*Note: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this work.*

First of all, here's a quick story on my stupidity. I though this book was a sequel to 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' (you know, because the covers are very similar) and by the time I got this ARC I hadn't really read that book yet so I did (and loved it btw). Turns out, it's NOT a sequel to TJ Klune's other book with a VERY similar cover it simply has a VERY similar cover. In my defense, it was a very understandable mistake (that could have been fixed by reading the synopsis). Anyway, I hope you - at least -smiled with this story and now onto the review.

Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy novel about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with. I had a wonderful, cozy, hilarious experience reading this book. It truly has that 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' vibe but instead of themes of self-love and acceptance, it tackles on death and grief. It's about appreciating life and learning to live to our fullest.

I absolutely loved the characters. Hugo, Nelson, Mei, Apollo and of course, Wallace have a special place in my heart from now on. Great dynamics, perfectly developed characters.

But...

The story is nothing new. We heard it before, we've "been there, done that". The plot is a little too predictable and that bored me sometimes. However it didn't bored me too much, tbh.

This novel is character-driven and if, like me, you love that than this book is definitely for you. It feels like a warm blanket in a rainy day, nothing more perfect than that.

T.J. Klune’s books are a like a warm, fuzzy hug. Grilled cheese and tomato soup on a cold, wet day. Snuggles from a hundred puppies all at once. His words make you feel good and happy (and also sad, but then happy!) and if I could wear his books like my favorite sweater, I definitely would. ⁣
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In UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR, our main protagonist doesn’t start off so warm and fuzzy. Self-centered, without empathy, Wallace was a character who went through life not caring about anyone else other than Wallace. When Wallace passes away, he’s collected by a reaper and taken to a ferryman who not only shows Wallace all he missed in life, but also helps him grow and change and learn to be a sympathetic human. His transformation was truly the highlight of this book, and all I can say is prepare yourself— this book is certainly one of those gems that yank fiercely at your heartstrings, so have those tissues at the ready. ⁣ ⁣
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As with many of Klune’s other books, there’s a found family involved and that helps to lighten the load a little with this one. There are some heavy themes at play in this tale, mainly death and the loss and grief that go along with it, but the characters and the friendships and the family aspect bring a lot of lovely heartwarming moments to counterbalance the heartbreaking ones. This is easily one of my top 5 books of the year, and it’s one of those books that will stay with me for quite a long time. 5 charming, heartbreaking, heartwarming stars. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
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*Many thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for the digital arc.

Anywho, I decided to give Under the Whispering Door a try. I really like the cover, it's so silly and cartoony, hiding the depth and darkness that is inside. In that this book is about death and dying and grief and possibly an afterlife? I loved Wallace. I loved him when he was an asshole, I loved him when he was a dead asshole, and I loved his growth. He was unintentionally hilarious and obtuse, I was very amused. I also liked the rest of the very few main characters. This is a simple cast to an immense (in mental capacity) novel. Though I was expecting to dive a little more into the afterlife, I did enjoy what we got. I was a little disappointed that it ended so neatly and tidily but it was a cute novel and I personally, didn't find anything to object to, but I am a cis white woman so I obviously have blinders on. If anyone DOES find something disagreeable, please let me know!! I want to be able to pick out harmful things myself so the more I can learn about them, the better reader and reviewer I can be.

4 stars

A tea shop that's really a way station for the recently dead, a ferryman like the Greek myths who's actually a cinnamon roll, and one absolutely horrible man who comes to find his humanity in this sweet and emotional novel.

Concept: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★
Characters/Arcs: ★★★★
Handling of heavy topics: Every reader will have their own reactions, handle with care

I couldn't get through The House on the Cerulean Sea (I know, I know, don't come for me. I am also upset that it was a DNF.) so I'm pleased to see that this second "quaint fantasy" novel by T.J. Klune really worked for me.

Under the Whispering Door looks cute, and on one level it IS cute. It's a quaint novel about a tea shop and soft gay characters and acceptance and love and goodness prevailing.

DISCLAIMER: But this novel is also extremely heavy and deals with all manners of death—including suicides and murdered victims. Because of this second element, the author himself writes a "handle with care" note in front of the book. I think that note could be more strongly worded, myself, as someone struggling with mental health my have a harder time seeing the weeds for the trees. Please note this if you usually avoid these topics.

Wallace Price is a horrible man. We meet him in the very first scene as he fires a very good employee for a very inconsequential reason, and he feels no remorse. He abruptly dies from a heart attack.

