This story was so magical, and the ending was satisfying. I felt the pacing was done well and the way it was written was easy to follow without being too obvious. My biggest complaint is that Emilie, while she is in her early to mid-twenties, speaks and acts much younger than her age. I feel she could have been aged up 5 years and it would've been much more pleasant to read with her more mature. The only other thing that bothered me was character dynamics. For example, Emilie and Skya meet and don't act the way you would if you finally get to meet your long-lost sibling that you know next to nothing about. And the Valkyries' personalities seemed flat. We get mini introductions for each of them but then we only hear like two of them speak more than a sentence. Not to mention we get absolutely nothing about where Shanandoah actually came from and its history, but maybe that will be in the next book? I would've liked more of its history in this story to add to its impact and make it feel more "real". Overall, I do recommend this to anyone who likes Chronicles of Narnia and magical realism with a little bit of love and family sprinkled in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You are never too old to read a fairy tale, especially this one!

Jeremy and Rafe are best friends who went missing for six months with no explanation of what happened during that time. Now, fifteen years later, they return to the forest they went missing in order to help a young woman locate her lost sister.

This story based upon magical realism, and I definitely recommend for fans of Chronicles of Narnia and fairytales.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the digital advance reader's copy.

This is a story about so many things that are lost: a lost world, lost sisters, lost time, lost family, lost love, and, perhaps most importantly, the loss of one's self. If you could go to a world that would restore those losses, would you?

Fifteen years ago, fifteen year-olds Ralph and Jeremy went missing for six months in a West Virginia forest. When they were found, Ralph remembered nothing, and Jeremy refused to talk about what happened.

Now, Jeremy wants to return to the same forest to find Emilie's missing sister, but he needs Ralph to go with him.

As the trio embark on their quest, only one of them knows that they aren't just going into the forest, they are going to another world - one in which they may be lost forever.

There really is a lot of ground covered in what seems to be a simple portal story, and sometimes it feels a bit rushed and the culmination too easy. However, the narrator does say at the beginning that this story is a fairy tale, so that motif does fit with a fairy tale.

I liked the characters, particularly Ralph and Jeremy's friendship and love story and their complicated families. It is the characters that will make you stick with this story, as it takes about 40% of the book for the characters to begin their search for Emilie's sister, as Shaffer builds their backstories about what they have lost and what they are hoping to find. I didn't mind, and I didn't find the beginning of the story slow, but rather an essential part of preparing the reader for what comes next.

It's hard to share more, as I don't want to give away too much, but if you grew up loving portal fantasies, this may be for you, if you're looking for one that combines the healing power of stories with the pain of living in an imperfect world with imperfect people.

Shaffer leaves the door open for more stories with Jeremy and Ralph and Emilie, but all of the major plotlines in this story are wrapped up in this book.

All in all, two thumbs up, and I'll keep reading more by Shaffer, who seems to strike a fine balance between happy endings, cozy fantasy, and the real difficulties in living in a world filled with loss and love.

*occasional language, family violence, fantasy violence, sexual situations

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Meg Shaffer for the advanced copy of The Lost Story!

In The Lost Story, we follow Emilie as she meets Jeremy, a man notorious for being able to find missing women and children. Jeremy, after some convincing, agrees to help Emilie find her long-lost sister who disappeared in the Red Crow forest of West Virginia. Unbeknownst to Emilie, however, her sister has not been missing; she's only been in an alternate, magical land called Shanandoah, a place Jeremy is very familiar with. The problem: Jeremy doesn't know how to get back to this place without help. He seeks out his once-best-friend, Rafe, and convinces him to help their cause. What ensues is a true fairy tale plot, complete with unicorns, queens and knights and princes, and a happily-ever-after.

The Lost Story is a winding tale akin to the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Fairy Tale by Stephen King, and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

This book was SO good. Not only was the storyline easy to follow and consistently entertaining, but the love story was so so so cute and refreshing. The intermittent interjections by the storyteller was a wonderful addition to give additional context or just a funny note about the story. I loved all the characters and their backstories.

I knew I wouldn't be disappointed by Meg Shaffer after falling love with "The Wishing Game" and she once again wrote a beautiful, engaging story. A book for adults set in both the "real world" and "magical world" with the most endearing characters. If you are looking for a well written, heart pulling tale that can take you out of your every day life this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

The Lost Story is utterly magical. I wasn't sure what to expect going in. In fact, I've been reading mostly romance lately and wasn't sure I wanted to read anything else. It took me a minute to get into it, but once I was in I couldn't put it down! The beginning reads more like a suspense/mystery as the story slowly unfolds. The adventure and underlying messages of acceptance and found family make you fall in love with the story. I can't wait to recommend it to anyone who will listen but especially fans of Narnia.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this eARC!

