I don't even know how to form words that could describe just how amazing this book is. Powerful doesn't even begin to cover it.

This book is about death - which we all know is a harsh subject. I promise you that this book is meant for you. It allows you to see death in a way that isn't so final and terrifying. I laughed, I sobbed, I cheered...just ALL of the emotions. This book left me feeling so much lighter. I feel like a weight was taken off my shoulders and I can breathe again. IT'S THAT MOVING.

TJ Klune is the absolute best author out there. I will forever read everything he writes. No one does it quite like he does. He has such a unique writing style, an undeniable ability to make you laugh, and has a dash of sadist in him that will bring on the tears guaranteed in every story.

Do yourself a favor and read this one. You won't regret it.

Thanks to netgalley and torbooks for the free E-arc in exchange for a honest review!

Wow! Wow! Wow! TJ Klune does it again! I read The House in the Cerulean Sea just a few months ago and it made me feel all the things…I honestly feel like I smiled by whole way through that book! Anyways, this book was no different! There were plenty of laughs and lots of moments where I was teary eyed. TJ Klune is absolutely an auto read author for me and quickly becoming a favorite of mine. His writing reminds me a lot of Fredrik Backman in the sense that he makes you feel and makes you question/think about things.

Just go read this, NOW! It gets all the stars from me!!

I was a little nervous about reading this because I loooooved The House in the Cerulean Sea, but I didn't need to be. This was still very good and probably cemented TJ Klune's adult novels as auto-reads for me. That said, this is very different from his prior novel, but yet the heart is definitely still there. It was a little slow in the beginning which keeps it from being a 5 star read.

Under the Whispering Door tells the story of Wallace Price who is taken to a peculiar tea shop in the woods after he is collected by a reaper. The owner of the shop, Hugo, is a ferryman who helps souls cross over into the afterlife (whatever that is). In the middle of reading this book my dog died which gave much of this story a different tone and a lot more feels (see the content warning below). I cried because I was sad but also because I was happy/moved. It's one of those.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for the electronic advanced copy.

Content warnings: T"his 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." (This comes straight from the book and I couldn't say it better.)

A slow start set the tone for this novel, which never picked up enough momentum to be truly enjoyable.

Under The Whispering Door explores what happens to a person after their death. Walter is taken by surprise when he finds himself attending his own funeral as a ghost, before being ushered to a way station of sorts. While living, Walter was a typical workaholic, selfish man. But as a ghost, he learns about the value of friends, family and love.

Overall, this book felt like it was trying too hard to be meaningful and philosophical. There wasn't a whole lot to the plot and it ultimately missed the mark.

TJ Klune hits it out of the park again with Under the Whispering Door - I laughed, I winced, I choked back some tears. Wallace is a man who has spent his living years slowly insulating himself from anything resembling a life, only to discover the joys of friendship, family, and community after he's dead. Hugo is the softest of cinnamon roles and I fully understood why everyone from the dog to the reaper was so quick to protect him. What could have been a trite ending in the hands of a lesser author felt fully earned by the epilogue of this book.

After recently reading The House in the Cerulean Sea and hugging it tightly to my chest when I finished, I knew I would read anything that TJ Klune writes. Under the Whispering Door was enjoyable start to finish and kept me captivated. While I didn't enjoy it as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea, it was unique and captured me in a different way. It is a book about found family, learning to grow and become better, and how we process and understand death. It still contains great humour whilst tackling personal growth and the challenges we face when confronted with death and harsh reality.

What I really liked about the book was that it was a great mix of fantasy and reality. It mixes real life with life beyond death, including ghosts and reapers. Wallace is an office drone and a high powered lawyer, who was a terrible person in life. His background is one that most of us would be familiar with, all work and no play. He had no friends and his entire life revolved around his work. He was inconsiderate, mean, condescending and just plain terrible. This book is his journey of learning to be better and learning how to actually live, with the support of a ferryman, reaper and a few other ghosts. Despite being dead, Wallace learns a few things. I loved the supportive characters, the laughs I had and how easy to read the book was. I kept turning the pages from start to finish and would definitely recommend this author.

If you love books that are sweet, funny, make you feel all the emotions and have a mix of fantasy and reality - you will enjoy this!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for access to the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, TJ Klune does it again with this heartwarming read filled to the brim with love, family, humor, and a touch of spunk.

Wallace is a prickly lawyer who, upon his sudden death, finds himself brought to the steps of Charon’s Crossing tea shop. It’s supposed to be a stop on his journey to the “beyond” but it isn’t until he meets Hugo, Nelson, Mei and Apollo that he really starts to live.

