There’s nothing quite like reading an exceptionally good book and Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is hands down one of the best books I’ve read this year. Probably even one of the best books I’ve read ever.

I don’t quite know how to describe this book except that it’s wonderfully queer. Not only queer as in having a diverse cast but queer as in extraordinary, funny, (read hilarious), bizarre, unconventional and utterly uncanny in the best of ways.

I don’t cry when I read books. Not ever. But this book was so close to bringing me to tears. Happy tears and sad tears. Tears of joy and tears of sorrow. This story is full to the brim with emotions. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that is both light and heavy in the way that Under the Whispering Door is. It’s a complex, heartfelt story which made me think about what’s truly important in life. How easy it is to get caught up on trivial stuff and forgetting what really matters. The things we take for granted are usually what leaves the largest void in their absence.

If you only plan to read one single book in your life then this is the book you should choose.

Thank you so much to the team at Pan Macmillan for providing me with an eARC of this incredible book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

Under the Whispering Door is my second T.J. Klune book I’ve read. The first book by this author was House in the Cerulean Sea which I liked a lot.

The beginning of Under the Whispering Door caught my attention right away. I liked the humor at the beginning at this book very much. Unfortunately the humor disappeared not long after that. And the story drawn out after that because we get to know the main characters and Wallace changes through this story, but is stays at the service instead of taking it deeper and because of that, the story feels cliché and couldn’t hold my attention.

The ending of this story was predictable for me, I understand why the writer chose this ending but it felt too obvious to me.

This is a delightful, funny and poignant look at death, what may happen afterwards, the memories and regrets we hold and how it is never too late to change or find love, even as a ghost.
Wallace Price is a callous, driven business man with no time for the trivial things in life. He dies suddenly from a heart-attack and finds himself witnessing his own funeral where he meets a young woman who says she is a newly trained Reaper and her first lone assignment is to help him cross to the other side (or through the Whispering Door) and on to the next step. She takes him to a tea shop where he meets Hugo and a range of very quirky and cleverly written characters both human and ghost. Parts of this are laugh out loud funny and some you almost need tissues for and you leave the last page with a powerful urge to appreciate everything in your life while you have it and take nothing for granted.
Like The House in Cerulean Sea this is easily a YA crossover.
A totally exceptional and perfect read in every way. Just loved it.

What a read! Klune never disappoints me and I was so excited to read another novel in his Cerulean Sea universe.
Klune's debut with Tor, The House on the Cerulean Sea, was one of my favourite reads of 2020 and was the light in the darkness that was that year, and I was so excited to feel that again with Under The Whispering Door.

Our protagonist Wallace Price was a highly awful character at the beginning of the book which made his transformation in death all the better. In Death, Wallace finds love, family, happiness and finds what it means to be alive. yes get your tissues ready, if you are like me you will need them. Wallace falls in love with his Ferryman but Under The Whispering Door is more than a love story it is about change and what you put out in the world you get back tenfold.

Klune writes the sentimental and the gooey so well and at the moment it is what everyone's needs as we all go through 2021. I have read a lot of Klune's backlist now and I think Under The Whispering Door definitely calls back to the Green Greek universe in many ways, and it will be interesting if anyone else sees the similarities.
Overall Under The Whispering Door has everything I want in a Klune novel and I cannot wait to read more of his adult fiction.

*I received a free advance reader copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This book is both beautiful, sad and honest. It's a story about grief and loss but also about finding yourself and your purpose through the people who encourage and surround you. For our main character, Wallace, he's had a pretty bitter life. He's not the nicest guy and he's fallen into bad patterns and practices, but when he dies very suddenly and is picked up by Mei, the Reaper, he learns there's a whole lot more to life than he knew.

Wallace is a dislikeable character at first and it took me a while to really engage with him. Although he clearly isn't the best, Hugo, the Ferryman, sees more in him and it's his job to try and help Wallace find the good in himself before he crosses into the afterworld. Wallace and Hugo's relationship takes a while to form and blossom, but as a reader following their journey it was a refreshing one to see.

Nelson and Mei and Apollo are the three other major characters we see a lot of. Mei is a reaper so she collects spirits, including Wallace's, and brings them to Hugo for him to do his work. She's a caring young lady and empathetic and does her best for those that she loves and helps.
Nelson is Hugo's grandfather and also a ghost. He stays in the house/Tea Shop where the majority of the story is based to keep them company and look out over them.
Apollo is a ghost dog, and let's be honest, a ghost dog was always going to be a good addition to the story.

As you see a the story unfold you see that the afterlife and the present merge as grief and passion war with one another. These two main characters are great together and both help one another and I very much enjoyed following their story. 4*s from me :)

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!

I have previously read some of TJ Klune’s books and enjoyed some of them, I love the whimsy and unique aspects of them! This one didn’t fail to impress!

I highly recommend!!

Am trying to write this review properly but I am still crying after finishing this wonderful book! I will try to make sense .

We follow Wallace who is an absolutely horrible man who dies and gets taken to a tea house where he is being helped to pass over to the beyond. He is helped by Mei (the reaper) , Hugo (Tea house owner and ferryman of the dead) , Nelson (the ghost of Hugo’s grandad ) and Apollo (Hugo’s ghost dog) .

I reached about 30% through this book and started to have a few doubts if it was for me. It’s more thoughtful and deep than Cerulean Sea and not as funny but how wrong could I be? I sobbed for the last 20% and I think I love it even more than TJ Klunes previous book. Maybe . It’s just beautiful .

I adored The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I was so excited when this came up on Netgalley. And wow, it did not disappoint. I read it in 2 sittings and cried for a solid half an hour after finishing it. The characters are marvellous, the plot perfect, the pacing fantastic and I will buy anything else TJ Klune writes. As sad as I was at the end, I know it's made my perspective on life that bit better.

A queer love story that explores life, death and everything in between, I recommend this to absolutely everybody.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wallace Price is the worst. He is selfish, mean and workaholic, so to no one's surprise, when he dies from a heart attack, his funeral is awful and then to make things worse, a reaper comes to collect his soul and they go to a tea shop - which is a tiny bit different from the ordinary ones - where he meets Hugo, the tea shop's owner who must help him to cross over to the afterlife.

Once again, the author managed to deliver a beautiful and moving story! I loved all the concepts he put in the book. Some of them are pretty obvious and you probably have seen in other afterlife stories, but some of them were really interesting.

The heart of the book is definitely the characters. Wallace is pretty much a jerk at the beginning, but as he starts to live at Charon's Crossing (the tea shop) and develops a relationship with Mei (the reaper), Nelson and Hugo and gets to know their story, he starts to reevaluate his whole life and actions and of course, he becomes a better person (I mean, soul?). The side characters are pretty cool too - especially Hugo - and I cared so much for each of them individually. Also, the romance is the cutest.

The only issue I had with it was the humor. It's pretty funny at times, but I was expecting more - mainly because of The House in the Cerulean Sea, which for me was a perfect mix of fun and drama - and this one is really more focused on the characters' drama and the fantastic aspect of the plot.

I recommend this one if you like character-driven books focused on friendship, personal development and life choices.

This was exceptional.
There's really no way to describe it.
I laughed, cried, laughed some more and now I want a cup of peppermint tea.
Amazing writing, story, characters.
So many feelings. Painful in a delicate way.
Yep, this is Klune. I love it.