Under the Whispering Door
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- Create Date：2021-07-30 08:51:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：T.J. Klune
- ISBN：1250217342
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Summary
Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy with TJ Klune's signature "quirk and charm" （PW） about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with。
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral， Wallace suspects he really might be dead。
Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife， the reaper takes him to a small village。 On the outskirts， off the path through the woods， tucked between mountains， is a particular tea shop， run by a man named Hugo。 Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over。
But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived。 With Hugo's help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life。
When the Manager， a curious and powerful being， arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over， Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days。
By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking， this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with TJ Klune's signature warmth， humor， and extraordinary empathy。
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral， Wallace suspects he really might be dead。
Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife， the reaper takes him to a small village。 On the outskirts， off the path through the woods， tucked between mountains， is a particular tea shop， run by a man named Hugo。 Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over。
But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived。 With Hugo's help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life。
When the Manager， a curious and powerful being， arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over， Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days。
By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking， this absorbing tale of grief and hope is told with TJ Klune's signature warmth， humor， and extraordinary empathy。
Reviews
Lisa Lajimodiere
，
This story follows a harsh successful lawyer named Wallace。 A couple days after viscously firing his assistant， Wallace finds himself in a church at a funeral。 Only it is his funeral。 During his funeral， he meets his reaper who will take him to his ferryman to cross over to the “other side。” As Wallace moves through the stages of grief of a life he soon realizes was not ideal， he tries to come to terms with life， death， the meaning of it all， and questions if love can permeate everything。 “It’s This story follows a harsh successful lawyer named Wallace。 A couple days after viscously firing his assistant， Wallace finds himself in a church at a funeral。 Only it is his funeral。 During his funeral， he meets his reaper who will take him to his ferryman to cross over to the “other side。” As Wallace moves through the stages of grief of a life he soon realizes was not ideal， he tries to come to terms with life， death， the meaning of it all， and questions if love can permeate everything。 “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。”It is a strength of TJ Klune to write wholesome characters。 Do not think this means they are flat， because they are anything but。 From the very little you know of these characters you can see them， know their back story， and imagine them as if they were an old friend you have fond memories of whenever you think of them。 They make you smile and intuitively know their intentions are nothing but pure and altruistic。 “A river only moves in one direction。” My personal experience with this book was lovely。 It came to me at a time I was questioning why？ Why do some people become sick？ Why do they die？ What comes next？ Are they still here？ Will they remember how much they were loved？ I have never cried throughout a book。 Typically it is the ending but this book just hits you in the feels the entire way though。 Although in my opinion the ending was the weakest part of the book， the epilogue was beautiful and I’ll remember that as the end of the story。 I hope that when my time comes there will be a Hugo and a Mei。 “It warmed him。 It calmed him。 He hoped wherever he was going that there’d still be the sun and the moon and the stars。 He’d spent a majority of his life with his head turned down。 It seemed only fair that eternity would allow him to raise his head towards the sky。”Thanks to the the author， publisher， and NetGalley for allowing me access to an advanced reader copy of this novel。 。。。more
Sydney
，
Oh this book！ It’s made me laugh and it made me cry。 The book has a bit of a slow start， but then it gets so good！ The book deals with death and grief， but keeps the tone light with humor and found family。 If you read and loved the House in the Cerulean Sea it’s a must read- it’s more of a serious book but still has the whimsy and coziness of Cerulean Sea 💙
Sacha
，
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 I'll post that review upon publication。 Mostly， thanks to TJ Klune who keeps producing - at a shockingly rapid rate - novels that are creative， moving， and unforgettable。 Details to follow in September。。。 Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 I'll post that review upon publication。 Mostly， thanks to TJ Klune who keeps producing - at a shockingly rapid rate - novels that are creative， moving， and unforgettable。 Details to follow in September。。。 。。。more
Leah （LeahsLittlePleasures）
，
Holy moly 🥺😭 What a story… so beautiful。 RTC 🤍
