Name: Sarah Sammis's review of Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
Item: Lost in the Never Woods
Rating: 4
Author: Sarah Sammis

Aiden Thomas

When children start to go missing in the local woods, a teen girl must face her fears and a past she can't remember to rescue them in this atmospheric YA novel, Lost in the Never Woods from the author of Cemetery Boys. It's been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town's children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers' mysterious circumstances are brought back into the light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road... Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, asks for Wendy's help to rescue the missing kids. But, in order to find them, Wendy must confront what's waiting for her in the woods. Praise for Aiden Thomas: 'Absolutely delightful! Lost in the Never Woods is chock-full of suspense, excitement, and nostalgia. Peter Pan is as thrilling and seductive as ever, and Thomas' heartfelt tale feels as ageless as the legend himself' Romina Garber, New York Times-bestselling author of Zodiac 'A poignant novel about resilience, the magic of childhood, and the impossible choices that survivors often have to make in order to move forward, this will haunt readers long after they put it down - but will also leave them looking up at the stars' Booklist, starred review 'This stunning debut novel from Thomas is detailed, heart-rending, and immensely romantic' Mark Oshiro, author of Anger is a Gift 'Aiden Thomas masterfully weaves a tale of family, friendships, and love in a heart-warming adventure full of affirmation and being your best self' C.B. Lee, author of Not Your Sidekick

Lost in the Never Woods

When children start to go missing in the local woods, a teen girl must face her fears and a past she can't remember to rescue them in this atmospheric YA novel, Lost in the Never Woods from the author of Cemetery Boys. It’s been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back into the light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road... Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, asks for Wendy’s help to rescue the missing kids. But, in order to find them, Wendy must confront what’s waiting for her in the woods. Praise for Aiden Thomas and Cemetery Boys: “This stunning debut novel from Thomas is detailed, heart-rending, and immensely romantic.” —Mark Oshiro, author of Anger is a Gift “Aiden Thomas masterfully weaves a tale of family, friendships, and love in a heartwarming adventure full of affirmation and being your best self." — C.B. Lee, author of Not Your Sidekick

Nataly

“Me? Afraid?” Peter gave her a grin, ducking his head closer. “Never,” he whispered. 

Alison

When Michael was born, John was three and Wendy was five. Their mother told them stories about Peter Pan every night before they went to bed, about his adventures with pirates, mermaids, and his gang of lost kids.

Wendy Darling!!! And so this story begins.

As Wendy Darling pushed through the door, all conver- sation died and every eye focused on her. As she stood there, files stacked in her arms, the whispers started in hushed tones. The hairs on the back of Wendy's neck prickled.

Laura Wilson

Sarah Sammis

Aiden Thomas returns to the themes of family, death, and loss. This time, though, there is no romance beyond a brief infatuation that Wendy feels for Peter as he ages into early adulthood. Instead the focus is on allowing oneself to grieve and how families struggle to continue living after the loss of a child (or children).

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

S/M uhoria cornfield 99CCFF

akynn 

Tatiana

Lost in the Never Woods: 2.5/5

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021, so it pains me to give this a low rating.

Premise:
Lost in the Never Woods is a Peter Pan retelling/sequel that follows Wendy's perspective. I say this because the actual events of Peter Pan happened about five years prior, when Wendy and her two brothers went missing into the "Never Woods" Six months after the Darling children went missing, Wendy was found alone. 

Now, a few months after her eighteenth birthday, her brothers are still missing, and new disappearances are reigniting old trauma. While driving home from her shift volunteering at the hospital, Wendy almost runs over a boy in the road, who has a striking, but older, resemblance to "Peter Pan," a fictional boy her mother used to tell her stories about. In turn, Wendy used to tell her brothers these stories. Not only does this mysterious boy seem to recognize her, but he also knows her name.

Writing & Plot:
In Thomas's debut novel, they were praised for the genius writing and cohesion of the novel Cemetary Boys. Although I have not read it, I was excited to pick up Thomas's sophomore novel. This writing was just not for me. There were sentences copy and pasted word for word in different chapters reiterating the plot and problem. The writing was so on the nose that this book felt more like a middle-grade novel that kept repeating the same point.