When Wallace "comes to" again, he's shocked to find himself at his own funeral. Only 5 people attend, and no one is sad. This feels very much like Scrooge's experience in A Christmas Carol. One of the attendees is Mei, and Wallace discovers that, to his horror, Mei is his Reaper. He is Dead with capital D, and it's time to meet his Ferryman and accept his death.

Mei takes Wallace to Hugo. Hugo, who runs the quaint tea shop in the woods named Charon's Crossing, is not at all who Wallace expects. But they're tied to each other—literally—and things are about to get interesting.

Throw in a ghost dog and a ghost grandpa, some truly hilarious shenanigans, and a thread of grief and its various stages and you've got this novel. A complicated cup of tea.

My thoughts:
Like I said at the beginning, I couldn't get through Klune's previous quaint fantasy. So what was different about this one? For one thing, I think the pacing was much more palatable for me. The plot might be limited to basically one setting, but it moves!

Wallace Price was an interesting main character to follow. His journey was cliched, for sure, but still there was a lot there and I appreciated how the author brought nuance to a pretty standard "unlikeable to likeable" character arc. I also absolutely LOVED Mei and Nelson (hugo's ghostly grandpa).

Now that all the glowing praise is out of the way... on to the less-than-great stuff. I do think that the author chose a very tall order to cover in this book. And because of that, I think this novel struggled to find its balance between "quaint cozy" and a dark focus on healing, grief, and dying. The two concepts aren't impossible to work together, but I did find it a combination of heavy-handed and derivative at the same time, because the grief elements seemed rushed and slightly overshadowed by the quaint love story, and the love story seemed almost interrupted by some side plots that focused purely on the situation of the way station tea shop. We needed more space, maybe? I'm not sure. This was like holding two polar magnets together by its opposite ends—they are both magnets, so they SHOULD work together, but they were flipped around and you could feel the constant struggle the book was undergoing to keep these two levels of plotline held together.

Thank you to TOR for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Under The Whispering Door is TJ Klune's latest novel, a story as cosy as the well-loved House on the Cerulean Sea that tackles more melancholic themes relating to death, the afterlife, and redemption. This book is exactly what I expected from the author. It's character-driven, quirky, and loveable. If you love his other books, you'll love this one. I wanted a little more depth and nuance to the themes, but overall this was an enjoyable, whimsical read.

Wallace Price is a terrible man who cares more about money and his business's efficiency than people. Then he dies. A reaper collects him from his funeral, but instead of taking him to the afterlife, they go to a quirky tea shop in a small village. There Wallace meets Hugo, the Ferryman whose job it is to help souls cross over. But Wallace isn't ready to leave, especially as he begins to learn more about what he missed in his cruel, short life.

There's something so loveable about TJ Klune's type of humour, and this book is filled to the brim with it. Even though Under The Whispering Door tackles heavy, dark topics, there is a lightheartedness to it that lends itself to a comfort read. The dark elements are balanced with a constant undercurrent of hopefulness. It turns what could be an incredibly depressing story into one that's quirky and sweet.

One of the major themes in this book is that everyone is deserving of redemption. Wallace starts as a horrible businessman and slowly comes to find love in friendship and kindness. I agree with the message that it's never too late to turn your life (or death, I guess) around and work towards becoming a better person. It's something we all need to be reminded of sometimes. At the same time, Wallace didn't do enough in my eyes to justify his redemption. The character we see right at the beginning of the book seems to wash away too easily. There needed to be more introspection, a more compelling reason for the change. I didn't find it believable that someone like Wallace would use their death as a motivating factor to become a better person; why did he never do it before? I wanted more nuance on how someone like that could better themselves. Regardless, I did have fun with this hopeful message of change being possible.

The characters in this book were just as loveable and quirky as I expected. I loved Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and the good dog Apollo. I even loved Wallace towards the end (albeit reluctantly). All the character's radiate a feeling of warmth and kindness. They didn't necessarily have a huge amount of depth to them, but they were vibrant all the same.

I can see what TJ Klune was trying to do with some of the tropes related to these characters, but I don't think he was fully successful. Hugo is a black man who does an intense amount of emotional labour for the white main character. TJ Klune didn't quite manage to distance him from the Magical Negro trope. If anyone doesn't know what that trope is: it's where a black character with mystical powers exists to aid the white protagonists. Unfortunately, Hugo does fit into that. Having a stronger depth to Hugo's character or even an interest that wasn't related to emotional labour might have helped. I also found Mei's mum being a Chinese woman who wanted to assimilate to American culture so badly she rejected her child to leave a bad taste. Yes, this can happen in real life, but white authors so often speak about immigration negatively, it would have been nice to see something different here. TJ Klune was trying to create characters filled with love and kindness, despite the difficulties they have in their lives. I appreciate that, but these critiques still need to be considered.