Meg Shaffer has done it again. Here are five things I loved about this 5-star read:

1) I love how she seamlessly blends real world issues with fantasy elements. Some serious topics are covered in this book, but it never takes away from the magic - in fact, it might enhance it because it gives the characters even more reasons to want to escape

2) She’s great at borrowing other fictional stories and tweaking them to her own. It doesn’t feel like a copy of Narnia at all, more liked a loving homage

3) The characters! They were all so well-developed and lovable. I was worried having (basically) four MCs would make it hard to get in depth with any of them, but they are each fully fleshed out individuals

4) I loved the narrative device of the story teller. It added a lot of whimsy to the writing

5) The ending was satisfying but also made me want seventy more books in this series!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for this ARC. The Lost Story is out tomorrow!

4 Stars!

This was a whimsical fantasy that is about a fairytale that has adventure, platonic love, and LGBTQ representation. I was intrigued from the very beginning with this one. The setup with the storyteller coming along with the reader was unique and I loved it. Every little teaser we would get from them had me paying close attention to each scene. I loved that the idea that we can find fairytale worlds through portals in our world. IT reminded me of Narnia or even Alice in Wonderland. It's hard to say much about the characters without giving anything away, but I found them captivating. The characters were complex with traumatic pasts, and they were all working together to find their own slice of happiness. From the beginning, we don't know everything about each character. The mystery aspect had me chugging along the book to learn any little fact about them. I did think the ending of this book stretched on a bit more than it was needed to. Overall, I really enjoyed this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for gifting me this ARC!

Oh goodness I loved this book so much 🥰 Right from the start I was captivated by the story telling and the characters. Honestly I never wanted it to end!

"Fairy tales need heroes. Heroes need dragons. Princes and knights need enemies. Life needs death. That's the price of magic."

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is wonderful fantasy with magic, the law of three, Stevie nicks appreciation, a quest, a rat named Fritz , a satisfying ending .....plus !

- A non linear timeline (which usually frustrates me but I was fully on board with these because they flowed smoothly)
-Multiple POVs (ya'll know how much I appreciate getting to see inside the minds of all my favorite characters)
-Magical Realism ( happy sigh if only it actually existed )
- Queer rep🙌
- Platonic love 🙌
-Romantic love (with a second chance arc that delivers emotion)
- Found family 🙌
-An engaging storyteller ( This was probably one of my favorite parts. The story teller was entertaining and it broke up the story perfectly, keeping it moving forward. )

An adventure, a fairy tale, a coming of awareness, a love story, a found family story set for the most part in a magical world. Jeremy and Rafe were lost in the woods of West Virginia but came back. Emilie's sister Shannon never did and now she's persuaded them to look for her. To do so-and they must- Jeremy must finally tell Rafe what happened to them. And oh what a story it was! I didn't expect to like this but it pulled me in and kept me reading even through the most implausible of scenes (well, the whole thing really) because of the big heart and the devotion of the characters to one another. It deserves to be read without spoilers, to be allowed to bloom in the reader's mind as it did in mine. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A really good read.

This book is very much real world problems and fairytale kingdom.
Shanandoah, a kingdom created for a girl in need, that came to house two boys in need. A woman looking for a sister. Two men who have lost each other. The truths each must face from the real world while in Shanandoah.
The world building for Shanandoah is amazing.
There are many parts of the real world story that are troubling.
Fairytales are supposed to end happily ever after but as this is the real world, it is hard to determine what that means.
Thanks to Netgalley and Eandom House Publishing for the opportunity to experience The Lost Story.

What a fantastic book! I thought this after reading her first book, The Wishing Game, last summer, but this second novel blew me away with its creativity and fast-paced storyline.
Rafe and Jeremy got lost in Red Crow State Park for six months as teenagers. When they were found, everyone had questions about how they survived (and not just survived, but thrived), but the boys had absolutely no answers. Move forward 15 years and it’s time to head back down that same path to find the place where they truly belong..
I loved the magical world that Meg Shaffer created and there’s so much material here, we better get a series out of this! Bare minimum, a sequel!
Highly recommend!

This book was such a sweet fantasy book. The authors note said that she saw The Lord of the Flies and Chronicles of Narnia sitting on the shelf next to each other and knew just what to write. The story follows Jeremy and Rafe, two boys who were lost in the woods for months. But when they are found, one remembers where they were and the other has no memory at all. Jeremy and Rafe are no longer friends and the two have gone their separate ways. 15 years later, Jeremy is now skilled at finding missing persons and makes a living out of that, while Rafe has become a reclusive artist. The boys have not spoken since they returned from being lost. That’s until Emilie finds Jeremy and asks him to help her find her sister who’s being missing since before the boys went missing in the Red Crow Forest. And so the adventure begins, this reads much like a fairytale with some fantasy/magic elements. There are some strong themes woven through of abuse, abandonment and homophobia, so there’s your warning!

