Antsy's story is one of a girl learning what it means to be Lost and Found. And despite the heaviness, or maybe because of it and how well McGuire handles a difficult but very real topic, I thought it was an excellent read. We get a glimpse of one or two other characters from other Wayward Children books, which are fun easter eggs for those of use who've read the whole series. But this book can also stand alone as a portal fantasy novella, or serve as an entry point to the rest of the series.

Big fan of the Wayward Children series of novellas and this one is no different! A slightly heavier theme, I also felt this story delved deeper into the world of the Doors and psychologically explored its characters more. Our main character, Antsy didn't have an easy life but I feel Seanan's treatment of her story was so well done, (and I appreciated the author's note in the introduction for content warnings.) This story can easily be read as a stand-alone into the series, but I also feel that if you've read the previous entries it will be that much richer. Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire

Pros: psychologically astute, lyrical writing

Cons: packs a real emotional punch, may be distressing for some readers

When Antsy ran away from a bad situation at home she opened a Door. The Shop Where the Lost Things Go is a nexus connecting all the worlds and provides a new home for her. Antsy wants to return to her mother someday, but doesn’t realize what her adventure has already cost.

The book begins with a content warning from the author that Antsy runs before she is sexually abused. The first few chapters are difficult to read all the same. While she is a child, you know what’s happening and feel the tension and horror. The book also begins with the death of Antsy’s father. It’s a highly emotional scene that gut punched me harder than expected. This is a standalone story in the Wayward Children series, so if the content will distress you, you can skip it. If you can deal with the content, it’s an emotionally rewarding story.

In feel, the story has the same mixture of lyrical writing and keen psychological observation as the other books in the series, and Down Among the Sticks and Bones in particular.

Antsy’s a surprisingly astute child, who realizes something is wrong with her new stepfather but isn’t quite sure what. She has good instincts and follows them to positive effect in the story. She is a delight to read about.

Seeing through several doors was a lot of fun, as was learning more about the store.

As with most of the series the ending is a little bittersweet, but appropriate based on what happened.

This is one of my favorite in the wayward children series. From the second that I read the author's note at the beginning I was attached to Antsy.

This is one of the heavier stories in the series and it's full of a lot of metaphors and I loved every page.

This is potentially the only one of this whole series where I didn't wish for it to be longer and not because I didn't want more story but because I felt that the story was condensed in a way that you got an entire history and evolution for Antsy and you weren't missing out. I don't know what that makes sense but that's what I'm going with.

The Wayward Children books are always either a hit or miss for me and it’s been a long time since the last time one of them of a hit. Lost in the Moment and Found was one.

This eighth instalment deals with deeper topics than its predecessors, giving more maturity to the series. The trigger warning at the beginning of the book is there for a reason and even though McGuire wrote that particular scene brilliantly, this book is still heavier than what we are used to in this series.

Not that the Wayward Children books are light-hearted. Balancing between the ugly truths of life and the whimsical escape these magical doors offer, it’s far from being all rainbow and sunshine. But, again, Seanan McGuire knows her subject and masterfully writes the balance between the two.

I also found the idea of a shop full of lost objects waiting to be found, brilliant. Accessible only to lost children when the time is right, this idea is full of incredible metaphors. I would have given anything to have a whole (children’s) book on this subject when I was a child myself!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book wrecked me in the best of ways. The way McGuire made me empathize with a child who is on a path towards abuse, and the fear I felt in the early parts of this book was impressive. Even more than that, the way each world fits the child who finds it ripped my heart out because this child who felt she had no options has ended up in a place where she can escape to wherever she would like!
I enjoyed the way this book also plays with the narratives around trusting the people who are supposed to care for you. It's paralleled between the mother and new step-father, and then with the people she meets in the "lost" antique store too.
I've read every book in the Wayward Children series and before this book I think I would have said I had a hard time choosing which book was my favorite, but this book has definitely become my favorite of the season for everything I've said, and so many more which I can't put into words.

What a beautifully written ode to childhood lost to selfish or terrible adults.

Antsy’s world crashes down along with her father hitting the floor of Target and failing to get up. When the rest of the world moves on, her mother brings a new man into their life. One who looks at Antsy in a way that feels wrong.

A door is there for her one night when she desperately needs escape but this place has its own secrets and costs.

