I loved this. Just as fun and enchanting as the wishing game if not more. I love the family dynamics and romance. A bit of a slow start but the setup was good and great banter among the 3 main characters.
I do wish there was more world building but I do understand why there wasn’t. This books made me cry multiple times from sadness and joy.
Shanandoah was so magical. I can only hope for a sequel though it is fine as a stand alone.

I so look forward to any upcoming books by Meg Schaffer.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 fairy tale stars

If you love fairy tales and revisiting childhood favorites, this one should be on your radar.

Best friends Jeremy and Rafe disappear in a West Virginia state forest for six months. Rescue teams have given up hope of finding them. Then, one day, they walk out taller and stronger than they were initially. The boys never share details, but both families are happy to have their boys back. Jeremy’s family moves to England, and Rafe stays in West Virginia with no memories of what happened.

Fast-forward 15 years, and we learn that Jeremy has become a finder of lost women and children and that Rafe is a fantastic artist. Emilie reaches out to Jeremy to find her lost sister, who disappeared in the same forest as Jeremy and Rafe.

Jeremy decides to take on the case but says that Rafe needs to accompany them to the forest. From there, the story takes on all the elements of a fairy tale. There is magic and both evil and forces of good at work. Rafe wants to reclaim his memories while they search for Emilie’s missing sister.

Meg Shaffer’s writing is quite good, and I was quickly transported to Shenandoah. There are themes of reconciliation and overcoming the dark side of things. There’s also a lovely narrator who explains things along the way.

I had really high hopes for this title. From the prologue, I was hooked on the premise and the promise of all the magic that this story could hold. I have long been a believer that getting lost in the woods will absolutely land you in a magical world (although, I have not yet been brave enough to test this theory on myself). There are so many things to love about this story. Unfortunately, for me, they were overshadowed by inconsistencies and plot points that ranged from unnecessary to confusing.

First of all, the things I loved. I am a sucker for a portal fantasy, a sucker for found family and a sucker for woodland magic. This book delivers on all those fronts. I love the concepts of finding lost things, especially when those lost things are people. One of the MMC, Jeremy, has a gift for finding things, but he can only find them if they are truly lost and if they want to be found. This concept is revisited in various ways throughout the story in really lovely ways - he cannot find another character for years, because she is not yet lost, she is where she wants to be; on the other side of that, he is always able to know where another character is, even though that character doesn't see himself as lost. I think both of these are beautiful sentiments, worth exploring.

This book alludes to so many other fantasies and weaves them all together, often in wonderful ways. There are quite a few quotable lines, especially as it relates to the concept of stories and fairy tales especially (another thing I am a sucker for). If things had been different, this could've easily been a 5 star read for me.

Alas, they were not. Here's where I may wander into some spoilery territory, so proceed at your own risk. I'll do my best to keep the spoilers light.

First off, if you've read my reviews before, you may know that it takes a lot for me to buy into a romance. I want my books full of adventure, and it drives me crazy when a romance gets in the way of that. The romance in this book doesn't necessarily get in the way, but I found it to be entirely unnecessary. This book claims inspiration in The Chronicles of Narnia, one of my favorite stories of all time. A story noticeably lacking in romance. Not to say that no book inspired by Narnia can include romance, but I think it is sometimes included to the detriment of other features that I would say are more important. I think modern stories are extremely lacking in true examples of friendship. This story was set up to display an incredible friendship, but instead had to push the story right past that, into romance. Outside of the main romance, the relationships between characters seemed very odd at times - characters in a relationship kissing another character, in a way that I imagine was meant to be friendly, but was just ambiguous enough to make me wonder if there was another layer waiting to be added. I'll get off my romance soap box now, because I don't think all romance is bad, I was just disappointed at the miss opportunity in this story to display the type of friendship and brotherhood I love reading about in stories like Narnia and Lord of the Rings.

My other issues with this story I think can be boiled down to plot and characters. I enjoyed the writing quite a bit at most times, but the plot read like it was outlined by a 13 year old. The pacing in the beginning of the story was wonderful, around 40% of the way through, things started to happen a bit too conveniently. Almost as if the author was working towards something, but also had a max word count, so things had to be glossed over. There is an in world explanation, but it kind of felt like a shrug, as if to say "it works because it works". I won't say much more to avoid spoiling anything specific.

Finally, characters. The two MMC were lost in the woods together for 6 months, 15 years ago, and haven't spoken since. They are still incredibly bonded and there's a lot of strong feelings on both sides about what happened, even this many years later. Okay, I can buy that; trauma forms incredible and confusing bonds. What is harder to believe, is that neither of these boys seems to act any more mature than a 15 year old boy, despite the fact that they are supposed to be 30. The FMC have similar issues, as if living lives of privilege (albeit in vary different ways) during their adolescence made them incapable of acting like adults. I would have less issue with this if it were designed as a fairy tale for children or young adults. It is not. It felt, at times, like kids trying to talk the way they thought adults would talk or playing dress up as the ones in charge. It felt more like Neverland than Narnia - populated by a whole bunch of people who refuse to grow up.

What this whole, incredibly longwinded (sorry), review boils down to is: this book walked the line of being a timeless classic fairytale, but missed the mark in both big and small ways. Some people will read it and have no issue with the things I disliked. Others may feel even more strongly than I do about various aspects. Overall, if you like the premise, it's worth picking up, even if you feel the way I do about it - I truly did get enjoyment out of reading it, and also was able to process through some of the things I hope for in a story and especially a fairy tale.

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for an ARC of Meg Shaffer's sophomore novel, " The Lost Story". I adored her first novel, " The Wishing Game" since it brought me back to being a child.. a simpler time when the biggest stressor was when will I get more reading time! Her second novel brings the magic immediately with two boys emerging unscathed from the woods after being deemed missing for six months. One of the boy remembers everything but won't share, while the other begs for information about where they were but his questions go unanswered. We meet Emilie, who recently lost her mother and finds out she has a half sister who has been missing for years. She enlists the help of Jeremy, one of the lost boys, who has an uncanny ability to find what is lost, and we find out the truth about what really happened to him all those years ago. While this book didn't enchant me from the get go like, " The Wishing Game", I loved getting lost in this spellbinding story.

Every time I read a Meg Schaffer book, I feel like a kid again. Staying up late, lost in a world that only a book can bring you to.

If you loved The Chronicles of Narnia or getting lost in other worlds, then this novel is definately for you!

In a forest in West Virginia, two teenage boys go missing, only to be found 6 months later. How could they survive the forest for that long with no supplies, no shelter, and no food…. Or were they in the forest at all? While Jeremey remembers it all but can not speak of it to anyone, Ralph remembers nothing.

Fifteen years later they are reunited for a mission to find a girl, who also went missing in that forest, but twenty years earlier. Could she still be alive after all that time? Only Jeremey knows the truth and that not only is she alive, but ruling another world as Queen.
They set aside their years of silence and together slip back into the world they once found themselves in as teenagers seeking refuge.

Then Lost Story isn’t a crime novel, but a fairy tale about hope, faith, and love in a world that can be so cruel. The love these boys have for one another and their friends is a beautiful force to be reckoned with! This story inspires you to keep looking for the fairytales in the world we know can be so incredibly dark, because they are out there, and everyone deserves happiness and security.

Thank you Net Galley, Ballentine Books, and Random House Publishing Group for the chance to read this novel early for an honest review. It was an honor to review this book and as always, I look forward to more of Meg Schaffer’s work!

