Enjoy the characters and the humor between Nelson and Wallace
The setting is just a house and tea garden. I like the fireplace. It seems to be a location in the house used the most.
Chapter 16 after Why? Next paragraph needs a "know"
Alan jumped up and down wavings his warms instead of arms.
The unknown always brought fear. I like this statement.
There are lots of teaching moments with Wallace and Nancy where they are taught acceptance. Nancy is taught she has to accept the fact that her daughter is no longer among the living.
Great story which may help some people think about how they are living and want to change.

I thought after The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune couldn’t get any better and yet he managed to knock it out of the park yet again. But this book is quite different from The House in the Cerulean Sea in that it is sad. Very, very sad. It’s a book about death and grief and growing as a person, even after your life has ended. This is one of Klune’s most personal books, so expect to end the book a teary mess.

Wallace Price is a horrible person. He’s a self-interested lawyer who wants things done in a certain way, and when that fails, he usually fires the first person next to him. So when he finds himself at his own funeral and a Reaper shows up to tell him he’s dead and a ghost, Wallace doesn’t believe her and thinks that if he can just speak to the manager, this whole “being dead thing” can be sorted out. As Wallace is taken to a cute little tea shop, a way station before the afterlife, Wallace meets the shop’s owner, Hugo, and starts to form relationships with the humans and ghosts that live there. Pretty soon, Wallace has other reasons for not wanting to move onto the afterlife, but when a powerful magical being tells him he only has one week left before he must move on, Wallace must learn how to live in just a few days.

Under the Whispering Door could almost be called a queer retelling of A Christmas Carol: we have a horrible, cruel and wealthy man who refuses to help the people around him, a whole cast of quirky humans and non-humans alike who strive to teach him how to be a better person, and a lesson learnt by the end of the novel. A Christmas Carol is one of my favourite books so reading the comparisons between the two was fun — especially adding Klune’s fantastic queer take on it.

One of Klune’s greatest strengths as a writer is writing about really difficult topics but in a sweet, hopeful way — through humour and loveable characters. And in Under the Whispering Door he tackles perhaps the most difficult subject: grief. Losing someone is the worst things to imagine, and in this novel, Klune discusses what it would be like to realise your life has come to an end and you realise you didn’t enjoy a single moment and that you were someone that most people detested. Here, in this book, Klune asks, what if you were to mourn yourself, mourn the person you wish you were? Only in death does Wallace get this second chance, but hopefully you finish this book with a different outlook on life: understanding that you can start to change things in your own life that you might dislike before it becomes too late.

At the heart of this book, though, is a beautiful love story. Wallace and Hugo are two very different people, but with Hugo’s help, Wallace begins to learn how to be a better person — ghost — and they connect in truely lovely ways. But I also admire how Klune spends equal time focusing on other forms of love too: the love between a grandparent and grandchild, between two best friends, and between a human and their dog. It’s wonderful seeing so many different types of love being celebrated.

Under the Whispering Door is a book that many people are going to resonate with. If you’re looking for another comfort read like The House in the Cerulean Sea, you might be a bit disappointed, but this book is unique and original in its own way and deserves to be recognised the same. It will make you cry, laugh, cry and then cry some more.

Wow. This was so amazing. All if the characters were so well developed. It was so sweet and all of the moments of humour and live were perfectly balanced with the stories of grief and death and afterlife. This book was constantly smashing my heart into pieces but it was well worth it in the end

•A R C • B O O K • R E V I E W•
2021 Book #63 out of 80
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UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by T.J. KLUNE
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars
Publication date: September 21, 2021
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QUICK SYNOPSIS:
Wallace Price appears to be one of the worst people to work with and a horrible husband. When Wallace dies, he is left as a ghost that feels unsatisfied and eager to return to the living world. It isn't until he arrives at Charon's Crossing that he meats the ferryman, Hugo, who helps him on his journey into the beyond.
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T.W.: Death, Suicide, Murder
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STORYLINE & THOUGHTS:
~ Hope. Wholesome. Exceptional.
~ ANNOUNCEMENT: This book goes on my TOP 5 FAVORITES OF 2021! This book had me smiling, laughing, and crying from the very first page to the last. I can't believe this is my first ever read of a T.J. Klune book! I have been missing out for sure. Sorry, T.J.!!
~ I loved the way the story was written so that the reader could experience and see how Wallace navigates through his post-death journey.
~ I thought this book really encapsulated the whole 2020 and 2021 experience with grief and death. Like many, my life has not been the same since. I feel like I'm frequently going through the various steps of grieving. Sometimes the grieving steps feel like they're never going to disappear. This book really helped bring the discussion of death to light.
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Thank you to @netgalley and @TorBooks for this ARC Ebook. All reviews are fair and honest reviews. All opinions are my own.
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#ARC #AdvanceReaderCopy #Netgalley #Bookstagramfeature #Bookstagram #Goodreads #TBR #ToBeRead #InstaBook #readersofinstagram #readersofinsta #bookreview #bookish