This is a cozy, feel-good read that embodies everything you love about a found family story. I loved it!

5⭐️

#netgalley #underthewhisperingdoor

This book is brilliant, full stop. The writing, the characters, the story... it's incredibly moving and enthralling. It's my first T.J. Klune book, but I promise that it will not be my last. Under the Whispering Door flawlessly blends every possible emotion into an incredibly moving story. I cried, I laughed, I swooned, I reflected on life and being human.

And funny enough, I have never gone from flat out abhorring a character to, well, not, in a matter of a few hundred pages. When we first encounter Wallace, and find that he has died, I literally wrote in my Kindle "good tbh, hate him". But the story doesn't end there, friends. Wallace has some amends to make, and since he can no longer make them in the living world, he's going to do them elsewhere.

When he finds himself in Hugo's teashop/dead people waiting room, he's not exactly game for whatever is happening. But the characters at Hugo's are kind of the best. The funniest, the sweetest, the strongest. Flawed, of course, as we all are, but still fabulous. And Wallace begins to understand that he too can be flawed but still better.

I'm not saying another word about this gorgeous story, because you just have to read it for yourself, to feel it for yourself. I am so glad that I took a chance on it, and I hope that you do too.

Bottom Line: I have my "book everyone gets as holiday gifts" for the year. Spoiler, it's this one.

My heart hurts. I don't cry when reading books. I've read really sad books before but this one takes the cake. There are some really raw and tough emotions you have to deal with when you read this book. I did cry. It makes me think of when my time will come, when those whom I love's time will come, when it's time for my dogs to cross the rainbow bridge. All of these emotions and feelings are scary and heavy. Nobody is ready for the passing of their loved ones. This book tackles these difficult topics in the best way. I was in tears at the end. I am not ready to let go and I don't think I ever will be. But this book helps. It shows you a different way to look at life, death, and everything meaningful. Cherish your relationships. Hug your loved ones. Make sure your dogs know you love them. I know I will.

Exploration of grief - not just for the self but missed opportunities. A collection of relationships between people, find a place you fit in, and are beloved for the parts of yourself you aren’t aware of. I grew to love a character I didn’t anticipate liking and the journey was worth it.

TJ Klune really knows how to conjure a fantastical setting, cozy and dreamlike. This book takes us to Charon's Crossing Tea and Treats. Our protagonist, Wallace, is a modern but also timeless reincarnation of Ebenezer Scrooge, a workaholic that cares nothing for his own joy or that of anyone else whose livelihoods are held in his hands. And now he's dead.

Death stories make me nervous because if done well, I will be a sobbing wreck of a human (see: the time I watched Coco or the series finale of The Good Place). This was an odd one for me because I went in with that expectation and instead found a relatively peaceful read. This is not to say someone else might not be triggered by it.

At the start, it's slow-paced, trying to be philosophical, laying down long-form metaphors or hitting you upside the head with not-so-subtle subtext about dying. Everyone is so careful with Wallace when he reaches the tea shop. I appreciate the respect for boundaries and space for vulnerability, but all the tip-toeing sure dragged things out. Everyone is quick to phrase him for basic human actions that frankly I wouldn't even categorize as skills, i.e. admitting you don't know something, asking a question, caring about someone other than yourself, remembering you're dead. It picked up in the second half once Wallace has settled in. More characters are introduced and new sources of external conflict arrive to shake things up.

My favorite character was Nelson, a mischievous, ghostly grandfather. I laughed out loud at some of the ghosts' haunting pranks and general mayhem. So even though it didn't exactly hit me in the feels, I still enjoyed some of the sillier moments. I think if you like a pleasant read, are a fan of the author, like fantasy with a tender-hearted queer love story (mlm, in this case), or like your books with some direct philosophical pondering, this might be a good pick for you. Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This was absolutely wonderful and whimsical. It does a fantastic job of managing a difficult topic and making it accessible and understandable. The book will definitely stay with me for a long time. It's unique and endearing. TJ Klune's writing definitely is captivating, filled with heart and humor. I will definitely be recommending this to people.

Wallace Price is dead. And frankly, he’s pretty pissed off about that. Worse yet, no one seems to care that he’s dead. Instead of a packed turnout for Wallace’s funeral, only a handful of people come and none of them particularly liked him. When a reaper named Mei shows up, Wallace finds himself taken to a tea shop, operated by a Ferryman named Hugo. Wallace is supposed to process his untimely demise and then cross over. That’s how it works, except Wallace isn’t particularly inclined to go.

