Wow! This book really put me in my feels! The author told a great tale about the preservation of Irish Folklore. We get to experience Fairies through her book in a more culturally appropriate way by the stories Harold, The Story Collector, collected. A new understanding of The Good People that as an American I didn’t have. We also get to see how several characters are faced with grief and then how the magic of Ireland helps them heal. I highly recommend picking this book up and reading it!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is an engaging read – split between 2011 and 1911, we learn about the lives of Sarah, an American, who on a whim (and possibly after a few too many drinks at the airport) ends up flying to Ireland rather than returning to her parents for Christmas, and Anna, whose diary is found by Sarah.

A clever way of telling us many stories, which of course fits the title really well too – from the present day sadness, redemption, and chemistry to the simpler, but just as confusing events of 1911. And in amongst it all are the 'Good People' and their mischief-making.

I did wonder at one point whether it was all going to be tied up in a very neat bow, but the author did a fabulous job of changing things up a bit and giving us a few twists and turns. Very satisfying read, thank you.

After two years of living in a house filled with unspoken needs and muffled emotions, Sarah and Jack finally decide to part ways. Sarah, now at Newark Airport, is waiting to board a flight to Boston to spend Christmas with her sister. While wandering through gift shops, she stumbles upon an Irish store where she buys an Irish newspaper and a bottle of Irish whiskey. In a drunken haze, inspired by an article about a "fairy tree," she impulsively books a flight to Ireland.
When she lands in a small Irish town, she finds a charming, quaint cottage for rent and, despite the town not being what she expected, she begins to find solace in the peaceful Irish countryside and its people.
In the middle of one night, during a panic attack-induced walk, Sarah discovers a century-old diary buried in a tree trunk. The diary belonged to an 18-year-old named Anna Butler, and Sarah becomes irresistibly drawn to Anna's story, wanting to learn everything about her life.

The book starts with a middle aged woman running away from her life, but it quickly becomes much more than that. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Irish countryside, the book immerses readers in the lives of both women, skillfully weaving in Irish folklore and elements of magical realism. The writing vividly captures the setting and the connection between the two time periods. However, the prose in Anna’s sections can feel somewhat forced, as though the author is trying too hard to evoke the historical period.

The characters are well-developed and distinct. Sarah, dealing with a mid-life crisis and recovering from alcoholism, contrasts sharply with the naive, sheltered Anna, whose youthful innocence is vividly portrayed.

Despite its many strengths, the book’s pacing is uneven. The first 75% of the story builds almost too slowly, while the final quarter feels rushed, leading to a climax that lacks impact. Also, I personally felt that the romantic elements in both timelines, especially Anna’s, lacked chemistry and felt contrived.

Overall, this is a decent read for those interested in a light-hearted exploration of Irish folklore and magical realism. Thanks to NetGalley, Harper 360 and Evie Woods for this ARC!

I… could not get past the writing of this book and I can’t say why. I don’t think it was “bad” necessarily but it didn’t people me forward or reel me in. I was skimming within the first few chapters and pushed through because the premise sounds so fantastical and fun and magical - which are all things/themes that really work for me.

I’m going to blame myself for this one, because as an English major I do find myself having a much higher standard for the writing of books and it is something that can really take me out of a read and make me not enjoy an otherwise well developed story/plot. SO if the description and the themes of this book sound like they’re up your alley, I wouldn’t let MY review deter you. But if you care a lot about the writing itself and struggle if it’s not up to a certain standard this mayyyy not work for you.

I love books set in Ireland so this was a great choice for me. And it did not disappoint. Lots of info about Ireland and Irish lore and a good storyline to boot. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was a fun read that focused on the lives of two different women from present and past timelines. I enjoyed the Irish folklore but was also very surprised with the heartfelt content in this story . I loved how the author used a journal to connect the two storylines and kept you engaged in both women's stories.

I did think the dialogue between the present day characters sounded a little immature at times and could have been more in depth. But I absolutely loved Harold and Anna's story! I would recommend this to anyone who wants a little bit of a different take on fantasy and is interested in Irish customs.

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

What a magical story! This book is actually 2 stories. The present day story of Sarah who suddenly ends up on Ireland on a whim. When she gets there, she finds the diary of Anna. As you read the book, you will hear the diary entries of Anna and her life long ago. This is a book about fairies, love and learning to live with the loss of a loved one. I enjoyed this book and I would love to read other books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Evie Woods is so talented at writing imaginative stories, and this book truly delivered an enjoyable experience. I always love her settings, and the dual timelines worked well together. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Sweet story. The present day love story was a tad bit clunky but traveling in the past with Anna was an enjoyable ride. I received an ARC of this book, which has me confused since it is listed as having been published in 2018. In any case, my honest review is in exchange for having received a free copy to read.

I really liked this story. It involved Irish folklore stories and a little bit of magic, which I liked. 100 years ago, a young woman named Anna volunteers to help an American visitor translate fairy stories, As their relationship develops, Anna finds herself caught in a mystery. In present day New York, Sarah is running away from a divorce and ends up in Ireland. She begins to make friends and connect to Anna and the story collector. She also begins to heal from pain that goes even deeper than the divorce. This is a good story about hope and inspiration, with a little magic thrown in. I recommend this book to all readers!
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper 360! All opinions are my own!

