This book is incredible! So excited that I got approved to review an ARC for NetGalley! In 2024 I am abstaining from reading previews of books that give away too much information about the story, so I read it virtually cold, its 352-pages unfolding as a normal fiction book about 2 childhood friends lost in the woods.... But the story releases at an engaging pace to show loyalty, friendship, parental love (and the opposite), romantic love, the power of books, creativity, bravery, and imagination. Yes, it technically falls into the fantasy or magical realism genre, but it is so much more. I flew through the book and actually feel my love for books reigniting reading it. Enchanting, inspiring, heartwarming. One of my top 2024 books (to be released 7/4/24). 5-stars

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer is my first NetGalley read and review. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to check out this new book!

Jeremy Cox and Ralph Howell, two teenage boys, mysteriously disappear in the Red Crow forest in West Virginia in the 90s and are lost for six months before they return in better health and strength than when they left. How could two inexperienced teens have survived in the unforgiving woods for six months and then come back in even better condition than before? Jeremy Cox isn't telling, and Ralph Howell can't remember.

Fifteen years later, Jeremy is world-renown for his uncanny ability to find missing girls and women, dead or alive. He hasn't spoken to Ralph for all that time, either, until Emilie, a young woman who says whatever she's thinking whether it is socially appropriate or not, wants to hire him to find her long-lost biological sister. The only catch is that her sister went missing over 20 years ago...in the same forest where Jeremy and Ralph were lost. While hesitant to help her at first, Jeremy agrees to help Emilie find her missing sibling, and they embark on a journey that keeps getting weirder but better all the same.

While I was somewhat entertained by this story, I found that I kept waiting for something more interesting to happen. I was confused by Jeremy's character, who at first gave off serious, mountain man vibes, but his personality throughout the book wasn't consistent with my first impression of him. Later, he became a bit too sarcastic for me.

I really liked the premise of this book, and it got off to a good start. I liked Emilie and her pet rat, I liked that Jeremy has this uncanny ability that nobody can really explain, and I wanted to know more about why he hadn't spoken to Ralph in 15 years. However, once the introductions had been made, the story didn't go deep enough. It described a lot - how Jeremy and Ralph met, what the place where they went was like and the magic behind it, but I never felt fully invested in any of the characters. I was hoping there would be more to the story, something that would draw me in to their journey, pull at my heartstrings, or make me excited about their adventure. It just didn't have that for me.

Their journey back into the place where they were formerly lost was rushed. I expected an epic adventure, but there was only one main dangerous encounter that didn't seem that scary. I would've liked for it to be a bit more thrilling during the thrilling parts and building tension or excitement in the rest of the story leading up to a climax.

Overall, this was a great idea for a story, but the book just wasn't for me. Entertaining enough, and the writing was quite nice. If you want to check it out for yourself, The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer comes out on July 16, 2024.

I'm still looking forward to reading Meg Shaffer's first book, The Wishing Game, because I keep hearing great things about it! Thank you for the opportunity to engage with this book.

"The Lost Story" is another wonderfully crafted book by Meg Shaffer. I was intrigued to read this after lover her debut novel "The Wishing Game" and I can honestly say it's another hit!

The Lost Story follows 3 characters whose lives all converge. Jeremy and Rafe, once lost in the woods together for 6 months, come together 15 years after reappearing to help Emillie find her lost sister in those same woods. This story explores grief, love, and wonder as our characters enter a magical world. I do want to point out some trigger warnings: abuse, attempted kidnapping and SA. For a book that has so much magic and wonder, there are quite a bit of dark subjects touched upon as well.

