What a rollercoaster ride this was! I’m surprised this book wasn’t on my radar prior to being invited to listen to the audio (Wonderland was originally published in 2016 but is being published to audio for the first time this year!) but it should definitely be on yours if you haven’t read it already!

The plot kept me hooked from beginning to end and each clue to the final reveal had me riveted. There were a few minor things I didn’t love about the story but, as a whole, it was an absolute trip and worth the read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC! First, how interesting that 8 years after being released as an ebook this is getting an audiobook release! This is only the 2nd novel by Hillier that I’ve read and while the writing is a bit different than Things We Do In The Dark - this is a solid story that held my interest throughout. The hints for the twists there and the reveals (aside from major twist we learn early on) felt earned. From a pacing perspective this was great - things unfolded in due time and nothing felt out of place while the MC investigated the mystery at hand. Very enjoyable novel with an interesting theme park setting and excellent narration by Eunice Wong. 3.5 stars!

I’m a such a big @jenniferhillierbooks fan so right away I have to start off this review by saying thank you to @macmillan.audio for inviting me to listen to Wonderland before it’s publication date April 11th. So freaking exciting! Wonderland came out back in 2015 but this is the first time it will be published in audio format. I love a good audiobook and this didn’t disappoint. @eunicewongnarration was wonderful and highly entertaining! I’ve had this book on my TBR for so long and I’m really glad I got to experience it for the first time this way. I was convinced I had this one all figured out and of course I was wrong. (One of the only times I enjoy being wrong is when it comes to a big twist in a book 🤣) I really loved how everything about this creepy amusement park set in a small town came to life. In the words of the queen Miss Jennifer Coolidge “Makes me want a hot dog reaaaaaal bad”

Wonderland is a small town amusement park, with enough attractions and food to keep kids happy all day. The town has to keep the owners of Wonderland happy, as its biggest employer and largest tourist attraction. When Vanessa Castro arrives at Seaside to be its newest deputy police chief, she soon realizes that the job is going to be more difficult that she imagined. Between the unidentifiable, but very dead, homeless man and the missing teenage employee, Vanessa starts the job immediately. When it becomes apparent that workers from the park have a habit of going missing, will Castro be able to figure out what has happened before something else happens?

There are two things that really bothered me about Wonderland. One, fourteen year olds employed by Wonderland Amusement Park were working way later and longer than child labor laws permit. Second, certain crimes committed that should have been explored by the police were not. There were many little plot lines that weaved a web, but not in a good way. Basically, there were too many crimes and too many perpetrators to make a cohesive story. The conclusion of the novel was mainly telegraphed from the beginning, so I listened for a long time to find out what I already knew.

Eunice Wong is the narrator, who does a good job with telling the story. I enjoyed listening, even if I was not a big fan of the story itself. If I were to recommend the book, it would be because of the strength of the narration.

Disclaimer: Wonderland was originally published in 2015, but it is now reaching a renewed audience. I received an Advanced Audio Copy of this book by NetGalley and my review was not a requirement.

Reading Between the Wines book review #37/115 for 2023:
Rating: 3 ½ 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: Wonderland
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Genre: General Fiction (Adult)
RE-RELEASES on April 11, 2023!!!

Sipping thoughts: This is a re-release of an old book as an audio version. I heard a lot of good things about this book and it didn’t let down. It is a very dark read so take this as a warning if you don’t like dark. The mystery pulled me in with the creepiness of having it all happen on an amusement park with clowns, 2-way mirrors and killers. Buckle up for this rollercoaster of a ride.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @MacmillanAudio for an advanced copy of @Wonderland.

#Wonderland #JenniferHillier #MacmillanAudio #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reading copy of Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier.

I went into this book not knowing anything (how I personally like to go into thrillers). I would recommend you doing the same.

This can easily be read in one sitting! In fact the fast paced nature of Hillier’s novels I highly recommend you read this in as few sittings as possible. Hillier creates an interesting interwoven story with many characters. She does a great job of giving enough clues to make you feel like a genius. Then she comes out of nowhere and manages to still surprise you. The audiobook narrator did a fabulous job of telling the story.

Without giving away too much, this novel is about the amusement park Wonderland. By day it’s is a child’s dream of midway rides and carnival food. By night it can become a real house of horrors. The eeriness of the clown museum and the rumours of the underground tunnels and what happened there.

