*Under the Whispering Door* by TJ Klune is a deeply moving and beautifully crafted novel that continues the author's tradition of blending heartfelt storytelling with enchanting elements. Klune's latest work invites readers into a world where the afterlife is as vivid and engaging as life itself.

The story centers on Wallace Price, a successful but emotionally distant lawyer who finds himself in the afterlife after an unexpected death. He encounters Hugo, a kind-hearted reaper who guides souls to their next destination. What follows is a journey of self-discovery, healing, and redemption as Wallace comes to terms with his past and learns to embrace the possibility of a different kind of existence.

Klune's signature warmth and humor shine through in this novel, even as it explores themes of mortality, forgiveness, and the essence of living a meaningful life. The characters are richly developed, each adding depth and nuance to the story. Wallace's transformation is portrayed with empathy and insight, making his journey both poignant and uplifting.

The world-building in *Under the Whispering Door* is particularly noteworthy. Klune creates a whimsical yet thought-provoking afterlife that feels both magical and grounded, allowing readers to lose themselves in its charm while reflecting on deeper philosophical questions.

For fans of TJ Klune, this book is a satisfying continuation of his exploration of love, loss, and personal growth. The narrative’s blend of fantasy and emotional resonance is a testament to Klune’s skill as a storyteller. If you’ve enjoyed his previous works, this one is sure to captivate your heart and leave you pondering its themes long after the final page.

TJ Klune can do almost no wrong but I have to say this one did not leave up to the hype for me.
Probably because I'm trying to fill the void the Cerulean Sea left me, but I did enjoy this one as well!

I absolutely loved The House on Cerulean Sea and was so excited to read this new book from TJ Klune. However, this book didn't have the charm of Klune's first book. There were entirely too many characters and side story lines that took away from the main story and made it hard to follow. There are many characters that could have been cut and it would not have affected the story line. The plot was so unique and addressed a lot of difficult topics, but I wish that it had been more focused.

TJ Klune has such a beautiful writing style. This book was incredible, although a bit slow paced, the imagery was descriptive while also keeping me awake. The story was well developed and had a good plot paired with some romance. Overall entertaining read and genuinely enjoyable,

I absolutely loved it and have picked up every other book that I’ve come across with his name on it. It made me laugh and cry and just feel happy. Wonderful story and storyteller.

TJ Klune can do no wrong in my eyes. After reading House in the Cerulean Sea, I knew I had to work through TJ's books. This book was so charming and quirky! The characters are likeable and the story is beautiful. The loss and grief and how he met the ferryman that helps souls cross over...UGHHH so sad. Definitely a top pick for me. This was day and night compared to House in the Cerulean Sea(literally) but it spoke such a beautiful story.

I absolutely adored this cute and fun grumpy meets sunshine novel about a reaper and a spirit attempting to pass on to the next world. Full of squishy marshmallow moments and gradually melting icy hearts, its a staple recommendation for customers who are after some mature boy love

I will say that some of the pacing was a little off and it takes a while to get to the good bits but in the grand scheme of things its a solid read and I'm ashamed that i slept on it for so long

T.J. Klune's heartwarming fantasy, Under the Whispering Door, is a delightful exploration of life, death, and everything in between. Wallace, a tightly wound corporate drone, is forced to confront his mortality with the help of the charming ferryman Hugo. Their journey is filled with wit, warmth, and a surprising tenderness that will leave you with a smile. Klune's signature humor perfectly complements the deeper themes of grief, acceptance, and the importance of connection.

As a huge fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea, I was extremely excited to dive into this book and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! What a BEAUTIFUL book about such serious and intense topics. Did I cry? Yes. Did I also laugh and smile? Also, yes. Klune flawlessly handles topics such as death, grief, suicide, etc. The friendships in this book were absolute perfection. Mei's character was everything I needed from a Reaper and Hugo was pure love and joy. Wallace and his character development was truly stunning. I can't forget Nelson and his wisdom and wit! Truly, such a wonderful journey this book takes you on and I would recommend to everyone and anyone! Klune did it again!!