Lost in the Never Woods is extremely slow-paced. For the first 60% of the book, nothing happened except Peter and Wendy talking in different locations. This got boring really quickly; as I said before, the same conversation repeats itself every time. 

Finally, a plot twist actually took me by surprise, but it felt rushed over. All of this lead-up, talking, and nonsense only lead up to a page and a half of reveals and then an extremely long aftermath. 

There are definitely some plot holes, such as five children are missing, but a search party is only installed after the final two disappear. Nobody is ever taken into custody or questioned, or even suspected. Since this book takes place in our own world, I would think some investigation would occur before seven disappearances. 

Furthermore, in Wendy's house, her father has a study that Wendy is not allowed to enter and is always unlocked. This is never explained. She goes in once, and nothing comes of it or that room. It's completely useless. 

Characters:
Peter is obviously pretty easy to characterize, and I liked that he was older, 19, and no longer a literal child in this book. I think he was portrayed pretty well and adorably oblivious.

Wendy, on the other hand, had no brain. I very much disliked Wendy's character, I think she was weak, and although she is 18 in this novel, she acted like she was 12. She had almost no personality except to find her brothers and needed everything spelled out for her word for word. This made reading it really unenjoyable. I think I rolled my eyes at her character more than I have in my entire life.

One major reason this book didn't work out for me is the romance between Peter and Wendy. I couldn't get it out of my head that Peter still mentally is around the age of 14 or 15. I don't know; it just didn't sit well with me. Furthermore, the entire romance aspect felt very forced and didn't flow organically. It felt awkward and clunky.

Conclusion:
Overall, I am disappointed. This cover is absolutely stunning, and let me believe this book was filled with magic, romance, and intrigue, but this was lukewarm at best. As much as I wanted to recommend this book and wanted to enjoy it, I just can't. The plot and Wendy's character are so unraveled and honestly irritating that I cannot imagine anybody above 13 would enjoy this book. Eek.

I enjoyed this book. I think the writing was okay and the story was too but I was hoping for more. I finished the book feeling unsatisfied, but not really wanting more story as it felt finished. It was quite slow at the beginning but felt too much at the end as the pacing was quite off. All in all, a very mid book

Kira Del Caro

This book + the rest of the Disney universe give me O children by Nick Cave & The bad seeds vibes and I love it

Katherine

Alexa M

i was really excited for this because i love Peter Pan retellings but this fell really flat for me unfortunately

I really wanted to love this book as much as I loved Cemetery Boys, but it was just too slow for me. Y’all it took me like four days to read it when normally it’d take me a few hours. I found myself constantly having to put it down and look at other things and then pick it back up because I could not for the life of me read it through. It’s just that not much was happening for the first 2/3 of the book. It was a lot of exposition for the main plot twists which didn’t really happen until the last 100 pages. And I loved that last third. I felt all the things! I just wish there was more consistency throughout. 

Kinda disappointed, but I still love this author and their writing and I look forward to reading more.

I really wanted to love this book as much as I loved Cemetery Boys, but it was just too slow for me. Y’all it took me like four days to read it when normally it’d take me a few hours. I found myself constantly having to put it down and look at other things and then pick it back up because I could not for the life of me read it through. It’s just that not much was happening for the first 2/3 of the book. It was a lot of exposition for the main plot twists which didn’t really happen until the last 100 pages. And I loved that last third. I felt all the things! I just wish there was more consistency throughout. 

Kinda disappointed, but I still love this author and their writing and I look forward to reading more.

This is one of those books for all those who wonder what happens after the story ends. 

I really enjoyed this continuation story of Peter Pan, albeit a much darker version where not all the Darling children have come home from Neverland. The book follows Wendy, now an adult, as she meets Peter Pan for the second time. Only problem is, she grew up and she forgot. And there are very dark problems afoot!

I didn’t love the narrator for this audiobook to be honest, except for the voice of Peter’s shadow. But regardless, I enjoyed the story narrative and would recommend it as an quick and easy fantasy read. Plus it answers some pretty key plot questions from the original - like how does one actually lose their shadow in the first place? Why does Peter Pan exist? ✨ I enjoyed the creativity in this book and look forward to reading more by Aiden Thomas. 

