What a whimsical fairytale. I didn’t know what to expect from Meg Shaffer, but The Lost Story was a quick and delightful read. Emilie, looking for her sister, teams up with Jeremy, who has an ability to find people. Jeremy himself was lost once with his childhood friend, Rafe, so Jeremy enlists Rafe in their magical mission. The world Shaffer built is magical and mysterious. The breaks from the “Storyteller” are unique and keep the story fast-paced. If you’re looking for an enjoyable and enchanting story, devour this in a weekend!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

If you’re a fan of whimsical stories - this book is for you. If you wish you could travel back to your childhood and read fairytales - this book is for you. If you like books that toe the line between fiction and fantasy - What’s real? What’s imagination? - this book is for you. If you’re someone who craves the next TJ Klune book - This. Book. Is. For. You!

There’s a magical world and there’s a sleepy West Virginia town. There’s knights, princes, queens, monsters, and there’s skeletons in the closet. There’s romance and (a hint of) tragedy. There’s beautiful writing. Witty dialogue. Ridiculousness.

What more could you want from a story?

(The beautiful cover doesn’t hurt either - not that I judged this book by it!)

I really loved the world building in this book. The one thing I didn’t really enjoy was the narrator. I feel like we could’ve gotten more story instead of the narrator skipping the story ahead. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this author I love. It's the second book I've read by her and this one didn't disappoint either. I'll give it a five for now...the ending was more open ended than I like but I'm assuming it's cause there's a sequel? If not maybe more like a 4.5. It was a beautiful cozy feeling story with some fantasy aspects intertwined. The story was predictable at times but the feelings were great and I really liked the characters. I think I liked the wishing game slightly more but still a solid read! I really like her writing style in general and the use of the narrator in this book was wonderful and humorous. Need to read more by this author.

Inspired by C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, two boys who society would never expect to be friends get ‘lost’ in the woods together. After being miraculously found, no one knows how they survived, why they came back or where they were while they were missing.

I was excited to read another Meg Shaffer book after loving reading ‘The Wishing Game‘. The book starts out with a bang. Immediately pulled in, I grabbed a cup of tea and settled in for a cozy mystery. I’m 1% … 10% in and I’m amped.
I didn’t know this was inspired by Chronicles of Narnia, but readers will easily recognize the name dropping and the similar theme. And you know what …. I didn’t like that. Her previous book was inspired by Willy Wonka, this book inspired by Chronicles of Narnia … I want something more. I’m now 20% in and I’m starting to get a little sad.
About 50% in, I’m over it. It’s too much like a child’s book, but it’s not for children. The dialogue is annoying me. It’s choppy, unrealistic. The dialogue reminded me of one of those cheesy Disney/Nickelodeon T.V. shows, but with less slime.
We hit, what I presume is, the climax of the story way too early in the book. At 70% I’m confused why there is so much text left. We should be wrapping this up. The excitement is over… right? No… it’s the longest, midwestern goodbye as story’s wrap-up. It was unnecessary.
When reading the author’s acknowledgments she mentions her husband is also an author. Doing some quick searches I found he writes parodies of other books. Everything started coming together. I hope for Shaffer’s next book she writes something more… original? Or this might be her ‘schtick’ is she writes fantasy novels inspired by fantasy classics. If so, I might not pick up again.
Overall, I didn’t hate it. If you love, love, love Chronicles of Narnia … you might enjoy this one. Warning, there are no closets. As much as I was excited to recieve this ARC and hear Shaffer is already releasing another book… I would, sadly, not recommend this to my reader friends.
***Thank you to Random House/Ballantine, NetGalley and of course, Meg Shaffer, for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Publishing on July 16, 2024.
Have you read The Wishing Game? Excited for this Lewis inspired novel? Let me know in the comments below!

Such a delightful modern fairy tale with great pacing & storytelling- I thought the “Storyteller Corner” was a rather cute way for the narrator to make her presence known. At first, I was hesitant about the fairy tale gimmick, but it very quickly drew me in. The setting was so charming, and the characters (especially Rafe) stole my heart. I was very interested in the relationship that Jeremy and Rafe had, and deeply invested in finding out the reasons for their distance.

This book was different from every other book I’ve ever read, but also informed by every other book I’ve ever read. It was familiar yet strange; like the forest that lurks behind your house. Friendly, but also threatening. Shaffer nailed this feeling as it’s the same one the characters feel throughout their journey back to the magical unknown.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a whimsical fairy tale and enjoyable light reading. This is my first Meg Shaffer book, and certainly won’t be my last. I really enjoyed the banter, the characters, and the unraveling plot.

My sincerest thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, and Meg Shaffer for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Lost Story will be published on July 4, 2024.

