This is my favorite novel of all time. It's the first book when I got back into reading that had me going back and forth from laughing out loud one chapter and sobbing the next. I've read this book three times in the last two years (two times this year) and each time it fills me with such love. It deals with intense emotions that deal with death in all forms. But it does it with such grace. I got to meet TJ Klune this year as well and he is a fantastic human being. Please read all of his books and if you can go to one of his events, do that as well. ( )

Really thought I was going to love this one, but found myself underwhelmed. The idea of there being waystations and ferrymen to encounter on the way to death was a neat one, but I'm not sure it works with the cozy vibes this book was going for. I would think that more people would linger between worlds if given the choice, rather than pass on in a matter of days, leaving the ferrymen (and women) unable to give the dead the level of personal time that Wallace was receiving. I also felt like the fact that ghosts can learn to change their appearance and interact with solid matter would add to many people not wanting to move on, if you can manage a sort of half life before confronting the unknown.

In the end though, I just wasn't really engaged with the plot. I liked Wallace's relationship with Huge well enough (more gay pining though, please) and I could nitpick about how quickly it progressed, but Klune did the same thing in Cerulean Sea and I'm fine with it. I also feel like how the story ended kind of undermined the whole concept/theme of someone having to confront who they were while living, the things they're unable to change now that they're dead, and the typically terrifying unknown of what happens after we die.

It was fine, but not one I'll be wanting to reread. ( )

"It’s beautiful, even when it hurts."

I hesitate to say this one was cute. There were many cute moments in it and moments that melted my heart and made me swoon a bit. It's a bit of a love story - but it's a love story about finding life and finding love and finding. . .what life means.

This is the story of Wallace and the day he died. But it's so much more than that. It's about the reaper and the ferryman and about what happens after we're gone. There are so many tough topics tackled in this story but they are handled with so much love and caring that it doesn't feel like a downer type book. It restores hope and love for humanity - or atleast remind you that maybe almost anyone is redeemable. And the cover is perfect, I love it. I'm so glad I finally picked this one up, it was worth it. ( )

10/10
The author explores life and life choices through the lens of death, an interesting concept to me, and presents an interesting version of the “afterlife”.

The author writes beautiful, multi-dimensional characters and gives the reader reasons to care about each. I didn’t really think Wallace’s turnaround was all that rapid or unbelievable—a crisis/trauma (like dying) can be a catalyst for change. The influence of his “found family” certainly helped. We could see that the other main characters also grew into their current selves and roles over time, although we only get glimpses & hints of that process, not a front row seat as we do with Wallace.

I liked the way the characters’ sexuality was just matter-of-fact, whether hetero-, homo-, or bisexual. Same with race. ( )

Bibliofile: Quick Plot Summary
Summary (Spoilers)
The two-paragraph version: Wallace is an unpleasant and selfish man who dies. He is brought to a tea house where the ferryman, Hugo, is there to help Wallace process his life and enter the doorway to the afterlife when he’s ready. At the tea house, Wallace befriends the others there and learns to care for and sacrifice for others. He also develops romantic feelings for Hugo.

When Wallace overstays his time, the Manager (a god-like entity) gives Wallace a hard 7-day limit before he needs to move on. During that time, Wallace makes amends with his ex-wife (he’s bisexual) and helps a grieving mother find closure. He also helps to rescue Cameron, who was a “Husk” (a ghost who had lost his humanity), which were previously thought to be hopeless cases. When it’s time to leave, the Manager agrees to let Hugo continue to work on rescuing other Husks, and the Manager decides to bring Wallace back to life so he can work as a Reaper (herding ghosts to the tea house) alongside Hugo. ( )