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mxfahrenheit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Blood, Medical content, and Car accident
sallysimply's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I adored this! It was such a fun adventure, and once I got about halfway through, I just did not want to put it down. I was emotionally invested and the reveals felt meaningful to me.
My main disappointment in this book is that I kept wanting Wendy to lean on her best friend! That relationship was set up so nicely and then completely abandoned. What a bummer.
It felt, in general, like not all of the threads were connected at the end there, but there is so much heart in this story, it's easy to overlook the shortcomings.
My main disappointment in this book is that I kept wanting Wendy to lean on her best friend! That relationship was set up so nicely and then completely abandoned. What a bummer.
It felt, in general, like not all of the threads were connected at the end there, but there is so much heart in this story, it's easy to overlook the shortcomings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism and Kidnapping
Minor: Car accident
alylentz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was so excellent. A bit slower to get into than <i>Cemetery Boys</i> for me, but I didn't see the twists coming at all and was completely blown away by about the last 50 pages. Can't wait to read whatever Aiden Thomas publishes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Medical content
s100001's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Car accident
jams's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’ve spent almost two months trying to find a remotely coherent way to articulate my feelings on this book seeing as most my reactions while reading amounted to “dude, mood” “wait what” “oh Damn” and “please can every character just get some therapy”. This book absolutely destroyed me emotionally. In the best way possible. Peter Pan has always been a favourite of mine and Cemetery Boys my favourite book of 2020 so when I found out about this adaption it shot to the very top of my most anticipated releases and did not disappoint. In fact it exceeded my expectations.
Wendy as a character is so loveable and her anxiety, fear and guilt are so real that I truly felt every emotional hit as they came. Pair that with Peter’s lightness, his unending love and need to care for others and you get this really sweet dynamic of two teens trying to do better and get each other through a really awful time. I truly think LITNW is some of the best written trauma I have seen in YA.
This is a book about trauma, grief and having to grow up too soon. Yet it balances these heavier themes with amazing moments of humour and fluff, and ultimately feels incredibly hopeful.
Anyway I think it's safe to say that Aiden Thomas is a favourite author of mine now and I absolutely cannot wait for his future releases.
Wendy as a character is so loveable and her anxiety, fear and guilt are so real that I truly felt every emotional hit as they came. Pair that with Peter’s lightness, his unending love and need to care for others and you get this really sweet dynamic of two teens trying to do better and get each other through a really awful time. I truly think LITNW is some of the best written trauma I have seen in YA.
This is a book about trauma, grief and having to grow up too soon. Yet it balances these heavier themes with amazing moments of humour and fluff, and ultimately feels incredibly hopeful.
Anyway I think it's safe to say that Aiden Thomas is a favourite author of mine now and I absolutely cannot wait for his future releases.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, and Stalking
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Car accident
content warnings: loss of family members, grief, severe trauma/ptsd, anxiety/anxiety attacks, compulsion, night terrors and insomnia, kidnapping, some descriptions of injury and violencebookcrushin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is an emotional and dark retelling of Peter Pan that will have you processing grief right alongside Wendy Darling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Gun violence, Blood, and Car accident
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Swoon Reads and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this to review! Ever since Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas has definitely been on my radar. Probably an auto-buy author for me now! I can’t wait to get my final copy in the mail because the cover is just gorgeous.
This book is much slower paced than Cemetery Boys. Most of the action comes in the last third of the book, and there is a lot of build up to the main event. This is mainly due to the fact that much of this book is an exploration of the trauma that Wendy experienced and working through that trauma. Thomas once again shows their mastery of writing character as even the side characters, like Wendy’s best friend Jordan, felt fully fleshed out to me.
There were just a few things about this that didn’t make it a five star read for me. Most of it has to do with the timeline, specifically the five years between Wendy’s brothers disappearing and the events in this book. It leaves some plot holes that don’t necessarily make sense by the end of the book. What was happening in that five year gap, specifically in Neverland?
I will say, I think the plot twist was a little less obvious in this one. And possibly more heartbreaking. There are some excellent nods to Peter Pan throughout, so if you’re a fan of that classic story, you’ll definitely enjoy this twist. All I can say is that I can’t wait to see what Aiden Thomas does next!