Tace

This is one of those books for all those who wonder what happens after the story ends. 

I really enjoyed this continuation story of Peter Pan, albeit a much darker version where not all the Darling children have come home from Neverland. The book follows Wendy, now an adult, as she meets Peter Pan for the second time. Only problem is, she grew up and she forgot. And there are very dark problems afoot!

I didn’t love the narrator for this audiobook to be honest, except for the voice of Peter’s shadow. But regardless, I enjoyed the story narrative and would recommend it as an quick and easy fantasy read. Plus it answers some pretty key plot questions from the original - like how does one actually lose their shadow in the first place? Why does Peter Pan exist? ✨ I enjoyed the creativity in this book and look forward to reading more by Aiden Thomas. 

Elinor

i really need to start reading the premise of books because i stared this book and then went "PETER PAN??????"

also why is this book tagged lgbt+ when there was no lgbt stuff in there... did i miss something

caly

as someone with an anxiety disorder i tend to find characters with anxiety disorders shockingly anxiety producing but otherwise this was an interesting retelling

“She didn’t know when or where, but her brothers and Peter had been there. Peter. A delirious laugh bubbled in her throat. Her Peter. Peter Pan. He was real. And she needed to find him.”

Publisher: Swoon Reads (US), Pan Macmillan (UK)

Release date: 23rd March 2021 (US), 4th August 2022 (UK)

Trigger warnings: Child death, kidnapping, murder, panic attacks, PTSD, Nail biting, blood, memory loss,parental death mention, car accident, alcohol abuse.

Summary:  Wendy Darling was 13 when her brothers went missing, and 13 ½ when the police found her alone in the woods with 6 months of missing memories. Now she’s ready to head to college, until she meets Peter. A kid that knows her name, even though they’ve never met before, and now he’s claiming to be her Peter. Peter Pan. The impossible boy she used to tell John and Michael about. One problem; he’s older than he ever was in her stories, and he seems to be getting older by the day. When more local kids start going missing, it brings up bad memories for the darling family, it’s up to Wendy to figure out what’s happening to these children, and how she can help Peter Pan before he grows up for good. 

Lost in the Never Woods is the perfect novel for those that flew away to neverland, but had to come home and grow up. 

A perfect reimagining of a well loved fairy tale. It mixes both the Disney story that popularised it, and the original tale in a way that I absolutely loved. 

We never get to see Neverland, and I’m not upset about it. Taking place in the modern day, in the USA, makes it all the more Jarring and meaningful when things start to go wrong. It’s so far from your first impression when you hear the words ‘Peter Pan’ that it puts you almost on edge, which sets a perfect mood for the rest of the book. 

I loved the overall, it was definitely an original take and was certainly entertaining. As a plot driven book it was a little slow at times, but never enough to seriously impact my enjoyment. The ending was genuinely a complete surprise to me, a little anticlimactic but I can honestly say I didn’t see it coming. It definitely left me satisfied! 

I wanted to give Wendy a hug. She clearly had PTSD, and was extremely traumatised. It was written in a way that made us empathise with her, and you could see how much the entire thing meant to her. She was a shell of the bossy little girl we think of, but she was still very much Wendy Darling. Headstrong and brave and willing to do anything for her brothers. 

Peter was such an utter delight. I had to put my hand over my mouth several times to stop myself almost squealing because of how much I was enjoying his characterisation. He was the equivalent of sunshine on a page, even when he was scared or suffering. I will never be able to stop thinking about Thomas’ interpretation of him. 

Overall, it was a fun, playful yet heartbreaking read that I’m going to be thinking about for a long time. 

Its shining glory: Peter's childlike innocence and wonder shines through in every interaction he has. It was pure joy that leapt off the page. He was so wonderfully written, and every ounce the character we all know.

Its fatal flaw: At times it was a little slow and over-descriptive. This took away from the tension and pulled me out of the story at times. 

Read this if: You love retellings and reinterpretations. You’ve got an open mind and honestly? You just want more Peter Pan in your life.

