel, like I wasn’t sure what Klune was going to pull out next…

I’ll focus on Whispering Door here in the criticism… V good main character in Wallace… and typical of Klune’s writing the reader gets good deal of anecdotes and/ or flashbacks that flesh out who he is and add significant depth, unlike the secondary characters. I also felt like the start of the book was too slow and took a bit too long for the initial reveals… yet, the opening scene is perfectly cringey (Wallce fires his long-time legal secretary while she’s in the middle of a personal crisis. He’s beyond a jerk!)

I’ve seen other reviews and most are positive, at least, more positive than mine… Cerulean Sea killed me in all ways. The romance, the crazy characters, and the setting… I just didn’t feel as drawn to Whispering Door.

Link to Interview and Excerpt

3.5 out of 5 stars

Note from the author: This story explores life and love as well as loss and grief. There are discussions of death in different forms--quiet, unexpected, and death by suicide. Please read with care.

Trigger Warnings: Suicide, heart attack, terminal illness, death of a child, death of a parent, murder, knife violence & stabbing, car accident, animal death, anxiety, cancer, depression, outing, self harm, death, funeral, church, panic attacks, sex

Representation: Asian, Gay, Mental health, Bisexual, Black

Under the Whispering Door is a love story. It is a love story in all of its forms: romantic love, friendship love, family love, pet love. It is also a story of grief. Grieving your loved ones, your pets, yourself, and even strangers. This story shares what it is like to pass on and the grieving process as a whole.

This eARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! I have no negative critiques for it! I loved how much of an asshole Wallace is and I loved his growth. I loved how caring and human Hugo is. I felt warm and at peace while reading this story. I thought the author did an amazing job describing what may happen after we pass. And I loved how the different stages of grief were highlighted. While still being a fantasy book, I loved how realistic the story was and how relatable. I want to believe there is a friendly reaper and ferryperson waiting for me before my next life. I also want to believe that my loved ones are in a better place.

What if a soul fell in love with its ferryman?
Now that is a story worth reading.

Wallace Price was a cold hard man. He only thought about himself and did things that only profited him, and had no empathy. Work was the only life he knew until he suddenly died.
In this book we follow Wallace's journey after death. How he learns to accept his fate and understand the kind of life he had before.

After Wallace's death he's found sitting in a church where his own funeral is taking place. That's where he meets Mei, his reaper, who takes him to a tea shop the owner of which, Hugo, is the Ferryman. Both of them are very much alive. Both Mei and Hugo work for the mysterious and feared Manager who "manages things", a cosmic being who presides over all the workings of the afterlife.

The plot moves a bit slow. Wallace makes the tea shop his new home but the tension of his inevitable journey through the door on the fourth floor of the house looms like a dark cloud over Wallace. But that's not the only thing, there are other souls who come to shop and Hugo, as the Ferryman, has to guide them in death. Hugo, not only helps the dead but also the ones who have lost someone and are grieving. He is there for them and helps them in every way that he can.

Death and grief are things you cannot move on from easily. They stay with you always. They become a part of you. This book gives you a glimpse of that grief and how you can overcome the pain and heartache with people who love and support you.

This is a bittersweet story. It shows grief, sadness, loss, pain but it has a lot of heart and overflows with love. Very early in the story it was clear that the connection Hugo and Wallace had was more than that of a Ferryman-soul relationship. Without even knowing they become a family.

I cannot express how much I love this book. This book resonated with me on a deeper level, it affected me. Safe to say this hasn't happened in a long time. I laughed, I cried, and I internally screamed in anger and pain.

The importance of this book I feel is the message it conveys and it's just not one message. There are many. My favorite is that it's ok to be afraid of the unknown, that it's a leap of faith, that we need to move forward and experience something that's unimaginable. In the end it's being afraid that makes us brave. It's what makes us move forward into the light.

Under the Whispering Door is now one of my favourite books I've read this year.

Under the Whispering Door centers around Wallace Price, a recently deceased man undergoing a journey to the next life. Wallace, an arrogant lawyer, is not the nicest of men and truly cares more about his success in business than the impact his actions have on those around him, as his actions continually illustrate. Over the course of his forty year life he has built up quite the reputation as a cold, aloof and selfish individual. When he drops dead of a heart attack suddenly at the young age of 40, it comes as no surprise that no one is heartbroken over his demise. The reaper, a young woman by the name of Mei, enters the story, adding quite a bit of humor to the mix, with her sarcastic nature. Wallace is understandably distraught and angry over his demise but quickly learns he holds no sway or power in this new life. Mei takes Wallace to meet the ferryman, Hugo, who helps the newly deceased cross over. Hugo is also the owner of Charon’s Crossing Tea and Treats, a charming yet peculiar tea shop in the woods that serves scones, pastries tea and more. Of course any place specializing in the dead is not complete without a resident ghost and Charon's crossing has two, the ghost of Hugo's grandfather as well as the ghost of his dog, Apollo. As Wallace undergoes a transformative journey over the course of the story he slowly begins to learn where he went wrong in life, and that it is never too late to live your life the way you truly want.

