The Lost Story was a surprising delight for me. I really enjoyed Shaffer’s writing style with interweaving the storyteller with what was actually happening in the tale. I did struggle at first with understanding what was going on/where the overall story was intending to go. However, now that I’ve finished it all makes sense. I loved how whimsical this was while simultaneously dealing with difficult and sensitive topics. The friendship and found family between Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie was special to watch develop and unfold as more of Jeremy and Rafe’s past came to light. Skya was also a delightful part of the found family, but we didn’t spend as much time with her. I loved the world building and creativity surrounding Shanandoah. I also really enjoyed the love letter to writing, creativity, and art found within the pages of The Lost Story. While the pacing felt slow at times, I also couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages. I think that’s a testament to Shaffer’s writing that even while slower, I was fully enraptured by her writing and desperate to find out what would happen next. Overall, I loved this story and would recommend to any adults looking to escape into a fairytale even for a little while.

This book leans a lot more into fantasy than the author’s first book. It took me a bit to let that go, because while I love magical realism, I am not really big on fantasy. The writing and the setting helped to draw me in though, and I ended up enjoying the book.

There was so much I loved about this upcoming release! 

I adored Emilie, Jeremy, and Raf and the way their relationships developed in the face of trauma and grief. I enjoyed the interjections from the Storyteller character (such a unique addition!), and I was captivated by the first half of the story. 

The second half of the book mostly takes place in the fantasy world, and this is where it lost me a bit. As someone who reads a lot of magical realism/fantasy, this aspect felt underdeveloped.

Overall, however, I really liked this heartwarming and uplifting story!

This book captured me at the beginning and held me captive until the end. I couldn't read fast enough. I loved the magical world of Shanandoah. The book gave me the feel of a fairy tale. Loved the world building - it was seamless and flowed so well. The writing is lyrical - very well written and well plotted. There is a focus on friendship. There are elements of abuse, forbidden love, family ties, and growing up. The story is charming and the characters are wonderful. I liked the way Emilie sought Stevie Nicks music throughout. I also enjoyed the references to Batman and The Chronicles of Narnia found in the book. I would recommend this to anyone who likes magical realism or fantasy books. Meg Shaffer is a new author for me and I've heard about her book [book:The Wishing Game|62926992] and now I am planning to read it as soon as I get a chance. I look forward to more by this author.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Meg Shaffer for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Lost Story coming out July 16, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really enjoyed the CS Lewis references. Narnia is certainly a magical place and is a well-beloved classic story. I can see what the author was trying to do. I think there’s definitely a comparison between this book and the Chronicles of Narnia. The two lost boys are trying to escape their awful situation. I thought the Storyteller Corner interjection chapters were interesting and made the story more unique. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the boys at the beginning such as what happened to them while they were missing. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling the second half of the book. I think things became a little repetitive and confusing. I think I was more interested in Emilie finding her sister. After everything, I didn’t feel like it was much like CS Lewis stories. I would check out other books by this author.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book.

What a delightful novel! I loved the whimsy, the characters, the love story, and especially all the animal companions. The Lost Story shows us the power of friendship, family, imagination, and of course, storytelling itself. The storyteller's interjections were funny interludes to the main plotline, but the characters are also well-developed and compelling. Another great story by Meg Shaffer.

This was a fun, fast read. It touched on some heavier topics but still maintained a kind of whimsical, wholesome tone despite the sad stuff. I think this book explored worldbuilding in a magical realism format in a nicely balanced way for a standalone which was lovely and really accented the story well.

