Thomas is a writer sorely in need of someone to say "Play to your strengths." Their first book had some drag, but this one is mostly drag, and that's a problem that should've been solved by literally anyone else saying, "You can cut about 30% of this book and nothing would change." The last 15% is so very good, and Thomas is in their element when the main characters are together, but it's not enough to carry the deadly dull repetition that occurs when the plot comes to a grinding halt every few pages for no real reason.

I've read a lot of Peter Pan retellings, and while this one isn't my favorite of them all, it certainly is one of the better ones. There characters were fantastic and there was so much feeling.

The twist on what Peter Pan and Neverland actually was caught me off guard, but I won't explain it because it would be a major spoiler. It made me cry at the end.

From a teaching perspective, this would be an interesting book to use if I were ever going to do an assignment where I had students compare retellings to each other or the original story, especially since it is so different from a lot of the other Peter Pan retellings I've read.

Beautiful cover-- Award-winning author-- However, this retelling of Peter Pan doesn't have enough new elements to make it standout. The pacing is slow and Wendy is dull -- an appearance of a jealous Tink may have livened things up...
Other issues: grief is a big part of the storyline, but never handled; police are described in a negative light as useless; characters are not developed.

Aiden Thomas has officially been inducted into my favorite fantasy authors list. From their sweeping debut “Cemetery Boys,” to their mystery-infused Peter Pan retelling, Aiden Thomas knows what they’re doing.
“Lost in the Never Woods” is set in Astoria, Oregon, where Wendy and her two younger brothers went missing.
While Wendy returns, her brothers do not.
I was really impressed with how the author handled to subjects of grief and guilt. Wendy’s parents lost two of their children and Wendy feels immense guilt for the fact that she was with her brothers when they went missing. The author didn’t gloss over the heavier topics, but they also didn’t ignore them and I respect that.
Overall, “Lost in the Never Woods” is perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer, Peter Pan, and fantastical mysteries.
Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

A re-telling of the classic story of Peter Pan and Wendy Darling. This is set in modern day Astoria, Oregon with a dark twist. Rather than the Darling children returning safely, they had been missing in Neverland and only Wendy returned home to her parents. Now, five years later, with her brothers missing, Wendy and her family are still dealing with the trauma and grief that comes from missing children and more children in the area are coming up missing, seemingly snatched away into the shadows. Wendy is questioned by the police as her own disappearance bears a marked resemblance to that of many of the other children. However, Wendy doesn't remember anything from the time she was missing.

Wendy, now a volunteer at a hospital, college-bound with her best friend Jordan, and trying to pursue her dream to be a nurse is sidelined when on her 18th birthday, Wendy crashes into a boy with her truck--almost running him over--and that boy is none-other than the one from all her childhood stories, Peter Pan.

I absolutely loved Aiden Thomas' debut novel, Cemetery Boys, and this one felt a little lackluster in comparison. Mom was grieving, but we got some sense of her no-nonsense nurse attitude on some instances. Wendy's father is an alcoholic and controlling, bordering on abusive. Wendy is left to be the pillar of the family, ensuring there are groceries, meals, household upkeep while also juggling school, swimming, and volunteering. This poor teen--that's more than I can take as an adult...I think the concept and theme were great, but the execution may have been a bit lacking. Many of the side characters were a bit one-dimensional (see: parents--really would have loved some more nuance with Jordan) and I really hoped for magic/magical realism. However, I loved the mystery, and the dark twist of the shadow aspect of our personalities, which kept me turning the page to see what happens next.
3.5 rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Lost in the Neverwoods" follows Wendy Darling, years after her adventures with Peter Pan. She runs into her old friend...quite literally, with a car. (He's fine!) Not long after Peter shows up, kids in town start mysteriously disappearing...

Let's get one thing straight: make sure to lower your fantasy expectations for the book. Yes, Peter Pan is here and flies, but that's it. There's no traveling to Neverland, no Tinker Bell, just a handful of fairy dust. I notice a lot of reviewers have expressed disappointment over that, which is fair, but I'm going to at least give the warning here for anyone wanting deep fantasy to avoid the book for now. I do recommend this to anyone who is fine with more mundane elements overwhelming the fantasy.

I personally LOVE the Peter Pan stories in general but always love seeing new interpretations of classics. I really enjoyed this one from start to finish! I will admit, I wanted to see Hook for a second, but I'm fine with him not being in here since it's more about Wendy. Although I'd love to see the author's take on Hook.... ;)

I reallllllllly loved the mystery in this book, it was genuinely spooky at times! I couldn't really put down the book, I was fascinated....I will say that Wendy and Peter felt the most fleshed out and everyone else felt one-dimensional, but I didn't mind because I like Wendy and Peter more in the stories anyway.

