Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for arc.

This is truly a beautiful and tender book about love, loss, quirkiness and heartbreakingly wholesome.

The characters are developed beautifully and just pop from the page.

The writing style is so brilliant that I felt their grief, love, frustration and happiness.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is a whimsical and heartfelt exploration of life and death. The novel follows Wallace Price, a recently deceased lawyer who finds himself stuck in a liminal space between life and the afterlife. As he grapples with his newfound reality, he meets Hugo, the ferryman tasked with guiding souls to their final destinations. Together, they embark on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

Klune's writing weaves humor into deep introspection. It definitely elicited some self reflection during and after reading.

One of the book’s strengths is its vibrant and diverse cast of characters, which seeks to make amends for previous critiques of TJK. The characters are round and layered, and overall I liked them! There was a bit of a barrier that left them feeling a bit elusive and distance to me as a reader, but I can’t really put my finger on it. Perhaps that’s the intent, acknowledging purgatory?

I did not like the pacing of this story at all. The narrative drags, leading to moments of stagnation that detract from the overall momentum.

TJK definitely sacrificed some world-building in exchange for the exploration of deeper themes and the concept of death. The afterlife itself (not feelings about it) somehow still felt underdeveloped even with its focus on the story.

While it has some flaws, the heartfelt message and charming characters made for a solid read.

Sadly this might be my least favourite T J Klune novel, there were some highlights but mainly it felt like a story that never quite reached it's full potential. It always felt as though it was building up to something rather than telling me a fascinating tale. I am disappointed as I expected to love this, and for the most part I did like the characters but I don't think I could root for Wallace the way I wanted to. It's still a 3 star read as I there were glimmers of enjoyment but I just wish it had interested me more. The ending may have mostly saved this novel.

”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.”

I have resently read Klune's "The house in the cerulean sea" and liked it quite a lot. Was looking forward to the opportunity to recieve an arc of this one and it did not dispoint in the least. I fell in love with all the characters. We first meet Wallace, the uptight lawyer who dies. Then his reaper Mei who sits behind him at his funeral and is to bring him to his ferryman Hugo, the owner of a strange little teashop. At the teashop we also meet some other very important characters including the ghost of potential servicedog Apollo and the ghost that is Hugo' grandfather Nelson. But the character that really broke my heart was Cameron. He has a smaller but very important role in the middle to end part of the book. Klune's amazing mix of humor with serious themes around grief will have you both smiling and perhaps sheading a tear or two in the same chapter. I loved this book and will recomend it to just about everyone.

I saw someone recomend it as "A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place" and agree with that description.

Such a sweet and charming story of love when you least expect it.

I loved this book so much. It hit the heart strings pretty bad. Trigger warning for those who might find it hard to read anything to do with suicide.

The characters are fab and the love story beats that of ' The Princess Bride'.

5 stars. Brilliant, and I highly recommend this book. I have greatly enjoyed the other TJ Klune books I've read so far, but this book touched me and resonated with me so much more. I laughed and I cried and I also had to think a lot, about death, about life, about love. Cannot recommend this book enough.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers for a digital ARC of this wonderful, beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is hard to review. I really enjoyed it, but it also made me cry a lot! It's a story of grief and therefore isn't always the easiest thing to read, but is definitely something I recommend doing as it is so beautifully done. All that said, it is also a book of joy that made me smile and laugh throughout.

So worth reading. 4.5 stars.

Klune does it again with another fantastic book! This book had me glued to every page and wouldn't let go! What a master at weaving such complex characters in an equally complex situation.

If there is one thing I can rely on in any book of TJ's that I read, it's a cast of characters that has me laughing, crying, and being so damn grateful for the people in my own life. Under the Whispering Door was no different. TJ writes people with compassion and tenderness in such a way that makes his work an instant-read for me.

Recommended to:
- fans of whimsical settings
- people who love found family
- folks seeking a second chance

Please keep in mind that this story tackles death and dying for a significant potion of the book. 🩶

This reminded me a lot of ‘a monster calls,’ as this is also a whimsical story that so gently and lovingly explores grief and how to cope with loss. but in the same vein as ‘the midnight library’ and ‘the five people you meet in heaven,’ this also insightfully shows what it means to live a good life, who to live it for, and how it is never too late to make it mean something .If someone had told me a week ago that I would fall in love with a book whose primary focus is death, I probably would’ve smiled and nodded politely while secretly wondering why this person was so weird. It’s not a subject a lot of people want to think about, much less read close to 400 pages focused on. TJ Klune’s wonderful gem of a book may just change your feelings on it!Klune wrote a book that’s insightful and deep, without being heavy, one that made me laugh and smile over and over, and - for someone who doesn’t cry easily - made me blubber like a damn fool! I fell in love with all these characters and dreaded the book ending because I didn’t want to leave my adopted home with them in the woods.

