This was a fantastic follow-up to my all-time favorite, the House in the Cerulean Sea. He brought charming characters together in a found family setting that was absolutely heartwarming. I fell in love with Wallace and Hugo as swiftly as I fell for Linus and Arthur, and I will definitely be recommending this book!

WOW.

What to say about such a profoundly beautiful read? "Under The Whispering Door" hit me in ways no book has ever done before. The story is touching, heartfelt, and the humor is perfectly woven in through the darkness of the theme. Klune continues to create characters rich in diversity and (pardon the ironic pun) blooming with life.

The story is hard. It's death. It's so raw and open that this book is one you may have to take time with. But, the payoff is an unforgettable journey to find hope amongst grief. Wallace's character is the hope for growth and change we all want to see in ourselves and others.

If you have a chance to read this, DO IT.

I wasn't sure what I thought about this one as I was making my way through, but now I can't stop thinking about it. The story was well done and imaginative enough to still seem plausible (well, not that far-fetched). I knew it was going to be a tear jerker, but it really got to me by the end. This was my first book by this author and I want to go back and read "The House in the Cerulean Sea". I felt his writing style was easy to read and the story kept my interest throughout.

This is my first time reading a T.J. Klune book and it certainly won't be my last! I loved this book, it was heartbreaking but in the best way. T.J. Klune writes a beautiful story about death, grief and acceptance. About not taking life for granted and showing kindness. It makes you want to live your life to the fullest. Highly recommend!!

DNF--
The text, the introduction, the story was boring, it did not catch my attention. It was very bland and very boring. I think I would recommend this to small kids only. The plot line is not advanced and no adult would enjoy this. It's an okay-ish story.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review this book after reading The House in the Cerulean Sea. In this book the main character Wallace is not a nice person. He puts his work ahead of everything else in his life. Then he dies. The story is about his ghost learns what it really means to live. Lots of heartful and humorous moments throughout the narrative. Touching and completely enjoyable. Would recommend to anyone.

A tearjerker but with a happy ending. Exactly what I have come to expect from this author. I expect a sequel to this.

TJ Klune has quickly become one of my favorite writers. While the subject matter is entirely different from The House in the Cerulean Sea, this book is also beautifully written. Under the Whispering Door is heartbreaking, soulful, and tender with well developed characters.

I enjoyed reading this book and would like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you so much Netgally and Tor Books for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
After reading and loving The House in the Cerulean Sea I was very eager to read this book.

It's a book all about death, however T.J.Klune still manages to make the book magical and heart-warming with a diverse set of characters. This book did remind me a little of The Midnight Library (Matt Haig) although that could simply be due to the subject matter.

I found this book to be charming and was intrigued by the concept introduced, however it takes a while to grip you and doesn't leave you with the warm fuzzy feeling that The House in the Cerulean Sea] managed to do straight away.

DNF at 33%

Now before you come at me with clutched pearls, I think that I am very much not the reader for this book. It's beautiful and has a lot of philosophizing on life, death, and grief -- I think it will be perfect, profound, and incredibly moving for many readers, especially those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. However, I really struggled to connect with it at this time in my life. I can easily see myself coming back to Under the Whispering Door later on in life and absolutely adoring it. I can see it being the kind of book I come back to again and again. Now is just not that time.

I felt so privileged to read an ARC of @tjklunebooks new novel. After totally falling in love with his House in the Cerulean Sea earlier this year I was all over this one like a rash.
His writing is so unique, his stories ooze rainbows of character.

Under the Whispering Door is a magical book tackling heartbreaking issues. I'm not one to usually run into the arms of a story that deals with death but this was so engrossing that I just got carried along with the story. I love the authors style of writing, this book is witty, charming yet heart wrenching and totally enveloping. The characters are so beautifully crafted, I can picture them so clearly they could have been dancing on the pages Infront of my eyes.

I urge you to Join Wallace Price on his unique, powerful, emotional journey to find, save and discover himself.... With much help on the way

3.5 stars! I’d been putting off reading this because I recently experienced a big loss and knew this book would really hit me hard. It did, but it was also very whimsical and warm-hearted, despite the heavy subject matter. I liked the characters a lot, though at times the plot did seem a bit muddled and slow. Not quite the same charm as Cerulean Sea but still enjoyable!

I absolutely adored Under the Whispering Door! This book follows Wallace after he dies as his Reaper Mei shows up, leading him to Hugo’s tea shop, where he learns about both life and death. I definitely got some A Christmas Carol vibes, like it felt very Ghost of Christmas Future, except Wallace’s second chance comes in death rather than life. Honestly, I laughed and I cried, and it was just wonderful! Mei is so spritely and feisty, Nelson so supportive and funny, and Hugo so patient, selfless, and loving. And the growth Wallace goes through is just incredible. These characters were all so perfect and are made even more perfect with each interaction they have together, as they strive to better each other and help one another. This novel is so full of whimsy and wonder, and it is so meaningful. It takes on so many heavy issues surrounding death and loss, while also being funny and heartwarming. It’s just such a wonderful story about finding yourself and finding a family. This book left me with a happy heart and is one that will definitely stick with me for a long time!

