Wendy, Darling
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- Create Date：2021-08-07 07:51:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：A.C. Wise
- ISBN：1789096812
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Summary
A lush， feminist re-imagining on what happened to Wendy after Neverland， for fans of
Circe
and
The Mere Wife。
For those that lived there， Neverland was a children's paradise。 No rules， no adults， only endless adventure and enchanted forests - all led by the charismatic boy who would never grow old。
But Wendy Darling grew up。 She left Neverland and became a woman， a mother， a patient， and a survivor。 Because Neverland isn't as perfect as she remembers。 There's darkness at the heart of the island， and now Peter Pan has returned to claim a new Wendy for his lost boys。。。
For those that lived there， Neverland was a children's paradise。 No rules， no adults， only endless adventure and enchanted forests - all led by the charismatic boy who would never grow old。
But Wendy Darling grew up。 She left Neverland and became a woman， a mother， a patient， and a survivor。 Because Neverland isn't as perfect as she remembers。 There's darkness at the heart of the island， and now Peter Pan has returned to claim a new Wendy for his lost boys。。。
Reviews
Emma
，
me， reading in bed with my Peter Pan plush: this is slanderIn all seriousness I think the reason this works where other dark retellings may falter is that it doesn’t stray too far from the source material。 It opens with the epilogue of Peter and Wendy which tears out my heart every time I read it; yet， although the events of Peter’s return play out similarly， the shift in tone from the source is immediately jarring。The novel asks readers to look at Neverland without looking through the eyes of a me， reading in bed with my Peter Pan plush: this is slanderIn all seriousness I think the reason this works where other dark retellings may falter is that it doesn’t stray too far from the source material。 It opens with the epilogue of Peter and Wendy which tears out my heart every time I read it; yet， although the events of Peter’s return play out similarly， the shift in tone from the source is immediately jarring。The novel asks readers to look at Neverland without looking through the eyes of a child。 Yes there are dark supernatural elements not present in the source play and novel， but it feels like it could always have been there had we been looking for it。 Wendy， Darling feels like it was written by an author that loves Barrie’s world as much as I do and has spent time with it and the it’s various interpretations。 A retelling with this much love and respect for the source material deserves the attention of Peter Pan fans。 。。。more
steph
，
In order to like this book， you have to accept the premise that there is something dark and terrifying at the heart of Neverland and that Peter Pan is not the childish and naive boy he pretends to be。 Once you get past that hurdle， you are then free to enjoy the book。I never read Peter Pan as a child but I have seen both the Disney animated movie and the movie with Robin Williams so I am familiar with its concept。 That said， even knowing this was a dark fantasy AU it was still odd to read Peter In order to like this book， you have to accept the premise that there is something dark and terrifying at the heart of Neverland and that Peter Pan is not the childish and naive boy he pretends to be。 Once you get past that hurdle， you are then free to enjoy the book。I never read Peter Pan as a child but I have seen both the Disney animated movie and the movie with Robin Williams so I am familiar with its concept。 That said， even knowing this was a dark fantasy AU it was still odd to read Peter as sinister/shady and it took me awhile to get into the book。 However I think the author did a great job of showing all the different time periods and tying everything together。 Wendy was AMAZING as usual。 I was really impressed with her and her love for her daughter。 It carried the whole book。 Solid 3。5 stars 。。。more
Tessa Palfrey
，
I had such a blast reading this book！ I love retellings。 I was surprised this was an adult novel and not YA。 Fantasy retellings tend to skew YA， so this was a refreshing change。I love Wise's writing style- so much so that I immediately went and requested her upcoming book。 It's a little dark and twisty， and very compelling- things moved along at a quick pace。 The twisting of certain elements of the original Peter Pan in a totally new way was very original- particularly in the use of Peter's shad I had such a blast reading this book！ I love retellings。 I was surprised this was an adult novel and not YA。 Fantasy retellings tend to skew YA， so this was a refreshing change。I love Wise's writing style- so much so that I immediately went and requested her upcoming book。 It's a little dark and twisty， and very compelling- things moved along at a quick pace。 The twisting of certain elements of the original Peter Pan in a totally new way was very original- particularly in the use of Peter's shadow。 The addition of Wendy's life after Neverland， and addressing the "hysterical woman" trope in general was also a great use of the Peter Pan tale。 Peter Pan himself is a totally different beast here， and we love to hate him！I only wish we knew a bit more about the origins of Neverland in Wise's world- or a Peter Pan origin story。。。。maybe another book to come from Wise？？？Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy！ 。。。more