The ending, no spoilers, is definitely not going to appeal to everyone. It's polarizing, to say the least. This story is more about overcoming trauma and the 'dark' aspects of human emotions than it is about Peter fighting pirates with a toothpick. I think it depends on everyone's tastes on whether or not they like the story/overcoming-trauma angle/Peter Pan retelling. I liked it so it was fine with me, but again, I can see it not appealing to everyone.

Fantastic story!

See my reviews at: https://jessgreads.wixsite.com/website

Rating: ⭐.5/5
Title: Lost in the Never Woods
Author: AidenThomas
Genre: YA Fiction/ Historical Fiction
Author Info: Latinx, Queer, Trans- He/They
Setting: Astoria, Oregon
Month Read: March, 2021
Book Type: Ebook- ARC
Publication: 2021
Pages:384
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.


TRIGGER WARNING-
Anxiety/ Grief/ Missing Children/ Gun Violence/ Abduction/ Trauma/ Kidnapping/ Neglect/ OCD

"He was stardust and the smell of summer."

No Spoiler Summary:
Lost in the Never Woods is a Peter Pan retelling set in Astoria Oregon on the day Wendy Darling turns 18. Her brothers have been missing for 5 years, and she had been missing along with them- but trauma has blocked out her memories of the event. When Peter Pan shows up and she realizes he is not just the fictional boy from the stories she and her mother used to tell, it is up to Wendy and Peter to team up to stop his shadow from kidnapping more children in town. Wendy has to juggle this secret mission with maintaining her family relationships, her relationship with her best friend, and getting ready for college while volunteering at the local hospital. Will Peter and Wendy be able to capture his shadow and put it back where it belongs with Peter? Will she find out what happened to her and her brothers all those years ago? Will the new missing kids be found safe and reunited with their families?

Review:
I'm not going to lie- I really wish I could get the four or five hours I spent reading this book back. It took me a while to figure out why I didn't like it so much, and then I realized it was really bad, seemingly unedited fanfiction about late teen Peter and Wendy. There wasn't enough romance or intrigue to keep me invested in their relationships, Wendy's parents were borderline emotionally abusive, Wendy is a horrific best friend, and most of the first... couple hundred pages are Wendy and Peter meeting up in different locations to have (almost) the same conversation over and over and over again. I also thought we'd go to Neverland, (or at least somewhere a bit more magical) but we spend the whole novel in Astoria, Oregon and in a very non-magical forest. Wendy keeps dreaming and drawing a tree, which led me to believe it would be this giant, fantastical, magical tree-- but... no. It's just a tree. It is part of a reveal, but not one that was satisfying at all. If you want to read this, I'd maybe read the first few chapters, and then skip to the last hundred or so pages and you won't miss much, if anything, at all.

Some other problems I had were the fact this book was way too long for the amounts of action, drama, and suspense that were actually in the book. The weird chapter titles seemed out of place most of the time, and sometimes I didn't get why they had the titles included at all. I also couldn't get over feeling like this book was written by someone whose never actually been a teenager, and who hasn't had actual parents since Mr. and Mrs. Darling were bad, bad, bad caricatures of a checked out grieving mother, and an overprotective, grieving father. Everyone in this book needed a therapist, and I don't understand how two of them worked and volunteered at the hospital without anyone telling them maybe they needed some help.

Some things I loved are the cover (it's absolutely gorgeous), and some of the writing was VERY, VERY beautiful. Aiden did a great job of making me feel like I was in Astoria- I could see the waterfall, feel the grass, and never wondered what some location looked like. I wish more of this could have transferred into the dialogue, the character development, and the plot.


Recommendation:
Some decent Disney retellings would include: -A Whole New World by Liz Braswell (Aladdin), Heartless and the Cinder Series by Marissa Meyer (Alice in Wonderland & Cinderella), and Fairest of All by Serena Valentino (Snow White).

If you want some decent YA thrillers I recommend Hannah Jayne and Natalie D. Richards.


"He was just a normal boy, not some magical being from a bedtime story."


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Firstly, can we talk about the gorgeous cover? I love love the color palette and it 100% capture the story inside. Lost in the Never Woods is a lush re-imagining of the world-famous tale, Peter Pan. There definitely are countless other Peter Pan retelling, but personally, Lost in the Never Woods still got the unique point since it answers the question, “What happened after the Neverland?”.

In Aiden Thomas’s version of Peter Pan retelling, Wendy Darling is now an 18 years old high-school student. Five years ago, she and her brothers, John and Michael, went missing for 6 months, and not even Wendy could remember where they went. Wendy was the only one who returned, and since then, her family were haunted by her brothers’ disappearance. One day, on her way home through the woods, Wendy found a boy who looked a lot like Peter Pan–the boy from her mother’s story–and him alone holds the answer to her brothers’ disappearance and the other missing children in town.

Aiden Thomas’s second book is definitely much, much darker than their first one, Cemetery Boys. While both books have their own supernatural elements, Lost in the Never Woods gave me that spooky vibes–from the woods and shadows. It made the book more atmospheric though, so I’m not complaining. At the same time, Aiden also manages to capture the “fun and childish” vibes associated with Peter Pan. Eventhough both Wendy and Peter are teenager in this book, somehow, they still remind me of the original characters. The romance between them are also really soft and it made me goes 🥺💖

All in all, Lost in the Never Woods is a captivating and mesmerizing Peter Pan retelling. It’s also a tale of love, family, and finding closure. I definitely recommend it to everyone and I’m looking forward to read Aiden’s next book!

I really enjoyed this book! Peter Pan would not be a boon I could imagine can be reimagined easily, but Aiden Thomas has done magnificently. I also love the fact that this book (spoiler-ish) was not all happily ever afters, but actual closure and answers to the biggest questions in the book.

This was well written, and constantly kept me on my toes. I highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of “Lost in the Never Woods”

This book takes place 5 years after Peter Pan stumbles into her bedroom and she reattaches his shadow and sweeps her away to Neverland. This is the aftermath of her time there with her brothers, but something isn’t right. Her brothers never came back and for the longest time her mind was telling her that Peter Pan was just a fairy tale. The older she got, the more she forgot. Until a few days after her 18th birthday, Peter finds her again. His shadow is gone and wreaking havoc and Peter is sure that Wendy is the answer to making things right again. If only it was that simple. Nothing is as easy as it use to be and the more Wendy spends time with Peter, the more memories she recovers. Unfortunately, not all of them are ones she wants.

WOW this book. I loved it. The author did such an amazing job with keeping all the details of the original story and really using them to is advantage. From Wendy’s grump dad, to Nana and the fight of her moving out of her brothers room, the author did such an amazing job. Not only that, but the description of the Never Woods was so well written, that I had nightmares about it the first few nights after reading. This is the story that we needed as adults. I wish there was more of these retellings of the aftermath of our favorite fairy tales from our childhood. It was so dark and twist, but in such an amazing way. This book took everything you loved about the classic Peter Pan and showed you the flaws and the reality of what Peter actually is.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! IT IS A MUST READ!!!

Fans of modern retellings will be sure to enjoy Aiden Thomas' newest offering after the success of The Cemetery Boys. This fell a little flat for me, but I'm confident YA readers will still enjoy this.

I loved the unflinching portrayal of mental health in this story. It makes depression and grief and sadness real, which I think a lot of readers need. Teens need to know that these emotions exist, and that they are not alone. For this reason alone, I'm happy to recommend this title.

I am always a fan of retellings, especially when done well. I thoroughly enjoyed Lost in the Never Woods.

Five years ago, Wendy was found in the forest, alone, with a six month gap in her memory and her brothers still missing. Now, Wendy is eighteen, and children are going missing again from her small town. While driving home from volunteering one night, Wendy accidentally hits a boy, Peter, who claims to know her. Since Wendy has grown up, it takes her awhile to realize that he is "her" Peter, the Peter Pan that she tells about in her stories. He asks her for help finding the missing children who have been taken by his shadow.

I really liked the story line and how everything came together. Wendy subconsciously continued to draw this tree, yet didn't know what it meant to her. She was afraid of the forest because of her missing memory and the secrets it held. I love how Peter is more than just the boy who never grows up. He has wants, desires, and responsibilities. He made a choice that had unintended consequences.

The story was well paced. It had great themes of friendship, family, overcoming obstacles, self-discovery, and love. It wasn't full of shocking twists and turns, but it didn't feel predictable either. It was a well crafted interpretation of Peter Pan that can appeal to anyone.

