Loved this one!!! Felt like an adult fairy tale and was completely drawn in with the first chapter. It was the perfect amount of character and world building. I need to see this made into a movie!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
While I had some issues with Meg Shaffer’s previous book, I generally enjoyed her homage to the magic and whimsy of childhood classics, but in an adult book, and was interested in trying something else from her. The Lost Story delivers a poignant homage to several “lost children” narratives, including most particularly the Chronicles of Narnia, focusing on the lingering psychological impact their disappearance and return had on them, as well as how it affected their relationships with people in the real world, in a way CS Lewis only briefly gave nods to.
I love the whimsical way the story developed, with the separation between the mundane, real-world and the fantastical. And there’s also interstitial bits from a mostly off-page storyteller (whose identity is revealed as being relevant to the plot by the end), and while some of these bits felt a little info-dumpy, I liked how they sometimes conveyed backstory or otherwise conveyed intrigue about the magical world. I do have mixed feelings about the blatant appropriation of the Native term “Shenandoah” (as in the river), taken from the Native term for “daughter of the stars,” which Shannon/Skyla blatantly says she “changed…to make it mine” to “Shanandoah.” She does acknowledge this was a product of her youth, having been thirteen when she named the fantasy place this, but it’s still weird to me that a white kid took a name from indigenous culture and perverted it for her fantasy kingdom where she rules with other white kids.
And with its central characters and the bonds between them, the relationships unfolded in a way I did not expect. Having been jaded by the turn taken in Shaffer’s prior book, I fully expected something to happen between Emilie and Jeremy and/or Rafe romantically, and it to occur in some canned, rushed way. But instead the focus was instead on how Jeremy and Rafe needed to re-excavate their past within Shanandoah and with each other, which was really sweet as their initial departure led to their estrangement, although it was also tinged with some trauma focused on Rafe’s dysfunctional past relationship with his father. As for Emilie, I feel like she did play second-fiddle once they got to Shanandoah. However, her journey was mostly done once she found her long-lost sister.
The narrative feels simultaneously fantastical and grounded within its reality. Things took a strange turn by the end, with a turn for the ambiguous, which I’m not sure what to make of, but given how things end up for the characters, I like how it also leaves things open for more adventures, whether they materialize in book form or not.
This was a beautiful book, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a book that captures the nostalgia of childhood fairy tales and fantasy classics for the adult reader.

"Inspired by C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, this wild and wondrous novel is a fairy tale for grown-ups who still knock on the back of wardrobes - just in case - from the author of The Wishing Game.

As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they'd gone or how they'd survived.

Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons' investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy.

Jeremy alone knows the fantastical truth about the disappearances, for while the rest of the world was searching for them, the two missing boys were in a magical realm filled with impossible beauty and terrible danger. He believes it is there that they will find Emilie's sister. However, Jeremy has kept Rafe in the dark since their return for his own inscrutable reasons. But the time for burying secrets comes to an end as the quest for Emilie's sister begins. The former lost boys must confront their shared past, no matter how traumatic the memories.

Alongside the headstrong Emilie, Rafe and Jeremy must return to the enchanted world they called home for six months - for only then can they get back everything and everyone they've lost."

It's not just Narnia I'm looking for, it's secret passages!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer. All opinions are my own.

Two boys go missing in a forest in West Virginia, and then return six months later without much of an explanation. For fifteen years Jeremy and Rafe have little to no communication with one another. As an adult Jeremy can find missing people, and Rafe has no memory of the six months they were missing. Our third main character Emilie hunts down Jeremy to help her find her long lost sister. Jeremy might know a little about "this long-lost sister", but he will need Rafe's help to bring the sisters back together. All three must return to the enchanted, magical world that Jeremy and Rafe lived in for those six months, to make this happen.

Meg Shaffer states that her book is inspired by Chronicles of Narnia. That is really all I needed to hear to become very intrigued to read The Lost Story. Right up front I will say that if you're looking for a cozy, magical, fantastical, heartwarming read, well, then you found it. There is a love story, long lost siblings, enchanting characters, and so much more. You will find yourself rooting for everybody to get their happy ending. I did read the author's first book, The Wishing Game, and enjoyed it, but The Lost Story is really special. This one releases on July 16th and was picked for the July Book of the Month subscription box. Happy Reading!