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve owned this one for quite a while and after loving The House In The Cerulean Sea I knew this one would be great too! We follow Wallace in his time at Charon’s Crossing (a tea shop where the dead go before they pass on to whatever comes next). This is such a beautiful story of life, death, grief, love and acceptance and honestly it was so good! It has a great found family dynamic and you can really feel the love radiating from the characters despite their differences. It’s a story full of love and heartbreak and I cried quite a few times because Klune really does know how to hit you in the feels! It’s one of those stories that I think everyone will take something different from and there are so many little messages that it really makes you think. If you haven’t read it yet I’d 100% recommend but be prepared for all of the feels!

DNF'd at 10%

I didn't find myself as engaged by this story as previous ones by TJ Klune. I think I also might not have been in the spot for the sadness

I'm not sure what I can say about this book that has not yet been said. It is beautiful, heart-warming and breaking, and just such an absolute gem of a novel. TJ Klune is a treasure.

loved this book so much and the way it explored lgtq+ love, grief and the afterlife and the different changes people can go through, highly re4comned picking this up as the writing and story is excellent!

The House in The Cerulean Sea is a favorite of mine (the same goes for Wolfsong and The Extraordinaries but they're more different imo) but this one did not do it for me. Maybe because of the characters as TJ Klune's writing is still good though it always takes me a while to get into one of his books and something never clicked with Under The Whispering Door.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is a heartwarming and absorbing tale that is a perfect fit for readers who appreciate stories about the human experience, love, and the search for meaning, particularly those who enjoy contemporary fantasy and LGBTQIA+ themes, and are looking for a story that explores the complexities of grief, death, and the power of human connection.

TJ Klune fan here! House in the Cerulean Sea is easily one of my favorite books of all time so I was highly anticipating this one. I have to say, this one was MUCH slower and harder for me to get into. While I did find it to have the same TJ Klune charm, the story fell a bit short for me. Hoping to give it a reread one day in physical copy as I have discovered that this makes a huge difference in my reading experience! Still recommend for those that love found family stories, hard topics being discussed through a magical story, and quirky love.

After Wallace's death, he goes to Charon's Crossing to help him cross to the other side. There, he finds Hugo, who can see spirits. Hugo is there to help him cross but fate has a different plan.
Opinion
This was a very intriguing book. It posed some situations that made me think about what happens after death. (Do we just cease to exist? Do we go somewhere temporarily? Do we go to our final destination? What happens when we get where we are going?) I'm sure we've all asked these types of questions before but by reading the book my mind had time to sit and ponder these questions.
There was one spot that seemed to go against my Christian upbringing. (For those of you who would be aggravated by that, it was a minor part and did not leave me with a bad taste in my mouth.)
Many thanks to Net Galley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC of this book and many apologies for taking so long to review it. I really loved this book and could kick myself for waiting so long.

I really enjoyed this book!

Wallace Phineas Price is an asshole. A workaholic and cruel employer, he doesn’t blink before firing anyone who works for him.

He dies.

This is the story of his purgatory, where we watch him come to terms with his death. The overarching theme of death and the afterlife is explored using extremely fun, sarcastic characters that made me laugh out loud and a sprinkle of romance to top it off. Even though it deals with some heavy topics, the characters are incredibly entertaining and manage to lighten the darker themes.

It asks familiar questions like ‘what is the meaning of it all?’ and ‘had any of it mattered?’ and even though the author and I have differing ideas about what the afterlife entails (the book states that “there is no God”), I still thoroughly enjoyed this story. The character development of Wallace was realistic, and I loved seeing him grow throughout the course of the story. It is very rare that books make me cry, but the ending of this book had me SOBBING.

Overall, I thought it was a great read, and I think the author did a fantastic job tackling those big questions.

TJ Klune does it again! Another quirky and emotional book with a really interesting premise and layered characters. If you enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea I think you'll like this one too.

This author has taken the world by storm with their heart wrenching and wholesome books, under the whispering door was no exception a story that will have you laughing and crying, kicking and screaming.