As teens, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell disappeared into a stretch of West Virginia wilderness known as Red Crow. They reappeared 6 months later, perfectly healthy and fit except for a series of scars on Rafe's back. 15 years later, the 2 men are estranged. Rafe is an artistic recluse with no memory of their time away, and Jeremy is a preternaturally gifted missing persons investigator. Rafe knows that Jeremy remembers the truth of what happened, but Jeremy has long refused to reveal a single detail. When a young woman named Emilie Wendell tasks Jeremy with finding her sister - who coincidentally also disappeared in Red Crow - Jeremy knows that he'll need Rafe's help to find her.
This novel takes heavy inspiration from the Chronicles of Narnia.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this e-arc.*

Fifteen years ago Jeremy and Rafe disappeared in the Red Crow forest, only to reappear a few months later. Now, Emilie is enlisting their help to find her sister, Shannon, who disappeared in the same forest. The Lost Story was a fun and whimsical story, albeit a bit predictable at times, that I truly enjoyed reading. My only critique is that it took a while to reach Shanandoah (the characters don’t return to the magical realm until the second half of the book). I would’ve liked to spend more time in the magical realm and explored what transpired when Jeremy and Rafe went missing. I enjoyed all three main characters (Jeremy, Rafe and Emilie) and their arcs throughout the story. I found them to be well thought out characters that each had their own unique journey. Overall, I found The Lost Story to be an enchanting adult fantasy that I would definitely recommend to other readers and I can’t wait to read what Meg Shaffer writes next.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh Meg Shaffer, I don’t know how you do it, but your stories really keep me entranced. This book is truly a fairy tale, right down to the ending. You gave us suspense and mystery and bright, shiny things. But also a little bit of Grimm with the Bright Boys. Fabulous.

Fifteen years ago two boys went missing in the woods of West Virginia. Six months later they reappeared out of nowhere. They had grown considerably in such a short period of time. Other than a few days in the hospital, they were fine. At least physically.

Jeremy and his mother went back to England to allow him time to be out of the spotlight of a small town. Ralph went home to his mom in rural West Virginia, his dad had passed away while he was gone. The two didn’t speak for fifteen years.

Emilie was adopted at a very young age by a wonderful woman who raised her in a well to do household wanting for nothing. After her mom passed, Emilie found out she’d had a sister prior to her adoption. The sister had gone missing in the same forest as Jeremy and Ralph. When Emilie finds out that Jeremy spends his time locating lost girls, Emilie approaches him to help her find her missing sister, Shannon.

After Jeremy initially declines, he shows up and agrees to help. Because Jeremy knows Emilie’s sister. And she’s not really missing. But he’s going to need Ralph’s help to locate her. The same Ralph that he’s been avoiding for fifteen long years.

As I said this is a magical little fairy tale. A fairy tale for the older set. LGBTQ themes are present, so if that’s a problem for you, you may want to skip this one. Otherwise, indulge and enjoy. It’s a trip into a fantasy world that sounds like we all might want to visit someday. Yes, this story is far-fetched and unbelievable, but isn't that what fairy tales are all about?

The Lost Story is an ode to all the adult readers who still "casually" check the back of any wardrobe we encounter... you know, just in case.

I am new to Meg Shaffer, I didn't read The Wishing Game last year when it was everywhere, but after reading this one I will be picking it up soon. I felt like a fell down the proverbial rabbit hole with Emilie, Jeremy, and Safe. I was thinking about the story when I wasn't reading and when I was I was pretty oblivious to anything else. It reads like a fairytale and at times I started to question how something could make sense, but honestly, I just reminded myself it doesn't really have to make sense because it's a fairytale. And yet, just like in Narnia hard situations are handed to our heroes and they have to face them both in their magical realm and the real world.

Any lover of fantasy as a child should pick this up as a grown-up. It healed a little part of my inner child and let her come out to play for a little while.

I loved Wishing Game, and was so looking forward to this book. I’m also a huge fan of C.S. Lewis and Chronicles of Narnia. The Lost Story does not live up to these two books. Glad to see that it is being properly marketed in the Libby app.

Thanks for the advanced copy.

Wow. Just amazing.

15 years ago, two boys who had been missing for a few months were suddenly found in a forest by a couple hiking.

15 years later, Jeremy Cox, one of the missing boys, is now a missing person investigator, specifically for missing women and girls. Andrea Ralph, or Rafe, the other missing boy, lives in a cabin in the woods sculpting and hunting poachers.

Emilie Wendell has been internet stalking Jeremy Cox determined to meet him in person because her half-sister has been missing, kidnapped 20 years ago and needs his help finding her. Except she went missing in Red Crow State Forest, the same place Jeremy and Ralph had been missing years ago.

