T J Klune’s writing is like a literary hug, and his newest book is no exception. The story centers on a ghost who refuses to move on. Sounds like the premise of a horror story but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Found family, self discovery, and making up for lost time are the main themes of this adorable story about a ghost who finds himself at an eclectic tea house waystation with a ghostly grumpy grandpa with a heart of gold, a friendly loving pup who’s also a ghost, the reaper who brought him, and the man responsible for helping ghosts figure out what they need to move on.

#UndertheWhisperingDoor #NetGalley

Having read and loved other works by T J Klune, I was really excited to read this one too, and so pleased to get the chance to read an advanced copy, it did not disappoint and I will be recommending it.

Full review coming soon...

T J Klune has done it again! This book was heartbreaking, funny and overall beautiful. I love how real Klune's characters feel even though they live extraordinary lives. This is a book that I will re-read over and over again.

Wow I was absolutely overwhelmed in a good way!

Wallace has found himself in some sort of afterlife and has to find a way to "move on" to his final step in life with the help of his reaper Mei. Mei introduces Wallace to Hugo who is a ferryman and will help him move through the door. Through a lot of great circumstances I was super surprised in the end and would definitely, 100% recommend reading Under the Whispering Door!

It is my first book from this author but certainly not my last. I lived the writing, the colorful characters and everything that was put down on that book. This Will put me in a reading slump. You need to be reading this novel if you are in need of meaning in life... If you want to Read a book that Will make you laugh, and make you cry at the same time.

I sadly ended up having to DNF this book at about 10% in, unfortunately it was just not the book I needed at the time of reading. Very upset about this as I am excited to read from
TJ Klune and will definitely be checking out his books at a later date

4.5 stars! With great appreciation to Macmillian-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the chance to review this complex, multilayered, and highly anticipated, new book from TJ Klune. I want to express my appreciation for being trusted to review this book prior to publication as I know how highly anticipated this book is following the great joy that the House in the Cerulean Sea brought to many readers (including myself). Once I let myself fall into this story, to just let the pace be what it was, and to let the purpose and the purpose of the story envelope me, the magical and whimsical characters, particularly Mei (I just loved her sassiness and frankness) were most welcome parts of my reading. I will miss them, even cranky jerky Wallace, but I also know that they are part of my reading life and that I can now enjoy talking about them with other readers.

There are so many ways to talk about this book. I want to focus on how it approaches death, even the hardest types of loss and death, with humanity and grace, death is treated as part of life, as a transition, and as a time to be respected. Of course what is new is the focus on the deceased individual as still having a presence, humanity, and a need, as I read it, to be cared for and engaged with; there is a grace and beauty, and tons of what I consider the Klune charm and whimsy, as the story of Wallace is shared. There is also a poignancy and yearning, again to me a Klune style marker, to the story as how the story starts for Wallace (death, journey to transition to after life) becomes so much more about living and hope and love than about sorrow and loss.
Feelings of sadness tinge, in an effective way, the story at times as of course the theme is death and these are the harder parts of the story, the parts that may feel slow to other readers but I think are also sections handled with care; sad emotions often make us feel slow and I think that might be some of how parts of the book feel as it is read BUT then there comes the later part of the book that is so so so engaging and moving (emotionally and also moving moving moving the pages!).

This book is wonderful once readers allow it to first not be Klune's earlier book and then allow it to be how it is, just as the characters allow those who are transitioning to move at their own pace. The book will likely not be right for those who have had recent loss in their lives or who have connections to self harm and loss but it is for so many readers who can appreciate an emotional, loving, reflective, and somehow vibrant book about death and loss.

I truly do appreciate Macmillian-Tor/Forge for entrusting this book with me and my words and thoughts. Thank you to NetGalley as well. I look forward to seeing this book embraced by the readers who need it most.

I am unwell. This book wrecked me, y’all.

In the best possible way. I haven’t cried this much since Meet Me in Paradise.

TJ Klune connects me to his characters in a way that causes me to be emotionally attached to them. I feel what they feel. I laugh when they laugh and I cry when they cry. This book made me happy, sad, angry, relieved, and so many other emotions.

