I think TJ Klune has really beautiful writing, unfortunately I also think his writing isn't for me. This is the second book from Klune I've tried and it's not to my taste. I will try again at a later point. DNF for now.

Another charming and thoughtful book from TJ Klune, this time about a ghost, a ferryman, and a tea shop.

The first part of the book felt very A Christmas Carol to me--cruel and cold lawyer, Wallace, dies suddenly, and is escorted by a Reaper to a teashop run by a ferryman, Hugo. The rest of the book takes place in the shop with Wallace and a cast of eclectic characters that try to help him accept his death and get to a point where he can move on.

That's essentially it--if you're looking for a tightly-paced and plotted book, this isn't for you. This book, like many of the other books Klune has written, are more character-based, which suits me just fine as a reader. I appreciated watching Wallace and Hugo grow closer, and the book had a homey vibe that made me want to brew a cup of tea.

There were parts that didn't work for me, personally. While Klune always writes funny books, the humor fell a little flat for me in this one, and felt kind of juvenile for an adult novel. Due to the nature of the plot there were quite a few lengthy conversations about death and our place in the universe, which I felt got a little repetitive and felt a little (forgive me) fake-deep. Maybe other readers will find that they connect more with those pieces of the book, about loneliness and human connection. If you're a dog lover you will enjoy this book, and probably find Apollo, the ghost dog, very charming. It also took me a good 30/40% of the book to really get hooked, but once I was I didnt put the book down until I had finished.

This book will probably get compared endlessly to The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I personally haven't read, but I can imagine that the vibe in this one is pretty different. Just take it as it is, and you may find yourself really enjoying it, like it did! It's scheduled to be published on my birthday, so I'm taking this as an early present :) Thanks TJ!

This book was a highly anticipated book for me, The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my favorite books from this year because it was written so beautifully and the character were so lovable. It has become one of my favorite comfort reads!  So when I was approved to read the ARC of Under the Whispering Door I might have screeched and  basically dropped everything and inhaled it immediately.

Let me start by saying this book was everything I expected and more! It was a funny, emotional and heart wrenching book that had me laughing and crying sometimes even at the same time. But I have to warn you it is not a light read. It is a raw book focusing on death, grief and the afterlife. It shows you that it’s never too late to make up for your mistakes in life. Every character you meet  is so unique and so extremely different, even the characters that are unlikable...are still likable. This book gave me ALL the feels and I’d recommend it to anyone!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
Publication Date: September 21, 2021

TW: death, grief, murder, mentions of suicide

Thank you to NetGalley, T.J. Klune, and Tor Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! 💜

“Under the Whispering Door” is a funny, heart-wrenching, and emotional book that had me laughing and crying, occasionally at the same time. When I say emotional, I mean ALL the emotions.

T.J. Klune transports you to the time and place where death, grief and the afterlife is part of an everyday experience. It’s about a man accepting his death with the help of a ferryman who is helping him cross over. But during this process they fall in love.

Heartwarming and enduring, while mostly about death, this story also reminds you that your life is as you make it and so is your family.

Thank you to NetGalley, T.J. Klune, and Tor Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️️

4 ⭐️ for me!
*ARC from NetGalley*

This was my very first TJ Klune, and I wasn't sure what to expect from it. Knowing that House in the Cerulean Sea is so cherished, and loved I had high hopes the writing was good and the story would be even better. It's safe to say that this book did not disappoint!

To preface everything, I first want to mention that this is not a light and airy story. Though I haven't read HITCS, I know that it's a very uplifting story, hopeful in some ways. This story is innately different than that.

Under the Whispering Door follows our MC Wallace, who has just died from a heart attack. In his living life, he wasn't much of a nice guy- in fact some could even call him a grouch. He was a divorced workoholic, who spent more time in the office on the weekends than he did spending time with other people.

Fast forward to his death. Now Wallace has been collected and taken to Hugo, the ferryman who's responsible for helping Wallace "move on". Cue the drama.

It's safe to say that this book talks a lot about death, so if that's not something you're comfortable with then I would say to stay clear. BUT, if you can read and enjoy books that mainly center around that topic, then I think you'll find something really great in this book.

Grief is a huge theme in this book- not only for Wallace and his loss of his life, but also for other characters he encounters throughout his journey. I LOVED that in this book. I always find it so compelling to read about how people deal with grief in different ways, and this book made it okay to let yourself feel things- even if it doesn't feel good at first. There is also a found family trope (we always love to see it), a small little sprinkle of romance, and LGBTQ rep. It was a little slow at first, but after about 20% I was into it and invested. I loved the premise of this book and the paranormal aspects associated with life after death. I cried because there were animal companion parts and I'm a sucker for those. I also think there was a nod to House in the Cerulean Sea, which is great since that's on my TBR and I'm hoping to get to it soon!

Overall I generally liked the writing style and story! I think this book would be great for those of us wanting a paranormal story about life after death, with a little bit of romance, a little bit of action, and a whole lot of love.

*Please look up trigger warnings if you need them as this book contains sensitive content*

xx
-Christine

TJ Klune's Under the Whispering Door is–fittingly–like a warm cup of tea, welcoming you into the cozy yet complex world of Charon's Crossing. It's a warm, enveloping sweater of a story, comfortable in what it is rather than trying to chase the trends of grand operatic fantasy.

Wallace Price isn't the sort of person that would ever be called a hero during his brief, unremarkable life, but when he finds himself at a waystation between the worlds of the living and the dead, he learns that not even death can stop someone from being better, or find their heart's desire if they're willing to put in the work. The gifted but mortal Mei and Hugo, and the spirited Nelson and Apollo, help him adjust to life after death and the daily routine of the tea shop.

Where Klune's work shines is with his small cast of characters, who each contribute their own particular flavour and texture to the ongoing story. Under the Whispering Door isn't quite a slice of life fantasy, but there is the feeling that Klune could've stretched the book over months of life in Charon's Crossing, and it would've been just as enjoyable to read. These are characters you want to spend time with, whether it's Nelson showing Wallace the finer points of being a ghost or Hugo picking out the perfect tea for every patron that comes through the door. Instead of a cast crafted to move the plot along, only appearing on the page when they're needed for the narrative, you get the sense that each character has lived a deep and complex life that would be as readable as the story that Klune is choosing to tell. Even the side characters who visit the tea shop seem more nuanced than the short amount of time they spend on the page allows them to convey. There isn't a single person in Under the Whispering Door who couldn't at least hold a novella by themselves, and it speaks to Klune's ability as a writer to have them share a relatively brief novel without their colourful personalities crowding anyone out.

For all the complexities of the various characters, the setting is rather spare–not that it's to the novel's detriment. Rather, the world outside of Charon's Crossing has a fable-like quality–where it could be any small town at some liminal point in time. This works in the story's favour, as it doesn't become too wrapped up in the tech-driven world of the present or seem like a hokey story of the 'good ol' days' that no longer exist. Instead, there's a balance between the pastoral sense of the tea shop and modern conveniences like video streaming. Without getting into spoilers, it also lends a sense of foreboding and the unknown to what Wallace may find outside in a world he no longer knows.

Admittedly I'm not much of a romance reader, but mostly through my lack of familiarity with the genre and not knowing where to start reading. It doesn't help that the books I gravitate toward usually bungle their way through a romance rather than giving it the time it needs to grow and develop. That's not the case in Under the Whispering Door. The growing relationship between Wallace and Hugo is the beating heart of the novel and handled with the same care that Klune gives all of his characters. The lack of forced drama, needless mixed communication, or other tropes that playout for the sake of prolonging the 'will they won't they' are replaced with challenges and tensions that seem natural to the characters and their given situation. Widening the sorts of relationships in fiction is always welcome, especially when they're handled this well.

Sometimes, as a reader, you need a book that's comfortable with its small nature, especially in a world of universe-spanning epics and neverending series. Under the Whispering Door is a much-needed reminder that a good story can be found in the strangest of shops and the most out-of-the-way places.

I’ve attempted to write this review so many times and failed. When you come across a book that is so unexpected, makes you feel emotions to your core, and walks the line of perfection…. it’s a little hard to compose your thoughts and put them on paper. I, like a lot of you, fell in love with T.J Klune’s writing when I read The House in the Cerulean Sea. It was a book filled with magic, unique and amazing characters, quirky humour, and a story that warms your heart. I expected much more of the same with this book and I got it – but I also got WAY MORE than I ever expected.

