Wow...
I absolutely loved this Peter Pan Retelling.
I honestly was kept on my toes through out. Expect the unexpected definitely.
This is the story of Holly Darling her children and Christopher Cooke.
If you watched Peter pan and sided with Hook like me this is the book for you.
It is Dark, twisty, jaw dropping and brilliant.
5*

I stumbled upon this title scrolling through Bookstagram (what else is new?!). This dark, magically and twisty modern-day retelling of Peter Pan totally exceeded my expectations. The authors creative storytelling of a childhood favorite had me totally immersed in the story. The only reason I didn’t give this book all 5 stars was because there were times that I found this new storyline a bit disturbing, but not disturbing enough to ruin the book!

In this story, we meet Holly Darling, the granddaughter of the famous Wendy Darling. Holly, experienced a tragic loss after a car accident took the life of her son and husband. Now, she is loving in NY and has a successful skincare company. When she gets a call that her daughter who has been in a coma back in London has disappeared, she must go back to London to figure out what happened to her; that means dealing with the past and coming to terms with the fact that Peter may have something to do with her daughters disappearance.

This book was just so interesting. The most basic details of the book sucked me in, like Holly’s skincare line and her relationship with her mother (Wendy’s daughter), and her living son Jack. By the time the story really unfolds, I was totally hooked (see what I did there :)). The details connecting this story to the original were incredible. For all the Disney fairytale, fantasy, and contemporary fiction fans out there, don’t sleep on this one!

Well, this was a fun retelling with some dark twists! I enjoyed that this had some aspects that made the story less fluffy, showing a more sinister side to Peter and the Darlings!

This is told through the eyes of the granddaughter of Wendy. Holly has her son Jack and her daughter Eden. Eden has been in a coma, and Holly gets a call that Eden is missing. There are so many secrets and magical aspects to this story, and Eden’s magical blood is one of them. She can age faster than normal, and there are people that want that power.

This story was filled with so much action and secrets! I loved the magical elements and was drawn in by the characters! I would highly recommend this for readers that enjoy Peter Pan retellings, but even if that’s not your thing, if you enjoy magical realism, you might like this!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I’ve read a lot of fairy tale retellings over the years, but this was actually my first Peter Pan one! This was a beautifully written novel and while it took a much darker turn than I expected, I think it worked well for the story! It took me a bit to get into the book as Holly is not the most likable MC, she’s controlling and smothering to her employees, friends and family but as I learned her backstory I did empathize with all she had gone through. Her son is a sullen angsty teen which isn’t my favorite character type to read about, but it did feel like an accurate depiction of a boy trying to grow up with a overly strict mom.

There were some elements I was able to predict but plenty of surprising turns the plot took. I was left with some questions about Neverland as well as Eden’s disease and Jack’s long term health, but the ending was open enough that perhaps a sequel will be coming along with more details. This was an entertaining novel that I think Dark Fantasy readers and fans of Fairy Tale retellings will really enjoy.

Thanks to Dutton Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy. Darling Girl will be out on May 3!

“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 . . .”

Here is the gist:
Holly is Wendy Darling’s granddaughter. She is a single parent of two with a successful skin care business. The father of her son, Jack, died in a tragic accident and the father of her daughter, Eden, happens to be Peter Pan, who apparently can grow up, but doesn’t act like it. When Holly and Peter’s daughter goes missing she immediately suspects Peter of kidnapping her. Desperate to find her, Holly hires Christopher Cooke, an ex-soldier with a sketchy reputation. Can they find Eden before it’s too late?

I don’t often read retellings, mostly because I find I don’t enjoy them. I was hesitant to read Darling Girls for that reason, but something about the “dark underpinnings of fairytales” drew me right in. You definitely don’t need to have read Peter Pan to enjoy this book. I feel like most people are familiar with the story regardless.

I flew through the book quite quickly and was really surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did! A lot of the prose was quite beautiful and the imagery very compelling.

Michalski portrays Peter Pan as grotesque and predatory. Clearly the villain in this version, which is satisfying considering he always was a bit creepy. A few of the scenes with him and Holly were particularly disturbing, but I can appreciate what Michalski was doing with his character. Holly herself was difficult to like, especially in the beginning mostly due to the decisions she made after the tragic accident where she lost her husband and one of her sons. Towards the end, however, I could feel the raw grief and desperation she had to keep her children safe and she is redeemed.

My favorite characters were Michalski’s interpretation of Captain Hook 🪝and Tinkerbell🧚

The room held such deep-rooted memories as she sat down on the edge of the bed. The moonlight filtered through the open window, piercing the darkness with its light. A soft breeze blew through the room. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; the smell of springtime coated the air. When she opened her eyes again, a golden sparkle floated around her - a promise of faith, trust, and a bit of pixie dust.

Darling Girl tells the story of Holly, the granddaughter of Wendy, who was famously known for being the first to meet and spend time with Peter Pan. Holly is grown now, the story of Peter still associated with her last name, but she wants nothing to do with him. She has her own troubles to deal with and her own two children to save. One of which, her own daughter, has a special thing about her that Holly is desperately trying to figure out before things get worse.

This book is a dark retelling of Peter Pan and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of reading it. I can’t recommend this one enough, especially if you’re a fan of retellings!

Anytime I can get my hands on a dark fairytale retelling I get so excited!! While Darling Girl is a Peter Pan retelling I loved how different it was from the story we all know and love. There was a focus on the dark past of the Darling family that was so interesting and can we talk about Peter?! His dark storyline was fascinating!!

Even though this book was close to 400 pages I devoured it in one sitting. I had to know what was going to happen and I couldn’t put it down. Some of those plot twists I did not see coming!

I really loved this! I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, seeing as I typically am not really one for fairytale retellings, but this surprised me. I honestly don’t remember much from Peter Pan or any of the movies surrounding that story because I haven’t seen them since I was a kid but it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of this. I really appreciated the darker telling of this story, it’s not something I’ve seen before and was very unique. It was very eery but still magical, something that I love in books. There were parts that I felt didn’t quite feel finished, or parts of the plot felt unresolved, but they were very minor and I still really enjoyed this.

Peter Pan is one of my favorite stories to read retellings of, and I ended up enjoying this one for the most part! The idea to make Peter the villain was done very well, and I liked exploring the Darling family's dark past and history with the story, author, and the world of Neverland. The narrative was easy to read and I flew threw it as the pace was perfect for the story it was trying to tell. Though I do wish Peter himself had been in the story a bit more, and that we had really seen him grow into the villain he is, even if it's implied that he's always been one. I liked looking into the Darling background a lot and the idea that Neverland gets through in other ways, but wish it had been fleshed out a bit more. I also wish it had been a little more thriller-y because the mystery I felt was pushed aside and lost urgency as the story went on. The ending wrapped everything up well, so overall, this one was a three star for me.

Short Review: Magic. Pure Magic.

"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it."

Long Review: This book follows the descendants of the famous Wendy Darling in a re-imagined tale of Peter Pan. What if Peter wasn't who we think he is? What if Peter wasn't the good guy? This book takes us on a journey of loss, love, and magic. It's the story of a mother confronted with terrible choices, but still having to choose. It completely blew me away. I loved everything about it.

When I opened this book, movement at the window caught my eye. Moving cautiously, I stood at the edge gazing out at the clear night sky. The smell of Springtime waifed through the air, filling me up with the sweet scents of new grass and flowers. A rooster crowed in the distance. A soft familiar voice whispered in my ear. Unafraid, I let go and flew.....

Wow! 5 stars. I absolutely loved this book. I wondered how the author would write a story about Peter Pan and the Darling Family and Liz, the author, nailed it. I really hope she continues to do more in this genre.
I really think this is a book best going in blind. What you should know is the granddaughter of Wendy Darling has a secret child with Peter Pan. Does he know? Was magic involved? Does the child know? Read this amazing book and find out!

I really tried to get through this, but DNF at 60%. Writing style was pretty good, it was mostly the content that didn’t speak to me. This whole concept was just pretty far fetched to me— from the blood of one child spawning a skincare line to the sinister nature of peter pan’s true intent….. it was just too much. Spoiler below about my breaking point at putting this book down for good:
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tw: rape? peter pan raping the main character the conceive her daughter was just too much.

Thanks to Netgalley, Liz Michalski, and Dutton Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid Peter Pan retelling that I ended up liking more than I thought I would! I've never liked Peter Pan very much because I think he's creepy and really predatory--and I absolutely loved that this book showed Peter Pan as predatory. He was so creepy and sketchy and I loved it! I liked the mix of science and magic and the MC being a scientist working to find solutions to her children's illnesses.

I thought the story progressed well and there was always enough information to still piece together but I never felt like I was waiting too long to find out things. There were a few plot points that felt a little unfinished--the main one was how going back and forth to Neverland works and if people from Neverland can leave at will. The ending was also pretty rushed and ended pretty abruptly. I liked how the book wrapped up, but I wish the ending had been a little more developed. I don't know if there is a sequel planned, but the ending definitely left this open for another book and I would love to see that!

