This was a bit of a slow burner, but it picked up pace in the second half. I did see a couple of the twists coming, but some of the big ones I was completely blindsided by. That’s the best feeling in a thriller! The narrator did a wonderful job. Towards the end of the book, I even volunteered to fold about 10 loads of laundry straight so that I could finish it in peace 😂 this is my first book by this author, so I had some questions about some cameo by characters previously mentioned, but it won’t be my last!

Deputy Chief Castro moved her family to Seaside, because it had wonderful memories from when she was younger. Not to mention she had burned all of the bridges she had at Seattle PD. So when teenagers start going missing, and it’s linked to the huge theme park that has single handedly saved the town of Seaside, her idyllic and safe view of the small town comes crashing down quickly. With the theme park being virtually untouchable, how is she going to solve this case?

Jennifer Hillier nails it every time. I was over the moon to be accepted to listen to the audio adaptation of one of Hillier’s older works and WOW I loved every second of this. Twisty, dark, smartly written, and I hated every time I had to press pause.

If you are a fan of creepy amusement parks, terrible small towns pretending to be great, and lots of grey characters, listen to this book! Eunice Wong does an excellent job narrating this story, keeping the listener's attention the entire time.

Seaside's new deputy police chief walks into both a dead body and a missing employee on her first day of work and quickly finds more secrets hiding among Wonderland's current and previous employees. Fighting against the company town mentality where even her boss covers for the amusement park, she must solve these strange crimes before allowing the town to get to her own family.

I really enjoyed the entire crazy ride this story took me on and thought the audio made for a great experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced listening copy.

Wonderland (audiobook)
by Jennifer Hillier
Narrated by Eunice Wong
Audiobook Pub Date: April 11, 2023
Original Pub Date: October 15, 2015
Duration: 11 h 39 min
Macmillan Audio
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:
Wonderland is a well known amusement park, on the North Pacific Coast that has a dark history and is the life and livelihood of the small town of Seaside. Everyone knows that the town wouldn’t survive if anything ever happened to the park. Therefore, the town leaders tend to “overlook” a lot of what happens at the park.
After a work scandal and the death of her husband, Vanessa Castro has recently moved to Seaside to become the new deputy chief of police.
On Vanessa’s first day, a body is discovered in the middle of the park. The more Vanessa looks into the case the more concerns she has with Wonderland. However, the park is what keeps the town alive and thriving so not everyone wants Vanessa to uncover the park’s past, and present, while discovering the truth.

My opinion:
Wow, what a wild, dark, and twisty roller coaster ride! I have read several of Jennifer Hillier’s thriller books and have enjoyed them all. Like the others, this one did not disappoint! I thought it was going to be more creepy looking at the original cover but it was more thriller/small town police procedural mystery. I thought the audio was very well done. The narrator, Eunice Wong, had a pleasant voice that helped in developing a variety of characters and creating a vivid picture of the amusement park.


Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Jennifer Hillier for gifting me this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderland was such a creepy, twisted read - and I loved every page! The pace was great, the characters were interesting, and the suspense was intense. I'm not sure how I missed the original publication in 2015, but I am so glad I finally read it. I highly recommend this thriller!

Wow, I did not realize this was a re-release of this book until I sat down to write this review! The story felt fresh, and it kept me hooked. To start, I listened to the audiobook of this story, and I have to say Eunice Wong is one of my favorite narrators!

This story is about Vanessa Castro, who recently moved to Seaside, WA as the new deputy chief of police. Vanessa chose to leave Seattle with her 2 children, after her husband died. Upon arriving in Seaside, Vanessa is thrown right into the fire at work, when a dead body is discovered at Wonderland, a retro theme park that put Seaside on the map. As Vanessa investigates the crime, she realizes Wonderland isn't just an amusement park, but something much more sinister. Vanessa grows increasingly invested in trying to solve the murder, because her daughter also works at the park.

