Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas Book Review

  

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas Book Review 

Lost in the Neverwoods by Aiden Thomas. This is the second book by Aiden Thomas that I think is out ever. They previously wrote "Cemetery Boys," which came out last year, and I absolutely love that book. So I was so, so looking forward to seeing the next book that they wrote, even though it is a Peter Pan retelling.

I feel like Peter Pan retellings—I haven't read a bunch of them, but I just know there are so many that sometimes it's hard. There are definitely good ones and there are definitely ways to make it feel different, but I was just kind of worried that, like, "Oh no, this is just going to be another Peter Pan retelling that falls flat." But happy to report that it was really, really good.

I originally thought it was a middle-grade book for some reason. I think just because it came out so quickly after Cemetery Boys. I feel like usually there's like a year gap between books coming out by an author. So I thought, like, "Oh, like, this is a middle-grade one, that's why." But for some reason, it just came out super soon. Like, Cemetery Boys came out in September, and this one's in March. So that's, like, six months. Yeah, six months. But I was delighted because I really, really liked it.

I know a lot of people have been having issues with it, and I do see where that's coming from because I think the pacing is not super fast in this book. But I think I loved that aspect. Like, that's what made it work so much for me because I feel like this book truly is a Peter Pan retelling, but it's not a Peter Pan retelling. 

There's never a lot about Neverland or really, like, a journey or anything. And I think that's maybe where people are kind of confused because I feel like just from hearing, like, Peter Pan retelling and hearing that the title is "Lost in the Neverwoods," like, you automatically think, "Oh, this is going to be a journey book where, like, they start off and then, like, immediately are in the woods or something like that." 

And no, it really takes place all in the same area. Like, she does live by the woods. Wendy and Peter come, and, like, literally gets hit by her car and is found, like, just unconscious. And she has no memories of ever meeting him before, but he obviously knows her. It's very, like, I think it was, like, about, like, 150 pages before they even, like, had kind of a semblance of, like, who the bad guy is or, like, a plan or anything like that.

But I also like the exploration because that's what I mean about it's more than just a Peter Pan retelling. It's symbolically a story about grief and about closure and about how grief can weigh you down and guilt can weigh you down. 

And I think that's why I liked the pace of it because those are very depressing emotions and they make you feel slow and they make you feel sluggish. So it felt right that it was kind of, like, going in circles, you know, almost like trying to figure out what's happening. 

Like, it's not an easy guess because that's what grief and depression and guilt feel like, you know? Like, you feel weighed down by it. And I think that's why it works so much for me because, like, I could feel the emotions that Wendy was feeling in how this book was presented. And I think it's just—it's so, so good.

So the premise is that Wendy and her two brothers, they went missing five years ago. She came back with no memories of what happened, and her brothers were never found and are just presumed to be missing. 

What happens at the start of the book is that kids, again, are starting to go missing in the town, and it's reminiscent of what happened with her and her brother, of just, like, them disappearing all of a sudden, no one being able to find them or get any trace of them. 

And it brings up, like, a whole bunch of memories, obviously, because now everyone's remembering what happened to her. And everyone's kind of connecting it to her since she also went missing as a kid.

Peter Pan shows up out of the blue, remembering who Wendy is and his adventures with her. But Wendy doesn't remember, obviously, because she doesn't remember anything that happened in those five years. 

The thing that I thought was interesting too was Peter Pan was like a character in this book, like, the story of Peter Pan. But it seemed like only her mom knew who Peter Pan was. Like, it wasn't like a globally known story. Like, it was just, like, stories her mom had told her, and then she continued the tradition of telling stories to her brother and the kids that she volunteered with at the hospital.

So I thought that was kind of interesting because I feel like it made it more realistic for why people would not believe her when she was like, "Hey, this is Peter Pan," because it's not like he's universally known. It's like this story that she's known for telling. 

So, like, if someone all of a sudden is, like, by the way, I'm seeing Peter Pan everywhere, you're gonna be like, "Are you, honey? Like, I would believe it." I've said this before, 100, like, down to clown if you are stuck in a time loop, you're a time traveler, you met Peter Pan, like, I will believe you in a heartbeat because it's so much easier than just resisting it. 

Like, you always see the people that are, like, that can't be true, and then they get to the moment where they're like, "You weren't telling the truth." I'm like, "We could have saved ourselves so much trouble if you just believed it." 

But it does make more sense that, you know, she's going through a lot of grief and it's bringing up a lot of emotions about what happened to her and why people might look at it as just, like, she's kind of latching onto something that's not real.

So I did like that. That's why she kind of had to keep Peter a secret because no one would really believe her. And she says that a lot of times. She's like, "Everyone just thinks I am, like, losing my grip on reality." I also loved the idea of Peter. 

