A review by ceelo1581
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Did not finish book. Stopped at 56%.
This book began as a sweet, often hilarious novel that would take the reader on an unexpected journey through death. 

 I had a difficult time with Wallace’s transition from living to death. He began as this character that was easy to dislike, rough and rude, all business. I wanted to see a little bit of that in the afterlife too, at least when he first realized he was no longer living. But he almost instantaneously became this submissive and emotional guy who wanted to share his feelings with anyone and everyone, and I did not find it completely believable. (I say that as someone who hasn’t quite experienced death yet, so maybe that isn’t a fair characterization.). 

The first few chapters were fantastic, and I could not wait to read more. However, it really began to drag at about a quarter of the way through. The constant dialogue was exhausting.  The premise of a great story was there, but it kept lagging and never really made it to its full potential. I expected to see more flashback scenes to Wallace’s life (e.g. with his mom and the peppermint candy canes) because that was where the magic seemed to be. 

Some of the characters were fantastic. Nelson and Mei were my favorites. Others just seemed to be filler characters and were never developed in a way that made them stand out (Cameron, the Manager, Desdemona). Their contributions did not add to the storyline at all. Also, I thought that the hook and cable was a bit odd. 

The romance factor also just came out of left field.  The flirting between two of the characters was  weird and awkward. There was zero chemistry between the two of them, so it really detracted from the story overall. I understand that the author wants to paint LGBTQ in a positive light, but this missed the mark. 

I gave it my best shot, but when I found myself dreading picking it up, I knew it was time to move on to something else. 
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