Wow...wow...wow. This story swept me off my feet. With a twist on the Chronicles of Naria, Meg Shaffer did an amazing job crafting a story about two young boys who go missing. Only Jeremy and Rafe knows what happened in the forest. After years later of missing and coming back from the forest, they both get sucked into another unexpected journey. This journey is now to find Emilie's sister who disappeared in the same way they did. I loved reading every second of this whimsical story. I definitely recommend it to anyone who needs a relief from day to day stress and get away for a bit. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an early arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I really loved The Wishing Game, so was looking forward to this. Unfortunately, this one didn’t do it for me. I felt like there was so much dialogue but it was all amateur. The pacing was not great. I would try another book from the author, but this wasn’t for me.

“The only thing sadder than a lost boy was a lost man.” - The Lost Story

“The Lost Story” by Meg Shaffer is an interesting modern take on a fairy tale, at its core. However, the story is much more than that. This is a story about magic, but it’s also a story about acceptance, the meaning of family, love, and finding the place where one really belongs. It’s a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, with a cast of characters who are each trying to find their place. Because who doesn’t feel lost at some point in their lives?

As someone who had a lot of critiques about “The Wishing Game,” I actually enjoyed this book a lot more. I think, for the most part, this book was more mature, and came off as less of a YA novel. Do I still think Meg Shaffer would do better marketing for YA… ok, I’m sorry, yes. But I do think it’s difficult to try to capture the nostalgia of a children’s story, and truly make it read as a book for adults. Nevertheless, it was still a lovely read, and I found myself genuinely invested in the ending. While most of the book was rather predictable (sorry again), there were a couple of points towards the end that surprised me and kept me reading. I would say the first major climax of the book was the weakest part of the story for me and maybe that actually just came down to the predictability of it. Yes, it was really cute how everything tied together. No, I don’t always want such perfection. Dare I say, it got a bit cheesy there for a minute. So, I’m kind of glad the story continued a bit from there.

Anyhow, despite my critiques, I thought this was actually a unique story and I would be interested in reading more from Meg Shaffer in the future. If this hadn’t been offered to me as an ARC, I don’t think it’s likely I would have picked up a copy just based on my experience with The Wishing Game alone. But I think people who enjoyed The Wishing Game (which I also did, mind you, it’s not that I disliked that book) will find that this book is also up their alley, and even people who thought The Wishing Game fell a bit short of the mark should consider giving this book a try, as I found it to be more mature and satisfying overall.

3.5🌟
0🌶
I won't lie to you the first 15% and last 20% saved this entire book.
➳Plot
Emile doesn't know where her sister went so she goes to Jeremy who says he'll help find her but they have to go through a magical world to do it.
➳Characters
Emile- Honestly didn't give much she was just there for the plot to exist.
Jeremy- Talks very lyrically and I just loved him so much I found him really fun and funny.
Rafe- The grumpy to Jeremy's sunshine 😍
➳Writing
The writing was for sure very lyrical and magical which suited the setting of the book very well.
➳Setting
Very magical and super easy to picture and I would for sure read more books in this universe!

This book was so magical and felt so nostalgic! It definitely gives narnia vibes in the best way and I loved it. I’m excited to check out more from this author.

What a magical journey this book took me on!!

This brought me so much joy. I loved that it reminded me of my childhood reading about Narnia! These vibes were just everything!! This is a shift from what I normally pick up to read but I am so glad I did. Meg Shaffer created such an intriguing magical realm and I couldn't put it down.

It starts off with Rafe and Jeremy who go missing for six months and mysteriously return seemingly unharmed. Jeremy leaves for many years, Rafe cannot remember a single thing that happened, and we also meet Emilie who is on a journey to find her sister who was lost in the same forest Jeremy and Rafe were in. Jeremy has a gift of being able to find people, specifically women and children. Emilie seeks him out to help her, and they find Rafe to bring him along as well. There is so much hope, magic, and love weaved in the words of this story!!

The characters were just so easy to love. They worked so well together and I found myself just wanting more and more. It was such a wonderful and whimsical story to experience and I am so thankful to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this ARC!!

Thank you for the ARC of this book. I am so in love with The Wishing game and could not wait to read this one.

I loved the characters and felt the story was super imaginative like The Wishing game. I do feel like it took a while to get to the adventure in the story. Lots of building and character development which was a little drawn out. Overall the story was great and I could see all the animals and fantasy of the world. Can’t wait to see what Mag does next! I loved reconnecting to my childhood imagination and books.

All books are magic, but this one is full of the "through the wardrobe" magic I loved to read about as a child. Full of wit, humor, love, and some of your biggest dreams, The Lost Story was a fantastic reading experience and I already miss our time together. I fell in love with Jeremy, who is wild but lovable, and Rafe, who is haunted by his childhood but braver than he knows. I loved The Wishing Game and now The Lost Story has secured Meg Shaffer a spot on my auto-buy author list. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book, while it is greatly appreciated, it does not impact the content of my review.

Second. This is exactly my kind of book. Honestly, I started reading it by accident. I was totally planning on reading something else, but clicked on this book instead, and suddenly I was very much enraptured. I do not think this book is for everyone. It has flowery prose and atmospheric writing. I love that in books, but I know it isn’t for everyone.

Blurb: Two boys walked into the forest 15 years ago and went missing. 6 months later, and the boys walked out in better health than ever. Emilie is desperate to find out what happened to the sister she didn’t know she had. Her sister became lost in the woods 20 years ago, and Emilie is going to ask the once lost boys how to find her. Together, the three embark on a mission to find Emilie’s sister and answers to where the boys were lost all that time ago.

The first half of this book I was utterly in love. I thought it was spectacular. I had such a phenomenal time. Then about halfway hit, and it was still good, but not as great.

A lot of the emotional impact of this story revolves around character relationships, but the vast vast majority of any and all relationship development happens off page. I think this book could have easily been spread into a trilogy that was character focused. A lot of things just happened too easily, and I wish that there had been more of a journey from one point to the next.

Overall, this is lovely. The prose is beautiful. I deeply appreciate the fairytale atmosphere. I wish more character development had happened, but I do not at all regret reading this.

4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my ARC of The Lost Story!

Given the premise, I was immediately intrigued. I loved the idea that one boy would remember all while the other would remember nothing. And I was invested in Emilie's search for her missing sister. About halfway through the book, I felt that a lot of the mystery had been taken away. But Shaffer kept me turning pages! The things we learn about our characters and their history became new creators of intrigue, and I had to get to the happy ending. Because it is a fairy tale after all, right?

This book takes you on a magical journey that you won't want to leave.

I did keep thinking of Narnia while reading this, which isn't a bad thing. Magical realms accessed by hidden portals, great cast of characters, wonderful writing - The story flowed flawlessly and I didn't want it to ever end.

Jeremy and Rafe get lost for six months and are presumed dead. However, they do return home, but something is different about them and neither of them have a memory of what occurred. They reconnect years later to search for a lost girl and find themselves remembering what happened years before.

This book goes tic for tac up against The Wishing Game. Fans of this book should definitely dive into her newest novel. Do not hesitate to pick this one up as it will for sure be a huge hitter of 2024.

Meg Shaffer weaves magic into her words. Her books are a complete shift from my usual reads but I adore them. The descriptions in this book are second to none. I think this book was the perfect blend of magic and fairy tales with mystery. I love when books span multiple genres and Meg Shaffer achieves that here.

While I’m not totally sure how to classify this book, it certainly isn’t one I’d normally reach for. Much to my dad’s dismay, I never loved The Chronicles of Narnia but I loved The Wishing Game so deeply I was ready to make the leap. While magic isn't my thing, Meg Shaffer crafted something beautiful! This book completely swept me up and into the Forrest with the characters and I so pleased I went along for the journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballentine for the advance copy.

I loved The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer so I was very excited to read this book. I LOVED this book. I didn't ever really think that I was a fantasy/sci-fi fan but I am beginning to think I don't know myself very well. This book was amazing. So far I have wanted to go and be apart of the stories that Meg writes. I wanted to go to Clock Island and now I was to got to Red Crow.

The characters in this book were so easy to love. Jeremy finder of lost souls, specifically women and children. Ralph the lost boy that doesn't remember what happened when he was lost. Emilie, the newly orphaned young woman searching for her lost sister. This story was magical. I laughed, I cried and I hope that there will be more stories that take place in this magical world.

Jeremy and Rafe are friends that go missing on a school field trip only to return mysteriously six months later. Jeremy leaves after a few days and doesn't see Rafe for 15 years. Rafe can't remember anything that happened prior to the night before their disappearance. Rafe is lost and spends his time in a cabin in the woods, painting and sculpting. Emilie loses her adopted mother to cancer. Searching for family she finds that she has a sister that was kidnapped 20 years ago. Jeremy has spent the last 15 years looking for lost women and children. Emilie reaches out to Jeremy to find her sister. The sister that went missing in the same forest as Jeremy and Rafe. This story is heart warming. There is hope, magic, love, forgiveness, and family.

I highly recommend this book to everyone.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

As boys Rafe and Jeremy went missing in Red Crow park. They mysteriously showed back up six months later. Rafe has no memory of what happened and Jeremy's refusal to explain drives a wedge between the two. They are brought back together fifteen years later by Emilie who is searching for her missing sister. They set off together into a magical world. This book was such a lovely surprise. I flew through it. The world set up by Meg Shaffer was so interesting. I really loved following Rafe and Jeremy's relationship and the story of Emilie finding her missing half sister. It deals with some really difficult topics in a very touching way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked Meg Shaffer’s whimsical previous book, The Wishing Game, a lot. So I was really excited to get a digital ARC of THE LOST STORY. While The Wishing Game felt magical like a children’s book, it was clearly aimed at adults. THE LOST STORY, unfortunately, read too YA for me to enjoy it.