I was totally drawn into this story and while I find amusement parks fascinating, clowns and clown culture terrify me. So that immediately sets this book into the creepy zone and it did not disappoint. I loved all the misdirection and the unreliability of most of the characters. An urban myth that is actually real was also a fascinating plot point for me. The audiobook was extremely well done and I recommend listening to this one!

Wonderland (audiobook)
by Jennifer Hillier
Narrated by Eunice Wong
Audiobook Pub Date: 11 April 2023
Macmillan Audio
General Fiction (Adult)
Rating: 5/5

Wonderland ebook by Jennifer Hillier was originally released in 2015. When the opportunity to review the upcoming release of Wonderland in audiobook format arose, I jumped at the chance. In this version, there are many unseen plot twists, and it's creepy Wonderland amusement park setting gave me goosebumps. As a narrator, Eunice Wong brings each character to life and makes the listener feel like he or she is there with them.

Synopsis:
Wonderland Amusement Park is the life and livelihood of Seaside, an idyllic little beach town. When a body is discovered in the park it brings to light a bizarre pattern of missing young boys. This unleashes a series of events that will keep you riveted. You don't want to miss this intense thriller!

Thank you NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio, for sharing this fantastic audiobook with me. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I loved it!

#Wonderland #JenniferHillier

It's always fascinating to read an earlier work by one of your favorite authors. Wonderland, Jennifer Hillier's fourth published novel, follows newly appointed Deputy Chief of Seaside PD Vanessa Castro as she tackles two mysteries at the town's amusement park: a dead body found near the park's Wonder Wheel ride and a young man who disappeared shortly after posting a selfie of himself after climbing to the top of the same ride. Castro has her own complicated past and a potential conflict of interest, having had a chance encounter the prior night with one of the park's executives. As she encounters pushback from the Chief of Police, who seems more concerned about protecting Wonderland's reputation than solving the cases, Castro discovers a side of Wonderland unknown to the public--a side that not only could destroy the park, but uncover a threat to the safety of its employees.

Wonderland doesn't have quite the same depth as Hillier's later novels (Jar of Hearts, Things We Do in the Dark). Vanessa Castro, despite her checkered past, is a straight shooter and doesn't tightrope-walk the line of morality like Geo or Paris Peralta. Early on, the book reads more like a murder mystery than a thriller, though it does become far more suspenseful and action-oriented in the final quarter of the book. Many of the events follow a predictable course, and while the reveal at the end is well done, it was foreshadowed about ten chapters earlier. Still, the characters are fleshed out and believable, and the story certainly presents a creepy perspective of cheery amusement parks. The narration by Eunice Wong is great, with each character's voice distinct. Definitely worth a read.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this fascinatingly imaginative author's book Wonderland in audiobook format.

Note: The ebook version of this book was released 8 years ago, however this is the first time Wonderland is available as an audiobook. A great decision by the publishers, as I, for example, thought I had read every book released by this author, however, because I prefer the audio format, I missed this one until now.

Wonderland is a delightful discovery!

This fascinating mystery (with slight horror undertones) takes place in an amusement park, run by some of whom have hidden agendas.

Once again, as with every time Jennifer Hillier puts pen to paper, she has produced an outstanding thriller that pushes boundaries as she considers, "what if..." and lets her imagination take us on the roller coaster ride of our lives (at least, until she releases her NEXT book).

The author I would compare her to? The master Stephen King, and what higher compliment can a writer strive to attain? If you enjoy King's novels, give this one a listen (loved the narration in this release, it adds depth to an already excellent story).

Until next time, reissues ROCK, as did this author penned one of my favs a few years ago when she wrote this book.

Wonderland Review!

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this gifted audio book, in exchange for an honest review! Wonderland audio comes out April 11, 2023!

I have read Creep by Hillier and really enjoyed it. I was so excited to see that Wonderland was on Netgalley as an audio, who doesn’t love a creepy carnival setting?! Wonderland was a 4.75/5 ⭐️ for me! A lot of the time police procedurals can be so slow, this one was such a quick pase. I thought that this one kept me on my toes the whole time and I absolutely loved the setting of Wonderland! I didn’t actually figure out the killer until the end which is always a big plus too! The big reason it wasn’t 5 stars for me was that I just wasn’t a fan of any of the characters. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Wonderland was a creepy murder mystery with twists and shady characters throughout! I found some parts to be more graphic than I prefer my thrillers to be. Additionally, as an audiobook, at times it was tricky to keep up with all the different characters and victims. Overall, I liked the unique story and the action.