3 ⭐️. I really wanted to love this book, it had a great premise of 2 lost boys who wandered in the forest and returned 6 months later, unharmed and healthy. One with no memory of what happened. They then go back into the woods 15 years later when Emilie contacts of the lost boys to help find her missing sister of 20 years. It tried really had to be something great with references to CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Alice in Wonderland etc but in the end the story wasn’t as compelling and moved very slowly to start and wasn’t as magical once they got to Shanandoah.

What I really enjoyed, the characters and the themes of familial hardship, found family, love and friendship. The story had the bones to be highly emotional but skated too lightly on the tough topics. Emilie was darling with her fancy rat Fritz and Jeremy and Rafe have my heart. Loved the LGBTQ representation. I also loved the nostalgia and quotes from those magical books of my childhood. I just wish I felt more of the magic with this story itself.

This book took me almost 2 weeks to get through, which for me is a very very long time, the first 40% of the book was a slow build to get back to this magical world, too slow and I was getting bored even though I was still filled with anticipation. Once there, the story felt very juvenile. The ending sets this up for a series, that I am unsure about continuing. I am also unsure how I felt about the Storyteller, I liked that it was different and tried to make this feel more like a fairytale but in the end the Storyteller ended up ‘telling’ too much of the story instead of the book showing us what happens. I would have liked to read about what happened at the end vs being told a daily recap of what our protagonists were up to. This was my first Meg Shaffer book and I will go back to her first novel, The Wishing Game to give this author another chance to find the magic.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Meg Shaffer for this advanced egalley in exchange for my honest review.

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." - C.S. Lewis

I'm old enough now but I never really stopped reading fairy tales.

This book has that sweet touch of magic. Inspired by the chronicles of Narnia, it takes us to this enchanted land where we witness the unfolding of a beautiful story.

I did get a tad impatient in that first quarter of the book as I wanted them to get to the kingdom of Shanandoah already and step into the magic.

Some characters do come off as a tad childish, I honestly thought Emilie was a young girl when she is, in fact, a young women. I also had the impression that the boys were in the enchanted kingdom for years when they were only there for six months.

In a nutshell, I liked the storyteller and the writing style; reading this book is simply a magical experience.

Highly recommend!

In The Lost Story, Meg Shaffer explores the question of what would happen if you could disappear inside one of your favorite stories — a question many book lovers have likely wondered about. Though it's a similar theme to her first book, The Wishing Game, this book creates a completely new, magical realm that two teenage boys, Jeremy and Ralph, fall into by mistake after Ralph has a horrible fight with his father. They disappear without a trace for six months, then reappear without giving any information about where they've been — Ralph can't remember, but Jeremy simply won't tell. Fifteen years later, we revisit the boys as grown men, and watch them unravel the mystery of that hidden realm together on a quest to find Emilie's long-lost sister.

I loved this book's characters, in particular the exploration of Ralph's relationship with his parents and his love story with Jeremy. I adored Emilie's quirky charm, and her pet rat Fritz. Without giving too much away, I'll also say I really enjoyed the childlike wonder with which the characters explore the magical realm — and all of the world-building inside the realm. However, the interjections from the Storyteller fell a bit flat for me, and I felt made the book feel a bit childish. All in all, this was a wonderful read and a great escape from the tedium of adult life — just like what Shaffer's characters find through the portal in Red Crow Forest.

“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 have a short list of authors whose books have impacted me so much I will read literally anything they write. Meg Shaffer’s name is about to wind up on that list.

Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell were best friends when they disappeared on a school field trip, only to return six months later with no explanation for where they’ve been. Fifteen years later, the boys are no longer friends, Jeremy making a living finding lost people and Rafe doing his best not to be found. All that changes when Jeremy is approached by Emilie, a recently orphaned vet tech with a pet rat, with a request to find her long lost sister who disappeared in the very same woods Jeremy and Rafe did. But these woods aren’t normal, and only Jeremy knows the truth about the magic land he and Rafe left behind, and why. Armed with this new quest, Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie head back to the enchanted world with the hope of finding Emilie’s sister – and maybe even themselves.

I was the perfect reader for this novel – I wrote my undergraduate thesis on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – so a modern-day fairy tale that includes a fun yet critically accurate description of what makes something a fairy tale was right up my alley. The Storyteller narrator made the book feel like it was being read to you – Once Upon a Time style – and it had all the major character types (prince, knight, princess) and magical creatures (unicorns, mermaids, singing birds that could probably braid hair or make clothing if they really wanted) you’d want to see. There were numerous callbacks to old fairy tales and fantasy series, ranging from subtle references (including one pretty gruesome one from Cinderella) to outright acknowledgment (C.S. Lewis especially). In true Grimm’s style, it also didn’t shy away from some harder topics but the resolution for all felt earned. I loved the shout out to Shaffer’s first book, The Wishing Game, with the inclusion of the Clock Island mentions. Man do I wish that series existed.