Some things I thought this book did wonderfully:
-Pacing: much better than "The Wishing Game". I felt the book was the perfect length, nothing was rushed, ending was satisfying
-LQBTQ+ representation. The main romance felt very natural (not forced) and I loved how much the characters cared for each other
-Magical realism: This is a great example of magical realism. The people from the real world have chance encounters with a magical realm, though can never really explain how it came about. I think this would be a popular read for those who are into the magical realism genre

Some things I thought were a miss for me (but I think others will love)
-Emillie seemed awfully obsessed with finder her sister that she never knew and thought was dead
-The foreshadowing was done so well that it was pretty easy to predict what was going to happen next
-Despite being in a relationship, the 2 MMC seem to be kissing everyone around them (I just prefer a more dedicated couple, especially since they were so cute together)
-Some of the topics were super dark, but that's a me thing. I think a lot of readers would LOVE the dark tone

Overall, I loved the mystery of figuring out what had happened to the boys when they were younger and the romance between them. The story had a very satisfying conclusion and was imaginative and magical. This is a wonderful read if you are looking for a standalone, and I look forward to reading more by this author!

4.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This started out with a great premise but the plot began to fall apart. The story became more telling than showing. The narrator is a bit jarring. It had a lot of promise but fell short.

I received a free copy of the book. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Emilie's sister has been missing for years. She hopes she can persuade Jeremy to help. This book kept me interested from the first page.

Meg Shaffer delivers another fabulous tale. Teenagers Jeremy and Rafe disappear and mysteriously reappear 6 months later. Once remembers where they have been, one does not. Fifteen years later, they come together again to face the past and create a new future.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. ✨
All books are magic. Some, though, are more magical than others. From the first page, I was sucked into the book. It's magical, eerie, and you're curious to know what's going to happen. This story will give you hope. Hope that maybe magic does exist somewhere outside of books. Hope that one day you'll come across the wardrobe that leads to Narnia and everything magical inside.
Not only is this book magical, it's finding family, finding where you belong, and refinding love.

When I read the description of this book, I had high hopes for it. Alas, those hopes were dashed upon non-magical rocks. This book compares itself to Narnia, but that comparison is short-lived and only valid in that some kids get transported to another world.

I will say it started off very strong. Two boys who have been lost in a West Virginia state park emerge from the woods after six months without the ability to explain their whereabouts. Rafe becomes a recluse, while the other has a unique gift of finding lost people. Jeremy becomes somewhat of a celebrity as a tracker.

I didn’t care for either of these characters, but I really like Emilie, who wants to find her long-lost sister. She seeks out Jeremy’s help, and that’s where the story really begins. It is also where my interest waned. This adult fairy tale just got silly after that.

The author has chosen to insert vignettes by an unknown “Storyteller.” I found these distracting and unnecessary. They actually took me out of the story – a story that I wasn’t enjoying very much anyway. I’ll give her points for her imagination and her writing ability. But I probably won’t read her work anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book by an author I enjoy! This is another magical, fantasy like story with real life difficult elements built in. It tells the story of 2 boys who got lost in the woods years ago, Rafe and Jeremy. They mysteriously return..stronger and with no memory of what happened. Jeremy uses the experience to help others, and he is then recruited to return to the same woods to find a long missing girl. I loved how the author made the woods this like Narnia type place of magic but also scary and uncertain. I loved not knowing what did happen in those woods? There are also narrator chapters that I thought added alot to the story. This author clearly has a vivid imagination and it's fun to read her books!

Book Review- The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

5/5 ✨

I REALLY loved the Wishing Game so I was holding onto some trepidation going into this story because how could she write something cuter, more whimsical and all around magical than that?

Welp, @meg_shaffer did it. She DID IT.

I have told probably ten people in the last week in real life that I can’t wait for them to read this book. I want to experience it again for the first time.

It is magic. Pure magic. Pure love and sacrifice and devious bad guys and wonderful animals and just..feels like you wake up in a story world and you don’t want to leave.

I read some dark, gritty books. Meg Shaffer has become my favorite palette cleaner for a magical little feel good story where I just wanna be devoured by a book. Freaking incredible. Can’t get enough of these characters!
When July comes get your hands on this book!

