"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again." - C.S Lewis
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
This is a fairytale for adults that you can get lost in.

For all those who loved, The Wishing Game, you'll enjoy The Lost Story just as much.
Teenagers, Jeremy and Rafe go missing one day while they're art Red Crowe State park. It's safe to say that everyone immediately thinks worst case scenario. Out of the blue, 6 months later, they turn up with no memory where they were or how they got there. They claim that they have no idea what happened. All everyone knows is that they come back in better shape then when they left. With all the commotion and mysterious circumstances, it's safe to say that these boys would need each other more than ever now but Jeremy goes to live with his grandmother.

Time passes, and our is now 15 years later. It's safe to say that these events helped shape these two men into who they are now. Rafe is more of a hermit but an artist, and Jeremy is an investigator for missing people. Jeremy seems to have quite the knack at what he does, too. Rafe and Jeremy still haven't spoke about what happened in that forest. Rafe bears scars but still has no memory. Jeremy has harbored a secret all these years, and he knows exactly what happened during their time in the woods.
Along comes Emilie looking for their help. Her sister has gone missing in the dame woods. Can Rafe and Jeremy get along and put the past behind them to help Emilie?

What a fun and mystical ride this was!! I could not put this down. I will now always buy Meg Shaffer's books blindly.

Thank you, Random House/Ballantine books and netgalley for the ability to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#TheLostStory #NetGalley

A big thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the digital advance copy in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published on July 16, 2024.

I thoroughly enjoyed Meg Shaffer’s debut, The Wishing Game (2023), so I jumped at the chance to read her sophomore book (upon further investigation – I didn’t know this was written under a pen name! Shaffer is also bestselling romance author Tiffany Reisz). My expectations were high, and she nailed every one of them. We’re still early into 2024, but this has placed itself at the top of my favorite books of the year (and it MIGHT even be my new favorite book of all time). Five illustrious stars.

“All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is.”

Shaffer’s primary gift is the way she can tap into readers’ nostalgia, as evidenced in both of her books. She’ll have you yearning for childhood literature, with essences of C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle weaved throughout her writing. At the same time, while her narratives may seem lighthearted on the surface, they are written for adults. Shaffer can ask deep questions and cover highly sensitive topics with a gentle touch, but, as with any book, I would recommend looking up trigger warnings before reading as there are some heavy themes present here, including domestic violence and abandonment.

As a former resident of West Virginia, I felt a fondness for the reverent references to the magic and beauty of the Mountain State. There’s so much more to it than its “redneck” reputation, and this book is a fitting tribute. (Tudor’s Biscuit World is a special brand of magic, in itself - iykyk)

I fell truly, madly, deeply in love with this towards the middle, when a bit more of the backstory is revealed. I never like to give anything away with plot summaries in reviews, but if you’re a fan of the “found family” trope, this book takes it literally. You’ll also learn there’s a double meaning to the title, which asks the question, what does it mean to be “lost?” And that blew my mind a little.

This book solidified my love for Shaffer’s writing. If she has one fan, it’s me. With her vivid characters, witty voice, and transportive worldbuilding, she has a true knack for magical realism.

Side note: my reading experience was positively enhanced by listening to “Primavera” by Ludovico Einaudi on repeat. The song plays a small part in the story, and if you read this book, I highly recommend looking it up. Hopefully, it’ll help you find Shanandoah the way I did.

I felt like this was just ok. I loved the Wishing Game and was really excited but this wasn’t the same. I didn’t really connect with the characters and I felt the pace to be really slow. I loved Narnia so I had high hopes . Easy read but I wasn’t blown away

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an early copy of THE LOST STORY by Meg Shaffer in exchange for my honest review!

Ratings:
Characters: 4/5 stars
Writing: 4/5 stars
Execution: 3.75/5 stars
Engagement: 5/5 stars
Enjoyment: 5/5 stars
Overall: 4.35/5 stars

I don’t normally do such a categorical rating breakdown for my reviews but I was having trouble pinpointing where my overall rating landed and I found that breaking it down into categories helped.

Last year, I read Shaffer’s The Wishing Game and was so taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed it. Getting the chance to read Shaffer’s next novel, a novel inspired by one of my favorite childhood series, The Chronicles of Narnia, was a real treat!

The book initially began with a lot of mystery and intrigue. I was hooked and had a thousand questions which caused me to keep turning the page.

