The Lost Story is a fantasy novel about two teens who go lost in West Virginia and appear months later without an explanation of where they were or how they survived. The story contains a bit of mystery, romance, and magic. The book has a nostalgic feeling with there being a magical place where children are safe and can have adventures away from trauma in the real world. The found family and friendships were very heartwarming. The theme of you are the writer of your own story was done well with a fantasy twist. It was also fun that there was a Clock Island reference! Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC to review!

After reading The Wishing Game and enjoying it I knew I HAD to read this one. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.

Two boys go missing in the woods and come out 6 months later seemingly unharmed and in good condition with no explanation of what happened. 15 years later they come back together to help a young woman find her lost sister, in the same woods they disappeared from.

I'd hate to give too much away in this review so I'll try my best to keep it vague but informative. This is a fantasy book, reminiscent of Narnia, yet unique in it's world and characters. I find Shaffer's writing so imaginative and intriguing although sometimes it feels like it's intended for a younger audience, it can lean juvenile at points with the character interactions.
The story starts a little slow with us not actually getting into the magical world until about halfway through but oh my gosh once we do, I LOVED it. It was fun and whimsical and still had deep, emotional moments as well. I think this novel was a little deeper than The Wishing Game which was all very feel good and surface level(IMO).
I enjoyed the writing style with the breaks from "storyteller" that added additional info and some comedic relief.
I'm curious with the ending if we may see these characters again or if it's just an ambiguous ending to let our imagination wander.

This was a book that made me long to visit a place that doesn't exist and stay there forever.

What an adventure! I want a new genre created for adult fairy tales. The Lost Story sucked me in with a unique plot woven with fantastical imagery and lovable characters.

Fifteen years ago, Jeremy and Rafe disappeared in the West Virginia wilderness for six months. No one knew where they were or how they survived. Now they’re on a new adventure to help Emilie find her long lost sister in those same woods.

The creativity and ingenuity that went into this story just amazed me. I want more - I want to know more about every character and what comes next. I loved the beauty as well as the grief and loss captured in this tale. The gay, bisexual, and asexual representation added another level to an already excellent novel. Can’t wait to read more from Meg Shaffer!

Like the secret garden - but for grown ups. A fairy tale story I couldn’t put down. Love, magic, and of course, Fleetwood Mac.

This worked much better for me than Shaffer’s previous novel, The Wishing Game, mostly because it leaned harder into the fantasy elements of the story. Once again this is a fantastic premise, and while I still have some qualms (we spend a little too much time in the real world before finally making it “through the wardrobe”), I found in general this was much better executed. Shaffer’s attempts to balance whimsy and fantasy with some tough real-life issues is really fascinating to me, however, it’s still a little jarring that the fantasy elements of Shaffer’s books feel so juvenile at times. I wish the writing overall was more consistent.

I was much more invested in the romance of this story — it reminded me of Bridget Collins’ The Binding in the ways it explored the forgetting of a shared romantic history. The characters in general were more compelling, though I could have done with a little less of the quirky, “boop death on the nose” vibes from Emilie.

Overall a heartfelt, imaginative read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC in exchange for my honest review..

I loved the WISHING GAME so much that when I saw Meg Shaffer had a new book out I had to instantly request it. I am sososos glad I was granted a copy by Netgalley.

. Inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups in every way. The characters are simply beautifully drawn, the world-building perfect, and even the back story is amazing.

Two boys get lost in the woods and find their way out 6 months later. Claiming they remember nothing, they go about their lives. Fast Forward 15 years and Jeremy, one of the boys, is not a card-carrying finder of lost girls. Emilie is trying to find her sister who went missing 15 years ago.

Here’s the setup for this – Jeremy has been looking for Emilie for those 15 years and he can take her to her sister, but a few things have to happen first.

I hate spoilers, so none here, just know that this fantasy/romantasy/epic battle fairytale is beautifully constructed and written with utmost attention to details, feelings, and love interests.

Brava, Meg Shaffer and thanks to Netgalley for a sneak peek. 5 stars ( wish I could give it more)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
What a delightful, heartwarming, imaginative fairy tale! I loved every single thing about this story and the magical world that may have been based on a picture on a Lisa Frank trapper keeper. Rainbow colored sand, unicorns, fire moths, and Valkyries are things I never knew I needed in my life. I loved Skye and Emilie and their sisterly bond. I loved Jeremy and Rafe and all of the things they went through and experienced together. I especially loved the storyteller parts of the chapters because it made the story that much more like a fairytale. The story is unique and fun and I may have shed a few tears but I also laughed out loud several times as well. I can't wait for the sequel! (Please tell me there really will be a sequel!!)
You need this book in your life. Go read it. Even if you're not generally a fan of fantasy, you will still like this book. It's more of a regular fictional story with some magic sprinkled in. I think you'll love it.

⭐️ Rating: 2.5 stars rounded up

I really, really wanted to like this one more than I did, but there are definitely some things that I truly enjoyed about The Lost Story:

— It was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia
— It had a mysterious fairytale narrator
— Fritz!
— Fleetwood Mac references
— Basically, the entire first 45% of the book

I adored the first half of this book- it was intriguing and mysterious, and, as a huge fan of fairytales and the Narnia series, it felt incredibly nostalgic. However, once I began nearing the 50% mark, I started to lose track of where the story was headed. The dialogue wasn’t my favorite, the pacing was off, and it was difficult to tell what the major conflict was supposed to be.

This one might not have been for me, but I’m grateful to have had a chance to read an early copy. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Ballantine Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this story! It was adventurous, magical, emotional, exciting, and all around lovely!

Two 15 year old boys get lost in a forest for 6 months. When they are found one remembers everything, the other doesn't. 15 years later the two boys journey back to the forest to help find a woman find her sister who went missing close to 20 years ago in the same forest. They stumble into a magical world that is so much fun.

The characters were loveable. Found family is one of my favorite book tropes! This book also has a delightful (and tasteful) romantic subplot. I feel like this book hit on so many levels. There is something in here for everyone.

At 15, Jeremy and Rafe disappeared for 6 months in the Red Crow wilderness of West Virginia. When they returned, Rafe had no memory of their time missing, and Jeremy's mother packed up and moved them to England to live with his grandparents. 15 years later, Jeremy is a finder of lost girls and women and a case brings him back to the Red Crow wilderness, and he hasn't seen or spoken to Rafe since he'd left the hospital shortly after their return. Emilie is looking for her older sister Shannon who disappeared there 18 years ago and she is hoping that Jeremy can find her body. When Jeremy sees the her photo, he recognizes her from his own time lost. But they weren't in West Virginia; they'd crossed into another world, one of magic and danger. And now he needed Rafe to get back there, and bring the Lost Princess to her rightful home.

The fantasy world of Shannandoah felt very "realistic" as something dreamed up by a pre-teen girl. Unicorns and woman warriors, magic and danger all on a brightly colored palette straight out of Lisa Frank. There is love: romantic, friendly, and familiar, but the romance is PG to PG-13 at the most. It was an interesting take on a fairytale and I enjoyed it.

I stopped after chapter 1 but easy three to four stars for the target audience. Easy to read, easy to follow, interesting premise, and accessible writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC

I loved Meg's first book "The Wishing Game" and was so excited to get my hands on her newest book. Both of her books are a mixture of a fairytale story combined with the real world. (really similar to Narnia books by C.S. Lewis- going through a wardrobe and entering into a different world).

The Lost Story is about two 13 year old boys that go missing in a forest of West Virginia and are found after 6 months. However, Jeremy and Ralph (Rafe) are in perfect condition (healthier and stronger than when they went missing) and no one understands how that is possible. How are they to explain what happened to them in the forest when no one would believe them (and when Rafe cant remember any of it). 15 years later Jeremy becomes famous for being a "former lost boy who helps to find missing girls/women". Then we meet Emilee, when she finds Jeremy and asks for his help finding her missing half sister who went missing 20 years ago. The catch? Her sister Shannon went missing in the same West Virginia forest as Jeremy and Rafe but 5 years before. Will Jeremy go back to the forest to help Emilee find her sister? Will Jeremy and Rafe finally speak to each other after 15 years of separation? Will Rafe go back when he has zero memories of what happened? Will Rafe forgive Jeremy for not telling him what happened in the forest all those years ago.