The book begins with the death of Wallace. Here’s the thing – he’s a total asshole. He knows he is, accepts it, and runs with it. He was awful to his ex wife, fires a woman after she pours her heart out to him about all the things she’s struggling with, and knows that he’s generally unliked… and he doesn’t care. He’s one of the most successful and intimidating lawyers in the area, has everything material he could want, and that’s enough for him. And then he dies. You would think that when you’re facing the end of your life you would worry about missing out on the things you didn’t get to do and the people you left behind. Not Wallace. He worried about his upcoming cases and all the work he had to do. Then the Reaper comes and he has to face what his life truly meant.

I’m not going to lie – I hated Wallace and I didn’t think that there was any way possible for me to feel for him. But his character arc was nothing short of spectacular and wholly believable. I fell for Wallace and I fell HARD. But it wasn’t only him. It was every single character. The way he writes characters was so vivid and complete. You didn’t get any overwhelming monologues but he still found a way to explain all the characters thoughts and emotions in such a complete way that I felt like I had known them for years. We get a backstory that is short and to the point; explaining just enough for you to get the picture but not taking you out of the current story line. Brilliance!

One of my favourite things about The House in the Cerulean Sea was how quirky it was. The word choices, characters, and even the situations and places they found themselves in. It spoke to my nerdy weird soul… and this was just as quirky! He takes all of the things that you would expect and turns them upside down and inside out. Take, for example, the Reaper. You expect the man/ghost with a raspy voice and a black hooded cape and a scythe. No. We got an adorable asian woman in a snazzy suit as she awkwardly completes her task as a Reaper for the first time by herself. You would also expect for this book to take place in a clouded/forest like kingdom as we are experiencing people being ferried onto the afterlife… wrong again. Instead we get a quaint tea shop in the middle of the woods with fairy lights, baked goods, and mismatched furniture. It’s all of these small details that take you on an adventure far away from your expectations that makes this book something that much more special!

One thing that I will say threw me off was the premise of “a character who has 7 days to live all the experiences of a lifetime.” That plot point doesn’t actually happen until around 60% of the way through the book. I hope that doesn’t spoil anything for you (i’m not saying anything specific so I don’t think so). I just think that if you know that then maybe you won’t spend so much time wondering when that plot point comes in and just enjoy the ride. There is so much that happens with our characters before we get to that point that I feel needed to happen. If it happened sooner, the story wouldn’t be near the same.

I end this review with a warning – YOU. WILL. CRY. I’m not talking small tears or misty eyes. I mean the type of crying that has your breath catching. The type of crying that forces you to put the book down because you can’t see the words. The type of crying that will warrant MANY tissues. The type of crying that makes you wake up in the morning with puffy swollen eyes. Oh – and you won’t cry just once. Oh no. Multiple times. You will think the wave is over and then it’s back again, kicking you square in the heart. This book wins the award for the amount of times I cried and how hard. It was insanity. I think that if I was to reread it I would still cry just as hard. There are so many emotional topics hit in here that I wasn’t expecting. My emotional attachment to the characters and the way it was written was just so thoroughly impactful. It was too much and not enough in the same breath. You’ve been warned.

To say that I loved this book doesn’t come close. This is hands down my favourite book of 2021. I might even go so far as to say that it’s in my top 3 favourites of all time. This was sheer perfection in every aspect. T.J Klune – you are a master. And thank you for the experience!

As usual, the author has created an immersive and new fantasy novel, unlike any other novel I have read. it is such an interesting take on what happens when you die and I appreciate how the characters develop and become more over the course of the story.

I had high hopes for this book going in and it completely exceeded my expectations! I loved the story line and found myself tearing up at the end, without giving any spoilers away.

There were a lot of things that I loved about Klune's previous reads that made appearances again in this novel that made it so endearing to me. The writing style is so beautifully relatable and I really liked the development of Wallace and Hugo's relationship.