The first few chapters about Emilie had me hooked. But once the story transitioned into Rafe and Jeremy’s story, things started to fall apart.

Emilie was adopted, and after her beloved mother dies, she discovers she has an older half sister who went missing when she was young. Everyone assumes Shannon was abducted and murdered, but her body has never been found. Emilie feels terrible that she’s had such a wonderful life, while Shannon got the short end of the stick. So Emilie goes looking for Jeremy, who is known for his uncanny ability to find lost girls.

Jeremy himself was a lost boy: he and his best friend, Rafe, went missing in the vast West Virginia State Forest and reappeared six months later. Although Jeremy can remember what happened during that time, he refused to tell Rafe, and their relationship ended. That is, until Jeremy asks Rafe to help him find Shannon, who they once knew in an enchanted land.

I know the point of this book is to be a fairy tale for adults, but it fell flat for me. The dialogue was rough and the conversations were forced and it felt too silly. I did like all the references to magical literature and I thought the “Storyteller Corner” was a cute touch but overall this book was a miss for me. Not many people can compete with Stephen King, but Fairy Tale was much more my speed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the early digital copy of THE LOST STORY in exchange for my honest feedback.

I really enjoyed The Wishing Game, so I was very excited to be able to read this new book. This one did fall a little flat for me, but I don't think it was any fault of the author or the story. I just don't think this book was for me personally.
The writing was really good, and there was great character development. I really enjoyed the whimsy and the nostalgia of the book. I also really enjoyed The Storyteller Corner section.
I appreciate the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

The Lost Story is about teenage best friends traveling between worlds. It’s marketed as a fairy tale for grown ups and while there is an exploration of adult themes, it reads as if the teenage best friends never got past 14years old. But for splashes of profanity, this book could have been a very solid YA fantasy.

That being said, Meg Shaffer has the most interesting and creative concept for exploring and healing from childhood trauma into adulthood. I don’t know that anything less than 500 pages would do the world or the characters justice- and I’d have read every one of them. This story sat with me long after I finished it, it was one I immediately wanted to discuss with a friend. As a survivor of similar traumatic experiences as described in The Lost Story, this is a story that needs telling, and I’m glad to have found a part of it in this book.

I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e-arc of The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer.

This is a fantasy novel. 5+*; a fairy tale for grown-ups.

Synopsis: "The Lost Story" by Meg Shaffer follows the journey of childhood friends Jeremy and Rafe, who vanished in a West Virginia forest only to return six months later with no memory of their ordeal. Now, Jeremy is a renowned missing person investigator, while Rafe is a reclusive artist still haunted by the past. When vet tech Emilie seeks Jeremy's help finding her missing sister, who disappeared in the same forest, Jeremy realizes the truth during their absence. With Emilie's determination, they embark on a quest to uncover the secrets of their past and find Emilie's sister, facing both beauty and danger in the enchanted world they once called home.

Things I loved: "The Lost Story" is an enchanting novel that intricately weaves together various life themes, such as family dynamics, socioeconomic struggles, abuse, LGBTQ+ themes, and the importance of inner knowing and self-discovery. It evokes a similar feeling to reading Stephen King's fairytale or diving into the magical realms of "The Chronicles of Narnia," but with the whimsical charm reminiscent of T.J. Klune's "The House in the Cerulean Sea". What sets "The Lost Story" apart is its ability to tug at the heartstrings while delving into complex themes. From family bonds to the exploration of identity and attraction, the novel offers a tapestry of emotions and experiences. Its magical elements add an extra layer of intrigue and wonder, making it a captivating read for fans of both fantasy and fiction. Ultimately, "The Lost Story" is a compelling tale that invites readers to confront their past, embrace their inner truths, and embark on a journey of self-discovery alongside unforgettable characters. With its blend of heartwarming moments, gripping mystery, and fantastical elements, this book is sure to captivate and leave a lasting impression on anyone who dives into its pages.
• Rich Exploration of Life Themes
• Engaging Blend of Fantasy and Fiction
• Compelling Characters and Emotional Depth
This was a story about friendship, family, love, found family, and forgiveness.

Things I disliked: I loved this and will not list dislikes, only that I did not hook in chapter one, but a few chapters later. I highly recommend this book. It will be in my top 10 books of the year no doubt.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer.
This is a book I wanted to love. I loved the premise, and I loved the author's previous novel. Unfortunately, the book didn't work for me. The dialogue felt forced and unrealistic, making the interactions between characters seem juvenile. At times, I found myself questioning if the book was intended for a younger audience due to its simplistic tone. While the premise held promise, the execution left much to be desired. Ultimately, "The Lost Story" fell short of my expectations, failing to capture the magic I had hoped for.