Another excellent book by this author! It had the creep factor, the ick factor, the shock factor and the surprise factor. The characters were varied and flawed, but interesting. The story hooked me in right away and was fast paced. The setting was well described and really made the story for me. I listened on audio and the narrator was very good! A recommended read.

I didn’t hate it, didn’t love it. The narrator did a fantastic job, especially when voicing the security guards mother :)

This audiobook is perfect for adoring cleaning day. It’s as if I popped in my headphones and the next thing I know my house is spotless because I was so wrapped up in the book I was practically on autopilot. I may be biased as the daughter of a police officer living in the Pacific Northwest, but I loved the environment Jennifer Hiller created here. The elements of mystery/suspense is beautifully complimented by complex family dynamics and romance. I also really liked the way things tie up at the end! This book exemplifies how Jennifer Hillier has become a pillar in the mystery/thriller genre!

Amusement parks are suppose to be a place of joy. It’s the place where you can make great family memories, eat too much food and ride the best coasters. Wonderland had encompassed all of this at least in the public eye. Located in a small town called Seaside it was the main attraction and everyone in the town had either been there or worked there. One night one of the employees decided to climb one of the coasters to take a photo and then goes missing. When a dead body is found in the main area of the park this calls into action new Seaside chief of police, Vanessa Castro to find out what happened. What Vanessa finds is beyond her imagination and it appears Wonderland might not be the happy place everyone thinks it is.

This audiobook was a terrific read and a great thriller. I’ve read a few of the authors books and have enjoyed them all. I was excited to get to read this one and it did not let me down. The story kept building in a perfectly timed way and it has been guessing the whole time. The author does a fantastic job of developing all the characters in such a way you really feel like you know them all. The narrator of this one was also perfect for the story and made the book even more enjoyable to listen to. Highly recommending this one to all thriller lovers.

Review of Wonderland by Jennifer Hillier

I absolutely love all of Jennifer Hillier’s books. I had read all but two and this one was one of them. I was absolutely thrilled when I heard this would be released as an audiobook. I immediately requested it on @netgalley and when approved listened right away! I listened to it in one day. The audio was amazing. The story was fast paced, intricate, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I am glad I have a physical copy of this one to stay on my shelf.

Quick synopsis: Vanessa just moved to the small town of Seaside from Seattle and is the new police deputy chief. On her first day a dead body is found at Wonderland, the town’s amusement park. The same she finds out there is a missing employee. And he isn’t the first.

When a young man, last seen on the top of the Wonder wheel in Wonderland goes missing, the new Duty Chief, Vanessa Castro goes in to action. Is Wonderland a happy safe theme park or is there evil lurking around every corner? This book has everything, strong yet vulnerable female deputy chief, corruption, and a town full guilty characters. But who is kidnapping and killing the young men?
This is my first Jennifer Hillier book, but it will not be my last! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the audio ARC.

Wonderland is the second book by @jenniferhllierbooks that I’ve read and I loved it!

This book was different in style from Things We Do in the Dark as it was more mystery vs gritty thriller. I was hooked from the very start.

This book is set in an amusement park - complete with a House of Dolls and Creepy Clown Museum! This old amusement park, located in the coastal town of Seaside, was a perfect setting for the mystery.

Vanessa Castro has just moved to Seaside from Seattle and on her first day as the deputy police chief, a dead man is found on the grounds of Wonderland. So begins the search for the killer which take a few twists and turns us until the truth is ultimately unravelled.

Admittedly, some of the plot points are decidedly hard-to-believe, however, this is true of most, if not all, thrillers.

Hillier developed her characters so well. I wanted to know more about what happened to Vanessa Castro after the story ended and I immediately picked up Little Secrets to read. Although not a sequel to Wonderland, Vanessa does feature as a significant secondary character in the story.

Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillan.audio, and @jenniferhillierbooks for the ALC of Wonderland. Eunice Wong did a wonderful job with the narration. This audiobook is available on April 11.

This was a solid 4 star thriller on audiobook. Eunice Wong does a brilliant job with the narration of a full cast of characters.

I loved the atmosphere of WonderLand, and its history was so thought out.

I have seen some criticism on how Hillier built a backstory for too many characters. It seems people felt it was over the top and confusing. I think it got me invested. Although,I get that the investment is prolonged when you don’t focus on getting to know a main character, instead learning about the supporting cast. Regardless, it worked for me.

I liked the characters, was invested in the mystery and the creepy world of Wonderland.

