“Safer together.”

Oh my goodness. I really loved the adventure and beautiful world that Julie brought in this book. She has taken it straight from JM Barrie and the movie kids loved into an adult world. Wendy has finally grown up, but her heart still lies in Neverland with Peter, until she meets Liam, whom she instantly connects with.

“ I knew you were beautiful,” he said. “But truly I had no idea how heart-stammeringly stunning you are.”

Liam and Wendy, through some secrets and missteps, end up in Neverland…but not the same Neverland she remembers. I was enthralled with the danger, adventure and secrets these two had to overcome to find out what is really happening in Neverland. (That’s all you get…no spoilers).

“She felt a desperate need to know the truth. The truth of him. And in a way that made no sense, the truth of herself.”

There were so many twists and turns and beautiful moments. (The maze..) I’ve read almost all of Julie’s books and no matter what she writes, it’s wonderful. I really loved this sory, even though Peter Pan is not my favorite childhood story.

“Love had its own rules and once you had fallen into it, you would be falling forever.”

“I am seeing myself in all the ways I fear myself to be, but when I look at your reflections, it is solid.”

Adventure, magic, and a touch of pixie dust—this clever YA fantasy swept me right back to Neverland! This Peter Pan retelling had everything I love:
🌿 Secret identities
❤️ Forbidden love
🗡️ A fierce heroine
🏴‍☠️ A lovable rogue
And all the fairy tale nostalgia my heart could handle.

Wendy Darling is all grown up and caught between the magic she once knew and the promise of something (or someone 👀) new. I adored Liam—mysterious, swoony, and the perfect match for our grown-up Wendy.

There’s mischief, magic, and heart on every page, and that quote??
“Would you believe me if I told you that some pirates are heroes?”
She laughed, “Not even for a moment.”
🖤 Peak pirate charm.

📚 A must-read if you grew up loving Peter Pan and always wondered what came next.

As a self proclaimed Peter Pan expert, Peter Pan retellings are usually a hit or miss for me. This one, I'm afraid to say was a miss. It started out great with the premise of Wendy returning to Neverland while chasing a young pirate, but the story quickly became repetitive and unoriginal. Plotwise, there was nothing new or exciting in this book - just all of the tropes that we typically see in Peter Pan inspired books: Hook isn't a villain after all guys!!
My main problem with this story was that Wendy's voice felt inconsistent: sometimes she talks like a character that lives in the contemporary world and other times she talks as if she is from the 1900s (the latter being the more accurate one). I understand the need to make the book accessible language wise, but the inconsistency in character pulled me out of the story and ultimately made me dislike the narrative.

I’m always excited about retellings, re-imaginings, and “what happened next” stories based on familiar tales. In this one, Wendy Darling is nearly 18 and weary of her mother’s pressure to find a man and marry. Her father has died, and her brothers never speak of their time in Neverland. But Wendy longs to go back to her life in Neverland—and to Peter Pan.

So imagine her surprise when she meets a charismatic stranger that maybe, just maybe, is dropping veiled references to Neverland. Naturally, she has to pursue that. After all, she hasn’t been able to find her way back. Of course, he was deliberately luring her. It turns out that not only has he served in the Royal Navy, but he’s also a nephew of Captain Hook.

Yes, that Captain Hook.

This is where Wendy has to learn that not all pirates are bad. And Peter Pan isn’t always good. And Neverland isn’t necessarily the lovely place of her memories.


As Wendy must learn to work together with (gasp) a pirate, she realizes that Peter is in many ways still a child. He takes no responsibility, and everything is a game. Wendy has matured; Peter hasn’t.

They are all brought together to fight a common enemy. The resolution—both in Neverland and for Wendy personally—is satisfying.

I particularly like that Wendy decides not to marry just because her mother wants her to. She knows she will marry and have a family some day, but it will be on her own terms. Her growth throughout the story is natural and believable.

Now for the nitpicks. My advanced reader copy had a continuity error. I question the use of the word “updo” for Wendy’s hairstyle—it didn’t come into popular use until after the time period in which the story takes place.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Fantasy creatures, mild violence, perilous situations. Pirates. A little bit of kissing.

Who Might Like This Book:
Fans of the original story who want to see what happens later. Romance fans, especially fans of “clean” romance. Although it is marketed as Young Adult, it didn’t feel overly juvenile; adults should be just fine with it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2025/07/wendy-darling-all-grown-up.html

#WendysEverAfter #NetGalley #WendysEverAfter #JulieWright #YAFantasyRomance #FairyTaleRetelling #ShadowMountainPub #YAFantasy #YARomantasy #Book Review

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for an unbiased review.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

So let's be clear: This is Peter Pan fanfic. That's not a bad thing! I love Peter Pan, and after over 100 years, there are still fresh takes on the story.