This book deals with a lot of death and grief. But it does it in a way that is oh so human. None of us know what happens in the end. And the characters in this story don’t know either. It’s all a big question; and the reader gets to decide for themselves.

The tenderness that TJ Klune used toward this heavy subject matter is something to be in awe of. The patience and kindness the characters displayed felt so genuine. This was just an absolutely beautiful book and I will honestly read anything this man ever writes.

And finally, Wallace + Hugo forever 💛

Synopsis: Death is only their beginning.Wallace Price is dead and taken to a ferryman named Hugo. The ferryman is supposed to help him cross over to the other side of the world. As Wallace Price struggles with the stages of death , he embarks on a journey of self discovery and an unlikely adventure.
Read this for:
1) The theme: This book is based on a never ending enigma- life after death. The author has however created a fantasy with a halt equipped with amicable souls for the dead to cross over . The book also focuses on our brief and ever busy lives, with no time to spare for sweet moments / beautiful relationships.
2) The incredible assortment of characters: We have a white queer ghost who is taking the aid of a black man assisted by an Asian woman to cross over to the other side of the world. These characters have their own struggles , but warmth oozes from them.(There's no way that T J klune would write a book without his signature warm characters). I loved the reaper Mei, Hugo's grandad and Appolo the dog.
3) Tea lovers ensemble: "The first time you share tea , you are a stranger, second time you are an honoured guest and third time family "(Balti quote).For all the tea lovers out there, there are varieties of rejuvenating teas discussed here.
4) The writing: The quirkiness of the author works quite well and there were moments wherein I've laughed out loudly. TJ Klune has successfully managed to infuse humour into the harshest reality of life - death .
What could have been better:
This was one of my most anticipated reads , so I kind of expected more. I felt the narrative was lagging at places and the story was predictable at times . I did feel the friendship between the main characters, but romance was kind of rushed up and lacked depth.
All the same this is an enjoyable read. Rating: 3.8/5
Trigger warning: death, suicide, loss, panic attack.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. TJ Klune has quickly become one of those authors that I will buy his books without knowing the premise! I made myself read this slowly because I didn’t want it to end. I laughed, I cried. How his words can evoke such emotion is a gift! The descriptions are immersive and the world becomes tangible.

A MUST READ!

I loved The House on the Cerulean Sea so I had high expectations for this one. I don’t know if I’ll finish it or come back to it at another time because the main character isn’t all that likable. I want to love this book but I want to do something else every time I pick it up. I hope everyone else loves this book as much as I wanted to because Cerulean Sea was a favorite of mine last year.

I will not be reviewing this due to the recently revealed news that the author based one of his most recent, and one that was incredibly popular, A House in the Cerulean Sea, on the Sixties Scoop and stripped its historic significance to present a saviour narrative with white men at the forefront. In the past, I've thoroughly enjoyed Klune's books, including HitCs, and lovedhis humours writing that whisks readers away, but I have my limits. He has not offered an adequate apology or made significant donations to grassroots organizations working to take care of and fight for Indigenous Rights, and to Indigenous people who are suffering on Reservations with inadequate water, food and supplies. If you're going to use someone's tragedy; an event that tore families apart on the basis of culture and skin colour in order to 'whiten' Canada, and turn it into an 'everything will be okay, you just have to wait for the one good person working in a violent system to liberate you once you prove your humanity to them' narrative, then you should be prepared for the consequences that come with that. I requested this book prior to learning this news and am going to abstain from reviewing and providing a platform to Klune's books from now on.

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea, I just knew I had to read this book.

Wallace is a workaholic lawyer and a jerk, who dies from a heart attack and finds himself being taken to a tea shop by a reaper, Mei. There he meets a ferryman named Hugo who helps him cross into the afterlife.

TJ Klune has done it again with another beautiful story. This story teaches you to live your life to the fullest and appreciate life itself and your family; all while touching on grief, death, closure and moving on.