A cute and kitschy read. It wasn't particularly plot- or character-driven, so a lot of it felt like characters just talking to each other. I'm sure a lot of readers will enjoy this, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Hi. I’m Lizzie and I love T J Klune (everyone responds hi Lizzie). I may have begged the lovely people at Tor Books for a copy of his newest coming out in September. I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea it is the book I recommend the most. I think everyone should read it. No one should skip it. Move over Linus-Wallace is new in town.

This book y’all. If you are expecting the same magic as Cerulean sea, it isn’t the same. It’s different and it’s just as good. The magic struck again. There is a found family, there is lgbtq themes, there are characters you will fall in love with, take my word. The ugly cry was real. This is spoiler free and in fact it won’t hurt you at all to go in blind. Enjoy it. Live in this world. It’s a good world.

Thank you to the publishers and the author for allowing me the privilege of reading this early. I hope everyone reads this. I hope it makes you feel as good as it made me feel.

This was a good story. I fell in love with a couple of the characters. Some of the themes may not work for everyone (afterlife stuff) but I always enjoy exploring the idea of what, if anything, comes next.

If you enjoy poignant stories full of colorful characters, give this one a shot.

Under the Whispering Door is the newest fantasy/contemporary fiction novel by TJ Klune. It follows a character named Wallace Price, who in life, was not a very nice person. Upon his death, Wallace meets a Reaper named Mei and a Ferryman named Hugo. Mei and Hugo are meant to help Wallace accept his death and transition on, but instead they come to impact his death in so many more ways.

TJ Klune has done it again. This book was amazing and just as heartwarming and emotional as many of his other books.

To start with, the characters, every one of them, were endearing and lovable. Klune is skilled at interweaving humor and joy into serious and heartfelt topics. It draws the reader to the characters and is a part of what makes so many readers describe his books as "giving them fuzzy feelings," or "being like a warm hug". I loved every character in this book, but my favorite was Nelson. He brought the humor and lightheartedness to what could have been a pretty heavy and dark book. Additionally, Apollo, only Klune could take a character with no lines and make me love him so much!

Another part of what I love about Klune's writing is the message. He writes these fun, beautiful books that, at their heart, have extremely powerful and timeless messages, and Under the Whispering Door is no different. The book felt a little long in the middle, but it ended with a beautiful and worth-the-wait payoff at the end. Full disclosure, this book made me tear up. I think this book is going to touch a lot of people.

Lastly, I'll note that I did go into this book hearing from a friend that Klune had advised that this book is quite different from Cerulean Sea and readers should abandon expectations/comparisons at the start. Cerulean Sea is still such a beloved and raved about book (seriously, I see posts about it daily on instagram), so I think this was great advice. I would agree that Under the Whispering Door is very different in tone, subject matter, and mindset/level of cuteness. This book still touched my heart, but in a very different way than Cerulean Sea, and I think readers that enter this book expecting a similar book may be disappointed. I hope readers will see this for the gem that it is, a very unique book of it's own!

This book was an easy 5 stars for me and likely one of my top 5 books for 2021.

CW - Death, Suicide, Grief

Thanks to Netgalley, TJ Klune, and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a tough one for me! T.J. Klune is one of my favorite authors but I didn't make a connection with this book. Will I buy it? yes! Because I purchase all of his books. I just couldn't get into the story of this one. Wallace Price - the main character is completely unlikeable. He was a terrible husband and lacked basic compassion for anyone in his life. When he dies... and is collected by a reaper... he's still despicable.