This book is a combination of YA, romance, and fanfic, and it works. If you're familiar with the original play and subsequent book, the final scene takes place back in the nursery- but when Peter appears in the window, Wendy is "ever so much more than twenty" with a daughter of her own named Jane. I always wondered- who did Wendy end up marrying, and how did she ever let go of her Peter Pan crush? This book attempts the answer. It's a cute, fun, quick read (<300 pages),

I only had 2 issues with this book: Its strangely clunky prose- given that the author has published many previous books, I expected better editing. And the constant back-and-forth of "Is Peter Good, or Is Peter Bad, and is Liam Good, or is Liam Bad?" for the majority of the book got repetitive very quickly. A more decisive adult Wendy would have served this book better.

This is a beautiful story. I absolutely love the story of Peter Pan. It’s one of my daughter’s favorites. So whenever I find a retelling, I automatically tell her she needs to read it. And to have the retelling be from Julie Wright, makes it even better. I loved everything about this story, especially the authors homage to the original, but still made it her own story, and having me fall in love with the story of Peter Pan all over again makes it even more special.

I loved Wendy and Liam! Liam is mysterious and Wendy is curious. How they get to Neverland and why they are there is so clever. Wendy is strong and brave and everything you want in an older version of the young girl. I love the twists and the seeds of doubt and adventure planted by the author. Who can Wendy trust? Pan or Liam? The whole story comes together in a surprising and wonderful way. I loved every page. The author’s notes at the end were also fantastic.

I will read any thing from this author, but bring on more retellings!

I received a paperback from the publisher and had access to the ebook from NetGalley. All views are my own.

I loved this fresh and imaginative spin on a familiar tale.

Full of adventure, fantasy, magic, witty banter, and no-spice romance, this book follows a grown up Wendy and is a wonderful addition to her story.

This charming book is perfect for young teens, YA readers, and adults alike.

*Thank you to Net Galley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Julie Wright answers the question of what happens to Wendy after she leaves Peter in Neverland. In this book Wendy is almost 18 and is out in society. Her father has died and her mother wants and needs her to marry well. She isn’t interested in any of her suitors until she meets Liam Blackwell. There is something familiar about him. The story has Wendy going back to Neverland learning that while years have passed for her, it has only been days for Peter.

This is a tame, teen and YA appropriate, fantasy novel. There is some adventure and a few kisses. I didn’t get a lot of complexity or depth from any of the characters. But I thought the book was entertaining and imaginative. (3.5 Stars)

Julie Wright is such an effortless writer. It was so easy to fall right into the story and fly away with it without even a hint of help from pixie dust. I love how she brought us to a world we’re familiar with but then added depths and layers that are her own.

This book is labeled as a teen/young adult fantasy romance. If I write my review thinking along those terms I give it a higher rating. It is a charming retelling of the Peter Pan story a few years in the future. Wendy has often wondered about Peter and why he never comes to get her. When the opportunity arises for her to find her way back to Neverland, she takes it. I enjoyed the story, but I felt like it could have had a lot more depth, and a more complex storyline. The characters were interesting, but it was more fluff. So if I was thinking as a young teen. I would say it was interesting and entertaining. There is magic, fantasy, a little drama, a little romance and a little world building. It is a clean, wholesome story with mild kisses and no swearing. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a fun and wild ride this book is! Not only does it honor the original story of Peter Pan, it stays true to the classic fairy tale tradition! 👏🏽

This book is equal parts adventure story, mystery and romance (all very sweet and no-spice). I was hooked from the very beginning and was on the edge of my seat until the very end.

If you love Peter Pan, classic fairy tales or no-spice adventure-romance stories, go grab a copy of this book asap!

Age recommendation: teen/adult. No sexual content. No language. Some mild violence and intense themes.

“Wendy had never thought herself to be so silly as to love someone at first sight, though her mother had often told her that she had loved her father from the first moment. But now…Now, Wendy believed she had met the man who could possibly be destined to have her heart.”

This whimsical romantasy is endearingly sweet as it explores the life of Wendy Darling when she’s all grown up. This Peter Pan sequel has some twists and turns that are unexpected, yet feel so right, and it was a delight to experience it all through the eyes of Wendy.

I love the way Julie Wright captures those delicate and fleeting moments that many find themselves inwardly battling as one foot remains in the past and the other steps towards a new and exciting future. This YA tale delivers adventure, growth, electrifying romance, and a continued showdown between good and evil.

Innovative, daring, sweet, and charming–this story is so much fun.

Content: mild romance; mild moments of peril

*I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given*

“The real world has all sorts of fairytales in it. Every twilight, as the stars come out, do you not see the magic in their shine? When the morning sun rises and there is dew sparkling on the blades of grass and flower petals, do you not feel the electric charge of the enchantments the night left behind?”