Skip this if: You expect a story like the Disney version, and aren’t open to things being bleak. You like action-packed, fast paced reads. You don’t want to read a retelling. 

Jessie Winchester

“She didn’t know when or where, but her brothers and Peter had been there. Peter. A delirious laugh bubbled in her throat. Her Peter. Peter Pan. He was real. And she needed to find him.”

Publisher: Swoon Reads (US), Pan Macmillan (UK)

Release date: 23rd March 2021 (US), 4th August 2022 (UK)

Pages: 384

Representation: BIPOC best friend. 

Trigger warnings: Child death, kidnapping, murder, panic attacks, PTSD, Nail biting, blood, memory loss,parental death mention, car accident, alcohol abuse.

Summary:  Wendy Darling was 13 when her brothers went missing, and 13 ½ when the police found her alone in the woods with 6 months of missing memories. Now she’s ready to head to college, until she meets Peter. A kid that knows her name, even though they’ve never met before, and now he’s claiming to be her Peter. Peter Pan. The impossible boy she used to tell John and Michael about. One problem; he’s older than he ever was in her stories, and he seems to be getting older by the day. When more local kids start going missing, it brings up bad memories for the darling family, it’s up to Wendy to figure out what’s happening to these children, and how she can help Peter Pan before he grows up for good. 

Lost in the Never Woods is the perfect novel for those that flew away to neverland, but had to come home and grow up. 

A perfect reimagining of a well loved fairy tale. It mixes both the Disney story that popularised it, and the original tale in a way that I absolutely loved. 

We never get to see Neverland, and I’m not upset about it. Taking place in the modern day, in the USA, makes it all the more Jarring and meaningful when things start to go wrong. It’s so far from your first impression when you hear the words ‘Peter Pan’ that it puts you almost on edge, which sets a perfect mood for the rest of the book. 

I loved the overall, it was definitely an original take and was certainly entertaining. As a plot driven book it was a little slow at times, but never enough to seriously impact my enjoyment. The ending was genuinely a complete surprise to me, a little anticlimactic but I can honestly say I didn’t see it coming. It definitely left me satisfied! 

I wanted to give Wendy a hug. She clearly had PTSD, and was extremely traumatised. It was written in a way that made us empathise with her, and you could see how much the entire thing meant to her. She was a shell of the bossy little girl we think of, but she was still very much Wendy Darling. Headstrong and brave and willing to do anything for her brothers. 

Peter was such an utter delight. I had to put my hand over my mouth several times to stop myself almost squealing because of how much I was enjoying his characterisation. He was the equivalent of sunshine on a page, even when he was scared or suffering. I will never be able to stop thinking about Thomas’ interpretation of him. 

Overall, it was a fun, playful yet heartbreaking read that I’m going to be thinking about for a long time. 

Its shining glory: Peter's childlike innocence and wonder shines through in every interaction he has. It was pure joy that leapt off the page. He was so wonderfully written, and every ounce the character we all know.

Its fatal flaw: At times it was a little slow and over-descriptive. This took away from the tension and pulled me out of the story at times. 

Read this if: You love retellings and reinterpretations. You’ve got an open mind and honestly? You just want more Peter Pan in your life.

Skip this if: You expect a story like the Disney version, and aren’t open to things being bleak. You like action-packed, fast paced reads. You don’t want to read a retelling. 

Although the idea that fuels this novel is a interesting one the book itself just never quite lives up to it. It’s very repetitive as far as plot points and continues to touch on the exact same feelings/fears that never evolve or change.  It also is oddly flippant with its own stakes; meandering from scene to scene despite the large missing children stakes that are hanging overhead. I was also particularly irritated by the sudden twist at the end which although it could have been built to be satisfying in a sad kind of way was out of nowhere and horribly dealt with in the last 20 pages of the book. For a good point the horror descriptions are on point and really capture the tone I think the book wants to have.

Emma Miller

Sierra

“I think people are more frightening than the dark," he said. "A person can stand right in front of you and be dangerous without you even knowing it.”

