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saki92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A fantastic re-telling of 'Alice in Wonderland'. Dark and tense and as mad as the original. Alice being trans works SO fricking well! This book had me from the start. Definitely worth a read.
fdev23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
kajoreads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The good:
–The premise and the setting were interesting.
–I enjoyed a lot of the commentary around transness.
–the Alice in Wonderland retelling aspect was fun.
The bad:
–There were some weird jokes and descriptions that came across like microaggressions.
–The mental illness rep was questionable.
–I wish the MC’s internalized misogyny was addressed better.
–Overall, the book simply didn’t live up to my expectations. The synopsis had me hoping for an investigative mystery. This wasn’t that.
–The resolution was underwhelming.
–The premise and the setting were interesting.
–I enjoyed a lot of the commentary around transness.
–the Alice in Wonderland retelling aspect was fun.
The bad:
–There were some weird jokes and descriptions that came across like microaggressions.
–The mental illness rep was questionable.
–I wish the MC’s internalized misogyny was addressed better.
–Overall, the book simply didn’t live up to my expectations. The synopsis had me hoping for an investigative mystery. This wasn’t that.
–The resolution was underwhelming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicide, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Abandonment, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Transphobia, Alcohol, and Death
Minor: Racism, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Biphobia, Ableism, Violence, and Blood
voguedonut's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sclyndes's review against another edition
3.0
Not the best one I’ve read from Juno Dawson. I really loved Meat Market because I learned so much about the world of modelling and the characters in Clean were really likeable but this wasn’t as enjoyable. The main protagonist was inspiring but all the other characters were not relatable. There was also a lot of hard hitting content which could have been delved into further but wasn’t and just felt like it was glossed over. Overall, it was a fun book but I prefer her other titles; I enjoyed some of it though. Easy read.
inky2310's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
caffeineaddict980's review against another edition
4.0
Alice lives in a world of privilege, but when her troubled friend goes missing, Alice becomes obsessed with finding her. On a trail to find her, Alice finds an invitation to 'Wonderland' which entails three days of sex, drugs and partying. However, she has secrets of her own and a socialite is out to expose them.
All alone and without her medication, can she survive?
This was a quick read and once again grappled with dark themes and featured a transgender main character, which I loved as I found it extremely inclusive!
While it did have some interesting themes, it wasn't my favourite of the three in the London trilogy but it was a fun and sometimes intense read! I loved all the Easter eggs in there as nods to the previous novels too!
All alone and without her medication, can she survive?
This was a quick read and once again grappled with dark themes and featured a transgender main character, which I loved as I found it extremely inclusive!
While it did have some interesting themes, it wasn't my favourite of the three in the London trilogy but it was a fun and sometimes intense read! I loved all the Easter eggs in there as nods to the previous novels too!
cosybookcorner's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderland felt like a wild, drug infused haze, full of high society drama and eccentricities. It felt like Gossip Girl meets Heathers, with Juno’s signature level of depth and empathy. No author takes high society party girls and gives them such multifaceted dimension, weaving in topics of mental health and gender identity, quite like Juno does.
Wonderland was so raw, never shying away from tough topics. I really appreciated the honesty that Dawson brings to the character of Alice in terms of her gender identity. Alice is a young transwoman attending an all-girls school where no one knows her past history. She grapples with the anxiety over being ‘outed’ and how her peers would react to the knowledge of her being trans, and throughout the book we do see different characters learn this and how they react to it.
Something that I’ve not seen before in YA, yet feel is incredibly important, is how Juno treats Alice in such a sex positive light. Alice is a sex positive character, looking for sexual experiences with both men and women, and has not yet had bottom surgery – she’s very nervous about how this will be perceived, yet throughout the book Alice learns that she does not need to physically change her body in order to be a sexy, beautiful woman, yet the topic of fetishisation was touched on in a very poignant way. To read the perspective of a young trans woman embarking on sexual exploits with different people, and to not feel the need to conform to a stereotypically ‘female’ body type is wonderful and I hope will be meaningful and eye-opening to a lot of young people who pick up this novel. I don’t want to speak on the accuracy of this representation, but it is Own Voices.
Alice and other characters spend most of Wonderland in a alcohol and drug fuelled haze, which gives such a whimsical feel to the story – complete with larger than life plots which feel reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars, Dawson has woven a unique take on tropes I love to see in TV. This is what Juno does so well every time – raw, high class, elegant, dangerous drama but with more depth and sensitivity that I’ve seen anywhere else. This is the Alice and Wonderland retelling that every modern teen needs in their life. Wonderland is my third Juno Dawson book, and I can’t wait to read more from her!
TW: attempted rape, drug use, overdose, death, suicide, sexual assault, self-harm, arson, grief, fetishisation, transphobia.
Wonderland was so raw, never shying away from tough topics. I really appreciated the honesty that Dawson brings to the character of Alice in terms of her gender identity. Alice is a young transwoman attending an all-girls school where no one knows her past history. She grapples with the anxiety over being ‘outed’ and how her peers would react to the knowledge of her being trans, and throughout the book we do see different characters learn this and how they react to it.
Something that I’ve not seen before in YA, yet feel is incredibly important, is how Juno treats Alice in such a sex positive light. Alice is a sex positive character, looking for sexual experiences with both men and women, and has not yet had bottom surgery – she’s very nervous about how this will be perceived, yet throughout the book Alice learns that she does not need to physically change her body in order to be a sexy, beautiful woman, yet the topic of fetishisation was touched on in a very poignant way. To read the perspective of a young trans woman embarking on sexual exploits with different people, and to not feel the need to conform to a stereotypically ‘female’ body type is wonderful and I hope will be meaningful and eye-opening to a lot of young people who pick up this novel. I don’t want to speak on the accuracy of this representation, but it is Own Voices.
Alice and other characters spend most of Wonderland in a alcohol and drug fuelled haze, which gives such a whimsical feel to the story – complete with larger than life plots which feel reminiscent of Pretty Little Liars, Dawson has woven a unique take on tropes I love to see in TV. This is what Juno does so well every time – raw, high class, elegant, dangerous drama but with more depth and sensitivity that I’ve seen anywhere else. This is the Alice and Wonderland retelling that every modern teen needs in their life. Wonderland is my third Juno Dawson book, and I can’t wait to read more from her!
TW: attempted rape, drug use, overdose, death, suicide, sexual assault, self-harm, arson, grief, fetishisation, transphobia.
junoxx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
m4xiee's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0