I feel as though this book is very character-driven rather than the way TJ's books usually are plot-driven. There is no better storyteller as far as I'm concerned. Under the Whispering Door is mostly about life! What do we leave behind, what happens when we die... philosophical questions.

Not for me... but I'm certain that fans of TJ's writing will love this book! Definitely still giving it a high rating as I love TJ's writing! Not every book is for every person though.

This book was quintessential Klune. Whimsical, heart-breaking, and a breath of fresh air. This book will make your heart soar, and put you in tears, but you will come away from it feeling refreshed nonetheless. Klune has quickly become on of my favorite authors, and I cannot wait for what they have in store for us next.

When I found out that I was approved to read a copy of TJ Klune’s new novel, I immediately moved it to the number 1 spot on my to-be-read list. Klune’s prior novel, the House by the Cerulean Sea, is a favorite of mine so Iwas jumping for joy to read Under The Whispering Door!

This book follows Wallace who is nothing short of a jerk. Wallace is career-driven and detail-oriented, with no life outside of his work. We follow Wallace as he wakes up as a ghost at his own funeral to his journey to a tea shop run by a ferryman named Hugo, who will deliver Wallace to his afterlife destination.

This book has very scroogesque/Christmas Carol vibes. Wallace is a mean and short-tempered boss who reflects on his poor life choices after death. When he meets Hugo he begins to evolve into someone completely different.

Overall this is another wonderful tale by the master of delightfully heartwarming books. It's very much a rollercoaster of an emotional ride. I thoroughly enjoyed Wallace's growth throughout the book and I found myself going from disliking him to falling in love with him. The topics are very heavy and I'm not sure any other author could have handled them in such an ideal way as Klune has.

This book is very well written. I loved how TJ klune threw his spin on the themes of life and death. If you loved The House by the Cerulean Sea then Under the Whispering Door is definitely for you!
Under The Whispering Door will be available on September 21st.

Many thanks to Netgalley, TJ Klune, and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

No longer interested in reading, given the author’s incorporation of problematic elements in his work. The way police were included in The Extraordinaries was one thing, as he apologized and promised to do better. But the way he cavalierly talked about being inspired by indigenous residential schools in an interview and decided to dress it up as a cutesy cozy fantasy for House in the Cerulean Sea puts me off reading anything of his ever again.

Due to realizing that The House In The Cerulean Sea was directly inspired by the Sixties Dcoop, I won't be finishing this arc. As a Canadian with indigenous family, I cannot In good faith provide feedback.

Thank you very much for the ARC.

CW- death, grief, suicide
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Under the Whispering Door follows Wallace, a man whose life expands after it ends after meeting a ferryman and his family.
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I absolutely adored this book! It was so charming and it just made my heart so happy! Each of the characters were so well developed with their own nuances, and I loved all of them. This is truly a character led story, and while there is a plot, it takes a backseat to character development.
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The relationships in this book were so well done as well, with both romantic and platonic relationships having an equal weight. I also loved the cozy atmosphere and the writing style.
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This is truly a wonderful book and I recommend it to really everyone!
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wallace died now his reaper mei has come to take him to the ferryman Hugo to go to the next phase.
Tj Klune writing always keeps you on your feet and if you’ve read any of his other books you will see little Easter eggs and this book is the same I was in for the get go loved every page and it made me cry and laugh out loud so many times.

Wallace Price was not a good husband. He was not a good boss. And he was not a good person. Now he is dead and all the failings of his person or triumphs of his business don't matter at all. Or do they?

I did not gel with the first quarter of this book. It set up a 'It's a Wonderful Life' type scenario, only with more humour and whimsy, and I anticipated I would know everything that was to occur before it had already happened. I also did not appreciate the humorous tone, which was merely a personal preference as I tend not to welcome anything other than dry wit in the books I read.

However, after these first 80 pages my feelings entirely altered. This was the most wholesome and emotional story featuring the most pure and precious of characters! It opened up many conversations on life, loss, love, and laments, which I truly appreciated, and, although still not my favourite, the small, humorous moment added some much needed brevity in what could so easily have become a gloomy and depressing read.

Instead, this was a book full of hope and promise and life and laughter. I did not expect, especially after my lukewarm response to the first quarter, to be sobbing at the end, but four consecutive scenes tugged at my heartstrings and I closed this book both lighter and heavier with all I had read.

