Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

The Lost Story is very much a fairy tale for adults. The first 40% has a really great buildup, and it’s like waiting to get to the top of the rollercoaster. It slowed down a bit from there. The pacing was a little off. I still really enjoyed the story overalll.

*Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

I've heard this be compared to Narnia, but the comparison that comes to my mind first is Bridge to Terabithia. It's the small town South, a fantastical world, a lush story that serves as an allegory for darker elements of a child's life. I honestly didn't want to put this book down and the narration was certainly part of it. Jorjeana Marie had such a magical voice and really sucked me into the story. As far as the plot itself, it's fairly anticlimactic. I wanted a bit more conflict and stakes, but I think the focus on cozy overrode that. Overall still a cute and heartfelt book though!

This story was so unique, yet so familiar at the same time. Reminiscent of fantasy classics like the Chronicles of Narnia and the Wizard of Oz (with a little Never Ending Story thrown in). I loved all the characters and know they will stay with me for a long time. I hope we will see them again!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title

"The Lost Story" by Meg Shaffer captivated me with its intriguing plot and richly imagined world. The story of Jeremy and Rafe's mysterious disappearance and reappearance, coupled with their quest to find Emilie's missing sister, kept me hooked from start to finish. The blend of fantasy and reality added depth to the characters' journeys. However, while I enjoyed the storyline, the writing itself didn't completely wow me. It felt a bit lacking in places. Nonetheless, the book was a compelling read, earning a solid 4 out of 5 stars from me. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 5/10

This book is obviously heavily inspired by other portal fantasies, particularly The Chronicles of Narnia. Unfortunately, because of it's focus on other stories, Narnia and fairy tales, it makes this story feel too derivative. Not nearly enough attention is given to worldbuilding and plot, making the story feel aimless and the world feel like a 2D backdrop for the characters to move around in front. There are a few things introduced as major plot points, but pretty much everything is resolved around two-thirds of the way through, removing an urgency for the latter parts, which just feels like the characters walking around with no purpose.

I'd say my favorite part of this book was Jeremy, Rafe, and their relationship. They're both fun characters and I loved seeing them come together. I think I would have much rathered to see a character-driven story solely focusing on them instead of the awkward plot and unnecessary characters. This could easily have been a slower, if shorter, story about just them and their complicated feelings surrounding each other and Shannandoah.

Unfortunately, I think the third main character, Emilie, is pretty much useless. While she provides a reason for Jeremy and Rafe to return to Red Crow, that is pretty much the extent of her role in the story. Things just seem to slot into place for her, and I don't see why she was a necessary character. She's also a very basic character, very cheerful and upbeat, and she doesn't really encounter any occasions for development, which makes all the time we spend with her seem pointless. Jeremy could have easily found the cold case file on his own, removing pretty much every reason Emilie needed to be there.

The writing is a bit difficult because I do like the writing style but I don't like the execution. This is a style I enjoy, the kind that speaks directly to the reader, and it made reading this easier and more fun for me. However, there are multiple instances where the perspective is unclear, and I did not like the Storyteller Corners. They were interesting at first, but eventually they are just used to explain things directly to the reader instead of weaving information and hints into the story itself, and it feels lazy.

Overall, I wish this book had given its attention to Jeremy and Rafe, a quest to restore Rafe's memories and figure out their relationship on the way. Instead, there are so many useless plot points and characters shoe-horned into the story. I don't understand why the King of the Bright Boys was introduced in that way; he could have just been an encounter (because their altercation with him definitely does not read as climactic). Emilie, Skya, and the Valkyries sort of just seem there, more as plot devices than characters. They delay opening the book for so long for seemingly no reason. This book would have likely done much better as a novella.

"Joy is quieter than people think it is. Especially the joy of getting back something you thought was lost forever."

Meg Shaffer's sophomore novel The Lost Story takes us to another world hidden in the woods of West Virginia. This story is whimsical, emotional, and was truly a delight to read. Shaffer's writing always completely absorbs me in the story. I loved the characters in this novel, and loved exploring their world (worlds?) and character arcs. I only wish we could have dived even deeper into the fantastical setting of most of the novel.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am convinced Meg Shaffer has a magic mechanical pencil with a unicorn eraser. There is something really special about her writing that I can easily lose track of time reading her books. This has been true for both The Wishing Game and The Lost Story.

The were elements of The Lost Story that reminded me of Fairy Tale. They are not the same but there are some similarities. There’s a quote from C.S. Lewis at the beginning which makes me think Narnia may have had some inspiration buuuuuut I have actually have not read the series (I know, I KNOW I need to read them!) so Fairy Tale is probably the next closest thing for me.

I liked Rafe’s story arc the most and even though I didn’t want the story to end and would’ve liked a few more chapters I know that this is a story I’ll revisit in the future.

"All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic."

Fantasy story focusing on found family, childhood dreams and one of the sweetest LGBTQ romances I've read in a long time.

Jeremy and Rafe get lost in a West Virginia state forest, for MONTHS the search party diligently looks for them until finally the town gives up. Months later they reappear, Jeremy suddenly has an incredible talent for finding missing people and Rafe remembers absolutely nothing.

Years later, Emilie finds Jeremy. Maybe he can help her find her long lost sister? The one who was kidnapped all those years ago? But to find her sister, Jeremy will need to reconnect with Rafe and he hasn't spoken to him in 15 years. Where exactly were they when they were "lost?"

I adored this book! It was magical and whimsical. A sweet homage to the classic story of The Chronicles of Narnia but with a beautiful interpretation of the story.

Rafe and Jeremy got “lost” in the West Virginia woods when they were 15 but had actually gone to the mystical kingdom of Shannandoah (think Narnia). They eventually must leave and then secrets keep them apart for another 15 years. What will happen when a girl name Emilie, looking for her long lost sister, forces them back to Shannandoah and all the secrets of the past?!

To the setting of something fantastical there is beautiful found family and a love story that unfolds here. This story is beautifully written! Start turning the pages to figure out what the real lost story is.

This was a very fun story. Like Narnia but with and for adults. You have a bit of everything in this book, but my favorite part is Meg Shaffer’s descriptions of the world. I felt like I was a full participant in it, and right there with the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

This is my second mEg Shaffer book and while I did enjoy it, there were a few things that were a miss for me. I was hoping for a bit more of the "fantasy" side, I was surprised how little time we actually spent in the other world. And overall I feel like the romance part of the book felt a bit forced at times. I still enjoyed it, but was hoping for things to flow a bit better.

Wow, beautifully written. Magical, funny and yet so real. I ended up crying twice. Within the first 100 pages I had to purchase this author’s other work because it was just so perfect.

I was really enjoying the premise and storyline.
The characters were interesting and the world was incredible. But I ended up DNFing this book.
I do not voluntarily read nor do I enjoy queer books, and I did not realize upon request and partially reading it that that is what it was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is definitely a 4 star read, maybe even 4.5. I loved the magical elements and found myself wanting to go to Shanendoah with the main characters. Sometimes the pacing was a little bit slow, and I would have loved to learn more about Jeremy and Rafe's first time in the kingdom. However, when I reminded myself how the world came to be I was able to justify the lack of some details. Overall, this is a wonderful story full of magic, adventure, friendship, and love.

I really wish publishers would stop comparing their authors’ works to things like the Chronicles of Narnia. It doesn’t do the author and favors and sets readers up for disappointment.

This book is fine and probably could have stood on its own as a decent portal fantasy. But comparable to the work of CS Lewis this is most definitely not. It’s not even a similar style, and the plot and world building didn’t remind me of the Narnia books at all. They have almost nothing in common beyond that they both technically qualify as portal fantasy.

It’s a decent story, though The Wishing Game was far more clever and uniquely plotted. This one does at least feel less emotionally manipulative than Shaffer’s last book (my lone gripe with what was otherwise a terrific story), but this is also by far the weaker story of the two, and it doesn’t give you much you haven’t seen before in this genre.

On the plus side, the story moves well and I thought the narrator interjections about the rules of fairy tales were cute. I liked Emily a lot. And hooray for including a fancy rat, which you don’t see too often.

In all, this is worth a read, but it probably would fare better with more managed expectations and without its publisher comparing it to the greatest piece of portal fantasy ever written, as that leaves this book looking woefully inadequate.

I absolutely loved The Wishing Game, so I jumped on the chance to read an ARC of The Lost Story.

I was immediately drawn into the story. But as the story progressed, I found myself wanting to read less and less of it for some reason. (It's most likely a me thing, not actually anything to do with the story or the writing.)

There's a big climatic scene in the middle of the book. As the storyline progresses, I expected a huge, whopper of a scene. But the whole climax was short, chaotic, rushed, and a bit disappointing. Once that scene was over, I was left wondering what else would happen in the book, with about half of it left.

Overall, I really didn't dislike the story. It was magical story and it had me believing in fairy tales again. But the whole thing kind of felt disjointed and unfinished to me. I give it three and a half stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Lost Story is out now.

3.75

Meg Shaffer is the queen of cozy reads. This was a beautiful ode to fairytales and classic fantasy. The characters were incredibly loveable and easy to root for.

This is more of a character-driven book than a plot-driven one, for those that have a preference in their types of stories. My only complaint is that I wish we spent more time in the actual fantasy world.

Otherwise, this was so enjoyable to read, and I do recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ebook in exchange for my review.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a story that revolves around the whimsical and feeling like a kid again. There are magical realms, princes, knights, mystical creatures, dynamic romantic and familial relationships. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by all of these elements that I typically love in a fantasy story. Everything felt fleshed out enough to make sense, but underwritten to have a lasting impact on the reader. I did not love nor hate the characters or the story, I simply found myself not caring. Perhaps part of this is to blame on my current reading slump, but I was truly SO excited for this novel as The Wishing Game was a 2023 favorite. I’ll definitely try another book by this author, but this one was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy to review. All opinions are my own.

This book was a great experience. I was pulled in from the very beginning, and enjoyed every bit of it. For me, this was better than The Wishing Game and is absolutely worth a read.
Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The lost story is truly a fairy tale for grown-ups. 15 years ago, two boys went missing into the woods with a friend. They returned but never spoke about what happened and drifted apart. As adults, they are brought together to help find a missing girl who also disappeared into the woods. They are transported back to their pasts and to a whole world beyond our sight-similar to narnia, wonderland, and oz. They must find the missing girl and help to save that world just as they did 15 years prior.

A fun, imaginative, and different read for the summer months! Shows that adults can still have fun and adventure too!

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.