I love novels that reimagine or embellish traditional fairy tales. When writers take the world of familiar fantasy, and give it a new, enthralling spin, it makes my heart soar. My love of Peter Pan spin-offs started with the amazing Lost Boy, by Christina Henry, and A.C. Wise has given us another alternative Neverland experience, with the fantastic Wendy, Darling.

Wendy is now a “grown up”, with a family of her own. Her childhood experiences of Neverland have left concealed emotional scars. The traumatic consequences that occurred when she spoke of Neverland have kept her quiet. One night, Peter Pan appears in Wendy’s house, and kidnaps Wendy’s daughter, Jane. In order to save Jane from an uncertain future, Wendy must revisit a place that brought her both joy and torment,

In J.M. Barrie’s original work, Wendy is quite a non-character; the obligatory mother-figure/love interest, dishing out food and comfort. A.C. Wise has done a tremendous job in showing Wendy as an emotionally fragile, yet ultimately indestructible woman. It’s such a spot-on interpretation of what it is to be a women, a mother, a wife, a friend, a person, all at the same time, whilst remembering all that one has left behind. Wise’s Wendy is a lonely character; her brother deny the existence of Neverland, and she is institutionalized when she tries to talk about it with others. She forms a beautiful relationship with a fellow in-mate, Mary, the Tiger Lily figure of the book. Their bond is just so perfect, so pure. The pages containing their interactions positively glow with warmth.

I think mothers and those who identify as female will very much appreciate Wendy’s struggles within this book. How she keeps fighting when things seem futile, and even defying the laws of physics to protect her family. But also, it sensitively addresses the fact that not all decisions are easy to make, and mothers (and indeed fathers) are fallible, and human.

But make no mistake, this book is dark. From the kidnap of Jane, to treatment of Wendy, to the frankly shocking origins of Peter Pan, this is a terrifying novel. The action starts within the first few pages, and does not stop until the very end.

I enjoyed this book so much. I’ve been a fan of A.C. Wise’s short fiction for a while, and was absolutely thrilled when Wendy, Darling was announced. The novel exceeded my already-high expectations, and I hope this accomplished, enjoyable work brings A.C Wise much-deserved acclaim.

This book pulled me in right away. Peter comes for Wendy and instead finds her grown and unfamiliar; so he takes her daughter Jane.
This becomes a story of resilience and not just motherhood but womanhood.
Wendy is a very, real and complex character. It is very clear she will do anything to get her daughter back and also there’s the tone of “needing” to go to Neverland. Like she has unfinished business.
The back and forth of real time and her time at St. Bernadettes added to the story another layer that makes this retelling gut wrenching
I felt a lot of emotions reading Wendy’s past and reading her coming into herself. She becomes a benchmark of self love and autonomy.
I loved the camaraderie and friendship between Mary and Wendy.
Neverland was fun and scary to revisit, knowing there was a darkness lingering and so many unknowns.
I did find the end of the book fast paced and some gaps in the plot. I didn’t love the “monster” idea and then it felt very rushed and final and compete, but with no real answers to what happens to Neverland or Peter. I can enjoy an open ended book and giving the reader a chance to decide. But this story shared so many details, it felt like we as the reader should have known what became of Neverland.
A really enjoyable read that I think anyone who loves Peter and Wendy and Neverland will enjoy; and enjoy a new, darker perspective.

I enjoyed the writing, but was not a big fan of the characters. Especially our main character Wendy, Ithink she was a bit too whiny for my liking.

I'm a sucker for any type of fairytale/mythology/folktale retelling, so I was immediately drawn to this book. This is of course much darker than the original, which may appeal to some but not everyone. The main character goes through a lot of abuse in the story, especially from the male characters. Definitely meant for a adult audience, a beautiful story that can be very hard and triggering at times.

I am usually a fan of twisted retellings but I could not get into this one. Wendy is grown up but could never let go of the memories of Neverland even after a stint in a mental institute. When Peter takes her daughter Jane, Wendy returns to Neverland to get her back.

This one was dark and sinister. I found myself trying to skim to speed through it. I liked the feminist spin and the twists on the original story but it fell short for me. I think I missed the fun and magic of Neverland. Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have always hated Peter Pan, the slick Disney treatment that we have given what is actually kind of an upsetting story. Imagine my delight in finding that someone else feels the same way! Wendy, Darling gives us a really unique take on the Pan Universe. Retellings can often go sideways but I was hooked on this from the very beginning. Wendy gave me shades of American McGee's institutionalised Alice and even if that is showing my age a bit it really is the highest compliment. The secret at the heart of Neverland twisting what we know from the orginal Barrie book was also really fun. More of these, please.

