I Prefer Peter: - Author Annotated Edition

by mia battaglia

Genres: Retellings

449 pages, Paperback

Published April 6, 2024

Reviews

[Sabrina Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC !! DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GET THE AUDIO!!
Mia just became my newest auto buy author this was just…a masterpiece !!
I love a good Peter Pan retelling but the way that this modernized it, threw in SO many outsiders references, the miss peregrines home for perculiar children vibes & just…EVERYTHINGGG
I adore this world, these characters & this author 😭 I need book two NOWWW

[Sabrina Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m absolutely BAFFLED at the end of this. my jaw was DROPPED! i knew i was gonna love this book but love is understatement. i NEED the next book like i NEED air. the character development within peter is amazing. when mia says this a book about how a broken boy becomes a hero, she isn’t lying. he’s been through so much and is finally finding himself. i love these three main characters so much and i really LOATHE evee. i mean i wanted to THROW my book at the end. I WAS PISSED. the way she was able to make me really FEEL so many things during this book.

sex scene was fire but feel robbed cause it was EVEE LIKE WHAT 😭 so i hope we get the REAL thing between maya and peter in the next book. i need answersssss.
i mean this is THE peter pan retelling 🪄✨🦊

[Victoria Ribot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a refreshing book. Holy cow! It was fantastic! The slow burn, the spice, the pacing of the story, the different perspectives that you get from the characters, the world building, villains you love to hate. It’s just such a good read. I had such a fun time reading this book. AND THE PLOT TWIST! The plot twist was crazy!!! I didn’t see it coming. I can’t wait for “Son of Pan” to come out.

[Carrie Hagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was a very different and unique retelling of how Peter Pan becomes Peter Pan. I loved how broken and real the trauma aspects felt.

The love story felt a little looked over. Like where or when did the feelings develop? Did I miss it?? It felt very insta-lovey. I wanted more development there.

The spice 🌶️ was hot. 🥵 I did love that there was an option to skip it and not read it, if you weren’t a smut reader. The author had a unique way, that I have never seen. There was a QR code you could scan if you wanted to read the spicy scene or you could simply keep reading if not. Personally. I would have rather had a “skip to page #” and had it in the book. I don’t want to pull out my phone to read, but it was a cool concept.

I don’t know if I would recommend it to anyone, but the ending had me in a mindf*ck. I did NOT see that little twist, and I’m curious to see how that all plays out.

Started by listening to the audio. I found myself having to pick up the book to see if I missed something or figure out what was going on in general. I think the use of inner monologues and journal entries made it difficult to listen to. I did love and was very impressed with all the different character accents and voices the author used to narrate her own book- super cool. When, I switched to reading while listening at the same time, the journey became much more enticing and way less confusing.

The font of the journal entries was painful. Neat concept of using handwriting font, but maybe a bit too much with the random capitalization heavily sprinkled throughout every word.

Indie author. Quality of the book was a little Mreh- blurry cover. Loved the cover design though, beautiful design. Also, loved how soft it was. Character art was next level amazing!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god. Oh my god. I don’t even know where to start with this review. Oh my god…I’m so shocked and speechless. Mia….Mia when I catch you Mia…oh my god. I originally thought I was going to rate this 4.5 stars because I really really loved the story and the world and the characters obviously but man after that ending which has left me here shell shocked and without the ability to speak or form my thoughts into words I feel it doesn’t deserve anything less than a 5. I have for as long as I can remember been a die hard Peter Pan fan. So much so that to this day red heads with green eyes are my ultimate kryptonite (well green eyes in general but add in red hair and it’s a done deal) I’ve never wanted to grow up and becoming a lost girl was always my dream. Because I hold Peter so close and dear to my heart I very rarely read Peter Pan retellings because I find them either too unoriginal or too way off base, so when I found this quirky girl on my TikTok fyp (who has a Peter Pan collection I will never not be jealous of) talking about this retelling she wrote I felt I could trust her. So I did. And thank God I did because this is the best Peter Pan retelling I’ve ever read (keep in mind I haven’t read a lot) but I felt so connected and I loved the world and there was just enough original material and classic material woven together to make it exactly what I’ve always wanted. I honestly cannot wait for the next book and now all I’m going to do is sit here, in silence, and stare off into the void as one does when they’ve read a book that has changed their life forever. Cheers





Ps I never liked the bitch 😡

[Manda Bartlett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It just felt unprofessionally written and not like an actual book. There was a few uses of “lol” within the book that weren’t annotations. There was a few real world references that threw me off, like Animal Crossing & SpongeBob. Which I get, the characters are from “the real world”, I just wasn’t expecting the references. She “paused” the book to offer a QR code for the 14 page spicy scene, which I like the idea, but not the execution. I hate reading on my phone & would have preferred a note of where to skip to if I didn’t want to read it. Keeps you in the story. I just wasn’t excited to finish this book. I remind myself that it’s a prequel though & this was focused on world building & back story. I’ll still read the next book when it comes out; I haven’t given up yet bc she was right, I do hate the ending & need to know how that works out lmao

[Miachu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first was introduced to I Prefer Peter from Mia’s tiktok. I had never read a peter pan retelling and was so excited when I was able to support an indie author! The writing and description in the book was easy to melt into and get caught up in Neverland. Finneas is hands down my favorite character! I loved the range of representation all throughout the book to include, religion, LGBTQIA+, addictions struggles, EDS, and much more. It was refreshing to feel relatable to a book and its characters full force without filters. This is also my first author annotated edition read and I found myself super excited to see green highlights and small side comments! It was fun to see if my opinions or thoughts/emotions were different than the authors or if we were kicking our feet together about the same scene or words! anyway, im babbling! but all in all I am so happy I splurged and was able to experience I Prefer Peter!