I loved the way this tale was wrapped up because all fairytales deserve a Happily Ever After, don’t they? But I honestly had no idea where this book was taking me and I enjoyed the ride!

This book is true imagination. I loved this book from
The beginning. It reminded me of books like lion which and wardrobe from childhood but as an adult. It made me happy. I loved this book.

Read if you like:
🐉 Fantasy
🚪 Narnia Series
✨ Magical Realism
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ Stories
🥛 Missing Kids

This book is definitely a softer feeling fantasy read that is more on the light and fluffy end but does have some darkness to it. It felt like a Narnia but grown ups type story in a lot of ways.

There is also a narrator that jumps into and out of the story to help direct the plot and while this was unique, I also found it a bit annoying the way it was done.

All in all, I don’t think this book is for me, it was fine, but didn’t wow me or make me dying to know what was going on, but was intriguing enough to finish, I think a lot of people will love this one, but for me it just didn’t grab me like I hoped it would.

Thank you to the publisher for my ALC in exchange for my review.

Such imaginative and detailed writing. Meg Shaffer is an author to take you on adventures and want them to be real!
- Before they were the West Virginia Lost Boys, they were just boys.
- Below and before them lay the still autumn-lovely woods. Trees upon trees upon trees rising and falling in endless waves, an ocean of forest, and two boys drowned in it.
- In other words, a hero on a quest for the Holy Grail isn’t looking for the Holy Grail. The hero is trying to find himself, and the only way he can find his true self is by going on a journey, being tried and tested until he knows if he is a hero in name only or a hero in truth. And that’s why the world has Holy Grails—not because the world needs Holy Grails but because the world needs heroes.
THANK NETGALLEY, MEG SHAFFER & PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

You may have to suspend belief when reading this book, but who doesn't love a good fairy tale? A good recipe for a fairy tale starts with "Once upon a time" and ends with "They lived happily ever after", but is that really always true?

Meg Shaffer's debut novel The Wishing Game was one of my 5⭐ reads for 2023 and once again she takes readers on a magical journey to a fantasy land. In an interview, the author once said that she "writes middle school books for adults" and this one feels even more like a YA novel then her first book.

Divided into sections called Storyteller Corners, with a few chapters within each section, the "Storyteller" provides an explanation for things that have happened or a preamble to things that are going to happen. This is the story about two boys, Jeremy and Rafe, who went missing in a West Virginia forest for six months when they were 15 years old. Once they return home, they drift apart, with only one of them holding the memory of what happened, until fifteen years later when a young woman seeks their help to find her missing sister.

This is a story about magic and miracles. It is about bravery, friendship, family, love, endurance, and devotion. But, it's also about fear, regret, loss, hatred, and acceptance. And, of course, a deadly competition thrown in for additional excitement.

For me, this story was not as captivating as The Wishing Game, but it still held my interest. I would recommend this to fans of fantasy or magical realism or anyone who is young at heart. I urge you to read this and decide for yourself where your heart lies.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book! Shaffers writing was so clever, imaginative, & heart warming. This fairy tale had me absorbed from the start, & I didn’t want it to end. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

The book is an adult fairy tale, and I loved it. Jeremy and Rafe went missing 15 years ago and mysteriously reappeared after 6 months. During their absence, they inhabited a land of beauty and danger, remembered only by Jeremy. Now, after all these years, Jeremy wants Rafe to return to this mystical realm to search for a missing person.

This whimsical story takes the reader to unexpected and magical places. It is beautifully written with strong character development. I cherished every word.

Thank you to Ballantine Book and NetGalley for an early read in exchange for an honest review.

The following review was posted on Goodreads today (07/14/24). Thank you so much for this ARC I absolutely loved it.

This is an epic adventure story which I would have liked to gulp down in one sitting but I had to "adult" instead. It did still keep me up way past my bedtime a few nights.

The story about Jeremy, Rafe and Emilie takes you on an adventure with nods to Alice in Wonderland and Narnia. When our story opens, we are told Jeremy and Rafe once disappeared into a forest only to emerge 6 months later. Where they were was cloaked in secrecy for many years until Emilie needs their help finding her sister. The quest they go on to find her has a lot of unexpected twists and turns.

Where were they for those 6 months? What do they need to do to find Emilie's sister? Trust me, you'll want to find out.

I was pleasantly surprised by the LGBTQ representation in this book!!!

I am hopeful the author will write a sequel because I need to know what happens next.

This book was kindly provided to me by the publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.