I’m just gonna be honest, this book just wasn’t really for me. It hooked me in from the beginning, but then it just kind of went downhill and didn’t keep me engaged or interested.

When I saw this book described as being for adults who still knocked on the back of wardrobes looking for Narnia, well, I had to see what it was all about. And boy, was I glad I took a chance on this one.

Going into this I thought it was going to be a mystery, but it was very much a fairy tale for adults, and definitely reminiscent of the Narnia books. The descriptions of Shannandoah were magical, and I was really able to imagine it clearly in my mind. The world building was just top notch, and I was able to really immerse myself in the magical world of Shannandoah.

I loved the exploration of what it means to be lost and found. Jeremy and Rafe lost so much, one of them knowing what was lost and one having no idea, and them finding each other again was magical. Rafe also lost pieces of his childhood, and was able to find them again and help mend the trauma of his childhood.

I also loved the exploration of magic, and how we can create magic on our own. As always, I appreciate the sensitive and caring LGBTQ representation.

The writing style here was very simple, as befitting a fairy tale. I think that adults in their 30s and 40s would really relate to the characters. All in all, this book was such an enjoyable summer read. I didn’t want to put it down because I had to find out what happened next. It was my first book by the author but it won’t be my last.

3.5/4 stars

What a whimsical read! I liked the fantastical elements as well as the conversation around familial trauma and loss. I wish there was more world-building - it felt like this book was longer than it should have been with the sparse amount of details that were provided about the different settings. Some of that length can come down to the stilted, almost juvenile, dialogue between our characters. I think the author was going for descriptive, detailed, and lyrical, but it just felt bogged down by unimportant jabs. The pacing was also a bit tough for me as the first 50% of the book was purely about reconnecting the characters, so it felt slowwwwwww. Whereas the last 50% of the book was the adventures in Shanandoah and it felt extremely rushed with very little exploration of this whimsical world itself (which was disappointing since everything led to those moments in Shanandoah). The interruptions by the narrator were cute, but decidedly annoying at times, although I did love the background knowledge given in some of those sections. Overall, not a bad book, just a bit too simplistic for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Meg Shaffer for allowing me access to an early copy in exchange for my honest review!

DNF @ 60%. I really enjoyed the first half of the story, but I feel like this idea wasn’t fleshed out enough. The characters didn’t feel true to life and their dialogue was forced, especially their humor. Being thrust into a fantasy world mid story is all fun and games, but when everything you need to know is immediately infodumped on the first page of their arrival, it takes some of the magic out of it.

One of my favorite reads of the year. Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

I was really looking forward to this one because I really enjoyed The Wishing Game. Meg Shaffer knows how to warm this cold cynical heart. As someone who has been a huge fantasy fan since childhood, I really appreciate the strong nods to flagship children fantasy stories and series (think Narnia, Willy Wonka, The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride, etc.)

The Lost Story takes place on a dual timeline, past and present, and highlights the relationship between 4 “lost” people. There is a strong nod to childhood trauma and child runaways in both of Shaffer’s books and the escapism into fantasy worlds that helps some children heal from said trauma. In a small West Virginia town, teenagers have gone missing in the vast forest on two separate occasions. A young woman, abducted and assumed to be dead, who was never found and two young boys who went missing for 6 months, assumed runaways, but returned with no memory of where they had been, or so we are to believe. These three lost souls have a relationship that transcends reality and they work together to find one other lost soul, who cannot be found until she wants to.

The Lost Story is magical, heartwarming and sad all at once; and includes a LGBTQIA romance. Alongside our four main characters, we have our Storyteller POV (reminiscent of The Princess Bride ala breaking the fourth wall throughout both timelines past and present) and most importantly the cutest fancy rat mascot.

The Lost Story comes out on July 16th and is a perfect cozy magic realism/fantasy read for the summer. Thank you to Random House Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book; all opinions are my own.

This was like a big hug to lovers of fairy tales who are now adults. I loved the homages paid to fairy tales we grew up with like Narnia. (Loved the Easter egg to THE WISHING GAME with the nod to Clock Island). I felt skyas character was a bit flat (but that was also her purpose) and I was left wanting more from Emilie. I thought she would be playing a much larger role in the whole scheme of things.