This book involves a storyline with an alternate universe and magic- which I know isn't for everyone, but I loved it. Meg creates a beautiful Kingdom that you desperately wish you were there too. There are also a few difficult topics discussed but she does it with delicacy and doesn't pull away from the story (suicide, kidnapping, abuse, grief). If Meg writes it, I will read it and probably love it. Both of her books have been charming, wholesome, and makes you effortlessly fall in love with the world and characters she has created. I also love the small reference to Clock Island (from the Wishing game) in this book!


Thank you to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book will be out on 7/16/24!

This fantastical, queer, adventure story from Meg Shaffer has a lot of promise and good bones. I'm looking forward to reading the corrected version that will be released in September! While this one didn't grab me and hold me captive like Meg's debut "The Wishing Game" did, I enjoy her lighthearted writing and the genre of adult fairytale she's working within.

Meg Shaffer's sophomore novel 'The Lost Story' follows a young heroine named Emilie as she searches for her long lost sister, who was kidnapped 20 years ago and never found. She enlists the help of Jeremy, a former lost child himself, who has an uncanny knack for finding missing people.

Years ago, Jeremy and his best friend Rafe went missing in the same forest that Emilie's sister was last seen in. Rafe can't remember anything about the time when he and Jeremy went missing, but Jeremy says he needs Rafe's help to find Emilie's sister.

The characters then embark on a quest to find Emilie's sister, discover the secrets of the past, work through old familial wounds, and embrace found family. They find themselves in a magical land where wondrous things can happen, but the darkness of buried trauma is not far away.

This story is an adult take on "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" mixed with "The Wizard of Oz." Meg has said over 800 changes have been made to the draft since releasing the ARC, and I'm looking forward to reading the published version in September. I'm hoping that in the published edition the storylines will be a little tighter/more concise, and that I'll feel more attached to the characters (instead of having the same surface level connection to all of them). It felt like there were too many details about side characters that distracted me from forming deeper bonds to the main characters.

I love that this story has a queer love plot, that the fantastical land is ruled by women, and I enjoyed all the humorous interludes from the "The Storyteller." This story has major movie vibes, and a sequel or series definitely feels possible based on the ending!

3.5/5 based on my critiques, but I'm guessing it will be 4/5 once I read the published version.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House, and Meg Shaffer for this advance copy!

I actually just read The Wishing Game, the debut book, by Meg Shaffer recently. Now that I have read bth books I’m really starting to love her vision of a fantasy story.
This was compared to CS Lewis’ work and that’s what lured me in and that comparison is not wrong.
This story takes you to a far away land, for people that want to escape, or not be found, and for the people that love them.
It also takes place in ‘the real world’ where bad things happen.
This magical book is definitely worth a read.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Meg Shaffer does it again!

I got lost in the pages of The Lost Story. The Lost Story is The Chronicles of Narnia for adults with the tone and playfulness of The Princess Bride.

The story was beautifully written with multiple unexpected turns. We have knights and princes and a queen but none of them fit the typical portrayals. Meg knows how to create lovable, rich characters whose conversations make you laugh and whose stories make you feel something deeply human.

I cannot recommend The Lost Story enough. I know I’m gushing but it’s all well deserved.

This book was a fun read, and the triggering topics were handled lightly so you didn’t lose the magic of the story. The storyteller breaks were a little disjointed, so that is why I gave it 4 stars. It definitely has a YA feel, but the magic makes it fun and the reasoning behind the magic definitely ties out to some of the YA feel. Based on the quick ending, I wonder if there will be more to come as a series, and if there were, I would eagerly read them!

What if lost children weren't really lost, but have found other worlds to live in without their abusers? This was such a delightful book. It gives Narnia and Fillory vibes, but also manages to address problems happening to the characters in the real world. I would definitely take a trip to Shanandoah again, hopefully when the Golden Apple Christmas Cake is served.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC of The Lost Story in exchange for an honest and independent review.