I don't know how to put into words how much I loved this book and I read it at the perfect time in my left. This book had me crying and laughing out loud. Hugo's grandad Nelson has to be one of the best characters ever and don't get me started with how much I loved Mai. I loved how much they helped Wallace grow as a character just as much as Hugo did. T,J. Klune made me feel so much with this book and I need that. I will be picking their other books ASAP.

Ugh. This was beautiful. I cried and cried and I can’t wait for other people to get their hands on it. Klune's books always just make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

I don’t know if I can even describe how much I adored this book. While I haven’t read most of Klune’s books, The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my all-time favorite books, and I knew when I saw the cover reveal and the synopsis of Under the Whispering Door that I’d love it too - and I wasn’t wrong.

Wallace Price isn’t a good guy. He’s an attorney and, from what I can tell, he works in a similar branch as I do - helping plaintiffs in class action and personal injury claims. But he’s downright mean to everyone in his life, a fact which is proven not just from his behaviors at the start of the book, but also from the (extremely minimal) attendance at his funeral. But after Wallace dies and is taken to Charon’s Crossing Tea Shop by a grim reaper named Mei, things start to change. He meets Nelson and Apollo - a ghost man and a ghost dog - and, of course, Hugo, the Ferryman who is there to help him cross into the afterlife. Charon’s Crossing, after all, is just the in-between for people just after they’ve died but before they’ve passed on.

I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying that Hugo and Wallace fall in love (it’s in the book’s synopsis after all), and personally I loved the inclusion of a bisexual character, which is something I don’t see a ton of in television, film, and books. But beyond falling in love, Wallace also learns to be a much better man than he was when he was alive. I’ve seen the book described as a cross between The Good Place and A Man Called Ove and, while I haven’t read the latter, I do think that the comparison to The Good Place is accurate.

The characters in this book are so real and lovely, so that just finishing the book was heartbreaking in and of itself because I don’t get to read about them anymore. Beyond the characters themselves though, I loved Klune’s take on death and the afterlife as something we don’t just pop right into, but instead settle ourselves into accepting over the course of hours, days, or even weeks.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy of Under the Whispering Door in exchange for my honest review (I literally screamed, out loud, when I saw that I’d been given an e-copy because I was just THAT excited).

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Book Review: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
50
TJ Klune is without a single shred of a doubt my favourite author discovery of all time. I have blazed through the Green Creek Series, House in the Cerulean Sea, The Extraordinaries, and now, the master of Found Family did it again with Under the Whispering Door.



Wallace Price was not a very nice man. A lawyer by trade, he was ruthless in getting whatever he wanted, and if someone got in his way, be it his long-term secretary, ex-wife, or law firm partners, he cut them out of his life without a second thought. So, when he wakes up at his own funeral after suffering a major heart attack, it's a bit of a surprise. Even more so when he discovers that the four people who bothered to show up to his funeral can't see him- but Mei can.

Mei is a reaper who brings Wallace to Charon's Crossing Tea Shop, where he meets the ferryman, Hugo, who will help him on his journey to the afterlife. Also inhabiting the tea shop are Apollo, Hugo's deceased dog, and Nelson, his grandfather and closest friend (also dead, just to be clear.) Through trial, error, and having his butt handed to him a couple of times, Hugo eventually does enough self-reflection to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't a very nice person in life, and seeks to make amends.

In addition to being as beautifully written as all of Klune's other works, Whispering Door is also full of prose that makes you stop, think, and yes, sometimes shed a tear. A couple of my favourites:

'"I can't grieve for myself."
Hugo shook his head slowly. "Of course you can. We do it all the time, regardless of if we're alive or not, over the small things and the big things. Everyone is a little bit sad all the time."

And

"...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."

And

"He hoped wherever he was going that there'd still be the sun and the moon and the stars. He'd spent the majority of his life with his head turned down. It seemed only fair that eternity would allow him to raise his face toward the sky."

This book made me cry. How could it not? I think we all can see part of ourselves in Wallace. Who have we hurt to get where we are, to accomplish what we wanted to do?

Ultimately, this is a book about grief. This is a book about coming to terms with the life you lived and the people you hurt along the way. This is a book about love and regrets and that taste on your tongue when you realize, when you can really see where you went wrong in the past and know that no matter what, some things just cannot be fixed.

Also tea. It's also about tea.