The Story Collector by Evie Woods is a charming, whimsical tale that blends history, mystery, and a touch of magic. Set in dual timelines, the novel follows Sarah, a modern-day writer uncovering the secrets of an old Irish house, and Anna, a woman in the 1900s with a unique gift for collecting stories. I love how everything comes together. Super cozy book that I enjoyed reading. Thank you Evie Woods, NetGalley, Harper360 for this ARC!

Magical realism with a heavy dose of folklore. I was absolutely captivated with the Irish setting and stories. I typically am turned off with multiple timelines, but the author wrote this so elegantly, that I couldn’t help but be absorbed into the timeline effortlessly. Character development was decent, and the pacing was even.

"The Story Collector" is the perfect book if you're a fan of cozy stories intertwined with magical folklore.

While I do enjoy magical realism, the magical elements in "The Story Collector" were not ones that I particularly enjoyed in this book. I didn't find myself invested in the stories and history behind the fairies at all. I also had a hard time reading the "diary" entries, which read much more like a novel than an actual diary entry.

Overall, this book wasn't for me, but is one that I think the right reader will really enjoy!

Such a beautiful and magical read with dual timelines and POV's. Sara is in 2011 and is trying to heal from "the terrible thing" and ends up drinking enough whiskey to make her somehow just drunk enough to talk herself into getting on a flight to Ireland instead of her flight to Boston. From there she ends up in a picture perfect town of Thornwood where she finds the diary of Anna from 1911.

Anna Butler right away became a character that was much easier to like, but I did love how the stories so beautifully merged together. The stories of Ireland and superstitions related to faeries is simply beautiful and made for a delightful read. The romance that Sara experienced was just so... inappropriate. Not even divorced, literally just left her husband and yet there is romance? It didn't sit well with me at all and left a sour taste in my mouth that sadly did hinder my overall enjoyment of the book.

My favorite quote of the book: “You made your plans, but life had other ideas and somehow you had to make peace with that. Find the meaning in it and let it change you. Fighting to stay the same was the problem. It felt like everybody wanted the old Sarah back, including herself. But a part of her died that day with Emma and she would never be the same woman again. And maybe that was okay.” this quote truly touched me and inspired me as it's just so true.

Thank you to NetGalley and Evie Woods for this e-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars

Such a good story that is beautifully written. Sarah makes a tipsy decision to hop on a plane to Ireland because of an article she real about a Fairy tree. She gets a little more than she bargained for when she stars reading a diary of a woman that lived a hundred years ago in the cabin she is staying in. We travel back in time to hear Anna's story and find out what happened long ago. It makes you feel like you are right there in the Ireland countryside. You can just picture the rolling hills and the little town this story is set in. I loved the magical touches that leave you wanting more.

Thank you to Harper 360 and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved the dual POVs of this book. Beautifully set in Ireland following a woman's search for a new start to life after a failed marriage. If it's a book set in Ireland you can count me in.

3.5 stars.
First, thank you Harper for the e-arc in exchange of my honest review. This book is cozy and cute with a touch of magical realism set in Ireland. A dual point of view in a now and then type of two uniquely similar women that were dealing with life's challenges a hundred years apart. Sarah travelled to Ireland in a whim to find herself, clarity of life and nurse the painful grief from recent loss. She ends up in this old cottage in the middle of nowhere that used to be the home of Anna back in the early 1900s. She stumbled into Anna's old diary and through this reading their connection to situations was both relatable. The diary has given Sarah the comfort, the guidance that she did not she neede.
Beautiful story overall and Evie Woods always has the art of creating, heart warming, lyrical and captivating work. Its always a pleasant reading experience!

Dual narratives of past and present come together to remind us of the importance of storytelling, as told in this magical book.
The story begins with Sarah Harper,seeking a fresh start as she travels to enchanting Ireland. Here she discovers a hidden diary and through the eyes of Anna,who is writing from the year 1910, she discovers the tales of her cottage town,passed down from person to person, and decides to help record and translate them,thereby keeping their secrets and magic alive.
I loved all aspects of this book; it’s a wonderful story of magic and Irish folklore and it explores what becomes of the tales passed down through generations, both good and bad.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting a little magic in their lives.

Fantastic, fantastic! I love books with magic in them, and this one lived up to that. The characters were well planned and real, and the setting itself was mystical and enchanting. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Review: The Story Collector by Evie Woods

The descriptions in this story are wonderful! I could imagine myself there and now want to travel to Ireland and stay in a cottage and walk around the woods and villages. The characters are interesting and their lives/story realistic - it’s an emotional read with conflict, depth, and still a mystical nature wound through the tale. It can be a bit all over the place and a touch slow here and there, but overall worth the read. There are some heavier subjects involved, so content warnings will be wanted by some people.