Aiden Thomas is a master writer, there's no way around it! I think this book will truly resonate with those who were obsessed with the live-action Peter Pan movie from the 2000s... which was me! I loved reading these tidbits that reminded me of that darker movie rather than the animated Disney version. Thomas' focus particularly on the acorn was something that truly invoked those images of the movie for me.
This is a retelling like no other. Rather than focus on some fanfic-level romance, Thomas chose to put energy into trauma responses and affects. There is some romance, don't get me wrong, but it's not the main focus in the sense we readers are used to. It does have a significant impact on the plot as a whole, but is otherwise absent (which means no awkward fanfic/50 Shade sex scenes, so thank you, Aiden!). In my opinion, the trauma was really well written. At times, I felt as though I was feeling everything Wendy was. It was hard to read at some points because the emotions felt so real. It's clear that Thomas put so much feeling into this retelling.
I also have to give Thomas kudos for masterfully tying in parts of Peter Pan without making it so obvious. A good example is that all the police officers have the same name as pirates in the original. Another fun plot is the missing shadow. I honestly can't get over the overall creativity that went into this story. The writing itself was also wonderfully done and the book was clearly given a lot of love during the process! I also have to add that the cover is stunning! (My hardcopy finally came in the mail and I'm officially obsessed... one of the most beautiful covers I own!)
Honestly, the only reason this story lost a star is because I had trouble getting through at some points. I feel like this is my own personal problem, however, and not because of the story itself. For me, this book was less of an escape and more of a reality slap in the face so to speak. I definitely needed to be in a certain mindset while reading it, and reading while anxious was not in the cards for me. The ending was so well done, though, and I'm glad I powered through my own emotions. I think readers who enjoyed Monday's Not Coming and are big fantasy fans will love this read!

Despite having many of their books on my TBR list, I’ve never read a book by Aiden Thomas until now. But, holy hot damn.

Lost in the Never Woods made me love Peter Pan even more. I never disliked Peter Pan, but it wasn’t my favorite either. But, I have a newfound love for it. This isn’t a kids bedside story though. Nope, this is about some real, hard stuff. Real people stuff. The book explores trauma and mental health.

The story moves quickly but effortlessly. I loved Wendy Darling’s character so much. She actually reminds me of myself a lot – especially my dealings with anxiety and PTSD. And, I loved how Aiden showcased Peter’s shadow (or anyone’s shadow for that matter).

This book has a bit of everything. Humor, happiness, magic, tragedy, representation, raw emotions, and much more. Definitely recommend!

A Peter Pan retelling but told in our current timeline with cell phones, tvs and security cameras.
It's years after Wendy is found in the woods and Peter and Michael never returned. Peter turns up just as more kids are starting to be taken mysteriously. Wendy and Peter try to figure out why and how to get his shadow back which they think might be the culprit.

I do love a retelling.

May be spoilery:
I like that Peter Pan was a ferrier of souls. The young souls that move on but have had a much more traumatizing end go to Neverland with him to heal before they move on.
I will tell you I had chills for the last half of the book. I always wondered about the lost boys but to think of them as souls that were being protected is different than stolen or lost children.
I felt so bad for Wendy and the Darlings and all that she had blocked her whole childhood because she had witnessed something that was so horrible.
There was a forbidden romance dynamic with Peter and Wendy which was causing issues with Neverland and the shadow.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

This cover is a beautiful purple too!
Artwork from @atouchofmagic

Thank you #yallwrite and #fiercereads for this win from your awesome event!

This dark Peter Pan retelling came out this past week and it was so, so good. I’ve never actually read Peter Pan, but I was obsessed with one of the film adaptations as a kid and I’ve been feeling drawn back to the story lately. I thought this hit just the perfect spot as a retelling, by keeping aspects of the original story but also making it new and original (there was a very surprising plot twist near the end that really made the whole book amazing). 


I loved the spooky places that the author went with Peter’s backstory and the core life questions that were addressed. I actually really wished that the theme of finding your life’s purpose was addressed even more. The story just started to scratch the surface and it could’ve gone so much deeper in my opinion. I also felt like the romance was a little cliche, but it was still cute and other than that Lost In The Never Woods was a really fun reading experience and I would definitely recommend it! Thank you so much to Swoon Reads for the review copy!

"You Forgot Me"

As we grow up and responsibilities take over we often forget our joy in just playing...in just believing in the magic. Lost In The Never Woods by Aiden Thomas tries to remind us that we always need a bit of magical joy to keep the dark shadows away.

In this retelling of the Peter Pan fairytale we find that there are very real consequences to tragedy and how we learn to cope is what can help save us from them.

It is 5 years since Wendy was found alone in the woods with no memory of what happened to her and her two brothers who are still missing. Turning 18 she suffers from survivor's guilt, PTSD, anxiety and a very sad home life. Her parents have not coped well with losing their sons.

Everything changes when Wendy comes across an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road. When he opens his eyes he says her name and then says, "You forgot me."

