so i resumed reading peter darling early this week, and right after the 35% mark there was a plot twist that crossed off almost everything that was keeping me from getting invested in the story Lol i still have some nitpicks: the revelations and the reactions that followed them, as well as the ending, were a bit rushed and too neat for my taste. on the other hand, once neverland was revealed to be more in line with my own interpretation than i'd thought, suspension of disbelief was no longer so necessary, and i finally started shipping the actual couple of the book (the sex scene was hot btw). im not sure how to rate this retelling, but if you're an enthusiast of the reading of peter pan as a story about roles, performance and split selves, or if you're just looking for a trans main character, definitely pick it up. warning: you might cry real tears.

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11/21: pausing this at 35% bc it's pretty good at exploring peter pan's themes and symbolism but it's not making me care that much about the story itself and i don't wanna hate it. like,,, i ship pan more with ernest than with hook, how's that possible?? im the number one enemies to lovers and age gap defender Lol that's partly bc neverland is not a place for adults imo: it doesn't sound dangerous, grand or exciting; it feels empty and too small, like the whole thing could fade away at any moment, so it only works for me as a child's fantasy/subconsciousness, where deaths aren't meant to be impactful. however, the storytelling is not drawing me in either, and i made the mistake of start reading a stronger romance right when i was trying to convince myself this one was short enough. rip.