𝙈𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:

This was dark, addictive, and full of the kind of small-town secrets that keep you hitting play for just one more chapter. Hillier delivers a moody, atmospheric mystery that blends murder, gossip, and a cast of flawed characters you can’t quite trust. The carnival setting added an unsettling edge that made everything feel slightly off in the best possible way.

The pacing is steady, with enough twists and reveals to keep the tension building. Vanessa was a strong lead, determined yet conflicted, and I enjoyed watching her piece together the truth while battling the pull of her past. Some threads wrapped up more neatly than others, but the journey was so engaging that I didn’t mind.

The audiobook narration pulled me right into the story. The voice work fit the tone perfectly and made the atmosphere feel even more immersive.

Creepy, layered, and compulsively listenable, this is a solid, bingeable thriller with a strong sense of place.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Jennifer Hillier for the advance listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wonderland is available now.

Honestly, I was disappointed with this book. I have read others by her but for some reason this one was not nearly as good. I know others love it and I will continue to recommend her to readers.

TW: Language, drinking, sex, blood, gory scenes, death of spouse, grieving, grooming, smoking, cancer, sexual assault of minors, PTSD, abusive relationship, physical abuse, drug use, abortion, transphobia, deadnaming, sexual assault, attempted rape

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Welcome to Wonderland. By day, it’s a magical place boasting a certain retro charm. Excited children, hands sticky with cotton candy, run frenetically from the Giant Octopus ride to the Spinning Sombrero, while the tinkling carnival music of the giant Wonder Wheel—the oldest Ferris wheel in the Pacific Northwest—fills the air. But before daybreak, an eerie feeling descends. Maybe it’s the Clown Museum, home to creepy wax replicas of movie stars and a massive collection of antique porcelain dolls. Or maybe it’s the terrifyingly real House of Horrors. Or…maybe it’s the dead, decaying body left in the midway for all the Wonder Workers to see.

Vanessa Castro’s first day as deputy police chief of Seaside, Washington, is off to a bang. The unidentifiable homeless man rotting inside the tiny town’s main tourist attraction is strange enough, but now a teenage employee—whose defiant picture at the top of the Wonder Wheel went viral that same morning—is missing. As the clues in those seemingly disparate crimes lead her down a mysterious shared path of missing persons that goes back decades, she suspects the seedy rumors surrounding the amusement park’s dark history might just be true. She moved to Seaside to escape her own scandalous past, but has she brought her family to the center of an insidious killer’s twisted game? Acclaimed author Jennifer Hillier’s bone-chilling thriller is masterful and fast-paced, hurtling toward a shocking, bloody conclusion.
Release Date: October 5th, 2015
Genre: Horror
Pages: 416
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Amusement park vibes
2. Enjoyed the writing style
3. Story flows

What I Didn't Like:
1. 52 uses of Wonder Workers
2. Cheesy dialog between characters
3. Some parts were predictable at times

Overall Thoughts:
Blake's creepy scene in the closed amusement park gave me the frights. Climbing the giant ferris wheel and going through the woods. No thanks.

"In fact, you could buy postcards in almost every shop in the downtown stretch that featured photos of all the shops in the downtown stretch."

What is this sentance? Why is it repeating the same thought process?

How is Blake alive?? He climbed to the top - 150 feet up in the air and fell to concrete under it. That's like 14 stories to fall. It's not impossible but he would seriously be messed up.

Bianca is disgusting the way she's obsessed with all the new younger guys that are barely out of high school. It's really gross and predatory. I'm just not sure how more of the younger guys haven't come forward with their experiences.

Vanessa says that she thinks that the body was not left there intentionally and that somebody might not have planned to do that. I'm with her on this. I think the killer was interrupted by Oz and they took off.

There is zero way Ava would win that argument with her mother about her working at Wonderland. I could see her saying she could work there AFTER the crime was solved, but definitely not during an active murder investigation.

I'm starting to wonder if Carl Weiss was covering up the missing teen boys for a sex trafficking ring in town. Everytime a teen disappears he says they ran away.

I'm sorry but what a jump to assume that Homeless Harry is Aiden Cole just because he was missing. That part seems very random and odd. I mean in the book that's who it is but still very weird.

It's wild to me that she is still letting her daughter work at the amusement park. We just found out that teenager that had been missing for 3 years resurfaced with his face chewed off. What kind of mother would still let her daughter work there let alone a police officer?

We learn that Oscar was abused by Jack Shaw too.

Is nick dead???

Is Jack Shaw really alive and kidnapping teens to take them to the basement? Why wasn't that section closed up after the things that happened?

Xander is a real piece of work. He tries to have sex with a 14 year old and then gaslight her with saying that she isn't mature enough to have sex. Gross. Then he says they can just be friends. Oh and he is sleeping with Bianca. And he was only hanging out with her because Bianca was busy. I think it's pretty sus when an 18 year old wants to hang out with a 14-year-old.