Under the Whispering Door is the newest delight from TJ Klune that will invoke more of the same warm, cozy, gentle and caring feelings readers have grown to both love and look forward to in his books. While the primary focus of the book is grief, death, and what lies beyond, there are moments of joy, laughter, and found family, as the characters learn how to really live as well, some for the first time. Klune's simple yet endearing style shines through and while the book touches on quite a bit of deeper, darker themes, the story ends on a hopeful and whimsical note. Under the Whispering Door is an earnest, moving, thought provoking and charming story that is sure to capture the hearts of readers both new and old to the magic that is TJ Klune.

Under the Whispering Door is a humorous novel that deftly deals with death and the meaning of life. TJ Klune's storytelling keeps things light enough not to overwhelm us while also causing us to consider existential questions.

The novel isn't without its faults, though. For example, some of the life lessons in the book come across as a little trite, and some characters' race and ethnicity are mentioned in ways that don't seem to add to the story.

Still, Under the Whispering Door is entertaining, charming, and thought-provoking.

While the subject matter may not be for all readers, it's suitable for most. And I think many who read Under the Whispering Door will enjoy it.

Check out my full review: https://medium.com/the-neb/tj-klunes-under-the-whispering-door-is-a-charming-ghostly-novel-laced-humor-and-bewitching-fab49e26e474?sk=18f8c4f0499c59e605c6bc71dd117927.

Queer romance novel about life, death and what lies between

Content warning: death

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher.

“Under the Whispering Door” BY TJ Klune is a queer speculative fiction romance novel about a man called Wallace who has died. A lawyer by trade, Wallace’s initial instinct is to try to negotiate with the reaper who has been assigned to him about how to get back to his old life. However, when he finds himself at a strange tea shop run by a man called Hugo, Wallace begins to realise that while his old life was actually not that fulfilling, he is not quite ready to cross over.

Coincidentally, I have been reading a few books that grapple with the afterlife and the question of what lies beyond. This was overall a very enjoyable one. Klune is excellent at a slow-burn romance, and in that respect it is as delicate as the other book of his I’ve read. Wallace is the quintessential corporate lawyer but somehow Klune’s take on his character development feels fresh and original. This book radiates with warmth, and I enjoyed the tenderness that developed between Wallace, Hugo, reaper Mei, Hugo’s grandfather Nelson and, of course, a ghost dog called Apollo. I also liked how Klune set out the many rules of how the crossing over process is supposed to work, and promptly begins breaking them with wild abandon. I am very passionate about improving bad rules, and lots of bad rules are improved in this book.

One of the only things that frustrated me about this book was how frequently the characters say that Mei is an excellent (albeit inexperienced) reaper, when everything in the plot appears to suggest otherwise. I found her maddeningly vague, the few dead people she brought to the teashop seemed extremely unhappy about it and she seemed extremely quick to lose her temper with anyone who didn’t live in the teashop. The budding romance suffered a little for a bit too much tell and not quite enough show. Apart from being a device for adding tension, the reason why Mei was able to touch ghosts but not Hugo was never really explained. In fact there seemed to be a lot of inconsistencies about what ghosts could and couldn’t do, especially when it came to Apollo the dog.

Nevertheless, an enjoyable and sweet story about finding the biggest joy in the smallest pockets of life.

What a wonderful book! While Klune's take on the afterlife does not follow the typical Christian ideas of Heaven and Hell, it does present a wonderful concept. Hugo is a Ferryman and Mei is his Reaper, and their job is to help the recently deceased to the afterlife. When Desmond dies, he is confused and angry, but once he meets Hugo, things slowly begin to change for the better. Desmond goes from being an unkind, unfeeling person to something quite different while staying with Hugo, Mei, Hugo's grandfather, and Apollo, Hugo's dog.

This amazing, touching novel will make you look at life a bit differently not only while you read, but afterward as well. This is an amazing addition to any library!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

TW: Death (mentioned, never graphically shown), passing on, emotional abuse (mentioned), suicide (mentioned), death of parent/s (mentioned), brain damage

In The House In The Cerulean Sea, Seanan McGuire wrote "This book is very close to perfect."

If only they read Under the Whispering Door.

This book is faultless. I cannot flaw it at all. I cannot even put into words just how much I loved this world, the story, the characters and the thoughtful ways T.J Klune wrote about passing on. The story made me contemplate so many things pertaining to life and death, it also made me smile, laugh and at times, it even got my eyes filling up with tears from the sheer emotion riveting off the pages.

Under the Whispering Door follows Wallace Price, a cold hearted partner of a very successful law firm. He has the world in his hands until, one day, his heart gives up and he finds himself at his own funeral where he is told he is dead. He gets taken to Charon's Crossing, a stop-over for ghosts like him to pass over into the next stage of their life.

We quickly meet Hugo, Nelson, Apollo and Mei, all characters who, like Wallace, I didn't necessarily like at the start. But also, similarly to Wallace, I ended up loving them at the end. I believe my connection or relationship to the characters mirrored Wallace's which I think was intentional to show the subtle changes in how Wallace viewed the world and situation around him. I loved how it also was done in such an unnoticeable way that I didn't even know my perceptions of the characters were changing. That in itself is a testament to the calibre of T.J Klune's writing.