I loved the twists and turns in this book. It is quite graphic at times, and should have a TW for child sexual abuse. I was pretty uncomfortable in certain chapters. Overall, this is a great read, with an ending I did not see coming. I highly recommend the audio book too if you are a fan of those! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for the chance to listen to this story!

Vanessa moves to a small town called Seaside after a personal tragedy. Seaside is home to Wonderland, an amusement park with a chequered past. Wonderland has supported the town’s economy for years, but has also brought scandal to the residents’ doorsteps. When her daughter gets a job at the park, she is sceptical. She becomes even more worried when a body turns up on the ferris wheel. As she begins to dig, she realises Wonderland has even more secrets that are bubbling to the surface.

I loved the setting! Wonderland was sooo creepy, *clown museum*. It was the perfect place to have this twisted story take place! I loved Vanessa’s tenacity, and the villain(s) were well hidden until the end. Another hit from Hillier for me, and I loved the audio version.

I loved Jennifer Hillier’s book Things We Do in The Dark and was excited to see that Wonderland was repackaged and recorded as an audiobook. I enjoyed this amusement park theme with a “who dun it.” It was the perfect amount of creepy, which kept me engaged until the end. I figured out the “who dun it” early on, but I enjoyed figuring out why they did it! The reveal at the end was a pleasant surprise. I was looking forward to reading more by Jennifer Hillier.

In need of a change, Vanessa Castro moves her small family from Seattle to Seaside, Washington, where she will serve as the new Deputy Chief of Police. The beach town’s main attraction is Wonderland, the largest amusement park in the Pacific Northwest. It seems like the perfect place for a fresh start. Her teenage daughter has her first job working at the park that summer, and her son will enjoy visiting the park with Vanessa on her days off.

But it turns out that Wonderland, and Seaside, are not what they seem. When a dead body appears beneath the famous Ferris wheel and a park employee also goes missing on Vanessa’s first day, she quickly learns that maybe her work in Seaside will not be so quiet after all. And with the town’s economy so tied up in the park’s success, it appears that the police force hasn’t been digging deeply into any case that could potentially be tied to Wonderland.

It seems as if everyone has secrets in this one, but some are more sinister than others. How long can the shine of the bright lights from the park distract the town from the dark and twisted things happening beneath the glow?

I enjoyed the twists and turns in this one.

I listened to the audiobook version, and Eunice Wong’s narration sucked me in. There is a lot going on in this book, but the audiobook narration kept me hooked. I listened at 2x-2.5x speed.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

I'm a big Jennifer Hillier fan and requested this book without realizing it was a re-release from 2015. One of the characters shows up in another Hillier book so I was a bit baffled by the timeline, until I looked up the pub date. Overall, Wonderland is a solid thriller, though not my favorite of hers. There are a lot of characters, a very fun setting, and twists and turns until the very end.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, and I didn't realize the original publish date of the book was about 10 years ago. The story felt fresh to me, and I found the narrator to be engaging. I love theme parks, so the setting was just creepy enough for me to be invested without being too turned off to continue. The main character was likeable and smart. Her piecing together the different threads, even handling the red herrings along the way, is well done. I thought I had the plot all figured out, but I was pleasantly surprised! Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Slightly creepy, with a moderate pace, and lots of red herrings to keep you guessing along the way. I'm not a huge fan of theme parks, but I picked this one up because some friends of mine have been raving about this author. The narrator of the audio version did an excellent job, but I never really connected with this story.

Good characters and story. Lots of surprises. Love the amusement park setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

A great thriller that borders on horror!!!

This audiobook makes amusement parks seem even creepier than they really are. The listen will question everything that is going on, and who is involved until the very end. Told in multiple POVs, the narrator makes it easy to tell the characters apart. The only down fall is that I wish there was a little more follow up of all the characters involved at the end.

A fantastic twist at the end that I did not see coming, I am glad this novel is finally getting the attention it deserves.

I want to thank Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of Wonderland!