When I saw that there was an upcoming new book by TJ Klune, I was ecstatic. This book did not disappoint. Watching Wallace and Hugo's relationship evolve throughout the story was beautiful. The story that Klune told gives hope for anyone looking for love. Life has really become so much more than it ever was while Wallace was alive.

I felt a full spectrum of emotions reading this book and went through the 5 phases of grief more than once.

I read this as a netgalley advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

In T.J. Klune's "Under the Whispering Door" Wallace dies and learns the path that takes him to what lies beyond the door. It is Wallace's death that helps him learn how to live with empathy and heart. As a live man, Wallace had no empathy and his heart while once in love, had no trace of love for another person.

Here's what I learned, our life is about growing and development. We walk our own paths and journeys in life. While on our way in life our paths converge and overlap with the paths of others. Sometimes we converge for a long time, others not as long. Some path overlapping we never even realize happens and others change our lives whether positively or for growth. I love that in Wallace, we can see ourselves. We can see that we have short-falls and imperfections. I love that Wallace is given the chance to learn to recognize his imperfections as well as try to develop himself. And, at the end of the day, we learn the importance of relationships and how we treat those who's paths meet up with ours.

The question I ask myself is would I read this book again? The answer is, I will order this book as soon as it is published later this month and yes, I will read it again.

What a unique and heartwarming story!

Wallace Price is a selfish and insensitive lawyer. In the opening chapter, Wallace passes away and visits his funeral as a ghost. A reaper collects him from his funeral and brings him to a tea shop to meet with the owner of the shop, Hugo. The story unfolds as Wallace learns what it means to live, love, and be loved.

There are heavy topics to this story, including death, grief, murder, and suicide, but TJ Klune did an excellent job balancing these heavy subjects with this quirky humor.

All of the main characters were well written, and I connected and loved all of them.

I can't wait to read what Klune writes next!

Pick up Under the Whispering Door if you’re looking for an entertaining and heartwarming story.

Going into this read, I had high hopes because of how much I absolutely devoured and adored the ‘warm hug’ of the House in the Cerulean Sea. While this book feels like it’s grief-stricken older brother, I need to point out that it is very different. This book ripped me apart and put me back together in the best way. It will have you reevaluating your life and discovering pockets of yourself you didn’t know you had lost.

I had read The House in the Cerulean Sea not long before getting this ARC so I was definitely pretty excited to pick this one up. But unfortunately this one just fell a little flat for me.

There are several things about this that I did enjoy. As with The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune proves himself to be a master at writing with a light and whimsical tone. It reads very much like a fantasy version of Fredrick Backman, and it's definitely something that's unique and sets itself apart in the world of adult fantasy. So if that is something you loved in Cerulean Sea, you will still find that present in this one.

I also very much enjoyed our two secondary characters, Mei and Nelson. I found both of them to be delightful characters and they definitely improved every scene they were in. Unfortunately our main two characters just didn't hit with me. Wallace was kind of just fine, I just never felt super strongly about him either way. And Hugo felt like his entire character was boiled down to a therapist who spouted wisdom statements and that was it which just wasn't something I was into.

I also found the plot it self to be most boring. I liked the very beginning and then I liked the last 20% or so, but the rest was just so boring. It felt like nothing happened. And while the book was largely supposed to be Wallace's journey, but it just felt very surface level, and I never felt pulled in by that part of the story.

I do think this book will absolutely be a hit with many, many people. The story just wasn't the right one for me, unfortunately

A tender look at one of the biggest questions:"What happens when we die?". Klune knocks it out of the park again with his loving look at humanity. While not as whimsical as The House Under the Cerulean Sea, there is still the sense of awe at human connections and what it means to be human.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like perhaps my review is going to be a bit skewed. Let me explain: I have been thinking a lot about death. Perhaps it is the grief I have felt accumulating for over 16 months, maybe it's the shock of recent personal tragedies, or it could be that I often think about death in times that one might call normal. My point is, I needed this book. And here it is.

Wallace dies. He wasn't a very nice person or even a particularly good one. He was just a man who lived until he was not living anymore. And that's when it really starts -- picked up by a Reaper called Mei (unfailingly charming, lovable, and brave) at his own funeral, he is taken to a waystation for the dead with a very punny name run by a ferryman called Hugo (kind, handsome, and heartachingly empathetic). Oh, and there's the ghost of Hugo's granddad called Nelson (funny, crotchety, has all the good jokes) and a dog (I want a dog).

What follows is a narrative that explores all the heavy things: death, life, grief, suicide, loneliness, time, the evils of bureaucracy. It's got it all, folks, But unlike some books I've read in recent months that also tackle these themes, Under the Whispering Door wasn't heavy-handed for me. It wasn't trying to make me feel better, or teach me a lesson. It was trying to make me feel in general, and I got where I was meant to go just fine. I cried a lot at this one. Mostly because of the subject matter, but also because the characters felt like friends, the setting felt like a place I've been hoping to find, and the storylines, even the minor ones, made me want to be kinder.

It is, of course, my personal hope that death is not The End, merely An End, so of course a narrative allowing me to fantasize such will hit its mark for me. I give this 5 stars.