This was another beautifully written story from the author of The Wishing Game, which was one of my favorite reads last year! Rafe and Jeremy went missing years ago, only to return unscathed, but refusing to talk about what happened to them. Years later, they help Emily track down her sister in the same forest they disappeared in.

If you love fairytale type books, this is one for you!

Set in West Virginia, as the story begins, this is a story that requires an ability to lose yourself in a story that, for some, might feel too much of a fantasy, but knowing that this is ’a fairy tale for grownups’, I enjoyed it. This isn’t a light and fluffy story, there is some degree of abuse, and a darker side to this at times, but there is also a lovely, lighter side, as well.

This is a magical story of family, as well, and abuse, danger, but also a wonderful journey of finding oneself, and as a result, finding love, as well.



Pub Date: 16 Jul 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books

Teenage best friends Jeremy and Rafe go missing in the local West Virginia state forest. Six months later they reappear with no explanation for where they’d been (non-spoiler - they were in a magical realm). While Rafe doesn’t have a single memory from his lost time, Jeremy has keeping secrets from everyone about that time for years. This story starts years after the boys re-emerge from the forest and ultimately takes them back there together.

With a Chronicles of Narnia-type storyline (even a few direct Narnia references), Meg Shaffer created an interesting world perfect for our main characters to escape into. Readers can expect to enjoy the magical realism and found family elements of this book, as well as a snarky narrator and a few surprises too.

I felt excited to explore the concept of this book, always chasing the feeling of reading Harry Potter for the first time, but ultimately felt like the writing for this story wasn’t an immersive experience. Because of this, I had a hard time fully investing myself. I did, however, read the story quickly and wanted to know the ending, I just ultimately felt disappointed in the quality of the story telling.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. I loved this book. I think it's better than her first one. The story and characters just grabbed me from the start. I had a hard time putting it down for when I had to work or do adult things. It's such a different take on a typical fairy tale and is definitely better than some of the fairytale retellings that I have read recently. Bravo to the author. Although I hope there might be another book set in this world, the ending is satisfactory. I will recommend to all my book loving friends.

I was very intrigued by this premise: a portal fantasy, but after-the-fact, when they’ve returned to the real world and grown up? So cool!

However… I could not finish it. The first half of the book is just setting up the romantic tension. It takes way too long to get to the fantasy world, and then we get there and it’s… disappointing. It just doesn’t feel that magical or creative.

The dialogue is also painful to read. The three main characters all think that everything they say is funny. You ruin a joke when you move too quickly into another one… witty banter can be entertaining, but you still have to leave time to breathe between the jokes or it just gets annoying.

The storyteller corner doesn’t add anything to the book; it mostly just over-explains details that were already implied.

In general, this book has more telling than showing, which is not what I want in a fantasy. Granted, I think she was going for romance over fantasy, anyway, but even as a romance it’s weird because of the third wheel hanging out all the time (in the first half, anyway; I DNF).

I think the romance has potential, so if that’s your genre, you might like it more than I did.

I absolutely loved how creative and magical this book was. The world building and the characters were highly like able.
I loved the writing style and the way the story teller spoke directly to me throughout the book. If you are looking for an original story that is full of magic and adventure, look no further!

Story also contains subject matters such as: adoption, suicide, lgbtq and family drama

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

"The Lost Story" might not be a literary masterpiece, but it was a fun read!

One of the aspects I found confusing was the target audience. The main characters, Rafe and Jeremy, were nearing 30 years old, yet their banter, personalities, and actions felt more like those of teenagers. This mismatch made it hard to fully immerse myself in their world. Additionally, some realistic parts of the story didn’t feel realistic at all. For example, the initial banter between Emilie and Jeremy was slightly cringy. They spoke as if they were old friends, despite only having just met.

I found myself wishing the writing was more atmospheric. A richer, more descriptive style could have made the world truly come alive.

The storyline was imaginative and fresh, although I believe focusing on when Rafe and Jeremy went missing 15 years ago could have made for an even better plot. Flashbacks to their time missing would have helped create a deeper connection with the characters, which I felt was lacking.

Overall, while "The Lost Story" had its shortcomings and felt underdeveloped in some areas, it had a lot of potential and managed to keep me engaged until the end. It’s not a book I’d strongly recommend, but I didn’t hate it either. It’s a solid three stars for a fun, if imperfect, read.

