I disliked this as much as I disliked the magnolia parks series. Plotless and long winded the prose ruined what could have been a phenomenal story. The cover & inner maps were the best part.

I don't know why I keep trying Peter Pan retellings. This is not it. Some rather concerning comments are made and a lot of inappropriate sexual pressures out on Daphne.

I was excited for this one but was truly disappointed. I didn’t enjoy how the villains were setup and thought it also would be more magical but fell under more realism which didn’t click with the story.

Eh… This was an infuriating read. I’m not sure how I feel. First of all, Peter Pan and Jamison Hook are both villains. But so is Daphne. I have second-hand embarrassment for Daphne. Both of these men bully her, cheat on her, slut shame her, wish her dead, throw her out of their homes, and what does she do? She runs to the other. She literally walked in on BOTH of them cheating on her and was like “I’m so heartbroken!!” and ran back to the other. I didn’t expect “Wendy” to be this amazing heroine, but I definitely didn’t expect her to have literally 0 self-respect and allow herself to be treated like absolute garbage. Well, at least Jamison doesn’t constantly put Daphne in death’s way multiple times, and constantly tell her “You’re MINE and no one else’s” I mean, GROSS… This was supposed to be a romance? This was nothing but misogyny, manipulation, and gaslighting.

Also, fantasy where? This was magical realism at best. This needs to be completely scrapped and rewritten. I feel like this was meant to be more of a character study, but it missed the mark.

The last 10-15% came out of nowhere.

This wasn’t your traditional approach to finding love, but one that challenged the idea of what you would do when faced with the different types of love you have for two completely different people. Overall, this was a good book by Hastings, and again I really loved the meaning behind the story. However, I’m glad that the author listened, and realised their mistake for some of the problematic wordings, which is thankfully being redacted now. I can’t wait to read the newer and updated version.

The context of the book is really sweet. I wasn’t gripped by the narrative writing style, though it makes sense within the context of a modern Peter Pan retelling of sorts. While I stopped after chapter 1 (6%), I’d imagine an easy three stars for the target, for four to five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

I enjoyed Jessa's writing in the Magnolia Parks and was really looking forward this this book when I heard it was a Peter Pan retelling. Unfortunately it was a big let down. Reading this book really made me uncomfortable with some of the names they used and other things that happened in the book. But maybe others will enjoy it.

Jessa Hastings can do no wrong! I personally loved this Peter Pan retelling and the (gloriously messy) love triangle between Peter Pan, Wendy's granddaughter, and Hook's son. I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to Jessa Hastings, Bloom Publishing, and NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good fantasy romance, but I really really wished it was an Adult book rather than YA. But anyone who completely fell head over heels for Jessa’s mystical and beautiful writing for Magnolia Parks will absolutely adore this book. Jessa’s writing never ceases to amaze me❤️

Unfortunately, this was a BIG miss.

Let’s start off with the major issues: these characters are terrible and are just an amalgamation of her characters from Magnolia Parks. If I had to play FMK with the three main characters, I would pick the same fate for them all.

The world-building and plot is nonexistent. So many questions weren’t answered, and Hasting’s version of Neverland is extremely underdeveloped.

Insta-love, love triangles, and an After-esque third act break-up are just the spoiled icing on top of an already rotten cake.

But wait! There’s more! The 22/23 year old love interest has a countdown for when the FMC turns 18! Who approved that? I’m all for an age gap romance, but not when it is constantly brought to my attention by a character, especially when minors are involved!

All this to say, this is Hastings worst work by far (and this is coming from someone who didn’t care for the first MP book).

Thanks for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this was a fun, intriguing, and wild read! I loved the writing and how the story keeps dragging you in. The typical beginning of a fantasy always starts slower and picks up, which it really did. I found the idea of pinning Peter Pan and hook in a love triangle works well. I can’t wait for the next book!

Let me preface this by saying that this is my first read from Jessa Hastings so I had no idea what to expect. Never ended up being completely different than I had imagined and somehow, one of the most unique Peter Pan reimaginings I’ve ever read.

We follow Daphne Darling who believes Peter Pan skipped out on taking her to Neverland. That is until she’s getting close to her 18th birthday and he comes for her. The two are quickly transported to Neverland and from there, it’s mostly a really bad time for Daphne as Peter isn’t exactly as dreamy as her family had described.

Things change when Daphne ends up meeting Jamison Hook, the son of Captain Hook and the two start to form a friendship. Of course, the book ends up being a tangled web of drama, lies, and deceit but once that picked up, I couldn’t put the book down. From the first moment we met Jamison, I was immediately wanting him with Daphne.

However, as with most Peter Pan retellings, she felt a sense of duty to Peter and it ended up being this back-and-forth mess between the three. Eventually, Daphne started to realize her worth and make some decisions for herself.

What really made me enjoy Never was the ending. That third-act conflict was just so freaking intense. I had no idea that was going to happen and how everything played out. It was truly too much to bear and I couldn’t get enough of it. Plus I feel like Jessa Hastings gave us just enough to get excited about the sequel.

My only complaint is that it took me a while to get into the story. I don’t know if it was just her writing style or the pacing. Until I hit the 50% mark, it was hard to care but once I truly fell into the story, I was sucked in and couldn’t put it down. With that being said, I am going to be picking up the sequel since I have to know what happens next for Daphne.

I've come to the realization that Jessa Hastings' writing is not for me. I tried to get on board with all the hype about her other series, Magnolia Parks, but I don't get it. I don't find her writing to be beautiful, flowery, or lyrical. It seems convoluted and like it's trying to hard.

I thought that since NEVER is a fantasy novel, it might work better but it didn't for me. I feel like you can tell that Jessa Hastings is a self published author and could greatly benefit from a good editor.

This was such a fun and magical book! I truly love Jessa Hasting's writing and this book was no different.

The characters on the other hand were a bit difficult to like and get into the brains of. I'm not a fan of characters who make poor choices with no reason, even IF it is entertaining. it does get frustrating after a while but can we really be surprised? it's the same author who brought us MP and BJ. But it was still a refreshingly fun read.

I’ve read all of Jessa’s prior work and I’ll admit I had no idea she was going to enter the fantasy genre. It’s safe to say that Jessa is going to make a mark on this genre as well. I felt so much nostalgia while reading this book. Jess’s does such a great job establishing the atmosphere, setting, and overall mood of the book. It all felt very magical to me. I think people will have a hard time with some of the characters but not all characters are meant to be perfect. I, for one, am excited for the love triangle and I’m looking forward to see how Jessa deals with it going forward.