Emily
，
DNF 25%。 I just found it to be so over-written。
Tina
，
Well， this one got me right in the mom-feels。
Marsha
，
Most readers and writers will admit that Peter Pan is playful at best， unkind and occasionally cruel。 His is the amorality of a willful child， one who wants what he wants when he wants it。 This is a boy who thinks that girls are dull and of no use unless they’re tending on the needs of him and his Lost Boys。Many modern reinterpretations of the Peter Pan story have the authors bound and determined to dig into the dark underbelly of Neverland and its impish ruler， the boy who never grows up。 What Most readers and writers will admit that Peter Pan is playful at best， unkind and occasionally cruel。 His is the amorality of a willful child， one who wants what he wants when he wants it。 This is a boy who thinks that girls are dull and of no use unless they’re tending on the needs of him and his Lost Boys。Many modern reinterpretations of the Peter Pan story have the authors bound and determined to dig into the dark underbelly of Neverland and its impish ruler， the boy who never grows up。 What does it mean when Peter talks of “thinning out” the crop of Lost Boys？ Is it really fun and games tangling with dangerous， murderous pirates？ If Lost Boys keep coming and no one leaves， why isn’t Neverland overrun with them？This novel takes us to the literal dark heart of this strange land where nothing truly makes sense。 Here， it is Wendy who clings stridently to Neverland。 Even in adulthood， she persists in trying to get her brothers Michael and John to remember it and throws screaming tantrums when they deny what they collectively experienced。 Wendy wonders despairingly why Peter never comes for her…until he does。 But he rejects her。 A grown-up Wendy is a boring Wendy。 So he snatches her daughter Jane， instead。This is how the original novel ends。 But the author drags us and Wendy through the mire as she’s sent to a madhouse， is practically forced into marriage with an unsuitable if friendly gentleman and takes off after the thieving Peter to rescue her daughter。The changed Neverland is a reflection of Wendy’s own inner landscape， the misery she suffered in the asylum and the growing rage she feels against Peter。 Like her， Neverland suffers from Peter's neglect， from his willful indifference and forgetfulness。 Peter himself is even more of a cipher。 Part Pennywise from Stephen King’s novel， part the glowing lure seen on an anglerfish， Peter is and isn’t evil。 As the stories from a shattered Tiger Lily tell， the shifting narration mean that Peter is like Neverland， a changeable terrain that people can never really grasp， an indifferent world that simultaneously nurtures and destroys those who live upon it。 He keeps losing his shadow， something Wendy didn’t fully question the first time she saw him。 But the answer is all part of the grisly terror that comprises Peter’s complicated nature。This is a horror tale。 It’s a story about growing up， about learning that life isn’t fair and that we can’t change the rules to suit ourselves。 It’s about family and the difficult choices we make to help them， even if they don’t see it as help。 Wendy realizes what all Wendys do， in the end。 To be with friends， family and loved ones， we must put the Peter Pans of the world aside and learn to fly on our own。 After all， playtime can’t last forever。 。。。more
NicoleCarta
，
Interesting retelling of the tale through Wendy's eyes。。。 topped with her new adventure in Neverland to save Jane Interesting retelling of the tale through Wendy's eyes。。。 topped with her new adventure in Neverland to save Jane 。。。more
Liz
，
I enjoyed the Disney movie of Peter Pan when I was little。I don't think I ever read Barrie's original play， but when I was slightly older， I enjoyed reading the book。 Then I became old enough to understand what sexism was， I didn't enjoy the memory of it so much。Older still， I enjoyed this retelling， with Wendy finally getting some of her own back。 "Never grow up" sounds fun while it lasts， but being an adult has its advantages and wisdom too。 I enjoyed the Disney movie of Peter Pan when I was little。I don't think I ever read Barrie's original play， but when I was slightly older， I enjoyed reading the book。 Then I became old enough to understand what sexism was， I didn't enjoy the memory of it so much。Older still， I enjoyed this retelling， with Wendy finally getting some of her own back。 "Never grow up" sounds fun while it lasts， but being an adult has its advantages and wisdom too。 。。。more