Glennis
，
Review to come bring the hankies when you read this
Sam Squyars
，
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC。This is a book that demands to be felt and experienced。 For anyone who has experienced a loss， you will feel like you are in the tea shop yourself and the characters are talking to directly to you。 With TJ Klunes classic humor and style， I never wanted the book to end， I did not want to have to leave the cozy tea shop。 The first part of the book does drag on for a little bit but the last half of the book is an emotional journey that is just Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC。This is a book that demands to be felt and experienced。 For anyone who has experienced a loss， you will feel like you are in the tea shop yourself and the characters are talking to directly to you。 With TJ Klunes classic humor and style， I never wanted the book to end， I did not want to have to leave the cozy tea shop。 The first part of the book does drag on for a little bit but the last half of the book is an emotional journey that is just so satisfying。 So many lessons to be learned from this book about grief and loss。 I want to go back and have tea with Hugo and Wallace。 。。。more
Mairead
，
4。5 rounded up。 Under the Whispering Door offers everything I love about TJ Klune's stories: quirky characters， a cosy atmosphere， a unique concept， and a beautiful queer love story。 I read The House in the Cerulean Sea earlier this year， and it instantly became one of my favourite books of all time。 So， you can imagine the joy I felt when I was accepted for an advanced readers' copy of Under the Whispering Door 。Although wholesome and hopeful on the surface， Under the Whispering Door delv 4。5 rounded up。 Under the Whispering Door offers everything I love about TJ Klune's stories: quirky characters， a cosy atmosphere， a unique concept， and a beautiful queer love story。 I read The House in the Cerulean Sea earlier this year， and it instantly became one of my favourite books of all time。 So， you can imagine the joy I felt when I was accepted for an advanced readers' copy of Under the Whispering Door 。Although wholesome and hopeful on the surface， Under the Whispering Door delves deep into death and grief in all its forms。 This book will make you feel a myriad of emotions， from love to joy， to heartache。 It will make you laugh， and it will make you cry。 It will make you think and will give you a new perspective on life， and how you can make the most of it。This book is also very character-driven。 The majority of the story takes place in the small tea shop run by Hugo， the ferryman who helps spirits to cross over to the afterlife。 The description of the tea shop and its atmosphere is so vivid that I felt like I was in the shop with the characters; laughing with Mei and Nelson， playing with Hugo's ghost dog， and surrounded by tea， warmth and spice。 Klune is a master at writing charming and witty characters， and I adore each and every one of them。For me， the highlight of the book was Wallace and Hugo's relationship。 They had such strong chemistry， and I loved the way Hugo contributed to the development of Wallace's character。 I found myself highlighting my favourite scenes between the couple so that I can go back and read them whenever I need a pick-me-up。Unfortunately， I had to drop half a star as I did find that the plot was sometimes lacking。 Around the 30% mark， I had to force myself to push through。 Once I got to the halfway mark， it picked up again， and it was so worth it。Finally， I would urge readers to check the trigger warnings provided at the beginning of the book before embarking on this cosy， yet at times heart-wrenching， adventure。 Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an eARC of this book。Under the Whispering Door will be available on September 21， 2021！ 。。。more
Elyse Manhollan
，
*4。5*This book had me feeling so many emotions throughout。 Klune did a really good job of making you dislike the main character in the beginning then learning to admire him in the end。 Watching Wallace accept his life was heartbreaking。 I consider myself a workaholic， much like Wallace。 I’m not an important lawyer but I do work long hours with very little down time。 Reading this book made me question why I even have to work in the first place。 Death comes for us all and what matter is life is th *4。5*This book had me feeling so many emotions throughout。 Klune did a really good job of making you dislike the main character in the beginning then learning to admire him in the end。 Watching Wallace accept his life was heartbreaking。 I consider myself a workaholic， much like Wallace。 I’m not an important lawyer but I do work long hours with very little down time。 Reading this book made me question why I even have to work in the first place。 Death comes for us all and what matter is life is the way you spend it。 If you’ve been working too much， just remember to take a break and be around loved ones and do what you like。 The book starts with us meeting Wallace， a lawyer who is very serious and all about the job。 His employees hate or fear him， he has no friends。 It’s just work work work。 Then he dies。 But miraculously， he wakes up at his funeral。 Seeing the amount of people that attended， （five） he realizes just how little he meant to anyone。 After that the rest of the plot resumes with his journey to the afterlife。 What I love most about this book is the many different stages of death that’s represented。 There’s the initial death， how loved ones are affected， how people move on， what happens when you die。 There is no holding back when talking about death。 Throughout the story the characters grew on me and by the end I loved them all。 You will feel the tenderness， suspense， grief， all the emotions they had and more by the time you finish。 The only reason I’m knocking off half a star is the way the dialog made me feel。 At times it felt forced， it didn’t flow very well。 Most of the time when the characters talked to each other I was confused about what was so funny or why they would say something。 I think that’s a personal problem though。 Overall this book was really great and I highly suggest anyone to read it if they can stomach the topic of death。 Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for accepting my request and providing me with this arc。 。。。more
