I was not expecting Under the Whispering Door to be so slow and philosophical. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, and I still enjoyed reading it. However, I was definitely expecting something more like The House in the Cerulean Sea, especially since the publisher chose THAT cover and chose to market this book THAT way.

Anyway, I think you'll like this one if you enjoy reading slower paced books that focus more on philosophy and solving life's mysteries. That's not my favourite, pesonally. I found the world building to be very intriguing, though, and that's the main thing that kept me reading.

The main character, Wallace, is being marketed as being a massive knob. He's horrible when he's alive and upon dying he realises he probably should have been a better person. I feel like this all came on way too quickly, especially considering the early reviews that talked about what a butt the main character is and it put some people off the book. He really wasn't that bad.

I didn't like the romance between Wallace and Hugo, just because it was SO RUSHED. One minute Hugo was just being lovely and friendly and then all of a sudden they're in love with one another and they can't be apart. I didn't understand the build up. I felt similarly about the relationship in THITCS, though, however that relationship was so much better and CUTER.

Check this one out if you want, but go into it knowing it's not really anything like The House in the Cerulean Sea and trying to compare the two will leave you disappointed. You may like this one, but for me it wasn't what I was expecting, and I don't love slow paced books anyway.

I have been a huge fan of TJ Klune ever since reading "Bear, Otter, and the Kid" when it came out ten years ago. I've loved everything of his that I've read. That said, I struggled to make it through the first 25% of this book before finally DNF-ing. It's not unusual for a protagonist to have unlikeable qualities that they address or overcome throughout their story, but I found Wallace to be such an unpleasant person with NO redeeming qualities, to the point of being more caricature than character, and couldn't bear reading any more about him. The other characters seemed to have potential but they weren't enough to motivate me to keep reading. Other reviewers seemed to like it, so I'll purchase it for my library and likely put it in Readers Advisories, but this one just wasn't for me.

Woah.

When I read any book, I want to feel alllll the feels and OMG- Did @tjklunebooks knock it out of the park. Wallace pissed me off, broke my heart, and made me cry for him. Just so BEAUTIFULLY done!

This book dives in to the journey between death and the afterlife. As a mom with a baby in heaven (Hey, Max! 👋) this book touched me to my core and will stick with me for years to come.
🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

This book will be available on September 21. & you better believe I will be getting a physical copy!! Thank you @netgalley @torbooks for this digital ARC.

Death is only the beginning!

Another amazing story - this time dealing with loss, grief, and the journey into the afterlife. Where do we go? This author's take on that is very intriguing. Some people accept the journey, some struggle and fight, some are in disbelief ... much like in life!

The characters are quirky and amazing and I fell in love with them! Even Wallace, who you won't care for in the beginning. He grew on me and his "growth" in death was a pleasure to witness.

I love that this story is magical and that the author adds humor even in serious topics. This is another book that ended leaving me feeling like there is hope for humanity.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a difficult book to review, not because it's a difficult book, but because the subject itself - and the feelings the book provokes - are hard to explain.

I'm not sure if it's aimed at a Young Adult market but, if it is, I think it's going to be a wonderful way for kids to be gently eased into dealing with death not only as a concept, but the after effects on peoples' emotions when a loved one dies.

It also works perfectly fine for adults too! It's an interesting narrative, a tale which is better to be experienced without knowing what's coming next, so I won't be spoilering anything about the actual plot.

I found it took me a good quarter of the book, until around the 35% mark before I would say I was actually enjoying reading it, rather than just reading it because I had an ARC from the publishers.

But, once I clicked with the story being told, I couldn't put it down, staying up until 3am this morning to finish it because I had to know what happened to Wallace and the rest of the gang in Charon's Crossing Tea Shop.

It's a beautiful book, it's one which makes you sit and think, not only about what might come after death - although this isn't a religious book by any stretch of the imagination - but also about how we live our lives.

What regrets would we have if we suddenly found ourselves in a way station on the way to whatever comes next? How would we deal with any unfinished business we might have?

It's also funny, Tj Klune does have a real talent for making you laugh while ripping your heart out at the same time and at its heart, it's about love.

I won't lie, the dedication made me get a bit teary and, like TJ, I really hope the late, and wonderful author Eric Arvin woke up in a strange place and that it might have been somewhere a bit like this...

How much of this book is directly related to Erik's death I don't know, but I think it will be a cathartic read for anyone who's had to deal with the grief of losing a loved one, whether it be suddenly or not.