I think he was very well fleshed out and given a lot of qualities that I think were interesting because, like, obviously he is not, like, the Peter Pan that we know. He's fighting something. He's lost his shadow, and he's trying to find a shadow, and that's affecting him. And it's interesting that, like, he's not, like, the happy-go-lucky Peter Pan we all know. Like, he is, but there's also added dimensions to him, which I think are really good. And I like the chemistry between him and Wendy. I think it's really, really great

Even though, you know, it's always sad because I feel like Peter Pan and Wendy, like, they're, like, the couple that cannot be, right? Like, they can never end up together because he has to go back to Neverland and she has to grow up. 

And it's just, like, the saddest thing ever in any Peter Pan retelling and Peter Pan in general that, like, you know, you can't be with someone you love because of obligations and duties. And I think they do a good job of explaining that, of, like, you know, it feels right and it feels like he's helped her and they help each other. And it's just really, really nice.

But the main thing I have to say, yeah, is just the exploration of the grief and the guilt that Wendy has about her brothers. Because she feels like if it weren't for her, her brothers never would have been out in the woods, they never would have got lost. She also feels a lot of guilt for not being able to remember what happened because that is not giving her family closure. 

And there's this amazing, amazing line where she talks about all she lost. And the way that I really like it is the exploration of it in that it's not just losing her brothers because obviously they're gone, they're missing. She hasn't seen them for five years. She hasn't got to see them grow up. 

She talks about how she's lost her mom and her dad and who they were because her mom is just grief. She doesn't cook anymore. She's not really happy. Like, she's all just work. Her mom's just, like, not the warm presence that she was, you know? 

She says, like, I lost, like, my mom's comforting touch. I lost her braiding my hair, like, all those kind of happy moments that you take for granted, she lost those. And then her dad also became a lot angrier and a lot gruffer. 

And she's like, I lost my dad who would chase me around and laugh and, you know, have fun with me. And I think that's something you don't always see portrayed. It's just not only that you lose the people who are gone, but you lose the people that are still here and that the versions of them change. 

I think anyone who has suffered from a loss and has had that kind of guilt and that grief can really connect to it because it shows how it expands and it touches every part of your life. It's not just something that affects, you know, one thing. 

It's not something that you just suffer for a little bit. Like, your life is irrevocably changed in so many different ways. And I think that was so well done and just—I have to give Aiden Thomas so many props for that because the way that they portrayed her grief and her guilt was amazing.

And her guilt over, you know, "I should have done more. I'm the oldest. I was supposed to be in charge. Like, I shouldn't have left them gone missing." And then also adding them to that, like, "I should be able to remember what's happening" and putting so much pressure on herself to make her parents, you know, happy and stuff because it's like you're suffering from your own guilt and grief. But then you also are guilty because your parents are sad. And it was just so, so well done. And I—when I tell you, I sobbed like a baby

So obviously I'm not gonna spoil it. But when it does come out about, like, what exactly happened, how they went missing, I stopped, okay? Like, it took me so long to finish the book just because I kept having to put it down because I was crying so hard that I couldn't see the page. 

So I'd, like, put it down, pick it back up after I thought I felt better. And then immediately, like, after a page, I'd be sobbing again. It was just—it was so sad. It was kind of, like, not shock value, but just—you're like, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe that happened." Like, kind of felt like just, like, "What?" 

But then putting the pieces together from that of being like, "Oh, this is what happened." It's heartbreaking. And to see the family react to it and to see Wendy where—oh, it's just—it's full on, like, it breaks your heart. And I stopped—I mean, I—I cannot tell you enough how, like, this book just touched me and, like, really, like, the emotions that she was feeling and that she expressed and the guilt and everything. 

I think was something I could connect to so well and was so, so well done that I could not praise it enough. And that is why I love this book so much because, again, the pacing is—it's not like a super action-packed journey or whatever, you know, blah, blah. But that's not what this is as a retelling. 

It's about, like, the heart and the emotion behind these people and the suffering that they've been dealing with. And that includes Wendy, that includes Peter Pan, that includes her parents, like, that includes everyone pretty much that she comes into contact with. And it's—it's just so beautiful, guys. 

So I gave this book four and a half out of five stars. Definitely one of my favorite—I mean, I don't even remember another Peter Pan retelling that I've read, but I know there's, like, a bunch of different ones. And I just think this one is so different from even any just take out the Peter Pan aspect of it. 

Anyway, book with the way it deals with grief and guilt and, you know, all that kind of stuff and pain for what you think is something that was your fault and stuff like that and how it deals with fear and how that can hold you back and stuff like that. And it's just—it's so amazing. So if you have read the book, please feel free to leave your thoughts about it down in the comments. 

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