Thank you so much to Random House for the ARC!

THE WISHING GAME was my favorite book last year so hopes were SO HIGH! I loved how the charatcer's in that one felt like friends and how even through there was a magical element, it wasn't the main theme.

This is nothing against the writing itself, but the level of magic in this one didn't work for me. Not surprising since Narnia didn't work for me either, so clearly it's not that there's a lack of talent, it's just that I have a lack of imagination required to make the story come to life.

The writing was beautiful though, but not something I would go out of my way to read again.

I'm sure this will still be a huge hit for many!

It will be available July 16th!

Absolutely captivating story with magic, adventure, and heart. I loved the way Meg unfolded the story and the obvious and subtle nod to Narnia. I adored this book and Meg Shaffer is officially an auto-buy author for me!

At Tome Student Literacy Society, we have a list of language and content criteria for the books we select for our annual book award list, the Tome Society Book Award. Upon a language search in this book, we discovered that it did not meet our specific criteria for language. Due to this, we elected not to finish this book for review purposes for our organization. We would like to thank the publisher for the opportunity to review an e-book of this title.

This book was absolutely fantastic! I wanted to read it as quickly as possible to find out what happened, and also never wanted it to end! Meg Shaffer writes such beautiful stories and this is definitely one of my favorite books of the year!

to anyone who has ever wanted to escape to a fairy tale, this is a love letter to you. Beautiful! I didnt want this to end, ever. This is the type of book that makes you wish you could read for the first time again.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Jeremy and Ralph, also known as the Lost Boys, disappeared in the Red Crow Forest and reappeared six months later. As inseparable as they were prior to their disappearance, they did not speak to each other for the next fifteen years. Emilie is seeking answers to her sister’s disappearance in the same forest as the Lost Boys. Jeremy and Ralph agree to help her. They not only find out what happened to her sister but also find out what happened to the Lost Boys during the six months they were missing. Be prepared to be transported to a magical place filled with unicorns, rain berries and royalty. I adored the book “The Wishing Game” and had high expectations for this book as well. Alas, I didn’t hate this book but also didn’t love it. Thank you NetGalley and Ballatine Books for the Advanced Reading Copy.

This was a DNF for me. I didn’t realize the book had an LGBTQ+ relationship. I know this won’t be an issue for many, but this book is not for me.

Let me start by saying WOW! I will not be able to say enough good things in this review do do it justice but I will certainly try my best while keeping the spoilers to an absolute minimum.

I am certain you've seen this book everywhere and for all the best reasons. This book is filled with nostalgia for the book I read when I was a kid. Finding magic in all the unique, mysterious places and imagining a portal somewhere in the woods of West Virginia. I love how Meg Shaffer is able give walking through the woods such a magical feel, even on the page. I often find clarity and peace in my own local woods and this gives me a bit of magical thinking each time I go.

Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie are wonderfully crafted characters. Each are damaged in their own ways and yet each is trying their best to overcome their own personal trauma. Emilie seems to become the little sister to the two "lost boys" and they need her charismatic energy to help draw them back to the world they once left.

This book has emotion, heart, healing, found family, and magic.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me an advance reader copy of this book but I also want to thank MEG Shaffer, herself, for joining me and my cohost on our podcast Books are Magical and talking about this book with us. She was an utter delight and we love d picking her brain about this beautiful world.

Meg Shaffer’s previous novel, The Wishing Game, was one of my favorite books last year. So, I was incredibly excited to receive an e galley of The Lost Story.

In this title, the author develops an imaginative story that pays homage to CS Lewis. Just as Lewis did, Shaffer creates an alternate and magical world populated by unique characters and situations. As in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, characters lives will be transformed.

Two boys, Rafe and Jeremy, disappeared only to miraculously return six months later. How did their relationship and lives fare after this? What happens to them and a young woman named Emily fifteen years later? No more plot reveals as readers will want to have their own experience while reading this.

Good and evil, many kinds of love, and adventure await in this highly recommended title. BookPage has given it a well deserved star review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine Books for this title. All opinions are my own.