Shelby
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I have finally finished this book。 While it has its strengths and weaknesses， there was never a point in time while reading this that I thought I would give it any higher than three stars。 While the author is very obviously talented （she has a way with descriptions that can be very beautiful） and her writing is mature and refined， SHE WAS SO REDUNDANT。 I skipped entire sentences/sections because she just kept rewording the same thought over and over。 Several times， I thought， “OKAY I GET IT。”Tha I have finally finished this book。 While it has its strengths and weaknesses， there was never a point in time while reading this that I thought I would give it any higher than three stars。 While the author is very obviously talented （she has a way with descriptions that can be very beautiful） and her writing is mature and refined， SHE WAS SO REDUNDANT。 I skipped entire sentences/sections because she just kept rewording the same thought over and over。 Several times， I thought， “OKAY I GET IT。”That was my biggest qualm。 The rest I’ll try to just wrap up the best I can in a jumble of thoughts。 - it took a pretty overdone concept （evil Peter Pan） and gave it something of a fresh new take。 Sort of。- Except。。。 she didn’t really build Peter as a character much。 He seemed to be a main element in the story， like a bad storm， more than a main character。 He was mentioned a lot but never really showed who he was as a person。- Wendy is an adult who spent all of her teenage years obsessed with Neverland， apparently arguing and blabbering on for actual years until she gets locked in a mental institution for many more years of her life。 She has a child and more than a decade later， she’s still obsessed with Neverland and Peter Pan。 She didn’t want to grow up and get married and hated her life。 It。。。 just wasn’t believable。 Wendy’s character was always the most level-headed and she spoke fondly of growing up。 It’s the whole speech she gave， she even tried to convince Peter to come back and grow up too。 - For all the tension building for the big monster， the big encounter with Peter， it was pretty anti-climactic。 I don’t know。 It wasn’t good or bad。 It’s great writing but sometimes， less is more and I think less would’ve been more here。 。。。more
Kathy Church
，
Good read This book was kind of weird。 I liked it but a part of me wanted Netherland was a good place but this book showed the dark side。 Glad Wendy got out。
Sara Eames
，
3。5 starsA good portion of this book is excellent， but it does lose its way on the middle。 It is， in the whole， a very dark tale， but quite readable。 If you are a fan of Peter Pan and see him as a hero， then this book probably isn't for you。 If， however， you think the original Pan is a dark character， then you will probably enjoy this story。 3。5 starsA good portion of this book is excellent， but it does lose its way on the middle。 It is， in the whole， a very dark tale， but quite readable。 If you are a fan of Peter Pan and see him as a hero， then this book probably isn't for you。 If， however， you think the original Pan is a dark character， then you will probably enjoy this story。 。。。more
Leslie
，
Read this dark tale， and you will never look at Peter Pan the same way again。
Lauren
，
I was excited to read this book as a lifelong fan of Peter Pan。 It is a very dark take on the story， which I had difficulty accepting。 I did enjoy the more realistic elements that told what happened to Wendy， Michael and John after Neverland。
Lizz （Beer， Books and Boos）
，
I thought I would really enjoy this book because I love retellings。 This was just way to dark for me and I do love some dark stuff。 I think I went into this thinking it will be a easy and quick read。 I had to stop reading it a few times just to process the parts I just read。 I know there is an audience for this book and I do have a few friends that I would recommend this book to。 I want to thank Netgalley and Titan Books for letting me read and review this book。
Maritina Mela
，
