It PAINS ME to say this, because The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of my favorite books I read this year! But unfortunately I found this read mostly boring and trite. (Clearly I’m in the minority here though!)

I liked the first chapter and the overall concept — I wholly expected to love this book. It follows Wallace’s experience in a “waystation” between life and death, detailing his personal growth from total jerk of a lawyer to decent human and his relationships with the people assigned to help him cross over to the other side.

But it just felt VERY drawn out — not much happened in the whole book, and I found the characters and most of their conversations very one-dimensional. The romance seemed thrown together, the plot was all over the place, the humor fell flat.

It wasn’t that I hated it — I just thought more could have been done with the premise & it needed either a stronger plot or more fleshed out characters. I probably would have DNFed it if it hadn’t been an ARC I was so excited to get.

YIKES SORRY TO SAY IT. Don’t skip it if it sounds awesome, just manage your expectations!

This book is such a beautiful take on death, grief, anger, and loss. I received it as an ARC and I loved this book. Stories about death are hard for me as I very recently lost someone very close to me unexpectedly but this book does such an amazing job of validating all those complex emotions that surround death that makes you feel so safe. They characters were beautifully developed and I fell in love with them. I absolutely recommend this book if you were a fan of A House in the Cerulean Sea although be prepared that the tone is different while keeping the writing style very similar. Thank you for the ARC, I will be picking up a copy to own once this book releases

I struggled to get into this book more than I thought I would. It still has Klune's eccentric and heartwarming storyline similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea (that I've read and loved!) by him. But I found this one difficult to become engaged in, specifically the first half of this book.

It was still beautifully written and I loved the message it sent. It causes you to look inward at yourself, the choices you make, the legacy you want to leave and how you treat others. I just wish it captivated my attention better at the beginning. It felt like it took too long for us to get to the meat of the story. By the end, I was in tears and I truly loved the second half. I would give it a higher star rating, if the entire book was like the second half.

TW: death, suicide

***Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book!

I'm going to blame this horrible review on me recovering from surgery :)

This book was so much fun. I laughed out loud so many times and I loved all the characters and their relationships with each other. While this book does deal with death and the afterlife, it doesn't make the book depressing or sad. And while it does not align with what I believe happens in the afterlife, I think it was very unique and interesting.

Nelson has to be my favourite though. He is the cutest, grumpiest, sarcastic old man. And Mei has a soft spot in my heart.

The only complaint I have is that it felt like Wallace changed a bit too much from who he was before. And I get that was the purpose, since this is a very character-driven book, but I just found it a little unrealistic that he was having such deep conversations with everyone when prior to his death he was pretty much an "asshole" and cared about nothing and no one. The ending also felt a little too perfect, but I guess it was balanced out in the epilogue.

Overall, would rate this more a 3.75/5 stars. Definitely a fun read, would have finished it quicker if I wasn't busy/had surgery.

Under the Whispering Door broke my heart, but also helped put it back together.

This book celebrates the beauty of death and grief, and pulls you in from the first chapter. Wallace is, well, an asshole, but TJ Klune's trademark humor makes you root for the character anyway, and once his reaper finds him (only a little late), you are swept away into a beautiful found family story.

The romance, the friendships, the growth, all of it is expertly woven into this vivid story of tea and the afterlife. Author TJ Klune gives us his unique idea of what happens when you die, and makes you hope his version is accurate. A tale of hope, second chances, and the transformative power of love. A queer romantic fantasy to chase away your bad dreams.

READ THIS BOOK.

Big, big thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this title in exchange for a review!

Content warning for death (obviously), but more specifically suicide. The topic is visited multiple times throughout this book.

To start off, I think that if you liked The House in the Cerulean Sea, you'll like this. It has just as much whimsy as its predecessor, but also manages to tackle some really hard, heavy subjects. At the risk of oversharing, I have a whole lot of fear and anxiety surrounding death. Not my own, necessarily, but I am beyond scared of the day when my family or other people that I love end up leaving us. So this book in general might have just really hit spots for me that it might not hit for everyone else, and that's okay. I personally found the way it discussed death and what comes after (even if it's just a fictionalized version of it) comforting, and the concept of there being people at the end of the line still taking care of us is super soothing to me.

In particular, I love the types of protagonists that I've read from Klune so far. I found Linus endearing, but Wallace Price fits perfectly into so many tropes that I love. I enjoy nothing more than reading about a bastard of a character, with almost no redeeming qualities, with walls a hundred feet high, just completely unravel because of the never ending support, kindness, and love from the people they end up around. Watching Wallace slowly become a better and kinder person was so delightful for me, and I loved watching the other characters slowly crack him open until the good man that they knew he could be just spilled out and all over the floor of their little tea shop. He really isn't a nice man, though, for a good chunk of the book. If that type of character isn't one that you enjoy reading at all, this might not be a great fit. If you're willing to give it a chance, though, I do highly recommend it.

The rest of the cast were so wonderful to read, even the ones that I knew I wasn't really meant to like. Klune puts so much personality in every character, regardless of how long they show up for, and I think that really makes such a difference in the reading experience. Hugo, Nelson, and Mei were all delights to read, but Nelson (and Apollo!) stole almost every single scene they were in. I really loved the grace and tenderness with which he wrote Cameron's story, in particular.

My only real complaint (if I could even call it that), was that the plot described in the synopsis doesn't really kick in until about 80% of the way through the book. Up until that point, I was perfectly content just reading about the day to day in the shop with these characters, and when the aforementioned plot finally started I was kind of like "oh, yeah" because I had forgotten it was supposed to be happening at all. I'd say that this book is much more character driven because of that, and the very heavy focus on the relationships between all of them.

Personally, I think I may have loved this more than I loved Cerulean Sea because the topic just hit so much closer to my heart, and it earned an easy 5 stars from me.

Under the Whispering Door keeps the whimsy of TJ Klune's prior work, but adds a level of insight that goes far beyond what Cerulean offered. This tale of life after death has the same comforting elements, but with the addition of a well-defined philosophy and a bittersweet thread running through it. There is insight about death in a world where it is not the end, but also isn’t paradise, where there is always a level of separation between the living and the dead.
4.5/5

For my full length review click here: https://sam-duffy.medium.com/death-is-not-the-end-in-under-the-whispering-door-3b94c29f0131

Oh MY POOR HEART.

This was beautiful and so well written. This author just has a wonderful CINEMATIC way with words, pictures are painted, music plays, it's an experience to read!

Let's start with the cover. Super intriguing and colourful.

Next, the plot. Its far fetched BUT it works. As humans we are curious and death is something that is unknown. Its scary but i like the way that it is layered in this book, in the form of a tea shop. So when Wallace dies, he's at this sort of "pit stop" before he goes towards the whispering door! There are some amazing characters introduced here.

Mei was my favourite, but i also loved Nelson and ofcourse Hugo... ok that's all the characters 🤣🤣🤣🤣

It is a bit cliche, something happens towards the end that made me go NOOO ABSOLUTELY NOT, NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS, RATING THIS 3 STARS NOW, but hindsight, it actually made sense for it to end like that.

Highly recommend!

Thank you to The publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book.

Listen. This was a wholesome, beautifully written, gut wrenching and endearing cotton candy book. The story had me giggling one moment and sobbing the next. Reading this was a journey much like the one our main characters go through and all I have to say is how very dare you?! I expected I would enjoy this but man I did not see myself crying my way through the final chapters. I should have known. I had an inkling at about the halfway mark, chapter 12 specifically, that this book was going to leave me in pieces and yeah it does not hold punches. But it is written with such care and love that I felt safe nonetheless. Nothing felt gratuitous or mean spirited. Everything had a purpose and just overall a wonderful wonderful story. I loved this book and genuinely want to read it again immediately.

<i>My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange of a honest review. All opinions posted here are my own</i>

<b>Triggers warning for this book:</b> suicide, death, death of relatives, non-graphic murder description

<u>So what is this book about?</u>

Wallace Price, arrogant and eccentric attorney just died of a heart attack. He is brought to Charing's Crossing Tea by a Reaper, Mei, where he meets Hugo, the ferryman, who would help him coming to terms with his death and crossing to the afterlife.

<u>My general thoughts:</u>

I adored [book:The House in the Cerulean Sea|45047384]. I picked this book up, expecting to find the happiness I had experienced while reading THITCS, and the result is quite disappointing.
This book is not light-hearted like THITCS. It's about grief and death. Despite the humor and the wholesome setting of a tea shop, it's still a heavy book to read. But I don't complain about that, because I do think that we need more books approaching these topics the way [author:T.J. Klune|5073330]. However, for such an interesting premise, the execution is a "meh" for me. I laughed while reading this book. My heart swelled while reading this book, but I did not <u>love</u> it. It pains me to say this, but this book doesn't live up to my expectations, at all. A complete surprise, to be honest.
Okay, so it sounds like I really hate this book or something, I do not. I still like it, I gave it a 3.5/5, which is obviously not that bad of the rating. I am just caught off guard by UTWD.