TJ Klune is on my list of authors whose books I like to comfort read. I adored this book. I tend to avoid books where grief is the theme, but Klune's story was so endearing and heartfelt that I couldn't put it down. It was a lovely follow up to The House in the Cerulean Sea.

I really enjoyed this book and I am finding that TJ Klune is becoming more and more one of my favorite authors. I had a chance to get books signed by him at the Tucson festival of books this weekend but the line was super long and I missed it. I hope I can meet him some other time. So far there has only been one of his books that I haven't really cared for.

Absolutely loved this, the story, the part about identity, the friendships, family, love and all of it.

/ Denise

the found family in this book, the character development, the love, discussions around life and death, and the fact that it almost made me cry, is EVERYTHING!

Wallace dies, and when the reaper comes to collect him from his funeral, he's taken to a strange little teashop run by Hugo, who says he will help Wallace to cross over. Wallace was not a very nice person in his life, and this is the story of how he changes and grows during his death.

I generally enjoyed this story--the writing is easy to read, the characters are wonderfully drawn, and the message is a sweet one. I did feel like it went on a little too long; it dragged a bit in the middle and I kept waiting for it to pick up pace. Recommended for readers who enjoy heartwarming stories and cozy fantasy.

"Under the Whispering Door" by TJ Klune is a beautifully crafted and emotionally resonant novel that blends the fantastical with deep explorations of life, death, and the afterlife. The story follows Wallace Price, a recently deceased lawyer, as he embarks on an unexpected journey beyond the veil and confronts the mysteries of the afterlife. Klune's writing is both whimsical and poignant, creating a rich tapestry of characters and themes. The novel skillfully navigates themes of love, redemption, and the importance of living authentically. With its heartfelt narrative, clever humor, and a touch of the supernatural, "Under the Whispering Door" is a captivating exploration of the human experience that lingers in the reader's heart long after the last page.

This book was no match for cerulean sea. It was just overall a sad premise along with weird aspects like needing to be attached by a leash.

A really great story that explores love and loss in such a heartwarming way. It has everything to love from a TJ Klune book. Highly recommend

This is one of the most entertaining books I've read in a while. Wallace has not had enough life in his life so he's going to find it while he's still got a chance. The problem? He's already dead. But he's got one week to do what he needs to do before he must cross to the other side. Along the way, he packs alot into this last fragment of life. This story deserbves a triple 5 star rating. The cover is eye catching. It made me pick up the book. The story is unique and memorable. The characters.....if every writer could build characters such as these.....it would make choosing a title to read extremely difficult!!!

Wallace- lawyer, CEO, asshole, and dead. Dead? At his own funeral? No that can't be right. But when a reaper takes him to a tea shop called Charon's Crossing, things are starting to get a bit more real...!

Listen, I had such high hopes for this book, but I just couldn't do it. It's a queer book about death, that sounds amazing! But, I was disappointed. I feel like since I got to about 85% of the book I can still hand in a review because, if I'm not into it by then, what's the point? I was so. bored. And I feel like I'm the only one who feels this way since it's so highly rated! But I didn't care for any of the characters, I thought the jokes weren't that funny, and even though it was heart warming having all the characters deal with death, I just couldn't finish it.

The major problems I had with this book were the world building and the character arcs. I felt like we spend the entirety of the book just learning how this death thing works. Ok so we learn how it works, then what? That's it. The whole book was spent teaching the reader what a ferryman is, what a reaper is, the problem with leaving the tea shop, but it just didn't end and I honestly felt like learning about this world did nothing for me. With the character arcs, I feel like it was a video game where you spend a certain amount of time with a character and then get their tragic backstory and win friendship points lol. Like it was way too formulaic and didn't feel natural at all.

The romance aspect also just was too boring for me. I thought it was really sweet that Wallace and Hugo would spend their nights talking to each other and that they learned to care for one another. But like... Wallace is dead? Maybe I'm just not into ghost x living ships LOL but it was just so strange to me. Also Wallace was such an asshole while he was alive, and you're telling me he just turns out nice after he dies? IDK it was just a bit unbelievable for me.

Overall I feel good about my decision to DNF this at about 85%. I don't see how the ending could change my opinion when the rest of the book just dragged for me. 2.5/5 stars rounded to 3 for Goodreads. I hear really good things about the author's other books, so I'm excited to read those. Thank you so much to NetGalley for this e-ARC.