I just reviewed The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer. #TheLostStory #NetGalley I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) for my honest feedback.

Jeremy and Ralph are high school boys who go missing during a school field trip in a forested area of West Virginia. Six months later, they're found, but secrets abound. Where were they, how did they survive, why does one no longer remember anything of the time while they were gone?

I started and finished this book in one day as I was completely enthralled with the world that Meg Shaffer has created with her storytelling. In the genre of C.S. Lewis, one never knows what may be right in front of them.

A story of love, love lost, love found, fantasy, childhood, adulthood, and everything in between. The author expertly weaves it all together in a way that keeps you wondering what's going to happen next. Sometimes, home isn't a place.

Tricky figuring out how to rate this one. I LOVED the last 10% or so where it all came together. The beginning definitely drew me in. But somewhere in the middle I got really uninterested in the fantasy world. It all came together in the end and was really beautiful, but.. more cohesiveness between the two worlds was needed earlier. This is the second book I've read recently with this setup of going from quite a long build up in the real world into an entirely different world, and it's a plot device I think I really don't like. But the first one I read like this was Stephen King's Fairy Tale, and this one was done *much* better than freaking Stephen King, so there's that. :D

I will officially read anything Meg Shaffer writes! I absolutely loved The Wishing Game and her sophomore novel, The Lost Story, is equally as brilliant.

This story 100% fills the brief: give me a fairytale, but for adults. I loved the entire concept of the lost boys (Peter Pan), a magical world (Narnia), and The Lost Princess (The Wizard of Oz). The character development was superb and I was invested in all the relationships between the characters.

I really enjoyed the addition of the storyteller and the dissection of all the elements needed to create a fairytale. The villain was exactly who I guessed it’d be and thought that was the perfect choice to bring the story full circle. If you loved fairytale adventures as child, then I highly recommend picking up The Lost Story. This one’s for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Fairy Tale, reality? who can say when you read "The Lost Story". This is a tale about found family, and about finding the family you lost. it's about reconnecting, overcoming your past, finding love worth loosing, and losing love worth having, and reclaiming both. it's about touching the lives of others, and knowing even when you've forgotten. This is a story about two boys in love, a two sisters searching for each other, and all of them coming together to find happiness. but happiness cannot always last, sometimes, you have to give up something, to gain what's truly important.

Jeremy can find anything, anyone, even. he's made a living of it, finding lost girls in the woods, kidnapped girls, missing girls... so when Emelie asks him to help her find her sister who went missing over twenty years ago, he's more than happy to try... except she needs him to go to Red Crow, the last place he's ever wanted to go back to. in order to get there, he has to convince his best friend to go with him. a friend who he hasn't spoken to in over fifteen years, all the while hiding a past that is nearly impossible to believe.

We begin the story with 2 lost boys being found by a woman and her date. There is a sense of magic within the boys. Fast forward 15 years later. a girl named Emily asks Jeremy one of the lost boys to help find her sister. To find her he needs Rafe, someone he hasn’t spoken to in 15 years. Rafe whose father has died recently. Rafe, who is bitter over Jermey’s absence. The story is a cozy fantasy, but with triggering elements, child abuse, kidnapping, and absentee or abusive parents. Though the world the characters enter is gentle the character’s emotional scars lead the tale. Rafe’s father an abusive man is a central point in Rafe’s story. The relationship between father and son shows just how demoralizing views on traditional masculinity are.
The ending felt fitting. A new beginning

This book was not for me. I enjoyed the premise but struggled to get into the writing style and story. I would still recommend it. It just was not my cup of tea.

This wasn't my cup of tea. I liked it enough to finish but not enough to give it more star. Thank you for the arc Netgalley

This book had all the feels, run don't walk to get a copy when this hits the shelves. If you enjoy fairy tales and found family this book is for you. I just love this author and her writing style and will read all her future books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc.
4.5 stars

This book made my heart hurt so good. Shaffer is an expert storyteller and she knocked this out of the park, again! I was lucky enough to be preapproved for her new book because I read The Wishing Game early as well, and honestly I am so lucky. I read this in one sitting and I can tell you right now I have a book hangover that's going to last for a while. Five (million) stars. Like Narnia, but for grownups.