I absolutely love Aiden's writing and when I saw this book marketed as a YA dark Peter Pan retelling, I just knew I would enjoy it!

This book was such a fun and mysterious twist on the original story that took my back to my slight childhood obsession with Peter Pan (don't deny it, I know y'all were obsessed with the live-action movie too). Here, Wendy is a bit older at 18 and plagued by the disappearance of her brothers and becomes anxious when local kids begin disappearing. She meets her childhood hero Peter Pan for the first time (or so she thought) and he needs her help finding his evil shadow who just might be behind the disappearances. It's a more emotional retelling as Wendy experiences a lot of guilt, pain, and sadness that makes her have to work that much harder to reach her goals. Not going to lie, I even slightly teared up just a tiny bit towards the end when things came together.

It is important to note that while I've seen this book marketed LGBTQ+, it is not in itself besides the author. I also did think the story dragged just a bit in the middle while Wendy and Peter were figuring things out, but it was still a very enjoyable read. The dark and eerie twist to it really makes it feel like a fresh retelling that I haven't seen before and you can't help but fall in love with Peter Pan all over again (he was super attentive, charming, and sweet okay?) like when you're a kid. And Wendy being a flawed yet determined go-getter made her character so much fun to see grow into herself and I loved rooting for her the whole book. I loved how her trauma was portrayed and her character was so relatable.

Do yourself a favor and read this book as it's such a delightful yet eerie read that further reinforces Aiden being an auto-buy author for me!

lauren carla

Flavia Louise

Aiden Thomas is a great author. This book is very different from Cemetery Boys but I still liked it a lot.

Caitlyn Hagen

** spoiler alert **
           This book. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was party Peter Pan part small town thriller. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed Aiden Thomas's take on the old stories. 

There will be spoilers. 

I remember, back in my early tumblr days reading a theory about the kids going to Neverland being dead and the Peter Pan was some sort of guide for them while they deal with that. 

That's what is happening here and I liked that angle a lot. 

I loved the Peter/Wendy relationship. I thought their romance was really sweet. I love a character who is either oblivious or in denial. I also liked how their Romance turned out. 

Something I have noticed about Aiden Thomas's books is that the build up is excellent and it feels like the pay off is really short. It was still a satisfactory ending . 

All in all I definitely recommend this one and I think I will have to continue reading this authors books :)

anderson elizabeth

not aiden making me CRY in that last half hour of the audiobook. this book is definitely a different writing style from what i'm used to but once i got into it *chefs kiss*

Mack Hargrave

3.5*
Story— excellent 
Mystery/ twist— great
Some strange syntax and turns of phrase

always, annej 〄

Thank you to Libro.fm for my gifted copy.

Never again will I ever hear a cricket sound and not think of Peter and Wendy and this book. I've loved Peter Pan as a child. Growing up, I've always felt a connection to his story. It always excites me at the same time it makes me feel emotional because I know what lies in the end. That no matter how fun it gets, Peter will always be Peter and same goes with Wendy. This book is not that different from the classic story, only combined with a darker and much mysterious atmosphere and more scenes set in the real world. However, what speaks to me most is how the author told the value of courage. 

There's a shadow - Peter's shadow, who hunts kids and feeds off their fear. Wendy lives in a small town near the woods where her brothers went missing when they were little. She works as a volunteer in a hospital where her mother works as a nurse. She has a best friend who I really adore because she's the best friend we all need. Her father is the classic dad always barking restrictions. The adventures start when the kids start to go missing, then Peter came to the real world asking for Wendy's help and she decided to do it because of her little brothers. But as they embark on a journey to finding the lost kids, it had turned into an adventure with a little bit of romantic twist (and maybe a kiss in the end *winks).  The author had kept the classic story as the base of this plot but still taught readers lots of things. Personally, it made me wonder: what things I could've done differently if only I wasn't afraid? or if only I believed, what difference I could have contributed? It does not only talk about how adorable Peter Pan is - his wits and the humour we came to love or Wendy and her good heart. But it somehow inspires readers to be brave in their own ways, to conquer the things that frighten them most. I also like the mention of mental health and grief and their challenges while also showing how to walk through the light waiting at their end. I admit that I find Wendy a bit annoying at first because it felt like all she does is say "I can't remember." But then Peter said:

That's what happens when you grow up, you forget about the magic you've seen.

