Unfortunately, I had to DNF at about 50% because I wasn't enjoying anything about this book--the characters were flat, the world-building was MEH, I'm not a Peter Pan fan. I'm sure I will be in the minority but this one was not for me.

Lost in the Never Woods has quickly become my favorite fairy tale retelling.

Wendy Darling was kidnapped when she was twelve, along with her two brothers, Michael and John. Wendy came home, six months later, but her brothers didn’t. She still carries around that guilt and fear five years later, when more kids start to go missing, just like her and her brothers did.

Everything is made more complicated by the return of a familiar boy. It’s not long before Wendy realizes the stories her mother told her about Peter Pan and Neverland may be more fact than fiction. Peter’s return coincides with the recent kidnappings. It turns out his shadow has escaped and is wreaking havoc. Wendy and Peter have to find his shadow before Peter loses all of his magic and the missing children are lost forever.

There is a good deal of nostalgia here. Given that Peter Pan is a classic fairy tale, it would be easy to just fall into one of those retellings and have nothing unique. Aiden Thomas does not fall into this trap. What he’s written is wonderfully unique, giving Peter and Wendy new depth in a modern setting. There is a lot of grief and guilt, and just a little bit of hope. What if Wendy can bring back her brothers? What if they’re not gone forever? She desperately wishes to have all that guilt removed from her shoulders. After all, they were her responsibility and anything that happened to them would be her fault. Especially considering everything changed after she returned and her brothers didn’t. Her parents are grieving, and so is she, and they don’t interact like a family should.

Wendy is a shadow of who she used to be, before she and her brothers went missing. Her little nuances of behavior, tied to her trauma, are on full display. Her anxiety and fear, which mount as more children go missing and as she and Peter come closer to discovering the cause, are at the forefront. Peter is growing up before our eyes. Whatever is going on in Neverland, his magic is limited, which means he’s aging. His worries and doubts become more apparent as he loses more of his magic. He becomes much more like a person, divorced from the myths and stories he came from. But his purpose remains the same: he is there to help the kids, to return them home and protect them from the monsters that go bump in the night. He’s so pure and good, even as his magic drains in absence of his missing shadow.

Even as creepy and ominous as the woods sound at times, I want to lose myself in them. They sound so wonderfully lush and beautiful. It’s not all the time that they are full of the whispers of the missing children, haunted by Peter’s shadow. And even then, there is a certain appeal to the woods. They are full of magic and secrets. No matter the fact that it isn’t safe to do so, I would love to wander about. They’re practically another character with how they loom in Wendy’s memories and the plot of the story.

Aiden Thomas brings Wendy and Peter to new life with his writing. It’s so gentle and warm and nuanced, with the absence of Wendy’s brothers woven throughout, affecting everything. Even with the looming mystery surrounding their disappearance, there is still hope. The plot takes us beyond the classic Peter Pan fairy tales, focusing on Wendy’s trauma from being kidnapped and the guilt she feels over returning when her brothers didn’t. It makes Neverland more ominous than many of the renditions I’ve read or seen. The dark atmosphere was always there but here, it takes an even more ominous turn.

I really wanted to know if Wendy’s brothers are still alive, after all these years. And if so, did they age? Do they remember what happened? I was waiting on the edge of my seat to see if Wendy would tell Jordan about Peter, or tell her mother about him. Wendy’s father was also a point of contention for me. He was always so angry and over protective of Wendy. He made me uncomfortable because of his anger and his insistence on controlling Wendy. You could say it was because he loved her and wanted to protect her. But I was wondering if he held the loss of his sons against her. He is but a man and probably not a bad man, but I don’t like how much of Wendy’s anxiety is caused by her father. It makes me nervous.

I enjoyed this retelling immensely. Despite the creepy factor, it made me feel so warm and comforted to read it. To read about Peter’s magic and how it made Wendy feel just wriggled its way into my chest and made it feel like home. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Aiden Thomas’s first book, of course. And also to anyone who likes a good magical mystery, particularly those based on fairy tales. It’s like reading fanfiction of your favorite childhood tales and I do love reading fanfiction. I would also recommend it to anyone who needs some help going through the grief process. Despite the mystery and stress and anxiety, Peter provides such comfort. He’s a force of good and it’s nice to imagine such a person in a world so full of horrible things. And even then, Peter has a shadow that can commit such evil. He’s a purely good person who is capable of dark thoughts and actions and, that, more than anything humanizes him beyond what aging ever could.

