Thank you to the publisher for an advance gifted copy!

*Highly unpopular opinion*
I really, really was expecting to fly through this book. Unfortunately it pains me immensely to write that the book left me wanting in so many ways.

I’m not going to spend time reviewing it and will get straight to what worked and what didn’t for me.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬:
- This book has great LGBTQ+ and POC representation. I’m so glad that more and more books are inclusive of non-white, non-straight main characters.
- Loved the paranormal romance!
- Lot of quirkiness and cheeky banter among all the main characters, particularly between Wallace and Nelson. Unfortunately this is where the good stuff ended for me.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭-𝐒𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬:
- The book is rife with abstract ideologies like afterlife and free will, that in my humble opinion, were not adequately dealt with. The answers are always something along the lines of “We don’t know everything, that’s the whole point.” I also found lot of contradictions. In one example, “The Manager” says there is no dichotomous God and that it’s a lot more complicated. Fair enough. Yet in the very next pages, The Manager (who pretty much plays God in this book) does exactly that. The messages in this book often left me confused.
- I generally enjoy dialogues in books but the dialogues were repetitive and long in this one. I think the book could easily have been cut by 100 pages.
- One of the main characters: Wallace. He was a despicable, corporate type of a lawyer in life. It felt very unnatural and forced that he becomes the most caring ghost within 2-3 days of befriending Mei and Hugo.
- I don’t like felinophobia in books.

*In a nutshell*
This was still a good book and if you’re a Klune fan, absolutely read it. I wish the focus of the book remained with the paranormal romance. I felt there was a lot more potential there that wasn’t tapped.

Call me a gambler. But I would bet money that those who adored TJ Klune’s heartfelt fantasy novel, "The House in the Cerulean Sea," will also adore his latest offering, "Under the Whispering Door."

Because it’s more of the same. It’s the same wonderful, cozy, hilarious, kind, caring, gentle goodness we fell in love with when we read "Cerulean." Only this time around, rather than themes of self-love and acceptance of others, Klune tackles a much heavier subject – death.

But he lightens it up, shines it up, just as he did in "Cerulean." He adds love, laughter, and tears to it. And as we follow newly-dead Wallace Price on his path to the hereafter, as we watch him learn to live, our insides melt to marshmallow mush.

I have a few buts, though.

"Under the Whispering Door" is a bit formulaic. The story, a bit recycled. Klune tells a tale that has been told many times before; he just dresses it with a fantastical flair. Nearly everything about the novel is predictable – the plot, the characters, the humor – and while reading it, I could never quite shake a sense of "been there, done that."

And Klune takes a very UNsubtle approach to the life lessons, which too, are nothing new. "Live life to the fullest" and "don’t be an @sshole." By now, I think we’ve got it. (But I do sincerely appreciate the reminder. Admittedly, some of us need it.)

All buts aside, I really did enjoy "Under the Whispering Door." I truly loved it. So what if it’s not as fresh and relevant to today’s times as "Cerulean?"

You will still laugh. You will still cry. Your insides will still melt to marshmallow mush.

And you will still feel the warm embrace of Klune’s writing, hugging your heart and your soul.


My sincerest appreciation to TJ Klune, Tor Books, and NetGalley for the physical and electronic Advance Review Copies. All opinions included herein are my own.

I really wanted to love this book. Cerulean Sea has my heart earlier this year so when I was approved for Under the Whispering Door I was thrilled! The book begins slowly. The MC is atrocious (which is done by design). I couldn’t stand his whining and me me me attitude. I kept pushing. I knew things would change. I knew Klune’s writing style is one that builds. The world was build with beautiful detail and the side characters were lovingly depicted. Halfway through things began to happen with the plot and I was intrigued. In the end I was left wishing there had been a little bit more or something different. I will continue to read ever Kline book written as I believe he is stellar at what he does. This one just missed the mark for me. Thank you for the ability to give an honest review.