As the days pass, Wallace becomes accustomed to his new existence and discovers purpose in helping those around him. Coming to terms with the man he was and the ghost he has become takes effort, but being with Hugo, Mei, and Hugo’s grandfather, Nelson, brings Wallace a joy in death he never experienced in life. But this ghostly phase was only ever supposed to be temporary and there are forces beyond Wallace and Hugo’s control that will alter their eternities forever.

As an atheist, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what comes after death, but I always appreciate when the topic is explored by others, especially fiction authors. Under the Whispering Door offers a beautiful blend of memorable characters and a tender story about love and loss, all rendered with author T.J. Klune’s signature blend of heart and humor. I’m a vocal Klune fan, but I know some readers avoid his work because it can deal with some pretty emotional topics. So for those wondering, I would say Under the Whispering Door falls in the middle between The Lightening Struck Heart (which is laugh aloud fun) and Into This River I Drown (which requires a bulk order of tissues to get through). You’ll find lots of humor here, but you won’t be in the fetal position wracked with grief by the end.

Wallace and Hugo are part of what make Under The Whispering Door such a sweet and engaging read. Wallace is imperfect and arrogant, but his character evolves believably and with beautiful realism. Hugo somehow manages the balance between genuine goodness without being saccharine and I adored him because of his honest desire to help others. The secondary characters are equally strong and I found Mei and Nelson to be vital to the story; neither of them were relegated to being mere afterthoughts, which I thoroughly appreciated.

The plot is generally strong and I enjoyed the journey Wallace took as he discovered purpose and a measure of joy in death. There will be some readers, I think, that cry foul towards the end because it is a bit too neat, too easy. And I can appreciate that frustration, but personally, I enjoyed the way things were resolved. I can’t say more without getting into spoilers save that sometimes it’s okay to enjoy the simple and sweet.

I loved Under the Whispering Door. It was another slam dunk by author T.J. Klune and I think it’s a near perfect blend of his trademark humor and his emotionally charged writing style. Death is a difficult topic under the best of circumstances, but Under the Whispering Door offers those in the afterlife a kind of grace that we don’t often see given to the living. Consider this one highly recommended..

Under the Whispering Door
by T.J. Klune

I requested this book without reading the blurb and just based on the author. I am so glad I was granted my request! This is such a heartwarming and touching story! It's about death and crossing over. It's about love and also wasting your life on trival things.

After 2020 and 2021, death is everywhere! I don't think anyone is spared not knowing someone's family or maybe had their own family hit by sadness.

This book is about a very cruel, selfish man who only cares for his business and none of his workers. The opening scene shows us exactly how much of a jerk he is. But then he dies. A reaper comes for him and takes him to a Tea Shop. There the owner explains he is dead and when he is ready, he will help him cross over.

During the time there a lot happens. He learns a lot of lessons the hard way, has some odd adventures, meets The Administrator (the feared and powerful), falls in love, and learns things he should have learned during life.

I cried a lot! Mostly good tears! Especially during the end. I also giggled some during the book. This was such an awe-inspiring book! Tender, a touch frightened due to the subject but once I was into it, it was comforting.

I hope my father went to this Tea Shop last year! I picture him sitting down, joking, laughing with the owner, and was happily led to the door! I thought of all those people who died and hoped and wished they too had Tea at a shop like this!

This is a book for anyone who has lost someone, anyone who has wasted their life on trivial issues, and anyone who wants an inspiring story!

Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this life changing book! I will never drink tea again without thinking of this book!

I thought the plot was slow moving. It really didn't hook me until I was about 70% of the way through. I would have liked to read more about the side characters.

On the surface, this book may seem like a book about death, but in truth, it is so much more. Meet Wallace, living his life for work, and letting nothing stand in his way, including his assistant who he swiftly sacks in heartless fashion right before he…dies. Not all that likeable. Barely a soul at his funeral but his ex-wife, partners from his law firm, and a strange woman. Wallace is frustrated and confused, only the woman can hear and see him. He can’t be dead, can he? Turns out, the stranger is a reaper, here to whisk him away to the afterlife. The way there, requires the help of ferryman, Hugo, owner of a quirky tea shop Charon’s Crossing that also houses Hugo’s hilarious deceased Grandfather Nelson and Apollo, a dog so loyal that even after death, he couldn’t leave him. Hugo helps souls to pass through the door on the top floor on to the afterlife and the pull towards the door is strong. No one can see those in the tea shop who have departed, except for Hugo and Mei, the reaper who is the only person who can touch (or rather hug) the spirits.

This is a story about life. Reflecting on the life you’ve led and leaving for the afterlife with no regrets. Wallace has his fair share of those. An unlikeable character that has a lot of work to do to redeem himself. When “The Manager” shows up in all his child-like glory (which includes an amazing t-shirt) and tells Wallace his days at Charon’s Crossing are numbered, he sets out to do more to deserve the life that comes next. On his journey, Wallace sets out to help others, including a grieving Mother, a soul that is thought to be lost to his grief, a new spirit struggling to accept the circumstances of their death, and reaching out to his ex-wife to offer her closure. Along the way, what Wallace finds is love and family. Something he didn’t even seem to know he was missing. The love story of Wallace and Hugo maintains tension throughout the story as the inevitable time for Wallace to enter the door to his afterlife is always looming. The emotional connection of the relationship keeps you wondering what is to come. This book takes us through all of the stages of grieving and shows us how love can heal even the most tarnished heart. As a huge fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea, T.J. Klune has set the bar high and his voice is clearly one I look forward to reading more of again. This book feels like a love letter to those who we have lost, hope for what comes next, and taking the time to live each day as though it is your last. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advanced copy of this book.

3/10 stars

My full review on my blog (link attached).

I’ve heard a lot of good things about T.J. Klune’s books; when I saw this one on NG, I jumped at the opportunity to finally get acquainted with his writing. Alas, while the writing was smooth enough and well-meaning enough, Under the Whispering Door turned out to be a book not for me. I’m sure there are people who’ll enjoy it – not just more than I did, which is no big feat, but generally, in absolute terms, as a feel-good, “wholesome” novel.

I could probably finish my review here; then, words like “infantile” and “cloyingly sweet” wouldn’t have to be written. And I’m a bit tempted to do just that, because I don’t have a beef with this book; no uncontrollable growing and gnashing teeth while reading, no torn out hair – my reactions tended toward bafflement and growing dissatisfaction. Alas, I think I owe an explanation for this somewhat dismal rating. So, here it is.

Under the Whispering Door is a fantasy conglomerate of different tropes and themes and inspirations, from Dickens to studio Ghibli, from the found family trope to the treasure trove of New Age afterlife imagery. The main character, Wallace Price, is a stiff, overbearing, miserly and insensitive… curmudgeon, let’s call him nicely, on the verge of becoming even stiffer; he dies, you see, and that’s the beginning of his journey. It’s not Christmas, but rather March or thenabouts, but the influence of A Christmas Carol is undeniable. Faced with a total lack of grief from the handful of people who actually appeared at his funeral and with an angry outburst from his ex-wife over his casket, Wallace begins to realize he wasn’t a particularly nice person. Well, better late than never, but not to worry – he’ll have time to repent and find happiness, because death is a new beginning! Collected at said funeral by his personal Reaper, a person who’s supposed to ease the transition from life to death and help the poor souls on their road to afterlife, Wallace Price travels to a tea shop where he meets a Ferryman named Hugo. Yes, there are Reapers, Ferrypeople, and a Manager; almost-afterlife seems quite efficiently organized, with manila folders popping up out of thin air, with certain routines and guidelines in place (quite material, at that, with hooks), and rules of engagement. Apparently, even in death people require help, because death is traumatizing for the dying and the dead need therapy before they can happily float into the afterlife proper.

…It’s better not to ask questions, you can already see from the above paragraph that the setup doesn’t make sense; actually, I didn’t get the impression that sense or logic was in any way important to the author. The worldbuilding in Under the Whispering Door is mainly supposed to be cute and quirky, and for some it certainly will be. There is a house in the woods that’s made of four different houses sat one upon another in layers, like a cake, and at the top of the top floor there is a special door in the ceiling, leading up to the heavens. Quirky.

Also, dead people need to work through their trauma of dying, and need to come to terms with their new state of being (unbeing is not an option), and that’s why they need a team of coaches and therapists in the almost-afterlife. Quirky. Otherwise, they become horrible Husks and… actually, nothing; the Husks just hang around aimlessly, too afraid to pass on, and there’s a whole side plot dedicated to them, but it also doesn’t make any sense: it’s just there so that the main protagonist has something to do.

There is so much of writing by the numbers in the 2020s in this book. It’s not a bad thing, well done representation is something that’s always needed. But here, maybe apart from representation, it all seems token: love is obviously the conqueror of everything, the message that there are no bad people, just misunderstood people, is jammed down our throats at every turn, and the feel-good mushiness so sought after in the time of pandemic reaches new heights. To say nothing of the dog – there’s a ghost dog because it was so faithful in life that it decided to stay on after death. Aw, sweet!