<u>Things I don't like:</u>

<b>The pacing</b>
I have a huge problem with the pacing of this book. After the first two chapters, nothing significant happened, until around @50%. T.J. Klune's long chapters didn't exactly help either. I repeatedly checked my progress during the first half of the book, thinking I was reading 800 pages worth of prose because it was so, SO, long to get through. At @51% things started picking up and I was like "YAY FINALLY I am really liking this" and the book started slowing down again until @73% with Wallace's encounter with the Manager (which for me, should have been the plot of the whole book, not just the last 100 pages.) The final 20% is pretty fine.

<b>The characters:</b>
Well, this is not entirely negative since I love Nelson and I ADORE Mei (heaven bless her heart.) Hugo is loveable and Wallace is okay. What I have a problem with, is Wallace's character arc. I hate him when he was alive. He was the kind of boss that every single person wants to throw out of the window. For someone like that, he did change a little fast??? Like one page ago he was in denial and angry and insufferable and <i>bimbamboum</i> he is soft and quiet and respectful of everyone. I get it that people can change and I like his arc at the end. But isn't it weird that someone as arrogant and eccentric as Wallace can become a saint in two weeks? Guess that what death does to people.

<b>The romance:</b>
It nearly came out of nowhere. One second ago Wallace just stopped being disrespectful to Hugo and one second later they're in love and Wallace wanted to butcher a man for making Hugo's life hell after he rejected a date proposal (ngl that man is a bastard.) I get it, people get attached when they found a family they had never had before, but the romance still annoys me a bit.

<u>Things I like:</u>

<b>The found family:</b>
Who doesn't love a nice and supportive family <i>*smacks those who don't*</i> A good found family trope always makes my day a little brighter. And I am happy to announce that the one and only writer who NAILED this trope EVERY FUCKING TIME is [author:T.J. Klune|5073330] Gratitude to him, for making my dead heart melts every time.

<b>Portrayal of grief and death:</b>
All the light-hearted things besides, I believe that this book is incredibly important, because I have never, ever, read about grief in fiction this way. The way they talk about grief is so genuine and true, and somehow incredibly soft and meaningful at the same time. I can't say much without spoiling, but it's so wonderful that a portrayal like this exists. Also all the applause to Cameron's story. It did make my eyes wet a little bit.

<b>The humor:</b>
The author's trademark quirky humor did not disappoint! I laughed a lot because of the incredibly bright prose. As someone who the sense of humor doesn't exist, those jokes definitely entered the collection of mine (yes I am that dry, having to use others' jokes)

<u>Final words:</u>
Although <u>Under the Whispering Door</u> did not live up to my expectations, I would still recommend it to someone who wants to read something light-hearted and meaningful at the same time. I definitely look forwards to T.J. Klune's upcoming works.

<i>Find me on my bookstagram: @delilahfcirchild</i>

Under the Whispering Door is a warm and touching novel that will capture your heart until the very last pages.

This book offers a great deal of strong feelings and tears, and we love to follow Wallace - who just found out he died - on his path to "the other side", through the help of kind and quirky characters (with among them the sweet and attentive ferryman Hugo) who quickly become a touching found family.
The way death and mourning were treated was also very moving, and you'll find some heart-wrenching quotes in here as well as a love for tea that makes you want to drink some all day with every single one of your friends.

With Under the Whispering Door, T. J. Klune offers us a stirring and beautiful story about helping others and find one's way.

it hurts my heart to have to rate this a 3 star, and not the 5 star i had hoped it would be.

meet Wallace. he is a lawyer. and that’s basically all his life has going for him. he has allowed his profession to consume his life entirely, until one day, he finds himself sitting at his own funeral.

Wallace is made to be unlikable, and i really enjoyed him. he was such an a$*. he cared about nothing and no one. he was awful, i loved it. the initial realization of him being dead and meeting the people who are going to help him cross into the next part of his journey was enjoyable. i LOVED Mei and her quirkiness. hugo was okay, not really interesting, but full of compassion and understanding, and Nelson was such a treat with his constant remarks and sarcasm. but then the days just started becoming really repetitive and somehow in the nothingness that was Charons Crossing, Wallace all of a sudden shifts his anger to understanding? He all of a sudden becomes nicer, and friendlier, and tries to help the living and the dead? it just didn’t really make sense to me how or why. there was nothing really significant that made him change his whole outlook on life, aside from the obvious, but it was just… weird to me. it felt strange.

i liked the book once Wallace met the manager and that agreement was made. it felt like after that happened, things started actually progressing in the book and happening and excitement started.

this is one book that i feel would have had a better ending without the epilogue. i was really satisfied with the ending of the book, although i saw it coming (not exactly how it happened though), and i felt like reading the epilogue bored me and actually took away from the story.

thank you NetGalley for my advanced readers copy in exchange for my review!