Wendy Darling has grown up into a young woman since she last saw Peter Pan. Her life consists of social gatherings and coming out into society for a marital pursuit on account of her mother’s wishes. However, she still holds affection for Peter, and longs to be reunited with him and the joy of Neverland and her childhood. She meets a mysterious and handsome stranger, Liam Blackwell, whom she shares a connection and common interests with, unlike many of her other suitors. When Liam leads Wendy to Neverland, the two embark on a wild adventure to save a young boy and destroy the evil that consumes Neverland—and the feud between Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

I initially chose this romantasy because I love retellings and growing up I was a huge fan of Captain Hook’s character in the TV show Once Upon a Time, and I heard the love interest was similar. The story did give me the Once Upon a Time vibes I was hoping for, as well as a bit of Bridgerton in the beginning. One aspect of this book I enjoyed was the vivid descriptions of the setting; it truly felt like I was in Neverland. I did not enjoy Wendy’s character though, and found her to be stubborn, annoying, and close-minded. I wasn’t a fan of the insta-love trope either. Though I do think Liam Blackwell is a phenomenal love interest, he lacked a bit of depth in regards to his backstory. I also noticed the story is very short compared to other books within the young adult fantasy genre, and I found that strange since very few events took place and the pacing was slow, so not much happened. I found myself underwhelmed while reading. I would have liked a slower romance and stronger plot. However, I’d recommend this to anyone who is looking for an adventure, a Peter Pan retelling, and a slow-paced story.

Absolutely darling!

When Wendy Darling meets handsome Liam at a masquerade ball and ends up back in Neverland, she realizes that nothing there is the same. Something dark has taken over and Wendy must find the courage to face her fears and forge a path for her future.

What you'll love:
Young Adult
sequel to Peter Pan
single pov
adventure
sweet romance
the masquerade ball
all the Neverland characters
the maze
so much heart!

This book is a sequel of sorts to Peter Pan, a "what happens to Wendy after she returns home from her adventures in Neverland and grows up?" It definitely made me feel some nostalgia to the original story but was a new and exciting adventure all on its own!

Loved the complexity of Wendy and Peter's characters and Liam was a fantastic addition to the mix. He and Wendy have a bit of insta attraction at first followed by an enemies to lovers vibes, and I loved watching them learn to trust and fall in love as they fought for Neverland and each other.

Picked this one up for the childhood nostalgia, loved it for the fun plot twists, the super sweet romance, the action and adventure, the favorite characters as well as the new ones, and all the pirates and pixie dust and happy thoughts you could want. An entertaining story from beginning to end and one I plan on returning to again!

I received a complimentary copy but a positive review was not required.

I went into this book with zero expectations and was thoroughly entertained. ◡̈ What happened after the traditional story of Peter Pan when Wendy left Neverland? I liked that this story wasn’t a retelling, but a continuation of the story of Wendy finding herself back in Neverland as an adult.

It was a fun idea and I truly enjoyed it! Liam is the best and I could appreciate the principle of how your opinion could change once you discover all the facts. Wendy was pretty headstrong and stubborn but in the end, it all worked out and I am happy she held true to her values. A quick and easy read! Definitely great for young adults. ◡̈

Peter Pan fans rejoice! This amazing continuation of Wendy’s story was utterly fabulous & I loved every moment. Wendy’s all grown up & faced with grown up decisions, but there’s a part of her who longs for Neverland… until she meets Liam. This romantic, lovely, coming of age story is a wonderful sequel to a childhood favorite & perfect for YA readers & adults alike.

As a young adult, Wendy Darling’s experiencing the balls & parties a young woman normally experiences, but her heart still longs for Neverland & the boy who never grew up. When she’s introduced to a handsome stranger at a masquerade ball, she feels an instant bond & attraction to him. She’s completely captivated until she finds out who he is.

Suddenly, Wendy’s whisked back to the magical Neverland. But, things have changed & it’s up to her to find a way to restore it to its former beauty. Caught between the boy she once loved & the handsome man who’s captured her heart, she must decide whom to trust, & how to navigate this different world in order to save Neverland.

I loved this book! Wendy’s & Liam’s story is filled with witty banter, romance, & growth as they work together. I enjoyed the themes of overcoming loss, growing up, & finding true love. Their story captures the realization that what we once adored as children isn’t quite the same when viewed through adult eyes, & Wendy learns this as she tries to recreate the past. I also loved a more nuanced view of Captain Hook & Peter Pan. Their characters are much more morally gray & complicated in this story.

I thoroughly loved returning to the magic of Neverland, the Lost Boys, pirates, mermaids, & fairies. It was such a delightful, imaginative read & I loved this creative spin on Wendy’s story. Each chapter begins with a quote from the original Peter Pan books & includes certain familiar phrases throughout giving it an authentic, continued story feel.