With this being my first Meg Shaffer book (I know-*gasp*-I have not read The Wishing Game yet, but rest assured, I have it sitting on my bookshelf), I came into this novel with an open mind and zero expectations, unlike all of you who have already read The Wishing Game. However, I can confirm, had I have had any expectations to begin with, they would have been undoubtedly blown out of the water.

The Lost Story is spun from the same magical threads that composed the wonderful worlds of Narnia and Middle Earth. Magical realms mixed with mystery and romance have been perfectly intertwined to produce this masterpiece of our age.

Fifteen years ago, two best friends disappeared in the Red Crow State Forest. Jeremy Cox and Ralph Howell went from being "missing" to quickly being considered "lost.' Before they transitioned to "forgotten' all together, they magically reappeared six months later, discovered by two passing hikers. Instead of stumbling upon two emaciated boys, they had clearly grown several inches and packed on several pounds in their time as 'lost boys.' But how? The world is left wondering where did they go, and how in the world did they survive?

Fifteen years later, Jeremy is a famous missing persons investigator who specializes in finding lost girls and women. Rafe is a recluse, living in the mountains amongst the animals and his fantastical paintings and sculptures of creatures and scenes that could have been plucked straight out of the mind of C.S. Lewis. Across these fifteen years, Jeremy and Rafe haven't spoken to each other, nor have they spoken a word of what happened to them while lost in the forest. In Rafe's case, that's because he truly doesn't remember. In Jeremy's case, it's a secret he's not allowed to share, not even with Rafe.

The past is about to reveal itself when Emilie Wendel tracks down Jeremy and asks for his help in locating her long lost half sister, who also mysteriously disappeared in the same woods as Jeremy and Rafe had just some time before they became known as the 'lost boys.' The three of them band together to revisit the Red Crow Forest and are plunged back into a world of fantastical magic and incredible landscapes in search of lost memories and lost persons. They will have to fight evil foes, traverse grand landscapes, and confront painful memories if they want to survive in the magical land of Shanandoah. Will they make it out together, or will they choose to stay forever?

Honestly, I found this book to be a work of art. The magical kingdom (or queendom?) of Shanandoah left me mystified and wanting to dive deeper into every corner of the realm. Meg's descriptions dance across my visuals so clearly, it's as if I was there myself. I hope and pray there will be sequels to The Lost Story as I don't think the story ends here. This is also a great contender for a movie adaptation. I will continue to root for these characters time and time again. Mark your calendars, folks! September 16th cannot get here soon enough and I cannot wait for the world to read this one!

Jeremy and Rafe disappear when they were teenager for months in the forest of West Virginia. When they made they way back to civilization, they should have been close to death but they weren't. Both boys were thriving. Rafe couldn't remember anything from their months in the forest and Jeremy wouldn't talk about it. What happened in those woods? Fast forward to present day, Jeremy and Rafe have moved on with their lives. Jeremy now helps find lost kids and returns them to their families.
Emily is searching for her sister and hopes Jeremy can help. Together these three join forces to help find Shannon who also disappeared in the same forest years before Jeremy and Rafe did.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is part adventure, part fantasy, part fairytale, and part romance. I loved every minute of this book. I read Meg Shaffer's first book, The Wishing Game, and loved it as well. Her stories take on an almost fairytale feel to them. Meg's writing is easy to follow and she has you reading far past your bedtime and sneaking in chapters as you can throughout the day. I loved the characters and the storyline. You could make a series out of the fairytale part of this book! I would definitely recommend The Lost Story to others and will continue to look for future works by Meg Shaffer! I love that she is a fellow Kentuckian!! Special thanks to NetGalley, Meg Shaffer, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars for me! #TheLostStory #NetGalley

THE LOST STORY ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5. This is not your average fairy tale. 15 years ago in West Virginia, 2 teenage boys went missing for 6 months in a forest. When they are found, one has no memory of their time away, while the other remembers too much. 15 years have passed, one boy is a recluse and one is famous for finding missing girls. When one woman appears needing his help finding her sister, he remembers the sister from the time they were missing all those years ago. What a great book! It had heart, comedy, fantasy, suspense. I am by no stretch of the means a fantasy fan, but this book made me feel like I was 12 again reading Harry Potter for the first time. A world created that I could imagine and feel. A great read!