Jeremy and Rafe were lost at Red Crow State Park for 6 months. Strangely, the boys were not weak and dehydrated, but instead appeared strong and well-fed. Rafe could not remember his time away, and Jeremy wouldn’t talk about it. After the boys came home, Jeremy went away with his mother. 15 years later, Rafe is an artist, still living near the state park; and Jeremy is an investigator specializing in finding lost people. Emilie contacts Jeremy to find her his sister, who went missing 5 years prior to the boys, in the same state park. Jeremy agrees to help, but insists that he needs Rafe’s help. The boys have not spoken in the 15 years since leaving the state park together, so Rafe needs some convincing. Finally, all 3 head into Red Crow State Park to find Emilie’s sister. They enter a tree and come out into the magical land of Shenandoah. This land is filled with interesting animals, Valkyries, yummy new foods, but also some dangerous creatures. I think describing this book as an adult fairy tale is a fair representation. There are also some serious topics, but overall this was a fun adventure.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

🌿A fantasy delight🦄

I'll admit that I was expecting big things and a great story after reading Meg Shaffer's previous novel. I feel she definitely met my expectations with this fantasy tale of enduring love, family and friendship. I was quickly drawn into both worlds by the plot and characters, particularly Rafe and Jeremy's part of the tale. This was a quick read because I just couldn't lay it down!

The tender love story, Rafe's memory loss and the long separation between Jeremy and Rafe after their mysterious six month disappearance in the West Virginia wilderness had me teary, particularly the instances where one sacrifices for the other. The author made me really feel the love and fear of loss. I also liked the brief interjections by the narrator.

With fantasy, I think it's important to strike the right balance in worldbuilding. For me, too much detail detracts from the action. Lost Story emphasizes the adventure and emotion with just enough description to help me experience the fairytale world that Shaffer conjured up for Rafe, Jeremy, Emilie and Shannon/Skya.

Thanks to Ballantine, Random House and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This book started off great, I was immediately hooked into the story and couldn’t put it down. And I think it had the chance to be great. But then the second 25% was incredibly slow. It picked back up but it felt like at this point the author was telling us what had happened when they were gone for that 6 months— and I wished she had shown us. I also felt like there was no world building which is what I was most looking forward to. I did really enjoy the ending but struggled with the pacing and execution of this one.

I've never read Narnia, but I've seen the movies and heard a lot about the series, and I have to agree that if you like the whimsical, new-world-on-the-edge-of-another setting, I recommend THE LOST STORY! It's a bit slower paced as a whole and had an interested structure in that there were two points in the story that I would consider the big third-act event, but the pacing for both events was set up nicely. It's a great cozy, overall low-stakes fantasy for a late summer or early fall read. The book kind of opens as if Emilie, on a quest to find her missing sister, will be our main character, but we quickly pivot to following Rafe and Jeremy as they help her find Shannon, and reignite their love story along the way. This had great humor and was a quick read, but I wish we'd spent a bit more time experiencing the world. We didn't get to Shanandoah until over a third of the book was over, and then we jumped into major events and didn't have time to settle and learn about the world except in passing. That being said, I think this will be a hit and I'd recommend it:)

Reading this book was like sinking into a warm hug at the end of a long day. It was perfect, I loved it so much, I am obsessed.

Two best friends, Jeremy and Ralph go into the woods and disappear, and then magically reappear, six months later with no explanation to where they have been. They both claim to not remember.

The oddest part? They are for the most part, in better physical shape now, then when they disappeared.

Fifteen years after coming back, we catch up with them, and their lives are much different. No longer in contact, Jeremy now helps to locate missing people, while Ralph is an artist who is struggling to move on from his past.

When a woman, with no family left, Emilie, comes to Jeremy asking for help to find her missing sister, it’s time the two men get back together to travel to the world they got lost in fifteen years before.

This book is perfect for fans of C.S. Lewis and L. Frank Baum, or anyone who loves a cozy, magical mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Crying while writing this! After reading The Wishing Game last year, I knew I would read anything by Meg Shaffer. The Lost Story is another slam dunk.