Thanks to Megan Whalen from Random House and Netgalley for this e-arc!

I really liked Shaffer's first book, "The Wishing Game", which was her take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Her new book, "The Lost Story", has been described as her take on "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" but I'd describe it as a cross between LWW and Lev Grossman's Magicians series. There are lots of things to like about this book: great characters, a beautifully imagined magical land, and a plot that kept me reading. Why only four stars? I think the story of Skya wasn't complete enough to make me understand motivations, and the character of Emilie (while I liked her A LOT) seemed just a bit too juvenile for her age. Overall, a book well worth your time to read.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC for this book.

I think I need to go back and read "The Chronicles of Narnia" after reading this book. Meg Shaffer is also the author of "The Wishing Game" which I also loved. Her writing is really good and she tells really interesting stories! They're definitely for adults, but they incorporate fairy tale elements that bring back the feelings of being a kid.

It's definitely an adventure type book and I was along for the whole ride. There was a lot of great character growth and the characters were really fleshed out.

The plot itself was intriguing and I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Both of her books have been hits for me!

Thank you to NetGalley , Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and Meg Shaffer for the E-ARC!

What a well written book. It definitely took me on an adventure.
Read the trigger warnings, some may need to be aware of before reading this book.
The overall writing was fantastic. I enjoyed the storyteller portions as it plays well with the fairytale vibe. This is definitely a fairy tale for adults. Recommend 100%

I am a huge fan of the Chronicles of Narnia books, and when I read that the premise of this book was “what happens when those kids came back and grew up”, I was intrigued. This reflects the nostalgic ties to those classics while also aging it up to adults and modernizing a bit. While I found the storyline a bit simplistic, I think because it has such strong ties to childhood memories, it compensated well.

I saw the plot twist (I won’t mention because spoilers) coming pretty quickly, but this was a true fairytale, a quick read, and a very enjoyable story.

4.5 stars, rounded up

Read this if:
*you grew up loving the Narnia (or similar) books and are now an adult chasing that feeling
*enjoy found family
*like a intrusive (albeit helpful) narrator

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a fairytale that takes place in West Virginia. Two boys, Jeremy and Rafe, go missing in a state forest and are found six months later with no recollection of what happened. The story fast forwards to present time with Jeremy, who is a renown missing person investigator. Emilie hires Jeremy to find her sister who went missing in the same forest many years ago. To find the missing girl and unlock the secrets of what really happened when they disappeared, Jeremy, Emilie, and Rafe must journey back to the forest deep in the hills of WV. Magic ensues and a whole new world is found. There’s heroes, villains, and sacrifices. Sword fights, unicorns,and royalty. It’s a tale unlike any I have read and yet, it feels like home. Shaffer has a lovely way with words and descriptions. The characters are charming, witty, and funny. You leave the book with hope for a sequel.

I love stories that take place in my home state of WV, especially fairytales which are rare for WV. This is a lovely story for people who wonder what it would be like to walk through the wardrobe in Narnia and end up in a magical forest. It includes LGBTQ+ characters and does a wonderful job describing how it is to discover who you are even when you don’t know the whole story.
Thank you Ballantine Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This book will be released July 16, 2024.

I received this ARC from the publisher Random House Publishing Group for an honest review.

This was a well written book that will definitely take you on an adventure. You will experience all the emotions and the growth in relationships. There will definitely be some trigger warnings that some may need to aware of before reading this book. There were some aspects of this book that just weren't my style, but overall the writing was fantastic. I really enjoyed the storyteller portions as it plays well with the fairytale vibe. The writing is 5 stars.

I want to thank the Random House Publishing for sending me this ARC.

The fans of Wishing Game, what are you waiting for? Don't risk going blind to the magic Meg Shaffer offers in another book inspired by C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. It makes us believe dreams can come true at any time in our lives, as long as we open our hearts to embrace them.

I truly wished to get lost in Shenandoah and spend more time there until I let go of my insecurities, fears, troubles, and stress, shedding my old whining self and returning to innocence, laughing like a child. The world-building, metaphors, and Easter eggs hidden in the book, with references to Gilmore Girls and Batman, made me giddy.

The romance, friendship, and self-exploration blended in magical realism perfectly to immerse you in the secret lands of your mind.

