What do you think?
Rate this book
Ne'ver
Almost a decade ago, eight-year-old Wesley Darlington disappeared while on a family vacation on the tropical island of Ne’ver. He was found several days later with a bump on his head and no memory of what had happened.
Fast forward ten years and Wes is now a high school senior with a gorgeous, mysterious blonde stranger following him—a young man who seems vaguely familiar, though Wes can't place him. When one night this stranger crawls through his window, he tells Wes his name is Peter and he’s come from Neverland, a part of the island of Ne'ver shrouded by magic and hidden from the human world.
Peter is desperate for Wes's help; the infamous Captain Hook wants Neverland for himself, and if Peter can't defeat him in time, all will be lost. The weight of the world rests on Wes's shoulders. Will learning to fly be the scariest challenge for him? Or will falling in love with Peter be even scarier?
Fast forward ten years and Wes is now a high school senior with a gorgeous, mysterious blonde stranger following him—a young man who seems vaguely familiar, though Wes can't place him. When one night this stranger crawls through his window, he tells Wes his name is Peter and he’s come from Neverland, a part of the island of Ne'ver shrouded by magic and hidden from the human world.
Peter is desperate for Wes's help; the infamous Captain Hook wants Neverland for himself, and if Peter can't defeat him in time, all will be lost. The weight of the world rests on Wes's shoulders. Will learning to fly be the scariest challenge for him? Or will falling in love with Peter be even scarier?
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 19, 2024
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Kinnaird
23 books100 followersVictoria Kinnaird is the pen name of Scottish writer Vicki Scott. She lives in Glasgow with her family and her three dogs. She graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 2009 with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Journalism, Creative Writing and English Lit. Victoria has been writing since she was 15 years old. She loves rock music, and most of her tattoos are related to bands that she loves!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 1, 2025
Almost a decade ago, eight-year-old Wesley Darlington disappeared while on a family vacation on the tropical island of Ne’ver. He was found several days later with a bump on his head and no memory of what had happened.
Fast forward ten years, and Wes is now a high school senior with a gorgeous, mysterious blonde stranger following him—a young man who seems vaguely familiar, though Wes can't place him. One night, this stranger crawls through his window, and he tells Wes his name is Peter and he’s come from Neverland.
Peter is desperate for Wes's help; the infamous Captain Hook wants Neverland for himself, and if Peter can't defeat him in time, all will be lost. Will learning to fly be the scariest challenge for Wes? Or will falling in love with Peter be even scarier?
This was such a unique take on the classic, well-known story. I loved the modern setting and the queer spin of this retelling. I enjoyed that the story not only had Wes go to Neverland but first had Peter in New York City. Watching him explore our world was so fun and different. It gave us a whole new side of Peter. It also made for some very cute moments, like Peter at Coney Island and Central Park.
Being a single character, POV didn't hinder the story at all. Instead, we get to unravel who Peter is and what he wants through Wes. I felt like both characters were fleshed out and grew as people throughout the story. I was relieved that even when Peter wasn't on the page, we still felt his presence through Wes. Also, the romance felt just right and so sweet.❤️
I loved Neverland! Tink as Peter's motherly presence, hearing about how he lost his friends, The Lost Boys, and the story of Hook were all great fresh takes on a often retold classic.
Just a few negatives, I understand the building of suspense at the beginning of the book, but I wasn't really hooked (no pun intended) until Peter finally talked to Wes. I also expected to maybe get a little more of an epilogue.🥹
Overall, I recommend this sweet MM, YA romance that is magical and nostalgic and yet somehow feels new. ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to the author, Deep Hearts YA for this ARC.
Fast forward ten years, and Wes is now a high school senior with a gorgeous, mysterious blonde stranger following him—a young man who seems vaguely familiar, though Wes can't place him. One night, this stranger crawls through his window, and he tells Wes his name is Peter and he’s come from Neverland.
