WONDER LAND is an early book of Jennifer Hillier that has recently been made into an audiobook narrated by Eunice Wong coming April 11th.

I should start by saying Wong's narration was really well done. There are multiple characters that had a range of styles that she was able to portray to me. I easily heard each distinct character listening at 2X speed.

I liked Hillier's Things We Do in the Dark, but this story had some aspects that didn't work for me.

The overall plot of sinister happenings in a creepy theme part with an Elm Street filled with every scary thing was a good, if not predictable start. The missing boys and then a body felt like a fun, campy, summery suspense.

What I didn't personally care for is the detailed sexual exploits. I am a no-spice reader, and really don't like romance in my books! I can tolerate relationships if they are very peripheral. (This is to say I am unused to reading such detailed descriptions!) This is not a romance by any means, but the inclusion of these scenes detracted from any enjoyment I was having, and I am left feeling like I read a B-grade movie.

Without these scenes I might have given the audio a 3.5 star for great narration of an ok thriller. As it is, this story clearly wasn't the one for me.

⭐⭐

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to share my thoughts about this ALC. I am sure this will be a hit for other listeners when it comes out.

First of all, the audiobook was done really well and really added to the experience. The narrator even had a voice for Bianca that made me hate the character more than I already did. I prefer to listen to thrillers on audiobook, so I’m really glad I got the chance to listen to this one.

Wonderland had me hooked from the very first minute. I immediately needed to know everything about the park and the people. Seaside was one messed up little town.

There were a few people that I loved: Vanessa (despite her flaws) and her little family, especially Ava, and Jerry. There were a LOT of people I hated and for good reason. I can’t tell you the amount of times I got so heated I had to turn it off. I was invested in the story and loved the writing, but boy did Bianca (and a few others) know how to get under my skin. Genuinely don’t think I’ve ever hated a character more, though I’m sure that was intentional. There were some moments that felt like they were trying to garner sympathy for her, but I could not care less about what this woman went through. It didn’t give her the right to do any of the absolutely abhorrent things she did.

The story was full of twists and turns. Some incredibly predictable and some that actually made me gasp (the biggest shocker of them all may have been the multiple mentions of One Direction). Something was always happening to keep me guessing until the very end.

There was a scene with blatant transphobia that I didn’t feel was necessary or added to the story in any way. If the intention was to make me hate that character he really didn’t need any help in that department. It just felt completely random and unnecessary amongst all of the awful things already happening in this book.

Overall, I really did enjoy Wonderland even though I was mad half the time. It brought out a lot of strong reactions in me, which I think is all part of the experience that makes a book so interesting. I did think the ending was a bit rushed and felt that there were quite a few smaller details left unresolved. There was a whole murder that never got addressed again and though we knew who did it, it never really came out and they didn’t face any consequences for it. That really bothered me. But! As I said, I did really enjoy the book as a whole and would recommend. This was my first book by Jennifer Hillier and I intend to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of the e-audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read Wonderland because I love Hillier’s later novels. However, I have some mixed feelings about it. I enjoyed the setting, an old amusement park is a great setting for a thriller! However, I did feel that it could have been creepier. There was a good level of suspense and twists to make it interesting. The novel is written from multiple points of view letting the reader see the case from several different angles. But I did not enjoy most of the characters. I didn’t find them to be likeable and several of their stories were left with loose ends. However, I really enjoyed Little Secrets so it was interesting getting to know Vanessa’s backstory. There are quite a few pieces to the puzzle in the novel and it was a bit too much. There are several “villains” in this story and it made it feel a little far fetched.

I enjoyed the narration for the most part but the way some of the side characters were voiced was cartoony and annoying.

Overall, not a winner for me but I still love Jennifer Hillier.

This was an excellent choice for me, at the time; A mood reader who is going through a string of DNFs.

Is this deep? No. Is it perfection in the genre? No. But it was what I needed at the right time. A popcorn thriller set in a creepy amusement park with a serial killer investigation was apparently just what I needed.

4.25 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing to listen to Wonderland in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer Hillier never really disappoints and this was no exception. Though this was originally published in 2015 I never read it and with the recent release on audio I totally had to request this.

After the death of her husband homicide detective Vanessa Castro packs up her teenage daughter and young son and leaves Seattle to move to the small town of Seaside, Washington hoping for a fresh start. What she doesn't expect is that the whole town especially the police department basically work in service for the huge amusement park Wonderland. When a body shows up at Wonderland which begins to show that it may have a connection to missing employees who are all young,blonde teen boys with the "Wonderland Look" Vanessa finds that maybe running from Seattle was not the best move and she may end up losing everything she holds dear.

