T J Does it again. An absolutely beautiful story of how love transcends life and death. I didn’t want it to end.
I have absolutely loved every book I’ve read by this author and this is no exception. I loved it and didn’t want it to end!

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea earlier this year, I knew I had to read Under the Whispering Door. I was incredibly excited when I got an arc sent for me to review! So what did I think?

Under the Whispering Door follows Wallace Price, a narcissist, arrogant and selfish attorney who suddenly dies due to a heart attack. After passing, Wallace notices that the Reaper has come to collect him. However, Wallace is not going to heaven or hell, but to a small village where a ferryman works. The ferryman’s job is to help people cross over, but Wallace is not ready to take the next step just yet.

Firstly, I want to emphasise that this book differs from The House in the Cerulean Sea. Under the Whispering Door has the same tone, characterisation and involves deep themes, but in many aspects, it is different from Cerulean Sea. If you pick up this book expecting it to be like a sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, you will be disappointed. However, there are several reasons why you should still read it!

Under the Whispering Door is a beautiful, sad, wholesome and thought-provoking story that mainly deals with death. TJ Klune clearly wanted to write a book that deals with loss, grief and the importance of living a meaningful life. For the most part, these themes are handled well, as Wallace Price is getting to know his new surroundings. He is forced to take an honest look at his own life and to reflect on love, life and death.
Although Under the Whispering Door is a fiction book, it almost felt like a non-fiction book from time to time. Klune repeatedly forces the reader to ponder the importance of living life to the fullest and accepting death as part of being human.

Moreover, the characters are all unique and interesting. I can imagine Wallace Price is a character that some readers will not enjoy since he is so unlikeable, but I loved his character arc (although his arc is a bit unrealistic). Although the characters are not as varied as the characters from The House in the Cerulean Sea, T.J. Klune has still created a memorable cast of characters for this book.

However, I do have some minor criticism. Firstly, I did feel like the dialogue was a bit repetitive. The characters talk a lot about death, grief, and loss throughout this book, making the dialogue a bit mundane. I can imagine that many readers will disagree with me on this point since grief, loss, and death are complex topics, but I would have preferred a bit more variation. However, my main criticism is how Klune handles the love interest. Due to spoilers, I will not get into much detail, but the love interest felt very random and a bit out of place, in my opinion.

In conclusion, Under the Whispering Door is an excellent book that deals with some complex themes. If you enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea, then I can imagine that you will also enjoy this book – although it is pretty different. This book reminded me that death is a part of being human and that our actions and values are important. Under the Whispering Door is one of my most memorable reads of 2021, and I am confident that it will become a bestseller.

A special thanks to TorBooks and Black Crow for sending me a physical arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Klune book and I had high hopes given the fandom his books attract. Sadly, this just wasn't it. I can see what people say about his writing style and the feel good style. However, the premise and characters weren't keeping me invested and i had a hard time picking the book back up. I will try another of his books to make my mind up fully but this one was just middle of the road for me.

This is such a unique, original book. The characters are just brilliant and this deals so well with the theme of death; emotional without being cliched or overly sentimental. An absolute gem!

3.5 stars rounded up

Certainly not the warm and fuzzy tale offered in The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door is a tale of grief and loss- though still infused with some of the same hopeful tone.

Though it took a while for me to be invested in the story and it's characters, once I did I could not put this down and I was in tears by the end. I was enchanted by the inhabitants of Charon's Crossing and I didn't want to leave them.

I would definitely recommend this one for fans of Cerulean Sea as well as readers that enjoy stories that are uplifting and heart-wrenching in equal measure!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
<b> Content Warnings for grief, suicide, child death, animal death, homicide and sudden death </b>

Under the Whispering Door by T J Klune

It’s no surprise that this was a hugely anticipated read for me, I mean The House in the Cerulean Sea easily made it to my top ten reads from last year, because of how beautifully written it was. It made it to the top of the comfort read pile. So, imagine my joy when Under the Whispering Door landed on my doorstep. I immediately dropped everything and basically inhaled it, I can 100% tell you that I ADORED IT. Unlike THITCS, UTWD is not a warm cuddle, it’s a raw book focusing on grief, death, and the afterlife. It will make and break you; it shows you that it is never too late to make up for your mistakes in life, and in the case of the main character, even after death.