Whether you’re familiar with Peter Pan or not, this delightful, romantic, beautiful story is one anyone would enjoy. Highly recommend to middle grade readers & up. I received an advanced copy from the publisher with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions are completely my own & provided voluntarily.

For many of us who grew up with the magic of Peter Pan, Wendy's Ever After feels like a deeply personal return to Neverland. It offers a chance to revisit a beloved childhood world through the lens of adulthood, exploring themes of growth, change, and the bittersweetness of saying goodbye to the past. It mirrors our own journey from childhood wonder to the complexities of growing up, and for that alone, it left my heart a little heavy and my eyes teary by the end.

The writing style is well-suited for a young adult fantasy, though I occasionally wished for a more 'show, don't tell' approach. It's an easy fantasy read, and it delivers an alternate, mature ending for Wendy, focusing on her path after her initial adventures.

The pacing of the development between Wendy and Liam felt a touch too fast. As a fan of slow-burn romance, it was challenging to fully root for them when their connection feels more like infatuation. A bit more build-up, perhaps another encounter with more subtle hints of Neverland from Liam, could've definitely made Wendy's decision to follow him feel less impulsive and more earned. That would've likely deepened my emotional investment in their relationship.

Furthermore, despite Wendy being 17 and her repeatedly claiming to be a "grown woman," her voice and reactions sometimes felt juvenile. There were instances when her thinking still seemed that of a child.

I also think that the shadow conjurer threat felt rushed and wasn't given the depth or exploration it deserves. A more developed conflict and resolution could've significantly enhanced the overall plot.

I was initially worried that Peter Pan would be revealed as truly evil, which would've arguably "ruined" a piece of our childhood. I'm glad the narrative wisely portrays him as misunderstood rather than a villain. It preserves the essence of Peter as a boy who doesn't want to grow up, but adds a layer of complexity to his role in Neverland.

I did wish for a more comprehensive and mutually accepting goodbye between Peter and Wendy. Given the emotional weight of their original story, a more thorough and perhaps gentler resolution could've provided a stronger sense of closure for both the characters and the readers. Wendy's path to accept change and finally say goodbye to the boy who never grew up felt relatable. Her farewell is as much ours as it is hers.

Wendy's Ever After still delivered an impactful emotional experience for me. It resonated deeply because it taps into that nostalgia and the comfort of familiar tales. While we cherish the magic of our youth, we must also embrace the growth that comes with stepping into our own "ever afters." This book serves as a beautiful, emotional closing chapter to a timeless story, perfectly encapsulating the bittersweet beauty of growing up.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing, and Julie Wright for the eARC! All thoughts expressed in this review are solely my own.

If you’re looking for a wonderful and no spice Peter Pan retelling, this is it!

Wendy Darling has entered society and has the season ahead of her. Dancing, food, suitors… One would expect her to be excited but she just can’t seem to get a certain grand adventure out of her head she had as a young girl.

She struggles with the hurt from her beloved Peter Pan not coming back for her like he promised. She is now grown up and worried she will never get to feel that alive again.

During one of the season’s balls, Wendy meets a stranger who captivates her from first glance and reminds her of a place she never stopped dreaming of. Will she get one last adventure in Neverland?

I absolutely loved this! It was a clean and light (but lots of substance still) Peter Pan retelling. I appreciated how Julie stayed so true to these characters with how we saw them in all the movies growing up. (Hook, Peter Pan 2003) it was truly like coming home to Neverland in this retelling.

Thank you so much netgalley , shadow mountain publishing , and Julie Wright for the chance to read and review this beautiful story!

Wendy's Ever After was a book I didn't know i needed to read until i read it.
It cleared up the concerns I'm sure many people had, me included, of what happened after Wendy, John, and Michael left Neverland.
Wendy follows a potential suitor who had to leave in the middle of a ball, and finds herself back in Neverland. With her new chance to find Peter, and figure out why he seemingly forgot about her, she sets off into Neverland. But, alas, it's never that easy. She discovers something far more sinister than Hook and a few pirates at work on her beloved island.
I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who had questions about Wendy after she left Neverland and grew up. Or just to anyone looking for an interesting read.

I almost DNFed this book at the first chapter as the repetition of the word 'vexed' made me want to fling a thesaurus at the author however I am glad I persevered as this was a fun read.

This Peter Pan sequel sees Wendy fighting off suitors until she meets the mysterious Mr Blackwood and is transported back to Neverland where she discovers everything is not as she thought it was when she was transported there as a child.

Although only a short book the action seemed a little slow in some parts ie the travelling scenes which are longer than the need to be but overall a fun time.