I went into this book completely blind. Told nothing other than that this was going to be a modern, adult, dark retelling of Peter Pan. What I wasn't prepared for was the sheer lack of transparency to readers. There are no trigger warnings for some MAJOR things in here anywhere on any blurb or post as of now. For the content this book contains and the reader base this is targeting- that is just blatantly not ok. I would never let anyone from my family read this let alone someone who loves fairytales like I do.

The story follows Holly, granddaughter to Wendy Darling and famous last name from the story book. Her children's lives are in danger for different reasons but the overall looming threat is Peter Pan. This book was supposed to be about a mothers determination to save her children but all she does is hire help with the copious amounts of money she made selling skin products. She literally does NOTHING the entire book but break down and make phone calls. Her 70-something year old mother has more of a direct impact on the story than the main character. Her son Jack, was 98% teen angst and 2% character who also does nothing that contributes to the story. Peter, Tink and Hook unfortunately, are very poorly written as well. This could really have used better character development across the board.

The first 30%ish of this book I was confused but along for the ride. Then even after finishing the book still not a lot was explained, minimal descriptions of places or characters. Never builds any picture for the reader. You never find out what the house looks like that they are in for a large portion of the book, just the garden. Still cant tell you what most of the characters look like even after finishing the book. So world building and visualization was a big miss. Plot was all over the place. Pacing was never consistent. What was described fairly well was the abusive content. The rape, the physical and sexual abuse....here is where the list of triggers comes in.

Trigger Warnings that should be on the blurb:
Rape
Murder
Thoughts of Suicide
Physical Abuse
Mental Abuse
Death/murder of Children/young adults
Forcefully injecting children with drugs/blood.

If you're going to write a dark fantasy book that's fine, but have the common courtesy to inform your audience about what they will be reading and update your blurb to be an accurate depiction of what is actually written on these pages. This unfortunately is not a story about a mother hellbent on saving her children. This is a story about poor choices, poor mothering, poor moral and ethical decisions and the reality of coming to terms with how badly they messed up and the cost was lives.

Happy pub week! I love a good fairy tale retelling and Peter Pan is such a classic, so I knew Darling Girl by @lizmichalskiauthor was a must read for me. Thank you @wunderbookspr and @duttonbooks for the advance copy. I was immediately drawn into this retelling through Holly, the granddaughter of Wendy. I loved that this was a darker telling of the classic Peter Pan story, and the twist and turns in this book added to the mystery. If you are into magical realism and re-tellings with a dark side, pick this one up.

In this beautiful, grounded, and darkly magical modern-day reimagining of J. M. Barrie’s classic, to save her daughter's life one woman must take on the infamous Peter Pan—who is not the innocent adventurer the fairy tales make him out to be . . .

Life is looking up for Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy—yes, that Wendy. She's running a successful skincare company; her son, Jack, is happy and healthy; and the tragedy of her past is well behind her . . . until she gets a call that her daughter, Eden, who has been in a coma for nearly a decade, has gone missing from the estate where she's been long tucked away. And, worst of all, Holly knows who must be responsible: Peter Pan, who is not only very real, but more dangerous than anyone could imagine.

Eden's disappearance is a disaster for more reasons than one. She has a rare condition that causes her to age rapidly—ironic, considering her father is the boy who will never grow up—which also makes her blood incredibly valuable. It’s a secret that Holly is desperate to protect, especially from Eden's half-brother, Jack, who knows nothing about his sister or the crucial role she plays in his life. Holly has no one to turn to—her mother is the only other person in the world who knows that Peter is more than a story, but she refuses to accept that he is not the hero she’s always imagined. Desperate, Holly enlists the help of Christopher Cooke, a notorious ex-soldier, in the hopes of rescuing Eden before it's too late . . . or she may lose both her children.

Darling Girl brings all the magic of the classic Peter Pan story to the present, while also exploring the dark underpinnings of fairy tales, grief, aging, sacrifice, motherhood, and just how far we will go to protect those we love.