From the very first chapter, I knew this book would break my heart. Already knowing that the story follows a ghost who falls in love with his ferryman. I think for the last quarter of the book I had my heart in my throat. T J Klune has written with such passion that it echoed on the pages. I laughed, I cried, and I can honestly say this book with stay with me for a long time to come. Five million stars, FIVE MILLION.

I recommend this book if you're already a fan of T J Klune, or if you love contemporary fantasy or even if you don't I urge you all to give this one a go.

This was my first time reading T J Klune but it wont be my last! I can see why so many people love his books.
This was perfectly bitter sweet with wonderful characters. I adored the idea of the tea shop and the cocktail of afterlife mythology. The romance was cute though it was the humour and side characters that really had me smiling and wanting to read more.
I'm excited to go pick up The House Of The Cerulean Sea now!

This book has left me with such mixed emotions. T J Klune is an autobuy author for me and I had every expectation of loving this book when I read the blurb. And…. i loved some but I also disliked some of it.
We are introduced to Wallace who is a big shot lawyer at a top firm but is also a complete asshole. We get a glimpse of what he is like when he’s alive and then we are shown the after life once Wallace is dead and he is being taken to the way station between this world and the next where you get a chance to get used to the idea of being dead before you move on. We are introduced to Mei the repaer who leads Wallace to the tea shop which acts as the way station, Hugo the tea shop owner who is also the ferryman who guides soul to the other side and Hugo’s dog Apollo and grandfather Nelson who are both ghosts who haven’t yet moved on.
The characters, the premise and the setting were all quirky and unique and had the typical Klune touch which makes them flawed but endearing except for Wallace. I knew he was the protagonist and that we were supposed to come to love him but I just didn’t. Atleast not for the first half.
I was expecting a character arc that shows Wallace’s change from this asshole character to someone who burrows into the bottom of your heart. Or atleast someone I can root for. But that didn’t happen. One second we are shown his bad side and then we are just told that he’s changed. We are seeing his change, or he’s changing but there’s no progession to this and that just left me confused. I wanted to love this character, I was prepared to love this character but I was not given any reason for it except that the other characters somehow do.
The chemistry between Hugo and Wallace was also lacklustre. I just didn’t understand why Hugo would fall for Wallace. And Hugo as a character was also a bit difficult to love because there was just a bit too much preaching going on there that I wasn’t a big fan of. The messages were all wonderful and great but it didn’t add anything to the story or the characters.
Nothing much happens in the first half after Wallace reaches the tea shop and the pace drags on and on. But I did love Mei and Apollo and Nelson and there was just enough humor mixed in to keep me going just a little bit more. And that did finally pay off after the 50% mark.
Things start picking up towards the middle and the second half becomes the book I expected from T J Klune. I ended up sobbing my heart out and forever in love with most of the characters in the book. Wallace does redeem himself towards the end and I got more invested in the romance as well. The second half explores grief and death in the beautiful way I was hoping for from the start and will definitely pull on all your heartstrings. The ending was predictable but it still left me in a puddle of tears.
So objectively this book deserves 3.5 stars but since the second half was sooo good and left me in tears that I can’t help but add half a star to round it up to 4 stars.
If you are a T J Klune fan, I would recommend that you give this a try because the second half is worth it but if you are new to T J Klune then I would recommend his previous works more than this one.

WOW. No seriously wow. I have cried so much. This book is grief personified. I can't deal with how much this book has made me question mortality and my morality. I am even crying typing this, this book has touched me on so many levels, I feel blessed to have even read it. Fantastic work from TJ Klune. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to write.