Thank you @netgalley and @meg_shaffer and the publisher for the thrill of getting to inhale this book. Love it!

This was a whimsical modern fantasy with lots of magical fairy tale vibes. If you are a fan of books where ordinary people stumble into magical worlds (think The Chronicles of Narnia) or you ever wished it would happen to you, this book is for you.
This books explores themes of grief, love, discovering yourself, finding where you belong and so much more while blending the dark, hard parts of real life with the colorful whimsy of a fantasy world.
I really enjoyed the way the author blended the characters’ stories and the past and present. I was invested in the story could empathize with the characters because their emotions and thoughts were so well depicted.
My one major issue with this book was that I wish Emilie would’ve had a personality trait that wasn’t just “liked Fleetwood Mac”. It started to feel so over the top by the end and just got on my nerves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!!

Meg Shaffer has done it again! Out of the 200+ books I read in 2023, The Wishing Game was a top 5 book for me and The Lost Story is sure to be the same for 2024. This story felt like a love letter to the fantasy books I read as a kid; it sucked me in from page one and didn’t let go until the very end. I actually kept putting the book down because I didn’t want it to end, I just wanted to stay in this world with these characters. I absolutely adored Rafe and Jeremy and the timelessness of their love, and without any spoilers, I really enjoyed Skya and Emilie’s relationship. I can’t recommend The Lost Story highly enough, especially if you grew up reading fantasy books as a kid, like The Chronicles of Narnia.

This book is simply fantastic. You will notice that these two boys become part of your friends group because they seem so real.

The Lost Story is about two boys, Jeremy and Rafe, who disappeared into the forest as teens, and Rafe has no recollection of what happened while they were gone. Years later, Rafe is a bit of a recluse. Jeremy has found success in finding those who are lost, and Emilie asks him to find her long lost sister.

Jeremy’s seen her sister before. He recognizes her from the forest. With Rafe’s help, they go back in one more time to a magical hidden kingdom in which Emilie’s sister, Skya, is queen.

If you read The Wishing Game, this story had a similar whimsy and lighthearted feel, despite the abuse and trauma some of that characters experienced in childhood. It unexpectedly also had an LGBTQ+ love story, which was a bonus. It was a quick read and a decently fun adventure.

However, I wish the character motivation was stronger. Skya didn’t seem to have much of a goal, and Emilie and Jeremy’s external goals felt the same as their internal wants and desires. I wasn’t totally sure where the plot was going, and the villains were unexpected. There wasn’t always much at stake, but I was willing to overlook that because Rafe and Jeremy are super cute.

This book is a read in one sitting book. I very literally only stopped for lunch. It is a fairy tale in the very best way. There are heroes and villians and magic, but the individual characters shine through. It doesn't drag out worldbuilding with every detail described. The book let's you know the broad strokes and fills in when needed. Queen Skya has a backstory that is not exploited, but explains her land. Rafe and Jeremy have a second chance once they meet Emilie. No spoilers, this is a really happy book with some very sad things in the characters past. This is the first book I have read by the author, but I am looking forward to reading more.

Oh, where do I even begin to express my love for The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer? This book swept me off my feet and plunged me headfirst into a whirlwind of emotions and wonder that I never wanted to end. From the moment I cracked open the cover, I was utterly captivated.

Let's start with the characters - Emilie, Jeremy, and Rafe. They're more than just characters in a book; they're like old friends I've known for years. Their struggles, their growth, their jokes - everything about them felt so authentic and relatable. And when they reunited to embark on this incredible journey to find Emilie's sister Shannon, it felt like I was right there with them, cheering them on every step of the way.

But it's not just the characters that stole my heart; it's the world Meg Shaffer has created. Shanandoah is a place of magic and mystery, brought to life with breathtaking detail and vivid imagery. I could practically feel the cool breeze on my skin and smell the earthy scent of the forest as I followed the characters through its enchanting landscapes.

