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Tales of Neverland #1
The Rescue
One choice.
Lady Wendy Darling has dreamed of having her daring adventures of Peter Pan published in bookshops but engaged to a man of whom she has heard too many rumors about, Wendy’s dream must stay a dream. That is until she gets the chance of a lifetime, a chance to go to Neverland.
The magical island is as if pulled straight from her notebook but even magical islands present their own troubles. Wendy has everything she ever wanted: love, a home, freedom, a family, but how far is she willing to go to keep it? And how far is her newfound family willing to go to keep her?
The first in a trilogy, The Rescue introduces readers to the reinvented world of Neverland and a diverse cast of characters in a plot sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.
Lady Wendy Darling has dreamed of having her daring adventures of Peter Pan published in bookshops but engaged to a man of whom she has heard too many rumors about, Wendy’s dream must stay a dream. That is until she gets the chance of a lifetime, a chance to go to Neverland.
The magical island is as if pulled straight from her notebook but even magical islands present their own troubles. Wendy has everything she ever wanted: love, a home, freedom, a family, but how far is she willing to go to keep it? And how far is her newfound family willing to go to keep her?
The first in a trilogy, The Rescue introduces readers to the reinvented world of Neverland and a diverse cast of characters in a plot sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.
- GenresFantasy
259 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2022
About the author
Lucy Gould
3 books65 followersHi!! Welcome to my Goodreads page! Here you will find two things:
1) My Published Books
- The Rescue (a Peter Pan retelling set in Victorian London)
- Things Unsaid (a short poetry collection)
2) My Book Updates (current reads, reviews, etc.)
I'd love to be friends so don't hesitate to hit that request button!
Favorite Genres: Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction
See my blog for an outline of how I rate books!
1) My Published Books
- The Rescue (a Peter Pan retelling set in Victorian London)
- Things Unsaid (a short poetry collection)
2) My Book Updates (current reads, reviews, etc.)
I'd love to be friends so don't hesitate to hit that request button!
Favorite Genres: Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction
See my blog for an outline of how I rate books!
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 15, 2022
Edit: This was too funny not to share; guess who shared a post on the importance of reviews and constructive criticism, while simultaneously saying that the negative reviews on her book are because the reviewers are not in the right target audience? That's right, our dear Miss Gould! 
Edit: Uh oh, someone's been deleting their comments, I wonder why... That being said, I won't answer to any more comments, so keep that in mind if you are looking for an argument
Sigh
So the author’s a teen, and this is her first book. Unfortunately it shows. It shows in the writing style, in the pacing, in the dialogues, in the overall structure of the story. It was supposed to be a low stakes story, but the truth is that it’s a no stakes book: there’s no conflict or plot, until the very end of the book, where a ‘villain’ appears and doesn’t really do anything special; the main character is as flat and juvenile as can be, despite her being in her 20s, and so are the other characters; the main character and her love interest fall in love too fast; the supposedly threatening character throughout the book is embarrassingly absent and non-threatening. The outcome is a very boring story, made up by a succession of scenes with no real objective and meaning, filled with inconsistencies, a Mary Sue main character that has everything handed to her, whose only peculiarity are ‘anxiety attacks’ that are treated as a plot device to make another character blurt out his whole life story to supposedly make him three-dimensional. I think that these kind of issues should be treated with more care and respect and not used only for shock value or as plot devices. Another example is the gore-y scene of Jimmy’s mutilated body, a character never seen or heard about until his body’s discovery. And then, the main character insists that she wants to watch the autopsy. Why? There’s no reason. Why should you want to do something that clearly makes you very, very uncomfortable, knowing that no good will come of it?
The world building is a mess: nothing is explained nor shown, it’s simply presented as a matter of fact that makes no sense, and it feels like the reader is regarded as either really distracted or really stupid not to notice.
As for the writing style, as I said, it’s really juvenile. In certain points it tries too hard to imitate a sort of lyrical style, unfortunately exaggerating and resulting in a poor caricature of it; in many points the info dumping was in the form of dialogue, which made it all the more frustrating to read because of its artificiality; artificiality actually characterizes most of the dialogues, which are too long, too ‘poetic’ and impersonal. Peter’s love declaration is an example of the poor writing choices.
Overall it was a very short but dragging read that brought nothing new to the table.
I received an eARC from the author and this represents my honest opinion.
Edit: Uh oh, someone's been deleting their comments, I wonder why... That being said, I won't answer to any more comments, so keep that in mind if you are looking for an argument
Sigh
So the author’s a teen, and this is her first book. Unfortunately it shows. It shows in the writing style, in the pacing, in the dialogues, in the overall structure of the story. It was supposed to be a low stakes story, but the truth is that it’s a no stakes book: there’s no conflict or plot, until the very end of the book, where a ‘villain’ appears and doesn’t really do anything special; the main character is as flat and juvenile as can be, despite her being in her 20s, and so are the other characters; the main character and her love interest fall in love too fast; the supposedly threatening character throughout the book is embarrassingly absent and non-threatening. The outcome is a very boring story, made up by a succession of scenes with no real objective and meaning, filled with inconsistencies, a Mary Sue main character that has everything handed to her, whose only peculiarity are ‘anxiety attacks’ that are treated as a plot device to make another character blurt out his whole life story to supposedly make him three-dimensional. I think that these kind of issues should be treated with more care and respect and not used only for shock value or as plot devices. Another example is the gore-y scene of Jimmy’s mutilated body, a character never seen or heard about until his body’s discovery. And then, the main character insists that she wants to watch the autopsy. Why? There’s no reason. Why should you want to do something that clearly makes you very, very uncomfortable, knowing that no good will come of it?
The world building is a mess: nothing is explained nor shown, it’s simply presented as a matter of fact that makes no sense, and it feels like the reader is regarded as either really distracted or really stupid not to notice.
As for the writing style, as I said, it’s really juvenile. In certain points it tries too hard to imitate a sort of lyrical style, unfortunately exaggerating and resulting in a poor caricature of it; in many points the info dumping was in the form of dialogue, which made it all the more frustrating to read because of its artificiality; artificiality actually characterizes most of the dialogues, which are too long, too ‘poetic’ and impersonal. Peter’s love declaration is an example of the poor writing choices.
Overall it was a very short but dragging read that brought nothing new to the table.
I received an eARC from the author and this represents my honest opinion.
November 21, 2022
At the request of a friend of mine who read this and believes some things said in the reviews are justified and some are not, I read the book and created a goodreads account so I could give it my honest impressions.
Before this, I had no idea Peter Pan re-tellings were a thing, I had to google the concept and find that, yes, since J.M. Barries original had entered the public domain, professionally and indepedantly published books have become quite the "thing." among some authors. I find this extremely odd as a creative person myself, hitching your wagon to an established property seems like the wrong way to go when starting out, but I'm not a published author, so maybe I'm wrong there.
Now, I'm not exactly the biggest reader out there, I don't go out of my way to seek out new books every day, more like once a year, and I'm quite content to read classics over and over again, and being that I hadn't read Peter Pan since I was a young lad, and only seen the Disney film maybe once or twice in my life, I wasn't sure if this was going to be for me going into it.
Yes, I will fully admit, this review is going to be looked at through the biased lens of an adult male, so please keep that in mind...
I can't speak exactly to the authors writing, other than what other reviews have established already, yes, the teenager's writing is inexperienced, that much I was told to expect. What I was not told was how inconsistent it was, not so much in the 'writing is good one chapter, bad the next.' but more so that the inexperience of the author showing in how she couldn't decided between a 'victorian era' tone of speech or a 'what a modern show on netflix thinks the victora era is' tone of speech.
Grammatical errors I can set aside, but hearing flowery poetic love language from Wendy and Peter to having character drop F-Bombs for what I assume is for effect, feels out of place in the setting and jarring.
Ontop of that, there's entire moments of dialogue that felt like they should've had an entirely different reaction too, but instead are just breezed by and never alluded to again in the book, the most famous I'm seeing mentioned here being Roy's love of organ fondling. I know it's gross when I say it like that, but the way Roy describes how a stomach melts under his fingers is too. Wendy making a face is the only reaction, and nothing else is said about the subject.