Overall, I have slightly mixed feelings about this book. It was loveable, enjoyable, quirky, emotional, and hopeful. It's everything you could want from a TJ Klune book; if you love this author, you need to read it. At the same time, there were a few tropes I thought could have been handled better and with more nuance to them. I wanted a little more complexity.

It's been quite some time since I read a book by T.J. Klune. I actually don't remember how long it's been and since he's one of my absolute favourite writers, that's quite a statement from me.

I think it's partly because his book releases have gotten further and further apart and partly because the prices of his books have risen to a level that getting one has become a splurge for me. I find this unfortunate(for me me at least lol), but I guess that's how life is.

Anyway, before I completely go off tangent, I was super excited when I got this book because I KNEW that if for nothing at all, the story would be extremely well written.

Was I right? You bet your butt I was!

Like I'm sure most of the reviews have said, it would be best to go in fresh and without any concrete knowledge of what happens in this slice of awesomeness but, I'll try and give you a sense of things.

Wallace was a stick in the mud for all intents and purposes. Ruthlessly efficient and not bothered with "silly" things like emotional connections. He was...not a nice person. This book is essentially about him attempting to find out how the universe worked and the people that helped him get to that point.

It was a beautifully written tale which was quite heavy at times but it had great humour interspersed to make the subject more digestible. There were many times I actually burst out laughing and caught myself with a silly grin on my face while reading this. Oh and special mention go to Nelson and Mei. They were the perfect secondary characters.😂

All in all, and as you can tell from my rating and my barely restrained excitement in the review, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot recommend it enough.

I was fortunate to have gotten this copy from the publisher but I can tell you with absolute certainty that if you have the money to buy this book, it would be very worth the price.

Wallace and Hugo’s story is one of the best I’ve ever read! Ever! It’s totally heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. I went in blind as this author is a one click author for me and I’m so glad I did.

It’s the kind of book that had me smiling then sobbing then smiling again. So many feelings in this one. Subtle, clever storytelling at its best.

Grab your tissues and go in blind. You won’t regret it.

This book started off so wonderfully. It was fun and light-hearted with the general witty and whimsical way that TJ Klune writes. He has a way of developing the most wonderful characters, with hilarious interactions that are so fun to read. Wallace, Hugo, Mei and Nelson had so many wonderful scenes and moments that were often funny or heartbreaking and I loved each of them dearly, wanting them all to live happily ever after.

TJ Klune has such a way of writing beautiful scenes that reflect the real world, this one dealing with a number of lovely scenes regarding love, loss and grief and how that plays out in our lives. There were so many lovely messages throughout this book that I know people will absolutely love!

This book started off so well and I was so intrigued from the very first chapter, but after a few chapters I began to struggle with it. I’m not quite sure what it was, I know that I’m not the biggest fantasy fan, but like Cerulean Sea, it’s very light fantasy, mainly real world based with a few magical twists. I even read the first half twice to make sure that I was properly into it but it still wasn't enough.

There were just so many characters each with tiny plots that only lasted for a few chapters then wrapped up, there didn't seem to be much cohesion throughout and as a result I spent a lot of the book confused.
I desperately wanted to love this book. I wanted to feel about it the way I felt about Cerulean Sea, but honestly this book felt messy. I'm not sure how to describe it but it was all over the place and the plot seemed to be so vague it was barely existent. The premise of the book, that's written on the blurb, doesn't start until about 70% of the way through and then it feels incredibly rushed, having dragged for most of the book.

The end was so lovely, and it was everything that I wanted, and whilst I loved the character development throughout this book, Wallace’s journey is really wonderful, it just wasn’t enough to bring this book together the way that I wanted when I first read the premise.

I will definitely be picking up futureTJ Klune books in the future. I did enjoy this one, I just wanted a bit more from it!

Thank you for providing me a copy of this book.
I run out of time so sorry I wasn't able to finish this.
I really wanted to read this :(

I can only imagine that T.J. Klune is a highly empathetic and warm-hearted individual. His books always leave me with a warm, sentimental feeling when I've finished reading them and his characters stay with me long after I've turned the last page. I'm left to ponder relationships with those dear to me and contemplate what's truly important in life. Addressing profound topics that are generally associated with despair, he somehow ends up crafting stories that are uplifting and inspirational.