It’s a very different vibe from her breakout novel, but no less amazing. The world building of Shanandoah is wonderful, and she did a great job of capturing the a new Narnia-esque world. Some of the twists were predictable, but that didn't make me any less excited for the reveals. Jeremy, Rafe, Emilie, Skya and the rest of the characters all had their own unique personalities and I truly felt like I could understand their backgrounds and intentions.

The only thing I hated about this book was the last couple pages. Meg, how can you leave us on a cliffhanger like this? When will a sequel be released?!

Thank you so much to Meg Shaffer, NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC, you’ve given me my favorite book so far of 2024!

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

When Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing when they were fifteen, they were typical scrawny teenage boys. Six months later, Jeremy walks out of the forest carrying Rafe over his shoulder and both boys are more like men. They've grown inches, gained muscle and pounds, and look like fit men, something that perplexes everyone.

Inseparable before they walked out of the forest, Jeremy's mom whisks him away before Rafe is even out of the hospital, and in the present day, it's been fifteen years since they've seen each other. Jeremy finds lost people now, usually alive, sometimes dead. Rafe has no memory of their missing six months and Jeremy has a reason he stays away from Rafe and won't reveal all that Rafe doesn't remember.

That is, until a young woman named Emilie tracks down Jeremy and begs him to find her missing sister. This request is a trigger that brings Jeremy and Rafe back together again. Being a fairy tale, with all kinds of rules and made up restrictions and such to follow, there are "reasons" why this and that but I won't go into them. You need to read the story for it all to make sense (or not).

There are two parts to the story, before going back to a very special place and after the trio travel to the very special place. The story is enjoyable but to me it feels very YA. The boys, now men, are thirty but they still seem much younger in many ways, still maybe stuck as teens. But even the story can feel young, with its storyteller coming in every few chapters to explain things to us. I actually enjoyed the storyteller part of the story a bit more than the actual story, I think. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Meg Shaffer please give me all the books!

I loved this one just as much as her prior book, The Wishing Game. There is something so whimsical and beautiful within her books. This was heartfelt, funny and emotional.

I just love the way she can pull me into loving her characters with ease. I was immediately hooked and read his in under a day because I just wanted to stay with these characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Fifteen years ago, Jeremy and Rafe got lost in the woods of West Virginia and reappeared six months later. Their reappearance was just as confounding as their disappearance. Being lost in the woods usually leads to malnourishment, diminished strength, and unkempt appearances, but Rafe and Jeremy were healthy, obviously well-fed, and strong. They were also frustratingly silent about what had happened in their six-month stay in the forest. Three days after emerging from the forest, Jeremy fled the States to his home country of England, and Rafe was left with no idea what had happened. Fast-forward to the present and Jeremy is a world-renowned rescuer of lost people, specifically young women, and holding a meet and greet in which Emilie takes a chance to ask him to find her sister, who has been missing for 20 years in the same woods Jeremy and Rafe spent months in 15 years earlier. Jeremy knows he can find Emilie's sister alive, but he will need Rafe to do it, and they haven't seen or spoken to one another since their dramatic exit from the woods. Rafe has no desire to step foot in those woods again; he feels abandoned by Jeremy and barely hangs on to any kind of life. And yet. Yet he lives in a cabin filled with paintings of people and places he can't explain; he also sculpts statues of people and places his imagination leads him to, but he also can't explain why he feels like he knows the people and has been to the places. When Jeremy and Emilie show up to ask Rafe to accompany them into the forest, and Jeremy seems to know why Rafe paints and sculpts these people and places, Rafe reluctantly agrees to go on the quest. Stepping back into the forest, Rafe and Jeremy will be swept back 15 years; this time, Emilie is along for the adventure.