This is a darker and alternate-reality like retelling of Peter Pan. It’s from multiple POVs - Wendy years later after returning from Neverland as an adult, Wendy immediately upon returning home from Neverland, and Jane, Wendy’s daughter. Some people love multiple POVs but I don’t really prefer them. I think this is a story someone would have to savor. It’s not one that I’d be able to read in one sitting.

Definitely good for someone who likes dark, slow burn.

This is a great retelling/continuation of Peter Pan, though it was a bit hard to get through because it is SO dark. I wasn't fully expecting the focus on mental institutions (though it makes sense for Wendy to have been institutionalized, given Edwardian misogyny and notions of mental "health"), and that made this a bit more traumatizing and a bit more a slog than I was hoping for. That being said, the writing was great, and I appreciated the shifting timelines throughout.

What happened after Neverland? John and Peter Darling have forgotten about the boy who never grew up, but Wendy never did. Now, as an adult and mother, she watches in horror as her daughter Jane leaves with Peter.

She much wrangle with the truth of her childhood and the truth of what happened when they were in Neverland. PTSD, mental illness, abuse...It's not the Disney film we remember.

AC Wise has taken a childhood story and brought it into adulthood.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was so beautifully written and I was super engaged in the story, but sadly I am putting this book down for the moment because some things in this book I find personally triggering. I will be picking this book up again though once I'm in a better headspace!

DNF@20%

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Titan Books (A.C. Wise) for allowing me to review this book.

Where to start...I was not expecting this story to be so mentally hard as in the turmoil that Wendy had to face through the years. I got to see the downside to what happened to her after leaving Neverland. The fear and shame at not being believed. This story was beautifully written. It was not hard to believe that Wendy transformed more than a handful of times throughout the book.

I loved the way the characters were written. No one person was flawless. Almost everyone, including Peter seemed to be humanly flawed. The author wrote this story well and I had a hard time putting it down. I can honestly say this is probably one of my favorites of the year.

I'm a sucker for retellings of myths or fairytales. I love spin offs of them as well. But this feels like not a sequel but the flip side to Peter Pan. The consequences as well as the remainder of the story for Wendy, John and Michael. Loved it.


(Will be Cross Posting to my Blog and Instagram and will provide links)

Holy wow! Based on the description I thought this could be an interesting read, but it's not something I'd normally pick up. I usually like my gothic fiction with a heaping dash of romance, and Wendy, Darling is not a romance. Wendy, Darling answers the question "what is Neverland, and what happened after Wendy and her brothers returned home?" Not only does it answer these questions, it answers them in a way I'd have never imagined.

I'm not familiar with the folklore behind Peter Pan, I've only seen a few of the film adaptations released, most of which are rather happy at the end of the day. Wendy, Darling is not a happy story. Wendy's struggle is heartbreaking and realistic to the time setting. When she refuses to give up on Neverland she's labeled as unstable and eventually checked into an asylum. Her time in the asylum is not healing, her only reprieve a friend she makes during her stay. She's able to leave after agreeing to an arranged marriage, and has a daughter.

One night she wakes up certain that Peter Pan is in her daughter, Jane's room. She rushes to Jane's bedside and finds Peter there. When she confronts Peter with her identity, he denies her, she's an adult! How terrible! Peter takes her daughter in lieu of Wendy to be their mother, also referred to as "The Wendy" to his lost boys. But Wendy, despite her fervent love for Neverland, knows something is not right with Peter Pan. She has fragmented memories of a darkness that lies on the island, and she knows she must go return to Neverland to save Jane.

I did not want to put this book down – it boasts such a truly, exceptional twist to the classic tale. I thought back most while reading of Disney's classic animated adaptation of Peter Pan, and maybe it was silly to do so, but I could easily see Disney's Peter in A.C. Wise's Peter! Something more sinister hidden behind smiles, laughter, and games. Very Lord of the Flies -esque in a way that I didn't otherwise relate to Peter Pan prior to reading Wendy, Darling.

A.C. Wise wrote an exceptional story, I really appreciated her voice. I experienced the settings, characters, and feelings she sought to depict. Wise fleshed Wendy out so fully, so lovingly yet realistically. I'm generally not a fan of multiple POVs but in this story I found it made the piece stronger. Jane had such a strong mind, the way she presented herself and navigated Neverland was a constant reassurance while learning more about Wendy's nightmarish past prior to marriage.