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea, I could not wait to delve into another magical Klune novel. Under the Whispering Door was a quiet introspective read pondering life and death, love and grief, loss and renewal, and what a life well-lived means. The characters were sweet and quirky, which helped to ease the burden of many heavy subjects being thrown around.

I think that there is going to be a large audience that loves this book. I liked this book and I am glad that I read it, but I’m not sure that I will think about it much now that I have finished it. Many of the messages seemed a somewhat repetitive and after completely adoring all of the characters from THITCS, I found these characters to be a bit lackluster. Is it fair to compare the two books? Probably not, but I just can’t help but do so. Overall, I would say a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Under The Whispering Door.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the electronic ARC.

Under the Whispering Door is whimsical, funny, and heartfelt with Scrooge-like main character who finds his humanity after death.

Wallace Price realizes he might actually be dead when a reaper shows up to his funeral and leads him to the teashop/home of ferryman Hugo who will help him cross to the other side when he's ready. It's a quiet story of kindness, found family, redemption, and love. I loved a lot about this. It made me laugh, made me want to cry, had lovable characters, and dealt compassionately with difficult topics like grief, early death, and suicide.

Structurally, I do think this book is too long and has some pacing issues which somewhat detracted from the reading experience. I like a slow burn, cozy, character driven book (which this very much is) but I still think this could have used a bit of trimming. If you're expecting something like House in the Cerulean Sea, you should know this book is very different in terms of world, themes, plot etc. What's similar is the humor, the whimsy, the found family. The audio narration is fantastic and really works for the cozy vibes of the book. I received an audio review copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
I loved T.J. Klune’s previous book “House on the Cerulean Sea” so this was one of my most anticipated books for this year. Thanks to Tor Books and @Netgalley for allowing me to read this ahead of publication.

💜 What I liked:
The characters, as always, are deep, complex and loveable. The location is magical and fun. This book really touched me in the end, making the heavy subject of death very thought provoking.

😱 What I didn’t like:
This book kinda dragged for me until past the halfway mark. But people had said there was a payoff and they were right. The end is very heartfelt.


🚦 My face at the end: 😹

💭 3 Reasons to Read:
1. Magical Tea Shop
2. Thoughts about the afterlife
3. Ghost Dog



🕧 Mini-Summary:
After not being a well-liked person, Wallace finds himself dead and at a halfway point between life and death that looks like a tea shop. The ferryman, Hugo, is working to get him to move on.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant picking up this one, as I did not love The house on the cerulean sea.
I am very happy to say that instead I really really liked this one. It has all the warm, fuzzy feeling and feel good vibe that I didn't found in The house on the cerulean sea. The message and moral was there as well, but I didn't find it to be too intrusive and instead it was woven very well within the story so, while the moral of the story was very clear, I never felt like it took precedence over the narrative.
It was a wholesome story about the meaning of a life well lived, and it was honestly like a hug in book form.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an Arc in exchange for my honest review

First thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for an e-Arc of this title.

Trigger Warning for death, grief, mentions of suicide, divorce and parental death

Prior to this year, I had never read a TJ Klune book. I was late to the game with The House on the Cerulean Sea but was persuaded into it by all the raving reviews I had seen for it.

When this title became available on NetGalley, I thought why not.

And dare I say I loved this more than The House in the Cerulean Sea???

Typically I go into most books blind. My interest in reading a book comes from hype or previous experience with the author. And normally, I don't do well with storylines involving death and grief. It's something that I struggle to deal with emotionally on a real-life level.

So going into this book I didn't know what to expect - my only expectations were tender and whimsical writing and potentially a delicate subject matter handled with great care. And all my expectations were met.

TJ Klune has an amazing way of handling difficult topics in a way that is acceptable and suitable for anyone. To use a cliche - it felt like my hand was being held the whole time reading this book. That I was being guided in a comforting way through difficult subject matter but the person holding my hand was giving me reassurance the whole time.

I remember reading somewhere that people had referred to The House in the Cerulean Sea as a warm comforting hug. And I think that is true. But I would go as far as saying Under the Whispering Door is a reassuring hug. The hug you need after you've been crying for 10 minutes straight, the hug you need after a panic attack, the hug you need after a crappy day that tells you everything is going to be okay tomorrow.