What a fun book! If you are a fan of those classic fairytales and of course, particularly Peter Pan, then this book is so worth an afternoon or two of reading!

Told from the perspective of Wendy Darling's granddaughter as she is raising her own kids after a few of her own life tragedies. Holly Darling has one son and one daughter and she is doing her very best to protect them and allow them to grow up without the Darling name hanging over their head. After her daughter goes missing, Holly must return to England and confront some of the family lore and legend and end things once and for all.

While I don't tend to read magical realism, I can go there when the author is using Peter Pan as source material! I can suspend reality when it comes to that story and I loved how the author made it seem as though Peter Pan was fact and not fiction. AND the easter eggs! There are so many little things that having seen the story in many different ways - Disney, live action by NBC, books and so on, I think I picked up on most of the small little things and I loved each and every one of them.

I would recommend this to any reader who is already a fan of Peter Pan and may be in one of those pesky reading ruts. I read this book at a time where life was distracting and this was the perfect book to block it all out and just get swept away.

In this modern-day reimagining of J. M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan”, Holly Darling, granddaughter of THE Wendy, is running a successful skincare company in New York and raising her teenage son, Jack. When she gets a call that her daughter, Eden, who has been in a coma for the past decade, has disappeared, she suspects Peter Pan is responsible. Holly returns to England to search for her daughter with the help of the mysterious private investigator, Christopher Cooke, and confront the dark shadows of her past.

This story is a twist on a classic tale, looking at a darker, more dangerous side of Peter Pan. The book is a suspenseful page-turner, perfect for fans of the grimmer versions of fairytales. I love the way the author blended elements of magic and science together, and created such a unique story. The writing was creative, with so many little details that added that extra spark of enchantment to the book. Overall, I’d definitely recommend to fans of a dark retelling!

Thank you Dutton Books and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC.

Holly Darling is the granddaughter of Wendy Darling, who travelled with Peter Pan a hundred years ago. The story made the Darling family famous, but only they know that it was a true story. Holly has experienced many tragedies, including losing her husband and son in a car accident. Her remaining son is happy and healthy, but that’s come at a cost. One day, Holly gets a call that her daughter has gone missing from her home in Cornwall. Her daughter, Eden, has been in a coma for ten years, and has a rare condition that causes her to age quickly so she looks much older than her thirteen years. The problem is that Eden is a secret. Holly hasn’t told her friends or even her son that Eden exists. Holly returns to her childhood home, enlisting an ex-soldier, Christopher Cooke, to find her daughter before Peter Pan returns to their lives.

I tried to read the original Peter Pan story a year ago but I couldn’t get into it. I watched the movies when I was a kid so I know the story. I really enjoyed this book. It would be helpful for readers to have some familiarity with the story, because many of the characters were referenced, but it was a very different kind of story.

This story took a dark turn that I wasn’t expecting. It was unusual that Holly kept her ill daughter a secret from everyone who was close to her, so that was a hint that this wouldn’t have the same fairytale feeling as Peter Pan. Some of the dark scenes included drug abuse, drug overdose, kidnapping, and rape. These intense scenes took away the innocence of the original story and made it more mature.

Dating Girl is a dark twist on Peter Pan.

Thank you Wunderkind PR and Dutton for providing a copy of this book.

A dark, Peter Pan reimagining, Darling Girl is definitely a unique twist on the original.

Holly Darling runs a flourishing skincare company, heavily involved in both the running of the company as well as the science behind the products. She lives with her son Jack in NYC following the loss of other family members in a tragedy years ago. However, when comatose daughter Eden suddenly goes missing, Holly is both scared for her daughter and suspects that Eden’s father, Peter Pan (yes, THAT Peter Pan), has a hand in her disappearance. With the help of Christopher Cooke, Holly sets out to uncover Eden’s whereabouts.