The messages that the book shares are wonderful and touching as well. I would definitely recommend this to my older middle schoolers as something they could read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor (MacMillan-Tor/Forge) for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so much, so I was super excited to receive an ARC of Under the Whispering Door. Boy was my excitement spot on?!

This story is a much different one than Cerulean Sea. This one immediately starts with death, and all that comes after it. I don't want to spoil it too much, but the main character, Wallace, dies and is taken to a way station on the path to the afterlife, where he meets a ferryman, Hugo, and his "team"/family of Mei, Nelson, and Apollo. It is at this way station that Wallace learns what it truly means to be alive.

This book is a beautiful tale of grief - the grief of losing ones self, the grief of losing someone you love, the grief caused by life. A line from one of my favorite songs, Human by Jon McLaughlin, says it best, "I'm smart enough to know that life goes by, and it leaves a trail of broken hearts behind."

But also at the core of this story is another beautiful tale of becoming. Wallace's arrival and subsequent time at the way station changes him to his core. It changes Hugo. It changes Mei. It changes Nelson and Apollo. It changes EVERYTHING.

This book is highly recommended. It does have some slow parts, so I had to round down my 4.5 rating instead of up, but definitely highly recommended.

TJ Klune writes so much heart that’s it’s hard not to fall in love every time you read one of his books. In the vein of The House in the Cerulean Sea, he’s given us another grump to fall in love with in Wallace, but this is a completely different story to enjoy. We navigate the beginning steps to the afterlife with him as he comes to terms with being dead, getting a little help from a sweetheart named Hugo and a some other lovable characters. This storyline is a very thoughtful meditation on grief, love, death and what makes life worth living. It moved a little slow for me at some points, but still so enjoyable.

I got the ARC of this books and being so hyped about I read it immediately. This reading journey was almost everything I could hope for. I laughed and I cried. I didn't have many expections about this books since it's not even out yet but still it did not dissapoint me. The journey of Wallace Price was beautiful, I loved how the characters grew and learned during their time together. I still can't decide whether I was dissapointed or not about the ending. Obviously I was happy about the happy ending, but I still had this feeling that Wallace should've gone through the door. At least that was what I expected from the beginning. This idea of after life felt fresh and unique and I LOVED IT.

The relationships between well everyone were amazing and heartwarming. I think all of us grew to love every single character. The writing was good and simple enough for a book like this. As a non-native English speaker this book was a easy read. And most importantly it was fun. LGBTQ and POC representation was great! Such a simple and at the same time brutal love story. Found family is one of my favorite tropes and this was it. I would definetly recommend this book to anyone. I do hope for a sequel <3

What I like best about this book is the chaotic kind of wholesome this book radiates, from the characters, the conversations, and actions throughout the whole reading. I like how Wallace, being oblivious at first, just came to terms with all the madness and embraced his own inner demon to conduct michieves with his new fellas. TJ Klune also managed to blend this energy with the representation of mental illnesses and grievance, which wasn't too intense but still thoughtful.

The second thing I'd like to point out is that: I love everyone in this household. Every. Single. One: Nelson is my favorite out of all for not taking any of Wallace's bullshit and being supportive of him at the same time; Mei being simultaneously "I'm so sick of these people" and aggressively affectionate/protective. Wallace was an asshole at first but his journey to become a partner in crime with the people in this house would be extremely refreshing to witness, I promise you. Apollo is… Apollo (really need I say more?) and Hugo is this one brain cell that keeps everything from going hellhole but also has to deal with his own problems. This set of characters seemingly make a perfect cast for a comedy show of the format like Brooklyn 99 and Community, which, I concur.

Considering these being adult fiction,TJ Klune doesn't have a too sophisticated vocabulary in his storytelling, but his sense of humor is top notch. This trait of his is even more saturated in Whispering Door, especially in how he sets up the scenes, executes the sequences, which help land the jokes perfectly. One thing that I lowkey dislike is how cryptic some conversations between the MC Wallace and other people were, but I'd to think they were intentional, since it appeared, on numerous occasions, Wallace himself didn't understand a shit either.