I feel like I say this with every installment in this series, but I think this one is probably my favorite so far! These books have always touched on some pretty tough topics, and this one is no different. I highly recommend reading the author’s note at the beginning of the book so you know what you’re getting into with this one.

That said, I loved Antsy and her story despite the fact that it’s a pretty sad story. In fact, I had tears in my eyes for a good chunk of this book. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to Antsy and the loss of her childhood and innocence. Even when Antsy thinks she’s found a place in the world where she’s safe, she finds that she’s not quite there yet.

I love that we learned a little bit more about the Doors, and I found this particular world to be really interesting. I also enjoyed the few little cameos that we got and the ties to other books in the series, although this one could potentially be read as a standalone or as an entry point for the series.

I love this entire series and am so grateful to Tor that I’ve been able to read a good majority of them early to review!

I cannot recommend the Wayward Children series enough. McGuire spins such fantastic tales, and Lost in the Moment and Found is no exception. It's absolutely phenomenal and everyone needs to read it! Our patrons are also hooked, so we will definitely need to buy multiple copies for the library.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Antsy lost her father. Her mother's new husband is not a man to be trusted. (I won't delve into spoilers here, but there is a fantastic trigger warning at the start of the novella that states that Antsy escapes, so go into the book knowing the content verges on disturbing but does nothing graphic.) She opens a door, in the tradition of this series, to a mystical place: in her case, a shop for things that are lost.

The Wayward Children series includes some of my favorite books, ever--and also some volumes that fell incredibly flat to me. This one is well done, a four-star rating from me. I don't rate it among the best because the set-up feels long, the immersion in the fantastic frustratingly brief. But oh, I loved Antsy's time in the shop. I wanted to stay there for a full novel, in all honesty.

Note that the book is stand-alone. You don't need to have read the previous novellas in the series, though your experience may be richer if you have.

Lost in the Moment and Found (Wayward Children #8) by Seanan McGuire
Expected publication date: January 10, 2023

Date read: October 10, 2022



Welcome to The Shop Where the Lost Things Go. If you ever lost a sock, you’ll find it here. A favorite toy? A pair of headphones? A puppy? All here to be claimed, if you come looking. When Antsy runs away from home and opens a Door into the shop, she begins to realize that no matter how many Doors to other worlds might open to her, leaving the Shop for good might not be as simple as it seems. And stepping through those Doors exacts a price.

Book #8 in the Wayward Children series, although this book can be read as a standalone.

This is one of my favorite book series, so I am always excited when a new one comes out. Even though this book was more of a standalone and didn’t include characters we already know and love, I still really enjoyed this one.

All of the books in this series deal with serious issues (including death, belonging, and body dysmorphia), this book felt a little darker than most of the others - which is saying something as one of the books literally takes place in a world of vampires and mad scientists. I love that the author listed the content warnings right at the start of the book and “spoiled” the story to calm any concerns. She writes:

I just want to offer you this reassurance: Antsy runs. Before anything can actually happen, Antsy runs.

It’s also of note that, while most of these books don’t have cut and dry villains, the few that do mostly have villains that operate very much in shades of grey. (I think only book 7 has a real villain, if I’m remembering correctly). While there are certainly characters in this book that do questionable things, it often leaves the reader wondering how we would react in the same situation.

It’s hard saying a lot about this book without falling into spoiler territory, for both this book and for the series as a whole. While this book is a standalone, I would recommend at least reading the first book in the series - Every Heart a Doorway - to get a general idea of how Doors to other worlds work and what the other worlds are like.

I highly recommend this whole series to anyone who likes fantasy. It’s appropriate for teens (it’s YA), but does deal with serious issues, as mentioned before. These books are short, quick reads (most between 150 and 200 pages), but pack a punch. This is a great addition to the series and I look forward to the next one.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Content warning: death of a parent, child witnessing sudden death of a parent, grooming, gaslighting, child abuse

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

This just may be my new favorite installment in this much-loved series! Picking up this book I was expecting a mostly lighthearted story with some sadness sprinkled throughout. but I was proved wrong. I was extremely grateful for the author's note of warning at the beginning. though. It better prepared me for the heartbreaking story I would encounter within the pages of this book. That being said that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. I have almost always found myself more invested in the books that tend to focus on the individual character backstories. Don't get me wrong, I love the main storyline arcs as well but I am a character-driven reader so anytime I can learn more about some of my favorite characters I will eat that up every time. Antsy didn't have an easy life and my heart just broke for her. I had to remind myself there was a light at the end of her story though because I knew she would end up at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children (eventually). She may start out lost but eventually, she would be found.