I have laughed multiple times because of Peter and the kids but mostly I was curious. It's a gripping story that will make adult readers reminisce their Peter Pan childhoods and welcomes young readers to a new adventure with him and Wendy darling. It is somehow cute but it says a lot, like how the details are limited for the plots and characters and more of story-driven. It focused on the whole flow of the plot and the moral lesson it brings rather than the minute details. I'm grateful I've read this, as I've missed Peter Pan and Wendy. The fun I had with them in this book was really memorable and I'll always remember this conversation between Wendy and Peter that made me stop listening and just laugh for a minute:

Peter: I want you to help me find my shadow

Wendy: Have you tried looking uh...on the floor?

I think this book belongs to the genre of fantasy fiction for middle grade to young adult readers. But adult readers will surely enjoy the classic Peter Pan banters with Wendy and their cute romance. I liked how the story wrapped up, how Wendy have grown mentally and emotionally. Although I admit I also kind of miss Peter already. 

"Don't worry," Peter replied. He wiggled his eyebrows and drop his voice to an ominous tone. "I'll find you when the time comes."





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Micol Scalabrino

Beautiful writing style, but a plain plot. I was not interested in the characters and I can't say I felt something for them if not annoyance.

Samantha Donovan

Jennifer

Lost in the Never Woods is a dark and heartbreaking retelling of Peter Pan. The beautiful cover immediately caught my attention and prompted me to add to the tbr. One thing Aiden Thomas did really well in this book is by extracting the childhood themes from the original fairytale and crafting a darker atmosphere. Through exploring the psychological effects of loss, trauma, and fears revolving childhood through the imageries of the novel - Thomas did a great job fleshing out Peter's and Wendy's characterisation in an emotionally engaging way.

On the flipside, I think the biggest drawback of Lost in the Never Woods is the pacing. Personally I felt that the beginning started out a bit slow for me (so some of the things that happened in the first few pages kind of blurred), but I did think this improved when psychological tension ramped up later on. Another drawback would be the worldbuilding. I'd personally hope for a bit more contextual details of the world inside and outside of the woods, because as it's currently written the setting is slightly vague.

Barring these drawbacks, I found Lost in the Never Woods quite an emotionally heartbreaking but also enjoyable read. For anyone who's looking into a haunting childhood fairytale retelling with diverse characters, Aiden Thomas' sophmore novel is worth checking out!

N.B. This book contains following content warnings: death, loss of loved ones, grief, hospital / ambulances, and blood

(3.5 stars out of 5)

Ahaana Bhargava

Read the full review on my blog


Lost in the Never Woods is a captivating Peter Pan retelling, that had me (captain) hooked* throughout all its twists and turns. Filled with raw and accurate portrayals of loss, grief, and trauma, it’s definitely a read that moved me. Although I loved the friendships, and the elements from the original story, the character development felt flat, and I never felt an emotional connection with any of them. If you enjoyed the original Peter Pan as much as I did, I’m sure you’ll have a ton of fun re-exploring neverland in this contemporary twist on the classic.

*SORRY I COULDN’T RESIST THE PUN ON CAPTAIN HOOK 🙈🤧

ghost girl in satin

Cette couverture... ♥ 
Mais on n'est pas là pour parler de ça. 
Bon, un retelling de Peter Pan c'est une super idée mais je suis sceptique quant à l'exécution. J'ai bien aimé l'intrigue générale, j'ai trouvé qu'il y avait des idées intéressantes et Peter était un personnage sympathique. En revanche, je ne suis pas fan du style d'écriture et Wendy me paraissait un peu bancale. Le rythme était beaucoup trop lent pour mon cerveau de moineau. 
Je pense que j'aurais adoré ce roman plus jeune. 
Je suis un peu déçue car j'en attendais beaucoup.
Enfin, je n'ai pas encore lu Cemetery Boys mais il est sur ma liste en espérant que je l'apprécie plus que celui-ci.

Laura Wilson &
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

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