This is both one of the most heartwarming and heartbreaking books I've read. Klune expertly makes you care deeply for all the characters like they are part of your own family, then breaks your heart just to glue the pieces together again in the end. I hate crying, and this book made me cry. But I loved it

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for sending me an e-arc of this book

Under The Whispering Door is a wholesome yet heartbreaking story dealing with death and the afterlife. This book is set in a four-story tea shop that is run by Hugo the Ferryman who helps spirits/ghosts reach the other side. We follow the character Wallace Price as he reflects on his past life and takes on a journey of self-discovery. With the found family trope and the subtle slow-burn romance, this was everything I would want in a book and more. This was my first T.J. Klune read and I was not disappointed.

I've never read T.J. Klune's work before, but I thought this book was extremely sweet, sad, and warm. I found myself tearing up and laughing along with it (in public, mind you; thank god for masks and long bangs). I read it in one day, I simply wanted more and more.


I loved reading about all of the characters, even smaller ones like Cameron, Alan, Nancy, Desdemona, Naomi. The bigger ones like Apollo, Mei, Nelson, Hugo. And Wallace. Wallace's transformation into his new self was almost instantaneous once he died, like he couldn't wait not to be an asshole, which was likely very unrealistic (especially because he was the only white character from the main cast), but it made him more lovable, so I really didn't mind it while I was reading.


It's hard to give any criticism when I enjoyed this book so much. The conversations about life and death were slightly cheesy and grandiose, as the characters describe it "pseudo-intellectualism" from the dead, but I think that was expected of people just figuring out life (and death). It's realistic, in a sense. 


I loved the love. Care and empathy the whole gang at Tea and Treats gave to the dead and living. Family love the most, certainly. But romantic love between Hugo and Wallace too. Especially because they were older ("older", Hugo is only 30, but they're not in their teens or 20s). I hoped to see more emphasized what made Wallace stand out to Hugo from all the other souls and what made him love him. It's there definitely, and he mentions it more near the end, but I'd have liked to see more clearly the change in Hugo that Wallace caused throughout the story.


The ending was slightly expected, a happy ending fitting of a fairy tale. I somehow found myself expecting more of a bittersweet ending than a full on sweet one. A lot of sugar, this one. Whatever questions or slight hesitations I had throughout were lost in the shear flow of the story. I felt like this novel would make a good comic book. Or visual novel, whatever the difference, if there is one.

Waiting for the book to be officially published just to see the fanart of the characters. I'll be reading T.J.'s other work in the future!

Firstly thank you for the opportunity to read this little book of warmth and love before the release Net Galley.

I absolutely loved this book - I was sure I would, as I had loved The House in the Cerulean Sea - but I was afraid it would not measure up to that wonderfully hopeful and heart-warming book. I needn't have worried. This book was not the same but it was definitely a feast on its own.

Under The Whispering Door was a beautiful book about death and the afterlife. A look at the impact death has not only on those who are living but imagining the impact it has on those who have died. It explores many deep and thought-provoking subjects in a way that does not overwhelm and numb you but still gets you to think. I think it handled the different ways people die beautifully too - your body just giving up, murder, suicide, accidents and sickness. In a time and world where so many are losing their lives due to a pandemic this book is a little hopeful light in the dark - a look at how death could be a continuation of a journey, instead of an end.

I loved the characters in this book! From Grandad Nelson, to Mei to Hugo and Wallace - even Apollo the dog! Each of them was unforgettable and unique and heart-warming. I laughed so hard, sometimes, till tears came out of my eyes. And at other times my soul quieted down contemplating the messages in the book. The growing attraction and love between Wallace and Hugo was beautifully captured and the way the relationships developed amongst the characters was beautiful. I loved them all but Grandad Nelson was my favourite!

I also loved the little mentions throughout the book that made me remember The House In The Cerulean Sea. I also have to say I absolutely loved the idea of a tea shop as a waystop on the way to what comes after. Being of both Chinese and Sri Lankan descent I truly appreciated the ode to tea that this book was. Tea is a big part of Asian culture and it was nice to see it captured in this book.

It truly was another beautiful book by T.J. Klune and I cannot wait to have a copy in my hands!

Under The Whispering Door hit me even harder than The House In The Cerulean Sea.

Klune introduces us to a new cast full of quirky, lovable characters. He is a master of the beloved found family trope. But most of all, he made me feel like I was taking part in the book.

Wallace is thrown into the world after death head first. He would like to talk to whoever is in charge because is a very important man with many clients and this is clearly a mistake. Being inside Wallace's head was an immersive experience, and the writing always read and flowed naturally. This is saying something, because I often had to read it in small increments because of how much and how often this story made me cry.