Oh, my word. What a lovely, lovely story. What a wonderful tale with beautiful characters. The publisher says the story is inspired by C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, and I can feel that inspiration as a reader. Still, Shaffer's story and characters are all her own - there's no feeling of "I've read this before, and it was done better by Lewis." (Because, let's be honest, Lewis' Narnia series is sublime in this reader's opinion.) The reason why Shanandoah exists is creative and whimsical. Rafe and Jeremy are characters I want more of; I could have continued to read about them for several hundred more pages. The brief descriptions of Rafe's art made me wish it was real and I could view it. Reading this book and getting to know these characters was like settling down with a cozy blanket and a great cup of tea.

When I read The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, I felt like she perfectly captured the vibe of falling in love with reading as a child. The Lost Story just cements her talent in capturing the nostalgia and feelings from my childhood as a reader (I LOVED the Chronicles of Narnia and the possibility of being transported to an adjacent world). These books are referenced a few times throughout The Lost Story, enough to be a nod but not to feel like a blatant ripoff of the books. I would say that this book feels like a YA with a bit of extra heaviness in some spots.

The relationships between characters, both main and supporting, feel real and the backstories are well developed. My only criticism would be that I would have loved a bit more time in Shanandoah - I know the timeline makes sense for the story being told, but it feels like there's so much more to see and learn. I absolutely, 100% will recommend this book - I actually already have! I will continue to follow Meg Shaffer's work.

I honestly am at a loss for words… The Wishing Game was such a BEAUTIFUL story and this was messy and all over the place in my opinion.

The romance between Rafe and J was cute. And made sense but the sister relationship was annoying. I found Emilie to be extremely childish… and her pet rat… even more annoying🤣

I liked the concept of this book (because who doesn’t love a spin on The Chronicles of Narnia)!?! But this was not it… I almost DNFed and it makes me really really sad to say this because I adore this author!

2.5/5 ⭐️ rounded up

This was such a great ride! Clearly modeled off of Chronicles of Narnia. The magical aspect fit really well and worked for this novel. This had some romance, friendship, and lots of other characteristics that made this such a great one. I was hooked from the beginning and loved this reimagining of Narnia.

Two boys got lost in the woods years ago. They returned with no good explanation 6 months later. Now, Emilie is searching for her half sister, who also got lost in those same woods and she knows that Jeremy can help her.

I don't know why Meg Shaffer knows that those of us that were voracious readers growing up, the kids that got lost in their stories and dreamed of visiting those fantastical lands, needs these stories as adults. Adults living out the fantasies we dreamed about as kids. Jeremy and Rafe became princes and knights, and rode enchanted horses in the service of a queen. All somehow tucked away behind an old tree in a forest in West Virginia. The Wishing Game brought us mystery like Nancy Drew, The Lost Story brings us the magic of places like Narnia and Lumberjanes. It's absolutely magical and I didn't want the book to end. There are happy endings, and an ending ambiguous enough that we have hope for maybe a sequel at some point. I really would love to see more adventures in that magical land.

I read this book after coming home from visiting West Virginia, and it's definitely a place that both needs this magic and also has beautiful places that could be hiding the magic. I wonder if one day I might find a red crow, and be able to follow it into a different land, where Bright Boys roam looking for trouble, and Valkyries wait to defend their queen.

Such an imaginative and sweet tale! I was in LOVE with Meg Shaffer’s first book, The Wishing Game, so I could not wait to get my hands on The Lost Story.

Overall, the book was very good. It was sweet, it was charming and the pacing was good. I loved the message and plot but for me, overall, I couldn’t reconcile the two worlds. Still, the book was a great read with a charming place to lose yourself for a while.

Advance reader copy provided by Random House and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

The Wishing Game was one of my favorite books of 2023, so I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of the Lost Story. Unfortunately, it fell quite flat for me. The beginning of the book was full of promise, but once they were in the woods I did not feel engaged. There was a lot going on and I think because of this it didn't keep my attention. I enjoyed the premise, but the execution wasn't there for me. Will read more books by this author in the future though.

2.5/5