Under the Whispering Door

Rating: 3 Stars

"If we worry about the little things all the time, we run the risk of missing the bigger things."

When a Reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he's definitely dead. But even in death he's not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Alright so this story gave me a lot of Scrooge vibes pretty early on. Wallace was a level of sass that I one day hope to emulate haha. His sarcasm is unmatched. However, Nelson's level of attitude and sass is also beautiful. Hugo and Wallace develop this amazingly sweet and pure bond in the time they spend together. The characters were all well written and the found family dynamic was beautiful. My only issue was that it felt like nothing really happened for most of the book, like I know it is because we are seeing Wallace grow and develop and learn to care for other people; but it really felt like that could have happened in less time or with more of the action filled moments of the book.

Overall it is one that I think I would reread if I was looking for a sweet uplifting story without wanting a lot of stuff to be happening. It isn't one that I would read if I was looking for action. It is mostly what I would consider a comfort read that allows you to feel a range of emotions throughout.