3。75/5After Wendy and her brothers returned from Neverland， things haven't been going well for her。Her brothers have forgotten all of their adventures and her being the only one who can remember makes everyone fear for her mental state。 As a teen， her parents are among the victims of the Titanic and a few years later， her brother Michael enlists in the army， to fight in World War I， which lefts him a broken man， struggling with his demons。 The only thing that makes her feel better is the memory 3。75/5After Wendy and her brothers returned from Neverland， things haven't been going well for her。Her brothers have forgotten all of their adventures and her being the only one who can remember makes everyone fear for her mental state。 As a teen， her parents are among the victims of the Titanic and a few years later， her brother Michael enlists in the army， to fight in World War I， which lefts him a broken man， struggling with his demons。 The only thing that makes her feel better is the memory of Wonderland and the hope that one day she will be able to go back。 She even tries to make her brothers remember that time of their lives， something that causes multiple fights and ultimately leads John to lock her away in an insane asylum。Inside the asylum， she is treated horribly by the doctors and the staff and her only solace is another patient， a woman called Mary， who looks exactly like Wendy's old friend， Tiger Lily。As a result of the mistreatment there， Wendy clings to her memories as a way to survive， only to realize that it is because of Wonderland that she is locked here and Peter isn't coming back。Jumping ahead a few years later， Wendy is now married to a man named Ned。 She also has a daughter named Jane and has managed to free her friend Mary from the asylum as well。She is relatively happy and loves her new family very much， but she still can't help but feel like her relationship with her brothers isn't fully fixed。 She has left Neverland in her past， although she still worries that one day Ned and his family will find out the reason why she was locked away。Neverland comes back in her life though in a way she never expected。One night， while she enters her daughter's room， she finds that someone has broken in and is about to take Jane away。 And that someone is no one else by Peter Pan himself。After Jane's abduction， Wendy is determined to save her daughter and bring her back home。 And not only that， but this time， she is going to defeat Peter once and for all。My thoughts。I am not going to lie， this was a very dificult book for me to get through。Not because it is awfully written or because I am incredibly attached to the source material and any change upon it irks me。It was hard for me to get through because there is alway too much going on。 That and the fact that the e-book form was literally an endless wall of text。Perhaps not unsurprisingly， this book tackles various different topics， such as feelings of abandonment， abuse by medical staff， the descrimination against people of color， PTSD， death and marrying someone of the opposite sex despite not being attracted to said sex。And while it doesn't do a bad job at representing these， I still kind of feel like if some of these things were not part of the story， there would be time left for the rest of them to be explored properly。The prose and the characters were nicely written and in a way that made you sympathize with them。 I am going to admit though， that I prefered seeing Jane's point of view of Neverland。 Because she doesn't even want to be there， so she doesn't see the place as paradise itself and it is through her that we learn about Peter committing atrocities。 Seeing her mother returning to Neverland and finding it a shadow of its former self， was also something intriguing， especially when we meet Tiger Lily， but it poses this question: Why did Wendy fall in love with that place？ Why did she even like Peter？ We know that she has now fallen out of love with it because she blames it for her being locked in the asylum， but the other questions remain unanswered。Also， since I just mentioned it， I liked how in this retelling we actually see Peter being a little piece of shit。 I am not gonna mention any names， but around this time last year， I was reading another Peter Pan retelling where Peter was supposed to be the villain。 Only in that book， he barely did anything before the main character decided to go up against him （and after that， he contributed to the main character losing his hand and eventually dying。）Here， we see what happens to the boys who dare question his authority。 At first， everything is just suggested but the truth is finally revealed to Jane by one of the Lost Boys。Peter is even given an origin story， as told by Tiger Lily to Wendy。 （view spoiler）[He is some kind of an ancient being who tore himself in two and locked his shadow in a deep cave， while his other half is the boy we all know。 The shadow Wendy sewed on him back in the day， wasn't even his。 It was the shadow of a boy he had killed and the only way to defeat him is to sew his true shadow back on him。 （hide spoiler）] My feelings in regards to that story are a bit lukewarm， and to be honest， that was the point in the book where I was getting strong It vibes。 But what came as a twist to me， was what happened after he was defeated。 That part was indeed heartbreaking。While I enjoyed most of the stuff in this book， besides the fact that there were way too many things going on and the backstory of Peter， I also had some complains and most of them have to do with the events of the story and the contradictions that some of them cause。For example， we are shown that after Wendy returned from Neverland， she would try to fly， something that ended with her hurting herself。 Same thing happens later on in the book where she tries to fly away from the asylum。 So we know for a fact that Wendy cannot fly without Peter Pan and Tinkerbell's assistance。 Then how did she manage to fly and get herself to Neverland when she realized that Jane was taken？Also， upon arrival to Neverland and seeing the skeletons of the mermaids， Wendy said that 'nothing ever dies in Neverland' which comes to direct contrast with the original， in which Hook was killed and in the end of the book it is also mentioned that Tinkerbell has passed away， even though Peter is too self-absorbed to notice。 Finally， there seems to be some confusion on Mary's race。 Wendy admits that she is the spitting image of Tiger Lily who is Indian （Native American） and then goes on to ask her is she is Indian （from India）。 Unless I have some of the facts mixed up， this exchange doesn't make any sense and in fact， makes the author seem a bit ignorant if you ask me。Plus， I still want to know， what the author meant when she said that "Wendy would try for years to make her brothers remember Neverland" something that would lead to big fights between her， Michael and John and why having the main heroine pressuring her younger brother， who clearly suffers from PTSD after fighting in the war， into remembering that place， seemed like a good idea， because to me it was a low moment for Wendy。Generally speaking， this was an enjoyable read， but not without its flaws。 The family dynamics are decent and the villain is effective and creepy。I'd like to read more from the author someday。If you made it this far， congratulations！'Til next time， take care :） :） :）I received a free e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Becky
，
First sentence: There is a boy outside her daughter's window。Premise/plot: Wendy， Darling is （adult） historical fantasy--essentially a sequel to Peter Pan。 The premise itself is simple: how would Wendy's adventures in Neverland impact her--and her family--the rest of her life？！ The what-ifs in this book are fantastic （in my opinion）。 What if Wendy couldn't forget Neverland。 What if her brothers John and Michael grew out of their belief--yes， this happened to us; yes， Peter Pan is real; yes， we v First sentence: There is a boy outside her daughter's window。Premise/plot: Wendy， Darling is （adult） historical fantasy--essentially a sequel to Peter Pan。 The premise itself is simple: how would Wendy's adventures in Neverland impact her--and her family--the rest of her life？！ The what-ifs in this book are fantastic （in my opinion）。 What if Wendy couldn't forget Neverland。 What if her brothers John and Michael grew out of their belief--yes， this happened to us; yes， Peter Pan is real; yes， we visited another realm--but Wendy didn't。 What if she spent years--decades--being gaslighted by her family and all those around her。 You are delusional。 You are making this up。 You are crazy。 Why are you acting like this？ Why can't you get a grip on reality？ Why can't you just grow up and be normal。 And by normal getting married is definitely part of the whole package。Another what if explored is what if the Darling parents were on board the Titanic and not among the survivors？ What if Wendy had to be the boys' mother in this world as well and not just for pretend？ Setting the sequel firmly in the time period of the early twentieth century， that leads to of course the Great War， the first World War。 Suddenly this fantasy novel that you've been familiar with for decades comes to life and it's like turning a kaleidoscope。 The book has two--possibly three--time lines going at once。 The "present" day where Wendy discovers that Jane has been kidnapped by Peter Pan （who insists on calling Jane "Wendy。"） What won't Wendy do to get her daughter back？！ Don't anger a mama bear！！！ And the "past" where Wendy is being committed to an insane asylum by her brothers。 Her time in the asylum is explored as is her friendship with a fellow inmate， an American （or Canadian？） Indian named Mary。 The possible third time line （and it's really just a short hop away from the "past" story line） is when Wendy is released specifically because she's agreed to marry a fellow of her brother's choosing named Ned。Half the time is spent in England in the "real world" and half the time is spent in Neverland。 The transitions can be a wee bit awkward at times。 You can go from one story to another and not even realize where the change happens。My thoughts: If you are looking for a dark （darker） adaptation of Peter Pan， then this may satisfy。 I wouldn't say it is the absolute darkest adaptation I've ever been exposed to。 Though that being said， this one is plenty DARK。 （We may be talking the difference between black-black and navy-blue。）I found the premise to be excellent。 By excellent I mean engaging and thought-provoking。 Even if I didn't love， love， love the author's answer to a question， I found the question interesting and engaging。 I hope that makes sense！There is essentially one--possibly two--character（s） explored with great depth and substance: Wendy primarily and perhaps her daughter Jane。 The other characters， in my opinion， aren't handled with the same depth and care。 It may not bother some readers that Wendy is 1000% developed and the other characters not so much。 I would have liked a little more spread around。 But that could just be me。It definitely provides social commentary in terms of women's choices or lack thereof。 Her freedom depends on the discretion of her brother who doesn't really know her or care to understand her。 Her freedom ultimately depends on her saying yes to marrying a stranger--the son of her brother's business partner。 There's a reason why this business partner is so desperate to marry his son off that he'll agree to his marrying a resident of an insane asylum。 And again I think social commentary is provided here as well。 Neither Ned nor Wendy are free to live life on their own terms--to love the person of their own choosing。 So to make it in this world， this society， they have to give in--in some ways--so they can blend and pretend。 But that doesn't mean there isn't genuine friendship between the two。I wish that Michael had entered into the story more。 I would have loved to see his character arc shown instead of just told。 We know that he survived the war--but it is haunting him and he is in many， many ways broken。 I think one of the themes is THE TRUTH。 And how important it is to be able to live your truth， speak your truth， share your truth。 But truth--at least in 1931， the present day of the story--comes with risks and consequences。 Speaking of Neverland ultimately led to Wendy's being committed。 Jane， once she returns， will have to face that same decision。 Quote:Darling， darling， darling。 She knows the word for fondness， knows Ned means nothing by it， but she can't help loathing it。 The word has become a weapon， not in Ned's mouth， not on purpose， but over the years it's been a word to soothe， to dismiss， to hush。 Her own name taken from her and turned against her--a gag， a chain。 。。。more
Katie
，
Fantastic book。 An excellent continuation of the Peter Pan world， brilliantly delving into the darker parts of the story， loved it！
Sarah
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 If you're looking for an existential novel whose scenes of action are broken up over and over again by lengthy flashbacks or internal processing， this is your book。 It could have been much， much shorter。 I saw that it would be enjoyed by fans of Circe。 I think that's a bit of an insult to Circe， which dealt plenty with identity crisis while still moving the plot along at a steady pace。 And I always struggle when modern cultural norms and beliefs are thrust onto the characters and situations in h If you're looking for an existential novel whose scenes of action are broken up over and over again by lengthy flashbacks or internal processing， this is your book。 It could have been much， much shorter。 I saw that it would be enjoyed by fans of Circe。 I think that's a bit of an insult to Circe， which dealt plenty with identity crisis while still moving the plot along at a steady pace。 And I always struggle when modern cultural norms and beliefs are thrust onto the characters and situations in historical fiction （although I realize some of this is inevitable and that any piece of literature necessarily reflects the times in which it was written）。 Also ***SPOILER*** Tinker Bell is never mentioned。 Not sure how Wise got away with that。 Huge disappointment。However， it wasn't a poorly written novel。 It was engaging enough to keep me reading to the end。 。。。more
Donna McEachran
，
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review。Having loved Peter Pan， I was captivated by this book。 The story of what happened to the Darling children， particularly Wendy， following their visit to Neverland。 It is dark， tortured and imaginative！
Linda Quinn
，
We all know the story of Peter Pan， of Wendy， John and Michael flying with him to Neverland for grand adventures。 But what happened after they returned home and grew up？ This well-written fantasy takes the best of the Peter Pan legend and turns it on its head。
Meghan
，
This book was received as an ARC from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。I have been looking forward to reading and for the release of this book since Peter Pan is one of my favorite tales。 I am such a fan that I have read and seen so many variations and adaptations that I thought I have seen it all。。。until now。 A。C。 Wise is brilliant in how she crafted such a feminist take on this tale and how she has put her own tw This book was received as an ARC from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。I have been looking forward to reading and for the release of this book since Peter Pan is one of my favorite tales。 I am such a fan that I have read and seen so many variations and adaptations that I thought I have seen it all。。。until now。 A。C。 Wise is brilliant in how she crafted such a feminist take on this tale and how she has put her own twist on Wendy， John， Michael， Tink， Lost Boys， Jane and yes of course Peter himself。 I have never read anything quite like this before and I have to say I have never been so excited to spread the word to my friends， family， and our library community。 I can definitely hear some exciting conversations at our next book club and I can't wait to hear their thoughts。We will consider adding this title to our Science Fiction collection at our library。 That is why we give this book 5 stars， 。。。more
Mary Baker
，
This was a little too dark for me。 I probably should have stuck it out further， but I could see where it was going and I didn’t want to go there。 Also， a tad too wordy and I found myself skimming。 Skipped to the end， and called it a day。 Just not the book for me。
Jackie Day
，
Five stars for plot and suspense， clean。 Also a great sibling scenes， great mother daughter and friendship scenes。 Two stars for somewhat lgbtq genre that seems to be in every book I pick up lately。 Come on publishers！ Three kinds of relationships I don’t enjoy reading: adulterous/cheaty， living together/sleeping around， and lgbtq。 Help a girl out。
Meg
，
I didn't LOVE the ending， but the book was very enjoyable overall。 I love surprise gay characters and since I didn't know this book had any at all， I got lots of surprise gays 😍 I didn't LOVE the ending， but the book was very enjoyable overall。 I love surprise gay characters and since I didn't know this book had any at all， I got lots of surprise gays 😍 。。。more
Karen
，
As already reported in the book's blurbs， this was a dark rendering of the Peter Pan sequel。 Very well written， though not nearly as scary as I thought it would be。 The gay relationship and lesbian （at least emotional） undertones are almost obligatory for a "feminist retelling，" but I found them unnecessary and distracting。 As already reported in the book's blurbs， this was a dark rendering of the Peter Pan sequel。 Very well written， though not nearly as scary as I thought it would be。 The gay relationship and lesbian （at least emotional） undertones are almost obligatory for a "feminist retelling，" but I found them unnecessary and distracting。 。。。more
Kathryn （Katie） Burlo
，
I just keep reading Peter Pan retellings！ Peter Pan is one of my favorite fairytales （though， don’t get me wrong， there’s a lot wrong with the original story/movie， even with its cute parts）。 Reading these new interpretations is a fun way to see how people think of these iconic casts of characters， and A。C。 Wise is no different。 This story is a little darker， which of course I love。 Wendy was taken to Neverland as a kid， but nobody believed her when she came back and started to think she was cra I just keep reading Peter Pan retellings！ Peter Pan is one of my favorite fairytales （though， don’t get me wrong， there’s a lot wrong with the original story/movie， even with its cute parts）。 Reading these new interpretations is a fun way to see how people think of these iconic casts of characters， and A。C。 Wise is no different。 This story is a little darker， which of course I love。 Wendy was taken to Neverland as a kid， but nobody believed her when she came back and started to think she was crazy。 When Peter returns， he wants to take her daughter， Jane （since Wendy is grown up）。 This tale is mystical and full of the original fantasy， but also explores some of the tough issues that were ignored in the originals like racism and sexism。 I loved Wendy and Jane as characters and how other iconic gals were included， like Tiger Lily。 The author does a great job using real world problems and implementing them in Neverland， but not trivializing them and instead exploring and confronting them。 For a few times I felt like the author could have cut down on long descriptions， etc。 that felt a little long， but it wasn’t anything massive。 Consensus: 4/5For more reviews and book boards， follow my IG！ @katiebreads 。。。more
