A review by briarwren
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

emotional inspiring medium-paced

5.0

“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.”

I don't give five stars lightly, but this is a beautiful book. It has an excellent narrator, a nice cover illustration and interesting title that would probably have caught my eye eventually, but I fully admit I'm not sure when or even if I would have actually read it if it hadn't been recommended by one of my most adored authors Gail Carriger during one of her live streams. She had also recommended The House in the Cerulean Sea the year before that I promptly bought and then neglected to read which will be rectified shortly.

I don't know how to unpack this book at all. The word building is excellent but how Klune managed to take something so serious and make it whimsical is mystifying. The feelings are certainly there; grief, anger, sarcasm, sweetness and romance without being cloying or mushy, determination et al. I hesitate to call this cozy but it was certainly more comforting and soothing than expected and yet exactly what I needed during the whirlwind month that informed me I have stage IV cancer. I'm a firm believer a book often comes to one exactly when needed and this is certainly one of those times. Having the audiobook to hand as I began treatment brought great solace and I yearn with all my heart to be able to visit that little tea shoppe albeit only for the tea and company.

My youngest teenage spawn glommed onto it as well when a hardcopy arrived from the library I'd forgotten I'd placed on hold when I feared my audiobook was due back before I could finish it. She is now demanding we buy a copy so high praise indeed.