brittanythebooklady's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Short summary -
Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy from the Peter Pan story has been through a lot in her lifetime, suffering much tragedy. Her children are challenged as well, to say the least. When one of them disappears, her mind immediately goes to Peter Pan, someone from her dark past. Will she be able to find her daughter again? To what extent will she sacrifice what she has to protect both of her children?
Overall review -
Interesting dark retelling of Peter Pan. Be sure to check out the trigger warnings for this book before reading. While I was relatively entertained by the story, it was really an outrageous tale, including lots of far-fetched story elements. Parts of the story were confusing and a bit difficult for me to follow too, but perhaps that’s because I’m not 100% solid on the original Peter Pan story. So while I have mixed reviews of this book, I think many others would enjoy it.
Overall rating 3.75 ⭐️, rounded up to 4⭐️ for Goodreads
Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy from the Peter Pan story has been through a lot in her lifetime, suffering much tragedy. Her children are challenged as well, to say the least. When one of them disappears, her mind immediately goes to Peter Pan, someone from her dark past. Will she be able to find her daughter again? To what extent will she sacrifice what she has to protect both of her children?
Overall review -
Interesting dark retelling of Peter Pan. Be sure to check out the trigger warnings for this book before reading. While I was relatively entertained by the story, it was really an outrageous tale, including lots of far-fetched story elements. Parts of the story were confusing and a bit difficult for me to follow too, but perhaps that’s because I’m not 100% solid on the original Peter Pan story. So while I have mixed reviews of this book, I think many others would enjoy it.
Overall rating 3.75 ⭐️, rounded up to 4⭐️ for Goodreads
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Addiction, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Self harm, Child death, Death, Drug use, Rape, and Terminal illness
mak__taylor's review
5.0
A dark, Peter Pan reimagining, Darling Girl is definitely a unique twist on the original. This book was not was I was expecting at all. I not sure what I was supposed to expect to begin with, but I loved it. This book is 10/10 amazing! Run! Don't walk to read it!
Holly Darling runs a flourishing skincare company, heavily involved in both the running of the company as well as the science behind the products. She lives with her son Jack in NYC following the loss of other family members in a tragedy years ago. However, when comatose daughter Eden suddenly goes missing, Holly is both scared for her daughter and suspects that Eden’s father, Peter Pan (yes, THAT Peter Pan), has a hand in her disappearance. With the help of Christopher Cooke, Holly sets out to uncover Eden’s whereabouts.
Equal parts dark and mysterious, this story weaves together family dynamics, mythical other worlds, and fantastical elements. Even if you are not necessarily drawn to Peter Pan as a story, you may find Darling Girl an engrossing page-turner that tackles real issues with a couple twists and turns thrown in.
Holly Darling runs a flourishing skincare company, heavily involved in both the running of the company as well as the science behind the products. She lives with her son Jack in NYC following the loss of other family members in a tragedy years ago. However, when comatose daughter Eden suddenly goes missing, Holly is both scared for her daughter and suspects that Eden’s father, Peter Pan (yes, THAT Peter Pan), has a hand in her disappearance. With the help of Christopher Cooke, Holly sets out to uncover Eden’s whereabouts.
Equal parts dark and mysterious, this story weaves together family dynamics, mythical other worlds, and fantastical elements. Even if you are not necessarily drawn to Peter Pan as a story, you may find Darling Girl an engrossing page-turner that tackles real issues with a couple twists and turns thrown in.
kaylaclark200's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
bookishgeek's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
spenick21's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
heathergreads's review
1.0
It isn’t often I DNF a book, but I reached the halfway point and couldn’t stand to read anymore. Usually, I power through but I’ve found growth in no longer reading books I don’t enjoy. There’s already quite a few reviewers that have shared the excessive need to list additional triggers, but there’s a never ending list of reasons why I didn’t want to continue.
While the book is marketed as a Peter Pan retelling with Peter being the evil character, his behavior is almost excused by the FMC and her mother absolutely worships Peter and blames her daughter for why he doesn’t visit. I could write an essay on the reasons why the FMC is a horrible character and one of the worst mothers ever, but I’m going to save my time and go read a book I enjoy. I would recommend reading other reviewer’s thoughts before diving into this book.
While the book is marketed as a Peter Pan retelling with Peter being the evil character, his behavior is almost excused by the FMC and her mother absolutely worships Peter and blames her daughter for why he doesn’t visit. I could write an essay on the reasons why the FMC is a horrible character and one of the worst mothers ever, but I’m going to save my time and go read a book I enjoy. I would recommend reading other reviewer’s thoughts before diving into this book.
megbrenchley's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
heyhellohalie's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rkthilo's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5