An emotional journey of love, lose, grief, laughter and tea into the afterlife and beyond of this heart-warming tea shop, a way station between the life we know and the journey beyond death yet to be discovered.

I took me a while to read this book, and I believe that to be a very good thing. You could feel the emotional journey the author went on through writing this book with every step you took and every sentence you read. I will say now that this book does deal with suicide, grieving, death, loss of loved ones and much more, so if you are triggered by any of this severely I would say if you want to read please proceed with caution. I myself struggle with a few of these but want to take the journey and see where T. J. Klune's writing took me, considering how much I loved the last book.
Klune's writing enveloped you in a hug or pure warmth around your heart as you travel with Wallace, Hugo and several other characters through their journey. This is why it took me so long to finish this book, my heart was in the book so much that I took steps back when I needed to and started reading again when I was ready. It was beautiful.

I laughed, I cried and at the very end I was ready to shut the book and open my heart. Although I found some parts triggering, I genuinely feel like my soul went on a journey that left me feel at the end that little bit happier.

This book cements for me that this author is a genius. This book was beyond amazing.

Wallace, a workaholic with no life, no friends and no partner, dies, and gets taken to a place to cross over. But what a place! A cute little tea shop where Hugo basically lives a double life, a tea seller/mixologist and also a ferryman who helps to deliver people to the other side.

Along with Hugo there's Mei, Nelson and happy, cute doggie called Apollo. Wallace has to find out the person he was and who really he should be.

The story is centered round the tea shop and it bought out a strange sensation for me. I don't even like tea (how un-British of me) but this book makes me want to try again to savour all the flavours!!!

'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.'

This story was so much. So, so much. It was whimsical, quaint, deep, powerful, heartwarming and heartbreaking and like HOTCS, teaches us the meaning of found family, all sprinkled with a dusting of happiness. 

I felt so connected to this story and these characters that me, dead inside woman, had a few tears at the epilogue!

This book is written in such a wholesome way and it made me so happy even given the topics it covers. I’m not the type of person to get emotional over books but for me this was an absolute tear jerker.

We follow the life, and subsequently death of a man called Wallace price, a workaholic, only caring about himself and what revolves around him.
When Wallace dies unexpectedly he meets Mei his reaper who takes him to Charon’s Crossing, a tea shop run by Hugo the ferryman, who is there to help Wallace come to terms with his death and help him ‘move on’.
However the longer Wallace stays he doesn’t want to move on, he has discovered things in death that he never had in life. When Wallace is given a deadline by the overseeing Manager for when he needs to move on he sets about living life to the fullest in 7 days.

This book is defiantly character driven so if that’s your things you will love this book!
I loved reading the character development of Wallace, it was nice seeing him go from what he was at the beginning, a self serving asshole, to developing relationships with the other characters and then seeing how much he had gained at the end.
Hugo was lovable from the beginning, I think everyone needs a Hugo in there life, the selflessness that Klune portrays through him is just so natural and wholesome.
I loved that all the characters all have there own story’s, this includes the side characters…and Apollo the dog! It gave much more depth to the story.

This book Is moving, funny and emotional, it touches topics of grief in a way that doesn’t make them morbid or uncomfortable to read. The relationships are wholesome as is the writing. And the slow romance is absolutly endearing.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves characters driven story’s, a story with a deeper meaning or anyone looking for LGBTQA+ representation. Klune does it all so well!

T J Does it again. An absolutely beautiful story of how love transcends life and death. I didn’t want it to end.