Overall the writing is beautiful, the story itself is captivating, and the characters were so lovable I wanted to give each one of them a hug. There were so many quotable lines I had to stop myself from highlighting half the book. I don’t even like hiking and I want to go get lost in Red Crow and Shanandoah. I figured out a fair number of the surprises, but didn’t care because reading them was just so fun. I hope this book has a sequel – no spoilers, but I can’t stand the thought of this being the last time we go on an adventure with this group. Shaffer has a way of speaking to my inner, magic-loving child and in a way I don’t quite know to describe her books really do feel like they were written just for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballentine for this ARC – it made my month. Rest assured, I’ll be buying the book when it comes out as well.

Oof, this was ROUGH.

I am incredibly disappointed because The Wishing Game was a huge hit for me last year. That book was a little cheesy, but had an interesting, whimsical, magical premise that was actually believable. This one, on the other hand, was so heavy handed that it became a gimmick. This should have been a middle grade, it was that surface level and predicable.

The begging of this book was interesting enough, but once the fantasy element kicked in, I lost interest. It was so cheesy and repetitive. One of the major conflicts was resolved with 15 percent left of the book and then we get bogged down in generic princes and princesses and knights, so much so that I skimmed to the end.

The entire book was low-stakes and nothing felt believable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ok. Meg Shaffer is officially one of my favorite authors.
You know the feeling when you finally find a good book that you can’t put down because it’s just that good? That feeling when you realized you’re close to the end and you just don’t want it to stop. Meg Shaffer could have written 300 more chapters of this story and I would have devoured every single one. I didn’t want this magical story to end! The world building is PERFECTION. The character development is PERFECTION. While there were some twists in the story that the reader can definitely see coming, it’s so satisfying and refreshing to see a story come together in exactly the way you would want it to. I can’t recommend this novel enough.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

I read Shaffer’s other book and was really excited to be approved for this one as well. Her previous work was good but I did have a few problems with it. Not the case here. This book is great! I loved the characters, the scene building, the narrator. It didn’t give YA book but it brought back magic from childhood fantasy books I haven’t visited in a long time. That is really difficult to do in a category that can easily become overly simplistic. There was the right amount of humor, seriousness, and mystery that all felt tied together and reasonable. Queer representation also didn’t feel forced at all (which can also be difficult to do).

The only thing I wished at the end was that there was more of it to read. 5/5, awesome second novel for Shaffer.

I loved this book so much. 4.5 stars. I fell in love with Jeremy and Rafe and Emilie. I loved the Narnia vibe mixed with the witty dialog and absurdity of The Princess Bride. I was absolutely lost in this gem of a book and could not put it down.

Thank you for allowing me to read this beautiful story! Below is my review, posted to my Goodreads account.

First my thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity for an ARC copy of this beautiful novel 🫶

As a West Virginian, when I saw that this story takes place in my beautiful home state, I knew I had to read it! WV and its people have long been ridiculed and laughed at, so the idea of a Chronicles of Narnia-esque story taking place here had my interest immediately.

Does it take itself seriously all the time? No.
Is it sentimental and heartfelt? Absolutely!

Shaffer took on the task of writing a modern day fairytale, which is no easy feat, especially one that is supposed to happen in West Virginia of all places. Every time she would mention a specific place in the state I had to stop myself from grinning and hollering “I know that place!” Or “I’ve been there!”, especially growing up in Morgantown and having it mentioned so frequently- it made my little WV heart swell with pride!

*spoilers*

I really enjoyed the camaraderie of the main trio of characters. Each had their own very unique personalities. The grumpy and artsy prince and his faithful knight who would do anything for the prince he loves- chefs kiss! Add in the sassy princess who has no filter, with her pet rat at her side, and a West Virginian Queen ruling over a magical land and you’re in for quite a fairytale!

The build up to Rafe getting back to Shanandoah and recovering his memories made me want to scream REMEMBER EVERYTHING AND GO BACK TO BEING HAPPY WITH YOUR MAN AND YOUR QUEEN AND FAMILY!

I’m really glad that the arc with Rafe’s dad didn’t end in Rafe verbalizing his forgiveness to him, rather his dad telling him not to become the same man he was. Sometimes people don’t deserve to be forgiven for the terrible things they do to us, even if it’s our own family, and that’s okay.