This book is very slow paced up until around the 50% mark. Also while House in the Cerulean Sea was funny, whimsical and sweet; Under the Whispering Door has a more serious and heavy tone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an ebook arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I started with high hopes for reading this book after hearing about it so much (which made me feel like it was going to give me a little bit of the Meg Cabot's Mediator nostalgia - while being different from it in every way possible😅). And when I began reading about a grumpy, rude man going about his day in the most snobbish way possible, I wasn't disappointed. Enter Mei, our beloved Reaper, and things got more interesting. And then we met Nelson, Apollo and Hugo and I was hooked.

Then, I came to the parts which I knew were inevitable in a book revolving around Death, but wasn't really looking forward to. The philosophical discussions - debating the whys of it all. And unfortunately, the pacing of the story hit a snag around the same point, so I was very slow in getting through the second quarter or so of the book. But, things got interesting very soon again, so the second half went by in a flash.

My favourite part of the book was easily Nelson and Mei. Nelson was probably the character with the least exciting story, but one I loved nonetheless or maybe because of it. Same as him, Mei carved a place in my heart in the first few pages itself. But, I wish I hadn't read a similar version of her backstory a hundred times before. As soon as I got to know she was Asian, I half expected the 'Parents migrated to America to realise the "American-Dream", worked their asses off to provide a stable future for their kid, but, sigh, turns out to be a disappointment' trope to manifest in the story. And zero surprises, it did. With the added bonus of 'Mental Health's a big no-no in Asian households' to top it off. It's kind of sad that at this point, I don't even expect any different for Asian characters living in America.

Moving on, yes, characters! Hugo. Loved him, loved his teas. Loved his dog even more. Everything about him made that much special by his journey and everything he's gone through. It made perfect sense for him to be the way he was. Which did not really happen with Wallace. Because, yes, I'm a type of reader who likes to analyse everything in a character's past - especially the ones who are not the goody two-shoes types. Which was given here in the vaguest way possible. But what I did love was who he became. He was changing, and everyone was happy about it. Granted, it felt a bit too much of a transformation at times, but it was easy to ignore that. It made me appreciate the little setbacks even more because they made the process that much more real.

This group of characters that9came together as a family to make me laugh out loud, cry like a baby and feel all the emotions in between. Overall, I'd say it's a story focusing more on the journey of these people that's helped along by everything magical in it.

*Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me an Advanced Copy of the book.*

True to his style of writing lovable, multi-layered characters in a semi- sci fi magical setting with an underlying message hidden, TJ Klune does it again. He has an innate ability to find a tough subject and inject it with just enough humor to make it less heavy, just enough hope to make it less depressing and just enough insight to teach the lesson he is trying to.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and therefore was nervous to see how this next book stacked up. Although I wouldn’t consider this one as perfect as Cerulean, it was very close. I think one of the reasons that Cerulean stands out is because it was the first Klune book I read. His original style and wit captured me immediately. This book holds the same charm, but follows a very similar outline to Cerulean, so now I expected it. (know what I mean?)

Wallace Price, a selfish and unlikable attorney finds himself dead. Yes, I said dead. He arrives at his own funeral, shocked to find so few people there. One person he doesn’t recognize. This person is a “reaper” who takes him to a “ferryman” who is meant to help on his journey to move “on.” The story then explores his journey and the people put in place to assist people who have recently passed. The story mainly takes place in the tea shop owned by the ferryman, Hugo. There is a wonderful cast of secondary characters introduced in the tea shop. As Wallace tries to figure out what he is meant to do, he becomes much more self-aware, empathetic, caring and courageous. (maybe a tad too quickly??)

Klune leaves many things unspecified and fluid so that while reading, you are never fully aware of what could happen next. My take is that we are not meant to get bogged down in the specifics and logistics - because the real takeways are about self-discovery, regret, grief, acceptance, honesty, empathy and love.

There were a few items I wish had a little more development, but overall this book was another magical and heartwarming story of redefining ourselves, becoming who we are meant to and using our gifts to help others.

Of course I recommend! Due out September, 2021.

Many thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy.

Wallace Price is not a nice man. He is cold, selfish and does not have an empathetic bone in his body. Wallace Price also does not realize this until the only people who show up to his funeral have nothing but negative things to say about him. He knows this because he is there watching it all happen.