It's seriously driving me insane how much Vanessa is telling Oz about the case. She's telling him way more than she should on an active case. She has no idea yet if Oz is involved in any way. Just because he was with her that night doesn't mean he doesn't know things.

See I knew Uncle Nick was dead. No one has heard from him.

The doll section of clown museum would be cool but only one person being let in at a time and people stopping to read things/take photos would take so much time. The line would wrap around the building. Plus letting them take photos wouldn't it ruin the surprise if someone posted the photos? I don't know... The guy even says he read about it online and was still creeped out.

It's ridiculous. Bianca doesn't Remind me of someone who's stupid enough to confess to sleeping with multiple men when there's no proof. Yeah she had the one photo and there was a drawing the other guy, but why would she confess to sleeping with the other men? She seems smart enough to demand a lawyer.

I hate Oz. First he makes Vanessa feel bad because she's trying to solve a murder and can't be having a relationship with him. Then she gives him a chance and he sleeps with Bianca (twice) all while ignoring Vanessa. Now he's acting like a brat saying he wants her and he doesn't love Bianca. Oh and he is deadnaming his lawyer by calling them James instead of Jane. Let's just burn Oz because he is a pile of trash. I swear to god if Vanessa gets with Oz at the end of this book I am going to give this one star.

Nicks body was dumped in the dungeon under the clown museum but everyone is acting like the dungeon is this great myth that no one has ever been in. This park sat for years abandoned and you're going to tell me no one found it? Also the police never went into when Jack Shaw was under suspension of rape.

Sigh. How is Vanessa a detective when she is sitting here saying she feels bad for Oz having to keep the secret that Nick was killed by Bianca?? He didn't have to keep the secret. He didn't have to hide the murder. What is to feel bad about this situation. He covered up a murder to save his job. No one was threatening him.

Ava gets locked (from the outside) in the dressing room that is an old cleaning closet, but why is there still a lock on the outside when this is where young people are changing? So odd. Also is she the only one that had to change clothes that there was no one else in the area? I have questions.

Okay so Carlos is a pervert rapist.

I had my suspicions about Donnie! The way he talked about things.

Donnie says that he had to take Blake because he had seen him getting rid of the body but that's no true at all. We had the pov from Blake and he only noticed Donnie when he was coming up in the golf cart. Then Donnie turned the ferris wheel on. I doubt Blake would have been able to see what Donnie was even doing at that time of day.

Nick is alive. Wow. I kind of figured but didn't know for sure.

Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the detective perspective and Vanessa's moments where she was a mother. Her kids seem like such a side note to her life it almost feels like we could have caught them out and maybe change the story that she was coming back to where a sibling lives and then her sibling was kidnapped. I don't know i just don't get why right in characters who don't matter like her children. She spent so little time with them they felt so.

I wish we could have gotten more information about what really happened with Vanessa's husband. It's kind of open-ended that and Frank made it look like he had killed himself when really they had covered up the murder of him. I'm assuming that Vanessa murdered him because he was very abusive toward her. It's very vague how it's touched upon but it's a big thing in their life. Same with her relationship with the guy she was having an affair with it's all so vague that you don't really understand why these consequences are there that she has to move.

John John might be the only character in this book that is a good person and I would dare say even Ava. Everyone else is terrible and does questionable things.

IG | Blog

4.5 ⭐️
This was a suspenseful, twisted story with a unique cast of characters, a small town with dark secrets, a mom with some questionable history & so many broken souls.

There’s not really a single likable character, they each have something in their lives that makes them suspect, but the true tragedy is how the small town helped hide all the dark secrets and the loss of so many young men.

I was captivated and loved the twists.

Wonderland is a chilling thriller set in a creepy amusement park hiding deadly secrets. As the park’s new manager Vanessa investigates missing employees, she unravels a sinister history that threatens her own safety. Hillier builds tension masterfully, keeping you hooked until the jaw-dropping conclusion. A fun, dark, and twisty read!

This was my first book by Jennifer Hillier but she made sure this would not be the last. The action started right at the beginning of the book and didn't quite. I found the characters to have depth that kept me interested in them. I enjoyed the talents of the narrator in voicing different characters and adding more layers to the already interesting book. A must-read for thriller lovers.

I had fun with this! It is kind of police procedural but it felt more criminal minds to me which I liked. We get different POVs from people in different roles of the story, which I really liked seeing. I thought that the writing was engaging, and the plot kept me flipping pages. I liked the audiobook, and thought it was well done but nothing overly special for me

After reading and loving Jar of Hearts and Things We Do in the Dark, I began seeking out Jennifer Hillier's back catalog and was pleasantly surprised that Wonderland was released as an audiobook. Sign me up for all things set in a creepy amusement park. A dead body on the grounds of Wonderland Amusement Park is a heck of way for Detective Vanessa Castro to start her first day at the PD. She soon discovers that there are other missing boys with a connection to the theme park. Cover ups abound and more than a few people are not being honest forth coming with details. I found the mystery easy to follow along on the audiobook and Eunice Wong did a good job as the narrator.