Does anything need to be said? Yes! A great many things indeed! That is a really shocking thing to read let alone hear some one say. I had to re-read that spot multiple times and I tried to look for any kind of justification for it. Was he joking to lighten the mood? It's hard to discern sarcasm and tone of voice in a book, and I get the idea of 'show don't tell' but I feel like this is definitely something where you should definitely tell the tone being used.
All of the dialogue reads like that, where someone says something that reads like the kind of thing a really mean person would say, and you're left wondering, is that just how they talk or Are they actually mean?
The entire book feels like a finely edited first draft that really needed some more scrutiny on things like dialogue, plot and characters... definitely the characters...
It's unfortunate that while looking into the book, it seemed like the author had planned a lot of stuff for her cast on her instagram, but when it's all applied to the book, it just doesn't look like there was any planning past what she could fit into an instagram post; To the point where characters act one way, but change to fit the convience of the plot.
And it's especially apparent with Wendy.
I really don't want to assume the author's intention, but Wendy really feels like the author imprinted all of her thoughts and feelings on her, Almost like she wanted to self-insert but figured a mouth piece would be much more digestible to the reader. It wasn't.
Wendy's life, through the first few chapters of the story before heading off to neverland, read like someone who lived more so in an active warzone than someone living in Victorian England. She has no privlidges or autonomy in her eyes, despite the fact she clearly has quite a lot of priviledges and autonomy over herself. Yes, she is being forced to marry someone, and it seems like she's definitely vocal in her protest of it, but from what I could find after going back, it was only to two people, but not once is it mentioned she's tried to run off or do literally anything else. She's allowed to leave her home without an escort so it seems like she's had ample opportunity to leave for greener pastures if she so chose.
Her reputation? Already bismirched so we hear, so she should have no reason to worry about it, but apparently in her mind her reputation is still good enough that she should worry about it.
However, she's totally OK with running off with Peter Pan when he comes flying through her window in the night. This really whiddles down Wendy to a damsel in distress, needing to be rescued by Peter, and undoes any kind of 'feminist' themes the author was going for with Wendy in the previous chapters.
Yes, it's definitely hard for women in Victorian Era England... therefore we shouldn't do things for ourselves, and instead only make a choice, that doesn't involve killing ourselves, when a pretty boy flies through the window.
Is that harsh? Yes, however, I'm only writing what the author has put down for Wendy.
There are some more attempts at Wendy trying to assert herself as a autonomous being when she gets to Neverland, turning down second in command after she sleeps with Peter Pan, but then agrees to be a Scout after Roy suggests it. This might look like Wendy made a choice for herself, but it's only the illusion of a choice.
and she's made a damsel in distress again during the last fight, where none of the training she did while in Neverland paid off, so that was time well wasted on her part.
all of this made me actively dislike Wendy Darling which is unfortunate.
I didn't even really care that her secret betrothed turned out to be Hook at the end, it's not telegraphed at all in the book making the twist seem entirely unearned, but my brain just went "Oh if Peter Pan is real, and her betrothed is a sailor people don't like but he suddenly came into wealth, it's probably going to be hook."
The twist only has weight if you've read Peter Pan, and yes, why would someone read a Peter Pan Retelling without reading the original Peter Pan... I don't know, but it feels like a lot of people haven't,
Honestly the whole time I thought maybe Roy would be Hook or atleast a pirate? Like that would've been an interesting twist, since he's apparently seen a lot of death.
but this unearths a plot hole that would've been definitely picked up with some outside eyes...
Since Wendy Created Peter Pan, Hook and Neverland... and John and her father know this sailor who she's getting married too... and John knows about Hook in her writing and all that, atleast it's ambigious that he knows... would John not be able to put two and two together? I assume that John is intelligent, being that he has a thing for language and needs to learn a dead language at the breakfast table in some sort of weird flex for his introduction.
I know that Hook has some very distinct features., John would definitely remember them if he can remember multiple languages. but this goes back to what I said before where the characters only do or remember things when it seems convient to the plot.
Honestly, that's about all I have in the tank for, I really don't recommend the book and what a lot of the more critical reviews are saying are unfortunately true, harsh or not. I went into this with eyes unclouded by judgement and even I can't see how some people are morally ok with giving this book five stars.
I read in a review here that the themes of mental health, choice and autonomy were woven into the story well, and I'm sorry to that reviewer, but I really just don't understand what you consider woven well.
Wendy's mental health played next to no role save to give her the quirk of "panic attacks" and yet read more like your typical stage play interpretation of them. She has a gay best friend and a black hand maiden who are seen at the start of the book and then never again after serving to show that Wendy can be tolerable of the minorities and their struggles (but not really.)
and choice? Well, I guess there's definitely some weird choices so i'll give you that.
3 at best for the effort.
2 because she's allowing her critique partner to attack reviewers in the comments.
Before this, I had no idea Peter Pan re-tellings were a thing, I had to google the concept and find that, yes, since J.M. Barries original had entered the public domain, professionally and indepedantly published books have become quite the "thing." among some authors. I find this extremely odd as a creative person myself, hitching your wagon to an established property seems like the wrong way to go when starting out, but I'm not a published author, so maybe I'm wrong there.
Now, I'm not exactly the biggest reader out there, I don't go out of my way to seek out new books every day, more like once a year, and I'm quite content to read classics over and over again, and being that I hadn't read Peter Pan since I was a young lad, and only seen the Disney film maybe once or twice in my life, I wasn't sure if this was going to be for me going into it.
Yes, I will fully admit, this review is going to be looked at through the biased lens of an adult male, so please keep that in mind...
I can't speak exactly to the authors writing, other than what other reviews have established already, yes, the teenager's writing is inexperienced, that much I was told to expect. What I was not told was how inconsistent it was, not so much in the 'writing is good one chapter, bad the next.' but more so that the inexperience of the author showing in how she couldn't decided between a 'victorian era' tone of speech or a 'what a modern show on netflix thinks the victora era is' tone of speech.
Grammatical errors I can set aside, but hearing flowery poetic love language from Wendy and Peter to having character drop F-Bombs for what I assume is for effect, feels out of place in the setting and jarring.
Ontop of that, there's entire moments of dialogue that felt like they should've had an entirely different reaction too, but instead are just breezed by and never alluded to again in the book, the most famous I'm seeing mentioned here being Roy's love of organ fondling. I know it's gross when I say it like that, but the way Roy describes how a stomach melts under his fingers is too. Wendy making a face is the only reaction, and nothing else is said about the subject.
Does anything need to be said? Yes! A great many things indeed! That is a really shocking thing to read let alone hear some one say. I had to re-read that spot multiple times and I tried to look for any kind of justification for it. Was he joking to lighten the mood? It's hard to discern sarcasm and tone of voice in a book, and I get the idea of 'show don't tell' but I feel like this is definitely something where you should definitely tell the tone being used.
All of the dialogue reads like that, where someone says something that reads like the kind of thing a really mean person would say, and you're left wondering, is that just how they talk or Are they actually mean?
The entire book feels like a finely edited first draft that really needed some more scrutiny on things like dialogue, plot and characters... definitely the characters...
It's unfortunate that while looking into the book, it seemed like the author had planned a lot of stuff for her cast on her instagram, but when it's all applied to the book, it just doesn't look like there was any planning past what she could fit into an instagram post; To the point where characters act one way, but change to fit the convience of the plot.
And it's especially apparent with Wendy.
I really don't want to assume the author's intention, but Wendy really feels like the author imprinted all of her thoughts and feelings on her, Almost like she wanted to self-insert but figured a mouth piece would be much more digestible to the reader. It wasn't.
Wendy's life, through the first few chapters of the story before heading off to neverland, read like someone who lived more so in an active warzone than someone living in Victorian England. She has no privlidges or autonomy in her eyes, despite the fact she clearly has quite a lot of priviledges and autonomy over herself. Yes, she is being forced to marry someone, and it seems like she's definitely vocal in her protest of it, but from what I could find after going back, it was only to two people, but not once is it mentioned she's tried to run off or do literally anything else. She's allowed to leave her home without an escort so it seems like she's had ample opportunity to leave for greener pastures if she so chose.