I also really enjoyed how the author gave us a further explanation about the doors and how they work. I don't think I was quite prepared for what really happens when someone walks through one of the magic doors. Everything has always been full of fun and adventure but this book reminds us that there is always a price that must be paid.

I have been a fan of this series for years and I am always excited when a new installment is finally released. My only complaint is now I have to wait even longer for the next one.

A big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me the privilege to read an advanced digital arc.

There hasn't been a book in this series that I have not loved... but this one really blew me away.
I felt for Antsy right from the start, a sweet child whose life is turned upside down by her father's death and her mother's (rather quick) new relationship. And threatened by the new figure in her life, she find a Door. And what a place that Door led... of course nothing is without a price and sadly no one is to be trusted, as Antsy finds out.
I loved that Antsy's story was her own alone. After losing so much, it seemed fitting that her story was not shared with other children searching for their Doors or their way home.

A stand alone title in the Wayward Children series, Lost in the Moment and Found is another phenomenal read. The book is prefaced with trigger warnings as it starts off with potential child abuse- Antsy does get away before anything too brutal happens. Her Door takes her to a shop of lost things.. She is able to go into other worlds to buy things for the shop. It all seems perfect but in a shop everything has a cost. My only complaint is I wish these books were longer!

This is one of the darkest Wayward Children books so far, but it's achingly beautiful and incredibly compelling. Genuinely tough to read in places - McGuire knows how to write horribly evocative, stomach-twisting feelings, so pay attention to the upfront content warning - but very much worth it.

I never want to spoil too much of these books, as they're really about discovering the journey within each, but I really adored the concept of Antsy's door-world = it felt like something from a forgotten classic that nudged something very familiar in my mind. Everything plays out with that pitch-perfect, bittersweet combination of comfort and angst that this series is renowned for. I also loved that we finally got a very decent dose of new information about the doors in general! Possibly one of my favourites of the whole series so far - it will really stick with me.

This is darker than some of the other books in this series, but just as wondrous. The authors note at the beginning is important and provides a content warning that I think everyone should be reading before venturing into this one, especially if you may be triggered by grooming/abuse. Though I feel like this will be a hard read for anyone, no matter your experience. It's a heartbreaking and powerful book and once again Seanan McGuire's writing is wonderfully atmospheric and tender while being so so clever.
This instalment dives more into the dynamic of the Doors and it was so interesting learning more about them. I love the way that all the characters in this series are so deep and complicated and this book especially took that even further and brings to light many things to ponder. From the first page to the last I was gripped and completely lost in Antsy's character, she has quickly become one of my favourites from the series. I can tell this is a book that will stay with me and that I'll be revisiting many times in the future.

So, this was amazing. I really enjoyed reading about Antsy and her journey. It also talked about so many important topics like abuse without actually showing the abuse. Adults can be shitty human beings, even when they don't outwardly show it. It does not have to be obvious. I really hope Antsy appears in more of the books, as she does have potential.

I got this copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

4 stars

Very deep dark and magical. I had no clue this was part of a series when I started reading it, I do not think that took away from the story though. The writing is beautiful, and the story though short was very well done. I’ll be checking out the rest of the series now though.

Absolutely amazing. Dark and quiet and magical. It is so well written and my favorite in the series.

This is my favorite entry in McGuire's Wayward Children series yet. This series, following children who stumble into portals to different worlds (like Narnia or Alice in Wonderland), has been steadily growing and expanding in magnitude throughout the years it has been published. This book, entry number eight in the series, opens the world even further, answering questions that readers have been asking since book one. In the grand scheme of the series, this is satisfying and also left me excited for more. However, the book by itself is also well worth the read. The setting for this story is high intrigue and is a complete tale in and of itself. The themes and writing are smart, and McGuire deals with heavy, emotional topics with care.

I already highly recommend this series, but this entry just solidified that. If you haven't already jumped on this series - what are you waiting for?