Under the Whispering Door is a book about what happens after death. After Wallace’s demise, we follow him as he works his way through death and the stages of grief in hope of some sort of redemption. Along the way, Wallace is introduced to lovable supporting characters that teach him how to be a friend and what it means to be family.

Similar to The House on the Cerulean Sea, this new novel by TJ Klune delivers an important message wrapped beautifully in a heartfelt bow. Klune’s unique way of making the characters come alive continues as he pulls from our own memories to make us laugh, probably cry and really think about life and death in the best way possible. Under the Whispering Door had a slower start as the scene-building was taking place, but I could not get enough of the second half of this book. From the relationships, to the animal character (one of my favorite parts of this one!), to the idea of finding yourself even when you feel lost - I think this book has something in it for everyone.

Thank you so much Netgalley, TJ Klune and Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was a latecomer to The House by the Cerulean Sea and it has easily been one of my favorite books of 2021. When I was approved to read TJ Klune's latest, Under the Whispering Door, I'm pretty sure I shrieked with joy. I had really high expectations for this one since The House by the Cerulean Sea was so moving and magical.

We meet Wallace Price, a cranky, perhaps early 40s man who discovers hes' dead at his own funeral. Mei swoops in as his Reaper and brings him to Charon's Crossing to meet his ferryman, Hugo, who will help him come to terms with his death and allow him to move through the door to the other side.

Under the Whispering Door started a bit slow for me, at least the first half as the story built. But as the story built, we truly started to see Wallace's personality soften and change. The last half of the book was incredible. I couldn't put it down and I felt so emotionally invested in the characters. All I wanted was for Hugo and Wallace to end up together. It's been a while since a book had me in tears at the end, but this one definitely had me wiping my eyes.

This is truly another magical story from Klune. Make time to read it. It will be worth it.

Solid 4.5 stars from me.

As soon as I saw the description of this book, and knowing how much I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, I had a feeling I would love this book too and it delivered!✨

Wallace Price is having a pretty weird day - he wakes up at his funeral. He’s met there by a reaper, who then brings him to a tea shop. Not just any tea shop, but one run by Hugo, a ferryman who helps souls get ready to cross over.

In life, Wallace the lawyer sucked - he worked all the time, and didn’t make any meaningful relationships. In death, Hugo and the other strange residents of the tea shop, alive and dead, help him live a little.

In a style very reminiscent of Cerulean Sea🌊, the cast of characters is quirky, including Hugo who actually has to run the tea shop as his day job🫖; Mei, the reaper who came to get Wallace as her first solo reaping job☠️; Nelson, Hugo’s deceased grandfather who teaches Wallace how to be a poltergeist👻; and the Manager, who’s in charge of the crossing at the tea house🤓.

This book was easy to read, I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in a day. It deals with questions of life and death, and what does it all mean🤷🏼‍♀️. But it also has quirky and fun moments that just showcase how it’s okay to have a good time. It also highlights just how awesome tea is lol! 🫖

I am so happy I got to read this book - thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for a free ebook copy, in exchange for my honest review.

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea and recommending it to everyone I know, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review the ARC of his next book.

This book is about Wallace - he's a pretty awful human. He's selfish, rude, insensitive and puts his work as a lawyer about everything else in his life. In the first chapter, Wallace dies. After his death, his ghost learns what it is to really live. This book is so heartfelt - there is so much emotion and growth in the characters. I loved that there was TJ Klune's trademark quirky humor which was good given the difficult topics of death, regret, guilt etc. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Klune’s strength as a writer is his ability to lay out on the page what it means to be human. UTWD is certainly a heartfelt rumination on grief, death, and loss, but at the end of the day, it lacked the lit-from-within incandescence of The House in the Cerulean Sea or the glittery, tongue-in-cheek adorableness of The Extraordinaries series. There was a cast of characters who were innately lovable, but I didn’t feel as much of a connection to them as I wanted to. There were some sections that, even though they were touching on important topics, felt overly expository, and the ending felt a little too neat. That being said, there were many moments where I was wiping away tears (which doesn’t happen often for me as a reader!) and Klune deftly and tenderly explores really complex themes of death and grieving and the afterlife.