Wallace is brought to this recluse tea shop by his Reaper (Mei) and there he meets Hugo the Ferryman and his ghostly family. Getting to watch the love and hope these characters embody is something very unique to Klune's books. Wallace is no match with his cranky and stubborn attitude, and his wall's quickly crumble while residing at the tea shop. Klune embraces the character archetypes and story tropes, and leans into them in a way that feels larger than life. His world's are magical even in the spaces they aren't, and they feel safe. It's like returning to a favourite fairytale or old childhood story. Comforting reads written for adults who deserve stories with happy endings.

Luckily, the story is equally heartbreaking and feel good vibes. I was not at all surprised when this book actually made me laugh out loud. These goofy moments did nothing to take away from the progression of the plot, or the tone of the story. These characters were simply existing in this impossible and stressful world, and doing their best day by day. Every chapter felt intentional, and important. Despite how desperate things started at the beginning of Wallace's journey, the ending didn't feel rushed or undeserved.

I can already tell this will be a huge hit in our cozy bookstore. All the staff are eagerly anticipating it, and sharing TJ Klune with any customer who will listen. Half a dozen of us have the book on preorder.

This will be an amazing read for newcomers to fantasy, but also a great pallette cleansing book for avid readers. I truly think this might be my favourite book of the year.

First, a very special thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read my first TJ Klune novel (The House in the Cerulean Sea) earlier this year and immediately fell in love with Klune's work. That said, I was elated when I learned that Klune's latest book, Under the Whispering Door, was set to release in September 2021. To cut to the chase - if you are a fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea and reading books that make you a better person - this one's for you.

As always, Klune's writing is extremely easy to read and flows seamlessly. While I will admit there were parts of this book that felt a little slow, it by no means hindered its overall rating. Similarly to House in the Cerulean Sea, I walked away from this book with a plethora of new quotes to live by, and was reminded of important life lessons. Specifically: 1) don't forget to appreciate what you have while you have it; and 2) just because you're alive, doesn't mean you're living.

Let's chat characters. I LOVED THEM. I was able to relate to every single character in some way, and loved learning more about each one and their own stories. The relationships and friendships in this book are beautiful, strong, heartbreaking, and vulnerable. I felt like I personally knew everyone, and I'm truly sad it's over.

To prevent this review from being any longer than it already its, I'll sum it up: READ THIS BOOK. This book ticks all the boxes. I laughed throughout. I (almost) cried. I felt the love between the characters. I learned life lessons. I learned more about myself.

Absolutely stellar read. Thank you TJ Klune! You're an artist my dude.

Rating books has always been hard for me. I generally either like a book, or I don’t. So one of my rules for rating them is if the book can make me cry without killing off a character, then it’s a good book. Under the Whispering Door was able to do that, despite death being a prominent theme, though not in the way you might expect.

The beginning was a little slow, and I immediately disliked Wallace because he was stuffy and selfish and seemed to care about no one but himself. But I powered through the first few chapters, and soon we were introduced to many likable characters that offset Wallace’s unlikability (yes, I just made that word up).

Mei is a reaper, and is deemed several times as one of, if not the, best. She is an unconventional reaper (think GoGo Tomago from Big Hero 6), despite her tragic backstory, and becomes fast friends with Wallace, even though he takes some convincing to come around.

Nelson is the only other human ghost at the tea shop that hasn’t crossed cover, voluntarily choosing to stay with his grandson Hugo and watch over him with the help of Hugo’s now ghost dog.

Hugo runs the tea shop, and is a ferryman tasked with the helping ghosts cross over by going through the door to the other side. Wallace is immediately wary of him; in fact, it’s weeks before he warms up to anyone there.

Several more characters and side stories display just how much more goes on at the tea shop than just tea, and they are both heartwarming and heart wrenching. Found family plays a big part in this book, as it does with most of Klune’s books, and this one doesn’t disappoint. You will find yourself ugly crying from the events, especially near the end, and the slow burn queer romance that finally gets resolved will also bring you to happy tears.

If you read only one feel-good book this year, make it this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published September 21, 2021.

I just reviewed Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. #UndertheWhisperingDoor #NetGalley

This is my second book by this author and they were both charming and quirky.

This book starts off with the death of attorney Wallace Price, who had just fired an employee. On his journey towards death, he is taken on a detour to a quaint tea shop in the middle of nowhere and is granted 7 more days before crossing over. In the face of death he questions his lonely life and decides to make some changes.

It’s a sweet story about living and loving told in a new, creative, fantasy-like way.