4 Stars

Cleo Jordon has always dreamed of owning a teahouse like her gran. But life didn’t work the she hoped, and she was left with almost nothing. When the teahouse on Ever After Street is available, Cleo presents the Wonderland Theme to apply for it. She hopes everything will get sorted. 

What’s Wonderland without Mad Hatter? Bram has only felt comfortable being a magician and putting on a façade to hide his vulnerabilities. Seeing Cleo’s struggles, he is determined to help. But with both of them struggling with the weight of their pasts, can they find a way forward and towards each other? 

The story comes in Cleo’s first-person POV. 

The book works as a standalone, though the characters from previous stories appear a few times. The series is themed around fairytales, and here we have Alice in Wonderland (though it is not a Grimm’s piece). 

This is my fourth book by the author, I love how much care she puts into crafting her main characters. They feel so real and flawed with fears, vulnerabilities, and temper tantrums, but also compassion and love. 

We learn more about the characters as they get to know each other. The layers peel, little by little, bringing them together and readers closer to them. Though we get the entire story from Cleo, we can see Bram and understand his emotions easily, just as we would have if we got his POV. 

Cleo is our grumpy girl, while Bram is the cutesy sunshine. He can be a bit OTT, but I understand where he is coming from. They make an adorable couple! The romance is, of course, a slow burn with some witty banter and heartwarming moments. And oh, her books have the best hugs! Can never have enough of these. Loveee it! 

There are a couple of stereotypical characters we would love to hate. One of them does get a slightly better arc.   

The community at Ever After Street is vibrant, cheerful, and always ready to help their own. Naturally, they step in and take over whenever necessary. The small-town vibes and the magical setting give this a cozier feel. 

I always enjoy descriptions of the setting. Though we don’t get much of the outside details in this one, the tearoom comes alive on the pages. Cleo seems to have done a great job of recreating Wonderland (I haven’t read the original so can’t say much). We do go to the castle again, so yay! 

The pacing is slow and steady, something I expect from the author’s books. The constant mention of cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, etc., made me drool! Wish I could grab some from the screen (why hasn’t technology advanced as much yet?). 

We have the dreaded third-act breakup, which I expected. I could see both their POVs, so I’d say it is quite balanced. On the whole, if you ask who handled things better afterward, I would vote for Bram. Cleo levels up… eventually. 

To summarize, A Wonderland Wish on Ever After Street is a sweet tale of a new start, healing, finding one’s tribe, seeing beyond the façade, and falling in love with someone who sees the real you. 

Thank you, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

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