Then, once we entered the kingdom of Shanandoah, the tone of the story carried much more whimsy and nostalgia that it brought me back to some of my favorite fairytales. And not only that, but it gave me that feeling you get when you read fairytales, particularly as a child, that books are magical. The end of the book had the perfect quote to describe this:

<i>“All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is.”</i>

I was swept up in this story. Part of me wished it would go on and on forever, but I also think it was just right as is.

The characters wormed their way into my heart, particularly Rafe and Jeremy. My heart was in their fists and they would squeeze and squeeze. I absolutely adore them.

However, I do think Emilie’s character was a bit lacking. She is a very important character but her development fell flat for me. I wish I could’ve connected more with her since so much of this story was focused on her finding her sister.

I really enjoyed the interlude chapters from the Storyteller’s POV. That added to the whimsical nature of a fairytale.

I loved the concept of this book. Yes, it has those similar beats of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wizard of Oz, but it also felt unique in its own right. I think the execution of it had some rough moments, but it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment.

I really loved this book and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. I feel like there’s not much more you can ask for than that right there.

Highly recommend!

3.75 stars
thank you to netgalley for a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
this was cute! heartwarming and unexpectedly emotional. I enjoy meg shaffer's writing style! she writes witty and genuine characters you can't help but sympathize with. a little more than halfway through it does get a little cringey and feels rushed but overall just a refreshing book

Many thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher, and the Author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This truly is a fairytale for adults! I was instantly drawn into this wholesome story, which gave me Narnia and The Wizard of Oz vibes. This is a story of friendship, healing, and perseverance that sweeps you off into a whimsical world via the mountains of West-by God-Virginia! I love that there's a Storyteller who checks in throughout the book. With the way this ended, I have high hopes for yet another part to this wonderful story written by the magical unicorn pencil! 🦄

"You", Rafe whispered in his ear, "are my kingdom. Where you are is where I belong."

"But you don't really need a magic pencil to write a magic book. All books are magic. An object that can take you to another world without even leaving your room? A story written by a stranger and yet it seems they wrote it just for you or to you? Loving and hating people made out of ink and paper, not flesh and blood? Yes, books are magic. Maybe even the strongest magic there is."

I highly recommend everyone grab a copy in July when this book is released.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is just a sweet, heartwarming book about healing and finding your place in the world, or if you can't, then making one of your own (world or place). It is very much a "returning to Narnia as adults" story, though the characters in this one are carrying a bit more trauma than those in the Narnia series. Props to the author for having a magical world that actually felt magical, the way a child, or preteen, would create it. I appreciate a good story where the friends are actually friends, who don't betray each other and actually act in each others' best interests. I loved the interstitial chapters written by "The Storyteller." My only minor complaint is the pacing. It takes almost half the book before we get to the magical world we've been promised, and then there's a secondary plot that takes over for quite a span after the main conflict is dealt with. That doesn't change the fact that it's still a very enjoyable read, though. I was not familiar with Shaffer's work before this, but now I will definitely be checking out her other book, The Wishing Game

5/5 ⭐️

The book opens with the tale of two boys who have been honorably called The Lost Boys. Fifteen years prior, Jeremy and Rafe (Ralph) were found after being lost in the woods for 6 months. The last time they have spoken was the day they were rescued and held on to the belief they could not remember what exactly happened. We are now in present day following Emilie who has discovered she has a half sister she never knew about. Shannon went missing a few months before The Lost Boys went missing in the same woods. While it has been 15 years since her sister went missing, she has hope that she will be able to find her sister and bring her home dead or alive. Jeremy, is now a missing persons detective and has successfully rescued multiple missing children and women cases. After Emilie approaches him for help, he decides it’s time to go back to the beginning. What starts out feeling like a mystery turns into a fairytale. A story of escapism and wimsy. A place where happiness is found and the horrors of life no longer exist. Jeremy has been holding on to the memories of those 6 months of being lost like a lifeline wondering if he will ever get to go back. Rafe, was stripped of his memories yet has vivid dreams of a fairytale life and left wondering why his bestfriend hasn’t spoken to him in 15 years. We watch as his memories begin to come back and come face to face with a past he long forgot. It was deeply moving, broke my heart three times and has you questioning are fairytales just for children and/or are happily ever afters really that happy?

Release day July 16th!

Thank you NetGalley for a complementary copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. First off if you haven't read Meg Shaffer's first book, you should. The Wishing Game is so good that when I heard she had a second book soon to be published I was very excited.
The Lost Story does not disappoint. It is a Fairy Tale, interrupted by a narrator/story teller, and as all good fairytales do, it has an assortment of princes and princesses, bad sorts, magical places, and animals. Who wouldn't want to have a baby unicorn's head in your lap as your mediative go to? In the reading of this book I just kept imaging a Lisa Frank inspired world of colors!
I really liked all the characters, how they were all allowed to be just who they were, and in this band of friends they were accepted as so. I liked the banter between the characters, as it added an even more charming quality to an already charming book.
Meg Shaffer has such an incredible imagination. I am a fan and can not wait to see what next she comes up with.

It pains me to say that this didn't give me the same feelings as The Wishing Game. Obviously, they're two different books and they're about different things. I found this to be very easy to read, but I couldn't connect to the story or the characters. It took a long time for any real action or whimsy to begin, and I was taken out of the intended magic because of that.

This book was written in such detail that I could really picture everything that was happening in my mind. While the story seemed so magical there were still many hard topics that were discussed throughout. I absolutely adored this book and can't wait to own a physical copy. Thank you Netgally for the ARC.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a wondrous masterpiece of storytelling.
Where a magic pencil writes fantasy fairytales and there are hidden worlds to be discovered,
The world is a magical place and we get to experience it.

#TheLostStory
#MegShaffer
#NetGalley

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. [book:The Wishing Game|62926992] was another book I had read previously by this author and I thought it was reminiscent of childhood, but definitely written for adults. I feel the same way about this book The Lost Story which encapsulates the magic of childhood and fantasy while still dealing with childhood trauma and coming of age issues. It is like taking a step into Narnia.

This book is a DNF for me. Unfortunately it just wasn’t working and became a not so enjoyable reading experience. I enjoyed The Wishing Game so much and had high hopes but I decided not to continue reading as this one just isn’t it for me. I DNF’d at 23% in which is close to where I can determine if I will enjoy a book or not.

I really want to like this one but it was really hard for me to become immersed jn the story. I don’t think it’s bad but I’m just not sure that this book is for me.

I loved The Wishing Game, so when I saw that Shaffer came out with a new book I was so excited! And I loved this one even more! I l loved the pacing and the sense of mystery. The characters were fun. Shaffer's enchanted world was amazing. I was expecting to be enchanted with the magical world, but I was surprised at my emotional investment. I may have shed tears. I am not a "romance" fan, but I love a good love story and this book definitely delivered that! As magical as this book is, it also deals with some pretty heavy themes. I absolutely loved this book. West - by God! - Virginia! Shaffer hit her mark.

Many heartfelt thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for providing an ARC for review.

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really wanted to love this book. The beginning was really promising but the further the story went on, the less attached I felt to the characters. The 'Storyteller' chapters took me out of the story completely so I began to skip them halfway through.

Pacing, dialogue and structure just overall felt disconnected. The story is only about 350 pages but it was difficult to continue to read when I didn't feal attachments to the story or the characters.

Shaffer does it again with her newest novel, The Lost Story. Jeremy and Rafe are childhood friends who go missing in a West Virginia forest. Six months later, they show up without any explanation. The two friends drift apart and only reunite when Jeremy, a missing persons' investigator, needs Rafe's help on a case.

Although it sounds like a mystery, it is actually more of a fairy tale. I loved the characters. They are all well developed and easy to connect with. The plot is unique and draws the reader in.

If you are looking for a unique book to read, this is one that is different that many will enjoy. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this whimsical read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this enchanting book! It was a love letter to fairy tales and the Brothers Grimm!
The book starts with two teenage boys, Rafe and Jeremy, who went missing in the West Virginia woods. They were lost for 6 months but when they are found they have no explanation for where they were or how they survived and were healthy after the time. 15 years pass and Jeremy now helps find missing girls and women.
A young woman named Emilie asks Jeremy to help her find her sister, who went missing in the same woods 5 years before Jeremy and Rafe did. The three then go on a incredibly creative adventure.
I was raised in the southwestern area of Virginia, which is near the West Virginia border so it was really fun reading all of the WV references.
The book has very vivid and imaginative details. I'm not usually the biggest fantasy reader but I still really enjoyed it. The book blends magical realism and fantasy. The characters were lovely and the book focuses on adventure, creativity, bravery, friendship, and love.
I highly recommend, especially if you are a fantasy reader!

A beautiful easy read. What I wished the Magicians book series had done with Fillory that I think the TV show did a lot better than the source material. This is a step above that. An inviting middle ground between the marvelous world of Narnia and the cruel reality of Fillory. I absolutely loved the world that Meg Shaffer created. My one gripe is the character relationships.