This story was no exception. In his usual whimsical manner, Klune takes his readers on an unusual journey into a uniquely-imagined afterlife. And it seems to be his modus operandi to create protagonists that are highly unlikable to begin with, but end up becoming incredibly endearing by novel's end. This author takes great care to expose the worst qualities in human beings, while also illuminating the best ones.

I will admit that The House in the Cerulean Sea is still my favorite of the two. I did feel that there were scenes in this novel that didn't really move the plot along. In the same breath I'll admit that this is a more character-driven book, and therefore the plot is perhaps not a central focus. Also, Cerulean Sea was more quotable, tbh🤷‍♀️.

As usual, this is a wonderfully inclusive book with BIPOC, AAPI, and LGBTQ characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

Check out more of my bookish ponderings on my blog at mamasgottaread.blogspot.com or follow me on Instagram @mamasgottaread !

🐝 R E V I E W 🐝

Under the Whispering Door
By TJ Klune

☕️☕️☕️☕️/5

Happy Pub Day to this gem 💎! This one’s going to be everywhere!! It’s so well written and so well thought out. And, there were some laugh out loud moments despite the heaviness. I adored the characters!

🫖 Synopsis: Wallace is a callous attorney in life. Putting work before everything and treating everyone terribly. When he suddenly dies, a reaper comes and takes him to a tea shop run by a man named Hugo. Wallace begins to learn so much about life, and perhaps what he missed out on during his own while visiting the tea shop. And, he falls in love, but he’s dead. Wallace is given seven days to cross over, and his whole world@is turned upside down again.

🫖 I keep thinking this is like a modern, non-holiday A Christmas Carol. Bah humbug! Add in a romance and 😍This story, while familiar, is just unique enough that it will keep you intrigued. A book that will make you think, make you wish, and make you cry to get through. It’s a story about grief and regret over things lost, and time having slipped away from you. It will stay with you long after you read it.

🫖 A Fave Quote: “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.”

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC!

Wallace Price is a jerk. He is a workaholic, has no friends and is very self absorbed. Did I also mention that he is a lawyer and that he is dead? This is his story. Wallace must come to terms with his death and the life he left behind. His journey begins when a reaper takes him to a small tea shop where the ferryman, Hugo, is there to patiently answer his questions and guide him to the next place. As Wallace begins to accept the fact that he is actually dead he begins to see that the life he lived wasn't much of a life. Supported by a unique and heartwarming cast of characters Wallace begins to experience feelings that he has never felt before.

This story will have you laughing and crying throughout as only TJ Klune can do. The subject of death is a serious topic that is handled with great empathy and hope. I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to more from this very talented story teller.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! I've already recommended this book to all of my book loving friends because I love how it makes you reflect and think about grief and death. I loved it so much I plan to get a physical copy so I can do all my annotations and apply my sticky notes to my favorite parts.

Biggest, hugest thank you to #netgalley for the ARC for this book. It was…beautiful and haunting (pun not intended).

Just like the book opens, I am opening this review on the content warning. This whole book is about death, grief, and the passage to the afterlife. But it’s also very TJ Klune in that’s it’s about found families in unexpected places and in very quirky houses.

RECOMMENDATION 1: Buy stock in your favorite tissue brand now. This one is a tear-jerker. And I am not a crier.

RECOMMENDATION 2: Have your favorite tea on hand and keep the kettle full.

Over the course of reading this I drank:

- Bigelow’s Perfectly Mint,

- 123 Farm’s Organic Lavender Mint with their Mint Sugar,

- Fraser Tea’s Honeybunch Berry Dandelion, and

- Fraser Tea’s Take Me to the Tropics.

Tea and Under the Whispering Door are the perfect pairing.

Wallace has died. Mei, his Reaper, has brought him to a tea house (he never liked tea) to meet the ferryman, Hugo. Hugo’s tea house/actual house is already occupied by the ghost of his grandfather, who hasn’t crossed over yet because he’s still taking care of Hugo and Hugo’s childhood (ghost) dog, Apollo.

Even though it’s Hugo’s job to help Wallace come to terms with death and to find the desire to crossover, what he actually does is show Wallace how good of a person he could be. How good this tea shop and these people (and dog) are. Wallace ends up helping the residents with lots of problematic cases, alive and very much not, he catches the eye of the Manager.

I think the only reason this book isn’t a five-star for me is because the subject matter isn’t as charming as say, a house for “dangerous” and adorable magical orphans. Otherwise, it’s perfection. It’s gorgeous and soft and kind. It’s exploratory and deep. It’s all the flavors in your favorite cup of tea crossing your tongue.