[Michelle White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the author annotated version, and a big reason I enjoyed this take on Peter Pan was the author's funny and insightful notes on pretty much every page. I think this was a very interesting origin story for Peter Pan, and those last 100 pages were really entertaining and exciting. This book made me think maybe this could be Peter's origin story, in an alternate universal timeline. It was a fun read, I found myself invested in Peter's character, I really hated the villain (Evangeline! 🧚🏻), and she left us on a huge cliffhanger, so I will be looking for the follow up. Definitely.

[SydneyLieske · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like a Peter Pan retelling, and I kept seeing this one on my TikTok. I finally decided to read it and I enjoyed it. I will be honest and say that it took me a while to get into it. However, I finally decided to try out the audiobook version that is narrated by the author. Mia Battaglia does a great job narrating her story, she has a different and distinct voice for each character. I also love being able to hear the love she has for her story! While it took me a while to get into this book, I am glad that I stuck with it because it is super unique and a super fun Peter Pan retelling!

[Chey Necole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was written so well. I was so engaged in the story from start to finish. I chose to read this book because after following Mia on TikTok for so long and seeing how much love and dedication she put into the book, I just knew that I would love it. However, I will say that the ending of the book made me cry angry tears and scream just a bit, but it's okay because I know that Son of Pan will be amazing when it comes out.

[Jenn Christ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started out loving this book and wanted to keep loving it so badly. However, I can’t forgive bad disability representation and it’s there. Aspergers is not only not a diagnosis anymore (in present day NJ where the character is at the time) but it is not and has never been simply lacking a filter. Using this “diagnosis” as a way of explaining that you’re just an AH is not ok.

[Kristin Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audio book was SOOO good! I love how Mia had accents for each character.

The “bonus” spicy scene on her website was chefs 🤌🏼

🧚 Dark Peter Pan Retelling
🧚 Found Family
🧚 Portal into World
🧚 Reluctant Hero
🧚 Slow Burn
🧚 Mental Health Representation
🧚 Ends with cliffhanger.. BUT! Book 2 Son of Pan is already out 😉

As always with dark romance, please check triggers before diving it!

[tabetha bakke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and can't wait for the second one. I really wish it was Maya, not Eevee, I don't like how manipulative and sneaky she is. I love the dynamics between Peter and Finn and Maya. I do need more of this story. That ending.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally just finished and I just realized I have no words for that ending.
The story? Unlike any other. Perfect blend of real life and fantasy.

Peter’s journal font made me want to throw the book at times 😂 That is my only “critique”.

That and you need to write book 2 faster!

[Melissa Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting retelling of Peter Pan. It has a lot of action. Spice is slow to start, but the sexual tension is there. I am holding on my opinion about this book as I need the second book to decide if I like the way this story is moving.

[Liann Alfaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, some parts kind of lost me but, in the end I was hooked. Now ready for Son of Pan.

If you like Peter Pan retellings you will enjoy this book. I feel this book referenced more of the original story than other retellings I have read. Peter Pan with a modern day flare.

[Carrie Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm

[Jordan Vick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. The characters, the humor, the personal spin on the Peter Pan lore, I didn't want it to end. Will probably reread atleast once a year for the rest of my life.

[Mimi Angel of Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

it kept me wanting more! I will read again!

[Heather H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a uniquely written masterpiece that I DEVOURED. I love the journal entries, multi-POV, raw emotions, trauma bonds, funny banter, millennial references, and the speed and content of the story. However, the things I love about this that make it unique may be the same things someone else can’t move past so understand going in that the journal entries are written by a teen who doesn’t have the best handwriting or grammar, one character is very Brooklyn and you do have to slow down a little to fully grasp what he is saying (or, my Alabama ass did anyway), and being inside these kids heads with the dark shit they’ve been through gets intense. Me, though? I love when I get my hands on something unique like this.

That ending? MIA. I’m so glad I bought both books.
And the QR code for the spice? Absolutely genius! GENIUS.

This is also my first author annotated book and I LOVE being able to connect with the author this way and experience her reasons behind and thoughts surrounding every aspect of the story. It’s also the first physical book I’ve ever annotated, and it is full.

Check your triggers, it does get dark and your mental health matters.
*Potential triggers*
Self-unaliving thoughts/attempts
Death of parent
Addiction
Drug use
Eating disorders