This is one of the most heartwarming books EVER!!! Prepare to fall in love with some of the best characters I've ever met. Yes, I feel like I was with them, in person, the whole time.


You know when people say “get lost in a book” ? This is THE book for it.


It’s magical, beautiful, full of action, and the development of the story is absolutely amazing!


Loved every page of it.
I think I loved it even more than The Wishing Game. Maybe not. I’m not sure.
I love both LOL


4.5 stars

📜The Lost Story
✍️Meg Shaffer
📠Random House/Ballantine
📚Fabtasy/Romance
🗓️Pub date: July 16, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Thank you @NetGalley and @randomhouse for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

✨Best friends, Rafe and Jeremy, go missing 15 years ago in a West Virginia state forest for 6 months. When they emerge, Rafe has no recollection of the time he was lost and bears both physical and emotional scars.

✨Jeremy goes on to become a missing-persons investigator and is hired by Emilie, whose sister went missing years ago in the same forest. The general public believes Emilie’s sister to be dead, but Jeremy remembers her alive and well from his time in the forest.

✨Reluctantly, Rafe joins Emilie and Jeremy in returning to this magical realm of darkness, danger, and beauty.

✨ This moved along rather slowly and I wish the trio entered the magical realm sooner. I actually thought I would have liked this a lot more than I did. This was similar to a modern-day Chronicles of Narnia.

#netgalley #theloststory #megshaffer #randomhouse #summerreleases #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ivegotbooks #killmewithwords #idratherbereading #fantasy #magicalrealms

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Wishing Game last year, I eagerly anticipated Meg Shaffer's highly awaited sophomore book. However, upon reading it, I found myself rather disappointed. It didn't quite meet my expectations. I was hoping for a more whimsical feel, with richer fantasy elements akin to C.S. Lewis's Narnia. Instead, it came across as a diluted tale of trauma with only a sprinkling of fantasy.

The story started strong as we delved into Jeremy and Rafe's mysterious disappearance for six months in their youth, only to resurface without explanation. This mystery had me hooked, especially when Emilie entered the scene, seeking help to find her long-lost sister. I anticipated being whisked away into a fantastical realm for an exhilarating adventure. However, my excitement dwindled rapidly when the two male leads reunited after 15 years. Their palpable tension hinted at unresolved issues, compounded by simmering sexual tension that eventually revealed their past romantic involvement. Essentially, the narrative pivoted into a tale of a gay couple grappling with past trauma, with sporadic fantasy elements thrown in. It veered drastically from my expectations and preferences, ultimately not aligning with my taste in reading material. There is some language but no spicy scenes.

To be honest, I couldn't quite warm up to the two male leads. They didn't strike me as particularly likable, and I struggled to connect with them. Moreover, the fantasy elements felt lackluster and uninspired. The world-building was sorely lacking, and the supposed "adventure" they embarked on in the magical realm fell flat for me—it just didn't hold my interest. Character development also seemed to be lacking. Overall, the execution felt disjointed, as if the book couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a mature drama or a whimsical fantasy tale. That said, I did find Emilie's storyline and her relationship with her sister engaging and enjoyable.

Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me even though it had so much potential. I managed to finish the entire book out of sheer interest, but I wouldn't personally recommend it. I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t love it. However, if the premise intrigues you, it might be worth a try. Yet, it didn't quite resonate with me, and I'm uncertain if I'll explore more works by this author in the future.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for my arc of this book.

This book had an excellent concept and I really wanted to love it, but it was a miss for me. I felt too many things were disconnected or under-developed. It was hard to stay engaged during parts of the book. I love magical lands and the concept of a "Narnia" was appealing, but I wanted to see even more of that world and see more world building in the book.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Meg Shaffer looks to marry the whimsical fairytale of the Chronicles of Narnia with a modern day mystery story through her book, The Lost Story.
This book grabs attention right away with the makings of a fell fledged crime drama when two boys, gone for 6 months, emerge from the woods. No one has any answers, and the boys plead ignorant, but the audience can tell more is held behind the curtain.
As the story continues, I had a difficult time understanding the themes of the book. With adult characters and adult relationship problems tries to marry a childhood fantasy, it was hard to imagine it not being 30 year olds playing dress up.
Unicorns and a “big bad” gang labeled The Bright Boys, the story became very cringey for me and I couldn’t finish.
It would almost make more sense if the characters traveled back in time to understand the fairytale.