Her reputation? Already bismirched so we hear, so she should have no reason to worry about it, but apparently in her mind her reputation is still good enough that she should worry about it.
However, she's totally OK with running off with Peter Pan when he comes flying through her window in the night. This really whiddles down Wendy to a damsel in distress, needing to be rescued by Peter, and undoes any kind of 'feminist' themes the author was going for with Wendy in the previous chapters.
Yes, it's definitely hard for women in Victorian Era England... therefore we shouldn't do things for ourselves, and instead only make a choice, that doesn't involve killing ourselves, when a pretty boy flies through the window.
Is that harsh? Yes, however, I'm only writing what the author has put down for Wendy.
There are some more attempts at Wendy trying to assert herself as a autonomous being when she gets to Neverland, turning down second in command after she sleeps with Peter Pan, but then agrees to be a Scout after Roy suggests it. This might look like Wendy made a choice for herself, but it's only the illusion of a choice.
and she's made a damsel in distress again during the last fight, where none of the training she did while in Neverland paid off, so that was time well wasted on her part.
all of this made me actively dislike Wendy Darling which is unfortunate.
I didn't even really care that her secret betrothed turned out to be Hook at the end, it's not telegraphed at all in the book making the twist seem entirely unearned, but my brain just went "Oh if Peter Pan is real, and her betrothed is a sailor people don't like but he suddenly came into wealth, it's probably going to be hook."
The twist only has weight if you've read Peter Pan, and yes, why would someone read a Peter Pan Retelling without reading the original Peter Pan... I don't know, but it feels like a lot of people haven't,
Honestly the whole time I thought maybe Roy would be Hook or atleast a pirate? Like that would've been an interesting twist, since he's apparently seen a lot of death.
but this unearths a plot hole that would've been definitely picked up with some outside eyes...
Since Wendy Created Peter Pan, Hook and Neverland... and John and her father know this sailor who she's getting married too... and John knows about Hook in her writing and all that, atleast it's ambigious that he knows... would John not be able to put two and two together? I assume that John is intelligent, being that he has a thing for language and needs to learn a dead language at the breakfast table in some sort of weird flex for his introduction.
I know that Hook has some very distinct features., John would definitely remember them if he can remember multiple languages. but this goes back to what I said before where the characters only do or remember things when it seems convient to the plot.
Honestly, that's about all I have in the tank for, I really don't recommend the book and what a lot of the more critical reviews are saying are unfortunately true, harsh or not. I went into this with eyes unclouded by judgement and even I can't see how some people are morally ok with giving this book five stars.
I read in a review here that the themes of mental health, choice and autonomy were woven into the story well, and I'm sorry to that reviewer, but I really just don't understand what you consider woven well.
Wendy's mental health played next to no role save to give her the quirk of "panic attacks" and yet read more like your typical stage play interpretation of them. She has a gay best friend and a black hand maiden who are seen at the start of the book and then never again after serving to show that Wendy can be tolerable of the minorities and their struggles (but not really.)
and choice? Well, I guess there's definitely some weird choices so i'll give you that.
3 at best for the effort.
2 because she's allowing her critique partner to attack reviewers in the comments.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2022
Many thanks to Lucy for the advanced copy of her book.
I truly loved it and I’m so excited for the next book. This story is both comforting and thrilling. It stays true to the familiar story of Peter Pan while also giving it a fresh original take. It strikes the perfect balance to make the book incredibly engaging.
The story takes its time to get there, but the characters are so charming that I didn’t really mind. I am anxiously awaiting the next tale of Neverland.
(PG-13 rating)
Grades 9-12
Pairs well with: Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie)
I truly loved it and I’m so excited for the next book. This story is both comforting and thrilling. It stays true to the familiar story of Peter Pan while also giving it a fresh original take. It strikes the perfect balance to make the book incredibly engaging.
The story takes its time to get there, but the characters are so charming that I didn’t really mind. I am anxiously awaiting the next tale of Neverland.
(PG-13 rating)
Grades 9-12
Pairs well with: Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie)
November 15, 2022
I mean...I wrote the book so I think it's pretty good.
ABOUT MY BOOK:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tropes:
- found family
- runaway bride
- creator meets creation
- training montage
- first love
- betrayal
- under 300 pages
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
includes:
- lgbtqia+ rep
- mental health rep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
age rating:
YA (PG-13)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
content warnings:
[included in the book and on my website]
ABOUT MY BOOK:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tropes:
- found family
- runaway bride
- creator meets creation
- training montage
- first love
- betrayal
- under 300 pages
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
includes:
- lgbtqia+ rep
- mental health rep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
age rating:
YA (PG-13)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
content warnings:
[included in the book and on my website]
November 15, 2022
જ⁀➴ ARC review
I'm a big fan of Peter Pan and fantasy romance, so I was thrilled to receive this ARC. Unfortunately, if I had to choose one word to describe this book, it would be "unused potential." I didn't hate it, but it objectively fell short. The concept and idea were interesting, but the execution was, unfortunately, lacking.
۶ৎ RATING: ⭐⭐/5
۶ৎ SPICE: 💌 (kissing and fade-to-black sex)
۶ৎ VIOLENCE: 🩸 (some violence, but nothing excessive)
જ⁀➴ Wendy (our FMC) was for the most part a fleshed-out and charming, kind woman—an ESFJ with good Ne and tons of Fe, and probably a 9w8, which is a neat combination. Her thought process seemed quite immature for me to believe she's 23 (the same age as me), but that's not a major issue. I understand she was sheltered and childlike, which adds to her charm. She didn't have much agency, often being led by others and not seizing opportunities to take control of her life. Also, why did she choose to run away with Peter when she refused to do so with her best friend? That seems inconsistent. However, this just means that she isn't assertive or particularly strong, which isn't necessary for her to be sympathetic.
I generally appreciated her kindness and her eagerness to support others, which was a refreshing change from the self-centered, indifferent FMCs we often see today. The only time I got upset with her was when she got angry at Peter for no apparent reason, especially towards the end.
જ⁀➴ Peter (our MMC) did not manage to make me attached to him. Although he seemed intriguing at first glance, he came across as flat and overly perfect. I couldn't identify any flaws or weaknesses in him, which made it hard for me to care about him beyond a superficial level. He was always the perfect gentleman, especially after he and Wendy got together, which quickly made him feel dull.
જ⁀➴ Their romance had fine chemistry, but it lacked a certain spark that would have justified how fast it happened. You can't really convey instant attraction effectively without using "show, don't tell," as in, show us why they fall in love quickly, rather than simply stating it.
જ⁀➴ Our side characters were fine, for the most part. Roy was alright; he seemed well-developed, likely a mature ESFP with strong Te.
However, my favorite side character is John. He really stands out, having strong motivations and complex morally gray traits, which is refreshing compared to the others who are quite black and white. I was eager to learn more about him and would love to see a redemption arc.
No one else was memorable or important enough to really deserve a mention here.
જ⁀➴ Our world, writing, plot, and pacing were unfortunately lacking, and that was a huge reason why I call this book wasted potential. On a positive note, the writing and descriptions were overall well-done. On a positive note, the writing and descriptions were well-executed. I appreciated how they were descriptive without being overly flowery, managing to be both concise and vivid. That's a difficult balance to achieve. Although the dialogue occasionally varied in style between old and modern, it wasn't too bothersome, but it's worth mentioning.
As I've mentioned, the premise is unique and promising, but the pacing was painfully slow, even from the start, and there was essentially no real plot. I want to clarify that this isn't necessarily a bad thing; I do enjoy books that are more relaxed and focus on relationships and worldbuilding. However, this book just didn't deliver for me because it felt like there was nothing substantial there.
Firstly, there was almost no worldbuilding. We have an original Neverland and a main character who accidentally created it, yet we don't even get to explore it. We don't travel to see what Neverland is truly like beyond the camp, and there is little action considering it was described as dangerous. Hook seemed to appear out of nowhere at the end without any prior buildup as well.
We spend nearly the whole book in Neverland, yet I still have no clue about its actual nature, locations, biomes, or cultures beyond the camp, which I just think is a huge shame. On that same note, I almost forgot this was meant to be a Creator meets Creation story, as this aspect completely faded into the background midway and wasn't addressed again.
