Hooked by Emily McIntire
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Pros: Peter Pan retelling, fun, smutty
Cons: cheesy
TW: Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Drug use
Ok, I know what you're thinking... Actually, maybe I don't so I will tell you what I was thinking when I first heard tell of a dark romantic retelling of a classic story and beloved Disney film, Peter Pan. I was more scared than anything. Would it ruin the magic and sully the memory? Would it be so poorly written that I'm offended this author would even try? Would the smutty scenes make me feel like a weirdo? These characters are all adults in this right? Please god let them all be adults!
All of these questions and concerns are good ones but honestly... I had a lot of fun and I am happy to say that everyone was in fact older and no children were involved in the retelling of this story! You never know these days and after my disastrous experience going blindly into The Wild... I am just glad I wasn't ruined by child abuse. ::sigh of relief::
I do not want to give too much away because most people already know the basic premise of and the characters in the story so I will just tell you my favorite thing about the book. I really enjoyed the fact that there are a bunch of easter eggs in the book. Every time I found one, I got a really big, cheeseball grin on my face. What do I mean by easter eggs? I'm talking Hook owning a seedy nightclub called The Jolly Roger or the fact that when he first meets Wendy she is wearing her iconic blue dress. I know this is corny, I know, I'm aware but I really think it made it extra fun. I felt like the book did a good job of darkening the storyline and upping the romance factor without taking itself too seriously and I love that. I love when authors allow themselves room to have fun and be playful with their stories.
There are many other things peppered in throughout the book like that but I want to leave it for you to discover on your own. This was a fun read, it was pretty smutty and dark too so that made it extra special. It isn't a groundbreaking, earth shattering body of work but I had a good time reading it and I think you will too!
Also, please enjoy my GoodReads review and follow me there if you'd like! This review is a great summary of all the things I plan to discuss at length below.