Alex in Wonderland review

In the town of Newsands, painfully shy Alex is abandoned by his two best friends for the summer. But he unexpectedly lands a part-time job at Wonderland, a run-down amusement arcade on the seafront, where he gets to know the other teen misfits who work there. Alex starts to come out of his shell, and even starts to develop feelings for co-worker Ben... who, as Alex's bad luck would have it, has a girlfriend.

Then as debtors close in on Wonderland and mysterious, threatening notes start to appear, Alex and his new friends take it on themselves to save their declining employer. But, like everything in Wonderland, nothing is quite what it seems...

Simon James Green's story in Proud was one of my favourites, so I was really excited to read Alex in Wonderland. It's just as good as I hoped, with plenty of humour, romance and even a mystery thrown in.

Alex is a great narrator – funny, believable and likeable. This book is very much a coming of age story and I loved how it explores all different aspects of Alex's life, including his family, friendships and summer jobs. His fears and insecurities are so relatable.

The romance in this book is so very sweet and slow-burning. I was rooting for Alex's relationship from the start and I was very happy with how it ended. It's a testament to how good these characters are that I didn't want to let go of them at the end. If there's not a sequel, then I'll definitely have to read Alex in Wonderland again!

I feel like humour is one of the hardest things to pull off in a book, and Simon James Green does it flawlessly. Situations escalate to hilarious conclusions and he really knows how to find the funny, awkward parts in everyday life.

I had so much fun reading this book. It's the perfect sweet, summery read and I can't recommend it enough!