4.5
Summary: A fun, witty but simultaneously sorrowful book. Wallace Price is a generally grumpy person, previous hard-working and selfish lawyer, recently dead guy. Shortly after his death, a Reaper, Mei, finds him and leads him to a peculiar tea shop so as to meet the ferryman, Hugo, who shall help him cross. A heartwarming and fun story about a man who gets to fall in love with life, even if it’s only after his death.

A truly enthralling book — feelings better left unsaid, the path towards whatever comes after death, dad jokes but make it ghost-y, hugs, different kinds of tea, the past, lost people and mistakes – grief, guilt, anger, love, joy and our humane nature that makes all of it worth it.

I had a truly enjoyable time reading this book, it was amazingly written, with a unique plot and mesmerising characters. T.J Klune gives death a new perspective, one which i adored. I really liked Wallace’s growth journey, Hugo’s supportive and sensitive persona (and their relationship). Mei, Nelson and Apollo were fun and well-structured side characters, as well.

My only concern was the ending• it felt pretty abrupt, i would have preferred a different one. But I want to keep my review spoiler-free so I won’t go into more detail about that. However I did enjoy reading this book very much, that’s why I’m rounding up to 5 stars anyway.

Another T.J. Klune masterpiece!
Wallace was a jerk in life, only thinking of himself and what makes his life better. Until he has a heart attack and dies and learns how much he missed out on. What is Wallace to do except to refuse to go through the Whispering Door into his afterlife.
T.J. Klune takes the difficult topic of death and shows us that there really is hope in life.

TJ Klune has quickly made it to my auto buy authors list. I absolutely adored this book. It gave me the same feelings of joy and love that The House in the Cerulean Sea did, and I will forever be singing the praises of this author. This book has such a unique and insightful take on the afterlife, on hope, love, and loss. Klune has a way of digging so deeply into these sensitive topics without sacrificing levity and charm.
The book begins with Wallace, who is coming to terms with the fact that he might actually be dead. Wallace is outraged, as a wealthy and successful man, how on earth could this be happening to him?
The way Klune writes Wallace is incredibly funny. Klune’s signature quirkiness is as alive and well in this book as it was in The House in the Cerulean Sea. I genuinely laughed out loud, and often, while reading this novel.
As Wallace comes to terms with his death, he simultaneously comes to terms with how to truly live, and how to love. I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love with these characters. This book made me feel hope, which is something I think we all need right now.
This quirky love story is not one I would miss, especially if you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea. If you’ve read neither, I highly recommend you read both!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion!
Mark your calendars! Under the Whispering Door is being released on September 21, 2021!

Oh. my. god.

TJ KLUNE DOES IT AGAIN - *weeping my eyes out*. I literally live streamed myself reading this book and the amount of tears that came out of me was probably supernatural.
First, the characters, I mean, COME ON! So few people can capture such lovely human emotion as Klune and I was in love from the first chapter. (I mean - WALLACE!)
To proceed without spoilers, death has always been an uncomfortable topic for me and to read about this lovely story awakened a deeper need in my heart to be more accepting of it.

I absolutely adored adored this read and it was an amazing follow up to Cerulean Sea (also that little EASTER EGG!) aaa!

Thank you SO much to Net Galley and Tor books for approving me for this ARC.

I must start this off my saying I’m a very plot driven reader and that is not what you’re given here. But don’t let that deter you! You are given an incredibly whimsical character driver story, but it never felt lacking. I was sucked in within the first few chapters and I just didn’t want to stop reading.

Here we follow Wallace who has died and now needs to cross over to the afterlife. Which brings him to Hugo, the ferryman. Hugo’s job is to help the dead past through. Answer any questions they may have? And help them through the stages of grief. Will Wallace find that peace to pass?

TJ Klune continues to blow my mind every time I pick up one of his books. He has become a favorite author and I will continue to support him as long as I can.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tor Books, and TJ Klune for this ARC copy in exchange for my own and honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a very thought provoking read , which makes you think about how you're living your life, and how it can affect others. It's a typical TJ Klune, a really good, and different read, into which has gone a lot of thought. Both the characters and the story are very poignantly written. TJ's wonderful writing style is front and centre. Wallace, a real life Grinch, has to wait til his death and beyond to find what it really means to live. It's also beautifully written.

Very few times have I laughed out loud AND sobbed in the same book. Under the Whispering Door was that book for me! I also seldom find lines written by an author I feel are worth highlighting and remembering. There were several quotes from the author I highlighted in this novel!

I have not read any of T. J. Klune’s previously written books. After hearing so much about his last book, I wanted to check out all the hype. I was expecting a sweet but quirky, feel-good book. I was so wrong! This is such a well-written story about relationships, sacrifices, correcting past mistakes, saying goodbye, dealing with grief, and reinvention. It is truly a remarkable book that deserves to be read by the masses!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.

#NetGalley
#UndertheWhisperingDoor
#TJKlune

Thank you so much NetGalley and McMillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

In a word: Wow.

From the very first page, we know exactly who Wallace is: an asshole. Of course, he is about to get the redemption arc of his (after) life. After experiencing a heart attack, Wallace attends his own funeral only to find that almost no one shows up to mourn him. Just his law partners - who call him an asshole and then start discussing the previous evening's sporting events - and his bitter ex-wife. And one other person. Her name is Mei and she's a reaper. Her job his to transport Wallace to Hugo, a ferryman, who will help him cross over.

This book is such a moving meditation on death and what comes after. The grief we all feel when we lose someone but also the grief of those who die. How are you supposed to feel when you realize the life you thought you were living is not all it should have been. We get to go on that journey with Wallace as he grapples with his own death and what it would mean to cross over.

Much like TJ Klune's other work, The House in the Cerulean Sea, this book is filled with delicious humor and well-rounded characters. Even the side characters have moments to shine. While Wallace & Hugo are the center of the story, Mei, Nelson and the other cast of characters who we meet, are fully formed parts of the story. And even though this book touches on heavy subjects - including suicide, murder and death of a child - it does so with humor that had me laughing while also crying. A wonderful, heartfelt read.

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!