The boy, Peter, helps her remember. He also becomes a suspect for the recent children who have gone missing. As they spend time together Peter seems to age. He goes from looking like 13 to a boy Wendy's age. But a spark is missing from him and Wendy soon realizes that she needs to help Peter find his childhood again and this may help find the missing children; maybe find her brothers.

I was truly surprised by the tenderness with which the writer displayed mental illness after trauma not just for Wendy but her parents too.This novel does not hide from the fact that "happy ever after" is not realistic.

Though there are moments of joy, such as Peter enjoying scoops of ice cream, there is a lot of grief. The end is a mix of all questions answered and some answers truly breaking my heart. This book is listed as teen YA but if, like me, you still believe, it is for all ages.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love Aiden Thomas as an author! His books are so captivating! This was a very interesting spin on the Peter Pan tale. It was a much darker version of Peter Pan. There were so many questions about everything happening, and Thomas dropped clues like breadcrumbs. Each time something big was revealed, a new aspect of the mystery was also released. Each chapter seemed to ramp up the tension and emergency of the situation. When children that Wendy currently knew started going missing, it really made the energy feel frantic. And then here comes Peter, all, hey, let's get some ice cream. Which was extremely annoying and frustrating when you want the mystery solved, but also so very Peter Pan, so you can't really be that upset? Definitely a must read!

What I liked
Seeing the original elements of the story in a contemporary retelling. I love the original Peter Pan, and I love retellings. So I bet you can guess what one of my favourite parts of this story was. Seeing all the characters I loved, and revisiting the places that felt so familiar, but were also so different, was one of my favourite parts of the novel. Even the little things, like how all the cops were named after pirates in the actual story, were so much fun to notice.

The way grief, trauma, and mental health are addressed. I think a lot of YA goes out of it’s way to pretend like things such as depression, grief and trauma just don’t exist. Which is why it was so wonderful to see the unflinching, and raw portrayal of this through almost all the characters. Through Wendy, we can see the struggles of trauma and grief, and how they can affect and impact your daily actions. This also helped add some depth to the characters, and honestly just made them more relatable.

The friendships. I’m going to try not to spoil anything while talking about the friendships but I loved them. I’m not going to say the romance was my favourite part of the book, but the friendships were just so heartwarming. Seeing Jordan support Wendy, after all she’d been through, and seeing Wendy trust Jordan with everything reduced me to a messy puddle of tears. Jordan and Wendy are 100% friendship goals. Sure, it was frustrating each time they misunderstood each other, or Wendy kept at herself at an arm’s length from Jordan, but each time we saw their bond, I was just 🥺

What wasn’t my cup of tea
The underdeveloped characters. I’m going to come right out and say it. I just felt no emotional connection with the characters. If you asked me to describe Wendy, I would probably just be describing what she’s gone through, not who she is, and it’s the same with all the other characters as well. I think, yes, they were all likeable, and I really enjoyed the story, but for me, none of them were particularly memorable. But again, this is all different for everyone, because I know that Cossette @ Tea Time Lit, loved the characters, so you should definitely check out multiple reviews before reading it!

The pacing. According to me, the pacing was honestly just all over the place. The last 40% of the book was PERFECT. But things before that, and the first 60% was just too slow for me to handle. Nothing really happened before the halfway mark! There was some necessary information given in those first few chapters, but honestly it was just spaced out too much, and the pacing was way too slow for me to handle.

Overall!
Lost in the Never Woods is a captivating Peter Pan retelling, that had me 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 connect 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.

Lost in the Never Woods is absolutely a Peter Pan retelling, down to the names of the characters. Wendy and her brothers went missing in the woods six years ago, but only Wendy was found - and she can't remember anything that might help her parents, the police, or anyone else learn what really happened that day. Nowadays she volunteers at the local hospital with her best friend in preparation of going to college to become a nurse when - surprise! Peter Pan, who she thought was only a character from bedtime stories, shows up and convinces her to help him help the local children who have begun going missing. And that's when it gets dark.

There's nothing wrong with Lost in the Never Woods. The prose is clear, even if it goes a little overboard sometimes on the whole descriptive language thing. The characters have dimension and exhibit growth throughout the novel. There's a twist I absolutely did not see coming, and it has excellent treatment of anxiety, even if the explicit representation is kind of shoehorned in at the end. However, I did not find either Wendy or Peter particularly compelling and as a character-driven reader, that was sort of the end of that for me. I will admit that despite my attempts otherwise, I did keep comparing this novel to Cemetery Boys in my head and that certainly did it no favors.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys dark fairy tale retellings and anyone who enjoys twisty contemporary fantasy, but suspect that many fans of Thomas's debut novel will find themselves wanting more.