This book feels like a warm hug, so much that I find it hard to describe it in other words. Equally heart-warming and heart-wrenching, it takes a good look at greif, death, and whatever comes after. It's not often that I find a book which makes me both laugh and cry as this one has, and it has quickly become one of my favorites, one I know I will pick up again and again and again. Under the Whispering Door feels like the perfect cup of tea, the one you know you'll always come back to in the end.

I had read The House in the Cerulean Sea not long before getting this ARC so I was definitely pretty excited to pick this one up. But unfortunately this one just fell a little flat for me.

There are several things about this that I did enjoy. As with The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune proves himself to be a master at writing with a light and whimsical tone. It reads very much like a fantasy version of Fredrick Backman, and it's definitely something that's unique and sets itself apart in the world of adult fantasy. So if that is something you loved in Cerulean Sea, you will still find that present in this one.

I also very much enjoyed our two secondary characters, Mei and Nelson. I found both of them to be delightful characters and they definitely improved every scene they were in. Unfortunately our main two characters just didn't hit with me. Wallace was kind of just fine, I just never felt super strongly about him either way. And Hugo felt like his entire character was boiled down to a therapist who spouted wisdom statements and that was it which just wasn't something I was into.

I also found the plot it self to be most boring. I liked the very beginning and then I liked the last 20% or so, but the rest was just so boring. It felt like nothing happened. And while the book was largely supposed to be Wallace's journey, but it just felt very surface level, and I never felt pulled in by that part of the story.

I do think this book will absolutely be a hit with many, many people. The story just wasn't the right one for me, unfortunately

A tender look at one of the biggest questions:"What happens when we die?". Klune knocks it out of the park again with his loving look at humanity. While not as whimsical as The House Under the Cerulean Sea, there is still the sense of awe at human connections and what it means to be human.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like perhaps my review is going to be a bit skewed. Let me explain: I have been thinking a lot about death. Perhaps it is the grief I have felt accumulating for over 16 months, maybe it's the shock of recent personal tragedies, or it could be that I often think about death in times that one might call normal. My point is, I needed this book. And here it is.

Wallace dies. He wasn't a very nice person or even a particularly good one. He was just a man who lived until he was not living anymore. And that's when it really starts -- picked up by a Reaper called Mei (unfailingly charming, lovable, and brave) at his own funeral, he is taken to a waystation for the dead with a very punny name run by a ferryman called Hugo (kind, handsome, and heartachingly empathetic). Oh, and there's the ghost of Hugo's granddad called Nelson (funny, crotchety, has all the good jokes) and a dog (I want a dog).

What follows is a narrative that explores all the heavy things: death, life, grief, suicide, loneliness, time, the evils of bureaucracy. It's got it all, folks, But unlike some books I've read in recent months that also tackle these themes, Under the Whispering Door wasn't heavy-handed for me. It wasn't trying to make me feel better, or teach me a lesson. It was trying to make me feel in general, and I got where I was meant to go just fine. I cried a lot at this one. Mostly because of the subject matter, but also because the characters felt like friends, the setting felt like a place I've been hoping to find, and the storylines, even the minor ones, made me want to be kinder.

It is, of course, my personal hope that death is not The End, merely An End, so of course a narrative allowing me to fantasize such will hit its mark for me. I give this 5 stars.

Thank you so much Netgally and Tor Books for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

THIS COVER. I love it so much!! I think it is so cute and really drew me in before I even started reading, and we all know that I can't help myself from falling victim to judging a book by its cover. Ops. I am so glad this book got the cover it deserves because the content matches the cover beautifully.

This is a story about life and death, following our friend Wallace Price, who, in life was not a great man. In death, Wallace finds himself at a teashop with a reaper, ferryman, and a few other ghosts. This book is not like the House in the Cerulean Sea, but that does not mean it isn't good, it's a different style entirely. I really enjoyed this take on death and the discussions on grief. I felt that there were some slow places in this but, it was still a great read. The characters really make this story, with their great humor to keep a relatively dark story a bit lighter.

When I started this, I was really worried about the content of the story knowing it was dealing with death but it never got so heavy for me that I could not continue to read. There were definitely some sob-worthy parts but only because you love the characters so much. I also cried like a baby in the House in the Cerulean Sea, so... take that how you will.