HI YES I'LL TAKE THE FOLLOW UP BOOK NOW 🫠

A warm hug of escapism 🫶💚

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pub date: July 16th

"And of course, fairy tales are fiction. Always. Well, except for this one."

May I present: the book that made me feel like I missed out as a non-reader kid for the first time in my life. It fully delivers on being a "Narnia-inspired fairy tale for adults". It's such a warm hug of escapism, beautifully interwoven with real life topics and the promise that one day you, too, will find somewhere you belong and be accepted for exactly who you are.

“Fair warning: if you've never believed any impossible things before, now is a good time to start."

What I loved most about this book is the amazing writing and storytelling that just transports you into the world - both the one as we know it and the vibrant fantasy world that's just a magical treedoor away - while at the same time breaking the fourth wall with the Storyteller Corner chapters (in which one of the characters speaks to you directly). I absolutely loved this format as it heightened the intrigue and got me even more invested.

"You guarded me, day and night. Not because you had to but because you wanted to."

I also really loved the bonds between all the characters, both the newly formed, the existing ones and the rediscovered. My romance loving soul was having such a field trip with the LGBTQIA+ romance plotline. There was so much pining and just pure adoration hidden under a good layer of playful roasting (THE SARCASTIC Banter! 🤌 Chef's kiss) and without wanting to give anything away, I may have teared up a few times at the beautiful second chance romance and acts of unconditional love and support. The found family vibes are strong in this one, and I couldn't get enough of it.

"Maybe it was the price of magic. Maybe the price, sometimes, was too high."

I honestly can't stop thinking about this book. I've been on the verge of rereading it daily since I finished it about a month ago. And maybe that's the price of reading this book for me...

But no regrets, THERE'S FLUFFY UNICORNS! 🦄

Now go do yourself a favor and go pre-order!

So, 10/10 RECOMMEND if you like:

* Escaping "the real world" to a vibrant fantasy world
* LQBTQIA romance (yes, I teared up, but happy tears) - second chance , pining, roasting as a love language
* Found family
* Themes of acceptance, tolerance, love and belonging...
* Fourth wall breaking storytellers
* Amazing writing and storytelling
* And so much more

*Also want to thank Ballentine for providing me with an eARC through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

The Lost Story
By Meg Shaffer

I discovered Meg Shaffer after reading her debut novel, The Wishing Game last year, and loved her storytelling. Second books can be hard, especially after a well received debut, but I always have high hopes for the author.

The Lost Story immediately got my attention as it is every parent's worst nightmare to have their kids go missing. Even though I knew what the premise of the book was about, I was intrigued and allowed Shaffer to take me away through the details from both boys perspectives and eventually a Emilie, who plays a central role in the story.

The relationship between Rafe and Jeremy is complex, from becoming friends in school, surviving this experience together and their present day where they are not speaking to one another, living very different lives. Their friendship ebb and flows and the reader is along for the ride as Shaffer provides a back story of their different childhoods, parents and how they live today.

It's a beautiful story, has themes of Narnia and Shaffer provides many details through about the enchanted world giving the reader a tremendous experience, like they have stepped through the closet to enter a beautiful yet dangerous world.

Although I am not a huge fan of fantasy, I was fully engaged with the story, their adventure and how they came to remember and make peace with the past in order to live a fully present life. Can't wait for her next novel! Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advance readers copy! What a gift!

This book seemed written for me personally, and I truly wanted to love it, but unfortunately it was a miss for me on every level.

From early reviews it seems like I'm an outlier. I'm glad this book is finding an audience! Maybe I'm just not the right reader for this one.

The strongest aspect of this book for me was the concept, which was brilliant. However, the execution didn't work for me at all. I struggled with the clunky prose, dialogue and pacing, wanted more character development and depth, and guessed all the major plot plots very early on. I find myself wishing this book had received a stronger editorial pass; with more development and polishing, I think this could have been a fantastic book.

I had trouble differentiating the three main characters, who all sounded and acted exactly the same, despite clearly being intended to be very different. Their dialogue was extremely stilted and clunky. It felt like the author was going for quirky Joss Whedon-style banter, but that's a style that only works if it's really well done and really funny, and it wasn't for me. It also made the book feel weirdly dated. The characters were all 30 years old but seemed written more like teenagers, by someone who has not spent much time with teenagers recently. Some of this was likely intentional and connected to the plot, but it didn't work for me.

