✨3 stars✨

I was really excited to read this book when I requested it and I was really enjoying it for the first 20%. Also the rich Irish setting was definitely a highlight.

However, the further I got into the story, the more similar Sarah’s voice in 2011 and Anna’s voice in 1911 sounded which often made it difficult to differentiate which storyline I was reading, especially as the chapters seemed to be randomly labelled sometimes but not always. For example, chapter 10 says Anna’s diary, chapter 11 is unlabelled and then chapter 12 says Anna’s diary on the next day but what was the point of a short chapter 11 without any signposting of when it was taking place? This happened throughout the book. Also I found the sporadic jumps between past and present to be random and in the end took away from the flow of the story especially as both narrative voices sound so similar which added to the confusion throughout. So for the majority of the book I was left frustrated and a bit bored but overall it was just okay.

I think if you enjoyed Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies, with the diary, the look for fairies and the rich setting then you may enjoy this book. I will be picking up The Lost Bookshop by the same author because I have the ebook on my kindle already.

I received an ARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

My second Evie Woods book. I enjoyed The Lost Bookshop so thought I'd give this one a go. I usually enjoy a dual timeline story but I'm sorry to say I found The Story Collector disappointing. I immediately guessed what Sarah was running away from and unfortunately the rest of the story was as predictable as well. I enjoyed the stories about the 'fairy folk' but the main story not so much. I did finish it but found myself skimming a good 30% as I knew where the story was going.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I think it must be difficult for authors to write their next book after such a runaway success, the expectations, the pressure... I do wonder if this is what happened here with "The Story Collector" by Evie Woods. Her last book, "The Lost Bookshop" was OUTSTANDING and full of wonderful characters and charm therefore "The Story Collector" had big shoes to fill. I mean, the story was good but just not excellent. Set over two time periods we follow Sarah in the present (well 2010/2011) and Anna in 1911. Each storyline had their merits and I did enjoy reading about the myths and folklore of Ireland. It was just lacking something but still a really enjoyable read.

The premise of this book sounded great,

The book started with Sarah about to board a flight to …… to be with her parents and sister after divorcing her husband Jack after “the big event”. Many times this “event” was alluded to but was almost a let down when you found out what it was (even though it shouldn’t have been). However, Sarah did not get on the flight but took a flight to Ireland, after reading an article in a newspaper.

Typically Sarah finds herself renting a fabulous cottage and embroiling herself in the history of the village.

I’m not sure what category this book falls into, all I know is that it didn’t really grab me. The story was ok but didn’t really set me on fire. I love the folklore aspect of the story but felt it petered out without coming to any conclusion.

This would be a great book to read if you are at a loss and don’t know what to read

Neither good nor bad.

Her marriage ending, and her heart burdened by grief Sarah impulsively heads to Ireland to escape the exhaustion of her life. While there she discovers a diary which tells of a long ago love story mired in the mystical beliefs of the old Celtic legends of fairies and good folk. It will take time, and a little bit of magic, for Sarah to make peace with her past and embrace the future.

Thank you once again to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers, One Chapter for allowing me to enjoy an early copy.
Evie writes so beautifully and magically it's hard to not love what she writes!
The Story has well defined characters and the setting is fantastic. Anna's the main protagonist and the place sge stays in,Thornwood house is at the centre of it all. Its enchanting and mysticalc and beautiful.
In 2010, after experiencing a marriage breakdown and wanting to escape it all, She decide to visit family in Boston but a snap decision makes her take a flight to Ireland instead.
Once there on a walk, Sarah finds a book hidden in a tree.
In 1910 Anna the daughter of a farmer helps an American gentleman called Harold with his Oxford uni thesis researching folklore.
Sarah's two worlds interweave, connect and collide. By finding the book and meeting the locals in County Clare, Sarah begins to see the mistakes she has made and what she wants out of life.
This book was a beautiful read once again!

This is my first book from this author , it was a pleasant read, her writing style it’s easy and nice. However I did find this story slow, but will be reading more of her books in the future.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️

One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor 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 very 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.

I did struggle getting truly gripped by the story in the first half of the book, however the second half had me hooked and I couldn’t put it down. A lovely story which doesn’t necessarily end how you think it will. Covering the hard subject of grief and loss in a beautiful lyrical way.
Definitely an author I’ll be looking to read in the future.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in return for an honest review.

I love Evie Woods, her last novel was a triumph, so I was really looking forward to reading The Story Collector.

As a LOVER of Irish Lore and Mythology this was right up my street.

I did prefer Anna's story to Sarah's but inly marginally. Woods has such a great way of pulling the reader in.

The Irish language is so well woven through the story!

The ending of the book just proves that maybe magic is not the answer to all our problems!

A brilliant read, would highly recommend.

Thanks to Net Galley & the Publisher to access to this book in return for an honest review.