It's beautifully written, as is anything from this author, and it carries a wry appreciation that the very things which make us human are also those which we may overlook until it's too late.

"𝐼𝑓 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎe 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑖𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠."

This book will make you realize the importance of the small and big things in life.

TW: Before diving into this wonderful world, please be reminded that it will talk about death, grief and suicide.

It was nice how they portray and explain death. How the book tells you that death is a just beggining. To not be afraid of moving on and letting go. (Of course, it also tells us that its not that easy for everyone)

"𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔."

What I really love about the story, just like The House in the Cerulean Sea is the new found family troupe!! (I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THESE)

"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑎, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟.
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑎 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡.
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑎, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦."

The first few chapters where, a bit dragging, hence the 4 star rate. Especially on the part of Wallace.

But there are also parts that made my heart ache. I got to emotional on the stories of Mei, Nancy and Lea (Middle Part of the book), Cameron and last the parts of Nelson (our best grandpa) and Apollo. I feel like, they are the reason why I kept reading. And, honestly, their parts where the best. Which made me fall in love with the story.

"𝐴𝑛 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔."

Wallace and Hugo's story felt more like a side story for me. But, I loved it either way. It was refreshing.

Thank you, TJ Klune, for another wonderful story made with love. Everything is writerm wonderfully. To more books!

To Wallace Price and Hugo Freeman, you are a joy to read.

"𝐼'𝑚 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒."


Thank you, Netgalley, TOR and TJ Klune for giving me a change to read your eArc copy and to review Under the Whispering Door ❤

I don't really have much to say about Under the Whispering Door. It's charming, heartfelt, I totally cried at the end (multiple times), and funny - the list goes on and on. However, I will say that while the intro was hilarious and intriguing, the first third of the book really dragged for me in terms of pacing. After that, it was smooth sailing; I really enjoyed how all the little plot points and conflicts were resolved very beautifully by the end. If you enjoyed T.J. Klune's other novel The House in the Cerulean Sea , or even Pixar's movie Soul you'll probably love this book.

The word on the street is true: Under the Whispering Door is not another rendition of TJ Klune's previous publication, The House in the Cerulean Sea, but if you go into this story with that logic I think you're still in for a treat. Wallace Price suddenly dies of a heart attack and is brought to a tea shop far from where he spent his last days and meets Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and Apollo, characters that shape Wallace into a much better person (as a ghost of course) than he was when he was alive.

While the beginning quarter or so of the book was a bit of a bore, I found myself really enjoying this story as we watch Wallace become a changed man thanks to the help of his new friends. I found the overall story to be charming in a different way than Cerulean Sea was which I think is wonderful because it doesn't put the author into a one dimensional box in terms of his writing. I loved the developing relationship between Wallace and all of the characters in this story, it made for a heart warming and wrenching ending all in one. And the small nods to House in the Cerulean Sea were sweetly included!

2.5 stars. I have a hard time giving books anything lower than a 3. I see I am in the minority that did not enjoy this book. The plot was drawn out and nothing really happened through the majority of the book. Yes there was some character development but I didn’t connect or care for any of the characters- except the dog, Apollo. The concept is simple- Wallace dies and is sent to a way station between earth and the afterlife and he refuses to pass quickly.

Under the Whispering Door is a beautifully written story about life, death, and what happens after that will not only have you dying (😏😏) of laughter, but sobbing the next.

This is my second TJ Klune book and has further solidified my love of this man and the worlds he creates with his words!

Fantastic. Absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it. The message of hope really spoke to me. I loved the black humor in places too. Wallace was a brilliant character! I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Under the Whispering Door is a surprisingly funny and ultimately hopeful book about death. Filled with TJ Klune’s signature wit and wisdom, I believe knowing little about the plot is the best approach to this book about grief, love, and growth. I found the story to lag a little in the middle but it was an otherwise unique and moving read. I also felt that the main character Wallace’s arc was a bit rushed - he went from a cold bureaucrat to an altruist quite quickly. However, the side characters and their found family dynamic made up for it. A little saccharine for me, but fans of House on the Cerulean Sea will not be disappointed by Klunes latest release.

I think TJ Klune isn't for me. This is the second book of his I've DNF'd. I found it boring and his characters bland and one dimensional. I found it unmemorable, and I just didn't care about anything that happened.

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

*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for this early e-galley.*

When I read the premise of this book, I was immediately blown away and eager to read it. I adored The House in the Cerulean Sea and was so excited for another amazing book by TJ Klune that was also have an incredible message. This book definitely did not disappoint!