Narrated by Eunice Wong (Who is great) this audio book will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This book sucked me in big time! It was a bit of a slow build at first, but once things started to unravel, I found myself super eager to listen any chance I got. The narrator was easy to listen to. On audio, I had a bit of trouble keeping track of some of the names of the characters, especially the missing boys, but I don't think that would have been a problem if reading a physical copy. I didn't see the ending coming, and wasn't suspecting the person who was discovered to be the killer.

Since this was an audiobook let’s start with the narrator - FABULOUS! Sometimes it is difficult to follow an audiobook but this reader made it easy and I am thankful for that

The author did a wonderful job drawing the reader in - giving depth and understanding to each character and their motivations and actions. I couldn’t wait to finish it - and the twist at the end. Holy smokes !!! It’s a wild ride (wonderland pun intended)

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free e-audio book in exchange for an honest review! I thought the audio book was VERY well done. I could smell the cotton candy and popcorn so highly recommend the audio book if that works for you.

Let me begin by saying that I am a HUGE Jennifer Hillier fan! This is one of her earlier books and it does not disappoint! This is a dark, psychological, suspenseful thriller full of murder and many twists!! This is such a fast read as well!

Welcome to Wonderland, or World of Wonder as it was formerly known in the 1980's. The name change was due to the original owner, a pedofile, being murdered and a re-branding by the new owner. Regardless Wonderland is that one, unchanging place where everyone who lives in Seaside, WA, can boast of currently or at one time, working.

Det. Vanessa Castro has moved her family back to Seaside and her first day on the job kicks off with a dead body at the base of the Wonder Wheel and a missing boy who earlier that day, free climbed the same Wonder Wheel. The investigation quickly intensifies as there may be multiple missing boys, all blonde blue eyed hotties that may or may not have been sleeping with the Wonderland CEO. Is this a serial killer and if so, who is it? There are several to choose from and no, I did not guess who it is but LOVED the ending.

If you like the darker psychological thrillers and are new the Jennifer Hilliar, this is a good one to start out with as its not as dark as some of her other books. I absolutely love and will read anything she writes, so this is a 5 star, highly recommend for me!!!

This was such an addicting thriller to read!

Once again, Hillier delivers a gripping narrative that pulled me in and never let go. The story was addicting and fast paced with a diverse cast of characters. Shifting between multiple perspectives, the structure of the book gave away some of the mystery. Yet, I still found myself dying to find out what was going to happen next.

Despite the setting, this book did not really have much of a carnival atmosphere. The story was never scary or even particularly creepy. This novel definitely read like a thriller, rather than a piece of horror.

The main character as a very flawed individual who made several poor choices in both her personal and professional life. Some readers may find her decisions a bit frustrating to read, but I just found her to be a realistic protagonist.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience with this novel. I consider Jennifer Hillier to be one of my favourite thriller authors and look forward to catching up on her newer titles. I would highly recommend t

I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Hillier! I'm so glad that Wonderland was released on audio. It had so many good twists and even one little cliffhanger at the end. I thought the audio was great and was up way to late finishing it!

At this point I am convinced that Jennifer Hillier is unable to write anything worthy of less than 5 stars. And this one may have been my favorite work of hers yet.

An incredible story of a body turning up at an amusement park the same day another boy goes missing. Our MC Vanessa is such a BADASS. But lord knows she has some secrets of her own.

I truly don't want to get into too much detail about the story because truth be told, I didn't even read the premise of it before requesting the ALC. Knowing Hillier wrote it was enough for me to want to read it! And I think going in blind made it sooo so much more enjoyable.

I loved the pacing of the chapters - never too long or filled with too much unnecessary detail. Hillier is so good at choosing words carefully and developing characters so artfully. And as always, her slow-burns always peak at just the right moment and then you're truly unable to walk away from the book.

The narration was fantastic as well!

I enjoyed every minute of this audiobook and will definitely be purchasing the physical copy to have on my bookshelf forever :)

Thank you so much to NetGalley & MAcmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review :)

3.5 stars

When we lived on Long Island, there was a small children's amusement park that our daughters loved to go to. It was fun, full of laughter, pizza, soda, popcorn and all those foods we shouldn't eat! However, that was in the daytime, sun showing and gaiety filled. When the park closed at night, it sent off an eerie atmosphere with the lights off and structures highlighted by the moon or total darkness. I could really see the horror and eeriness of what occurred in Wonderland.

On Vanessa Castro's first day in the police force of Seaside, a homeless man is found and a young adventurous man goes missing. As Vanessa begins her investigation, she finds other young men going back years had also vanished. Wonderland had always offered work opportunities to the young and so many young people worked there over the years. Is there a link between Wonderland and the missing?

When Vanessa's teenage daughter can't be found, she is convinced the park or at least someone at the park is the responsible party. She finds lot of nefarious goings on and the eeriness and macabre happenings at a place of supposed fun, made for a story with such a creepy, sinister book.