This book just made me so incredibly happy. It's whimsical, it's fantastical, it's complex but in a very simple way and it's deeply, deeply emotional. I fell in love with Klune's charming writing style on page 1 and even though Wallace, the protagonist, starts out as, by all means, a horrible human being I couldn't stop myself from falling for him as a character very quickly too. The characters are really what make this book so special. They are loveable, relatable, just a little weird and so very lifelike despite them being, for example, a reaper, a dead old guy and a ferryman á la Charon. It was like meeting family and I won't forget this beautiful cast of characters for a very long time if ever.
There isn't that much action or an incredibly elaborate plot in this book, but also, there doesn't need to be. The quiet, whimsical little story it tells is more than enough to grab the reader's attention and seducing him into reading this whole book in one single sitting. It ensnares you, makes you fall in love with it and almost made me reread as soon as I reached the last page.
Is it kitschy at times? Yes. It is absolutely predictable for the most part? Also yes. Is the ending just a liiiiiiittle too fluffy for the way it was set up before? Yes sure. But does it matter, really? Well, not for me. This is a cozy blanket of a book that you can snuggle into and enjoy a rainy summer day under. I love this book. And that is really all there is to say about it.

Under the Whispering Door is the latest fantasy from TJ Klune, an author that I find has an unmatched talent for producing stories that feel like being wrapped in a gentle hug.

Whispering Door is about death, and I found it more of a slow burn that some of the other novels Klune has written. However, once I was hooked there was no going back. I'd recommend reading this book with a few tissues in reach (although there are so many laughs as well) since it will leave you a mess.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Wallace Price is a lawyer that likes structure. He wears fancy suits, lives in a huge glass apartment, and has no time for anyone. He doesn't love, doesn't get involved, and is terribly lonely. Then, he dies.

A quirky reaper named Mei picks him up and brings him to Charon's Crossing. A Tea Shop in the middle of the forest maned by Hugo Freeman, also known as the ferryman. Wallace is tethered to this way house and is supposed to come to terms with who he was before crossing to what comes after.

The triumph of Under Whispering Door is in its characters. T.J. Klune does a wonderful job of filling a book that could sound morbid with wondrous light. The found family element is superb. Hugo is such a pure soul, you want to sit down and have tea with him. Mei is fierce and loyal. Nelson (Hugo's ghost grandad) and Apollo (Hugo's ghost dog) bring comic relief.

However, I wished there was more to the ultimate message of the book. Don't get me wrong. This book is funny and emotional, by the end of it I was so glad I was able to read this story. But, it's also a bit cliche. It's almost a collage of greek mythology, Neil Gaiman, The Good Place, and many many other references. There's a lot going on, but it's also skin deep.

I loved seeing Wallace grow, but we get little insight into his life before coming to the tea shop, aside from the uptight lawyer caricature. There's another secondary character that is revealed to have had such a profound life filled with details, and I wondered why the same wasn't done for Wallace. I know that the important thing really was about what happened after his death, but sometimes more context can bring even more emotion to a plot, and I think it would have been the case here.

Under the Whispering Door is a magically wonderful book, that will make you laugh, ponder, cry, and appreciate the tiny moments of joy in life. It's not perfect, it's not original, but it's a good time nonetheless.

Under The Whispering Door is a remarkably heartfelt exploration of death,love and friendship;with enough wit and charm to keep it lighthearted—perfect for fans of The Goodplace.

“Welcome to Charon’s Crossing. The tea is hot, the scones are fresh and the dead are just passing through.”

When workaholic lawyer (and Scrooge-like boss) Wallace is collected from his own funeral by a Reaper, he finally accepts that he’s dead. But Mei (the Reaper) doesn’t lead him to his afterlife—instead she leads him to a quirky little tea shop in the woods. Here he meets the tea shop’s residents Nelson, Apollo (a dog) and Hugo, Nelson’s grandson (the tea shop’s owner, who job it is to help souls cross over.)

Wallace isn’t ready to pass over yet, not when he feels more alive than he’s ever felt, with new friends and even a chance at love. When he’s given only a week to pass on (and with so little time left) Wallace plans to enjoy a lifetimes’ worth of experiences in just seven days.