Again I am so grateful to have received an advanced copy of Under the Whispering Door. I was so excited to read this, and I know many others are as well, and it is worth the read for sure!

This novel grabbed me right from the start. You are introduced to Wallace Price, the main character of this story. He is your typical, arrogant, self-absorbed, angry workaholic who cares about nothing and nobody other than his work. He doesn’t have any friends and family and so when he is suddenly taken from the world, he is angry, but only because he wants to get back to his work.

However, as the story progresses, we see a wonderful character arc. This angry, selfish man slowly learns to accept his fate. And with the help of a ghost, a ghost dog, his reaper, and the ferryman he becomes the man he should have been in life.

This is an emotional, moving novel about death, what happens after you take your last breath and accepting your situation. The pace was slow at times; however, this perfectly reflected the tone of the story, and each chapter was a joy to read to the point I didn’t want it to end.

One aspect of this novel I particularly enjoyed is that, although its main theme was death, a serious, often sombre subject, it still had its light-hearted, comedic moments to lift the tone. It is a beautiful story of life, death, hope and acceptance and everything in between. As we find out more about Wallace’s life before death, we get the bigger picture of who he was, which mostly was his strive to be successful, earn money and win as many cases as he could without anyone getting in his way.

I liked the fact we also had other characters passing through Charon’s Crossing who each served a purpose to help Wallace accept his death as well as make him a better person. These were a mixture of living and dead, but each had a part to play and were far from forgettable.

To me, this is also a story about fate. He could have been placed with any reaper and any ferryman but the people he was chosen to be placed with, to help him pass on, each had their own issues, or hurdles to overcome, which Wallace also had a big part in. Each of the main characters were very well written, had multiple layers as well as being very relatable, and let’s face it, who doesn’t love the idea of a ghost dog?

The whole novel was a beautiful tale which was superbly written. The writer respected the sometimes-taboo subject of death and the whole world was such a wonderful concept. Warning – there are some very emotional chapters which will have you on the edge of your seat crying, so you may want to have tissues nearby.

Reading this has made me even more determined to get hold of T J Klune’s previous novel and read it as his writing style, combined with his character creation is both amazingly executed and beautifully done. I love the idea of going to Charon’s Crossing after you die and having the support from several people, living and dead to help you accept your situation to move on to the next world, whatever that may be.

Ever since I discovered TJ Klune and his previous release; The House in the Cerulean Sea - I vowed to read anything & everything he released. Klune’s innate ability to weave tales of whimsical charm with elements of fantasy while keeping the core of his stories grounded in the things that make us human is utter perfection. While the majority of Ceruluean’s story kept things mostly light and often humorous, “Under the Whispering Door” takes on a much heavier premise.

Wallace Price is not a good person. Klune makes this abundantly clear in the opening chapter as we witness high powered, workaholic lawyer Wallace coldly firing a long time employee without a glimmer of compassion or care. Soon thereafter we learn that Wallace has died of a massive heart attack and his spirit remains on earth visiting his own funeral. As we quickly assumed based on the opening chapter, Wallace was not well liked. The sole mourners at his funeral are made up solely of the partners of his law firm, his ex-wife and a mysterious young woman who he does not recognize. Wallace soon learns the hard truth that he is no longer amongst the living, but is a ghost. This is explained when the only person he can interact with is the young woman, Mei.

We soon learn that Mei is here to take him on a journey to the afterlife. As expected, Wallace is incredulous and refuses to believe his circumstances but begrudgingly follows Mei to the main setting of the book; a small unknown town containing a quirky tea shop. It is here that he meets Hugo, the shop’s proprietor and a “ferryman” who’s job is to help dead souls cross over to the afterlife.

What unfolds is at both times heartbreaking and heartwarming as Wallace slowly grapples with his present circumstances and the way he lived his life. At It’s heart is a story of redemption and learning what makes a life and if it’s possible to change for the better. The topic of death looms large throughout the story and while it’s a heavy subject, Wallace’s story is told with extreme care as he slowly morphs into a character that everyone is rooting for.

Add in some of Klune’s signature quirky humor and an adorable LGBTQ+ love story between the living and dead, and you’ve got another fantastic book and follow up to Cerulean. I tried to read this book slowly to soak in all of the laughing, crying, and all the emotions in between. I can’t recommend it enough and cannot wait to see what Klune does next!

I know I should give myself some time to recover, time to replenish, because I am emotionally drained and my eyes hurt from crying, and I should absolutely give myself time to sit, but I won't.

Every time someone asks me "What book made you cry?" I never have an answer. Books don't make me cry. Movies make me cry. TV shows make me cry. Things I can see. Under the Whispering Door is the first book in history to make me cry. We're not talking tearing up or a couple stray tears; no, we're talking full gushing tears.

It's not even the subject of death. Death is heavy and somber and an obliteration all on its own. Maybe it's because I've been around death and have thought about it (and attempted it) that it being the subject of this book didn't affect me in the same way. For me, what caused the quake of devastation and caused the tears, was the stories. Was the suffering. It's the resounding empathy of seeing Nancy and Lea's story, of seeing Alan's story, and Cameron's. It's devastating. And because all of these characters were so real - no matter how much they were on the page - I could see them. They were real to me.

I think this book is going to be hard for a lot of people. With the current state of the world, with how mentally and emotionally taxing the last eighteen months have been, I think this is going to be a hard book. I'd actually put it on par with the Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and the reputation that book has. Even though this book is also vibrant and uplifting and inspirational and even though it has a happy ending, It's a very heavy subject matter and the last eighteen months have already been heavy, I just don't know if this book will be for a lot of people. I've seen on social media that some DNF'd their ARCs, which disappoints me because they missed out on something truly profound.

I love everyone in this book - I love Mei and Hugo (two people the book world will be obsessed with) and Nelson and Apollo and Wallace, and I think those who give this book a chance will love them too. I admit to DNF-ing the House in the Cerulean Sea, but this experience has made me want to give it another chance and has made me really want to pick up the Extraordinaries. I will from this point on read anything TJ Klune writes. He's earned that dedication.

Wallace is a hard-ass, business-before-all-else kind of guy. He lives and breathes his work, and he’s very good at it.

But when a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, he begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, who runs an unusual kind of tea shop, promises to help him cross over, he decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death, he’s not ready to abandon the life he’s barely lived.
So when he’s given one week to pass through the door to the other side, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in just seven days.

After absolutely adoring The House in the Cerulean Sea, I was more than ready to dive into this book. It’s a slower pace than some of my usual reads but in a nice way. It doesn’t rush you. It urges you to take your time - ironic, as our protagonist has run out of it.

The narrative is charming and full of thought-provoking prose. I really love Klune’s way of framing a story, and this one no different. It tackles the really difficult topic of death in a deep, meaningful, and yet still somehow lighthearted way. By forcing Wallace to consider the impact of his actions in life, the book has you appreciating the importance of the smaller things, like sharing a cup of tea with a friend, and simply being present for someone who needs nothing more than to not be alone.

Wallace’s emotional journey from the kind of person to whom empathy is as useful as a head cold, to someone who goes out of his way to help people he barely knows was really lovely to read.

The influence of the other characters on the way he sees the world is funny and relatable, and I could easily picture them in the room with him.
Hugo is calm and patient, Mei is sharp-witted and straight-talking, and Nelson brilliantly embodies the stereotype of grandad grousing from his chair by the fire. Each of them makes their own unique impression on Wallace during his stay at the tea shop. I absolutely loved the found family aspects they wove into the story - they were beautiful and had me welling more than once.

This is another lovely, genuinely heartwarming story from Mr Klune.
Definitely worth reading for a bit of a pick-me-up 😊

I am pretty sure that I have read at least a handful of T.J. Klune’s earlier works. Not because I remember anything about them but because when I looked up his bibliography after reading The House in the Cerulean Sea last year, half the covers and summaries seemed eerily familiar. But, as I said, I didn’t really remember any of them. The same does not go for his two newest novels however: Even though more than a year has passed since I read The House in the Cerulean Sea, I still remember excatly what reading this book felt like. And although I have only just read Under the Whispering Door, I have a feeling, that this novel will stay with me for quite a while as well.

The two novels have a few things in common: For one, they both feature a middle aged protagonist who could be described as rather boring, stiff and not exactly empathetic. Linus Baker from The House in the Cerulean Sea is a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youths and every inch the boring beaurocrat. And Wallace Price from Under the Whispering Door is one of the founding partners of a successful lawfirm and pretty much an asshole. Both of them are stuck in mindnumbing routines with little in their lives beyond their jobs. However, both of their lives are soon turned upside down and they have to reevalutate their priorities.

In The House in the Cerulean Sea Linus is assigned a new case that requires him to check in on an island orphanage for especially dangerous magical youths and their care-taker Arthur. However, Arthur and his charges aren’t exactly what he expected, nor do they fit his prim and proper by the book approach to life. They are essentially the anti-thesis to Linus, chaotic, warm and, despite all the tragedy that has shaped their lives, happy with their little found family. And Linus comes to realize that there might be more to life and living than just work.

Similarily, Wallace in Under the Whispering Door also has to face the fact that maybe work and success are not the key to happiness. His turning point is a little more drastic than Linus’ though: He dies. Of a heartattack, while working on a Sunday. And he is not happy about that, after all there was so much left to do! But when a snarky reaper brings him to a tea shop in the middle of nowhere, where he meets Hugo, the kind ferryman supposed to help him cross into whatever comes next, he slowly realizes that he might not have lived his life very well.

So, not only do these novels start out with similar protagonists, they also juxtapose them with similar love interests that help them on their journey. Both Arthur and Hugo are warm and open and loving and both lead rather magical lives that differ greatly from those of the protagonists – even though, as caretaker and ferryman, they are also defined by their jobs. Interacting with them and their families and seeing how they live their lives, helps the protagonists come to some important realizations about their own lives.

And I think that’s where the novels differ the most: The topics they deal with. While the basic elements are very similar, the issues they tackle differ and so do the magical elements and the setting as well as the tone: The House in the Cerulean Sea is about being different and other and being ostracized for it but also about finding happiness, friends and family against those odds. It features a variety of magical children and their titular home and is, despite its themes, mostly lighthearted, quirky and funny. Under the Whispering Door mostly takes place in a cozy tea shop (that contains the titular door) and is filled with ghosts, reapers and otherworldly beings. The main questions it asks are what makes life worth living and how to we deal with death and it is solemn and soulful while also feeling very cozy.

I enjoyed both novels immensely. T.J. Klune clearly knows how to make his characters feel alive and real to the reader and he also manages to tackle heavy topics in a way that makes them enjoyable to read about. Despite all their similarities, The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door are very different novels but both are entertaining and heartwarming in their own way and I can wholeheartedly recommend both!

Wow, this book was absolutely immaculate. While it does feel a bit plotless, it somehow all comes together and wraps up really nicely. I couldn't stop crying toward the end to the point where I had to stop reading every so often because my eyes were so blurry.

This book really pulls you in and makes you feel for the characters. It's funny because in the beginning I was really excited for Wallace to eat it, but then I end up wishing he were alive toward the end of it.

This book manages to have so many different tones, but they all meshed together so well. Once it hurts you, it heals you. At one point, I considered rereading The House in the Cerulean Sea to console myself, but honestly? This book consoled me just fine. I think that's the mark of a good book. If it can heal you after hurting you.

What a fantastic read. I highly reccomend giving it a go once it comes out!

2.5 Stars

When I saw this book pop up on Netgalley I knew I had to request an ARC. I (like most of booktok) read and adored TJ's House on the Cerulean Sea earlier this year and I had such high hopes for this book but it never delivers.

We follow Wallace Price an attorney who has passed away and is now contending with the fact that he wasted his life and that in death no one really misses him. Price sets off to live his life in 7 days.

Here is where the book fails to reach its potential. What could be a very profound story about what it means to live and how to accept death becomes a cliched story that doesn't add anything new to the discussion. I came away from this book having learned nothing new about why life is worth living how death is an important part of that.

The book is unnecessarily long with at least 100 pages where nothing, except the same conversations, happen over and over again with slight variation, and the 'love story' is very superficial to the point that you're not rooting for the characters and Hugo just feels like a mechanism to make Wallace a better person.

The redeeming part of this book is that Klune is still an excellent writer and his writing style makes all of the issues the book has bearable. However, you're probably better off picking up one of his other books and leaving this one on the shelf.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I had to go out and buy an almost new spittle-o-meter due to this book, but I'll explain that later.

I found Under the Whispering Door quite charming. It's also profound in it's way, if you look deeper at what's really happening to the characters. And the dog, Apollo! Why can't my dog stay with me as a ghost? I would snuzzle him and woofle him and love him. This novel gives us hope in many ways. Hope for people. Hope for the afterlife. Hope that our dogs hang around us after they're dead. I went into my back yard awhile ago just in case Yahtey was still out there.

The characters are just smart-ass enough that their goodness doesn't get irritating. They are good but not goody-two-shoes. I have to admit there was something attractive about Wallace, the protagonist, when he was a jerk. I guess it was because he was so good at it. And the Manager! His assholery was a highlight. Mei, is too perfect in what she does, but she endeared herself to me because she knew just the right insults to make her goodness even out.

Back to the spittle-o-meter. As you know, if you follow my reviews, it irritates me that modern books are full of smirking, eyeball rolling, and lip-biting. I'm happy to say that I didn't have to use my smirk-o-meter at all on Whispering Door. It's out for repairs, anyway, as so many novels cause it to top out. My eyeball-roll=o-meter got about halfway across it's arch. But, every character in the book had to gnaw on their lips. Changing bite to gnaw does not make it original. My lip-bite-o-meter had to be oiled after this. And, and, I've noticed that more and more spittle-on-lips is showing up in books. Almost everyone in Whispering Door had spittle on their lips including the ghost dog. My new spittle-o-meter smoked...smoked!

Authors are so original with their stories, yet they copy each other with such silly things as lip biting (or gnawing), eyeball rolling, smirking, and now spittle...of all things. I'm begging all writers, begging them on my arthritic knees, to please think twice before smirking, spiitling, eyeball rolling and chewing on lips. Too many say the same thing. Think of new words. Make them up if you have to. Shakespeare made up words and everybody wants him over for dinner, right?

I'm going out again to see if my ghost dog is here. Here, boy! Good Dog!

What emotion didn't this book make me feel!?! I laughed, I cried, I wanted to punch a boy lol. This book is so good. The characters are so wonderful its easy to live them all. Nelson has to be my favorite. This is my first book by TJ Klune pardon me while I go binge the rest of his books!!

It PAINS ME to say this, because The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorite books I read this year! But unfortunately I found this read mostly boring and trite. (Clearly I’m in the minority here though!)

I liked the first chapter and the overall concept — I wholly expected to love this book. It follows Wallace’s experience in a “waystation” between life and death, detailing his personal growth from total jerk of a lawyer to decent human and his relationships with the people assigned to help him cross over to the other side.

But it just felt VERY drawn out — not much happened in the whole book, and I found the characters and most of their conversations very one-dimensional. The romance seemed thrown together, the plot was all over the place, the humor fell flat.

It wasn’t that I hated it — I just thought more could have been done with the premise & it needed either a stronger plot or more fleshed out characters. I probably would have DNFed it if it hadn’t been an ARC I was so excited to get.

YIKES SORRY TO SAY IT. Don’t skip it if it sounds awesome, just manage your expectations!

This book is such a beautiful take on death, grief, anger, and loss. I received it as an ARC and I loved this book. Stories about death are hard for me as I very recently lost someone very close to me unexpectedly but this book does such an amazing job of validating all those complex emotions that surround death that makes you feel so safe. They characters were beautifully developed and I fell in love with them. I absolutely recommend this book if you were a fan of A House in the Cerulean Sea although be prepared that the tone is different while keeping the writing style very similar. Thank you for the ARC, I will be picking up a copy to own once this book releases

I struggled to get into this book more than I thought I would. It still has Klune's eccentric and heartwarming storyline similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea (that I've read and loved!) by him. But I found this one difficult to become engaged in, specifically the first half of this book.

It was still beautifully written and I loved the message it sent. It causes you to look inward at yourself, the choices you make, the legacy you want to leave and how you treat others. I just wish it captivated my attention better at the beginning. It felt like it took too long for us to get to the meat of the story. By the end, I was in tears and I truly loved the second half. I would give it a higher star rating, if the entire book was like the second half.

TW: death, suicide

***Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book!

I'm going to blame this horrible review on me recovering from surgery :)

This book was so much fun. I laughed out loud so many times and I loved all the characters and their relationships with each other. While this book does deal with death and the afterlife, it doesn't make the book depressing or sad. And while it does not align with what I believe happens in the afterlife, I think it was very unique and interesting.

Nelson has to be my favourite though. He is the cutest, grumpiest, sarcastic old man. And Mei has a soft spot in my heart.

The only complaint I have is that it felt like Wallace changed a bit too much from who he was before. And I get that was the purpose, since this is a very character-driven book, but I just found it a little unrealistic that he was having such deep conversations with everyone when prior to his death he was pretty much an "asshole" and cared about nothing and no one. The ending also felt a little too perfect, but I guess it was balanced out in the epilogue.

Overall, would rate this more a 3.75/5 stars. Definitely a fun read, would have finished it quicker if I wasn't busy/had surgery.

Under the Whispering Door broke my heart, but also helped put it back together.

This book celebrates the beauty of death and grief, and pulls you in from the first chapter. Wallace is, well, an asshole, but TJ Klune's trademark humor makes you root for the character anyway, and once his reaper finds him (only a little late), you are swept away into a beautiful found family story.

The romance, the friendships, the growth, all of it is expertly woven into this vivid story of tea and the afterlife. Author TJ Klune gives us his unique idea of what happens when you die, and makes you hope his version is accurate. A tale of hope, second chances, and the transformative power of love. A queer romantic fantasy to chase away your bad dreams.

READ THIS BOOK.

Big, big thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this title in exchange for a review!

Content warning for death (obviously), but more specifically suicide. The topic is visited multiple times throughout this book.

To start off, I think that if you liked The House in the Cerulean Sea, you'll like this. It has just as much whimsy as its predecessor, but also manages to tackle some really hard, heavy subjects. At the risk of oversharing, I have a whole lot of fear and anxiety surrounding death. Not my own, necessarily, but I am beyond scared of the day when my family or other people that I love end up leaving us. So this book in general might have just really hit spots for me that it might not hit for everyone else, and that's okay. I personally found the way it discussed death and what comes after (even if it's just a fictionalized version of it) comforting, and the concept of there being people at the end of the line still taking care of us is super soothing to me.

In particular, I love the types of protagonists that I've read from Klune so far. I found Linus endearing, but Wallace Price fits perfectly into so many tropes that I love. I enjoy nothing more than reading about a bastard of a character, with almost no redeeming qualities, with walls a hundred feet high, just completely unravel because of the never ending support, kindness, and love from the people they end up around. Watching Wallace slowly become a better and kinder person was so delightful for me, and I loved watching the other characters slowly crack him open until the good man that they knew he could be just spilled out and all over the floor of their little tea shop. He really isn't a nice man, though, for a good chunk of the book. If that type of character isn't one that you enjoy reading at all, this might not be a great fit. If you're willing to give it a chance, though, I do highly recommend it.

The rest of the cast were so wonderful to read, even the ones that I knew I wasn't really meant to like. Klune puts so much personality in every character, regardless of how long they show up for, and I think that really makes such a difference in the reading experience. Hugo, Nelson, and Mei were all delights to read, but Nelson (and Apollo!) stole almost every single scene they were in. I really loved the grace and tenderness with which he wrote Cameron's story, in particular.

My only real complaint (if I could even call it that), was that the plot described in the synopsis doesn't really kick in until about 80% of the way through the book. Up until that point, I was perfectly content just reading about the day to day in the shop with these characters, and when the aforementioned plot finally started I was kind of like "oh, yeah" because I had forgotten it was supposed to be happening at all. I'd say that this book is much more character driven because of that, and the very heavy focus on the relationships between all of them.

Personally, I think I may have loved this more than I loved Cerulean Sea because the topic just hit so much closer to my heart, and it earned an easy 5 stars from me.