I also strongly disliked how the ending was portrayed as a "flawed" choice when it was actually a logical one that I anticipated and became very upset with Wendy for blaming Peter for it. Wendy becoming angry over this completely disconnected me from caring about the ending.
Everything else about the ending just confused me greatly, and not in a good "I want to know more" way. More like, "The author added a few random reveals that weren't foreshadowed at all and didn't explain how they are possible."
One personal issue I had, and still feel the need to mention, is the heavy-handed emphasis on female empowerment, especially at the beginning. This was written in a way that really bothered me. Moreover, it clashes with Wendy's character, who is more of a damsel-in-distress, which didn't align well with the forced empowerment.
Another personal issue that bothered me almost more was how this book is jarringly eager to ensure the reader knows it understands and correctly portrays proper conduct and consent. While it's obviously important to depict these accurately, the dialogue and internal monologue often felt excessive and forced, seemingly only to repeatedly confirm everything was "correct" and "consensual." It was quite irritating.
°❀⋆.ೃ*:･°❀⋆.ೃ*:･
જ⁀➴ My closing thoughts are that I won't read the rest of the series. While I found some parts enjoyable, the book objectively falls short. Many characters, particularly Peter, lack depth, and there are numerous loose ends and inconsistencies, with no significant stakes. It definitely needed at least one more round of editing.
۶ৎ I would recommend this to no one in its current state.
I'm a big fan of Peter Pan and fantasy romance, so I was thrilled to receive this ARC. Unfortunately, if I had to choose one word to describe this book, it would be "unused potential." I didn't hate it, but it objectively fell short. The concept and idea were interesting, but the execution was, unfortunately, lacking.
۶ৎ RATING: ⭐⭐/5
۶ৎ SPICE: 💌 (kissing and fade-to-black sex)
۶ৎ VIOLENCE: 🩸 (some violence, but nothing excessive)
. ݁⋆ ۶ৎ ݁˖ . ݁
🩷 soft but passive damsel heroine (lacking agency)
🗡️ protective and gentlemanly but flat and flawless hero
📜 historical portal fantasy
✒️ creator meets creation (which isn't utilized)
🗺️ almost no worldbuilding
‼️jarring, unsatisfying ending
. ݁⋆ ۶ৎ ݁˖ . ݁
જ⁀➴ Wendy (our FMC) was for the most part a fleshed-out and charming, kind woman—an ESFJ with good Ne and tons of Fe, and probably a 9w8, which is a neat combination. Her thought process seemed quite immature for me to believe she's 23 (the same age as me), but that's not a major issue. I understand she was sheltered and childlike, which adds to her charm. She didn't have much agency, often being led by others and not seizing opportunities to take control of her life. Also, why did she choose to run away with Peter when she refused to do so with her best friend? That seems inconsistent. However, this just means that she isn't assertive or particularly strong, which isn't necessary for her to be sympathetic.
I generally appreciated her kindness and her eagerness to support others, which was a refreshing change from the self-centered, indifferent FMCs we often see today. The only time I got upset with her was when she got angry at Peter for no apparent reason, especially towards the end.
જ⁀➴ Peter (our MMC) did not manage to make me attached to him. Although he seemed intriguing at first glance, he came across as flat and overly perfect. I couldn't identify any flaws or weaknesses in him, which made it hard for me to care about him beyond a superficial level. He was always the perfect gentleman, especially after he and Wendy got together, which quickly made him feel dull.
જ⁀➴ Their romance had fine chemistry, but it lacked a certain spark that would have justified how fast it happened. You can't really convey instant attraction effectively without using "show, don't tell," as in, show us why they fall in love quickly, rather than simply stating it.
જ⁀➴ Our side characters were fine, for the most part. Roy was alright; he seemed well-developed, likely a mature ESFP with strong Te.
However, my favorite side character is John. He really stands out, having strong motivations and complex morally gray traits, which is refreshing compared to the others who are quite black and white. I was eager to learn more about him and would love to see a redemption arc.
No one else was memorable or important enough to really deserve a mention here.
જ⁀➴ Our world, writing, plot, and pacing were unfortunately lacking, and that was a huge reason why I call this book wasted potential. On a positive note, the writing and descriptions were overall well-done. On a positive note, the writing and descriptions were well-executed. I appreciated how they were descriptive without being overly flowery, managing to be both concise and vivid. That's a difficult balance to achieve. Although the dialogue occasionally varied in style between old and modern, it wasn't too bothersome, but it's worth mentioning.
As I've mentioned, the premise is unique and promising, but the pacing was painfully slow, even from the start, and there was essentially no real plot. I want to clarify that this isn't necessarily a bad thing; I do enjoy books that are more relaxed and focus on relationships and worldbuilding. However, this book just didn't deliver for me because it felt like there was nothing substantial there.
Firstly, there was almost no worldbuilding. We have an original Neverland and a main character who accidentally created it, yet we don't even get to explore it. We don't travel to see what Neverland is truly like beyond the camp, and there is little action considering it was described as dangerous. Hook seemed to appear out of nowhere at the end without any prior buildup as well.
We spend nearly the whole book in Neverland, yet I still have no clue about its actual nature, locations, biomes, or cultures beyond the camp, which I just think is a huge shame. On that same note, I almost forgot this was meant to be a Creator meets Creation story, as this aspect completely faded into the background midway and wasn't addressed again.
I also strongly disliked how the ending was portrayed as a "flawed" choice when it was actually a logical one that I anticipated and became very upset with Wendy for blaming Peter for it. Wendy becoming angry over this completely disconnected me from caring about the ending.
Everything else about the ending just confused me greatly, and not in a good "I want to know more" way. More like, "The author added a few random reveals that weren't foreshadowed at all and didn't explain how they are possible."
One personal issue I had, and still feel the need to mention, is the heavy-handed emphasis on female empowerment, especially at the beginning. This was written in a way that really bothered me. Moreover, it clashes with Wendy's character, who is more of a damsel-in-distress, which didn't align well with the forced empowerment.
Another personal issue that bothered me almost more was how this book is jarringly eager to ensure the reader knows it understands and correctly portrays proper conduct and consent. While it's obviously important to depict these accurately, the dialogue and internal monologue often felt excessive and forced, seemingly only to repeatedly confirm everything was "correct" and "consensual." It was quite irritating.
°❀⋆.ೃ*:･°❀⋆.ೃ*:･
જ⁀➴ My closing thoughts are that I won't read the rest of the series. While I found some parts enjoyable, the book objectively falls short. Many characters, particularly Peter, lack depth, and there are numerous loose ends and inconsistencies, with no significant stakes. It definitely needed at least one more round of editing.
۶ৎ I would recommend this to no one in its current state.
February 24, 2023
edit: and it seems like the author is having their friends (and maybe even their mom yikes) leave good reviews and attack those who leave critical reviews
I wanted to like it, I really did, but the writing is unbearable. From the cheesey "romance" to the unneeded details, it was cringe from start to finish. The author also didn't seem able to keep a consistent type of dialect, it constantly switched between modern day, American English and that weird "Old England English" that isn't accurate to the time period. The sex scene was actually laughable. Write what you know definitely applies to this author because they definitely don't know romance or intimacy.
I picked up the book after seeing its beautiful cover. That might be the best part about the book (and I don't have high standards).
I would've thought it was a book for a little kids if it weren't for the suicide talk and "sex" scenes.
And after looking the author up on Instagram, it's clear that they can't take any form of criticism. They even went as far as saying the reviews, that had details from the book, were faked. It's clear that 'The Rescue' should've stayed as a draft until the author was more mature.
I wanted to like it, I really did, but the writing is unbearable. From the cheesey "romance" to the unneeded details, it was cringe from start to finish. The author also didn't seem able to keep a consistent type of dialect, it constantly switched between modern day, American English and that weird "Old England English" that isn't accurate to the time period. The sex scene was actually laughable. Write what you know definitely applies to this author because they definitely don't know romance or intimacy.
I picked up the book after seeing its beautiful cover. That might be the best part about the book (and I don't have high standards).