Something I felt concerned about this book before reading was whether it was going to be the same book as Cerulean Sea. The plot outline did stay mostly the same, not differentiating very much from each other besides having different settings. In the end, I found Cerulean Sea to be a more quirky and righteous kind of fun, while this book is more chaotic and hilarious, which is equally enjoyable. I think these books are intended for a more liberating way of reading. You can read both or just one in no particular order without missing out too much.

Oh my God, y’all I think my heart grew three sizes and also I cried for the last 50+ pages so I’m just going to eat ice cream until I can handle this book.

T.J. Klune is my new favorite author. I need a new star rating system, because other 5 star books don’t feel the same after reading a Klune novel. Can I give his books six stars? 12? 1 million?

I was worried about this book though - I knew it was about death and dying and I didn’t see how it could still feel like a warm hug with that content. But you know what? It did. I’m in love with all of the characters and want to hang out with them at the tea shop.

Please take a look at the trigger/content warnings either online or at the beginning of the book before deciding if this book is for you. Take care of yourself.

Thank you to Tor & Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and TJ Klune for an advanced copy of this novel for an honest review. I was completely floored to receive this and I enjoyed every second I spent reading it.

TJ Klune is definitely going to be an auto buy author for me. While I received an ARC of this, I definitely preordered it for my collection and can't wait to re-read this one day when I need it most. Klune has a magical writing style and character development that is unmatched. His tales have been whimsical, introspective, and poignant.

What makes a Klune novel for me though is characterization and character development. I am trying to think of an author that forces me to care about his characters in the same way Klune does. It is hard. As we follow Wallace, Hugo, Mei, and other side characters through this journey, you find that you start to become truly invested in their development and, even if they are unlikable, you root for them. My only complaint is that there wasn't a seamless transition for Wallace between bad-guy-workaholic and lovable and selfless. It seems as if he was written as two different characters in the book, but truly my only "complaint".

Overall, much like The House in the Cerulean Sea, this book is the equivalent of a warm hug. It is a warm hug for your soul. A must read.

As much as I was looking forward to this book, I cannot get into it. I am DNF-ing it at 50% and am fairly upset about doing so. I keep picking this book up thinking this is the time I’ll love it, but still hasn’t happened.

I don’t like the MC, Wallace, and don’t really care much about Hugo either. The side characters are quite hilarious though, and I love that there is a ghost dog featured. The concept of the book sounded quite interesting but just didn’t translate well to me.

I really hope that one day I will pick this back up and love it, as I absolutely loved Cerulean Sea and the authors writing is so poetic, but I am just not feeling this plot line or slow pace.

This book starts and is driven by the strong narrative voice of Wallace Price, a Scrooge-like lawyer who likes sharp suits, well-run businesses, and not caring about anyone else. Then Wallace dies and is whisked off to the whimsical warmth of Charon’s Crossing tea shop. There, surrounded by a cast of quirky characters from Wallace’s reaper, Mei, to the charming tea shop owner, Hugo to Hugo’s ghostly grandfather and loyal service dog who keep hanging around, Wallace is supposed to make peace with life and move on to whatever is beyond it. Only, Wallace doesn’t leave. He learns how to be the person he should have been before he died and he finds reasons to want to stay. If only that were possible…

Do not let the Barnes and Noble “Extra Lore Edition” fool you; this book is about characters, not worldbuilding. With the possible exception of the Husks, the warped monster-like things ghosts like Wallace turn into if they become too untethered to the human world, Under the Whispering Door does not contain any other-wordly elements that are particularly original. It does not give any original answers to questions about death or lay out a complete and cohesive image of the afterlife.

What the book does is tell a poignant, if sometimes predictable, story about characters who are impossible not to love. The novel’s worldbuilding is grounded in these characters, with the Manager of death itself designed to be an echo of Wallace from the first page of the book. Intellectually, Klune leaves questions unanswered: Why doesn’t Wallace see only one happy memory on his ascent even though he goes through it three times? Why do Husks stay on the ground if other ungrounded ghosts float? Morally, when should you force a ghost to move on? Emotionally, however, Klune gives readers closure, catharsis, and a happy ending.