Mollie Moran
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I'm a huge fan of all things Peter Pan。 I've read as many re-tellings and continuations as I can get my hands on！This one was a great read， it was dark and engrossing and I genuinely couldn't put it down。 It was a spur of the moment buy when I happened to see it in my local bookstore but I'm so glad I picked it up。 I think A。C Wise captured the original characters brilliantly and I loved how creepy Peter himself was！The only downfall for me was that if anything I wanted more of Peter and more of I'm a huge fan of all things Peter Pan。 I've read as many re-tellings and continuations as I can get my hands on！This one was a great read， it was dark and engrossing and I genuinely couldn't put it down。 It was a spur of the moment buy when I happened to see it in my local bookstore but I'm so glad I picked it up。 I think A。C Wise captured the original characters brilliantly and I loved how creepy Peter himself was！The only downfall for me was that if anything I wanted more of Peter and more of Neverland itself。 When I read the blurb and went into this story I was expecting a tale of Wendy returning to Neverland and what she'd have to do to get her daughter back （which it kind of was）。 But it was more of a tale of Wendy and her return to society after her first trip to Neverland herself。 I wanted more look into the darkness of Neverland， what Peter was like with Wendy and the Lost boys the first time and I wanted more content of him with Jane！ I also feel like the story was a bit rushed in the end， the history and the 'monster' of Neverland was introduced but I just feel like I wanted it fleshed out a bit more。 Still an amazing read though！ One of my favourite books of the year so far。 。。。more
Sophie
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This was such a good book！It’s a sequel to Peter Pan which describes what happened to Wendy， John， and Michael once they left Neverland。 Rather than keeping with the happy， cheerful narrative of the Peter Pan we know and love， this is a much more sinister take。Wendy is all grown up and married with a child， Jane， when Peter comes back for her， only he mistakes Jane for Wendy and takes her off to Neverland to be a mother to him and the lost boys。The book is told from the perspectives of Wendy and This was such a good book！It’s a sequel to Peter Pan which describes what happened to Wendy， John， and Michael once they left Neverland。 Rather than keeping with the happy， cheerful narrative of the Peter Pan we know and love， this is a much more sinister take。Wendy is all grown up and married with a child， Jane， when Peter comes back for her， only he mistakes Jane for Wendy and takes her off to Neverland to be a mother to him and the lost boys。The book is told from the perspectives of Wendy and Jane， but with Wendy’s perspective， not only do we get the present， but we also hear about what happened the first time she was in Neverland and what happened after。If you’re a fan of retellings then I really recommend this。 。。。more
Melissa F。
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Really， really liked this for so many reasons。 Apparently the only way I can enjoy Peter Pan retellings is if they're fairly dark， and this was。 Wendy has been through a lot since her time in Neverland， but she finds a strength in herself that I love to see。 I adored Wendy， I loved seeing her relationships with people like Ned and Mary and Jane， and I was LIVING for the idea that she goes back to Neverland under her own power to take back what was stolen from her。。。in more ways than one。 Really， really liked this for so many reasons。 Apparently the only way I can enjoy Peter Pan retellings is if they're fairly dark， and this was。 Wendy has been through a lot since her time in Neverland， but she finds a strength in herself that I love to see。 I adored Wendy， I loved seeing her relationships with people like Ned and Mary and Jane， and I was LIVING for the idea that she goes back to Neverland under her own power to take back what was stolen from her。。。in more ways than one。 。。。more
Lori Murray
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I thought the book was very interesting and a really creepy Peter Pan retailing。 It had some parts that were very slow and boring。 But once I really started to get into it， it really started to go quick。 My actual rating would be a 3。75 star read。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Wendy, Darling
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Wendy, Darling&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Wendy, Darling&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0