Peter is desperate for Wes's help; the infamous Captain Hook wants Neverland for himself, and if Peter can't defeat him in time, all will be lost. Will learning to fly be the scariest challenge for Wes? Or will falling in love with Peter be even scarier?
This was such a unique take on the classic, well-known story. I loved the modern setting and the queer spin of this retelling. I enjoyed that the story not only had Wes go to Neverland but first had Peter in New York City. Watching him explore our world was so fun and different. It gave us a whole new side of Peter. It also made for some very cute moments, like Peter at Coney Island and Central Park.
Being a single character, POV didn't hinder the story at all. Instead, we get to unravel who Peter is and what he wants through Wes. I felt like both characters were fleshed out and grew as people throughout the story. I was relieved that even when Peter wasn't on the page, we still felt his presence through Wes. Also, the romance felt just right and so sweet.❤️
I loved Neverland! Tink as Peter's motherly presence, hearing about how he lost his friends, The Lost Boys, and the story of Hook were all great fresh takes on a often retold classic.
Just a few negatives, I understand the building of suspense at the beginning of the book, but I wasn't really hooked (no pun intended) until Peter finally talked to Wes. I also expected to maybe get a little more of an epilogue.🥹
Overall, I recommend this sweet MM, YA romance that is magical and nostalgic and yet somehow feels new. ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to the author, Deep Hearts YA for this ARC.
June 30, 2024
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
~
Ne'ver by Victoria Kinnaird
★★★★☆
281 Pages
1st person, single character POV
TRIGGERS: mentions of bullying and homophobia, memory loss, parental death, mild violence and fight scenes
-
Ne'ver is an exciting, unique take on the classic tale of Peter Pan that explores the complexities of self, family and self worth.
Kinnaird has done an incredible job bringing a brand new take on a cult classic that has been remade and reworked numerous times in the past. That alone is no small feat, but to give a single character POV throughout - in Wes's pov - and still make Peter feel complex, interesting and viscerally real is the real masterpiece of the story.
Not knowing what Peter is thinking is practically vital to the story, like the single character POV, but it's so easy to leave him behind as a mystery, as someone the reader will never understand. Somehow, Kinnaird managed to skillfully avoid that pitfall. Peter was, from the very beginning, an enigma. But he was an enigma I wanted to unravel, to explore and see develop. And that's exactly what happened. The reader went on this journey of discovery with Wes as he slowly began to peel back the layers of this lost, lonely but brave boy, Peter.
Wes – Wesley Michael Andrew Darlington when he's in trouble – is a lovely nod to all the Darling family from the original story. He's fascinated by all he discovers in Neverland, his very name a hint at the original characters, even his grandmother is named Moira (possibly a nod to the Disney movie Hook).
There are so many lovely references to the original that it had that feeling of familiarity and coming home, even though this was an entirely new spin. There was "straight on until morning" for the second star on the right, Peter flying, and the Lost Boys, Smee and Hook, even a solid and lengthy appearance by Tinkerbell (renamed Tink in this story). It was so nice to mesh the old with the new.
Wes is openly bisexual, a bit of a loner who likes to disappear into the background at school. He lost his dad a few years ago, has dreams about their last family vacation to Ne'ver though there are blanks in his memory from that time. His mother is a hardworking, low income single mother, working as a nurse, often on night shifts. (My own mother lived this life for a while, though not in a hospital, and I can testify to how realistically it was portrayed here).
The story packs a punch from page 1, then takes it's time to establish Wes - where he is in life, how he's coping, how alone and isolated he is. Honestly, it probably could have been shortened, because it took 11% for Peter to first show up, but I can see Kinnaird's process and reasoning for the choices they made. And, to be fair, Peter was teased for a while before he made an on-page appearance.
The main concept for the story is that Wes went missing during a family holiday years ago, and has no memory of what happened during that time. We soon learn he'd crossed from Ne'ver to Neverland and the magic involved with leaving Neverland meant he lost his memories of his time there. Which is a problem. Peter needs to reclaim a necklace he once gifted young Wes, in ordering to save Neverland from Captain Hook... except Wes doesn't remember where it is!
