Thank you to the Author Evelyn Montgomery and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy. I'm aware the Author is revisiting this book under a new pen name but I elected to read the original version. Its likely that some of the points I struggled with have been fixed in the new rewrite and one day I'll read that too!

This is a darker, spicier story that takes place over many years with a significant gap in time. Over half of the book is spent looking back through the past and letting those plot points play out again in the present. I will say that the ending left me quite confused, with more questions than answers, and I'm still trying to work through it all.

I loved the concept of this book; that Peter Pan and Hook are the same person (the innocent boy vs the hardened man) and that it focused on he and Wendy's love story. I struggled with the apparent age gap due to Peter still being 17 (or so we think) and the major plot holes re John, Tinkerbell and Tigerlily.

This story has so much promise and I'm really hopeful that the rewrite has done the story justice!

This was an interesting and unique read. It drew me in and kept my interest.

Read this if you love:
❤️ Peter Pan retelling
♥️ Unexpected twists
♥️ Complex characters
♥️ flashbacks/ backstory (more than half of the book)
♥️ smut with minimal plot


I enjoyed reading this book.

New to me author Evelyn Montgomery's retelling of Peter and Wendy is unique, thought provoking, emotional and passionate. The twist and turns are brilliant. This is a poignant and haunting story of love, loss, grief, redemption, and second chances. Bravo!!

#LosingNeverland #NetGalley

I am a sucker for a Peter Pan retelling and this was exactly what I needed! This book was unique and kept me completely entertained throughout the book. This is my first book from this author and it did not disappoint.

I must say this was a captivating and unique take on the classic story of Peter Pan. The book follows the perspective of Wendy Moira Angela Darling, the girl who we all know as the one who flew away to Neverland with Peter Pan. However, in this retelling, we learn that all is not as it seems in Neverland. There is a dark and twisted reality behind the magical world that we all know and love. And Wendy, being the only one who knows the truth, is the key to unlocking it all. The author does a fantastic job of weaving together the well-known characters from the original story with new elements and twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. Peter Pan is no longer the innocent and mischievous boy we are used to, but a complex and flawed character with a dark past. And Captain Hook is not just a villain, but a man haunted by a nightmare that even the most powerful magic cannot erase.
What I loved most about this book is how it explores the depths of human emotion and the consequences of our actions. The characters are all struggling with their own demons and watching them unravel and come to terms with their pasts was both heartbreaking and satisfying. One of the most intriguing aspects of the book was the revelation of the true reason behind Wendy and her brothers' visit to Neverland. It was a twist that I did not see coming and it added a whole new layer to the story. Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves a good retelling and is looking for a fresh take on a beloved classic. With its complex characters, captivating plot, and beautiful writing, this book will keep you hooked until the very end. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to delve deeper into the world of Neverland and discover the secrets that have been hidden for so long.

Let me start: I love retellings. Especially fantasy/dark romance retellings! I have read several Arthurian, Peter Pan, and beauty and the beast etc. this retelling I would say is middle ground. It’s mostly sexual tension/teasing and smut. There are a lot of flash backs and you never fully understand the whole story until the end of the book which I found unique, but infuriating because there is all this disdain and sexual tension for more than 1/2 the book for something you have no idea about….it was just strange. Don’t get me wrong the smut was decent SMUT and minimal plot, so if that what you’re looking for you found it!

Thank you netgalley and Evelyn Montgomery for this ARC

The summary is intriguing but the book itself is a bit confusing. It story starts off with Pan wanting revenge, though it’s unclear why Pan and the lost boys believe Wendy betrayed them. The first ~75% is flash backs and backstory. It’s not revealed what “betrayal” occurred until about the last quarter of the book. The last quarter of the book is consumed with evil tinker bell and the betrayal of smee/john. Neither of which does much for the story nor is it explained why either want revenge or would betray Pan and Wendy. Overall, I breezed through this read but left a bit unsatisfied.

I absolutely enjoyed this story. I’ve read a few peter pan retellings and this takes the cake. Go in knowing nothing and enjoy the ride.

I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. I've read quiet a few Peter Pan retellings and while this one was good it just wasn't what I was expecting.

A Peter Pan retelling, this book was captivating and took me deeper into a darker version of a favorite fairy tale. It's a tragic and beautiful love story that was as thoroughly explored in some areas as it was completely rushed and glossed over in others. The last 15-20% of the book felt rushed and I find myself left with more questions than answers. Parts of the conflict were so quickly resolved I got whiplash, while the central unveiling was so drawn out that I had to flip back just to remember how I got here. Montgomery has an incrdible understanding of the characters and I feel that she understands where she wants the story to go, it just felt like it was still reaching to truly get there. I would love to see this story again, just deeper.

Thank you to netgalley for the review copy!

DNF
I love retellings and dark romances but I just couldn't get through this book. Gave about a third of the way through. It felt disjointed, not well thought out and just boring.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!
Here is my review which has been added to Goodreads.


I loved it and read it within 48 hours! I couldn’t put it down.
I love a Peter Pan retelling and this did not disappoint!
I loved being able to read from different perspectives and see neverland from each of them.
Peter and Wendy’s chemistry was fantastic!

The only issue I had with this story was that it felt rushed at the end, smee/Johns betrayal wasn’t explained in depth and seemed like it really had no purpose to the storyline.
Tiger Lily also was another character that was mentioned and showed up occasionally but never really made sense in the story.
And I felt the ending could have been a little clearer between Wendy and Hook and what becomes of them.

Overall I felt it was a good book however and I would recommend.

"And when this life is over. I'll find you and love you even more in the next."

Was I expecting one of the most romantic quotes in a dark fantasy? No, I was not.

I really enjoyed this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Evelyn Montgomery for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the format of the book in regards to it being set when Wendy is older, then chapters flashing back to when she was 17. I enjoyed having multiple points of view in the book following Wendy, Peter, Hook and Tink.
I'd recommend this book to people who enjoy reading Emily McIntire books as it has a similar vibe regarding the fantasy dark romance retelling. I really enjoyed the twists that Montgomery added to her version. I really liked the writing style, and I immediately felt drawn into this story.

I definitely recommend looking into the trigger warnings before reading - just in case dark romance isn't your thing, and there's some definite yuck things alluded to. However I do feel Montgomery handled these sensitive topics really well in her writing.

I don't feel this book has much re-read potential. I also feel like there were chapters missing - Wendy and Peter went from enemies to lovers in what felt like a flip of a page. There was no build up other than relying on their old memories of each other from 20 years prior.
I like that Hook and Pan were the same person, however their chapters didn't really feel different despite being specified as different POV. I would have liked a bit more of a internal battle going on.

ARC from NetGalley

Rating: ⭐⭐.5 | Rounded up to 3 stars [Smut scale]

Okay. So this was slightly beautiful and heartwarming but didn't pull on the heartstrings too much. It was still a pretty good read and is recommended if anyone liked The Never King, dark romance retellings, or Peter Pan.

I will also mention that the only part of this book that pissed me off slightly was Wendy turning out to actually be abstinent from sex for 17 years while Peter Pan was having intercourse with both Tinker Bell and Tiger Lily, both of whom greatly disliked her and tried to kill her. Yes, I do understand that he slept with Tink for the fairy dust but what about Tiger Lily? Also, I do sympathize with the reason that Peter couldn't be there for Jane & Margaret (Peter & Wendy's daughters) but it still felt a bit shitty to know that Pan was basically absent from their lives and Wendy had to raise them alone. These sorts of elements never fail to piss me off in books and this is just a personal bias of mine.

>>>Quotes

I actually thoroughly enjoyed the quotes that she took from the original author of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie, and appreciated the insights they gave me to either the chapter or the inspiration for certain elements of the story.

>>>Writing

The writing was actually pretty good, it wasn't too lyrical/flowery or even beautiful for the genre and content of the book nor was it just plain bad. Overall, there are no complaints from me in this section.

>>>Storyline

I expected a bit more from the storyline, but I wasn't disappointed or impressed. It all just felt extremely flat, and it feels like the only action or stuff happening, bar the ending (view spoiler), was just Peter and Wendy speaking to each other. But since they were the main focus of the book, I let it slide a little.

>>>Characters

I never actually fell for Peter despite him being the perfect formula for a swoon worthy male character. I guess I just got turned off after he started talking about how he wanted to be "balls deep" in Tiger Lily 🤮. I actually kept on going for Wendy, who was a strong 40-year-old woman who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and what she wanted, instead of the common weak push around. The ending where she told him that she wouldn't leave her daughters and every moment before that proved it.

>>>Villain

Tinkerbell was the most cliche and cheesy jealous ex-lover villain ever, but I was still more interested in her than Peter 💀.

Well, that's the end folks.

This book had me hooked literally on chapter 2, very easy to get into, highly addicting. The way the characters were written made it easy to connect to them, and the trauma they endured. Though it took longer then expected to finish the book, i love every moment of it!!

If you like fairy tale retellings and spicy content, this is a book I would recommend. The story remains fairly faithful to the Peter Pan mythos with some interesting twists and a much darker take. There is a lot of violence be sex, including flashbacks to underage sex, which are touched upon in the author’s trigger warnings. Overall, the story was good and the love scenes were super steamy. I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, but I still enjoyed the novel a great deal.

I am so glad I read the entire book! It was very smut heavy but I really enjoyed the story line! Did not see the end coming. I loved this retelling of a classic take!

You either love Peter Pan and Hook retellings or you don't. If you do, you know they're all somewhat similar. This story, however, is different. You aren't sure what's happening or why, but you won't want to put the book down until the end. This story is twisted, dark and just different from the classic tale. The story shifts from past to present, allowing you to fully understand their pain, fear, hatred, and love.

I found this though netgally and I had to read it! I love me a Disney retelling especially a Peter Pan one!

I thought the premise of Peter and Hook being the same was so cool it reminded me of a Dr Jekyll/Mr.Hyde type thing. Not a spoiler as it's on the cover

It was spicy, romantic, sad, hopeful, agitating and wonderful all in less than 300 pages, what a whirlwind.

I will absolutely be looking into more books by Evelyn in the near future ❤️

Thank you so much for the ARC!

I really liked this book! I thought the dynamic between Peter and Wendy was great - I enjoyed both the present and past storylines. I wish there was an epilogue to see what their life was like a few years down the road.

Will definitely be reading more by this author. Thanks again!