I would've thought it was a book for a little kids if it weren't for the suicide talk and "sex" scenes.
And after looking the author up on Instagram, it's clear that they can't take any form of criticism. They even went as far as saying the reviews, that had details from the book, were faked. It's clear that 'The Rescue' should've stayed as a draft until the author was more mature.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2022
Tales of Neverland: The Rescue is the first book in a new fairytale retelling series by teen writer Lucy Gould. Lucy has such a unique way of pulling you into the story and I loved every second of it!
This story is complete different from that of other Peter Pan Retellings I have read. It felt...more real and hit close to home on many points.
Wendy is a writer who has come up with Neverland and Peter Pan. She tells these stories to her brothers and even acts them out. But there is a dark side to Wendy's life. Her father is pushing her to marry someone she has never met and is filled with rumor and scandals and well, just a not-so-nice person. In an attempt to free herself, Wendy tries to commit suicide but is saved by Pan and brought to Neverland.
I really enjoyed getting to see this unique side of Neverland and the Lost Boys. Roy in particular will forever be my hubby and I need book two like a year ago😭
This book is intended for upper young adults because of some of themes and trigger warnings. I would suggest you read those first before getting it but it is a wonderful tale and I look forward to reading more!
This story is complete different from that of other Peter Pan Retellings I have read. It felt...more real and hit close to home on many points.
Wendy is a writer who has come up with Neverland and Peter Pan. She tells these stories to her brothers and even acts them out. But there is a dark side to Wendy's life. Her father is pushing her to marry someone she has never met and is filled with rumor and scandals and well, just a not-so-nice person. In an attempt to free herself, Wendy tries to commit suicide but is saved by Pan and brought to Neverland.
I really enjoyed getting to see this unique side of Neverland and the Lost Boys. Roy in particular will forever be my hubby and I need book two like a year ago😭
This book is intended for upper young adults because of some of themes and trigger warnings. I would suggest you read those first before getting it but it is a wonderful tale and I look forward to reading more!
March 11, 2025
“ℙ𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕞𝕖,” 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕥, 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕝𝕪 𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥, 𝕒 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕕𝕖𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕡𝕣𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕣. “ℙ𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The Rescue
♡ Lucy Gould ♡
203 pages
FC: Roy, Al, Stephan
Ahh!! I am so happy and proud of Lucy Gould for writing this book! ♡ An author who truly has a knack for writing and such feisty dialogue brings you a perilous and romantic tale of Wendy Darling and Peter Pan.
“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣—𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡, 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙…𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚.”
- the read was super nostalgic for me as I used to not only READ Peter Pan fan fiction a lot but…I definitely wrote my fair share (thank u wattpad) -
ᦓꫝꫀ ꪀꫀꪜꫀ᥅ ꪶꫀꪻ ᧁꪮ ꪮᠻ ꫝꫀ᥅ ρꫀꪻꫀ᥅ ρꪖꪀ
It was sweet and heart warming to see immaturity in a FMC after experiencing FMC’s going through such ethical dilemmas recently! (ACOTAR) Wendy was not one to back down and I loved her inner support system to make sure she never feels like she’s being ignored - I will say, some of her reasons and issues for being mad at Pan were sometimes so unnecessary. Also Plz. She was flirting w Roy IDC!!! I’m team Roy anyway.
Big fan of the dialogue. It was direct and human! Sometimes a LIL SULTRY! Completely closed doors but the heat flies off the page in those moments ;) hehehe
“𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦.”
Unfortunately I’d be a liar if I left this out, there is 0 explanation for anything. The surreal aspect of going to Neverland and flying is absolutely complimentary to the story but, it can’t BE THE STORY! We need to be rooted in reality some way.
(Spoilers ahead for the ending)
I will not believe it was all a dream, I don’t understand how Baron is Hook but pan is the person she fictionally created? Some things didn’t make sense and although they didn’t take away from the story, it made me have a harder time relating and finding goals for each character when their stories were stripped away so fast? And the cliffhanger horrible sour note ending 🙈😭 girl I hate pan for this where is book 2!!!
(No more spoilers!)
𝒮𝒽𝑜𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓈𝓃’𝓉 𝒶 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝒶 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝓃𝑔𝓉𝒽. 𝐼𝓉’𝓈 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓈𝓃’𝓉 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊.”
An amazing example of a book crafted for a specific age group by an author of that age group! It is a book for YA readers to start in the realm of retellings and it’s easy to understand.
“𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The Rescue
♡ Lucy Gould ♡
203 pages
FC: Roy, Al, Stephan
Ahh!! I am so happy and proud of Lucy Gould for writing this book! ♡ An author who truly has a knack for writing and such feisty dialogue brings you a perilous and romantic tale of Wendy Darling and Peter Pan.
“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣—𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡, 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙…𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚.”
- the read was super nostalgic for me as I used to not only READ Peter Pan fan fiction a lot but…I definitely wrote my fair share (thank u wattpad) -
ᦓꫝꫀ ꪀꫀꪜꫀ᥅ ꪶꫀꪻ ᧁꪮ ꪮᠻ ꫝꫀ᥅ ρꫀꪻꫀ᥅ ρꪖꪀ
It was sweet and heart warming to see immaturity in a FMC after experiencing FMC’s going through such ethical dilemmas recently! (ACOTAR) Wendy was not one to back down and I loved her inner support system to make sure she never feels like she’s being ignored - I will say, some of her reasons and issues for being mad at Pan were sometimes so unnecessary. Also Plz. She was flirting w Roy IDC!!! I’m team Roy anyway.
Big fan of the dialogue. It was direct and human! Sometimes a LIL SULTRY! Completely closed doors but the heat flies off the page in those moments ;) hehehe
“𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦.”
Unfortunately I’d be a liar if I left this out, there is 0 explanation for anything. The surreal aspect of going to Neverland and flying is absolutely complimentary to the story but, it can’t BE THE STORY! We need to be rooted in reality some way.
(Spoilers ahead for the ending)
I will not believe it was all a dream, I don’t understand how Baron is Hook but pan is the person she fictionally created? Some things didn’t make sense and although they didn’t take away from the story, it made me have a harder time relating and finding goals for each character when their stories were stripped away so fast? And the cliffhanger horrible sour note ending 🙈😭 girl I hate pan for this where is book 2!!!
(No more spoilers!)
𝒮𝒽𝑜𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓈𝓃’𝓉 𝒶 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝒶 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝓃𝑔𝓉𝒽. 𝐼𝓉’𝓈 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓈𝓃’𝓉 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓀𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊.”
An amazing example of a book crafted for a specific age group by an author of that age group! It is a book for YA readers to start in the realm of retellings and it’s easy to understand.
“𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩.”
February 16, 2023
Whew, it's interesting how much time people will spend on reviewing things they feel strongly about! Personally I feel that honest reviews can be written tactfully and with a view to the person behind a creative work - not sugarcoating or lying, but being specific and encouraging about feedback. Primarily, the creative heart of being an author is an inner wish to share a story with the world. Whatever form that takes, and regardless of the technicalities, publishing a book is in itself a wonderful feat to be celebrated and acknowledged. I fully believe in humans' ability to grow and learn, which is why reviews that condemn someone as a direct result of a book they didn't enjoy, are not helpful to this creative growth. They condemn a rising author before she has even begun, and don't take into account the fact that this is a person reading those words about their own work that they have spent so much time on. That's soul-crushing as a creator, and sure, goes towards developing a backbone, but there are ways to give criticism constructively, even if you don't plan to read the next book. Positivity is everything for people to reach their potential, instead of believing they're not good enough.
Anyway! On to my review:
When reading this book, I could see the areas where the plot doesn't support the action, and where it could have done with more structure... but I have also read bestsellers that had this quality. I agree that sometimes the characters feel juvenile - but funnily enough, it is a story about teenagers, based on Peter Pan. I knew that going into it, and thus, I enjoyed the story! I can still vividly recall the scenes and settings, some character dialogue that had me smiling, and the magic and wonder I love about Peter Pan. Sometimes, that's all you need from a book! I don't need it to be structurally marvellous or intricately plotted, when there is heart and life lessons and descriptions that have me transported to another world.