TW: Miscarriage

“The Story Collector” by Evie Woods is a charming and magical novel about the power of stories and the connections they forge. Told through a dual past-and-present point of view, the book follows Sarah in the present as she copes with the ending of her marriage and the loss of a baby as well as local farm girl Anna in the past as she aids the American story collector Harold Krauss in his journey to record Irish fairy lore and fairy faith.

Woods’ characters are well-drawn, with Anna’s curiosity and determination driving the plot forward on one hand while Sarah is pulled from her depression by following Anna’s story and seeking out a resolution to her own sad tale in the little Irish village. The setting, a quaint Irish town with a timeless feel, adds to the book's nostalgic and enchanting atmosphere. Both characters explore a fairy hill, encounter mysterious actors, and find an outlet for grief in the slightly magical circumstances surrounding the village.

I really enjoyed the focus on the fairy faith and the Irish villager’s perceptions of the fey. As a folklorist, I appreciate Woods’ accuracy in detailing both the good and bad of the fairy legends, as well as the connection between fairies and souls that have passed on.

This is a lovely, evocative read for anyone who enjoys stories about history, mystery, fairies, and legacies.

The Story Collector by Evie Woods is a story of past and present woven into a beautiful tale. The story takes place in Ireland so now I want to travel there and stay at a little cottage in a small village by myself. I couldn't understand where this book was going for the first couple of chapters and, honestly, I didn't care. The writing was so descriptive I was actually in that little cottage. But as the story began to take shape I became engrossed in the mystery. Without giving away the plot, get a warm cup of cocoa, a fuzzy blanket and travel to a small cottage in Ireland.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Safeguarding people’s stories - can anything be more important? Cultures die out and with them their stories, if left unrecorded. “Oral traditions are dying out with the people who speak them.” Whether protecting aboriginal history or Irish Fairy stories, smart folk realize that “If we lose our stories, we lose ourselves.”

Effectively told in a dual timeline I was conflicted - really conflicted because I enjoyed the story but the characters not so much. The story of Anna and Harold and his interest in recording “the beliefs of the Celtic People” was interesting, informative and captured my attention. Sarah’s story was so all over the place that I found myself skimming to get past the “mess” of her life. A more sympathetic modern-day protagonist would have worked better for me.

Not a complete hit nor a total miss I want to thank Harper Collins and NetGalley for a copy.

Not what I was expecting and it took a few pages to really get into the book - but such a good story! Overall very sweet and I enjoyed reading it. Loved how the worlds collided!

I just finished reading The Story Collector by Evie Woods, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it! The book switches between two timelines: Anna, a farm girl in 1910 Ireland, and Sarah, a modern-day woman who goes to Ireland looking for some answers and a fresh start.

Anna’s story is full of mystery and a bit of magic, which I loved. She’s helping an American visitor translate fairy tales, and her journey is both touching and intriguing. Sarah’s part of the story is equally compelling. She finds Anna’s old diary, and as she reads it, she starts to uncover secrets that connect the past and the present.

The descriptions of the Irish countryside are so vivid, I felt like I was there. The characters are really well-developed, and I found myself rooting for both Anna and Sarah. The way the two timelines are woven together is really well done, making the story rich and immersive.

Overall, The Story Collector is a charming and magical read that left me with a warm feeling. If you love stories with a bit of history and a touch of enchantment, you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

I love a good setting, but libraries, Ireland, faeries? Count me in! This was an enchanting book and I really enjoyed it.

One hundred years ago, Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor translate fairy stories from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems, and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens her very way of life.

In New York today, Sarah Harper boards a plane bound for the West Coast of Ireland. But once there, she finds she has unearthed dark secrets—secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.

The book combines historical fiction, magical realism, and contemporary romance. It was a quick but enjoyable read. I liked the atmosphere of the book. You know where the story is going but the author does a great job of weaving together the two storylines.

I found this book difficult to engage with due to its disjointed storyline and the frequent shifts between timelines, which disrupted the narrative flow. As a result, I struggled to remain invested and ended up skimming through much of it by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was so enchanting and whimsical. The perfect book for a cold, rainy day with a cup of tea and a cozy blanket. I loved the magical realism in this book, and the way that traditions of fairy stories were treated with respect.

In 1910, an Irish farm girl, Anna, is asked to assist an American anthropologist in interviewing her neighbours about their beliefs in and traditions surrounding fairies. In the present day, Sarah spontaneously travels from New York to Ireland, and finds a journal that links the two women. Such a beautiful story. Highly recommended.

2.5 stars. Liked the historical timeline/story, modern one was meh. Sarah was somewhat annoying and I'm not sure what Oren sees in her since she the story doesn't show her to be in any way appealing in their early meetings.