This book is much slower paced than Cemetery Boys. Most of the action comes in the last third of the book, and there is a lot of build up to the main event. This is mainly due to the fact that much of this book is an exploration of the trauma that Wendy experienced and working through that trauma. Thomas once again shows their mastery of writing character as even the side characters, like Wendy’s best friend Jordan, felt fully fleshed out to me.
There were just a few things about this that didn’t make it a five star read for me. Most of it has to do with the timeline, specifically the five years between Wendy’s brothers disappearing and the events in this book. It leaves some plot holes that don’t necessarily make sense by the end of the book. What was happening in that five year gap, specifically in Neverland?
I will say, I think the plot twist was a little less obvious in this one. And possibly more heartbreaking. There are some excellent nods to Peter Pan throughout, so if you’re a fan of that classic story, you’ll definitely enjoy this twist. All I can say is that I can’t wait to see what Aiden Thomas does next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident
stephbakerbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to Libro.fm, Macmillan Audio, and the author for my ALC!
Whenever I hear about a book that’s a retelling of a classic story, I’m always so excited to read it…and then I am disappointed. 😂 I’m pretty sure I only have myself to blame at this point lol.
That’s not to say this book is bad. I did like it and I would still recommend it, just with caution; my expectations were too high. (As they are for every retelling I read…I have a problem.) I liked the small nods to the Peter Pan story that were peppered throughout. I liked how the story was a mystery instead of just a coming-of-age adventure story.
But I thought the plot moved too slowly. They kept saying things were urgent and they needed to find the kids quickly—but there was no sense of urgency in the plot. And then the ending felt very rushed to me. I kind of guessed where it was going, but that was the one part I wanted to unfold more slowly. 😅
I liked the characters for the most part. There is some development with Wendy, and I liked her relationship with her parents. I could never quite decide if I liked Peter’s character though…I remain torn.
The audio…wasn’t my favorite. The narrator just did not work for me so I might’ve liked this more in print.
Whenever I hear about a book that’s a retelling of a classic story, I’m always so excited to read it…and then I am disappointed. 😂 I’m pretty sure I only have myself to blame at this point lol.
That’s not to say this book is bad. I did like it and I would still recommend it, just with caution; my expectations were too high. (As they are for every retelling I read…I have a problem.) I liked the small nods to the Peter Pan story that were peppered throughout. I liked how the story was a mystery instead of just a coming-of-age adventure story.
But I thought the plot moved too slowly. They kept saying things were urgent and they needed to find the kids quickly—but there was no sense of urgency in the plot. And then the ending felt very rushed to me. I kind of guessed where it was going, but that was the one part I wanted to unfold more slowly. 😅
I liked the characters for the most part. There is some development with Wendy, and I liked her relationship with her parents. I could never quite decide if I liked Peter’s character though…I remain torn.
The audio…wasn’t my favorite. The narrator just did not work for me so I might’ve liked this more in print.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Car accident
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
📚 LOST IN THE NEVER WOODS is not just a modern retelling of Peter Pan, but an exploration of loss and grief, and the many ways trauma and PTSD can manifest for survivors of terrible events.
📚 I loved Peter and Wendy's dynamic - the fact that Peter isn't a static young boy in this version gives them so much more room to grow.
📚 Thomas' creepy visuals remain a highlight of his writing.
📚 The big drawback of this book for me was that because we already know the classic Peter Pan story, we are a few steps ahead of Wendy for much of the book. Even when the plot is unfolding fast, it still feels like it drags a bit while we wait for her to piece things together.
📚 I loved Peter and Wendy's dynamic - the fact that Peter isn't a static young boy in this version gives them so much more room to grow.
📚 Thomas' creepy visuals remain a highlight of his writing.
📚 The big drawback of this book for me was that because we already know the classic Peter Pan story, we are a few steps ahead of Wendy for much of the book. Even when the plot is unfolding fast, it still feels like it drags a bit while we wait for her to piece things together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, and Murder
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