I wish there was a prequel starting with Wendy and her brothers falling under Peter's spell. I would absolutely read it, because I still find myself with burning questions! I would most certainly recommend this book and purchase it for myself and others.

Thank you very much to A.C. Wise, Titan Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book for my unbiased opinion.

I'll never see Peter Pan in the same light again. This is a dark, at moments even chilling, side of the story for adults. At the same time, the story has a very human heart at its core. I couldn't look away until I reached the conclusion. The characters, the plot, the myth and the magic were all expertly written. I loved this book from beginning to end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for access to this arc!

[ Overall Thoughts ]
This is the year of Peter Pan-inspired books, with Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas earlier this year, and both Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise and Darling by K. Ancrum out this June. It's fascinating to me how different each of these works manages to be, and how much each one appeals to me. This particular book is not so much a retelling as a continuation; a what-came-next to the original. It is billed as dark and feminist, and I think it delivers fairly well on both.

We get the story in POVs from Wendy and her daughter, Jane, with both flashbacks and sections from earlier years of Wendy's life interspersed. The timeline is a bit chaotic throughout, though I felt it worked to build tension and keep me guessing as it doled out tidbits of past and present. But if you're a reader who likes linear stories, the storytelling style here may irk you.

Both Wendy and Jane are determined to solve their problems for themselves, and work actively to do so. I enjoyed their narratives, and felt their voices differed enough to make them unique. Their narrative voices do a lot of internal mulling over of their situations and often in the format of an almost stream-of-consciousness line of questions. This style overall worked well to communicate the Neverland brain fog that Jane is experiencing, but felt a little repetitive on occasion in both POVs.

Minor quibbles aside, the plot moves quickly, the characters are engaging, and the story is unique to other Peter Pan works I've encountered and I enjoyed it.

[ Mildly Spoilery Notes ]
Regarding Wendy's arc: Wendy is frequently shown to struggle with guilt, often over things she had no control over or things she should not be responsible for. Family is a big theme here: with her as a mother in Neverland trying to get Jane back, the original treatment of her in Neverland as a "mother" to the Lost Boys, and as the eldest of sibling of her brothers when they were orphaned, trying to hold them together as a family - in misguided and hurtful ways, but with the intention of uniting them. I enjoyed the look at this responsibility pushed onto girls and young women, and Wendy recognizing her guilt and the guilt of other women around her as not fair, but no less real for it. I found Wendy to be likable, frustrating, scarily ruthless, and deeply compassionate in turns. Overall she was a complex character that I often felt conflicted about, and that made her all the more engaging to follow.

Regarding representation: Though labels are not explicitly used, Wendy is described as aromantic and/or asexual.
> "I don't think I'm made for that sort of love." Wendy opens her eyes, swallows. Her throat aches. It's hard, saying the words aloud. "Not the sort of love most people think of when they think of a marriage."
Her husband Ned had a long-term relationship with a man who is mentioned to have passed away shortly before Ned and Wendy are arranged to be married. Ned and Wendy and their friend Mary have close and loving friendships with one another and I really enjoyed them functioning as a family unit, though it is only a small portion of the story.

[ Suggested Audience ]
Readers who have an affinity for retellings, especially Peter Pan retellings, will find something unique here.
Readers who enjoy historical fantasy and a frank look at some of society's less laudable habits, such as putting inconvenient women in asylums, will likely be interested in Wendy's life after returning from Neverland as it's depicted here.
Readers who want to see Neverland go a bit to the dark side, a bit the way of Lord of the Flies, and some persistent female MCs who are determined to figure it all out will find lots to like here.

[ TL;DR ]
A dark, unique retelling of Peter Pan that was overall an enjoyable read.

I’d like to thank Netgalley, A.C. Wise and Titan Books for allowing me an arc of this book.

One of the things that I love about this is the depiction of Neverland, particularly that it is different between Jane’s (child) experience and Wendy’s (adult).

When I was a child, I always wanted to go to Neverland. I thought running about playing games with Peter and The Lost Boys sounded amazing. It’s safe to say, after A.C. Wise’s adaptation, I do not. I do NOT want to go to Neverland. In this book Neverland is portrayed as dark, gothic, wild, and downright haunting, and although I do not want to visit now, I absolutely love this portrayal!

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book, of hearing about Wendy’s life after Neverland. I’d always anticipated her having a happily ever after. This blew all of those ideas of the window and then some. And unsurprisingly, I am not mad about it! The story was interesting, gripping and full of unexpected twists and turns!