Thank you to Jennifer Hillier, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the ability to listen to this story due out April 11, 2023.

An eighteen-year-old employee sneaks into Wonderland amusement park in the early morning hours to free-climb the 150-foot Wonder Wheel. At the top, he takes a selfie and posts it to social media. When the park is set to open, the free climber is nowhere to be found. Also, there is a mutilated body beneath the Wonder Wheel. Vanessa Castro, the new deputy police chief begins the investigation into the dead body and the disappearance of the eighteen-year-old Wonderland employee. As the clues unravel, she discovers that something sinister has been going on at Wonderland for quite some time. Will she discover who is behind these disappearances before it’s too late?

Jennifer Hillier has written a bone-chilling thriller about the grisly secrets beneath an amusement park in a small PNW town. The opening chapter grabbed me and drew me into this twisted wild ride. I couldn’t stop listening to find out what happened next. The narration was amazing to listen to and I felt as if I was at the park with the characters because Hillier’s descriptions were just that good. I can’t stop thinking about this book days later, which is rare for me since I read so many thrillers. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves twisted thrillers! This was not my first Hillier book and it certainly won’t be my last! I give it 4.5/5 stars.

Jennifer Hillier's Wonderland was first released as an e-book several years ago. When I heard it was finally going to be released as an audiobook, I just had to have a listen and boy-o-boy am I glad I did. Wonderland is expertly narrarated and the story itself is fascinating! Who can resist a mystery at a theme park? Definitely not me! I loved this book and highly recommend the audio version.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for providing me with an ARC audio of this book for my honest review.

Jennifer Hillier is one of my favorites, but I still hadn't read this one, so I jumped at the chance to review the ALC of Wonderland!

There were so many things I loved about this book! The creeptastic setting of a theme park, being set in the PNW (where I'm from), the talented narrator, Eunice Wong, (who coincidentally just narrated another book I listened to and loved), and the large cast of dubious suspects. I also love the single parent lead, the great pacing, and overall foreboding I felt while listening -- which is so common in Hillier's thrillers, especially her older ones.

Overall this was a solid, atmospheric, suspenseful thriller that kept me engaged and entertained!

I definitely recommend this audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted ALC!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audiobook arc of the new release of Wonderland on audio. I loved the narrator choice (Eunice Wong) and was hooked by this story. I am so glad I haven't read Little Secrets yet- can't wait to see how the characters connect. It was also fun to see one of the characters from Creep/Freak connected to this story as well.

Jennifer Hillier’s newest audiobook release is her 2015 ebook available for the first time in audio! It’s like someone saw my search history and knew I was looking for this on audio. Hillier is the queen of trigger warnings and a master of creepy dark thrillers. Wonderland delivers on both.

Homicide detective Vanessa Castro moves to Seaside, Washington, accepting a new job as Deputy Chief amidst a sudden move from her old life in Seattle. Seaside is home to the Wonderland amusement park that keeps the town running. There are creepy amusement park thrills, missing employees, and a dead body. I love a small town where it seems like everyone is hiding something. This was compelling and satisfying, exactly what you want in a thriller.

Hillier is on my auto-read list. Her earlier work holds up great!

This is my first Jennifer Hillier book and it won't be my last. I love a great serial killer thriller! Every time I thought I knew what was happening, I didn't. That makes for the best kind of book for me. I loved all the twists and turns and how everyone and everything was interconnected in some way. The multiple POV was very well done. There were a couple loose ends I would have liked to see tied up, which is why I give it 4 stars. Overall it was a great read that I couldn't put down! The author's note at the end mentioned characters over lapping into other books which was really exciting to hear! I'll be reading those books asap!

Well Jennifer has done it again! This is a great book. When a detective gets her self tangled up with an x who is known dealer and that’s gets him a get of jail free card because her involvement with him tanks his trial. And her husband dies she’s pretty much a pariah and decides a move would be what’s best a fresh start for her and her family. A good friend gets her a job at the police department that’s not quiet “by the books” and hopefully she can straighten things out. The town is home to a huge amusement park, Wonderland. Every one who grew up in town has worked there at some point or another. When a wonderland employee decides to quit he wants to do it in an epic way. So he sneaks in and climbs the 150 ft wonder wheel and post a selfie giving the finger! It goes viral and no one seems to know where he went. But now there is a body dumped inside the park. It’s a missing teen who had also worked at the park. This begins the wild and twisty ride into all the secrets that Wonderworld has to hide and goes way deeper than anyone could have imagined! I was given access to this audiobook by NetGalley and I’m leaving an honest review voluntarily.

Thank you so very much for the chance to read this AMAZING audiobook!!! I loved, loved, loved it! The narrator was perfect. the story was suspenseful in all the right places and the outcome was a definite surprise.