Thank you netgalley

I truly liked Sarah and Anna's story. Separated by time but connected by books and library... I liked the unfolding of this story

This book was very out of my comfort zone but I liked it. Any book about a library or stories that has a magical vibe/ aspect I am always down for. If you are looking for a story that is a little different and entertaining I would def suggest this one.

I do love a dual timeline story and the author combines past and present Ireland in a seamless manner. I was able to read this thru NetGalley and glad for the opportunity. It was intriguing and entertaining. Will look for more of this author’s work!

I loved the journey this book took me on. The personal struggle that Sarah was experiencing was the perfect open door for the adventure that Anna’s diary presented. While I was definitely invested in Sarah, I was always anxious to get back to Anna’s world. After all, it was filled with fairies and tales that excited and shook me in equal parts.

This story switches back and forth between two time periods and women, but it was not difficult to keep up with where the story was with each jump. The characters were all engaging and kept me intrigued with each turn of the page. I loved the touch of romance as well as the angst I felt regarding a potential villain.

This was a fast paced read that had both lighthearted and darker moments. I loved everything about this story and found myself completely satisfied with its ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of two women, 100 years apart in the same place in Ireland. Anna, a young farm girl who volunteers to help a young Cambridge graduate student, an American, translate fairy stories from Irish to English. A century later, Sarah boards a plane to Ireland as a last minute, drunken decision, made after flushing her marriage away. Both women unearth dark secrets that tread the line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen.

I really enjoyed this story. The alternating past and present POV were very well done and as a whole, the writing is skillful. Both stories are expertly woven together. I loved the 2 female characters and could relate to both. The magical realism, something that I am picky about when I read in that genre, was splendid and not too far out into the ether. It did not hurt that I do like fairy stories! Also, the bits of romance were a nice touch and added to the story.

Highly recommend!!!

This appears to be a re-release of the book (originally published in 2018) and is a dual timeline (1910 and 2010) taking place in the small village of Thornwood on the west coast of Ireland centering around Anna, a young farm girl and Sarah, a New Yorker trying to find herself following a tragic event and subsequent separation from her husband.

When an intriguing American academic (Harold) shows up on her family’s doorstep, Anna volunteers to assist him in translating local folklore surrounding the Good Folk (fairies) for a book he’s writing. We get lots of fascinating folklore tales, and Harold is eager to perpetuating the art of storytelling to keep Irish traditions alive for the next generation. Following an otherworldly, horrific event/murder in which an innocent person is arrested, Anna and Harold have some difficult and heart wrenching decisions to make concerning their futures.

Sarah “accidently” finds herself in Ireland as she seeks time alone to come to terms with a devastation loss. While there, she discovers Anna’s diary and becomes immersed in her story. She also meets her landlord who is recovering from his own loss and raising a teenaged daughter.

I actually preferred Anna’s story here. It’s filled with intriguing stories, and I found both Anna and Harold very compelling. Sarah’s story did not have the pull for me that Anna’s did. And for me, the endings for both timelines left me a bit disappointed and unsatisfied.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harper 360 for providing the free arc of The Story Collector for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of The Story Collector, by Evie Gaughan, from Harper 360 | Harper360 /NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

I so wanted to like this more than I did. Because, Ireland. And, faeries.

Alas and alack, the magic was not there for me; perhaps because the author went with the more pedestrian spelling of fairies?

And because our main character was neither likeable nor believable to me?

Sigh.

Oh, well. That’s how things go sometimes. At least Evie Gaughan gets props for writing a novel, which is more than I’ve done!

Description
An evocative and charming novel full of secrets and mystery, from the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop

In a quiet village in Ireland, a mysterious local myth is about to change everything…

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 in the present day, 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.

With a taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Woods's latest novel is full of ordinary characters

3.75? The story was fine and very easy but I struggled to get through it. The main character is very relatable at times, and I do genuinely adore her.

This is a very comfy read, and if you enjoy a story about starting anew this is for you!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy

I really enjoyed The Lost Bookshop, and The Story Collector has some of the same charming/sad elements. In The Story Collector, we meet Sarah on Christmas Eve. She’s supposed to fly back to Boston to stay with her sister after becoming estranged from her husband. She instead flies to where her ancestors are from, the West Coast of Ireland. There she finds a diary of a girl named Anna that was penned 100 years earlier.

Both Sarah and Anna find solace and healing in the stories of fairies and the people of the village.

NetGalley provided a copy of this novel. The paperback version of this will be available in the States on August 15, 2024.

This was not for me. Which was surprising because based on the description, it sounded like a book I would enjoy a great deal. But there was something about the writing that I just didn’t enjoy. It didn’t feel organic and the interactions between the characters felt stilted. I felt zero investment in the characters in the 2000s and it very much felt like the FMC just fell in love with the first (and only?) age appropriate man she met. The characters from the past, on the other hand, I was deeply invested in and found myself wanting to skip the chapters in the present to find out what happens with them. But my excitement dimmed significantly with the ending. It was deeply unsatisfying. The end of the present felt rushed, it felt like none of the core issues of the FMC were addressed on the page, and we just glossed over all of her very problematic behaviors and grief to arrive at a happy-ish ending. I appreciated the parallels between the past and present, that was a clever use of the two temporal points of view. But the chapters were divided unevenly and it felt like more care was given to the past than to the present. Overall, I’m quite disappointed, but grateful to have been given the opportunity to read it.