For around 20% of the book, Wes and Peter search Manhattan for the necklace. Then they travel to Neverland around the 32% mark and search there. It did feel like it took a bit too long to reach this point, and with the book being called Ne'ver I thought it would predominantly take place there, but it actually only featured on page once.
However, by the end I understood the meaning of the title. Ne'ver was where Wes and Peter's story began and everything that happened there was the catalyst that brought them together - both in the past and in the present. Ne'ver is what pulled them towards each other, but it's what also risks pulling them apart.
In terms of characters, I really felt like Wes and Peter were equally fleshed out and explored, given equal weight within the story, despite the single character POV which can sometimes leave the character without a POV in the shadows. That never happened here, which was so important. We needed to feel connected to and curious about Peter, which was true. I loved them individually as characters, but I also loved their chemistry. It was soft and subtle, completely YA appropriate, but also acknowledging that they weren't kids anymore and at least of them was growing up into a man, aware of himself, his body and his feelings in a way that Peter perhaps wasn't or maybe didn't even think about.
Maybe that's one of the reasons why I would have loved to see the ending a bit more fleshed out, because I wanted to see how that looked, where it took the characters and what the changes were. We got to see so much of Wes's growth on page, and it would have been nice to give more time to that older, wiser and more independent Wes.
Are there any negatives? Some small pacing ones that are really just my personal preference. I felt like it took a bit too long to explore Manhattan before getting to Neverland, that the ending was rushed and could have benefitted from being fleshed out for a few more pages and made into it's own chapter. Other than that, I enjoyed the journey and the characters, and if Kinnaird ever wanted to revisit Ne'ver, I'd be happy to go on that journey with them.
-
Overall, I enjoyed the story Kinnaird wove, taking the fabric of a classic and reworking it into a modern story, completely independent of it's predecessor. If you had never heard of Peter Pan before, you would have no problem seeing this as a separate entity, entirely capable of standing on it's own world building. But for those of us who grew up on the story of Peter, Tink and Hook - whether the Disney original, the Robin Williams gem or the book - there's enough borrowed magic in the world building to make it feel like coming home after a really long time away. There are pieces of my childhood in these pages, and of the childhood that many teens/young adults are living right now.
Where most Peter Pan retellings are about exploring Neverland, Kinnaird shows us a glimpse of who Wes is *before*, who Peter *could* be as a regular human, then risks showing Peter being completely out of his element. Only then do we get to see his confidence and comfort from being in Neverland. That was a big risk, but it paid off by offering a truly unique and clever take on who Peter is as a person. He stopped being a kid who never learned to grow up, and became someone who had hurt, lost and was alone; an outsider who didn't know how to live any other way; someone who had something worth fighting for, something he couldn't bear to lose.
Ultimately, Ne'ver is a story about reclaiming what was lost, finding where you belong and discovering the strength inside to make the right choice for yourself. It's about growing up, not growing up, finding your strength and purpose, and learning to stand up for yourself and others. Ne'ver is about fighting for what's right, for you and the people you love, even if that hurts or seems selfish.
-
Favourite Quote
"I was looking at him, picturing our goodbye so clearly that it hurt to breathe, and I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave without him."
"I knew there was nothing that could scrub Peter from my mind and my heart completely. He'd always be there, in the shadowed corners of my soul, just out of reach but as much a part of me as everyone else I've loved. Like my dad, he'd be tucked away in a box, buried treasure."
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
~
Ne'ver by Victoria Kinnaird
★★★★☆
281 Pages
1st person, single character POV
TRIGGERS: mentions of bullying and homophobia, memory loss, parental death, mild violence and fight scenes
-
Ne'ver is an exciting, unique take on the classic tale of Peter Pan that explores the complexities of self, family and self worth.
Kinnaird has done an incredible job bringing a brand new take on a cult classic that has been remade and reworked numerous times in the past. That alone is no small feat, but to give a single character POV throughout - in Wes's pov - and still make Peter feel complex, interesting and viscerally real is the real masterpiece of the story.
