Book Summary:

Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell are famous. As teenagers, they went missing for months, only to randomly show up, providing no explanation for their absence. Now, Jeremy is making a new name for himself, as his talent lies in finding missing women and girls.

That’s where Emilie Wendell comes into play. Following the death of her adoptive mother, Emilie learned that she had a sister. Only her sister has been missing for over a decade. Her only chance at finding the family she has left is with Jeremy.

My Review:

When I saw Meg Shaffer (author of The Wishing Game) had another book coming our way, you better believe I scrambled to get my hands on it! Like her first novel, The Lost Story has a strong book-about-a-book vibe, but it's also so much more.

In truth, there are times when this book feels more like two wrapped into one. There's the world as described in Jeremy's past, and then there's the present, with a young girl searching for a long-lost sister. Basically, it's a magical/dark tale and a missing person's story.

Truthfully, I'm not sure which tale I liked more. I think they could have been better integrated, as the dialogue was jarring sometimes. I did enjoy the characters and the banter they quickly fell into.

Overall, I'd say that The Lost Story wasn't quite as strong as The Wishing Game. It still had a beautiful foundation, but it felt like it didn't quite live up to its potential.

Highlights:
Fantasy World
Bridge to Terabithia Vibes
Books about Books
LGBTQ+

Trigger Warnings:
Abuse
Homophobia
Familial Death

Honestly, I want a whole other spicy story about Jeremy, Rafe, and Skyla as a throuple 😂

On another note, I LOVED The Lost Story. Meg Shaffer does a fantastic job of mixing reality and fantasy and creating such a beautiful new world. I would love to live in the Painted Sea 🥹 Each character was so special in their own way, and although this book does revolve heavily around trauma, Shaffer approaches it so carefully and gives everyone the happy ending they deserve. Highly recommend this one, even if you’re not a fantasy reader 😊

I enjoyed this book! Captivating story, strong voice, lovely descriptions. I’ll recommend it to students who like a bit of fabulist and fairy tale in their stories. I cared about my leads!

Sweet and to the point, I can see the origins of the story pretty clearly which is fine. However I expected a bit more from the plot, potentially even a longer story. Was fun though to read!

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer was a lovely story full of magic as well as a depth of emotions. I was immediately transported from the very beginning to the very end. It balances all the emotions and fantasy elements so well. It’s wonderful storytelling.

Meg Shaffer is really establishing herself as a capable and versatile author. The Lost Story really is a "fairy tale" for adults. An engaging mystery inspired by Chronicles of Narnia. Brilliantly executed

I enjoyed this book it was cute.. it says it’s inspired by narnia and like I see the resemblance with them getting lost in the woods and time moving different in that reality but for some reason I was also getting Peter Pan vibes (the characters are aging so I’m not fully sure why i can’t fully explain that) still a cute story

I didn’t know if I was going to enjoy this book, but I ended up finding it extremely charming. I found this book perfect for me to read a few chapters before bed because of its’ lower stakes and classic fairytale feel. I fell in love with the characters, but I wish that there was more character development. I am not sure how I felt about the storyteller corner chapters because it made the book feel more young adult. However, these chapters did grow on me as the book went on. Overall, I do recommend this book and I am happy that I was able to read the ARC of it!

I loved the story for this book just like I liked the last one. It was so well written and told and just brought about the right amount of whimsicalness.

Meg Shaffer always creates the most beautiful worlds for me to fall into. Highly recommend this book if you were a fan of The Wishing Game or Chronicles of Narnia (which is where Shaffer drew her inspiration from for this book).

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is a wonderfully enchanting read that left me grinning from ear to ear.. The blend of magical realism and heartfelt moments makes it easy to get lost in its world. The way Shaffer weaves in quirky references and intricate world-building had me giddy, and the characters are so endearing that their journey feels incredibly personal. Sure, there are moments where the pacing stumbles a bit, but those are minor hiccups in an otherwise captivating tale. The overall vibe is cozy and nostalgic, making it a delightful escape.

The Lost Story was a fun, whimsical read with an incredibly interesting premise. In actuality, I felt the first half of the book stunted the second half a bit because it developed slowly. All the characters were very discernible and had unique, engaging personalities - which I really enjoyed - but at some points I felt a bit “let’s get this show on the road.” The world itself was very fun to read and be in, but overall I just didn’t connect with this story the way I thought I would, probably due to the slow nature of the first half and that it felt there was a ton of dialogue. Which, yes, obviously dialogue is important for a novel, but I like to sit with the prose just as much as I like the banter and verbal aspects.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the arc.

Once again, Meg Shaffer has put a smile on my face.

In her newest book, The Lost Story, two teenage boys named Ralph (Rafe) Howell and Jeremy Cox go missing in West Virginia’s fictional Red Crow State Forest during a field trip. Despite an exhaustive and thorough search they’re nowhere to be found, and after 6 months the worst is assumed - until one day they suddenly reappear.

