Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

122 reviews

sgpartyhat's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Wallace Price is a bit of an asshole. Okay, a lot of an asshole. 

That is, until, he dies. 

TJ Klune's Under the Whispering Door asks: what if when you died, you stopped at a tea shop on the way to whatever's next? That's just what Wallace does, shepherded by a reaper and a ferryman, and none too happily at that. But death has a way of changing people--the dead most of all. 

Klune spins a tapestry of warm tea and warmer conversations, of love and loss and grief and fear and the occasional Eldritch being as old as time itself. His characters are imperfect, messy, and a comforting reminder that we are, too. His romance writing is loudly quiet and beautifully crafted, glowing embers and a raging fire all rolled up into one. His worldbuilding is whimsical and grand, and while it's looser than some of the fantasy I've read, that feels fitting for the story. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

Many of the characters in the book are dead, so their deaths affect the story.

cassielaj's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Let me first say that I was fragile while reading this, dealing with some grief of my own, and this book was exactly what I needed in that time. It is a beautiful, hopeful reflection on life, death, and grief, filled with some of the loveliest characters who burrowed their ways into my heart. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Suicide, and Death of parent

Minor: Car accident

sandysmith's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It's a really quirky, beautifully written read, but if death is a trigger for you, then give it a miss. It's about Wallace, a cold friendless corporate lawyer who likes it that way who has a heart attack and dies. He doesn't accept this but is collected by Reaper Mai at his funeral, who takes him to the Ferryman Hugo. He meets various other ghosts, mainly Nelson, Hugos' grandad, and Hugos' dog Apollo who together they help him come to terms with his death and become a better person, hopefully allowing him to cross over. So very thought-provoking about grief, relationships, friendships, and so much more. Uplifting and the best bisexual storyline I've read.  I loved it, a big hug in a book, comforting and a massive tear jerker. A perfect modern fairy tale esq book.  Smashing.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Chronic illness and Car accident

elg1105's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent

efurtak49's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer and Car accident

daniofthewood's review against another edition

dark hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Violence, and Car accident

Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

laur_astor's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a very sweet story. While the plot felt slow and the setting felt redundant at times, I still greatly enjoyed spending time with these characters. It took me a while to warm up to Wallace but I ended up loving his journey and the family he finds in Hugo, Mei, Nelson, and Apollo.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Self harm, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Animal death, Terminal illness, and Car accident

sparklefarm's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Here's the thing about reading TJ Klune books. The setting is so cozy and the characters so heartfelt that if I read quickly enough, I don't catch how preachy it is. I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way, but both books that I've read are just so dang earnest. In this book I think the charming setting distracted me from the fact that

I didn't actually see Wallace's transformation from asshole to great guy, or believe his growing connection to Hugo (also I definitely clocked their ages as like, 65 and 29 at first since it wasn't made explicit, which complicated things 😆). For me, a lot of telling vs showing.

That said, I really enjoy how his books make me feel when I read them! So I'll probably definitely read more.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Suicide, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

sadetanssija's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

Minor: Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent

miles's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Murder

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent