Gosh I love fairy tales, and I really enjoyed this book. The pacing is good, the characters are great, and I love the way West Virginia is woven through the whole story.

I was pulled into this story immediately, and the pacing was consistent so I stayed engaged the whole time. I sometimes wondered about the value of the storyteller corner bits, but it made sense at the end and I ended up liking it.

The chemistry between Jeremy and Rafe is so so good. And Emilie is grieving the loss of her mother, but it makes her determined to find her sister. I loved her journey. And her rat, Fritz is the best!

Just a note, this story deals with childhood trauma and repressed memories. So read with care if those are issues for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advance copy!

If you loved the The Wishing Game you will also love Meg Shaffer's new fairy tale! Jeremy and Rafe are best friends and one day when they want to get away from life so they go hiking only to get lost and are gone for so long that they become "The Lost Boys". Until one day they suddenly reappear. Jeremy knows of the magical journey they've been on but cannot tell Rafe and he cannot remember and they become estranged for 15 years. Jeremy has special sense of locating missing people and becomes a "tracker" of sorts while Rafe struggles with his dreams and becomes a recluse living in a cabin in the mountains. A girl finds Jeremy to see if he can help find her half sister she has just discovered who also got lost in the same place they did. At first he says no but agrees when he sees her picture and they enlist Rafe to go with them. Rafe and Jeremy must confront their past to make amends while facing the dangers to find Emilie's sister in a truly magical realm.

Delightful fairy tale narrated by a mystery character in a unique and interesting format that kept me turning and turning
to find out what happened next on their journey!

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC! #TheLostStory

After reading Shaffer’s first novel, The Wishing Game, I was thrilled to get a copy of The Lost Story. This was such a fun premise and I was excited to get lost in another world of magic and wonder.

The writing flowed very easily and it was quick to read. There were multiple points of view with some feeling more conversational than straight storytelling.

It was a slow build to get to answering some questions and the beginning of the quest to get to the magical world was very enjoyable. Curious to read what Shaffer comes out with next!

Thanks to the author, Meg Shaffer, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine, and NetGalley for the eARC of The Lost Story!

What if you could create a world. The real world. One where magic existed and all the bad things in the world were left behind. A world where you could be who you wanted. How you wanted with zero judgement and freedom that few people find. Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie all have things that they have lost. Jeremy lost his only friend when they were “lost” in the woods for six months, because he can’t tell Rafe what really happened. Rafe lost that time and just wants to know the truth. Emilie wants to find the sister she never knew she had lost. Together their journey to find the truth leads to them finding their real selves. This is a fantastical journey that will sweep the reader up on page one. I can’t wait to see where they go next.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

The Lost Story is a fantastical delight. Meg Shaffer took me on a journey that is magical, touching and full of marvelous humor. A book that starts off with a bit of mystery but then had me falling down a proverbial rabbit hole and enjoying every curious moment. Shaffer combines a tale of two lost boys and the weird circumstances that kept them lost for 6 months with the present day some 15 years later and the beginnings of those two boys not only finding each other again but getting to rediscover a world kept carefully hidden.

I was enthralled with this amazing story that not only captured my own imagination but encouraged both painful and joyful moments of truth for Jeremy, Rafe and Emilie. I was heartbroken for Jeremy, in particular, that in order to save his dear friend Rafe all those years ago, he had to lose what he had experienced for those 'lost' 6 months seemingly forever. It's not until Emilie tracks down Jeremy who is now a sort of "master of vanished people" that he is able to not only confront Rafe again but show him what he only thought he knew in his dreams and vast imagination.

Shaffer deftly describes all that occurs to this trio as they enter the Red Crow State Forest and find themselves taken to a land one would only see in picture books yet feels unquestionably real. There are unicorns, evil spirits of sorts, colorful scenery and a queen who is not only our storyteller but a woman who has been waiting patiently for someone dear to her to join her in this otherworldly queendom. Thinking upon Shaffer's alter ego and the unholy trio she created in the Original Sinners, I was more than glad that she kept her sharp wit and snark intact as this new trio started this adventure, needing lighter moments to fully absorb all that was surrounding them.

The story is intricate, extremely entertaining and beyond clever. It's almost as if it is a story within a story within a story, as I devoured every word. The book turned out to be nothing like I thought it would with the way it started out but from knowing Shaffer's stellar brand of storytelling in her previous writing incarnation, I had to have subconsciously known it would be unique. And it was. It is. And it's some of the best writing I've had the pleasure to read this past year.

Much occurs to these wonderful characters as they maneuver through this new normal, fighting off evil and always wondering if they'll be able to stay forever this time or if the hills of West Virginia will call them home again. Every minute of this venture is truly full of heart and soul. Everyone and everything has its rightful place and is a very integral part of this storyline. Which means you truly need to savor every page and pay close attention to what Rafe, Jeremy and Emilie encounter and how their lives will forever be intertwined no matter what they need to do going forward to make things right for all involved.

The Lost Story is brilliant. It's full of surprises, addictive mirth and most of all, love. Whether in the form of two friends finding their way back to one another for good or a caring woman who would do anything for her adorable pet rat, I fell hard for these characters, loving each individually and as the family they became. I can only hope Meg Shaffer might give us a bit more of them in the future since they are beautifully memorable and won't soon be forgotten.

5++ huge stars!

I have heard nothing but good things about Meg Schaffer’s debut, The Wishing Game (I own it in e but haven’t yet read it), and was thrilled to be offered the chance to read an early copy of her follow-up, The Lost Story! The Lost Story is a grown-up fairy tale about a mysterious land, the door to which is found deep in the West Virginia woods. 15 years ago, best friends Rafe and Jeremy disappeared without a trace only to pop back up in the same location 6 months later unable to explain where they were or what happened. Now estranged, Rafe is a reclusive artist with no memory of his time in the woods while Jeremy has become an expert in finding missing persons. When Emilie asks Jeremy to help find her sister, who was lost in the same West Virginia woods as he/Rafe, Jeremy reluctantly agrees but only if Rafe (who he hasn’t seen or spoken to since their return) agrees to help. Together the trio embark on a quest that takes them into a magical land filled with secrets—including the very secrets of what happened all those years ago and why.

The Lost Story was such a unique story and structure but I found myself having mixed feelings about it as a whole. I’ll start with what I enjoyed. I really liked the premise—the ability to get a look at what happens after a fantasy story concludes (here children returning from a fantastical adventure) and the Narnia inspired-ness of it all definitely drew me to the story/appealed to me. I also thought the second chance friendship/love story between Rafe and Jeremy (and the reveal of how/why they wound up in the magical woods in the first place—that Rafe was running away from his father’s violent disapproval of his artistic pursuits and sexuality) to be really poignant. I would have read a whole book really focused on that. Which leads me to one of the things I did not enjoy as much—the Emilie storyline. Although we started out with her POV and her quest to find out what happened to her sister served as the inciting incident, once we got into the search and back into the Shanondoah, her plot sort of petered out. I ultimately found it pretty unsatisfying and wondered why she was a POV character at all. Relatedly, delving into Shannon/Skya’s backstory and how she created the world, would have been interesting to further explore. Instead, we get a brief explanation; it’s clear that the trauma she experienced as a neglected teen who escaped an abduction caused her to run away into a world of her making but it is only cursorily mentioned. Overall, I thought this was a unique book and I sped through the first half, but the resolution of all the various threads did not quite work for me. I’ll be interested in what other readers think!

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the complimentary e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved The Wishing Game so I was excited to get my hands on The Lost Story.
I felt the first half of the book was great and kept me wanting to read for longer and coming back to it after putting it down at night. I personally stopped feeling the same after the group made it back to Red Crow State Forest. The story seemed to fall flat at that point. I am a big fan of magic realism, but this for me didn't give me the feels of magic. I think the magic scenes at times were so obscure they didn't seem genuine and felt bogus. I also thought the romance felt a little too out of the blue and didn't really fit the story or even felt like there needed to be one at all.
Of the two stories I liked The Wishing Game best!

"The Lost Story" echoes the spirit of "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe". Fifteen years ago, Ralph and Jeremy vanished during a school trip to West Virginia. When they returned mysteriously stronger and healthier six months later, Ralph, renamed Rafe by Jeremy, had no memory of their experiences. Jeremy promptly moved to England with his mother, severing ties with Rafe. Fast forward 15 years: Rafe is an artist grappling with mental health issues, and Jeremy, is now known for finding lost children, especially girls, Jeremy knows he find Rafe when is hired by Emelie to locate her missing sister, Shannon. Shannon had disappeared from the same forest a few years before the boys had.

The trio embarks on a journey to a magical yet perilous realm, confronting themes of love, friendship, family, and forgiveness along the way. With its focus leaning towards the YA genre, "The Lost Story" blends contemporary fantasy with heartfelt human drama.

3.5 stars.

I don’t normally like prologues in books. I read them “just in case” there is vital information in them. ***HOWEVER*** This author did something amazing with the prologue. She grabbed me by the arm and yanked me into the story. She captured my imagination and said “Let’s run and see where we end up.” At the end of the prologue, I wanted to just start reading and go through the door of imagination and explore all the book has to offer.
Once I was there in the story, each time I had to stop was more difficult. The characters were delightful and very real. I felt as if I had entered the world inside the book - and then further up and further in we went. The story expanded and grew. I loved the concept of The Bright Boys, even though they were somewhat villainous. They reminded me of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan in some ways. The use of "The Storyteller" bothered me at first, but later became a delightful part of the story.

I recommend that if you start this story, (and you should!) that you keep going until the end (or is it?)

Thanks to the author for her hard work = and also to all the team that supported her and made this book even better.

4.5 stars. A fairy tale for grownups who wished they could stumble through a wardrobe into Narnia. Shaffer explores what happens when lost children come home from a fantasy land to reality and become adults, and the consequences for the people they left behind. Not a perfect book, but a lovely one.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

THE LOST STORY by Meg Shaffer is a charming and magical story inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. Best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell go missing after a school field trip to the Red Crow State Forest in West Virginia. After months have passed, the search is called off and the boys are declared lost. Six months after their disappearance, the pair reappear unharmed with no explanation for where they have been or how they could have survived. Fifteen years later, Jeremy has become a successful missing persons investigator, while Rafe is reclusive artist living in a cabin in the woods. Rafe has no recollection of what happened to them. Jeremy knows they have been in another magical world, filled with infinite beauty but also incredible danger. Unfortunately, he cannot share the details with Rafe and the two become estranged. But when Emilie Wendell seeks out Jeremy’s help finding her lost sister, who vanished in the same woods as the boys, he knows that he will have to reveal the secrets he has been hiding all these years. This is truly a fairy tale for adults. The descriptions of the enchanted land of Shanandoah made me feel like I was there. This is a beautifully-written and sweeping story of friendship, love, and family that I won’t soon forget. Highly recommended! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

The Lost Story is so different from the books I usually reach for. My go-tos are usually thrillers and mysteries but I knew Meg Shaffer would tell a wonderful story, I was not wrong. This book reminded me a bit of "Bridge to Therabithia" and I it made me realize how much I do love fantasy books. Although this is not a children's book, it did bring me back to my youth in remembering when I fell in love with reading and re-opened a whole new genre for me. Great story overall.

Feeling similar thoughts as The Wishing Game.  I was super intrigued by the premise and the magic, but ultimately it fell a little flat. 

It almost felt like I was reading two different books.  The beginning held a lot of magical build up but once they crossed over to the other realm in the middle it turned a little too YA for me.  The romance felt a little random. I could have done with a little less of that and a little more of the showing not telling us of the magical world.  It needed a little more world building.  I did, however, love the interjections from the narrator throughout the chapters.

Overall, it was a beautifully written story of complexity, imagination, and a whimsical land.  The author pulls inspiration from classic fantasy stories for her books and this one gave Peter Pan/Narnia vibes.  If those are your jam, definitely check this one out!

Things I Liked:
Adult Fairytale
Magical Realism
A Bit of Mystery/Missing Kids
Queer Rep
Engaging Storyteller

🎈Happy Pub Day Review🎈

My thanks to @PRHAudio #Partner for this free audiobook and to @RandomHouse for this gifted DRC.

📕🎧:The Lost Story
✍️: Meg Shaffer
🗣️ : Jorjeana Marie
🕰️: 10H 22M
Loved beyond all measure

“Fair warning: if you’ve never believed any impossible things before, now is a good time to start.”

Gird your loins, friends, I’m going to gush about this one 🖤

Ah, man, where to start with this dream of a book! To say I loved it feels like the biggest understatement ever uttered. I think I felt every emotion possible while reading/listening to this and when someone asks me “what book made you cry?”, this will always be front and center. Not just sad tears but tears of wonder, joy, and sheer happiness. It is poignant, moving and magical and being lost in The Lost Story was an experience that reminded me of the awe and marvel I felt when reading and rereading favorites as a child.

Read this if you like:

🐦Found family
🐦Heroes and Villains
🐦Redemption through trial
🐦A magical forest
🐦Chronicles of Narnia

It just doesn’t get any better than this 🖤

🎧 Jorjeana Marie narrates this spectacularly; what a talent and what a pleasure!

Thank you for writing this, Meg 🖤

Swipe to see the synopsis 👈

Jeremy and Rafe went missing in a forest when they were younger. They returned after 6 months. Now adults, they must help Emilie find her sister who went missing in the very same forest. Jeremey remembers his fantasy filled time in the forest but Rafe doesn't. They must go back to find the others missing. This is a wonderful fantasy book that I read very quickly. I loved the fantasy, descriptions of the forest, and the characters. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is about Rafe and Jeremy, who 15 years ago went missing in The Red Crow forest in West Virginia and emerged unharmed 6 months later, as they venture back into the forest they were lost in to help Emilie find her sister who went missing 20 years ago.

This one was really cute!!! I went in blind and definitely appreciated it more because I had NO idea what was going to happen at first and really enjoyed that. However, at some point the story got little predictable, and I feel like a lot of the “big twists” I was able to see coming?

I loved Rafe, Jeremy, Emilie, and Skya and their story was so heartwarming. The characters and their development throughout the story were incredible! Also, this just felt so creative and nostalgic, like I feel like my imagination was just so colorful while reading this one if that makes sense.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Magical Realism • Fairytale • Belonging
Queer Romance • Rural West Virginia
ARC • Publishes tomorrow! 16 July 2024

Thank you to Ballantine Books @randomhouse and @prhaudio for the free early reviewer copies!

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. — 𝗖.𝗦. 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀

The is a perfect quote for this book and if this is you, you should pick up it up. This is a tale of whimsy and of escaping painful realities into magical lands where anything is possible (other than modern medicine). Alternate realities and fantastical kingdoms await. There will be knights, valkyries, mermaids, and of course princesses.

Though it has been compared to Narnia by the publisher, as I was reading I started reminiscing about places like Never-never land, the lost boys, the narrator from the Princess Bride, and the Wizard of Oz. The first half moves more slowly, introducing us to the characters and building anticipation for the magic which emerges in the second half.

Was it predictable? Yes, it was but then again almost all fairy tales worth their salt are. Since for any fairy tale you need a princess in some sort of trouble or distress, a hero (the more unlikely the better), someone with magic powers who knows more than they’re willing to say (secrets and mysteries to solve), one or three villains worth fighting, and of course magical animal creatures! And a narrator! The Lost Story has all of that, and more.

🎧 Someone is going to need to explain to me the meaning of, “West-by God! -Virginia!” but it sounded like a lot of fun when the narrator said it on audio!

TW: Child abuse (off screen)

The Lost Story starts off strong with a whole bunch of intriguing components-a mysterious narrator who inserts themselves into the book every now and then, a woman who is looking for her long lost sister, and two guys who mysteriously reappear after being missing for half a year.

I think the author does a pretty good job of keeping the vibe and stakes level the whole way through the book. There's a lot of magical realism/urban fantasy. Things keep happening and the plot keeps rolling along. For me, I felt like something small was missing from the fantasy portion of the book. I think the last bit of the book sort of explains that, but I still wanted just a bit more from the world-building.

This book is well-suited for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Neverending Story, and other books that bridge the divide of real life and fantasy. Very enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the e-ARC!

I had high hopes for this book after reading The Wishing Game. Unfortunately, this one was not my cup of tea.

This book read like a YA book. There were basic descriptions, not enough world or character building. There were specific topics and some crass lines that kept this book in the adult category.

I did enjoy that two people found a world where they could be themselves. Overall, I don’t think I will be recommending this book to others. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you, Ballantine and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of The Lost Story.

I loved The Wishing Game. I was keeping my fingers crossed that Meg Shaffer could keep the magic alive, and she did not disappoint! Oh, how I loved The Lost Story. This is the fairy tale that will melt your heart and make you feel like magic really does still exist.

Best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell reappear six months after mysteriously vanishing from a West Virginia forest. Jeremy moves on in his life and becomes a famed missing persons investigator while Rafe becomes a hermit with absolutely no memory of what took place for those six months in the forest. When Emilie Wendell contacts Jeremy to find her missing sister, Jeremy insists on bringing Rafe along for the search when he finds out that Emilie's sister went missing in the same West Virginia forest that still haunts both men. Rafe reluctantly agrees to tag along but only on the condition that Jeremy finally tells him everything that happened over that six-month period. The three take off on an adventure of a lifetime to face down demons and find what was lost.