I LOVED this audiobook! I listened to it in two days. Eunice Wong is an amazing narrator! She covered so many different characters and it was impressive.
What I enjoyed most was the story and plot. It was very interesting, the characters were original, and the town of Seaside was the perfect small town setting. Vanessa was my favorite character. Thrilling, suspenseful, and one crazy amusement park!
This is my new favorite by Jennifer Hillier. I had no idea that this book was originally published in 2016! I’ve never heard of it and I’ve read a few of Hillier’s books.
I could seriously listen to this audiobook again, it was that good!!

This book has been on my to read list for years. When I had the opportunity to listen to the audio version I grabbed it.

Wonderland is the amusement park in Seaside, a small beach town community. Wonderland has history with previous owners and it's not all good. It also has some of the original attractions from way back when. What is creepier than an old clown house?

On her first day in town Detective Vanessa Castro has to deal with a dead body found in the park and a wonder worker employee disappears after climbing the giant Ferris Wheel. Not at all what she expected from a small town.

I loved this book. I loved the characters, the setting, the fast pace, the creepiness. ALL of it!

I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a great job with the many characters.

Thanks not netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

I finished Wonderland today in Audiobook version and one thing I always look at is whether or not I can speed it up while still understanding the narrator. The good news is it could get to 2.5x speed with no problems, 3.0x less so. As a speed reader, I listen in the same speed I read.

On to the story---Hillier does it again with an action packed thriller mystery that will keep you guessing. Shunned from the Seattle Police Department, Vanessa shows up in Seaside as the Deputy Chief after begging a friend for a job. Wonderland is the local amusement park with a dark past; the city of Seaside regards as it as royalty as it keeps the city thriving. When a body shows up in the park and another teenager goes missing, Vanessa is on the hunt to put the pieces together.

There wasn't a single character I disliked in Wonderland; they all fit the story perfectly and their roles were so well written that Hilliers use of red herrings were flawless. I thought the relationships were realistic and the criminal psychology believable.

This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a while and the top in 2023.

A huge thank you to Macmillian and Netgalley for allowing me access to an audiobook ARC.

On Vanessa Castro’s first day as Seaside’s Deputy Chief of Police, a decaying body is found in the midway of the popular, local theme park, Wonderland. That same day, a teenage employee of the park goes missing. After some further digging, Vanessa realizes that these two seemingly unrelated crimes might actually be related and the park’s rumored dark history might actually be true.

My thoughts:
This is my fifth Jennifer Hillier book but my first audiobook of hers. I really enjoyed the narrator for this one, but it was a longer one so it took me longer than I had hoped to get through it.

The premise was interesting and I feel Hillier is a master at weaving multiple plot lines into the story. There were some fairly predictable parts but I honestly didn’t guess the ending until just before it was revealed.

As with all of Hillier’s books, each character has a dark past that adds to the mystery of the plot. There are definitely some creepy aspects to this book but I’ve come to expect that from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced audiobook! This review is voluntary and honest.

Hillier is a master story crafter. I loved this one so much and the way everything tied together in the end. Such a great read!

✨Wonderland✨
By Jennifer Hillier
▪️Read April 2023▪️ 🎧

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this awesome audiobook! I actually didn’t realize it was first published as an ebook in 2015 until I started reading reviews on @goodreads - so happy it was made into an audiobook, loved it! I could picture the amusement park, and the workers so vividly throughout the book.

Vanessa Castro didn’t expect to be thrown into her job so quickly. Her first day on the job as the new deputy chief of police in Seaside, Washington, she’s faced with a decaying body in the middle of the towns well known amusement park. A teenage employee of the park just so happens to post a shocking photo of himself hanging off the top of the wonder wheel all over social media too. Oh, and now that teenage employee is missing…

As Vanessa begins to dig deeper into both of these cases she finds so many more unnerving things about this little town. Although she moved to Seaside to escape her own messy past, she isn’t giving up on the other missing persons cases, and the odd happenings at Wonderland that have been covered for years.