It brings me joy that the author is pursuing her dream, and so early too! Keep writing, keep telling your stories, and the right readers will come. There is treasure in all hearts❤️ I'm looking forward to book 2!!
Anyway! On to my review:
When reading this book, I could see the areas where the plot doesn't support the action, and where it could have done with more structure... but I have also read bestsellers that had this quality. I agree that sometimes the characters feel juvenile - but funnily enough, it is a story about teenagers, based on Peter Pan. I knew that going into it, and thus, I enjoyed the story! I can still vividly recall the scenes and settings, some character dialogue that had me smiling, and the magic and wonder I love about Peter Pan. Sometimes, that's all you need from a book! I don't need it to be structurally marvellous or intricately plotted, when there is heart and life lessons and descriptions that have me transported to another world.
It brings me joy that the author is pursuing her dream, and so early too! Keep writing, keep telling your stories, and the right readers will come. There is treasure in all hearts❤️ I'm looking forward to book 2!!
November 15, 2022
First of all, thank you to my girl Lucy for sending me an ARC of her debut novel!! I’m honoured to get you read your words.
This book is a fresh take on Peter Pan and Neverland, with Wendy at its centre. We meet Wendy in Victorian London, trapped in an engagement to a man she does not love, writing stories of Peter Pan and Neverland as a form of escape. Gould has populated this world with diverse characters, all of them wonderful. Wendy’s relationships with her best friend and her maid are beautiful friendships.
Wendy as a character is amazing. She’s got some teeth to her. She’s feisty and fierce and not afraid to put people in their place, but also she is someone who cares deeply about those closest to her. The found family trope in this is top tier. The Boys are all interesting, with good backstories and important roles in the camp at Neverland. Even though I love Fred, Roy really steals the show.
I never trusted Pan while reading this. Intentional? Maybe. But something about him is simply off. Or maybe I just ship Wendy with Roy too hard??
This book is full of tender moments, heartbreaking moments, and twists and turns that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. The ending is WILD and really messes with everything you thought you knew. It’s a perfect set up for a trilogy, though I must say I am FURIOUS that it ends where it does and that Book 2 wasn’t in my inbox as soon as I finished reading.
I have one complaint and it’s that I want MORE. I have so many questions about the world of Neverland and how it works. How does it exist? Did Wendy write it into existence? Is there something deeper, darker going on? I wanted this book to be LONGER bc it’s too good a world. That being said, it’s a series, so there’s still time for all that to come into play. I’m just bad at being patient 😂
This book is a fresh take on Peter Pan and Neverland, with Wendy at its centre. We meet Wendy in Victorian London, trapped in an engagement to a man she does not love, writing stories of Peter Pan and Neverland as a form of escape. Gould has populated this world with diverse characters, all of them wonderful. Wendy’s relationships with her best friend and her maid are beautiful friendships.
Wendy as a character is amazing. She’s got some teeth to her. She’s feisty and fierce and not afraid to put people in their place, but also she is someone who cares deeply about those closest to her. The found family trope in this is top tier. The Boys are all interesting, with good backstories and important roles in the camp at Neverland. Even though I love Fred, Roy really steals the show.
I never trusted Pan while reading this. Intentional? Maybe. But something about him is simply off. Or maybe I just ship Wendy with Roy too hard??
This book is full of tender moments, heartbreaking moments, and twists and turns that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. The ending is WILD and really messes with everything you thought you knew. It’s a perfect set up for a trilogy, though I must say I am FURIOUS that it ends where it does and that Book 2 wasn’t in my inbox as soon as I finished reading.
I have one complaint and it’s that I want MORE. I have so many questions about the world of Neverland and how it works. How does it exist? Did Wendy write it into existence? Is there something deeper, darker going on? I wanted this book to be LONGER bc it’s too good a world. That being said, it’s a series, so there’s still time for all that to come into play. I’m just bad at being patient 😂
November 20, 2022
I devoured this book! It’s been a while since I’ve read a new or young adult fantasy that kept my attention and this one truly did. While Peter Pan has been retold a few times in recent memory, this one felt different - Lucy wasn’t turning the story entirely on its head or completely reimagining it - she kept the bones of Pan’s story in tact while adding her variation to it. While I feel I should have figured out the twist at the end, I really didn’t see it coming until it was too late to claim that I did! I was finding a new family and fighting alongside the Boys just as Wendy was.
The themes of mental health, choice, and autonomy found throughout the book are woven in without a single eye roll on my part. They mattered to the story and weren’t thrown in just to check a box the author felt compelled to check. This, more than anything, drew me to all of the characters. The way each of them interacted and shared (or didn’t share) with Wendy brought me into the story’s family and will keep them with me until the series is complete and forever thereafter.
I cannot wait to see how Book 2 continues, I need to know what happens next!
The themes of mental health, choice, and autonomy found throughout the book are woven in without a single eye roll on my part. They mattered to the story and weren’t thrown in just to check a box the author felt compelled to check. This, more than anything, drew me to all of the characters. The way each of them interacted and shared (or didn’t share) with Wendy brought me into the story’s family and will keep them with me until the series is complete and forever thereafter.
I cannot wait to see how Book 2 continues, I need to know what happens next!
May 29, 2023
4/5 stars
first off i just want to say PROPS TO LUCY for writing this and publishing this - the cover is gorgeous and i feel so special i have a signed copy. when i see your novels in barnes and noble i’ll make sure to tell everyone about this one.
second, for someone who doesn’t like fantasy, i really did like this novel! the plot twist at the end was so shocking. i also thoroughly enjoyed the chapter titles because i found them amusing and humorous. if you do like fantasy, feminism, and folk tales (i wanted to stick with the alliteration) then this is definitely for you. i wish there was more of it quite honestly - and lucy, if you ever choose to publish a 2nd or 3rd of the trilogy, sign me up to be a beta reader. 🫡 i love your writing (both in this and in your wip i beta read for you a few months back) because it’s so consumable and enjoyable to read. lucy takes a spin on a classic folk tale and makes it her own. i’m obsessed!
i think the only thing that bothered me was the specifics about the time period. the writing style was very easy to consume, and it made me fly through the book, and i enjoyed it a lot - which is where my issues lay. it takes place during the 1800s and no offense to the 1800s but i hate 1800 lit. my brain can’t process it. the dialects of each character didn’t exactly fit the vernacular of the 1800s, so i honestly think that not specifying the dates may have improved that for me. lucy takes a more modern approach to the tale, which i actually REALLY liked, but sticking with the 1800s may have been a setback.
first off i just want to say PROPS TO LUCY for writing this and publishing this - the cover is gorgeous and i feel so special i have a signed copy. when i see your novels in barnes and noble i’ll make sure to tell everyone about this one.
second, for someone who doesn’t like fantasy, i really did like this novel! the plot twist at the end was so shocking. i also thoroughly enjoyed the chapter titles because i found them amusing and humorous. if you do like fantasy, feminism, and folk tales (i wanted to stick with the alliteration) then this is definitely for you. i wish there was more of it quite honestly - and lucy, if you ever choose to publish a 2nd or 3rd of the trilogy, sign me up to be a beta reader. 🫡 i love your writing (both in this and in your wip i beta read for you a few months back) because it’s so consumable and enjoyable to read. lucy takes a spin on a classic folk tale and makes it her own. i’m obsessed!
i think the only thing that bothered me was the specifics about the time period. the writing style was very easy to consume, and it made me fly through the book, and i enjoyed it a lot - which is where my issues lay. it takes place during the 1800s and no offense to the 1800s but i hate 1800 lit. my brain can’t process it. the dialects of each character didn’t exactly fit the vernacular of the 1800s, so i honestly think that not specifying the dates may have improved that for me. lucy takes a more modern approach to the tale, which i actually REALLY liked, but sticking with the 1800s may have been a setback.
November 15, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This Peter Pan retelling has it all, and I’m in LOVE!
There was not a single time where I wanted to stop reading. I was flying through the pages just as Wendy was over London.
I love how real this book felt, I felt like I was right there on the sidelines the entire time. Feeling all the emotions.
Wendy is set to marry someone she doesn’t know, and someone she doesn’t want to marry. She spends her time writing about Neverland. But she never imagined what she’d been writing would be true.
Pan arrives to rescue Wendy when she feels she has nowhere else to turn. He takes her to Neverland, where she learns her imagination, her writing, is laid out in front of her like a beautiful dream.
‼️This book is intended for Young Adults, but contains some Mature Content. So please check Trigger Warnings before reading.
This Peter Pan retelling has it all, and I’m in LOVE!
There was not a single time where I wanted to stop reading. I was flying through the pages just as Wendy was over London.
I love how real this book felt, I felt like I was right there on the sidelines the entire time. Feeling all the emotions.
Wendy is set to marry someone she doesn’t know, and someone she doesn’t want to marry. She spends her time writing about Neverland. But she never imagined what she’d been writing would be true.
Pan arrives to rescue Wendy when she feels she has nowhere else to turn. He takes her to Neverland, where she learns her imagination, her writing, is laid out in front of her like a beautiful dream.
‼️This book is intended for Young Adults, but contains some Mature Content. So please check Trigger Warnings before reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2023
I just want to point out, I absolutely love the cover of this book. Both the physical feel of it and the creativity. I also loved how some of the words were slanted/set up. Personally, I like retellings of the classics. I like the difference too.
I don't read young adult books often, but I think this book hits the mark for the age group, hence my four stars. I would recommend this to all of my young adult fantasy lovers.
To the writing: I really liked Wendy! She's classy but willing to bite back at the comments. She's independent and logical. I love when characters are actually human, not perfect. Wendy was written well with that.
The passion between Pan and Wendy is good. I love how he worships her and how he talks about her. I liked that Hook ended up being her betrothed and it came back around.
I don't read young adult books often, but I think this book hits the mark for the age group, hence my four stars. I would recommend this to all of my young adult fantasy lovers.
To the writing: I really liked Wendy! She's classy but willing to bite back at the comments. She's independent and logical. I love when characters are actually human, not perfect. Wendy was written well with that.
The passion between Pan and Wendy is good. I love how he worships her and how he talks about her. I liked that Hook ended up being her betrothed and it came back around.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2023
So like Roy is a serial killer right?
He likes to feel the insides of dead bodies?
That’s really weird.
Oh, I should write an actual review, Ok!
this is a Peter Pan retelling that misses the whole point of Peter Pan, forgets it’s own plot point that apparently Wendy created Peter Pan, has a weak twist where Wendy is supposed to marry Captain Hook, has really weak gay and POC rep that comes off as pandering to the highest degree, and when I looked at the cover for the first time I could tell whoever made it used a PNG piece of clip art of Peter Pan infront of the moon.
There’s better Peter Pan fanfiction out there for free.
He likes to feel the insides of dead bodies?
That’s really weird.
Oh, I should write an actual review, Ok!
this is a Peter Pan retelling that misses the whole point of Peter Pan, forgets it’s own plot point that apparently Wendy created Peter Pan, has a weak twist where Wendy is supposed to marry Captain Hook, has really weak gay and POC rep that comes off as pandering to the highest degree, and when I looked at the cover for the first time I could tell whoever made it used a PNG piece of clip art of Peter Pan infront of the moon.
There’s better Peter Pan fanfiction out there for free.
February 1, 2023
An absolutely brilliant read!!
I haven't read many retellings, but this one is my favourite for sure. This book has it all and I'd highly recommend it to anyone in want of an easy, lovable read.
I haven't read many retellings, but this one is my favourite for sure. This book has it all and I'd highly recommend it to anyone in want of an easy, lovable read.
November 17, 2022
What an interesting feminist interpretation of a classic. I can’t wait for the sequel.
February 4, 2023
Unoriginal plagiarism. DNF 50%. Don't waste your time.
November 24, 2024
This is my honest review. Thank you Lucy for a free copy of the book.
A lot of people interpret this book wrong. Gould was young when she wrote this story. Nothing written by a young teenager is gonna be the most legendary thing ever written, especially their debut novel. Instead of bashing Gould’s dreams, we should be proud of Gould for being ambitious at such a young age. My fear disabled me from releasing my debut until I was twenty one. Gould is also two years removed from this work, and has surely improved greatly as a writer.
My main complaint about this book, and only one really, was the pacing. The book burns through important scenes in a matter of pages, often slowing down to add filler in spots where extending the plot/slowing the pacing would better assist the world.
The whole building is an innovative take on a classic, working diligently to remove the more problematic themes of the world. I like Gould’s interpretation of Neverland, dividing it up more throughly via Peter and Hook having “warring factions”. I quite liked it, the inclusion of “The Council” and how politics on Neverland are ran among The Boys. Also liked the name “core dust” to avoid obvious legal issues. Tinkerbell’s always been my favorite part of the Peter Pan movie, but Gould’s retelling gave me a new appreciation for the other characters.
The characters improve as the book goes on, especially Wendy. Her character does go back and forth on occasion (particularly with her adages on feminism despite being a damsel in distress). I overall like her. We have to remember she is in the MIDDLE of her character arc. The ending of the novel shows we have more to learn. I like Stephan a lot for his limited role, Roy grew on me too. Peter’s characterization is a fun subversion of the original, turning his childish-like spirit into something more rebellious and seductive.
The relationship is cute. I really like the dynamic between Wendy and Peter. I’m not really a romance reader by trade and don’t like spicy books so I appreciated the more PG approach to the romance. Although, the characters swear/use the f word in a sexual context ALOT. The f-word loses its emphasis at certain point.
Oh and the ending absolutely broke me. I won’t spoil it because the ending is where the writing SHINES. the book is not what you’d expect it to be and leaves itself on an except cliffhanger that leaves the reader wanting a lot more.
Yes, there are technical aspects and general plot nuances that can be improved. We all know that. But this book is LITTERED with potential. I’m looking forward to seeing Gould’s further work. I hope she will consider rewriting the novel with her newfound knowledge and a few more beta readers. She has a ton of great ideas on here. I’m glad I gave this book a shot.
A lot of people interpret this book wrong. Gould was young when she wrote this story. Nothing written by a young teenager is gonna be the most legendary thing ever written, especially their debut novel. Instead of bashing Gould’s dreams, we should be proud of Gould for being ambitious at such a young age. My fear disabled me from releasing my debut until I was twenty one. Gould is also two years removed from this work, and has surely improved greatly as a writer.
My main complaint about this book, and only one really, was the pacing. The book burns through important scenes in a matter of pages, often slowing down to add filler in spots where extending the plot/slowing the pacing would better assist the world.
The whole building is an innovative take on a classic, working diligently to remove the more problematic themes of the world. I like Gould’s interpretation of Neverland, dividing it up more throughly via Peter and Hook having “warring factions”. I quite liked it, the inclusion of “The Council” and how politics on Neverland are ran among The Boys. Also liked the name “core dust” to avoid obvious legal issues. Tinkerbell’s always been my favorite part of the Peter Pan movie, but Gould’s retelling gave me a new appreciation for the other characters.
The characters improve as the book goes on, especially Wendy. Her character does go back and forth on occasion (particularly with her adages on feminism despite being a damsel in distress). I overall like her. We have to remember she is in the MIDDLE of her character arc. The ending of the novel shows we have more to learn. I like Stephan a lot for his limited role, Roy grew on me too. Peter’s characterization is a fun subversion of the original, turning his childish-like spirit into something more rebellious and seductive.
The relationship is cute. I really like the dynamic between Wendy and Peter. I’m not really a romance reader by trade and don’t like spicy books so I appreciated the more PG approach to the romance. Although, the characters swear/use the f word in a sexual context ALOT. The f-word loses its emphasis at certain point.
Oh and the ending absolutely broke me. I won’t spoil it because the ending is where the writing SHINES. the book is not what you’d expect it to be and leaves itself on an except cliffhanger that leaves the reader wanting a lot more.
Yes, there are technical aspects and general plot nuances that can be improved. We all know that. But this book is LITTERED with potential. I’m looking forward to seeing Gould’s further work. I hope she will consider rewriting the novel with her newfound knowledge and a few more beta readers. She has a ton of great ideas on here. I’m glad I gave this book a shot.