4 stars
Thank you @macmillian.audio for the gifted audiobook

This was a re-read for me and loved getting to experience the audio version of this book.

A perfect creepy season thriller - we get a murder at a local amusement park that is the lifeblood of the small town. There are deep ties and connections throughout this community and everyone takes care of each other...and helps each other cover up their mistakes.

But when Vanessa Castro, the new sheriff in town (or police chief as the case may be) is called to the scene her only mission is to solve the crime. She doesn't have any loyalties to the longtime residents which of course doesn't make everyone in town all that happy,

Jennifer Hillier writes such Wonderfully dark books with intriguing characters and great plot twists. It's all earned and always well worth the ride. I recommend all of her books to thriller readers but Wonderland is by far one of my faves. I love how her books existing in the same universe too so long time readers will not only see cameos from other characters across books but different cases and incidents are also dropped in as Easter eggs. Love it!

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator. She did an excellent job. I really loved that it's set at an amusement park. The end was not a surprise but everything fit together very well.

This was such a wonderful, creepy read with an ending I did not see coming! The Wonderland amusement park was the perfect creepy atmosphere and all the layers of secrets added so much to this twisty plot! I absolutely loved it!

I really enjoyed this one. Thank you, NetGalley for sharing this with me. I'll definitely be looking forward to reading more.

This was such a creepy little thing.
I don't think I read many books about amusement parks but I may need to after reading this.
I loved the mysterious vibes, especially as it connected to past events.
It's a police procedural set in a small seaside town with so many secrets. I always think anything with a theme park in it will be some diabolical hoodoo that should be listed under the "do not touch, EVER". It gets a little creepy, always.
I liked it, pacing fluctuated but good overall.

Thank you for an advanced copy of this audio book. Wow, I was very impressed. This was my second Jennifer Hillier mystery/thriller and it really got my attention. You follow various intertwined characters' points of view, which at first seems daunting, but I quickly realized the connection between them. The setting is a small-town, fictional theme park in the Pacific Northwest that has the local police department in its clutches. There is so much corrupt behavior and inappropriate goings-on that drive the plot and keep you guessing at everyone's motive. One of the perspectives is the new police chief, so there is a crime-solving element alongside the creepy and shady shit that the rest of the characters are facing. It was really good, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

This mystery set in an amusement park was a perfect thriller for me. I do not like thrillers with too much bite but this one was great because it did keep me on the edge of my seat, but I didn't lose sleep over it. I read this one over a year ago so I cannot remember too much, but I remember under ground tunnels and some powerful women trying to control the shots. I remember it started off with a post on social media that was supposed to be incriminating and the character who climbed a ride to take the shot when the park was closed. There were several twists and turns and I do remember appreciating this book a lot when I had read it.

Not going to lie, I started this book a couple of months ago and left it alone for a while. During this time I read and finished a couple of other books before finally getting back to this one.

Why?

Because it was EXTREMELY slow at first. I was also tired of all the different perspectives, which some didn’t seem relevant to me, so I was bored. BUT I am so glad I picked this back up because WOW! It was a great read! Everything came together so well and I ended up appreciating the different perspectives after all. The end was so unexpected!! I was not going to sleep tonight without finishing it and again so glad I did. If anyone feels it’s slow at first- stick to it! I promise it will be worth it!

I’ll preface by saying I loved the speaker’s voice! That said, this was a little too dark and heavy for me, especially paired with a children’s landscape. If you’re able to separate the two and enjoy gore/being deeply unsettled, then it’s for you! All said, I truly appreciate the publisher, Hillier, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wonderland is a story of a town drowning in lies and deceit and it seems it will stay that way forever.... Until the new detective comes into town to solve a mysterious disappearance only to find out it isn't the only one.
Jennifer Hillier takes us on a roller coaster of a ride as she attempts to figure out what is going on in this town, and why it has been accepted for so long.

★★★½ rounded down

I'm not usually into thrillers, but this kept me on the edge of my seat. I find certain genres translate well onto audio, and this is one of them. I will give this a bit more leeway as it reads a bit like a police procedural, which is definitely up my alley.

Vanessa Castro leaves Seattle PD to move to sleepy Seaside, WA, with her two kids in tow. While she has her own skeletons in the closet, they are nothing to the secrets and depravity that run rampant in this small town. The town's main business is Wonderland, a theme park with the oldest Ferris wheel in the PNW, and the Clown Museum, which I would absolutely never step foot in.

Everyone in this town seems to know something Vanessa doesn't. The police department is shady. The Wonderland owners and CEO are shady. Everyone is shady. In thrillers, I tend to suspect everyone until they're cleared, and I will say I wasn't expecting the outcome that occurred. That in itself made this more enjoyable.

I love novels by Jennifer Hillier an was thrilled to receive a audio version of this ARC.

This novel had me hooked to the last page. I loved trying to guess who was behind everything that was happening only to find out I was wrong and then guessing again.

I look forward to more titles by Hillier.