Thank you to Jennifer Hillier and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

The atmosphere of this book was fantastic and the audiobook was great! I thought the narrator did a good job and loved that the audiobook opened with creepy theme park music to really set the mood. Amusement Parks at night with seemingly no one there is always going to be eerie. Especially this theme park, since Wonderland had a rumored dark history. I loved that Jennifer Hillier leaned into this Amusement Park having creepy attractions and a Fright Fest for Halloween. If you are someone that loves a crime thriller with a cop protagonist, this would be right up your alley. While I enjoyed this, I wish it leaned more into the darkness. I felt like we spent a little too much time with Vanessa, the cop protagonist. I would have preferred spending more time in the perspective of the morally corrupt CEO of Wonderland. However, I will be checking out more of Jennifer Hillier's other books as I did love her writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book!

Excellent thriller!!! This one kept me guessing to the end.

This is reprint of a backlist book (was only released in ebook before) but it's just as good as Hilliers current work. I liked the setting she really gave the feel of this small town beholden to the biggest employer in town. The spookiness of a closed amusement park alone sets a tense tone and then a body is found and I was hooked. Hillier truly knows how to write a book that grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. This one was hard to put down!

Narrator Eunice Wong was fabulous!! Everyone had a voice and she really brought the emotions through! Great job!

Hillier continues to be an auto buy for me!

4 Stars

I received this audiobook from the publisher Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

8 years after its original publication, Wonderland is now an audiobook. Jennifer Hillier has the ability to bring out the dark, creepy characters and Wonderland is just like that. Set in a seemingly perfect seaside town in Washington State, called Seaside, the life of the town revolves around its amusement park, Wonderland. A dead body turns up and it exposes a string of missing boys, all with one connection: Wonderland.

It makes you wonder, what really goes on behind the scenes of our amusement parks, or, below the scenes.

Themes: 🎢🤡☠️👀

My thoughts: 🤓🥸🫣🤔😱🙃

@netgalley
#netgalley
@macmillan.audio
#macmillanaudio
#wonderland
#audiobook
#goodreads
#readmorebooks
#readmorebooksbywomen
#readersofinstagram

I LOVE this author!
I've read several of Hillier's other works and enjoyed them all for their dark and twisty plot's. I was worried this wouldn't translate over to audio, but Eunice Wong did a fantastic job even with several different POV's.

All the reasons I loved this:

- Scary Theme Park and Museum (Fright Fest anyone?!)
- Serial Killer with a connection to Wonderland Theme Park
- Multiple missing boys over the last decade who all look the same, and have worked at Wonderland
- Small town with a long and complicated history

I also loved the surprise edition of Jerry Isaac (of Freak & Creep) tagging along to help solve this case!

Be prepared not to be able to put this one down once you get to the last 20%

Thank you, Netgalley and Macmillan audio for my advanced listening copy.

WOW! WOW! WOW! Hillier does it again! I have heard a lot of good things about this book but haven't had the time to read it yet so when I was offered the audiobook I jumped at the chance. I like audiobooks because I can listen to them in the car or while I cook dinner but this one just consumed me where I had to listen to it all the time to see what was going to happen next. The narrator is great. I really liked her and the way she told the story. The book itself is about a female police officer with a few skeletons in her closet and trying to start fresh in her hometown. Her first day on the job she has a murder to investigate at the local amusement park which leads back to a string of missing kids that no one seemed to notice was a pattern or connect. It seems like there is a few different story lines going on but they all seem to connect in the end. It was a great read. A mild about of sex but nothing too crazy. I definitely recommend this book. It was a great thriller with lots of suspense.

WOW How am I just reading this now?? What a creepy yet good book. The narrator did a fantastic job. Loved this book.

Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier
Narrated by Eunice Wong
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery
Expected Publication Date: April 11, 2023

I can't even begin to describe Wonderland! Holy Cow!!!! This book was intense! As far as I can tell, it is a standalone mystery and was originally published in 2015 and is making its' audio debut next month. This is the first book I have read by the author and I know it will not be the last!

This book is dark and twisted and kept me on the edge of my seat. Every time I thought I had things figured out, another tidbit would be revealed and I would be left spinning again.

The author did an amazing job creating her characters. Everyone of them slowly revealed pieces of themselves, making the book even more scary. The level of crazy was off the charts and I loved it!

When I reached the end of the book I was still in shock! Loved it!!!

The narration by Eunice Wong was incredible! Wow!!! I loved it!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was my second Jennifer Hillier novel and I think I’m hooked! Such a quick read/listen and extremely engaging.