A bit of whiskey, a touch of impulse, some blind trust, and maybe a bit of fae magic sprinkled liberally. Touching and engrossing story weaving past and present, overcoming grief and disappointment, and finding yourself as well as found family. Bittersweet to the end, but satisfying all the way.

I was gifted The Lost Bookshop for Christmas and was charmed by @evie.gaughan take on magical realism.
I was very excited to be given the chance to review her newest book, The Story Collector.
Living on a farm in rural Ireland in the early 1900’s Anna has a good life. When a stranger knocks on her family’s door looking for help repairing his bicycle his unexpected visit ends with Anna in his employment. Harold has come from America to make an anthropological study of the belief and stories of fairies. Anna is hired to be his translator and liaison with the people of her community. With a story of her own she wants to share, Anna will first decide if Harold is the sort of man to be trusted with her dearest secret.
In 2011, Sarah takes an unexpected trip to Ireland over Christmas. When she finds the diary of a young girl she is intrigued by her story and the village she has found herself in.
This is a very calming book. It feels like a story being told around a fireplace on a rainy evening. I love Woods treatment of magical events and beings as fact but not exaggerated or sensationalized. This is definitely a cozy book. It does touch on grief and loss but it’s handled with care.
Thank you to @onemorechapterhc and @netgalley for letting me review #thestorycollector
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My daughter read this one on her own, being a lover of Evie Woods books. She reports that it was just as much of a 'hug in a book ' as the previous books. The story does not depict a perfect life showing that bad (and good ) things happen to us all. She really enjoyed it.

A charming read. A gnarled hollow hawthorn tree with an intriguing find at its heart reveals the story of Anna and Harold to Sarah, a visiting American who is grappling with grief in the same rural village in West Ireland. Anna and Sarah are 100 years apart, but both have experienced loss.

Harold, an American academic, is studying Celtic folklore, traditions and beliefs. These are at the centre of the story and add magical elements. He and Anna cycle around the countryside happily collecting stories for his research, until the events of one evening threaten both their ways of life.

Coupled with an atmospheric manor house and a whole host of intriguing local characters, in both timelines, this is an immersive read.

The author has a real talent for description and you feel as if you too are deep in the Irish countryside.

I really enjoyed this novel and hope that others discover it too. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a copy.

I cannot resist a dual timeline book! I was completely captivated by Anna, a girl living on a farm in Ireland in 1910 and Sarah who is in New York in 2010 (but travels to where Anna was). Part fairytale, part folklore, part historical whimsy of the idea of a century before yours - there is magic to this story and the characters within it. I also really liked that the author touched on the social and political climate of Ireland in the early 1900's. I think there could have been more depth and power, pizazz and punch, to the story. But it can be appreciated as is.

This was a great book! It’s the second book I’ve read by the author and I will definitely read more in the future! Reading about Anna’s life in the early 1900’s and Sarah’s life 100 years later in the same location was interesting. Heartbreak and grief woven in with love and healing.

This was my second read from Evie Woods and I love her writing and the heart that she puts in her stories.

This one was wound throughout with Irish folklore and Celtic tradition. It seems that all of the books I'm reading lately are...must be the influence of The Good People, themselves!

The dual timeline kept me reading although I must admit that Anna's story kept my interest much more than Sarah's.

I love the stories, tales, traditions and dialogue rooted in Irish history. The Irish language being so well researched, it was lovely to learn and read. I was surprised though that, although the language used was historical in Anna's timeline, there was only one eejit in the entire book!

I liked the ending to Sarah's story but was a bit sad to read Anna's. I thought the magic would turn out better, happier ending for her.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! It was set in two timelines with two female MC’s. In 1910 Anna is an Irish girl helping an Oxford scholar collect stories from locals of the fairy faith. However, things take a dramatic turn…

In 2010 Sarah goes to Ireland to escape New York and the end of her marriage. She rents a cottage in Thornwood and discovers Anna’s diary.

This book is well written, I could almost feel this damp of Sarah’s rental cottage as I read the book. This book was a page turner, I couldn’t wait to see how both Anna and Sarah’s stories ended.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and it was a bit too twee for me. An interesting concept but one that I have read a lot of recently. It's an over-used trope for me - the old diary and the fairy folk. I would recommend it as it's a popular theme.

I really enjoyed this book. I love how it goes back and forth in time. It is a book that really focuses on the mysticism of Irish folklore, which I personally really enjoy. I love both the main characters, Sarah and Anna and found both of their stories intriguing and interesting. I felt a real sense of concern for both and could not put this book down until I found out how their stories ended. I have not previously read a book by Evie Woods, but I definitely would now that I read The Story Collector. I would definitely recommend this book.

Evie Woods has done it again!! I loved this so much 😭😭 the story is told beautifully across two time periods and I loved how the two main characters linked together. I enjoyed the hint of magic in this and all the fairy stories the villagers had. This was such an enjoyable book and I can’t wait to see what else Evie Woods has in store for us!