I don’t know why I love Author’s Notes so much, but I do! I gained a lot of insight into Wonderland and Jennifer Hillier (this is the first book of hers I’ve read)

I am from the PNW region of the United States, so while I enjoyed the story taking place there, I loved that she explains how she plays with geography a bit in her books. For example, WonderLand is set in Seaside, Washington. A town that doesn’t exist. But there IS a Seaside, Oregon. And if you’re from the PNW you probably took note of this. I shamelessly love when books/movies/songs/art mention the place I call home.

Ok, back to the author’s note.Most importantly,I did not realize Wonderland was published in 2015! It is being released as an audiobook on April 11th, 2023! I am glad Jennifer mentioned this because I was going to complain in my review that the author was using the band One Direction as a concert Ava, a teenager, wanted to go to. I was so annoyed by the few references because we all know One Direction broke up (😭) in 2016!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ARC of WonderLand on audiobook.

I loved the setting of this book! A creepy clown/doll museum ✔️. A fun amusement park ✔️. Several murder mysteries ✔️.

I enjoyed this murder mystery that was mostly a police procedural plot. I thought for sure that I had it figured out early on but I was SO WRONG. The ending was so surprising!

I listened to this as an audiobook and I really enjoyed Eunice Wong, whom is a new narrator to me.

***** Many thanks to Macmillan Audio, Jennifer Hillier, and NetGalley for the gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

I am a huge fan of Jennifer Hillier's dark thrillers so I was so excited to get a chance to listen to the audio adaptation of one of her older books. Wonderland follows Vanessa Castro, new deputy chief in Seaside, the town that Wonderland built. I love the strong female leads and the great (but creepy) descriptions of Wonderland!

I rated this audiobook a 4.5 and absolutely loved the creepy amusement park vibes this book gave off. It was disturbing and had me wanting more after each chapter. I am all about whodunnit and detective thrillers and this was no different. The twists were very well done! I knew someone close was involved but I just didn’t know to what extent and that suspense kept me listening until the end.

I do wish the author gave us a little more at the end for some closure. I felt caught off guard a little when the audio stopped lol and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the narrator, but overall I think this book was absolutely great and I 100% recommend this one!

Thank you so much @NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my honest review . Of course check trigger warnings beforehand!

Creepy thriller with sexual content and a serial killer, set in the town of Seaside, Washington. The story revolves around the amusement park Wonder Land and the employees and owners past and present. The novel is a re-release of the book now done in the audio version. I enjoy Jennifer Hiller's writing with her twists and turns. The narration is nicely done.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MacmillanAudio, #JenniferHiller, #EuniceWong and #WonderLand for the advance audio version for my honest review.

Vanessa Castro moves from Seattle to the small town of Seaside to work as its new Deputy Chief. The town owes its life to its amusement park, Wonderland, and Vanessa quickly learns the extent of the town's support for the amusement park. As soon as she starts in her new job, a dead body turns up and a teenager goes missing. Vanessa has to dive into Seaside's history, where she discovers a lot of darkness behind the lights and fun of Wonderland.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Hillier does a great job at exploring the history of Seaside and keeping the scope of the book wider than just Vanessa's story. It makes the twists and turns later in the book a lot more exciting because you have learned so much about the thoughts and history of the other Wonderland employees. And that really means learning about so many past crimes committed and secrets kept by these characters. The amusement park creates a few neat set pieces and Hillier combines that setting with more traditional small town crime mystery elements.

Eunice Wong does an amazing job narrating the book. Some of her characters came alive so well through her choices in their voice and delivery, and made so many of the dialogue scenes dynamic and memorable. The audiobook was very easy to listen to and elevates an already great book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this was a wild ride! After thoroughly enjoying Hillier’s most recent book, Things We Do In The Dark, I was excited to receive an invitation to review a new audiobook edition of one of her earlier books. Wonderland was just as solid of a crime thriller, and I was engaged right from the start. The interesting setting is an amusement park in a small town, so all of the characters have a connection to the park in some way. Vanessa Castro, the new deputy police chief in town, worked at the park as a teenager, and on her first day back in town a dead body is discovered in the park, and an employee goes missing. Immediately she has reservations about the fact that she encouraged her own teen daughter to take a summer job there! The novel is fast paced and filled with twists and red herrings. I found all of the characters intriguing, even the ones who are clearly bad news and guilty of something, even if not the central murder. Hillier is a wonderful storyteller, and this audiobook was beautifully narrated. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Serial killers. Creepy carnival attractions. Secrets. So many secrets. This is the making of a classic crime drama. The town of Seaside definitely has too many corrupt people in such a small area. I was thoroughly entertained by all the terror and drama, but very bothered by the predatory nature of nearly every adult we encountered. Is this real? I don’t want to find a town like that!