Abinaya
，
The story starts with Wallace Price， an uncaring， unsympathetic and fierce lawyer working for a law firm， he suddenly dies and finds himself attending his own funeral。 He has no friends and he finds his ex-wife Naomi and partners of the firm， they have nothing good to say about him。 There he meets a reaper Mei， instead of taking him to afterlife; she takes him to Charon crossing tea shop in a small village。 The shop run by a Hugo Freeman and also called ferryman。 Hugo helps the ghosts to cross t The story starts with Wallace Price， an uncaring， unsympathetic and fierce lawyer working for a law firm， he suddenly dies and finds himself attending his own funeral。 He has no friends and he finds his ex-wife Naomi and partners of the firm， they have nothing good to say about him。 There he meets a reaper Mei， instead of taking him to afterlife; she takes him to Charon crossing tea shop in a small village。 The shop run by a Hugo Freeman and also called ferryman。 Hugo helps the ghosts to cross the door to afterlife。 When angry Wallace wasn’t ready to cross over the door， he tries to run away from the shop and discovers that that he will become husk， if he goes far away from Hugo/shop。 Nelson， Hugo’s granddad helps Wallace in settling down at Charon’s and makes him to do funny things。 Day by day Wallace starts becoming a new person， he learns about life and death with the help of Hugo。 Still he feels that it is unfair that he died。 One day Hugo and Mei receive another task of bringing Alan， who is the victim of murder。 Alan creates ruckus in the tea shop， which makes the scary manager （he is the boss for Hugo and Mei） to arrive。 The manager gives one week time for Wallace to cross over。 That seven days’ time gives Wallace a new life at shop， and expresses his gratefulness to Nelson and Mei and also shows his special feelings for Hugo。 What happens to Hugo when Wallace decides to cross over？ “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”You will admire TJ Klune’s writing， if you had read The House in the Cerulean Sea。 This book made me laugh and cry。 A heart-warming and heart wrenching story。 You will fall in love with every character， especially Mei。 This book is well written with remarkable word building and astonishing storyline。 。。。more
Shanah
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I’m a sobbing mess！！！！ Hands down best book I’ve read all year。 My heart can’t take anything more right now。 I would give it 5 million stars if possible…… going to need some time to compose my thoughts before writing a proper review。 I have to go blow my nose for the 40th time now - excuse me
Keith
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In the way that a generation went to see Titanic over and over， to experience the love story that was Jack and Rose， I think that people are going to read this book over and over to read again and again about Wallace and Hugo。 It's not just a love story though。 This story is a comfort to queer people everywhere。 For all of us raised to believe that Heaven was not meant for us， this is our story; this is a mythology to give us comfort about the unknown。 I would gladly accept an afterlife like thi In the way that a generation went to see Titanic over and over， to experience the love story that was Jack and Rose， I think that people are going to read this book over and over to read again and again about Wallace and Hugo。 It's not just a love story though。 This story is a comfort to queer people everywhere。 For all of us raised to believe that Heaven was not meant for us， this is our story; this is a mythology to give us comfort about the unknown。 I would gladly accept an afterlife like this。 This story is about friendship; about family--the chosen-- our tribes。 Most of all， it's a story that shows it's never to late to make changes in your life， （or death） and become a better version of yourself。 I was not expecting the ending but I absolutely loved it。 I was a fan of The House in the Cerulean Sea。 But my heart is with this story。 No synopsis can prepare you for the cathartic ugly cries that are induced my these words。 。。。more
Lorelei
，
I loved this book。 Prepare to have your heart broken， to cry and to love these characters with all your Heart。 It’s not only a story about death but a story about love。 A love story about a ghost and a ferryman。 A tea shop and family。 A book everyone should read❤️ To mr。 Klune thank you for one again writing a fabulous heart wrenching and heart warming story for us book nerds to get lost in！
max
，
It was sweet and fun and meaningful but just was not as good as cerulean tbh :（ I liked how he wrote about friendship and （found） family， and the idea of being there for someone without trying to change them， even by taking away their pain or anger。 In a literal and metaphorical sense， sometimes it just helps to have someone next to you。 “We won’t carry you because you don’t need us to。 But we’ll be by your side。” Very queer， big fan。 But I didn’t like a） the romance。 I just didn’t care about it It was sweet and fun and meaningful but just was not as good as cerulean tbh :（ I liked how he wrote about friendship and （found） family， and the idea of being there for someone without trying to change them， even by taking away their pain or anger。 In a literal and metaphorical sense， sometimes it just helps to have someone next to you。 “We won’t carry you because you don’t need us to。 But we’ll be by your side。” Very queer， big fan。 But I didn’t like a） the romance。 I just didn’t care about it or buy the idea that hugo would open up to Wallace and only Wallace。 b） the very Christian conception of the afterlife + the idea that ~the door~ is what everyone would want， like I wouldn’t want to consciously live forever even in ~eternal light~。 It very much felt like the manifestation of the authors personal needs。 （Yes， I have experienced grief， and no， it hasn’t changed how I think about the afterlife。）[SPOILERS] esp when the one reaper was like ‘idk maybe beyond the door is just nothingness’ and Cameron freaked out and ran away but like？ That conception of death brings me comfort？ And if Cameron committed suicide isn’t nothingness / the pain to stop what he wanted？ （Idk tho maybe I’m projecting as a depressed atheist LOL） Overall still a sweet if wildly optimistic story I am just thinking Too Much 。。。more
Alison Abernethy
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I receive this book as an ARC from NetGalley！ I loved The House on the Cerulean Sea so was hyper to get this！ The book started slow for me but really sucked me in， in the end！ A solid read if you are into fantasy
Shelby Joy
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I received an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and wow！ I absolutely LOVED this book more than I expected！The storyline was so different yet enticing that I could not put the book down。 Traversing through topics like making meaningful connections， living life to the fullest， and the infamous five stages of grief， it low key gave the feeling of awareness in some of life’s importance lessons， and books like that always stand out to me。 It wasn’t just the storyline I loved e I received an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and wow！ I absolutely LOVED this book more than I expected！The storyline was so different yet enticing that I could not put the book down。 Traversing through topics like making meaningful connections， living life to the fullest， and the infamous five stages of grief， it low key gave the feeling of awareness in some of life’s importance lessons， and books like that always stand out to me。 It wasn’t just the storyline I loved either。 Wallace Price， the main character， was insufferable at first。 As the story progressed， we meet more lovable characters like Mei， Nelson， Apollo， and Hugo。 They’re all so strong in their personalities that it’s hard to actually pick a favorite character- I still can’t pick one！ Even the side characters not mentioned have a way at getting to you， and the character development in the book is off the charts！ I love some good character development， and I most definitely got some quality content in that regard。 Maybe it makes me biased， but as someone who has been surrounded by death a lot in their life， I truly appreciated this book。 It was so beautifully written and presented。 I’m not going to lie， I even shed a couple of tears in the Epilogue。With a different yet enthralling storyline， well developed characters and meaningful relationships， what more could you want from a book？ I easily gave this 5/5⭐️， and I highly recommend checking it out once it comes out on September 21st！ 。。。more
Sandra
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Note: I read this as a free eARC from Netgalley。 Wallace Price was a jerk in life and death isn't looking much better。 As he is escorted to the ferryman by the reaper， Wallace continues to try to defeat the fact that he is dead。 He always got his way in life， why not in death。 Once he arrives at the awkward looking tea shop， he begins to realize there might have been more to life than making money while running rough shod over anyone in his path。 Just as in The House in the Cerulean Sea， the aut Note: I read this as a free eARC from Netgalley。 Wallace Price was a jerk in life and death isn't looking much better。 As he is escorted to the ferryman by the reaper， Wallace continues to try to defeat the fact that he is dead。 He always got his way in life， why not in death。 Once he arrives at the awkward looking tea shop， he begins to realize there might have been more to life than making money while running rough shod over anyone in his path。 Just as in The House in the Cerulean Sea， the author entertains the reader with witty and engaging dialogue while smoothly guiding the story along。 I loved this book and all the characters！ As much as I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea， I loved this one even more。 。。。more
Kristin
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Thank you netgalley and Tor book for an e copy ARC of this book。 This is a book I loved so much I will order a physical copy。 This book is about death， a cranky mans death。 But it's a book also about life and moments。The beginning of this novel hooked me （pun intended to fellow readers）。 I loved the dark， cynical， dry humor。 I liked this book chapter 1。The thing is。 This book made me laugh。 When was the last time a book was funny or made me or my sarcastic heart laugh。。。。 Books make me cry， they Thank you netgalley and Tor book for an e copy ARC of this book。 This is a book I loved so much I will order a physical copy。 This book is about death， a cranky mans death。 But it's a book also about life and moments。The beginning of this novel hooked me （pun intended to fellow readers）。 I loved the dark， cynical， dry humor。 I liked this book chapter 1。The thing is。 This book made me laugh。 When was the last time a book was funny or made me or my sarcastic heart laugh。。。。 Books make me cry， they make me think， they make me bite my nails， they make me feel a lot， and for a logical mind like mine， it is honestly book therapy， or how I get my emotions out; but laugh， nope。。。 not much， a few times a year at most。 Books dont make me laugh， they make me happy， but that is not the same。 This story and writing style made my soul laugh， the dry humor is my thing， the cynical to genuine story。 I flew through this novel。 In the end if this novel， this story did not make me laugh， but I had other feelings， I won't spoil the ending with。 So thank you TJ Klune。 This is my first time reading a book of yours。 It won't be the last。 Under the Whispering Door is a 5* in my opinion。 This is almost my 100th book of 2021， so only maybe a dozen or so will make it into 5* category。 Read it！ I am going to make a cup of tea now。。。 if you know you know！ 。。。more
Alyce
，
This is an easy heartbreaking， belly laughing， heartwarming 5 stars。 Klune expertly weaves grief， love， death， life and love。 Klune's writing has an aura and it's a soft golden glow。 His writing makes me feel cozy but makes me FEEL the hard stuff too。 The characters were quirky and lovable and I mean， COME ON there was an adorable GHOST-DOG！ UGH it was so good。 After I was finished reading it I melted into my bed and CRIED LIKE A BABY。 This is an easy heartbreaking， belly laughing， heartwarming 5 stars。 Klune expertly weaves grief， love， death， life and love。 Klune's writing has an aura and it's a soft golden glow。 His writing makes me feel cozy but makes me FEEL the hard stuff too。 The characters were quirky and lovable and I mean， COME ON there was an adorable GHOST-DOG！ UGH it was so good。 After I was finished reading it I melted into my bed and CRIED LIKE A BABY。 。。。more
Diane Dannenfeldt
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OMG this was so freaking good。 Wallace is an attorney and not a very nice person。 He is cold & rather mean。 He dies suddenly from a heart attack & "wakes" up at his funeral & isn't very happen when there really isn't anyone there。 His partners in the firm & his ex-wife。 Enters Mei who is a reaper who is task with brining him to Hugo， the ferryman。 When he ends up at the house/tea shop where Hugo is， he sees that he is tethered to him by a hook & rope。 He also meets Hugo's grandfather & his dog A OMG this was so freaking good。 Wallace is an attorney and not a very nice person。 He is cold & rather mean。 He dies suddenly from a heart attack & "wakes" up at his funeral & isn't very happen when there really isn't anyone there。 His partners in the firm & his ex-wife。 Enters Mei who is a reaper who is task with brining him to Hugo， the ferryman。 When he ends up at the house/tea shop where Hugo is， he sees that he is tethered to him by a hook & rope。 He also meets Hugo's grandfather & his dog Apollo who are both dead & just hanging out。 Needless to say， he is not happy & demands to be sent back。 We have a story of Wallace coming to realize that he is a better person then who he was prior to his death， learning from his mistakes and trying to make some things right as well as falling in love。 I loved all the secondary characters， even the Manager。 There are moments in the story where I broke down and cried not wanting certain things to happen， but it was the way it was meant to be。 I have already pre-ordered the audio book so I can listen to the story over & over。 I really don't want to give away any spoilers， but I highly recommend this book to all you TJ Klune fans out there。I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion。 。。。more
Vanessa
，
I loved this book。 There is something really special about this author。 I didn't get my hopes up in advance of reading this， because how could you possibly top The House in the Cerulean Sea？ That's a really good question。 While this book isn't quite as magical， it does have ghosts and reapers and a ferryman。 The characters are diverse， which I like。 But， this book deals with death and you should prepare yourself to have feelings。 Not that you don't already have them， but this book will give you I loved this book。 There is something really special about this author。 I didn't get my hopes up in advance of reading this， because how could you possibly top The House in the Cerulean Sea？ That's a really good question。 While this book isn't quite as magical， it does have ghosts and reapers and a ferryman。 The characters are diverse， which I like。 But， this book deals with death and you should prepare yourself to have feelings。 Not that you don't already have them， but this book will give you extra。 This book is extra。I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Grace Edwards
，
Klune has mastered the art of building a home in the center of the ridiculousness and filling it with empathy， laughter， love， heartbreak， and happiness。 You can't help but read his books and feel a blanket over your heart and the stress of your life melt away。 It's in the ridiculousness that you find so much comfort in his stories。 In this one， you confront death and grief head-on。 While your emotions are taken for a ride， you end the book like you end all of his books。 With a greater appreciat Klune has mastered the art of building a home in the center of the ridiculousness and filling it with empathy， laughter， love， heartbreak， and happiness。 You can't help but read his books and feel a blanket over your heart and the stress of your life melt away。 It's in the ridiculousness that you find so much comfort in his stories。 In this one， you confront death and grief head-on。 While your emotions are taken for a ride， you end the book like you end all of his books。 With a greater appreciation for the magic of people and a reminder of what can happen if you just give them a chance to try again。 It's always 5 stars from me - for the story and the lesson that comes with it。 A HUGE thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kati
，
This book is everything I didn’t know that needed。 I want to start with saying this book is a MUST READ。Wallace Price is dead， and now he has to come to terms with it。 Wallace is led to Hugo， the ferryman to bring the dead to the afterlife and as Wallace， （who starts off as a TOTAL a-hole） grows as a person， he learns about the bits of life that were important to him， all while building relationships with the people around him now。 This book has so many layers to it， and the way that tj klune wa This book is everything I didn’t know that needed。 I want to start with saying this book is a MUST READ。Wallace Price is dead， and now he has to come to terms with it。 Wallace is led to Hugo， the ferryman to bring the dead to the afterlife and as Wallace， （who starts off as a TOTAL a-hole） grows as a person， he learns about the bits of life that were important to him， all while building relationships with the people around him now。 This book has so many layers to it， and the way that tj klune was able to capture so many different types of grief was wonderfully done。 The loss of a parent or grandparent， pet， friend， opportunity， relationship， or even the loss of self were all brilliantly covered。 Even though there were so many difficult concepts included， it is still not lacking in quirkiness and laughter。 You hear about a book that discusses grief in great lengths like this and you think， there’s no way it could be filled with sweetness and laughter， but this one does it。 The side characters are so wonderfully built up and their personalities are all so vibrant it just adds so much to the overall mood of the book。 You feel for every last character。 This will be one of those books I remember for a long long time。 It hurts at points to read， and it gets painful， but there is so much happiness and hope in the pain。 Leaving a book feeling hopeful is the best feeling and it’s hard to do， but this one does it and I will recommend it for years to come。Please check trigger warnings and thank you to Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for review。 。。。more
Leslie
，
4。5This book is a warm cup of tea on a cold day。 I'm having a hard time processing the emotional wringer I went through reading this。I was worried that this book would ignite my anxiety that I have around existentialism， but it really didn't。 It was so surprisingly。。。 relieving。 Death and grieving are really hard topics to tackle and to tackle well， and I think this book does such a good job of making the reader go through the emotional journey Wallace goes on。 My one complaint would be that I w 4。5This book is a warm cup of tea on a cold day。 I'm having a hard time processing the emotional wringer I went through reading this。I was worried that this book would ignite my anxiety that I have around existentialism， but it really didn't。 It was so surprisingly。。。 relieving。 Death and grieving are really hard topics to tackle and to tackle well， and I think this book does such a good job of making the reader go through the emotional journey Wallace goes on。 My one complaint would be that I wished Hugo and Wallace had worked together to help the two people they needed to help instead of the focus being solely on Wallace。 That part of the book felt a bit rushed and I wished it had slowed down a bit。 I also wasn't the biggest fan of the ending， weirdly enough （though I did like the epilogue）。Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
kat
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how do i get my hands on this already， september seems so far away
Jessica
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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。Content warnings for death， suicide， depression， and anxiety。Wallace Price dies and is collected by Reaper Mei and brought to Charon's Crossing， a tea shop owned by Ferryman Hugo。 Throughout the journey of the book， Wallace begins to live and find himself in ways that he wasn't able to when he was among the living。Wallace in the first half of the book is quite simply an asshole。 He has spent his life Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。Content warnings for death， suicide， depression， and anxiety。Wallace Price dies and is collected by Reaper Mei and brought to Charon's Crossing， a tea shop owned by Ferryman Hugo。 Throughout the journey of the book， Wallace begins to live and find himself in ways that he wasn't able to when he was among the living。Wallace in the first half of the book is quite simply an asshole。 He has spent his life looking out for only himself and his career， to the detriment of everyone else around him， including himself。 He dies alone in his office on a Sunday and the main story arc starts when he is collected by Mei， a Reaper， at his funeral。 She brings him to Charon's Crossing where he meets Nelson， Apollo （an adorable dog）， and Hugo， the Ferryman who is supposed to help him on his journey to what's next for Wallace。This book is wonderful and insightful。 The characters are diverse， fully realized， and complex。 As the synopsis says， it is both heartwarming and heartbreaking， sometimes in the same paragraph。 I laughed， I teared up， and I couldn't put it down towards the end。 。。。more
laurel [the suspected bibliophile]
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Whew that was a lot of tears。 What the hell is it with me and crying books recently？To be utterly honest， I hated Wallace Price at the beginning。 I wasn't sure I'd be able to continue， particularly since the tonal vibes of The House in the Cerulean Sea were hitting me in ways I wasn't particularly fond of: emotionally closed off man goes to house in the middle of nowhere and meets incredibly empathetic and kind man dedicated to helping others， and finds himself healed in the process and falls in Whew that was a lot of tears。 What the hell is it with me and crying books recently？To be utterly honest， I hated Wallace Price at the beginning。 I wasn't sure I'd be able to continue， particularly since the tonal vibes of The House in the Cerulean Sea were hitting me in ways I wasn't particularly fond of: emotionally closed off man goes to house in the middle of nowhere and meets incredibly empathetic and kind man dedicated to helping others， and finds himself healed in the process and falls in love。 That's it。 That's the gist of the book。 Except in this case the kind and empathetic man is Black and doing a lot of emotional labor to heal the angry， asshole white dude （that's why this isn't five-stars—I don't think Klune was able to get past the Magical Negro trope， either for Hugo or Nelson）， and there's a lot of empathetic people going "oh， I see" but not explaining themselves to the emotionally closed off person。However。Those're the down points。The plusses almost overcome all of that （again， 4 not 5）。This is like a wonderful cross of The House in the Cerulean Sea （yes， I'm going to keep using this comp title because it fits） meets "Whenever You're Ready" from The Good Place。Which seems like a serious spoiler， but it's not。 Not really。 There are things that I knew were going to happen and did， and things that I hoped would happen and knew would not （and was mildly disappointed by but the ending is still solid）。Full RTC， with quotes and shit。 These are just my initial thoughts after finishing。 Although they seem rather harsh， but seriously， this book is solid。 Lots of grief， lots of emotion， lots of love and moving on and acceptance， and so much death。 But in a good way？All I can really say without too many spoilers is that if you liked the two comps I mentioned， you will enjoy this one。By enjoy， I mean you'll end the book like someone shoved a hook on a line through your chest and pulled your heart out。Oops。 I've said too much。I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Jolene
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Never have I read a book that made me go through so many emotions。 I just saw a review that said this book felt like a hug and I couldn't have summed it up better。 The promise was so simple and yet so beautifully executed。 Tj Klune masters at creating characters so well written and with so much depth。 The house in the cerulean sea was good， but this one is better。 I can't wait to get my hands on it。 Never have I read a book that made me go through so many emotions。 I just saw a review that said this book felt like a hug and I couldn't have summed it up better。 The promise was so simple and yet so beautifully executed。 Tj Klune masters at creating characters so well written and with so much depth。 The house in the cerulean sea was good， but this one is better。 I can't wait to get my hands on it。 。。。more
Lee Hall
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I honestly don't know where to begin with this review。 This book was so profound， moving， endearing， and charming。 I could make an entire list of adjectives to describe it， but first， I'll attempt to review it。 This is my 4th book by Klune， and truth be told， I'm starting to think he was a mental health professional in a previous life。 His words aren't hokey， or filled with Hallmark-card wisdom。 They're achingly real， and reading them feels like breathing life into emotions。 I'm assuming that TJ I honestly don't know where to begin with this review。 This book was so profound， moving， endearing， and charming。 I could make an entire list of adjectives to describe it， but first， I'll attempt to review it。 This is my 4th book by Klune， and truth be told， I'm starting to think he was a mental health professional in a previous life。 His words aren't hokey， or filled with Hallmark-card wisdom。 They're achingly real， and reading them feels like breathing life into emotions。 I'm assuming that TJ doesn't read these reviews， but if he did， I would say thank you to him。 This story helped put a lot of my fears about losing my aunt to rest。 I know that it is a work of fiction， but thinking about my aunt in this way was a wonderfully freeing thing。 So thank you， TJ。 You've made a 35-year-old feel light and breezy again。 Now on to the review。 In the same vein of The House in the Cerulean Sea， Klune sets up a beautiful， fantastical world that is both somehow gigantic and small at the same time。 My word to describe THITCS was "enchanting。" With Under the Whispering Door， my word is "life-affirming。" This book gave me all the good feels， but at the same time， made me acknowledge the concept of death （which isn't really anyone's favorite topic of conversation） in a positive way。 The MC of the story is Wallace Price， an asshole of a lawyer who dies suddenly of a heart attack， Even though he was horrible why he was alive， he can't seem to understand why no one really came to his funeral， and the ones that did， talked badly about him。 He is then confronted by Mei， a tiny Chinese-American Grim Reaper （and she's HILARIOUS） who explains to Wallace that she has to take him to Hugo， the ferryman whose job it is to help the dead cross over to the next step in their journey。 Naturally， Wallace is pissed about being dead， and when he comes to Hugo's tea shop （and portal to the next existence）， he's angry and refuses to accept the fact that he's dead。 This is where the story starts to get both funny AND achingly tragic。 Hugo， a young Black man who has panic attacks and deceased parents， is introduced as Wallace's ferryman。 He is kind， empathetic， and honest。 Wallace wants nothing to do with him。 Wallace also meets Hugo's grandfather， Nelson--who is also a ghost。 And a hilarious one。 There is also the ghost of Hugo's adorable service dog， Apollo。 Together， Mei， Hugo， Nelson， and Apollo run the Charron's Crossing Tea Shop。 I could keep detailing the plot to you， but this is what it boils down to: Wallace eventually learns kindness， compassion， and love。 These unlikely friends form a beautiful family who come to love each other。 In the span of a month， Wallace does everything from scare a fake psychic （trust me--it's so funny that I cried）， to learn how to change his "ghost clothes，" to learning about the "Husks，" （souls who are lost and want to cross over。） His journey is beautiful and romantic and profound and I enjoyed every single second of it。 His redemption journey and his ability to sacrifice himself for others is what anchors the story。 I won't spoil the ending， but I can say this with absolute certainty: I cried harder at the ending of this book than I have any other book in years。 But not because I was sad， but because the ending helped me so much in understanding grief and loss。 Even as a work of fiction， Klune's words helped me heal in a lot of ways。 Is it as good as The House in the Cerulean Sea？ You can't compare these stories at all。 They're both incredible in their own way， and in their own message。 Everyone takes something different from these stories。 Both of these books have moved me profoundly， and I can't believe I lived over thirty years without reading a TJ Klune book。 THITCS was a 5-star read for me， and this book is， as well。 If you liked the former book， I have no doubt that you will LOVE Under the Whispering Door。 *A huge thank-you to NetGalley and Tor Books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion and review。* 。。。more
Glenda Carrillo
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Let me preface by saying I have not yet read House in the Cerulean Sea which I think helped in not comparing the two。 Second， I’ve heard about the authors comments about his inspiration for House in the Cerulean Sea。 I went into this with no bias whatsoever。 Wallace is/was a lawyer who passes away suddenly from a heart attack and finds himself in the in between， Charon’s Crossing Tea Shop， a whimsical and funny looking house in the middle of nowhere。 I don’t know what I expected this book to do Let me preface by saying I have not yet read House in the Cerulean Sea which I think helped in not comparing the two。 Second， I’ve heard about the authors comments about his inspiration for House in the Cerulean Sea。 I went into this with no bias whatsoever。 Wallace is/was a lawyer who passes away suddenly from a heart attack and finds himself in the in between， Charon’s Crossing Tea Shop， a whimsical and funny looking house in the middle of nowhere。 I don’t know what I expected this book to do to me。 But it definitely wasn’t to love the characters so much。 The character growth I saw not only from the main character but the other characters as well， was beautifully written。 What would you do with life if you knew your time was limited？ Would you go after what you want？ Would you give up and just stew？ Would you be totally different person than what you were while alive？The book deals with death。 A lot of it as it is the premise。 It lightly touches on death by suicide， death of a young child， someone being murdered & mental health issues such as panic and anxiety attacks。 They are subjects that are there but not too heavily。 If any of these should trigger you， it would be a wise idea to steer clear。 Things I loved: -Character growth not only from main character but all characters。 -the love between Hugo and Wallace-the witty and fun banter between Wallace and Nelson & Apollo-the tears and emotion that tore from within me at 1am-the amazing writing style -the characters overall。 I LOVED them so much -the diverse characters -LGTBQIA Representation You can expect fun， humor， but overall love。 Love for what we are meant to do while we still can…whether you are alive…or dead。 What would you do if you had only 7 days left？ Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the amazing chance to read this book in turn for an honest opinion！ 。。。more
Courtney
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