The story revolves around three unique, one-of-a-kind characters: two young teenage boys, Jeremy Cox, a privileged English boy, and Ralph Howell (known as Rafe to Jeremy), a middle-class small-town boy with artistic talents. Bound by pure friendship, maybe more, they get lost in Red Crow State Park for six months, presumed dead. When they return, physically stronger, well-fed, and taller, nobody can explain what happened to them. Were they kidnapped? If so, how did they appear healthier instead of malnourished? Unfortunately, neither of them remembers anything about their disappearance. Especially Rafe, who shows signs of PTSD, short-term memory loss, and sleepwalking issues. After their return, Jeremy leaves town to live with his grandmother in England, severing ties with Rafe when he needed his friend the most.

Fifteen years later, we witness Jeremy becoming a celebrity for finding lost women and young girls, mostly in the spotlight, while Rafe develops his art in seclusion, hiding in his cottage. When the young, quirky, eccentric woman Emilie enters their lives needing help finding her lost stepsister, the two friends reluctantly unite to assist her in returning to Red Crow. Jeremy is convinced that they met Emilie's sister during their time lost in the woods, and only Rafe can find the way to this secret place. As they delve into their memories, secrets begin to unravel, allowing Rafe and Jeremy to piece together their shared past and embrace their future. But this is just the beginning of the story, isn't it?

Overall, I was hooked from the first page, enjoying the characters, the sacred love story, and the reimagining of the Narnia world. I look forward to reading Meg Schaffer's next magical adventure.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for providing me with a digital review copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

As I read The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, I couldn't help but think how cinematic it is; I could easily believe that this book could be made into a movie. This story of two friends who get lost (or perhaps it should be said get found) in an alternate, fairy-like tale world is magical and thought-provoking. At times, I wondered why the author created the alternate world the way she did, but in the end it became clear exactly what she was doing. This book makes you question your ideas of what a home is and should be. A great read!

Red Crow State Park in West Virginia is home to more than one missing person story…

When they were teenagers, Rafe & Jeremy went into Red Crow & didn’t come out until six months had passed. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to them, how they survived - but Rafe had no memory of the event, & Jeremy was very vague when questioned.

A decade & a half later, the two best friends aren’t on speaking terms; Jeremy has become known for finding other missing persons, & Rafe lives a hermit-like life with his artwork. But these two will have to learn to get along again, because a young woman named Emilie needs help from the both of them to locate her sister who disappeared in the same area they did…

I fell in love with The Wishing Game & am SO excited that I got to read an ARC of the next book from Meg Shaffer (thank you to NetGalley & Random House!) - I was hooked the second I saw “Inspired by C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia” in the synopsis of The Lost Story. I absolutely adore the map in the beginning of this book, & all of the many references sprinkled throughout (to The Wishing Game, to Gilmore Girls, to Batman, to James Bond). There were also unicorns & mermaids in this book (amazing) as well as many unique & fascinating animals.

The bonds the characters shared were beautiful, & they joked with each other in the dorky ways that you can only feel comfortable with in deep & true friendships. I loved the way that the storyteller would periodically interject extra information, & I can’t wait for more work from this author because I am LOVING reading her fairy tales for adults.

Wow! what a great stroy. I loved her first book and this was even better. A fairytale is obviously JUST what I needed. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Great writing. Loved the Storyteller :)

This book has it all a queen, a princess, a knight, a prince, unicorns, sword fighting and a magical land. I like how it is compared to Narnia which is a book I loved. It also deals with some tough issues as suicide, adoption, death, abuse, family drama, so it isn't all warm fuzzies.

The book takes place in West Virginia as Jeremy Cox and Ralph Howell go missing in the woods for six month. Jerome remembers his time in the words but Rafe does not. Now, Jerome finds missing women and girls and has been asked by Emilie to help find her missing sister. Most think Shannon Yates is dead but Jerome knows she isn't as he saw her in the woods when they were there. Now he must go back and take Rafe with him and uncover the past.

The author does a beautiful job of describing Shanandoah the magical land and bringing it to life. The relationships, love, and bonds that are formed will warm your heart as she builds the love between Rafe and Jeremy. Also how the sisters bond with each other after being separated. The power that the book and story holds over all by a magic pencil.