Jeremy agrees to help because he says he recognizes Shannon, because the boys had seen her where they had been missing, and Jeremey says she’s still alive.

This is such a magical and romantic book. Oh it hurt my heart in sad and good ways. I loved the magical realism mixed with the portal fantasy world which is filled with all matters of fantastical creatures and beings.

Emilie is this fast talking, brave gal who owns a rat named Fitz, who she takes along on their journey which I loved! I loved her sassy directness, she says what’s on her mind out loud and I loved it.

The boys I just adored!!! Jeremy and Rafe are best friends and an awesome team, and I loved the found family they developed together with Emilie and more.

The romance in here is one of those heartbreaking “will they won’t they” kind of ones and it was just oh so good.

The story itself is so well written. It’s about being lost and finding not only where you are, but finding yourself. There’s so much depth to this story and so much just MORE to it, that you have to read it to experience it yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

I’ve wanted to read The Wishing Game, I own it and have not read it yet, but I will now after reading this magical and beautifully written story.

I mean think of a narrator like from The Book Thief, mixed with Narnia vibes and probably any portal fantasy you can think sprinkled with the perfect amount of romance and family love and found family, you have yourself a great story.

I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the gifted e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Did you like The Princess Bride movie? You know how Fred Savage and his grandpa are reading a story and that story is the main part of the whole movie but you get earlobe deep into the action and then are startled when they break in with commentary? This book is very much like that, but also with the wonderful little twists that we all loved in Ms. Shaffer's previous book. Yes this book feels somewhat young adult, but it did in a way that felt cozy and nostalgic instead of immature. And I'm not sure I would call it a romance, despite the publisher thinking it is! There was love, but I never rolled my eyes, and you know I do with romances! The characters are grown ups still dealing with past traumas and relationships but the magical forest keeps them and the reader enthralled. This book was an amazing vacation from my other current reads and just what I needed at the time!

5⭐️

"All this time, I've been lost without you, and you were the only one who could ever find me."

Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing for six months in a West Virginia state forest before reappearing looking as if they'd never been gone. In the fifteen years since they had gone missing, life hadn't been easy for Rafe as he had no memories of their time away. Jeremy had became a missing person investigator and seemed to have a gift for finding people, which is why he was approached by Emilie Wendell, a girl looking for her older sister that went missing in the same forest. Jeremy hada hunch of where the girl went, meaning he had to reunite with Rafe after not seeing him for 15 years. Because Jeremy might have been the only one to remember their time away, but Rafe is the only one who can get back to the magical realm they left behind.

I absolutely loved this. This felt like Fillory from The Magicians meets Peter Pan and instantly drew me in. I loved Jeremy and Rafe's dynamic; Jeremy leaving Rafe behind rather than lying to him for years and Rafe's understandable anger over that transitioning into their inseparable relationship was so well done. I also loved that the two had such a deep relationship while in Shanandoah and Rafe just completely forgot once they left and Jeremy had to live with that. Even though it was painful, Jeremy waited until Rafe was ready to remember before forcing it on him. Skya and Emilie's quick connection despite having never met was great.

Shanandoah sounds like such a wonderful place to hide away from life, especially for children like Rafe and Skyla who were running from home issues or a kidnapping. The Bright Boys, which felt like an evil version of Peter Pan's Lost Boys were an interesting twist as was The King of Lost Virginia. I loved the fourth wall breaks at the beginning of the chapters and where that wall break is coming from. Fritz the mouse was adorable and I want more of him. This finished on an open ending so I'm just going to hope for an unlikely sequel just because I need more!

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing this ARC to me!

The first half of this book had me hooked! I could not put it down. I loved the ambiance, the mystery, and learning the character dynamics. Once the setting switched midway through the book, my interest greatly waned. The tension and mystery from the first half were no longer there. I struggled to make it through the last half of the book.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a recommended fairy tale for grown-ups.

