Lost in the Never Woods

Written by Aiden Thomas

Narrated by Avi Roque

"There are moments of true tenderness, hope, and grief in this haunting, magical tale, and the narrator makes it all convincing. Teenage listeners will be drawn into this enchanting story." -- Booklist, starred review

When children start to go missing in the local woods, a teen girl must face her fears and a past she can't remember to rescue them in this atmospheric YA novel, Lost in the Never Woods from the author of Cemetery Boys.

It’s been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back into the light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road...

Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, asks for Wendy’s help to rescue the missing kids. But, in order to find them, Wendy must confront what’s waiting for her in the woods.

A Macmillan Audio production from Swoon Reads

Praise for Aiden Thomas and Cemetery Boys:

“This stunning debut novel from Thomas is detailed, heart-rending, and immensely romantic.” —Mark Oshiro, author of Anger is a Gift

“Aiden Thomas masterfully weaves a tale of family, friendships, and love in a heartwarming adventure full of affirmation and being your best self." — C.B. Lee, author of Not Your Sidekick

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781250779557

Aiden Thomas

Aiden Thomas is a New York Times Bestselling author with an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, Oregon. As a queer, trans Latinx, Aiden advocates strongly for diverse representation in all media. Aiden’s special talents include: quoting The Office, winning Jenga, finishing sentences with “is my FAVOURITE”, and killing spiders. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by colour. Their novels include: Cemetery Boys, Lost in the Never Woods, and The Sunbearer Trials.

Reviews for Lost in the Never Woods

[Cheryl Morrell · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I tried really hard to listen to this book. Even went back a second time to try again. The concept is something I found interesting but it was soooooo slow and the narrator was super annoying.

[Joleta Jo-lee'ta Petty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love Peter Pan and I'm very picky about retellings because they are usually founded on misunderstandings of the historical context and fail to invoke JM Barrie's balance of cute and eerie. This came closer than most. The core concept was intriguing enough for me to finish but either the author didn't have the maturity to make it really sing or the editors didn't have the skill to push the writer to their full potential. Which is a shame, because the repetitive dialogue and incessantly hyperbolic "telling" which were dragging the story down were very easy to spot and could have been polished into something brilliant and quirky.
Also, I don't know if it's just a product of how very cliche to the YA supernatural genre the characters and setting were in the beginning, but I was getting strong Twilight/Peter Pan crossover fanfic vibes for 75% of the book. So, considering that, the whole "but Peter's role is too important so they have to move on" theme at the end is completely incongruous with the rest of the story and is a real let down.

[Evan Corey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book has a really charming, heartwrenching, and compelling story in it... but unfortunately it suffers from major pacing issues among other things. The characters refuse to ask the most obvious questions and seemingly have the same conversations over and over. It gets pretty dull toward the middle as the plot doesn't seem to GO anywhere for a while. The author has a wonderfully rich way of describing things that, once overused, becomes grating and melodramatic. The villain's dialogue is more cringy than expected, and sometimes the story takes on the vibe of a CW drama. However, there is a really compelling story in here. This book really could have benefitted from a strict editor to slash down the dull spots, point out structural problems, and push the author to polish it up better. I finished it, and I did mildly enjoy it, but it's definitely not my favorite read. I recommend Cemetery Boys if you want another book from this author. It suffers from a few of the same pacing issues but it's definitely a more polished product.

[Elizabeth Mellen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars, I don't know what I was hoping for, exactly, but this missed the mark for me. Maybe that it would've been darker. There was one "twist" that surprised me at the time, but on the whole this just didn't catch me as much as I was expecting knowing I loved Cemetery Boys and retellings.

[krista b · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story was well written and kept me mesmerized by Aiden Thomas’s retelling of Peter Pan and Wendy! And absolute thrilling adventure I won’t soon forget!

[Samantha Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Didn't see the end coming! I lost sleep just to finish the book, and the voice actor was terrific you could easily imagine a certain ageless boy telling the story!

[Kemora Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was stressful as heck. But wow was it beautifully written. I am happy this retelling popped up on my desk.

[María Pérez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another fantastic novel by Aiden Thomas who is well on their way to become one of my favourite authors. I can't wait to see what they write next. Perfect for Peter Pan fans looking for some low fantasy.

[Sophia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really good story! But the end... How could the autor do that?