This was my first time trying to read a book through NetGalley and this one sounded interesting. I started but never finished because it wasn't quite what I had been looking for at the time.

So i read both the non dark and dark version so it was kinda like a reread for me and both times i didn’t really understand the premise behind the books. I didn’t mind it but if you’re looking for a book with a bunch of plot or hashing out something new in the retelling, this isn’t it. I enjoyed it for what it was and appreciated that Peter seemed to have real, genuine feelings for Wendy.

I was unfortunately unable to finish this book; I realized a few chapters in that this is very much not my type of story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of Losing Neverland. I enjoyed this dark, retelling for the most part but felt the ending was a bit rushed.

There are so many Wendy and Peter retellings, but this one really stood out for me and here's why:

- This is indeed written for an adult audience, and I love seeing their passion without the childhood tale lens (“𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒈𝒐 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒊𝒓, 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈.”)

- The writing is melodic to the point of lyrical

- Sugar, spice, and everything nice. The pacing was superb, and the characters were everything!

Thank you for making our adult dreams come true!

I enjoyed this re-telling of Peter Pan and the now adult Wendy.

Peter comes to get Wendy years after she has left him alone in Neverland. But things aren't as they seem in either realm. Not only are Peter Pan and Hook the same man, but Wendy's husband is Peter's brother! Lots of smut, lots of magic, and plenty of confusion. (Wait - Peter Pan is still 17 and Wendy is 40. And the TRAUMA!!!)

(I read the next book in the series right away because I worried I would forget all of the intricate pieces of Montgomery's Neverland.)

I legitimately couldn’t tell you what this book was about. There was a lot of timeline hopping and characters that I couldn’t keep track of because they had split personalities or something. It wasn’t bad, it was just sort of confusing and made my attention wander. I was expecting more of a real-life version of Peter Pan, so having magic and fae in it threw me off a bit.

I’ve definitely read darker and spicier romances, but I wouldn’t call this one tame by any means. The spice was actually really good, and grabbed my attention back when the plot was losing me.

I ended up getting this one on audio on Hoopla after I had tried reading it with my eyes before and didn’t get very far. The audiobook narration by Maxine Mitchell and Joe Arden was superb. Their voices are so good that I wanted to keep listening even though I had no idea what was going on.

Thanks to NetGalley and Evelyn Montgomery for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was really looking forward to this book . Smut abd the telling of Peter Pan sounded too good to be true and it was. The spice wasn’t good and the storyline I just thought was all over the place. It may have got better but at 37% I had to DNF it

I love fairytale retellings, especially if they are dark and spicy! This one just missed the mark for me. Parts were a little confusing and didn’t make sense, and it just felt it was missing something at the end.

Read outside of NetGalley and DNF’d around chapter 3. The writing style wasn’t for me and I found the characters hardly relatable, they just seemed to lack that something that made me want to continue reading about them.
Perhaps suited for readers who want a quick, easy read to power through.

DNF at 44%.

What worked:
I was really excited by the concept of this one. Dark Peter Pan retelling? Sign me up! Pan/Hook was the perfect amount of broody and I liked the moments when Wendy stood up to him. The time jumps were helpful in supporting the backstory between the MCs.

What I found challenging:
The foreshadowing was a struggle for me. Just when I thought there was some new info or forward movement the dialogue would skirt around the truths and I was left even more confused.

Overall, I didn’t dislike Losing Neverland but likely won’t end up finishing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Evelyn Montgomery for a review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

Unfortunatly this was not really a book for me but that doesn't mean someone else won't enjoy it. The story ran a bit flat, and it was not as I believed it was going to be. I'm glad I read it to expand my reading genres but would not be reading more from the author.

Was a good read and finished it quickly. Wouldn't talk about it unless it was brought up but also wouldn't talk people out of reading it

Losing Neverland by Evelyn Montgomery takes readers on a dark and twisted journey through the familiar world of Neverland, revealing shocking truths behind the iconic figures of Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Told from Wendy’s perspective, this reimagining strips away the myths and exposes the raw, hidden realities of the legendary characters. Wendy isn’t just a mere bystander—she’s the catalyst for the demise of Neverland, the force that unravels the very magic that holds it together. With suspense, mystery, and unexpected twists, Montgomery transforms a classic fairy tale into a gripping tale of loss and transformation.

I simply had to DNF this book. I didn't go past the first chapter. The MMC has some serious mental issues and there's just nothing the author could do in later chapters for me to agree with the FMC agreeing to be in a relationship with him after how he treated her in just the one chapter. No man's love is that worth it.

Now this could be the point of this book -- in that case if you're looking for a violent, degrading, bully romance, then this might be for you. It wasn't not for me however.

I found this book hard to follow. There were times things did not add up or make sense and I found the spice was not enjoyable as one would think for a dark romance retelling of Peter Pan.

I was promised a smutty Peter Pan retelling and this accomplished that. But for the overall plot, I have no idea what was happening. The erotica wasn't believable and I have no idea outside of the erotica of what was the point of the story. This is definitely one of my least favorite Peter Pan retellings.

I love a good retelling! I really enjoyed the idea behind Losing Neverland. The story jumps between past and present, where you get to see how Peter Pan and Hook became one of the same and the relationship between Wendy and Pan, but did get to be a little confusing at times.

Unfortunately, while reading I kept feeling like something was missing. The story needed more showing rather than telling us. The end seemed extremely rushed. I also felt I was left with more questions than answers..... I also would've preferred that the characters been portrayed as a little older....

*Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. I'm bewildered. Right hold on... this is the same author as Hooking Peter? Why are we writing TWO peter pan retellings under different names? I am so confused.

2.5/5 ⭐

Well, smut 70% and other 30% (I don't know what was the other at all)

Let's start with this that I had completely different expectations from this book (hence the rating). I was taken by surprise that Hook and Pan were the same person and that Wendy was 40 years old who hooked with underaged 17 year old Pan.

Here now, I know that there are trigger warning for the reversed age gap but make it at least 18 to be of a legal age. And being here - very well experienced for people who are not so experienced - I found it a bit ridiculous.

Also the switching constantly between then and now was a bit tiring and unnecessary filling of the book.

I enjoyed the Neverland world- maybe this was the best part of the book.

What was that ending - at the end did they or they didn't???.

And what was with the Tiger Lily?! Tinker Bell was the bad guy (girly ok) but what was her problem at all??

All in all I have a very mixed feelings about this retelling. I am not entirely sure that I can recommend it. Maybe if you are after the smut then it might be a solid 3.

Thank you to Netgalley the ARC . The review above is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own.