Equal parts dark and mysterious, this story weaves together family dynamics, mythical other worlds, and fantastical elements. Even if you are not necessarily drawn to Peter Pan as a story, you may find Darling Girl an engrossing page-turner that tackles real issues with a couple twists and turns thrown in.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story and highly recommend it!

Special thanks to NetGalley & Dutton for a free ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love the classic Peter Pan story.
This is not it. This story is dark and twisted, and I loved that!
For the most part, I enjoyed this retelling. It had Peter Pan as a sinister character, instead of the sweet and charming boy. Plus, there was this addition with the Darling family and their deepest secrets.
During the middle of the book the story was more focused on one thing and I almost got bored. Then it careened back to Peter and I was invested again.
I do wish that the ending was as thorough as three quarters of the book. It felt rushed through.
Still, it was a decent read and I would read more from this author in the future.

One twisted tale of Peter Pan you want to read! This is a modern version that captues you right away and keeps you on the edge until the end. Loved this book!

#FirstLine ~ Prologue: In a very tall tree sits a girl.

I loved this book so much. It is hard describe how it made me feel other than satisfied and sad to see it end. It was beautifully told, original and unforgettable. It is everything you want in a book. It consumes you in the best possible way and holds on tight. You will want your friends to read this book, so you can talk. So, with that being said, I encourage book clubs to pick up this book and read it together. Be ready for some great conversation!!!

What can I say - I LOVED Darling Girl so incredibly much. By far one of my favorite reads of 2022.

I grew up with the Peter Pan story, and it's always been one of my favorites. Liz Michalski did an incredible job of bringing Peter Pan into the modern-day and shifting it away from the happy fairytale to something darker. The book is beautifully written and will keep you turning the pages. There were points I forced myself to stop reading purely so I can savor the story for longer.

Don't miss Darling Girl.

5/5 stars

Thank you Dutton Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Darling Girl is a story which builds upon the foundations of a story we might know. Michalski introduces suspense, danger, and mystery with each passing page. Holly lives in a world that owes homage to Peter's legacy, while also hiding this dangerous secret. And her own life is not free of secrets. For the first half of the story, I was engrossed in the mystery. Wondering what secrets Holly has been keeping.

Yet as Darling Girl progressed, the suspense only increased and the danger became real. The pieces begin to click and the hidden truths they conceal are revealed. So many of my notes are just me being shocked at the series of events. But throughout Darling Girl, Michalski ends up telling a story revolving around family and parenthood. Whether there's a piece of us that wants to keep our loved ones protected, safe, and our kids innocent. But we all grow up.

Darling Girl is a dark Peter Pan retelling, changing Peter into a sinister man instead of a young and free boy. This novel is full of suspense and magical realism as Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy Darling, receives a call that her comatose daughter is missing. Holly knows that Peter is behind the disappearance and suspects that he’s after Eden for her blood. With a rare generic condition, her blood has magical healing qualities that Peter likely wants for himself. Darling Girl set the stage with a fun scientific backdrop and had me wanting to read more. The end was action-packed and had a couple of twists that made the story even more interesting. I’m left with a few questions about Wendy’s positive outlook of Peter when he was so horrible, wanted a bit more on the Christopher/Hook connection, and the extent of Jack’s healing in the end. I also would’ve preferred if the romance was left a little more open-ended in the end because it didn’t feel necessary to the story. Overall, a very interesting retelling that I’d recommend reading!

Thanks to Dutton Books for the gifted ARC!

I am normally not a fan of retellings but I didn't really know the story of Peter Pan all that well so I figured I'd give this a shot...and I am SO GLAD I did. I loved it. It was perfectly spooky, had enough to be what I imagine is true to the fairy tale but not so out there that I couldn't follow the story. I loved how modern it was with the Darling Skin Care company. It was just so much fun.

Thank you Dutton Books and NetGalley for this advanced reading copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I got approved for this ARC the day I was going to choose my May Book of The Month. I had this book as my pick as I get the email with the approval. I would have been just as happy with it as my BOTM choice!