Where have they been? One of them offers no answers and the other one doesn’t seem to have them to begin with. One thing is apparent: they don’t look like they’ve suffered malnutrition or significant harm. In fact, they’ve grown and look … stronger?

Flash forward 15 years and Jeremy Cox is now specializing in finding missing girls and women, while his once best friend Rafe is pursuing his art after a more challenging recovery from those long ago events. The two boys had been so close, and Rafe can’t understand why Jeremy has kept his distance all these years.

When a young woman named Emilie seeks Jeremy’s help to find her sister Shannon, who went missing in Red Crow State Forest even before the two boys did, he reaches out to the one person he knows can help: Rafe.

Why does he need him? Well, Rafe may not know it yet, but he and Jeremy know Shannon, and the only way to help Emilie find her sister is to re-enter the story they left 15 years ago in a magical place called Shanandoah. (Yes, that’s how the book spells it.) In looking for her, they may rediscover each other as well.

The rest of this journey is yours to take, should you choose to!

Can I just say that, though Meg Shaffer needs no comparison to another author, if someone told me that she and TJ Klune were related, I’d believe them? They each understand how to build a character and relationship arc so beautifully that you feel almost instantly invested in the outcome of their characters’ journeys. They understand magical realism and giving just enough fantasy without leaving the real world behind. They can both write a coming-of-age tale that still feels adult. They can each take inspiration from a fairy tale, yet make a story that’s truly their own. They both show that love - romantic, familial or found family is what connects us. Best of all? They both seem to keenly understand the struggle and the beauty of being human. I had the same feeling reading this as I did reading Klune’s Pinocchio-inspired In the Lives of Puppets last year.

If you want a heartwarming book with delightful characters and a magical setting that encapsulates all those wonderful qualities and delivers it in a package with huge heart and intelligent humor, I highly recommend this, as well as the audio narrated so charmingly by Jorjeana Marie. Both formats are excellent. It’s the rare book that I wish had been longer, which is my highest compliment to an author!

★★★★ ½

Meg has always this power to speak to your bookish soul and to your inner child. Very sapphic, very home centered. A story of true friendship and magic places.

As a fan of Chronicles of Narnia, I think it's appropriate to say that Meg Shaffer paid homage to the tradition of CS Lewis while also spinning a tale that felt entirely personal to her beautiful characters. From the painful emotional trauma to the dark fairytale whimsy, I will be thinking about the events of this novel for a very long time.

This book was amazing. Meg Shaffer has cemented herself as one of my new favorite authors. I LOVED The Wishing Game, and The Lost Story was even better, although I didn't think it was possible. This book was the perfect mix of witty characters, whimsical magic, heartfelt longing, and real struggle. This is the perfect contemporary lost fairytale, and I was gripped from beginning to end. I wish I could live in this book forever.

the lost story feels like an unexpected gem that i’ve uncovered. i knew little to nothing about the book or author before picking it up, only to find it plucks some ever so right strings for me. an homage to storytelling, especially beloved childhood tales such as the chronicles of narnia, with a modern twist and unlikely heroes. this has one of the tropes i typically enjoy, that of magic amnesia, and it was done beautifully and with careful reveals. this book has a lot of heart and joy woven with some threads of grief. if this turns into a series, i will absolutely picking up the next because i would love to hear more from the forest.

For me, this book started out strong and then fizzled. I'm all for magic realism, lord knows I love me a book that has a bit of magic thrown in, but unicorns and giant fireflies and villains that turn to dust and reincarnate were a stretch.

Maybe I didn't read the book synopsis beforehand, or maybe I read it a while ago and forgot by the time I started, but the beginning of the book started out as a good non-fiction mystery or thriller. I was really engaged and captivated by the story of these boys gone missing, returning (essentially unharmed and stronger than ever) and what happened. How exciting! And then they arrive in Shanandoah and it got weird.

I gave the book 4 stars, however, because there was a lot of substance to this story: how kids overcame abuse, battling an LGBTQ relationship, rejection, and more. It was actually quite impressive and shows talent how Shaffer worked all of that into the story. I wouldn't not recommend this book. I think it has a lot to offer. But just get ready to activate your imagination. The fantasy is real.

This book was absolutely amazing from start to finish! It captured my heart and I feel in love with the characters 🥹❤️ it was such a beautiful story that truly immerses you. Amazing 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really hope we get another book for this story.

4 stars

Oh I loved this one! Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia, two teenage boys go missing and suddenly remerge from the woods six months later. As an adult, one dedicates his life to finding missing girls and women, including Emilie's sister who went missing in the same forest he was found in. It was a beautiful story that left me in tears. I really loved this one, even more than The Wishing Game. Meg Shaffer's brand of magical realism is my kind of fiction.