Not knowing what Peter is thinking is practically vital to the story, like the single character POV, but it's so easy to leave him behind as a mystery, as someone the reader will never understand. Somehow, Kinnaird managed to skillfully avoid that pitfall. Peter was, from the very beginning, an enigma. But he was an enigma I wanted to unravel, to explore and see develop. And that's exactly what happened. The reader went on this journey of discovery with Wes as he slowly began to peel back the layers of this lost, lonely but brave boy, Peter.
Wes – Wesley Michael Andrew Darlington when he's in trouble – is a lovely nod to all the Darling family from the original story. He's fascinated by all he discovers in Neverland, his very name a hint at the original characters, even his grandmother is named Moira (possibly a nod to the Disney movie Hook).
There are so many lovely references to the original that it had that feeling of familiarity and coming home, even though this was an entirely new spin. There was "straight on until morning" for the second star on the right, Peter flying, and the Lost Boys, Smee and Hook, even a solid and lengthy appearance by Tinkerbell (renamed Tink in this story). It was so nice to mesh the old with the new.
Wes is openly bisexual, a bit of a loner who likes to disappear into the background at school. He lost his dad a few years ago, has dreams about their last family vacation to Ne'ver though there are blanks in his memory from that time. His mother is a hardworking, low income single mother, working as a nurse, often on night shifts. (My own mother lived this life for a while, though not in a hospital, and I can testify to how realistically it was portrayed here).
The story packs a punch from page 1, then takes it's time to establish Wes - where he is in life, how he's coping, how alone and isolated he is. Honestly, it probably could have been shortened, because it took 11% for Peter to first show up, but I can see Kinnaird's process and reasoning for the choices they made. And, to be fair, Peter was teased for a while before he made an on-page appearance.
The main concept for the story is that Wes went missing during a family holiday years ago, and has no memory of what happened during that time. We soon learn he'd crossed from Ne'ver to Neverland and the magic involved with leaving Neverland meant he lost his memories of his time there. Which is a problem. Peter needs to reclaim a necklace he once gifted young Wes, in ordering to save Neverland from Captain Hook... except Wes doesn't remember where it is!
For around 20% of the book, Wes and Peter search Manhattan for the necklace. Then they travel to Neverland around the 32% mark and search there. It did feel like it took a bit too long to reach this point, and with the book being called Ne'ver I thought it would predominantly take place there, but it actually only featured on page once.
However, by the end I understood the meaning of the title. Ne'ver was where Wes and Peter's story began and everything that happened there was the catalyst that brought them together - both in the past and in the present. Ne'ver is what pulled them towards each other, but it's what also risks pulling them apart.
In terms of characters, I really felt like Wes and Peter were equally fleshed out and explored, given equal weight within the story, despite the single character POV which can sometimes leave the character without a POV in the shadows. That never happened here, which was so important. We needed to feel connected to and curious about Peter, which was true. I loved them individually as characters, but I also loved their chemistry. It was soft and subtle, completely YA appropriate, but also acknowledging that they weren't kids anymore and at least of them was growing up into a man, aware of himself, his body and his feelings in a way that Peter perhaps wasn't or maybe didn't even think about.
Maybe that's one of the reasons why I would have loved to see the ending a bit more fleshed out, because I wanted to see how that looked, where it took the characters and what the changes were. We got to see so much of Wes's growth on page, and it would have been nice to give more time to that older, wiser and more independent Wes.
Are there any negatives? Some small pacing ones that are really just my personal preference. I felt like it took a bit too long to explore Manhattan before getting to Neverland, that the ending was rushed and could have benefitted from being fleshed out for a few more pages and made into it's own chapter. Other than that, I enjoyed the journey and the characters, and if Kinnaird ever wanted to revisit Ne'ver, I'd be happy to go on that journey with them.