Go read this one if you can. It’s exemplary

I devoured this author’s previous tale, “House sun the Cerulean Sea” and encourage everyone in the world to read.... then read it aloud to everyone that hasn’t so their lives are also fulfilled. It was THAT good!
So my hopes for this new book were possibly set a bit unrealistically high, tagging along to it's older sibling’s caboose; I had to put it down about 35% in. It felt recycled and a bit repetitive, I’m sad to say. That’s not to say I won’t go back later and try it again but for now, I’ll have to pass.

Thanks for this ARC & the opportunity to review this gifted author’s tale!

I am a huge fan of T.J. Klune's writing (I've not read anything of his yet that I haven't enjoyed) and he sits up there with authors like Becky Chambers who I've come to expect quiet, moving stories from... and they might just happen to feature a few out of this world characters, too. To say I've been anticipating this book is probably a little misleading, because I've had the arc of this sitting on my Kindle for months and sometimes expectation makes me reluctant to start things because I'm worried I'll be disappointed.

So, was I disappointed?  Not really.

I will go into this prefacing that it does feel a bit oddly paced and possibly a little too long in places. It doesn't feel as tightly plotted as some of his other work, but I still enjoyed myself regardless because of the kind of book it was.

Wallace - a lawyer by trade, and not a very nice one, dies and is met by his Reaper at his funeral. Brought to a way station for souls on their way to the other side, Wallace meets Hugo, a ferryman who's job it is to help deceased souls come to grips with the death and the path laid before them.

Like a lot of his Klune's previous works, this book is very quiet and it takes place almost exclusively at Hugo's tea shop, so the setting and characters are very contained. There's a small core cast of characters, plus a few supporting characters who pop in and out of the narrative, but there's the signature element of found family that underlines the entire thing.

The whole book is told from Wallace's perspective, and he goes from a very self-centered man in his life to angry about his death and then moves towards acceptance and finding that it's possible to change even after death. There are plenty of references to the stages of grieving and how everyone processes events (not just death) in different ways. Hugo's job is part-counsellor, part-confidant for those who come to him before they pass on, and he has his own history of anxiety and death of loved ones that has prompted him to embody the role he has taken on.

While it may not have been the best-paced of Klune's books, it was definitely one that explores some interesting ideas. 'Death' (both the reality and the idea of a character of 'Death') is a topic I do like seeing explored in books - because depending on your background and beliefs, people see it in different ways and I love those discussions. So even though Under the Whispering Door doesn't hit the same notes for me as The House in the Cerulean Sea or the Green Creek series, I was very invested in the story and the characters and enjoyed my time reading it.

I cant say enough how much I loved this book! House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorite reads this year and Under the Whispering Door easily meets the expectations!

T.J. Klune takes hard topics and makes them relatable through fantastic characters. What an interesting book that I think people will enjoy.


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Yes, it's possible to thoroughly enjoy whole swaths of this novel without ever quite accepting its premise.

Indeed, I could very much enjoy the romance and the stages of grief and the whole personal development bits a great deal, even to the point of giving this novel a full five stars, IF it hadn't been for the truly rough intro.

I'm sorry. If I had started reading this after his death without ever having seen him in action during his life, I never would have had a single issue with the novel.

As it is, it stuck in my craw. Hard. Wallace is a grade-A prick. Frankly irredeemable. No amount of effort put into personal growth, with or without such an enormous afterlife prod, would have made me accept this guy as the wonderfully sweet and impressively open-minded guy in the afterlife. At the very least, I would have been quite happy with a stint in hell and some massive torture for him before some kind of massive sacrifice that MAYBE made him redeem himself in my eyes.

As it was, it was WAY too easy. Grief is never that easy, neither is redemption. And the people in here are WAY too welcoming and accepting... unless they were angels... but that doesn't make Wallace an automatic conversion, either.

Ugggh.

What pisses me off is this: without the opener, this is a wonderfully sweet and precious little novel. Without it, all my objections disappear.

This problem just got under my skin. I mean, seriously, what an asshole. Everyone acknowledged it. Uggh.

Last year, I read The House in the Cerulean Sea and fell in love immediately. Under the Whispering Door was immediately interesting and fascinating but it took me a little bit longer to fall in love with it but I did still find this book to be magical. The characters and issues were thoughtfully created. I laughed and cried and wished that these people were real. By the end, I was hysterically sobbing but so so grateful that I got to experience this novel.