That is what this book felt like

Despite its world reflecting storyline that grounds itself in reality and makes you face the inevitable consequence that will meet us all - death. This book does it in a way that you still feel hopeful in life afterwards.

And it's a mix of whimsy and magic that brings joy to you even when you are crying with deep, well-developed characters that build on each other and feel real and tangible. It identifies the characters flaws but then makes them over come them and makes you believe that you can do the same.

Overall, it was an amazing book. A well-crafted look into the realities of life that despite everything leaves you hopeful.

I hate reading in moments like this.
Moments where I feel the love, the grief, the hate, the joy, the pain nonexistent people have. Where I wish I would go back in time and experience it all once again.

<b>Subjective rating:</b>6/5
<b>Writing:</b>4,5/5
<b>Plot:</b>5/5
<b>Characters:</b>6/5
<b>Themes:</b>5/5
<b>Content Warnings:</b> Different types of death, grief, panic attacks

Welcome to Charon's Crossing.
The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home.

This book is nothing but <i>spectacular.</i> While reading it, you will cry, laugh, hyperventilate, and sometimes, hope to die.

The plot was in my opinion one of the most originals in fantasy novels. TJ Klune really used a different perspective in which he presented life, death and whatever might come next. A really creative story with impressive factors.

The characters are enchantingly beautiful. Is there anything else to say?
I loved Wallace, his character development and growing relations with everyone else in the book.
Hugo is <i>so sweet</i>! And so is Nelson, Apollo, Lea, Mei and everyone else!

Mei is by far my favourite character. She’s lovely, cute but also kicks ass! She is ready to throw hands any second. I also loved the exact that she loves hugging the people around her.
PLEASE I LOVE HUGGING TOO PETITION TO HUG MEI-

I am absolutely in love with the setting and worldbuilding! Chanon’s Crossing, the perfect mix of contemporary and fantasy, The Whispering Door and its placement are soo cute! It all gives the fluffy fairytale vibes.

The end of the novel really caught me off-guard. You know, this book is about death and longing, so, what can you expect? Tj Klune and his masterpiece surprised me again. Read and you will understand.

In conclusion, WOW. perfect, spectacular, enchanting, lovely, sweet, beautiful, interesting, and much more!

this is a book that will make you cry just as much as smile.

the characters are so lovable and painfully relatable, this book also presents meaningful lessons that have changed my perspective. i'm also a big fan of klune's writing style!

while i loved a lot of this book, my rating is four stars because there were a couple parts i grew a little bored with. however, this did not hinder my enjoyment too much.

overall, this is a wonderful book and i cant wait to see what he writes next!

This is the story of Wallace Price, grumpy one. It's also the story of Hugo Freeman, sunshine one. What's not to love in that dynamic? Wallace is a lawyer who hates everyone and everything, and just wants to be left alone. I am also a law(student)yer who hates everyone and everything, and just wants to be left alone, so any moment that I might've disliked Wallace went up the window right away. And Hugo.... oh, Hugo, like Wallace I swooned every time he said something cute, or smart, or funny, or caring. I swooned every time. I say they're the grumpy one and sunshine one but they're much more than that. "Multitudes.", as Hugo says.

Like House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door is a breath of fresh air in hard times, and TJ Klune, akin to Taylor Swift, came to rescue us with two works of art in the midst of the pandemic who, unfortunately for every brazilian, is very much happening a year and a half from the breakout. I fell inlove with Hugo, Wallace, Cameron, Nelson, Mei and Apollo. Who could ever forget Apollo? Every book should have a cute dog to brighten up the characters and the readers.

This book is like getting a hug from your favorite person. I would say it's something of a Pushing Daisies with a lighter-toned Dead Like Me, but make it gay.

I'm excited to read others books in TJ Klunes backlist and everything he writes next.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for giving me an arc!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an advanced copy!