I received an early NetGalley copy of Darling Girl by Liz Michalski. As a fan of Circe and numerous other retellings/sequels based in antiquity, I was excited to see what the author had done with more modern mythology. I want to admit upfront that I've never been the biggest Peter Pan-o-phile. I watched the animated Disney movie and Hook as a kid, but the story and details are not engrained into my mind like some other children's literature. Michalski did a good job of weaving the background details throughout the story and the twist in the narrative is strong enough that the reader doesn't need an encyclopedic knowledge of the Darlings to follow along. My biggest issue with the story was Holly, the protagonist. I had a hard time rooting for her, especially with how identical the opening chapters are to the early scenes of The Devil Wears Prada (not to mention her parenting choices). I couldn't decide if Holly was supposed to be Miranda Priestly or if she was supposed to be Andy if she never left Runway, but either way – I wasn't a fan. Along that line, I also thought making the Nigel/Stanley Tucci-based character straight was a choice. All-in-all, I think fans of Peter Pan will absolutely devour this story, but it relied a little too much on character/plot crutches to stand among the better retellings in this recent publishing trend. Rating: 3/5

had a bit of a time with the twist but still quite enjoyed this. certainly a new tale with familiar characters.

Darling Girl by Liz Michalski is a retelling of Peter Pan . . . That tidbit is why I didn't immediately sign up for the ARC after being so attracted by the cover. I don't usually enjoy retellings. But after seeing so many great reviews, I decided to take a chance. I am so glad I did! Because Darling Girl is more than a retelling. More than a reimagining. More than a re-anything. Frankly, the entire novel was just *more*. More vivid. More creative. More enthralling. More of everything I hope for when I start a new book. (Side note: this books isn't anything like my absolute favorite book of 2020, The Invisible Life of Addy LaRue, and yet it struck me in the same way. That ethereal mix of realistic, beautifully written fiction woven together with magic and fantasy and epic, inspired world-building.) Truly an fantastic book. Highly recommend!

This was such an enticing read. I love Peter Pan, and I am always keeping an eye out for the next retelling of it. I really appreciated the way this took a new take on Peter Pan. It focused on more than just Wendy, and it allowed us to see a new view of Peter Pan himself. Not only did it give us this new take, but it also told a new story. Often, regardless of how much I enjoy certain retellings, I am struck with how often they still don't necessarily feel like there was a purpose for them. Darling Girl however gave that to us plenty.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for my DRC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Liz Michalski's "Darling Girl" is a modern retelling of J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" and it follows the granddaughter of Wendy, Holly Darling, and her attempt to protect her son Jack and her daughter Eden from their father who turns out to be very different from the story we're familiar with.

With no spoilers, I have got to say that this is one of the better modern retellings in general, that I have read. So often, I read modern retellings that really miss the shot because they're so focused on modernizing the story they're retelling that they forget to tell an actual story. That was not the case with Michalski. They do a brilliant job of subverting the story and characters of "Peter Pan" without relying heavily on wokeifying it and keeping it PC. I found this so enjoyable and it's such a quick read. Holly as our narrator and main point of entrance into the narrative felt realistic and while some of her decisions had me frustrated with her, it was clear that at the core of her motivation was her desire to protect her children.

I also appreciated how grounded everything felt with the few instances of magic and stuff. I thought that it would come across out of place, but the reality in the story blended with the fairy magic moments really well.

A modern, chilling retelling of the Peter Pan story, Darling Girl examines the fate of the Darling family after Wendy returns from Neverland. Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy, is running a successful skincare empire while parenting her teenage son after the tragic death of his twin brother and her husband a decade before when she is called back to England from her new home in New York. As she is unwillingly dragged through family drama and a search for both a modern killer and a former lover, Holly is forced to confront parts of herself she thought she had left in her past.

While I enjoyed this book and the twists and turns it wove, it would not be my choice for a school library collection; the themes are quite mature and the vast majority of the characters are adults who are handling adult problems. I would likely recommend to a friend, though.

What a fabulous idea for a novel. Who doesn't love Peter Pan - and this is a really inventive take on the classic story. Things are looking up for Holly Darling (granddaughter of Wendy) at the start of the book. A cosmetics guru and scientist, she is about to become even wealthier with a new partnership for her fairy dust-inspired powder. However, she has secrets like everyone else, including her son's medical condition which requires him to have regular specialist transfusions, and a daughter, Eden, tucked away in a coma in an English estate across the sea. When Eden goes missing, Holly has a suspicion of who might have done it, particularly as the window was slightly open...