Everland is a place for the misfits, for those struggling to find themselves and need a release from the weight of reality and all its complexities. Brody, a bullied teen with a complicated home life, finds an invitation to such a place from Nico, a charismatic art student that shows him all the wonders Everland has to offer. Here, Brody finds somewhere he feels like he belongs, until he's faced with a decision of whether to stay, or leave it forever.

This book totally resonated with me as a defining queer experience. It's about finding your people, those who you feel comfortable being your full self around without any barriers or masquerading. It's about discovering a place where you can test out parts of yourself, where you can discover who you are and what you're capable of. With Brody being gay, the significance of this only heightens that feeling, but the story doesn't solely focus around his sexuality or his understanding of it, which I found refreshing. There's more character development at work there, especially towards how Brody interacts with his family and how he views himself. It's a book that relishes and validates escapism, but also stresses the importance of coming back to reality when it truly matters.

The romance is a a slow burn, but helps culminate in a very emotional ending. I don't think Brody and Nico's relationship ever really landed for me, and it may be just because of how stretched out it is. Brody naturally has an instant crush on Nico after he saves his cat, but Nico spends a good chunk of the book with someone else. I loved how this didn't evoke any feelings of jealously or mistrust between Brody and Dani, Nico's boyfriend, the two having a somewhat chill friendship with each other. There's no falling out between them all, as people simply move in different directions. Overall, it feels like a very maturing experience, as we see some people start to grow out of their need for Everland.

As a sort of Peter Pan inspired work, I think it's a great transformative take on the tale. It's not a one to one retelling, though it at least shares a mutual theme about growing up. Much like Peter Pan, there's a certain mystery around how the magic of the Everland works. There's no discovery of what exactly the place is, or even why the doors start disappearing. I enjoyed the magic realism quality of it all.

Throughout both the Everland and the real world, there's a great amount of diverse reputation pertaining to sexuality, culture, ethnicity, disability, mental illnesses, all of which are handled honestly and respectfully. There are moments that almost tip towards the side of melodrama, but I think the way in which they were handled kept it from going over the edge. This is a book that has a lot of different emotions: sadness, fear, anger, insecurity, loneliness, neglect, so at times it's a not so easy ride. But, on the whole, I found it to be such an affirming, encouraging read, imparting that while we may drift from those that love and help us grow, the effects are still there, always giving that slight push to go on.