Rating: 3.5

Lawyer Wallace Price has money, power, and success—in short, he has it all. But when he finds himself looking down on his own body, he slowly learns that life and what comes after is a bit different than he imagined.

This was incredibly well written and generally beautiful. TJ Klune writes a very whimsical, A Christmas Carol-esque story that balances serious and heavy topics with humor. Grief, death, facing ones own mortality, and what it means to be human are all tackled in Under the Whispering Door—and more. The characters were generally unique and endearing, and the story really just makes you feel good even as it makes you think.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I loved Nelson and Hugo and Mei and Apollo, and I rooted for Wallace and Hugo from the get-go. But while this was an entertaining read….. nothing happened. The entire story builds towards something that ultimately doesn’t end up happening. While in general I do like (or even prefer) more character-driven books, I found myself underwhelmed. Personally, I was a little frustrated with the ending, and beyond that, I think I just expected to feel more. After hearing so much about how TJ Klune books pull at your heartstrings, my high expectations simply weren’t met.

This, too, is an example of personal taste make or breaking a book. Truly this book is beautifully written, from the prose to the characters to the lore. I absolutely understand why it has such a high rating, and I’d definitely recommend reading it!

T.J Klune is a master at writing heartwarming and beautiful stories. He's the only author along with Fredrik Backman who can make me laugh and cry within the span of a couple of pages.
His worlds are incredibly wholesome and immersive. His characters are loveable and you can't help but root for them!
My only complaint about this book is that it feels very similar to the House in the Cerulean Sea. Don't get me wrong I loved both books but this second one lacks the "newness" factors and feels a little bit more formulatic. It's a formula that works though so I didn't mind all that much and I might only feel that way because I read the House in the Cerulean Sea very recently.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Link to my review on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4221230032?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Instagram post to come later this week

Thank you, NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was unsure about this book at the beginning. This is the 4th book by T. J. Klune I've read this year and they've been pretty hit or miss for me (absolutely loved House in the Cerulean Sea, didn't really care for the Extraordinaries or Flash Fire). Under the Whispering Door took me a while to get into, but it was a "trust the process" type story and it didn't end up disappointing.

Like I said, it took a while to get into. The beginning is somewhat slow and Wallace, the main character, is pretty much unbearable (although, to be fair, that is the point). Things picked up for me around the 35% mark, and from there I was hooked.

Klune is a great storyteller, but the thing I think he's best at is characterization. He knows how to write a cast of characters the audience will fall in love with. He isn't afraid to show their humanity. They aren't perfect, yet I can't help but root for them.

This book isn't connected to The House in the Cerulean Sea in any way, but fans of it will enjoy this one as well. This book is about found family, second chances, and discovering what it means to be alive. Sure, it gets a bit cheesy at times, but at its core, this story is full of love and hope.

4 stars

I wanted to love this book from the moment I got hold of it. At the beginning, I was really rooting for Wallace and wondering what sort of stakes he would have in this tale of his life after death. Unfortunately, there really didn't feel like much at stake. Yes, he had only a week to find out what he missed in life and stop being such a Scrooge, but it was so slow paced and the only thing he'd miss out on was the experiences. Nothing bad would happen to him really if he didn't meet the deadline. I just wanted... more. But the classic Klune humour was there and I was there for it.

While it is impressive how many titles Klune is able to pump out a year, unfortunately this story felt rushed and underdeveloped.

This book is almost 400pgs, however it left me wanting more in most aspects. The book blurb illustrating the central conflict in this book does not occur until 76% in, leaving not much time for the conflict to develop. The bulk of the 300pgs before this focused on world building, that felt purposely vague to meet the widest audience in assumptions about after death, however the soft edges of the world made it difficult to envision and in turn believe.

Finally, despite a very diverse set of minor characters, most felt two-dimensional to help Wallace and prolong his story as the one of the only white characters. While it is great that Klune took feedback from past works to listen to own voices and their critiques, every character I wanted pushed more and felt too similar to where they were when Wallace met them.