Liz Michalski created such a dark yet magical and whimsical world. I felt like I was living in a really dark and seedy version of Hook (one of my favorite movies). The details Liz used (the red feathers) with the characters, the setting, and the story were perfect. It really makes you look at Peter Pan differently by the end. Peter Pan isn't the good guy in this story and the Lost Boys are addiction riddled and flawed human beings. And TINKER BELL -- how she is portrayed in this book is jaw dropping.

And Eden-- I loved Liz's description of her the most.
"She was smart. I remember how smart she was," Jack says. "And her laugh. I remember it was like bubbles. It would rise and rise and rise until it exploded."

My only real issues with the book is there's a scene when the MC Holly first meets Peter Pan (it was a little odd) and it seemed to drag on at times. Otherwise, what a crazy wonderful take on the childhood story of Peter Pan.

My review will be posted on my instagram May 1 at @bookswithbrielle

This was such an amazing Peter Pan retelling type of story. It's about Holly, granddaughter of Wendy, who finds out her daughter is missing due to Peter Pan and goes out to get her back. I really enjoyed the author's writing and tone in this book. The author did such an amazing job with bringing a whole different Peter Pan story to live which was dark, thrilling and entertaining. I was very dragged into the story by not just the plot but also the setting and the imagery used. I also enjoyed the fact that this story was kind of a mix of contemporary fantasy but it just made it so much more easier to get into. I do have to say that one of the problems I had was that the pacing was kind of off throughout some points in the story but other than that the story was great.

The main character in this book is Holly who I have to say is not a likeable character and I didn't really like her. She was often rude and a controlling person but she does have a backstory to explain why. When it comes to family it is also not the idealist relationship you will see. There is a bit of a character development to her story but not much in my opinion. There are many side characters in this book but they are kind of morally grey characters as they are all mostly dark or you just get dark vibes from them. There is romance in this story, mostly flirting but it's not the main factor of the story.

The ending was well done but there were so many questions left unanswered. I'm guessing there might be a second book or if the author just wanted to leave it open ended for their readers. Overall this book was greatly written and very dark (so beware) with some minor problems. I still recommend you read this book especially if you always wanted to read a dark Peter Pan retelling.

Holly Darling is the granddaughter of Wendy - yes, that Wendy. Two generations removed from the famous tale, Holly has grown up in the shadow of her family's famous story. There is the famous Wendy, who always seemed to live with one foot in Neverland. There is Holly's mother, Jane, who longed to be swept away by Peter Pan but he never came for her. And there is Holly, who alone knows the darker side of Peter.
Holly is a brilliant and beautiful scientist, living in New York with her teenage son, Jack. Her past is marred by tragedy though. Jack's father and his twin brother were killed in a car accident. Then, Holly's daughter, Eden, ends up in a coma after another accident. Holly leaves England with Jack and in the ensuing years, founds a very successful skin care company, throwing herself into her work. Darling Skin Care is on the cusp of a huge deal when Holly gets the news that, back in Cornwall, Eden has disappeared.
How does a girl in a coma disappear? Holly is sure that Peter Pan has something to do with it. She and Jack return to England and to her mother's home. Back in the nursery where Peter first appeared to the Darlings, Holly does everything she can to find Eden. And to save Jack, whose health is rapidly deteriorating. To do so, she enlists the help of a mysterious ex-soldier, a man with a hook for one hand named Christopher Cook.
The plot here is both complex and simple. The tragedies of Holly's life are both magical and prosaic. Her beloved husband was killed in a car accident, one that also left her with one son who may never walk again. Not long after, Holly finds herself pregnant and when her daughter is born, the girl suffers from a condition that causes her to rapidly age. Yet Eden's condition might be the secret to saving Jack's life; so when she disappears, both of Holly's children are in danger. Because of the complexity of her tragedy, Holly has kept everyone around her at arm's length. Even Jack is ignorant of much of their family history. The only other person who knows that the story of Peter Pan is true is Jane. But only Holly knows how dangerous Peter is.
This is overall a fun and inventive take on the classic tale of Peter Pan. There is a sort of sense in the way Michalski turns the story on its head. After all, a never-aging boy who flies through bedroom windows and takes children away - isn't that every parent's nightmare? There is a good sense of pacing from beginning to end, always something to focus on, always a problem to solve, or a tension to relieve. It was fun to note which characters might be a twist on a classic Barrie character.
Where the story faltered for me was in the character of Holly herself. She’s just too perfect - too beautiful, too poised, too brilliant. She’s had tragedy, sure, but she also seems to be personally flawless. At the same time, a lot of her current difficulties seem to be due to her own decisions. There’s being private and then there’s shooting yourself in the foot over and over again. There were several points where things might have been sorted out much sooner if Holly hadn’t been so determined to do everything on her own and this became irritating to read.
But Darling Girl is a fun, fantastical read and as such it delivers. Although I’m not intimately familiar with the source story, this felt very in line with the fun and magic and slight darkness of the original tale.