I won’t lie, occasionally the story verged on cringey, but I feel like it’s a fine line when you’re trying to write a fairytale with modern day characters. It’s harder to put them into a fairytale and make it “believable”. When I learned that Shanandoah came about from Skya’s own story she wrote as a kid, it helped some of the cringey things make more sense.

I would have like a little more fleshing out of the characters, especially after they’d defeated the fake-king, and got to enjoy their time in Shanandoah. I feel like they were more surface level and I could have connected with them more if there had been more time to go into their thoughts and feelings.

I’m glad Rafe got to see his mom again, the thought of her having to loose her son twice would have put me over the edge of sadness. And I liked seeing Rafe and Jay get to start to settle into a life together in the real world.

And the ending? Can they actually go back to Shanandoah?!? I need them to go back and visit Emilie and Skya again!

I’m glad this isn’t the end for them and we may get to see more of them in books to come!

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.

Fifteen years ago two boys went into the woods of West Virginia and did not come back out for six months. The town all assumed they had perished until they one day showed up with scars and lost memories. Now adults Jeremy and Rafe are asked to help find a lost girl in those very same woods. While Jeremy has a special talent for finding lost individuals Rafe can’t understand how he, a reclusive artist with no memories of surviving the woods can help. Together, along with the missing girls sister Emilie they adventure into a mysterious world filled with both beauty and danger.

The Lost Story is Meg Schaffer’s sophomore novel that will give readers all the nostalgic Narnia feelings; I mean who didn’t wish as a youth to be able to travel to magical worlds. We follow our main characters Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie as they embark on a classic “hero’s journey” adventure. Throughout reading we are given 4th wall breaks from our narrator as they explain core elements of any fantasy story and provide plot details that I felt were both fun and also crucial to understanding our characters better. Along with our storyteller the book does hop from 2nd person POV to 3rd which I did find a bit distracting at first but as I continued to read I eventually became use to this aspect. While the book as a whole does have many fantasy elements I do believe that many readers will still find this to be a very realistic story. There are some heavier themes that are explored such as grief, abuse, kidnapping, and SA. And while this books does have these darker content aspects Shaffer still manages to create a tale that is cozy, whimsical, heartbreaking, and thrilling. At its core tho this is a story about love and acceptance. The Lost Story was an enthralling tale that I will not soon forget and I encourage readers of all genres to give this heartwarming story a read.

The Lost Story comes out July 16th, 2024.

Thank you again NetGalley and Random House Publishing, Ballentine for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine & NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review. I was so thrilled to read this story!

This story seems like something I would have loved as a teen. This is dubbed as a fairytale for adults, which in the first 25% I can absolutely see. However, as the story progresses, I found it hard to connect it with the idea of being anything other than maybe a fairytale that appeals to a younger audience.

I was hooked in the beginning of the story and was filled with anticipation to see where the story was going to take Jeremy, Rafe & Emilie, but my excitement tapered off as the story progressed when our characters found their way back into Shanandoah. The banter was fun and I really loved Jeremy & Rafe's dynamic. I think that it could have been fleshed out more and the world-building felt a little juvenile for my liking. The Lost Story is a sweet, whimsical, Narnia-esque fairytale that includes queer-romance, fun storyteller interruptions, while also touching on emotional, possibly triggering topics, such as domestic abuse, childhood trauma, and homophobia. I think this maybe could be considered as a kind of cozy fantasy story with low stakes.

this is a great beach read with lots of surprises and a great imagination! The story is entertaining with lots of suspense and twists. the relationship of the main characters is what makes this mystery works.

I forever adore a fairy tale, so this new "fairy tale for adults" was something I adored. Rafe and Jeremey went missing as teens for six months. They then returned six months later and have never really spoken to anyone about where they went and what they did. Fifteen years later, Jeremy has found work helped find missing girls and women, while Rafe has been rather reclusive. When Emilie comes to Jeremy with a request to find her sister, Jeremy knows it's going to take Rafe getting involved, too. And that means returning to where they were before. This was just such a captivating read. It was so unique, but also the familiar fairy tale vibe with all the feels! I also liked the connections with "real life" while having the enchantment of another world, too! Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this July 2024 release!

3.75/5.0 ⭐️

‘The Lost Story’ is a wonderful story for the person who never stops believing in tales. Meg Shaffer sprinkles a nod to many favorite fairy tales throughout this story within a story. Just like in ‘The Wishing Game’, she built lovable characters with wonderful banter and unyielding friendship. Shaffer also brings a refreshing LGBTQIA+ love story to the world of fairy tales that is so beautifully told.

‘The Lost Story’ is a whimsical YA experience offering love, redemption, and courage. And the promise that nothing is ever impossible.

My review will be posted on the release date, 7/15/24.

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