Wallace was my favourite character. His characterisation jumped off the page from the very start. He was unique and fun to read about even when he was alive and grouchy. Some of his dialogue got me laughing out loud especially during the funeral scene. Poor Wallace, it was unfortunate that only five people showed up for the ceremony.

Nelson became my second favourite character (although to be fair, he tied with Hugo, Mei, Apollo, Cameron and Desdemona). I found him annoying at first but he quickly grew on me with his practical jokes and how he got everyone fooled (me included) when he first met Wallace in Charon's Crossing. With Mei, I wasn't sure I'd like her that much but she also grew on me too especially with her death metal music that "was enough to raise the dead." I loved seeing her backstory and her off-page relationship with her mother. I felt empathetic towards her and I think that scene only made me love her badass character even more.

Hugo had a really sad backstory that made me cry at times. Especially with Lea and Nancy. I'll leave that area spoiler free but if you're not crying by the end of that passage, you haven't read the book right. Cameron, although appearing only briefly in the book, was responsible for one of the most powerful scenes in Under the Whispering Door, I teared up and I loved how Klune incorporated flashbacks into his narrative. I was so impressed with the ending of Cameron's arc and I was happy he got what he wanted in the end. I hope he found who he was looking for.

The other element I found interesting was the way the story was told in general. The book covered a lot of heavy themes such as death, dying and passing on but never was it dark or difficult to read about. It was told both in philosophical ways yet with a lightheartedness and humour that helped make this book a feel-good read. But death wasn't just what this book was about. It was about family, living and making use of the time you have left. Making sure that you lived a life worth dying for.

Under the Whispering Door is a book that is as close to perfection as you can get. It's one of my favourites–if not, my favourite read of 2021 so far and I would recommend it highly to everyone. If you've read The House In the Cerulean Sea and enjoyed it, I think you'll like this just as or even more.

(note: I recommend you read The House in the Cerulean Sea before reading Under the Whispering Door, there are some minor references to THITCS but I reckon you can still enjoy the book without reading it).

ACTUAL RATING: 5 STARS

I adored this book. I love how the themes of death, grief and after life was handled, TJ Klune did a fantastic job of world building and highlighting the fact that it is never to late.
I loved all the characters and how they interacted with each other and the world.

Under the Whispering Door, by TJ Klune, is dull, cloying, and far too impressed with itself. Similar in tone and characterization to The House in the Cerulean Sea to the point of being frankly repetitive for anyone who has read both, this book fails to provide anything interesting in plot, characters, or world-building. With a little dash of ableism, racism, and slut shaming, TJ Klune has wildly missed the mark on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by TJ Klune and it won't be the last. Under the Whispering Door is a poignant tale about life and death and the consequences of choices we make along the way. Filled with memorable characters, a cozy little tea shop, and a slow-burn romance, the novel has proven itself to be a poignant tale that faces death and the stages of grieving head on. Are we creatures who are capable of change? Do the chances we take (or don't) in life define us? I know I will be thinking about the themes tackled in this book for some time to come. Worth the read!

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, TJ Klune released a sci-fi book I loved. I don’t know how he gets me to not only read a genre I’m not a fan of but LOVE it! He’s seriously an incredible writer. Once again he made a book I adore most of the characters. And this was a heavy character driven story. I was emotionally destroyed by the end. Once again, a FANTASTIC read that I recommend to anyone with a soul.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🪦It takes dying for Wallace to truly learn what it means to live.

👍🏼Klune has a way with words. I absolutely adore the way he writes dialogue. He gets me crying and laughing all throughout.

👎🏼A minor complaint really but I prefer to see a romance unfold as opposed to being told it did.

✅Well written and thought provoking. This book is heavy and trigger warnings abound but Klune has really mastered the art of writing heavy topics in a unique way that somehow has both levity and great depth. I’m still thinking about this one and probably will be for a while. A great discussable book!

Thank you so much @netgalley and @torbooks for the ebook, it was such a pleasure to read ❤️

My Review:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5 stars

Under the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorite books of 2020 and I was very excited to read this new book by TJ Klune. I absolutely love his writing - and the elaborate and colorful world building.

Wallace Price was a miserable human being - nearly hated by everyone who knew him. Until he dies and reflects on his life as a ghost at his funeral. A reaper named Mei shows up three days late to escort him to the “ferryman” named Hugo. The “ Ferryman” eases a spirit into the next phase of the afterlife no matter how long it takes for them to move on and go “home” by entering a mysterious door in the ceiling of Hugo & Mei’s teahouse. This location serves almost as a way station for ghosts to transfer them to the next part of their existence. However, Wallace soon realizes he is finally living his best life after his death, truly appreciating and enjoying the company of his friends, including his blossoming feelings for Hugo.

Klune’s main characters are always so charismatic - even when they are not supposed to be. The love & romantic scenes are perfectly subtle, earnest, and honest. Even though there are paranormal elements regarding the afterlife and ghosts, Klune writes in a way that makes it seem completely normal to see your body after you are dead at your own funeral. Completely loved it!

Thank you to Tor Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!