I particularly liked the mental health representation in this book, both Wendy and her brothers faced trauma, in Neverland and at home, and I appreciate how delicately this was touched upon.

This story is a story of survival, plain and simple, and I highly recommend it.

The only downside to this story for me, was the end pacing was quite rushed in my opinion. I feel like it could have been a 5 star for me if we’d had more resolution after how much build-up we received.

A solid 4 star.

*Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted an electronic copy of this book by Netgalley and Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

"What does one bring to the imaginary land of their childhood to rescue their daughter from a boy who refuses to grow old?"

In this dark retelling of Peter and Neverland, A.C. Wise introduces us to a grown-up Wendy Darling. As children, Wendy and her brothers, John and Michael, visited Neverland and after returning Wendy refused to let Neverland go. Her brothers grew up and faced the responsibilities of adulthood, but Wendy was stuck in the memories of Peter and Neverland, and because of Wendy's obsession with Neverland, her brothers admitted her to St. Bernadette's asylum.

Between these dark and depressing walls, Wendy met Mary and they became best friends, even sharing a special bond. Upon Wendy's release, she marries Ned and has a daughter named Jane. Wendy takes Mary in as her cook and everyone is happy and content until one night Wendy sees a familiar figure of a boy without a shadow standing on her daughter's bed. Peter is upset that Wendy has grown up and takes her daughter to Neverland instead. This is where the author breathes new life into an old favourite.

Jane is stuck in Neverland and experiences Peter's manipulation and finds it difficult to remember her own identity. Peter moulds her into 'Wendy', forcing her to be a mother for him and the other boys, all the while hiding a terrible secret in the heart of Neverland. Wendy takes one last trip to Neverland to save her daughter, but this time she isn't a broken little girl who believes in the goodness of Peter, she is a grown-up who is going to expose him for the monster that he is.

The story is told from Wendy and Jane's POV and the reader is taken back to a time when Wendy visited Neverland as a child. The reader is taken from the present to the past, experiencing the magic of Neverland, but upon returning to the present, we see a Neverland where shadows are hidden. A selfishness surrounds Peter, a kind of darkness, and Wendy risks her family's trust to return to Neverland and save Jane from Peter.

"Haunted. Neverland is haunted. The lagoon is full of skeletons in a place where nothing is supposed to die, and her daughter is out there somewhere. She has to find Jane."

I was hooked from the beginning and enjoyed this retelling from an adult's perspective. I liked the characters and the fact that PTSD and mental illness are mentioned creates an awareness of both.

Wow. This book was a fast-paced, thrilling adventure back into Neverland. I’ve been slowly getting into reading fantasy retellings and this is such a good addition. I enjoyed meeting this new and powerful iteration of Wendy, reading about her struggles, her survival, and her love for her daughter Jane. I finished this book and can’t help wanting to go back to it again.

What an interesting concept! This isn't a re-telling of Peter Pan but more of a what happened after the Darlings returned from Neverland.
Poor Wendy Darling isn't believed. Even John and Michael, her brothers who have been to Neverland with her as children, insist that it never happened. Her life is in turmoil but she has a small measure of peace with her little family; husband, daughter Jane and her best friend, Mary. Until the day Peter comes flying back in through the window and takes Jane as the new Wendy. Is Peter as wonderful and full of boyish charm as Wendy remembers? Was it all a dream? Is Neverland Wendy's other home or something other entirely?

*Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc.*

I really enjoyed this new take on he Peter Pan retelling. A new adventure with a twisted center that made me question everything I thought I knew about Peter.

I loved that not only did we get to see the story from both Jane and Wendy's point of view, but we also get to see what happened after Wendy and her brothers returned from Neverland. How her brothers forgot, but she never could which led to alot of tension between her and her family.. Especially between her brothers.
Wendy did whatever she could to survive her life both in Neverland and at home. and when her daughter gets taken she dredges up her old memories and takes a leap of faith with her happiest memories to find her self on her way to saving Jane. Once she gets there she begins to remember.. remember that everything wasn't always great in Neverland..

I don't want to spoil anything so ill just say that in this dark retelling not everyone survives Neverland, and Peter is definitely not what he seems.

The Peter Pan story we needed! Truly disturbing and I loved every single minute of it! Wendy goes back to Nederland to find the evil that is Peter and her daughter Jane escapes from the clutches of the monster that is Peter pan.