Under the Whispering Door

When Wallace dies unexpectedly and is taken by a reaper to a quirky tea shop to meet with Hugo, who she refers to as a ferryman, he is in shock. His life was full of success and money, but not so full of people who cared about him. He has a hard time grappling with the afterlife and everything Hugo has to offer him in terms of help and care. As Wallace finds himself starting to enjoy the company of the people in this tea shop, he realizes that maybe the way he lived his life wasn't the best, but it may be too late for him to do anything about it.

Guys, this book wrecked me. I was a puddle on the floor when I finished. I couldn't stop crying. This book is such a magical, lovely story. Klune does it again. The setting, the characters, the themes, everything help create the most fantastic, touching story. This tea shop is somewhere I would want to go to every day just to experience this cozy, perfect ambience. Characters are Klune's strong suit, and he doesn't disappoint here. Every character is so unique and fully realized. They each have very distinct personalities, as well as lovely relationships with each of the other characters. The family Wallace finds in this tea shop is so beautiful.

I was sobbing for the last 20 pages of this book. It definitely deals with some heavy themes. However, the story is so poignant and touching, and I would read 10 more books set in this tea shop with these characters just living their day-to-day lives. I recommend this book to anyone that loves a good love story. Check out the content warnings before hand, though. There is some dark content matter.

TW: animal death, anxiety, cancer (terminal), child death, death of a parent (past, mentioned), depression, heart attack, murder, outing (mentioned), self-harm