Overall, the romance, worldbuilding, plot, characters and critical themes felt underdeveloped especially for a book with so many pages for wiggle room and impact.

This book is just wonderful! It is absolutely everything I had hoped that it would be, and even more..

If you’re looking for a feel good novel that explores the human soul; this will scoop you up and wrap you in wholesomeness. Funny and endearing, soulful and emotive, I absolutely urge you to Read This Book!

Many many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel. Thoughts are my own.

I find this so hard to review because I simply adored it. A grumpy man dies and becomes a ghost type figure where he has to learn to move on and falls in love. It was adorable and I was hooked. I honestly can’t describe how much I loved this book. The writing was behold and I enjoyed seeing how the main character began to change after he died. I also loved seeing his relationship develop with the other characters. The grandfather and the dog were two characters I loved. I’ll be honest I loved them all. I enjoyed the themes of death and grief and moving on. There are some adorable moments and I was smiling all the way through reading this. I will be buying a physical copy and I have been recommending it to everyone.
Overall it is a read that I adored and I find it hard to articulate how much I liked the book and why I liked it.

TJ Klune never ceases to amaze me with his storytelling. He always crafts these beautiful stories filled with wonderful characters that always has my heart bursting at the seams by the time I finish, and Under the Whispering Door is no exception. One thing that I do want to address is that this story has nothing to do with House in the Cerulean Sea even though they have similarly styled covers.

Also, please be mindful that this book deals with different causes of death and the associated grief, so please check out the TWs: suicide, heart attack, terminal illness, death of a child, death of a parent, murder, knife violence & stabbing, car accident, animal death, PTSD

Wallace Price was a successful attorney that did whatever it took to stay at the top…even if it meant treating the staff as disposable and constantly making those around him utterly miserable. So when Wallace dies, it’s no surprise that his funeral is barely attended and not one person sheds a tear; not even his ex-wife.

Things get worse when a reaper shows up to collect Wallace. Wallace refuses to be dead. He has important matters at the firm that must be attended to, and he has no desire to meet some ferryman named Hugo or to be dead. What a waste.

The kind and beautiful cinnamon roll that is Hugo takes on the challenge of helping Wallace to come to terms with his death so that Wallace can move on as most souls do. During this time, Wallace’s ice heart begins to thaw as he truly begins to understand the meaning of life while surrounded by Hugo, Mei (the reaper), Nelson (Hugo’s ghost grandfather), and Apollo (Hugo’s ghost dog).

This story is a slow burn story. And the reason being is that Wallace doesn’t magically flip a switch and go from a pompous grinch to a gentle soul with a kind heart. He constantly fights EVERYONE because he truly does not want to accept the truth that he died without appreciating anything in life. Watching him claw and scratch his way from denial to acceptance felt so genuine though. It also made for some hilarious moments since Nelson has to straighten Wallace out on more than one occasion.

The characters. I LOVED the cast of characters so much (even Wallace). Hugo is so kind and compassionate and struggles with PTSD after the death of his parents. Mei is a lovable ball of energy who is also a fantastic reaper who doesn’t take lip service from anyone. Nelson can be a bit rough around the edges but he loves his grandson above all else and needs to know that Hugo will always be looked after. Apollo is such a good doggo, and he goes wherever Hugo goes. This whole cast has my heart.

This story really dives into the ugliness and despair of death but also the beauty and hope of a life well lived. It also shows that even if you weren’t your best self, that doesn’t mean that you’re irredeemable.

Thank you to Tor/Forge & Macmillan Audio for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Such a sweet slow-burn romance with a really engaging and enjoyable plot.

This was my first time reading a Klune book and it certainly won't be the last. I started off not enjoying the book as the only character I liked was Wallace but I am pretty sure that was exactly the point as I felt as though I started to fall in love with this book as Wallace was finding that he did love these people that fate had thrust him with.

The blurb was a little misleading as the seven days aspect didn't come into play until very near the end but tend to prefer to going into books with very little information so that could be a personal preference thing.