May 7, 2023
I really enjoyed this book so much! This retelling of Peter Pan was so well written and really pulled me into the story. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting! I loved every minute of it. It breaks my heart how wendy was treated and what she went through before meeting Peter and then she meets him and is so happy. The ending really threw me for a loop and was extremely shocking. I’m so sad with how it ended but am very much so looking forward to the next book!
February 25, 2023
At the mention of Peter Pan, what instantly pops onto my mind is the image of that little fairy buried in green fabric, fighting for the safety of his island — well, not anymore. This story has made the images I had from my childhood nearly falter.
Wendy Darling is a rebelious, brave and obstinate lady, yet compassionate beyond all odds. It was never easy to endure the life of obligation she was trapped into as the daughter of the duke, but there was an ultimate bright side that eased all the agony she had to suffer: the stories she had been writing as an escape from the wicked world around her turned out to be more than a mere fairytail; it was all real, Peter Pan and the Hook and Neverland... all of it!
I was drawn into Wendy's adventure as she was granted a new life — a happier, more peaceful one, yet braced with challenges. Neverland brought about such kind friends whom took Wendy into their embrace, turning into the home Wendy had only ever felt with Effie, Stephan, and Michael in her past life — I adored these three a lot.
I hated John's cruel personality, and I wonder what it is that built a wall between him and Wendy in the first place. If there's one reason for the poor girl's misery now, it is irrefutably her "caring brother". As for Pan, I put him on my black list the second he went out of the line; I loved the way Wendy reacted to that. It is when Roy showed up that I knew exactly how this thing is supposed to go, and I clearly had solid reasons.
The last few chapters caught me off guard... LITERALLY. Never in a million years would I expect such ending, and I couldn't stop reading till I finally reached it. The fact that the chapters were short yet informative kept me more and more engaged.
A refreshening, fast-paced read that you'll enjoy every second of. This is, so far, the most spiritful debut I've read from a teen author... can you believe she's just 16 years old?!
Wendy Darling is a rebelious, brave and obstinate lady, yet compassionate beyond all odds. It was never easy to endure the life of obligation she was trapped into as the daughter of the duke, but there was an ultimate bright side that eased all the agony she had to suffer: the stories she had been writing as an escape from the wicked world around her turned out to be more than a mere fairytail; it was all real, Peter Pan and the Hook and Neverland... all of it!
I was drawn into Wendy's adventure as she was granted a new life — a happier, more peaceful one, yet braced with challenges. Neverland brought about such kind friends whom took Wendy into their embrace, turning into the home Wendy had only ever felt with Effie, Stephan, and Michael in her past life — I adored these three a lot.
I hated John's cruel personality, and I wonder what it is that built a wall between him and Wendy in the first place. If there's one reason for the poor girl's misery now, it is irrefutably her "caring brother". As for Pan, I put him on my black list the second he went out of the line; I loved the way Wendy reacted to that. It is when Roy showed up that I knew exactly how this thing is supposed to go, and I clearly had solid reasons.
The last few chapters caught me off guard... LITERALLY. Never in a million years would I expect such ending, and I couldn't stop reading till I finally reached it. The fact that the chapters were short yet informative kept me more and more engaged.
A refreshening, fast-paced read that you'll enjoy every second of. This is, so far, the most spiritful debut I've read from a teen author... can you believe she's just 16 years old?!
Did Not Finish
August 29, 2025DNF @ 12%
I was really excited about this book because it's a Peter Pan retelling. However, I felt like most of the retelling part was actually just taken from the stroy itself. The only changed part was that she was older, although Wendy didn't really act like it. I was surpirsed to find out she was 23 year because her inner monolgue did not match her age. Additionally, the prologue read more like a history book to give us the background. Once we got to the story, there was really strong feminism elements that kind of felt forced onto us, in the way where they didn't seem like a natural part of the story. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.
I was really excited about this book because it's a Peter Pan retelling. However, I felt like most of the retelling part was actually just taken from the stroy itself. The only changed part was that she was older, although Wendy didn't really act like it. I was surpirsed to find out she was 23 year because her inner monolgue did not match her age. Additionally, the prologue read more like a history book to give us the background. Once we got to the story, there was really strong feminism elements that kind of felt forced onto us, in the way where they didn't seem like a natural part of the story. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.
January 6, 2026
Rating: 3.75
The Rescue is such an energetic debut! It’s clear that Lucy has a massive talent for plotting—the twists at the end genuinely caught me off guard, and that cliffhanger has me so ready for the next installment.
While the story moves at a breakneck pace and I would have loved more quiet moments to sit with the characters as they grew, I absolutely fell in love with Roy. He was so well-realized and stole every scene he was in! For a self-published debut written at such a young age, the ambition here is incredible. I’m looking forward to seeing how this world expands in the rest of the trilogy!
The Rescue is such an energetic debut! It’s clear that Lucy has a massive talent for plotting—the twists at the end genuinely caught me off guard, and that cliffhanger has me so ready for the next installment.
While the story moves at a breakneck pace and I would have loved more quiet moments to sit with the characters as they grew, I absolutely fell in love with Roy. He was so well-realized and stole every scene he was in! For a self-published debut written at such a young age, the ambition here is incredible. I’m looking forward to seeing how this world expands in the rest of the trilogy!
January 4, 2026
I enjoyed reading The Rescue so much. After reading The Perfect Gift (a short story set before the events of The Rescue) I'd already gotten attached to the characters shown (Stephan, looking at you rn) and I was so happy to revisit them. The Rescue was the perfect, cozy ya story that gave wonderful life and a new perspective to the beloved story of Peter Pan and Wendy, and that cliffhanger at the end was BRUTAL. So excited for the next book<3
(P.S, I also selfishly reeeally want Stephan to come to Neverland, I would love to see him and Roy interact.)
(P.S, I also selfishly reeeally want Stephan to come to Neverland, I would love to see him and Roy interact.)
November 17, 2022
Okay, this was a pretty decent read. I mean, obviously, you can't expect perfection from a teen writer. But she did pretty good in regards to her take one the Peter Pan mytho. Hopefully, the sequel will improve from there.
September 22, 2024
I just feel like the author needs a few more years of developing her writing. Should’ve kept this as a draft until she took a couple of college level English classes and applied the knowledge. Creativity is there, just needs more time.
June 23, 2023
📚ARC REVIEW📚
4 ⭐️
I am honestly surprised at how much I loved this book. That’s not a knock at the author. I love the story of Peter Pan a lot, it’s tied to many memories. So I’m always very hesitant when attempting a new Peter Pan read. ToN: The Rescue did not disappoint.
I will say I wish I knew Peter’s age earlier in the story (and maybe it’s just my poor memory). I don’t think we learn until 60% through the book a specific age- and imagining a typical teenage Peter during the early part of the story. That was awkward. But once I learned that, totally good!
Bit of a slow burn at first (in a good way), fade to black romance. There is a scene depicting attempted suicide, so make sure you check the trigger warnings.
The book has good pacing, a good storyline, and well fleshed out characters. I went back and forth debating on signing up for the ARC, and I’m so glad that I did. I can’t wait to buy this book and add it to my “Peter Pan” shelf.
I also need a second book asap!!
If you love Peter Pan, and retellings I highly recommend this book!
4 ⭐️
I am honestly surprised at how much I loved this book. That’s not a knock at the author. I love the story of Peter Pan a lot, it’s tied to many memories. So I’m always very hesitant when attempting a new Peter Pan read. ToN: The Rescue did not disappoint.
I will say I wish I knew Peter’s age earlier in the story (and maybe it’s just my poor memory). I don’t think we learn until 60% through the book a specific age- and imagining a typical teenage Peter during the early part of the story. That was awkward. But once I learned that, totally good!
Bit of a slow burn at first (in a good way), fade to black romance. There is a scene depicting attempted suicide, so make sure you check the trigger warnings.
The book has good pacing, a good storyline, and well fleshed out characters. I went back and forth debating on signing up for the ARC, and I’m so glad that I did. I can’t wait to buy this book and add it to my “Peter Pan” shelf.
I also need a second book asap!!
If you love Peter Pan, and retellings I highly recommend this book!
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