This is the first book by TJ klune I’ve ever read and I really liked it. I found it heartwarmingly charming and even funny at times (with the help of Nelson and his marvellous sense of humour),despite the fact it deals heavily with the topics of death and grief.

I do have to mention the pacing was quite slow but, it did work with the setting and gave us time to explore the ways in which death and grief are portrayed throughout the novel —sort of like a narrative representation of the stages of grief.

Also, as a massive tea drinker I loved the tea shop setting;it definitely added to the charm and whimsically paranormal slice of life vibe. In fact, it’s the charming setting (as well as the main character gaining perspective on their life’s experiences after death) that reminded me of The Good Place.

I also really enjoyed the way in which the romance between Wallace and Hugo was explored and thought they were both perfect for one another. Hugo was a wonderfully sweet and endearing character —it’s impossible to read this and not like him. But, of all the characters that I loved, I have to say Nelson was my favourite (honestly,he has some of the best lines.)

Overall, I found it both heartwarming and poignant with a wonderful and diverse cast of characters and incredible LGBTQ+ representation. If you like Contemporary Fantasy or Paranormal Romance,then I highly recommend you give this a read.

I also wanted to thank Pan Macmillan and Net Galley for the e-ARC.

I’ve not read any books by this author before, but I was intrigued by the premise of Under the Whispering Door. I found it to be a mostly engaging story, maybe a little repetitive at times, but on the whole I enjoyed it. I liked the way the characters interacted with eachother, and I liked the idea of the tea house as a way point for Souls that have passed but not gone on yet. Grief is a hard subject to write about, and it’s impossible to accurately convey feelings and emotions but I think it was done well enough here, and there’s an element of humor in there as well so it’s less heavy than expected.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the early access to this book!

This gem made my day.

The only other T J Klune book I've read so far is the House in the Cerulean Sea, and that was the happiest book I read in 2020. This one got close, but just shy of the 5 star mark.

I enjoyed the portrayal of Wallace, and how he grew as a character. I'm glad his personal growth was displayed in a possible way, based on his experiences, interactions and regrets, rather than going from a horrible person to a selfless one within seconds, as I could not believe that as a possibility if he were a real person.

I also became really attached to the side characters, which made me enjoy the book more. Character driven stories tend to have that effect for me over fast paced books, even though I love both.

Hugo's character was so important to me, especially the portrayal of what anxiety can do to someone - I think that's something everyone needs to talk about more.

The story was compelling and intriguing - after all, none of us know what happens when we pass away, and it's nice to imagine something similar to the idea in this book.

Overall, I'm so glad this book exists, and I already have special editions pre-ordered to be able to re-read this when I feel down or sad!

Under the Whispering Door is a novel about death and love, as a man who was a self-assured workaholic in life gets a chance in death to explore more of who he could be. When Wallace Price meets a Reaper whilst watching his own funeral, he's taken to a strange tea shop, Charon's Crossing, where ferryman Hugo helps souls cross over once they've died. Rather than making peace, Wallace finds himself with more purpose, new friends, and even falling in love.

This book combines some more philosophical exploration of death and grief with some witty banter and forming of friendships. The plotline is quite predictable, though it was relieving to have a (slight spoiler) happy ending as I found myself invested in the characters (and, indeed, staying up too late to finish it). Hugo in particular is an interesting character, and not an almighty wise one, but someone trying to help people however he can. As someone who drinks a lot of tea I also liked the tea element of the plot, so though maybe the whole 'the perfect tea for everyone' thing is a bit twee.

The concept of someone who wasn't so good in their life getting a chance to consider this in death is a classic one, and obviously this brings comparisons with The Good Place, though in this case there's less about morality and more about dealing with death. This is explored through some side characters in different ways, though in the protagonists there's more about protecting others and getting the chance to improve things even after your death.

Surprisingly considering the subject matter, I found this a light read with romance and friendship, but also an interesting fantasy-type premise. It's more about human connection than deep philosophical ideas about death, but it explores interesting concepts and has a fun family dynamic too.