Five stars, always. Thank you to NetGalley and Swoon Reads for giving me an ARC of this book. It was a bright spot in my week of reading as I savored it for every last bit of magic I could draw from it in only one read.

content warnings: loss of family members, grief, severe trauma/ptsd, anxiety/anxiety attacks, compulsion, night terrors and insomnia, kidnapping, some descriptions of injury and violence

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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5/5 Stars

Lost In The Never Woods is a Peter Pan retelling, but focusing on the five years after Wendy returns from Neverland. This is a YA Suspense Fantasy built off characters that we all know and adore from our childhood. Overall, it was a cute story that could be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike.

What I enjoyed:
🌲I love that it’s a fairytale retelling but based on the future
🌲 I enjoyed the suspenseful elements woven into the story
🌲 I loved Peter Pan’s character; he was the playful and mischievous character that you’d expect Peter to be
🌲 I enjoyed the touch of teen romance sprinkled in
🌲 The ending shocked me. I wasn’t ready for it to unfold as it did

What didn’t work for me:
🌲 The first half of the book was pretty slow moving, not much happened
🌲 Wendy’s character fell a bit flat, I didn’t find her very interesting
🌲 The towns reaction to missing kids seems unbelievable and bizarre
🌲 I’m shocked more about mental health wasn’t talked about, especially at the end
🌲 I missed many of my favorite Neverland characters in this book, the majority were never even mentioned

All I had to hear was "Peter Pan retelling by Aiden Thomas" to immediately be on board.
Lost in the Never Woods is about Wendy Darling who went missing and returned without any memories of what happened 5 years ago. Her brothers are still missing. When Wendy encounters a boy who insists he's Peter Pan, Wendy knows he can't possibly be the boy from her mother's stories. However, the boy insists he's Peter Pan and only Wendy can help him.
This was a really interesting take on Peter Pan. I really enjoyed how the author adapted Peter Pan and blended the details to make a fun and recognizable story.

I loved “Lost in the Never Woods” so much and didn’t want it to end!

I read “Cemetery Boys” by the same author last year and fell in love with the style of writing. In my opinion, the author went on another higher level in “Lost in the Never Woods.” Some of the passages were so profound and beautiful. Frankly, the author did a beautiful job of taking a classic tale like “Peter Pan” and retelling it in a modern, young adult crime fiction novel. “Peter Pan” is one of my favorite classics, but even I could not predict how the storyline would progress in this book.

Similarly, the characters are dynamic, mysterious, and profound! Wendy shines in the lead as she tries to figure out her strange drawings. Moreover, I loved her chemistry with Peter and felt they shared a heartfelt friendship. The author writes the grief and loss of the characters in a personal way that made me emotional. Some of my favorite moments are when Wendy and Peter stumble upon the waterfall or when they go to get ice cream. The moments they share put a smile on my face.

However, there were some little moments that I felt could be polished. For instance, I didn’t find Jordan’s role relevant to the plot. Moreover, I don’t think the author explained why Wendy starts seeing Peter only on her birthday. Nevertheless, that did not stop me from enjoying the story. The plot picks up towards the end that leads to a memorable climax.

Overall, “Lost in the Never Woods” is one of my favorite retellings this year. I hope the author continues to write many more beautiful books in this genre.

This dark twist on Peter Pan is a read for any fantasy lover. This is not my favorite genre but I still enjoyed the book because of the mystery aspect to the story.

Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

Lost in the Never Woods was such a fun read! I loved Cemetery Boys so I was really excited for this one. It's full of adventure and mystery but also touches on sensitive topics. I really enjoyed the "Peter Pan & Wendy" aspects that were tied into a realistic plot with magical realism. I felt that parts of the story were drawn out, however, the plot moved along after slow spots and kept me engaged.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to review this title.

Lost in the Never Woods is a Peter Pan retelling, which has definitely been done before, but it's always fun to revisit. Peter feels easy to characterize - manic pixie dream boy-esque, mischievous, child-like, innocent; I think that's the real strength of this story. Peter's character was whimsical and boyish, he really was like someone you'd have a dream about. Wendy, who is the main character in this story, is where it starts to unravel.

For the first 60% of the story, nothing happened. They just met up and talked in different spots. They also spent the entirety of the story in our world. I wasn't promised anything other than that, but I assumed from the title that they would at least be in a creepy magic forest if not actually in Neverland. So that may not have been false advertising, but I did misinterpret the title and cover and was disappointed because of that. The main plot/antagonist didn't show up until the 85% mark, which is unacceptable in my opinion, you can't expect readers to stick around that long without something other than dialogue going on.

There's also a 5 year time jump between Wendy and her brothers' disappearance and the events of this story, and what Peter was doing in the meantime is never really explained. I just thought it was weird.

If you are looking for any real magic or visiting of Neverland this is not the story for you.

First of all, thank you to Fierce reads/ Swoon reads and Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was never a huge fan of Peter Pan, but I really enjoyed Cemetery Boys so I was excited to dive in!

