I read another book by Evie Woods that I enjoyed more. This book fell extremely flat for me. There wasn't enough character development for anything to feel believable for me. And the chemistry between her and Oran was non-existent. I enjoyed the parts where she read about the past more than I did reading about the present story.

In the fullest traditions of the dual timeline, Sarah finds a diary in a tree. The story it tells of a hundred years before is the tantalising tale of Anna and the story collector, an academic who has come to Ireland to collect testimonies of those who’ve encountered the fairy folk. Of course there are lessons for Sarah’s own life too as she reads the diary, makes her own connections within the community and learns to grieve. Perhaps there’s even a sprinkling of magic as well. Beautifully told and captivating. Definitely worth a read for those happy to suspend disbelief.

Really enjoyable book. I have read and enjoyed previous Evie Woods stories so was looking forward to this one. Great setting in Ireland and loved the picture the author painted of the area. Quite a different background storyline - not a typical subject - but I really liked it. Having visited Ireland, folklore etc is a big part of their heritage and this book covered that really well. The story switched between 1911 and 2011 and the only problem I had was remembering exactly who was who when I went back to the other timeline! I soon caught up again though.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review

I thought parts of this book were interesting and good.
Other parts were a little draggy and a little boring.
The stories about the fairies were the most interesting.
It was a nice look into the Irish way of life.

This book was such an enjoyable read, really interesting storyline and just lovely characters. Irish folklore always holds an interest which made this book so good.
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to the publisher HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter for the early read

I loved this book, having always had a fascination with Irish folklore it really appealed to me. It was set over dual timelines and the stories of Anna and Sarah were both beautifully told and linked together.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

The Story Collector is an interesting story about Irish folklore. I enjoyed it but sometimes, I felt I was reading two separate books. Thanks to author Evie Woods, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this eCopy to review

Another excellent book from Evie Woods. The Story Collector follows Sarah as she ends up in Ireland trying to overcome her crippling grief. Once there she finds a diary hidden in a tree that was written by a young girl who lived in the cottage she is renting 100 years ago. This gives a a fascinating account of how she (Anna) became Harold Griffin-Krauss' assistant in researching the fairy myths of the Celtic countries, and the tragedy that befell them. Sarah feels a sense of home and of being drawn to Thornwood, here she is able to form new friendships and heal from her losses and through Anna's diary finds a new career.

Full of beautiful scenery, well developed characters and a touch of romance in each story this was another captivating and uplifting book.

The Story Collector was a sweet story but fell a bit flat for me. I often found myself distracted by other things when reading this book which tells me the story didn't hold my attention and I found it very slow going.
The story was told from 2 points of view, 100 years apart. Sarah in the present (2011), is going through a personal crisis and finds herself in Ireland (instead of going to Boston to see her family). Sarah finds Anna's diary from one hundred years earlier. Although as others have mentioned, the diary is not really a diary, but more just Anna's story and a way for Sarah to read it. I didn't feel that the 2 stories connected that well and didn't really get the point of Sarah's timeline/story. I much prefered Anna's story, which seemed more magical and whimsical. I enjoyed the Irish setting and the fairy folklore, but feel the book would have worked just as well if it was just Anna's story.

This was a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth of two narrators. Also the difference in the time zones. The ending did feel rushed though. This manuscript had a few errors in spelling.

The Story Collector by Evie Woods is a captivating tale with a hint of magical realism set in a small Irish village in the dual timelines of 1911 and 2011.
In 2011 we meet Sarah, a young woman who has made the difficult decision to end her marriage. Instead of travelling to her parent's home as planned she gets on a plane bound for Ireland on an alcohol fuelled whim. Once she arrives she quickly settles in, but while exploring she finds an old diary hidden in a hollow tree.
This diary belonged to Anna, a young local farmgirl, and tells of how in 1911 she meets an American student and agrees to help him record local folklore and fairy tales as he interviews members of the community for his studies. In her diary she recounts tales of changeling children and curses, as well as stories about her family and her crush on the son of the local lord.
As both timelines unfold we see the similarities in the women and their circumstances, and while I liked both stories it was Anna who really caught my imagination. I felt like some of the story threads that seemed interesting when we first met Sarah were ignored and instead there was a shift towards giving her a romantic storyline which I didn't think was necessary. I wish instead that she had been given the chance to grow and develop independently ,it would have made for a more interesting ending to her story.
I think my favourite thing about the book overall was its exploration of Ireland's rich history of folklore surrounding the Good People, and I really liked how effectively the author used it in her storytelling.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

In this dual timeline novel, the magic of rural Ireland sweeps across generations as two women from different worlds find where they’re meant to be. In 1910, farm girl Anna is living a simple life when an American scholar comes to town researching local fairy folklore. Anna helps translate the residents’ tales for Harold, but when a mysterious death occurs, how will the small town change?

In 2010, Sarah is reeling from a loss and a divorce. On her way to convalesce with her sister, Sarah goes rogue and hops on a flight to Ireland. At the cozy home Sarah is staying at, she finds Anna’s diary from a century ago and learns her story. Between Anna’s tale and her own experiences in a new country, the line between the fairy world and real world collide.

What I really liked about this book is the development of the female protagonists. They grow from confused and lonely to comfortable in their own skin with hope for the future. The intertwining of fairy folklore brings a magical element to the story. The jumping back and forth between timelines keeps you flipping through the pages to find out what happens next. A heartwarming book that will break your heart and give you hope.

I liked the book a lot, that’s for sure. I liked the idea of the story and the past of the two timelines. I had some difficulty with some of the choices Sarah makes and her way of thinking, but I enjoyed the story of Anna very much in exchange. I particularly loved reading about the stories of The Good People, as the fairies are called. This was a new to me topic and it was great to learn some of the beliefs and stories around the fairies in Ireland.

For the characters, als I already said, Sarah was a difficult character for me. I didn’t particularly like her, but she did develop and open up during the book and that was good. That showed intention of the author to have her grow with all the things she experiences. On the other hand, Anna was interesting and I enjoyed reading her story. I’d have appreciated to learn more about her later life. She was young, but had her own mind and knew how to stand up for what she believes in.

All in all, if you like historical fiction that’s not about one of the wars for a change I can recommend this book.

(A review will be posted on my instagram & Goodreads around publication date.)

The Story Collector is another wonderful read by Evie Woods, this time set in the village of Thornwood, Ireland.
The story jumps between 1911 and 2011, featuring two strong women. In 1911, Anna and in 2011, Sarah. The two timelines are smoothly connected, and the Irish setting adds a magical touch. The story is about love, loss, and discovering hidden truths. Anna and Sarah’s stories are equally engaging

This book is great for fans of historical fiction and magical realism, especially if you love Irish folklore. The writing is once again beautiful and I'm really looking forward to reading more by this author in the future 📚

Dual timeline The Story Collector by Evie Woods is an atmospheric story chock full of Irish fairies (The Good People), folklore, and second chance romance.

During the Christmas season in 2010, Sarah not only decides to leave her failed marriage but follows through. At the last moment at the airport she is inspired by ceramic sheep to go to Ireland and once there stays in a cozy thatched roof cottage. She knew very little of the Emerald Isle but quickly became besotted with the charm, traditions, mysteries and people. She makes a discovery which changes the course of her life.

One hundred years earlier, Anna, an Irish farm girl, also translates fairy stories into English. There is a quirky seeress, changelings and a hawthorn tree which holds secrets. Little does Anna know that decades later her writing would find its way into the hands and heart of an American woman.

I was not enamoured with the present day romance as it felt too rushed after a marriage breakdown. Though I liked the story, it didn't captivate my heart like I hoped it would. But the writing is beautiful with snippets of whimsy and lore. And Ireland is purely evocative.

My sincere thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this magical novel.

In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything.... One hundred years ago. Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor to translate fairy stories from Irish to English, But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her way of life.

In New York in the present day, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland, But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets - secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.

With a taste of the magical in the everyday life, Evie Woods latest novel is full of everyday characters with extraordinary tales to tell.

This story has a dual timeline that's set one hundred years ago and the present day. It starts in 2011 when Sarah boards a plane to Ireland. She ends up in a cabin for New Year and finds an old diary that was written in 1911 belonging to Anna. Anna was helping an American to translate a book of fairy stories from Irish to English.

With two strong female characters with similar strengths, characteristics, and a common bond. I loved Anna and Harold as they worked together gathering stories from the locals. The two timelines are woven together seamlessly. This is one of those stories that make you feel good after you've finished reading. It takes us back in time. A lovely written story of love, life, death, folklore, and myth.

Published 18th July 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter and the author #EvieWoods for my ARC of #TheStoryCollector in exchange for an honest review.

Over a hundred years ago, Anna, is asked to help a young American understand and translate the fairy stories, myths and legends into English. At that time everything that happened was deemed to be connected to these stories.

Present time and Sarah Harper is running away from a failed marriage and makes a split decision to head to Ireland after reading about the power of belief of a fairy tree.

She finds a diary and is soon immersed in the past but there are secrets everywhere.

4.5 Stars

This was such a magical read. It’s about a woman named Sara going on an impromptu trip to Ireland and she ends up healing herself from “the terrible thing”. The story takes place in two different timelines one is Sara in 2011 and she finds Anna’s diary written in 1911. Even though they’re a hundred years apart they have a lot in common and the two timelines flowed seamlessly.

As is usual with me and my preferences I liked the older timeline much more. I think part of the reason was because I didn’t like Sara. And even though she went through something awful I felt no sympathy for her. Anna on the other hand grabbed my heart. What a hard thing she went through, things were so very different back then, especially for women and the underclass. I enjoyed being on the adventure of learning about the faeries with Anna and Harold. I loved being in Ireland, back in the very early twentieth century, with these characters.

This would have been a five-star read for me but I didn’t like that Sara had a romance. The last thing Sara should be doing is getting into a new relationship. She’s an alcoholic and has just left her husband the day before she arrived in Ireland. Why couldn’t she have just found herself and become a strong woman who finally finds her passion? Why did romance have to be in the equation at all? Do we need a man to be happy and move forward?

All in all, I really enjoyed this read and could have read an entire book on Anna and Harold alone. I have The Lost Bookshop by this author on my TBR, I’ll have to bump it up the list.

Do you believe in fairies or the possibility that they exist? I think this story will make you believe or at least make you "want" to believe.

The story is told with a duel timeline, which to be honest is not my favorite type, but sometimes the story needs to be told this way. I soon forgot my aversion to being in a duel book and was totally captured by both tales being told.

This book has a very unique plot and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I definitely recommend it.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for allowing me to read the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

Absolutely loved this book! Perfect escapism - fairies and folklore with a sprinkle of romance and mystery. Highly recommend!