A cute story that felt a lot like a modern retelling of Narnia. Geared more toward young adult than what I typically like but a good book that my teenage daughter would enjoy

Lost Story had that magical nostalgia of all the books I loved as a kid! I can see this book becoming an instant classic, right up there with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe! This book was very fun and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Magical!

I absolutely loved this book, and now Meg Shaffer is on my automatic buy list. I can go ahead and tell you the background, or you can read it from everyone else who has summarized. Instead, I will tell you how this book made me feel.

I felt love. I felt warmth. Not a cozy mystery warmth but an embrace from true love warmth.

I loved the background and how the story started out, giving us details of Jeremy, how he meets Emilie, and then Rafe, who is the quiet, caring, artistic type. I love how the author got them together and set them on an adventure. If I could have one tiny wish, it would be that there was a bit more to the adventure. Maybe in a follow-up book?

All-in-all, I really enjoyed the characters and the magic. Hoping we see more of everyone soon...

⭐️: 2
DNF. I tried to get into it, but it didn’t hold my interest Maybe I’ll give it another chance at a later time.

This story was like a portal to a magical realm. It reminded me a lot of stories I read as a child growing up with an adult twist. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I absolutely loved The Wishing Game and it was one of my favorite reads of 2024, however The Lost Story fell flat for me. I found it to be much more YA than TWG, had undeveloped characters, and some plot holes. I love a coming of age romance, but found the love story between the two boys to be uncomfortable and under developed. I look forward to reading what else Meg comes out with, bieber, this one just wasn’t for me!

I love how Meg Shaffer manages to make a cold case story feel whimsical. Loved the dynamic between the characters and how the story turned mid-way. Such a fun read and definitely a book for readers who loves stories.

I recently finished The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, and it was an enchanting journey that resonated deeply with me. Inspired by C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, this novel masterfully blends fantasy with real-world challenges, creating a narrative that’s both whimsical and profound.

The story follows best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell, who, as teenagers, vanished into West Virginia’s Red Crow State Forest, only to reappear six months later with no memory of their time away. Fifteen years on, Jeremy has become a renowned investigator with an uncanny ability to find missing persons, while Rafe lives as a reclusive artist, haunted by fragmented memories and unexplained scars. Their lives intertwine once more when Emilie Wendell seeks Jeremy’s help to find her missing sister, Shannon, leading them back to the enigmatic forest and the secrets it holds. 

Shaffer’s writing is both evocative and immersive, painting vivid landscapes that transport readers into the heart of a magical realm. The characters are richly developed, each grappling with personal demons and past traumas that add depth to their interactions. I was particularly moved by the exploration of friendship, love, and the enduring impact of childhood experiences on adult lives.

The novel’s pacing is well-balanced, with suspenseful moments that kept me eagerly turning pages, interspersed with reflective passages that invite contemplation. Shaffer’s ability to weave together elements of fantasy with poignant human experiences makes this book a standout in contemporary literature.

For anyone who has ever yearned for the magic of hidden worlds or the solace of understanding one’s own story, this novel is a must-read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meg Shaffer's books are fabulous, and I adored this Chronicles of Narnia-esque story. The Lost Story is a powerful novel of friendship and magic.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Rating: 1.5/5 ⭐️💫

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh how I WANTED to love this one. I LOVED the wishing game. I raved about it.

It’s hard for me to believe this is the same author. I know the author was a YA writer and debuted with adult content with the wishing game. I think they fell back into YA land because this writing was so juvenile. The dialogue was atrocious to follow.

I think the story itself could have been written better and more interesting/entertaining. This was not it.

I felt like I was reading a middle school children’s book.

I’m hoping for more from this author in the future.

Gorgeous writing, beautiful and entrancing! I loved being transported to the lush and vivid realm in this book. The characters and their relationships were enhanced by the trademark humor and vulnerability with which Shaffer paints her characters.

Wow this book was such an amazing mixture of some of the most classic fantasy stories, Narnia and Tolkien. Meg Shaffer has brought to life a magical world where kids call the shots and women rule!

One part of this book that I absolutely loved was the Storyteller chapters! Not only did the Storyteller break down the fourth wall they also brought the readers into the story by enhancing the magical world!

I really enjoyed Jeremy and Rafe's story and how they depend on each other and adventured together. I also found both Jeremy and Rafe's magical gift to fit their personality perfectly and helped bring the story together.

Emilie's character was a little annoying but overall her character was not really front and center of this story.

While I really enjoyed this story I felt that the last quarter of the book kind of dragged and didn't really give much to the story overall.

I LOVED the premise. However this fell flat. The depth was not there for me. The world building just wasn’t quite up to par and left me wanting more, along with the main characters.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but alas, I couldn’t quite get into it and that was a little disappointing for me.

I wanted to love this book, unfortunately it wasn't for me. While I loved the premise for the book, the rest fell flat for me. The female protagonist felt one dimensional and was constantly making decisions that didn't make sense. I also really struggled with the dialogue and the world building felt lacking.

This was a cute story but fell a little flat for me. Now I may have brought this on myself I loved this authors last book so I was expecting a lot. This book felt more YA then I usually enjoy, I started out really enjoying this book but about 30 percent in I just lost interest, while they were in the other world. To me it felt like the fantasy world felt surface level and as a big fantasy fan this is something that drives me crazy. I enjoyed the characters and the writing but don’t think this one was for me. I did really enjoy the narrator cutting in and breaking the fourth wall. Even though this wasn’t my favorite I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future! I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a charming, heartfelt novel about the power of storytelling and the journey to find yourself. The story follows Emma, a young woman who discovers an old, unfinished manuscript that leads her on an adventure to uncover the truth about its mysterious author. As she gets deeper into the story, Emma begins to learn important lessons about love, loss, and the courage it takes to follow your heart.

The author has a way of making the characters feel real, with emotions and struggles that many readers can relate to. The book mixes mystery, romance, and a little bit of magic, all while exploring what it means to be part of a larger story, whether it’s your own or someone else’s.

What stands out most about The Lost Story is its ability to make you think about the connections we have with others and the stories that shape us. It’s a gentle reminder that sometimes the greatest adventures are the ones we take in our own lives.

This is not my normal genre but after i started reading i really enjoyed the story and this book.

The writing was easy to following and it was good character build, development and the suspense was also good makes you want to keep reading. It was easy to get invested with the characters and overall just really enjoyed the book and would recommend.

I will read more from this author.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

While I enjoyed The Lost Story, I didn't feel very attached to the characters. I felt like I was being told more than being showed what the characters emotions were, which took me out of the story more that I cared for. I had to slog through the first half to get to the action and payoff in the second half. Usually I would have DNFed much sooner than I did, but I really wanted to see where Meg Shaffer was going with this one. The adventure and whimsy really saved this book in the end.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It was a nice retelling but I had already had a book that felt so much more real to me in it's Narnia vibes. It might have been a better read if I had read it first or far enough out from the other.

When I read Meg Shaffer's The Wishing Game, it became an immediate favorite. I wasn't sure her new book could possibly compete, and I was SO glad to be proved wrong.

As children, Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing for 6 months in the West Virginia forest, only to reappear unable to explain where they'd been or what happened in their absence. All grown up, Rafe is a reclusive artist who's still dealing with the internal aftermath of what happened while he was missing. Jeremy is a famed missing persons investigator— and Emilie Wendell's only hope for finding her sister who went missing from the same forest. Here's the thing... Jeremy knows exactly what happened so many years ago, and he's kept quiet to keep Rafe safe. Now, the two former lost boys must reunite and travel back to the magical land where they disappeared to decades before to face the secrets and the danger they escaped in an effort to find Emilie's missing sister. This book is magical and imaginative and anything but predictable. I know I'll be recommending Meg Shaffer and rushing to read everything she writes from now on!