I had the same warm feelings when reading Cerulean Sea, but this book was entirely different! The topic of death and grieving can be very tough, especially when including a romance within. I feel as though I was able to reflect on the concept of death and being alive while reading this. I think this book is extremely important for everyone to read. It has a bit of everything for any kind of reader.

That is what I love the most about TJ Klune's books; no matter what kind of genre you read or what you are looking for in a book, you can get an incredible message out of his stories and enjoy the ride.

This book hits hard. I can say with full honesty that this is one of the best books i’ve ever read. Under the Whispering Door is a heartfelt and tragic novel filled with grief and loss that deals with themes of death as well as heartache. Wallace, a super arrogant and selfish lawyer from the city is catapulted into his “journey to the next life” following his unexpected death. Along this journey, he meets Hugo, a patient and caring ferryman who will help him cross over the the next phase of his life and learns that maybe death doesn’t have to be the end. This book features some of the best character development i’ve ever seen and it is incredibly heartwarming to witness how much the main characters grow and evolve throughout. I fell in love with each and every character, the authors style of writing is absolutely phenomenal. I know that this book (and everything i’ve learned from it) will stay with me forever.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is a quick, relatively lighthearted read that touches on some heavy themes. The main character starts of the book alive and unhappy and quickly finds himself no longer among the land of the living. He meets Mei, a reaper, at his own funeral. Mei sets Wallace on his path to finding his place in the afterlife by taking him to meet Hugo, a ferryman, at Hugo's tea shop. The book largely takes place in the weeks after this initial meeting.
The book was a touch cheesy, a touch romantic, a little on the nose, but overall enjoyable to read. Some of the shenanigans, jokes, and plot points were repetitive but it didn't irreparably draw me out of story. I enjoy Klune's witty and dreamy writing style and it was nice to put down some of my more intense/heavy reads to be comforted by this book. Most of the characters were lovable even if they spoke largely in platitudes.
Thanks to netgalley for the advanced ebook.

Wallace is a thoroughly unlikable lawyer. A “ruthless shark”. So surprised to see that his funeral attendance was sparse. Not even enough people to fill a pew. But his service does come with a reaper called Mei. Mei takes him to a tea house where he meets a ghost called Nelson and most importantly a ferryman called Hugo.

I haven’t really decided if this was a sad story or a joyful one so I’m guessing it’s both. It evoked strong feelings either way. The story flowed easily. Very likable characters along side of unpleasant ones created a well rounded story that was difficult to put down.

The shark learns kindness and grace and above all how to live his best life after he’s dead.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are lovable in a way I didn't expect them to be. It's emotional, but it wasn't too heavy for me personally, it might be for other readers. There were so many things I expected to dislike about this book but they were all well done- asshole redemption arc? Usually too on the nose with the character development but I didn't mind it here. Sentimentality between the characters? Usually makes me cringe but it was well dosed, emotional, but didn't ruin the vibe. It's very morally driven which I don't usually like, but I don't usually like a lot of the things this book has and I happened to enjoy the way Klune did it. If those things are usually a turn-off in a book for you, I'd say to give this book a chance anyway. It does gag-worthy cliches in a palatable way.

Charmingly fanciful, melancholic, heroic, and hopeful. If empathy were a superpower, I would suspect to find the cape and mask for it hanging in TJ Klune's bat cave.

I'm not usually a fan of stories about death, but liminal/transitional tales? Those high-stakes pause-to-reflect moments? It's a Wonderful Life? A Christmas Carol? The Midnight Library? When those are done well they seem to worm their way into my heart. Add to the list: Under the Whispering Door, where a terrible excuse for a human gets the chance to reflect and become more while ghosting around at a teashop in the woods that's actually a way station for whatever comes after this life.

Is it a book about death? Yes. (Definitely see the content notes for sensitive topics.) But of course it's really a book about life and loss and empathy and second chances and letting go and holding on and family. It's lovely and painful and goofy. And if I weren't in such a pandemic-induced funk, I might've given it 5 stars.

Topics, tropes and themes: life, love, pets, death, grief, loss, regret, mourning, wholeness, found family, after life, empathy, courage, family, no soul left behind, LGBTQ, second chances, self-sacrifice
Content notes: death, loss of a child, heart attack, funeral scene, depression, suicide, murder, family estrangement

My thanks to #NetGalley and Tor Books for a digital ARC!