Overall, a good audiobook experience for anyone looking to get their blood pumping a bit.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Jennifer Hillier for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Jennifer Hillier for the opportunity to listen to this audio.
This was a literal suspense rollercoaster about the secrets that lie beneath a very busy tourist amusement destination. I love Jennifer Hillier’s writing style even before this read. She keeps you drawn in and wanting more. I would most definitely recommend this to fellow readers.

This is a great, gripping page turner about an amusement park where a lot of gruesome secrets are hidden. First published eight years ago as only an ebook, the book was recently re-released as an excellent audiobook, which was gifted to me by Netgalley and MacMillan Audio in anticipation of the release of its sequel.

This is my third novel by Hillier, and all of her strong female leads find themselves facing danger and mystery and must figure out who dunnit. The women are heroines in their own stories, mothers who must face down violence and horror to protect their children or themselves, women with strong moral instincts and razor-sharp thinking. The women also often have liberating sex with hot men.

My only complaint is that SO MANY characters, even the supposed good ones, have murdered someone or helped someone cover up a murder in their past. I sure hope the world is not quite as dangerous as Hillier imagines it to be, but if you can accept that killing is more commonplace than you might have thought and that many people have a body or two in their closets, her books provide a delicious escape and a great woman to root for.

Vanessa Castro is the new deputy chief in Seaside, a small town in Washington known for its Wonderland amusement park. She and her family are looking for a fresh start after moving from Seattle, but she’s thrust immediately into a murder investigation at the park. This thrilling and surprising novel has everything a mystery novel should- detectives, murder, creepy clowns, and plot twists. Hillier will keep readers guessing whodunnit until the very end all while introducing a cast of characters that readers will route for. Narrator, Eunice Wong, brings the characters to life with distinct voices and personalities. There are several storylines converging, yet Wong gives distinct portrayals of all of them. This book deserves more than a five star rating; mystery readers everywhere need this book.

Welcome to Seaside, Washington, a small town that completely revolves around its amusement park, Wonderland. The park has a dark past, and in the present, dead bodies just won't stop piling up, starting with a decomposing corpse that shows up early one morning in the shadow of the iconic Wonder Wheel. Vanessa Castro is the new deputy chief of Seaside Police and her teenage daughter has been hired as a Wonder Worker for the summer. With the town's and the park's corruption deeply enmeshed with one another, Vanessa has her work cut out for her.

I mostly enjoyed this book! It is definitely more of a crime thriller than the "horror in a theme park" that I was hoping for. Some of the book's strongest and most haunting moments happen at the park, particularly in (and beneath) its totally creepy Clown Museum attraction. I wish we'd spent more time there, especially in the Dollhouse. However, most chapters are from Vanessa's perspective, and we're riding along with her doing her detective work and attempting to unravel the web of lies that led to current events. Overall, I give the story a 3.5, but the audiobook production elevated my experience to a 4!

Eunice Wong does a STELLAR job of performing this audiobook. She does an impressive range of voices for different characters (especially Sherry Hovey!), and she perfectly renders the tone of the story and emotion of the characters throughout. I most often listened to this audiobook at 1.25x speed, though I occasionally bumped it up to 1.5x, which I could handle as long as I was reading along. While I felt like the story dragged along a bit, Wong's performance kept me engaged and listening.

Jennifer Hillier originally published Wonderland in 2015. The book will be rereleased in April 2023, along with an all new audiobook. I listened to the upcoming audiobook, though I usually read along in the ebook, which is available on Kindle Unlimited. This audiobook (and I'm guessing the print rerelease as well) features an updated author's note at the end. Also, by my count, there are about a dozen small edits throughout the book, mainly updates to language to reflect evolved views on race and gender.

⚠️HEAVY content warnings⚠️ for sexual harassment and abuse (mentioned and described), as well as for suicidal ideation. Also, there are a few 🌶️spicy🌶️ moments that I honestly hadn't been expected, though the were well written.

Full review posted to Goodreads on 3/24/23: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5404210877

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I listened to the upcoming narration release of the novel.

After a body is found at the local amusement park, Vanessa Castro, the new Deputy Chief of Police returns to her childhood place of employment to solve a whodunnit.

Some fun twists and turns and the narration was nicely done.