As fourteen-year-old friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in the Red Crow State Forest in West Virginia. The two returned six months later with no explanation of where they were or how they survived. Now, fifteen years later, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars from that time but has no memory of what happened during those months. Jeremy is an investigator who specializes in finding missing girls. Emilie Wendell approaches Jeremy to find her older sister, Shannon, who went missing in the Red Crow Forest five years before he and Rafe. Jeremy remembers what happened when they were gone, but knows he must talk Rafe into joining them in entering the forest and the secret portal again.

The Lost Story is really a love story between Rafe and Jeremy set in an imaginary fairy tale world. The description saying C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia inspired The Lost Story threw me for a loop on this one. Yes, it applies as far as people enter a portal into an imaginary land, but the allegorical aspects are absent as are the charming details which make the series a classic. The setting is a fairy tale but none of the animals talk and are developed as characters. Sure, there are herds of unicorns but characters are simply seeing mythical creatures not talking to them.

While I loved Shaffer's The Wishing Game, her current novel, The Lost Story, is entertaining but I'll admit to some disappointment as the plot progressed. I didn't want a love story, I wanted the promised magical adventure. (Or at least Fritz talking.) The narrative also has a Storyteller who jumps in and inserts comments as the plot unfolds. I'm not a fan of this choice. It is explained in the end, but still I was not a fan of it while reading the novel.

Jeremy and Rafe are fully realized characters but Emilie never reaches the same level of development. Her character was a favorite of mine and I would have appreciated a deeper dive into her development. Admittedly, I was also totally expecting Emilie's Fritz the rat to transform into a magical talking animal or at least a talking rat. Thanks to Ballantine Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

The Raven Boys x The Light Between Worlds.

Another fantastic entry to the post-problem of Susan microgenre. I love how at its core this is an optimistic, humorous book despite all of the dark things going on. I wish it was longer and that Jeremy and Rafe had a little more depth (not that they were flat characters at all, but I felt like there was more there). What if I just,,,moved to West Virginia?

This book started out incredibly compelling. The first few chapters were page turners, oozing with mystery and intrigue, but it all starts to go downhill from there. While I generally enjoyed the author’s prose, the awkward and clunky dialogue made the characters sound like preteens rather than adults. The time lines in this book made very little sense, specifically the fact that Jeremy and Rafe had seemingly years worth of memories and physical development crammed into six months. The jumps between happy and whimsical to grim and dangerous were jarring for me. While the fantasy world was fun and childlike, it felt very lacking in world building and substance to me. The relationships, even between main characters, also felt hollow, likely due to the amount of telling instead of showing. There were definitely some enjoyable moments, but overall I had to force myself to finish the book because I kept having to suspend disbelief about some event or interaction at least once a chapter. The idea for this story was very cool and had a lot of potential, but this was an absolute miss for me.

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Ballantine and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine for my advance electronic copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

After her adoptive mother's death, Emilie is desperate to find her half sister, who disappeared when Emilie was a baby. She enlists the help of Jeremy Cox, who--along with his best friend Ralph Howell--also went missing over 15 years ago, before reappearing six months later with no explanation. Jeremy has now made a name for himself finding lost girls and women, and accepts the job on the condition that Ralph accompany them. What Emilie never counted on was stepping into an enchanted world parallel to our own, where good and evil are very real. There, Jeremy and Ralph also have to face their past, or let it destroy them and everything they hold dear.

First, I loved the neurodivergent rep and the LGBTQ+ closed-door romance. I started out feeling confused, but as the story revealed itself I found my footing in a way that I often don't when reading fantasy (Tolkien particularly leaves me feeling like I've missed a step). The parallels to Narnia were clear, though the overt spiritual allegories weren't a key part of this book. There were some A Wrinkle in Time vibes too. What was clear was that Emilie, Ralph, and Jeremy had all lived through serious trauma, and that they are on an epic quest to find themselves and the community they need in each other in order to heal and grow. I left the story wondering if we'll get to find out what happens next. After all, when almost half of the book is spent on the lead-up to even entering the enchanted world, it leads me to expect that we'll be seeing more of that world in subsequent books.

Trigger warnings: Abuse, both physical, mental, and neglect; death; death of a loved one off-page; nightmare imagery