-
Overall, I enjoyed the story Kinnaird wove, taking the fabric of a classic and reworking it into a modern story, completely independent of it's predecessor. If you had never heard of Peter Pan before, you would have no problem seeing this as a separate entity, entirely capable of standing on it's own world building. But for those of us who grew up on the story of Peter, Tink and Hook - whether the Disney original, the Robin Williams gem or the book - there's enough borrowed magic in the world building to make it feel like coming home after a really long time away. There are pieces of my childhood in these pages, and of the childhood that many teens/young adults are living right now.
Where most Peter Pan retellings are about exploring Neverland, Kinnaird shows us a glimpse of who Wes is *before*, who Peter *could* be as a regular human, then risks showing Peter being completely out of his element. Only then do we get to see his confidence and comfort from being in Neverland. That was a big risk, but it paid off by offering a truly unique and clever take on who Peter is as a person. He stopped being a kid who never learned to grow up, and became someone who had hurt, lost and was alone; an outsider who didn't know how to live any other way; someone who had something worth fighting for, something he couldn't bear to lose.
Ultimately, Ne'ver is a story about reclaiming what was lost, finding where you belong and discovering the strength inside to make the right choice for yourself. It's about growing up, not growing up, finding your strength and purpose, and learning to stand up for yourself and others. Ne'ver is about fighting for what's right, for you and the people you love, even if that hurts or seems selfish.
-
Favourite Quote
"I was looking at him, picturing our goodbye so clearly that it hurt to breathe, and I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave without him."
"I knew there was nothing that could scrub Peter from my mind and my heart completely. He'd always be there, in the shadowed corners of my soul, just out of reach but as much a part of me as everyone else I've loved. Like my dad, he'd be tucked away in a box, buried treasure."
July 25, 2024
4.25 stars. A delightful YA mm Peter Pan retelling with some beautiful ideas and descriptions. Wes and Peter exploring New York before going to Neverland was an interesting addition. There were some really nice touches from the original story (for example flying to the island). I understood choosing the point of where to end the tale, but would have really appreciated more details of their life afterwards.
July 19, 2024
This was my first book by Victoria Kinnaird, and I am so grateful to have discovered this author! Full disclosure, I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover (I know, don't judge a book by it's cover!). In this case, the story was just as beautiful as the cover art.
I love fairytale retellings, but this was first Peter Pan one that I've read. It was fantastic. One of the reasons I think it worked so well is because it's YA. There is an innocence and a loneliness to both Peter and Wes that I don't think would have been as poignant had they been adults. I never really thought about Peter being lonely before, but it makes so much sense. In this book, he gets the ending he deserves, and I was so ready for it!
The story starts out a bit slow and vague, but builds into a wonderful adventure through New York and Neverland. All of the characters are interesting and engaging with a unique spin on the overall story. Everyone was a little different than I expected, but it all worked together beautifully and fit within the basic framework of the original story. There were cute moments, funny moments, sweet moments, and heartbreaking moments. Overall, well worth the read.
I love fairytale retellings, but this was first Peter Pan one that I've read. It was fantastic. One of the reasons I think it worked so well is because it's YA. There is an innocence and a loneliness to both Peter and Wes that I don't think would have been as poignant had they been adults. I never really thought about Peter being lonely before, but it makes so much sense. In this book, he gets the ending he deserves, and I was so ready for it!
The story starts out a bit slow and vague, but builds into a wonderful adventure through New York and Neverland. All of the characters are interesting and engaging with a unique spin on the overall story. Everyone was a little different than I expected, but it all worked together beautifully and fit within the basic framework of the original story. There were cute moments, funny moments, sweet moments, and heartbreaking moments. Overall, well worth the read.
July 19, 2024
A beautiful, whimsical, and magical story!
Wes Darlington is used to hanging out in the background. Living with his single mother in NYC, Wes works hard in school, helps out at home, and generally enjoys going unnoticed. He knows he can be standoffish, but it works for him.
Then he starts to notice a beautiful blond boy literally popping up everywhere, and Wes is intrigued. He keeps trying to catch him but can’t seem to, until one day he shows up on Wes’s (very high) window ledge to ask for Wes’s help.
