4★
“The partners gathered at the back of the church, near Wallace’s pew, speaking in low tones. Wallace had given up trying to let them know he was still here, sitting right in front of them. They couldn’t see him. They couldn’t hear him.
. . .
Maybe they’d even shed a tear or two. He hoped so.

‘He was an a**hole,’ Moore said finally.

‘Such an a**hole,’ Hernandez agreed.

‘The biggest,’ Worthington said.”

So - not a nice man then. Going to be missed like a sore tooth. If lawyer Wallace Price was surprised to find himself invisible and unlamented at his funeral, wait until a young woman arrives who can not only see and hear him, she has plans for him!

He’s a nasty piece of work, but he’s also amusing. Klune makes him so oblivious of others in an over-the-top way, that we rejoice when a sudden heart attack takes him out in the first chapter.

Back to the funeral. As Wallace watches his partners and his ex-wife bid him farewell (good riddance), the young woman introduces herself.

“‘Wallace Price,’ she said. ‘My name is Meiying, but you can call me Mei, like the month, only spelled a little different. I’m here to bring you home.’
. . .
‘Oh, and I’m your Reaper, here to take you where you belong.’ And then, as if the moment wasn’t strange enough, she made jazz hands. ‘Ta da.’”

That little jazz hands comment and the TA-DA is a good indication of the tone that runs through this story that is both funny and tender. Mei takes him to a small village with a teashop: “CHARON’S CROSSING TEA AND TREATS”, where he meets the ferryman, Hugo Freeman.

The author has fun with references to mythology, folk tales, and religion. This ferryman is responsible for helping souls move on when they are ready, but not across the River Styx to Hades. The ‘river’ here is more of a vertical pull through a door in the roof, way high up, many storeys above the teashop, to whatever hereafter awaits.

I enjoyed the growing affection between the characters, real and otherwise, and Wallace’s gradual, ironic realisation of what life is all about. The pranks they played during a customer's seances were a hoot.

“She cleared her throat once more. ‘Hello, spirits. I have received your message. Who are you? What is it you want? Did you die horribly, perhaps by being bludgeoned to death with a hammer in a crime of passion and have unfinished business that only I, Desdemona Tripplethorne of Desdemona Tripplethorne’s Sexy Seances (trademark pending), can help you with? Who is your murderer? Is it someone in this room?’”

There is a lot more moralising and philosophising than I care for, which makes the story move slowly, but we know Wallace doesn’t understand subtlety, so he needs some serious prodding. No, he needs to be hit over the head, so the author does that, as well as scares the living daylights out of him, although I guess ghosts don’t have ‘living daylights’ (eyes) anymore.

I was never sure why ghosts could drink tea but didn’t eat, but maybe I missed the explanation. Who cares? It was good fun and I enjoyed it. I absolutely loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I liked this enough that I'm looking forward to my time in the teashop!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted, so quotes may have changed.

This was a a cozy warm lovely read that I loved. I gave it five stars and would recommend. Highly enjoyable and just wonderful

I simply adored this book.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t so sure about it at first. The main character is very unlike able to the point where I was having trouble being interested in the story. Yes, I knew that him being unlikeable was the point, but it was…a lot.

But then, the further I got into the story, I became more and more hooked.

I laughed out loud, I cried, I was happy, I was angry, I was sad.

This book was everything, but most of all it was like getting a big hug.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me an e-ARC via NetGalley.

Another tender and sweet story from TJ Klune. If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, like I did, you won't be disappointed by this new book. However, I do think readers need to manage their expectations before diving in. This is not as lighthearted; House had it's moments of 'darkness, but Door doesn't hesitate to get down in the depths at times. This is a book about death and dying. But, Klune still managed to handle grief, legacies, and what it means to be alive realistically and genuinely. The main characters was really well-developed - I especially enjoyed Mei and Nelson. There were some things I didn't latch onto fully, mainly the romance between Wallace and Hugo. It felt like it dropped out of nowhere, they went from a tenuous acquaintance to love and I felt like I missed when that actually happened. Maybe that was the point, but I felt it could have been fleshed out a little more. Overall, a solid outing from Klune; I've already recommended it to several readers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wallace Price was used to getting his own way and something of a jerk in life. He's shocked and in disbelief to find himself attending his own funeral - there must be some mistake. Can he speak to manager? Luckily he is engaged by a reaper named Mei who leads him to a tea shop in a small village, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo has two jobs - the tea shop's owner and is also a ferryman to help souls that need to cross over into the afterlife. Looking back on life, Walter isn't ready to move on - he missed so much in life, there are so many things left undone. With Hugo's help, he starts to learn about the things he missed in life.

Don't hate me for saying it, but for me this is a case of "It's not you, it's me." The book was well written, I liked it, but I didn't love it. I think I just wasn't really in the right headspace to get into it. I loved the diversity and the representation, the characters and their relationships were really lovely. It was all about the relationships and Wallace's emotional growth, so there was not a lot of action and I felt like the middle dragged a bit. Maybe my mind was just more in the mood for something with a faster pace. There were good points and bad points and for me it was just ok. All in all, a good book, but just not the right one for me at the moment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the gifted copy.

I had been warned a few times that this book is very different from The House in the Cerulean Sea and boy, was that right. While THITCS felt like a warm sunny day, this story felt like standing under a dark cloud. This book is all about a very different and heavy subject — death. And please, please pay attention to the Authors Note at the beginning. I’ve heard a few people saying they read this and decided not to read the book, and that’s okay! While this book is indeed very different, some of what I loved about THITCS is back in this story. It has the same whimsical, quirky feel. And there is a lot of humor mixed in with the tears. The take on the “after-life” felt unique to me and I enjoyed the characters who helped Wallace in his literal and metaphorical journey. This book has a message we’ve all heard before, which is be kind and don't be a jerk. But I think sometimes we all need the reminder 🙃

Thank you to NetGalley Tor Books for the advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. From Klune's writing style to the range of unique characters, it's hard not to fall in love with this book. ⁣
⁣
Whilst this book deals heavily with death and coping with loss, it also looks at love and living life to its fullest. Make sure you have tissues at the ready because this one brought me to tears numerous times!⁣
⁣
Honestly Under The Whispering Door is such a beautiful book that takes you on such an incredible and emotional journey. I was so sad when it ended because I just wanted to remain in this world with this amazing characters. ⁣
⁣
I 100% recommend you pick up this book! I'm going to be reading House in the Cerulean Sea very soon and I'm so excited!⁣

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Under the Whispering Door is a book about death, grief, found family, love. This book featured wonderful characters, a couple of terrible characters, and maybe one or two who started off one way then turned to another.

Wallace Price is a lonely man, but he’s busy with his work. Until he finds himself dead due to a heart attack. At his funeral, he as a ghost can see firsthand who is in attendance: his ex-wife and his law partners, and a lady he doesn’t recognize. This lady turns out to be his Reaper and she is here to take him to his next stop.

Mei (the Reaper) explains to Wallace what had happened and what their next steps will be. They head to a tea shop where he meets, among some other fabulous characters, Hugo, the ferryman who is here to help him move on to the next part of his life. Wallace is free to stay as long as he wants but when he is ready, Hugo will help him transition over.

Over his time with Hugo and the others, Wallace starts to grow as a person. Until one day, a creature known only as The Manager show ups, letting Wallace know he has 7 days until he must pass. Wallace knows he must make the best of his time with his newfound friends before the next step is pushed upon him.

This is a hard book to describe without giving away details. I went in completely blind after falling in love with The House in the Cerulean Sea earlier this year and I think that might have helped me. The synopsis makes like the “7 days” aspect is a bigger deal than it is, when in fact, that part of the story is such a small part of this story and happens so much later than expected.

This book has humor, fantastic characters, a lovely love story, but it isn’t perfect. The pacing is not great and there are too many small plots that don’t feel fleshed out or even necessary. Even the love story — no matter how much I am here for it — seems rushed, not complete.

I know that, for some reason, I tend to rate books that make me cry higher than they maybe deserve. This book is delightful and, yes, made me cry so, so much. But the writing, story, and characters are just wonderful. This ended up being a 4/4.5 for me, though I know it didn’t hit that mark with everyone.


I am so thankful for my eBook from Tor Books via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

Under The Whispering Door by @tjklunebooks is the story of Wallace Price, a heartless lawyer who dies suddenly and is brought by a reaper to a little teashop in the woods, the last waystation to help him crossover to the otherside. But Wallace isn’t ready to go, and during his time at the shop, its inhabitants teach him all about what it means to live a good life.

I am convinced that @tjklunebooks superpower is writing the most charming AF characters you will ever come across. They can catapult themselves right into the most cynical of hearts, leaving you an emotional mess when you’re done! I am not a crier, but if you are, good luck. Grab the tissues and an emotional support buddy reader, cuz you’re in for a ride. You know that lump in the throat, tingly eyes situation that happens every time Goose and Maverick head out on that fateful flight in Top Gun? That was me for the last ¼ of this novel.

The story deals with death of all forms – unexpected, suicide, murder – so consider this when choosing to read. The author so kindly put this content warning at the start of the story so readers can proceed with care. Yet somehow, even though it is a story about death, I found myself laughing out loud on the regular at Nelson and Mei’s zingy one liners and feeling so hopeful for all of their futures.

I’ve seen some feedback that the pacing is off and that what one expects to be a main story arc only occurs in the final chapters of the story; and this is true, but I think it’s honestly the fault of the book description, misdirecting the reader as to what is the main plot rather than a fault in the book itself. My suggestion: ignore the goodreads description, go in blind, and you’ll thoroughly enjoy every minute of the journey you'll go with these loveable characters.

If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, A Man Called Ove, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, or Scroogey-like stories, this one is for you!

Thanks so much to @torbooks for sending me this gifted copy 💕

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

An easy 5-star read from my favourite author, I knew going into this one that the tone would be different to a lot of Klune's other novels, but I was not prepared to be bawling my eyes out at 2am as I finished the last chapter of "Under the Whispering Door".

While the plot was slower paced to start with, it matched the tone of the book well. The characters were all super loveable and the world building was so good!

One of the best books I've read so far this year, I'm so sad that I've only got a couple more Klune books to read before I've finished them all! I can't wait for more future releases and I've already preordered two copies of this book for my collection!

Oh my, where to start? This book is a lot. It's so so heavy, but so so hopeful. I only teared up like 3 times, and I feel like that was an accomplishment. As usually with Klune's books, this is one I want to hug but also throw across the room. While I didn't love it quite as much as The House in the Cerukean Sea, I still highly recommend. ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you Net Galley & Tor Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly I am a day late on finishing up my ARC in time but that is because this one is SO good I had to keep putting it down to just savor it. Not to mention it made me cry countless times so I had to recover from that as well. It is one of the most whimsical, delightful, heartwarming story I've ever read about death and what comes after. This was the first book by this author that I've read but if his others even come close to this sign me up!

I. I really don't know where to begin.... this book broke me. It stitched me back together only to break me again over and over. (Best way possible) I about peed my pants laughing more times than I can count. I don't think I have ever died laughing in a part, only feel my heart being ripped out in the next few pages or chapters. This is hands down one my top 10 books so far this year. Without a doubt. Holy Rollercoaster. I don't think I'll ever forget this one.

Every once in awhile an author comes around that quite literally turns your world upside down. TJ Klune, is that author for me. I had been going to extremely high lengths to try to obtain Under the Whispering Door, prior to its release date. When I was granted the opportunity I literally had bells on shrieking from the roof top.

Under the Whispering Door, does not disappoint. This book exceeded all expectations I had had for it and let me tell you my expectations were high.

Could you possibly live your whole life in 7 day? The way TJ Klune was able to narrate this book makes you believe just that. This was one of those books that just give you a good shake up and make you want to make major life changes and really, really start living. We only have one life, we all need to start acting like it.

Wallace is dead, we know that much is clear. Wallace is having a hard time accepting he is actually dead. When Wallace meets Hugo, the owner of a strange little tea shop, he promises Wallace he is going to help him cross over . Wallace soon comes to terms with the fact that he is not ready to die and really wants to live. That is when Wallace decides to live a full life in seven days before he is forced to cross over.

This was just an uplifting story and as I said before it really affected me in a way that I want to do more. I am typically that person who is married to their job and puts their career first and maybe I need to take a step back and realize what truly is important.

Thank you TJ Klune, for the wake up call. I really needed this .

If I could give this 10 stars I would, 5 stars just does not equate to any type of justice for this book.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This was my most anticipated release of the year and boy did it not disappoint! I hate to say it, but I think I liked this better than Cerulean sea!

The characters in this were so rich, so well developed. When I wasn't laughing out loud, I was crying quietly in my office. What a book. Just go read it.

This was my most anticipated book of the year. After reading Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea last year and falling in love with his writing I had SUPER high hopes for this. While it didn't quite reach the level that was THITCS I did enjoy this. I love how Klune writes his characters. They have so much emotional depth and development. I always find myself laughing aloud and overcome with emotion a few pages later. I think the synopsis for this book was a bit misleading. Some things didn't occur until the last 1/4 of the book---which I wish took up more of the book. I think this was just not long enough for the main character to fully develop and it felt a bit rushed. However, I loved the premise of this and will continue to pick up anything written by Klune in the future.


I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one earned 4 stars because it really stuck with me. As much as I didn't like everything that happened in the story, I can understand the plot choices now that I've finished the book. I really liked getting to know the characters and the atmosphere is one of the most memorable for me. This is a great character driven story about life, death, and tea.

oh my goodness this book. I was expecting it to be light and fluffy and it is but it isn't. It is heartbreaking, but in the best way. If you are looking for an amazing story of grief and death but also love and joy. I highly recommend. Just be prepared for a book hangover once you finish.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 rating

“Because you’re you, and that’s who you’re supposed to be”

This book did not disappoint AT ALL! Klune has a way of making you fall in love with all of his characters! I couldn’t have loved this book anymore. It was such a heartwarming story of knowing you can change who you were in life while in death. The story of Wallace gives you so much to think about in your own life and what you want to do with the time you have.

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone! Make sure you have tissues on hand because you WILL cry!

After loving everything I've read by Klune so far it was obvious I was going to read this. And then, when it appeared on NetGalley AND I was approved, I had to sit on it for SO. MANY. MONTHS.* It was 100% worth the wait.

Having not read any of Klune's "adult" books, this one feels more mature than his superhero books (The Extraordinaries and Flash Fire) or The House in the Cerulean Sea. Most of this is directly because there are no young adult characters and this deals so much with the topics of death and grief. And it brings up so many philosophical ideas about life and death that I'm sure I still missed plenty.

Getting it out of the way, I was NOT a fan of the way the book started. Wallace was a dick. There's no other way to say it and it was a struggle to get through that first chapter because I wasn't sure how long I was going to have to put up with it. Thankfully, he dies pretty quick and the book really kicks off.

We're here to make sure they see that life isn't always about living. There are many parts to it, and that it continues on, even after death. It's beautiful, even when it hurts. (Chapter 12)

The story isn't just Wallace's story. It's also the story of Hugo, the ferryman a la Charon from Greek mythology who works at a cafe called Charon's Crossing (on the nose much?! but so adorable), Mei, the reaper who goes looking for the assigned deceased to help them find their way to Charon's Crossing, and Nelson and Apollo, Hugo's grandfather and dog who have both died and stuck around to help Hugo manage his anxiety and the stress of constantly dealing with death.

I loved that this story wasn't over the top or about too much fantasticalness. In a way it was very Austen-esque in that it's got a super narrow geography with a family of characters and occasional guests. Even though it's dealing with this grandiose and incomprehensible of death and life after death, the story is really about the minutiae of living and it was a beautiful story.

As Wallace realizes who he was when he lived, he realizes he doesn't want to be that person any more. He's realized that Hugo and Mei are doing what they do, helping the dead pass beyond, not because they expect to get anything from it, but because they can and it's the right thing to do. And when Wallace realizes this, after he's become friends with everyone and fallen in love with Hugo it takes the book to a whole different plane. It becomes tenser, more visceral and a billion times more beautiful because of the time limit forced on Wallace.

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 and find our way again. We have a chance here to do something important, something never done before. (Chapter 22)

The one character I haven't talked about is the Manager and I've left them out for a reason. It's hard to describe their role in this other than to manage the process of death. The scenes with him act as the catalyst of the above mentioned ramping up of the story, but also as the denouement and it's very telling that they're embodied by a small male child and a stag (oh hey Harry Potter and Zelda - I'm sure they all get it from the same mythology, I just don't know what it is).

Both times the Manager appears in the story I was left emotionally wrung out. What was Wallace going to do with what little time he had left? And at the end just so overwhelmed with joy and relief (even though I knew it would happen, but prepared for it not to happen, that I could barely finish the last few pages.

The Manager also had the throwaway line after the big OMG YES moment, that left me with the MOST questions from the book:

What? Of course not. His name was Pablo. He lived in Spain in the fifteenth century. He was . . . well. It's not important who he was. All that matters, is you know this is a gift, and one that can be taken away just as easily. (Chapter22)

WHO THE HELL IS PABLO!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?! And is Klune going to write his story next?! Was it Pablo de Santa María (Wikipedia link)? He was the only one who came up after a 2 second Google search :-D But seriously though how do you drop a hint like that and not follow up on it?!

Recommendation: READ THIS BOOK. It's an incredibly beautiful work that makes you think and grow as you read it. I struggled a bit at the start but it gets so much easier to read and grows in beauty and complexity. Klune has become a must-read author and I cannot wait for his next book, whatever it is!

*I received a copy of Under the Whispering Door from the publisher via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: "Patricia was crying."

Closing Line: "If they'd looked back one last time, they would've seen movement in the forest. At the tree line, there, in the dark, a great stag lowered its head toward the earth in veneration, flowers dangling from its antlers. Before long, it moved back amongst the trees, petals trailing in its wake." (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)