Any self imposed ideas I held about limbo in the afterlife pale in comparison to what Klune has envisioned in Under the Whispering Door. The whimsical tea house, serving as a stop along travels, holds within it's walls a cast of unlikely characters that warmed my heart. Hugo, Mei, Nelson, Wallace, and Apollo felt like the kind of family you wanted to spend hours with; learning their stories, loving their humane flaws and sipping carefully brewed tea underneath the star encrusted skies. Unlike other books that I have read that trace themes of death, it resisted old, eye roll inducing cliches in favor of messages collective strength, the depths of personality and surrendering to the unknown. It was an amazing book and one I will not hesitate to purchase for the days I will long to read it again.

I am very grateful to the publishers, author, and Netgalley for allowing me to review this gifted copy. Under the Whispering Door is set to be released on September 21, 2021.

Under the Whispering Door is a story about man, Wallace Price, who does and then must pass over. This involves a tea shop, a reaper, several ghosts, and a recoding of his life. It is also a story about it grief and how to live with it, move past it, and to begin again. This book deals heavily with death and grief. The idea of the five stages of grief are discussed heavily in the book.

Spoiler alerts!
At first, the main character is so unlikable that it is hard to root for him or emphasize with him. But death (and the relationships me makes at the tea shop) change him for the better. While I didn’t care for Wallace’s character, I was compelled to keep reading and things got better.

Overall, an interesting story which also may be helpful for someone who is currently going through the stages of grief themselves.

This book was good but unfortunately I just didn't seem to connect with the writing style. The book has really great character development, you get to know the characters so well and they feel very real.; Nelson made me laugh out loud many times and I think T.J. did a great job in this area! I also though that it had great LGBTQ and mental health representation which I definitely enjoyed. It does a good job of showing vulnerability and not taking your time with loved ones for granted.

However, I found the pace of the story to be slow and the writing around the romance was very cliche and a bit cheesy. The writing style spells everything out for you instead of letting it come naturally; there is no subtlety at all. I like to interpret a book in my own way, based on my own thoughts and experiences and I found that there was no room for that in this book.

If you liked the House in the Cerulean Sea, I think you will really like this book as well because although the book's plot is very different, the writing style is identical and I feel that the strengths in the books were very similar. Also, I would personally classify this book as a YA novel not an adult; so it you are a fan of character driven YA, I think you will enjoy this.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wallace Price is a high-powered attorney whose life revolves around his work – right up until he drops dead at the office. He finds himself at his funeral – sparsely attended, with those who showed up having nothing nice to say about him – where a woman (who can actually see him) tells him that she’s a reaper, there to take him to the ferryman, who will help him on his way into the afterlife. The ferryman, Hugo, is not like anyone Wallace has ever met, and teaches him a lot about enjoying life... now that he’s dead.

After chapter one, I thought, “there’s no way I’m ever going to like this guy.” To be fair, Wallace did grow on me as the book went on and he grew and changed, and by the end he was a genuinely good person. But I’m not entirely sure I buy his transition. I’ve seen this kind of redemption trope done successfully (Ebenezer Scrooge comes to mind) but for some reason, in this book it didn’t work for me. I feel like there’s a disconnect between the changes in his character and the journey from point A to point B as it’s described. The latter doesn’t quite adequately explain the former - I’m seeing the changes in his personality, without really understanding why they’re happening. It may just be that he made such a horrible impression in the first few chapters that I had a hard time believing the change. Unfortunately, I felt the same way about the romance – I felt like I was being told it was happening without really understanding why.

High points: Excellent representation (Black and Asian rep, bi & gay main characters), interesting ending, AND NELSON. I loved Nelson so much, and Hugo and Mei were great as well. I’d read a whole book about just Hugo and Nelson and Mei in their shop, shepherding ghosts into the afterlife and serving tea to the locals. I wouldn’t mind if Wallace was there, too, just not necessarily as the primary character.

This was my first TJ Klune book, and I wish I had liked it more. But I’ve heard enough good things about him, and found this book enjoyable enough, that I intend to try some of his other books in hopes that those work better for me.

Tw: death, suicide, murder

Wallace Price is a bit like Ebenezer Scrooge, he doesn’t have anyone close to him, he only cares about his job, and ruthlessly fires people without considering their circumstances. When he shockingly dies and is brought to a ferryman named Hugo who helps souls cross over Wallace starts to learn the errors of his ways.

I was really enjoying this book at the beginning. While Wallace isn’t so likeable, it was entertaining watching him adjust to being a ghost and slowly start to change his attitude and behavior. Hugo and all the other characters in the tea shop had interesting stories and it was fun seeing them interact with Wallace. At times I do think the book had some touching things to say about life, death, the people who we leave behind, and those who have died before us.

However, a lot of times I felt like the story and the message it was trying to get across was pretty cheesy and trite. Also, from scene to scene things started to feel very repetitive in the second half of the book. I didn’t really feel a lot of chemistry between Hugo and Wallace and there were certain things that happened in the end that just felt way too convenient and like TJ Klune was just taking the easy way out as the writer.

I have an enormous amount of gratitude for Tor Books, TJ Klune and Netgalley. Thank you for letting me read Under the Whispering Door early. This wonderful book will be published September 21.

TJ Klune has once again broken me and put me back together. The House in the Cerulean Sea filled me with love and light, Under the Whispering Door filled me with grief and heartache but also love and light. The characters he’s created are ones I will not soon forget. This story is for everyone. Every human needs to read this. After losing someone very recently, this hit really close to home but I steadied myself and read it anyway, hoping it would help. It did.

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.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I was so excited to be given an ARC for this book and….I think….I loved Under the Whispering Door even more. Wallace is a lawyer, he’s also an asshole. He cares nothing for those around him and his only focus is his job. When he dies suddenly, and discovers only a couple of people at his funeral – none of which even like him, he’s incensed. When he meets his personal reaper, who is there to take him to the place between death and the afterlife, he’s obviously not scared. Wallace doesn’t get scared. He gets mad. And scared.

Hugo is the Ferryman, he prepares those who need it, to make the final journey through the door to the afterlife. Wallace isn’t an easy case, and he’s not too keen to move on. As Wallace and Hugo get to know each other, Wallace starts to realise just how many mistakes he made in life. For the first time, he might even be making some friends.

I loved every character in this story. Hugo, his ‘ghost’ grandad, Nelson, Reaper Mei, ghost dog Apollo and even Wallace himself….after a while. I spent almost the entirety of this book either crying or with a goofy smile plastered on my face. In fact, I cried so many times towards the end that I had to stop reading for a while to gather myself together 😅. There were some beautiful explorations of grief, death and relationships – romantic, familial and friendship. This is the type of book that can remind you, or make you think for the first time, how trivial the inconveniences of life really are. We can be here for such a short time, and the impact we have on the people around us is what matters the most.

I absolutely loved the concept for this book. Ghost meets ferryman - what's not to love? Add in a ghost dog and a grumpy ghost grandfather, and I found a lot to enjoy in this sweet, thoughtful tale about finding a family, while trying to snatch every moment of life from the very jaws of death.

The story opens with Wallace, a lawyer, being so horrible to an employee as to make him seem like a cartoon villain. It was an amusing start which drew me in, but it took me a long time to connect to him as the book's hero. As a result, it seemed too easy for Hugo and Mei to become attached to him. I kept wanting to remind them about how awful he was!

The love story was charming, though as it took so long to get over my dislike of Wallace, it was hard to be as drawn into it as I wanted to be. I did love the ending though, and by then I was on board. It just took me a little longer than I would have liked.

I recommend this book to all those looking for a lovely imagining of what might happen after death, with many smiles and some heartfelt sighs along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing an Advance Review Copy of this book.

I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to take the whirlwind of emotions this book made me feel and compose them into a coherent review.
This book was just, wow, it was stunning, there is no other word for it. The journey that our main character, Wallace Price goes on is achingly beautiful to be a part of. This book makes me want to hold my loved ones close and tell them every day how much they mean to me. It makes me want to live and laugh and enjoy every moment we have on this earth.
Read this book. I promise you will not regret it.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Can you imagine a chance to change what you did as you lived, but only after you die. This is a strong, heartwarming, emotional novel that will make you think, but if only? T.J. Klune pulls at every emotion in this unique fantasy about death, life, and moving on. About love and its redeeming quality, and about courage. 4.5 Stars

Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review:

Truth: I feel like I have been waiting to read this story forever! ‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ was one of my absolute favourite reads of 2020 (discovered during lockdown thanks to Bookstagram); and I actually preordered ‘Under the Whispering Door’ last November when its release date was still March. That all said, clearly my expectations were quite high…

And TJ did not fail me! I adored this wonderful and achingly joyful tale of self-discovery and connection and ultimately agency and self-direction—following that eternal question: What will you do with the time you have left?

Somehow, ‘Door’ echoes the same sense of wonder as ‘House’ while exploring rather more intimate themes (think individual purpose in life vs social acceptance and activism [though there is still a bit of the latter knitted into the ‘purpose’ piece of the former]). It also hosts an adorable supporting cast of characters and the quirky hilarity I am coming to recognize as quintessentially Klune (if you have read almost ANY of his other books you will understand).

I will say, I basically bawled through the entirety of the last 90 pages: so prepare your tissues or handkerchiefs or even your sleeves! And be prepared for the fact that death truly is the centre of the story—and touches on not only death by natural causes (e.g. old age), but that resulting from chronic illness, unknown health conditions, murder and even suicide. And while I felt these subjects were handled carefully and respectfully, I know these subjects can be triggering regardless.

All together this was unquestionably a 5-Star read for me and I am so excited for a physical copy to live on my shelf and reread again and again. 😊

I really like TJ Klune's writing style--rich story-telling, fully developed characters and a brilliant imagination. The only thing that bothers me, though, is when he writes something silly in the dialogue expecting huge laughs. I'm guessing others may find these quips funny, but I usually tend to roll my eyes at their unexpected silliness. That being said, once again Mr. Klune has created a truly magical novel exhibiting all of his famous characteristics and beloved traits. Under the Whispering Door is a creative venture into the unknown in the form of death and the after-life. Along the way, hearts "heal", friendships develop and love blossoms. Thank you for this advanced eCopy NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge. I always enjoy seeing what Mr. Klune's dazzling mind will dream up next.

YES. YES. YES.

After reading House in the Cerulean Sea earlier this year, I was keeping TJ Klune on my radar for anything even remotely similar. When I saw this come up on Bookstagram, I RAN to Net Galley to try to get an early copy and was ~blessed~ with an approval!

In Under the Whispering Door, we find ourselves with Wallace, a man who can’t accept that he’s just died. When a reaper picks him up from his own funereal, she leads him back to Hugo’s tea shop, a Ferryman whose job it is to help Wallace accept his fate and cross over. Wallace got more than he bargained for when Hugo begins showing Wallace all that he missed out on in his life on Earth as a corporate robot.

Let me start by saying T.J. Klune is so good at what he does. His writing is so easy to get into and I texted my SIL (who I buddy read this with) that I was already sad the book had an ending at the 12% mark. This was such an easy read, it was so heartwarming, and it was just a feel-good story that will make you cry happy tears.

While I think Klune could have been more intentional in his writing and cut out a lot of the repetitive conversations that make up this story, I cannot say enough good things about this book. The humor was spot-on, the message of the story was meaningful, and the bonds that were created in this story were precious.

While I landed on 4.5/5 stars due to The House in the Cerulean Sea being my benchmark, I still adored every second of my reading experience. Klune knows how to write a wholesome and whimsical book and I’m so thankful to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC!

TJ Klune delivered yet another incredible story!! I thoroughly enjoyed “Under the Whispering Door”! This book included everything - love, life, death, humor - definitely one of my favorites this year!

TJ Klune has done it again! With relatable, whimsical characters, rich worldbuilding, and quirky scenarios that can make you sob one page and burst out laughing the next, UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR may be his best title yet!

If you like quirky settings, lovable characters and hopeful books, Under the Whispering Door is definitely for you. While to me it does not live up to the wonderful House on the Cerulean Sea, it does have a lot of the same vibes and a similar sense of earnestness and heart at its center.

Following Wallace Price, a recently deceased lawyer learning to love life (yes, weird), this novel follows the souls he meets in his afterlife that are tasked with his safe-keeping and care as he moves toward the great beyond (whatever that is).

It all feels exactly like an overly genuine and sweet Pixar-esque story, in most of the best ways, however I did find that this novel was simultaneously too long, while also underdeveloped in terms of characters and character development. The book takes great care at the start to establish that Wallace is a HORRIBLE person, though within just a couple days after his death he is a completely different person, an earnest do-gooder who just wants to help people (huh?). It also has the love interest basically fall in love at first sight without much clear reason as to why. Finally, like other TJ Klune books, it relies on the main character having zero clue he is in love, and not really aware of the obvious things around him, even when hinted to them by other characters every other page...

Overall, I did enjoy this book, however the more I think about it the more holes I remember. It is still very sweet and full of hope, so I know many will enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have just finished the book and oh boy... It was beautiful.
The story about ferry man and ghost falling in love with each other was just part of it.
More is the book about grief, lost, death and the way how to handle them.
We follow Wallace, lawyer, who I did not like at all at the beginning as mc. After a few chapters I have fallen for him. Entire tea shop atmosphere is great, so the people in it, especially Hugo and Nelson. Mei was also an interesting character, but I had a feeling she was a bit behind the scene.

However without spoiling anything I cannot recommend the book enough.
I am giving 4,25 stars just because the ending was a bit dragging.

Favourite quote->
”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 become family.”

First things first--eBook ARC graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! Now that that's out of the way...

This book blew me away.

I knew I loved T.J. Klune already, but wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. I saw that it was being marketed as A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place, and that couldn't be more accurate.

Look, I'm a sucker for books about people learning humanity and found family tropes. This had both, PLUS queer stuff PLUS dogs. I probably cried for the last 30% of the book--in the best possible way. Want to feel uplifted? READ THIS BOOK. I *gasp* liked it even better than House in the Cerulean Sea.

Walk, don't run, to this book when it comes out.

The second I saw that TJ Klune was releasing a new book this year, it was an automatic pre-order and arc request. After receiving the email that i was approved for the arc, I was overjoyed and immediately started reading. Stepping back into Klune's writing is so easy and effortless. There is no period of adjustment to the writer's voice. You feel like you are immediately in the story. Under the Whispering Door follows Wallace Price, a successful attorney who had just suddenly died. After waking up at his own funeral, a Reaper is in attendance to bring him to a way station for the newly departed in order to prepare for the beyond. After arriving at the way station, a motely crew of characters help Wallace come to terms with this death and try and make him understand what will be coming next.

While this book has the same voice as Klune's last novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea, it has a much slower pace and plot. There are points where additional details could have enriched the story line a bit but overall, the book had me crying at the end and has solidified Klune as an "automatic buy" author for me.

4.5/5

This is a very sweet, fantastical read, yet it doesn't read as quite "done" for me. We're told Wallace is a jerk, and in the first couple of chapters, he is. And then we're told he's not. For a story about finding love and redemption, the "finding" part read as glossed over. The reader is told that Wallace is learning how to be a better person (well, ghost), but we don't actually go on the journey with him. It's frustrating.

It's still a delight to read--I'm always ready for a love story that doesn't focus on beautiful people trying to save the charming village landmark from an evil developer or emotional abuse = LOVVVVEEEEE. I enjoyed reading this, but it felt like it needed a finishing draft to really focus in on Wallace's redemption.