And then there's the relationships - the bonds between Rafe and Jeremy, the sisters finding their way back to each other, and the enigmatic Storyteller who weaves it all together with his magic pencil. It's a symphony of love, friendship, and adventure that tugs at your heartstrings and leaves you longing for more.

Honestly, I could go on and on about how much I adore The Lost Story. It's a book that manages to tackle heavy topics with grace and sensitivity while still whisking you away to a world of enchantment and excitement. It's a true masterpiece, and one that I'll be recommending to everyone I know for years to come.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!

I loved Shaffer’s first novel, The Wishing Game and was so excited to read her second! This story was filled with chosen family and LGBTQ+ representation. Although her trademark grown up fairy tale energy was alive and well throughout this story, i just didn’t love it and I’m not sure why!

First off, with apologies to author Meg Shaffer, this book cannot be reviewed without comparisons to the masters of the fantasy/adult fairy tale genre: JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Lewis Carroll, LF Baum, and more recently Stephen King. Shaffer holds her own in this esteemed cadre with her recent offering The Lost Story.

It’s a story of boys lost and found, love lost and found, queens, princesses, art, truth, good and evil. Shaffer manages to wrap these concepts into a riveting tale that takes place in “West, -by God- Virginia!”.

The story starts when two boys, who have been missing and assumed dead, suddenly appear along a hiking path. Rafe and Jeremy go their separate ways for 15 years. Rafe a sullen artist and Jeremy, an investigator who is able to locate missing girls. They are reunited when Jeremy is enticed by Emilie who implores him to help locate her missing sister.

Thus the three begin a journey that takes them to places some had forgotten and others cannot imagine except in their deepest dreams.

I’m sure that generations from now young and old alike will have shelved this book along with their other classics of the genre. Kudos Meg Shaffer, you’ve given us another winner.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for an eARC

Another book I did not see coming!! A very solid even four stars and definitely an addicting read.

This book wasn’t on my radar but when I saw it available to request, and the fact that it draws inspiration from The Chronicles of Narnia, I was intrigued. But I still wasn’t expecting to like this as much I did!

This book had strong Stranger Things vibes but with more whimsical rather than gothic fantasy elements. In the best way possible. I mean I was truly obsessed with the writing and the flow of the story since the very first chapter. The only thing that didn’t push this to a full five stars was that there were a few parts in the book where the description felt to go on too long and my interest would waver.

I have to say all the characters in this had my whole heart. Jeremy, Rafe, and Emilie were so complex as protagonists and the dynamics between them were so well written and fleshed out. I loved them so much!!
Jeremy and Rafe as two best friends who go through a traumatic experience together, and then being reunited through Emilie, where they reconcile their memories and discover everything that truly happened in that traumatic time period — SO GOOD. Like, so much to love there, I was so emotional.

Of course, the whole world in the forest was so unprecedented to me when I started reading this, but it was such a treat to read. My HEART with Emilie and Skya, I just loved the whole thing so much. The bond over years between Skya, Jeremy and Rafe was so heartwarming, and seeing Emilie build her own with all three was just so beautiful to witness.

The plot itself was very compelling; the truth behind the kids going missing was such a good way to go about that beginning, and the journey with Rafe gradually remembering things, and them finding the forest kingdom, as well as the decisions they made with respect to it — so so much to love.

I loved everything here, and it was just tied up so well with that ending too. Really, really good. The Lost Story was one of those underdog books for me that will go down as a book that’s a definite recommend for sure.

The overall concept and whimsical nature of the book was exciting and I anticipated a fantastic read. Sadly about halfway through the magic faded for me.
The main characters are supposed to be 30(s), but they don’t act that way and can be annoyingly dense. As a lover of good literature, the references are fun. The storytelling was very fast paced (too fast) and a lot of the plot was predictable. I liked it enough to finish it, but do not have the need to revisit it.