He Was Everyone’s Peter Pan—Until Someone Asked Him to Stay
Read now → Neverlanded: The Boy Who Wouldn’t Land
Explore all books by Brandon Cloud → Amazon Author Page
What happens when the boy who never lands falls for someone who won’t play along?
Neverlanded: The Boy Who Wouldn’t Land is a queer romantic dramedy that takes Peter Pan syndrome out of Neverland and drops it in modern-day Austin—complete with rooftop drag brunches, vape pens, chaotic friend circles, and one man’s long, slow descent into emotional accountability.
It’s a novel for anyone who’s ever fallen for someone emotionally unavailable. For anyone who’s been the emotionally unavailable one. And for every reader who loves messy, funny, deeply human queer love stories that sting.
This is not a fairy tale. This is a fallout.
A Love Story Set in Queer Austin, Not a Fantasy Land
Neverlanded follows Peter Panwell, a charming, chaotic UX designer who thrives on detachment and curated aesthetics. His days are filled with scooter commutes, vape clouds, rooftop mixers, and brunches where no one listens—but everyone performs.
He’s thirty-one, emotionally avoidant, and convinced that if he just keeps moving, nothing can catch up to him. Especially not love.
Enter Michael Grayson—a high school art teacher who’s grounded, guarded, and quietly devastating. He doesn’t chase. He doesn’t play. He sees through Peter’s charm, and Peter—who’s mastered the art of evasion—is completely unprepared.
“Freedom is fun until it’s lonely. Then it’s just noise you pretend to dance to.”
Austin becomes a glitter-drenched Neverland where time doesn’t pass unless you’re paying attention. And Peter? He’s finally running out of distractions.
Inspired by Heartbreak, Hookup Culture, and Kelsea Ballerini’s “Peter Pan”
Neverlanded isn’t just a remix of Peter Pan. It’s a response to the myth. The book is built around the question: What’s the cost of staying young forever when everyone else is trying to heal?
The inspiration came while listening to Kelsea Ballerini’s “Peter Pan,” a song that captures the ache of loving someone who can’t land. That’s Peter. Emotionally dissociative, magnetic, terrified of becoming ordinary. He calls it freedom. But it’s just flight.
“You’re not a villain. But you keep casting yourself as one so you don’t have to stay long enough to prove otherwise.”
Neverlanded peels back the charm, the jokes, the brunches, and the performative self-growth. What’s left is a character study of emotional avoidance—funny, painful, and uncomfortably real.
Why This Book Matters—and Why It’s One of My Favorites
This is the most personal book I’ve written. Because I’ve been Peter. I’ve also fallen for men like him. The ones who ghost when it gets real. The ones who send memes instead of apologies. The ones who promise vulnerability and deliver glitter.
Neverlanded is about the space between almost and actually. The difference between charming someone and showing up for them. It’s for every queer reader who’s ever had to unlearn performance just to feel worthy of love.
“Time isn’t a villain. It’s just the only one who won’t wait.”
The emotional stakes are high, but this isn’t trauma porn. It’s wit wrapped in longing. It’s heartbreak with a smirk. It’s hope you have to earn.
Who It’s For
- You live in a city where brunch is therapy.
- You’ve dated someone whose text replies are vibes-based.
- You’re tired of queer characters being quirky sidekicks or walking tragedies.
- You want romance that doesn’t skip the hard parts.
- You crave character arcs where the hardest thing someone does is stay.
Neverlanded is funny. It’s brutal. It’s human. It’s what happens when someone stops running—but only after breaking everything that could’ve saved them.
What Readers Will Find Inside
- A best friend who’s run out of patience
- A stable ex who’s sober and still pissed
- A bookstore named BookWoman, where ghosts live in poetry shelves
- A first date that ends in a spilled beer and a broken defense mechanism
- A voicemail that haunts a birthday spent alone
And somewhere, beneath the sarcasm and failed pick-up lines, the slow, terrifying formation of real connection.
“This poem’s you. Unfinished.”
If You’ve Ever Been the One Who Stayed Too Long—or Left Too Soon
This story isn’t about perfect healing. It’s about the slow, clumsy attempt. The therapist call at midnight. The apology that’s not a performance. The scene where he finally shows up not with a grand gesture—but with presence.
Neverlanded ends not with a fairytale, but with a choice. Stay. Try again. Try honestly.
It’s the most honest thing I’ve written. It’s a little messy. A little magical. And it will wreck you in all the right ways.
Neverlanded: The Boy Who Wouldn’t Land is free to read with Kindle Unlimited, which offers a 3-month free trial. All of my books are free for the first 5 days and always available through KU.
Explore my full catalog here: Amazon Author Page
If you love the book, leave a review. If you don’t, send it to your ex.
Because in the end, every Neverland has a clock ticking in the corner. The real question is: Will you listen to it—or pretend you can fly forever?