I loved the way mental illness was shown and discussed in this book. Hugo, the calmest character in the story, has panic attacks that he is allowed to describe and get help for without shame. While the book lets Hugo describe what these attacks feel like for him, the focus is on care: What can you do to help those you love when they experience this kind of pain? In the same way, the novel looks at suicide with empathy, not demonization, and that humanizing of hurt and call for community is both beautiful and refreshing.

“Under the Whispering Door” did not blow me away the way “The House in the Cerulean Sea” did. Grief, death, dying, and the afterlife have been covered in media so many times that the book does not really stand out from the pack. However, it is character-driven, full of found family, and approachable in a way that many other books about these topics are not.

Wallace Price is a lawyer who has no friends, no one that loves him, and spends all of his time working. That’s the way he likes it, he doesn’t have time for emotions. That is until he dies a sudden death and a reaper named Mei comes to take him to the ferryman to help him move on. He isn’t ready to move on into whatever comes next and is not happy when he meets the ferryman, Hugo. Once Wallace is placed in the tea shop where Hugo lives, he is tethered to the shop until he can come to terms of who he was when he was alive and came move on to what comes after death.

“We don’t interfere with death. We can’t.” “Why not?” “Because it’s always there. No matter what you do, no matter what kind of life you live, good or bad or somewhere in between, it’s always going to be waiting for you. From the moment you’re born, you’re dying.”

I really loved this story, I loved Wallace, Mei, Hugo, Nelson, and Apollo (which is Hugo’s dead dog who hasn’t moved on). I loved the concept of this story and having a place to stay while you think about your life and what comes next. I feel like this is another found family book, just like TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea. I loved seeing Wallace slowly realize that his life wasn’t all that good and he didn’t live life to the fullest and made many mistakes. I loved reading about Hugo, he is one of those characters that warms your heart and you just want to give him a big hug. Nelson, which is Hugo’s dead grandfather added so much to the story. He hasn’t moved on and is fine being a ghost to stay in Hugo’s life, but he adds some hilarious parts to this book. A book that is ultimately about death but somehow, I laughed during this book while also holding back tears.

I will say I didn’t love this as much as the Cerulean Sea, I felt that this one was a little repetitive in the middle and made it a tad slow. I think I went into this thinking it was going to be the same atmosphere as Cerulean Sea and it’s not at all. It is a book that is going to break your heart and it’s full of grief. Hugo is a ferryman for people who have died, and they all haven’t died an easy fast death either. Mei is a reaper who gets called to bring dead people to the tea shop so they can make peace with their life before crossing. I know this book will stay with me for a long time and so will the characters. At this point in time, I will read anything Klune writes even if I know it’s going to destroy me.

PS. This book has an easter egg about The House in the Cerulean Sea and even thought it’s just a tiny moment I loved it so much.

This books is beautifully written. The characters are lovely.
The book opens to Wallace, a powerful, no-nonsense attorney. 2-days later, Wallace dies (not spoiler it’s ok).
Wallace is met by a Reaper, Mei, and reluctantly follow her to Charon’s Crossing Tea and Treats to meet Hugo, the Ferryman, who will help him cross over. He also meets Nelson and Apollo, Hugo’s grandfather and dog respectively. After that, well, that’s on you to read.
Who knew a book about death, tea, ghosts, and learning to live could touch us so deeply?

Was I warned before going into Under the Whispering Door that I shouldn’t expect it to be House in the Cerulean Sea? Yes.

Did I go into it hoping it would be anyway? Sure did.

Under the Whispering Door deals with grief and death, mourning, and facing one’s truth. The subject matter *is* serious, and everyone will be able to relate to it. But, there is also a lot of levity as well. (Ouiji boards, anyone?) This book is definitely not the House in the Cerulean Sea. Of that, I am damn sure. Wallace, Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and Apollo are an eccentric cast of characters, and they are unique.

Tj Klune’s writing style is simple, but effective. He doesn’t need to overcomplicate anything by using big words for the sake of doing so. He just paints the picture with brushes that will do the job, and let the reader’s brain do the rest.

There isn’t much I feel like I can say without getting too spoilery, so I’ll just say that Door is just as heartwarming and endearing as House was, and it might break your heart just as well. I love this story just as much as I loved House, even though they are extremely different. I hope you all do, too.