But finding her was never about that. And now that I have found her–now that she knows the truth about me and the Island, I have to trust her to believe. Because her leaving me didn’t just destroy me–its killing Neverland.
I need her to love me. But we all need her to believe again.
Peter Pan has grown up and found the girl who left–but the stakes are higher than ever in this romantic conclusion to the story begun in Girl Lost.
Stepping into Forever
Found made me feel like no time at all had passed since reading Girl Lost. The two stories seamlessly
fit together despite being from two different POVs. In the first book, we got
to see Gwen’s POV, and now it’s time for us to get into Peter’s head. I found
it fascinating that the two stories had the same tone and fit so well even if
they are told by a female and a male respectively. Anyway, the ending of Girl Lost had me reeling and begging for
an extension, and now here we have it.
Forever
Found picks up right where Girl Lost
left off. Belle is dying and for some reason it is Gwen’s fault. I guessed the
reason why Belle was dying and why Gwen was involved, but it still excited me
to see how the problem would be resolved. The novella was focused solely on
that problem—it really was too short to be able to encompass anything else. Oh,
and of course the romance between Peter and Gwen. But, in my mind that was a
given. I knew their love and attraction would be too hard to ignore.
Peter and Gwen are more or less the same as in Girl Lost. You can read my review for Girl Lost below. But, I actually really loved
getting to read Peter’s POV. We get to see how much he truly loves Gwen, and
how much it affected him when she left Neverland. There are also some gaps from
Girl Lost that are filled in this
book, which I enjoyed. The only complaint I really have about this novella was
the ending. I haven’t read any of Nazarea’s other works, but based on book one’s
ending and the ending for book two, I think it’s safe to say she has a knack for
open endings. Endings that aren’t cliffys as you can infer that they will have
a happily ever after, but that’s just it—you have to infer it. Sigh. But, it is a happily ever after. Kind of.
Northern was supposed to be a fresh start—a place where
people didn’t know who I was or how I had spent years in and out of mental
institutes. People didn't know about my parents death or the island no one
heard of. But when Peter sits next to me in lit class, I can’t stop the
memories, and I don’t want to. He looks too much like the boy from the island,
and despite my best intentions, coaxes my secrets from me.
He’s gorgeous, irresistible, a little mad, and completely lost—we are a pair of broken cogs in a world neither of us truly fits into. He is somehow gentle and fierce, heartbreaking in his devotion and savage in his defense.
When Belle, his best friend, shows up, pale and lovely and sick, Peter pulls away from me, a startling withdrawal. It’s a relationship that scares and confuses me. She is at times warm and friendly, and other times is violent and unpredictable.
Peter says that he wants me, but refuses to let himself get close. And there are secrets, surrounding both of us, that border on nightmares. As the memories close in, as Belle gets sicker and more violent, I’m torn between what is true and what I believe, and what this magical boy knows about my mysterious past.
“It’s unspoken that he was there. Something
in me—an instinct that I have ignored in the name of sanity—tells me that he
was never far. That he will never be far, so long as I continue to want him.
The Boy won’t leave me. Not voluntarily. He
would only go if I order him away. And as bad for me as he is, I can’t bring
myself to do that.”
The story is told from Gwendy’s POV. She is
finally off to college at Northern. Her younger brother, Micah, is with her
attending the school and watching over her. Gwendy has been mentally unstable
for a while. Ever since she survived a horrific cruise accident where her
parents were murder, Gwendy has been deemed insane. She believed that she was
on an island, and well we all know the tale. But, there is no proof of the
island. So, she is put in an insane asylum and everything. The only reason her
aunt and her therapist are really trying to help her get better is so that she
can run her family’s business.
“I see you, and I can’t think of anything
else. I’ve tried. But you fascinate me. You smile—you see these people around
you, and I can see you interact with them, even as you keep yourself separated
from them. You are a gorgeous girl, Gwendoly, and I won’t even bother to deny
that some of it stems from that. But you’re different. You try not to show it,
but you can’t help it sometimes.”
Gwendy is set to do really well at Northern. Until
a guy walks into one of her classes who looks exactly like the boy of her
memories/hallucinations. In the real world he goes by Peter. And in both her
mind and the real world he cannot leave her alone. For some unfathomable
reason, Peter is infatuated by Gwendy. However, since Gwendy is supposed to
finally be starting over, she pushes him away and attempts a normal college
life. Until the strangeness of the whole situation finally gets to her. Well,
that and the fact that their attraction and connections can’t be ignored.
“Peter, I’m scared.”
“Of what, pixie?”
“I’m afraid if I tell you the truth, you’ll
run. I’m not sure what we’re doing here, but the idea of you running because of
the truth—that terrifies me.”
“Sweetheart. I’ve been chasing you for
longer than you can even know. Nothing you say can chase me away.”
I loved how creative the story was. I was
fascinated with the way Nazarea paralleled and blended the original Pan story
and characters with this more modern retelling of Gwendy and Peter. I blew
through this book. The whole thing is a constant mystery. Is she or isn’t she
crazy? Is Peter the Boy or not? Who is against her and who is helping her? Why
does his fraternity act so weird? Why is Belle, Peter’s best friend, psychotic?
It’s all a constant mind-game.
“He kisses me without skill, without any of
the finesse other boys have shown. But he kisses with a raw passion, his lips
hard on mine. There is something desperate about the way he holds me to him,
the way his lips move against mine.
He kisses me like he’s waited years for this
one moment, like he can’t quite believe it’s real.”
All in all, the story flowed fantastically. It was
well-written and paced wonderfully. As a girl in college myself, I can’t help
but sympathize with all of Gwendy’s experiences. Oh, and just because the
original story is an innocent fairy tale, definitely doesn’t mean that Girl Lost is. There’s plenty of steamy
surprises in here. Overall, I just loved watching Gwendy and Peter fall in love
and battle not so typical challenges. There are a lot of unanswered questions
at the end of the book, but I actually really liked that it ended like that. It
left me thinking just like it did throughout the entire book. And I feel like
it allows me to use my imagination to invent my own ending to the story.
Although this was my first Nazarea Andrews book, it most definitely won’t be my
last.
“Have you ever known someone you know is bad
for you? Someone that even though you might want to get to know them,
everything in you says it’s a bad idea and you’ll only end up hurt?”
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“You already have, Peter. Just looking at
you hurts.”
Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the
stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she
loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south
Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.
I add all the books I read--I'm a little obsessive. I don't, however, rate or review all of them. I love talking about books, so feel free to say hi! :)
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