The pacing was very disjointed and choppy. The first 40% of the book is all set up for the main plotline and clumsy backstory for our main characters. Once the plot gets rolling, the pacing gets easier, but the book doesn't really get better, it just goes by faster. There are also frequent interludes by an unnamed Storyteller, which are intended to evoke a fairy-tale vibe, but regrettably I just found them grating and predictable. It's painfully easy to guess the identity of the Storyteller, and I didn't feel that the interludes brought anything to the story.

I also really struggled with one of the major plot points, which I saw coming from miles away. When one villainous character was introduced around halfway through, I literally said out loud "Oh no, please tell me that isn't [REDACTED], that's so incredibly obvious." I was extremely annoyed to be right.

The worldbuilding was fairly weak, which is particularly unfortunate in a story that is an homage to Narnia. It's clear that the author loves children's fantasy stories and wrote the book with a great deal of affection for them; beyond Narnia there are references to Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Princess Bride, Earthsea, and more. Unfortunately this book just didn't have the magic of any of those for me.

A sincere thank you to Meg Shaffer, Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC for review!

3.5 Stars

Meg Shaffer was, without a doubt, automatically an auto-buy author for me after reading her fantastic debut novel The Wishing Game last year. Due to this, I was so excited to get a chance to read her second novel The Lost Story. Unfortunately, a lot about this didn't hit the mark for me.

In terms of positives, Meg has again crafted really loveable characters and a creative, wondrous world. I'll often think about Jeremy and Rafe, Emilie and her little pet rat Fitz. I was rooting for them every step of the way, and I was eating up every single heartwarming scene where they supported each other through hardships, lost memories, and basking in the childlike wonder of this other world.

Where it fails for me is in plot and writing style. The narrative in the beginning felt very slow and clunky. At first, the introduction of the "Storyteller" seemed unnecessary and cheeky to the point of being annoyingly self-important... like instead of being whimsical as intended, it felt like it was trying too hard. The characters also don't even make it to the magical world until halfway through the book, which made this particular reader highly impatient for some action. Then in terms of writing style, there were many sentences that felt too short and clunky and way too many sentences starting with "But" (particularly in the beginning).

Unfortunately, I feel that perhaps this second novel was rushed out the door to capitalize on the hype of The Wishing Game? It seems like it could've benefitted from a little more development time. I'm hopeful that the final copy will address some of the pet peeves I had with the book, as I understand there are edits still in progress. I'll certainly give it another shot once its publish date comes around.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What a stunning second novel! The true definition of an adult fairy tale. The narrator and story-telling were a breath of fresh air and the characters were rich and well-developed. The romance was so well done. 5/5 for me.

The Lost Story has total Chronicles of Narnia vibes which coincidentally was my favorite series as a child. It’s a fairy tale for adults with such in depth descriptions you can see it unfolding as a movie in your mind. The book is about best friends, love and the complex relationship between parent and child. The story started off strong and was definitely a page turner but halfway through I was not turning the pages as quickly. HOWEVER, the end was totally worth it. It’s magical, charming and brilliant. I miss Rafe and Jeremy and wonder if they ever return to the magical land in the tree. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in magic, romance and contemporary fairy tales.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Whimsical. Tender-hearted. Magical. This book is everything I love, literally everything…

Characters: two lost boys, trying to find their way back to the magical world they inhabited for six months, and back to each other; one lost girl looking for her lost sister, along with her pet rat and music-addicted brain; mothers who will do anything to save their children; these are characters to root for and to fall in love with, over and over.
Setting: a blend of magical realism and fairy-tale magic, as well as West, By God, Virginia (you’ll get this reference when you read this book, and you really must read this book!)
Themes: of found family, of triumph over abuse, of love is love is love - my heart exploded all over itself as I turned the final page.

And my favorite part is the quirky, heartfelt narrator’s voice who tells the story and reminds us of the magic of book, and that yes, stories save lives.

This is a magical tale full of longing, love, and lessons. You might want to read it in the summertime with a cold lemonade sitting under the shade of a willow tree.

Equal parts nostalgic and heartbreaking, this genre-bending tale has elements of magical realism, fantasy, romance, adventure, and coming-of-age. Told as a fairy tale with interludes from an anonymous storyteller, it follows two childhood best friends who, at age fifteen, were lost in the woods for six months, and then suddenly returned. Now, fifteen years later, they’re adults still grappling with the fallout of their home lives and fifteen years of estrangement.

This one is heart-wrenching. Anyone who likes both reading and Renaissance Faires should read it.