I love Peter Pan! I’d forgotten much of the premise though. I liked this modern take on the retelling. The beauty aspect was cool. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this felt different but still in a good way! I was hoping for more action in the first half. The ending wrapped up a little quickly for me but overall an enjoyable read!! 3.5⭐️s for me

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

Fairytale retellings are extremely hit or miss for me. And this one was a hit!

Imagine if Peter Pan wasn’t a sweet boy searching for friendship. But instead a grown vicious man who rapes and deals drugs. That’s this Peter Pan.

Holly Darling - the granddaughter of Wendy - does everything she can to keep her kids alive. Her daughter is in a coma with magical blood. Her son needs infusions to be able to run and move. Then one day her daughter goes missing. Holly goes back to London to track her down and face her family’s history.

This one has a slow start - but that’s common for most fantasy/magical realism books. There’s a lot of background and history. But the action happens and is so worth it. I really enjoyed this one. It’s quirky and unique and just the magical escape I wanted!

Oh my goodness the retelling I never knew I needed and it’s a dark one… from the first page I was hooked! I found the mom Holly Darling to be very relatable. She would do anything for her children. The romance with her husband was swoon worthy and I found her career as an owner of a successful skincare company to be fascinating and and a perfect addition to the story. I loved the Darling family history and who they are in society and how their relationship with Peter occurred. I will never think of Neverland the same.

Darling Girl took me by complete surprise! This book captures your attention from the first chapter, and you are flying through the pages until the final word. This book brings to light the dark, sinister side of Peter Pan. Which has always been simmering beneath the magic and wonder of the original tale. You will be caught up in the mystery of this dark, twisted book. Hang on for one crazy, intense ride. Where people lurk in the shadows, disappear with the tinkle of a bell and a glow of dust.

Holly is the granddaughter to Wendy Darling. Holly is not an agreeable character and there were times where I wanted to yell at her. She can be extremely controlling, secretive, demanding, and her mothering to Eden. Let me just say I was not a fan. She has been through so much trauma, so you can see why she clings to her loved ones. Holly and her son Jack live in NYC, where she owns a successful skin care company. When she receives a call saying that her daughter has vanished without a trace. Eden has been in a coma since she fell out of a tree as a young child. Her disappearance is disturbing and horrifying. Did she wake up? Did someone take her? All of these questions and no clues to go on. Holly and Jack fly back to England to begin the search. Where more and more of the Darling story is told. Will they be able to find her before something terrifying happens?

I enjoyed this book so much. It is dark, chilling, the characters are not what you expect, and you will be in awe of the shadows that spill from beneath the cover. It makes me you wonder what the true story is behind every fairy tale. Thank you to Liz Michalski, Dutton Books, and Wunderkind PR for sending me this dark, magical, retelling that I will not soon forget.