Wendy reappeared after going missing with her brother's John and Michael five years earlier, but they never did find her brothers, and now children are going missing. Wendy tells stories of Peter Pan passed down from her mom, and when driving home one day, a boy falls onto her windshield, calling her name. And he claims to be Peter Pan.

This was a magical little story in a small Oregon coastal town. I think Aiden Thomas' writing really improved since Cemetery Boys, but there were a few moments, especially with the villain of the story that the writing and dialogue was abit cheesy. But I really love this version of Peter, and I have a little crush on him.

Anyway, overall I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it! rating it a 4.5 stars!

I am so disappointed. I love Thomas and Peter Pan retellings so I was really excited for this book. It was the top of my list for early 2021 releases. Sadly this just really didn't do much for me.
Obviously Thomas is under no obligation to make all their book queer but I was really hoping this one would be. Cemetery Boy was so beautifully diverse and this book just felt so very straight. I know that's what most YA books are but that is exactly why this was such a disappointment.
Also this just felt so dry and predictable. Wendy was so boring and besides going missing and coming back she really didn't have much else going for her. Peter too felt like a caricature of Peter Pan. He was exactly what you would expect which just made him boring. I mean Thomas didn't even really try to change him.
Then their was the problem with the adults in this town, well everyone actually. No one acted like actual people. Five kids go missing all within a few days and no one does much but herass a teenage girl with almost no connection to the cases and proform a search party for later kids. Their are no curfews, no over protective parents, it all just felt so very fake and flat. The whole story felt fake and flat.
I really wanted to like this book and maybe its my fault for having such high expectations. I am sure plenty of readers will injoy this book. I think this book is more aimed at a lower end of the YA spectrum as well. Either way there are plenty of readers out there who will love this book I am just not one of them.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early review copy.

I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

I’ll preface this by saying I love Peter Pan, and I generally like Peter Pan retellings. I’ve also reas Aiden Thomas’s debut novel, Cemetery Boys, and it was amazing, if not predictable. So I was sooo excited when I learned that he was releasing a Peter Pan retelling. And I was lucky enough to win an earc of this book. I read it as soon as I had time, and I was conflicted on how I feel about it. It was significantly less predictable than Cemetery Boys, but there was also no diversity. It was a bit of a let down to go from Cemetery Boys with trans, gay, latinx, etc, representation to Lost in the Never Woods where our leads are white and cishet. It was really disappointing, but understandable when Aiden Thomas explained that this was actually his first book, before he knew he could write characters that are like him. Either way, it was a good story. I was not prepared for the direction it took, but I truly enjoyed this book, and I think it’s so worth delving into. Less diverse, but also less predictable.

Yes, I do actually give out 5 star reviews when I like a book and yes, this dark Peter Pan retelling deserves it.

I think one of the reasons YA is so beloved is because it covers such a vast and versatile time of life. Because protagonists straddle the line between not quite young, not quite adult, there's so a ton of material to work with and room to explore. Which brings me to Lost in the Never Woods. I love it, in part, because it's the quintessential YA coming-of-age story. As a senior in high school, Wendy is on the brink of adulthood, but when a lost boy shows up claiming to be Peter Pan, she has to decide whether or not to listen to that stubborn small part of her clings to a belief in magic and finding her long lost brothers.



This modern Peter Pan re-imagining is so well done. It's dark, twisty and a little bit creepy. The suspense slowly builds as readers follow Wendy on her quest to find Peter's shadow, the missing children and the lost Darling boys. The creeping sense of unease creates a Peter Pan story that's gripping and atmospheric. Thomas masterfully weaves a story full of tension and suspense that had me simultaneously wanting to reach the resolution at the end and wanting to savor every moment with Wendy and Peter. I didn't even bother trying to spot the plot twists or predict the Big Reveal™ because I was that hooked (pun-intended, kinda) on the story.

I'm not a huge fan of magical realism, but this is the perfect blend of fantastical and realistic fiction. It's Peter Pan retelling, so there's pixie dust and adventure and saving the lost children. But at the same time, Lost in the Woods is about very real things that come with growing up. It's a story about a family torn-apart by grief, a girl grappling with childhood trauma and a boy who's forced to grow-up even when he shouldn't. It's a book that explores the consequences of loss and the tension between childlike faith and the harsh pragmatism of life. As Wendy faces her fears and the Darlings struggle to rebuild their lives, we're reminded that even though Peter Pan might never grow up, we all have to. Thomas crafts this bittersweet story that acknowledges life is hard and sometimes Happily Ever Afters look a little different in real life. Speaking of, the ending was PERFECT. It's honestly what pushed this over the 4.5 star edge for me.

My only complaints are some minor plot holes and the sickening sweet romance. Thankfully it's light, but I still could've done without the descriptions of Peter's astonishing "deep cobalt with crystalline blue starbursts exploding around his pupils" blue eyes.

At the end of the day, this is more than a fairy tale retelling; it's an elegy to childhood, a tribute to those forced to grow up too soon, and it's absolutely stunning. I'm sticking the five stars because this book gave me lots of feelings...and left me with Kristoff's solo playing on loop in my brain.

I absolutely loved Aiden's debut Cemetery Boys, so I'm extremely saddened to say that I did not enjoy Lost in the Never Woods nearly as much as I thought I would. For me, the characters and their relationships felt underdeveloped and flat, and most of the action in the book happens in the last 20%. I would have appreciated the plot twist that is revealed towards the end much more if there were possible clues scattered throughout the book, but as it was, it wasn't as emotionally impactful as I think it could have been. I did enjoy how Aiden deals with grief and trauma and how family dynamics are affected by tragedy; ultimately though, Lost in the Never Woods unfortunately wasn't the book for me.

Cemetery Boys was my favorite book of 2020 so I had high expectations for this one. First thing I need to say, is that if you are hoping for strong POC or LGBT representation like in Cemetery Boys, this book does not have that. I was pretty disappointed at the lack of any diversity in this compared to cemetery boys. But ignoring that, i still wasn’t a huge fan of this one. It wasn’t awful, but definitely doesn’t compare to aiden thomas’ debut. The pacing felt very off to me and i had a hard time getting into the story. This book felt very bland to me, it was just a very stereotypical ya book and nothing seemed new. And the ending felt very anticlimactic to me and I never got invested in it.

4 stars - It was really good

It’s been five years since Wendy and her brothers went missing in the woods and children are starting to disappear again. When she comes across Peter, a boy who she thought lived only in her stories, she realizes there's more to the disappearances than everyone expects.

This story was dark and very emotional. Wendy has spent the past five years with no memory of her disappearance or of what happened to her brothers. She was living a life filled with grief, depression, and anxiety. Peter crashing into her life changed everything. She slowly starts to regain pieces of her memory of Neverland. They team up to find the missing children and hopefully uncover the truth about her brother's wearabouts. Wendy was definitely a hurt and traumatized character who we see grieve and heal as she learns the truth. She is mistrustful of Peter at first but he slowly gains her trust, especially after she starts remembering Neverland.

Being in the human world, and with Wendy, has changed Peter. He isn’t the fearless little boy anymore. He feels insecurity and fear for the first time. I loved how protective he was of Wendy. It was very sweet. I really enjoyed seeing him change and grow up. The connection between these two is so strong and emotional it just captivates you and makes you want to keep reading.

While this book had a slow start, it quickly captivated me and I didn’t want to put it down. Aiden Thomas created a fascinating and dark retelling out of one of the most happy and carefree children's stories out there. This book was all about finding the truths and using them to heal and grieve. It reminds you to look for the joy in painful moments, in love during loss, and in hope during hard times. It's all about learning to live again. I just loved this unique retelling with all its darkness, pain, and hopefulness.

Trigger Warnings:
- Familial loss, grief, and trauma
- anxiety and anxiety attacks
- alcoholism (parents)
- night terrors and insomnia
- kidnapping

Five years ago, Wendy and her little brothers went missing. After six months, only Wendy came back alive but with no memories of what happened. Since then, when children go missing in her town, people start turning to her for answers but Wendy can't answer any of them.

Though Wendy has many people around her who have been with her since then, not many people know how she actually feels. The trauma and guilt she carries on her shoulders every day seems to drag her down. Then one night she spots the boy in her dreams lying in front of her.

So this is the first book I read by Aiden Thomas and I'm not disappointed. I haven't read Cemetery Boys (it's on my TBR) but I've heard many great things about it. Definitely going to check it out soon!

Star Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.5)

I felt that the first 60% of the book was a little slow but I was immersed in the ending. I felt that Wendy and Peter shouldn't have spent so much time hanging out while time was running out. They instead could have used that time to plan what they were going to do to catch the shadow.

This book is darker than the normal Peter Pan story and scaredy-cat me definitely got scared when I read it before going to sleep. Personally, I wouldn't recommend reading it before going to sleep but if you can take it, go ahead.

Overall, Lost in the Never Woods was an interesting book that takes on a dark retelling of Peter Pan. I liked how the story has just the right amount of differences from the original but also similar in some aspects. For those that love dark retellings, this book will be perfect for you.

This modern retelling is a lot of fun and a great addition to the YA retelling genre. My only big complaint was that the pacing felt a little off. It felt like it took a long time to get to the main conflict and then ended and resolved too quickly, but otherwise a fun read!

Wow do I love this retelling of a classic story. The author truly takes you to another place with mystery and intrigue that leaves you wanting more and more. This book was one I never knew I needed.