He’s Peter Pan of Neverland, and though Wes doesn’t remember him, they met ten years ago. Peter gave Wes something important, and he needs Wes’s help to find it. The only problem? Wes has no memory of the object or where he put it.
We are taken on an adventure with Wes and Peter full of magic, fairies, and pirates, whilst Wes is falling hopelessly in love with the mystical and completely charming Peter.
I don’t want to spoil anything about said adventure, but this book had it all: romance, first love, grief, heartache, a quest, and an evil villain to defeat. I completely fell in love with these two and this world! This was a really fun spin on the story of Pan, brought into the modern world and back again!
Thanks so much to Deep Hearts for this arc!
Wes Darlington is used to hanging out in the background. Living with his single mother in NYC, Wes works hard in school, helps out at home, and generally enjoys going unnoticed. He knows he can be standoffish, but it works for him.
Then he starts to notice a beautiful blond boy literally popping up everywhere, and Wes is intrigued. He keeps trying to catch him but can’t seem to, until one day he shows up on Wes’s (very high) window ledge to ask for Wes’s help.
He’s Peter Pan of Neverland, and though Wes doesn’t remember him, they met ten years ago. Peter gave Wes something important, and he needs Wes’s help to find it. The only problem? Wes has no memory of the object or where he put it.
We are taken on an adventure with Wes and Peter full of magic, fairies, and pirates, whilst Wes is falling hopelessly in love with the mystical and completely charming Peter.
I don’t want to spoil anything about said adventure, but this book had it all: romance, first love, grief, heartache, a quest, and an evil villain to defeat. I completely fell in love with these two and this world! This was a really fun spin on the story of Pan, brought into the modern world and back again!
Thanks so much to Deep Hearts for this arc!
July 8, 2024
Thank you Deep Hearts YA for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I love a queer twist on a classic fairytale! Wes still struggles from the loss of his dad and dreams on the family trip he took to Ne’ver. Then Peter shows up, he needs to get a necklace he once gave to Wes. He needs it to stop Hook’s nefarious doings. Turns out when Wes visited Ne’ver he crossed over into Neverland but has no memory of it. The two must go on an adventure to find the necklace and stop Hook. Can they do it? Their feelings will complicate their situation as well. A fun adventure that will have you hooked and tearing through the pages! Heartbreaking while still giving the warm and fuzzies! Highly recommend checking this one out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2024
This story was incredible, and I absolutely loved it. Though it was based on the premise of Peter Pan, it was truly original. The feelings between Wes and Peter were beautifully hopeful. The supportive relationships between Wes and his mom, and Peter and Tink, were full of so much love.
The story was full of teen angst, laughter, heartbreak, and adventure. Ne’ver and Neverland, New York and London, were all magical when these very special young men were together. I adored this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves tales of magic and heart.
The story was full of teen angst, laughter, heartbreak, and adventure. Ne’ver and Neverland, New York and London, were all magical when these very special young men were together. I adored this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves tales of magic and heart.
July 24, 2024
A truly fantastic version of the classic Peter Pan. Wonderfully well-written characters and top-notch world building painted a fantastical world that was easy to fall in love with.
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book*
*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book*
July 22, 2024
This was a cute Peter Pan retelling but was also kind of hard for me to get into. I loved the setting and characters but feel that the writing fell short in some places. For example it felt a bit drawn out while Peter and Wes were searching around new York and some of the places they went didn't really make a lot of sense. On the other hand the climax of the story tried to be action packed and gripping but just didn't quite pack enough of a punch to affect me in any way.
The slowly unfolding romance between Wes and Peter was super cute and while this is the first MM romance book I've read that doesn't have any sex, it's not lacking without it. I wasn't particularly fond of the ending, but I'm glad there was an HEA.
The slowly unfolding romance between Wes and Peter was super cute and while this is the first MM romance book I've read that doesn't have any sex, it's not lacking without it. I wasn't particularly fond of the ending, but I'm glad there was an HEA.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews