“It's never enough is it? Time. We always think we have so much of it, but when it really counts we don't have enough at all.”

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his sparsely-attended funeral he is outraged and refuses to accept that he’s dead. But, he begins to believe her when she takes him to Charon’s Crossing, a quirky tea shop run by Hugo, a man who promises to help him cross over. Despite his life being one of all work and no play, Wallace is reluctant to leave his life behind and sets out to try and live a lifetime in the week he’s been given to pass through the door to the other side.

Witty, moving, cosy and unique, Under the Whispering Door is a book that warms you from the inside like a warm drink on a cold day. This was my tenth backlist book of the year and my introduction to T. J. Klune, an author I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. I now completely get the hype surrounding him and his books and will be prioritising reading his other books on my TBR. An exploration of life, love, death, grief and redemption, this broke my heart into a million pieces and then glued them back together. I appreciated how Klune examined the many stages of grief; how the pain of losing those we love never leaves us but leaves a permanent mark on our heart and soul. Beautifully written, richly imagined and evocative, the storytelling merged with the spectacular narration to make the story come to life around me so vividly that I felt like I’d flown through a hurricane and landed in Oz like Dorothy, opening the door to a magical and colourful new world I never imagined.

Whimsical, escapist, colourful and deeply poignant, this gorgeous fantasy is one that will stay with me long after reading. Highly recommended.

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.

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.

Another great book from TJ Klune, he creates wonderful characters that stay with you! Thank you netgalley for the review copy!

One of the most beautifully heartbreaking, heartwarming, adventurous reads of my life!
I always fall in love with TJ Klune’s characters and this book was no exception. I enjoyed every page.

I liked some of the book.

TJ Klune’s writing and descriptions of grief were as heart wrenching as ever( there’s two scenes, one in the epilogue and one a little before the end that brought tears to my eyes), and I loved Apollo. I mean how could I not he’s a GHOST DOG. The best boy. I also laughed out loud once or twice because I did like the humor in the story.

However, if you’re a long time fan of Klune’s books- this is just like all the others. It may feature different characters but the way the story plays out, and personalities of each character are exactly the same. Even down to the side characters all being lost or missing something until the “oh so special” protagonist comes into their lives. I was just bored with it to be honest.

I wanted a little more from the romance and from the world. I felt like everything is resolved too easily and just didn’t care much for Wallace. He was so generic and his redemption wasn’t very believable.

Nonetheless, it did bring me a little comfort when I needed it. So yes, it annoyed me and is definitely not my favourite Klune book but it’s a solid three stars for me.

Ah, I had such high hopes for this after reading Cerulean Sea. Alas, it didn't live up to my expectations. I did still enjoy it, just not as much as Cerulean Sea unfortunately.

My heart is so full for everything that Klune writes. This book was magical, beautiful, and so heartwarming. I loved the lore, the characters and that ending. Please please read!

This was a beautiful and poignant story about life, death, grief, tea and scones. I struggled initially to connect with the narrative, not because the writing wasn't good (it was), but because I found the content too raw for me. However, I pushed through and once I found my feet, I thought that the plotting and writing were great. The characters are what really make this novel and I loved Mei, Hugo, Nelson, Wallace and Apollo. Yes, there is a lot of grief in these pages and people should be ready for that when they go in, but ultimately, the book is one of hope, joy and love and I recommend it highly - but it won't be right for everyone.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First of all, I thought I had already reviewed this as it was so long ago. Everything Klune writes is peak-gay-fantasy and I just adore his writing. It doesnt beat House by the Cerulean Sea for me, but still up there as fantastic Klune.

I really wanted to love this one. Really. After falling under the beautiful spell that was The House in the Cerulean Sea, my expectations for this one were sky high. And that’s all on me.

There are aspects of this one that are charming, profound, whimsical, interspersed with the found family trope. These are many of the elements that I loved from THITCS, but this one didn’t pull me in as much. And I don’t know if that’s because when we meet our main character Wallace, he is not that likeable. This is very much his journey to becoming a better person. Even in death you can learn and become better!

I really enjoyed the lack of any particular religion at the backbone of this world that Klune has built, and the people, each with their own unique roles in supporting the passing on of people who have died. And the strong message running through this one of being kind, is powerful.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Pan Macmillan, and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

I did really enjoy this one, it is a gorgeous look at life, death, love and loss.
However, I gave it 4.5*- rounded down as it is nearer 4 than 5- because it didn't give me all the feels I was expecting. I adored The House in the Cerulean Sea, and was expecting another book with the same level of love, cosiness and hugability. This was fantastic, but not quite to the same level.

I was unfortunately a bit disappointed by Under the Whispering Door. I gave it a couple of tries but the story just felt dragged out and didn't manage to hold my attention, so it took me forever to finish it. I enjoyed the writing and the themes of death and moving on but the pacing was all over the place and I didn't really care about what was happening or any of the characters.

When Wallace dies, he is taken to Charon's Crossing tea shop by a Reaper called Mei.
The tea shop is run by Hugo, who is a Ferryman who helps the dead to pass on.
Wallace isn't ready to move on. But is he ready to look back over his life and to live again?

The premise for this book intrigued me and I was excited to read it.
Wallace was a horrible person when he was alive, and it did take me a while to warm to him. However, I never felt that I fully connected to Wallace and he was not a stand-out character for me.
My favourite characters were Mei, the Reaper, who assisted Hugo in the tea shop, and Nelson, Hugo's grandfather. They were both funny and I enjoyed reading their scenes and interactions with others.
The setting of the tea shop was interesting and I liked the concepts of the Reapers and Ferrymen.
The plot was interesting and I held my attention overall, but not that much really happened (however, this was definitely more of a character-focused book), and I wasn't gripped. I feel that this could have been a bit shorter as it did drag a little in the middle. While I wasn't overly invested in what happened, I did become emotional at certain scenes, but I feel that the intended overall impact of the book passed me by.
My favourite aspect of the book was probably the themes - those of friendship, found family and helping others.
I'm a little disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but it didn't reach its potential for me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

'Under The Whispering Door' is another heartwrenching book by TJ Klune and I really enjoyed this book.
One of my favourite parts of this book was the found family aspect. I love when a book has a found family and the one in this book was so cute that I could not help but love them.
I think TJ Klune's writing is incredibly beautiful and I loved being transported into this world by his writing.
This book was definitely a slower read but it was an enjoyable one overall.

I absolutely hated this book.
The main character is a horrible person and I really couldn’t get past the fact that despite the fact they’re clearly autistic they’re also an asshole to people they’ve work with for years. Why would anyone want a main character like this? I think this author and I just do no gel together now I’ve tried two of their books.

This is the second TJ Klune book I've tried but once again I find myself bored and uninterested in the plot or writing style. I think he's just not for me and this is the last time I'll check out his books.

Thanks very much to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. Many thanks, Dave

This book is a wonderfully comforting and whimsical story about death and humanity. Each character we follow develops as the story progresses, and learn to challenge their own behaviours and expectations. It has a heartwarming feel of found family with a slow burn romance woven throughout.
I think there’s a lot of similarity in tone to The House In The Cerulean Sea and I’m not sure this book was as successful partly due to pacing. This book did feel a little longer than needed and the timeline felt very rigid and restrictive purely because of the book’s concept. Overall I really enjoyed this one.

What. A. Story… The story itself is told slowly and for good reason too. I usually find it difficult to be able to get into and stay interested in a slow moving boom however this one had me captured. One moment I was laughing, the next I was crying. Such an emotional book. Death is always sad but the way in which this story is written is so beautiful. I have recommend this book to my local book club to read next.