Aand, there’s tea. Gallons of tea in different flavors. Don’t get me wrong, I love tea. I drink litres of the stuff every day. The problem is tokenism, merged with a really not nice whiff of smug superiority. Drinking loose leaf tea is apparently en vogue: tea seems everywhere these days, it dominates the genre. In self-respecting novels in the 2020s there’s no coffee, no fizzy drinks, not even water. There’s tea, and whoever drinks anything else, or, god forbid, doesn’t like tea (gasp!) is viewed as something less.

This form of tribalism may seem innocuous enough, I mean, nobody is going to fight over tea, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. This novel has more of those little moments of superiority, not just about tea but also personal beliefs. New Age spirituality goes hand in hand here with an anti-theist approach that is just jarring – the idea of a personified god is gently laughed at, a few times, as something slightly backward and unenlightened, but apparently there’s nothing wrong with joyous choirs, doors filled with bright unearthly light, a demigod/supernatural being that looks like it’s watched Princess Mononoke a few times too many, and a guarantee of personal happiness in heavenly afterlife up above. Shintoism has personified gods aplenty, so what’s the deal? Maybe it’s just me, but I struggle to see the difference. Why is one belief portrayed as better than the other?

[...]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.

TJ Klune is magic—absolute magic. If Cerulean Sea was a hug, Whispering Door is a kiss on the forehead, and a gentle squeeze of the hand.

Wallace Price was an asshole, and then he died, in his office, alone. Mei, his reaper, catches up to him at his funeral and brings him back to Charon’s Crossing, a tea shop and way-station for the recently departed. Hugo, the ferryman, offers him peppermint tea and a friendly ear. The only problem is Wallace is having a hard time accepting the fact that he’s actually dead.

Hugo, Mei, Nelson (Hugo’s dead grandpa), and Apollo (Hugo’s dead dog) stick by Wallace through all the ups and downs of learning how to be dead--and along the way, Wallace learns more about living than he ever did while he was actually alive.

This story stole my heart. Klune’s writing style reminds me a bit of Fredrik Backman, wry and witty, but also tender and infinitely empathetic. He gently wrestles with some pretty heavy topics--death, loss, love, what it means to live a good life--and what happens once you die--but the book didn’t feel heavy. Or rather, it was the good kind of heavy, like a weighted blanket--a gentle pressure that soothes anxiety and helps you to breathe a little easier.

Whimsical yet serious, funny and also a little sad, Under the Whispering Door is adult fantasy at its best.

Wow – sometimes you come across an author you haven’t read before and realize the writing style is exactly your speed. I just recently finished UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by TJ Klune and I was so impressed by the life lessons wrapped up in humor, stolen glances, and partnership. This book made me feel good to read – made me feel like people always have an opportunity to turn their life around even if their life is over as they know it. The plot kept me engaged and was a unique take on the stages of grief coming from an unexpected source. And there was so many little moments of connection that I really just loved letting myself get absorbed by this read. I really am glad I made time for this book and look forward in picking up others by this great author. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I suppose I really need to write a review for this, though I've been having a hard time figuring out what I could possibly say that is more than "JUST READ THIS BOOK". I finished this weeks ago and have just had a mind block on how to approach this. But really, the only thing I can say, or should say, is that I loved this. I loved this so very much. I started crying at the dedication so that might tell you something, but it was a cry with a slight smile because feelings.

This is a story about a terrible man named Wallace. Not terrible in that he's a murderer or anything. No, he's just a jerk. Like the biggest jerk ever. He's not nice, he's actually quite cruel when he gets going, and I found I really didn't like him at all. And this is just in the first chapter! But then he dies and the process of what happens next, how it impacts him, how others are there for him and teach him and are open to him and all his flaws, I started to change my opinion. Wallace's revelations and transformation are what make this one of the best books I've read.

Grief is different for everyone and I guess even the person who dies might be grieving their own life. Maybe they grieve the life they could have had if they realized all the things they were doing wrong and got themselves into a better place. I think Wallace goes through all of this and then some. Is there a change to learn after we die? I'd hope so. Is there a place like Hugo's tea shop that we can go to and hang while we come to terms and accept what is now? I hope for that too. Maybe there isn't. Maybe this is all just a beautiful fantasy. Either way, this was a story that took me on a journey with a man who needed to change and does in a way that had me loving him so much. It's also a story about new friends and family and how love and support can really heal.

There is so much more about this book that I can't put into words. It's a lot, this story about Wallace, Hugo, and the people of the tea shop. People have said this book is like a hug... I'd have to agree. I felt so nurtured and warm and held tight within the words and pages. I didn't want it to end, so I've started listening to the audio book. This is one of those stories that I'll always come back to, and I hope that other readers will love it even half as much as I do. You'll cry, but you'll also laugh and it will be a release of everything you didn't know you had stuck up inside you.

Highly recommended.