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!

The Lost Story was a delightful read. I love it when a story is told in a way that makes magic feel believable; Meg Shaffer accomplishes that with this drama turned fairy tale.

Emilie has been lonely and alone since her mother died. She’s never quite fit in at school or in life. When Emilie discovers through genetic testing that she has a sister, one who has been missing for more than decade, she seeks out Jeremy, a famed finder of lost girls. Jeremy was a lost boy himself as a child. And so his unusual career path is especially fitting.

Emilie persuaded Jeremy to take her case, but Jeremy insists on bringing alone Rafe. Rafe was lost alongside Jeremy years before, and while the two were inseparable in their youth, it’s been years since they connected.

To speed things along, I’ll say they end up in a magical world looking for Emilie’s sister. It’s wild and special and a total fairy tale. There’s romance and family and domestic violence and loss. But it’s all put together in a way that is oh-so-readable and heart-warming.

Once I started, I couldn’t put this book down. This is my second Meg Shaffer read (I also adored the first), so I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel personally victimized by this book…in like the best way! It’s Peter Pan meets Narnia meets The Wizard of Oz meets lgbtq+ meets tears falling out of my eyes at an uncontrollable rate. I mean, I DEVOURED this story in less than 48 hours. I truly recommend this book to anyone who wants a little fantasy, humor, mystery, romance, adventure, friendship, and love in their life. I think this is one of the best reads I’ve had this year so far. I thought this book was captivating in the first part but once I hit like 40%, I could not put this book down. I cannot wait to own a physical copy. Huge thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer. Books are magic - none more magical than this one!

As someone who loves Narnia, I was very excited for this addition to the numerous stories that have been inspired by this classic. I am happy to announce that I enjoyed it. This was such a sweet fairytale with loveable characters that were brimming with charm.

Thank you to the Netgalley recommendation from the publisher for bringing this book to my attention.

Wow, The Lost Story is an absolutely phenomenal read. I love the fairytale feeling of the story and (like the Narnia books, which inspired the author) the combination of an ordinary world with a fantastical world.

I was really eager to find out what had happened to Jeremy and Ralph/Rafe during their time away-- and why Jeremy would not tell Rafe. The Emilie storyline was a little less compelling, especially because she could be mildly annoying at times, but I was certainly curious about her sister and I wanted them to meet each other.

Throughout the book, the banter between the characters had me chuckling. It's pretty impressive to have such a good mixture of humor combined with adventure.

There's quite a bit of build up to finding out what happened during the boys' time in the woods, which is heightened by the "storyteller corner." Thankfully the reveal does live up to the hype.

I also appreciated the structure, which worked well, especially to begin with the boys being found and then gradually revealing the past in small dosages. So many writers would have turned this into a dual timeline -- with the effect of slowing down the pacing. Here, instead, we have great pacing throughout. This novel did a wonderful job of keeping my attention from start to finish, and the ending is very satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions in this review are completely my own.

I loved the idea of this book and I loved her other book but this one was just to slow and disjointed to me . It seemed to take too long to get to the point of the story.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this magical ARC!

This book ropes you in from the first page. It’s easy to see the inspiration from C.S. Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia but as an adult spinoff. This is a great fantasy book for people who like contemporary books, simple magic systems and magical realism.

There are very real, adult issues in this book such as abuse, kidnapping, anti LGBT characters, trauma, etc. Despite these issues, the story sweeps you away to a magical place that you don’t want to leave. I also love that the author, Meg, set this book up for a sequel. Let’s hope it happens because I would love to come back to this world again!

I was really excited to get Meg Shaffer’s second book! Her magnificent writing flowed from her first book to The Lost Story. I loved the take of a fairy tale for adults complete with a narrator who would pop in from time to time. Once I started this book, I found it hard to put down. I loved the theme of no darkness without light that flowed through the book. I loved the LGBTQ representation. The character development was not lacking and the reader is able to become invested in the relationships. The author was familiar with old fairytales and I loved the impact books like Narnia, Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan had on this book. I just didn’t fully love the ending. It felt like it was either really rushed OR it sets up the space for a sequel.

The Lost Story is a perfect modern fairy tale. Jeremy and Ralph go missing in a state park their early teens and are discovered 6 months later, in good health but with no explanation as to what happened. Fiifteen years later, Jeremy is an investigator who finds missing girls. Emilie begs Jeremy for help finding a sister she discovered through a DNA test after her mother had passed away, leaving her without any other family. Jeremy knows he needs Ralph's (Rafe's) help despite not talking to him for 15 years. And from here a Narnia-esque adventure begins. I loved this and hope the author considers a sequel!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed The Lost Story! I love Meg Shaffer’s other works so had high expectations and they delivered.
I loved that it was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia, as someone who drew up loving those books. I thought the characters were all super great and easy to connect to and get invested in. There is some romance with out it being overtaking and it has such a nice like old school book feel to it in a good way - felt nostalgic like stuff I read when I was younger but also not immature. I loved all the settings and it was really immersive. Can’t recommend enough and will add to our library!

The review is on a pre-release version. According to the author's social media post, there have already been almost 800 changes to this version. I mention that because the first 30% of the book was rough - initial draft rough. I am looking forward to reading the published version when it comes out in July 2024.

The Lost Story was inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia, much like her first book, The Wishing Game, was inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It follows Emilie, Rafe, and Jeremy on the journey from West Virginia to the magical land of Shanandoah. It's the classic hero's journey. I loved that the author mentioned Joseph Campbell in the Storyteller Corner. Hopefully, this will lead to a whole new group of people being aware of his work.

I loved The Lost Story. Everything about it and all it stands for. Be you and stand up for what you love.
This is a story of loss, love, fear and forgiveness. All of this tied up in a nice bow thrown into a fantasy world.
Love!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.