Darling Girl by Liz Michalski
Life is looking up for Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy—yes, that Wendy. That is, until she gets a call that her daughter, Eden, who has been in a coma for nearly a decade, has gone missing from the estate where she’s been long tucked away. And, worst of all, Holly knows who must be Peter Pan, who is not only very real, but very dangerous.
Holly is desperate to find Eden and protect her son, Jack, from a terrible web of family secrets before she loses both her children. And yet she has no one to turn to—her mother, Jane, is the only other person in the world who knows that Peter is more than a story, but she refuses to accept that he is not the hero she’s always imagined.
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️
Genre: Magical Realism
Recommend?: If you love Peter Pan retellings
This magical realism + mystery take on a Peter Pan retelling had me gripped right in the beginning. The Darling’s run a very successful skincare company that may or may not have magical properties hidden in their products. The is it magic, is it science aspect really intrigued me. However, it really lost steam as it went on. The reveals were interesting, but I think it had a pacing issue. The middle bit seemed to drag for me.
Also, if I’m feeling nit-picky, the reference to “tea” was extremely over done. Whether the Brit’s love for tea is a stereotype or not, it does not need to written on page the amount of times it was in this book. I found myself rolling my eyes every time.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065362-darling-girl