In the outskirts of town, off the beaten path in the woods tucked between mountains, lies a strange but comforting tea shop. A tea shop run by a man named Hugo and his coworker Mei. A tea shop that not only serves tea to the lost and lonely but houses those on their way to the afterlife. As well as Hugo’s late grandfather’s ghost and his ghost dog. With Hugo’s help those souls heal and move on. Hugo’s job as a ferryman gets a bit thrown off balance when Wallace, a mean ungrateful human, arrives. Will Hugo be able to help him move on? Or will Wallace lose himself forever?

“The first time you share tea you are a stranger.

The second time you share tea you are an honoured guest.

The third time you share tea you become a family.”

I absolutely loved that quote. It’s not originally Klune’s, he adapted it, but it’s going to stick with me for a long time. I need to paint that quote on canvas and hang it up. Really touched me. And that leads me to my favourite part of the book. I absolutely loved the tea shop and everything to do with the tea. That was so beautiful and brought such warmth to me. Further creating a beautiful atmosphere to the story.

Klune did a great job exploring death, grief and relationships between people. There was a heavier tone to this book than Cerulean Sea, but Klune knows how to tug at the heartstrings through his characters. I loved Mei, ghost dog Apollo, Hugo and most of all grandpa Nelson. My one qualm is with Wallace. He seemed too good to be true to have developed as he did through the story. Which just didn’t jive with me.

As for the ending, it wasn’t what I wanted and an ending I was definitely expecting. All in all this was true to Klune’s signature style but it left me wanting something different, 3.5✨. Thank you @torbooks for a copy of the book I won from a Twitter giveaway!